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Cleveland Browns Quarterback Position

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I'd rather wildly speculate than deal with the real issues affecting this team right now ... so, would anyone be interested in giving RG3 a shot if the price was right?

Redskins letter to fans lists four key players. RGIII isn’t one of ‘em
“Dear Premium Club Member,” reads this letter from the Redskins.

“The Washington Redskins thank you for your continued loyalty and support. Redskins fans are the best in the NFL and we greatly appreciate your dedication over the years.”

“Head Coach Jay Gruden, new General Manager Scot McCloughan, and Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry will lead a nucleus of Ryan Kerrigan, DeSean Jackson, plus Pro Bowlers Trent Williams and Alfred Morris. The Redskins are poised to rebound next season!”

You’ll notice there is one prominent position — and one prominent player — not included in that nucleus. (Quarterback and Robert Griffin III, FYI.) Which means the team is now promoting Joe Barry more than the guy who once seemed poised to be among the most popular players in franchise history.

Also, you’ll notice that the team is calling premium club membership “the most exclusive sports and entertainment experience available.” Remember when the team was giving away premium seats for free last year?

SOURCE
 
HELL yes I want RGIII.

Given what I learned about the Shanahan's and RGIII, I had written this off previously.

But with DeFelippo given the play sheet this season I'd be more than open to this possibility.

Letting things shake out with the whole draft pick thing, but I'd be willing to make a deal for a second day pick and another conditional pick.
 
Just what we need. Haslam fondling RG3's nuts just like Dan Snyder.

RG3 has talent, but my faith in Jimmy to give RG3 a place to flourish within the Browns is quickly dwindling.
 
Anyone with the ESPN subscription care to post the quarterback tiers article?
 
http://beta.espn.go.com/nfl/insider...o-set-move-qb-tiers-nfl/insider-insider-daily

Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady will surely remain where 26 NFL coaches and evaluators voted the New England Patriots quarterback entering the 2014 season: solidly in the top tier of players at the position.

While Brady validated his credentials, the recently completed 2014 NFL season could change perceptions for some of the quarterbacks we evaluated over the summer. Another survey will be helpful once teams without clear starters gain clarity at the position. In the meantime, here's a look at quarterbacks who could move up, quarterbacks who could move down, what the survey got right (or wrong) and why a quarterbacks coach from another team thinks Russell Wilson's late interception in the Super Bowl shouldn't work against him in future evaluations.

QBs who could move up
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Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Some of the voters thought Roethlisberger had declined from the top tier into the second group. He was seventh overall in the voting and trailed only Philip Rivers among players in the second tier. Six of the 26 voters did think he belonged in the top tier. More could agree after Roethlisberger threw 20 touchdown passes with only two interceptions against teams that finished with a winning record. The Steelers went 6-1 in those games.
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Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
It was striking to see what Romo could do when allowed to function behind an elite offensive line and within a system that leaned heavily on a powerful running game. Coaches and evaluators expect top-tier quarterbacks to play that way even without benefiting from the ground game that drove Dallas' offense. Still, there is no question 2014 represented an improvement for Romo.
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Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
Palmer received three votes in the second tier, 17 in the third tier and six in the fourth tier. He ranked 11th in Total QBR this past season, however, and one of the panelists who placed Palmer in the third tier before the season said this more recently: "Carson Palmer is a '2' when healthy." That was clear before Palmer suffered a knee injury last season.
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Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
Tannehill ranked 23rd out of 32 projected starters heading into the season, placing him second-to-last among nine players in the third tier. He received nine fourth-tier votes entering the season. That number should shrink quite a bit after Tannehill set career bests in a wide range of statistical categories, including passer rating (92.8, which was 14th) and QBR (59.1, or 15th).
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Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson was solidly in the second tier, tying for eighth overall with Romo, Matt Ryan and Eli Manning. Three voters put him in the top tier, 14 put him in the second tier and nine put him in the third. I could see some of those third-tier votes shifting higher if more coaches and evaluators start viewing Wilson the way Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes described him during a conversation we had at the Pro Bowl. Grimes: "He isn't the traditional guy, but when it comes down to just basics -- can he make accurate throws and make all the throws? -- he can definitely do that. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes and when they need big plays, he makes them. You hear a lot about their defense and it is amazing, but I believe that he is a big, big part of their team winning games."
QBs who could move down
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Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
A healthy Manning is obviously a Tier 1 quarterback as long as he does not retire. We saw that when Manning opened last season with 22 touchdown passes against only three interceptions. The way a diminished Manning played later in the season will raise concerns until there's some evidence he's back in form physically.
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Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Stafford ranked near the bottom of the second tier as coaches and evaluators watched to see whether a new coaching staff could maximize his obvious physical gifts. The Lions wound up winning with defense. They said they were happy with the way Stafford reduced turnovers, but is anyone going to feel great about where Stafford is headed?
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Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Kaepernick came in right behind Stafford near the bottom of the second tier after voters gave him 14 second-tier votes, 11 third-tier votes and one in the fourth tier. I would expect perceptions to shift harder into the third tier after a rough season for the 49ers. Kaepernick's year-by-year QBR scores have fallen from 72.2 (2012) to 68.6 (2013) to 55.9 (2014).
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Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
Cutler finished 17th overall and trailed only Cam Newton in the third tier, which served as a warning beacon for what awaited the Bears last season. The gap between Cutler's perceived physical talent and level of play has only widened.
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Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
Coaches and evaluators saw Griffin as a third-tier quarterback (tied for 19th overall) amid questions about his ability to bounce back from career-altering injury.
I expect Griffin to fall into the fourth tier after a rough 2014 season.
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Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
The glass was half-full for Foles after he finished the 2013 season with 27 touchdowns and two interceptions. Perceptions will change after a tougher 2014 season. Foles saw his dropbacks per game climb from 27.9 in 2013 to 40.8 last season, the largest increase in the league for regular starters. Kaepernick and Cutler trended similarly, likely at the expense of efficiency. Romo and Joe Flacco were among the quarterbacks who trended toward fewer dropbacks. Their efficiency improved.
What the survey got right
The 15 quarterbacks who finished in the top two tiers kept their starting jobs (Foles, the lowest-ranked starter in the second tier, lost his job to injury). Ten of the 17 quarterbacks voted into the third and fourth tiers lost their jobs for performance-related reasons. Three others -- Carson Palmer, Sam Bradford and Matt Cassel -- wound up suffering season-ending injuries. That left only Cam Newton, Alex Smith, Andy Dalton and Ryan Tannehill standing from the lower tiers.
There was some debate about whether Andrew Luck belonged in the top tier already, but I would not expect voters to think less of him following the 2014 season.
What the survey got wrong
Yes, Ryan Fitzpatrick lost his job to Ryan Mallett last season, but he might belong closer to the third tier than to the fourth (he received 10 fifth-tier votes in the survey and finished 30th overall, ahead of only Jake Locker and Geno Smith). I do not expect coaches and evaluators to reverse course on Fitzpatrick, but his numbers over the past five seasons are nearly identical to the ones Cutler and Dalton have put up. Only Romo has gotten less defensive support than Fitzpatrick among regular starters, as detailed in this previous column.
Notes
Dissecting late INT: With so much focus on the Seahawks' decision to pass instead of run on the fateful second-and-goal play in the Super Bowl, there has been less analysis devoted to why Wilson's pass to Ricardo Lockette resulted in an interception. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler made an outstanding play on the ball, but that is only part of the story. A quarterbacks coach from another team called the interception the longest of long-shot plays.
His basic synopsis: Seattle had to be "feeling great" about the play call before the snap because it was clear New England was playing man coverage against a three-receiver offense with only three defensive backs on the field. Seattle needed receiver Jermaine Kearse to run a slant route so that Butler would have to go through both Kearse and cornerback Brandon Browner to defend Lockette. Browner did a good job stopping Kearse so that Butler could break on the ball.
"15 [Kearse] went too vertical and ran no interference," the coach said. "Wilson is assuming this is an easy touchdown. He is not thinking at all that 21 [Butler] is even in the vicinity of the ball because that is Kearse's job to get in the way. As a quarterback, you are thinking, 'I will beat anybody to the spot the receiver is going to be and we have a guy picking the only guy who can be in that spot.' There is nothing about that that is on the quarterback. If anything, it is the guy who ran the slant pick or the receiver who got the ball knocked out, but he [Lockette] cannot see the guy driving on him until it is too late."
Should Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell have called a running play instead?
"If you get the play called fast enough on the second-down play and run it or even stay in base personnel and run a run, you still have time to call a third-down play," the coach said. "If you do not get in, use the timeout for the fourth-down play. It is hard not to give the ball to the running back. They would have on the third-down play. They were trying to save the timeout. What do you call on second down that will not run a ton of time off? You throw it. They would have handed off on third or even fourth down."
What about suggestions Seattle was trying to make Wilson the hero?
"There is no way Bevell was thinking, 'Who am I going to feature on final play?'" the coach said. "People just know the big dog [Marshawn Lynch] did not get it and he should have. He had just gotten 4 yards on the play before, so how could you not give it to him? The frustration is justified. Things got a little cute and it backfired the worst way it ever could have. There is less than 1 percent chance on that play to even happen that way. It is the longest long shot winning the Triple Crown -- longer than that, maybe."
A thought on Oher: The Tennessee Titans released tackle Michael Oher shortly before $3.35 million in potential commitments would have converted from injury-only guarantees to full guarantees. Oher could wind up getting some or all of that money anyway because he finished the season on injured reserve and might not have been capable of playing when Tennessee released him. Players in Oher's position typically file grievances. They can get the money if they can demonstrate they were not yet healthy when their teams released them. Tennessee placed Oher on injured reserve in December. He had a toe injury.
Unfair attention on Patriots? Why aren't scandals implicating the Atlanta Falcons for generating stadium noise and the Cleveland Browns for illegal game-day communication drawing as much attention as the New England ball-deflation controversy? Because the Falcons and Browns are a combined 21-43 over the past two seasons, while New England just capped another winning season with a trip to the Super Bowl. The NFL acting appropriately in each case will matter more than the accompanying notoriety.
Quinn's challenge: The Browns have won more games than the Falcons over the past two seasons even though Atlanta ranks ninth and the Browns rank 29th in QBR. The difference? Atlanta ranks dead last in defensive expected points added (EPA) over the past two seasons. The Browns are 15th. The Falcons' new head coach, Dan Quinn, inherits a defense that has averaged minus-7.0 EPA per game over the past two seasons. His former team, Seattle, was at minus-2.6 defensive EPA per game over the two seasons before Pete Carroll became the Seahawks' coach. That gap is similar to the difference in 2014 defensive performance between Carolina (minus-2.5) and Washington (minus-7.1). It's a huge difference.
 
http://beta.espn.go.com/nfl/insider...-insiders-rank-32-starting-quarterbacks-tiers

You know you're onto something interesting when an NFL head coach requests a few additional moments with your laptop.

"Let me see that one more time," one coach said, leaning forward in his chair.
I asked 26 league insiders to grade every projected starting quarterback on a 1-5 scale, with "one" reserved for the best and "five" for the worst. Eight general managers, two former GMs, four pro personnel evaluators, seven coordinators, two head coaches, two position coaches and a top executive participated, attacking the project with gusto almost across the board.

The result of the polling is a composite ranking of all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks, and an understanding of how some of the league's most important evaluators separate the best from the rest at the position. With their input, we were able to compile an average rating of each QB, to rank them in a 1-32 pecking order, and to divide the starters into general tiers. I've passed along insights from voters when applicable.

Five QBs cracked Tier 1, including one surprise. Ten other QBs fell into Tier 2 and nine landed in Tier 3. The remaining eight starters fell into Tier 4. Five of them received nearly as many Tier 5 votes, but not enough to drop any of them into that bottom level.

"That is a pretty good consensus of where we are at in the league," one of the GMs said upon surveying the overall results.

The head coach referenced earlier has finished staring at the results. Now, it's your turn.

Tier 1 (5)
Jump to: Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4
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T-1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots (1.04 average rating)
I was deep into this project when ESPN Insider published Sam Monson's piece highlighting Brady's diminished production while under pressure. Monson questioned Brady's status as one of the top five QBs. Still, none of the people I spoke with thought Brady had slipped to a significant degree. Twenty-five of the 26 voters put him in the first tier. The lone exception, a pro personnel evaluator, saved his only Tier 1 vote for Peyton Manning. He was an unusually tough grader at the top, focused more intently than others on the 2013 season, when Manning performed at a historic level.

"Brady did a lot of good things with limited resources, but I saw holes when they put the onus on him to carry it all, as you saw when Denver beat him," this evaluator said. "Brady has to have more of a running game at this stage. He cannot line up with five wides and win it as consistently as before. I still think Brady is a top-five quarterback, but I would not say he is the best right now."
That was a minority opinion. A veteran offensive assistant who listed Manning, Rodgers, Brady, Brees and Luck as his Tier 1 QBs said the first three were pretty much interchangeable.

"Brady might be the best because he does it with the least every year, just about," this offensive assistant said. "To me, there is no falloff with that guy. If he played with what Rodgers and Peyton and Brees have played with, it would not even be close. He has not had an outside guy since Randy Moss. These other guys have outside guys coming out of their ears, especially Peyton and Rodgers. It is such a difference when you have outside guys that can stretch, like Manning had in Indy. Then he'd kill you with the inside guys. Brady doesn't have half the skill players that Manning has. The thing that is scary is that sneakily, the Patriots were pretty good last year anyway."

From 2006 through 2012, Brady trailed only Manning in Total QBR at 74.8. That figure fell off to 48.6 through eight games last season as the Patriots lost nearly all their top weapons, but it was back to 73.1 over the final eight games, fourth-best in the league over that span.

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T-1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos (1.04 average rating)
Not much explanation required here. All Manning did last season was set an NFL record with 55 touchdown passes.

One of the evaluators with a background in pro personnel nearly gave Manning a Tier 2 grade on our first run through the ballot. Then, he started laughing.
"As soon as I said two, I was like, 'Really?' " the evaluator said. "Arm strength is such an issue at this point and the smart teams are going to neutralize him easier than others, but he is a one."

Manning received his only Tier 2 grade from a GM concerned that the QB's age had hampered his ability to avoid the rush. Brady, Brees and Rodgers were the only Tier 1 QBs on this GM's ballot. Exceptions such as these could say more about the voting process than the players. "It's an incredible accomplishment if you can get everyone in the building on the same scale," another GM said.

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T-1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (1.04 average rating)
If Rodgers gives up anything to Brady and Manning before the snap -- which is debatable -- his athletic ability seems to make up for it.
"You can't fool him," a defensive coordinator said. "We watched some cutups on him and he was ridiculous. He sees everything. They'd have a blitz on and he'd throw it and he knows what the blitz is. I don't know how he knows it. He throws into this tight window that nobody would throw into. Brees is the same way."

A veteran cornerback I talked to this offseason put it this way: "He is very cerebral. I don't think he is quite like a Peyton Manning, but he can read defenses and all that stuff, and when stuff breaks down, he is mobile enough to get out of the pocket and run. That is what made him so good, especially a couple years ago. He is still playing well. He just got hurt last year."

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T-1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (1.04 average rating)
Brees' credentials need no explanation. Still, most placed him just behind Brady and Manning within the top tier.

One evaluator said he thought Brees wasn't as good outdoors. But Brady wasn't any better statistically in outdoor road games last season. Among Tier 1 QBs, only Manning (83.0 QBR) and Luck (59.1) were particularly good in outdoor road games.

"The best guys bring everyone else's level up and the guys around them can change and they still play at a high level," an offensive coordinator said. "You saw that comment by Brees talking about Jimmy Graham and he was saying, 'Well, Jimmy is really good, but I've been here for eight years and Jimmy was not here for four of those years and we still had the big numbers.' With these Tier 1 guys, they're productive almost regardless."

One evaluator questioned whether Brees could hang with the other Tier 1 players when his team fell behind by 21 or 28 points. Since 2010, counting the playoffs, Brady is 2-1 and Manning is 1-3 when their teams fall behind by 21-28 points. Their QBR scores were exceptional in those situations (90.9 for Brady and 88.3 for Manning). Rodgers went 0-2 in those games, but played respectably (64.6 QBR). Brees, meanwhile, had an 0-5 record in these games and a 52.6 QBR.

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5. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (1.50 average rating)
Luck doesn't have the track record of the other Tier 1 QBs, and there was a clear gap in the voting between him and the top four. But people in the league love him almost unconditionally, and 14 of the 26 voters insisted upon putting him in the top tier (each of the top four received 25 of 26 Tier 1 votes).

The evaluators think Luck has carried a subpar roster to a 22-10 record without much help. They see no limitations. They have zero doubt about his long-term stardom and felt strongly enough to give him 14 first-tier votes even while acknowledging he's below the Big Four at this early stage. Every other QB fell into the tier in which he received the most votes, and So shall Luck, even if his Tier 1 designation feels a bit premature.

"I'm not going to downgrade him because it's only his second year," a defensive coordinator said after placing Luck in the first tier. "He can put it on his back as a younger player, where some of these other guys had good help running the ball like Ben (Roethlisberger) or Matt (Ryan) or Russell (Wilson) or Joe (Flacco). They have had people you could hand it to. They say you can win with a young QB when you have a top-10 defense and a top-10 running game. Luck hasn't had either."

The Colts have gone 22-10 with Luck, while ranking 28th in defensive EPA and 24th in both rushing yards and rushing attempts by running backs. Luck ranks fourth in drop-backs over that span, trailing only Matthew Stafford, Brees and Ryan.

Still, there isn't much of an individual statistical argument for Luck's inclusion in Tier 1. His completion percentage (57.0) and passer rating (81.5) lag. His QBR score (63.8) ranks eighth and reflects significant value added through rushing. "Luck turns the ball over too much," one GM said in explaining why he left Luck in the second tier for now. A head coach called Luck "a two becoming a one" -- a comment consistent with the thinking of everyone who placed Luck in the second tier.
 
Tier 2

6. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (1.77 average rating)
Quite a few analysts said they would ideally put Rivers and Roethlisberger in the 1.5 range -- better than the typical Tier 2 player, but not as dynamic as the Tier 1 QBs. Eighteen of the 26 voters placed Rivers in the second tier. The same was true for Roethlisberger.

"Rivers can't run, but he can throw and he's smart," a defensive coordinator said. "He is definitely a two to me -- a real good quarterback."

Another defensive coordinator put Rivers in his first tier with Brees, Brady, Rodgers and Peyton Manning. He also described what separated the top-tier QBs from the rest in his mind. "A one to me is a guy that -- he is going to get 300 on you every game and you kind of know it," that coordinator said. "He's a guy you are going to have to manage, you're going to have to try to disguise and do different things against because he has seen everything. Those guys see everything. The twos are guys you can get. Like Eli, you can get him on some things and can disguise some things on him. But [the twos] still run their offense, they have control of it."

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7. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (1.85 average rating)
One of the offensive coaches placed Rivers and Roethlisberger in the top tier. He noted that Rivers wins with his mind while Roethlisberger wins with his physical abilities. Several GMs said they thought Roethlisberger had declined into the second tier over the past couple seasons. "If you were there in Pittsburgh, you saw him run the no-huddle, you saw the command, you saw him run and make plays," a coordinator said. "Other people will not think as much of him. He is a very good quarterback, able to get himself out of tough positions."

Said one GM: "Ben plays big-boy football -- and regardless of what you think, he knows how to win the game."

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T-8. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (2.23 average rating)
I was surprised to see Ryan command zero Tier 1 votes and six Tier 3 votes. Nearly everyone said Ryan needed to prove himself in the playoffs. There was a feeling Ryan would never be able to carry his team the way the very best QBs have.

That's not a knock, either. "If you told me I'm getting a guy who can win 10 games and get you to the championship game and lose, I'd take it in a heartbeat," one former GM said.

The other former GM said it's become clear to him Ryan cannot carry a team. "I think he has potential, but I see a guy that is a little bit hesitant and cannot pull the trigger," this former GM said. "From afar, it looks like the more Matt Ryan has on his plate, the less productive he becomes."

One evaluator noted that Ryan has benefited from outstanding receiving weapons: Julio Jones can win jump balls; Roddy White, a former wrestler, knows how to fight for position; and the recently retired Tony Gonzalez was a master at using leverage to make life easier for quarterbacks.

One of the pro personnel evaluators called Ryan a "solid starter who will never be a top-five player" at the position. Another put it this way: "He's the most disappointing guy to me. He does not have a great line or run game, but other guys overcome that and are better than Ryan has been. You can throw stats away at some point and it's just a feel for the player."

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T-8. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (2.23 average rating)
A few evaluators questioned whether Romo had the mind-set to play at the highest level consistently. It's a familiar refrain in league circles, a feeling that Romo is an undisciplined QB playing for an undisciplined organization with a poorly constructed roster.

"People want to knock him," one GM responded, "but the guy has talent and is one of the top 10 starters in the league."

Romo is 34 years old and coming off back surgery, but he still could be in line for a "monster" season, one evaluator said. "But I absolutely believe they will not win big with him. As soon as he decides it's a clutch moment, his brain goes elsewhere. He loses focus and tries to create something."

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T-8. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (2.23 average rating)
Everyone likes Wilson. But not everyone loves him, especially when it comes to projecting how a 5-foot-10 QB would fare without a dominant defense and running game on his side. Still, Wilson came in ahead of Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III, three other young, mobile QBs.
"I love Russell Wilson," one GM said. "I like him for the intangibles, which Kaepernick has not displayed. I have Wilson as a three and think he might ascend to a two. I don't think he will ever be a one. Kaepernick has a chance to be a one, but he also has a chance to be a three or a four."

Evaluators across the board lauded Wilson for his decision-making, both with the football and in avoiding big hits when scrambling.

Still, some said they wanted to see more from Wilson in terms of decision-making and downfield accuracy from within the pocket. "He has a curl-flat wide open and cannot see it, so he spins out and rips it 40 yards downfield to make an amazing big play," one evaluator said.

A head coach said he'd rather have Sam Bradford than Wilson purely from a talent standpoint.

As noted previously, the numbers from Wilson and Kaepernick from within the pocket are solid, but that doesn't mean people in the league perceive them as effective pocket passers. One head coach said teams with good game plans have taken away escape routes and made Wilson struggle. Injuries at receiver and along the offensive line have not helped. "I want them to win games from the pocket at some point," one GM said of shorter QBs. "That is what will separate Russell Wilson -- besides a great 'D' -- from the Doug Fluties of the world. Eventually, you made them beat you from the pocket and they could not do it. Maybe he ascends to the bottom of that one tier, but I see him probably more top of the second."

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T-8. Eli Manning, New York Giants (2.23 average rating)
Quite a few voters paused and feigned anguish when asked to make sense of Manning following a brutal 2013 season. Seventeen of them placed Manning in the second tier.

"He is really a two when you supply him with the right weapons," a head coach said. "He is a guy that has the ultimate trust in a big wide receiver."

Some thought Manning would benefit from a scheme change this offseason, but most of the voters placing him in the second tier sounded a little apprehensive. "I see Eli having a hard time generating things on his own," one GM said. "I don't see a great decision-maker. He has never struck me as a take-charge, carry-the-team type of guy." That GM put Manning in the third tier. Another drew comparisons between Manning and the Kurt Warner who became gun-shy at times later in his career.

"Eli can go from a championship quarterback to throwing five interceptions in one game," an offensive coordinator said.

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12. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (2.31 average rating)
Flacco came in just ahead of Matthew Stafford, thanks to a couple of Tier 1 votes from evaluators honoring the dominant form Flacco showed during the Ravens' Super Bowl run.

"Flacco would be a guy that you probably either love him or hate him because he's a big guy, probably not the most mobile guy, and he's kind of got the droopy face, kind of like the Jay Cutler face, where it always looks like things are bad," an offensive coordinator said.

One defensive coordinator said he thought Flacco played with a grittiness that was appealing. Another saw shortcomings from a football standpoint. "He has a big arm, but he misses so many plays because he doesn't read defenses well," this second defensive coordinator said. "On film, you see guys open, but he doesn't throw it to the right guy."

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13. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (2.38 average rating)
There's a feeling among evaluators that Stafford, more than any other QB outside the top five, has the talent to ascend into the first tier. He is arguably the most intriguing starter in the league.

"I've watched Stafford a lot and some of the decision-making is questionable," a defensive coordinator said. "[But] as a talent, I would have drafted the kid No. 1 when he was coming out of Georgia."

A head coach said it's critical for Stafford to work on his mechanics the way Brady and Peyton Manning have done over the years.

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14. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (2.50 average rating)
Evaluators want to see more from Kaepernick as a reader of defenses, playing within the pocket. They acknowledge his strong arm and dynamic running ability: Kaepernick, like Wilson, has good passing stats from within the pocket, with or without play-action. But there's still a perception around the league that neither is proven in that area.

"Kaepernick can affect the game on so many levels," a defensive coordinator said. "He's been to a Super Bowl, been in a championship game. He has kind of revolutionized some stuff. He is a different kind of 'two' than most of them, more multidimensional."

Kaepernick, like Wilson, has benefited from a dominant defense and running game, and his team hasn't asked him to carry the offense week after week.
But he's been resilient. "Last year, there were a number of people injured and he still kept finding ways to win," a different defensive coordinator said. "Those kind of guys who show that moxie at quarterback, as a defensive coach, that does factor [in] to me. It is not necessarily all based on their stats."

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15. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles (2.56 average rating)
Foles just made the bottom of the second tier, even though three evaluators put him in the fourth tier, including one GM who called him "a four who played like a two" last season.

Another GM boldly placed Foles in the first tier based on what he saw last season. He kept Foles there upon additional reflection, but his was an outlying view.

Most wanted to see more. We've seen Matt Cassel and other QBs flash for a season or two before fading away. Still, the evaluators most familiar with Foles liked his future. When asked about the Cassel comparison, they thought Foles had a much better arm. But others wondered if part of one season wasn't enough to go on. "Foles could be like a Kerry Collins or Jake Delhomme, a three who plays like a two or four," one evaluator said.
 
Tier 3
16. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (2.58 average rating)
Players with the ability to escape the pocket and run have less incentive to become polished pocket passers, according to some. That is one reason a number of defensive backs I've spoken with think Newton and others with similar skill sets might never move into the top tier.

One GM called Newton "phenomenal" and someone he'd pay to see play. He thought Newton needed continuity on the coaching staff and in the huddle. "He is a little bit like Ben [Roethlisberger] in that he is so physical," one head coach said. "But he is so inconsistent. I would say he is a three. Some days, he's a one. Some days, he's a five."

Newton appears to have no limitations. "I would say Cam Newton has rare stuff," a defensive coordinator said. "You don't worry about him getting hit like you worry about other quarterbacks. He would be at the top of the list for me as a three because he is not a rare thrower, but he has rare stuff. I could see him elevating to a two, and it might just be winning past the regular season."

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17. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (2.62 average rating)
I thought Cutler would fall into the second tier based on his talent, but 16 of the 26 voters put him in the third. They lamented Cutler's inconsistency, poor mechanics, proclivity for turnovers and abbreviated postseason résumé.

A few evaluators thought Cutler took a step forward last season and could progress further now that the Bears' offensive line has stabilized. "For me, it's all about how impactful a player can be on game day," one GM said, defending Cutler. "The reason Cutler is not a one is because he is too up and down. But you talk about a guy that can beat you with his arm, and how many in the league can do it better than him? Now he finally has a line in front of him, he has more than one receiver. So, there is no way he is a three, in my opinion."
The Bears' failure to protect Cutler in past seasons arguably justified what some have seen as the QB's negative body language. "I don't know the kid," a defensive coordinator said. "I like him as a player. He runs their offense very well, he can make any throw, I think he has some toughness to him, some cockiness to him. He is as good as Matt Ryan. He's a two."

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18. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (2.96 average rating)
Smith was solidly in the middle of the third tier. A defensive coordinator familiar with Smith's career in San Francisco said he thought the 49ers' game plans demonstrated very little confidence in the former No. 1 pick. "It really did seem like he was just managing," the coordinator said. "The guy is an NFL talent. Can he make a play somewhere? Of course, they can all make plays. But it seemed like when they say managing it, it was almost like they were managing him. Don't let him screw it up. Not like he was managing the game."
Smith has heard it all before. Despite a Total QBR (51.8) that ranks 22nd over the past three seasons, he has the third-best winning percentage (.750, including playoffs) of any quarterback over the same time frame.

Even with a winning record, Smith doesn't receive high marks from evaluators. "There is nothing about him runningwise or arm-talentwise that makes you say, 'Shoot, we have to take this away,'" one GM said. "But he is better than an Andy Dalton because he protects the ball. Dalton does not protect the ball. There are just too many games he gives it to the other team."

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T-19. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (3.00 average rating)
The people who like Dalton like him more as a person than as a talent. They love his approach to the game, his professionalism and his demeanor. They think the Bengals can win with him if they're strong enough in other areas. But most don't see him climbing out of the third tier, where 20 of 26 evaluators placed Dalton without much hesitation.

One person familiar with Dalton questioned how he'd fit under his new offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson. He described Dalton as a "sweetheart" and Jackson as a "badass who would punch you out" -- and as someone who wouldn't be afraid to give Jason Campbell a chance.

"The ceiling for Dalton is a three," one GM said. "There is not enough about him. With a Colin Kaepernick, does he read coverages well? No, but if things are clicking for him, he can throw fastballs. Dalton cannot do that."

A former GM called Dalton a "poor man's Russell Wilson" for his dedication to the job and the respect that dedication earns throughout a building. "With Dalton, if he is your quarterback for 10 years, you'll go to the playoffs five times and say he's a good QB," the former GM said. "But is he physically gifted enough to win it if you have to throw it?"

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T-19. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins (3.00 average rating)
Only five of the evaluators who cast ballots for Griffin placed him in the second tier. Fifteen placed him in the third tier. Five put him in the fourth. And when I spoke with a mix of players -- four defensive backs, two linebackers and two QBs -- they gave him a 4.1 grade on average. I decided against including the players' grades in the overall results because they tended to be exceedingly low. One GM put Griffin in the second tier despite some reservations about Griffin's personality. The veteran QBs I consulted separately crushed Griffin in that area. "He does not take any blame," one of them said. A head coach placed Griffin in the fourth tier and said, "I just don't think he can play in the pocket."
Health and durability are key variables. "Pre-injury and with [Mike] Shanahan and all the things they did [in 2012], I would put him in that two category with Wilson and Kaepernick," a defensive coordinator said. "If he is healthy, he adds a scary dimension because the kid can run and he is accurate enough, but post-injury, I don't know."

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T-21. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (3.12 average rating)
Palmer is an interesting study because his production went from being pretty brutal through eight games last season (10 TDs, 14 INTs, 35.1 QBR score) to ranking among the NFL's best from that point forward (14 TDs, 8 INTs, 68.9 QBR).

Not many people seemed to notice. Twenty-three of 26 voters placed Palmer in the third or fourth tier. The eight players who gave Griffin a 4.1 grade on average combined to rate Palmer at 3.1, something I found interesting and somewhat surprising. "I really like Palmer," a veteran safety said. "He is a tough guy. I respect his game and his work ethic. I like the way he plays."

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T-21. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams (3.12 average rating)
Just about everyone placed Bradford in the third tier, almost as a hedge. They thought he had the talent to be a solid two, if only he could stay on the field.

The harshest criticism painted Bradford as a player who struggles at handling pressure and throwing accurately on his second or third reads. "There are some guys like Cam Newton where you go, 'Oh boy,'" a defensive coordinator said. "You would never say that going against Bradford. We were just like, 'OK, let's go play football.'"

One of the head coaches thought Bradford had gotten a bad rap. "I don't think offensively they have done a very good job with him," this coach said. "Talentwise, I think Bradford has it all, but I'd have to say he is a three. He can stay in the pocket, he can make all the throws, he can check things."

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23. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (3.32 average rating)
A pro personnel director put Tannehill in the second tier, but a defensive coordinator whose team faced the Dolphins was not convinced.

Either way, Tannehill needs better blocking. "To me, he is a manager of the game, a guy where if everything is right, he is OK," the defensive coordinator said. "We didn't fear him. I don't think he has the strongest arm, the best release. When you ask me about guys, I think about how I have to game plan against them. Am I afraid of them?"

One pro personnel evaluator placed Tannehill in the second tier, predicting good things for the third-year pro behind an upgraded line and within an uptempo offense.

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24. Josh McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3.52 average rating)
Teams will be watching to see how McCown's 2013 season in Marc Trestman's system translates to Tampa Bay. Some see a 34-year-old QB with no résumé before last season, when McCown arguably provided an upgrade from Cutler with 13 touchdown passes and one interception.

"We got ready for him last year and boy, did he have a good season," a defensive coordinator said. "I would have to put him in the three group because you have to factor age in there and it might have just been that perfect storm, but he played well last year. It could have been the system. Maybe it was right with the reads and what they did. Good for him."

A head coach called McCown "a four who played like a three" or better at times last season.
 
Tier 4
25. Matt Schaub, Oakland Raiders (3.58 average rating)
Questions persist about whether Schaub can right his career after a brutal 2013 season. He is seen as a system QB. Ten of the voters put him in the third tier, but 15 had him lower than that.

"That will be interesting confidencewise coming off last year," a defensive coordinator said. "He is accurate, but I put him in that three category because the passes were underneath, boot type and then, here and there, they took shots."

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26. Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars (4.15 average rating)
Lots of people loved Henne -- as a backup. "He'll have one good game and then have trouble repeating it," one GM said.

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27. EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills (4.24 average rating)
Manuel hasn't played enough to register with evaluators. Twenty-three voters placed him in the bottom two tiers. The two former GMs were higher on Manuel, placing him in the third tier. "I think he can beat you from the pocket and be an NFL passer and some of that is having studied him before the draft," one ex-GM said. "I still have some belief in him. EJ has some intangibles. He can process information that the Geno Smiths and Jake Lockers of the world cannot process well enough to be good from the pocket."

A defensive coordinator whose team faced the Bills last season questioned Buffalo's approach. "They tried to run some Cam Newton stuff with him, but I think he is a pocket passer," the coordinator said. "What are they doing with him? He may be a three-minus, but I would give him a four right now."

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28. Matt Cassel, Minnesota Vikings (4.27 average rating)
Cassel was at his best in New England and Kansas City under Charlie Weis. There's some thought among evaluators that he has a tendency to hold the ball and stare down his receivers in the absence of proactive coaching. Perhaps Norv Turner can help him out. "Everything has to be right to win games with him," a GM said.

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29. Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns (4.28 average rating)
Hoyer and Henne drew positive reviews as backups, but not as starters. "Hoyer is a great backup," one defensive coordinator said. "He can win some games for you, but if he had to start all 16, that's going to be tough."
A head coach put it this way: "He is a four leaning toward a three, but he is a four. He is OK. He is smart. He gets the ball out quick. He knows what he's doing in the New England system. He was playing pretty well for the Browns last year before he got hurt."

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30. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans (4.35 average rating)
Fitzpatrick ranked a respectable 16th in Total QBR last season (55.4). That was better than the figures for Roethlisberger (54.3) or Stafford (52.5), but the reviews from evaluators were almost universally negative -- overly so, in my opinion.

"The one thing he gives you is, he is not a statue in the pocket," a former head coach said. "At least he can move around a little bit. He would rather play empty-set football. It's kind of how he made his money in Buffalo. I don't know that Bill O'Brien is going to do that with him in Houston."

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31. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (4.42 average rating)
The Titans were 4-3 when Locker started last season. He had eight TD passes, four INTs and a respectable 58.1 QBR score. That seemed encouraging, and yet compliments for Locker were scarce.

"Locker never showed from college that he could do it from the pocket," one GM said.

The hope in Tennessee is that a new coaching staff and better luck with injuries could help Locker ascend to a higher tier. "We'll see," a former GM said. "Guys like Locker can be run-around guys. To me, Jake's die has been cast."

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32. Geno Smith, New York Jets (4.48 average rating)
It's too early to write off Smith. Some coaches in particular had a hard time placing any QBs in the fifth tier. To them, a Tier 5 QB would be a backup, not a starter.

"Would a five be an Akili Smith or JaMarcus Russell?" one coordinator asked. "I think the way Geno Smith played last year was close to that. He was a rookie and he struggled and some of his reads were poor, but I would give him a four."

"He is young enough to make a move," a pro personnel evaluator said.
 
That article is apparently from the summer of 2014
 
The QB options look pretty bad out there so I know I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel but does anyone know much about Mike Glennon. Tampa Bay is taking Winston at #1 and they have McCown as a spot starter/bridge QB. Glennon can be had for a mid to late round pick.

He's 6'7 with a cannon for an arm. The knock on him was his accuracy and that he has little to no speed but can do some roll outs and shift in the pocket. Since he's been in the league he's never been able to hold onto the starting QB position but his stats aren't awful.

19 games (18 starts)
5-13 as a starter
59% completion
4000 yds
29 TD
15 INTs
6.5 y/a
83.7 QB Rating
Taken 56 sacks

What do people know about him? His accuracy for a young player is on the lower side but it's not out of line. 2-1 career TD/INT ratio is certainly acceptable.

Thoughts?
 
The QB options look pretty bad out there so I know I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel but does anyone know much about Mike Glennon. Tampa Bay is taking Winston at #1 and they have McCown as a spot starter/bridge QB. Glennon can be had for a mid to late round pick.

He's 6'7 with a cannon for an arm. The knock on him was his accuracy and that he has little to no speed but can do some roll outs and shift in the pocket. Since he's been in the league he's never been able to hold onto the starting QB position but his stats aren't awful.

19 games (18 starts)
5-13 as a starter
59% completion
4000 yds
29 TD
15 INTs
6.5 y/a
83.7 QB Rating
Taken 56 sacks

What do people know about him? His accuracy for a young player is on the lower side but it's not out of line. 2-1 career TD/INT ratio is certainly acceptable.

Thoughts?

At start 16, his numbers (not talent) where comparable to all the young quarterbacks you'd probably want. Russel. Andrew. Cam. Like, right on par with their first 16.
 
Admittedly I know very little about him but his stature and stats interest me.
 

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