As preseason is well underway in the NFL, it is time to take a look at the landscape of the NFL. The only way to start, is to take a look at the most important position in the game, the quarterback.
For the next few weeks, we will be going division by division ranking quarterbacks. Tell me what you think in the comments.
Russell Wilson
The clear cut number one in this division has been on a team that has yet to commit to providing him help. Not only has Wilson won a superbowl, but he has changed the way the NFL looks at the quarterback position.
With his barely 5-foot-10 stature, Kyler Murray has drawn many comparisons to none other than Russell Wilson time and time again.
Wilson paved the way for quarterbacks who are smaller in stature to get a chance in the NFL. Wilso has posted solid stats in his career. 25,000+ yards, 196 touchdowns with only 63 interceptions for a career passer rating of 100.3. This year, Wilson only need 4,400 yards to pass Matt Hasselbeck for most passing yards in Seahawks franchise history.
All this was done without much help from the offensive line. Since 2012, Wilsons’s rookie year, the Seahawks have only sent four offensive lineman to the Pro Bowl. Duane Brown was the most recent who represented the Seahawks in 2017 as a guard.
Wilson has given the Seahawks everything they could possibly ask for and much more.
2: Jared Goff
The signal caller for the runner up in the superbowl has been solid for the Rams. After Jeff Fisher was relieved off his duties, the best thing that could have possibly happened for Goff, happened. Sean McVay came marching to Los Angeles and took Goff under his wing.
Since then, Goff has posted solid numbers. 8,492 yards, 60 touchdowns to only 19 interceptions and a passer rating of 101.1 in 2018. McVay without a doubt changed the course of Goff’s career.
With the continued guidance of McVay, the sky is the limit for the young quarterback from Cal.
3: Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo has been all promise, up to this point. This is the year, right 49ers fans? This is the year he finally proves he has it? One cannot deny that what little we have seen of Garoppolo, has been promising, but until we see it for just a little bit longer, there’s not much to say here.
Garoppolo has one of the best young offensive minds in the game right there to help him along.
Kyle Shanahan has done a great job in most places he has been. In addition, John Lynch has made some good calls so far as general manager of the 49ers. The question for Garoppolo is not talent, yet. The question is, can he stay on the field long enough for us to see how good he actually is?
4: Kyler Murray
The unknown in the division. The player who follows in the footsteps of Russell Wilson, or so they say.
Kyler Murray is concerning. Yes, Russell Wilson has been successful in the league, but that has been more the exception than the rule. On top of that, Kliff Kingsbury is far from proven in the NFL, then again, so was Pete Carroll.
The Murray experiment will be interesting to watch. If Murray is successful, he will complete the change in the way the NFL looks at the quarterback position. If Murray is not successful, the NFL might start to understand that Russell Wilson is the exception.
At the very least, the Cardinals will be way more interesting to watch than the typical rebuilding team. Do players like Kyler Murray transfer to the NFL? Do college offenses translate to the NFL? Should the NFL not worry as much about track record in college? Quite a few questions for front offices around the league will be answered by January.
