I posted my free agency primer on quarterbacks today, which came on the heels on Messrs. Silva and Wesseling breaking down linebackers and receivers. The quick conclusion to make after examining the quarterback position: there are no easy solutions available on the market, and there are fewer teams than you think that are desperate for a quarterback.

Byron Leftwich is my favorite player available, and he’ll need a perfect situation to succeed. That’s why he looked good off the bench for the Steelers and not so good for the Vick-less Falcons the year before. With the Vikings going for Sage Rosenfels, the biggest wild cards in free agency are the Bears and Chiefs. Both should be looking for someone to compete to start with their incumbent quarterback.

Other teams, like the Jets and Lions, should be looking for that kind of player, but they could be willing to wait the market out. Not a bad decision.

This is a fluid market, with Matt Cassel, Derek Anderson, and possibly Matt Leinart and Vince Young becoming available near the draft. If you can’t acquire one of those quarterbacks, I suspect there will be serviceable backup-types like Rex Grossman, J.P. Losman, Patrick Ramsey, and Kyle Boller just sitting out there, hoping to get a job. There will be a lot of former first-round picks looking for work this off-season, and not all of them will find it.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Some news and notes picked up from this morning's news ...

Perhaps I'm just eager to pick on Rex Grossman (fun for everyone!), but I think a veteran quarterback would audible out of a third-and-goal from the two-yard line when he sees six defensive backs in the game.

Grossman didn't change the play to a run, his receivers were outnumbered, and Rex threw the ball away. Do defenses know that Grossman doesn't change plays? Does he change plays? Some Bears fans can let me know I'm just seeing things here.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm getting married the same week our annual magazine is due this year (early May, because we're doing two magazines). Between the wedding, and moving in a few weeks, I'm worried about my sanity over the next few months.

To make it run smoothly, I'm starting my magazine work... now! And that includes the somewhat mind-numbing (but useful) practice of going over all my notes from the season and condensing them by player. This is one source I use for our outlooks.

Anyhow, I began the process a few days ago. I couldn't help enjoying these notes on Rex Grossman, from the second game of the preseason.

Grossman: Good game until first interception. Then mentally collapses. Takes unnecessary delay of game. Fumbles snap. Then throws wild interception on second-and-23. Gets booed. Later calls it overwhelming.

Can't say Lovie didn't ignore some warning signs.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)