Silverman: Manning, Brady Are No Longer Elite NFL Quarterbacks
By Steve Silverman
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Call it the changing of the guard in the NFL at the most important position on the field.
For years, the duo of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady has been at or near the top of the position rankings from scouts, executives players and coaches around the NFL. Aaron Rodgers ranked either right above or right below the duo and Drew Brees had his supporters, but as long as Brady and Manning have been healthy, they have been elite quarterbacks in the league.
That era is now over. The best quarterback in the league is clearly Rodgers, and there's nobody who can touch him. His ability to hit open receivers on short- and medium-length routes is nearly perfect, and he throws a better deep ball than anyone else. He can get away from the pass rush and he has the fastest release of anyone in the game.
He is the best asset on an excellent Green Bay Packers team.
Andrew Luck of the Colts is certainly moving in the right direction and is the new No. 2 gunslinger in the NFL. Big, strong and athletic, Luck's ability to shake off the rush and buy time with his feet gives him the extra time he often needs to find open receivers. When it comes to getting the ball deep, he can do so with the flip of his wrist. He's accurate on short- and medium-range passes, but he's not quite in Rodgers' class. While the Packers' quarterback is almost flawless in his decision-making, Luck will make a few mistakes in crucial situations. That's understandable because he is still improving.
Joe Flacco had one of his best statistical seasons last year and may have been a couple of deflated footballs away from taking the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl. Flacco completed 62.1 percent of his passes, threw for 3,986 yards and had a sharp 27-12 TD-interception ratio. Nobody in the NFL has a stronger arm than Flacco, and his ability to escape the pass rush gives him time to throw the ball to receivers who need an extra split second to get open. He is a proven winner with a Super Bowl ring, and he is often at his best when the heat is on.
Tony Romo had a sensational season in 2014 and raised his profile quite a bit. Prior to last year, Romo's ability to throw the most catchable ball in the league was superseded by his tendency to throw interceptions at the worst possible time. Romo is a polarizing figure who has some supporters who tend to overlook his problems. He also has haters who say he'll always makes mistakes that will get the Dallas Cowboys beaten.
Neither one is the case, but he seems to have an excellent understanding of how to attack a defense and lead his team. He had a superb supporting running game last year, and that took away much of the pressure. If the Cowboys can run the ball without DeMarco Murray this year, Romo will continue to rank near the top.
Russell Wilson is going to win games for the Seahawks, and while he does not have the tangible passing skills of the top four quarterbacks on this list, his indomitable characteristics may rank with the best quarterbacks who ever played the game. The simple truth is that those who are around Wilson believe in him. His teammates and coaches know that he has the characteristics needed to grab the team and lead it to victory. He is accurate, has strong passing mechanics and has a plus-deep arm. His lack of size (5-foot-11, 208 pounds) is an issue, but it is one that he usually overcomes. With a Super Bowl win to his credit and another (painful) Super Bowl appearance, Wilson is a winner and a leader.
Brady's four-game suspension is taken into account in these ratings. Perhaps he goes up one notch if that suspension is reduced to two games, but he'll go no higher than that. While he is a tremendous big-game performer, he has become more of a streaky quarterback in recent years and is troubled by his lack of mobility against the pass rushes in the league. The way to beat Brady is to have at least two game-changing sack artists on your defensive line, and that's something that the Jets, Dolphins and Bills are all prepared to unleash this year. Those in the New England bunker will call Brady the No. 1 quarterback in the league, but they are simply fooling themselves.
Brees is on the downside of a brilliant career that will see him end up in Canton. He has had doubters since he played high school football in Texas because of his lack of size (6-foot-0, 205 pounds), but his footwork and intelligence have allowed him to find the passing lanes and hook up with his receivers. While he can throw the ball deep, his arm strength is not what it was at one point. Brees knows the clock is ticking and the Saints don't have the kind of supporting cast they did when they were a Super Bowl winner and contender.
Ben Roethlisberger is a mountain of a quarterback who carried the Steelers for much of the 2014 season. Perhaps the strongest man to play the position, it is difficult for one pass rusher to sack Big Ben. He has to be gang-tackled. Roethlisberger moves well for a 245-pound man, but he is not as fast as the most athletic pass rushers and his body takes a lot of abuse when he gets hit. Roethlisberger threw for a league-best 4,952 yards last year with a 32-9 TD-interception ratio, but he has been troubled by interceptions in previous seasons. Some may say that Roethlisberger turned the corner last year, but we'll have to see it again before we believe it completely.
Manning may be the best quarterback in pro football history -- although Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas get the nod from this analyst -- but that is no longer the case. It doesn't matter if Manning is completely recovered from injuries that slowed him in the second half of last season. He is a 39-year-old man and there's no way he's going to stay healthy for a full 16-game schedule this year. He struggles to get the ball deep at this point and his lack of arm strength impacts his previously flawless decision-making. At some point soon -- perhaps the end of this season -- Manning will have to make the painful decision to leave the sport.
Teddy Bridgewater may not yet be in the top 10, but we give him the nod over Atlanta's Matt Ryan because he improved significantly from start to finish last year and he represents part of the new guard at the quarterback position. Bridgewater's mobility is his security blanket, and he uses it to buy time. He is an accurate short passer and his mechanics have improved dramatically since he had a poor pro day prior to the 2014 draft. He is likely to get tremendous support from the Minnesota running game thanks to the return of Adrian Peterson, and the Vikings look like a potential playoff team in 2015.
2015 NFL QB Rankings
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
- Andrew Luck, Indianapolis
- Joe Flacco, Baltimore
- Tony Romo, Dallas
- Russell Wilson, Seattle
- Tom Brady, New England
- Drew Brees, New Orleans
- Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
- Peyton Manning, Denver
- Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota
