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2002 camp battles: QBs throw caution to wind

By Bob Harris, Special to CNNSI.com

The first of a five-part series previewing this summer's major training camp battles -- whether traditional or non-traditional -- from a Fantasy perspective. This week: Quarterbacks.

Atlanta Falcons: Mike Vick vs. "Sophomore Jinx"
The second-year man-to-be has impressed coaches with his diligent work -- both in the weight room and the classroom -- this offseason. Vick and quarterbacks coach Jack Burns spent the entire offseason breaking down each play the team will run this season, discussing the various reads and progressions he'll make. Burns said he "never dreamed Vick would be as dedicated as he is with his work and the consistency of his work habits."

It’s also worth noting that the verbiage necessary to call plays has been simplified. The plays haven’t changed any; it will just be easier to relay them to teammates in the huddle.

As far as I'm concerned, it all boils down to this: Mike Vick is a dangerous man and it's going to take more than a silly superstition to keep a player with his one-of-a-kind athleticism and unique skills from pulling big plays out of his hat on a regular basis.

Baltimore Ravens: The "Student" Vs. The "Teacher?"
Third-year pro Chris Redman heads into camp as the starter, but his overall lack of experience -- the former Louisville star has yet to make a regular-season start -- prompted the team to sign veteran free agent Jeff Blake as their No. 2 man back in April.

And even though coaches initially hoped he might serve as a mentor for Redman, Blake clearly has other ideas.

"If somebody has a question, you answer the question," Blake recently explained. "But I'm not out there trying to coach Chris. That is [offensive coordinator Matt] Cavanaugh's and [head coach Brian] Billick's job; that's not my job. If Chris has a question about something he sees on the field and feels that I may be able help, then he can come and ask me. Other than that, that's about as far as it goes. ..."

Despite legitimate questions regarding his ability to get the job done under game conditions, Billick has been unwavering in his support of Redman.

"[Redman] has improved,” the coach insisted back in June. “He knows the offense. He knows where everybody is, what everybody is supposed to be doing. That's a big chunk. The biggest difference is not so much physical, but emotional."

Despite my doubts, Baltimore Sun staffer Mike Preston insists that Redman proved he’s capable of making all the throws necessary to be a successful quarterback in the NFL during the team's three offseason mini-camps.

Cincinnati Bengals: Jon Kitna vs. Gus Frerotte
The competition between Kitna and Frerotte could last late into the summer. And while it’s not hard to find observers who believe that Frerotte will unseat him, Kitna has been impressive in recent workouts. It’s worth noting that the former Seahawk appears to be taking full advantage of the additional year he's had to work under coordinator Bob Bratkowski -- and with his receiving corps.

Nonetheless, after Bengal QBs averaged only 5.47 and 4.89 yards per attempt the last two years, Frerotte’s career average of 7.02 yards per attempt has to be somewhat appealing.

The bottom line? Kitna’s tenuous grip on the starting job and Frerotte's repeated failure to take full advantage when opportunity knocks make it hard to get terribly excited about either of Bengal signal caller.

Dallas Cowboys: Quincy Carter vs. Chad Hutchinson
According to those who follow the team closely, Hutchinson appears to have the skills necessary to emerge as a solid starter -- much like Tom Brady did last year. The fact that Carter, who posted a passer rating of 63 while tossing only five touchdowns and seven interceptions, failed to distinguish himself as a rookie certainly adds to the intrigue.

But before you get too excited, I'll remind you that Hutchinson still hasn't fully adjusted to playing at the pro level, where the players are bigger, faster and smarter than they were when he last played organized ball for Stanford back in 1997.

I'll also point out that team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Dave Campo insist that Carter will start all 16 games this year as long as he's healthy.

For what it's worth. ... Carter likes the Cowboys' new offense because he thinks it will make him more productive. The former University of Georgia star said he not only expects to be more accurate, but he also believes his touchdown ratio will be better because of the way offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet wants him to read defenses.

Sounds great. And I'll believe it the minute I see it.

Detroit Lions: Mike McMahon vs. Joey Harrington
Harrington has reportedly been impressive in early workouts. He’s thrown crisp passes, made solid decisions and shown unusual poise for a rookie. In fact, he’s gone out of his way to embrace the lofty expectations resulting from his first-round draft status.

He recently told reporters, "I've been in a situation where every pass, every [step of] footwork, everything you do is analyzed. I'm ready for it. ... Plus, that kind of makes it fun, puts more pressure on it. If you've got the eyes of an entire city watching your every move, that's what it's all about."

The fact that Detroit used four different quarterbacks last year -- Marty Mornhinweg's first season as head coach --- while posting a 2-14 record, has to weigh in Harrington's favor. So does the fact that Detroit is moving into a new stadium this season.

And even though McMahon looked better than expected in three appearances as a starter last year, I'm still not sold on the second-year pro. Of particular concern would be the fact he's never completed more than 50 percent of his passes at either the college or pro level.

While much depends on the team’s won-lost record and the performance of McMahon, it's hard to argue with Daniel Mears of the Detroit News, who recently reminded readers that the team didn’t make Harrington the third pick overall in this year's draft to hold a clipboard and run the scout team in practice.

Kansas City Chiefs: Trent Green vs. "Unfulfilled Expectations"
As Kansas City Star staffer Adam Teicher recently noted, Green should benefit greatly from having the entire offseason to work with teammates. Green, who missed all of last offseason’s workouts -- and some practice time in training camp -- while rehabbing his surgically repaired knee, has been a constant at this year’s offseason sessions. The increased preparation will almost certainly be reflected in better timing with his receivers this year.

For what it’s worth: I agree wholeheartedly with Dick Vermeil, who has no doubt that a healthy Green -- surrounded by improved supporting cast -- will post big numbers in 2002.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Kordell Stewart vs. "Lingering Doubts"
Although he started slowly last year, Stewart came on strong down the stretch -- playing especially well over the last four weeks of the season.

And there's a darned good reason for last year's impressive effort.

In fact, there are a couple of good reasons: Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, who was hired specifically to work on Stewart's mechanics last offseason, clearly have a knack for getting the most out of the athletic veteran's considerable abilities.

But I still find myself wondering if Stewart is really capable of repeating last year's performance. Especially in the wake of his embarrassing performance in a losing effort against the Patriots in January's AFC Championship game.

Now that team officials have thrown Charlie Batch into the mix, it'll be very interesting to see what happens if Stewart gets off to a slow start this fall.

San Diego Chargers: Doug Flutie vs. Drew Brees
Flutie heads into the 2002 season in the midst of a heated battle with Brees for the starting job. Both players got equal reps with the first team during a voluntary mini-camp at the end of April. Marty Schottenheimer said it will remain that way until he names a starter -- something the first year head coach isn't in any hurry to do.

That said Pro Football Weekly, citing sources "close to the team," reported earlier this week that the starting job appears to be Brees' to lose. The contention being that it "makes sense to start the Brees era and let the building process begin" in the first year of a new coaching regime.

The PFW report went on to say the Chargers would not necessarily be better off with Flutie leading the charge because Brees’ maturity and the fact new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron isn’t expected to stray much from the Chargers’ system of a year ago has put Brees ahead of schedule in the learning curve.

Even though I'm convinced Brees will ultimately come out on top of this one, this is another case where selecting either player is a risky proposition for Fantasy owners.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brad Johnson vs. Rob Johnson vs. Shaun King
He might not have the kind of mobility Jon Gruden looks for in his signal caller, but that hasn't kept Brad Johnson from impressing the new boss.

"Brad right now is doing an excellent job," Gruden said after mini-camp held early in May. "He's doing a fine job distributing the ball, he sees things, he makes the proper audible. He's throwing the ball well." Gruden also said he was very impressed with Johnson's athleticism, accuracy and preparation.

That said I’d be reluctant to draft Johnson until we were darned sure he had the starting job nailed down tightly.

This brings us to what might be the most intense competition in Tampa this summer: The battle between Rob Johnson and Shaun King for the No. 2 spot.

While Johnson, who came on very strong during June workouts, appears to have a slight edge heading into camp, it’s hard to dismiss King out of hand.

In addition to Johnson’s inability to get the job done in Buffalo, Gruden, who studied King during his collegiate career and coached him in the Senior Bowl, has always been a big fan of the former Tulane star -- a player who just happens to boast a 14-7 career record as an NFL starter.

And by golly, there’s something to be said for winners.

Washington Redskins: Steve Spurrier vs. "An Overall Lack of Talent"
The big question in Washington heading into camp this summer, isn't so much who the starting quarterback will be. It's more like are any of the current candidate truly capable of successfully running Steve Spurrier's "Fun 'N Gun" offense at the pro level.

Sure, a couple of those candidates -- Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerffel -- ran the scheme successfully during their collegiate careers under Spurrier, that's no reason to believe they'll be as successful against NFL defenses as they were against SEC opposition.

That's especially true in Wuerffel's case.

Sure, he led the Gators to a national title. He also won a Heisman Trophy and left Florida as the highest-rated passer in the history of college football not to mention the winningest in the history of the SEC.

But that doesn't change the fact that Wuerffel has started a grand total of six games over the course of a less-than-illustrious eight-year NFL career -- a career in which he's compiled a meager passer rating of 51.2 by completing 48.8 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Not good.

And even though I consider him the clear cut favorite to beat out Wuerffel, Sage Rosenfels and rookie Patrick Ramsey for the starting job, Matthews is the first to admit he has a long ways to go when it comes to regaining the familiarity with Spurrier's scheme he enjoyed during his days as a Gator.

"It's changed a little bit," Matthews said. "I'd say about 95 percent of it is the same. You have to remember it's been almost 10 years since I've been in the offense. It's going to take some time for me to feel comfortable again. It's not going to happen overnight."

True that. ...

Check back next week for this summer's hottest running back competitions.

Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications.

 

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