Loading ...You hear the debates all the time as to who the best quarterback in the NFL is right now, whether a quarterback is "elite" or not, and why a quarterback can or can't be considered a "franchise" signal caller. New York Giants' Eli Manning was one of the most polarizing candidates for the debate going into last season. Last season, after Manning won his second Super Bowl and silenced the majority of his critics, the debate has shifted towards guys like Tony Romo and Matt Ryan.
Today at Giants 101, we rank the twelve best quarterbacks in the world going into the 2012 NFL season. Factors considered include (but are not limited to): accomplishments in the league, pure passing ability – accuracy, arm strength, pocket presence, performances in big games and clutch circumstances, the player's value to their team, as well as the direction their career seems to be moving in going forward.
NOTE: Peyton Manning will NOT be included in this list because it is very hard to estimate just how much of an effect his neck injury will have on his play this season and going forward. Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are also excluded from the list as rookies.
1. QB Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers
The best player in football right now, Aaron Rodgers has a chance to not only have a better career than his Hall of Fame caliber predecessor Brett Favre, but with his unbelievably complete skill set and already impressive list of accomplishments it's not a stretch to say that Rodgers is capable of being one of the four or five best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Accurate with the ability to fit the ball into very tight windows, Rodgers is also very athletic, an extremely capable passer on the run, and a guy with a work ethic that may even exceed his immense talent. The total package.
2. QB Eli Manning – New York Giants
Here are the facts: Eli Manning has beat Tom Brady, a man widely considered as one of the five best quarterbacks to ever play the game for his two Super Bowl rings. He made more plays than Brady when it counted in both games, and outplayed him in the fourth quarter. Eli Manning has two Super Bowl MVPs. Eli Manning has raised his level of play a notch in clutch situations – whether it be in the fourth quarter or in playoff games. Eli Manning is the most successful quarterback in Giants history and is only about halfway through his NFL career. They say the true measure of a quarterback is how much he can improve the talent around him. Well, take a look at the careers of Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss in their time with Manning and without Manning and you'll get the idea.
Just look at what Manning was able to do last year with an injury riddled offensive line, one of the worst running games in football, and an inconsistent defense that came on late in the year. In short – if you want to be in position to win championships, you want Eli Manning under center.
3. QB Tom Brady – New England Patriots
The second half of his career may not have been filled with as much postseason success and accomplishment as the first, but Tom Brady is still one of the most accurate, consistent, and poised passers in the NFL game. He took a team with a very shaky defense to the Super Bowl last season and was just a drive away from his fourth Super Bowl ring. Clearly one of the best signal callers in the game, but also one of the best signal callers to ever take a snap in the league – Brady has been surrounded with some impressive weapons down in New England and still has a legitimate shot to make a run at one or two more Super Bowls before the end of his career.
4. QB Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints
Extremely accurate and the type of quarterback to rarely have two bad games in a row – Brees broke Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a season in 2011 with 5,476 and is clearly the nucleus of that explosive New Orleans offense. He's completely mastered the Sean Payton offense and has shown the ability to overwhelm opposing defenses with his quick decision making and precise accuracy on short and intermediate throws. The Saints need to lock this guy up for the last four to five years of his career here if they want to remain relevant in the NFC will all the issues surrounding their franchise.
5. QB Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers
A two-time Super Bowl champion, Roethlisberger is one of the more unique passers in football. He's almost the size of the defensive ends trying to bring him down and one of the most creative signal callers in the game when he is forced to leave the pocket or make something positive out of a broken play. Roethlisberger's most admirable traits may be his combination of both physical and mental toughness, as he's one of the league's most fierce competitors and someone who inspires teammates around him. He takes good care of the football and rarely puts his football team in bad situations, but also shows the ability to pull them out of those very situations.
6. QB Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers
He may be coming off a rough season, but there's no question in my mind that Phillip Rivers is one of the best pure passers in the game. He's extremely accurate, very good with his pre-snap reads, and instinctive. The 2008-2010 Phillip Rivers was without a doubt a top five passer in the league. He's taken a step back, but when you look at what he's done over the course of his career, the type of offensive line play he got last season, and the type of competitor he is, it's hard to see Rivers not bouncing back in 2012.
7. QB Tony Romo – Dallas Cowboys
His struggles in advancing in the postseason are well documented, but Tony Romo has been one of the more effective passers in the league over the past three seasons. He's athletic, very good at throwing the football on the move, accurate, and knows how to manipulate opposing defenses to his advantage. Romo still has got to show that he can make the big plays when it counts most, but it's hard to overlook this guy's talent and ability to move an offense up and down the football field. If he truly wants to be considered elite however, he will have to take the next step and advance Dallas in the postseason.
8. QB Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons
His strengths come in his knowledge of the game, work ethic, and competitiveness on and off the field. That's not to see Ryan doesn't have the skill set of the league's elite – he's got more than adequate arm strength and throws those vital intermediate routes accurately. But his intangibles set him apart, and he's a guy you can count on consistently as the leader of an offense. He's led the Falcons to the playoffs in three of his first four NFL seasons and while the future certainly looks bright for Matty Ice, he's another player that is now under the microscope as the pressure is on to win a playoff game and take the next step in his career.
9. QB Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions
He's known for his rocket arm and ability to make difficult throws in tight windows, but Stafford is also becoming an efficient passer with a TD-INT ratio of over 2.5 and one of the most productive seasons for a quarterback in NFL history with over 5,000 yards and 41 touchdown passes. It's all about health with Stafford, and just how far along he gets in his development and how far he can lead these Lions team will depend on how much of an affect injuries have on his time on the field and practice field. Ton of potential, but has got to stay on the football field to continue to improve as a football player.
10. QB Michael Vick – Philadelphia Eagles
Dynamic, explosive, and very capable of taking over a football game, it was just a couple of years ago that Mike Vick was in contention for the NFL MVP award with an incredible 2010 campaign with over 3,000 passing yards and 650 rushing yards, along with 30 combined touchdown passes and rushes in just 12 games. Health and consistency are issues here, but Vick is one of the most dangerous players in the league when he's on the field.
11. QB Matt Schaub - Houston Texans
One of the league's more underrated quarterbacks, Schaub is a good decision maker that takes care of the football but also shows good aggression and accuracy as a passer. He shows good football IQ and has been very productive for the Texans, although injuries have certainly held his career back at times, including last season where many felt that Houston could have made a real run at the Super Bowl if he wasn't forced to shut it down for the season.
12. QB Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers
Yes he's young, yes he only has one year in the league – but Newton is coming off one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in NFL history, and did it all with a limited group of offensive weapons outside of Steve Smith. Newton threw for over 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also rushing for over 700 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. Just astounding numbers for a first year player who shows the confidence, poise, and competitiveness of a ten year veteran to go along with his athleticism and big arm. Cam Newton has everything you look for in a franchise signal caller – if he can stay healthy, and keep his focus on football, he will quickly become one of the top passers in the National Football League.
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Haz!
Not much to quibble with on this list. I’d personally put Romo ahead of Rivers, as they both seem to have the same level of postseason success, but one plays in the Beast, one plays in the trash garbage West, and Romo’s offense always seems to have his team in it late. The Cowboys defense has done them in as of late. You talk about making receivers, hello Miles Austin and Laurent Robinson.
Pretty logical list. 2,3,4 and could be argued ad infinitum, but I like Eli’s knack for delivering in the clutch.
Can’t say that I agree with 2, 3 and 4. For starters, I think Brees should be above Brady, and I don’t know that I can say that Eli is head and shoulders above Brees. I’d say that they’re tied and dismiss the statistical argument in favor of Brees as tainted due to the fact that he plays at least 10 games indoors every single year.
And because they listen to opponents play calls and run up the score/stats whenever possible.
Right. The stats exist–he threw those passes. There’s no taking that away from him. But the context and setting are important to properly appreciating and understanding any situation. Brees’ stats are padded by the sterile environments in which he spends a majority of his games. That’s just truth.
I also think Matt Ryan is trash garbage. OK that’s harsh. But “Matty Ice” is ice insofar as he goes stone cold in the big game. I’d put Vick, Newton and Schaub ahead of him.
That’s the fun of these lists though – no one is wrong!
Yeah I don’t see it with him either. I wouldn’t say he’s “trash garbage,” but there’s no way in hell he’s top 10 by the end of this year.
What I mean to say is that I expect some of the younger guys like Luck, Griffen, Dalton and maybe even Alex Smith to push for consideration in any list of 10 or 12 top QBs.
I think that the fact that you havent been called names for lack of knowledge or
homerism or anything else tells me that you are pretty spot on Haz . Ive always had Eli higher than non Giants fans and many would argue that that homerism is the reason why but the two reasons you cite in there are my most telling reasons One , how are players fairing without Eli as their QB ? .
Plax (one may argue that he had a career at Pittsburgh and at the Jets so I may leave him out of it ) but definitely Smith and Boss were the favored recipients of his excellent throws . And lets see if Ballard if he makes it back from his injuries does anything with his career
Second , how clutch Eli played in top games , he elevated his game and hes beaten many of the others on the list in those games so head to head competition when it comes down to the play of the QBs as the deciding factor .
So Brady , Rodgers Brees for a start .
Great job Haz. I like this list (although will still insist that for the 2011 season Eli Manning was the best player in the NFL, and I could back that up but don’t want to write a magnus opus when many would agree or disagree based on emotion and prejudice in any case). But I would make a few changes.
I’d jump Stafford up to #7 and push Romo down to #8 (although I think it’s so close it’s irrelevant). I’d put Vick at #9 and push Ryan down to #10.
And, FWIW, I’ll predict that if we can get over what will be poor won-lost records, both Luck and RGIII will rank ahead of Rivers, Romo, Ryan, Vick and Schaub in two years. The “risers” on your list are Stafford and Newton. Luck and RGII will be “rapid risers”. Rodgers, Eli, Brady, Brees, and Roethlisberger are going to be hard to dethrone as the five best in the game no matter how good the youngsters become, but a few of these young QBs are going to be amazing. The NFL is going from a dearth of great quarterbacks to a surplus. I don’t think there have been many eras in NFL history with so many great, or potentially-great, players under center. While many tend to talk about “the Golden Days”, for quarterback play this really IS the Golden Days.
Like the #1 on the list. I have Brees and Eli swithching spots and that’s going into 2012 season. People who say Brees gets the favor of playing indoors go look at his games in Baltimore and In Pittsburgh 2010. He’s a beast. The fact that your argument that Eli is number two is all about Brady shows me your grasping at straws. In the paragraphs about eachother Qb you brought up them Eli your bringing up wins against Brady. Jay Cutler should be on the list The Bears were great before he got hurt. Idk how Cam Newton is on the list after one year. I see Vick jumping up this list next year. And I bet Cam takes a step back….
No… Eli Manning did not beat Tom Brady. You can’t compare two QB’s head to head when they’re never on the field together.
Oh, and I’d put Manning #3 on this list.. behind Brees and Rodgers.