1. Peyton Manning (Denver): The Broncos have gone from one of the worst to one of the best offenses in the league this year - scoring 30 or more points in 9 of their 14 games and in 7 of their last 9. They scored 30 or more just twice all year last year, in 18 total games (two playoff games). For as great as Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are, not even they do what Peyton Manning does behind center. The guy is the best. He took an average Denver offense and made them one of the very best (and in just one season).
2. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay): I would have ranked him 1st last year in his once-in-a-lifetime Madden kind of season. His receivers haven't helped him out a great deal and without much threat of a run game, the pressure has been placed firmly on Rodgers' shoulders. While he may not be my top quarterback at this juncture, he's still in the top three (along with Brady), without question. Also, unlike Manning or Brady, Rodgers can run for a first down here and there when given the opportunity. I don't think there can be much question that he's the top quarterback in the NFC now and should be for some time to come.
3. Tom Brady (New England): Year in and year out, Tom Brady puts up some of the best numbers in the NFL. The guy has an incredible touchdown to interception ratio and even though the Pats have lacked much of a run game in recent years, it hasn't phased Brady and the efficiency of the offense any. So long as Belichick and Brady are in New England, the Pats are going to be highly competitive in the AFC and be a contender for the Super Bowl.
4. Drew Brees (New Orleans): Brees' interceptions are up some this year and his completion percentage isn't quite as high as it has been in the past, but I think it's fair to say I can give he and the Saints whole team a pass this year. The team has been without an actual coach all season and even with the chaos that has surrounded the club, they've managed to be competitive in most games and Brees has found himself near the top of the league in touchdown passes. Earlier this year, he broke the all-time record for touchdowns thrown in consecutive games. Overall, he's had a solid season this year, but with stability among the coaching staff (and team) next year, I have a feeling he'll put up even better numbers and remind people that he's still one of the best in the business.
5. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh): Big Ben used to be a scrapper at quarterback. Each and every week, he'd wind up with numbers that looked mediocre. However, at day's end, he typically led his team to victory. Over the past 2-3 seasons, he's improved his game quite significantly into becoming one of the most reliable, efficient quarterbacks in all the league. While he has battled some injury problems this year, a blind person could see what kind of impact he had on the offense when he was not in the lineup.
6. Eli Manning (NY Giants): Eli Manning is a mystery to me sometimes. He's led his club to two Super Bowl rings, appears to kick things up a notch in the final month of the season and often times in the final quarter or drive of a game. However, looking at things from a larger scope, the guy has been remarkably inconsistent. There have been many games where he's played dreadfully for three quarters, before playing like a true Hall of Famer in the fourth. There have been times when he's gone a month without throwing a touchdown it seems or times when he's struggling to connect on 50% of his passes. Yet, even with all those inconsistencies, the guy is clutch. He may stink it up early and often, but when the game is on the line, he's one of the very best. Whether or not Phil Simms wants to call him elite, Eli Manning has more Super Bowl rings than Simms (and most others).
7. Robert Griffin III (Washington): I hesitate to place a rookie this high in my list, but if Griffin is able to stay healthy, I think he'll become the best all-around dual-threat quarterback the NFL has seen to this point in its history. Of course, that's a big if. Griffin has already suffered a pair of injuries this year and will need to learn how to protect himself better when running the football to avoid the hits. If he's able to improve in that area, though, then the league will need to look out. Comparing him to other dual-threat quarterbacks, I think Griffin's speed is only second behind Michael Vick's during his prime, but ahead of all others. His throwing accuracy is way ahead of Vick, Donovan McNabb, Vince Young, Cam Newton, and many other such quarterbacks. The guy has great decision-making too. As a rookie, he's in the top five with a quarterback rating over 100. He's only thrown four interceptions all year. For as much publicity as top pick Andrew Luck has received, Luck has thrown 14 more interceptions than Griffin at this point in the season.
8. Michael Vick (Philadelphia): Most people won't agree with this and I can understand why. Vick's reputation was tarnished by dog fighting - that and he had quite the problem with turnovers early in the season. However, Vick was one of the most electric quarterbacks in all the NFL when he was with Atlanta. During his time with the Falcons, though, he was known as run first-pass second. The guy held a very average (to slightly below average) quarterback rating of around 75. However, he had about a 1.5 : 1 touchdown to interception ratio and ran for 700-1,000 yards a season (7-7.5 per carry). It would have been like seeing LeSean McCoy or Maurice Jones-Drew playing quarterback and being able to post a rating of 75. Since coming to Philadelphia, Vick has improved to about a 85-rating type of quarterback. He's gone from completing 55% to 60% of his passes, from 75 to 85 in rating, and has improved from a below-average drop-back passer to an above-average one. Excluding his atrocious opening game against Cleveland this year, where he had only three pre-season snaps to prepare for it, Vick would be right smack dab in the middle of the league in completion percentage and quarterback rating. He'd also be toward the very top of the league in lowest interception percentage at 1.9%. This, in conjunction with the fact Vick can still run when need be, makes Vick one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league. His days in Philly may be over, but chances are he'll get a chance to start elsewhere after this season.
9. Matt Ryan (Atlanta): All Matt Ryan needs to do is perform well in the playoffs and he will move up in this list. That's all he has to do. He's played very well, usually very consistently and efficiently, in the regular season - leading the Falcons to playoff berths in all but one year he's been the starter, I believe. However, the guy has these major hiccups in big games sometimes. In one game this year, he threw five interceptions. He had only thrown four all year prior to that game. If he can find some success in the playoffs, I and many others will finally see this guy as a borderline elite quarterback. That's the only reason I have Vick placed ahead of him at this time. Vick's actually taken his team to the conference championship before. He's actually led his team to playoff victories. Ryan will need to do exactly that to showcase he's one of the very best.
9. Matt Schaub (Houston): I see Matt Schaub as the AFC version of Matt Ryan. There's a reason why I have the two tied for the 9th spot in this list. Schaub, like Ryan, has typically been quite consistent and efficient in the regular season. However, like Ryan, he too has had trouble in big games. A couple weeks ago and the New England Patriots, some of the Houston Texans were calling the game the biggest in the franchise's history and they lost by four touchdowns. Like with Ryan, Schaub is going to need to play better in big games and lead his team to some playoff victories if he wants to be seen among the league's elite quarterbacks.
11. Tony Romo (Dallas): I place Tony Romo a notch below the likes of Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub, because while all three have had their share of troubles in the playoffs, Ryan and Schaub have been more consistent during the regular season to this point in their careers. Romo has always been quite talented - both with his arm and legs - but has been quite inconsistent as well. Like with Ryan and Schaub, he'll need to find some success in the playoffs and also find more consistency overall if he wants to seriously be considered among the league's very best.
12. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati): Dalton appears to be an up and comer. He's rather efficient, doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and has kept the Cincinnati Bengals competitive the past couple years. He's been a pleasant surprise for Marvin Lewis and the Bengals, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses in the years to come.
13. Alex Smith (San Francisco): I, for one, feel bad for Alex Smith. The guy didn't really do anything to lose his job as starting quarterback of the 49ers. He simply got hurt and back-up Colin Kaepernick provided a spark, a certain level of excitement that was difficult for head coach Jim Harbaugh to ignore. Smith was labeled as a bust not long after he got drafted #1 a few years ago. In time, however, he has developed into a very efficient NFL quarterback - a Trent Dilfer type, only with added athletic ability. Assuming he parts ways with the Niners at season's end, one team will consider themselves to be very lucky after landing him as their starting QB.
14. Russell Wilson (Seattle): I'm still not completely sold on Russell Wilson being a long-term success at this level. However, for the time being, the guy is playing excellent football and especially in the past couple weeks - where the team has put up 50+ points - it's become increasingly difficult to ignore that. Wilson is probably one of the smallest, if not the smallest starting quarterback in the league. He's not as fleet-footed as Robert Griffin III or Michael Vick, but is still quicker than most. He's not as gifted a passer as Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, but is more gifted than most. While I think long-term, Andrew Luck, and so long as he stays healthy - Robert Griffin III - will be more successful than Wilson, the guy certainly appears to be quite the steal for Pete Carrol and the Seattle Seahawks, and at 5'10''-5'11'', he'll have a great number of people pulling for him to succeed.
15. Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco): It's way too early to call Colin Kaepernick the next great quarterback in the league or the savior to the 49ers offensive inconsistency, however, the guy has created quite the buzz during his starts, and has illustrated to most of his great potential. He's tall, fleet of foot, and is quite an efficient passer, to this point anyway. While I feel bad for Alex Smith losing his job to this guy without playing poorly at all, I can also understand why coach Harbaugh has stuck by this guy. He does present the offense with an added dimension of speed and unpredictability at quarterback. We'll have to wait and see how he adjusts to defenses after they garner enough tape to adjust to him.
16. Carson Palmer (Oakland): It's long been said that Carson Palmer is the most fundamentally sound quarterback in football. He still puts up pretty good numbers, but being with Oakland, the guy hasn't won much in recent years. He'll need to start winning more like he did in Cincinnati to show that he is once again a top 10-caliber quarterback.
17. Phillip Rivers (San Diego): Phillip Rivers has dropped down this list somewhat over the past couple years. I think one major problem of his has been the loss of offensive weapons during his reign in San Diego. He got to share the backfield with one of the greatest running backs of all-time in LaDanian Tomlinson. Vincent Jackson was his best friend in the passing game - giving him a large receiver to throw to consistently. Tight end Antonio Gates was one of the best as his position for a number of years. Both Tomlinson and Jackson are gone, and Gates isn't the tight end he once was. Without as many proven weapons around him, Rivers has been more prone to forcing balls the past couple years or so, and this has resulted in many more turnovers. Rivers is still an above-average quarterback, but could use some more help around him. If that doesn't happen, he'll likely see his name slipping further down the list.
18. Joe Flacco (Baltimore): If there's a mystery at quarterback for me, it's got to be Joe Flacco. He possesses the inconsistencies of Eli Manning, but doesn't seem to have developed a sense for coming through in the clutch like Manning has. He has plenty of weapons around him, in Pro-Bowl tailback Ray Rice, and a host of solid receivers, yet it's anyone's guess when he's going to come through and have an efficient game. At this point in time, I'm about to flip a coin on the guy - heads he winds up being great on a regular basis and tails he appears to be as bipolar three years from now as he does at this very moment.
19. Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay): Josh Freeman is yet another talented, but inconsistent young quarterback. He had improved quite significantly, especially with regard to his touchdown to interception ratio this year compared to last. Then came his game last week, where it seemed as if every other time he threw the ball, it was picked off inside the red zone. Freeman has some good young weapons around him and with the Bucs stealing tailback Doug Martin in this past year's draft, it should make Freeman's job easier. However, he's going to learn how to be effective on a much more regular basis to be considered a top-caliber quarterback.
20. Jay Cutler (Chicago): Speaking of inconsistency - there's Jay Cutler. The guy has always had a cannon for an arm, but has seemed to lack something at the end of game's to pull his team through with much regularity. His leadership skills have been questioned. He's also received the pass blocking of five blind men at times. With as much as he gets hit in the backfield, I'm surprised he doesn't get hurt more often than he does. No one can question Cutler's raw skills, talent, and potential, but the guy is going to have to develop a stronger sense of leadership and consistency if he's going to be able to match that very potential. To this point, he hasn't done that.
21. Matthew Stafford (Detroit): While most ESPN analysts were calling Stafford an "elite" quarterback following his great season from a year ago, I was still hesitant, and at least this year, I'm having the last laugh. Stafford has a very strong arm and can be, at times, a very efficient quarterback. However, he only has one good full season under his belt - largely due to injury problems very early in his career. The guy also lacks great fundamentals, especially concerning his footwork. In addition to that, he has the best friend an NFL quarterback could ever ask for in superman wideout Calvin Johnson. Stafford has become way too dependent on Johnson, however, and will need to start developing better chemistry with other receivers, because when defenses lock down on Johnson, Stafford has a tendency to panic and turn the ball over. If Stafford wants to be a top 5, top 10 quarterback, he'll need to work on his footwork and not lock and load on Johnson with too much regularity.
22. Cam Newton (Carolina): Cam Newton has a world of talent, but his team hasn't improved much if any from his first to second year, and it feels as if the only times Newton's "greatness" comes out is when he's playing against lesser-caliber defenses or defenses who may have given up toward the latter half of a disappointing season. His two seasons can be separated into two halves. In his rookie year, the first half of the season was Madden-like in the numbers he was putting up, yet his team wasn't winning. In the second half of the season, he was less impressive, and his team still wasn't winning. It's been the direct opposite this year, where he seemed lost at times in the first half of the season and has played very well in the second half to this point. If Newton wants to be great, he'll really need to learn to mature as a quarterback, as a team leader, and start winning more football games.
23. Sam Bradford (St. Louis): Bradford's main set-back has been the injury bug. He's still very young and talented, though, so if he finds some more capable weapons around him, and with Jeff Fisher as coach - starts winning more consistently - he could find his name crawling up this list.
24. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo): It appears as if Fitzpatrick is not the franchise-saving quarterback he got paid as last year. He played lights out before receiving the contract extension last year, but played several duds after the deal was made. It's been a pretty bumpy road this year as well, and the big question I and many others have for the Bills is will they stick by Fitzpatrick for another year or go shopping for another quarterback?
25. Andrew Luck (Indianapolis): Andrew Luck appears to be clutch, have solid leadership, and be quite intelligent. These are all essential qualities to becoming one of the greats in the league. However, I'm not ready to crown the guy just yet. It's difficult to provide too high praise for a guy that leads the league in interceptions with 18 and is near the bottom of the league in both completion percentage and quarterback rating. While I think he will make great strides in years two and three, and become a great quarterback in this league, for the time being - he's not anywhere close to that.
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