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View Full Version : Brian Billick:Top 12 QB



polamalubeast
02-02-2012, 10:45 AM
1. Aaron Rodgers



When looking at the total body of work, it is hard not to put Tom Brady at the No. 1 spot. But if I were to start a team right now, I would build it around Rodgers. He has exactly what you want in a traditional quarterback with arm strength and accuracy and also has the athleticism to make plays outside the pocket or run for the first down. Rodgers can make all the plays, but his most impressive is the back shoulder toss in which he throws his receivers open. No one did that better this year than the Packers.

2. Tom Brady

With the chance to win a record-tying fourth Super Bowl on Sunday, Brady is clearly one of the best to ever play the position. What seperates him? Brady is the ultimate leader who makes everyone around him better. Wes Welker was a below-average player with the Dolphins; now he is a superstar. Randy Moss was washed up with the Raiders; Brady brought back his Hall of Fame-type numbers. Deion Branch earned a Super Bowl MVP with Brady, left for the Seahawks and was basically invisible for four-plus seasons; back with the Patriots, he's a steady contributor yet again.

3. Drew Brees

He may not have the prototypical size of an NFL quarterback, but he is now the record holder for most passing yards in a season (5,476 in 2011). Brees is the leader of the Saints, and it is his ability to take advantage of matchups that lands him at No. 3 on this list. He has an exact understanding of his offensive scheme and furthermore the weak spots in the opposing defense. No one spreads it out better and keeps defenses guessing more than Brees.

4. Peyton Manning

While it is yet to be known if Peyton will be healthy enough to play again, he is still worthy of top-five consideration. If the Colts release him, as many expect they will, he will be the most popular free agent since Reggie White. He may not throw the prettiest ball, but it is always accurate and on-time. It is cliché, but it is his football smarts that differentiate him from the rest. There has never been a quarterback that can go to the line of scrimmage, read a defense and call a subsequent audible with the success that Manning has. He is a student of the game, and it shows.

5. Ben Roethlisberger

Roethlisberger has made some questionable decisions off the field, but his performance between the white lines is unquestioned. He may be the toughest quarterback on this list and has shown the ability to play effectively with injuries that would keep others on the sidelines for multiple games. He is at his best under pressure as he has the uncanny ability to make a tackler miss, prolong the play, and make a throw on the run better than anyone. He is a true playmaker at the position, and that can't be coached.

6. Eli Manning

Eli has forever lived in the shadow of his brother, but now has the chance to upstage him with his second championship. He started the year by making the statement that he deserved to be named among the elites at the position, and his play has justified that this season. Manning is simply unflappable. He could have a bad game for 58 minutes, and then lead his team to an 80-yard game-winning scoring drive.



read more

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82680577/article/no-question-now-manning-belongs-among-nfls-top-12-qbs?module=HP11_cp

Agree?

Carolina Steelers
02-02-2012, 10:58 AM
For the most part but im still not sold on Rodgers as number 1, it seems he only had 2 good seasons last yr and now this yr he needs another yr or 2 IMO. He should be on list but alittle futher down

suitanim
02-02-2012, 11:38 AM
The reason Rodgers deserves this is the fact that he actually completes the majority of his passes down the field to WR's. Brady dinks and dunks to Welker and his (mostly) TE's. Brees completes a butt-ton of his passes as little swings to his RB's. I still think it's more of an art form to throw the ball down the field, and it's certainly a lower percentage attempt.

If you figure this in, it would actually move Brady to third. Rodgers takes the bigger risks, but still completes 68.3% of his passes. Brees takes the least amount of risk throwing those super high-percentage passes to RB's, and he checks in at 71.2%. Brady also lives in a higher percentage bracket, but only completes 65.6%. The average yards per completion bears this out as well, with Rodgers averaging 9.2 to Brees' 8.3 and Brady's 8.6.

oneforthetoe
02-02-2012, 12:46 PM
I hate to say this, but I have to give Brady the slight edge yet over Rodgers. While I appreciate suitanim's stats, I still think, in the end, QB play is about how you play on the biggest stages. Now Brady has failed more in some recent big games, but he also has succeeded more in big games (over his career) than Rodgers. Now, if Marsha stinks the place up Sunday and Rodgers has another good season with more success in big games then he could move ahead.

Did I mention how much I hate Brady?

SteelMember
02-02-2012, 12:48 PM
After almost 20 years of stand-ins, I'm just glad the Steelers finally came up with a guy to consider for that list. :tt03:

Steeldude
02-02-2012, 02:01 PM
Sounds about right.

ALLD
02-02-2012, 03:05 PM
Brees is better than Rogers.

O'Malley
02-02-2012, 04:28 PM
Brees is better than Rogers.

Rogers is a product of GB's system... Flynn seems to be just as good a Rogers... JMO...

st33lersguy
02-02-2012, 06:03 PM
I think the neck surgery bumps Peyton behind Ben and Eli (if he wins Sunday). I can't see a quarterback in his mid 30s coming off neck surgery to be too effective anymore.

Count Steeler
02-02-2012, 06:15 PM
I hate lists. This will be the first of many this off season.

ShutDown24
02-02-2012, 11:10 PM
I started making a long paragraph of points but it is probably just less painful if I make a "list" of my own.

1.T.Brady
2.D.Brees
3.B.Roethlisberger
4.E.Manning
5.A.Rodgers
6.P.Manning

After this group it really doesn't matter much anymore. The second tier Quarterbacks are all about the same to me. All except for Matt Ryan, anyway. He doesn't even deserve consideration on a "top QB list". The guy hasn't gotten anything done. He throws a dozen picks and is just over 60% completions every year with maybe the most talented offense in the league around him. He needs to step it up.

I'd like to add that Ben could easily be #1 if he wasn't so stubborn. He doesn't need to make major changes to his game like I've heard many throw around this city since we lost to Denver, but some improvements are there to be made.

suitanim
02-03-2012, 05:08 AM
Of that list, Brady and Brees couldn't even play for the Steelers. They'd be killed.

Butch
02-03-2012, 08:02 AM
I hate to say this, but I have to give Brady the slight edge yet over Rodgers. While I appreciate suitanim's stats, I still think, in the end, QB play is about how you play on the biggest stages. Now Brady has failed more in some recent big games, but he also has succeeded more in big games (over his career) than Rodgers. Now, if Marsha stinks the place up Sunday and Rodgers has another good season with more success in big games then he could move ahead.

Did I mention how much I hate Brady?

How much of that is directly related to spygate??? We will never know how much the taping effected outcomes of games, but it was quite a turn around when they played us the 2nd time in 2004.

For what it's worth I hate shady too.

fansince'76
02-03-2012, 08:06 AM
The second tier Quarterbacks are all about the same to me. All except for Matt Ryan, anyway. He doesn't even deserve consideration on a "top QB list". The guy hasn't gotten anything done. He throws a dozen picks and is just over 60% completions every year with maybe the most talented offense in the league around him. He needs to step it up.

Yep, I don't get the Matt Ryan love either. He's pretty overrated, IMO.

suitanim
02-03-2012, 09:46 AM
I'm kind of shocked that Rodgers is getting the high hat here. I think he's clearly the best in the league. He was the first QB in history to have a QBR of 110 or better in 11 consecutive game. The scary thing is that he is still improving. Here's an interview (or at least part of an interview) from ESPN the mag. I think it shows where he's at: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7295185/nfl-green-bay-aaron-rodgers-greatest-season-qb-ever-had

He has had, statistically, the best 4-year run at the position in history. His QBR over that span is 7.7 points higher than Brady, and 9.2 ahead of Peyton Manning. His QBR of 122 in 2011 was the best ever. His TD's per pick is a remarkable 3.5. Joe Montana was about 2-1. He's just now reaching his peak physical years, too. Scary.

But I'm not alone in my assessment. Sporting news has him #1. Athlon says so, too. CBS Sports. Yahoo. USA Today. The list goes on and on. AP rated him top athlete of the year. He may very well win the MVP.

Dino 6 Rings
02-05-2012, 09:02 AM
are we taking into account that 3 of Brady's SB Rings were gotten by cheating?