PLAYBOOK
NFL
NFL NATION SAYS
PICK A QB, NOT JUST ANY QB THE QUESTION Which young QB would you build your franchise around? THE CANDIDATES Robert Griffin III (Redskins), Andrew Luck (Colts), Colin Kaepernick (49ers), EJ Manuel (Bills), Cam Newton (Panthers), Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M), Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville)
+ BROWNS REPORTER
FALCONS REPORTER
VAUGHN McCLURE
COLEY HARVEY
ANDREW LUCK Former Browns president Mike Holmgren said he offered all of Cleveland’s 2012 draft picks for the Colts’ No. 1. Had Indy said yes, it would’ve been a steal ... for the Browns.
COLIN KAEPERNICK I asked an ex-NFL defensive coordinator the other day which quarterback he would start a franchise with. His response? Kaepernick. Quarterbacks like him don’t come along very often. His combination of size (6'4", 230), speed (4.53 40) and arm strength separates him from the others in this group.
RUSSELL WILSON Wilson was a high school state champion. He made an otherwise horrid NC State team competitive. He won a conference title in his one year at Wisconsin. And he’s doing it again in Seattle. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
PAT McMANAMON
RICH CIMINI
JETS REPORTER
COLIN KAEPERNICK When the read-option goes out of style—and it will—Kaepernick will still thrive as a pocket passer because of his accuracy (61% career completion rate) and arm strength. In other words, he has scheme versatility.
BENGALS REPORTER
SCOTT BROWN
STEELERS REPORTER
COLIN KAEPERNICK I was tempted by Johnny Football; he has star written all over him. But who knows what kind of NFL team he’ll have around him. That isn’t an issue for Kaepernick, who’s already the NFL’s top dual-threat QB (6.2 career ypc).
MIKE WELLS
COLTS REPORTER
ANDREW LUCK He has the athleticism to scramble when needed (seven rushing TDs in 20 career games), the strength to get the ball down the field, the size to take a pounding and the intelligence to win for a long time.
TERRY BLOUNT
SEAHAWKS REPORTER
THE RESPONDENTS ESPN.com’s 32 NFL Nation team reporters, nine of whose comments are featured here.
FOR THE LATEST NEWS ON YOUR TEAM, CHECK OUT ESPN.COM/BLOG/NFLNATION
RUSSELL WILSON Maybe I’m biased because I see him every day, but Wilson is one of the most impressive young men I’ve met while covering sports. He never feels a game is lost. In fact, Wilson may be at his best when everything around him is falling apart.
PAUL GUTIERREZ
RAIDERS REPORTER
ANDREW LUCK Yes, the running-for-daylight-witha-cannon-for-an-arm QB is all the rage, but the prototypical QB will never go out of style. I’ll roll the dice with Luck, who had an NFL-high seven game-winning drives as a rookie.
ERIC D. WILLIAMS
CHARGERS REPORTER
RUSSELL WILSON Yes, Wilson is clutch (see his 14-point playoff comeback vs. Washington), but most important, he’s never been on the injury report in 22 career games.
25
THE RESULTS
21
20
VOTES
ANDREW LUCK
15
10
7
VOTES
COLIN KAEPERNICK
4
VOTES
RUSSELL WILSON
ROBERT GRIFFIN III CAM NEWTON EJ MANUEL JOHNNY MANZIEL TEDDY BRIDGEWATER
5
0
VOTES
24
ESPN The Magazine 10/14/2013
FROM LEFT: JOE NICHOLSON/USA TODAY SPORTS; ZACH BOLINGER/ICON SMI; DAMIAN STROHMEYER/AP IMAGES