NFL QB Watch, Week 12: And that just happened
The NFL can take sudden turns at any moment and several new starters could be named within the next couple of weeks. You never know when something big is about to happen.
Even knowing how unpredictable the season can be, the list of players to play quarterback in the NFL this year is rather unbelievable.
Seneca Wallace and Scott Tolzien have made starts for the Green Bay Packers. Matt Flynn might make a start for them soon as well, which would be his second team to start for this year and this third team overall.
Matt Hasselbeck has attempted eight passes, Matt Simms has attempted 13, Matt Barkley has attempted 49. And that's just some Matts that have not Matt made a start this year.
Matt McGloin has made a start. So has Case Keenum, Jeff Tuel, Thad Lewis, Kellen Clemens, Josh McCown, Brian Hoyer, Jason Campbell, Matt Cassel, Mike Glennon. And some of those guys are even not-bad. Nick Foles is so not-bad that some of his numbers actually best Peyton Manning.
Yep, the NFL is weird. You never know at what point you’re going to look at your team and think “Wow ... And that just happened.”
But football in McGloin has football in McGloin
Matt McGloin, Oakland Raiders
The 2013 Raiders quarterback timeline:
- Trade away Carson Palmer to the Arizona Cardinals.
- Acquire Matt Flynn from the Seattle Seahawks.
- Sign undrafted free agent Matt McGloin out of Penn State.
Tecmo Bo Breaks Madden
Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson remains the greatest athlete in the history of gaming. In this episode of Breaking Madden, Bo wrecks havoc in the present day. - Assume Flynn as starter.
- Flynn “gets tired” in preseason again.
- Terrelle Pryor wins QB competition.
- Pryor hurt in Week 3, Flynn starts Week 4.
- Release Flynn, McGloin named new backup.
- Through four games, Pryor completing 71-of-104 passes (68.2%) for 211 yards per game, four touchdowns, two interceptions, 229 rushing yards. Oakland thinks they finally found a franchise QB.
- Since, he is 61-of-120 (50.8 percent), 178.5 yards per game, one touchdown, eight interceptions, 275 rushing yards.
- McGloin makes first start, throws three touchdowns in win over Texans. Oakland ready to move on from Pryor.
Compared to Flynn, Pryor was given an extraordinary amount of time to succeed. Then again, what’s going to happen if McGloin has a single bad game? How thin is the line for the Raiders in terms of being a “franchise QB” and being put back on the waiver wire?
It’s going to have to be something that Dennis Allen figures out soon if he wants to become the first guy since Jon Gruden to make it to his third full season as the head coach in Oakland.
McCown Town
Josh McCown, Chicago Bears
Numbers are important.
Numbers like the ones that show McCown has a higher passer rating than Jay Cutler, a higher touchdown percentage, a lower interception percentage, more yards per attempt, fewer fumbles, a much higher adjusted yards per attempt, and a much higher QBR. But fans only care about one number.
The Bears are 2-0 with Josh McCown. One more win as starter and he’ll have more career wins as starter of Chicago than Cade McNown did.
Another number: 0. Like not paying Cutler millions of guaranteed dollars in free agency.
Geno, I don’t want no scrubs
Smith is the perfect quarterback of the 2013 New York Jets for all the wrong reasons, but mostly because he is incredibly inconsistent. Just as New York has alternated wins and losses, Geno is alternating turnovers.
Smith has thrown at least two interceptions in every single loss this year. He has four interceptions in the Jets five wins. In wins, Smith has a QB rating of 89.4 with seven touchdowns and four picks. In losses, he has a QB rating of 43.4 with one touchdown and 12 interceptions.
Hey Rex, why not just bench him in your losses!
Well shoot, that's what Rex did do as New York was getting embarrassed by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Matt Simms came in and was 4-of-6 for 60 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. But this was garbage time against Buffalo.
Remember Greg McElroy last year?
Seriously, did you remember that?
The Jets might just have to ride this one out, Rex hopes he can make the playoffs and keep his job, then hope that Geno has a really productive offseason.
Pleased to Keenum?
Case Keenum, Houston Texans
Why was Keenum benched on Sunday against the Raiders? Seriously, just why?
Maybe the Texans haven’t won yet under Keenum, but they’re a hell of a lot more competitive. He wasn’t bad enough on Sunday to justify being benched in the third quarter.
If the glove Fitzpatrick
I wouldn’t necessarily call it “controversy” but all of a sudden Fitzpatrick may be posting better numbers than Jake Locker. Even their rushing numbers are basically the exact same. Fitzpatrick isn’t the oldest guy ever, Locker isn’t the youngest guy ever.
And which player makes you more comfortable in terms of relying on him to be healthy every week?
At the very least, we might expect the Titans to keep Fitzpatrick and at the most, open up a QB competition in 2014.
Not so great Scott
Scott Tolzien, Green Bay Packers
Given that we should not have expected anything, Tolzien was okay on Sunday. Given that turnovers are extremely costly, we can’t ignore three interceptions either. What choice do the Green Bay Packers have and would it really be all that easy to just plug Matt Flynn back under center after seeing what we’ve seen the last two seasons?
Seriously, the Raiders and Buffalo Bills didn’t even have a place for him.
The Packers don’t have much of a choice right now but to start Tolzien.
In all seriousness, the NFC North QBs right now ...
Christian Ponder or whoever, Minnesota Vikings
McCown, Tolzien, and Pondfreessell. Not quite what we were expecting to see when the year started. And a good reminder of how important it can be to have a solid backup option. You just never know when you’re team will say...
And that just happened.
