Everyone knows that Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers are the real deal. Let’s take a look at some of the other quarterbacks who are in crucial seasons of their careers. For many of them, they will either take the leap into the upper echelon or stay embedded in the middle of NFL starting quarterbacks.

Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals:
In many ways, Leinart is the most obvious quarterback entering a pivotal season. With Kurt Warner now out of the picture, Arizona is his team – for now. Though the Cardinals are hoping that Leinart can take that step in the right direction after four years as a backup, they did bring in Derek Anderson to hover over his shoulder. If Leinart struggles early on, particularly in the wide open NFC West, the Cardinals won’t hesitate to go with Anderson. Leinart also will have to deal with the loss of wideout Anquan Boldin. 2010 is nothing short of a make-or-break year for Leinart.

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears:
Nobody doubts Cutler’s physical gifts, even after an abysmal first season in Chicago. However, Cutler also hasn’t put it together for a full season at any point in his career and has always been prone to turning the ball over, which has opened up the possibility that he was previously overrated. With a sub-par Bears receiving corps last season, Cutler severely struggled and it’s easy to wonder how much the talents of Brandon Marshall inflated his effectiveness in Denver. The Bears have brought in an offensive guru in Mike Martz to run the offense, though they still haven’t done much to upgrade their receivers. As other athletes have found out, Chicago isn’t a great place to be if you’re not going to perform on the field. Cutler needs to have a comeback season or he could be very quickly on his way out of Chicago.

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets:
Sanchez doesn’t have the type of pessimism surrounding Cutler and Leinart but still has plenty of pressure. With the Jets’ impressive offseason upgrades, many are expecting the Jets to not only make the playoffs but be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, which is a lot to put on a second year quarterback. Sanchez may sell plenty of NFL tickets but he’s never faced this type of pressure before in his career – not even at USC. A good season could place Sanchez on the cusp of being an elite quarterback. A bad season could have Jets fans looking for a different quarterback who can win now.

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers:
Smith has the potential to be one of the nicest stories in the league this season. After most had dismissed him as a complete bust, he has quietly resurrected his career after getting another chance at being the starting quarterback for the 49ers.

Considering that Aaron Rodgers went considerably later than Smith in the draft, Smith has to be itching to show something to those who may have dismissed him. With Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Tedd Ginn Jr., Smith has a bevy of weapons and the 49ers even made a significant upgrade on the offensive line. Since the division should be within sight for the 49ers this season, there is plenty of pressure once Levitra again on Smith to deliver. His future as a starting quarterback in the league depends on it.

David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars:
Since his breakout season in 2007, Garrard has been very mediocre. In the process, the Jags are no longer seen as legitimate division contenders in the AFC South, where the up-and-coming Houston Texans seem to be the only real challenge for the Indianapolis Colts. Garrard is still the starting quarterback for the Jags but they will eventually start looking elsewhere if he can’t get back to his earlier level of success. After starting his career as a highly efficient quarterback who threw very few picks, Garrard has been turning the ball over more in recent seasons without increasing his touchdown totals. Garrard needs to get back to ball control and using his athleticism in the pocket to get the Jags back on track.

Other quarterbacks to watch:
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens:
Flacco has been very good in his first two seasons, which has been enough to keep his critics at bay. With his most talented overall team, Flacco will now have to deal with the expectations that go along with being a legitimate contender in the AFC.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons:
Ryan took a step back in 2009 after surprising everyone during a great rookie season, one in which he started all 16 games and posted a very good QB rating of 87.7. The Falcons are still pretty good and Ryan needs to have a good season to prove that NFL defenses haven’t caught up with him after the hot start to his career.

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