Chuck Hixson , WarNest.com
Philadelphia Eagles
Donovan McNabb's on track to return as the starting quarterback, but the fact
that he has gone down with major injuries in each of the last two seasons is a
concern. Plan B would be fan favorite A.J. Feeley.
Back in 2002, Feeley was the third-string quarterback, but he took over for the
final five games of the season when both McNabb and Koy Detmer went down with
injuries. He played well enough to lead the Birds to a 4-1 record in those
games. Feeley is a competent backup, but odds are that he won't become the next
Jeff Garcia. Kelly Holcomb and rookie Kevin Kolb would be next in line.
Holcomb at least has some NFL experience and set a Bills franchise record with a
67.4 completion percentage in 2005. Kolb was an unpopular draft pick in
Philadelphia, but the Eagles think that with time he'll develop well. But if
Feeley, Holcomb or Kolb have to take over, the Eagles will absolutely have to
rely on the ground game that they discovered last year with Brian Westbrook to
make it into the playoffs.
Jim Wexell, SteelCityInsider.com
Pittsburgh Steelers
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Charlie Batch
(Getty Images) |
I think we all know that Charlie Batch can play, but the bigger question is:
How much would he have to play?
Batch could win a Super Bowl if Ben Roethlisberger went down, and by that I mean
the Super Bowl game itself. But Batch has been a China doll throughout his
career. If he were forced to play for an extended period, his risk of injury --
based on his history -- would be high.
The third-teamer, Brian St. Pierre, is out of practice-squad eligibility, but he
did show some confidence this spring. My guess is he'd prove competent enough to
get the club past any weaklings on the schedule.
Aaron Wilson, RavensInsider.com
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens' prospects would be reduced dramatically
for the postseason if anything happens to Steve McNair. While Kyle Boller, a
first-round bust, knows the system and performed adequately when called upon
twice last season, he is still prone to erratic decisions and gets flustered if
his primary or secondary read are covered. He also tends to trip often while
dropping back from center. Trust me, it would be problematic if McNair goes down
and the Cincinnati Bengals would likely claim the AFC North crown.
Roy Philpott, TheRanchReport.com
Dallas Cowboys
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Brad Johnson
(Getty Images) |
Should the unthinkable occur to Tony Romo, the Cowboys would call on veteran
Brad Johnson to lead the offense in 2007. While clearly at the end of his
career, Johnson's experience would prove valuable to a unit that would still
have enough weapons to still make the playoffs. Veteran wide receivers Terrell
Owens and Terry Glenn aren't getting any younger, but both still have gas left
in the tank.
The running game should also be solid with Marion Barber and Julius Jones.
Keep in mind that Dallas has a new offensive coordinator this year in Jason
Garrett. Garrett told TheRanchReport.com
earlier this year that the power running game will be an essential part of the
offense. "A power running game,'' Garrett said, "is one of the
basics.''
Sure, losing Romo would hurt. His ability to move around in the pocket to buy
extra time would disappear with Johnson as the starter. However, Johnson has won
a Super Bowl and knows how to manage the game. That's all the Cowboys would ask
him to do in a scenario where Romo was lost for the season.
Jerry Langton, ColtPower.com
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts without Peyton Manning? That's a concept so strange it's almost
incomprehensible. While it's commonplace to give props to other Colts like
Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders, the truth is that
few (if any) teams have ever been so obviously built around the talents of just
one man. And it's been a smart decision -- Manning has rewarded the Colts with
nine outstanding seasons and has missed a grand total of one play due to
injury.
But the reality of today's salary-capped NFL means that the Colts don't have a
lot of cash to spend on any other players at the position. They have skinny
dart-thrower Jim Sorgi, who's been around for a few years and knows the offense.
He's had a few opportunities to show his stuff when the season's already been
put away, and he's been so-so in largely pressure-less situations. His
competition for the No. 2 spot will come from free-agent John Navarre. He's a
big lug with a cannon arm who was thrown to the wolves behind a pathetic
Cardinals line in 2004 and 2005, and played with predictable results. In short,
there are quarterbacks on the roster other than Manning, but, without him, the
Colts aren't going anywhere.
John Crist, BearReport.com
Chicago Bears
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Brian Griese
(Getty Images) |
While a serious injury to Rex Grossman is precisely what some misinformed
Bears fans want right now, general manager Jerry Angelo hedged his quarterback
bet last offseason by signing veteran Brian Griese to be the primary backup.
Although clearly on the back nine of his career, Griese can still start for many
NFL teams and originally came to Chicago thinking he could compete for the top
spot on the depth chart. While he does not have the arm strength Grossman has,
the former Pro-Bowler has lots of experience in the west coast offense and
should be able to step in and get the job done. If the unthinkable happened and
both Grossman and Griese went down, third-stringer Kyle Orton won 10 starts as a
rookie in 2005 despite the team finishing 29th in the league in total offense.
The defending NFC Champions are built around a strong running game, tough
defense, and superb special teams, so there is no real need for an air-it-out
passing attack in the first place.
Brad Keller, CardinalInsider.com
Arizona Cardinals
He may be young and wet behind the ears, but the Cardinals' best shot at
making the postseason rests on the left arm of Matt Leinart and not upon the
shaking feet and darting eyes of backup Kurt Warner. While it's nice to think
that Warner would step up in the event of an injury to Leinart and party like it
was 1999 (or 2000, or 2001), the reality is that the former MVP has taken too
many shots over the course of his career and now hears footsteps in a vacuum.
Couple that with a new offense that is vertically oriented, requires the
quarterback to hold onto the ball longer and that would require a lackluster
offensive line to hold their blocks, and you have a mixture that goes together
about as well as tequila and handguns. Much like last season, a change in
quarterback means an end to all playoff hopes for Arizona.
Doug Farrar, Seahawks.net
Seattle Seahawks
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Seneca Wallace
(Getty Images) |
Seneca Wallace was 2-2 as a starter in 2006 when Matt Hasselbeck missed a
month with a knee injury. Wallace is an extremely mobile player with a great
deep ball, a decent short-to-medium game and a growing ability to run an
offense. However, I’m not sure how well the 2007 Seahawks would fare if
Wallace took most of the snaps from center. I know that Mike Holmgren would call
the Sprint Right Option play ten times more often, but I’d be concerned about
the team’s inability to throw the full playbook at opposing defenses.
It might work for a playoff berth in the relatively weak NFC West, though. The
clincher would be the ability of the offensive line to run-block, because the
Seahawks had better be in the NFL’s top five in total rushing yards if there
is no Hasselbeck. And Wallace would have to be accountable for quite a few of
those yards.
Michael Lombardo, SDBoltReport.com
San Diego Chargers
If Philip Rivers is injured in week one, the Chargers will still make the
playoffs. Back-up Billy Volek is an eight-year veteran who knows how to move an
offense. In 2004, he threw for 2,486 yards and 18 touchdowns while playing in
just 10 games for the Tennessee Titans. With terrific safety valves in LaDainian
Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, Volek would do just fine guiding the highest
scoring team from a season ago.
The support Volek would get off the field is significant as well. In 2006,
many veterans were privately upset when the team allowed Drew Brees to walk and
handed the offense over to the unproven Philip Rivers. However, the team rallied
around its quarterback and Rivers excelled as a result. Expect the same to
happen if Volek is pressed into duty.
Jon Scott, PatriotsInsider.com
New England Patriots
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Matt Cassel
(Getty Images) |
There's little doubt - at least in any sane football fan's mind - that losing
Tom Brady would be catastrophic to the Patriots' prospects for the season. Brady
is the single focal point in the New England offense that makes the whole thing
run. Without him in the lineup, which hasn't happened since the day he took over
for Drew Bledsoe, it is hard to picture the Pats winning the division.
Behind Brady on the depth chart are Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez and the
venerable Vinny Testaverde (Testaverde remains a free agent). Cassel has all of
one game of experience in the NFL, an almost-win against the Dolphins. It's
possible he could string together a few wins, but beyond that is a huge question
mark. Gutierrez may not make the final roster and Testaverde may be better
suited to watching from the sideline at this point in his career.
Matthew Postins, BucsBlitz.com
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In Tampa Bay, the answer to this question depends on who the starting
quarterback will be. The odds are it will be Jeff Garcia, though that's not
official (but it will be at the start of training camp).
If it's Garcia and and he's lost for the season after the first week of action,
the hopes of this team will hinge on two things. First, is Chris Simms back to
full strength, and are his fundamentals back in line? If so, he's capable of
doing what he did in 2005. Second, has Bruce Gradkowski made enough progress in
the offseason to capably take over for Garcia? Gradkowski and Garcia are similar
quarterbacks, and a transition between the two would be much less seamless than
flipping the offense for Simms.
All that said, if Garcia gets hurt, the Bucs are toast. Simms did not look
like himself at minicamp, and I'm not that confident in Gradkowski's progress.
Jon Gruden better hope Garcia stays healthy for 16 games.
Craig Massei, SFIllustrated.com
San Francisco 49ers
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Trent Dilfer
(Getty Images) |
Alex Smith became the first quarterback in the 49ers’ 62-year history to
take every snap in a season last year. But despite his durability and
considerable progress in his sophomore season, some observers felt San Francisco’s
most consistent quarterback was watching from the bench, where 13-year veteran
Trent Dilfer played the mentor’s role with patience and aplomb.
The 49ers’ big expectations for a playoff push in 2007 are riding on Smith
taking the next big step in his development. But the 49ers would still be in
good shape with Dilfer.
As he showed during the preseason last year and virtually daily in practice
since his arrival, Dilfer is a poised leader who still has zip and accuracy on
his passes, and he would be a capable caretaker quarterback on a team with a
strong run game and improving defense. Dilfer started and won a Super Bowl with
the Baltimore Ravens – one of four NFL teams for which he has started – and
certainly has the skill and experience to step in and lead a run to the
postseason with a team that is determined to get there for the first time since
2002.
Denis Savage, SilverandBlack.com
Oakland Raiders
It would be a shock if the Oakland Raiders made the playoffs at all this
year, making this question initially seem moot. But, this IS the NFL – a place
where teams come from the doldrums and make the postseason on a yearly basis.
With that in mind, JaMarcus Russell would take the helm and expedite the
rebuilding process. Russell has the athleticism and arm to be a top-flight
quarterback in the NFL, and rookie quarterbacks have been known to guide their
team to the playoffs (see Ben Roethlisberger). With a solid defensive football
team, maybe their fight to make the playoffs isn’t as far-fetched as it would
originally seem.
Charlie Bernstein, JagNation.com
Jacksonville Jaguars
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David Garrard
(Getty Images) |
We actually went through this last season in Jacksonville, but the starting
quarterback was injured after the sixth game, not the first one. The
Jaguars finished with the second-ranked defense in the NFL last season, and the
third-ranked rushing attack, and all that yielded was an 8-8 season under the
leadership of backup quarterback David Garrard.
This season, the Jaguars appear to have more offensive talent, especially at
wide receiver, and a much faster defense. But it would likely be
impossible for the team to make the playoffs if starting quarterback Byron
Leftwich went down again. David Garrard is a solid backup for a week or two, but
he can't go through his progressions, and the team becomes instantly
one-dimensional. If Leftwich were to go down in week one, 6-10 would be the most
likely result.
Todd Korth, PackerReport.com
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers is more than capable of picking up for Brett Favre if the iron
man is lost for the season after the first game.
Rodgers, Green Bay's top pick in 2005, has spent the last two seasons behind
Favre and the last two offseasons in Green Bay, attending Mike McCarthy's
quarterbacks school. He has a firm grip of the scheme and probably knows
it better than Favre. Rodgers is ready to play, but that time won't come until
Favre walks away from football, or is sidelined by an injury.
How do you think your team would fare if they lost their starter after the first week of action in 2007? Talk about it in your favorite team's fan forum!