As Deep as Ever
November 29th 2010 17:28
Yesterday, while I was watching the Packers-Falcons, I witnessed the play of two extremely talented quarterbacks, Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers. It's hard to believe by looking at the two QB's, that to many, they aren't even in the top 5 of the league. No, it's not because they aren't as legit as many think, but rather the fact that it seems with looking around the league, that this is the new golden-age of the quarterback in the NFL.
When you think of the great slingers in the league, you think of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees. But as of now, it looks like Phillip Rivers might be the best in the league. The young guns in the league are as multiplied as ever as well, with Ryan, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, and Josh Freeman. That's just the beggining of the long list of above-average to great QB's in the league.
You can say strong running games (for Ryan, Bradford, Sanchez) or great defenses (Flacco, Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger) are making the QB's look better, but with the defenses getting more complex accross from them, the game has become much more mental for the QB's, and just having a big arm doesn't get you very far (just ask JaMarcus Russell). But you could go on with Roethlisberger, the resurgent Michael Vick, and the surprise success of Colt McCoy.
In my mind even guys on bad to average teams are good quarterbacks. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a gamer. Kyle Orton isn't too shabby. Tony Romo is a franchise QB when he's not hurt. Carson Palmer is still above average, even with being on a 2-9 team. There's not a bad or even below-average QB in the AFC north. Or really the NFC east for that matter, if you add Romo to Vick, Eli Manning, and Donovan McNabb.
Vick got out-played yesterday by Jay Cutler. He's inconsistent, but he has his top-10 games, and his team is on top of Rodgers in the NFC north at 7-4 after Cutler threw four touchdowns. Besides the NFC North, there's atleast two good to great QB's in every division, seeing as Hasselbeck doesn't make my list, but that division is another story all together.
I will say that the Raiders, Cardinals, Panthers, and the 49ers are the only sub-.500 teams with bad quarterbacking. Matt Cassell is average at best but with a great running game, the Cheifs are 7-4 and on top of their division. I think there is 5 or 6 really good QB's in this league, with Brady and Manning at the top with Brees, Ryan, Rivers, and you can throw Rodgers on that list as well.
There is possibly 6 or 7 good QB's in this league, an those are as follows: Sanchez, Romo, Roethlisberger, Flacco, E.Manning, Freeman, Vick (who has shown signs of greatness), and sooner rather than later, Stafford. Throw in above-average guys like Palmer, Fitzpatrick, Matt Schaub, Orton, Cutler, McNabb, and McCoy, and you have the deepest league of QB's maybe of all-time. Without injuries, you could add Matthew Stafford to this list, and maybe even Chad Henne or Cassell.
Well you can say back in the 70's or 80's there were more top-tier or above-decent quarterbacks, but I think it's as deep as it's ever been. If you didn't like anything else about this blog, maybe you'll enjoy this: atleast I never mentioned that guy from Minnesota even once.
When you think of the great slingers in the league, you think of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees. But as of now, it looks like Phillip Rivers might be the best in the league. The young guns in the league are as multiplied as ever as well, with Ryan, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, and Josh Freeman. That's just the beggining of the long list of above-average to great QB's in the league.
You can say strong running games (for Ryan, Bradford, Sanchez) or great defenses (Flacco, Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger) are making the QB's look better, but with the defenses getting more complex accross from them, the game has become much more mental for the QB's, and just having a big arm doesn't get you very far (just ask JaMarcus Russell). But you could go on with Roethlisberger, the resurgent Michael Vick, and the surprise success of Colt McCoy.
In my mind even guys on bad to average teams are good quarterbacks. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a gamer. Kyle Orton isn't too shabby. Tony Romo is a franchise QB when he's not hurt. Carson Palmer is still above average, even with being on a 2-9 team. There's not a bad or even below-average QB in the AFC north. Or really the NFC east for that matter, if you add Romo to Vick, Eli Manning, and Donovan McNabb.
Vick got out-played yesterday by Jay Cutler. He's inconsistent, but he has his top-10 games, and his team is on top of Rodgers in the NFC north at 7-4 after Cutler threw four touchdowns. Besides the NFC North, there's atleast two good to great QB's in every division, seeing as Hasselbeck doesn't make my list, but that division is another story all together.
I will say that the Raiders, Cardinals, Panthers, and the 49ers are the only sub-.500 teams with bad quarterbacking. Matt Cassell is average at best but with a great running game, the Cheifs are 7-4 and on top of their division. I think there is 5 or 6 really good QB's in this league, with Brady and Manning at the top with Brees, Ryan, Rivers, and you can throw Rodgers on that list as well.
There is possibly 6 or 7 good QB's in this league, an those are as follows: Sanchez, Romo, Roethlisberger, Flacco, E.Manning, Freeman, Vick (who has shown signs of greatness), and sooner rather than later, Stafford. Throw in above-average guys like Palmer, Fitzpatrick, Matt Schaub, Orton, Cutler, McNabb, and McCoy, and you have the deepest league of QB's maybe of all-time. Without injuries, you could add Matthew Stafford to this list, and maybe even Chad Henne or Cassell.
Well you can say back in the 70's or 80's there were more top-tier or above-decent quarterbacks, but I think it's as deep as it's ever been. If you didn't like anything else about this blog, maybe you'll enjoy this: atleast I never mentioned that guy from Minnesota even once.
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