Welcome to another episode of “As the First-Round Quarterbacks Turn Over”

By Chris Cluff  |   Tuesday, August 26, 2008  |  Comments( 7 )

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In Atlanta, Matt Ryan's in and Joey Harrington's out.

Among 2005 draftees, Aaron Rodgers is in and Alex Smith is out.

In New York, Chad Pennington is out; but in Miami he's in.

JaMarcus Russell's in. Joe Flacco might be.

Rex Grossman's out. J.P. Losman's out. Kyle Boller and Matt Leinart are probably out.

Those are all the moves in the latest episode of the annual preseason soap opera, "As the First-Round Quarterbacks Turn Over." Four (maybe five) former first-rounders have earned or been given starting gigs, while six have been sent to the bench in an all-too-typical scene around the NFL, whose teams have received a less-than-passing grade in developing top-rated quarterbacks over the years.

For every Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb and Carson Palmer, there are just as many Ryan Leafs, Akili Smiths and Tim Couches.

Since Manning and Leaf were drafted 1-2 in 1998, 29 quarterbacks have been picked in the first round. If Flacco beats out Troy Smith and Boller in Baltimore, 13 former first-rounders will start Opening Day this season, while 10 will reside on the bench and six will be sitting on their couches (or, in the case of Michael Vick, sitting in prison).

And most of the first-rounders left standing are from recent draft classes. If Flacco wins the Baltimore job, 10 of 14 first-rounders since 2004 will start this season.

Meanwhile, all three first-rounders from 2002 (No. 1 pick David Carr, No. 3 Harrington and Patrick Ramsey) and three of four from 2003 (Byron Leftwich, Boller, Grossman) are riding the pine. McNabb is the only guy left in the league from the 1999 class that included Couch (No. 1), Akili Smith (No. 3), Daunte Culpepper (11) and Cade McNown (12).

Why so many failures from those draft classes? Inexperience, injury and impatience.

Couch and Carr were ruined by horrible lines in Cleveland and Houston. Both were the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL during their starting tenures, and they lost their jobs because of it. The Browns and Texans were unwise to use the top pick overall on quarterbacks they couldn't protect. They should have held the young guys out and played veterans until they had built offensive lines that would give Couch and Carr time to develop their confidence. The Browns and Texans sabotaged themselves and the careers of their No. 1 quarterbacks because they were stupid.

Injuries and inconsistency plagued Ramsey, Leftwich, Boller and Grossman -- all of whom showed promise at some point but were not able to sustain it. Culpepper was once one of the league's top quarterbacks, but when he lost the its best deep threat, Randy Moss, and suffered a gruesome knee injury, his career went downhill quickly. Akili Smith never should have been drafted No. 3 in 1999 -- he had started only one season in college and was not a proven product. As it turned out, he didn't have the mental acuity to succeed in the NFL. McNown was a good college quarterback who was also not mature or talented enough to make it as an NFL quarterback; but the Chicago Bears didn't see that, which is why they ended up drafting Grossman just four years after they had picked McNown.

Now Grossman, Boller and Alex Smith have been replaced and are probably bound for other teams. Leinart could be next on that list if Kurt Warner wins the job in the next week.

But these are all talented quarterbacks who might have been successful under other circumstances. Injuries have hurt the development of all of them, and changes in offense have been part of the problem for some.

That's why Russell probably will fail in Oakland. Even if he can stay healthy, he'll end up in another offense after Al Davis fires coach Lane Kiffin. And that will set Russell back, just as it set back Smith and Leinart.

Of the four first-rounders who have joined the starting fraternity this year, Rodgers has the best chance to succeed. He has been in the same offense behind Brett Favre for three years, and if he can stay healthy -- a relatively big IF -- he should have an excellent season. That's the benefit of having been in a system for a few years before starting.

The Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans turned Steve McNair into a star using this patient approach, while Palmer and Rivers waited for their turns as well. Patience usually pays. That's why late-round picks like Tom Brady and Matt Hasselbeck and undrafted guys like Jake Delhomme, Tony Romo and Jon Kitna turned into good quarterbacks. They learned the system for a year or more before stepping behind the No. 1 center.

It's surprising that teams have not learned from this. But when guys like Peyton Manning, Roethlisberger and Jay Cutler succeed relatively fast, teams think they can catch that lightning in a bottle, too. That explains why some teams keep trying despite past failures.

The Redskins drafted Ramsey in 2002 and Jason Campbell three years later. The Bears drafted two first-round QBs in five years, the Texans and Ravens used two first-rounders on passers in six years, the Falcons chose two in eight years, and the Browns have tried to pick a first-round, franchise QB twice in the past 10 years.

Some teams never learn. It's no coincidence that those are the same teams that can never teach their young quarterbacks how to succeed either.

And it explains why every year at this time the NFL turns into a soap opera. Enjoy this year's episode of "Days of Our Quarterbacks."

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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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