Finding a franchise quarterback can be an exhausting, disastrous journey

Brian Spurlock

Colts fans thank former quarterback Peyton Manning for "gifting" them Andrew Luck.

When you're trying to win a Super Bowl in the NFL, one thing will always be true of your success, or lack thereof – do you have a quarterback?

The term franchise quarterback was coined because of the stability and success that one player allowed a franchise obtain over the span of years and years. You need one of these treasures to be a contender for the Lombardi, but you need an above average quarterback just to be competitive.

In 2011, the Colts lost their then-star quarterback, Peyton Manning, for the entire season. After nine straight playoff appearances, two conference championships and one Super Bowl win, the Colts went 2-14 in a downright miserable season.

Yes, it was evident that one guy – Peyton Manning – had become the rise and the fall of the team. The position of quarterback had never been illustrated with such importance.

A year later, Manning would be cut, ultimately landing in Denver and giving the Broncos a franchise quarterback to call their own. The Colts luckily found their new franchise quarterback in Andrew Luck. The franchise somehow struck gold for the second time in 14 years, while some teams haven't even smelled a championship in a decade.

The Broncos locked up their guy and are set at the position for the next 3-4 years, depending on Manning's ability to stay healthy. The Colts? Well, they could be riding a wave of success for the next 10-15 years.

But teams like the Raiders, Bills, Browns, just to name a few, are still in the dark at the position.


The Browns drafted a 28-year-old rookie in Brandon Weeden (that's an old rookie), but after a mediocre rookie effort and a total regime change, Weeden doesn't appear to be the long-term answer in Cleveland.

The Browns have clinched a playoff berth only twice in the last 20 years.

USA Today Sports

Pro Bowlers Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck practice together.

The Raiders traded for an aging Carson Palmer, in what then-head coach Hugh Jackson called one of the greatest trades ever. Fast forward to today, and Palmer is on his way out, Jackson has been fired, and the Raiders just traded two draft picks (one conditional, one fifth-round) for a one-year wonder, shot in the dark – quarterback Matt Flynn.

The Raiders haven't been to the playoffs since 2002 and haven't won a Super Bowl in almost 30 years.

The Bills paid Harvard graduate, Ryan Fitzpatrick, a ridiculous amount of money to, well, not be good. Now? They signed a guy who was, like Fitzpatrick, paid a bunch of money to be "the guy," but in Arizona. He failed there, but now he's trying to revive his sub par career in Buffalo. A bit of a quarterbacking carousel of mediocrity, if you will.

The Bills have never won a Super Bowl and haven't been to the playoffs since 1999.

In 2013, teams without competent quarterbacks will once again be forced to claw, scratch and bite for a few wins, while their fan base enviously watches their rivals and NFL counterparts fight for a championship.

This is the NFL when you don't have a quarterback. It's not fun. Not for the team, or for the fans.

My advice to the miserable fans of said quarterback-less teams? Be patient. Very patient. Or come root for the Colts.