TWO OF NFL'S BRIGHTEST QB STARS MEET IN SUNDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN

 

All eyes will be on two of the NFL's brightest young quarterback stars - JAY CUTLER and AARON RODGERS - this Sunday night when Cutler leads his new team, the Chicago Bears, into Lambeau Field to face Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in primetime (NBC, 8:30 PM ET). 

 

Cutler, Denver's first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in 2006, was acquired via trade by Chicago this offseason after leading the AFC with 4,526 passing yards, the most ever by a Broncos quarterback.  He also set team records with 384 completions, 616 attempts and eight 300-yard passing games and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.  Rodgers became only the second quarterback in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards (4,038) in the first season that he started a game.  The five-year veteran, who was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft (No. 24 overall), ranked fourth in the NFL last year in both passing yards (4,038) and touchdowns (28).

 

Quarterbacks throughout the league find themselves in the spotlight as the NFL begins the new season, all hoping to lead their teams to a berth in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7 at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida.

 

Following is a team-by-team look at the NFC's starting quarterbacks on Kickoff Weekend:

 

ARIZONA:  Four-time All-Star KURT WARNER returns after leading the Cardinals to the franchise's first Super Bowl last year.  The 12-year veteran enters his fifth season with Arizona and owns the third-highest career passer rating in NFL history with a 93.8 mark.  In 2008, the two-time NFL MVP established team records for attempts (598), completions (401), completion percentage (67.1), passer rating (96.9) and touchdown passes (30) while his 4,583 passing yards ranked second-most in club annals.  He was also honored as the WALTER PAYTON NFL Man of the Year.

 

ATLANTA:  After a successful rookie campaign, MATT RYAN will look to guide the Falcons back to the playoffs.  Last season, Ryan was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and, along with Baltimore's JOE FLACCO, became the first rookie in NFL history to start all 16 games and lead his team to the playoffs.   The 2008 first-round draft choice (No. 3 overall) won 11 games and passed for 3,440 yards, joining PEYTON MANNING (1998) as the only rookie quarterbacks to reach the 3,000-yard plateau. 

 

CAROLINA:  For a team-record sixth consecutive year, JAKE DELHOMME will start at quarterback on Kickoff Weekend.  The 11-year veteran, who recorded his fourth career 3,000-yard passing season (3,288), led the club to a 12-4 record and the NFC South title last year.  Delhomme ranks first in franchise history in attempts (2,348), completions (1,402), passing yards (17,243), touchdown passes (112) and 300-yard passing games (nine).  His 79 career starts are the most ever for a Panthers quarterback.

 

CHICAGO:  The Bears traded for Pro Bowl quarterback JAY CUTLER during the offseason and will be counting on him to lead them back to the playoffs.  Last season with Denver, Cutler topped the AFC with a team-record 4,526 passing yards.  He also set single-season club marks with 384 completions, 616 attempts and eight 300-yard passing games.  In his career, the former first-round draft pick (2006, No. 11 overall) has started 37 games, completing 762 of 1,220 passes (62.5 percent) for 9,024 yards and 54 touchdowns. 

 

DALLAS:  Seven-year veteran TONY ROMO enters the 2009 season with a 27-12 (.692) record as the Cowboys' starter.  Last year, Romo passed for 3,448 yards and 26 touchdowns, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer ROGER STAUBACH as the only Dallas quarterbacks to post consecutive seasons with at least 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.  Romo holds team season records for touchdowns passes (36), passing yards (4,211), completions (335) and 300-yard games (7).

 

DETROIT:  Rookie MATTHEW STAFFORD, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, will get the starting nod for the Lions.  Stafford posted a 27-7 (.794) record in 34 career starts at Georgia and ranks third in school history with 7,731 passing yards and 51 touchdowns.  He led the Bulldogs to three bowl victories and was named the Capital One Bowl MVP last year.  Stafford set a single-season school record in 2008 with 3,499 yards of total offense and his 3,459 passing yards ranked second all-time. 

 

GREEN BAY:  Entering his second season as the team's starter, AARON RODGERS looks to improve on an impressive 2008.  Rodgers became only the second quarterback in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards (4,038) in the first season that he started a game (KURT WARNER, 1999).  The five-year veteran, who was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft (No. 24 overall), ranked fourth in the NFL in 2008 in both passing yards (4,038) and touchdowns (28), becoming only the fourth Packer with at least 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in a season. 

 

MINNESOTA:  When BRETT FAVRE makes his first career start for the Vikings on Sunday, it will be his 270th consecutive start, believed to be tied for the longest starting streak in NFL history with JIM MARSHALL (Marshall started 270 games in a row for Minnesota from 1961-79.  He played 12 games with Cleveland in 1960, but official records of starters were not kept before 1961.  However, the Browns' internal records indicate that Marshall did not start the final 11 games of that season).  Last year, Favre, playing for the New York Jets, was chosen to his 10th Pro Bowl, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHNNY UNITAS for the most selections at the position.  The three-time MVP (1995-97) holds numerous NFL passing records, including attempts (9,280), completions (5,720) yards (65,127) and touchdowns (464).

 

NEW ORLEANS:  Pro Bowl quarterback DREW BREES became the second player in NFL history to reach the 5,000-yard mark when he passed for a league-high 5,069 yards last year (DAN MARINO, 5,084).  The nine-year veteran, who was named the 2008 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, also recorded 10 300-yard passing games, tying RICH GANNON (2002) for the most such games in a season.  In his first three years with the Saints, Brees has posted the only three 4,000-yard seasons in franchise history and his 13,910 yards during that span are the most in the NFL. 

 

NEW YORK GIANTS:  After guiding the Giants to the NFC East title last season, quarterback ELI MANNING will look to lead the team back to the Super Bowl.  The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft passed for 3,238 yards and 21 touchdowns last year to earn his first career Pro Bowl berth.  Manning, who was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLII, is the only Giants quarterback to pass for at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons.  Entering his sixth season, Manning has started a team quarterback-record 78 consecutive games for the Giants, including the playoffs.

 

PHILADELPHIA:  The 2008 season was a memorable one for Eagles quarterback DONOVAN MC NABB as he guided the team to a fifth NFC Championship appearance in his 10 years and set career franchise marks in attempts (4,303), passing yards (29,320) and touchdown passes (194).  The five-time All-Star has posted an 82-45-1 (.645) record as a starter and his 82 victories and nine playoff wins are the most by a quarterback in club history.  McNabb set single-season franchise records last year in attempts (571), completions (345) and yards (3,916).

 

ST. LOUIS:  Nine-year veteran MARC BULGER will once again start for the Rams.  Last year, Bulger passed for 2,720 yards and surpassed the 20,000-yard mark for his career.  The two-time All-Star reached 20,000 yards in his 81st game, becoming the fifth-fastest quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat.  Bulger ranks second all-time in team annals with a 62.6 completion percentage and 85.6 passer rating.  He is third in club history with 21,345 passing yards and fourth with 117 touchdown passes.

 

SAN FRANCISCO:  Veteran quarterback SHAUN HILL will make his 11th career start and first on Kickoff Weekend.  Last year with the 49ers, Hill started eight games and posted career-highs in attempts (288), completions (181), passing yards (2,046) and touchdown passes (13).  He led San Francisco to wins in five of his eight starts, including a 4-1 record over the final five games of the season.  Hill has seen action in 12 games over the past two seasons with the 49ers and has posted a passer rating of at least 90.0 in eight of those contests.

 

SEATTLE:  The Seahawks are counting on a healthy MATT HASSELBECK to return to Pro Bowl form as the team aims for its fifth division title in the past six years.  After only playing seven games in 2008 due to injury, Hasselbeck is eager to get back on the field.  Entering his ninth season with Seattle, the three-time All-Star is the highest-rated passer in club annals with an 86.2 passer rating and his 15 300-yard passing games are the most by a Seahawk.  Hasselbeck set single-season team records in attempts (562), completions (352) and passing yards (3,966) in 2007.

 

TAMPA BAY:  Entering his seventh NFL season and first with the Buccaneers, veteran quarterback BYRON LEFTWICH will look to bring with him some of the success he enjoyed last season as a member of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  The former first-round draft pick (No. 7 overall) by Jacksonville in 2003 has won 24 games in his career as a starter and has three 2,000-yard passing seasons.  Last year, Leftwich saw action in six games for Pittsburgh, including one postseason contest. 

 

WASHINGTON:  JASON CAMPBELL enters his fifth NFL season and is the team's starter on Kickoff Weekend for the third consecutive year.  The club's first-round selection (No. 25) in 2005 had a career year last season, completing 315 of 506 passes (62.3 percent) for 3,245 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions for an 84.3 passer rating.  Campbell led the NFL with a 1.2 interception percentage (six interceptions in 506 attempts) and threw 271 consecutive passes without an interception over a two-year span (2007-08), the fifth-longest streak in NFL history. 

 

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