BY MELISSA ZIELINSKI
As Week 12 of the National Football League concluded Monday night it seemed a good time to touch base with three rookie quarterbacks among the 2012 draft class: Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill who all went 3-0 during the Thanksgiving weekend.
It's also a good time to note that another young quarterback Colin Kaepernick got his second nod at the starting role for the San Francisco 49ers this week against the New Orleans Saints. Kaepernick is now 2-0 in two starts with San Francisco.
To start things off, how about the 7-4 Indianapolis Colts where things look drastically different than last year.
Luck was the first overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL draft and had big shoes to fill as the Colts eyed him far before the draft took place. For fans forced to see the 2011 Colts Peyton-less and now the franchise Peyton-less too, the team needed a knight in shining armor figure for 2012. Luck was assumed to fill that role as Indianapolis' new franchise quarterback.
Luck was the first overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL draft and had big shoes to fill as the Colts eyed him far before the draft took place. For fans forced to see the 2011 Colts Peyton-less and now the franchise Peyton-less too, the team needed a knight in shining armor figure for 2012. Luck was assumed to fill that role as Indianapolis' new franchise quarterback.
While noteable losses of Pierre Garcon, Joseph Addai and Dallas Clark and an oustanding list of injuries including: running back Donald Brown, wide receiver Austin Collie and tight end Coby Fleener left the Colts inconsistent through the first half of the schedule, Luck and the Colts may be finding a little of their own 'luck' as they've won five of their last six contests.
Indy currently sits in second place in the American Football Conference (AFC) South dvision right behind a stellar 10-1 Houston Texans squad. It's a bit early, but they also hold a Wild Card spot for the 2012 playoffs as it currently stands.
Next in line - RGIII - the second overall draft pick in this year's draft and savior to the Washington Redskins. Though the story hasn't necessarily been a fairy tale, there have deffinately been shining moments which justify that the Skins are moving in the right direction.
After balancing a .500 record through the first four games of the season, things began to get dissmal in October, losing three of four games and starting out November with a loss too. Despite some hard hits that shook up RGIII along the way, he's been able to start all 11 games this season and with good measure.
RGIII has thrown 16 touchdowns for 2,504 yards all while adding 642 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns of his own (ranks seventh in the league). Griffin III has also thrown 206 completions of 305 attempts at a completion-percentage of 67.5 and is first in the NFL in yards per pass attempts (8.2)
A bye week seemed to be just what the former Baylor University quarterback and his teammates needed as RGIII has now been named team captain and has gone 2-0 in crucial division rival match-ups against the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washingoton still has playoff hopes alive, but they must face three more division foes (the New York Giants this Sunday and the Eagles and Cowboys in weeks 16 and 17) along with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, which calls for a dramatic end to a season the DMV can't draw their eyes away from.
The Miami Dolphins Ryan Tannehill a rookie quarterback from Texas A&M and the Dolphins first draft pick in 2012 (eighth overall) brings another 5-6 record and possible playoff team to the table.
Though Tannehill hasn't been a 'knight in shining armor' or 'the savior' as Luck has been toward the Colts and RGIII has been for the Skins, he has brought the possibility of staying for more than two successive years with the squad to the minds of Miami fans.
After embarassing loses to two teams with losing records (Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills) and recording and 'L' in the loss column in three of the last five games, it seemed that the Miami Dolphins might be on their way out of the playoff picture with a quarterback who couldn't match up to the allure of RGIII and Luck. Tannehill's talent and the team he's been given is quite frankly a work in progress compared to the other elites, but Tannehill is still a force to be wreckoned with.
Despite the mediocre 5-6 record Tannehill has lost four games this season by a combined 14 points, including two back-to-back overtime loses where Miami's fate was decided by a field goal. Another loss also came against Luck and the Colts by again - a field goal.
Tannehill must work on his consistency moving forward as he tries to chain together a number of wins if the Dolphins possibility of a Wild Card playoff spot wants to remain within reach. That includes more touchdowns (he currently has seven) and less interceptions (12).
Unfortunately of the three rookie quarterbacks, Miami has the most difficult schedule with three divisional match ups to go (two against first-place New England Patriots and one against Buffalo), a battle verse the first-place San Francisco 49ers and also the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As it seems that every game against another rookie quartback is a battle in its own, perhaps up and coming quarterback Kaepernick will show exactly what he's worth when he faces Tannehill in two weeks. And as more weeks than not are behind us, the picture will remain unclear of how many rookie quarterbacks can lift their team to a playoff berth during their first season in the pros perhaps all the way to Week 17.
RGIII has thrown 16 touchdowns for 2,504 yards all while adding 642 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns of his own (ranks seventh in the league). Griffin III has also thrown 206 completions of 305 attempts at a completion-percentage of 67.5 and is first in the NFL in yards per pass attempts (8.2)
A bye week seemed to be just what the former Baylor University quarterback and his teammates needed as RGIII has now been named team captain and has gone 2-0 in crucial division rival match-ups against the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washingoton still has playoff hopes alive, but they must face three more division foes (the New York Giants this Sunday and the Eagles and Cowboys in weeks 16 and 17) along with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, which calls for a dramatic end to a season the DMV can't draw their eyes away from.
The Miami Dolphins Ryan Tannehill a rookie quarterback from Texas A&M and the Dolphins first draft pick in 2012 (eighth overall) brings another 5-6 record and possible playoff team to the table.
Though Tannehill hasn't been a 'knight in shining armor' or 'the savior' as Luck has been toward the Colts and RGIII has been for the Skins, he has brought the possibility of staying for more than two successive years with the squad to the minds of Miami fans.
After embarassing loses to two teams with losing records (Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills) and recording and 'L' in the loss column in three of the last five games, it seemed that the Miami Dolphins might be on their way out of the playoff picture with a quarterback who couldn't match up to the allure of RGIII and Luck. Tannehill's talent and the team he's been given is quite frankly a work in progress compared to the other elites, but Tannehill is still a force to be wreckoned with.
Despite the mediocre 5-6 record Tannehill has lost four games this season by a combined 14 points, including two back-to-back overtime loses where Miami's fate was decided by a field goal. Another loss also came against Luck and the Colts by again - a field goal.
Tannehill must work on his consistency moving forward as he tries to chain together a number of wins if the Dolphins possibility of a Wild Card playoff spot wants to remain within reach. That includes more touchdowns (he currently has seven) and less interceptions (12).
Unfortunately of the three rookie quarterbacks, Miami has the most difficult schedule with three divisional match ups to go (two against first-place New England Patriots and one against Buffalo), a battle verse the first-place San Francisco 49ers and also the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As it seems that every game against another rookie quartback is a battle in its own, perhaps up and coming quarterback Kaepernick will show exactly what he's worth when he faces Tannehill in two weeks. And as more weeks than not are behind us, the picture will remain unclear of how many rookie quarterbacks can lift their team to a playoff berth during their first season in the pros perhaps all the way to Week 17.
