Thread Tools

Display Modes

The Wanderer · 12-20-2005, 07:02 PM

Quarterback is the most important position in football and probably the most important in sports, and quarterbacks are my favorite subject of study and debate/argument. These are my personal evaluations of all the NFL's starting quarterbacks and a handful of backups/injured guys. Yes, you will disagree with some of them, or perhaps a lot of them. Yes, your favorite guy is ranked too low and my favorite guy is ranked too high. I'd love if those of you who disagree with me would point out where and why (I can be convinced), perhaps even post rankings of their own.

I'm guessing the rankings on this list that will cause the most snickering, pointing and laughing, outrage, and such will be those of Roethlisberger, Vick, Culpepper, Eli Manning and maybe J.P. Losman. But I could be wrong, and hey, by all means, defend your guy. It's all just a time-wasting exercise anyhow, in good fun.

Here's the list:

1. Tom Brady. He has all the tools you need in your QB - big arm, sniper-rifle accuracy, superhuman pocket presence. And he's the quintessential team leader, and he rises to the occasion in the biggest moments, which is what separates him from...

2. Peyton Manning. The most physically and mentally gifted quarterback ever to play the game. We can say that with confidence. He's going to get his Super Bowl this year, and he's legitimiately great. But you still just have a vague uncertaintly about him in the biggest games that you don't get with Brady.

3. Ben Roethlisberger. It's funny but I've asked about 50 people now, from all over the country, what QBs they would trade Roethlisberger for just for the '06 season. Only Brady and Manning were consistently mentioned by most of them, Carson Palmer by perhaps a third of them. Roethlisberger is already playing at a hall of fame level, making plays and avoiding big mistakes behind one of the NFL's worst pass-blocking lines. He just has to stay healthy, which has become a concern.

4. Donovan McNabb. McNabb represents the absolute best a QB can be without accuracy. McNabb's accuracy is still as bad as it's always been, but everything else a QB has to do, McNabb does as well as it can be done.

5. Steve McNair. McNair has mojo, leadership, a big arm, pocket poise, the whole package. If somehow he magically could become 100% healthy, he would still be a top-5 QB.

6. Carson Palmer. Palmer is still the reincarnation of Vinny Testaverde, and that ain't half bad. Palmer is always going to make terrible decisions when pressured, which is a problem in the playoffs, but give him protection and he's a hall of famer.

7. Drew Brees. Yeah, he's short. We know. Seriously. You announcers and scouts can stop pointing that out. If he was 6'3", there's nothing preventing him from being as good as Carson Palmer is. His arm strength takes flak, but really that's just an extension of the height discrimination; his arm strength is plenty good.

8. Trent Green. Has never done much in big games, but he's usually an effective game manager who can make all the throws and makes smart decisions with the ball. He's quietly put together a very impressive career.

9. Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck is actually almost exactly the same player as Trent Green.

10. Jake Delhomme. Brett Favre Lite. Loves to sling it. Doesn't mind forcing it into crazy coverage, especially when behind. Will win games for you -- his fearlessness is his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

11. Drew Bledsoe. Still a legitimately good quarterback if used properly, but you absolutely have to protect him. Bledsoe's problem isn't immobility, but the tendency to hold onto the ball too long and then try crazy throws, which results in mucho sacks and interceptions when a defense can get to him. But protect him and he can slice and dice any defense in the world. Still has one of the five or so strongest arms in the league.

12. Byron Leftwich. Depending on your perspective, you can correctly describe him as Steve McNair without the mobility and accuracy, or as Drew Bledsoe without the huge arm and the tendency to collapse under pressure (from defenders or the situation).

13. Marc Bulger. Product of the system? Maybe a little, but he can play. Holds onto the ball a bit long, but a lightning quick release helps. Pretty fragile.

14. Brad Johnson. He's always been a lot better than anyone's ever given him credit for. He's a middle-class man's Rich Gannon.

15. Mark Brunell. Not much arm strength left, but given decent receivers he's shown this year he can still play. One of the league's smartest QBs, he takes care of the ball and scans the field very well.

16. Daunte Culepper. Sorry, folks, but this guy just isn't all that great, especially not when you separate him from the friendly confines of a dome. He needs superior coaching to be effective -- he tries absolutely insane throws on a regular basis -- and he certainly isn't getting that in Minnesota.

The Wanderer · 12-20-2005, 07:02 PM

17. Kerry Collins. It's tough to rank him, because Good Kerry is a top 10 quarterback, while Evil Kerry is bottom 6 or 7. If he got to play for a team like the Seahawks that excels at protecting its quarterback, Collins could light the world on fire. As it is, though, it's tough to win with him unless you have a great offensive line and preferably a running game to help keep the pressure off him. He's a rich man's...

18. Jake Plummer. Occasionally looks great, always in low-pressure situations. Whenever the pressure goes up (i.e., in the playoffs), he causes everyone to remember the fact that he's Jake Plummer. He'll never play in a Super Bowl, but he'll be a top fantasy QB for a few more years.

19. Kurt Warner. Pretty much a poor man's Kerry Collins at this point, and fragile to boot.

20. Brett Favre. He could still be effective with a decent team around him -- not great, but effective.

21. Eli Manning. Right now he resembles Jake Plummer more than he does his brother. Eli's improved himself to the point of being average, but he has a long way to go. His inconsistent accuracy is worrisome, but he's improved a lot when it comes to scanning the field -- at least, when he has time. He still doesn't deal with pressure as well as you'd like. He's an OK quarterback at this point, but not a guy you want your playoff hopes resting upon.

22. Chris Simms. He's only a little bit behind Eli Manning as a QB right now, actually. There's upside here. Honestly, if it were Chris Manning and Eli Simms instead of the other way around, who do you think would be the super-hyped quarterback? How much difference is there really between them?

23. Gus Frerotte. Frerotte is a better QB than his reputation suggests. He's good enough to start in the NFL for a QB-needy team, and would certainly be an upgrade for the likes of the Lions, Bears, 49ers, Ravens and so forth. He's the Brand X QB with an OK arm and good accuracy who can get happy feet and force stuff when pressured. He can win in the right system. He's as good as Trent Dilfer, at least.

24. Charlie Frye. I haven't had the chance yet to watch him much in the NFL or read or ask anybody much about him, but he's got the arm for the job, and scouts, coaches and teammates have all always liked him. Lots of potential here. Could end up being what Drew Brees would be if he were taller.

25. Kyle Orton. A decent backup. A bad starter. The Bears need to address their QB situation next year with someone other than Grossman.

26. Brooks Bollinger. He'll never be a legit starter, but he's proven he's a legit backup. His arm is OK, accuracy isn't very good, he's still learning how to go through his progressions. His teammates like him, which is a plus.

27. David Carr. There is no difference at all between Rob Johnson and David Carr. He's not NFL starting material. The #1 pick luster never really wears off, so he'll continue having a career, but he just isn't very good. No feel for pressure beyond "take off running as soon as someone gets close", and he refuses to ever throw the ball away, which is a big reason why he takes as many sacks as he does.

28. J.P. Losman. Awful, at least right now. Inconsistent, throws it all over the place, has extremely happy feet and not much feel for the rush (tends to take off or throw it away the instant someone gets near him). Hasn't gained the confidence of his teammates, either, which isn't a good sign.

29. Aaron Brooks. Finally, mercifully benched about three years too late. Terrible quarterback. And people say Michael Vick isn't a real QB. At least Vick usually uses his head. Brooks has done nothing in five years' time to show he uses his brain at all.

30. The Kyle Boller Project. Horrible, horrible quarterback. Huge arm strength. No accuracy at all. No feel for the pocket. The worst footwork I've ever seen. Happy feet. Leadership isn't a plus. But the big arm will keep him around for at least 10 years.

31. Alex Smith. This just in: There have been many very bad teams in the NFL in prior years. In fact, there are a handful of them just about every year. There are a few rookie quarterbacks every year, as well. Even understanding this, Smith is currently enjoying one of the worst quarterback seasons in league history.

I didn't rank the two Lions QBs, but you didn't miss much there, did you? They both suck. We know this. There isn't anything interesting to say about them. I ranked both Vikings QBs, because they're both relevant. I left Pennington out for now because he's a wild card to me until we see if he recovers from his rotator cuff injury.

Oh yes, there's another guy I overlooked, what was his name... oh yes.

Michael Vick. Actually, I skipped him on purpose, because he isn't a quarterback. Now wait! You've read that last line before, so you expect me to follow by railing on how poor Vick is at throwing, right? No, wrong.

Actually, Michael Vick is proof of a rather radical concept: If you don't have a good QB handy, you can win in the NFL by simply foregoing a quarterback and using an extra halfback instead. That's what Vick is: A halfback with a strong arm. But you know what? It works. The Falcons, who truthfully aren't a very talented football team, win games with Vick under center, for two important reasons: 1. Vick is an electrifying athlete, and 2. Vick is an excellent leader in the field with a natural self-confidence that teammates feed off of.

Were I to rank him on this list, he would be somewhere between 4th and 8th, because, although he'll never be anything special throwing the football, he still is a team leader and he still has a huge positive impact for his team.

imported_Golden Hornz · 12-20-2005, 07:34 PM

I have an argument that Quarterback is the most critical position in football.. i think having a great D-line is more important than having a great quarterback.

SDOGO · 12-20-2005, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Golden Hornz@Dec 20th '05 @ 7:34 pm
I have an argument that Quarterback is the most critical position in football.. i think having a great D-line is more important than having a great quarterback.

Having a great OL is the most important. Ask any of those QB's

imported_Alex_DeLarge · 12-20-2005, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Wanderer@Dec 20th '05 @ 6:02 pm
3. Ben Roethlisberger.* It's funny but I've asked about 50 people now, from all over the country, what QBs they would trade Roethlisberger for just for the '06 season.* Only Brady and Manning were consistently mentioned by most of them, Carson Palmer by perhaps a third of them. Roethlisberger is already playing at a hall of fame level, making plays and avoiding big mistakes behind one of the NFL's worst pass-blocking lines. * He just has to stay healthy, which has become a concern.

Thats all that needs to be said right there.

The Wanderer · 12-20-2005, 07:51 PM

Yes, the offensive and defensive lines as units are vastly important, but no one position on the field is as important as quarterback, for the simple and obvious reason that, alone among all positions, the quarterback handles the ball on every play.

tregrimmd · 12-20-2005, 08:03 PM

Simms at 22 huh...sounds about right, good read

oh yea, what are Alex Smith's numbers looking like this year and just how bad are they with regards to NFL history?

imported_Golden Hornz · 12-20-2005, 08:15 PM

If you have a great D-line, then your team is probably in contention. If you could have the ultimate quarterback or D-line, then you take the ultimate D-line because then you take away the run and allow no time to pass which will cause hella turnovers.

The Wanderer · 12-20-2005, 08:31 PM

The worst you can do with a great quarterback is about 8-8. As I said, no single position impacts a team as much as quarterback. Hall of Fame quarterbacks keep even bad teams afloat, and make good teams into champions.

Here are Alex Smith's numbers so far:

56-120 (46.7%), 585 yards (4.88 YPA), 0 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 26.6 rating.

You will have a very difficult time finding stats that bad from a QB playing half of his team's snaps in a season, even from rookie QBs on very bad teams. Yeah, he's that bad.

imported_Golden Hornz · 12-20-2005, 08:34 PM

How bout Brett Favre, unless you're saying he's not great.

Thread Tools Display Modes

View more football photos

Thread Tools

Display Modes