Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season saw a record five rookies
starting at the quarterback position for their respective teams. Only two guys
were projected to be opening-day starters for their teams when these guys were
drafted back in April.
Before this year, no more than two rookie quarterbacks have
started Week 1 of a season so the 2012 quarterback class has already pushed its
way into the record books but could this quarterback class prove to be the best
of all-time?
Well it’s too soon to address that particular argument, so
for now we will just look at their week-to-week performances starting with Week
1.
Robert Griffin III – Washington Redskins (A+)
Griffin easy takes the number-one ranking among rookie QBs
with his stellar Week 1 performance. He completed 73.1 percent of his passes
for 320 yards and two touchdowns.
What makes Griffin’s performance really
special is that he was able to get the win and he finished the day without any
turnovers. He gets bonus points for putting up those numbers against Drew Brees
and the New Orleans Saints.
Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks (C+)
Wilson didn’t have a very spectacular first game in the NFL
but he did show that he belonged. He was able to bring his team back from a
10-point deficit in the third quarter and pushed his team out to a three-point
lead with a little over nine minutes left to go in the fourth.
The Arizona Cardinals would regain the lead but Wilson would
get another chance to pull out the win in the closing minutes. Unfortunately he
would misfire on three consecutive throws giving Arizona the win. Wilson would
throw a touchdown on the day but also threw a pick and lost a fumble.
Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts (C-)
Luck had a mixed performance in his NFL debut. He threw for
309 yards in his first game as a pro but he also turned the ball over four
times. He would end the day throwing three interceptions and fumbling the ball
away once against an opportunistic Chicago Bears’ defense. Luck did at least
manage to record the first touchdown of his career although it would come in a
20-point shalacking by the Bears.
Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins (D-)
Tannehill had his moments moving the ball against the
Houston Texans stout defense but his three interceptions would turn a tight
game into a blowout. Before Tannehill’s first interception, the Dolphins were
actually up by three points. It all went downhill from there though as the
Dolphins would fold and the Texans would finish the day with a 20-point victory
over the Dolphins and their rookie signal-caller.
Brandon Weeden (F)
There were no positives to Weeden’s first NFL performance.
He threw four interceptions and looked overwhelmed in his first ever regular
season game as a starter. Weeden’s completion percentage was an abysmal 34.3%
and he didn’t complete a single pass of 10 yards or more. The game wouldn’t
have even been close if not for Michael Vick having a four-interception game of
his own.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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