There is a time when every quarterback's career comes to a crossroad. Are they able to get the job done? Do they have what it takes to win a championship?
At the moment, there are five NFL quarterbacks who may be at the crossroads. They are Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys, Donovan McNabb of the Minnesota Vikings, Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens and Phillip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers. Here is a look at each of their situations.
Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles:
Vick was the feel good story of the 2010 season. He came back from serving time in prison to become Philadelphia's starting quarterback. The Eagles won the NFC East and Vick was named Comeback Player of the year.
The 2011 Eagles came into the season with high expectations. Though certainly not all Vick's fault, after four games they are 1-3 and in last place. Vick has complained about not getting the same protection as other quarterbacks in the league from officials.
The knocks on Vick have always been that he is not an accurate pocket passer, doesn't read defenses well and can't stay healthy. Despite these criticisms he has proven that he can play in the NFL and won a lot of games.
The question is can he win a championship.
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Romo has been in the spotlight since he took over as the Cowboys starting quarterback in 2006. He has led them to three playoff appearances and two NFC East championships, but only one playoff win. Romo was injured and missed most of the 2010 season.
Fair or not, every season the Cowboys are considered to be playoff contenders and 2011 is no different. They have gotten off to a 2-2 start. Romo has played the last three games with broken ribs.
Romo has always been considered a quarterback with a reputation for making crucial mistakes in games against good teams. In game four against the Detroit Lions, he gave his critics fodder by throwing three second half interceptions which helped the Lions come back from 24 points down to win.
Romo has proven that he can beat the bad teams. He has to prove that he has what it takes to beat the good ones as well.
Donovan McNabb, Minnesota Vikings
McNabb was traded from the Eagles to the Washington Redskins in 2010. The Redskins benched him with three games to go. He was traded to the Vikings in the off season.
The Vikings hoped that McNabb would be the veteran quarterback who would step in and lead them back to the playoffs. After four games their record stands at 0-4 and McNabb has struggled. The team has blown double digit leads in three of the losses and McNabb has not been efficient on third down.
Unlike Vick and Romo, McNabb has taken a team to the Super Bowl, the 2005 Eagles. The crossroad for him is whether he can still play.
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Flacco is in his fourth year as quarterback of the Ravens and still has a long career in front of him. With the help of a strong defense, Flacco and the Ravens have been to the playoffs three years in a row. They have been eliminated twice by the Pittsburgh Steelers including 2010 when the team lost a 21-7 lead.
There are those who say the difference between Pittsburgh and Baltimore is that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gets it done and Flacco does not. Many Ravens fans do not feel as though Flacco has what it takes to get the team to the Super Bowl.
This season the Ravens have started out 3-1 with a decisive 31-7 opening day victory over Pittsburgh. Flacco played well that day and against the St,. Louis Rams. But he struggled in a loss to the Tennessee Titans and a win against the New York Jets.
The Ravens seem to have the pieces in place to win a championship. The only question mark remains Joe Flacco.
Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
Rivers is the only member of the first round quarterback class of 2004 who has not led his team to a Super Bowl. He has thrown for a lot of yards and won a lot of games. He has shown courage by playing hurt in the 2007 AFC title game.
But Rivers has not led one of the most talented teams in football to the Super Bowl. It has not helped him that the Chargers traded Drew Brees to the New Orleans Saints to make Rivers the starter and Brees went on to win a Super Bowl.
There is no questioning Rivers talent.
The only question is whether he can do what his 2004 draft brothers, Roethlisberger and Eli Manning of the New York Giants, have done: Lead his team to a championship.
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