Earlier this season I ranked all of the relevant NFL quarterbacks and wondered if Tom Brady's skills were finally eroding. I suggested that perhaps the absence of playmakers like Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola and Shane Vereen was to blame for his erratic play, and that hypothesis was proven correct by Brady's tremendous second half. I had him ranked seventh in the first edition, but I'm sure he'll move up this time around.
I should probably wait until after the Super Bowl to write this article, but I'll lose the inspiration once the season ends. Numbers 30 down to 11 will be listed, while 10 down to #1 will have paragraph explanations. That being said here...we...go.
TIER 5
30. Geno Smith, New York Jets
29. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tennessee Titans
28. EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills
27. Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars
26. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams
24. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
23. Eli Manning, New York Giants
22. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
21. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
20. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
18. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
17. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
16. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
15. Josh McCown, Chicago Bears
14. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
12. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
11. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
10. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (Was #5): Didn't have a spectacular season (87.0 QB Rating, only 13th in passing yards) but he's difficult to evaluate without Reggie Wayne. Luck has great mobility and all-around playmaking ability. He's also a tough, gritty kid.
9. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (Was #4): All he needed to do was hold on to a huge lead against Matt Flynn. But hey, it's Tony Romo. Of course he blew it. Two late picks resulting in total devastation, then the inability to play in the finale due to injury. Had another solid statistical year but he can't be any higher than this.
8. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (Was #11): Kap's a fearless competitor who is already developing a reputation as a postseason star. We'll see if Michael Crabtree's return to health will allow the 49ers to squeak by the Seahawks in the NFC Championship.
7. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (Was #3): This guy looks like a combination of Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers at home, and a combination of Kellen Clemens and Matt Cassel on the road. I cannot believe how poorly he is playing on the road. His pathetic play is bordering on appalling. However, he still finished with a strong overall quarterback rating of 104.7.
6. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (Was #12): Once Le'Veon Bell took the field for Todd Haley's offense, Big Ben settled in to a very comfortable groove. He's a warrior and one of the elite crunch time players in the NFL. I'd take him as my quarterback and teammate any day of the week.
5. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (Was #10): Comeback Player of the Year? After two shaky seasons that indicated a downward career spiral, Philip "The Best" Rivers (ridiculous nickname courtesy of Pete Kirby aka "The Bulldog") bounced back with a tremendous 2013 campaign. He cut down on the turnovers and looked like a more skilled version of Alex Smith, who also had an excellent season.
4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (Was #6): Peyton Manning is going to run away with the MVP award, but this guy's my runner-up (slightly ahead of Jamaal Charles). Few people seem to realize how thin Seattle's receiving corps is -- Percy Harvin never got healthy, Sidney Rice is out for the season and the Golden Tate/Doug Baldwin 1-2 punch is hardly elite-level. Wilson does it all. Elusive inside the pocket, phenomenal outside of the pocket, great all-around instincts and a versatile pure passer. What a pleasure to watch.
TIER 1
3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots (Was #7): Welcome back to the top three, Tom. You moved back up here when you shocked, stunned and dismayed the Broncos in the second half of that classic comeback.
2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (Was #2): In any other era, he'd be the best quarterback in the league. Ridiculous stats, cannon arm, great mobility, good awareness and a propensity for the big play -- just ask the Chicago Bears about their crushed postseason hopes.
1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos (Was #1): What really needs to be said here? No. 18 probably put together the greatest statistical season of all time. He knows how to spread the ball around and utilize Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas and Knowshon Moreno efficiently and effectively. Give one of the premier quarterbacks of all time talent like that, and this is what he does with it. Just an incredible individual year.
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