Backup quarterbacks are a lot like vice presidents. Unless something happens to the president, the vice president often becomes the forgotten man in Washington. If the president dies in office, however, the V.P. suddenly becomes the most important person around.

	GRADING KEY
	A = Injury to the starting quarterback would cost the team one game at most
	B = Two extra losses
	C = Three or more losses
	D = Devastating effect on the team; four or more losses

There was a time not long ago when good teams could afford to keep two upper-echelon quarterbacks (Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco, Brett Favre and Mark Brunell in Green Bay) on their roster for a few years until the one not starting became disgruntled.

However, as a result of the salary cap and free agency, those days are over, unless a team strikes lightning in a bottle and gets a top quarterback after the second round of the draft and signs him for three or four years. Or if a team can sign an unwanted but super-talented vet for one year as the Vikings did with Jeff George this season.

What follows is a look (with tremendous input from NFL scouts and sources) at how much each team would drop off if its starting quarterback goes down for the count early in the season as the Jets' Vinny Testaverde did in the opener, or the Rams' Trent Green did before the regular season even started.

A "D" grade means that injury would have a devastating effect on the team and cost it four or more games. A "C" grade means it would cost the team three or four games in the standings. A "B" grade translates into one or two extra losses, and an "A" signifies the injury would cost the team one game at most.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills
Starter: Doug Flutie
Backup: Rob Johnson
Actually, Johnson is the better pure passer and more in the NFL mold than Flutie. When Johnson is in the game, however, the sack total goes through the roof because he does not see or sense the rush well and is late to react. On the other hand, Flutie's greatness is in his intuitiveness. He is almost impossible to sack and is a master improviser who finds ways to get things done. Grade: B

Indianapolis Colts
Starter: Peyton Manning
Backup: Steve Walsh
Manning is an up-and-coming star who took every snap as a first-year starter and got much better late in the year. Walsh is a smart journeyman type with marginal physical tools and arm strength. Grade: C

Miami Dolphins
Starter: Dan Marino
Backup: Damon Huard
Marino is not quite what he was in his prime but is still one of the game's five or six best quarterbacks. Huard has gotten better but is still no Earl Morrall. Although many view Jim Druckenmiller as the heir to Marino, it is doubtful Druckenmiller will learn the system well enough to move up to the No. 2 spot this year. Grade: C

New England Patriots
Starter: Drew Bledsoe
Backups: John Friesz, Michael Bishop
Bledsoe is one of the game's great pure passers, but an improviser he is not. The big knock on Friesz is that he is about as mobile as the Washington Monument and can't avoid the rush. Conversely, Bishop is a fun-to-watch, totally undisciplined but very intuitive school-yard quarterback with quick feet, 4.7 speed and a very strong arm. Scouts have called him a cross between Flutie and the Vikings' Randall Cunningham, but many question Bishop's poise and whether a team can win without a structured passing game. Grade: C

New York Jets
Starter: (before injury) Vinny Testaverde
Backup: Rick Mirer
Losing Testaverde was a devastating blow for the Jets and cost them the opener. Testaverde has a stronger and much more accurate arm than Mirer, knows the offense much better and has better instincts. Grade: C

Baltimore Ravens
Starter: Scott Mitchell
Backups: Stoney Case, Tony Banks
Mitchell tends to be like the girl with the curl - either really good or really bad. Head coach Brian Billick seems to be finding out what Michigan State and the Rams already knew about Banks and is ready to turn the No. 2 role over to Case, who, after being picked up, looked good at the end of the preseason. Grade: B

AFC Central

Cincinnati Bengals
Starter: Jeff Blake
Backup: Akili Smith
The key question is: Which Jeff Blake will show up, the one of three years ago, or the one who was erratic and unreliable the past two seasons? Smith is not ready, but if Blake does not play well, Smith will be starting by midseason. Perhaps sooner. Blake sprained his passing shoulder last Sunday, but it was not known at presstime how long he will be sidelined. Grade: B

Cleveland Browns
Starter: (in week one) Ty Detmer
Backup: Tim Couch
Detmer was just keeping the seat warm until Couch was ready, and Couch's timetable may have just been moved up because of the embarrassing opening-day loss. Grade: A

Jacksonville Jaguars
Starter: Mark Brunell
Backups: Jay Fiedler, Jonathan Quinn
Brunell ranks a notch below the truly elite quarterbacks but could move up to the top group if he shows he can elevate his game in the playoffs. Quinn is a second-year player who has already started a few games with mixed results. He has a big-time arm and 4.7 speed, but some scouts question how intuitive he is and how well he sees the field. One scout says, "The more he has to play, and the more time you have to get ready for him, the more you can expose his inexperience." Fiedler has at least temporarily moved ahead of Quinn because the former seems to have a better feel for the offense and more poise. Grade: C

Pittsburgh Steelers
Starter: Kordell Stewart
Backup: Mike Tomczak
This is the year we will find out if Stewart can become a top-of-the-line quarterback or is just another Vince Evans. Tomczak is a seasoned vet who is well past his prime and has always been streaky, but he can still have his moments. Grade: B/C

Tennessee Titans
Starter: (before injury) Steve McNair
Backup: Neil O'Donnell
McNair has a chance to be exceptional, but this is the year he must do it. If given time and a running game, O'Donnell can be very efficient. Grade: A

AFC West

Denver Broncos
Starter: Brian Griese
Backups: Bubby Brister, Chris Miller
You could make an equally good or bad case for starting any of the three. The funny thing is, Griese has the calmness and poise Brister lacks, and despite all his injuries, Miller has the best physical skills for the system. Grade: A

Kansas City Chiefs
Starter: Elvis Grbac
Backup: Warren Moon
Grbac has been a tease to date, and Moon is still one of the best pure passers in football. The questions with Moon now concern his durability, mobility and tendency to release the ball a little early. With Grbac, decision-making and ability to handle pressure remain the concerns. Grade: A

Oakland Raiders
Starter: Rich Gannon
Backup: Wade Wilson
Gannon is no world-beater, but he fits the system and is good enough if everyone else does their jobs. Wilson is well past his prime, and the more he has to play, the more obvious that will become. Grade: C

San Diego Chargers
Starter: Jim Harbaugh
Backup: Erik Kramer
Two well-respected veterans with enough talent to get the job done. Harbaugh is a better ad-lib type of quarterback, while Kramer is the better pocket passer. Grade: A

Seattle Seahawks
Starter: Jon Kitna
Backups: Glenn Foley, Brock Huard
Kitna is a very tough kid who seems to respond to pressure and think on his feet. Foley is very streaky, but when he is hot, he is the best pure passer of the group. Huard looks like the guy who was projected as a surefire first-round pick before his disastrous junior season now that he has broken some bad habits, such as throwing off his back foot or while falling away. Grade: B

NFC East

Arizona Cardinals
Starter: Jake Plummer
Backup: Dave Brown
Plummer is a special player who is at his best with the game on the line. Brown has never really been able to get it done in crunch time, yet he is a huge help as a mentor and teacher in a backup role to Plummer. Brown knows the division and often has helpful pointers for Plummer. Grade: C/D

Dallas Cowboys
Starter: Troy Aikman
Backup: Jason Garrett
Aikman is one of the best, but Garrett is a very smart and resourceful player who has generally gotten the job done when called upon for up to five-game stretches. He does not have the physical tools to be a long-term starter, however. Grade: B/C

New York Giants
Starter: Kent Graham
Backup: Kerry Collins
Graham and Collins appeared to dramatically improve over the summer and seem to have worked very hard to improve on weaknesses. Graham is a little more mobile, and both have improved their accuracy and mechanics. Grade: A/B

Philadelphia Eagles
Starter: Doug Pederson
Backup: Donovan Mcnabb
Pederson is just a stopgap player until McNabb is ready to go. McNabb may already be the team's best quarterback, but the Eagles don't want to rush him. Grade: A

Washington Redskins
Starter: Brad Johnson
Backup: Rodney Peete
The biggest knock on both deals with their durability, so the Redskins will probably need both. Since Washington has improved on defense (at least on paper), the Redskins' quarterback may be in a situation where he does not have to win games but just keep from losing them. The team still has a lot of holes on offense, however, and there will be a lot of heat on the quarterback whenever the team falls behind. Johnson is the better pure passer, while Peete is a little more mobile. Grade: B

NFC Central

Chicago Bears
Starter: Shane Matthews
Backup: Cade McNown
Matthews is not good enough and is just there until McNown is ready. McNown was hurt by a holdout and tends to take too many chances. Grade: A

Detroit Lions
Starter: Charlie Batch
Backup: Gus Frerotte
Batch looks promising and appears poised beyond his years and ready for a fine career. At one point, they were saying the same sort of things about Frerotte in Washington, but when he became the man, the pressure was too great for him at that point in his career. Grade: B

Green Bay Packers
Starter: Brett Favre
Backup: Matt Hasselbeck
Favre is the best quarterback in the NFL and a great leader. Hasselbeck had a great preseason but is still an unknown commodity. Grade: C/D

Minnesota Vikings
Starter: Randall Cunningham
Backup: Jeff George
Cunningham is coming off a career year but still came up short at the end with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Yet, as a person and teammate he is no longer hung up on his own stats and accomplishments. George is a lot like Cunningham once was. George has superior tools but is known as a selfish player who turns teammates off. There is not a more gifted No. 2 quarterback in football than George. Grade: B

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Starter: Trent Dilfer
Backup: Eric Zeier
Dilfer had a nice preseason and then fell apart, handing the Giants the opener and possibly losing the confidence of his teammates in the process. Zeier is a Gary Kubiak type. Grade: A/B

NFC West

Atlanta Falcons
Starter: Chris Chandler
Backups: Tony Graziani, Danny Kanell
Chandler is good but not great and has two major flaws: He holds on to the ball too long and gets hurt too much. Kanell lost his confidence last year and still may not have regained it. In one year he went from the Giants' top quarterback to a player the G-men did not make any effort to keep. Graziani moved ahead of Kanell almost by default because of how poorly Kanell played in the preseason. Graziani is a mobile lefty and an erratic passer who hasn't done anything to convince you he can handle the job. Grade: C

Carolina Panthers
Starter: Steve Beuerlein
Backups: Steve Bono, Jeff Lewis
Beuerlein can be adequate in the correct offense. Bono is a career backup and past his prime. Lewis is supposed to be the future, but the Broncos chose to keep Brian Griese and deal Lewis for draft picks, and he had a very mediocre preseason for the Panthers. Grade: B

New Orleans Saints
Starter: Billy Joe Hobert
Backup: Billy Joe Tolliver
They both are tough guys with swagger who can throw the ball hard and far. Both are more throwers than pitchers who have control problems with both the ball and their emotions. Grade: A/B

St. Louis Rams
Starter: (before injury) Trent Green
Backups: Kurt Warner, Paul Justin
Green looked like a perfect fit in the offense and was having an incredible preseason before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Let's not get carried away and put him down as an elite quarterback, but he probably would have been a major improvement. Warner has good intangibles and a slightly better arm than Green, but Warner's only real game experience before this season came in Arena ball, and he does not know the offense nearly as well as Green. As a result, Warner takes longer to make decisions and is prone to make more mistakes. Justin has had some big games in the past but has not been able to maintain his play. Rams offensive coordinator Mike Martz was his offensive coach at Arizona State, so Justin is familiar with the offense. Grade: B/C

San Francisco 49ers
Starter: Steve Young
Backup: Jeff Garcia
Young is still one of the three best quarterbacks and 10 most valuable players in football. Garcia is too small and does not have enough tools, but he has a knack for getting the job done in this type of offense. Still, the more he has to play, the more his limitations will be exposed. Grade: C/D

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com