The quickest way to contend for a championship in the NFL is to have a great quarterback. While teams have been able to win with less than stellar quarterback play, but it's a real uphill climb. Conversely, a great quarterback can cover a multitude of sins. Having said that, even a great quarterback can look mediocre when surrounded by an inferior cast. With that in mind, here's a look at the quarterbacking situation of the teams in the NFC North going into the draft.
Aaron Rodgers is still at the head of the class
Aaron Rodgers has been like a concealer for a teenager's blemishes for years.
The Packers have been a flawed team for years. One of their biggest flaws has been lack of an adequate backup for Rodgers. Rodgers, perhaps more than any other quarterback in the NFL can beat a team by himself. At this point in his career, Rodgers could start slowing down and seems to be lack a lot of tools at his disposal.
Brett Hundley looked fair at best as Rodgers backup in 2017. The fact that the Packers traded for Browns quarterback, DeShone Kiser, can't be counted as a vote of confidence. Still, Rodgers gives the packers the best quarterbacking in the division.
Mitch Trubisky should lead a better Bears offense in 2018
This is somewhat of a leap of faith. Mitch Trubisky took over for the train wreck that was Mike Glennon and did pretty well, putting together a QB rating of 77.5 percent and throwing only seven picks.
Former Bears head coach, John Fox, was to offensive football what a flat-earther is to science. That, when coupled with a lack of receivers and what Trubisky did becomes more impressive. In addition to a new coaching staff, Trubisky will have a host of new receivers to throw who will be a huge upgrade. The Bears should look like an actual NFL offense in 2018.
Not to be overlooked is the Bears signing of Chase Daniels as their backup QB. Daniels is familiar with new head coach, Matt Nagy's system. Daniels has thrown all of 78 passes in nine seasons in the NFL, so maybe that means the first string QB stays healthy when Daniels backs him up.
What do the Lions do if Matt Stafford goes down?
To use an obscure baseball reference, Matt Stafford is the Luis Tiant of NFL quarterbacks. Tiant threw from all angles. Stafford does the same thing when under duress. While Stafford has shown a talent for improvisation, the lack of a running game has diminished the Lions fortunes. The Lions averaged 3.4 yards per rush last season. That's just not good enough.
Unless you're a real Lions fan, you probably don't know who their backup quarterback. That's because Matt Stafford has started every Lions game for the last seven seasons. For the record, last year it was Jake Rudock, who threw five passes. If Stafford goes down, it could mean huge problems for the Lions.
The Vikings quarterback parade continues
The Vikings had one of the most interesting quarterback situations in the NFL last season. Case Keenum, who was one of the most valuable players in the NFL in 2017, signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent. Another guy who has succeeded as an NFL quarterback, Sam Bradford, signed with the Arizona Cardinals. So, what did the Vikings do? They signed Redskins QB, Kirk Cousins to a three year, $90 million deal.
The Vikings also signed former Broncos QB, Trevor Siemian as a backup to Cousins. Cousins and Siemian will be throwing to a corps of receivers who are both good, and relatively unknown. Bottom line, I still like the other quarterbacks in the division a little bit better.
