Backup QBs put down clipboard, grab spotlight

Quarterbacks remain the big men on campus and the collective stars of the weekly show that is the NFL. This season, water-cooler chat has focused on Tom Brady being the greatest quarterback in NFL history, and did you happen to see Peyton Manning’s new commercial?

Enough already. It’s time to look behind the scenes and concentrate on the understudies in the league.

We should not forget that backup quarterbacks, generally seen holding a clipboard and signaling in plays, are a vital ingredient of a team’s ultimate success. Only 11 of the NFL’s 32 teams have not needed their backup quarterback to start or play significant minutes entering Week 12.

It might seem surprising, but in most instances a team’s power rating does not drop significantly when the backup gets the call. When Jacksonville’s Quinn Gray came in against Indianapolis several weeks ago, he looked as if he didn’t know if the ball was filled with air or feathers. But once he got a full week of practice with the starters, he helped keep the Jaguars’ solid season intact.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants oddsmaker Mike Seba cites some key factors from a betting perspective.

“I believe the rest of the team steps up and plays at a higher level for at least the first few weeks to offset the change at quarterback,” he said.

“Our challenge is to stay in line with the general public, who may overreact to a backup in the lineup. We may not necessarily agree, but we have to send out a number that generates two-way action.”

At this point of the season, there are 10 quarterbacks starting who were on the sidelines in Week 1. They are: Kellen Clemens, Daunte Culpepper, Brodie Croyle, Vinny Testaverde, Trent Dilfer, Kurt Warner, Kyle Boller, A.J. Feeley, rookie John Beck and the undisputed new star of the bunch, Cleveland’s Derek Anderson.

The Browns, 3-point home favorites today against Houston, not only find themselves in the AFC wild-card race, they actually have changed the face of the franchise with a backup who has blossomed into a potential star.

Anderson has passed for 2,505 yards and 20 touchdowns but, more importantly, saved coach Romeo Crennel’s bacon and relegated first-round draftee Brady Quinn to a long-term backup or trade bait.

“Anderson has taken advantage of his big receivers and (running back) Jamal Lewis has shown he’s still got something in the tank, but Anderson certainly has taken the starting job and run with it,” LVSC oddsmaker Sean Van Patten said.

With Anderson as the starter, the Browns have progressively climbed to No. 11 in the LVSC NFL Power Poll. A prime indicator of Anderson’s impact is that the Browns’ power rating has improved by 5.3 points, equaled only by New England and Green Bay.

LVSC odds director Tony Sinisi offers this legitimate indictment of Cleveland’s front office: “They’ve done this in spite of themselves. At every turn, they were convinced Charlie Frye was the guy until Quinn was ready to step in. The Browns have been hit by lightning and are playing with found money.”

Funny thing. We’ll never know the answer to this question, but would Brady ever have gotten a decent shot at becoming an icon, or even played on a regular basis, if the Patriots’ Drew Bledsoe had not been freight-trained by Mo Lewis in 2001?

Who says backups aren’t important?

Brian Blessing, project manager for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, can be reached at bblessing@lvsc.com. Hear the LVSC oddsmakers on Sportsbook Radio, weekdays at 4 p.m. on KENO-AM (1460).