6) Tom Brady, New England Patriots (quarterback)
He is on everyone’s top five quarterbacks list. But the Patriots haven’t won the Super Bowl in a decade. How much longer can he live off the success that he achieved earlier in his career?
What he must do: Win one more Super Bowl.
A decade ago he seemed destined not to join but rather eclipse Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana in Super Bowl rings. Now the question is if he’ll join them and if the Patriots’ legacy will be with the Steelers, 49ers, Packers or rather the Cowboys of the 1990s—a team that won three NFL titles instead of four during their day in the sun. By his mere presence Brady can link the 2014 Patriots back to their heyday of a decade ago and move New England into the “Greatest Dynasty” discussion, but only if he wins another Super Bowl. At the soon-to-be age of 37, his chances are dwindling.
7) Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks (cornerback)
Defensive backs have always been known to have a swagger—Deion Sanders, Fred Williamson, even Night Train Lane. Sherman not only qualified but solidified his place with those stylish greats in 2013 as he led Seattle to their first Super Bowl win.
There’s only one problem—he is the ultimate villain. He couldn’t rejoice in going to the Super Bowl with his team after winning the NFC Championship. Instead, he had to call out Michael Crabtree in a personal rivalry. He couldn’t simply appear advertisements for headphones by saying, “I’m the man.” The commercials had to denigrate fans and media in the process.
What he must do: Learn to keep quiet when the situation calls for it.
This is not to say professional athletes should always resign themselves to being company men and humble.
But when Sherman has opened his mouth, when has it ever entertained everyone involved? When has it ever come across as anything but making himself seem unlikable?
Perhaps in 2014 the villain is now the most marketable character on the field. But if Sherman is a part of such a trend, how is it beneficial to the Seahawks as a whole?
8) Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (quarterback)
It is easy to forget how good Alex Smith has been the last three years. He had six game-winning drives in 2011 for the San Francisco 49ers, breaking Joe Montana’s franchise record. He threw fewer interceptions than any other starting quarterback in history that season as well.
With the Chiefs he completely turned the culture of the franchise around by taking a 2-14 team to an unprecedented 9-0 start, putting up 44 points in a playoff game and was named to the Pro Bowl. He even won that (meaningless) game with a last-second touchdown pass.
And then there’s the little thing about losing his job to Colin Kaepernick and finishing 2-6 last season.
What he must do: Stay the course, ignore the criticism and persevere. Dull? Yes. Also practical.
Smith, despite his selection as the top pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, is never going to throw for 4,500 yards. He will, however, be a good game manager and hopefully has proven he is capable of producing a score with the game on the line.
There are enough new receivers for him to improve an unimpressive yards-per-attempt average last season of 6.29.
Sure, it’s a tougher schedule and Dwayne Bowe is inconsistent. But the Chiefs have always been the sort of team that doesn’t gather a lot of preseason attention but rather falls through the cracks and then is just there. They aren’t sexy, but for fans of the Aesop fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” Smith could be quite effective.
Or he could go back to the guy who struggled for six years and lost his job with a 6-2 record to a guy from Nevada-Reno.
9) Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns (quarterback)
There’s so much hype surrounding the rookie QB, but he’s not even the first pick in the draft. Will he be the savior or will a franchise desperate for leaders and victories allow his lack of discipline to overtake him?
What he must do: Tread water and make a few plays along the way.
The AFC North is perhaps the most competitive division in football and nobody is looking for Manziel to lead the Cleveland Browns to the Super Bowl overnight. He doesn’t have to be the best right away or even win Rookie of the Year honors. He just has to provide hope for the franchise and win some games if given the starting QB nod.
10) Michael Vick, New York Jets (quarterback)
Once the quarterback that would revolutionize the game, he is now relegated to backing up Geno Smith. He’ll also get some occasional Wildcat duty. As it stands now, Vick is at worst a reserve to a quarterback that ranks in the bottom half of NFL starters and at best a gimmick.
What he must do: Win the starting quarterback job with the New York Jets.
It will prove he is a player of such caliber that even in his 14th season he can’t be kept down and he’ll have the opportunity to jump start the Jets just as he did five years ago with Philadelphia.
Early returns are promising after he led the Jets to an 80-yard touchdown drive with the first team in New York’s 13-10 victory against Indianapolis to kick off the 2014 preseason, though Vick’s passing statistics were not particularly impressive.