I usually make this list right after the playoffs, but I keep putting it off this time. Unfortunately, now that I haven't watched football in months, I'm going to forget someone. (Peyton who? Oh, crap!)
Anyway, for the third straight year, here are my top quarterbacks in the NFL. (Links to the lists for 2006 and 2007.)
Honorable mentions: There are few who deserve recognition, but 37-year-old Kurt Warner (Cardinals) and 38-year-old Jeff Garcia (Buccaneers) turned back the clock with very good performances last season.
12. David Garrard, Jaguars. Garrard completed just nine passes in his team's playoff upset over the Steelers and, like any decent former backup, got way too much credit last year. But he did put good numbers in the team's loss to New England, and threw just three interceptions in twelve games last year. He's also mobile enough to be a threat. I don't expect him to remain here long-term, and considered putting Warner in his place.
11. Eli Manning, Giants. The younger Manning played out of his mind for a stretch late last year, and knocked off two legends (Brett Favre and Tom Brady) in the playoffs. Most importantly, he forever justified his place as a No. 1 pick by winning the Super Bowl.
If Favre or Brady had beaten him, though, he wouldn't sniff this list. His career statistics paint a rather ugly picture, earning him relatively-low marks in completion percentage and yards-per-attempt even as he throws piles of interceptions. I am very intrigued to see how he plays this year.
10. Philip Rivers, Chargers. Rivers remains an impressive young talent, though it's tough to say exactly how good he is since he's always had the luxury of LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield. His rating dropped almost ten points last year (92.0 to 82.4), though most of his numbers, save an increase of a half-dozen interceptions, were pretty steady. Can he move up another level this year?
9. Jake Delhomme, Panthers. I'm a big fan of Delhomme, who puts up good numbers but is also consistent in the clutch. The biggest concern here is that he played in only three games last year due to an elbow injury that required surgery, but he's expected back for this season.
8. Donovan McNabb, Eagles. I didn't expect McNabb to place so highly, but his last four years have been fine statistically. In 2007 McNabb finished with a terrific 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions, while putting up numbers in other categories that suggest he's less comically inaccurate than before. He's clearly put in a ton of work. He also has plenty of big-game experience, not all of it good.
7. Carson Palmer, Bengals. Palmer threw twenty interceptions last year, but was great otherwise and airs it out like few others in the league. He's accurate and can throw the deep ball with ease. He lacks mobility and any real clutch success, but I'm willing to give him another year or two before I break out the pitchfork.
Four through six on this list are all pretty close together, and this is around where Brett Favre would fall if he decides to return.
6. Drew Brees, Saints. Brees is immobile and perhaps even a little short in stature, but has made himself into one of the best passers in the NFL. He was second only to Brady in passing yards last year. The next step, of course, is a nice playoff run, though the Saints aren't loaded around him.
5. Tony Romo, Cowboys. We're all a bit sick of Romo still after the whole Jessica Simpson thing last year, and certainly Brees elicits more pleasant feelings. Yet Romo continued his meteoric rise with a second gold-plated year last season, and by the numbers, he gets the edge over Brees.
He has a terrific arm. He isn't quite fearless, but he makes some gutsy throws that put him among the second-tier of the very best passers around. Now can he please have a good playoff game before he retires?
4. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks. Hasselbeck bounced back with a terrific year in 2007 and showed he wasn't finished after an injury-plagued 2006. I put him this high on the list because I trust him more in the clutch than I do the last two guys, though he also puts up great statistics.
The Big Three?
3. Peyton Manning, Colts. This was going to be the year I finally give Manning his props and anoint him No. 2 behind Brady, thus making up for 2006, when he wasn't even listed. That was the plan...before I looked at the evidence.
The thing with Manning is, he doesn't bring a lot to the table outside of his numbers. He's not very mobile, and the Colts' first-round upset at the hands of San Diego last year suggest he's still not the most reliable guy under pressure out there. What he has is a fantastic arm for both power and accuracy, which gives him a statistical edge over almost anyone.
So let's compare him to a not-so-mythical Quarterback X:
- Completion percentage: Manning 65.4, QB X 65.3
- Yards per attempt: Manning 7.84, QB X 7.81
- Touchdowns: QB X 32, Manning 31
- Interceptions: QB X 11, Manning 14
- Rating: QB X 104.1, Manning 98
Manning beat this man handily in things like completions and total yardage, but that's because Manning gets more opportunities to throw. Like Quarterback X, Manning has one Super Bowl ring, but X is much faster and almost six years younger. Thus Peyton stays in third.
2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, a.k.a. Quarterback X. Coming off a down season that followed a severe motorcycle accident, Roethlisberger responded with a terrific 2007. His career has gotten off to an amazingly fast start, and I hope he and No. 1 get to face off in the playoffs a few more times in their primes. He may be the most talented player on this list.
1. Tom Brady, Patriots. Still the best of the best, hands down. Brady surely ate his words after a Super Bowl in which the Giants held his offense to just 14 points. Definitely a disappointing game, but it came after a season in which he threw a record-breaking 50 touchdowns against eight measly interceptions. He had a rating of more than one hundred in eleven different regular-season games. For his career, Brady has three Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and the NFL MVP award he earned after last season. Can anyone compare?
Comments
And Romo doesn't have to worry about winning a playoff game before he retires - he has to worry about winning a playoff game before Jerry Jones decides to come down from the press box and play QB himself.
I agree that Roethlisberger is a better QB than Manning - he is clearly superior physically, and I give him a huge edge mentally.
I expect Roethlisberger to have a huge season this year. The Steelers stole Rashard Mendenhall in the first round and Limas Sweed in the second. Sweed displayed clear first-round talent when he had Vince Young throwing him the ball, and he will be an excellent big target in the middle of the field. I would be very pleased with a Steelers-Pats showdown in the playoffs.
Do you even care if Brett Favre comes back at this point? I am starting to get sick of this guy's childish need for attention.
Anyway, to me Romo has a better arm and is more mobile than Brees. Plus he gets more than a yard more per attempt (8.3) for his career than Brees (7.0, and it was 8.1 to 6.8 last year), which is pretty significant. But I am getting sick of hearing about the guy.
Gosh, Favre, I could almost write a whole post on this. I have a lot of thoughts.
-I still like him. If he wants to play, he's welcome to.
-I do not feel remotely sorry for Aaron Rodgers, nor should the Packers tell Favre to stay retired so they can use Rodgers, because A-Rodg probably sucks.
-But still, it's incredibly annoying that he's doing this. Everyone said he would, and he's been doing it for years, but I let all that slide because I thought when he did leave, he did it gracefully. And now? It bugs me...
-...but I never complained when MJ came back.
-Finally, how much would it suck for Packers fans if he goes to another team?
I wouldn't mind if Favre came back. What bothers me is the attention-grabbing antics of retiring, saying he would stay gone, and then trying to work his way back into the Packers' training camp. If he would man up and just come back, I wouldn't have a problem.
And it would totally suck for Packers fans if he ended up with another team, especially since he would outplay A-Rodg by leaps and bounds.