2014 Stat Predictions for All 32 Starting Quarterbacks in the NFL

2014 Stat Predictions for All 32 Starting Quarterbacks in the NFLBy Alessandro Miglio , Featured Columnist Jul 9, 2014 Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press Quarterbacks are everything in the NFL.Of course, it's a team game, but quarterbacks get the lion's share of the glory or the blame. A new season brings new chances to succeed or fail, and there will be plenty of statistics to go around.Atlanta Falcons—Matt RyanLast season was a lost one for quarterback Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. Preseason Super Bowl hype fizzled as the defense faltered and Ryan fell on his back all too often. The five-year veteran was sacked 44 times thanks to shoddy offensive line play that was adversely affected by injury. Drafting Jake Matthews and getting Sam Baker back from said injury should be a big boost to that unit.Even so, it wasn't a terrible season from a statistical standpoint. Despite losing his top two receivers for extended periods of time, Ryan finished with 4,515 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. His efficiency took a huge hit—he went from 7.7 yards per attempt in 2012 to 6.9 last season—but that is unsurprising given his circumstances.Julio Jones and Roddy White are back, however. If they can stay healthy and the offensive line solidifies, Ryan's production should improve along with the rest of the offense. Passing Projection: 66 percent completion, 4,600 yards, 31 touchdowns, 14 interceptionsRushing Projection: 20 carries, 75 yardsCarolina Panthers—Cam NewtonIt has been a bit of a rough offseason for the Carolina Panthers offense.Cap space was limited, so general manager David Gettleman was forced to make some difficult roster decisions. Namely, longtime starting receiver Steve Smith was sent packing despite a relatively modest impact on the cap.Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. were also allowed to walk, leaving the wide receiver corps thinner than the deteriorating polar ice cap. The Panthers relied on bargain bin free agents and the NFL draft to fill the void, signing Jerricho Cotchery and selecting Kelvin Benjamin in the first round.Cotchery scored 10 touchdowns last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that was more than double his touchdown count for his previous three seasons combined.Benjamin is a massive target at 6'5" and 243 pounds, but he was widely considered an overrated receiver coming out of college thanks to relatively lackluster production and lapses in concentration.Outside of problems at skill positions, Newton also lost his starting left tackle, Jordan Gross, to retirement. Despite being 34 years old, Gross was rated the third-best offensive tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) last season.The Panthers did nothing to replace him during the offseason, instead leaving the position open for competition among the current offensive linemen on the team. That figures to be unproven Nate Chandler.He won't have an awful season, but Newton's production will suffer given the offense got worse around him.Passing Projection: 61 percent completion, 3,750 yards, 22 touchdowns, 15 interceptionsRushing Projection: 125 carries, 550 yards, 7 touchdownsNew Orleans Saints—Drew BreesIn terms of statistics, no quarterback has been better over the past half decade than Drew Brees.Head coach Sean Payton's offense has been perfect for the diminutive quarterback, and he has been consistently great. Were it not for transcendent seasons from Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning, Brees might have won an MVP award or two.Simply put, Brees is the most accurate quarterback in the league save, perhaps, Rodgers. He has the best pass-catching tight end in the league in Jimmy Graham, and Marques Colston, Kenny Stills and rookie Brandin Cooks make for a nice wide receiver corps.There is really no reason to believe he won't have another huge season.Passing Projection: 68 percent completion, 4,900 yards, 42 touchdowns, 11 interceptionsRushing Projection: 30 carries, 50 yards, 2 touchdownsTampa Bay Buccaneers—Josh McCownThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a quarterback battle on their hands this preseason, and the winner may not play out the entire season as the starter.Josh McCown was imported from Chicago, where new head coach Lovie Smith used to be his coach. The former Bear had a fantastic run as Jay Cutler's replacement last season, throwing 13 touchdowns to just one interception while posting a 109.0 passer rating in his five starts.The problem? McCown is a 35-year-old journeyman with zero history of success before last season's breakout. Even Rich Gannon had 90 career starts before Marc Trestman got ahold of him in 2001 and molded him into an MVP with the Oakland Raiders.McCown has 38 starts under his belt to date.Mike Glennon, meanwhile, enters his second season after a decent rookie year. That was under a different regime, but he should get a fair shake under Smith and offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. It's likely that McCown enters the season as the starter and plays the majority of games, but it would be entirely unsurprising if Glennon overtook him at some point. Given McCown should start the majority of games, though—barring injury of course—his statistical projection wins out.Passing Projection: 60 percent completion, 2,650 yards, 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptionsRushing Projection: 10 carries, 40 yardsFor every QB.....link