One play away
PFW personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum looks at how teams would fare if the backup quarterbacks were called into action
By Joel Buchsbaum, Contributing editor
As published in print Sept. 20, 1999
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Jets QB
Rick Mirer
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Backup quarterbacks are a lot like vice presidents. Unless something happens to the
president, the vice president often becomes the forgotten man in Washington. If the
president dies in office, however, the V.P. suddenly becomes the most important person
around.
There was a time not long ago when good teams could afford to keep two upper-echelon
quarterbacks (Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco, Brett Favre and Mark Brunell
in Green Bay) on their roster for a few years until the one not starting became
disgruntled.
However, as a result of the salary cap and free agency, those days are over, unless a
team strikes lightning in a bottle and gets a top quarterback after the second round of
the draft and signs him for three or four years. Or if a team can sign an unwanted but
supertalented vet for one year as the Vikings did with Jeff George this season.
What follows is a look (with tremendous input from NFL scouts and sources) at how much
each team would drop off if its starting quarterback goes down for the count early in the
season as the Jets’ Vinny Testaverde did in the opener, or the Rams’ Trent Green
did before the regular season even started.
A "D" grade means that injury would have a devastating effect on the team and
cost it four or more games. A "C" grade means it would cost the team three or
four games in the standings. A "B" grade translates into one or two extra
losses, and an "A" signifies the injury would cost the team one game at most.
AFC East|AFC Central|AFC West
NFC East|NFC Central|NFC West
| Buffalo Bills |
| Starter: Doug Flutie |
| Backup: Rob Johnson |
Actually, Johnson is the better pure passer and more in the NFL mold than
Flutie. When Johnson is in the game, however, the sack total goes through the roof because
he does not see or sense the rush well and is late to react. On the other hand,
Flutie’s greatness is in his intuitiveness. He is almost impossible to sack and is a
master improviser who finds ways to get things done.
Grade: B |
| Indianapolis Colts |
| Starter: Peyton Manning |
| Backup: Steve Walsh |
Manning is an up-and-coming star who took every snap as a
first-year starter and got much better late in the year. Walsh is a smart journeyman type
with marginal physical tools and arm strength.
Grade: C |
| Miami Dolphins |
| Starter: Dan Marino |
| Backup: Damon Huard |
Marino is not quite what he was in his prime but is still one of the
game’s five or six best quarterbacks. Huard has gotten better but is still no Earl
Morrall. Although many view Jim Druckenmiller as the heir to Marino, it is doubtful
Druckenmiller will learn the system well enough to move up to the No. 2 spot this year.
Grade: C |
| New England Patriots |
| Starter: Drew Bledsoe |
| Backups: John Friesz, Michael Bishop |
Bledsoe is one of the game’s great pure passers, but an improviser
he is not. The big knock on Friesz is that he is about as mobile as the Washington
Monument and can’t avoid the rush. Conversely, Bishop is a fun-to-watch, totally
undisciplined but very intuitive school-yard quarterback with quick feet, 4.7 speed and a
very strong arm. Scouts have called him a cross between Flutie and the Vikings’
Randall Cunningham, but many question Bishop’s poise and whether a team can win
without a structured passing game.
Grade: C |
| New York Jets |
| Starter (before injury): Vinny Testaverde |
| Backup: Rick Mirer |
Losing Testaverde was a devastating blow for the Jets and cost them the
opener. Testaverde has a stronger and much more accurate arm than Mirer, knows the offense
much better and has better instincts.
Grade: C |
Top of page
| Baltimore Ravens |
| Starter: Scott Mitchell |
| Backups: Stoney Case, Tony Banks |
Mitchell tends to be like the girl with the curl — either really
good or really bad. Head coach Brian Billick seems to be finding out what Michigan State
and the Rams already knew about Banks and is ready to turn the No. 2 role over to Case,
who, after being picked up, looked good at the end of the preseason.
Grade: B |
| Cincinnati Bengals |
| Starter: Jeff Blake |
| Backup: Akili Smith |
The key question is: Which Jeff Blake will show up, the one of three
years ago, or the one who was erratic and unreliable the past two seasons? Smith is not
ready, but if Blake does not play well, Smith will be starting by midseason. Perhaps
sooner. Blake sprained his passing shoulder last Sunday, but it was not known at presstime
how long he will be sidelined.
Grade: B |
| Cleveland Browns |
| Starter (in Week One): Ty Detmer |
| Backup: Tim Couch |
Detmer was just keeping the seat warm until Couch was ready, and
Couch’s timetable may have just been moved up because of the embarrassing opening-day
loss.
Grade: A |
| Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Starter: Mark Brunell |
| Backups: Jay Fiedler, Jonathan Quinn |
| Brunell ranks a notch below the truly elite quarterbacks but could move
up to the top group if he shows he can elevate his game in the playoffs. Quinn is a
second-year player who has already started a few games with mixed results. He has a
big-time arm and 4.7 speed, but some scouts question how intuitive he is and how well he
sees the field. One scout says, "The more he has to play, and the more time you have
to get ready for him, the more you can expose his inexperience." Fiedler has at
least temporarily moved ahead of Quinn because the former seems to have a better feel for
the offense and more poise.
Grade: C |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Starter: Kordell Stewart |
| Backup: Mike Tomczak |
This is the year we will find out if Stewart can become a top-of-the-line
quarterback or is just another Vince Evans. Tomczak is a seasoned vet who is well past his
prime and has always been streaky, but he can still have his moments.
Grade: B/C |
| Tennessee Titans |
| Starter (before injury): Steve McNair |
| Backup: Neil O’Donnell |
McNair has a chance to be exceptional, but this is the year he must do
it. If given time and a running game, O’Donnell can be very efficient.
Grade: A |
Top of page
| Denver Broncos |
| Starter: Brian Griese |
| Backups: Bubby Brister, Chris Miller |
You could make an equally good or bad case for starting any of the three.
The funny thing is, Griese has the calmness and poise Brister lacks, and despite all his
injuries, Miller has the best physical skills for the system.
Grade: A |
| Kansas City Chiefs |
| Starter: Elvis Grbac |
| Backup: Warren Moon |
Grbac has been a tease to date, and Moon is still one of the best pure
passers in football. The questions with Moon now concern his durability, mobility and
tendency to release the ball a little early. With Grbac, decision-making and ability to
handle pressure remain the concerns.
Grade: A |
| Oakland Raiders |
| Starter: Rich Gannon |
| Backup: Wade Wilson |
Gannon is no world-beater, but he fits the system and is good enough if
everyone else does their jobs. Wilson is well past his prime, and the more he has to play,
the more obvious that will become.
Grade: C |
| San Diego Chargers |
| Starter: Jim Harbaugh |
| Backup: Erik Kramer |
Two well-respected veterans with enough talent to get the job done.
Harbaugh is a better ad-lib type of quarterback, while Kramer is the better pocket passer.
Grade: A |
| Seattle Seahawks |
| Starter: Jon Kitna |
| Backups: Glenn Foley, Brock Huard |
Kitna is a very tough kid who seems to respond to pressure and think on
his feet. Foley is very streaky, but when he is hot, he is the best pure passer of the
group. Huard looks like the guy who was projected as a surefire first-round pick before
his disastrous junior season now that he has broken some bad habits, such as throwing off
his back foot or while falling away.
Grade: B |
Top of page
| Arizona Cardinals |
| Starter: Jake Plummer |
| Backup: Dave Brown |
Plummer is a special player who is at his best with the game on the line.
Brown has never really been able to get it done in crunch time, yet he is a huge help as a
mentor and teacher in a backup role to Plummer. Brown knows the division and often has
helpful pointers for Plummer.
Grade: C/D |
| Dallas Cowboys |
| Starter: Troy Aikman |
| Backup: Jason Garrett |
Aikman is one of the best, but Garrett is a very smart and resourceful
player who has generally gotten the job done when called upon for up to five-game
stretches. He does not have the physical tools to be a long-term starter, however.
Grade: B/C |
| New York Giants |
| Starter: Kent Graham |
| Backup: Kerry Collins |
Graham and Collins appeared to dramatically improve over the summer and
seem to have worked very hard to improve on weaknesses. Graham is a little more mobile,
and both have improved their accuracy and mechanics.
Grade: A/B |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
| Starter: Doug Pederson |
| Backup: Donovan McNabb |
Pederson is just a stopgap player until McNabb is ready to go. McNabb may
already be the team’s best quarterback, but the Eagles don’t want to rush him.
Grade: A |
| Washington Redskins |
| Starter: Brad Johnson |
| Backup: Rodney Peete |
The biggest knock on both deals with their durability, so the Redskins
will probably need both. Since Washington has improved on defense (at least on paper), the
Redskins’ quarterback may be in a situation where he does not have to win games but
just keep from losing them. The team still has a lot of holes on offense, however, and
there will be a lot of heat on the quarterback whenever the team falls behind. Johnson is
the better pure passer, while Peete is a little more mobile.
Grade: B |
Top of page
| Chicago Bears |
| Starter: Shane Matthews |
| Backup: Cade McNown |
Matthews is not good enough and is just there until McNown is ready.
McNown was hurt by a holdout and tends to take too many chances.
Grade: A |
| Detroit Lions |
| Starter: Charlie Batch |
| Backup: Gus Frerotte |
Batch looks promising and appears poised beyond his years and ready for a
fine career. At one point, they were saying the same sort of things about Frerotte in
Washington, but when he became the man, the pressure was too great for him at that point
in his career.
Grade: B |
| Green Bay Packers |
| Starter: Brett Favre |
| Backup: Matt Hasselbeck |
Favre is the best quarterback in the NFL and a great leader. Hasselbeck
had a great preseason but is still an unknown commodity.
Grade: C/D |
| Minnesota Vikings |
| Starter: Randall Cunningham |
| Backup: Jeff George |
| Cunningham is coming off a career year but still came up short at the end
with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Yet, as a person and teammate he is no longer
hung up on his own stats and accomplishments. George is a lot like Cunningham once was.
George has superior tools but is known as a selfish player who turns teammates off. There
is not a more gifted No. 2 quarterback in football than George. Grade: B |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Starter: Trent Dilfer |
| Backup: Eric Zeier |
Dilfer had a nice preseason and then fell apart, handing the Giants the
opener and possibly losing the confidence of his teammates in the process. Zeier is a Gary
Kubiak type.
Grade: A/B |
Top of page
| Atlanta Falcons |
| Starter: Chris Chandler |
| Backups: Tony Graziani, Danny Kanell |
| Chandler is good but not great and has two major flaws: He holds on to
the ball too long and gets hurt too much. Kanell lost his confidence last year and still
may not have regained it. In one year he went from the Giants’ top quarterback to a
player the G-men did not make any effort to keep. Graziani moved ahead of Kanell almost
by default because of how poorly Kanell played in the preseason. Graziani is a mobile
lefty and an erratic passer who hasn’t done anything to convince you he can handle
the job.
Grade: C |
| Carolina Panthers |
| Starter: Steve Beuerlein |
| Backups: Steve Bono, Jeff Lewis |
Beuerlein can be adequate in the correct offense. Bono is a career backup
and past his prime. Lewis is supposed to be the future, but the Broncos chose to keep
Brian Griese and deal Lewis for draft picks, and he had a very mediocre preseason for the
Panthers.
Grade: B |
| New Orleans Saints |
| Starter: Billy Joe Hobert |
| Backup: Billy Joe Tolliver |
They both are tough guys with swagger who can throw the ball hard and
far. Both are more throwers than pitchers who have control problems with both the ball and
their emotions.
Grade: A/B |
| St. Louis Rams |
| Starter (before injury): Trent Green |
| Backups: Kurt Warner, Paul Justin |
| Green looked like a perfect fit in the offense and was having an
incredible preseason before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Let’s not get
carried away and put him down as an elite quarterback, but he probably would have been a
major improvement. Warner has good intangibles and a slightly better arm than Green,
but Warner’s only real game experience before this season came in Arena ball, and he
does not know the offense nearly as well as Green. As a result, Warner takes longer to
make decisions and is prone to make more mistakes. Justin has had some big games in the
past but has not been able to maintain his play. Rams offensive coordinator Mike Martz was
his offensive coach at Arizona State, so Justin is familiar with the offense.
Grade: B/C |
| San Francisco 49ers |
| Starter: Steve Young |
| Backup: Jeff Garcia |
Young is still one of the three best quarterbacks and 10 most valuable
players in football. Garcia is too small and does not have enough tools, but he has a
knack for getting the job done in this type of offense. Still, the more he has to play,
the more his limitations will be exposed.
Grade: C/D |
Top of page |
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