Thursday, August 15, 2013

My Top 3 Quarterback Battles this Season

These are the three Quarterback Battles that I think are the most interesting this season…

The Eagles have not been what everyone thought they would be the past two seasons, their record is 12-20 in that time frame (8-8 in the 2011 season and 4-12 in the 2012 season).  Michael Vick has not had a complete season as a starter as an Eagle due to injury, but this year has to change that he is fighting for his starting job and probably his NFL future.  I say that because if he does not make it on the Eagles he may not get a chance to start anywhere else, hard to say that but it is a realistic possibility.  Vick has looked strong in training camp as well as the first preseason game, he is the perfect QB for Chip Kelly’s fast paced offense.  He must keep up the good work otherwise Foles will get that starting spot, and that would probably mean the end of Vick in Philly.

The Bills situation is interesting because they signed often-injured Kevin Kolb to seemingly be the starter for the team but then they went and drafted EJ Manuel in the first round making him the first QB to be taken in the 2013 NFL draft.  Both QBs have a lot to offer this team, their playing styles are different but both can be successful for this team….

Kevin Kolb- Can get the ball out quick, giving the team some play making opportunities with the speed of both CJ Spiller and Stevie Johnson, they can run screen passes and crossing patterns to use the most of this skill set.

EJ Manuel- First round quarterback, he is a gifted QB, he can run, but that is not what he wants to do at the snap of the ball.  I think that the Bills can utilize this in play action situations and also run the ball very well in a pistol or shotgun spread/read option plays, Manuel can run as stated and has Spiller and Fred Jackson as his running backs.

I think Manuel gets this starting job because of his tremendous upside and also Kolb’s injury issues and also to help create a strong running game to control the clock in order to play keep away from the Patriots high flying offense and Miami’s new look offense.

The Jets have a situation that absolutely has to be solved before the start of the 2013 NFL season, and that is no joke.  The Jets have been 14-18 the past two seasons following back to back AFC Title Game appearances (8-8 2011 season and 6-10 2012 season), this is not what Rex Ryan nor the Jets organization were expecting following the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  Sanchez has had a league worst 52 turnovers over the last two seasons (26 turnovers each season) and is fighting to not just keep his job but also to be the starter in New York.  I think Geno Smith is the perfect talent to push him, he was a second round pick in this year’s draft and this was done by the new General Manager meaning that Sanchez’s time could be coming to an end very shortly.  In most case when GMs are fired and the organization is being changed the incumbent QB (if they are struggling) are going as well, and statistics show that Sanchez is struggling and regressing.

Here is what both QBs have to offer:

Mark Sanchez- Experience, he is now entering his fifth NFL season all with the Jets, and he has taken this team to the playoffs before.  Being a veteran he would probably have a better grip on what to expect in games as well.


Geno Smith- Strong arm and mobile, he is young and apart from the other day in practice he has reportedly looked sharp in camp.  His mobility could be a big help in the run game which is something that Rex Ryan loves to do, ground and pound.  

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