Matt Ryan has been consistent every since his rookie season in 2009 and that consistency is what puts him in the top 10 to open up the 2012 season. With Roddy White and Julio Jones at his disposal, there's no doubt that Ryan is perfectly capable of exploding for a monster 2012 campaign. I will take Ryan's consistent and usually mistake free football any day of the week over the more inconsistent play of Michael Vick and Jay Cutler. However, Ryan needs to improve his play in the big games. You look back at his last two playoff starts and you will notice that Ryan was not productive in either, having been held to 0 offensive points against the Giants last year and having a couple crucial turnovers against the Packers in 2010. The next step for Ryan is to elevate his game when the Falcons really need him to and if he can do that, I expect him to be right on the cusp of the other elite quarterbacks in the game.
9 Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo, one of the more maligned quarterbacks in the game today. Romo can put up the numbers, we know that. When Romo is on his game, there aren't many defenses that can stop Romo and the Cowboys. The problem with Romo is that he has the tendency to give games away with poor decision making. Now look, there isn't a quarterback who has played in the NFL that hasn't made a mistake to cost his team a victory, but with Romo, it just happens too often for him and the Cowboys to take that next step and achieve in the playoffs. That being said, do not be surprised if Romo and the Cowboys are very close to the Super Bowl this year.
8 Matt Schaub, Houston Texans
Before getting injured, Matt Schaub was having the best season of his career. Now, was it because he had the best running back in the game setting up the play action for him, yes. Was he a benefit of an above average offensive line, yes. But Matt Schaub is no stranger to big seasons. He has thrown for well over 4,000 yards and has been the engineer of a superb passing attack. But last year, Schaub's turnovers were way down and he was as efficient as some of the game's best quarterbacks. Assuming Schaub is healthy this year, he very well could be leading the Texans to the Super Bowl.
7 Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford is one of four quarterbacks to throw for over 5,000 yards. Stafford is truly dynamic and unbelievably explosive. This is why I was surprised to see Stafford so low on Ron Jaworski's list of the game's best quarterbacks. But Jaws certainly brought up some key points. Mechanically, Stafford is inconsistent, which leads to some inconsistent decisions and turnovers. Stafford is also certainly the benefit of having Calvin Johnson at his disposal. If you watched that Lions/Cowboys game last year when the Lions overcame a 27-3 deficit, two of Stafford's touchdown passes were simply him throwing it up to Johnson with two defenders draped on him and watching Johnson come down with both of them. All of that being said, Stafford is on the cusp of being elite with one more stellar season.
6 Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Big Ben Roethlisberger might be the most consistent playoff quarterback in the league. There is no one who has come up with big plays in huge playoff moments with blitz bearing down on him in the fourth quarter on a third down and long than Roethlisberger. He is truly tough as nails. So as a competitor, that alone puts him in the elite category. Roethlisberger remains at six because he is simply not as explosive as the other quarterbacks ahead of him on this list. But why does that matter when Roethlisberger is one of only two quarterbacks currently in the league to have played in at least three Super Bowls.
5 Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
After a one year hiatus due to injury, Peyton Manning is back. If he is healthy, you are talking about one of, if not the most efficient and toughest quarterback to go up against. Manning is a machine and he has been a machine since the early 2000's. The key thing for Manning this year is that he is healthy. After that, he needs to get acclimated with the Broncos system and their personal because the AFC West should be their's for the taking if all things go to plan.
4 Eli Manning, New York Giants
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| Coming into 2012, younger brother Eli is the one with the advantage over older brother Peyton. |
3 Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees shattered the passing record. I could stop right there, but I might as well go on about how if all games were held in dome stadiums, Drew Brees might be the greatest quarterback of all time because it seems like every game at the Super Dome results in Brees throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns. So I guess my only knock on Brees is that he isn't quite as great when he plays outside of the Super Dome. If that is your only flaw as a quarterback, then it makes sense why Brees is ranked at number three.
2 Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Tom Brady is one of the game's greatest quarterbacks of all time. There is no one better in the pocket than Brady in the NFL right now. The man is coming off his fifth Super Bowl appearance, becoming only the second quarterback in the history of the game to accomplish that feat. The only knock on Brady I would have is that if you can pressure him, you might be able to rattle his game. But here are the facts. Yes, Brady was uncomfortable against the Giants in Super Bowl XLIII and XLVI, but in both games, the Patriots were one defensive stops away from winning those games. They weren't one offensive series away with Brady failing to come up big, (although there were 50 or so seconds left in Super Bowl XLVI, but even in that situation, there were a few dropped passes) the defense couldn't get the stops. So you could be talking about five Super Bowls for Brady, which would be unprecedented. And to think that Brady is currently playing as well as he ever has in his illustrious career.
1 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL. Well, barely. As we saw last year, any of the top four is capable of outplaying any of the others to claim the title as the best in the game. But after throwing 45 touchdowns and only throwing 6 interceptions, Rodgers is the definition of efficiency. Efficiency, consistency and explosiveness is what you want from your quarterbacks. Rodgers is certainly efficient because a +39 touchdown to interception rate doesn't lie. He is consistent because he won a Super Bowl last season and has been elite for the last two and a half seasons. And there is no doubt that he is explosive because he is the most accurate passer and best ball distributer in the game. Add in the fact that he can make plays out of the pocket and you have the closest thing to a perfect quarterback.
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