Five Candidates For A Breakout Season : RBs

Continuing from my previous article on quarterbacks who might make an impression this year, we move into the backfield to see who could put up big numbers on the ground.

Some of these players are poised to see more playing time or take over the reins of their team’s rushing attack due to another player’s exit, or have moved to another team in hope of a new beginning , like Michael Turner did last year in Atlanta after stepping out from LT’s shadow from his time in San Diego.

Five Candidates For A Breakout Season : QBs

Every year there are players who surprise critics and fans alike. New England’s Matt Cassel was last year’s surprise at the quarterback position in Tom Brady’s absence, but looking beyond training camp and into next season. Who are the players who are in need of a big season to either kickstart their career and move into the elites in their position?

These are just my opinion and feel free to comment on my choices…

Bradford, Tebow, McCoy: Where Might They End Up in 2010?

I had the privilege of being in New York in early December last year, and I learned a lot about college football. Most of this was over a lot of Magic Hat No. 9’s with the regulars at Duke’s bar on 3rd Ave. and 37th St.

My brother and I had come over from England for a week’s holiday, mainly to experience American sports and do your stereotypical tourist activities.

While we were at Duke’s Bar, we watched hours of coverage on the awarding of the Heisman trophy, for which all three were main contenders. Reflecting on that night now, and looking ahead to next year, I wondered to myself recently where will they end up?

Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford appears to be an early contender for the No. 1 overall pick next year, but I decided to include Florida QB Tim Tebow of Florida and QB Colt McCoy of Texas for variety’s sake.

Here are my suggestions for teams that might be requiring a potential franchise quarterback in the 2010 NFL Draft, in no particular order:

1. St. Louis Rams (2008: 2-14)

As talk of St. Louis possibly targeting USC’s Mark Sanchez in this year’s draft began to permeate the NFL community, there were obviously questions being asked of current QB Marc Bulger. He has the talent, and when he has the talent working around him, has proved he can put up impressive numbers. But recently he has been too injury-prone to do so consistently. But it is clear that the rut the Rams have found themselves in for the past two or three years have coincided with Bulger’s drop in numbers. It’s possible that by the time next year’s draft comes by the Rams might not be able to resist a change of direction at the QB position.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (2008: 5-11)

Again, this depends on how the Jags progress this year. With a rejuvenated offensive line and a more than capable halfback in Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville’s success requires David Garrard to bind these components together. As with the Rams, if they have another under-par season, the Jags might consider a fresh start with a fresh face under center.

3. San Francisco 49ers (2008: 7-9)

It might be that the 49ers feel that they can get by this season with Shaun Hill and Alex Smith without drafting another quarterback, or perhaps they didn’t feel that quarterback was their most pressing need this year. Either way, Michael Crabtree was an incredible pickup at No. 10 overall. With an ever-improving defense headlines by Patrick Willis, the 49ers are in need of a fully productive offense to become a playoff contender. Whether they can do that with the conservative Shaun Hill and the underwhelming Alex Smith remains to be seen. If they can’t get the 49ers scoring this season, Coach Singletary could well be eyeing up one of these three in the draft next year.

4. Minnesota Vikings (2008: 10-6)

Persistently touted as a quarterback away from a Super Bowl run, the Vikings might perform well enough this year with their stable of QBs to dispel concerns. However if Sage Rosenfels doesn’t work out, and the Tavaris Jackson experiment is again fruitless, Minnesota might want to work themselves into a position to draft one of these three next year. They were involved in the Jay Cutler talks and the Brett Favre discussions last year. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time before another big move at QB is thought about.

5. Washington Redskins (2008: 8-8)

Jason Campbell’s wish of wanting a trade should the ‘Skins have drafted a QB last weekend indicates that the management was possibly considering operating a trade for Sanchez, or even Freeman. Jay Cutler was another possible target, and Campbell’s insecurity is even further evidence that Washington might not be content with having Campbell as it’s offensive general much longer.

As with all these teams their performances this upcoming season will massively effect these predictions, but this is just an early pooling of thoughts, don’t quote me on any of this when 2010 rolls by unless, obviously, I’m right.

– Charlie Lindlar, charlie_lindlar@hotmail.com

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