Year of the young quarterbacks
It seems that NFL teams are loaded with talented quarterbacks across the board. This is a rather new phenomenon because having a great quarterback in recent years was a luxury that few teams got to experience.
It took time to mould a quarterback and teach him the necessary tools to be successful at the next level. But that is no longer the case. Fast forward to the 2010 season and we are seeing an abundance of young gun-slingers that are being thrown into the
mix and have the weight of a franchise barrelling down on their shoulders.
Surprisingly, a few have welcomed the challenge and have exceeded expectations by far. Here is a list of the NFL's most promising young quarterbacks under the age of 25.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Since his first day as an Atlanta Falcon, it was clear that Matt Ryan was going to the franchise quarterback. In his first two seasons, Ryan led the Falcons to back-to-back winning seasons. Now, in his third year in the NFL, a more mature and focused Ryan
looks ready to carry his team deep inside the post-season.
After five weeks, his 1,165 passing yards aren’t going to jump off the page, but he has done a tremendous job managing the offence and leading his team to clutch victories over the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers.
Ryan has done a decent job protecting the football and has thrown only three interceptions compared to seven touchdowns. Prior to this season, the Falcons felt that they would be the team to beat in their division and as of now, their 4-1 record puts them
in first place in the NFC South—ahead of the defending Super Bowl champions.
Sam Bradford, Saint-Louis Rams
Sam Bradford, the number one overall pick in the 2010 draft, has started every game this season in his rookie year. Many pundits wondered if Bradford would be ready to start under centre with virtually no experience in the NFL. But he didn’t seem overly
concerned and believed in his abilities. As it turns out, he was right to be confident.
Last season the Rams won a total of two games. With just five games into this season and with Bradford at the helm, the Rams have already matched last year’s win total and they still have ten games remaining. Although Bradford is coming off a bad game last
Sunday in which he threw two interceptions and the Rams were blown out by the Detroit Lions 44-6, Bradford is a rookie and there is a learning curve that he must go through with every match.
There will be games in which he plays very well in and others where he will struggle. But he has already shown that there is plenty of upside to him. Bradford has completed 115 passes out of 203 attempts for a total of 1,159 yards and six touchdowns in
five games.
Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
Mark Sanchez has been widely criticized for holding on to the ball for too long, being indecisive at times and overly cautious with the football. It appears that the Jets' second-year quarterback has been listening to the critics and since the beginning
of the season, he has been near perfect.
Sanchez is rapidly learning the offensive scheme implemented by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, and has shown his brilliance in recent weeks. The former University of Southern California start has thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception
in his last four games. With a 4-1 record, he has earned the vote of confidence from Head Coach Rex Ryan and from the New York Jets' organization.
Tags: