A Pick Six Changing of the Quarterback

Well, Week 6 created too much news to move on to another topic.

From D.C. to the San Francisco Bay, and in a bunch of losing NFL cities in between, there's a whole lot of changing going on behind center entering this weekend's games.

Be it injury or ineptness, desperate coaches have decided to go with guys who either couldn't win the job in the first place or ended up on the roster after the season started.

Here's our second — and probably not last — Pick Six of look who's starting:

John Beck: Redskins coach Mike Shanahan had this choice: stick with Rex Grossman (four picks last week in a loss to Philly) or go with Beck, who lost the preseason competition for the job. Beck it is. The 30-year-old is 0-4 as a starter (for the Dolphins in 2007) and will be going against the Panthers and Cam Newton, the rookie/veteran who already has more wins (1) and starts (6) than Beck.

Carson Palmer: No worries here, right? Guy sits at home through first six weeks of season, gets traded by the Bengals to the Raiders, works out three days, and just might start against the Chiefs on Sunday. After Jason Campbell broke his collarbone, what's coach Hue Jackson to do? Obviously, he's not entirely comfortable with Kyle Boller or recently activated rookie Terrelle Pryor, so why not give up a No. 1 pick next year and what could be another No. 1 pick in 2013 for a guy who retired rather than return to the Bengals. This should be interesting.

Christian Ponder: The inev itable has happened perhaps even sooner than expected. First-round pick Ponder, who wasn't so great at Florida State, gets the start Sunday against the Super Bowl champion and unbeaten Packers. Good luck! Ponder's backup, by the way, is Joe Webb. Donovan McNabb, even though he's beloved by many, can't move the way he used to, can't throw the way he used to, and can't win they way he used to. Coach Leslie Frazier had no choice but to go with the new guy in what looks like a lost season — again — for the Vikings.

Tim Tebow: The change was mercifully made last week, and the Broncos come off their bye week with T-E-B-O-W! saddling up as the starter for all-season-long ineffective Kyle Orton. Cool thing is Tebow may get more cheers in Miami than he receives in Denver — and that's a lot. The Dolphins chose Sunday as the day to honor the Tebow-led Florida Gators' 2008 national championship team. Ticket sales picked up, so look for the Gator Chop at when Tebow takes charge.

A.J. Feeley: Don't laugh. WR Brandon Lloyd just joined the team, but Sam Bradford may not be able to throw to him after missing practice this week and wearing a walking boot to protect his high ankle sprain. If Bradford can't go against the Cowboys for the winless Rams, Feeley will make his first start since 2007.

Charlie Whitehurst: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll isn't saying, but if Tarvaris Jackson's strained chest muscle is still strained, Whitehurst is ready, willing, and able to make the third start of his career, which began in 2006. Two weeks ago, he replaced the injured Jackson and helped Seattle upend the Giants. And who knows, even if Jackson is healthy, Carroll may still opt for Whitehurst against the Browns.

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Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rosenblattap

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N.F.L. Roundup: Raiders Looking for Help at Quarterback

“If you’re a quarterback out there and you want to come play for the Raiders, give us a call,” Jackson said Monday.

The Raiders have lost Campbell for a significant period of time after he landed on his shoulder at the end of a scramble late in the first half against Cleveland on Sunday.

Campbell hopes to play down the stretch for the Raiders, but Oakland needs help now with Boller and the rookie Terrelle Pryor the only quarterbacks on the roster.

The Raiders have looked into possible trades and free-agent signings, although one option was eliminated Monday. Oakland contacted the former Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard, but Garrard’s agent confirmed a Fox Sports report that Garrard will need back surgery and would not be available for four to six weeks.

Other free-agent possibilities include Trent Edwards, who was in Oakland’s camp this summer; Charlie Frye, who spent the past two seasons with the Raiders; and the former Baltimore quarterbacks Troy Smith and Todd Bouman, who have worked with Jackson on the Ravens. Oakland also could look into making a trade for Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer or Denver’s Kyle Orton before Tuesday’s deadline.

INJURY UPDATES It was a rough weekend for quarterbacks — and coaches.

Sam Bradford of St. Louis is questionable with a high left ankle sprain, and Matt Schaub of Houston has a chest bruise but is not likely to miss Sunday’s game against Tennessee.

New Orleans Coach Sean Payton had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and a fractured bone in his left leg, a day after one of his players was tackled into him on the sideline. And the Tampa Bay defensive backs coach, Jimmy Lake, injured his left knee celebrating Tanard Jackson’s interception during the Buccaneers’ win over Payton’s Saints.

Bradford is in a walking boot, and A. J. Feeley is likely to take most of the snaps when the winless Rams resume practice. Bradford’s status for Sunday’s game at Dallas is in question.

Schaub had a magnetic resonance imaging test, and Texans Coach Gary Kubiak said his quarterback was “just beat up.”

Payton has said he expects to call plays from the booth when the Saints host Indianapolis on Sunday night.

Also:

¶ Detroit Coach Jim Schwartz said running back Jahvid Best started showing concussionlike symptoms after a loss to San Francisco.

¶ Dallas running back Felix Jones has a high ankle sprain, and left guard Bill Nagy has a broken ankle and is likely out for the season.

¶ Washington left guard Kory Lichtensteiger is out for the year with torn ligaments in his right knee. Coach Mike Shanahan also indicated that tight end Chris Cooley’s season might be over after he broke the left index finger in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia. Left tackle Trent Williams is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a severely sprained right ankle.

GRUDEN STAYING PUT Jon Gruden agreed to a new contract with ESPN that is could to keep him in television — and out of coaching — for the next five years.

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Ranking the Week 6 quarterback options

jasonfsmith1 | Tags: Fantasy QB rankings, Alex Smith, Cam Newton, Eli Manning, Jason Campbell, Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo

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Okay, okay, so last week I said Kyle Orton was going to have a big week and had him ranked in my top 10. Hey, the guy has 16 TDs and 3 INTs in his last eight home games. I guess you can just chalk that up to getting caught in the Tebow Vortex. Now with the second week of the byes upon us, here’s my official QB rankings for this week. Remember, we go on the assumption you always play the Holy Five: Vick, Rivers, Rodgers, Brees and Brady. However Rivers is on a bye (and may be close to losing his Holy Five status with his lackluster fantasy play so far) so this week our rankings will go 5-10.

5. Matthew Stafford v. SF: Initially I would say be wary of the Monday Night hangover, but the 49ers are terrific against the run and the Lions will throw it all day long. Expect a return to 300 yards and three TDs for Stafford. And really, are you going to rank anyone else on this list ahead of him? He’s close to breaking into the Holy Five and making it a Holy Six.

6. Cam Newton @ ATL: Seriously, look how high he is now. He deserves it. He has to tank for like three weeks in a row to be outside the top seven or eight. He’s also becoming their main red zone threat on the ground whether it’s from 5 or 15 yards away. He accounts for three total TDs this week. And 300 yards is always his barometer.

7. Tony Romo v. NE: He’s getting Miles Austin back which means in the second half he won’t have to worry so much when Dez Bryant disappears. He’ll be around the 20-point mark for you this week. Look for 250-300 yards and two to three TDs. Just remember you’re going to lose points for his pick late in the fourth quarter.

8. Eli Manning v. BUF: The Giants look like they’re becoming the team they were last year — Eli throws for a lot of yards, a lot of touchdowns and a lot of INTs. Brandon Jacobs’ injury makes it hard for them to rely on the run, and Victor Cruz’s big play capabilities are going to have Eli on the same track as in 2010. 250 yards and two TDs for Eli.

9. Jason Campbell @ OAK: The Browns are in the middle of the pack as far as fantasy points allowed to QBs go. This Raiders offense is starting to grow. Darrius Heyward-Bey — and who thought we’d ever be talking about him — looks like he’s that third year blossomer we see so often. Jacoby Ford is healthier and the Raiders are going to take their shots down the field this week. I see a couple of long TD passes for Campbell and over 250 passing yards.

10. Alex Smith @ DET: It was hard to go with Smith over Ben Roethlisberger, but I don’t see the need for five TDs passes against the Jaguars on Sunday. Smith has only turned it over once via the air this year, and is coming off a three-TD performance. It won’t be as easy going this week but they’ll throw the ball a ton to keep up with the Lions. I think Smith is near 250 with a couple of touchdowns.

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Quarterback mistakes becoming a trend

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Those weren't roosters you heard inside Williams-Brice Stadium, those were boo birds. Lots of them.

That's because embattled quarterback Stephen Garcia just threw his third interception of the game. And again he threw it directly to a defender. Casey Hayward grabbed the first two, but Andre Hal was the beneficiary of Garcia's latest mistake. That was the first of Hal's career.

Fans let Garcia know how they felt, but coach Steve Spurrier probably let him know even more.

However, Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith wouldn't let Garcia be outdone in the mistakes department. Three plays after Garcia's blunder at Vandy's 36-yard line, Smith was pressured by South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney, who forced Smith to fumble the ball. Spur Antonio Allen then picked it up, raced toward the end zone, fumbled and Melvin Ingram recovered the ball in the end zone to put South Carolina up 7-3.

After South Carolina's score, Vanderbilt had minus-9 yards of offense (25 passing, -34 rushing) and South Carolina was working with three Garcia interceptions.

U-G-L-Y.

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Singletary: We don’t have a quarterback controversy

If 49ers coach Mike Singletary knows who his starting quarterback will be when the 49ers face the Rams Sunday, he’s not saying.

While Troy Smith is preparing for a second consecutive start and another shot to hold the job — and it seems likely he’ll get it — Singletary steered clear of making a commitment during a radio interview Tuesday.

“As of right now, Troy is taking the reps,” Singletary told KNBR, per Eric Branch of The Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “But in terms of who the starting quarterback is going to be, we’re just going to continue look at Alex and see what the trainers and the doctors say and we’ll just kind of go from there.”

As Branch points out, Alex Smith hasn’t even been cleared to practice or thrown a football since his injury. So there’s little to gain for Singletary to say Troy Smith will start until Alex Smith is at least on the field. And if Troy Smith doesn’t play well against the Rams, it opens the door for Singletary to go back Alex Smith.

But until then, Singletary sidestepped the question.

“What we do not have here is a quarterback controversy,” he said. “What we have is a team that’s 2-6, that’s competing for the division. … Who’s going to give us the best opportunity to win? And as far as who that quarterback is going to be, we want to win, Alex wants to win, we all want to win. But the bottom line is, it’s going to come down to who’s going to give us the chance to win.”

If Alex Smith gave the 49ers their best chance to win, one would think Singletary would just come out and say it. He’s doing his best to squash a quarterback controversy, but being noncommittal seems to be fostering one.

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