QB Conundrum 2011

Greetings All,

I've taken a mini-hiatus from blogging, but am back with a subject matter I would appreciate some feedback on.  Currently in the world of sports there are countless, serious issues I could be addressing.  There is the NBA Lockout, The Georgetown Brawl, and NCAA scandals galore.  I'm going to take a step back from these controversial and polarizing issues to write about something much more trivial, but debate-igniting all the same:  The hierarchy of current NFL quarterbacks.   


First, a bit of background on how this blog post came to be.  My roommates and I were having a laid-back Sunday night during Labor Day Weekend, when the topic of NFL quarterbacks arose.  Many of you have probably engaged in this same conversation with your buddies, sitting around with some brews in hand, testing one-another's sports IQ.  Our first quarterback debate was surrounding the simple question:  If you were a GM starting a franchise tomorrow, what current NFL quarterback would you select, and what would your rankings look like overall?  To me, this argument speaks to making an investment, looking long-term, while still being cognizant of a veteran quarterbacks track-record and accomplishments (aka Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees).  My lists looks something like this:


1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Philip Rivers
3. (t) Matt Ryan; Michael Vick
5. Tom Brady
6. Matt Stafford, Joe Flacco, Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman


Some of you may be surprised to not find Peyton Manning or Drew Brees on this list, maybe even Ben Roethlisberger.  In my opinion, Manning and Brees both have two strong years left and then we will start to see a significant drop off in production.  I can easily see Bradford, Stafford and Matt Ryan taking their place in the upper-echelon of NFL signal-callers by 2013.  Tom Brady and Michael Vick are high on my list, but there is some skepticism due to injuries and normal wear & tear.  Tom Brady, who one can argue is a Top-5 all-time QB, hasn't won the big game in 6 years, and hasn't been to the Super Bowl in 4.  Michael Vick (don't get me wrong readers...I'm a Michael Vick fan and I think he's turned into a genuinely good person, not to mention a GREAT quarterback), with all the hype and hoopla surrounding him, is still an unproven post-season QB.  Furthermore, he is more of an injury liability as a scrambling QB than someone like Aaron Rodgers or Matt Ryan.  


Again, I want to be clear about the main debate my roommates and I were having:  Who would you select as your quarterback if you were starting a franchise today.  This is not the same question as 'Who is the best current quarterback?', or 'Who is the most accomplished QB?', and certainly not 'Who is the best fantasy QB?'.  Those are different arguments, and one's which, frankly, I feel are more straight-forward.  


I can't find many flaws with Rodgers at the moment.  You could argue that he's only had one significant playoff run, but it was one of the greatest postseason performances by a QB in NFL history.  At this point you know he isn't some flash in the pan:  He is entering his 6th NFL season, 3rd as the undisputed starter.  As a starting quarterback since 2008, he has averaged over 4,000 yds a season, while throwing 87 TDs compared to only 32 INTs.  This all seems like a safe bet to me.  If nothing catastrophic happens with injuries, I think we're looking at 6-7 more GREAT years.  


I would love to hear any/all comments...let me know who would be in your Top 5 if you were starting a franchise tomorrow.