AFC West Breakdown - Quarterbacks
[I am going to break down the AFC West position by position to determine who holds the power in the conference. The top spot will be worth 4 points, second is 3 points, third is 2 points and fourth is 1 point. At the end of the article, I will post a running tally. These breakdowns are as of May 15th, and they assume that all draft picks will be signed and ready to play in 2008. If there are any additional free agent signings, this could affect the rankings.]
It’s getting to be that time of year again. Mini-camps are starting. Draft picks are getting the pipes ready to sing their school’s alma mater. Herm Edwards is still trying to puzzle out when its a good time to challenge a play. Raider Nation is getting their “Nobody Believes In Us!” tattoos touched up. Football is starting to rev up again, so lets break down the AFC West, position by position.
The first discussion will start with the most important position on the field - quarterback. It’s also the one position where all four teams in the division have their starter set, for better (San Diego) or for worse (Kansas City…maybe).
1.) Phillip Rivers (San Diego) - Quite simply, this guy has balls of steel and a brain to match…and that’s supposed to be a compliment. If he didn’t play for San Diego, I think he would be in the “Brett Favre” category with how I feel about him. That’s where I love to watch someone play, unless its against the Chiefs. People dog on Rivers for talking smack on the field, but his play during the regular season backs it up. He finally took that big step forward last year against the Colts in the postseason, and he snatched the reigns of leadership from LaDanian Tomlinson during the Patriots game…because, you know, Rivers actually played instead of pouting on the sideline wearing his helmet. Rivers has a rocket arm, and the intangibles that will make him a success for years to come. I don’t look forward to seeing him the next 10 years. (4 points)
2.) Jay Cutler (Denver)- I think I put Cutler just to get a rise out of Raider Nation, who will howl about how their quarterback (who has played about 11 snaps all season) is better than Cutler. I whole-heartedly believe that Cutler is vastly overrated, mostly because he hasn’t won much. However, his much-needed calling out of receiver Brandon Marshall this offseason was impressive. Cutler has the physical tools - but he appears to be snake-bitten (pun intended) by “Jake Plummer Disease”, where a quarterback has periodic brain farts and makes a costly mistake. I think Cutler could use a divorce from Mike Shannahan - but he will always be effective if Denver continues to run the ball well and run the play-action bootleg. If he puts his brain and body together, he could be a Pro Bowler. (3 points)
3.) JaMarcus Russell (Oakland)- This is less of an endorsement of Russell than it is a slam on Brodie Croyle. Russell could end up being phenomenal - he simply hasn’t had the snaps, though. He has a good running game, supplemented by the #4 overall pick Darren McFadden, to fall back on. Now it’s a matter of getting used the NFL game. For all intents and purposes, Russell is a rookie this year - and traditionally rookies struggle in their first year. It remains to be seen if the limited playing time Russell got at the end of 2007 will aid him and the Raiders in 2008. (2 points)
4.) Brodie Croyle (Kansas City) - I feel sorry for Croyle. He was given no chance last year, and was basically running for his life the entire time he was on the field. Add in the fact that Larry Johnson pulled his vagina…er…hurt his foot, and Croyle was a sitting duck. However, this year will probably be Croyle’s last chance to show he can become an effective quarterback. The Chiefs have added some talent on the offensive line, Johnson should be back at 100%, and Mike Solari is no longer calling the plays for the offense. These ingredients indicate that things can improve. Most importantly, the Chiefs did not draft a quarterback this year, giving Croyle another year of relief and not having to look over his shoulder. If he doesn’t make advances this year, though…we need to look in another direction. (1 point)
Right now, San Diego is the class of the AFC West, and it is not a coincidence they have the best quarterback in the conference as well. If Russell can develop, he could easily overtake Cutler as the #2 QB, and Croyle is living on borrowed time.
Running tally:
San Diego: 4 points
Denver: 3 points
Oakland: 2 points
Kansas City 1 point
This entry was posted
on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 9:43 am and is filed under Analysis.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
THE AUTHOR
RECENT ARTICLES BY DIVISION RIVALS
- Happy Independence Day, Raider Nation!
- Oakland Raiders Al Davis: A Happy Birthday from a Raider fan
- Oakland Raiders’ legend Jim Plunkett a true icon: Thoughts from a Reader’s Side
- Oakland Raiders camp battles: Defensive Ends- Kalimba Edwards and Jay Richardson compete to rush the passer opposite Derrick Burgess
ARCHIVE
SPONSORS
Online Seats
Kansas City Chiefs Tickets football tickets
Ticket Specialists
Kansas City Chiefs Tickets Kansas City Royals Tickets
Coast to Coast Tickets
Kansas City Chief Tickets Kansas City Royals Tickets Big 12 Championship Tickets Banquet 400 Race Tickets Kauffman Stadium Seating Chart
Great Seats
Kansas City Chiefs Tickets Tickets - Kansas City Royals Superbowl Tickets NFL Tickets Concert Schedules
19 Responses to “AFC West Breakdown - Quarterbacks”
May 16th, 2008 at 11:35 am
The AFC West QB rankings are where I would place them as well. The Chiefs had a tremendous draft, on paper, and, and, and yet they’re going all in with Brodie Croyle?
If Croyle can answer the call, I’ll be among the first to line up and eat a plate of crow but for now, I’m not seeing it. His slow release, poor reads and lack of true leadership displays are causing me to pick the Chiefs for yet another rebuilding year because as good as the other parts are, in the NFL, the QB position is still the most important element for winning.
Meantime, go get ‘em Brodie Croyle. Make me look bad by not believing you’re the one to do the job. Also, I’m wondering when the Chiefs will go out and kick the tires of a Leftwich or Culpepper? I’m putting the over/under on that one at week one of training camp on to week 4 of the regular season.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I agree with the standings but i think that the Chiefs are going to be an improved team, by going 5-11 or 6-10 but still will be near the bottom, but having drafts like these for a couple of years the Chiefs will be near the top of division it will come i know it
May 16th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Ron - When Croyle had something that faintly resembled decent protection he did not make poor reads (see INDY game)…the other 90% of the time, I am surprised he even had time to look down-field before throwing the 2 yard pass to Wilson in the flat
May 16th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Ok, Here’s your first Raider Nation comment,
First Phillip Rivers, I would have to put him here just as a statement of how poor the position is in the AFC west right now, but seriously Brett Farve status……… are you F*%^&$G kidding me, The guy is simply blessed with talent around him, you put him on a team without LT and hes a backup, there’s no way he could carry a team like Farve did for all those years.
Second Cutler…….. The guy has gone like what one game without an interception his entire career…. look it up, the guy is horrible and you cant say he doesn’t have the time he needs or the players around him because he does…. Jamarcus may not have had the snaps he needs to get a full evaluation of his talent but there’s no way he deserves to be put behind Cutler, and at least Broyle has an excuse as to why he sucked it up this year, he had no time, I will agree with that.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Ah, Raider fans - as predictable as the sunsets and the tides…
I didn’t say that Rivers was as good as Favre - I said he’s in the Favre category in terms of how much I enjoy watching him play…when it’s not against the Chiefs.
And until Russell does something on the field besides be “not slim”, then he’s behind Cutler. You will notice that at the end of the article, I said there is a good chance that Russell will eventually overtake Cutler, but due to his lack of playing time, he doesn’t cut the mustard yet.
The level of talent after Rivers drops so considerably, you could pretty much mix-and-match the other three - it really doesn’t matter, as they don’t compare to the Chargers’ QB.
Thanks for reading -
RB
May 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Rivers? Are you kidding? He is just blessed with a talented team. He has a noodle for an arm. Look at the hit that took out Antonio Gates! The reason he got hit that way at that angle is because He under throws every play! I saw a game where he tried to throw down field deep and everytime the receiver had to turn around and run back to the ball. He’s no way #1. I’d give it to Cutler. Maybe #2. you can’t say anything about Russell, he’s never had a chance to play and Croyle “basically” didn’t have a chance in KC.
Greatest thing the giants did was trade Mr. Noodle for Eli.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
with the improvement of the offensive line that i got so tired of looking at last year i think whoever wins the job for the chiefs will do a lot better in 2008 like i said before last year you cant play football running for youre life for and entire 60 minutes no quaterback can and with that horrindous playing calling of so call offensive cordinator mike who solari no wonder we stunk but thers hope this time around i felkl shure of that go chiefs
May 16th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
While I don’t disagree with your list…which to me ranks each team’s QB situation far more than the talents of the individuals…I do take issue with your evaluation of Phillip Rivers and his “rocket arm”. Are you freakin kidding me? Did you watch any Chargers games or only when they play KC?. Each year I go to at least one of their home their games and watch most every game on TV as my wife is a die-hard Bolt fan, and his arm strength is nowhere near “rocket” or elite level. The only way Rivers gets ANY velocity is when he steps up into the pocket to throw and even then it’s not all that impressive. Pressure him up the gut, and he throws floaters all day off his back foot….
The truth is that Rivers has the weakest arm in the division, plus he has a very low release point for so tall a QB which is why so many of his passes get batted down by defensive linemen. He is however, very accurate with his throws, makes good decisions and is a firey presence on the field which to me is one of his best features. He has by far the best talent around him in the division, which merits his being on the top of the list…but your man-crush on him obviously comes with a matching set of rose-colored glasses.
I also take issue with Ron’s reply to your article, which stated that Croyle has a “..slow release, poor reads and lack of true leadership displays”. First off, when he decides to throw the ball it gets out of his hands plenty fast and throws it with more velocity than any Chiefs QB in years. Delays in his release were either due to his inexperience…I mean, the guy only has 6 starts…or he was running for his life and the designed play was out the window. The fact is that no QB…let alone an inexperienced one…is going to look sharp while trying to execute a primitive and predictable offense with little to no running game or pass protection.
As for the suggestion that he makes “poor reads”… unless you are inside the organization, you can’t know what the “reads” were on any given play so your critique is based in ignorance. Now if you had said he made “poor decisions”, I would tend to agree with you because that is easier to see and doesn’t require a knowledge of the play or the “reads”. But remember that even the best QBs made “poor decisions” when they lacked experienced…hell in Peyton Manning’s first 16 starts he went 3-13, completed just 56.7% of his passes, had a 71.2 QB rating and threw more picks than TDs. That isn’t all that different from Croyle’s 0-6 record, 56.7% completion rate, 69.9 QB rating and equal Int/TD ratio (both at 6). Now I am NOT saying Croyle is the next Manning…but its way too early to brand him as making “poor reads” when we have no clue what the “reads” were supposed to be and when his peformance was not out of line with other inexperienced starters in the past.
Finally, as to Croyle’s leadership qualities…what is a “true leadership display”? Running around yelling at WRs when they drop the ball? Getting in a shouting match with fans of the oppostion? Or maybe publicly calling out a teammate. I’m not saying those are always right or wrong, but every QB has to find their own way to be a leader and Croyle will have to do the same. I can tell you from personally attending dozens of 49er training camps in Rocklin in the mid 1980’s and spending hours talking with their coaches and players (I was a member of the media at the time), that Joe Montana was the furthest thing from a rah-rah person with obvious leadership qualities. He was pretty quiet most of the time…I can only recall a handful of times when he addressed the team in a “true leadership display”…and he loved to play practical jokes on teammates, but there was no doubt that he was a leader…he made the plays when it counted, leading by example, and the team rallied to him and elevated their games. Croyle certainly didn’t have a problem with leadership at Alabama…it was considered one of his strengths…so he will have to find out what works for him in the NFL. I doubt that he will ever be a guy who displays that stuff for the public…to me it doesn’t seem to fit his personality.
Admittedly Croyle and the Chiefs have a steep hill to climb: design and run a credible NFL offense which allows Croyle to stay upright long enough so that he can gain experience and develop his leadership within the team, while adding talent around him to give him the best opportunity to be sucessful. At least he’s got a hot wife to go home to…and that’s gotta count for something.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
You lost any tiny bit of credibility with this comment right here
“And until Russell does something on the field besides be “not slim”, then he’s behind Cutler.”
Way to go there gossip columnist! Now come out with he is a “300Lbs” fat and stupid with no work ethic to complete this whole sentament you got rolling on here.
You are a smoking writer!!! SI look out!
May 16th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Yo Ryan Brown, who’s “not slim?” you need to catch up with your research my man. That has been proven a farse over and over and now you can see vidoe of it on nfl.com.
Anyway yeah I’m a Raider Fan. However I do agree with most of your words and all of your rankings on the current status of QB in the AFC West. Your hard on Croyle but I know how that goes… You want more from him. Ask Andrew Walter how hard that can be.
Good Read!
May 16th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
talking about not being slim take a look at your own mug just by that pic ican see your chris farley status. as for the list goes i would agree with you for now. river is number one just because he’s been to the playoffs, but take away LT and he’s garbage. my homie j- rock will soon overthrow rivers and cutler for the #1 spot leaving you know who to round out the bottom.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Look guys, I don’t understand the fuss. I hate Rivers, but he’s a proven success in the league. And Cutler wasn’t outstanding, but he was solid enough.
The key here is that Russell and Croyle are both complete unknowns. Do they have potential to be better than Cutler and Rivers? Of course they do. But neither has shown on the field YET that they are capable of being quality starting quarterbacks.
It’s not a difficult argument to make. That doesn’t mean that these rankings change in 2008.
May 17th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Of course I agree completely with all of the other Raider fans out there and I wouldn’t want to disappoint you but even Kyle from “South Park” thinks Culter is a bust and he lives in Colorado. Seriously, Rivers is a pretty good QB but if he keeps mouthing off at the fans in Oakland when he is there, I will personally go into debt to get seats behind his bench and throw crap at him!
May 17th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Your comment about rivers having a rocket are is laughable. You must not watch a lot of charger football. In actuality rivers has the weakest am of the 4 QB’s mettioned.
Lame article, get your facts right cooks fan……
May 18th, 2008 at 8:20 am
I don’t know what Brodie Croyle some of the posters have been watching for the past couple of years but they’re obviously seeing things I have failed to observe in this QB who has yet to even win his first NFL game. I say, take off the homer glasses and look again.
Again, if the Brodie homers are right, I’ll be back to chew on some crow which would be okay with me but will the homers do the same if their guy continues to prove he’s not up to being a NFL QB? I’m dubious.
May 18th, 2008 at 8:59 am
I don’t understand why everyone thinks Croyle can’t make the cut. The only thing I saw that he lacked was decision making, which can be fixed and can be attributed last season to the lack of protection.
Durability - I don’t care what anyone says, he’s not injury prone. Every one of his injuries is completely understandable and he showed some real toughness by playing through them.
Arm Strength - Why do you think the WR’s had so many dropped passes last season? (other than the fact that most of them sucked) I remember Gonzo even making the comment the he had to adjust to Croyle’s throwing speed so he could catch the ball.
Accuracy - We saw him thread the ball several times last year. Go back and look. He can put it where it needs to go.
Mobility - He may not have any real speed, but at least the kid can move, unlike Huard. I can see him having some real success in a more Cutler-oriented scheme. He proved last year that he can throw on the run (he had no choice!).
Reads - As Roger said, we can’t evaluate this. One thing I did notice was that he doesn’t stare down the receiver like Huard. This is a great quality.
Leadership - Again, as Roger said, what do you expect? I’d rather have a QB that just goes out and leads by example than one who doesn’t play well but can make a great “Varsity Blues speech”.
With a little support from the rest of the offense Croyle will shine this year. We’ll all be “Croyle homers” by the time it’s done.
On a side note, it’s completely accurate to put him at number 4 right now, but that will change.
May 19th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Nice idea for an article, enjoyed it.
I’m a Raider fan and completely agree with your list considering how all these QBs have played so far.
However, as far as future predictions, i think we’ll see Rivers slide down. None of these quarterbacks are currently great, Rivers is just the best so far, and I’m not so sure he hasn’t already hit his ceiling. He tends to lead with his mouth more than results and despite his portrayed passion and fire, he hasn’t been consistent even though he’s on one of the most talented teams in the league. If I were a charger fan, I’d much rather have Drew Brees back.
The other three, we haven’t seen their ceilings yet. Cutler has shown improvement and glimpses of possibilities, so I agree he has to be put ahead of Russell who hasn’t had a chance to prove anything yet.
Croyle saw some extended playing time last season and was not overly impressive, putting him below Russell just because he’s had more opportunity.
I came up with my own rating system of rating these guys:
(Key)
** Superstar, proven winner
* Solid, consistent, and at times spectacular
+ Some standout performances
- regular, repeated mistakes over a season
? Unknown due to lack of experience
Rivers +
Cutler +, -
Russell ?
Croyle ?, -
Not even any single stars (*) in the AFC west, I’d give that rating to guys like Roethlisberger and even David Garrard.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Philip Rivers is a whiny little Bi%$#. You are right though, it is fun to watch him get pissed off in the game and cry like a baby.
Rankings were fair.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Hahaha watch the Raiders vs. Chargers game last season when Rivers threw that INT straight to Thomas Howard’s hands… and talking about Russell you look kinda big yourself Ryan huh? Fat Boy…
GO RAIDERS!!!
Leave a comment