Lack of quality QB's in the NFL?

Is it just me, or is the NFL going through a period of severe lack of QB talent?

There are only a handful of great quarterbacks in the league, and then a whole lot of mediocre-to-bad signal callers.

You've got Manning, Favre, McNabb, McNair, Culpepper, Hasselbeck, Bledsoe, and Brady in the top group of NFL quarterbacks.

Then you have a big drop off to the next teir, and most of those guys are stop-gaps. Guys like Delhomme, Green, Bulger, Burrell, and that like.

The rest of the league either is starting guys with 1 or 2 years experience, or journeymen.

So, is there a severe lack of quality quarterbacks, or are defenses just getting too good? I'm kind of growing tired of seeing such poor passing.

Is it just me, or is the NFL going through a period of severe lack of QB talent?

There are only a handful of great quarterbacks in the league, and then a whole lot of mediocre-to-bad signal callers.
Bledsoe in the top group of NFL quarterbacks.

.

Maybe in 1997...

Yeah, not too sure how you managed to sneak Bledsoe in a group of elite quarterbacks.

I don't think the caliber of QBs has sunk that much. People often forget that there were plenty of bad QBs 10-20 years ago as well. We just tend to forget about them because they were, well, forgettable.

Defenses have taken over recently. The cap system and it's resulting roster turnover play a role, but I think that is overblown somewhat.

What is a major factor is technology. Used to be that 'watching film' really meant sitting in a dark room watching a few reels of film of a game. Now, 'watching film' means a computer program backlog of every play a team has run for the past 3-4 years. Teams can call up what a QB did for every 3rd and 4 from the 35-40 yard line in rain when in an 'I' formation and then freeze frame every second of it. It is friggen crazy.

Defenses now have assistant coaches who do nothing but analyze these films to break down every tendency a team (or QB) has. They pick up on the slightest quo and prepare for it accordingly.

I think teams exploit a QBs weaknesses far more effectively. It isn't that they are not as good, teams are just better at making them look bad.

So will we just continue to see the NFL become so good defensively that it will become unwatchable? (a la the NHL)

I wonder if this has anything to do with the quality of offensive lineman coming into the league.

Bledsoe???

Hes not even a quality QB in his divison

PENNY!!

Holy crap people. I just was trying to come up with a list of the top QB's in the game right now. Who you think is in the top tier is not what the discussion is about.

I live close enough to Buffalo now, their sports station is calling for Bledsoe's head. I've never heard such attacks to a player by the hosts of the show. I didn't think he was doing that poorly and in fact, i would have considered him a top level QB myself.

I think we are seeing many young QB's getting into the game who have the potential to become very good starters (Leftwich, Harrington, Palmer, Grossman, Rothlisberger, Little Manning, Rivers). . I think that a lot of old QB's will be going in the next couple of years, and the young QB's will be getting better and better each year. The quality this year is not great, but it's still very good. IMO, in a couple of years, there will be plenty of talent at the QB position.

I live close enough to Buffalo now, their sports station is calling for Bledsoe's head. I've never heard such attacks to a player by the hosts of the show. I didn't think he was doing that poorly and in fact, i would have considered him a top level QB myself.

What sports station? If it's WGR, dismiss all content.

The Bills' offensive woes do not fall squarely on Bledsoe's shoulders, but starting a statuesque QB who's skills are slowly beginning to decline only compounds the problems of an incompetent pass-blocking offensive line and inconsistent receivers. The modern NFL is about playmakers. While being a valiant leader and true gentleman, Bledsoe is no longer a playmaker. I wish him the best, but Losman should take over as soon as he's healthy.

Re: lack of quality QBs... no. Look at years past, and the amount is about the same. Go back ten years, 15, and 20 and it's about the same rate. If anything, in a couple of years you could see more high quality QBs, because guys like Vick, Leftwich, Harrington, Rivers, Roethlisberger, are young and could really blossom, and the guys already there are 28, 29, 30 and will be around for a while, except of course Favre who could retire after any given year.

Re: Bledsoe. He's been horrid, just horrid. Looks like he did last year, holding on to the ball too long. But with Brown and Losman hurt, what can you do? Shane Matthews? He might do a better job simply because he won't do the things Bledsoe does, but all you're doing is changing the way you suck. If I were Mularkey I would tell Bledsoe that he's starting but I wouldn't hesitiate lifting him in the game for Matthews. Maybe it lights a spark under him, I don't know.

I think we are seeing many young QB's getting into the game who have the potential to become very good starters (Leftwich, Harrington, Palmer, Grossman, Rothlisberger, Little Manning, Rivers). . I think that a lot of old QB's will be going in the next couple of years, and the young QB's will be getting better and better each year. The quality this year is not great, but it's still very good. IMO, in a couple of years, there will be plenty of talent at the QB position.i agree

I think we are seeing many young QB's getting into the game who have the potential to become very good starters (Leftwich, Harrington, Palmer, Grossman, Rothlisberger, Little Manning, Rivers). . I think that a lot of old QB's will be going in the next couple of years, and the young QB's will be getting better and better each year. The quality this year is not great, but it's still very good. IMO, in a couple of years, there will be plenty of talent at the QB position.

I agree too. So people agree with me that this year's crop is pretty bad. Look at some of the starters right now:

Brees, Feeley, Testeverde, Brad Johnson, McNown, Dorsey, Brooks...the list of mediocre QB's this season is a long one.

Maybe I'm just soured after watching Brees & Plummer suck, and then following that up with Brad Johnson & Gannon make poor pass after poor pass.

I don't think there's a lack of quality QB's in the league. Afterall, you'd have to be pretty darn good to be a starting QB in the NFL.

After watching the Colts-Packers game yesterday, I'm pretty convinced that Peyton Manning could soon be mentioned in the same breath as the greats like Montana, Marino, Unitas etc.

Add him with other solid if not great QBs like McNair, McNabb (damn, a lot of them start with an "M") and Culpepper and I'd say you have a pretty good group of QBs.

I agree too. So people agree with me that this year's crop is pretty bad. Look at some of the starters right now:

Brees, Feeley, Testeverde, Brad Johnson, McNown, Dorsey, Brooks...the list of mediocre QB's this season is a long one.

Maybe I'm just soured after watching Brees & Plummer suck, and then following that up with Brad Johnson & Gannon make poor pass after poor pass.

Testaverde is avg'ing 338 yards a game while completing 62% in first two games. You act like he's terrible. No I'm not a cowboys fan(I'm a Texans fan and I hate the Boys.).

There is a lack of quality RB's however.

Testaverde is avg'ing 338 yards a game while completing 62% in first two games. You act like he's terrible. No I'm not a cowboys fan(I'm a Texans fan and I hate the Boys.).

Please, don't ever measure quarterbacks by pure yards. Bulger throws for just under or over 4,000 yards a season, and he considered by almost no one to be one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL.

I agree too. So people agree with me that this year's crop is pretty bad. Look at some of the starters right now:

Brees, Feeley, Testeverde, Brad Johnson, McNown, Dorsey, Brooks...the list of mediocre QB's this season is a long one.

Maybe I'm just soured after watching Brees & Plummer suck, and then following that up with Brad Johnson & Gannon make poor pass after poor pass.

You have had poor QBs starting for a quarter of the teams for as long back as I can remember. This isn't a new phenomena. Plus, a fair portion of the bad QBs are has-beens who were good in the past (Testaverde, Johnson) or ones that are getting their start and could be good in the future.

If you want to watch bad QBs square off, you could do that any week for the last decade.

EDIT: I did notice a common theme. Notice how most of the 'bad' QBs are playing for bad coaches? A good coach puts a QB in a situation to succeed (Parcells with Testaverde), maximizing his abilities and masking his weaknesses. A bad coach will put a QB in a system he doesn't fit (Bledsoe in Buffalo). It isn't always a bad QB as much as it is a QB in a bad situation. The right system can make a bad QB look good while the wrong system can make even garbage look productive.

There is a lack of quality RB's however.i was just going to say that

portis
green
mcallister
alexander
faulk
lewis
lt
holmes

after that there is a significant drop off with guys like henry, dillon, rudi, fred taylor, and tiki

and there isnt a whole lot of young guys that could be great

mcgahee
kevin jones
barlow

There is a lack of quality RB's however.

Compared to when? You have more starter-caliber RBs in the league today than there are teams. Some teams are sitting 2-3 deep in guys who could/should be starting!

Actually, I'd say there are more quality backs in the NFL now than there ever have been.

If Jeff Garcia stopped throwing wounded ducks as passes, he might not suck as bad as he does.

i was just going to say that

portis
green
mcallister
alexander
faulk
lewis
lt
holmes

after that there is a significant drop off with guys like henry, dillon, rudi, fred taylor, and tiki

and there isnt a whole lot of young guys that could be great

mcgahee
kevin jones
barlow

Edgerrin James anyone?

edge would be in the first group if he could stay healthy for an entire season

Edgerrin James anyone?

I'm going to toss Quentin Griffin in that mix. We're talking about quality RBs. Not stellar gamebreaks. I think Griffin's making a name for himself.

I'm going to toss Quentin Griffin in that mix. We're talking about quality RBs. Not stellar gamebreaks. I think Griffin's making a name for himself.

Griffin? :lol It's amazing what one game can do for you. How about you check his stats for games not played against the KC's "stellar" defense...he has a LONG way to go to be considered a top back

Where is Vick in all of this? :lol

Carr? Lots of good quality qb prospects.

Where is Vick in all of this? :lol

Much like all the other running quarterbacks (not just scrambling, but pure running), Vick needs to made the conversion from a guy that just runs around with the ball to an actual, efficient passer before he is legitimately considered to be an elite QB.

Guys like Young successfully made the conversion, guys like Cunningham never really did.

Much like all the other running quarterbacks (not just scrambling, but pure running), Vick needs to made the conversion from a guy that just runs around with the ball to an actual, efficient passer before he is legitimately considered to be an elite QB.

Guys like Young successfully made the conversion, guys like Cunningham never really did.

While I agree with you that Vick needs to be a dangerous passer before taking the next step, to claim that Cunningham never did is hogwash.

He didn't carve up a defense, but he absolutely proved to be an efficient and dangerous passer.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/66/career

-A career passer rating over 80
-6 seasons of 20+ TDs
-3 MVP Titles
-5 seasons over 3200 yards
-career completions of 56% (and played in a vertical offense the entire time)
-almost 30,000 passing yards
-over 200 passing TDs
-finished top-10 in passing yards 5 times
-top-10 in passing attempts 5 times
-top-10 in TDs 6 times
-top-50 All Time in passing TDs
-top-50 All Time in passing yards
-top-50 All Time in completions
-top-50 All Time in passing attempts

Give Cunningham his due. He was dangerous with his arm and his legs.

Is it just me, or is the NFL going through a period of severe lack of QB talent?

There are only a handful of great quarterbacks in the league, and then a whole lot of mediocre-to-bad signal callers.

You've got Manning, Favre, McNabb, McNair, Culpepper, Hasselbeck, Bledsoe, and Brady in the top group of NFL quarterbacks.

Then you have a big drop off to the next teir, and most of those guys are stop-gaps. Guys like Delhomme, Green, Bulger, Burrell, and that like.

The rest of the league either is starting guys with 1 or 2 years experience, or journeymen.

So, is there a severe lack of quality quarterbacks, or are defenses just getting too good? I'm kind of growing tired of seeing such poor passing.
Bledsoe??? L O L



did not even name Pennington

Griffin? :lol It's amazing what one game can do for you. How about you check his stats for games not played against the KC's "stellar" defense...he has a LONG way to go to be considered a top back

Are we talking top backs? No. We're talking quality running backs. Hell, Westbrook is a quality all-purpose back. I'd count him as well.

The post definitely said "quality" and I think Griffin's a quality back.

what do you all think about david carr?

Pennington will be will the elite after the season. He hasnt started a fll year thats why hes not. He pass% is always top of the league, he might even lead the league this season. Hes already at 75% and he doesnt throw many INTs.

i was just going to say that

portis
green
mcallister
alexander
faulk
lewis
lt
holmes

after that there is a significant drop off with guys like henry, dillon, rudi, fred taylor, and tiki

and there isnt a whole lot of young guys that could be great

mcgahee
kevin jones
barlow

How do you exclude from your list of premier RB someone like Curtis Martin, who has never rushed for less than 1000 yards in a season...ever?

How do you exclude from your list of premier RB someone like Curtis Martin, who has never rushed for less than 1000 yards in a season...ever?

Maybe because he is not a premiere RB anymore. He was in his day, but that day was a week ago. Now, he is more a decent to good RB than a great to premiere one.

Bledsoe is getting a lot of flack. While he looks terrible now, I think that is as much his situaiton as his play.

Immobile pocket passers are always limited by the team around them. You don't provide them with options and protection, they are going to stink. Give them the tools they need, they will carve you up.

2 years ago, Bills gave him marginal protection, but at least provided him with a wealth of options. He got knocked around a lot, but found an open man more times than not. Since then, the protection has not gotten any better, the play calling has gotten worse and they have taken away almost all his toys.

Put Bledsoe in Dallas, he would look amazing.

Maybe because he is not a premiere RB anymore. He was in his day, but that day was a week ago. Now, he is more a decent to good RB than a great to premiere one.
Cumart's consistency alone makes him great. I agree he's not premier but he is great, and he is in the good to very good group.

Dallas can take Bledsoe.We'll throw in Tom Donahoe also.

Cumart's consistency alone makes him great. I agree he's not premier but he is great, and he is in the good to very good group.

Still disagree. Martin's play has declined the last three years. His YPC, TDs and 'big plays) are all dropping steadily. He is having a tougher time moving the chains (# of first downs dropping) and making big plays (gains of 20+ yards). I would have a tough time ranking him among the top-10 RBs in the league. A sure-fire HoFer, but his age is showing.

Still disagree. Martin's play has declined the last three years. His YPC, TDs and 'big plays) are all dropping steadily. He is having a tougher time moving the chains (# of first downs dropping) and making big plays (gains of 20+ yards). I would have a tough time ranking him among the top-10 RBs in the league. A sure-fire HoFer, but his age is showing.

Funny, he looked like a pro-bowler against the Bengals... ;)

Still disagree. Martin's play has declined the last three years. His YPC, TDs and 'big plays) are all dropping steadily. He is having a tougher time moving the chains (# of first downs dropping) and making big plays (gains of 20+ yards). I would have a tough time ranking him among the top-10 RBs in the league. A sure-fire HoFer, but his age is showing.

I totally thought he had lost it, and that the Jets were making a mistake by starting him this year. Then he pulls off a near-200 yard game to start the season. Maybe he's re-energized?

I totally thought he had lost it, and that the Jets were making a mistake by starting him this year. Then he pulls off a near-200 yard game to start the season. Maybe he's re-energized?

One game does not make a season. I think he is still a decent back, but not a premiere one.

In a nutshell:


-Top QBs are probably better than they were 10 to 20 years ago. I think there were so many all-time QBs the past 20 years everyone forgets the mediocre ones.
-Defensive NFL? Nah, as the defensive coordinators exploit QBs weaknesses better, offensive coordinators exploit your rusty secondary better. It all evens out. :D
-Steven Davis, Edgerrin James,...I'm sure there were other elite RBs left off that list.
-Quentin Griffin hasn't done jack yet, don't even go there.
-Brad Johnson & Rich Gannon looked so bad because they both are probably at the end (not nearing the end. They should probably think about retiring. So goes Drew Bledsoe. The only thing that really bothers me is when people talk about Johnson is the fact that he never got the respect he deserved. Now people are piling on him when it looks like he is probably at the end of his career.
-Marc Bulger reminds me of Chris Miller when he was in Atlanta. Throws for alot of yards, makes a lot of mistakes, but would probably be a better QB if you get him out of pass happy St. Louis. Funny, Miller proved he was a better QB when he played in the first season the Rams when they moved to St. Louis. I believe it was a 5-0 start, but Miller ended up substaining a major concussion. Miller went on to retire, but came back a couple of times to backup in Denver. Errrrr, enough of the Miller history lesson....

I totally thought he had lost it, and that the Jets were making a mistake by starting him this year. Then he pulls off a near-200 yard game to start the season. Maybe he's re-energized?
Well for the first time in his career he got a lot of action in preseason. Remember he also gauranteed a 1500 yard season so he probably is re-energized.

When the Jets had their 3 or something 1st ROunders a couple years back, there was a player that all the Jets fans yelled "WHO!?!?!" at and looked pretty upset. That wasn't Pennington was it?

When the Jets had their 3 or something 1st ROunders a couple years back, there was a player that all the Jets fans yelled "WHO!?!?!" at and looked pretty upset. That wasn't Pennington was it?
IIRC they weren't happy about John Abraham. If there were any "who?!" yells, it was about Anthony Becht. People knew who Pennington was.