Pocket Presence: Teams Putting Quarterbacks in Position to Fail

It's often said that a team with two quarterbacks really doesn't have any. With that spirit in mind, FanHouse will keep you updated weekly on NFL teams facing potential quarterback controversies.

Some teams are entirely too stubborn. Not only will they leave bad quarterbacks in to take mental and physical beatings, but they'll insist on running offensive plays that don't seem to take the team's strengths into account, oftentimes leaning way too much on a struggling quarterback to make plays. As the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns (among others) have now learned, this is a recipe for disaster.

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Carolina Panthers: Jake Delhomme and Matt Moore

Delhomme has done a lot for the Carolina franchise, and loyalty is rarely a bad thing, even in a cutthroat industry like the NFL.

However, can anyone explain why Moore hasn't gotten a shot at saving the Panthers' season yet?

If Moore is so terrible that he can't be trusted to start, why is he serving as the primary backup to an aging veteran who melted down severely in the playoffs last year and has shown little life so far this season? It just doesn't make sense.

In Delhomme's defense, neither did Sunday's play-calling.

The Panthers ran for over 200 yards in a win over Tampa Bay. The response Sunday? Delhomme put the ball in the air 44 times, while star running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for 23 carries. That makes sense, right?

Didn't think so.

Status update: White hot

Cleveland Browns: Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn

Anderson was simply awful again Sunday, this time in a 31-3 home loss to Green Bay. While he failed to hit half his passes, throw for 100 yards, or lead his team into the end zone, it wasn't all his fault. For some reason, the Browns decided to use the wildcat with Josh Cribbs exactly once against Green Bay.

Maybe the Packers showed a wonderful ability to stop the wildcat on that one play. Perhaps there is something about the Dom Capers' 3-4 defense that lends itself to stopping that gimmick, because the Vikings didn't use it in their matchup with the Packers on Oct. 5. However, Cribbs is the Browns' best offensive player right now. It's not even close.

Why isn't the ball in his hands more often?

As long as the team continues this failing strategy, it probably doesn't matter who the quarterback is, though it would likely behoove Cleveland to go back to Quinn. Anderson threw 11 passes at either Mohamed Massaquoi or Brian Robiskie on Sunday. They combined for one catch.

Status update: Very warm

San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith and Shaun Hill

While head coach Mike Singletary might have made up his mind quickly, the smart money is on this not being the last change he has to make.

Yes, Smith played well in a second-half stint Sunday at Houston. However, it's typically harder on guys like him when they have to actually start the game. Smith was the backup to Hill for a reason, and now he has to prove that he can do things he failed to do in training camp or preseason games, or in any of his other starts for the 49ers.

Smith is getting thrown right into the fire, as San Francisco has a Sunday date with unbeaten Indianapolis.

Status update: Very warm

Oakland Raiders: JaMarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski

Russell has flat-out stunk all season. He's been terrible. Finally, head coach Tom Cable had enough. While replacing Russell with Gradkowski didn't do the Raiders any good on the scoreboard, it may be a message to Russell that he has to put in the time and make the commitment to get better now, or he will run out of chances.

No, Oakland isn't a playoff contender. But they have to do something to put a jolt into Russell. Otherwise, they'll never know for sure what they have in him.

Status update: Very warm

Tennessee Titans: Kerry Collins and Vince Young

Titans owner Bud Adams has come out and said he wants Young to be the starter. Meanwhile, it appears that Collins is going to keep the job for at least another week (though head coach Jeff Fisher hasn't really said).

While it's hard to blame everything that has gone wrong on Collins, he hasn't played well. Not only that, but the Titans owe it to themselves to give Young a shot at some point. It's not much different than Russell, really. They have to find out what they have.

Plus, the owner wants it to happen, and he's the owner. It's likely that Young starts sooner rather than later.

Status update: Very warm

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson

It was made official Wednesday that Freeman will get the nod out of Tampa's bye week. The Johnson experiment was an unmitigated disaster, as Tampa Bay did virtually nothing with him leading the way.

Now, it's up to Freeman, the rookie first-rounder out of Kansas State. While it's hard to predict what the result of this experiment will be, it probably doesn't matter in the end. Once you put the rookie out there, you typically don't switch back unless he gets hurt.

Status update: Lukewarm