Jamie Dukes of NFL Network recently revealed his top five QBs in the league, and seriously missed the mark on two of his five choices. Here is his list:
- Peyton Manning
- Drew Brees
- Tom Brady
- Ben Roethlisberger
- Donovan McNabb
Nobody in their right mind can argue with Manning and Brees in the top two. Manning has been the most consistent QB of the past decade, starting every game of every season since he was drafted by the Colts. Since 2000 he has passed for less than 4,000 yards only once (2005) and has averaged just over 31 touchdowns/season in each of those years. Brees has been the mot prolific passer in recent memory. Since joining the Saints in 2006 Brees has thrown for 18,298 yards and 122 touchdowns.
Dukes mentioned his criteria when listing his top five and mentioned experience and wins as reasons for leaving off the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers. But at the same time, he left Brett Favre off the list. When I think about the top five QBs in the league, I think of the five best guys I would want to lead my team this year. Who can go out on the field and win games for me when the rest of the team is struggling? Drew Brees and Peyton Manning would be my first and second choices, respectively. Third on my list is Rodgers. He's only been a starter for two years, but has passed for over 4,000 yards in each of those years. His QB rating jumped from 93.8 to 103.2 in 2009 as he nearly cut his interceptions in half (from 13 to 7) and threw for an additional 400 yards. It's a small sample compared to the likes of Manning, Brady, and McNabb, but good enough for me to trust him.
Fourth on my list is Rivers. Like Rodgers, he has a relatively small amount of experience, but enough for me to want him on my team. Taking the reins from Brees in 2006, Rivers has been nothing but phenomenal for the Chargers in four seasons. He hit a bump in the road in 2007 throwing for 3,152 yards and 15 interceptions, but recovered in 2008 and got even better in 2009. Rivers will have to prove himself this year, having lost Ladanian Tomlinson and possibly losing Vincent Jackson for part or all of the season. His performance with a new supporting cast could make his time on this list short-lived.
Brady rounds out my top five, but just barely. I wanted to be able to say Matt Schaub, but he has yet to live up to his potential. We don't need to go over Brady's resume, everyone knows what he has done. But Brady worries me. He'll be 33 when the season opens, and his production looks to be slipping just a bit. Obviously he missed almost all of the 2008 season, and he doesn't seem to have the same swagger since. Maybe he's distracted by all of the other things going on in his life. To me it looks like he's lost his passion for the game. I'll take Jeff Garcia over a guy with no passion. Despite that thought, Brady can still win games and is more consistent than most. To recap, here is my top five:
- Drew Brees
- Peyton Manning
- Aaron Rodgers
- Philip Rivers
- Tom Brady
I would follow this list with McNabb, Schaub, Carson Palmer, Joe Flacco, and then Roethlisberger. McNabb is a very good quarterback, but he has yet to prove that he can be the clutch player to lift his team up. If Schaub can play a full season in 2010 he'll be a likely candidate to move up to number five, replacing Brady. Palmer is a consistent performer, but his age and playoff history scare me off. Flacco had his sophomore slump last season, but the sky is the limit for this guy. Roethlisberger has too many character issues for me to trust him. No team can afford to lose their starting QB to a suspension. I also don't think he has the tools to lead a team unless he has a good supporting cast.
Watch Jamie Dukes present his top five here.
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