I know it’s fairly early to speculate on a matter such as which NFL team will be the worst of 2011, but Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is that special of a player.
Luck made a bold decision to return to school for his senior year, but it was the right decision for an intellectually savvy student who has an immense passion for architecture.
It would be crazy to think the Carolina Panthers will once again be the worst team in the NFL, so let’s look at another five teams who will have a dismal 2011 season and could pick the potential franchise quarterback in the 2012 NFL Draft.
By: Nick Grays
5.) Detroit Lions
Will 2011 be another year where we see multiple quarterbacks under center in the motor city? If Matthew Stafford stays true to his brittle stereotype, it could be time to give up on the former number one pick.
I know another number-one overall pick would demote the Lions back to the league’s biggest joke, but Luck could be the guy to turn the franchise around for good. With the Lions defense looking scary good, I’m not sure how likely it is they will finish near the bottom of the standings, but the chance always exists in Detroit.
4.) Denver Broncos
If the Broncos were smart, they would stick with Kyle Orton and realize he is a decent quarterback, but they probably won’t do that. 2011 will most likely mark another year in the atrocity known as the Tim Tebow experiment.
This will happen because the Broncos won’t be very good. Wouldn’t it be a dream true if Broncos legend and executive vice president of operations, John Elway, could grab a fellow Stanford alum in Andrew Luck.
3.) Cincinnati Bengals
How bout this for a bold statement; with the Ohio State Buckeyes taking a turn for the worse, the Cleveland Browns will be the best football team in Ohio in 2011. I can’t believe in the Bengals after they churned out a disappointing 4-12 season in 2010.
The fact remains that Carson Palmer is not happy and the Pittsburgh Steelers/Baltimore Ravens are not leaving the AFC North anytime soon. The Browns seem on the up as a franchise, meaning the Bengals are slated for another bad year and an OK shot at the Luck sweepstakes.
2.) Arizona Cardinals
It’s hard to believe that this team graced the Super Bowl just two years ago. The loss of Kurt Warner impacted the team in the desert a lot more than people suspected.
Rumors have swirled about Philadelphia Eagles back-up Kevin Kolb joining the team, but wouldn’t Luck trading one set of Cardinals for the other be so much sweeter. With the QB position up in the air and Kolb still yet to prove his self, I give Arizona good odds at landing Luck.
1.) Buffalo Bills
Over the past decade, the Buffalo Bills have been one of the NFL’s worst franchises. They have trouble filling the stands in Buffalo and to make matters worse, the league has shipped the team to Toronto each season for a home game. Oh yeah, it doesn’t hurt to mention that the Bills haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Jim Kelly in the early 90′s.
Luck is the kind of talent that could be a savior for the Bills on the field and in the stands. Starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick may be smarter than Luck with his Harvard degree, but he can’t possibly be looked at as a legitimate long-term option. The Bills ranked near the bottom in almost every offensive category in 2010 and I would expect much of the same in the upcoming season, making the Bills the most likely destination for Luck.
Where do you think Andrew Luck will land? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.
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If the Raiders have a 1st round pick, it may be number 1 and Luck will be headed there. However, Miami is looking very likely along with Seattle. If Chicago implodes, they too may be looking for a QB. Buffalo is a strong candidate as mentioned, probably the best move they made is not drafting a QB from the C grade class of 2011. One has to wonder how long the Cowboys stick it out with Romo. The Cardinals will get Kolb and Redskins will get Orton after the lock out. If Houston takes more steps backwards, they too may be in the Luck sweepstakes. Tebow will work well in Fox’s new system.
Lee – I agree on the Raiders, but I think they made huge steps forward last season and won’t be in the discussion for the number one overall pick. The Broncos will be going through a big transition and could really struggle in the AFC West. I’m still not sold on Tebow as a full-time NFL QB and Elway has mentioned how much he likes Luck.
I could see Miami or Seattle, but no way Chicago or Houston implode to the degree warranting the number one pick.
In regards to Dallas, I think they’ve proven they will stick with Romo as their franchise QB.
The draft is fickle and being a long way to go to next April a lot can change. Luck at this point looks like a once in generation talent. I think we are all assuming he goes number one but what if he gets hurts, throws a wrong pass at the wrong time, what if he becomes less efficient because his head coach moved on? Every fly by night ESPN host to seasoned GMs will examine him physically and mentally. They will look for any excuse to drop him in the draft; we see it with every hyped product out of the semi-pro NCAA. He may not be number 1 but I doubt he’ll drop out of the top ten. If the NFL gets on the field, it’s looking at an 8 game season at best and with that mind it will be equivalent to running the Kentucky Derby with half a track. I think it will be a wild ride into the playoffs where we could see the most unlikely dark horse win the Superbowl to perennial favorites stumble to a one or two win record.
This is very true and I should have mentioned that the article was assuming he doesn’t get hurt or have a bad senior year. Even without Harbaugh, I see no reason why Stanford won’t have another great year.
If there is a god-awful eight game season, you are completely right. The 2012 NFL Draft will be a mess.
I do believe that if Shanahan wants to keep his job at the redskins organisation, he needs to get Andrew Luck, Luck may also go to the 49ers when The legend of Alex smith is finally ended and on a final note the tim tebow ‘experiment’ worked when he got his final 3 starts because he was the best fantasy quarterback around.
Tim Tebow just might be what he has always been…a very successful football player and YES at the QB spot for Denver. If Orton plays, Denver haunts no-man land in the middle of the pack, if Tebow blossoms,same results(this year) I just don’t see Denver in the ‘Luck’ lotto. Isn’t going to happen. Everyone on the sideline and fences are split on Tebow, however the NFL players who have seen him seem awfully impressed with him. And I would take a Ray Lewis or Peyton Manning’s assessment over joe-blow’s anyday. Let’s get more player input on him.
oh please! what’s with the tebow slurping here? he’s not a legit nfl starting QB sorry. the jump pass just doesn’t cut it.
it’ll probably be seahawks, bills a couple more teams in the running, but I’m going Cincy.
the bengals scream worst team in the league with carson palmer on the way out, and it’s the perfect time to take his replacement
oh and it happens every year. guys with huge breakout seasons always see their stock FALL. Jake Locker, Mark Ingram anyone?
in the former’s case he made a dumb decision to stay, in the latter he had to because of regulations. if you can go, you MUST go. So Luck will likely fall too
u can 4get that talk of dallas cowboys being in the luck sweepstake, jerry jones is married 2 romo, b cause of
that big contract romo signed in 2007. simply put romo
will lead the cowboys back 2 respectability in 2011. i c romo taking the cowboys to super bowl 46 in 2012, guaranteed. romo just got married and received a vote of confidence from the great HOF roger staubach, so there is no way romo will hav another poor season, romo gets the monkey off his back this season, mark my words.