Eli Manning spoke on ESPN Radio in New York yesterday, and said that he was an elite level quarterback... Um, no.
Eli Manning has a Super Bowl ring, sure. However, the ring goes to the best TEAM, not the best quarterback.
Let me break this down for you. Last year, Tony Romo went down with a season ending injury, and Jon Kitna replaced him. Kitna finished the season with an 88.9 quarterback rating- Almost 4 points higher than Manning. Not only that, but Manning threw a league-worst 25 interceptions.
So after all this talk, it has gotten me thinking, who do I think are the best quarterbacks in the league?
Shout out to Audrey Ryon, who starts this debate with me almost once a week... And always gets proven wrong.
Number 1: Peyton Manning
This is why Audrey and I debate, because of who tops my list. Peyton Manning is THE BEST quarterback in the league, and at least top 5 in the history. No player has ever managed a game like Manning does, and if he had half of the tools that Tom Brady has year in and year out, he would have a whole hand of rings by now. The simple fact is that he doesn't, but he turns a team that is mediocre at best without him, into a playoff team with him.
Number 2: Tom Brady
I'd like to start this off by saying I am NOT a Tom Brady fan. I have never liked celebrity quarterbacks, but I simply can't justify putting anyone above him. Brady is an incredible athlete, I'll give him that. He's blessed with a great coach and a great general manager, but it takes some major talent to accomplish all that he's accomplished. Justin Southwell tweeted something I really liked today. He said: "@JustinSouthwell: Brady threw 4 interceptions last year. And I think that was only because he wanted to make sure he was still human." Couldn't have said it better.
Number 3: Drew Brees
Drew Brees has been one of my favorite players for a long time. For someone to get shafted like he did in San Diego a few years ago after putting up incredible numbers (I bet some of you forgot he even played there), to going to a losing team in a city that would be completely demolished shortly after, Brees has responded well. He's at the top of every statistical category every year, but the knock on him is interceptions. He threw 22 last year, second most in the league.
Number 4: Michael Vick
I LOVE watching Vick play. He's a wild card, and you simply cannot gameplan for him. If you drop back in coverage, he runs. If you blitz, he flicks his wrist and throws a 40 yard bomb right over your head. How do you contain that? You can't. The only bad thing about his style is that he gets hit A LOT, which leads to injuries. It's a good thing Philadelphia invested in a good backup, because he's guaranteed at least two games a year.
Number 5: Phillip Rivers
Rivers has silently rose to the top of the NFL quarterback world. He was second in the league in quarterback rating last year (101.8, second to Tom Brady who had 111.0), and has taken the Chargers to the playoffs many times with no one around him. He lost his runningback, but has Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, and Norv Turner calling the plays. I like my chances with Rivers, who has always been a smart, and efficient quarterback.
I took to twitter and asked "What makes a quarterback a GREAT quarterback?"
@Andrew_sturgis: leadership!
@kkcopenhagen: 5 Words: Do It Like Tim Tebow < I'm guessing leadership qualities.
That's all I've got! Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow my twitter (@brendon_morris), as well as my Daily O'Collegian twitter (@brendon_ocolly) for all breaking news on Oklahoma State Football and Men's Basketball.
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