broncobryce
02-01-2009, 02:24 PM
And this is my favorite part......."Cutler, you have to remember his defense has not been . . . If Jay Cutler is playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, how many (games) has he won now? I watched him against Cleveland, and he did enough to win that game four times over and he still has to come up with a game-winning drive at the end of it. I don't think you can look at the quarterback without looking at the running game, without looking at the defense.
"I give Rivers more credit this year than I ever had. But I'm not so sure Cutler hasn't done a little bit more with a little bit less of a supporting cast than the others."
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11596654
TAMPA, Fla. — They come from small schools in the Midwest and East and from football factories in the South and West.
Some are fast; a few have mobility only a pigeon could love. A few have big arms but haven't won big. Ben Roethlisberger has a relatively average arm but has won more than any of them.
They all arrived a short time ago.
Welcome to the National Football League, where chances are a fan's favorite team has a quarterback who's a little wet behind the helmet and figures U2 is most often heard on the oldies station.
"It's a really good young group of players at that position," said Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. "All of those players are very successful and very different. It just shows how many different
types of players you can use to play well in that role if you use them the right way. It's really a good time to be a fan of quarterbacks in this league."
Roethlisberger is going for a second Super Bowl title today when his Pittsburgh Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. He's among 21 starting or franchise-caliber quarterbacks with no more than five years of NFL experience, including the Broncos' Jay Cutler. Twenty-one.
The best of the group? It depends on whether the preference is filet or salmon, cabernet or milkshakes, but Roethlisberger can help separate himself from the group by winning today.
Kurt Warner, Arizona's veteran quarterback, first picked the rookies, Matt Ryan of Atlanta and Joe Flacco of Baltimore, as the most impressive of the young Turks. Roethlisberger likes Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.
"Roethlisberger," said Cardinals general manager Rod Graves. "You take the fact he came from a small school, and was developed in such a fantastic way, and his leadership skills. He has to be, of the young quarterbacks, the most impressive."
This wasn't just a top executive at the Super Bowl engaging in gamesmanship. Many agree that while Roethlisberger, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound freakish athlete from Miami of Ohio, is the toughest to categorize, he'd be the first of the young quarterbacks they'd take.
"He does a great job of winning," McDaniels said. "If there's one thing at that position you want a player to do, it's to win. If you can ultimately say, who won the most games out of that group, I think all of them would switch places and be that guy."
Added John Madden, a Hall of Fame coach who will help call the Super Bowl today for NBC: "Ben, I think, you have to use a different criteria. He's leadership and wins. And he's tough. You watch some of the hits he takes, it's unbelievable. I don't think you can compare Ben Roethlisberger to Dan Marino. You wouldn't. Cutler is more that way."
2004: The beginning
There are young franchise quarterbacks all over the league. The Cleveland Browns have two, Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Two others, Arizona's Matt Leinart and Tennessee's Vince Young, played against each other in the BCS title game, were top 10 picks in the 2006 draft, played often as rookies, and are now benchwarmers behind quality veterans.
The infusion of young guns started with the class of 2004 when Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Roethlisberger were all taken early in the first round. Manning and Roethlisberger already have won Super Bowls; Rivers has reached the conference championship.
The young guys end with the class of 2008, where Ryan and Flacco started every game while leading their respective teams to the playoffs.
Roethlisberger went 9-of-21 with two interceptions in his previous Super Bowl. (Gregory Shamus, Getty Images )"There was kind of a period there where there was a lot of older guys," said Cutler, who some would argue has the greatest potential in this burgeoning group of passers. "Peyton (Manning) and (Tom) Brady, they kind of dominated. Now there's a new surge of some young guys playing really well. Which makes it fun. It's starting to become a quarterback-dominated league, and people like to see a lot of numbers, like to see a lot of points. The next five, 10 years will be fun."
As will the debate over who is the best.
Cris Collinsworth, who is also part of NBC's broadcast team today and a former NFL receiver, favors the quarterbacks with the strongest arms.
"This guy is probably the best arm guy," Collinsworth said, pointing to Cutler's name on the list. "Just pure thrower. The one who it wouldn't surprise me winds up being the best of all of them is Flacco. I just think he has the skill set. And they're going to have the defense there for a while.
"Cutler, you have to remember his defense has not been . . . If Jay Cutler is playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, how many (games) has he won now? I watched him against Cleveland, and he did enough to win that game four times over and he still has to come up with a game-winning drive at the end of it. I don't think you can look at the quarterback without looking at the running game, without looking at the defense.
"I give Rivers more credit this year than I ever had. But I'm not so sure Cutler hasn't done a little bit more with a little bit less of a supporting cast than the others."
Maturity eases pressure
A big reason Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and Rivers are at the top of the list is that they aren't that young anymore. Next year will be their sixth season — Tony Romo territory, where players make that unofficial leap from kid to veteran.
About to cross the threshold, Roethlisberger was asked to look back at the greatest difficulty confronting young quarterbacks.
"If you have a four-interception game, which I had this year, being able to brush it off the same as if you had a four- touchdown game," he said. "Knowing you're going to have good games and bad games and how can you overcome and bounce back from either game? Whether you're getting booed by fans or dealing with the pressure from the media, the pressure you put on yourself, I think that's the toughest thing for a young quarterback to deal with."
Somewhere in this group of young quarterbacks figures to be a Hall of Famer, or more. Some, like Roethlisberger, Cutler and Ryan, are off to terrific starts, but will they be considered terrific five years from now? Then there's Leinart, who lost his starting job.
"It obviously hasn't gone my way the last two years, getting hurt last year and then Kurt getting the starting job this year," Leinart said. "But I think I'm in a very different position than a lot of those other guys, with a guy like Kurt Warner. Those guys don't have a guy like that, who's a Hall of Fame quarterback. I've got a long career ahead of me."
It's too early to tell who will become the best of the young quarterbacks. What is known is more NFL teams than not are now counting on them.
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
By the numbers
5 seasons to record 50 victories as a starting QB, the fastest to that total in NFL history
23 years and 340 days, age at which he won his first Super Bowl, the youngest QB to do so
80.1 QB rating this season, the second-lowest of his NFL career
Beyond their years
Sorry, Tony Romo. The cutoff point for "young" quarterbacks was the 2004 draft, or those with no more than five years in the league. Here are the best young quarterbacks, as ranked by NFL reporter Mike Klis:
1. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
Not the best passer, but he might be the best athlete — and his 58-22 record makes him the winningest QB through five seasons in NFL history.
2. Matt Ryan, Falcons
What he did as a rookie can't be overstated.
3. Philip Rivers, Chargers
He throws funny, fumbles too much and he's too emotional. But he has a knack for making the big pass at the right time.
4. Jay Cutler, Broncos
Easily the best pure passer in this group and he's right there with Joe Flacco for strongest arm. Cutler can become the best QB in this group, too, once he starts getting to the postseason.
5. Eli Manning, Giants
His 2007 postseason was one for the ages. He would have been ranked higher, but he continues to have two or three clunker games a season.
6. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
Tough to compare because he's started only one season, but he's got four years of NFL experience. A good passer, underrated scrambler and no one, not even Eli, plays under more pressure.
7. Joe Flacco, Ravens
Considering he didn't play in a big-time college program, his rookie year in some ways was just as impressive as Ryan's. And Flacco probably always will have the better defense and deep-ball arm.
8. Jason Campbell, Redskins
He's steady, but it seems his job is to not lose games instead of win them.
9. Matt Leinart, Cardinals
He is either forgotten or considered a bust, but such conclusions are premature for a third-year quarterback caught playing on the same team as Kurt Warner.
10. Matt Schaub, Texans
Made significant improvement in his fifth season, but is too brittle.
Others
Matt Cassel, Patriots; Brady Quinn, Browns; Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings; Kyle Orton, Bears; Derek Anderson, Browns; Trent Edwards, Bills; Vince Young, Titans; Tyler Thigpen, Chiefs; Dan Orlovsky, Lions; JaMarcus Russell, Raiders; Alex Smith, 49ers
"I give Rivers more credit this year than I ever had. But I'm not so sure Cutler hasn't done a little bit more with a little bit less of a supporting cast than the others."
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11596654
TAMPA, Fla. — They come from small schools in the Midwest and East and from football factories in the South and West.
Some are fast; a few have mobility only a pigeon could love. A few have big arms but haven't won big. Ben Roethlisberger has a relatively average arm but has won more than any of them.
They all arrived a short time ago.
Welcome to the National Football League, where chances are a fan's favorite team has a quarterback who's a little wet behind the helmet and figures U2 is most often heard on the oldies station.
"It's a really good young group of players at that position," said Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. "All of those players are very successful and very different. It just shows how many different
types of players you can use to play well in that role if you use them the right way. It's really a good time to be a fan of quarterbacks in this league."
Roethlisberger is going for a second Super Bowl title today when his Pittsburgh Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. He's among 21 starting or franchise-caliber quarterbacks with no more than five years of NFL experience, including the Broncos' Jay Cutler. Twenty-one.
The best of the group? It depends on whether the preference is filet or salmon, cabernet or milkshakes, but Roethlisberger can help separate himself from the group by winning today.
Kurt Warner, Arizona's veteran quarterback, first picked the rookies, Matt Ryan of Atlanta and Joe Flacco of Baltimore, as the most impressive of the young Turks. Roethlisberger likes Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.
"Roethlisberger," said Cardinals general manager Rod Graves. "You take the fact he came from a small school, and was developed in such a fantastic way, and his leadership skills. He has to be, of the young quarterbacks, the most impressive."
This wasn't just a top executive at the Super Bowl engaging in gamesmanship. Many agree that while Roethlisberger, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound freakish athlete from Miami of Ohio, is the toughest to categorize, he'd be the first of the young quarterbacks they'd take.
"He does a great job of winning," McDaniels said. "If there's one thing at that position you want a player to do, it's to win. If you can ultimately say, who won the most games out of that group, I think all of them would switch places and be that guy."
Added John Madden, a Hall of Fame coach who will help call the Super Bowl today for NBC: "Ben, I think, you have to use a different criteria. He's leadership and wins. And he's tough. You watch some of the hits he takes, it's unbelievable. I don't think you can compare Ben Roethlisberger to Dan Marino. You wouldn't. Cutler is more that way."
2004: The beginning
There are young franchise quarterbacks all over the league. The Cleveland Browns have two, Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Two others, Arizona's Matt Leinart and Tennessee's Vince Young, played against each other in the BCS title game, were top 10 picks in the 2006 draft, played often as rookies, and are now benchwarmers behind quality veterans.
The infusion of young guns started with the class of 2004 when Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Roethlisberger were all taken early in the first round. Manning and Roethlisberger already have won Super Bowls; Rivers has reached the conference championship.
The young guys end with the class of 2008, where Ryan and Flacco started every game while leading their respective teams to the playoffs.
Roethlisberger went 9-of-21 with two interceptions in his previous Super Bowl. (Gregory Shamus, Getty Images )"There was kind of a period there where there was a lot of older guys," said Cutler, who some would argue has the greatest potential in this burgeoning group of passers. "Peyton (Manning) and (Tom) Brady, they kind of dominated. Now there's a new surge of some young guys playing really well. Which makes it fun. It's starting to become a quarterback-dominated league, and people like to see a lot of numbers, like to see a lot of points. The next five, 10 years will be fun."
As will the debate over who is the best.
Cris Collinsworth, who is also part of NBC's broadcast team today and a former NFL receiver, favors the quarterbacks with the strongest arms.
"This guy is probably the best arm guy," Collinsworth said, pointing to Cutler's name on the list. "Just pure thrower. The one who it wouldn't surprise me winds up being the best of all of them is Flacco. I just think he has the skill set. And they're going to have the defense there for a while.
"Cutler, you have to remember his defense has not been . . . If Jay Cutler is playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, how many (games) has he won now? I watched him against Cleveland, and he did enough to win that game four times over and he still has to come up with a game-winning drive at the end of it. I don't think you can look at the quarterback without looking at the running game, without looking at the defense.
"I give Rivers more credit this year than I ever had. But I'm not so sure Cutler hasn't done a little bit more with a little bit less of a supporting cast than the others."
Maturity eases pressure
A big reason Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and Rivers are at the top of the list is that they aren't that young anymore. Next year will be their sixth season — Tony Romo territory, where players make that unofficial leap from kid to veteran.
About to cross the threshold, Roethlisberger was asked to look back at the greatest difficulty confronting young quarterbacks.
"If you have a four-interception game, which I had this year, being able to brush it off the same as if you had a four- touchdown game," he said. "Knowing you're going to have good games and bad games and how can you overcome and bounce back from either game? Whether you're getting booed by fans or dealing with the pressure from the media, the pressure you put on yourself, I think that's the toughest thing for a young quarterback to deal with."
Somewhere in this group of young quarterbacks figures to be a Hall of Famer, or more. Some, like Roethlisberger, Cutler and Ryan, are off to terrific starts, but will they be considered terrific five years from now? Then there's Leinart, who lost his starting job.
"It obviously hasn't gone my way the last two years, getting hurt last year and then Kurt getting the starting job this year," Leinart said. "But I think I'm in a very different position than a lot of those other guys, with a guy like Kurt Warner. Those guys don't have a guy like that, who's a Hall of Fame quarterback. I've got a long career ahead of me."
It's too early to tell who will become the best of the young quarterbacks. What is known is more NFL teams than not are now counting on them.
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
By the numbers
5 seasons to record 50 victories as a starting QB, the fastest to that total in NFL history
23 years and 340 days, age at which he won his first Super Bowl, the youngest QB to do so
80.1 QB rating this season, the second-lowest of his NFL career
Beyond their years
Sorry, Tony Romo. The cutoff point for "young" quarterbacks was the 2004 draft, or those with no more than five years in the league. Here are the best young quarterbacks, as ranked by NFL reporter Mike Klis:
1. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
Not the best passer, but he might be the best athlete — and his 58-22 record makes him the winningest QB through five seasons in NFL history.
2. Matt Ryan, Falcons
What he did as a rookie can't be overstated.
3. Philip Rivers, Chargers
He throws funny, fumbles too much and he's too emotional. But he has a knack for making the big pass at the right time.
4. Jay Cutler, Broncos
Easily the best pure passer in this group and he's right there with Joe Flacco for strongest arm. Cutler can become the best QB in this group, too, once he starts getting to the postseason.
5. Eli Manning, Giants
His 2007 postseason was one for the ages. He would have been ranked higher, but he continues to have two or three clunker games a season.
6. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
Tough to compare because he's started only one season, but he's got four years of NFL experience. A good passer, underrated scrambler and no one, not even Eli, plays under more pressure.
7. Joe Flacco, Ravens
Considering he didn't play in a big-time college program, his rookie year in some ways was just as impressive as Ryan's. And Flacco probably always will have the better defense and deep-ball arm.
8. Jason Campbell, Redskins
He's steady, but it seems his job is to not lose games instead of win them.
9. Matt Leinart, Cardinals
He is either forgotten or considered a bust, but such conclusions are premature for a third-year quarterback caught playing on the same team as Kurt Warner.
10. Matt Schaub, Texans
Made significant improvement in his fifth season, but is too brittle.
Others
Matt Cassel, Patriots; Brady Quinn, Browns; Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings; Kyle Orton, Bears; Derek Anderson, Browns; Trent Edwards, Bills; Vince Young, Titans; Tyler Thigpen, Chiefs; Dan Orlovsky, Lions; JaMarcus Russell, Raiders; Alex Smith, 49ers