Updated Off-Season Quarterback Landscape: NFC

NFC EAST

DALLAS COWBOYS

[90] Tony Romo DAL 28.4

[0] Brad Johnson DAL ^[x] 40.0

[0] Richard Bartel DAL 25.5

Outlook: Romo comes off another highly impressive regular season and another disappointing playoff performance. He still has a very promising future, but how dependent on T.O. is that offense? This team needs to invest heavily in a talented young WR.

NEW YORK GIANTS

[58] Eli Manning NYG 27.6

[2] Andre Woodson NYG 24.4®

[0] David Carr NYG 29.1

[0] Anthony Wright NYG 32.6

[0] Jared Lorenzen NYG 27.6

Outlook: After the mid-season public questioning of Eli's franchise QB status and the doubts about his heavy option being picked up, his post-season run has rendered that hand wringing pointless. It's fair to question his consistency and the repeatability of those last 6 games, but there's no doubt he's the franchise QB now.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

[32] Jason Campbell WAS 26.6

[2] Colt Brennan WAS 25.0®

[1] Todd Collins WAS 36.8

Outlook: It appears that Jim Zorn was hired specifically to help Campbell take the next step as an NFL QB. It's questionable whether Campbell's strengths match up well with the new West Coast offense, but either way the prudent move is to expect progress to be slow in such a significant transition.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

[80] Donovan McNabb PHI 31.7

[15] Kevin Kolb PHI 24.0

[1] A.J. Feeley PHI 31.3

Outlook: McNabb will be back with the Eagles as a great bounceback candidate in '08, though it would be nice if the Eagles could finally land one of these superstar receivers they're chasing. It's interesting that the Eagles have a similar situation to that of the Browns at QB. After the season, the team will have to assess their QB situation and determine whether to stay the course with McNabb or let Kolb have a shot. It seems likely that one of them will be dealt before the '09 season.


NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY PACKERS

[39] Aaron Rodgers GB 24.8

[15] Brian Brohm GB 22.9®

[1] Matt Flynn GB 23.3®

Outlook: By all accounts Rodgers is ready now to lead an NFL offense, and he inherits one with manifold weapons. If he can avoid injuries, Rodgers has a chance to put up some interesting numbers as a first time starter. The team is still searching for a reliable backup.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

[16] Tarvaris Jackson MIN 25.4

[6] John David Booty MIN 23.7®

[1] Gus Frerotte MIN 37.2

[1] Brooks Bollinger MIN 28.8

Outlook: The Vikes are in a conundrum with Jackson. He's shown glimpses of potential, but potential isn't a good fit at QB when the rest of the team is a definite playoff contender. The problem comes in when looking at the paucity of superior options on the market this offseason. Chad Pennington would be a perfect fit, but it seems the Vikes would prefer to feel out the price for Sage Rosenfels and J.P. Losman instead.

DETROIT LIONS

[26] Drew Stanton DET 24.4

[10] Jon Kitna DET 36.0

[1] Dan Orlovsky DET ^[R] 25.1

Outlook: Kitna has reached the point where he's less likely to make it through the whole season as the starter and has proven that he's no longer a short-term answer even with the prodigious talent of Calvin Johnson & Roy Williams. Stanton is an intriguing stash for dynasty leaguers. He's likely to get his shot at some point in the 2008 season, and he'll be throwing to a couple of beasts when he does line up behind center.




CHICAGO BEARS

[3] Kyle Orton CHI 25.8

[3] Rex Grossman CHI 28.0

[0] Nick Hill CHI 23.4

Outlook: Is there an organization with less of a clue in judging the offensive talent on their own roster than the Chicago Bears? Lovie Smith continually chooses the wrong QB while Angelo believes there are plenty of plum options at QB already on the roster. The Bears need to cut ties with Grossman and Griese, but Kyle Orton is all backup and no starter. Whatever this Bears regime decides, it's a plan that will almost certainly fail. UPDATE: As predicted the Bears are content to go with a disastrous Orton/Grossman combo.

NFC SOUTH

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

[7] Josh Johnson TB 22.4®

[5] Jeff Garcia TB 38.5

[3] Luke McCown TB 27.2

[2] Brian Griese TB 33.5

[1] Chris Simms TB ^[x] 28.0

[0] Bruce Gradkowski TB 25.7

Outlook: Garcia had a very good season as an NFL QB, but his days as a fantasy factor are long gone. McCown makes for an intriguing stash behind an older, injury-prone QB, and this McCown is a significantly better passer than his brother. Griese will battle with McCown to see who gets on the field first once Garcia goes down with injury.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

[25] #Jake Delhomme CAR 33.6

[3] Matt Moore CAR 24.1

[0] Brett Basanez CAR 25.4

Outlook: The backup QB spot has held this team hostage for two straight years, but the Panthers finally believe they have a reliable one in Matt Moore. I wouldn't go that far, but he's undoubtedly a step up from the law firm of Weinke, Carr & Testaverde. Delhomme started off last season on fire before going down with the elbow injury. He's not to be relied on as anything more than a backup fantasy QB at this point in his career, but he makes for a nice buy-low for desperate owners.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

[89] Drew Brees NO 29.6

[1] Mark Brunell NO 38.0

[0] Tyler Palko NO 25.1

Outlook: Brees bounced back nicely after a seriously disconcerting start and looks like a lock to continue his streak of Top 10 finishes in the future. Still, it would have been nice for the Saints to have upgraded their receiving options behind Colston.


ATLANTA FALCONS

[30] Matt Ryan ATL 23.3®

[1] Chris Redman ATL 31.2

[1] #D.J. Shockley ATL 25.5

[1] Joey Harrington ATL 29.9

Outlook: Chris Redman looks like the starter by default, but the future of the position likely lies in April's draft with Matt Ryan a possibility at the #3 spot. Don't expect a repeat of last year's passing attempts now that Mularkey's power running game is in place


NFC WEST

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

[55] Matt Hasselbeck SEA 33.0

[2] Seneca Wallace SEA 28.1

[1] Charlie Frye SEA 27.0

Outlook: Hasselbeck remains a low end fantasy starter, but he will almost certainly see a decrease in passing attempts now that the Seahawks are working to upgrade the running game. With Deion Branch likely to miss at least the first six games and D.J. Hackett a possible free agent loss, Hasselbeck's receiving crew could take a step back in '08.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

[56] Matt Leinart ARI 25.3

[8] Kurt Warner ARI 37.3

[0] Brian St. Pierre ARI 28.7

Outlook: This is an interesting situation. Matt Leinart makes for an outstanding buy-low if you're the riverboat gambling type; on the other hand, with Warner and his 27 TDs in 13 games hot on his heels, Leinart has very little margin for error in the pre-season or early regular season. Either QB could put up startable fantasy numbers.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

[13] Alex Smith SF 24.3

[13] Shaun Hill SF 28.7

[1] J.T. O'Sullivan SF 29.0

Outlook: It's going to be awfully tough for the organization to effectively throw up its hands on former #1 overall pick Alex Smith, but I think the underdog Hill will be Martz' choice to run the offense. Hill won't get the ball down the field for big plays, but he showed decisiveness, a quick release, and much better accuracy than Smith in his late-season trial. The team upgraded it's receiving options with the additions of Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson, so the offense will likely take a significant step forward in '08.


ST. LOUIS RAMS

[62] Marc Bulger STL 31.4

[2] Trent Green STL 38.2

[0] Brock Berlin STL 27.2

Outlook: It's tempting to call for a bounceback season for Bulger, but temper your expectations just a bit. Despite the return of Pace and the addition of Bell on the O-line, it's still a shaky unit. Holt may be past his prime while Bruce is gone, and the team has made it clear that S-Jax is now the centerpiece of the offense. Throw in Bulger's fragility and red zone troubles, and there's not nearly as much upside here as there once was. However, the addition of Al Saunders as offensive coordinator is a very good sign.