To QB or not to QB - that is the question

Looking back at the 2007 season might cause many a veteran FF player to start changing his mind on how he manages his draft. Before last season it was pretty easy, take two stud running backs with your first two picks. But say you spent the second overall pick on Stephen Jackson (1,002 yards, 5 touchdowns) or the third overall pick on Larry Johnson (559 yards, 3 touchdowns), your stud performed like a dud and they weren't alone. With the fourth pick in many drafts teams selected Shaun Alexander (716 yards 4 touchdowns), and the fifth pick went towards Frank Gore (1,102 yards, 5 touchdowns). Four of the first five selections were huge busts with LanDainian Tomlinson being the lone selection and worthy once again of being the top overall pick in the draft.

Meanwhile, you were facing teams that had a quarterback named Brady, Manning or Romo - all of whom threw for over 4,000 yards and had over 30 touchdowns. If you were smart enough, err lucky enough, to have drafted Brady he put up an NFL record 50 touchdowns and probably got you to the playoffs by himself. The NFL is becoming a passing league and with RBBC the rage in the backfields, drafting a running back has become a risky proposition. All three quarterbacks mentioned could be taken in the first round of many drafts and for good reason, they seem like safe bets. Each has at least one stud receiver and a talented cast around them on offense.

Other quarterbacks had great years as well. Nobody could have predicted the meteoric rise of Derek Anderson in Cleveland (3,787 yards, 29 touchdowns), but he has Brady Quinn sitting in the wings. Drew Brees started slow but finished with 28 touchdown passes and remains a viable option along with Ben Roethlisberger who also threw for 28 scores, but it gets tricky after that. The other quarterback who threw for 28 touchdowns was Brett Favre but he retired, err un-retired, err well I'm sure you are as sick as I am about that fiasco. Regardless, Farve looks to be either the backup to Aaron Rogers or will be wearing a different uniform this season which makes him a big question mark. Carson Palmer is the other quarterback who should be considered as a potential top five quarterback this year, but then the drop off will leave you with the likes of Matt Hasselbeck, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Donovan McNabb, David Garrard, Jon Kitna, or Jeff Garcia - take your pick and no thank you.

So there are two solid tiers of quarterbacks this year, the Brady, Manning and Romo trio in group one which will probably cost you a first round pick. Then the Brees, Roethlisberger, Palmer trio which you can get a bit cheaper at higher risk.

At running back you have one tier, LT, then question marks galore. The second pick overall will likely be Adrian Peterson, but he has a significant injury history to consider and Chester Taylor sitting there to steal some carries. Stephen Jackson is coming off of a disappointing and injury filled 2007 campaign. Brian Westbrook may have been one of the most underrated FF performers over the last few years but he turns 29 before the season starts and has a lot of wear-and-tear on his tires the last few years (518 carries in 2006-2007). Frank Gore is now suiting up for pass happy Mike Martz who is running the offense for the 49ers. Willie Parker's team spent a first-round pick on Rashard Mendenhall while also signing Najeh Davenport to create a very crowded backfill. Likewise, the Cowboys drafted Felix Jones in the first-round to compete with Marion Barber who has never proven himself as a starting running back anyways. How much longer can Edgerrin James, Fred Taylor or Jamal Lewis last? In fact, the only running back that seems a pretty safe bet is Joseph Addai, after that there is just a huge crop of players that includes everyone above plus the likes of Clinton Portis, Marshawn Lynch, Brandon Jacobs, Ryan Grant, Ronnie Brown, Maurice Jones-Drew, Laurence Maroney, Michael Turner, Reggie Bush, and I haven't even mentioned the rookies yet. Point is, there isn't a lot of separation after the top few running back and those that will be taken in the next few rounds.

Point is, if you ever wanted to consider revising your take a stud RB in the first two round theory this is the year to do it. Imagine your quarterback/running back combo of Garrard, McGahee, and Parker trying to outscore Brady or Manning or Romo alone any week when they are throwing for 350 plus yards and three or more touchdowns. They won't need much help from the likes of their running backs of Julius Jones or Rudi Johnson to beat you soundly.