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By now, you should know my mantra as it pertains to quarterbacks: A good one cures your ills, while a bad one exposes them.
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The importance of that position has never been greater, and that doesn't mean having two or three of them.
If you insist on having two good quarterbacks, it probably means you don't have one.
Of the eight teams that won divisions last season, only two saw their quarterbacks not start 16 games. That was Jeff Garcia in Tampa Bay and Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh.
They missed a combined four starts. So of a possible 128 starts by division-winning quarterbacks, they made 124 of them. The Super Bowl-winning New York Giants got 16 regular-season starts from Eli Manning, who also started all four games in the postseason.
Moral of the story: Have a good one and you don't need any more.
Yet as teams dove into free agency this spring we saw some funny money being spent on backups. The St. Louis Rams gave Trent Green a deal that averaged $3 million a year. Cleo Lemon got something similar from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Why? If the backup is playing for long you're in big trouble anyway.
That's why when I graded the league's 32 quarterback situations only two received A+ grades. That's Tom Brady in New England and Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. If either of those teams were to lose those passers, season over.
One is enough -- if he's the right one.
Here are grades for the quarterback position for each of the league's 32 teams.
Arizona Cardinals
Starter: Matt Leinart Backup: Kurt Warner
The skinny: This is a good one-two combination. But it's time for Leinart to take over and show he was worth being a first-round pick. He has to stay healthy. Warner had a big season when Leinart went down last season. He is still a deadly passer.
Grade: B
Atlanta Falcons
Starter: Chris Redman Backups: Joey Harrington, D.J. ShockleyThe skinny: This is as messy as any quarterback situation in the league. It's a group of journeymen. They have to get a young passer early in the draft, maybe even with the No. 3 overall pick. Redman should open the season as the starter even if they do.
Grade: D
Baltimore Ravens
Starter: Steve McNair Backups: Kyle Boller, Troy Smith
The skinny: McNair appears to be a broken-down shell of his former self. Boller has been a big tease who hasn't lived up to the hype. Smith has ability, but he's raw. They could use a high pick on a passer. And they should.
Grade: C-
Buffalo Bills
Starter: Trent Edwards Backups: J.P. Losman, Gibran Hamdan
The skinny: Edwards took the job last year as a rookie and showed loads of potential. He has a nice command of the field. If the Bills don't trade Losman, he's a strong-armed backup. But would he be a locker-room problem if he doesn't start?
Grade: C
Carolina Panthers
Starter: Jake Delhomme Backups: Matt Moore, Brett Basanez
The skinny: Delhomme is coming off a season cut short by injury. When he was out, the Panthers really struggled to throw the football. He's not great, but he gets the job done. Moore flashed last season when he got time to play.
Grade: B-
Chicago Bears
Starter: Rex Grossman Backups: Kyle Orton
The skinny: So who will it be? Grossman or Orton? Grossman goes to camp as the No. 1, but how short is his leash? Orton has a strong arm and showed well at times when he played last season. But is either the answer? They need to get a franchise passer.
Grade: C-
Cincinnati Bengals
Starter: Carson Palmer Backups: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe, Jordan Palmer
The skinny: Palmer is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. He is a pure pocket passer who excels in the Bengals offense. The backups are raw, so if Palmer goes down this is another team in big trouble.
Grade: B+
Cleveland Browns
Starter: Derek Anderson Backups: Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey
The skinny: Anderson signed a three-year deal, so he will be the starter to open the 2008 season. If he struggles, the Browns will quickly turn to Quinn, who will eventually be the starter. Anderson surprised a lot of people last season, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up.
Grade: B
Dallas Cowboys
Starter: Tony Romo Backups: Brad Johnson, Richard Bartel
The skinny: Romo played well in his first full season as a starter. He led the team to the best record in NFC in the regular season, but didn't get it done in the playoff loss to the Giants. He established himself as a good starter. Johnson can spot in for a game or two, but not much longer.
Grade: B+
Denver Broncos
Starter: Jay Cutler Backups: Patrick Ramsey, Darrell Hackney
The skinny: Cutler was a full-time starter for the first time last season and played pretty well. He needs to quit forcing passes, which he will do as he plays more. Ramsey is a nice guy to have around as a backup. He has a powerful arm.
Grade: C+
Detroit Lions
Starter: Jon Kitna Backups: Drew Stanton, Dan Orlovsky.
The skinny: Kitna can roll up some big numbers, but he can't be the guy much longer. They need an upgrade. There is talk that Stanton could push for the job after missing last season as a rookie.
Grade: C-
Green Bay Packers
Starter: Aaron Rodgers Backups: Dalton Bell, Jerry Babb
The skinny: We no longer have Brett Favre in Green Bay. That means it's Aaron Rodgers time. Packers coaches think Rodgers has a chance to be a nice starter. He did play well in Dallas last season. The backups are raw and they are still trying to land a veteran.
Grade: C
Houston Texans
Starter: Matt Schaub Backups: Quinn Gray, Sage Rosenfels, Shane Boyd
The skinny: Schaub had his first season as a starter cut short by injury. When he played, he showed some nice skills. Not having receiver Andre Johnson hurt. Rosenfels is one of the top backups in the league and played well in place of Schaub. He could still be traded. Gray would be the backup if that happens.
Grade: B-
Indianapolis Colts
Starter: Peyton Manning Backups: Jim Sorgi, Josh Betts
The skinny: As long as Manning is on the field, the Colts are a Super Bowl contender. Manning had another big season in 2007, despite playing most of it without Marvin Harrison. Is Sorgi a good backup? Who knows? He never plays.
Grade: A+
Jacksonville Jaguars
Starter: David Garrard Backups: Cleo Lemon, Todd Bouman, Lester Ricard
The skinny: The Jaguars feel they have one of the league's best in Garrard, who had a good first year as a starter. He is their long-term answer. They paid Lemon a lot of money to be a backup. They still might draft a guy in the first four rounds.
Grade: B
Kansas City Chiefs
Starter: Brodie Croyle Backups: Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen, David Greene
The skinny: Croyle was expected to take the job last year, but he struggled in camp and Huard opened as the starter. When Huard flopped, Croyle got his turn. Neither lit it up, but they did get hurt playing behind a terrible offensive line. The Chiefs could use an early pick on a quarterback.
Grade: D
Miami Dolphins
Starter: John Beck Backups: Josh McCown, Casey Bramlet, Matt BakerThe skinny: Most would say McCown is the starter right now, but I think Beck will be the guy if the staff can decide if that's where they want to go. If not, they would play McCown and likely draft a young passer. I think Beck can be the guy.
Grade: D
Minnesota Vikings
Starter: Tarvaris Jackson Backups: Brooks Bollinger
The skinny: Vikings coach Brad Childress is hitching his job status to Jackson. That's risky. Jackson hasn't developed far enough yet. Can it happen in his third season? We shall see. If it doesn't, the Vikings will waste a lot of talent. Minnesota still might find a way to bring in a veteran to challenge Jackson.
Grade: D
New England Patriots
Starter: Tom Brady Backups: Matt Cassell, Matt Gutierrez
The skinny: Brady had the best season ever for a passer in 2007. Can he get any better? He is at the top of his game. Cassell is raw as a backup, so if Brady goes down this is a team in big trouble.
Grade: A+
New Orleans Saints
Starter: Drew Brees Backups: Mark Brunell, Tyler Palko
The skinny: Brees had another big season playing for Sean Payton. After a slow start, his numbers were outstanding. Playing from behind a lot, he was forced to carry the team. Brunell is a nice veteran to have around as a backup.
Grade: B+
New York Giants
Starter: Eli Manning Backups: David Carr, Anthony Wright, Jared Lorenzen
The skinny: Manning proved in the playoffs that he is the real deal. He put to rest a lot of the doubters, and his fourth quarter in the Super Bowl was clutch. Carr has flopped as a starter, but he has the tools to be a good backup.
Grade: B+
New York Jets
Starter: Chad Pennington Backups: Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff
The skinny: Can the Jets be really comfortable with either Pennington or Clemens? Neither played well last season. Pennington's arm gets him in trouble and Clemens' inexperience gets him there. The Jets need to draft a quarterback.
Grade: C-
Oakland Raiders
Starter: JaMarcus Russell Backup: Andrew Walter
The skinny: Russell didn't show that well when he started last season, but that's to be expected of a rookie. He should make strides in his second season because the job is his now. Walter is a strong-armed backup. They need to add another quarterback.
Grade: C-
Philadelphia Eagles
Starter: Donovan McNabb Backups: A.J. Feeley, Kevin Kolb
The skinny: McNabb can still make plays, even if much of Philadelphia thinks otherwise. He has a couple of good years left. Feeley played well as a backup last season, but Kolb is expected to be the long-term starter when McNabb goes.
Grade: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
Starter: Ben Roethlisberger Backups: Charlie Batch, Jared Zabransky
The skinny: The Steelers gave Roethlisberger a long-term deal and he is their long-term answer. This is his team now. And it should be. He has star ability. Batch is an above-average backup.
Grade: B+
St. Louis Rams
Starter: Marc Bulger Backups: Trent Green, Brock Berlin
The skinny: Bulger is coming off a bad season in large part because the offensive line was awful. He got killed. But the coaching staff still believes he can be a Pro Bowl-caliber passer. Green is one hit away from sitting out again. Berlin is not an NFL-quality passer.
Grade: B-
San Diego Chargers
Starter: Philip Rivers Backups: Billy Volek, Charlie Whitehurst
The skinny: Rivers is coming off a torn ACL, so there has to be concern. He showed his toughness by playing in the AFC title game with the injury. Volek is a stopgap. No more. Whitehurst has some tools, but little experience.
Grade: B
San Francisco 49ers
Starter: Alex Smith Backups: Shaun Hill, J.T. O'Sullivan, Drew Olson
The skinny: Who will be the starter? Smith will open in that role, but his hold on it isn't strong. Hill played well late last season and could push for the job. The others are career backup types.
Grade: D
Seattle Seahawks
Starter: Matt Hasselbeck Backups: Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye, Travis Lulay
The skinny: Hasselbeck bounced back from a so-so 2006 and really carried the offense last season. He is much more than a capable quarterback. Wallace is an interesting backup, but he didn't get much time last season.
Grade: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Starter: Jeff Garcia Backups: Brian Griese, Bruce Gradkowski, Luke McCown, Chris Simms
The skinny: Jon Gruden collects quarterbacks. Garcia is the starter, but he only has one or two years left. Do any of the other four have franchise passer feel to them? Maybe Gruden should play all five for two or three games.
Grade: C+
Tennessee Titans
Starter: Vince Young Backups: Kerry Collins, Ingle Martin, Paul Thompson
The skinny: Young needs to make strides in his all-important third season. He has to throw it better. Collins is a capable backup, but he can't carry the team for more than five games or so. Young's potential is there, but he isn't close to reaching it as a passer. In fact, he regressed last season.
Grade: C
Washington Redskins
Starter: Jason Campbell Backups: Todd Collins, Sam Hollenbach
The skinny: It's time for Campbell to take his game to the next level. He showed signs of it last season before getting hurt. Collins played well in relief, which is why he was re-signed. But it's Campbell's job.
Grade: C+