CT: QB quandaries all around the league

[bubba9497]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0508280128aug28,1,5933589.story?coll=chi-sportsnew-hed

INSIDE THE NFL

QB quandaries all around the league

The Bears aren't the only team biting fingernails over their quarterbacks. In the 32-team NFL, there simply aren't 32 legitimate, proven first-string quarterbacks, let alone adequate backups.

Consider the Washington Redskins, the Bears' season-opening opponent.

Coach Joe Gibbs turned to Patrick Ramsey this year after his experiment to prop up aging Mark Brunell failed. In the Redskins' home exhibition opener against Cincinnati, Ramsey misfired on five of his first six passes, threw two interceptions and was booed.

In their second home exhibition game Friday night, Ramsey threw an early interception that was returned for a touchdown by Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu. Moments later, Bears quarterback Chad Hutchinson was greeted with boos in his Soldier Field opener after he threw an interception returned for a touchdown by Buffalo cornerback Nate Clements.

Ramsey came back to lead a touchdown drive before the half. That came moments before Hutchinson threw his second interception. Ramsey was facing the Steelers' No. 1-ranked defense in the league last season; Hutchinson was facing the Bills' No. 2-ranked defense.

"Right now we're our own worst enemy--if you refuse to protect the football, you're going to lose games," Gibbs said. "Until we get that point across, we're going to be fighting an uphill battle."

Sound familiar?

Baltimore's Kyle Boller, passed up in 2003 by the Bears, who traded down to draft Rex Grossman, threw two interceptions and fumbled in five possessions against Philadelphia's first-team defense. He appeared to lose his poise, providing fodder for Baltimore talk shows.

Said coach Brian Billick: "Make no mistake, Kyle is responsible for the way he reacted. He could have mitigated some of it. He could have helped himself through it a little bit. But I do think he kept his cool and came back and led a pretty good drive at the end of the half to score."

Said new Ravens receiver Derrick Mason: "He just needs to calm down a little bit. He wants to make a play so bad sometimes. A couple of times, he got pressured and tried to get the ball out quickly. But with guys on your back, it's hard to do that. He needs to stay composed like the player he is."

Through his first two games, Cincinnati's Carson Palmer, the first pick in the 2003 draft, was 16-for-35 passing (45.7 percent) for two touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating was a lowly 57.9.

"I haven't been as sharp as I need to," he said.

In Kansas City, Trent Green has made 64 consecutive starts. Backup Todd Collins has completed 18 passes in his seven seasons and is out with a fractured hand. After third-stringer Damon Huard completed just one of 12 passes with two interceptions and a sack against Arizona for a passer-efficiency rating of 0.0 and got his bell rung besides, the Chiefs signed Jonathan Quinn.

Coachspeak

Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban, on the offensive line after a 17-3 loss to Pittsburgh:

"It isn't OK to say, `It's OK,' because it isn't OK. So anybody who says, `It's OK,' it isn't OK. That's the first thing. Admit if you are not getting it done and then go do what you have to do to get it done and that's what we need to do. It's as simple as that."

The Dolphins fumbled seven times and threw an interception against Pittsburgh.

Sherman thanks

Packers coach Mike Sherman signed a two-year contract extension rather than become a free agent after this season. He gets $3.2 million in each of the next three seasons.

Sherman said he never thought of testing the market for financial gain.

"I get way too much money to do what I do, to be honest with you, and am appreciative of it," Sherman said. "I like being here, and there's a value to that. As far as testing the market, I didn't need to test it. I have the best job in the National Football League."

Sherman is a former teacher.

Watch him

In case you missed Monday night's Seattle-Dallas exhibition, here is the line score of Cowboys rookie linebacker DeMarcus Ware: one sack, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles, one interception, one quarterback pressure.

A list of the 20 most controversial NFL players of all time on SI.com listed ex-Bears quarterback Jim McMahon 10th. But the list itself is controversial because it ignored Joe Don Looney.

Joe Namath was No. 1, followed by Terrell Owens, Jim Brown, Conrad Dobler, Ricky Williams, Duane Thomas, Paul Hornung, John Riggins, Randy Moss and McMahon. But Looney didn't even make the second 10.

The first-round draft choice of the New York Giants in 1964, running back-punter Looney lasted only 28 days, shorter than Cedric Benson's holdout. Fined once for missing curfew by 10 minutes, Looney argued he had checked in an hour early the previous night and was thus owed 50 minutes. He ignored such details as play diagrams, contending, "Anybody can run where the hole is. A good football player makes his own holes."

The Giants unloaded him to the Baltimore Colts. Looney went on to the Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints, never spending two full seasons anywhere. When Lions coach Harry Gilmer wanted him to shuttle in a play, Looney responded, "You want a messenger boy, call Western Union."

Modern injuries

Former coach and player Dan Reeves said the worst thing that ever happened to pro football was the MRI.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick recalled his father, Steve, a former coach at the Naval Academy, was sitting in his son's office a couple of years ago.

"The trainer came in and said, `This guy has a dislocated elbow,'" Belichick said. "I said, `Well, what does that mean?' He said, `Well, he is probably going to be out eight weeks.' My dad looks at him and says, `Are you kidding me? Eight weeks? I dislocated my elbow in college and I didn't miss a game. I played the whole season with a dislocated elbow. I couldn't bend it. But you played with it. Eight weeks? You have to be kidding me! For a dislocated elbow?'"

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dpierson@tribune.com

[jimster]

so another words, it's pre-season.

I'm surprised no one has brought in Kordell Stewart to be 2nd or 3rd string QB.

Chicago could probably pry Charlie Batch away from Pittsburg for low round pick since they have Ben, Maddox and St Pierre.