There are two castoffs, two first-time starters and a guy who could well lose his starting job by Monday night.
There are also two future Hall-of-Famers and a guy who played in the most recent Super Bowl.
When it comes to quarterbacks, the guys running the show for the NFL’s division leaders are quite a diverse crew.
We all expected Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck, New England’s Tom Brady and Indianapolis’s Peyton Manning to be in this position at this point in the season. But Tony Romo? Steve McNair?
Wasn’t Drew Brees supposed to be damaged goods? Didn’t Philip Rivers need a year to develop?
And how the heck are the Rex Grossman-led Bears still winning?
Those long-held beliefs about the importance of quarterbacks – especially veteran quarterbacks – is going the way of the hook-and-lateral. It’s a different game now.
And you can blame Ben Roethlisberger. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback had immediate success as a rookie in 2004, and he won his first Super Bowl in his just second year at the tender age of 23. Not until Roethlisberger got some experience under his belt did he start to encounter adversity in the NFL.
His success made it easier for playoff contenders like Dallas and San Diego to put their faith in young quarterbacks. The Cowboys’ Romo and the Chargers’ Rivers are a combined 15-3 as NFL starters, disproving the adage that young quarterbacks need time to develop.
If teams can’t find the right young, untested quarterback, the next best bet is to dig through the scrap heap. That’s where the New Orleans Saints (Brees) and Baltimore Ravens (McNair) found their franchise QBs.
No one would listen to the San Diego Chargers’ trade offers for Brees, so they let him go on the open market because they wanted to give Rivers a chance. The Saints ignored the rumors of a torn labrum and gave Brees a six-year, $60 million deal that caused a few chuckles around the league.
Brees is currently leading the NFL in passing yards – his 3,649 yards put him on pace for the second-highest total in league history. So look who’s laughing now.
The Tennessee Titans gave up on McNair and dealt him to Baltimore for a second-day draft pick. The Titans were ready to hand the keys to rookie Vince Young, and the Ravens were desperate for an upgrade over recent first-round bust Kyle Boller.
That deal turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Brian Billick’s job security. The surprising Ravens have the second-best record in football (9-3).
The Philadelphia Eagles can’t feel good about their chances of making the playoffs after losing Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb, but is it possible that Jeff Garcia is the answer?
The Carolina Panthers might have to rely on baseball-minor-leaguer-turned-Heisman-Trophy-winner-turned-NFL-bust Chris Weinke now that Jake Delhomme is hurt, but does that really mean it’s time to panic?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a full-blown quarterback controversy, yet they’re in the thick of the title hunt. The Denver Broncos turned to an unproven rookie to lead them down the stretch. The Kansas City Chiefs were winning more games with journeyman Damon Huard at the helm than they are with ex-Pro Bowler Trent Green.
Meanwhile, household names like Roethlisberger, Favre and Bulger are floating well below the line of contending teams.
Quarterbacks aren’t as important as they used to be, folks. At least not this year.
So if Rex Grossman faces Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl, it might not be that surprising if Grossman’s Bears come out on top.
Or Brian Griese’s Bears, as the case may be.
Scott M. Johnson is The Herald’s pro football writer.
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