NFL Insider: Find a keeper at quarterback

The NFL's top five quarterbacks are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck.

Pick any four you want, give us the fifth and we won't be disappointed.

The next five are Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers and Cam Newton.

The third tier includes 11 quarterbacks with very firm to relatively firm grasps on their starting positions. These guys should make it through this season without justified paranoia because, A, They're good; B, Their backups aren't pushing them; or C, They still deserve a long, respectful leash because they've won two Super Bowls, right Eli?

In this group are: Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, Alex Smith, Nick Foles, Colin Kaepernick, Tony Romo, Matthew Stafford, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning and Ryan Tannehill.

The fourth group is a lonely one: Robert Griffin III. He's no less talented than our second and third groups. But he's ripe for a quarterback controversy because, A, He's still developing under the weight of tremendous expectations; B, His backup, Kirk Cousins, has intriguing possibilities; C, He had the misfortune of blowing out a knee so soon after Adrian Peterson did; and D, He has thin skin, which isn't good when you're a fixture on ESPN, and the barrage of pot shots range from Joe Theismann to the angry Twitter geek with one follower.

That's 22 quarterbacks who, barring injury, should be set. So that leaves 10 head coaches who tiptoe into the season prepared to face the possibility of having to bench a healthy quarterback.

Those 10 coaches work for the Bills, Texans, Titans, Raiders, Jets, Jaguars, Browns, Buccaneers, Vikings and Rams, where Jeff Fisher already is down to a backup (Shaun Hill) who has thrown only 16 passes since his last start in 2010.

Not surprisingly, the combined record of those 10 teams last year was 51-108-1. It's also no surprise that five of the league's seven new head coaches, including the Vikings' Mike Zimmer, reside in this group.

Zimmer, Cleveland's Mike Pettine and Jacksonville's Gus Bradley chose veterans over rookie first-round draft picks. Oakland's Dennis Allen picked rookie second-round pick Derek Carr over veteran Matt Schaub.

Zimmer had the easiest decision, thanks to how well Matt Cassel accepted the challenge to hold off Teddy Bridgewater, who hasn't disappointed.

"I don't want to have a quick hook," Zimmer said. "But I want to do what's the right thing for the football team. And at that point in time, [offensive coordinator] Norv [Turner] and I will sit down and discuss those things, if it gets to that point, and then figure out what's best.

"I don't foresee that being an early decision. We throw an interception the first play of the game, I'm not going to yank him."

Fisher, who knows about quarterback controversies after coaching Vince Young in Tennessee, said explaining the move to the team with genuine conviction and not reversing course is vital.

"If you're moving back and forth and you create the illusion that you can't make a decision, your team responds that way," Fisher said.

The Vikings know this all too well. A year ago, three quarterbacks started, including Josh Freeman, who got the nod after four practices, understandably humiliated the franchise on "Monday Night Football" and never played again.

The Vikings have changed dramatically since. But that doesn't mean Zimmer won't be asked at some point to consider making the hardest personnel change that a head coach has to make in today's NFL.

Five Week One Storylines

1 Patriots intrigue: Two guys to watch against Miami

New England added cornerback Darrelle Revis, hoping he reverts to form, and TE Rob Gronkowski is quickly back from knee surgery.

2 South shootout? Falcons have early shot at Saints

Atlanta's terrible 2013 season can quickly be washed away if it can knock off New Orleans. Falcons QB Matt Ryan is 36-10 at home.

3 Paying dues quickly: Rattled rookie vs. Rex Ryan

Derek Carr wasn't the most highly touted rookie QB, but he's starting in Oakland. The Raiders play the Jets in New York, and Ryan will probably blitz the kid to death.

4 Rich man, rich man Are those your wallets?

Ravens QB Joe Flacco got paid last year ($120 million), and Bengals QB Andy Dalton got his big money ($115 million) this year. They meet in Baltimore trying to show they aren't overpaid.

5 And you are …? New coaches, bad teams

Bill O'Brien and Houston play host to Jay Gruden and Washington. O'Brien has J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. Gruden has RGIII. Who do you like?

NFL Chatter

If Rams backup-turned-starter Shaun Hill beats the Vikings on Sunday, blame Norv Turner.

OK, that's a bit of an oversimplification. But Hill does credit the Vikings offensive coordinator for extending his NFL career when the Vikings had no more use for him after the Mike Tice era ended following the 2005 season.

Tice, a former Maryland quarterback, loved his Terrapins. And he held on to Hill as a backup for four seasons, even though Hill's only regular-season snaps were two kneel-downs in the final game of the 2005 season.

"Norv basically stood on the table to keep me in the league in 2006," said Hill, referring to Turner's one season as 49ers offensive coordinator. "He brought me out to San Francisco June 1st or 2nd. I got about a week of OTAs, had to kind of learn it all on the fly. And then in training camp, made the team, and that was all because of him."

Hill has since started 26 of his 34 career games, going 13-13, including 10-6 with the 49ers. His last start was a Lions win over the Vikings in 2010. Turner said he's but one of many coaches who respect the 13-year veteran.

"Shaun has always been a very productive player," Turner said. "He gets the ball out real quick, and that's the No. 1 thing you want in a quarterback."

Three observations …

• Percy Harvin's good health could make fools of those of us who think another team will catch Seattle from behind this season.

• Seattle is good, but the Packers looked uncharacteristically sloppy and disorganized Thursday.

• There have been only eight 5,000-yard passing seasons in NFL history. Drew Brees has half of them.

Two bold predictions

• Cordarrelle Patterson will return Sunday's opening kickoff for a touchdown, but the Rams' defense eventually will prevail at home.

• The Patriots will win at Miami en route to their 12th consecutive season with at least 10 wins. The record belongs to the 49ers, who had 16 straight 10-win seasons from 1983 to 1998.

Games of the Week

NE at MIA Noon Sunday, Ch. 4

Dolphins QB Tannehill had best career game vs. Pats in 2013.

SF at DAL 3:25 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 9

Niners have star linebacker issues — Bowman is hurt, Smith suspended.

IND at DEN 7 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 11

Broncos QB Manning faced former team last season and lost, in Indy.

MARK CRAIG