St. Louis Rams roster: Who Will Be, The Number Two QB

Controversy has reared its ugly head in the quiet, two cars in every pot, two chickens in every garage Rockwell-esk town of Ramville, U.S.A. Quite possibly, there could be a pitched battle running street to street in this once peaceful hamlet. Brother against brother, kielbasa against kielbasa, foam finger against foam finger... This could get nasty! The cause of this civil unrest lay with two individuals, each bent on being crowned vice-quarterback... Er, ah... OK, let's start again?

Montana and Young. Farve and Rodgers. Van Brocklin and Waterfield... Feeley and Lewis? The first three name groups were famous (or infamous, depending on your view) quarterback controversies. The last group, Feeley and Lewis? Not so much. But let's give it a try anyway...

The good news is that it really shouldn't last past this Saturday when NFL rosters experience another mass blood letting to get rosters down to 53 player for the regular season. The bad news is that any quarterback controversy, even one that features characters that sound like a comedy team from the burlesque era, isn't all that much fun to be around. Just ask the Denver Broncos. They are having a quarterback controversy over a fourth string quarterback because every fan in the Denver area bought his jersey when he was drafted...

Our little quarterback tet-a-tet is about who will back up Sam Bradford as the number two, the second string, the "in case of emergency break glass" quarterback who'll be responsible for holding the keys to the proverbial kingdom of the Ram offense... and a clipboard. So let's take a closer look at these willing breakers of the peace.

A.J. Feeley was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001 with their fifth round pick. The Oregon University product was the back up to Joey Harrington his senior year. This is obviously where he got his first taste of anarchy. Traded to the Miami Dolphin in 2004, the San Diego Chargers in 2005, (where he was released) resigned with the Eagle in 2006 through 2008, then signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2009. The highlight of his football career came when he filled in for an injured Donovan McNabb against the then undefeated New England Patriots. He threw for 345 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. In a moment of prescience, he no doubt thought he'd spend a great deal of his life in the colder climbs of the U.S., so he married a wonderful young lady by the name of Heather Mitts. His 11 year career statistics, according to NFL.com, currently stand at: 4070 yards passing on 665 attempts, 27 touchdowns, 29 interceptions and a QB rating of 69.6.

Not the stuff of rebellion you say? You may recall that Hitler was a bad artist who played the glockenspiel and maracas at kids birthday parties...

Next up on the inner-peace killer parade we have Thaddeus Lewis. An undrafted free agent out of Duke University in 2010, this guy has Apocalypse written all over him. He played for a team called the Blue Devils, a fashion challenged group of hellions bent on world domination. In his final season, he led his team to a 5-7 record. Duke winning FIVE football games? He obviously sold his soul to the devil and didn't make a good deal. Thad buddy! You should have asked for undefeated, Miami did and look where that got them...

What it comes down to, in this mini quarterback controversy, is who is best prepared, or skilled enough, to lead the Rams should Sam Bradford be incapable of taking the field. Here we have diverging points of consideration. Feeley has a great deal of time in the NFL under his belt. The quality nature of that time is left to the eye of the beholder. More important is his time with the Rams, and on whole that time has created value in that he's been able to apply his experience to learning the Ram offense. He's seen a few tough situations on the field in the last 11 years and come away with at least fair marks. Let no one mistake Feeley for anything other than a journeyman quarterback. But that, in and of itself, puts him in a higher standing than the player who could be challenging his place as the second string quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. So more experienced, not necessarily better is the key observation here.

Thaddeus Lewis did in fact have a stellar college career, passing for just over 10,000 yards during his time at Duke. When he came to the Rams in 2010, he worked hard and made the team. That is where all ability to statically validate his capability to run an NFL offense ends. Or does it? I have been watching Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Feeley too, during this preseason. If I were to base my choice on their individual performances so far this year, Lewis would win hands down. The why of it is that I think Feeley is playing to not lose a job, while Lewis is actually playing the game of football. After a play when Feeley is on the field, I get the feeling all he thinks is: Next... When Lewis is on the field, it's more like he's battling to prove he can win that moment in time, that situation. He is truly on the field for a game he loves. He has an excellent skill set and athleticism galore. So better player , not experienced is the key observation here.

Where do you stand on Ram Quarterback Controversy 2011? Weigh all the factors and let me know how you arrive at your decision. Make yourself a head coach weighing advantages and disadvantages. Just remember, if you chose wrongly, the cost could be high. We're talking foam finger wagging in your face high...