Having multiple quarterbacks competing for the position usually means bad things for that franchise. As the old saying goes, "If you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterback."

This can also be said for women, but again, a different discussion for a different day.

The battle is on to see who will lead their respective team, and it's taking place in quite a few teams this offseason. There are more battles now than I can remember taking place before, which shows the shallow talent pool for quarterbacks these days.

Team-by-team, player-by-player, who turns overnight celebrity, and who holds the clipboard?

San Francisco: Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill

Everyone knows Alex Smith as the bust of the 2005 draft, and arguably the biggest bust of this decade.

Even though he's already been labeled, it looks as though Smith will get the chance to show that the 49ers were right to pass on players like DeMarcus Ware, Shawn Merriman, and Aaron Rodgers to choose him.

It's no secret that the only reason that Smith is even getting this shot is because of all the money invested in him, and because it will create a bit of a stir for a franchise that has had a hard fall from the mountain peak all the way back to sea level.

Shaun Hill was very productive last year for then-interim head coach Mike Singletary. In only eight starts, Hill completed nearly 63 percent of his passes and threw for more than 2,000 yards with 13 touchdowns, to only eight interceptions and posting a 5-3 record.

Smith, on the other hand, hasn't been half as productive in his 30 career starts.

While Hill is the obvious choice in this battle, Smith may become the starter Week One simply because of his prior draft status, and because for better or for worse, he has a recognizable name. Most people outside of the San Francisco Bay have never even heard of Hill (an undrafted guy in the same year Smith was taken No. 1 overall).

Smith, however, could see himself get yanked if Week 1 is a disaster. In other words he may get "Charlie-Fryed."

Tampa Bay: Byron Leftwich vs. Josh Freeman vs. Luke McCown

Leftwich was brought in as a free agent, McCown was retained before hitting free agency, and Josh Freeman was the 17th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

I thought Jon Gruden was in the booth now for Monday Night Football?

The McCown signing doesn't make much sense to me, as he's really been nothing more than a backup for his career, and the Bucs have plenty of those.

They need a starter, and the only guy ready to step in right now and do that is Leftwich.

I've been incredibly shocked at how little attention was paid to Leftwich since the Steelers allowed him to hit the free agent market. Leftwich is a proven guy who has won games in this league, and at the same time is still a young veteran.

For my money, he has the talent to become a franchise quarterback. Whether he will or not is another story.

The plan in Tampa should be to play Leftwich for as long as possible, and allow Freeman to take the reigns in two years. The plan could change if Leftwich plays the way that I believe he can, but the Bucs will have a very hard time not playing their first round draft choice as soon as possible.

I say Leftwich wins this battle easily and holds it down for at least the next year and a half to two years.

Minnesota: Sage Rosenfels vs. Tarvaris Jackson

Notice there is not a third name. I do not believe there will be a third quarterback competing for this spot.If I'm wrong, that third quarterback steps in and there is no competition. Make a mental note.

Rosenfels and Jackson have both had their moments where they looked like they could become decent starters, but have also looked like they don't even belong in the league.

Rosenfels playing helicopter with the Colts defense doesn't help his cause, and Jackson's decision-making ability has been nothing but the ability to make bad decisions.

This may be the most confusing quarterback battle in the league, considering how widely inconsistent both quarterbacks are.

If one of these guys can finally play with some consistency, they will pull out the win. However the odds of that happening aren't great.

Rosenfels is probably the more polished quarterback, and Vikings fans would rather see a guy who hasn't already messed up their team, so I'm going out on a limb and saying Rosenfels will be the Week One starter.

That, of course, does not mean he'll be starter in Week Two.

Detroit: Matthew Stafford vs. Daunte Culpepper

Matthew Stafford is the future of the Lions' franchise. Really, it's not a question of if, but rather when he will be taking the reigns.

The guy has a guaranteed $42 million coming his way, whether he plays or not, so I'm assuming he'll be playing as quickly as possible.

That being said, it would be a huge mistake for the Lions to start Stafford right away. That's not to say that quarterbacks who start their rookie season can't be successful in that season, or even later in their career (Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Vince Young, etc.).

However, the difference is the time those quarterbacks came out of college. They all came out after their senior year, whereas Stafford opted out of his senior year to come to the NFL.

Junior quarterbacks have had very little success in the NFL, with the most successful of them being Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe appeared in a Super Bowl, but never won one, and really never lived up to the hype or the potential.

If Stafford starts Week One, not only will the Lions be throwing him into an awful situation, but they'll be ensuring that his success in the NFL is limited.

Not only that, but why start a rookie when they have a proven vet ready to step in and play now? Culpepper may not be the same since his knee injury, but he's a more-than-capable quarterback, especially for a Lions team just looking to make it through a rebuilding year.

If the Lions are smart, and if Shwartz wants to keep his job longer than Cam Cameron, Culpepper will be under center Week One, and hopefully the entire year. Give Stafford a year to sit and learn before you give him the keys.

Denver: Kyle Orton vs. Chris Simms

This time last year, no one would have guessed that Denver would have been on the list of teams with a quarterback competition but, here they are.

Josh McDaniels has come in and gotten rid of the first franchise quarterback that the city had seen since John Elway, and has opened up a competition between two quarterbacks in their first season with this team.

The silver lining is that both of these quarterbacks have been starters on other teams, and have won some games.

Simms looked like he was making strides in Tampa until that horrific hit which caused his spleen to rupture and later be removed. If Jon Gruden ever committed to a quarterback, it was Simms. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and he found himself as a backup in Tennessee before signing on this offseason with Denver.

Orton was a starter for the Bears last season before coming to Denver in the trade involving former Broncos starter Jay Cutler.

Orton has been involved in quarterback competitions before, namely with former first-round pick Rex Grossman. Orton beat out Grossman last season and played admirably with the Bears, but he's not a franchise quarterback, so he was deemed expendable in the trade for Cutler.

Orton is certainly the more polished quarterback between the two, but is having a difficult time holding off the son of Phil Simms. Simms will definitely give Orton a run for his money, but in the end I believe the winner will be Orton because he's got a much better pocket presence than Simms.

Simms could make a late push to overtake Orton as the starter, but he would have to be phenomenal in the preseason in order for that to occur at this point.

Both quarterbacks must go into this knowing that they're on a very short leash, and should the team start to lose, their job is anything but secure.

Oakland: JaMarcus Russell vs. Jeff Garcia

The Raiders have stockpiled quarterbacks this offseason, but the likes of Andrew Walters, Charlie Frye, and Bruce Gradkowski are not enough to compete with a proven winner in Jeff Garcia, and a former first overall pick ready to explode with potential in JaMarcus Russell.

Garcia is in the same unenviable position as Shaun Hill in San Francisco. While Garcia is obviously the better quarterback of the two, he will have to really outshine Russell in order to get the nod.

The Raiders understand that benching Russell at this point would probably ruin him mentally and therefore as a quarterback entirely. However, they also understand that this fanbase wants to win now.

Russell certainly has a higher ceiling than Garcia, but also could fall right through the basement floor at any given moment.

With Garcia under center and having that fantastic running game behind him, the Raiders are guaranteed, in my mind, at least five or six wins, if not more. With Russell under center, no one has any idea what could happen. They could see another 2-14 season, or make the playoffs in a weak division.

No one knows.

I think Russell has to win this, because if he doesn't it means that the Raiders no longer see him as the future of the franchise. The Raiders are not ready to give up on him just yet, and it will be his job to lose.

Of course with Russell, he may do just that.

Kansas City: Matt Cassel vs. Tyler Thigpen vs. Brodie Croyle

This is a battle that no one outside of Kansas City is talking about, but one that should be mentioned.

Anyone who believes that Todd Haley is simply going to insert Matt Cassel into the starting role just because of what was given up to attain him his dead wrong.

Haley is looking for the best guy to run his offense and if that turns out to be Thigpen or Croyle, then so be it.

Thigpen stepped in and played well for the Chiefs last year. He gave that offense a certain unexpected explosiveness that Brodie Croyle could not.

In 11 starts last season, Thigpen was able to throw for more than 2,500 yards along with 18 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. While those numbers aren't stellar, they're certainly better than what most would have expected from a former-seventh round pick on a poor team such as the Chiefs.

With a great team around him, Cassel was able to throw for more than 3,500 yards with 21 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. So in five more games played, Cassel with able to throw for only 1,000 yards more, three more touchdowns and only two fewer interceptions.

Cassel threw to Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Thigpen threw to Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez, a tight end.

I'd say the only thing that Cassel has over Thigpen is the hype.

Notice Brodie Croyle hasn't gotten much of a mention. While he'll be given a shot, he's never been able to stay healthy, and this year will probably be no exception.

Don't expect much from Croyle in the way of giving either of these guys any real competition.

Cleveland: Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn

To me, this is a pretty obvious choice. Anderson has shown that he can throw for nearly 30 touchdowns and lead this team to the brink of a playoff berth. A berth they may have earned had Charlie Frye not been there to tank Week One.

Quinn, on the other hand, was nothing special during the time he saw last season. He did not show the poise, the leadership, or the decision-making skills that a quarterback must have in order to be successful.

To be fair, Quinn has seen limited time and should not be judged just yet. Anderson has shown what he can do, and he's shown that he can be quite good.

Anderson was the victim of Braylon Edwards last season. There were several times where had Edwards just caught a perfectly thrown ball, the team may have won, and Anderson may have been able to keep his job. Couple that with an aging Jamal Lewis, and you have a guy in Anderson who took far too much of the blame.

Perhaps with a rejuvenated Edwards, Anderson can regain his Pro Bowl form and show the team why they paid him the big bucks.

The team is in quite a bind with these two. On one hand, they did give Anderson a lucrative contract after his '07 season. On the other they did move up to draft Quinn in the first round.

This could wind up being the closest of the battles, with the decision probably not coming until the fourth week of the preseason.

Mangini should choose wisely. His job will depend on his selection.

If he's smart, he'll choose Anderson. Quinn's just not ready yet.

New York (Jets): Mark Sanchez vs. Kellen Clemens

Rex Ryan certainly will have his hands full with this one.

Unlike in Detroit, the Jets do not have a proven veteran to play while Sanchez holds the clipboard and learns the ropes. They have Kellen Clemens, a guy who has seen limited time and barely qualifies as a veteran.

Sanchez has a lot of potential, but has very limited playing time as well, even in college. His 16 college starts amount to one full NFL season, and if that's all the games the Jets are playing, Sanchez will see a fanbase turning on him very quickly.

While I'm a firm believer in sitting a rookie quarterback, especially a guy who came out as a junior, the Jets may not have a choice with Sanchez. Their best bet may be to throw him in now and see what he can do.

The situations with Stafford and Sanchez are not quite the same, as Sanchez has a much better team around him. The Jets are a .500 team even without a quarterback, so Sanchez should be able to thrive with some talented guys around him.

Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, Jerricho Cotchery, and Dustin Keller to name a few, are guys who can help support Sanchez in his transition to the NFL.

The Jets should hope that Clemens steps up and takes command, because if he doesn't the Jets will have a very hit-or-miss type of season while having to deal with a rookie quarterback and their usual roller-coaster progression through the season.

Also, don't get spoiled by Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. As far as rookie quarterbacks go, their seasons were an aberration in a league that does not treat rookies, especially rookie quarterbacks, kindly.