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Inconsistency in the sports media when it comes to quarterbacks

After getting picked off three times in the first quarter against Buffalo last week, New York Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith got benched in favor of veteran Michael Vick. In his 3+ quarters of work, Vick, whom hadn't started a game in about a year, looked electric at times, yet quite rusty at others. He wound up leading the Jets to 23 points in his three quarters of work, yet also lost two fumbles and was intercepted once. In his defense, he hadn't gotten any reps with the first-team for quite some time, and the lack of reps showed on a number of plays where Vick either ran the wrong direction, bumped into a tailback on a hand-off, etc. Also, when a quarterback gets put in a game already down 14-0, the odds increase of him feeling pressure to succeed early and often, which can lead to some rather careless plays. Unsurprisingly, not long after the game ended, head coach Rex Ryan named Vick the starter for this coming week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Leading up to Sunday's game, while I've read many reports that it was "about time" for Ryan to make the switch, these same columnists have basically stated that Vick's middle name should be "turnover-prone." However, when looking at his career stats compared to some rather highly regarded quarterbacks, either that label doesn't seem to be appropriate or the sports media is simply inconsistent on the matter. Let's look at a comparison of these very quarterbacks when it comes to turnovers:

Tom Brady: 201 games played, 136 interceptions + 40 lost fumbles = 176 turnovers, or 0.88 per game

Peyton Manning: 247 games played, 222 interceptions + 26 lost fumbles = 248 turnovers, or 1.00 per game

Drew Brees: 193 games played, 184 interceptions + 30 lost fumbles = 214 turnovers, or 1.11 per game

Eli Manning: 160 games played, 176 interceptions + 34 lost fumbles = 210 turnovers, or 1.31 per game

Ben Roethlisbereger: 151 games played, 125 interceptions + 38 lost fumbles = 163 turnovers, or 1.08 per game

Aaron Rodgers: 102 games played, 55 interceptions + 16 lost fumbles = 71 turnovers, or 0.70 per game

Philip Rivers: 140 games played, 109 interceptions + 33 lost fumbles = 142 turnovers, or 1.01 per game

Tony Romo: 144 games played, 107 interceptions + 24 lost fumbles = 131 turnovers, or 0.91 per game

Jay Cutler: 112 games played, 120 interceptions + 29 lost fumbles = 149 turnovers, or 1.33 per game

Matt Ryan: 102 games played, 85 interceptions + 16 lost fumbles = 101 turnovers, or 0.99 per game

Joe Flacco: 104 games played, 85 interceptions + 20 lost fumbles = 105 turnovers, or 1.01 per game

Kurt Warner: 124 games played, 128 interceptions + 46 lost fumbles = 174 turnovers, or 1.40 per game

Brett Favre: 302 games played, 336 interceptions + 73 lost fumbles = 409 turnovers, or 1.35 per game

Dan Marino: 242 games played, 252 interceptions + 19 lost fumbles = 271 turnovers, or 1.12 per game

John Elway: 234 games played, 226 interceptions + 34 lost fumbles = 260 turnovers, or 1.07 per game

Troy Aikman: 165 games played, 141 interceptions + 22 lost fumbles = 163 turnovers, or 0.99 per game

Joe Montana: 192 games played, 139 interceptions + 5 lost fumbles = 144 turnovers, or 0.75 per game

Steve Young: 169 games played, 107 interceptions + 23 lost fumbles = 130 turnovers, or 0.77 per game

Jim Kelly: 160 games played, 175 interceptions + 21 lost fumbles = 196 turnovers, or 1.23 per game

Michael Vick: 134 games played, 86 interceptions + 43 lost fumbles = 129 turnovers, or 0.96 per game

So, when it comes to average turnovers per game, here's how the before-mentioned highly regarded modern-day quarterbacks and former Super Bowl champion/Hall of Fame quarterbacks rank:

1) Aaron Rodgers: 0.70

2) Joe Montana: 0.75

3) Steve Young: 0.77

4) Tom Brady: 0.88

5) Tony Romo: 0.91

6) Michael Vick: 0.96

7) Troy Aikman: 0.99

7) Matt Ryan: 0.99

9) Peyton Manning: 1.00

10) Joe Flacco: 1.01

10) Philip Rivers: 1.01

12) John Elway: 1.07

13) Ben Roethlisberger: 1.08

14) Drew Brees: 1.11

15) Dan Marino: 1.12

16) Jim Kelly: 1.23

17) Eli Manning: 1.31

18) Jay Cutler: 1.33

19) Brett Favre: 1.35

20) Kurt Warner: 1.40

So, while I can certainly understand members of the sports media criticizing Michael Vick for his seeming unwillingness to slide and leaving himself more prone to fumbles and injuries due to this, looking at the broader scope of things, I have a difficult time understanding how they can keep a straight face while labeling the quarterback as being turnover-prone throughout his entire career, when he's turned it over less per game than the likes of: Troy Aikman, Matt Ryan, Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, John Elway, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler, Brett Favre, and Kurt Warner.

http://www.nfl.com/player/kurtwarner/2503540/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/tombrady/2504211/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/peytonmanning/2501863/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/drewbrees/2504775/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/jimkelly/2501579/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/elimanning/2505996/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/mattryan/310/careerstats

http://www.nfl.com/player/benroethlisberger/2506109/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/michaelvick/2504531/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/jaycutler/2495824/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/aaronrodgers/2506363/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/philiprivers/2506121/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/steveyoung/2503843/careerstats

http://www.nfl.com/player/brettfavre/2500606/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/danmarino/2501869/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/troyaikman/2499369/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/johnelway/2500547/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/tonyromo/2505354/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/joemontana/2502166/careerstats
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