PDA

View Full Version : Ranking the top 25 NFL quarterbacks



Lonestar
07-19-2008, 05:30 PM
Posted: July 14, 2008
War Room scouts
For Sporting News



There are many ways to measure an NFL quarterback -- statistics, ratings and intangibles. Those rare individuals who can put them all together end up in an elite class that measures up to past greats. Getting a ring isn't everything, but it's the one thing upon which top quarterbacks are constantly measured:


1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots. Coming off a stellar 2007 season, his long string of success in the postseason may make him the best of all time.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts. More No. 1A than No. 2. If you can find a weakness in Manning's game, let us know.

3. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals. Throws the ball as well as anyone from recent NFL years. He has great size and a big arm -- now everybody in Cincy needs to take a deep breath and let him work.

4. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. A couple seasons removed from the Saints magical postseason run, some forget about Brees, but he is the straw that stirs one of the league's the most prolific passing attacks. Last year, he did it without a running game.

5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers. Has a big arm and better mobility than one would expect from a big man. Despite all his natural ability, however, his greatest assets are his playmaking savvy and winner's mentality.

6. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks. The 'Hawks offense goes as Hasselbeck goes, and that's meant good things in Seattle in recent years. His arsenal has been depleted, however, so this season he may struggle to put up numbers that accurately reflect his standing on this list.

7. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys. If it weren't for Jessica Simpson, people might actually be forced to talk about Romo's stellar performances on the field, which included 36 TD passes last season. With a few more strong seasons and some success in the playoffs, he will join the ranks of the elite.

8. Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers? Yes, Favre is still this good if it turns out he becomes "unretired" -- especially if he plays like the '07 version. If somehow he gets the gig in Green Bay again, he has a bevy of weapons and a great system in his favor. If he ends up somewhere else, it's anybody's guess.

9. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers. A tough hombre who proved he can play through pain. Now he just needs to prove he can consistently play at a high level. His '07 postseason may have been a sign of things to come.

10. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles. We began to see glimpses of the old McNabb in the second half of '07 as he gained more confidence in his surgically repaired knee. If he can stay healthy, he is the perfect quarterback to run Andy Reid's offense.

11. David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars. Garrard is better than most think, and is more than just another athletic quarterback. With a handful of new wide receivers in the fold, this dual threat could emerge as a top-five signal-caller in '08.

12. Eli Manning, New York Giants. It's a "What have you done for me lately" world, and in that sense Manning should ride the wave of his postseason success. But we also remember how average Manning was during the regular season. If he shows "it" over the course of four months instead of four weeks, he will shoot up this list.

13. Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos. Cutler possesses all the physical tools. Once he improves his decision-making on the field, he will take another quantum leap.
14. Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers. An emotional leader on the field, Delhomme runs hot and cold. If he's healthy and he's on, however, he will make the most of an upgraded receiving corps and an improved offensive line.

15. Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams. Has proved to be productive and accurate throughout his career, but his skills and his supporting cast have been diminished over the years.

16. Derek Anderson, Cleveland Browns. Opponents began to figure out Anderson after his fast start in '07. Now, can he put together another successful campaign and hold off the challenge of Brady Quinn? Anderson has all the pieces around him to make it work.

17. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans. Schaub is smart, poised in the pocket and accurate, but the injuries suffered by him and his teammates, most notably go-to receiver Andre Johnson, have limited his body of work. Prove it on the field over time and we'll talk.

18. Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Garcia's greatest asset is what he doesn't do. He doesn't take sacks and he doesn't throw interceptions. He's smart and accurate, and he keeps drives alive, but he's not the playmaker he once was, and at 38 years, he might as well be 98.

19. Chad Pennington, New York Jets. With a running game and some lineman who block, Pennington can still win in this league. He's smart, experienced, and deadly accurate in the short-to-intermediate game. He has completed 65.6 percent of his pass attempts during his career.

20. Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals. Leinart is known for his accuracy in the short to mid-range passing game, but he has enough arm strength to make this work in Arizona. The problem is he is running out of time to prove it. He must do a better job of using his terrific receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

21. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has plenty of potential and plethora of weapons at his disposal. Now all he needs is for Favre to go away so he can get his shot without looking over his shoulder.

22. Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins. Campbell is blessed with physical tools, strong intangibles and good upside. However, he needs to learn yet another new offense this season, and the West Coast attack doesn't fit his skills particularly well.

23. Vince Young, Tennessee Titans. Young is an outstanding natural athlete who can attack a defense with his arm and his legs, but he has yet to master the NFL game from the shoulders up. Now he needs to learn a new offense and he still doesn't have a true game-breaking receiver.

24. Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills. A smart young player who continues to improve. He is a good fit for the Bills' ball control attack, but he isn't a big playmaker yet.

25. Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions. Kitna really shouldn't be starting anymore, but he is the type who ends up playing somewhere. With pass-happy Mike Martz gone, he no longer will have padded aerial stats to hide his deficiencies.

Maybe next year?

The top breakout candidate to crack the top 25 for '09:

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers. Despite his struggles early in his career, the Martz system will help Smith pad his stats and keep the naysayers off his back for the time being. Consider what that offense did for both Marc Bulger and Jon Kitna.


http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=434469

atwater27
07-19-2008, 06:33 PM
Cutler is better than Rivers or Garrard.

Hobe
07-19-2008, 06:50 PM
Cutler is better than Rivers or Garrard.

I think the rating was based more on their team’s performance then their own ability.

bengaaaaals1688
07-19-2008, 10:47 PM
I think the rating was based more on their team’s performance then their own ability.

Physically impossible... Carson Palmer wouldn't be rated 3 if that was the case.

BeefStew25
07-19-2008, 10:53 PM
Garrard is better than Cutler *at this point in time*.

This is the year for Cutty to put up or shut up. I think he will knock em dead.

slim
07-20-2008, 12:17 AM
Garrard is better than Cutler *at this point in time*.

This is the year for Cutty to put up or shut up. I think he will knock em dead.

Yeah, Garrard is a beast.

But Rivers sucks...no way rivers should be at 9

omac
07-20-2008, 01:08 AM
Physically impossible... Carson Palmer wouldn't be rated 3 if that was the case.

Yeah, like other ratings it's mostly based on opinion. Should QBs be penalized for having a great OL and a great RB or WR? Should they get points for doing well despite having those weaknesses in their teams?

One factor that has to come into play is just how important is the QB to the offense. For that, and based on last season, with the list above, I'd go with this ....

Offenses built around the QB ...
Brady
Manning
Palmer
Brees
Hasselbeck (no running attack)
Favre
Anderson (excellent play, plus excellent OL and WR took away a lof of mistakes)
Schaub (should actually be in the half run/pass, but their RB situation stunk)
Kitna (because of Martz)
Leinart (that's the problem when you have a pass based offense immediately slung on to a young player ... way too complicated for him)

Offenses that are half run, half pass ...
Romo
Roethlisberger (used to be mostly run, but they've opened it up)
Cutler (they pass much more now with Cutler)
Delhomme (they didn't have much of a running attack, and he was excellent)
Bulger

Offenses that needs a game manager QB ...
Garrard (probably the best game managing QB in the regular season)
Manning (best in the playoffs and superbowl)
Garcia
McNabb (when healthy)
Rivers (finally settled down late in the season)
Rodgers (in the few games he's played, he's played well)
Young
Edwards (much more composed manager than Lossman)
Pennington
Campbell

bengaaaaals1688
07-20-2008, 06:08 PM
Yeah, like other ratings it's mostly based on opinion. Should QBs be penalized for having a great OL and a great RB or WR? Should they get points for doing well despite having those weaknesses in their teams?

One factor that has to come into play is just how important is the QB to the offense. For that, and based on last season, with the list above, I'd go with this ....

Offenses built around the QB ...
Brady
Manning
Palmer
Brees
Hasselbeck (no running attack)
Favre
Anderson (excellent play, plus excellent OL and WR took away a lof of mistakes)
Schaub (should actually be in the half run/pass, but their RB situation stunk)
Kitna (because of Martz)
Leinart (that's the problem when you have a pass based offense immediately slung on to a young player ... way too complicated for him)

Offenses that are half run, half pass ...
Romo
Roethlisberger (used to be mostly run, but they've opened it up)
Cutler (they pass much more now with Cutler)
Delhomme (they didn't have much of a running attack, and he was excellent)
Bulger

Offenses that needs a game manager QB ...
Garrard (probably the best game managing QB in the regular season)
Manning (best in the playoffs and superbowl)
Garcia
McNabb (when healthy)
Rivers (finally settled down late in the season)
Rodgers (in the few games he's played, he's played well)
Young
Edwards (much more composed manager than Lossman)
Pennington
Campbell

I agree with your assessments, however I also think that another thing that should always be at least looked at is the defense behind the QB. A QB who plays on a team with a good/great defense, has less pressure to be "perfect" and therefore can make less mistakes just based off that, and if they do make a mistake it can be covered up by that defense. I don't believe a QB should be penalized, per se, for having all these things, but it should be taken into consideration... Same as if they happen to lack a great OL, WR's, RB, Defense, it shouldn't penalize them, it should be accounted for.

Northman
07-20-2008, 06:11 PM
Physically impossible... Carson Palmer wouldn't be rated 3 if that was the case.

Not necessarily. The Bengals (at least 2 years ago) were able to put up some points and are still dangerous offensively. But the reason they lose a lot of games is because of a lack of defense. Palmer is a good Qb but most certainly some of that is because of how good the offense is or has been.

bengaaaaals1688
07-20-2008, 06:17 PM
Not necessarily. The Bengals (at least 2 years ago) were able to put up some points and are still dangerous offensively. But the reason they lose a lot of games is because of a lack of defense. Palmer is a good Qb but most certainly some of that is because of how good the offense is or has been.

My point is, if it is truly based on the team's performance, Palmer is far from the 3rd best QB. Based on talent, and overall production of the QB himself, then Palmer is the 3rd best QB.

Northman
07-20-2008, 06:24 PM
My point is, if it is truly based on the team's performance, Palmer is far from the 3rd best QB. Based on talent, and overall production of the QB himself, then Palmer is the 3rd best QB.

True.

WARHORSE
07-21-2008, 06:40 PM
Reverse (Rivers) ahead of Cutler?:tsk:

Not in my book.:coffee: