The 7 worst QB's poised to start in 2014

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CGI_Ram

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http://wallstcheatsheet.com/sports/nfl-the-7-worst-quarterbacks-set-to-start-in-2014.html/5/

7. Matt Schaub, Oakland Raiders
Matt Schaub, pictured above (right) during his tenure with the Houston Texans, went through one of the most depressing regressions ever last season, but we’ll get to that in a second. Schaub, who was drafted in the third round with the 90th pick in 2004 by the Atlanta Falcons, spent three seasons in the ATL before heading to the Houston Texans where he was a game manager in the classic mold, being counted on to deliver accurate passes to Andre Johnson and handing it off to Arian Foster. Schaub also holds every passing record in Texans history, which is less impressive when you consider that the Texans were inducted into the NFL as an expansion team in 2002.

Anyway, Schaub competently guided the team to a 12-4 record and a playoff appearance in 2012, and spirits were high heading into the 2013 season. Spirits were still high early on when the Texans started with back-to-back wins. They proceeded to lose every single game after that, as Schaub put together one of the worst single season slides during his 10 games with the team last year. He signed with Oakland in the offseason, so we’ll see if this was a fluke or if the Monstars really did steal his mojo.

6. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
Unlike Schaub, sports fans can pinpoint exactly when Carson Palmer lost it — it was during the 2005 Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Palmer, who had his career eulogized brilliantly in a 2013 piece by Bill Barnwell, never came back the same from that injury, and remains one of the great what if stories of the modern day NFL. Now he’s wasting away on a Cardinals squad that still doesn’t have a passable offensive line, and the world is worse for it.

5. Alex Smith, Kansas City
No one seems to know exactly how good Alex Smith is. After a series of largely forgettable seasons to kick off his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers, Smith was the starting QB for a full season with a Niners squad that went 13-3-0 before being supplanted by Colin Kaepernick and shipping off to Kansas City. While the Chiefs went 11-4 with Smith under center, the 30-year-old remains an enigma, as the Chiefs failed to make a significant mark on the postseason. There’s also the matter of Jamaal Charles, who came back from an injury shortened 2012 to deliver a knockout 2013 campaign. The reason he’s so high on this list? After eight seasons, no one knows if he’s any good. That’s fairly damning in and of itself, especially for a number one overall pick.

Update: this post originally stated that the Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2013. In actuality, they lost to the Indianapolis Colts. It has been corrected to reflect that change.

4. Josh McCown, Tampa Bay
Josh McCown lives in essentially the same space as Alex Smith, only with four more years worth of miles on his body and less to show for it. Over 11 seasons, Jay EmCee started more than half his team’s games exactly twice, helping the 2004 Cardinals to a 6-10 record and the 2007 Raiders reach a lofty 4-12. That’s not exactly the legacy that dreams are made of.

It’s got to be said, though, that there’s a lot more that goes into a team and its success than the play of its quarterback. McCown could be very capable of leading the Bucs to the 2015 Super Bowl, only to be handicapped by systemic problems that are vast and beyond his control. Somehow, we doubt it.

3. Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars
The nicest thing you can say about Chad Henne is that at least he’s not Blaine Gabbert — who absolutely would’ve made the number one spot if he was still starting, but alas, he’s behind Kaep in the Bay Area this year. So, celebrate Jags fans, this is undoubtedly a capital G capital T Good Thing. The sobering reality, though, is that your team (who have needed a quarterback since, uh, forever?) are still stuck with Chad Henne, who spent four unessential years in Miami before shifting Florida locales in 2012, has only been at the helm of one personal winning season — ever — and that was just above it, going 7-6 over 13 games with the Dolphins back in 2009.

2. Matt Cassel, Minnesota Vikings
Similarly to Jacksonville, Minnesota fans (including Prince) have had to suffer through years of wasted Adrian Peterson watching a series of underperforming quarterbacks traipse in and out of their locker room to no avail. What separates Minny from Jacksonville, though, is that they’ve got Adrian Peterson and playoff aspirations, and while MJD was a great running back, he’s no All Day. In that regard, then, Cassel — who had his best years in New England and Kansas City going 10-5 with both teams — is an even worse eventuality than Henne, or anyone else listed here so far. The Vikings have said that Cassel, Christian Ponder, and newly drafted Teddy Bridgewater will battle for the starting spot, and that’s just depressing when we look at the phenomenon they’re squandering.

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans
Ryan Fitzpatrick is, by all accounts, a pretty good guy. At least according to former teammate C.J. Spiller, but boy is he not so awesome at football. After seven seasons, FitzMagic has yet to be at the helm for a winning run, and the most famous things about him remain his alma mater (surely you’ve heard) and his $100 million dollar contract extension from Buffalo. That is not nifty. Not in the slightest.

Furthermore, he’s the starting quarterback for the Texans, which means that Houston’s assumption that last year was a hiccup (a hiccup that landed them an incredible defensive prospect, which is a scary thought) and their attempts to right the ship back to playoff land include having Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. Think about that for a minute — a team trying to reverse one of the most dramatic falloffs in league history is handing the keys of the offense to FitzMagic (explanation in the video below.) Ryan Fitzpatrick is the QB everyone falls for at least once during their fantasy football season, when the stars align and Mercury is in retrograde and he throws for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns in one game before spending the rest of the season trying to match that score in combined outings. Viva FitzMagic.
 

Angry Ram

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You know, I don't even know the point.

If people keep looking and judging QBs based on the perfection of the elite two or 3, no QB is ever gonna be good enough.

QBs make mistakes, it's part of the game. Defense gets paid, too and they get paid to cause turnovers and sack the QB. It's all part of the game.

Yeah, some QBs aren't cut out for the game. But the vast majority all have their own strengths and weaknesses that make them unique.
 

LesBaker

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I totally disagree on Palmer, in fact that little blurb is inaccurate.

Other than the 22 INT's he had a really good year last year and I bet he plays better this coming season. If he was washed up 9 years ago you couldn't tell from last year, or a few other years he had. Saying he is the 7th worst is silly.
 

Faceplant

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Kept scrolling and waiting to see his name pop up lol

I wear I did the same thing. I was sure he would be on there. Gotta admit, I like the authors sense of humor. Had me rollin a couple times....
 

Akrasian

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So let me see if I can paraphrase this properly

7) Matt Schaub. Solid career, playoff appearances, was bad most of last season. Don't know if it's a fluke or not, so I'll say he sucks.
6) Carson Palmer. Could have been great until he got injured 9 years ago. For some reason teams keep wanting him. The 10-6 record of the Cardinals last year isn't due to him at all, even though their offensive line sucks. So I'll say he sucks.
5) Alex Smith. Keeps leading his teams to winning records in recent years, but he wasn't great in the playoffs last year and I don't know how to evaluate him, so I'll say he sucks.
4) Josh McCown. Don't really have anything to say about him. He could lead the Bucs to the Superbowl - but if in doubt, I'll say he sucks.
3) Chad Henne. Don't really know anything about him, and he's only had one winning season, so I'll say he sucks.
2) Matt Cassel. Uninspiring. Only led two different teams to double digit wins. Adrian Peterson deserves a superstar QB, and Cassel isn't, so I'll say he sucks.
1) Ryan Fitzpatrick. He's inconsistent, and has never had a winning record. Since winning is what matters (unless your name is Schaub, Palmer, Smith, McCown, Henne, or Cassel) I'll say he sucks.
 

FRO

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The media loves them some QBs. Yes some are better in others, but some of the guys they hype up are in positions you would have to suck to fail (Kaepernick). It takes a whole offense. Football is still a team sport.
 

den-the-coach

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I don't understand why Palmer is on this list when you consider what the Cardinals had as an alternative. Everyone loves to hate on Alex Smith, but there is a reason. Ask yourself would you rather play against those damn 49ers with Smith or Kaepernick at QB? Fro that's not hype, that is just the way it is.

Now as to the Field Generals on this list away we go:

7. Schaub...Better than what they have, but they will be able to draft a QB early next year. Plus he'll get hurt.
6. Palmer...Really good offensive Head Coach that gets the most out of his QB's.
5. Smith....Give him a few more years in Kansas City and they'll be clamoring for someone else.
4. McCown...Either Rich Gannon Part Deux or Glennon will be back in the saddle again.
3. Henne...After the third game it will be Blake Bortes than Chad Henne will be a trivia question.
2. Cassel...Give Norv Turner time before he turns to Teddy Bridge over trouble Water.
1. Fitzpatrick...Just a matter of time before O'Brien goes to Savage.
 

CGI_Ram

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
So let me see if I can paraphrase this properly

7) Matt Schaub. Solid career, playoff appearances, was bad most of last season. Don't know if it's a fluke or not, so I'll say he sucks.
6) Carson Palmer. Could have been great until he got injured 9 years ago. For some reason teams keep wanting him. The 10-6 record of the Cardinals last year isn't due to him at all, even though their offensive line sucks. So I'll say he sucks.
5) Alex Smith. Keeps leading his teams to winning records in recent years, but he wasn't great in the playoffs last year and I don't know how to evaluate him, so I'll say he sucks.
4) Josh McCown. Don't really have anything to say about him. He could lead the Bucs to the Superbowl - but if in doubt, I'll say he sucks.
3) Chad Henne. Don't really know anything about him, and he's only had one winning season, so I'll say he sucks.
2) Matt Cassel. Uninspiring. Only led two different teams to double digit wins. Adrian Peterson deserves a superstar QB, and Cassel isn't, so I'll say he sucks.
1) Ryan Fitzpatrick. He's inconsistent, and has never had a winning record. Since winning is what matters (unless your name is Schaub, Palmer, Smith, McCown, Henne, or Cassel) I'll say he sucks.

Yeah, pretty much.

I'm not saying they are among my favourites; but Smith and Palmer do not belong on this list.
 

Amitar

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6. Palmer...Very good QB with Raiders (their offense was not the problem) and could lead Arizona to first place in the NFC West. Offensive line is going to be very good. Especially with Cooper back this year.
5. Smith...If he would have been on the Whiners last year they would have won the SB. Instead Dumperdink showed his true self in the 4th qtr against Seattle. If the Whiners defense had done their job in the NFC Championship the year before Smith was traded the Whiners could have gone on to win the SB, glad the defense caved. Smith lead them back twice in the 4t qtr that game making great passes.