Which NFL QB is Brian Johnson?

First off a discloser, I’m not saying BJ is NFL type player I don’t in anyway expect him to be drafted or picked up by a Pro Team, but lately there has been a lot of criticism of Brian and it got me to thinking as to what NFL Quarterback Brian Johnson resembles most.

I think it is Eli Manning. They have a lot of similarities. Both of them had great expectations thrown upon them from the very start.

 Eli being the son of a hall of famer, and younger brother to another great and future hall of famer Payton Manning was drafted by the New York Giants with expectations to turn the team around immediately.

Brian Johnson became the starter after Utah’s most successful quarterback of all time left for the NFL as a #1 pick. He was expected to continue and build upon the success of the past season.

Both were put into less than ideal situations that set them up fail rather than thrive as Eli had that task making New York great again, Brian to match the past seasons success without a lot of the talent and a new coaching staff.

Both Eli and Johnson didn’t live up to the expectations that had been set for them. Brian while creating a lot of offense was still only 5-5 as a started when he went down with an injury, and Eli was anything but spectacular in his first couple of years in New York.

Both have shown that they have great talent and are able to make great plays and tear teams apart when they are having an “on” game, but both have been known to make stupid mistakes, be it by throwing an INT by forcing a pass, or fumbling the ball away. They both have caused their respective fan bases heartache.

Last year Eli struggled early, but got it together late in the season as he rallied the Giants to a great finish where they earned a wildcard playoff birth and shocked everyone by making it to the Super Bowl beating the powerful Patriots.

This year Utah has come out of the gates quickly. We are 7-0 ranked 14/13 in the nation and setting themselves up for another banner year, with a possible MWC championship and BCS birth not only possible but at this point likely. Brian Johnson is still making mistakes; while his offensive totals aren’t anywhere near where they were before he got injured in 2005 his winning percentage is perfect on the year opposed to .500 record he posted his sophomore year.

Maybe like Eli Brian doesn’t have the stats that we would all like him to have, maybe he turns the ball over too much, but just like Eli found a way to win with the over powered Giants in the Super bowl, Brian has found a way for Utah to win every game this year, he might not go out and win them, but he manages that game and always puts Utah in a position to win the game and I fully expect for this trend to continue throughout the season. When the game is on the line there is no one I would rather have running our offense.