QB-coach relationships in today's NFL

A look at the interaction between quarterback and coach for every NFL team:

AFC

Baltimore: Rookie coach John Harbaugh handled rookie quarterback Joe Flacco perfectly last year, putting Flacco in positions to succeed. The Ravens made the AFC title game.

Buffalo: Dick Jauron chose Trent Edwards as his long-term answer at quarterback over J.P. Losman last year. Now, the embattled Jauron needs Edwards to win some games to help his job security.

Cincinnati: Marvin Lewis is a defensive-minded coach, so offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is under the most scrutiny for his play calls and his relationship with quarterback Carson Palmer.

Cleveland: New coach Eric Mangini inherited a difficult quarterback controversy between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. If the Browns struggle, his choice at quarterback will be second-guessed.

Denver:Josh McDaniels will ride quarterback Kyle Orton hard, but McDaniels’ past history with quarterbacks in New England indicates Orton will benefit.

Houston: Gary Kubiak is a great mentor of quarterbacks. If Matt Schaub stays healthy, he could have a big year. If not, Kubiak might be in trouble.

Indianapolis: The offensive coaches had some major losses, but first-year coach Jim Caldwell still has one of the smartest players in the game, Peyton Manning.

Jacksonville: Jack Del Rio shook things up by cutting Byron Leftwich in favor of David Garrard two years ago. Since then Garrard has led the Jaguars to a playoff win, and then to a 5-11 season last year.

Kansas City: New coach Todd Haley presided over a great passing offense in Arizona, now he has to continue to develop quarterback Matt Cassel, the former Patriot who is still not long on experience.

Miami: Tony Sparano oversaw a great turnaround last year, thanks in large part to quarterback Chad Pennington. Sparano will have to manage a potential controversy, with youngster Chad Henne improving.

New England: When Bill Belichick stuck with Tom Brady over Drew Bledsoe in 2001, it started one of the most successful quarterback-coach relationships in NFL history. They have three Super Bowl rings.

New York Jets: Rex Ryan’s first year as coach will be defined by how he handles ballyhooed rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who won the starting job over veteran Kellen Clemens.

Oakland: Tom Cable has pushed quarterback JaMarcus Russell to be a better leader, but he also has to do a better job understanding how much Russell can handle in Oakland’s offense.

Pittsburgh: Mike Tomlin seems to know when to push quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, which isn’t an easy balance for a young coach like Tomlin. The two won a Super Bowl together last year.

San Diego: Norv Turner is hailed as a great mentor of quarterbacks, and it showed last year as Philip Rivers stepped forward as one of the best quarterbacks in the AFC.

Tennessee: Jeff Fisher masterfully handled Vince Young’s demotion last year. He’s sticking with Kerry Collins at quarterback again in 2009, all while figuring out if Young can help the Titans in the future.

NFC

Arizona: Ken Whisenhunt chose veteran Kurt Warner to lead the team in 2008, and the Cardinals went to the Super Bowl. Still, Matt Leinart can’t be forgotten. Whisenhunt has to develop the former first-round draft pick.

Atlanta: Mike Smith is a run-first coach, which took pressure off rookie quarterback Matt Ryan last year. After Ryan played well, Smith has to determine how much more responsibility to give his quarterback.

Carolina: Quarterback Jake Delhomme looked close to finished in a playoff loss last year. But John Fox has been with Delhomme for many years and feels comfortable with him, so Delhomme is back for another season.

Chicago: Jay Cutler was a Pro Bowl quarterback last year with Denver, but he doesn’t have as many weapons now. And it’ll be interesting to see how coach Lovie Smith deals with Cutler, who relies so much on his strong arm that he often forces bad passes.

Dallas: Wade Phillips is coach, but oversees the defense. That leaves assistant coach Jason Garrett to run the offense, and his handling of quarterback Tony Romo this year will be a hot-button topic.

Detroit: Many rookie quarterbacks have had their careers derailed by playing right away on a bad team. Coach Jim Schwartz’s challenge will be how to best utilize Matthew Stafford this year. The No. 1 pick is battling Daunte Culpepper for the starting job.

Green Bay: Mike McCarthy had a potential firestorm on his hands when Brett Favre was traded and the team went with Aaron Rodgers. But Rodgers, under McCarthy’s leadership, had a good first season at quarterback.

Minnesota: Brad Childress didn’t get a lot out of his quarterbacks last year, so the team traded for Sage Rosenfels and turned the NFL upside down by obtaining Brett Favre. Childress’ job might depend on the play of his quarterbacks.

New Orleans: Quarterback Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton are a perfect match. The offensive-minded Payton has gotten the most out of Brees, turning him into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.

New York Giants: When the Giants were struggling, coach Tom Coughlin was under fire and people questioned Eli Manning. Then two seasons ago, they won a Super Bowl and the criticism subsided.

Philadelphia: Coach Andy Reid benched Donovan McNabb last year, a move that likely strained their relationship. Michael Vick adds to the mix.

San Francisco: Mike Singletary’s background is on defense, but the coach has a no-nonsense approach with all of his players. That’s why he pushed both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith this offseason to compete for the starting job. Hill won the battle.

Seattle: New coach Jim Mora inherits veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who should take the lessons he learned from old coach Mike Holmgren and help Mora’s Seahawks be competitive right away.

St. Louis: When Steve Spagnuolo was hired this offseason, he endorsed Marc Bulger as his starter. That vote of confidence might help Bulger revive his career.

Tampa Bay: Old coach Jon Gruden sparred with all of his quarterbacks. New coach Raheem Morris probably won’t have the same approach, although he will oversee the development of first-round pick Josh Freeman. But the starting job went to Byron Leftwich over Luke McCown.

Washington: After trying to trade for Jay Cutler, one of coach Jim Zorn’s toughest jobs will be convincing quarterback Jason Campbell that he has faith in him.