Not only has quarterback become the most important position in football, it's become the sexiest position in all of sports. Quarterbacks are the guys who get endorsement deals, the face of the franchise, the guy who gets the girl. Everyone wants to be the quarterback; everyone wants to know who the best quarterback is. Last year was an especially crazy year for quarterbacks. Three of them passed for over 5000 yards(It would have been 4 if Rodgers didn't sit week 17) while many embarassed themselves and ruined the season for their teams(Hanie, Palko, Beck). So where can you find a comprehensive list highlighting where all the prominent quarterbacks rank. Why right here at the Hungry Dog Blog of course!
I broke the guys up into five categories: Superstars, good quarterbacks, average quarterbacks, question marks, and ....the er....uh...not so good quarterbacks. I considered anyone who seems to have a chance at being an opening sunday starter.
This is Part one so we'll just focus on the Superstars and good quarterbacks. Part two will focus on the rest.
Superstars: These are THE guys in the league. They're celebrities, they're all stars, and they're surefire Hall of Famers.
Aaron Rodgers: This guy could be the face of the NFL for years to come. In his first four years as a starter he's won a Super Bowl, an MVP, and appeared in two Pro Bowls.. He's averaging over 4200 yards and 30 touchdowns a season and has the highest quarterback rating of all time (104.1). Last year he threw 45 touchdowns to only six interceptions with over 4600 yards in leading the Packers to a 15-1 record. If he keeps this pace up he could end up as one of the greatest of all time.
Drew Brees: Brees also had a pretty nice season for himself in 2011. In case you missed it he shattered Dan Marino's passing yards record and threw for nearly 5500 yards and a league leading 46 touchdowns. Brees is an all time great and he'll be a hall of famer five years after he retires. The only factor that's hurting him is the year long suspension of Sean Payton. But the other night showed that Brees might even be able to play through that.
Tom Brady: Brady planted himself in this section of the list in 2004 and hasn't fallen off yet. He also hasn't won a Super Bowl since then. Yes he's won two MVP's and had three absolutely incredibly seasons (2007, 2010, 2011) but there are few people that take winnng as seriously as Brady. I'd expect to see him to come in this year as prepared and focused as he ever has. The Patriots are looking for their sixth AFC Championship of the Brady era and are favorites for their third straight top seed in the AFC. Whether the people of Boston want to believe it or not, Brady is in the twilight of his career. But he isn't done yet; expect to see him appear in yet another pro bowl and lead the Patriots to the playoffs for the 10th time in his career.
Good-Very Good Quarterbacks: These are guys aren't quite superstars...yet. This is either because they haven't accomplished enough yet, haven't proven they aren't a flash in the pan type talent, or because they have shown that they are very good but not quite a superstar.
Eli Manning: Elisha is about as close to superstar level as you can be without being one. He finished 2011 with over 4900 yards, 29 touchdowns, and his second Super Bowl. People were even saying he was better than Peyton (don't even get me started). But what was lost in all the hoopla is that he really has never had two good seasons in a row. He's twice lead the league in interceptions but never come close to touchdowns. Eli's a good guy and all, and SNL was funny, but he needs to show he can be elite for more than a few weeks at a time before he earns a spot at the top of any list. Perhaps he'd also like more than one season with better than a 10-6 as well.
Matt Stafford: Last year Stafford would have been one of the biggest question marks on this list due to his chronic injury issues. This year I had to think long and hard about whether he was very good or elite. What caused such a major change? Oh just 41 touchdowns, 5000 yards, and most incredibly he led the Detroit Lions to the playoffs. But there's a reason he only had the 4th best numbers last year. The lockout had some kind of effect on how dangerous offenses were. You don't just have four guys crack the top six passing yards totals of all time with out that explanation. This year is key for Stafford; he could go the way of Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, or any other quarterback who burst on the scene a little later than expected. But he could also go the way of Josh Freeman and completely regress. I don't think he will, I think a little regression is in store for Stafford but that was to be expected.
Cam Newton: Ah so what are we to think of a guy coming off possibly the greatest rookie season of all time who looks like he could become one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in NFL history? I think I want to see him improve. I want to see more consistency in his passing. This will come with experience. It's easy to forget that he only started 13 Division one games in college and had to make a bit of a system change coming into the NFL. Plus he's not playing with top notch offensive superstars in Carolina. 2012 looks like an obvious Sophomore slump year for Newton but the sky is the limit for this guy. He will be, worst case scenario, a superstar. Best case scenario? He wins multiple Super Bowls, MVP's, and changes the way offensive football is viewed forever. He's not Michael Vick 2.0. He could be Randall Cunningham 2.0, a cross between Peyton Manning and Steve McNair. Now if only Carolina could put a worthy group of skill players around him.
Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben has had a rough couple of years since winning Super Bowl 43. He's been accused of assault, labeled a rapist, lost a Super Bowl, gor hurt, limped to an embarassing playoff loss against the Jesu-er Tebow led Broncos, and most suprisingly; he was forgotten as a top tier quarterback. Lost in all the wild quarterback play of 2011 was Roethlisberger having yet another solid season while leading the Steelers to a 12-4 record and yet another playoff appearance. He now has 165 touchdowns, 26,000 yards, 85+ wins, three AFC Championships, two Super Bowls, and oh yeah...he's only 30. Make no mistake people; Ben Roethlisberger is still an elite quarterback and the Steelers are still an elite team. Watch out.
Phillip Rivers: After three straight years of putting up MVP-type numbers, Rivers took a major step back last year and threw a career high 20 interceptions as the Chargers missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. After receiving a substantial downgrade at Number 1. receiver (V. Jax to Meachum) and losing a few others in free agency; the Chargers window could be closing. Rivers should be clammoring for Norv Turner to be fired as much as anyone, his prime is being wasted. As for his disappointing 2011 (a season in which he was voted to the pro bowl), I'd expect to see his numbers improve. Star quarterbacks have a way of bouncing back from poor seasons(See: Eli Manning 2010).
Tony Romo: Like Roethlisberger, Romo is rarely mentioned when discussing elite quarterbacks anymore. Perhaps this is because the Cowboys have missed the playoffs in each of the last two years and the national media became sick of the whole "Romo is a choker" storyline. The drop off in attention has nothing to do with a drop off in play. The 2011 season was one of Romo's best yet as he threw for 4184 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions. Plus he wasn't really even the reason the Cowboys blew all their close games this year! Dallas is another team that appears to have a closing window as the team is aging and (cough, cough) not that good. However, the Giants showed last year that it's possible for any playoff team to win the Super Bowl as long as they get hot at the right time and have a quarterback that can get the job done. This is the final question surrounding Romo; can he get the job done in the big moment? At age 32 he better hope he gets the oppurtunity to prove he can very soon.
Jay Cutler: They say he's a whiner, they say he's soft, they say he's an asshole, they say he's erratic, they say he's inconsistent. But there's one thing people don't say about him nearly enough: he's a pretty good quarterback. After a disastrous 2009 , when he led the NFL in interceptions, Cutler has been more than solid as Chicago's starter in 2010 and 2011. In 25 games he's 17-8 with 36 touchdowns and 23 interceptions with over 5500 yards. These aren't the best numbers out there but a season ending injury in week 11 showed his importance to the Bears. They went from a wild card leading 7-3 team to an 8-8 also ran who struggled to score in the double digits. Granted, they had one of the worst quarterbacks of all time(we'll get to that later), but it became evident this team needs Cutler. Now that they have a true number one receiver in Marshall, maybe Cutler can get them over the hump and appear in his first Super Bowl. That is, if he can stay upright behind this less than capable offensive line.
Michael Vick: Vick may be the quarterback on this list whose stock is falling the fastest. As much as I love quarterbacks with a career 56 completion percentage, who rely on their athleticism even after they just turned 32, and have never proven themselves as a reliable pocket passer; I'm going to have to pass on Vick. He hasn't won a playoff game since 2004 and has only played one full season (2006) in his entire career. Vick takes too many open field hits as an undersized guy to play a full season. Eventually his athleticism will fail him and he'll have to rely on his skills as a pocket passer. This may not happen this year and that's why he's still listed under good quarterbacks. As long as he can run he's dangerous. Just as long as he's not showing up on the injury report.
Matt Schaub: Schaub had a long off-season after suffering a season ending injury in week 12 last year. You see, for the first time in his career, he had the oppurtunity to start a playoff game. In fact, it appeared as though Houston could have made a run at the Super Bowl if it weren't for Schaubs injury. 2012 is a crucial year for Schaub; it could make or break his career. Houston is again one of the best teams in the AFC and will likely appear in the playoffs. With good enough quarterback play, the Texans could appear in their first ever Super Bowl. They have the run game, they have a great line, the defense is more than solid. It's all on Schaub. How he plays this year will determine his legacy.
Matt Ryan: Ryan appears to be as solid and consistent as any quarterback in the league this year. In fact I know exactly what's he's going to do in 2012. Ryan will throw for about 3600-4000 yards, 28-30 toucdowns, and roughly 12 interceptions in leading the Falcons to a playoff spot. Then they'll get obliterated in the first round and will be forgotten in the next few weeks. So yeah....trade ten more picks to get the second best receiver in the draft again Atlanta, that's what you need.
Matt Hasselbeck: I might be a tad late in putting Hasselbeck here. Yeah he had a solid 2011 but can he repeat that in 2012 at the age of 36 with Jake Locker breathing down his neck? I'm not sure it's going to be a matter of whether Hasselbeck is good anymore or not, so much as they're going to want to give Locker a chance. With that being said, Hasselbeck had a good enough 2011 to justify being called a "good" quarterback.
Remember, If you disagree with any of these rankings or any columns in general feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss it. Look for the rest of the quarterbacks within the next few days. Stay Hungry My Friends.
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