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Over the years Buffalo has become one of the teams that loves to have quarterback controversy. From recent battles with JP Losman and Trent Edwards, to Fitzpatrick himself versus Edwards, and the great battle of Drew Bledsoe vs. Losman, and Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie. Just like their division rival Miami Dolphins, Buffalo has had just as much of a struggle solidifying their starting quarterback since Jim Kelly retired.

You would think a maximum contract value of 59 million over the course of six years would be the proper vote of confidence in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Oh those tricky Buffalo Bills. Fitzpatrick’s guaranteed money is only 24 million, which means Fitzpatrick still has to prove himself each and every game.

Buffalo has been much more willing to spend free agency money the past few seasons but none was a bigger statement than offering and securing Mario Williams. With the offense young and on the rise, Buffalo believes they could be a playoff contender if the defense rises another level.

It’s not often that a journeyman quarterback for over five years finally finds his niche and begins playing well, as a Rich Gannon or Trent Green were able to.

Fitzpatrick has done that at times. He has advanced with his reads and abilities to throw the football down the field. Areas he still struggles are in the turnover department. When he is off, he can be like Carson Palmer and throw for multiple interceptions like he can afford to. Full time starters in the NFL do not throw two or more interceptions in half the games they played, and that’s exactly what Fitzpatrick did last season.

After getting his new contract, the second half of the Bills season last year was woeful for Fitzpatrick. Some of that can be blamed on not having his bread and butter running back Fred Jackson. Jackson was the beat to the offense, and did more than most would acknowledge. Weeks nine through eleven Fitzpatrick threw two touchdowns and a total of seven interceptions. Followed by another stretch in December in which he threw four touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Those are stretches that would find most starters on the bench, and may have happened to Fitzpatrick last year if it were not for the contract he landed. Buffalo made a lot of commotion this off-season for a backup quarterback and landed both Vince Young. A journeyman many figured would put the heat on Fitzpatrick for starting snaps.

We all know how the preseason went, and Young was cut as a result. In many preseason battles teams would stop right there with quarterback acquisitions and have faith in there other backups. Tyler Thigpen is a quarterback that has started in both Miami and Kansas City, and won the backup quarterback position.

One solid backup is not enough for Buffalo and they decided to trade for Tavaris Jackson.

If you’re Ryan Fitzpatrick there must be sub conscious thoughts that the organization is having its doubts with him. He has fought off the doubts the past few seasons, but an area he has to cement for the organization is his consistency. When he is on, Fitzpatrick can be that quarterback gem you started on y our fantasy team and got away with it. When he is off he can be the sole difference in a loss for your fantasy team.

Something is up in Buffalo with all the quarterback moves they have made. Some would believe it’s just to have insurance at quarterback. Look around the NFL and look at the backup propositions if injuries were to occur. Less than ten teams probably have a quarterback that teams would be comfortable having to start beyond one game.

Downgrade Fitzpatrick’s fantasy value going into 2012. Just as the last few seasons, his play on the field would have to develop for him to have waiver wire meaning. I do not believe he finishes the season as Bills starter. His interception rate just gets to high at crucial stretches.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The new wave of quarterbacks is as rapid as ever. Notjustagame breaks down the top ten quarterbacks that are either in their rookie season or upcoming second season. From a fantasy standpoint these are the quarterbacks of the future for your keeper dynasty leagues. Of this crop of quarterbacks who will end up being the Cade McNown, Akili Smith’s, or Tim Couch’s?

Just like in the NFL, fantasy football is a win now mentality. Here is who will reign in their class of quarterbacks in 2012.

1. Cam Newton- Newton is a top fantasy quarterback let alone in a class of first and second year quarterbacks. Questions regarding his pocket presence and ability to read pro defenses were squashed quickly last year. Let downs do not happen after a year like Newton had last year. He should only improve and get better.

2. Andrew Luck- The hype of Luck being the best quarterback to come out since John Elway is going to surpass Tim Tebow’s daily ten minute media segment. I’ll take that. Luck is actually performing well to garner proper attention.

3. Andy Dalton- Dalton has one of the top young playmaking receivers in the league in AJ Green, and a solid tight end in Jermaine Gresham. He is not going to light it up every week, but Dalton has quarterback smarts. He won’t kill you repeatedly with turnovers and makes just enough plays to have solid fantasy value. For this year he sits in the top three, but there are rookies from this class that will likely pass him soon.

4. Robert Griffin III- RG3 is going to get the love of the NFC East division this year. The NY Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles have solid defenses with well known pass rushers. Welcome to the NFL.

5. Blaine Gabbert- Before the preseason, you probably would not of found many fantasy football leagues were Gabbert even was drafted. The stock meter on Gabbert has changed to the watch list. Deservedly so as he looks like a transformed quarterback. Keeper league value and fantasy backup value are suddenly tied with Gabbert’s name.

6. Brandon Weeden- Weeden comes in being drafted by the Browns with expectations of starting from day one. That’s true support from a franchise that could of signed a free agent veteran instead. Weeden is a big quarterback that should play more like his age instead of his amount of time in the NFL.

7. Jake Locker- Like a pitcher in the MLB or an NBA D-League call up that gets an opportunity, good things tend to happen with an opportunity suddenly. Last year Locker had semi success filling in for an injured Hasselbeck. With the pitchers and D-league call ups, the rise usually comes down fairly quickly once teams can scout and realize your weaknesses. Locker is going to experience that this season and will struggle like a rookie in his second season.

8. Christian Ponder- Ponder sure hopes that AP will not be rushed back and is healthy. If not Ponder not only will have one of the bottom ten receiver sets but also one of the worst backfields. Not a combination you want to have as a second year quarterback. The elusiveness he showcased last year will change rather quickly if he starts taking a beating.

9. Ryan Tannehill- He has the familiarity with the offensive system but Tannehill is going to struggle the most of anyone. His fantasy value is about as high as Kevin Kolb right now.

10. Russell Wilson- One thing about head coach Pete Carrol, he is not afraid to make changes. With the way Russell has performed this situation could turn very similar to the Arizona Cardinals. Though Seattle paid a hefty price for Flynn, Wilson could find his way onto the field sooner than later.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Results are supposed to dictate a decision to win a job. That is the normal case in a position battle in the NFL, especially at quarterback. Miami and the Tennessee Titans decided they did not need anymore game play to decide on their starting quarterbacks. They went the youth route and now both teams can move forward without the hassle of a weekly sparked debate.

How ready are both quarterbacks or will this year be weekly lessons of rough outings? Based on last years results by several rookies, the window to have a positive impact right away is possible. Preparation and training has come along way for talented quarterbacks. Still both will experience their fair share of mishaps.

It was not like either had a specific edge over their veteran quarterbacks they were competing with. Matt Moore was the veteran Miami had on the roster but had already leaned more in the direction of David Garrard before his injury. When Garrard went down, the job was basically Tannehill’s.

Tannehill looked much better in the first preseason game than he did against Carolina. The main reason for that likely has to do that he played against the first team defense against Carolina. He had a tough time finding passing angles to deliver throws, having several balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. Another issue versus Carolina was the lack of a ground attack to help Tannehill. Neither Reggie Bush or Daniel Thomas had an impact you would of liked to see to help Tannehill out. Bush’s carries went nowhere, and forced Miami to throw with Tannehill higher than they would of liked.

With a nucleus of wide receivers that are mainly possession receivers at best, Miami is going to need to throw a lot of quick outs and intermediate throws. The batted down balls Tannehill experienced against Carolina may become a trend, as defenses do not respect Miami’s receivers and know a quarterback is going to have a quick clock with that talent.

Brandon Marshall and Chad Johnson sound quite good right about now.

In Tennessee it’s a little bit different with Jake Locker. His preseason numbers have been paltry. In action though last year, Locker showed he has a lot of promise. The move in Tennessee’ s case was more based on timing than anything. Locker is going into his second year and they want to get the return on investment with him. Chris Johnson is showing that he is back to his old form, which will loosen up Locker’s immediate responsibilities.

With the attention on Johnson, Locker will get away with the dump off throws and scrambles that often hurt young quarterbacks. He will likely have numbers similar to what Andy Dalton did a year ago as a rookie. Mistakes may be a little bit higher as his accuracy is not as good as Dalton’s, but he will make up the fantasy numbers with his legs. If you have a safe bet number one quarterback, you can be at ease with Locker as a fantasy backup.

Pile up depth at other roster positions and grab Locker late.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

All it takes are solid performances to quiet critics. With so many rookie quarterbacks not only drafted last year, but outdoing expectations, Blaine Gabbert was the odd quarterback out. He struggled the most and looked like he would have the furthest along to come from any 2011 rookie quarterback. A couple of preseason games in and Gabbert looks like he was the signal caller that dedicated himself the most in the off-season.

The focus in Jacksonville for some time was involving Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout. The star running backs contract squabbles have been spotlighted daily. Now with the way Gabbert and backup running back Rashad Jennings have performed, it will lessen the urgency of upper management to secure a deal favoring Drew’s bargaining power. They’ll assuredly be happy to resign him but they will not give in to his demands.

The transformation of Gabbert starts with many areas. His mental clock in the pocket seems unrushed. He can stand in the pocket more relaxed and with ease, progressing from options but maintaining the same demeanor. Before he seemed reluctant to withstand in the pocket. If options one or two were not open his tendency for happy feet, poor mechanics, and a poor throw would occur.

Upgrades at wide receiver could be one of the main reasons for improvement. Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson are huge weapons of improvement for Gabbert to have at his arsenal. An off-season to work with the team without violating the NFL rules looks like it’s starting to pay off. Remember last season, Gabbert along with everyone else couldn’t because of the lockout.

When the 2011 season concluded, voices rose that Tim Tebow should be a quarterback brought into Jacksonville. Besides selling tickets, Tebow figured to be a proper challenge to Gabbert. The Jaguars instead signed Chad Henne, who has not even been mentioned as a possible starter. This is Gabbert’s team and he has played like it. He outperformed Drew Brees significantly with two touchdown throws and over 100 yards in limited action in preseason game two.

Gabbert is showing enough to become fantasy worthy in deep leagues. In updated rankings he will probably move up to the late teens/early 20’s.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

With a week in the books for preseason football, it’s time to get a snapshot of quarterback rankings. Stay fresh with notjustagame.com weekly to see if any quarterbacks rise to the level of waiver wire consideration, or if a player is slipping and may need to be traded.

1. Drew Brees- Brees will keep this offense rolling at its typical fast pace with his usual top of the chart numbers.

2. Tom Brady- With Josh McDaniels back in the fold the Patriots offense may be even better. No quarterback has the tight end advantage such as Brady. At age 35 though is a year coming soon, where Brady starts to decline for stretches of games?

3. Aaron Rodgers- Losing in the fashion of the NFC divisional round was a shocker to the NFL world. Rodgers does not have the strong backfield to relent the pressure off his arm, but that’s not a worry of his and only a bright side for fantasy owners.

4. Cam Newton- His all world numbers a year ago may be too high to bank on a repeat season. His numbers may come down but they’ll be strong enough to solidify a top ten fantasy ranking all season.

5. Tony Romo- He is the name that gets pinned for bulletin board and media criticism. Yet he fights through the negativity with strong seasons. This may finally be the year that Romo impresses not just with stats but wins on the field.

6. Matt Stafford- Stafford is another top tier quarterback that does not have the running back situation you would hope for. Unlike Rodgers though, Stafford has an injury history that downgrades him a few spots.

7. Peyton Manning- The physical decline in Manning is being overanalyzed. What’s not being discussed enough is Manning’s mental strong hold at the line of scrimmage. He commands his team in the huddle and even if he has to throw short passes like Chad Pennington, he will get it done.

8. Matt Ryan- Atlanta had some ugly losses last year that carried over into a wild card dismantling loss to the Giants. Ryan needs to shake off his rust on the road and he could catapult into a top five fantasy quarterback easily this season.

9. Mike Vick- The story of the Eagles just seems to be lingering on one season too many. The team that tanked last season and underperformed is mainly intact for 2012. Vick can still make the break a defenders ankles moves, but the Eagles just seem like they need a complete makeover. Vick’s fragility to complete a full season is a high issue for fantasy owners and does affect Vick’s draft ranking.

10. Robert Griffin III- The arm, legs, and smarts of Griffin is what Mike Shanahan has wanted to have at his disposal for years. There was a time that Shanahan ran smooth offenses and made even Brian Griese and Jake Plummer fantasy relevant. Griffin will have his fair share of games where he performs like a top fifteen to eighteen quarterbacks, and others where he falls in the top five. Tenth is a perfect spot for Griffin.

11. Philip Rivers

12. Ryan Fitzpatrick

13. Eli Manning

14. Joe Flacco

15. Ben Roethlisberger

16. Matt Schaub

17. Andy Dalton

18. Jay Cutler

19. Josh Freeman

20. Christian Ponder

21. Andrew Luck

22. Carson Palmer

23. Matt Cassel

24. Mark Sanchez

25. Alex Smith

26. Sam Bradford

27. Matt Flynn

28. Blaine Gabbert

29. Kevin Kolb

30. Matt Moore

31. Matt Hasselbeck

32. Brandon Weeden

33. Jake Locker

34. Tim Tebow

35. John Skelton

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Fox Sports use to have a show called, Beyond the Glory. An interesting documentary that told the stories of how athletes rose to their acclaimed status. In the NFL, quarterbacks are usually known names expected to produce. Once in awhile though you will have the diamonds in the rough found. Kurt Warner is probably the last unknown to produce for a long duration of his career.

Is Ryan Fitzpatrick next?

By now everyone knows a little bit about Fitzpatrick’s past. An unheralded quarterback from Gilbert Highland High, that only had two scholarship offers. He went to Harvard became a 7^th round pick, and instead of becoming a casualty like most late round quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick became the St. Louis Rams backup quarterback.

Injuries to Marc Bulger allowed Fitzpatrick to get on the field as a rookie. He shined in his first game action against Houston, leading a comeback win with three touchdown passes. His other starts that year displayed that Fitzpatrick was a rookie. It looked like a typical spotlight duty that came and went for Fitzpatrick.

When he became a free agent and landed on Cincinnati, it appeared he would be buried behind Carson Palmer. Again, the starter went down and Fitzpatrick got his opportunity to shine for a high amount of games. It was enough to attract teams interest for Fitzpatrick to be a solid backup quarterback.

Buffalo landed him, and after a couple seasons back and forth with Trent Edwards, Fitzpatrick finally surged past Edwards in 2010. Fitzpatrick has been more than a game manager for the Bills. He darts balls left and right, which has resulted in streaky stretches for Fitz. When his accuracy is on, Fitzpatrick has been a top ten fantasy quarterback. When he is off he makes owners dread the decision on drafting him.

He is sort of similar to Eli Manning in the fantasy realm. He has enough upside to want to start him, but his turnover issues make it problematic to insert him on a weekly basis. Overall though Fitzpatrick has thrown for solid yardage totals and around twenty four touchdowns each of the past two seasons.

When Fitzpatrick began to struggle last season after an impressive six games to start, it appeared that Fitzpatrick may have had the pressure of a new contract on his mind. Buffalo negotiated and sealed a big contract with Fitzpatrick, but instead of his play rising it started to get rougher. He did lose Fred Jackson, and had done as well as he could with a team of receivers unknown besides Stevie Johnson.

Yet it was not assurring enough and made Buffalo have to consider a backup that could become a starter. So in comes Vince Young. Will the Bills go back to the Doug Johnson/Doug Flute, Losman/Bledsoe and Fitzpatrick/Edwards quarterback brewing controversy? Come on it’s Buffalo, of course they will.

From a fantasy perspective based on last year, Fitzpatrick has to be considered a number two fantasy quarterback. Pressure is on him to produce, especially with the offseason additions the Bills have made. He is a streaky performer, so there is no doubt his value be higher certain weeks than others.

A quality that you will not find from most fantasy quarterbacks, as they usually perform fairly close to their quarterback ranking. Fitz on the other hand could have a top five or top ten performance any given week. It’s holding up for a full season that is worrisome.