The Top 10

With the 2012 NFL Season fast approaching, several Quarterbacks like to lay claim to be the best and feel as if they have something to prove.

Joe Flacco has already come out and said that he thinks he's the best QB in the NFL. I beg to differ. It's a good thing to have that confidence though. It's one thing to think that way, but it's a completely different story to come out and say it. That takes confidence to speak out and put your name over guys like Brady, Brees, Rodgers, etc. Where does Joe Flacco rank in my QB Hierarchy?

Well, I'll let my list below speak for itself.

But before you read, the reason I don't have Peyton Manning in this list is because he didn't play last season.


1. Tom Brady


Speaking as a Peyton Manning fan, it pains me to put Brady at #1. But let's be honest. As of right now, Tom Brady is most decorated Quarterback in the NFL. That speaks volumes about his career at the moment. Brady is 16-6 in the playoffs including 3 Super Bowl Title and 2 Super Bowl MVPs. Let's not forget that he holds the 50 TD pass record set in 2007 and the highest completion percentage in a game against the Jaguars during their undefeated season before falling to the New York Giants.

Love him or hate him, but Tom Brady is the Golden Boy of the NFL. He's too nice to be ignored. He quietly continues to pile on numbers and stats in his career. He's consistently put up over 3,500 passing yards in his career and, just like Peyton Manning, can do more with less. He can make rookies look like superstars. Tom Brady has "It" Whether you want to believe it or not, he's the man right now.


2. Drew Brees


Drew Brees has been overlooked almost his whole career. Brees didn't come to New Orleans and just start throwing for 4,000 yards a season. He's been this way since his days in San Diego. He was consistently in the Top 5-10 in the passing yards category always throwing over 3,500 yards. He turned up his game to a whole new level when he came to New Orleans. He had more weapons and his passing ability skyrocketed and he started throwing for over 4,000 yards every season he's been in New Orleans. Also, in case you haven't heard, he owns the NFL Record for passing yards in a season with 5,476. That's kind of important.

The thing with Drew Brees is that he's consistent. That's what the bulk of this list is based on. Who's more consistent. Brees has taken the Saints to the playoffs 4 times and winning 1 Super Bowl in the process. His work ethic has not gone unnoticed either. He breathes the game just as much as the next guy. He's probably the best pure passer in the NFL right now, but he needs to overcome his road playoff woes. He's 0-3 in road playoff games.


3. Aaron Rodgers


When I think of Aaron Rodgers, I think a few things:

1) How mobile he is in the pocket.

2) The zip he has on the ball when he releases it.

3) The fact that the man is a machine.

Aaron Rodgers is a extremely talented Quarterback. He knows what he's doing before the defense can eve plan for it. He can find holes in zone defenses and throw to the open man. He's no fluke. If you remember back when Brett Favre was still with the Packers, they had a road game against the Dallas Cowboys in 2007. Favre got injured and Rodgers came in and played better than Favre did in that game.

Three years later, he leads the Packers to 3 road playoff wins in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago before defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. Then next season, he nearly led his team to an unbeaten season. And no matter how you slice it, Rodgers came to play in that playoff game against The Giants. The only person who came to play with him was Donald Driver. Don't discount Aaron Rodgers.


4. Ben Roethlisberger


This was a tough choice for me here. I was wondering about whether to give this spot to Eli, but what made the choice is the main thing that Quarterbacks need to have: consistency. What separated Big Ben from Eli Manning is that not only is he consistent, but he doesn't use his defense to hide his faults.

Ben's strengths come from extending the play with his feet and arm strength. When he sees there's no option, he takes off and he's pretty difficult to bring down. Also, his accuracy plays a big part in this. Big Ben has a knack, that when he finds his man, he doesn't rush the throw or make dumb mistakes. His delivery is on time and damn near perfect.

Also, Big Ben is a clutch player. He's got a grand total of 27 comeback wins and game winning drives in his entire career, including his Super Bowl winning drive to win him his second ring. Big Ben may not be an ideal Quarterback, but he's got all the traits of a good QB: consistency, accuracy, delivery, and the clutch gene.


5. Eli Manning


I can hear The Giants Fans now: "That's not fair! Eli has TWO rings!"

Calm down and let me explain before you blow a gasket.

Eli Manning has proven to the world that he's a good Quarterback. It's kind of arrogant to not at least have him in the Top 10. What he lacks in mobility in the pocket, he makes up for in finding the open man downfield and hitting them in stride. He's come into his own last season and is definitely a solid Quarterback for the New York Giants.

His faults outweigh his strengths in this case. This is why I put Big Ben over him. The reason being is that Eli is too inconsistent. He'll have a great game against a great team one week, and stink it up against a lesser team the week after, repeat, repeat. He's too inconsistent at times and makes costly mistakes. But he's had the advantage of being sheltered by a very aggressive defense that get to the passer and cost turnovers. When his defense is nowhere to be found, Eli seems to struggle when the pressure is on him. When both sides of the ball are playing well, it's all good. It's easy to look good when you have a defense to back you up, but it's how you play when your defense doesn't show up that accounts to how good you are.


6. Philip Rivers


Philip Rivers suffers from playing on a dying team. Back in the days when the Chargers had L.T., Rivers would throw for a TON  of yards and his team would constantly make the playoffs and win the division. And when L.T. wasn't playing like he used to, Rivers would carry this team on his back and still lead them to the playoffs.

What puts Rivers in this list is that he always seems to lead the league in passing yards. He's been in the Top 3 for passing yards in the league for three years in a row! His only problem is that he has no team around him anymore. He lost L.T., Darren Sproles, Antonio Cromartie, Shawn Merriman, and now Vincent Jackson. Rivers looks like he's going to struggle, but this is why we play the games.


7. Tony Romo


Romo is one of the most underrated Quarterbacks in the league. He's better than most people give him credit for. Let's face it, if not for Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys would be irrelevant. With Romo at the helm, they have a chance to make the playoffs every season. One of Romo's strengths is that he can throw on the run and find receivers downfield with the long ball. His only problem is for some reason, he can't win in December. But despite what people might think Romo is single-handedly keeping the Cowboys relevant. He's going to win the big one someday.


8. Matthew Stafford


Stafford is also a vastly overlooked Quarterback. He's got one hell of a cannon for a throwing arm, mobile in the pocket and is throwing to arguably the best receiver in the league in Calvin Johnson.

His only problem is that he can never stay healthy. Look at what happened to the Lions when Stafford played a full season healthy: They actually made the playoffs. If Stafford can stay healthy, The Lions are a threat not to be taken lightly.


9. Matt Ryan


Matt Ryan took the NFL by storm in 2008 when, as a rookie, Ryan came out and played like he's been in the league for years. The kid was looking off the safeties, throwing in tight windows, and he led his team to the playoffs. In the regular season, Matty Ice is 18-2 at Home, but 9-11 on the road. He's pretty much unbeatable at Home, but mediocre on the road. Also, he's 0-3 in the playoffs. Ryan needs to get over the hump sooner or later. With as much talent as he has on the roster, it should be sooner, but he can't have the advantage of playing at Home all the time. He has shown road improvement, but if he's going to get to that next level, he's got to get better outside of Atlanta, or at least win a playoff game.


10. Matt Schaub


This is another one who can't stay healthy. Schaub has the distinct advantage of throwing to Andre Johnson and handing off to Arian Foster. With Peyton Manning out the AFC South, The Texans are primed to take control of that division for years to come, but only if Schaub can stay healthy. Last season, Schaub was going insane throwing for over 300 yards a game before he got injured. Dare I say, the Texans would've beaten the Ravens if they had Schaub. With a healthy Schaub, Houston is a scary team, but without, they're just another one of "those" teams. You know, average and mediocre.


Looks like Joe Flacco didn't make it. Too bad, so sad.


Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete