I Got Your Back

Everyone loves a backup quarterback. When their favorite team is down and the team's starting QB is stuggling mightily, the backup QB automatically becomes the most popular guy in town. There's a reason these guys aren't starting, but when the starter looks more like the real-life Christopher Reeve instead of his fictional Superman, fans believe that the benchwarmer could come out of the bullpen and lead their team to victory. I have my favorites, for all sorts of different reasons...

Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals

Matt Leinart is pretty. Pretty hot, and pretty sucky. He can bang any chick he wants, but he can't complete a 10-yard out to save his life. His game on the field may be weak, but his game off the field sure isn't. He won a Heisman at USC, but it hasn't translated to success in the NFL, where as a guy like Matt Cassel took his zero career starts at Southern Cal and turned it into a pretty solid season for the Pats this year. I guess playing with numerous future NFL stars in college does a pretty good job of masking how inadequate he is at playing quarterback in the pros, but I'd probably still pay to sniff his fingers.

Vince Young, Tennessee Titans
Three years ago this guy was the talk of the town. Fresh off the National Title victory over the aformentioned Matt Leinart, VY was expected to be the #1 overall pick by his hometown Houston Texans. They passed, and VY slipped to the Titans at #3. A freak of nature, VY was expected to lead the Titans to the promised land. Instead, he couldn't even beat out Kerry Collins, who was just cut by the Oakland freakin' Raiders a couple years back. VY took his demotion like a man. I'm fairly convinced that I could complete more passes in a 7-on-7 drill than VY, even though I'm a decade removed from playing organized football, and I wasn't even a quarterback then. You would think guys like Tavaris Jackson and Terrelle Pryor would take a look at VY's NFL career and realize that just because you can run like a gazelle and throw a football 100 mph, it doesn't make completing a 5-yard hook any easier. I still love having the guy around, not because of his on-the-field prowess, but because it gives a guy like Pryor a glimpse into his future.

Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chuck Batch is the best backup quarterback in the NFL. He may be the best backup quarterback in the history of the NFL. All because of one tell-tale fact...he has two rings. Ok I kid, but I do like Chuck. He's a local product who escaped the horrors of Detroit, swallowed his pride and took a backup position to be back home, where he has helped the Steelers win two championships. Chuck has had countless opportunities to leave Pittsburgh and get another opportunity at a starting position and fame, but instead he's stayed home, contributed even though he was on IR all season, and has made countless charitable contributions to his hometown. A class act, and a pretty good football player to boot.

Just Like Kurt

I'm pretty sure that I've become a Kurt Warner fan. I know it sounds blasphemous coming just hours after the beloved Steelers defeated Warner and the Cardinals just hours ago, but the man deserves some props. Everyone knows about his amazing story, coming from a small school (Northern Iowa)...working in a grocery store before taking his place as starting QB/MVP for the Greatest Show on Turf in the late 90's...fumbling his way out of St. Louis...struggling in the intense spotlight in New York...reemerging in the football hellhole that once was Arizona, stuck behind weak-armed pretty boy Matt Leinart, only to take over and rise from the ashes to lead his moribund franchise to the promised land once again. The man knows a thing or two about sticking it out and making the best of it. You can say the same about his love life. Married since 1997, most people remember Mrs. Warner as being the stunt double for Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV.

"I must break you."

Watching the game last night, the most surprising development, other than Medium Ben having a quarterback rating higher than his age, was the triumphant emergence of Mrs. Brenda Warner as a stunning football wife.

A bigger turnaround than the Cardinals franchise.

For Warner to stick it out with Ivan, er I mean Brenda, is a testament to this man's ability to make the best out of any situation. He could have given up on her, as well as his NFL career, but he stuck it out and is reaping the rewards. I may not agree with all his bible thumping, but hey, to each his own. So kudos to you, Kurt. You're the man.