Elite Quarterbacks

The word elite is defined as the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons

I am so sick of NFL analysts and casual NFL fans throwing around the word elite when they are talking about NFL quarterbacks.  This blog post is guaranteed to generate some debates but when I look at the starting Quarterbacks in the league, there are only a handful of truly elite men.

The ELITE Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning (Broncos) = The absolute best QB I have ever seen, 1 SB title, rewriting record books.
Tom Brady (Patriots) = 3 SB titles, his ability to compete is unmatched, the second best QB I've seen.
Aaron Rodgers (Packers) = He is in his prime, has a SB title, and if defense cooperates will get another shot
Drew Brees (Saints) = Putting his name in the record books, no SB title, but one of the best passers in NFL

The Very Good Franchise Quarterback (But NOT Elite)
Eli Manning (Giants) = Mr. Clutch, 2 SB titles, but I can't put him the above four...needs consistency
Matt Ryan (Falcons) = Very underappreciated in Atlanta but super cerebral and a true leader in huddle.
Ben Roethlesberger (Steelers) = Cannot deny he has 2 SB titles and many clutch moments. A diva, but wins
Joe Flacco (Ravens) = His 2012 post season made me a believer.  Won SB with aging defense, he led team

The Tremendous Potential Young Franchise Quarterbacks (But prove it to me in Year Two)
Colin Kaepernick (49ers) = Took over team and led them to the SB. Cannon arm, poised, elusive, exciting.
Andrew Luck (Colts) = Poor offensive line, took alot of sacks, threw too many INTs, legit # 1 overall pick
Robert Griffin III (Redskins) = The key is his knee, will be new generation QB star or a Bo Jackson type
Russell Wilson (Seahawks) = Love his determination, clam demeanor, and leadership....prove it to me

The Solid Franchise Quarterback who will only take you so FAR
Tony Romo (Cowboys) = The ultimate Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Quarterback....undrafted out of Eastern Illinois....Maybe we should cut him some slack, he has already overachieved.  Wish he would erase bonehead plays.

Matt Schaub (Texans) = 3rd round pick out of Virginia who really, really struggled in the Texans' last four games.  Played in his first postseason as starter last year.  Tremendous pressure on him.  No where near elite status.  Not counting Brad Johnson, Rex Grossman, Trent Dilfer, name me the last non-elite QB in the Super Bowl? 

Matthew Stafford (Lions) = Has had alot of injury concerns in his young career, two seasons ago it looked as if he were going to be busting out into a Drew Brees type gunslinger when he led Lions to postseason.  He must show consistency in order to get bumped up in my rankings. 

Cam Newton (Panthers) = Not a fan of this player at all.  Tremendous skill set, rocket arm, athletic.  Anyone ever noticed he plays much better when the Panthers have a really poor record and are eliminated from the postseason?  Very immature but the potential for absolute greatness is there.  League should hold him accountable, for example, when he bumped that referee last year vs. Raiders.  Why wasn't he ejected?  Tired of people making excuses for him.  Playoff appearances = zero      Playoff wins = zero  

Phillip Rivers (Chargers) = What has happened to Rivers the last two seasons?  Watching the Chargers used to be exciting with him flinging the ball all over the place but the last two years has been excruciating.  Can you imagine what a die hard Charger fan feels like?  Hopefully a new offensive minded HC in Mike McCoy will help Rivers get back to his old form and stop throwing so many interceptions.

Andy Dalton (Bengals) = I think Dalton is perfectly placed in my list because he has done a great job in getting the Bengals to the postseason in his first two years in the league.  But his playoff performance last year was very, very disturbing.  Reminds me of Brad Johnson alot.  May have already reached his ceiling after two years in the league.  Dalton needs an elite receiver, strong running game, and good defensive team.  I'm afraid he can't carry a team by himself or guide a team deep into the playoffs.  Of course, many critics said that about Joe Flacco too....

The Average Quarterback that are either past their prime or will never be elite
Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins) = Joe Philbin should take the training wheels off in year two and with Mike Wallace in town, Tannehill seems to have the most potential to climb the charts.  Jury is still out on him though.  2014 will give us a good idea about this guy's potential. 

Jay Cutler (Bears) = He is simply this generation's Jeff George.  He has a rocket arm, a really bad attitude, and is not a team player.  Throws way too many interceptions.  Maybe Josh McDaniels knew what he was doing when he jettisoned him in Denver...

Michael Vick/Nick Foles (Eagles) = Vick is on his last legs and sportswriters and commentators do not hold him accountable for all of the turnovers he commits.  He is a turnover machine who carries the ball like a loaf of bread.  Nick Foles showed some glimpses last season of being a good pro.  Everyone has huge expectations for the Chip Kelly offense in Philadelphia but we will have a clearer picture in training camp and preseason. 

Alex Smith (Chiefs) = I didn't cry for Alex Smith when lost the starting job to Kaepernick.  Coach Harbaugh made the right decision going with the younger, more athletic, higher ceiling guy.  This move doesn't make alot of sense to me for Andy Reid.  My prediction is that Chase Daniels will end up being the Chiefs starting quarterback at some point this season.

Carson Palmer (Cardinals) = The Raiders gave up everything but the kitchen sink to get him from the Bengals and he flopped in Oakland.  Yes he threw for alot of yards passing and yes he was on a bad Raider team but do you think the Arizona Cardinals are any better?  If the offensive line can keep Mr. Immobile up right, at least he has Larry Fitzgerald to throw to.  But the Cardinals offensive line is very bad and Palmer will play an underrated Rams team, the 49ers, and Seahawks for six of his sixteen games.  Good luck.

The Underachieving Quarterback
Sam Bradford (Rams) = I like Bradford but he was a number one overall pick and has not produced like a number one overall pick (see Manning, Luck).  Jeff Fisher may be wishing he would have stayed where he was at in the 2012 NFL Draft and taken RGIII and traded Bradford to another team.  This is a big year for Sam Bradford to start making some progress.

Josh Freeman (Buccaneers) = 3 years ago, in Freeman's sophomore year, NFL analysts declared Josh Freeman as an elite quarterback.  Ridiculous, absurd stuff.  Freeman has mightedly struggled the last two seasons and I like what the Bucs are doing with him.  No big fat contract to make him feel good, they are simply honoring the 1 year left on his contract with no extension.  Prove it big boy.

Jake Locker (Titans) = In a league where owners and GM's see rookie QB's having success, like Newton, Wilson, Luck, and RGIII, the Titans did two things wrong.  First off, they drafted Locker way too high at # 8 overall because the college tape showed him to be very inconsistent and innaccurate.  The second problem is they panicked and threw him in the fire before he was ready.  They had Matt Hasselbach and should have been patient with him.  The jury is still out on Locker but I saw alot of bad tape on him in 2012.

Mark Sanchez (Jets) = Another guy who was way overrated in the draft but after taking his team to back to back AFC title games, people were ready to see him take the next step.  I don't know if the media dogging him has affected him, the ridiculous Tebowmania crap from last year, but I saw a guy last year with absolutely no confidence whatsoever.  Prediction, fans will be shouting for Geno Smith everytime he throws an interception and this will be Mark's last year in green and white.

Christian Ponder (Vikings) = The ultimate game manager and another example of a team drafting a QB way too high.  Ponder was a top ten pick by Minnesota but has never shown that type of talent in two years in Minnesota.  Ponder's job is to hand off to Adrian Peterson and not throw picks.  I look for Matt Cassell to end up taking his job at some point this year.

The Your Team is in Alot of Trouble (You will be drafting another QB real soon in 2014, except Buffalo)
EJ Manuel/Kevin Kolb (Bills) = How did Kevin Kolb get another nice sized contract after his sickening display as Arizona's starter?  I think the Bills reached on EJ Manuel in the draft.  He will be another Josh Freeman/Jake Locker/Christian Ponder.........when will NFL teams learn not to reach for QB?

Blaine Gabbert/Chad Henne (Jaguars) = Gabbert getting another opportunity with the Jaguars is all about money.  The team has alot of money invested in him and can't afford to cut him.  I have seen this guy play in person, he flat hasn't got what it takes to be a starting QB in this league.  Gabbert looked all the part of a third string QB.  Fans get excited when they saw flashes but Chad Henne is the better QB here.  Jaguar fans should have known something was up when Mike Shannahan (before RGIII was a Redskin) passed on Blaine Gabbert when his team's quarterbacks were John Beck and Rex Grossman. 

Matt Flynn/Terrell Pryor (Raiders) = You gotta hand it to Matt Flynn's agent, he has parlayed a 6 touchdown performance against a horrible Detroit Lions team in Week 17 from two years ago into two potential starting gigs with Seattle and now Oakland.  The Raiders want Terrell Pryor to be something special but I think both QB's are fool's gold. 

Brandon Weeden/Jason Campbell (Browns) = GM Michael Lombardi was not a fan of Brandon Weeden when he was an analyst.  Now as GM, he did not draft a quarterback and brought in career journeyman Jason Campbell to compete with Weeden for the starting job.  Sorry Browns, your future QB will be playing on Saturdays this year.