The Ravens had a steady veteran in Steve McNair who had led them back to the playoffs and, as a backup, there was Kyle Boller, who had played decently in relief of McNair during the 13-3 run in 2006.

The Browns had a huge question mark as a starter, Charlie Frye, and a castoff (from the Ravens, no less) named Derek Anderson.

Of course, now the Ravens have no real idea who will be their quarterback in 2008. At the recent NFL scouting combine, general manager Ozzie Newsome said McNair would be the starter at this moment but added a disclaimer - it's only February.

It remains to be seen whether McNair can get the ball downfield, something he certainly wasn't doing when he was sidelined in November for surgery on his nonthrowing shoulder. Boller did last season what he has routinely done, showing brilliance at moments but failing to achieve consistency. And Troy Smith remains largely an unknown quantity.

In contrast, the Browns have been busy trying to tie up Anderson for the next several seasons after he emerged in 2007 as a front-line quarterback, throwing for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns in leading Cleveland to a 10-6 record. And as a backup, they have a 2007 first-round draft pick in Brady Quinn.

The Browns' enviable position was underscored by what's happening in Chicago, where the Bears have been casting about for a quarterback solution seemingly forever. Despite the fact that Rex Grossman squandered his chances there and has a 70.9 career passer rating in 32 games, the Bears took him off the free-agent market with a one-year contract over the weekend. Then yesterday, Chicago and its other dubious occasional starter, Kyle Orton, agreed to a contract extension that takes him through 2009. Orton's career passer rating (62.2) is even lower than Grossman's.

The Carolina Panthers weren't willing to show similar patience with David Carr, a former No. 1 draft pick of the Houston Texans. Before last season, the Panthers signed Carr to a two-year, multimillion-dollar deal, thinking they were shoring up a quarterback position that already included Jake Delhomme, who could be erratic but had also taken the team to a Super Bowl.

But when Delhomme went down with an injury and Carr, the insurance policy, was called on to prove the wisdom of the Panthers' front office, he was horrible. In six games, he had a passer rating of 58.3, with three touchdown passes and five interceptions. By the end of the season, the Panthers were starting Matt Moore, an undrafted rookie free agent who had been waived by the Dallas Cowboys in early September. And yesterday, Carr was let go.

Such is the state of quarterbacking in the NFL. What looks like a reasonably good situation in February or April or even August can go sour by midseason. What is anxiously uncertain or even depressingly dire in the offseason could be a pleasant surprise by the playoffs.

The Ravens have to hope they'll find themselves in the latter category for 2008.

bill.ordine@baltsun.com