Sanchez Will Have his Chance Tonight

The NFL pre-season has reached the halfway point. After tonight, every team in the NFL will have played two pre-season games. Tonight’s game, however, is an important one for rookie QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez will get his first start of the pre-season against one of the toughest defenses in the NFL. A good showing by Sanchez could mean that he’s the guy for the New York Jets this season. A poor start, and the QB competition continues. With tonight being an important night for the young signal caller, let’s take a look at some of the other QB battles in the NFL.

Cleveland Browns – Derek Anderson had a pretty average start against Detroit this weekend. While he did go 8/13 for 130 yards, he also threw an interception in the game. Brady Quinn, however, only threw five passes. This competition is pretty tough to judge. On one hand, you have a three game wonder with a recent contract extension (seriously, look at Anderson’s 2007 season stats). On the other, you have a former first round pick that hasn’t proven himself at the NFL level yet. This is one battle that will most likely be decided only days before the first game of the season.

Who is it going to be for the Browns?

Verdict – As of right now, Derek Anderson is probably ahead by inches. It would be smarter to start Quinn and see if he has what it takes to succeed at this level. There are some people (read: me) who believed that Quinn would be better than JaMarcus Russell when they were drafted. Russell hasn’t set that bar too high, but the upside is there for Quinn. Then again, it’s a new coaching regime so it’s any one’s game here.

Detroit Lions – Top overall pick, Matthew Stafford, did little in his start against the Browns to claim the starting job. Daunte Culpepper outperformed him in every way, albeit against the second stringers. Stafford did look a little better in the first pre-season game, however. It seems like everyone wants Stafford to win the job, but he does not appear to be distancing himself from Culpepper. Plus, Culpepper is reunited with Scott Linehan, his offensive coordinator when he was a Viking.

Verdict - Stafford-fever may be taking over Detroit, but Culpepper should start the season as the Lions QB. If Culpepper can recapture the magic of his old Viking days, then the Lions have some nice trade bait. If not, it’s time for the rookie to step in and show what he can do.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - This is another battle that could go down to the wire. Both Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich have shown that they deserve a shot. McCown is the more athletic option of the two, but Leftwich has had some success at the NFL level. Not the mention, Leftwich is a former first round draft choice. Neither player is the long-term answer in TB, but someone has to start while Josh Freeman learns the offense. With Antonio Bryant, Kellen Winslow, and Derrick Ward on the team, this offense might not be all that bad. They just need to someone to throw to those guys.

Verdict – Leftwich would appear to be ahead, but McCown isn’t going to make it an easy decision. It would be nice to see Leftwich get a shot with another NFL team. His numbers really aren’t all that bad as a starter (54-38 TD to INT ratio). If he struggles out of the gate, however, the athleticism that McCown brings to the table would be tempting. These are really two extremely different QBs. Leftwich is a statuesque passer with a long delivery, and McCown is the type of guy that can keep plays alive with his legs. It should be an interesting battle, but Leftwich should come out on top.

MIke Singletary has a tough choice to make

San Francisco 49ers – Is there really a winner in this battle? Both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith have done very little to justify winning the starting job. Alex Smith is the former top overall draft pick, but Hill won a few games for Mike Singletary last season.

Verdict – There are reports that Hill is going to be named to starter soon. It’s hard to agree or disagree with that decision. Hill is nothing special, but no one on the 49ers can seem to do any better. Alex Smith is looking like a huge NFL draft bust right now. This battle is not pretty to say the least. Can we move on now?

Other minor battles:

Oakland Raiders – JaMarcus Russell will most likely win the job even though Jeff Garcia is probably the better QB. Garcia missed some time due to a personal issue and that puts Russell ahead for now.

Denver Broncos – This was starting to become an interesting controversy. However, it appears that Chris Simms may have injured his ankle and taken himself out of the race. Orton was a strong favorite to win the job all along, but struggled in camp and in the first pre-season game. I have always been a fan of Simms, but he hasn’t been given a shot since he ruptured his spleen a few years back. Orton, however, was on his way to a very good season before injuring his ankle last season. This offense, led by Josh McDaniels, has a chance to make some noise. Orton could garner some interest as a backup QB and late sleeper candidate in fantasy drafts if he can get the offense down.