The SEC is perceived as the benchmark in college football. The league has won eight of the past 10 national championships. Its produced 47 first-round picks over the last five years, nearly twice as many as any other conference. And yet, when it comes to quarterbacks, the SEC has fallen behind the curve.Of those 47 first-round picks, guess how many were quarterbacks? One. Johnny Manziel was the lone SEC signal caller to be taken in the first round since 2011. In that same time period, the Big 12 and Pac-12 each have had three chosen in the first round.Cam Newton, last years NFL MVP, is an obvious success story. And Matthew Stafford has carved out a solid career. But for every Newton and Stafford, there seem to be more who havent translated to the next level.Why hasnt the SEC produced more elite quarterbacks?Im not sure, Florida coach Jim McElwain said. I know those two you mentioned [Newton and Stafford] - theyre pretty damn good.But that doesnt really answer the question. And this year, outside of a couple spots, there is more uncertainty at the position than ever.When ESPN ranked the top 100 players in the country earlier this month, only two SEC quarterbacks -- Chad Kelly and Joshua Dobbs -- made the cut. And neither Kelly nor Dobbs made Mel Kiper Jr.s most recent Big Board or Todd McShays Way-too-early 2017 NFL Mock Draft.It was also telling that there were only three quarterbacks - Kelly, Dobbs and Texas A&Ms Trevor Knight - at this years SEC media days. Compare that to 2013 when nine quarterbacks attended the leagues media days.Again, where are the elite quarterbacks in the SEC?Thats a great question, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. Im really not for sure.Good is good enoughDo SEC teams really need elite quarterbacks to succeed? Alabama has won four of the last seven national championships, and not of one those title teams had a quarterback that was taken in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.Nick Saban has found a way to win without a star under center.The quarterback is not the centerpiece of the offense, former Alabama signal caller Greg McElroy said. The quarterback is a facilitator. And thats not to water down what the quarterbacks job is. The quarterbacks job is to make every other one of the 10 guys on the field with him better. That is the job of the Alabama quarterback.A lot of people say, They dont put up numbers. Anybody can play there. Thats not really true because some people dont maximize the talent of the people around them.The other key stat that stands out about all three of Alabamas championship-winning quarterbacks is the amount of interceptions they threw. McElroy threw only four in 2009. A.J. McCarron threw five in 2011 and just three the next year in 2012. Jake Coker threw eight last year, but he only threw one in the teams final seven games.SEC quarterbacks might not always have the perfect builds or the strongest arms. But on almost every one of the leagues best teams over the years, there was a Connor Shaw or an Aaron Murray or a James Franklin who knew how to take care of the football.If every drive ends in a kick then you have a real chance in winning the game, McElroy said. Whether that be a punt, an extra point or a field goal, as long as the other team has to go the length of the field, then you have a chance.The game is changingIs Nick Marshall an elite quarterback? In terms of NFL ability, he wasnt even close. He went undrafted, and eventually made the Jacksonville Jaguars as a cornerback.But ask any SEC coach, and hell sing a different tune. Thats because most of those coaches were shredded by Marshall and the Auburn offense. He could beat you with his arm. He could beat with you his legs. And when the play broke down and you thought you had him, thats when he was at his best.Sometimes, thats exactly what SEC teams need at the quarterback position.I know that week in and week out in this league, youre going to play against the best defenses, the best defensive lines, Malzahn said. In this league, things break down probably more than other leagues, maybe more than all [other leagues] combined. And youve got to have a guy that can make plays on his own when things break down and protect the football.Look around the SEC. How many true pocket-passers are there? Every team is looking for more of a dual-threat quarterback. Kelly and Dobbs, the leagues top two players at the position, can both make plays with their feet. Brandon Harris has that ability at LSU. And so do all three of the quarterbacks competing at Auburn. Even Alabama is giving a hard look at true freshman Jalen HurtsThe only problem is that dual-threat quarterbacks dont always translate to the NFL level, at least not yet. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz werent taken No. 1 and No. 2 in Aprils NFL draft because of their ability to run. They were taken because theyre 6-foot-4 or taller and they can make just about every throw on the field.Regional differencesWhere do the SEC quarterbacks from? Kelly hails from New York. Jacob Eason, the freshman phenom who is competing for the starting job at Georgia, arrived in January from the state of Washington. And the three quarterbacks in the mix at Alabama - Hurts, Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett - come from Texas, Utah and California, respectively.Now thats not true of every school in the conference, but more times than not, teams have to go outside their region to grab a quarterback.Just look at the numbers. Since ESPN expanded its recruiting rankings to 300, there have been 120 quarterbacks ranked in the ESPN 300. Of those 120, only 38 played high school football in the Southeast.Of the 38 from the Southeast ranked in the ESPN 300, 20 were pocket-passers. California alone has had 18 pocket-passers ranked in the ESPN 300 since 2013.Some of that goes back to style of play. In the Southeast, more so than anywhere else, high school coaches tend to take the best athlete on the team and make him the quarterback. Its why ESPN scouts had to create the athlete position when it came to evaluating recruits. But in almost every case, these quarterbacks end up playing a different position at the college level.So while the Southeast might have the best overall athletes of any region, other states like California and Texas typically produce the best quarterbacks.What does the future hold?At first glance, it doesnt look good. The QB play across the SEC has been trending in the wrong direction for a couple years now, and this years crop of quarterback doesnt elicit much confidence that its going to be any different in 2016.It also doesnt help that a handful of the SECs promising young quarterbacks transferred out of the league this offseason. Texas A&M alone lost two former ESPN 300 signal callers in Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray. And Florida (Will Grier), Kentucky (Patrick Towles) and South Carolina (Connor Mitch) all saw former four-star recruits leave the school as well.But lets not forget that Alabama won a national championship just last year with a transfer (Coker) at quarterback. Plus, both Knight at Texas A&M and recently-named Florida starter Luke Del Rio transferred in from other schools.Incoming transfers arent going to change the narrative, though. If anything, it highlights that SEC havent been able to develop elite quarterbacks.The conferences best hope might be in the form of two freshmen - Eason at Georgia and Shea Patterson at Ole Miss. Both were highly sought after coming out of high school, and both have shown abilities that could translate to the NFL. Its still way too early to say for sure, but theres potential there. And maybe that means theres potential for the SEC. Toronto Blue Jays . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Roy Halladay Blue Jays Jersey . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-george-bell-jersey/ . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Freddy Galvis Blue Jays Jersey . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Blue Jays Jersey . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. RIO DE JANEIRO -- They could teach positive thinking to Tony Robbins, but as a group, the U.S. mens gymnastics team actually might have to dial it down a bit.Using the 2012 London Olympics as a ready example, the fervent five must quickly tuck away an impressive second-place finish to China in the qualification round Saturday at Rios Olympic Stadium and come to grips with a few realities.It should not be that difficult.Atop the list is the fact that they finished first in qualifications at the 2012 Games before placing fifth in the team finals.Looking ahead to Mondays team finals, China, team gold medalists the past two Olympics and three of the past four, along with fourth-place Japan and even fifth-place Great Britain are still considered heavier favorites than the U.S.And on a day in which the mood was permanently dampened by the gruesome injury to French gymnast Samir Ait Said, whose bad landing on a vault snapped his lower left leg with a crack heard to the upper reaches of the arena, it was one more reminder of the delicate nature of the sport.This sport is absolutely brutal, said Sam Mikulak, who finished in seventh place to qualify for Wednesdays all-around finals along with teammate Chris Brooks, who finished 19th. We learned that from John Orozco [who was originally chosen for the 2016 Olympic team but lost his spot due to a serious knee injury a little more than two weeks before Rio]. Especially to be in the Olympic Games and go down like that, its a horrible, horrible thing.We just have to get in the zone, stay focused and do the gymnastics we came out here to do.Considering it was far from a flawless day for the Americans, who faltered specifically and significantly on pommel horse, they were still able to maintain a sunny disposition at the overall result.If we hit our sets, I think well be on the podium, said Jake Dalton. It may take a pretty fantastic day to be No. 1, but thats what were shooting for. It depends on the other [teams] but I think were good enough.There is one school of thought that a superior team like China holds back in the qualification rounds, if not exactly lulling its opponents into a state of complacency, then at least saving its best for last.All scores are wiped clean for the team, all-around and apparatus finals.U.S. team coordinator Kevin Mazeika said the Americans subscribe too that philosophy to a certain degree as well.dddddddddddd We definitely talked about keeping something in the tank for Monday, he said.Mikulak agreed.Today was about setting a tone for team finals, he said. We didnt want to put on the best show weve ever had in our lives right now. We wanted to just make sure we got out on the equipment, were comfortable and were ready to improve on what we did today.Its just another day at the office, Brooks said. We just did what we needed to do. I think were sitting in good position. Our consistency is pretty good. Its been going well in training. I have all the confidence in the world that these guys are going to smash what we need to. Take away the good and leave the bad. Monday is a new day and we have to keep the ball rolling.Brooks, 29, sat in the stands in London four years ago as a team alternate. On Saturday, he stood in the tunnel before taking the floor with his team and said he became emotional after I talked to my dad a little bit.Brooks lost his father, Larry, who also coached him, in a car accident in 2008. I started to tear up and I was like, No, no, no, its time, you got to get it together. Lets go out there and do some gymnastics.Before they left their rooms, the U.S. gymnasts continued their ritual of reading one of a supply of inspirational sayings provided to them by their physical therapist.Saturdays was an oldie but a goodie: If you believe strongly enough in your pursuit, it will come to fruition.Four years ago, Brooks wasnt entirely sure the U.S. team did that.From where I was sitting in the stands, we just have to keep ourselves together as a team a little bit more, he said. It seemed like after a couple little mistakes in finals last time, the team chemistry wasnt quite there. It didnt seem like they were picking themselves up. I think thats something this team can do. Were good at that.But first, said Danell Leyva, the 2012 all-around bronze medalist who took Orozcos spot on the team this time, they have to put 2012 out of their minds.Theres no point in trying to remember something negative to obtain a positive outcome, Leyva said. Theres nothing we can do about London anymore. We just have to get as ready as we can for Monday. ' ' '