Photo: Getty Images - Jamie Squire
- Troy BallardEvery NFL team has one, and in most cases two, sometimes even three -- but the funny this is, backup quarterbacks are totally irrelevant until they're needed.
Think about it.
Most NFL fans can reel off a list of almost every single starting quarterback, but when it comes to second-string guys, people draw blanks.
Even if fans don't realize it, most teams are quickly learning the value of having a reliable backup quarterback is through the roof.
I'd like to draw attention to a team and player -- Caleb Hanie and the Chicago Bears.
Last season, pre-Jay Cutler injury, Chicago was rolling and looked like a serious Super Bowl contender in the NFC. But once Cutler (I know, it's crazy) went down, and Hanie filled-in, the team fell apart at the seams.
Of course, losing Matt Forte several weeks later didn't help, but Hanie still didn't have a grip on the offense and Chicago ended up missing the playoffs entirely. In fact, Hanie couldn't even last more than three weeks as the starter, and Lovie Smith decided that Josh McCown was a better option.
Needless to say, the Bears learned their lesson and the team signed Jason Campbell, who arguably could still be a starter, out of free agency. In the worst case scenario that Cutler goes down, the Bears have a reliable veteran that can fill-in.
The Bears signed Campbell as insurance. He won't be threatening to take Culter's job, but he will be more than ready to take the starting job if something goes awry.
Another team that's a great example -- the Dallas Cowboys.
Tony Romo takes some serious shots in Dallas. Not only from opposing teams, but from the media and fan base. The dude can't catch a break. And whenever he's injured, the entire Cowboys fan base seems to have this attitude of, 'he should suck it up and go play!'
That may have something to do with the fact that behind Romo, Dallas had Stephen McGee. That's enough to send off alarm bells in the front office, and the Cowboys knew if Romo didn't play, the team might as well count the game as a loss. So, Romo played with various alignments.
It's not because McGee is a total scrub (he may be, we really don't know), but it's more that no one really trusts him. That's why this off-season, much like the Bears, the Cowboys went and signed a reliable backup that could still possibly be starting, Kyle Orton.
Orton is good enough to fill-in for Romo in case of an injury, but he's not threatening enough to steal his job. It's the perfect balance of having a backup quarterback. Effective, but not threatening to the psyche of the starter.
One last team I'd like to highlight -- the Indianapolis Colts.
Peyton Manning goes down and the team finishes (2-14). Enough said.
It's amazing to think that any team would ignore adding depth at the most important position in football, let alone in a sport where injuries are of the common variety. Some teams, as listed above, have learned the hard way.
Which team is one quarterback injury away from tanking like the Colts, Bears, and Cowboys (almost) did?
I'm looking at you, New England.
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