AFC North Top 5: Quarterbacks
May 28, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) speaks after the OTA at the Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
We are just over a month away from the Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, kicking off the 2015-16 NFL season. The excitement and anticipation is building, as it does every year. It’s time to start previewing the AFC North. All four teams in the division should be able to, at least, compete for a playoff spot this season. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking ahead to how each team in the division stacks up for the upcoming season.
First up: quarterbacks. This is a projection for the 2015 season, based on past performance, personnel changes, and predicted progress of each player. Here are the top five AFC North quarterbacks for 2015.
5. Matt Schaub, Ravens
Your team is in pretty good shape if you have Matt Schaub as your backup quarterback. Schaub’s play has declined significantly in the last couple years, but at one point he was a really good quarterback. In 2012, Schaub threw for over 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns, compared to just 12 interceptions. He also completed over 64 percent of his passes. Although his play has been sub-par as of late, he does have a track record and should be a reliable replacement should Joe Flacco (knocks on wood) go down with an injury.
4. Josh McCown, Browns
May 26, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) during organized team activities at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Josh McCown has been somewhat of a journeyman in the NFL. He had long been forgotten about until the 2013 season when he took over for the injured Jay Cutler in Chicago. McCown started five games for the Bears and performed really well, throwing for 1,829 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 13:1. However, McCown’s career in the NFL has been very up-and-down. Last season with the Buccaneers, he did not enjoy the same amount of success, throwing more interceptions than he did touchdowns for an awful Tampa Bay team. The Browns will just have to deal with the inconsistent play because Johnny Manziel isn’t ready to take over the reigns just yet.
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3. Andy Dalton, Bengals
Dalton is another player who has been inconsistent throughout his career. Ever since coming into the league in 2011, Dalton has played fairly well in the regular season, leading the Bengals the playoffs to four consecutive playoff appearances. But, the success has always stopped there. With Dalton under center, the Bengals are 0-4 in the postseason. With all of the criticism that Dalton has received for his late season struggles, he will be playing with a great deal of pressure on his shoulders in 2015. Dalton will need to learn how to read defenses better if he is going to take the next step in his career. If he can’t, it won’t be long before Cincinnati is looking for his replacement.
2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) passes against the Baltimore Ravens during the third quarter in the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. The Ravens won 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
An argument could easily be made for Roethlisberger to be ranked No. 1 on this list. Big Ben is a winner. Plain and simple. Roethlisberger is 106-52 as a starting quarterback. He’s coming off of a season where he threw for a career-high 4,952 yards and 32 touchdowns, which tied his career-best. The numbers are clearly there for Big Ben, but he’s slowly creeping up there in age. At 33 years old, he’s still clearly at the top of his game, but a lot of the pressure has been alleviated by the addition of big-time weapons on offense like Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Roethlisberger isn’t second on this list solely based on skill, but because at his age, his ceiling isn’t as high as the No. 1 quarterback.
1. Joe Flacco, Ravens
Joe Flacco has been inconsistent at times during his eight-year career, but when he’s at his best, he is an elite quarterback in this league. His numbers aren’t the ones that are going to jump off the page and impress you, but he just knows how to get it done. Flacco is 72-40 as a starting quarterback and 10-5 in the postseason. Flacco has arguably the strongest arm in the NFL and he can make throws that many other quarterbacks simply cannot make. His decision-making has been quite questionable at times and he needs to improve in that area, but overall, he’s been ‘Joe Cool.’ If he wants to silence the doubters, he might have to re-enact the 2012 Super Bowl run.