Two chips have fallen as they relate to starting quarterback' competitions around the National Football League and in both cases the teams went with younger options. The Miami Dolphins completed a near 180 from about a month ago by tabbing on rookie signal-caller Ryan Tannehill over Matt Moore. The Tennessee Titans made the curious decision to go with Jake Locker over Matt Hasselbeck after just two preseason games.
While the Titans are fully prepared to contend for a postseason spot in 2012, Miami is just looking to find their first franchise quarterback since Dan Marino some 20 years ago.
Which player will have a more immediate fantasy impact? This is the question that many are going to be asking themselves leading up to draft season.
It goes without saying that neither Locker nor Tannehill are going to be QB1's in fantasy football or even primary backups. However, let's take a look at what each could provide if you needed to pickup a quarterback later in the draft or on the scrapheap mid-season.
Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
Sample size is limited when it comes to the 2011 first-round pick. Locker completed just over 50 percent of his passes, throwing for over 500 yards and four touchdowns compared to zero interceptions as a rookie last season. He has struggled to an extent during the preseason, but seems to have the skill-set to perform at a high level in his sophomore campaign.
Scouts questioned Locker's accuracy after a dismal final season at Washington in 2010. He threw just 17 touchdowns while completing barely 50 percent of his passes as a senior that season. Those numbers don't exactly equate all too well in the NFL. That being said, Locker had literally no help from an anemic offense and was playing for a poor football team.
The physical ability and mechanics seem to be there after an entire offseason learning the nuances of the Titans playbook and the NFL in general.
Locker seems to have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball in Tennessee as well. Chris Johnson, despite two disappointing seasons in a row, is a great duel-threat running back. He has recorded a total of 194 receptions in four NFL seasons. Nate Washington had a career year in 2011, going for 74 receptions and over 1,000 yards in his seventh season.
Young receivers Lavelle Hawkins and Damian Williams also combined for over 90 receptions and about 1,100 yards as secondary options on the outside, while Jared Cook seems to be a really solid young fantasy tight end after going for 759 yards himself.
This doesn't even take into account the selection of Kendall Wright in the first round of April's draft. The talented receiver prospect from Baylor should be able to come in immediately and become a solid slot receiver for Locker and Co.
Even with the uncertainty surrounding Kenny Britt's legal issues, Tennessee appears to have the talent necessary for Locker to succeed in his first season as a starting quarterback in the NFL. If Britt is able to make any type of impact it will just be gravy.
Projected 2012 Statistics: 3,450 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
The top 10 pick from April's draft has impressed a great deal in two preseason outings. He came out extremely strong against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his NFL debut. Tannehill completed 14-of-21 passes for 167 yards and one score without turning the ball over. Despite struggling early in his first start, the Texas A&M product did a solid job bouncing back and leading the Dolphins to a scoring drive later against the Carolina Panthers a week later.
He seems to possess pocket awareness and field vision that few, including myself, thought he had at this point in his young career. It is important to note that Tannehill started a total of 20 games in college. This is an indicator that he is going to have extensive growing pains as a rookie in 2012.
Adding more fuel to the fire is the fact that Miami really hasn't surrounded their passing game with many options at the wide receiver position. They signed Chad Johnson back in July, only to release him a couple weeks later.
At this point Davone Bess and Legedu Naanee are the Dolphins two starting wide receivers. They combined for a total of 94 receptions and just four touchdowns last season. There isn't much beyond that either. Jeff Fuller and Marlon Moore are No. 3 and No. 4 on their depth chart. Talk about a lack of talent and depth at wide receiver.
One good thing that Tannehill has going for him, a strong running game, is going to hurt the rookie quarterback in terms of his fantasy football value. You can expect them to focus a great deal on the run game, leaving Tannehill to be nothing more than a game manager.
While Tannehill has everything you look for in a solid fantasy quarterback, he appears to be a year or two removed from making an impact. Miami is also going to have to surround him with more talent.
Projected 2012 Statistics: 3,124 yards, 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.