NFL Quarterbacks Getting Harder to Find

Being the starting quarterback for a team in the NFL comes with a lot of weight. You're one of thirty-two men charged with the task of leading a team in front of thousands of screaming fans every Sunday. I won't claim to know what it's like to be in that position on that grand of a scale, but I do know it's nerve racking performing in front of crowds. In the past few years, several NFL teams have been put in the position of finding a starting QB, but this season several teams' selections have come to my attention.

Starting locally, Cincinnati has done fairly well by starting the rookie from TCU, Andy Dalton. With the Bengals off to a 3-2 start, I can honestly say I'm pleasantly surprised with their selection. Dalton has been consistently average, which is better than the past few years in Cincy at that position. Through four weeks of play, he had a cumulative passer rating of 76.9 with four touchdowns and four picks to match.

Maybe the team that has had the most controversy at the position is the Indianapolis Colts. With Peyton Manning out indefinitely with his neck injury, the Colts have been searching for an identity. They started the season by trusting veteran Kerry Collins. Trust misplaced, it may have been. Collins' 49 percent completion rate and 481 total passing yards through three games was enough to put the Colts in an 0-3 hole.

Enter former Purdue QB, Curtis Painter. Was he going to save the season against AFC powerhouse Pittsburgh? Er—sorry, no. Painter has struggled, completing a mere 43.9 percent of his passes and 140 yards less than Collins in the same amount of games. The Colts desperately need Manning's return if they hope to scrape out an 8-8 season.

Finally a team that needs to seriously rethink their starting passer is the Miami Dolphins. Chad Henne, in his third season as the Dolphins' starter, hasn't had a season where his rating exceeded 79.0. Every year he's had more turnovers than touchdowns, and in four games this season has four touchdowns and four picks. Currently though, he's on injured reserve, and as brutal as it may sound, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Matt Moore, who spent three seasons in Carolina, has had a fairly decent backup career and if he can win the Dolphins their first game of the season, it might become a starting position.

Needless to say, there are plenty of teams I could have written about (cough cough Eagles...), but these were the first three I thought about.

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