Curtis Painter always lands on his feet.
Thrust into the national spotlight last season thanks to Peyton Manning's neck, Painter and his Kurt Cobain/Prince Valiant haircut captured our imagination during eight feverish starts with the Indianapolis Colts. During Indy's darkest hour, he selflessly guided the organization to the top pick in the draft by losing every one of those games.
For his troubles, he was waived by the Colts in March, but like all good backups, he's resurfaced.
A member of the Baltimore Ravens now, Painter believes he's joined a winner: "I'm coming to a great team," he told The Baltimore Sun.
With Joe Flacco and Tyrod Taylor ahead of him, it's possible we'll hear from Curtis Painter again, but his achievements will not be forgotten.
In his honor, we present our list of the five most interesting backup quarterbacks in football -- other than Curtis Painter:
- Charlie Batch -- The world could end tomorrow and Chaz Batch would come out on the other side as the backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like Godzilla, cannot be destroyed by conventional weapons.
- Ryan Mallett -- A tucked-away behemoth touted as the quarterback of the future for a team (New England Patriots) whose franchise QB intends to play until he's 40. At 6-6 and 238, one of the last guys you want to be behind at a concert.
- John Beck -- We might not believe in John Beck. You might not believe in John Beck. But John Beck will always believe in John Beck. A combination of determination and delusion that never ceases to entertain.
- Vince Young -- Most people pine for their college days, but nobody has a better reason to wax nostalgic like our man VY. Former No. 3 overall pick now behind two seventh-round picks on the Bills' depth chart. On the bright side, at least a convicted felon didn't attempt to assume his identity. Oh wait.
- Kyle Orton -- The beard is gone, but the memory remains. Run out of town by a billboard in Denver, Orton has navigated his way to Big D to play behind a quarterback in Tony Romo who couldn't grow a beard if he tried. That's irony.
