The Top Six QBs In The NFL, Ben Ranked #4

[Hawaii 5-0]

Million-dollar arms: Six top quarterbacks in NFL

By Adam Rank - NFL.com
Published: May 10, 2012

Rounding out the top 10 first:

10. Michael Vick. Injuries hurt him last year, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

9. Cam Newton. I don't want to go too overboard after one favorable rookie season, but he clearly is a top-10 quarterback in the game.

8. Matthew Stafford. We finally got a chance to see what he was capable of when he stayed healthy.

7. Peyton Manning. I almost didn't include Peyton because we just don't know what we're going to get from him this season. But he belongs on this list.

And without further ado:

6. Philip Rivers
Being the one quarterback from the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft to not have a Super Bowl must be akin to being the other guys from 'N Sync who aren't Justin Timberlake. Although, I don't believe lobbying for Norv Turner is the way to end this. That said, Rivers had a tough 2011 but he should rebound this season. Even if it's unlikely the Super Bowl drought will end.

5. Eli Manning
Giants fans will love this. Yes, last year I said the Giants should look for a quarterback of the future. In my defense, this wasn't completely outlandish considering Eli didn't make "The Top 100" list last year and he was coming off a 25-interception season. Seriously, I wasn't the only who snickered when Eli said he was elite. But Eli did lead the Giants to another Super Bowl. And while it goes against Internet code, I will admit I was wrong about Eli and he is clearly a top-five quarterback.

4. Ben Roethlisberger
Sometimes I wonder if Roethlisberger milks it a little bit by playing up his injuries (just look at the 49ers game from last year), but you can't argue with his on-field success. Roehtlisberger has continued to put up great numbers playing behind a porous offensive line and he always gives the Steelers a chance to win.

3. Tom Brady
The most impressive thing about Brady (and I'll skip the obvious Gisele joke here) is he has been able to have as much success in his career without an elite receiver. Outside of Randy Moss, nobody was an elite receiver before or after they played with Brady (and no, I don't consider Chad Ochocinco an elite receiver). And even though the Giants have had his number in recent years, he still has three Super Bowl wins and five conference championships.

2. Drew Brees
Brees also has thrived in New Orleans without an elite receiver and his numbers since coming to the Big Easy have been staggering. Brees has topped 4,000 passing yards in all six of his seasons in New Orleans. And this year he broke Dan Marino's single-season passing record, after he came oh-so-close back in 2008. The only drawback here is the Saints are dragging their feet in making him a multi-million dollar arm.

1. Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers' numbers are staggering since taking over for Brett Favre, especially last year when he broke Peyton Manning's seemingly unbreakable mark for passer rating (122.5). Seriously, the dude threw for 45 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Six! Rex Grossman could knock that out in one game (and nearly did against the Eagles last year).

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82901fa9/article/million-dollar-arms-six-top-quarterbacks-in-nfl?module=HP11_content_stream

[Millers the sh!t]

**** Brady. ***** can't throw a completion longer than 10 yards unless the guy is wide open or elite like moss. I hope the bills defense snap his legs this season. Guys way over rated.

[Millers the sh!t]

William gay

[IowaSteeler927]

**** Brady. ***** can't throw a completion longer than 10 yards unless the guy is wide open or elite like moss. I hope the bills defense snap his legs this season. Guys way over rated.

Agreed. All he does is play dink and dunk and I get sick and tired of the references to his Super Bowl "wins". The Patriots cheated and got caught red handed doing it. I love how that fact is just swept under the rug by the NFL and the media. Brady has done nothing but choke when it matters most since and yet he still remains a poster boy for the NFL.

[Dodens Grav]

I won't argue about the guys they put ahead of him. I know it;s been said a couple years now, but he should be poised for a big year, provided Haley works out.

[Steelers>NFL]

Ben is ranked just where I thought he should be. I always think he is about the 4th best QB in the NFL.

[MDSteel15]

Funny that numbers 3, 4 and 5 and the ONLY QBs with multiple Super Bowl victories! And Ben and Eli are the only "Run" first offensive QBs...

[LayingTheWoodley56]

Playing up his injuries! The guy could barely walk last year in that San Fran game in which we got smacked, incidentally. I highly doubt he faked a limp and hurt his team's chances to win so he could look tough.

[Steelerfreak58]

bout the first time I have seen someone get the top ten just about right.

[SteelShazam]

I think the list is pretty solid but i would put Ben at #3 and Brady at #4. Once Ben wins another superbowl or two he will end up ranked higher than all of them.

[JPPT1974]

At least there is not a QB by the name of Peyton on there. Oh wait, he did not play in 2011right?! J/K!

[TRH]

Here's the problem i have with Drew Brees (besides the fact that he's a premium A-HOLE) :

If anybody here wants to talk about someone "padding" stats....and padding stats in a big way, its this guy. There are numerous games, and this happens consistently, where N.O. are WAY, WAY up and it will go into the 4th quarter and Brees will still be on the field in the same position where other QB's will come out of the game to avoid being injured.
Then...if thats not enough...the "stat-padder" will throw all 4 downs....and then throw...and throw...and throw...and throw some more. Most times, it will even be in the late 4th and yep...you got it...he'll STILL be throwing. This is the true stat-padder in the NFL and i can't believe the media won't call him out on this. There's NO NEED for it.
I laugh when idiots here say Ben pads stats. He doesn't even come close to what Brees does, not even in the same stratosphere. I hope N.O. plays hardball on the contract. Brees is attempting to hold the entire franchise hostage.

Matthew Stafford should probably be a bit higher in the list.....Ben's place is just about right. I, like most, think Brady is overrated. Playing behind that line and throwing quick slants doesn't qualify him to be the "genius" everyone thinks he is. You all see what happens when teams DO get pressure on him. He then plays like an average NFL QB....no worse, no better.
I don't get all the "Cam Newton" love either.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Funny that numbers 3, 4 and 5 and the ONLY QBs with multiple Super Bowl victories! And Ben and Eli are the only "Run" first offensive QBs...

What do you mean by Ben being a Run first offensive QB??? Steelers havent been a run first team in 5 years.

[TRH]

What do you mean by Ben being a Run first offensive QB??? Steelers havent been a run first team in 5 years.


Yeah. We don't pass on nearly every down such as Brady, Brees, and Stafford do, but still pass quite a bit. Definitely not a "run first" team anymore.

[Avoid-Lloyd]

What do you mean by Ben being a Run first offensive QB??? Steelers havent been a run first team in 5 years.

Oops! Sorry wrong quote.

[Avoid-Lloyd]

I would have put Ben and Eli in front of Brady. Eli has out played Brady in two Super Bowls.

[Avoid-Lloyd]

Here's the problem i have with Drew Brees (besides the fact that he's a premium A-HOLE) :

If anybody here wants to talk about someone "padding" stats....and padding stats in a big way, its this guy. There are numerous games, and this happens consistently, where N.O. are WAY, WAY up and it will go into the 4th quarter and Brees will still be on the field in the same position where other QB's will come out of the game to avoid being injured.
Then...if thats not enough...the "stat-padder" will throw all 4 downs....and then throw...and throw...and throw...and throw some more. Most times, it will even be in the late 4th and yep...you got it...he'll STILL be throwing. This is the true stat-padder in the NFL and i can't believe the media won't call him out on this. There's NO NEED for it.
I laugh when idiots here say Ben pads stats. He doesn't even come close to what Brees does, not even in the same stratosphere. I hope N.O. plays hardball on the contract. Brees is attempting to hold the entire franchise hostage.
r.
Brady and Rogers also do this so Brees isn't alone on Padding stats in blow out games.

[TRH]

Brady and Rogers also do this so Brees isn't alone on Padding stats in blow out games.

yep. you're right. Without looking up anything, i can specifically remember Brady doing it a few times and i was beyoond p***ed off because i knew that afterwards the analysts would all be talking about his "great game and stats".

[Ricco Suavez]

I would have put Ben and Eli in front of Brady. Eli has out played Brady in two Super Bowls.

And the Giants defense had nothing to do with Brady's play and the Patriots next to last defense had nothing to do with Eli's play either.

[Ricco Suavez]

I do not give a goats gas whiff about how anybody ranks NFL QBs. It is more for the fans than anything. I am just glad we have a very good QB. I do not care about statistics other than wins. I am not and will never be a "fantasy" fan or a "madden" fan. I am a fan of the real deal as long as Goodell does not alter it too much.

[Hawaii 5-0]

KC Joyner Says Tony Romo Is a Top 5 Quarterback

by Jason Lisk
May 15th, 2012

KC Joyner, writing for ESPN Insider, says that Tony Romo is a Top 5 Quarterback. That term, “Top 5″ automatically gets people riled up. We’ll go through it in a second. First, Joyner’s rationale is based on several factors. One is what he calls “superior route depth metrics” which basically means that Romo did well on throws once we account for the types of throws. He is particularly good at deep throws and those that stretch the field.

In addition, Joyner points to Romo having what he calls a low bad decision rate (BDR), at only 1.8%. Last year, Romo did finish tied for 4th in interception rate, behind only Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers, and Sam Bradford (and even with Brady). Romo’s bad decisions were very noticeable and high profile, including an interception at the end of the Jets game in a tie contest, and two interceptions that were returned for touchdown against Detroit that fueled a large comeback.

Joyner also cites Romo’s 4th place rank in ESPN’s QBR. By almost any measure, Romo was near the top five, for last season. He was 4th in passer rating (so that QBR rating isn’t vastly different), he was 5th in yards per attempt, he was 5th in touchdown rate, he was tied for 4th with Eli in adjusted net yards per attempt.

There were a clear big three last year–Rodgers, Brady and Brees. The debate starts after that, and critics will always point to Romo’s record (the Cowboys were 8-8 last year) and lack of playoff wins. He impressed me last year with his toughness, as the line struggled at times in 2011. It’s also true that relative to other quarterbacks, he’s got it pretty good: Witten is a top tight end, the combination of Dez Bryant and Miles Austin, when healthy, is an above average combo (they weren’t always healthy last year and Romo still played well).

So, if we mean Top 5, as somewhere within the Top 5, then maybe. Most people would put Eli Manning right now ahead of him. Manning came on with his best season last year and continued to elevate his play, and is a year younger. Their regular seasons were pretty similar until the end, and then Manning took a team to a title. I think we have to put him ahead on the list.

His brother, Peyton is the X-factor. Is he healthy? If Manning plays like himself from 2009 and 2010, he is top 5, and there are no more spots. Will Big Ben be healthy? Roethlisberger played dinged up last year, and it affected his numbers. He can be considered right at the cusp of the top 5 as well. Then you have others like Rivers and Schaub and Vick.

Romo is right around the Top 8. I think he gets too much blame. The problem is, at age 32, he really needs to have one of those seasons that change minds now.

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2012/05/15/kc-joyner-says-tony-romo-is-a-top-5-quarterback/