Buccaneers Finally Get A QB: It’s Byron

One national Web site called him “Fat Albert.” Some say he looks like an overgrown Gary Coleman. Others call him a “windmill,” or “The Big Dipper.”

Whatever name you choose to call him, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris has one of his own: “starting quarterback.”

He is Byron Leftwich, proud winner of the competition to take the snap on opening day against the Dallas Cowboys in Raymond James Stadium.

Word came out early Saturday morning when radio station WDAE broke the news before the Buccaneer practice. Morris had let the team know before practice of the decision.

After practice, Morris announced his decision to the media and explained this decision and why it dragged on so long. He said Leftwich emerged as the leader after the OTAs. The race drew closer during camp and after the Jacksonville preseason game there was a split among those who had input.

He said that ownership had no input, contrary to ongoing reports and rumors.

Morris downplayed experience as the sole determining factor, but at the end of the day he seemed to go with the safe pick. This was the pick that was bantered abouot nationwide during the Fox broadcast Thursday night, when Pam Oliver, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman all went on the record saying Leftwich was the guy.

They were right.

Now it will be interesting to see how the rest of the QB lineup shakes out. Morris said Luke McCown is the backup, Josh Freeman will hold a clipboard and that Josh Johnson may still make the team.

Confusing, at best. A $2.5 million backup and a multimillion-dollar baby inactive for the games?

This is not over yet.

Bank on it.

The story is just beginning.

New York Jets 2009 Season Preview

It’s Week 12 of the 2008 NFL season, and the New York Jet is on cruise control. With an 8-3 record, the captain of the Jet, Eric Mangini, has done a reputable job operating the jet, with a load of assistance from co-pilot Brett Favre.

But after Week 12, Mangini lost control, Brett Favre was injured and cruise control stopped working. Anxiety rose higher than a punt hitting off of the mega TV’s at the new Cowboys Stadium, and all of a sudden the season went out of control.

The Jets went 1-4 in their last five games and missed the playoffs. The crash of the Jet caused much uproar, and made many Jet faithfuls, unfortunately lose faith.

But this is a new Jets team. With a new head coach, new quarterback and a new attitude. This means no more late season collapses like last season. Or so they hope.

Just days after the 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17, Mangini was fired as head coach of the Jets. Just weeks after Mangini’s firing, Favre announced his retirement.

While both are employed for the 2009 season, they did not return to the Jets, which meant that they had some huge gaps to fill.

The Jets first move was to fill the head coaching vacancy. While the names Bill Cowher, Steve Spagnuolo and Jeff Jagodzinksi  were thrown out there, the Jets decided on former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

Next order of business was to find a quarterback, and the Jets did that in exciting fashion. The Jets, who had the 17th pick in the draft this past April, traded up 12 spots to nab former-USC QB Mark Sanchez with the fifth pick.

While Jet nation was pumped up and excited as ever, Sanchez did not come cheap. In order to acquire Sanchez, the Jets gave up their first-round pick, second-round pick, defensive lineman Kenyon Coleman, quarterback Brett Ratliff and safety Abram Elam.

The Jets also made a huge splash in free agency, as Ryan was able to lure in three former Ravens playing on the defensive side of the ball.

Jim Leonhard, who started 13 games at safety for the Ravens in 2008 signed a three-year contract. Marques Douglas, a defensive lineman who has played in 104 games with the Saints, Ravens and 49ers, signed with the Jets. Then the Jets found lady luck, signing Pro Bowl linebacker Bart Scott to a six year, $48 million contract.

The Jets made one significant trade in the offseason, acquiring Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard.

Along with Darelle Revis and Dwight Lowery, Sheppard should fit in nicely in what could be one of the top cornerback rotations in the NFL this season.

While the Jets have made numerous upgrades to their team this season, anytime a team brings in a new coach, it is ultimately a rebuilding year, as the coach needs to make changes to the personnel and players.

Along with having their fourth starting quarterback in four years, the Jets will have to get used to their new look. Throw in the fact that they have to play the Patriots and Dolphins a combined four times and 2009 isn’t looking too easy for the Jets.

But the Jets can succeed. If Mark Sanchez repeats recent history, the Jets should win at least 11 games and make the playoffs. The two quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2008 draft, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, did exactly that last year, taking their respective teams, the Falcons and Ravens, to the playoffs in their rookie seasons.

The Jets don’t have an easy schedule. Four games against the Pats and Dolphins, plus games against the Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts.

But if Sanchez steps up this season, like the rookie QBs of last season, the Jets can compete with just about anyone.

Being the fact that the Jets have a rough schedule and the fact that this is ultimately a transition year for the Jets, the team will likely not have the success that their roster promises.

An 8-8 finish is likely, but don’t count the Jets out for the future. Once the players get used to the new style of play and everything gets set, the Jets should enjoy much success, but the chances of that success happening this season doesn’t look too good.  

 

Will the Lack of DT Depth Be the Oakland Raiders’ Achilles Heel in 2009?

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Halfway through the 2009 preseason for the Raiders and as fans we’ve seen some good things and some bad things but most disturbing is the fact that the team still can’t stop the run.

Reminiscent of a cold that you just can’t seem to shake, similar to having a sheet of flypaper stuck to your hand, the Oakland Raiders can’t dodge the fact that they’ve had great difficulty stopping the run for the past six years quickly going on seven.

Oakland has surrendered 150+ rushing yards per game, on average, for the better part of the last six years. To ask what is the problem or what has gone wrong are questions that are too obvious to ask.

The message to the new defensive coordinator couldn’t have been spelled out clearer: stop the run and get after the quarterback. It is way too early to say that they’ve failed because they haven’t. I applauded the selection of John Marshall and Dwaine Board as defensive line coach but these guys weren’t given the tools to succeed.

Defensive tackle is a position of need that has been neglected in the draft by Oakland for far too long. 2009 has started and this team needs two defensive tackles in the 2010 draft.

The last time the Raiders were stout up the middle against the run was 2002. I hate to have to call anyone out but we as Raider fans knew that this was a major area of need, that it had to be addressed and that the two best defensive tackles on the team were Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren.

Tommy Kelly is a talented DT who gets double teamed on almost every play. I’m tired of seeing him getting up off of the ground and if he had some help in terms depth at the position this could change.

The blame has to be placed at the doorstep of Al Davis for consistently not addressing this position in the draft. As a Raiders fan I have also been a fan of Al Davis however there is no excuse for this happening.

The importance of the position has been overlooked, the idea of drawing a line in the sand and making a definitive stand on correcting this error has been put on the back burner for over a decade and it continues to be a major weakness.

When you talk of improving any team the first thing that needs to happen would be to improve the defense. Oakland has gone through another draft where the defensive tackle position wasn’t addressed, again, and it has been the Achilles heel for the Raiders as well as the reason for their demise.

The last five defensive tackles drafted by Oakland were Anttaj Hawthorne (2005), Junior Ioane (2000), Leon Bender (1998), Darrell Russell (1997), and Grady Jackson (1997). 

http://jllockerroom.blogspot.com/

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Choose Byron Leftwich

NFL veteran Byron Leftwich has won the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting QB job according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer on Twitter.

Morris apparently informed ownership and his coaching staff of his decision on Friday night, then the team this morning.

Leftwich is the logical choice. A veteran, he has the most experience of all the quarterbacks on the Buccaneers roster and has the ability to make throws downfield—a trait missing from Buc QBs for some time.

The knock on Leftwich is his inaccuracy with his blazing throws and his long wind up that leads to sacks or fumbles.

McCown was give ample opportunity to win the job but failed to really take control of the job.

Josh Freeman was never really in consideration for the starting job as the team would like to bring him along slowly.

Leftwich told Pam Oliver during Fox’s national broadcast Thursday night that he hopes Freeman will “give me one year.”

Morris is expected to make the decision official either later today or tomorrow.

New York Jets Defense Needs to Show Something Against New York Giants Tonight

Throughout the preseason, Jets coaches and players have acknowledged that the defense is well ahead of the offense in coach Rex Ryan’s first season.

 

While that’s not unusual for an NFL team, what is unusual is that the Jets’ defense has yet to show anything in either of the first two preseason games.

 

Yes, it will take a while for Ryan’s 4-6 defense system to take hold among his new players.

 

But the Jets’ defense will be expected to show some ferocity tonight in the annual preseason battle against the Giants.

 

The Jets’ defense showed nothing against the Rams or the Ravens to indicate that it’s going to be the kind of aggressive, ball-hawking, turnover-forcing unit that the Ravens—Ryan’s former team—has been during this decade.

 

One need only look back to the first quarter of the Jets’ 24-23 loss at Baltimore on Monday night to see the kind of defense about which Jets fans can only dream.

 

On Mark Sanchez’s first pass, the rookie quarterback faced intense pressure from linebacker Ray Lewis, resulting in an ill-advised pass into the ample breadbasket of nose tackle Haloti Ngata that was returned for a touchdown.

 

On Sanchez’s second pass of the game, the Ravens’ coverage confused the rookie, resulting in a throw that should have been picked off by Lewis and returned for a touchdown.

 

“I could’ve caught it,” Lewis said after the game, “but I didn’t want that one until the regular season.”

 

Certainly, the future Hall of Famer will get other pick-six opportunities this season as the leader of the stout Ravens’ defense.

 

But how long will it take for Ryan to elevate the Jets’ defense to that lofty level.

 

The expectation is for Ryan to do exactly that, because he has brought a trio of former Ravens defenders—linebacker Bart Scott, safety Jim Leonhard and defensive end Marques Douglass—to the Jets.

 

And because Ryan has all but promised to reshape the Jets’ defense into the Ravens’ image.

 

But that may be easier said than done.

 

When Lewis was asked after last Monday’s game about his team facing Ryan, his former defensive coordinator in Baltimore, Lewis said, “I don’t care if you’ve coached for us or not, when you play against our defense, it’s tough.”

 

Sanchez can vouch for that. Two series into his first nationally televised appearance as Jets quarterback, his team was down 7-0. And it should have been 14-0.

 

How long will it be before opposing quarterbacks come away shaking their hands and panting after facing the Jets’ defense?

 

It would be encouraging to see Giants quarterbacks Eli Manning and David Carr struggle as much against the Jets as they did in last Saturday’s loss to the Bears.

 

That would be the first real sign of the preseason that the Jets’ defense is truly on the right track.

 

Oakland Raiders Defense: Cause for Alarm or a Glimmer of Hope?

 For the Oakland Raiders, the annual “Battle of the Bay” matchup  vs the 49ers ended up in surrendering 275 yards on the ground on their way to a 21-20 loss. One hundred-forty nine of those yards were to a rookie back named Glenn Coffee.

If I were a 49er fan, I wouldn’t get too excited, because Juan Valdez could have walked his pack mule through those holes for a buck twenty on the Raider defense that day.

After watching the game for the fourth time the thing that caught my ear was that, a reporter who talked to Defensive Coordinator John Marshall before the game, said that he was sending them out without a game plan.

In other words he was looking to see how they handled one-on-one matchups and was going to treat that game like a preseason game.

After that, I saw a few things that repaired my calm. Even though I still see a lot of cause for concern, I no longer believe I have to call 911 and report a murder.

The first sign of hope came with linebacker Morlon Greenwood, a Texans castoff who signed with the Raiders in the offseason. Greenwood was winning his matchups and shedding his blocks on a regular basis. Ricky Brown and Slade Norris turned in good performances too.

Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly can get penetration when he is not being double teamed, Gerrard Warren and William Joeseph spotty at best, but the guy to watch is Desmond Bryant. Bryant is taking on the double teams better than any of the defensive lineman so far and if he lines up next to Kelly, thay may just be the best duo for the job.

Defensive end Trevor Scott seems to have “Derrick Burgess” disease. He is willing to sacrifice the running lane to go after the QB, But Jay Richardson is showing that he has improved at the end position and is sufficient at stopping the run. Watch for him and Ellis to secure the outside.

Matt Shaughnessy has shown flashes of high level play, but he has yet to put together any consistency and is hesitant at times, when it comes to reading and reacting. Greg Ellis was all over the field and will be the vocal leader of the defensive line, a role that Derrick Burgess was unable to fill.

Safeties Tyvon Branch, Hiram Eugene, and Jeremy Boyd have shined in camp and preseason, for the first time since 2002 the Raiders should have solid safeties.

Mike Mitchell is a head scratcher due to missing alot of time over a strained hamstring. Rashaad Baker is back in silver and black after a short stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, and he is a solid backup. Michael Huff hasn’t been spectacular, but he has dramatically improved and is finally determined to shed the bust label.

During the 49er game most of the players who made the plays were not on the field at the same time, and based on performance thus far the starting defensive unit would look like:

Defensive tackles: Tommy Kelly, Desmond Bryant. Defensive ends: Greg Ellis and Jay Richardson. Linebackers: Ricky Brown, Morlon Greenwood, and Thomas Howard. Safeties: Hiram Eugene and Jeremy Boyd (there’s no need to go into the cornerbacks, they are as solid as concrete).

Soon teams will have to make cuts to achieve the 53-man roster. I will be anxious to see if the “Cable Company” will pick up what they need, which is a solid defensive tackle/nose tackle to consistently push the opposing center back. Another run stopping defensive end would be welcome too.

The Raiders defense is far from a polished group, but getting rid of Rob Ryan and hiring John Marshall was an instant up grade. He is evaluating players and expect him to put the best players on the field, despite the the order that they were drafted in.

Marshall has to teach this team how to blitz and be assignment responsible. Something Ryan was not willing to do. The preseason run defense has been ugly so far, but in this writer’s opinion, the eventual starters have yet to take the field as a unit.

Leigh Bodden: New England Patriots May Have Another Pro Bowl CB

Leigh Bodden has taken a very unlikely road in order to land himself in what may be the perfect place to resurrect his career: New England.

Bodden is by no means a small defensive back, standing at 6’1″ and 195-pounds. He has the ideal size for a conerback in the NFL.

After playing college football in Duquesne, where he was an All-American as a junior and finished with 28 career interceptions, Bodden was passed up by every NFL team during the 2003 draft.

Bodden’s phone rang shortly after the draft, and it was the Cleveland Browns on the other end offering him a undrafted rookie free agent contract.

Bodden accepted.

He made the Browns’ roster based on his excellent special teams play and his ability to play slot receivers as a nickel cornerback.

In 2003, Bodden played in 13 of the Browns’ games, recording one interception.

His special teams play progressed in 2004, leading the Browns in special teams tackles with 18, but in Week 8 he sustained a biceps injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.

Once recovered from his injury, Bodden was more focused than ever during his recovery, and pushed himself to the limit during rehab so that he could come back and be an even better player than he was in his first two seasons as a pro.

The hard work paid off in 2005, when Bodden became the Browns’ starting cornerback by impressing both new head coach Romeo Crennel and new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

During 2005, despite missing three games due to injuries, Bodden had a breakthrough season. He recorded 47 tackles, 17 passes defended, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles, earning him a four-year contract extension.

Injuries continued to plague Bodden in 2006, when he only played in nine games.

Bodden’s best statistical year came in 2007, when he stayed away from the injury bug for the first time in professional career and started all 16 games.

He finished 2007 with 76 tackles, 15 passes defended, and six interceptions, but that didn’t come without some drama.

Before the 2007 season began, Bodden was arrested at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport for illegally parking his vehicle and resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty and was released after paying $1,000.

Bodden made a public apology and didn’t receive any suspensions for the incident.

After 2007, the Browns cut their ties with Bodden. They packaged him and a draft pick in a trade with the Detroit Lions for defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.

In 2008, Bodden was again able to stay healthy for the entire season. The Lions didn’t favor Bodden’s abilities after one year, and cut him in February of 2009.

After looking for a new team for almost a month, Bodden was offered a one-year deal to sign with the New England Patriots.

The matching up of Bodden with the Pats is a perfect scenario. He already has some knowledge of the defensive scheme that the Pats run from his time playing under former Pats defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel with the Browns.

With a rebuilding secondary, Bodden has the chance to once again get back to his 2007 form and have another break-out year in 2009.

Already pegged as a starter, Bodden will be playing for a team that has a history of taking players and making them into Pro Bowlers.

The Pats have already said that they gave too much cushion to opposing receivers last year, and that they need to play more press.

Bodden said (regarding press coverage), “We have been working on re-routing receivers throughout training camp. There is no way better way to stop a really good receiver than to disrupt the timing of his route.”

The Pats may be taking a chance on Bodden due to his injury past, but if he works out, then look for a big year from the seventh-year player.

Oakland Raiders and The Quest For 53: The Running Backs

With a solid quarterback, there is always a safety outlet. If the quarterback is dealing with problems on timing, speed or accuracy, this group of players becomes just that much more important.

These are the players that have the task of killing time, ball control, those difficult third and one calls or pulling of complex plays designed for long gains.

For the Raiders, this is a field that holds a lot of promise for the team, the fans and the coaches. Again, the problem resides in how many of these will be donning a home jersey for the Raiders on Monday night against the Chargers?

On the Raiders roster from www.raiders.com shows five presently on the roster.

Our first player is Michael Bush who is entering his second year of playing time. After missing the first season in the NFL recovering from a broken leg sustained at Louisville in 2006. Last season the Raiders used him in different situations but when given the choice, he proved on ill effects. Last season in week 17, he ran over a Tampa Bay team on the road and ended a playoff-bound team’s chances. In the preaseason so far, Michael has 33 yards on five carries. Odds for him being on the roster? 100 percent.

Probably the biggest problem the Raiders have in the running game, comes from which player do you start. MIchael Bush is strong and can make holes at times. Darren McFadden, the number four overall pick in 2008 out of Arkansas also is talented. His ability comes from being able to find a hole, and simply outrun anyone. Against Dallas, the Raider Nation was able to witness some of this speed with a 45 yard burst, the longest on the ground this preseason. For some clubs it would be nice to have an ala carte choice, do you take the big brute running back, or the seam specialist? Odds for him being on the roster? 100 percent.

Our third player has years of experience. Playing during horrible seasons, sometimes he was the only one showing promise. To top it off, he led the club the last two years in rushing. This is Justin Fargas. While not as flashy as the first two, Justin has his own brand of hard-headed running that coaches love. Straight ahead, make a hole but if he gets through the line he can be hard to bring down. In two straight seasons Fargas was called on as the workhorse, first when LaMont Jordan went down and then when Darren McFadden was out with turf toe. This preseason, the major factors that are hurting his chances are a lack of production from his small number of chances and the better production from Louis Rankin. Odds for him being on the roster? 75 percent.

Our fourth player is, as mentioned Louis Rankin. For Rankin, this is more of a homecoming, as he played football at Lincoln High at Stockton, California. Last season the Raiders felt highly enough about this young man that they added him to the practice squad after three decent games in the preseason. In 2009, his performance has also turned heads of the coaches, as he helped the Raiders beat the Cowboys with 31 yards on the ground, 19 yards in the air and a touchdown. The one item that people will be watching for tonight, is to see if Tom Cable will let Rankin have more practice against first team defenses. It should go a long way into determining if either he or Fargas gets the nod for the spot. Odds for him being on the roster? 50 percent.

Our last player has been handling cleanup duties for the Raiders late in the game. However he does have one thing the other four don’t and that is playing on a Super Bowl winning team. Gary Russell was with the Steelers last year and scored a touchdown in the game. However, Russell’s team with the Raiders has been viewed more as a cleanup role, witnessed by his 44 yards against the scrubs in Dallas. As his regular season numbers show, with 3 touchdowns and 98 yards total, his only chance at hanging on is as a short yardage specialist. Odds for him being on the roster? 10 percent.

The factors that affect every player on the roster is dependent on each other. How many quarterbacks are needed? How many running backs? Wide recievers? Tight ends?

For the Raiders, if they can afford the four, I would go with Bush, McFadden, Fargas, Rankin. and Russell is cut, most likely on the first of September.

If the Raiders can afford only three players, I think the Raiders will cut Fargas (or try to trade him), and go with Bush, McFadden, and Rankin. They would hold Fargas as long as possible.

Fantasy Scouting Report: Jason Witten

Jason Witten   

Dallas Cowboys   

Age:  27   

Height:  6’5’’   

Weight:  262lbs   

Bye:  6

Why We Like Him

 

What makes Witten such a great fantasy tight end is that quarterback Tony Romo absolutely loves to thrown him the football.  Witten finished 2008 ranked third amongst tight ends in receptions (81), second in yards (952) and second in targets (121).  His numbers would have been even more impressive if he wasn’t battling a busted rib for multiple weeks during the middle of the season.  He’s got exceptional hands and is very good at using his body to get into position. 

 

The key to Witten’s success in 2009 will be the play of the Dallas wide receivers (Williams, Crayton, Austin).  If they can get up the field and force the opposing defenses to roll coverage, Witten will once again be free to take advantage of personnel mismatches. 

 

 

Why We Don’t Like Him

 

As we’ve mentioned time and time again, the key to the Cowboys’ success on offense this season rests on the shoulders of wide receiver Roy Williams.  Despite Terrell Owens’ decline in production last year, he still forced defenses to game plan around him each week, opening up the rest of the field for guys like Witten. 

 

If Williams is unable to create separation and cause matchup problems, the entire offense is going to suffer.  Additionally, second year tight end Martellus Bennett will likely steal a few targets this season.

 

 

Fantasy Outlook

 

While a lot depends on Roy Williams’ performance, Witten is still going to see a healthy dose of targets in 2009.  He’s a consistent fantasy producer (five plus receptions in 11 games last year) and can play at a very high level when healthy. 

 

Witten’s production resembles that of a wide receiver instead of a tight end, so he’s likely to start flying off the boards between the fourth and fifth rounds.  Be prepared to pull the trigger early if you value high-level production from the tight end position.

 

Check out more scouting reports HERE!

Hit me up on Twitter:  @JoeFortenbaugh

NFL 2009-2010 Off-Beat Rankings: Backup Quarterbacks

It’s back Mark Jones here again, bringing you the second article in the three-piece series of my off-beat NFL rankings.

Last week, I covered backup running backs from around the league. I had Jonathan Stewart, LenDale White, and Reggie Bush as my top three, but common opinion in the comments showed strong love for Jerious Norwood yet no support for players like Reggie Bush or Felix Jones.

This weekend, I’m covering the replacement QBs for all 32 teams. I will count down from No. 32, and all players ranked in the top 16 (upper half) will get a few sentences of analysis each. All opinions are appreciated—go ahead and comment and tell me your perspective!

Next week you can look forward to my rankings of No. 3 WRs. Here is the list/links of my entire series:

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Backup Running Backs: here

Backup Quarterbacks: read on

No. 3 Wide Receivers: coming next week

 

 

32. Todd Bouman, Jacksonville

31. Chris Redman, Atlanta

30. Kevin O’Connell, New England

29. Billy Volek, San Diego

28. Joey Harrington, New Orleans

27. Brian Brohm, Green Bay

26. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo

25. Chris Simms, Denver

24. Brett Basanez, Chicago

23. Jim Sorgi, Indianapolis

22. J.T. O’Sullivan, Cincinnati

21. Seneca Wallace, Seattle

20. Jon Kitna, Dallas

19. Kyle Boller, St. Louis

18. Dan Orlovsky, Houston

17. Brian Batch/Dennis Dixon, Pittsburgh

 

16. Alex Smith, San Francisco

The 49er shared some time starting last season, and has some good qualities under his belt. Despite a disappointing season in terms of performance, Smith is still an average backup for his position.

15. Kellen Clemens, New York Jets

He’s right in the middle of a battle for the starting job with Mark Sanchez, and so far he’s losing. But, if the gig does go to rookie Sanchez, Clemens could turn out to be a very serviceable replacement for the Jets.

14. Brady Quinn, Cleveland

The Browns’ Brady Quinn is in a very similar situation as Kellen Clemens is with the Jets, except for the fact he’s battling Derek Anderson. However, like Clemens above, Quinn would be a decent backup at QB.

13. Chad Henne, Miami

The future behind center for the Dolphins, Chad Henne gets more and more time each season. He likely won’t get into a rotation-like job with starter Chad Pennington, but Henne will do well in second on the depth chart.

12. Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City

Thigpen tried to hold together a crumbling Chiefs team last season, and did a decent job in the stats column, even as a starter. But now KC has brought in former Patriot Matt Cassel, who bumps Thigpen down to second.

However, he’s a good bet to step in and do well if Cassel has issues.

11. David Carr, New York Giants

David Carr looked fine with the Texans several years ago, but his ’07 job with the Panthers was disastrous. The Giants then picked him up, and he’s looked quite good in his limited preseason playing time.

10. Colt Brennan, Washington

The best quarterback to ever (by far) come out of a non-lower 48 state, former Hawaii QB Colt Brennan has greatly exceeded expectations in both of his preseasons with the NFL. If Campbell struggles for the ‘Skins, expect Brennan to step in and handle the game well.

9. Matt Leinart, Arizona

Leinart has never really come close to living up to expectations after a sensational trip through college at USC, but he’s a good backup for the Cards. If Kurt Warner has problems due to his age, Leinart could still possibly lead Arizona to a division title in a division so weak.

8. Matt Moore/Josh McCown, Carolina

Carolina has a quiet but effective group of backups for the slumping Jake Delhomme. Young Matt Moore was great at Oregon State several years ago, and he filled in well for Delhomme at the end of the ’07-’08 season.

Also accompanying him is former Raider Josh McCown, who has a lot of starting experience, and late-round draft pick Hunter Cantwell from Louisville.

7. Vince Young, Tennessee

The college superstar has had a bumpy road through professional football so far, but if things settle down, Young could end up as a big-time upper-end quarterback. Anyways, he’s certainly top-ten caliber for backups.

6. Jeff Garcia, Oakland

Jeff Garcia is probably secretly about 65-years old now, but he sure doesn’t show it. After successful one-year stints in Philly and Tampa Bay, Garcia is now among the candidates to fill-in for JaMarcus Russel if he is among the bottom of the league again.

5. Josh Freeman/Luke McCown, Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay has a terrible starter in Byron Leftwich, but behind him, it looks pretty good.

Josh Freeman has had a lot of hype after being drafted as their No. 1 overall pick, and Luke McCown is also there for insurance. Either one could be a fine starter for Tampa if they decide to bump out Leftwich.

4. Troy Smith/Cleo Lemon, Baltimore

The former Ohio State star crumbled in the National Championship, and no one heard of him after that. Until now.

Troy Smith has looked excellent in his preseason games, and is sparking some articles that he deserves a chance to compete with young Joe Flacco. Cleo Lemon is also a very recent addition from Jacksonville.

3. Travaris Jackson/Sage Rosenfels, Minnesota

They were the most ridiculed quarterbacks in the league a couple months ago, but now they should fit in well as backups behind Brett Farve (no need to say anything about him…ESPN’s already got it way over-covered)!

Travaris Jackson may not be the best passer, but he’s an excellent scrambler. Rosenfels also had some good experience in starter six games for up-and-coming Houston last year. Together, they make up a top-three backup duo.

 

2. Matthew Stafford, Detroit

The top pick in the draft is ranking high among fantasy players, and he has a chance to beat out Dante Culpepper before the season even begins. Otherwise, it’s just a high-level ranking on the backups list.

1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia

I seriously doubt Michael Vick needs any more media coverage. All I’m going to say is my opinion, and it looks pretty good. Vick could be an above-average starter in some places.

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