Here's a great article from Chris Sprow at ESPN.com which confirms something I've thought about QB Aaron Rodgers. He's a much better QB because he spent his first three seasons on the bench. From ESPN.com:
Drafted QBs who didn't get to start until their third or even fourth years have TD/INT ratesnearly 50 percent better, and complete passes at a rate a full five percent better than rookie starters. But that's not just in the first season; that's for their careers.
A who's who of the best quarterbacks of the past decade is also a tale of professional incubation. Aaron Rodgers didn't start until his fourth year.
If you can recall how Rodgers played when he briefly appeared during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, then you might have some bad memories. His only extended playing time came during the preseason games, when he looked positively QB Brian Brohm-esque. Which is why I've had patience with Brohm over the past two years, and wondered if all the training he received from Mike McCarthy might help out the Bills in 2010 or 2011.
He also mentioned two QBs who started young and bucked this trend:
Since 2000, nine first-round picks started within their teams' first three games. Only Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger have a positive TD/INT ratio in their career.
And you might have read that Big Ben is on the Big Trading Block. I think the Steelers would be crazy to trade him, and any QB starved team would be crazy not to talk about them. Especially at this point when Ben's legal troubles will probably push his value down. The Steelers aren't looking at a QB Jay Cutler package, and might be lucky to get a 1st round pick. Big Ben reminds me of QB Brett Favre in his mid-20s, in his play on the field and his immaturity off it. Ben's no Iron Man but he's held up pretty well over the past 6 seasons and only missed about 10 games. He'd be a great addition for a team like the Bills if they only had to match the recent McNabb deal and offer their 2nd round pick in trade.