Quarterback with the most to prove?

Taken this and slightly adapted it from a video on the NFL site a few weeks ago. During the video Jamie Dukes and Trent Green discussed a number of quarterbacks who they felt have something to prove this season, in short they were:
Matthew Stafford – Has to prove he can stay healthy for a full season he’s missed 19 games so far in his short career.
Mark Sanchez – Main issue is consistency, but also discussed was whether he can lead the team. For example Dukes points out that when the great quarterbacks make a mistake they admit it was their fault but then attempt to step their game up and make up for the mistake, but he doesn’t see this happening with Sanchez.
Joe Flacco – Despite good numbers last season Dukes says that when the defence is struggling he doesn’t see Flacco step up and put the responsibility of leading the team to victory on his shoulders, Green says he is progressing well and just needs to continue his development.
Tony Romo – Main issue is he hasn’t taken his team to the big stage, and Dukes says he is another one who has to prove he is the team’s leader.
Eli Manning – Has to cut down interceptions, and improve his decision making and game management.
Jay Cutler – Mainly just has to win back the fans, but those in the studio say he shouldn’t have to prove his toughness when he was sacked 52 times.

Then Adam Rank who put the video in his blog claimed the quarterback with most to prove really is Peyton Manning, as he has to live up to his billing as the NFL networks eighth greatest player of all Time.

I can understand the reasoning for most of the inclusions in this list the only problem is Peyton Manning, despite everything that went wrong for the team he still took them to the post-season, managed a career high number of yards, threw 33 touchdowns and set an NFL record for number of completions.

Was just wondering who all of you thought was the quarterback with most to prove going into next season, and what they have to prove? Ignore those who will enter the league through the draft.

Newton or Gabbert if they go #1 is a shout.

McNabb after a poor 2010 to show he still has it?
Kevin Kolb finally getting a starting gig?

I want to throw Matt Ryan into your pot there. He's got a very good running game in Turner and a receiver in White. Ryan's got to prove he can take the next step and that starts with winning a playoff game.

For me Mark Sanchez. Has been poor, and at best will be a game manager. Really didn't understand his high grading.

Remember they said he only went high as that years QBs were bad and this year was going to be brillant.

Also J. Freeman and Flacco need to slightly up their game just to prove they are the franchise QB the clubs hope and get a big contract. Although less pressure on Freeman.

Hmm... Most QB's still have something to prove,

Sanchez I definitely agree with. In the large part the Jets have made the AFC Title game in spite of him and not because of him.

Carson Palmer who since his last injury has not showed consistency and has now thrown all his toys out of the pram. It will be interesting to see what happens if he ends up somewhere else and starting (but I don't think he will... so it will be interesting to see how he copes if under center for the Bengals this year)

Freeman has exceeded all expectations so far, he has nothing to prove compared to Stafford, Sanchez, Cutler and Eli.

Pr4wn wrote:Freeman has exceeded all expectations so far, he has nothing to prove compared to Stafford, Sanchez, Cutler and Eli.

Agreed, but if he regresses, or stays the same, which is a good NFL QB, he might not be considered a top QB which he looks as though he could be if he continues to progress.

I personally don't think Cutler should have to prove until he gets weapons and i Oline. No wonder he throws ints.

Stafford is good shout.

Eli had his most INTs but also had his most TDs. Not sure he has too much to prove.

Eli has to prove he can lead a team down the stretch.

The Panthers QB who ever that will be, and Tebow if he is to become #1 in Denver, can he surive in the NFL sure was a good college QB but there is a lot more to running the option.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:Eli has to prove he can lead a team down the stretch.

I seem to remember him having a ring no?

He also led the NFL in INTs that season no? If not, he had a lot.
He improved to average in the playoffs, but its not as if Eli being amazing was the reason behind their success. And recently the Giants have fallen apart down the stretch.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:He also led the NFL in INTs that season no? If not, he had a lot.
He improved to average in the playoffs, but its not as if Eli being amazing was the reason behind their success. And recently the Giants have fallen apart down the stretch.

Well how many games is the stretch? Last four games Eli had 6 TDs to 3 INTs, in playoffs had 6 TDs and 1 INT, not to mention a Super Bowl MVP.

He also had 2 TDs and 6 INTs in the 2 games prior to that, and 10 TDs to 11 INTs since the bye week. The MVP came because you couldn't award it to the D-Line as a whole.

While he played well in the playoffs, lets not pretend Eli was amazing that year.

He was not amazing that year, however he did well down the stretch, and in the playoffs. And agree on the superbowl MVP.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:He also had 2 TDs and 6 INTs in the 2 games prior to that, and 10 TDs to 11 INTs since the bye week. The MVP came because you couldn't award it to the D-Line as a whole.

While he played well in the playoffs, lets not pretend Eli was amazing that year.

Worse QB's won a SB. Trent Dilfer comes to mind. Imagine Dilfer has one more ring than Marino. But anyways, to the point of discussion, Eli has nothing to prove because he proved everything when he was needed to lead his team down the field and score a TD to win Super Bowl 42, he did just that.

Eli Manning has nothing to prove. As a Giants fan for 25 years I can honestly say he's the best QB we've had since Simms.

I think the problem with the Giants isn't Eli Manning. Sure he had
25 INTs but watch his games from 2010. At least 8 or 10 of them were from his WR's tipping the ball on balls they should of caught. Let's not forget, there was a span of 3-4 games where Eli played with WR's who joined the squad that week because of the injuries to Hicks, Manningham, Smith, Cruz, Barden, and Calhoun. Oh and the makeshift offensive line... most of the offensive line was patchwork and position changes.

The running game was also not producing and causing just as many turnovers as Eli. Let's not forget about the "great" Giants defense. Statistically they looked good but anyone who watched them know that gave up the big play often and trailed early. In those situations, you have to go out slinging especially if your running game is getting shutdown. Say what you will about defense, but if your D is giving up the first down on 3rd & +10 a lot during games, you don't have a good defense.

In conclusion, Eli Manning did enough. Maybe too much. There is no way this Giants team wins 10 games without him. If you want to fault him for something, you can possibly link him to 2 losses from last season (Tenn & the first Eagles game)

Maybe Eli lacks the pedigree of his older brother and sure, Eli still makes mind blowing mistakes but he's still a solid QB who won all his playoffs games on the road. And, yeah, the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league so I can see GSC's point.

Gmen wrote:Maybe Eli lacks the pedigree of his older brother and sure, Eli still makes mind blowing mistakes but he's still a solid QB who won all his playoffs games on the road. And, yeah, the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league so I can see GSC's point.

I really think the brunt of his problems come from having the last name Manning.

I don't think Eli has to anything to prove, he led the Giants to the Super Bowl against the best team since the 85 Bears.

There's two things that go against Eli,

1. He is Peyton's little bro.
2. Peyton is an OC with a laser, but plays in a IMHO slightly weaker division.

QBs that have something to prove,

Flacco - very solid but needs to start winning games vs Big Ben to get the Ravens better playoffs seeding
Ryan - in the exact same position as Rodgers was 12 months ago
Kolb - if he gets a starting place somewhere
Tebow - especially now he has a statue
Palmer - too cocky for someone who has done nothing

QB who needs to grow
Bradford - he looks great but the pressure got to him @ Seattle week 17, he needs a reliable receiver to help him and Jackson.

I don't think McNabb has anything to prove either, he doesn't have a ring and needs a big bounce back from last season but he's put up great numbers in his career.

Interesting that many people toss Kolb in there. He's played a handful of games and started maybe two of them. I think the only thing he has to prove is the hype created by his coaching staff. I mean we are basically talking about a young second-string QB who has all this tremendous pressure to prove himself yet he cannot get on the field. I don't think I ever heard of this before.

Gmen wrote:Maybe Eli lacks the pedigree of his older brother and sure, Eli still makes mind blowing mistakes but he's still a solid QB who won all his playoffs games on the road. And, yeah, the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league so I can see GSC's point.

Do you understand the meaning od pedigree?

AdZacO wrote:

Gmen wrote:Maybe Eli lacks the pedigree of his older brother and sure, Eli still makes mind blowing mistakes but he's still a solid QB who won all his playoffs games on the road. And, yeah, the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league so I can see GSC's point.

Do you understand the meaning od pedigree?

LOL. maybe he's trying to break it to Eli that he's...... adopted..

As a Giants fan, I quite like Eli as well, that play in the SB against the Pats where he avoided 3 sacks was something else! Sure he can make some awful decisions at times, but I'd agree with earlier sentiments that he's one of the best we've had for a wee while. I think people sometimes expect too much from him because he always gets compared with big brother- the so-called manning bowl last season didn't exactly help that.

As for the QB with something to prove I'd say a lot of people will be expecting more from Tebow after great performances in college (despite the jump in quality)....and as MTM says, he has a statue now

of* (think that get patronising soloist of the year award)

uberfunction wrote:

AdZacO wrote:

Gmen wrote:Maybe Eli lacks the pedigree of his older brother and sure, Eli still makes mind blowing mistakes but he's still a solid QB who won all his playoffs games on the road. And, yeah, the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league so I can see GSC's point.

Do you understand the meaning od pedigree?

LOL. maybe he's trying to break it to Eli that he's...... adopted..

No, that would be the other brother- Cooper.

was he not a talented WR (so yes adopted) until he got injured. He must sit at the dinner table and just be so jealous.

Gmen wrote:

uberfunction wrote:

AdZacO wrote:

Gmen wrote:Maybe Eli lacks the pedigree of his older brother and sure, Eli still makes mind blowing mistakes but he's still a solid QB who won all his playoffs games on the road. And, yeah, the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league so I can see GSC's point.

Do you understand the meaning od pedigree?

LOL. maybe he's trying to break it to Eli that he's...... adopted..

No, that would be the other brother- Cooper.

Haha. Poor Cooper... I heard he was a pretty good Tight End till he was diagnosed with that condition.

AdZacO wrote:was he not a talented WR (so yes adopted) until he got injured. He must sit at the dinner table and just be so jealous.

I guess someone had to catch their passes. Olivia Manning wasn't running the slant route correctly.

AdZacO wrote:was he not a talented WR (so yes adopted) until he got injured. He must sit at the dinner table and just be so jealous.

Yeah, can you imagine how crabby life must be like for Coop? Think if the Manning brothers have kids and Payton's kids and Eli's kids are talking about how awesome it is to have SB-winning dads and then you have Cooper's kids in the corner of the room smoking pot.

Ok, a bit dramatic.

Gmen wrote:

AdZacO wrote:was he not a talented WR (so yes adopted) until he got injured. He must sit at the dinner table and just be so jealous.

Yeah, can you imagine how crabby life must be like for Coop? Think if the Manning brothers have kids and Payton's kids and Eli's kids are talking about how awesome it is to have SB-winning dads and then you have Cooper's kids in the corner of the room smoking pot.

Ok, a bit dramatic.

Not at all, with that much disappointment they are shooting up in the corner.

Just a quick reply to those names you've mentioned.
Newton or Gabbert, yes they will have to prove themselves worthy of the 1st overall pick, but despite this are they really expected to turn the franchise around completely? The Panthers have many needs and I doubt their selection will have the same affect on the franchise as Bradford’s did on the Rams.
McNabb - He does have a proven record, and so he has to prove that this last season was just a blip, in his career. He will also have to prove to whichever team decides to take him that he was worth the money they will have to pay him.
Kolb - Will have to show he can be a team’s starting quarterback. He will have to show he was worth the at least first round pick the team has given up to get him. He should be fully motivated however after losing the starting job in Philadelphia.
Ryan - I think he does have to prove he can take his team all the way, but he is still in the early stages of his career and he has plenty of time to do this, the start is to consistently take them to the post season.
Freeman - I think he showed last season what he can do, and he's still developing all he has to do is continue to develop at this rate and he should soon be able to take his team to the post season.
Flacco - I agree he has to show he actually has the talent to take the Ravens to the top of the division, and needs to take his team to the super bowl to show he's worth the big contract he is demanding.
Palmer - Will just be interesting to see how he copes at the Bengals as he must realise he won't be traded.
Stafford - He still really has to prove he was worth the first overall pick in the draft, and show he can stay fit for the entire season.
Cutler - I agree that he has no real weapons and a terrible O line until these are fixed he will still throw interceptions and get sacked a large number of times. Almost any quarterback would in this situation.
Tebow - He will have to prove himself worthy if he becomes the starting quarterback and Orton gets traded away.
Bradford - May have to show he can still develop and lead his team into the playoffs, especially if he is given a weapon to work with from the draft.

To clarify my point on Eli, he needs to prove hes the QB to lead a team, i.e a top QB, or merely a good QB. For me up to now, Eli hasn't really shown me consistently he's that guy.

Tony Romo.

There is no doubting his talent or ability, but

For me he has to prove that he should be the starting QB ahead of Kitna, who
turned the Cowboy's round wonnderfully last year.

That the rumours of him being a problem in the dressing room are just that.

That he is a team player and not that all he cares about are himself and his stats.

And that he is still the future of the Cowboys, and not the past.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:To clarify my point on Eli, he needs to prove hes the QB to lead a team, i.e a top QB, or merely a good QB. For me up to now, Eli hasn't really shown me consistently he's that guy.

That contradictory, so your only ask is can he lead? He can't lead a team despite last 4 games and playoffs we have discussed. How about Bob Griese in HOF for the sole fact he QB a team to undefeated season. Has bad stats apart from that and rating.

But in the playoffs (not a great season) that Manning had, was resposible for them making i to super bowl. If his players didnt beleive (and they have proof) in him he would be gone, so he has leaderhip.

He isnt an elite Qb for sure. Just a good QB. Had solid stats, and i think you mistake led the team to being a perennial pro bowl QB. They are different. He is the accepted leader of the team, face of the franchise, and while he is not great he is all i have said.

Is Eli the QB to take a good team and elevate them to contenders, or is he the guy who needs to be on a contender?

good question. Was Warner a man who always had weapons and in a dome?

He is not a Dilfer, but is Not a Brady in his first 2 SB victories.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:Is Eli the QB to take a good team and elevate them to contenders, or is he the guy who needs to be on a contender?

Same question that can be asked of Phillip Rivers.

It can.

tigerrobins wrote:Tony Romo.

There is no doubting his talent or ability, but

For me he has to prove that he should be the starting QB ahead of Kitna, who
turned the Cowboy's round wonnderfully last year.

That the rumours of him being a problem in the dressing room are just that.

That he is a team player and not that all he cares about are himself and his stats.

And that he is still the future of the Cowboys, and not the past.

I think that the Cowboys are unlikely to make Kitna the starting quarterback, though they may say there will be a higher level of competition for the starting job. Putting Kitna as the starting probably sets the franchise back a number of years, yes he managed to turn the season around admirably, but hes 38, how many season can he really have left in him? After this they either have to put Romo back as the starter, or draft a new QB. I think the Cowboys will hope that Kitnas performance will force Romo to step up and have an amazing year as he must realise that if he doesn't the Cowboys will trust Kitna to perform, and look for a quarterback in next years draft who Kitna would help prepare like he did with Palmer.

Romo is the Cowgirls franchise QB, I doubt it's ever been discussed in Texas that he could be benched/replaced.
Kitna did an outstanding job last year when he came in for Romo, but Kitna knows what his role is and does not expect or demand anything else, as Derby has said above, his future role will be to prepare a rookie ready for the straters job in a few years time

QBs with most to prove in 2011:
Vince Young - wherever he might end up
Jay Cutler - personally I think he's arrogant enough to answer his critics
Carson Palmer - upset the Bungles fans wanting out, he could stay but will be under extreme pressure from snap 1

Stafford and Flacco I can't have, they're franchise QBs who are young enough to still improve - I Staffords case he's been unlucky with injuries.
Again, I don't see either being under realy pressure and even if they are they're good enough to provide results

Yuo can maybe add Cassell to that list.

While he silenced a lot of doubters last season, he was inconsistent at best. In order for the Chiefs to really hit the big time, he needs to step up.

Pr4wn - I thought I posted a response to this last night in which I mentioned Cassel, but I can't find it.

He is under pressure because everyone now assumes the Chiefs have turned the corner and are now a force, we still have issues like most teams but Cassel was asked to play to a higher level in a home play off game and he came up woefully short, similarly Bowe disappeared for much of the season when he was needed.
We have a seriously tough schedule next year against some great secondarys and some great pass rush defences, both will test Cassels ability to stay on his feet, not turn the thing over, and make big plays under pressure.
I still think he'll come up short, putting up big numbers against 2-10 teams is one thing, playing efficient football and making plays happen when you need them in big games is another...

This is exactly the same worry I have over Freeman. Granted, he surpassed all expectations last season but we did have a pretty easy schedule.

I watched every game last season and one thing that really stood out for me was his decision making. He is mobile, so he can avoid the pass rush and buy more time to complete the right pass. Most importantly, he doesn't panic.

However, he did not show that he could come up with the goods against winning teams like the Falcons. He was picked off by Brent Grimes from an awful throw which was a rare lapse in judgement for him.

Cassell does not have the same mobility that Freeman has, though, so his pocket presence and making accurate and timely throws are even more crucial. In my opinion, it's also crucial that you get some better receivers to back up Bowe. You can hardly blame him for going AWOL when he has no supporting cast.

i'd also make an arguement for marc bulger having something to improve. Im almost certain he will end up at the cards or the 49ers, teams that with a decent qb will be competitive in the division. Bulger suposedly threw well in training last year and with a year away from thart rams o-line where he was murdered. I think itl be interesting to see how he plays

Agreed but the 2 best receivers on the board are likely to be gone by the time we pick.

Bowe has issues, he can be a beast of a receiver in the mould of V Jax, but I'm not convinced he's mentally in the right place every time he takes the field, I think he goes into sulk mode when we try pounding away with teh running game, and if I'm honest we'll never be a passing offence like the one I knew 10 years ago, but there will be games where you need some big plays and you're getting stuffed on the ground and the QB and receivers need to step up.
What the Ravens D did to us in the wild card game was a painful reality check.

One advantage you have with Freeman is that he has age on his side, I wasn't convinced his college stats warranted a 1st round pick but he did everything so much earlier/younger than other QBs that it's no big shock he's made it in the NFL.
He'll be OK

It's crazy to think that he got that 10-6 season under his belt before his 23rd birthday. I just hope that his progression keeps going and this this lockout doesn't hamper him.

Bulger is a strange one, came into the league in a blaze of glory then gradually went downhill, in fact cynics might say that as soon as he got his $60m contract he stopped trying.
At 34 he's got a limited clock, he might do a Titans or Panthers for a couple of seasons but on what he's shown in the last few years he's no game winner IMO

Will be interesting to see whether the Colt or Patriots pick up a QB in the latter rounds of the draft to groom behind Manning and Brady. Those guys will be coming to the end of their careers soon enough... unless they want to go on a shameless moneyspinner like Favre did.

Colts have been talking about drafting a QB.
Pats have protected Brady so well (and the fact that he can be quite useful) I reckon he still has a few years left.
Both teams are unlikely to have a season where they end up with a top 3 pick so they'll have to trade up to get the right man, time may prove otherwise but I'm not convinced this years draft is a vintage QB lot.
Perhaps 2012 draft ?