Posted by Jason Zajdel
Ever since Andrew Luck backed out on his first-overall pick for the 2011 NFL season, we are now wondering how, and more specifically where, he is going to place next year. Maybe he just didn’t want to end up on the Panthers, as Cam Newton did instead?
Luck already has a storied college career with a list of accomplishments too long to list, although some highlights include being the runner-up for the 2010 Heisman Trophy and being named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Some scouts have been calling him, “The best prospect they’ve ever scouted,” and he has been drawing comparisons to former #1 overall pick Peyton Manning. Whoever finishes with the worst record in the upcoming NFL season will have the opportunity to draft Luck, and here are some of my predictions.
While 2010 last year was the best season for Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the Bills could certainly fill many more positions in next April’s NFL draft, the Bills did have one of the worst records, and started off with a nice winless streak. Adding Andrew Luck as a probable starting quarterback with Fitz as the backup seems to make a lot more sense. Plus, they have a new young runningback, so having that QB-RB combo both young would only help Buffalo in the future.
The Bills ended at 4-12 last year, last place in the AFC-E, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is listed as 21st best (or 12th worst) starting quarterback this year.
Colt McCoy
Prior to the 2010 draft, Colt McCoy was bombarded with accusations that he lacked real NFL arm strength and that he was too short to play quarterback at 6’1″. However, even though McCoy was not overwhelmingly impressive as a rookie last season, he showed enough potential to excite the Cleveland fanbase.
In eight NFL starts he had just 1,576 yards and a 74.5 quarterback rating, and he only had six touchdowns versus nine interceptions. While McCoy has Cleveland fans excited about their quarterback building into something better for a change, he still has a lot of growing to do before being considered a legitimate NFL quarterback. Those are not incredibly great numbers, but allowing Colt to be traded or be built into a backup might be a better option.
The Browns ended at 5-11 last year, 3rd place in the AFC-N, and Colt McCoy is listed as 22nd best (or 11th worst) starting quarterback this year.
No one can really blame Donovan McNabb for the way he played for the Washington Redskins. When the overrated Santana Moss is literally the only player who could logically be considered a weapon, combined with no run game and a poor offensive line, then the quarterback is bound to fail. Sure, McNabb is not the same player he was with Philadelphia, but one thing we definitely know is that if McNabb failed, Rex Grossman will certainly fail. If there is one quarterback in the NFL who will certainly put together a laughable season, it is Grossman.
Currently, the Washington Redskins have Rex Grossman and John Beck competing to be the team’s starting quarterback. If you know anything about football, then you know the Redskins are in trouble. Drafting Luck would not fix all of their problems, but he is a winner, plain and simple. Luck would give the team a chance to win games and would probably help some of the team’s receivers as well.
The Redskins ended at 6-10 last year, last place in the NFC-E, and Rex Grossman is listed as the worst starting quarterback in the NFL.
Oh, my 49er Faithful. Rather than making a move for Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb or Kyle Orton, the 49ers decided to stick with Alex Smith. The solid core of the 49ers is not getting any younger: Patrick Willis will turn 27 during the season, Vernon Davis will turn 28, Justin Smith will turn 32 and Frank Gore is already showing decline at the age of 28. Can the 49ers really afford to waste another season under the mediocre wings of Alex Smith?
The 49ers used their second-round pick in 2011 on Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who will likely start at some point this year after Smith fails, but Kaepernick needs some time to develop. The 49ers needed a solid veteran capable of playing at a fairly high level for several seasons until Kaepernick is ready, but they failed to do so, which will result in a wasted season.
While the 49ers may not want to waste a first round pick on a new Quarterback at this point, Andrew Luck would be reunited with Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, and the San Francisco bay area would rejoice from April until August, when we realize that we actually need guys to catch the ball. I’m looking at you, Michael Crabtree.
The 49ers ended at 6-10 last year, 3rd in the NFC-W, and Alex Smith is ranked as the 28th best (or 5th worst) starting quarterback.
Similar to Washington, the Miami Dolphins do not have a starting-caliber quarterback on their team. Chad Henne has proven over the last few seasons he isn’t the answer, and Miami only has Matt Moore behind him on the depth chart.
Also, with the loss of running back Ronnie Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, and with Ricky Williams still shopping himself, the Dolphins run game will suffer, which will hurt Henne significantly. Can Miami go and find the next Dan Marino in Andrew Luck?
The Dolphins ended at 7-9 last year, 3rd in the AFC-E, and Chad Henne is listed at 27th best (6th worst) starting quarterback.
I actually like Tavaris, and thought he was held back a bit in Minnesota. However, while Seattle is improving its roster, the Seahawks are not the team that the Vikings were when Tavaris Jackson was there. While he is not their QB of the future, he’s the best option for the division winners. Plus, Sidney Rice is in town, even though he and Tavaris Jackson never connected much.
The Seahawks ended at 7-9 last year and went to the playoffs to beat the Saints in the first round. Tavaris Jackson is listed as the 31st best (2nd worst) starting quarterback.
This season may be a throwaway for the Raiders. Not only did they lose the best cornerback in the league in Nnamdi Asomugha, they also lost their leading receiver, tight end Zach Miller. With the first overall pick, not even Al Davis could make the wrong decision here.
Jason Campbell was a joke for the Washington Redkins, and the situation is not much different in Oakland. The team has no offensive star outside of Darren McFadden, and the team needs an elite quarterback to put them in contention to win games. Oakland also needs a face of the franchise after Asomugha’s departure, and Luck would fill that void as well. Campbell is not capable of putting the offense on his shoulders and leading it to victory, and he’s certainly not capable of operating a high-powered attack. The Raiders can win games with Campbell at quarterback, but the actual production will have to come from other aspects, such as their run game.
The Raiders ended at 8-8 last year, sweeping the division but remaining 3rd in the AFC-W, and Jason Campbell is listed as the 23rd best (10th worst) starting quarterback in the NFL.
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