QB Competitions

As most NFL teams open up camp for the upcoming season several teams have huge question marks at quarterback. Everyone knows that a solid signal caller is integral to a championship team and this is my take on what several teams will do at quarterback this season.

Buffalo Bills - The Bills made huge waves on draft day by selecting and potentially over reaching on 1st round pick E.J. Manuel. It isn't very often that a team selects a player in the first round and then doesn't give them a shot to start so it would be surprising to see Manuel on the sidelines week 1. However, the Bills also brought in former Eagles and Cardinals starting quarterback Kevin Kolb. Kolb has starting experience and has run a similar system to what the Bills are installing in Buffalo. For those reasons you would have to believe that Kolb will be the starter but Kolb still has to deal with the fact that Manuel was a first round pick and will be getting paid first round dollars and not too many teams want to put their high priced first round quarterback on the sideline behind a quarterback who has been middle of the road at best throughout his career. My take? E.J. Manuel will be starting for Buffalo week 1 against New England

Miami Dolphins - Matt Moore or Tannehill? This question was answered last season it will be Tannehill barring an injury.

New York Jets - Ah yes, the biggest mess in the NFL. The Jets have the biggest jumble at quarterback over any other team in the league and possibly ever. Most people see this QB competition as either Sanchez or Smith but in reality Greg McElroy very well might take the job. Hell, Matt Simms might even take it. Sanchez, if we are being honest, is probably this team's best chance to win. Let's cut him some slack the Jets have an average O-line, no receivers, and no running game. It isn't all his fault. Plus Geno Smith clearly has some character issues evidenced at the least on draft day when he stormed out of the Hall because he didn't go in the first round, only to be talked back by family and friends. Smith is unproven with limited arm talent and did not face top level competition in college. McElroy has seen limited action in his career and has done okay. He could be a decent option if all else fails. Matt Simms has no chance but then again this team really is that bad so who knows. My take? Sadly Sanchez will still be the starter. Not sadly because I think Smith should but sadly because they didn't bring in a player who can actually play quarterback. Sorry Jets fans better luck next year.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Actually there is a competition here. Gradkowski, John Parker Wilson, and rookie Landry Jones will compete to be Roethlisberger's backup. The reason this is so important is because Big Ben will inevitably get injured giving ample playing time to whoever wins this job. My take? Landry Jones will be the backup and eventual starter when Big Ben goes down.

Cleveland Browns - Ugh. The Browns. The only reason Pittsburgh won't finish last in the north. The only team without a defined starter. The only team that even after choosing a starter still won't have a starter. The only team that still doesn't even have a quarterback on the roster. In all seriousness though a competition between Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell is like deciding between going deaf or going blind. You really don't want to choose either one but I guess if you had too you would choose... Weeden has the edge as the incumbent but Campbell has the edge as he is not as terrible. Really it doesn't matter who they choose because neither will win more than 5 games. Plus how hard is it to find a guy to hand the ball to Trent Richardson? My take? Not that it matters but Weeden will start week 1. He'll lose a bunch of games and then Campbell will take over.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Gabbert, Henne, Kafka...the Browns of the South? These three couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. They couldn't play their way out of a paper bag. They can't hit the broad side of a barn. These guys are all awful. I guess in the eyes of J'Ville brass they look great because the worse they are the faster they get out to L.A. Once again it doesn't really matter who they go with but my gut tells me it will me Gabbert...at least for a little while. Terrible teams like this tend to use multiple quarterbacks throughout the year. Plus as with the Browns, how hard is it to hand the ball off to MJD?

Kansas City Chiefs - You don't trade for a guy like Alex Smith and then don't use him. It will be Alex Smith. Oh and also look out for this team this year but I'll cover that more in my NFL preview.

Oakland Raiders - The Raiders dumped Carson Palmer this off season and made a move to bring in Matt Flynn who showed a flash of greatness in his last start which was almost two years ago in Green Bay when he set single game records that guys like Favre and Rodgers never touched. It will be Flynn week 1 in Oakland.

Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles have incumbent speedster Mike Vick along with rookie Matt Barkley and of course Nick Foles. Many think a Chip Kelly Oregon type system would work well with Vick at the helm but honestly I don't agree. Vick is too old now and is too injury prone to run that type of offense and he doesn't have the arm talent to be a pocket passer. The job should go to Foles who has an edge over Barkley but it will still probably go to Vick at least until they lose a few games and the Philly "faithful" turn on him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I don't think there is a competition here but there should be. Mike Glennon can flat out play the game. He can make all of the throws and frankly I think the Bucs need a change of pace. Freeman simply isn't getting it done and with the rise of the Panthers looming, the Bucs are in danger of becoming the cellar dweller of the NFC south if they stick with the sinking ship that is Josh Freeman.

Minnesota Vikings - No question. Christian Ponder.

Arizona Cardinals - Perhaps they have finally gotten Larry Fitzgerald some help. This man is probably the second best wide-out in the game still but no one has talked about him since Kurt Warner retired. There isn't much of a competition here as they brought in Carson Palmer. My take? What did I just say? Carson Palmer. I mean seriously Carson Palmer or freaking Drew Stanton? Or better yet Caleb TerBush...Get real.

Stay tuned for my NFL preview!