3 up 3 down: Taking off the Training Wheels

     When I'm in a conversation about my team's quarterback, I talk about them like they're my girlfriend.  When it's good, it couldn't be better; when its bad, it's like a Nicholas Cage movie.  Nothing really represents how well your team is doing more than the guy taking the snaps. Quarterbacking is the NFL's gold standard , and there is no way to hide it if you don't have one.  Its one of the biggest investments in sports, and because the team has so much riding on it, its no surprise why the teams who draft a quarterback try to ween them in and protect that investment.  By choosing a quarterback in the first round, the team turns a page in its history and brings in what they hope to be a posterchild for the franchise in the years to come.  The player becomes "the future" for their team.     There comes a point in time though when that player must make the transition from being "good for a rookie" or "good at limiting mistakes" to just plain "good".  These are some guys who should be "all grown up" in terms of playing ability and they need to go from game manager to field general.  Its time to make the switch from pull-ups to big boy pants.  Here are three guys who are at a pivotal point in their career where they either prove they can put the team on their back or they fall flat on their face trying to do so.  I'll list them off in order of how I think they'll be ranked when it's all said and done.

3.  Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions:
          It's been two years since the Lions picked Stafford number one overall, and so far I'm not quite sure what to think.  He has battled injury his first two seasons, but the games he has played he's shown some pretty bright spots.  Thrown right into the heat of battle his rookie year, he attempted 377 passes in only 10 games.  This stat shows how obvious it is that the Lions are banking on him to pan out.  The biggest red flag for Stafford has to be how prone he's been to injury in his first two years.  This is definitely cause for concern, because one of his biggest assets, and a major reason he was drafted so high in the first place is his arm strength.  If he can't throw the ball as well as  we all initially thought he could, its probably appropriate for people in Detroit to stop putting their hope in a football team and go find a job.  I don't think Stafford will be another one of the infamous QB busts, but looking back on the draft , he'll be the third best quarterback.  That doesn't mean he'll be a disappointment, he just wont be Peyton Manning.  I'm predicting something along the lines of a Jay Cutler.

2.  Mark Sanchez, New York Jets:
          Even though Stafford was the first overall pick of the 2009 draft, it certainly feels like more weight is put on Sanchez's shoulders.  This is mostly because the Jets haven't had a quarterback that has made New York proud since Joe Namath; and if you say Vinny Testaverde, then you are just lowering your standards like Jets fans have been known to do.  I'm not predicting Sanchez to fall on his face like so many QBs taken in the first round have, I just don't know if he'll turn into the game changing quarterback that is expected from such a high draft pick.  He has all the tools an elite quarterback should have: high intelligence, a good enough arm to get the ball where it needs to go, and great instincts.  But then again, the same can be said about other first-round flops like Alex Smith and Ryan Leaf.  I think if he can finally start showing some of that moxy that was apparent at USC, and find a way to translate his remarkable skill set to the NFL like those listed above failed to do, we could be looking at an absolute stud at Quarterback. That's a pretty big "if" though, and one that the Jets have bet their future on.  I'm siding on the Jets on this one and saying that they have a winner here.

1. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
When the Bucs took Freeman 17th overall, I think they were expecting him to become the face of the franchise and probably crossing their fingers that he'd become an elite quarterback somewhere down the road. Right about now, its looking like they made a damn good decision. Freeman has grown substantially throughout each of his first two years, looking more and more comfortable with each passing game (no pun intended). At the end of last season, he was trying to lead his team to the playoffs, rather than tagging along for the ride. Watching him play, you couldnt tell that this guy was 23 and still wet behind the years in terms of NFL experience. A true leader that also happens to be a good learner, Freeman is worth all the stock that the Bucs put in him and then some. He is only going to get better with more playing time, and his 2010 is a hell of a season to build off of. Looking back on this group, I have a feeling that Freeman will be the most successful of the three.