Friday, July 10, 2015

JFLANland 2015 NFL QB Rankings

There has been a small amount of controversy here in the DC area about Andy Benoit (of MMQB) and his rankings of the NFL quarterbacks.  Many seem to think that RG3 deserves to be a bit higher.  I am not one to defend RG3 anymore, considering his injuries and regression, but having him as the #31 QB out of 32 does seem a bit odd.  So, I have decided to publish my own list, and here it is.  Note- this is based mostly on recent performance, though expectations for next year do come into play a little-



1. Aaron Rodgers
I think he is the best in the game today.  2-time MVP, Super Bowl champ. Would have made it back last year if not for a backup tight end ruining an onside kick.

2. Tom Brady
He could be the greatest ever, and he is coming off of his 4th Super Bowl.  Deflating balls don't add up to all that success.  He is just damn good.

3. Peyton Manning
Everyone pointed to his offense going down at the end of that year.  That was because the Broncos ran more, not because of Peyton.  Still one of the best ever, even if its most in the regular season.

4. Andrew Luck
Everyone had super high hopes for Luck, and he has delivered.  Living up to the billing as the next Peyton Manning is a hard job, but I see no reason why he can't.

5. Drew Brees
The best QB in Saints history, playing with no defense and (now) with fewer weapons.  Yet still manages to throw for around 5,000 yards every year.

6. Russell Wilson
Would he have been higher on this list if they win another Super Bowl?  Maybe.  The kid just wins, knows how not to get hit, and needs to get paid.  If Seattle doesn't want him, a bunch of other teams will.

7. Ben Roethlisberger
Big Ben used to just be a guy you couldn't tackle.  Now, he is coming off his best statistical year, and already has 2 rings.

8. Tony Romo
Everyone makes fun of him, but he seems to have gotten that 4th quarter failure bug out of his system.  If Dez had caught that ball (he didn't), then what are we saying about Romo beating Rodgers in Green Bay?

9. Joe Flacco
All he does is get his team to the playoffs every year.  He has a ring.  He is consistent.

10. Philip Rivers
Without Rivers, the Chargers could very well be a 2-14 team.

11. Matt Ryan
It certainly helps when you have great wideouts, but Ryan is a great QB.  What Kyle Shanahan will do with him is the better question.

12. Matt Stafford
When healthy, he slings it as well as anyone.  Again, having Megatron helps a lot.

13. Cam Newton
Crazy athlete with a big arm that got his team to the playoffs last year.  Could fine tune his touch a little, but you cannot deny the natural skills.

14. Alex Smith
He has gotten better under Andy Reid, even if their wideouts don't catch touchdowns.  I wish he was allowed to let it fly a little more,

15. Ryan Tannehill
He has gotten better every year in Miami.  Still behind Luck and Wilson in his draft class, but Tannehill shows every sign of a QB growing in confidence.  He could make a big leap this year.

16. Andy Dalton
The playoff success isn't there, but the Bengals are in the thick of the AFC North every year thanks to Dalton and his consistent play.

17. Eli Manning
A guy with two Super Bowl rings should be higher, but Eli has started throwing picks at an alarming rate.  Hopefully Odell Beckham's great hands will bring those numbers back to earth.

18. Colin Kaepernick
It will be interesting to see what Kap can do on a team that appears to be falling apart.  His past success was pretty astounding.  Without his coach there, could he fall back to the pack in the 20s?

19. Teddy Bridgewater
As Kap is falling, Bridgewater is rising.  I like the kid a lot, and with Minnesota adding weapons, Teddy could take a step up in the eyes of many.

20. Derek Carr
I love Derek Carr.  I have him this low because of two things- First, I don't want to play favorites.  I could move him up to 15, but he only played one year.  I just really really like him.  The second reason?  He still plays on the Raiders.  I hope that he is able to turn that franchise around.  At least he has a #1 WR in Amari Cooper now.

21. Jay Cutler
See what I said about Eli's INTs, take away the two rings, and then take away Brandon Marshall.  Yeah.

22. Nick Foles
This guy threw for 7 touchdowns in a game.  He is a lot better than I thought he would be.  I am still not sure what the Eagles were doing trading him away for a guy further down on the list.

23. Carson Palmer
The old guy who falls under the "When he's 100%, he's awesome" category.  Bruce Arians has given him weapons, and they improves the line.  The Cardinals could win the NFC West.

24. Robert Griffin III
So here is RG3, the young guy in the "When he's 100%, he's awesome" category.  What is alarming to those of us in DC is that he may never be 100% healthy again.  Two ACL tears have limited his mobility.  He gets hurt on non-contact plays.  What's worse is that his time away from the field has cause a regression in his reads and mechanics.  This is a make-or-break year for him.  Personally, I will be paying close attention to a lot of the NCAA QBs this year, cause RG3 may not be long for DC.

25. Sam Bradford
When he's 100%, he's...  Well, I don't know.  He has never been healthy for long enough.  When he played 16 games his rookie and 3rd year, he was ok.  That might be a reflection on the Rams roster over his play.  However, he was hurt his 2nd year, his 4th year, and missed all of last year.  Maybe Chip Kelly can keep him healthy?

26. Josh McCown
A journeyman in every sense of the word, McCown (the pride of Sam Houston State!) is in Cleveland now.  His three year contract probably means he will begin the year as the starter.  However, the Browns offense is less than stellar, and he may just be keeping the seat warm for Johnny Football.

27. Brian Hoyer
Cleveland's old QB is now in Houston with former fellow-Patriot Bill O'Brien as his coach.  He has a good running back.  He has some decent young receivers.  He has a solid defense.  Hoyer could improve a lot this year, and would need to in order to be successful.

28. Matt Cassell
Another former Pat, now taking the helm in Buffalo.  Kyle Orton retired, and EJ Manuel has been a bust in every possible sense of the word.  Now that Rex Ryan is the coach, the offense of the Bills will probably take a backseat to the defense.  Ryan got the Jets to the playoffs with Mark Sanchez.  Can he work wonders with Cassell?

29. Geno Smith
Geno had some flashes of brilliance in his career.  However, the Jets have been looking to replace him for a while.  I think he will start the season of Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he has to be great to keep his job.  A decent QB would be able to put up numbers throwing to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.  Is Geno a decent QB?

30. Blake Bortles
He is very young, and was on a very bad team.  While Bridgewater and Carr showed a ton of potential and talent, Bortles seemed to only throw Pick-6's.  I'm not ready to give up on him yet, but he needs more pieces around him.

31. Jameis Winston
32. Marcus Mariota
Why are these two at the bottom of the list?  Cause they haven't played a game in the NFL yet!  I am not saying I expect them to be this low all the time.  I think they are both going to be successful QBs in this league for a number of years.  However, it is unfair right now to put anyone else below them.  By the end of this year, both could be in the top 20.  At this moment in July, they have to be at the bottom.

There is the list.  Debate away!

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