Former Super Bowl Champion Quarterback, Joe Theisman recently said “The Quarterback position is the most dependent position on the football field” Theisman gave an example of Tom Brady who  gets a ton of credit for the Patriots three super bowl victories but the margin of victory in each of their super bowls is only 3 points. So the only thing that separates Tom Brady from being the next Fran Tarkenton or Jim Kelly is Adam Vinatieri. Obviously Brady did his part in those victories but the bottom line is a lot of other players who do not get as much credit had to do their jobs in order for Brady to do his.

I would add that without a solid o-line the best QB in the world does not stand a chance. The best protection for your QB (young or old) is a rock solid running game.  For example the only reason I give Brett Favre a chance to be successful in Minnesota is Adrian Peterson. Peterson is so dominant that it reduces the pressure on Favre to make every play. If Favre can just manage the game without making those WTF throws the Vikings chances of success are actually pretty darn good.

Joe Gibbs did more than any other NFL coach to prove that the QB position is just one cog in the machine. Gibbs remains the only NFL coach to win Super Bowls with three different QBs.  So when people ask me to predict how a QB will perform I ask the following four questions:

•          How good is the O-line?
•         Can this team run the ball consistently? (takes pressure off the QB to make all the plays)
•        Does the defense create turnovers/short field opportunities?
•        How good/experienced are the wide receivers/TEs?

While these factors are not the only ones they do go a long way in determining how good or bad a year you can expect for a QB. A QB cannot do anything lying on his back. A QB can make the perfect throw but if the WR is not where he is supposed to be guess who usually gets the blame? If your football team does not have balance you make it a lot easier for defensive coordinators to shut you down. That is why a QB's best friend is a tough running game. Football is still a team sport regardless of the undue attention the QB position gets.