Team: Miami Dolphins
The Competing QBs- John Beck, Chad Henne, Josh McCown, Chad Pennington
What I Thought- Josh McCown would start the season before being benched in the middle of the season for Chad Henne.
What Really Happened- After Brett Favre was traded to the Jets from Green Bay, Chad Pennington became expendable there and was released. Miami jumped on the situation quickly and immediately signed Pennington to a two-year, $11.5 million dollar deal. With that kind of money being spent for a player, it was almost guranteed Pennington would start. The Dolphins coaching later named Pennington their starter with very little competition. Josh McCown was then later traded to the Carolina Panthers for a late-round draft pick and it looks as if now Henne will be the backup and Beck the 3rd-stringer.
Right or Wrong: I was way wrong on this one although a lot of things happened on the outside to make this happen.
Team: New York Jets
The Competing QBs- Kellen Clemens, Brett Favre, Chad Pennington
What I Thought: Clemens would beat out Pennington and hold onto the job for the rest of the year barring injury.
What Really Happened: The Jets felt they couldn't win with any of their QBs and were able to trade for Brett Favre. They later cut Pennington and named Favre the starter. Clemens had to battle for the 2nd-string job during the preseason and as of now its still unclear whether he won it or not. New York is keeping four QBs on their roster right now and their are rumors Clemens will get traded. So much for developing a QB for the long term.
Was I Right: No, but once again I only wrong (probably anyway) because Brett Favre got invloved affecting both the New York and Miami quarterback situation.
Team: Baltimore Ravens
The Competing QBs- Kyle Boller, Joe Flacco, Troy Smith
What I Thought-Kyle Boller would win the job because of his experience and get benched during the middle of the season.
What Really Happened- Finally, a QB battle without outside intervention. It seems as if Troy Smith will start this season if he can get over his illness. If he doesn't, however, Flacco will probably start. Boller had a lackluster preseason for a five year veteran and it's doubtful he'll see action this year unless there's an injury. Update- Boller went on Injured Reserve on Sept.3 and will be out for the season because of an injury he sustained in the preseason game against the Vikings. Coach John Harbaugh said Boller may have a torn labrum. Joe Flacco is now the offical starter for the Ravens because Troy Smith is still suffering from infected tonsils.
Was I Right: Nope. I'm 0 for 3 now.
Team: Arizona Cardinals
The Competing QBs- Matt Lienart, Kurt Warner
What I Thought- Leinart would start unless he showed maturity issues or struggled a lot in the preseason.
What Really Happened- Leinart had an awful preseason that was capped off with a 3 interception performance in one half against the Raiders. Warner was named the Cardinals starter and Leinart has been regulated as the backup. There's still a chance Leinart has a long-term future in Arizona, but right now it's not looking very good.
Was I Right- I think I can say I was. Sort of anyway. Leinart did not perform that well and Warner was able to take the opportunity to snatch the starting job.
Team: San Francisco 49ers
The Competing QBs- Shaun Hill, J.T. O'Sullivan, Alex Smith
What I Thought- Alex Smith would win the job and have a shot to be the franchise quarterback in San Francisco.
What Really Happened- I'm still very bitter that coach Mike Nolan gave up on the former No.1 overall pick (Smith) in favor of a journeyman QB who has never started a game (O'Sullivan). It's not that I'm against O'Sullivan. He's a local who went to UC Davis and he's looked decent in the preseason. However, to give up on Smith at this point is utterly ridiculous and will probably get Nolan fired after the season. Smith is only 24 and it's only his fourth season. I have a lot more to say about this but I'll save it for another blog post. O'Sullivan is a recent product of the Mike Martz system that gave him a distinct advantage in the so-called QB battle. He's shown flashes of greatness during the preseason, but he's also shown he's a turnover machine. If he pans out this season and helps gets some wins for the 49ers, coach Nolan might save his job and Martz will probably be off somewhere else as a head coach. O'Sullivan could follow him with a nice new multi-million dollar contract. Time will tell, but I'm skeptical that the 49ers made the right long-term decision. As of now, J.T. O'Sullivan is the starter and Alex Smith is the backup. Shuan Hill got a raw deal as well and just when he thought he'd be the starter, he'll be the 3rd-stringer.
Was I Right: No, but I don't think anyone thought O'Sullivan had a shot until August began.
Team: Chicago Bears
The Competing QBs- Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton
What I Thought: Grossman would win the job because of his long ball but would later get benched because of turnovers.
What really Happened- Orton won the job because he didn't turn the ball over and was able to lead the Bears on some scoring drives. Just as with the 49ers, the Bears will most likely need to address their QB situation next year either through the draft or free agency.
Was I Right- Sort of. I say that only because Grossman turned the ball over a lot during the preseason; I thought he'd at least be able to show he could limit the interceptions and fumbles during the preseason. I was wrong.
Team: Atlanta Falcons
The Competing QBs- Joey Harrington, Chris Redman, Matt Ryan
What I Thought- Redman would win the job and have a shot at keeping it through the season.
What Really Happened- Ryan was named the starter and Redman the backup. Harrington was cut all together in favor of 3rd-stringer D.J. Shockley, and for the fourth straught year in a row, he'll be looking for a new team.
Was I Right- No, but the Falcons might be making a huge mistake by starting their rookie QB so soon. Their team isn't very good and rushing Ryan might negatively affect him in the long run. Look what happened to Tim Couch, David Carr, Joey Harrington, and now Alex Smith.
All in all it looks like I'm for 1 for 7. That's not very good. In my defense, however, the Brett Favre mess screwed up two of the battles I thought I predicted correctly. Also, the 49ers competition was strange to say the least and completely unpredictable apparently until the beginning of August, so I like to say I'm 1 for 4.
