QB Depth in the NFL
by Dane Noble on Jun 29, 2009 1:59 PM CDT
51 comments
It has been discussed a few times in the last couple of months... which NFL team has the best group of QBs? Certainly, only ranking the starting QBs would be a tough enough task, but to attempt to rank teams based on the starter + back-ups? Well, I found an article that does just that (or attempts to nonetheless), and I'll leave it up to you to decide how close it would stack up against your rankings.
Our beloved Chicago Bears QBs come in at number 19.
| 19. |  |
Jay Cutler Caleb Hanie Brett Basanez |
Well, at least now the Bears finally have one legitimate, top-shelf QB. They just may not have anyone behind him if Cutler ever gets hurt. First, how good is Cutler? Critics point to his offseason pouting in Denver, his 18 interceptions in 2008 and fact that he's never led a team to the playoffs. But he did have a horrible defense in Denver, which on paper the Bears should be an improvement. But Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez as backups? Chicago's front office should be ashamed to head into the season with no proven backup.
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First
Never did that before. lol
"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan, the one and only...
by LPLancer23 on Jun 29, 2009 2:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
19th?
You know, the funny thing about this ranking is that if they just ranked Starting QB’s, we would be Top 10. But if it just ranked Backup QB’s, we could be fighting for last.
I remember last year when a lot of people thought Caleb Hanie was the shit. I never saw it. His throws were frequently behind receivers, or didn’t quite have the zip to squeeze it into the holes he would have liked to. The only reason why he seemed to do okay in the Preseason is because he was up against 3rd string defenses, a lot of players that didn’t even play in the NFL last year. He would never be able to get by the way he did in the Preseason last year against an NFL defense. Okay, maybe a Detroit Lions defense, but thats only 2 games out of the year. lol
"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan, the one and only...
by LPLancer23 on Jun 29, 2009 2:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
you would?
With who as your starter? You guys traded away the house for the second best QB in the AFC west? How would you be in the top 10?
by davis0169 on Jun 29, 2009 8:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
You dont think Jay Cutler is a Top 10 QB?
Name 10 QB’s better than him.
"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan, the one and only...
by LPLancer23 on Jun 29, 2009 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Here's the deal with Sizzle IMHO
He was the second best QB in the AFC west WITHOUT the best running back in the NFL (currently) and his more than adequate backup. What did the Bronco’s have at running back last year? A platoon of adequacy with the threat of reputation alone. No defense had to fear the Bronc’s running attack as they had in year’s past. This allowed teams to key in on the passing attack. I believe this is what led to the higher number of interceptions by J Cutler. A great running attack is the perfect compliment to a great passer. I believe that this offense is the best option for Sizzle if he truly is as mature as I hope he is. With some patience he will provide the necessary compliment to a great Bears ground game. That in turn will give him fewer yards, but better overall productivity placing him CLEARLY in the top 10 (See Rivers). Enough said.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
by Just Dave on Jun 29, 2009 11:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
ya
but, with the picks they got from us, they might get a good qb
by trademan56 on Jun 29, 2009 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
This might be the worst "ranking" article of all time.
I do have to agree that beyond Cutler we really have no idea how Hanie and Banasez will play, but using that same logic, how are the Patriots that much better off when you get past Brady (who is coming off a serious injury)?
The Broncos dead last? We have gone over the difference between Orton and Cutler adnauseum, but Orton is still a better than average QB when healthy and Simms has started several games throughout his career, no way they are the worst QB choices in the league.
Jake Delhomme and Josh McCown ranked 3 spots higher than Petyon Manning and Jim Sorgi is a joke. Sorgi may not be a household name but has filled in admirably for Petyon the few times he’s been sidelined. Manning by himself should bring the rating higher than those two.
The Rams with Bulger and Boller at #22 is also way too low compared to several teams ranked ahead of them.
by BearFan611 on Jun 29, 2009 2:30 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs
good analysis ..
of a lousy article. Based on the criteria he stated up front for the rankings, he forgot all about it by the time he did the writing. rec’d
by AlanC on Jun 29, 2009 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
orton is better than the average QB?
come on, go ahead and list 16 QB’s that orton is better than. i don’t think i would put the broncos at #32, but at least in the mid to upper 20’s. and i live in tampa, i’ve seen plenty of chris simms. trust me, he is definitely not good.
you’re right about the patriots, by his logic of putting the bears at 19 they should only be a few spots ahead. and the colts should be ahead of them since sorgi at least has some experience.
by genetic on Jun 29, 2009 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Look at my original statement
“when healthy” is the key. Prior to his ankle injury last season, he was definitely in the top third of the league in stats and his winning record is definitely in the upper half. Again, I’m not saying we would be better off with him than Cutler, but in the context of this article he and Simms (who I’ve never been a big fan of either, but as a backup you could definitely do worse) are not even close to the last place group.
by BearFan611 on Jun 29, 2009 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gotta go with genetic on this one...
Even healthy, I can’t call Orton above average (among starters). I can’t blame his latter-half struggles entirely on his ankle injury; or rather, I don’t think his play in the 3 or 4 games prior to his injury adequately represent the play you can expect of him in a full, injury-free season. It’s nice that he strung together a few good games, but on a whole I think to call him even an “average” (starting) QB is a tad on the generous side.
(And I think QBs are often given too much credit – and too much blame – for wins and losses. I recall this off-season we let walk another QB with a winning record…)
by rsong on Jun 30, 2009 2:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
We can all agree to disagree about Orton's abilities, but
the point is they shouldn’t be ranked dead last in the league either.
by BearFan611 on Jun 30, 2009 9:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That, I can agree with.
Funny the role prior expectations play. Somehow I bet if the Bears hadn’t acquired Cutler, but instead signed Simms as a backup to Orton, then the Bears’ Orton-Simms duo would rank higher than dead last. But because the Broncs used to have Cutler…
by rsong on Jun 30, 2009 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Absolutely correct on that
which shows you how full of b.s. the writer who put this list together was.
by BearFan611 on Jun 30, 2009 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agreed with everything
Until you said Bulger/Boller should be higher.
Bulger is always hurt. And Boller isn’t very good at all. I think where they are is fair.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
by Allie on Jun 29, 2009 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bulger has been a Pro Bowl QB twice and Boller was a starter
so when you compare them, in the context of the article, I feel that they would be better than some of the higher ranked teams. Trying to be objective, Cutler has only been to one Pro Bowl and has never had a winning season and his backup has never been on the field in a regular season game, so you could make the argument that they deserve a higher ranking than the Bears.
Please don’t misconstrue my comments, I wouldn’t want Bulger over Cutler but the ranking this writer has put together doesn’t make sense to me.
by BearFan611 on Jun 29, 2009 4:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The list is interesting as a discussion piece
but I think its pretty bogus.
All in all though, I agree with your analysis. :-)
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
by Allie on Jun 29, 2009 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bills at 12?!
That’s laughable. I think the Bills’ QB malarky over the past seasons can’t even touch the Bears’. While the Bears have had a lot of revolving door QB’s, at least they were (mostly) capable of keeping the offense afloat. It’s hard for me to picture Edwards as the “perfect quarterback to build around.” He will have TO to throw to which either means his numbers will get better or TO will make him cry and he’ll lose his job. Once he can play a whole season and throw more TDs than INTs he may drift away from the image of Losman 2.0.
Rumor has it Alex Brown keeps Chris Simms' right index finger in his back pocket for good luck.
by HanelucaTC on Jun 29, 2009 3:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep
Edwards is the perfect quarterback to build around, which is exactly what Buffalo has done this offseason — the T.O. addition being a biggest move.
This is quite ludicrous cause if he’s the perfect QB to build around, why is TO only signed for one-year? That’s not the definition of “building,” more like “trying or testing.” And since when is Edwards a perfect quarterback?
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
"Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I’ve seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!" - Homer
by propheteer on Jun 29, 2009 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is there such a thing as QB depth?
I don’t think so, and the starter no matter who’s behind him should dictate these rankings. Not whether or not there’s someone to step in and do a similar job in terms of production. I point to this as offseason boredom to the Nth degree.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
"Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I’ve seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!" - Homer
by propheteer on Jun 29, 2009 3:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Bears-Pack Week 16
on NFLN right now. The Pack just puttered out early in the 4th and settled for the FG to make it 17-10 Pack.
by GallopingGhost on Jun 29, 2009 3:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
They said the same thing about a veteran presence in 05...
Seemed like we did just fine
(Asshole Sr) "If you learn one thing here, NEVER pass out in Ohio."
by ThorCo on Jun 29, 2009 4:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
"QB Depth" is a BS phrase, anyway...
…because you only want one person playing the position.
RB depth? WR depth? OL depth? DL depth? LB depth? CB depth? Sure, they make sense.
QB depth? If you have Peyton Manning or Brett Favre in their heyday, who cares who the backup is?
According to this article, I’ll bet the Bears would be better off in “QB depth” when they had Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, and Brian Griese all on the team together, right? What a deep stable of veteran QBs with winning records!!
Anyone want to go back to those halcyon days?
by BullsFanInSeattle on Jun 29, 2009 4:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
You can't always get what you want...
A year ago one might have said, “QB depth? If you have Peyton Manning or TOM BRADY in their heyday, who cares who the backup is?” Then all of a sudden, it matters a whole lot.
I mean, who cares how good your health insurance is, because you don’t want to get sick anyway.
by rsong on Jun 30, 2009 2:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
What??!
Derek Anderson + Brady Quinn at number 25?
Rosenfels + Jackson at number 30?
Those are teams where you could argue that they would lose little offensive power if their starter went down with an injury!
Isn’t that the very purpose of depth? To not experience any noticeable dropoff?
by Mathias-K on Jun 29, 2009 4:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I would've thought
the Packers would be behind us
by trademan56 on Jun 29, 2009 5:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Not so sure about that...
I think Brohm/ Flynn > Hanie/ Basenez
And yes, I most certainly am a homer :)
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
by Dane Noble on Jun 29, 2009 5:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No one out of that four has done anything
so saying one group is greater than the other is speculative at best.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
"Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I’ve seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!" - Homer
by propheteer on Jun 29, 2009 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, it is speculation.
Should I withhold all comments that are based in speculation?
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
by Dane Noble on Jun 29, 2009 5:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, but they're all on an even plane with each other.
So it’s pretty darn difficult to say what backups are better at this point.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
"Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I’ve seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!" - Homer
by propheteer on Jun 30, 2009 12:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, it's pure speculation, but...
If you look at their respective draft positions, I’d say Geaux has a pretty good case..
Brohm: 2nd round
Flynn: 7th round
Bazanez: Undrafted
Hanie: Undrafted
by Mathias-K on Jun 30, 2009 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Means nothing but a number
With that mentality Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Alex Smith, Joey Harrington, David Carr, are/were better than Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Jeff Garcia, Matt Cassel, and Tyler Thigpen. These guys were either drafted late or not at all.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
"Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I’ve seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!" - Homer
by propheteer on Jun 30, 2009 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dear gawd.
Apples to oranges.
Regardless, I stated my opinion, and you called it speculation. Awesome… that’s the nature of a blog.
Speculation on a blog is like… well… like that rug. You know, the rug that really pulls the room together? :)
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
by Dane Noble on Jun 30, 2009 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ok, overblown a bit.
Although, I do need a new rug to pull….well you know.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
"Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I’ve seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!" - Homer
by propheteer on Jun 30, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
qb
new england got bashed for not having a proven backup
how’d that work out for them?
by schlemdogg on Jun 29, 2009 5:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
they won 7 fewer games than the previous year
and missed the playoffs.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
by Allie on Jun 29, 2009 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Titans are ranked below us
In terms of depth that’s crazy. They have Kerry Collins AND Vince Young… I know a lot of people might not like Vince, but he’s still a capable starter.
by TheFunkle on Jun 29, 2009 9:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Grossman, Griese and Orton
Many said it was the best QB depth in the league.
How did that work out?
by rdent4hof on Jun 30, 2009 7:31 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
It didn't work out too badly
we went to the Super Bowl.
by BearFan611 on Jun 30, 2009 10:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually we didn't
2007 season 7-9
by rdent4hof on Jun 30, 2009 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
what a funny list
the thing that i think is funny about that list from the top to the bottom is that beyond the first quarterback, if a team even has a good one is that no one and i mean no one has a good backup. it is laugable that this article was even published. it is just crap. they might as well just published who had the best starters and been done with it. there is no quality to this article at all. the first teams were based on starters possibly and then further down i think they just drew names out of a hat. personally i dont see how the broncos are at 32 i think between orton and simms they are better than most. especially the browns and the texans, lol. even the lions were hirer who have a starte in daunte ha ha ha ha. wonder if hell have four armbands this year. i mean come on who on that list has any real talent at back up. no one. maybe pitt i saw batch do good a few times but overall no one has anyone they have used or that has done anything worthwhile lately or they would not be backups would they?
by rcbrach on Jun 30, 2009 10:36 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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