Quarterbacks

How many quarterbacks will we see this season and in what roles? Will Jordan Steffy stick? Will Chris Turner re-emerge? Will the situation present itself to allow multidimensional Josh Portis to show his stuff? Possibilities abound. Can Maryland win one of the biggies on its road schedule? The away games on the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule are daunting. A truly successful season would include a win at Clemson or Virginia Tech. Is that dreaming? Does speed really kill? Maryland has speed all over the field - one of the biggest reasons coaches are optimistic about the season.

Every player has a bad game, and hopefully this was Joe Flacco's worst game of the 2011 season. It concerns me that after playing perhaps the best game of his career against the Pittsburgh Steelers a week ago, Flacco laid such an egg against the Titans on Sunday. Granted, he didn't get much help from his offensive line or secondary, but a great quarterback would have made a couple of plays to carry his team to victory. Unfortunately, young quarterbacks play like we've seen Flacco play at times throughout his career and into this season.

The list of contenders for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has been narrowed to 10 quarterbacks: Andy Dalton (TCU), Pat Devlin (Delaware), Nathan Enderle (Idaho), Colin Kaepernick (Nevada), Jake Locker (Washington), Greg McElroy (Alabama), Christian Ponder ( Florida State), Ricky Stanzi (Iowa), Tyrod Taylor ( Virginia Tech) and Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin). Twenty-two quarterbacks were on the original Golden Arm list, which was narrowed to 15 two weeks ago. The five players most recently eliminated are: Ben Chappell ( Indiana University)

You don't have to strain your eyes to see the similarities between quarterbacks Cam Newton, a sure-fire 2011 first-round pick out of Auburn, and Tim Tebow, who was selected 25th overall by the Denver Broncos a year ago. They are both Heisman Trophy winners and winners in general. They played together at Florida (Newton couldn't unseat Tebow, which led to his college football odyssey). Both are physically gifted and built like tight ends. They have faced questions about their ability to throw the football, which is kind of important for QBs. And they both seem to have that proverbial "it" factor, and that's always a good thing to have going for you. Sure, there are differences -- like Tebow's love for jorts and Newton getting paid to play in college -- but they are comparable young players with potential to excel in spread offenses in the NFL. You tell me: Which of these two young quarterbacks would you rather build your team around?

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland's once and future quarterbacks passed each other yesterday with barely a nod, symbolically passing the baton.On the day when new coach Mark Duffner began testing and drilling his freshman recruits, Jim Sandwisch stopped by. The visit by last year's Terps quarterback was without any deep significance."

In a season when NFL teams passed more often for better results than ever before, it is fitting that Sunday's conference championship games promise to come down to the quarterbacks. Don't they always? Well, not really. The past two Super Bowl champions were defense-powered teams with run-inspired offenses. For the Ravens in the 2000 season and the New England Patriots the following year, the pass came after the run. Both teams tried to protect their quarterbacks - Trent Dilfer and Tom Brady - and win with defense.

If the Ravens had had the No. 5 overall pick a year ago, they might have selected one of college football's top quarterbacks. But with the market pretty bare in 2000, the team might try to find a sleeper in the mid-to-late rounds. The Ravens quarterback situation is in much better shape than it was a year ago, with veteran Tony Banks the starter after playing in the final 10 games last year and leading the Ravens to an 8-8 record. The Ravens rewarded Banks with a four-year, $18.5 million contract in February and then signed veteran Trent Dilfer to a one-year deal as a backup in early March.

Armchair quarterbacks in Baltimore lamented the fact that reality quarterback Joe Flacco didn't call more audibles last season. Some believed offensive coordinator Cam Cameron didn't give enough power to Flacco. Others say the growing quarterback didn't know how to wield it. Either way, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that we can look forward to Flacco making more decisions at the line of scrimmage in 2011. “Cam and the Ravens' offensive coaches have done a great job of building the offense in a way that Joe really has the choice almost every play,” Harbaugh said.

Three things that need to go right … 1. Don't get conservative this time. Quarterbacks have thrived against the Bills, throwing 11 touchdowns and one interception. Buffalo has allowed 34 or more points in four straight games. 2. Contain Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Ravens need to keep the scrambling quarterback in the pocket. In his only start against the Ravens (November 2008), Fitzpatrick completed 12 of 31 passes for 124 yards. 3. Take control of the game in the third quarter.

Defenses will adjust Aaron Wilson Baltimore Sun It was a masterful debut for Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, practically perfect as he outdueled Drew Brees. So, what's next for the dynamic rookie? Defenses will make some adjustments to try to curtail his impact. They'll study his tendencies to find a hole in his game, if one even exists. Once there's a larger body of work of Griffin III, someone will devise a way to at least contain him. Remember, there are better defenses out there than the suspect Saints.