Quarterback Rankings

[HotInHere]

Here is yet another ranking of NFL QB's. I'm posting the Ravens summary of the article rather than the article itself since most of us are not blessed enough to be ESPN 'Insiders.'

I thought it was interesting because based on the source (eight general managers, two former GMs, four pro personnel evaluators, seven coordinators, two head coaches, two position coaches and a top executive from around the league) it theoretically would be the most informed and least biased ranking like this that we've seen.

Our Joe finished 12th, and I really can't quibble with that.

There were a few things that made me think that it can't be all that hard to get a high-level job in the NFL. One of the 26 people (presumably it was the same person) had Brees, Brady, Manning, and Rodgers all as Tier 2 QB's. Who does he think is Tier 1? God? Terry Bradshaw?

Also, I thought this quote about Joe was pretty hysterical:

...he's kind of got the droopy face, kind of like the Jay Cutler face, where it always looks like things are bad.

So, you're evaluating QB's for a living, and THIS is what concerns you? The 'droopiness' of his face? SMH

I still wouldn't rank Romo or Ryan above Joe, but that may just be purple glasses, or the fact that I see Joe play all the time, whereas many of these guys might not see much more of Joe than SportsCenter highlights and one live game every four years.

But overall, this list matched pretty closely what I would do if I were to sit down and rank them myself.

Other points of interest:

• Nine people had Nick Foles as a bottom tier guy. I guess all of last season was a fluke?
• That's a lot of love for Andrew Luck over Philip Rivers. Luck had a very good year, but Rivers has been doing it awhile, and had an even BETTER year.
• Two people thought Flacco was a top-tier (elite?) QB.
• Interestingly, even though Matt Ryan ranked ahead of Flacco, he did not have a single person list him as tier-one. Opinions on Flacco are all over the map, but Ryan is pretty clearly seen as a solid tier 2 guy.

[JAB1985]

and that kind of quote will certainly propel the argument that people just dont like Flacco. What the hell does what he looks like have to do with ranking him as a QB?

the rankings could be exactly the same as the way i feel but with insights like that how can it be taken even remotely serious. Not the writers fault in this case that the interviewee said that, but why bother inserting that into your article?

[Terpsfan82]

I think this is about right. Flacco can appear to be a tier 1 guy on some days, a tier 3 guy the next. When it all shakes out, he's where he is, just outside of the so called elite with potential to get there.

[Ravenstatsman]

Nine people had Nick Foles as a bottom tier guy. I guess all of last season was a fluke?

Actually it looks like he has 9 votes for a 3rd tier out of 5 rating, that's not too bad.

The main thing that concerns me about Flacco is this criticism:

"He has a big arm, but he misses so many plays because he doesn't read defenses well," the second defensive coordinator said. "On film, you see guys open, but he doesn't throw it to the right guy."

We complain a lot about the offensive coordinators, but it must be frustrating to design a good play and have the QB not find the open man. Hopefully Flacco can improve in this area, I think it is his one big weakness.

[HotInHere]

Actually it looks like he has 9 votes for a 3rd tier out of 5 rating, that's not too bad.

The main thing that concerns me about Flacco is this criticism:

"He has a big arm, but he misses so many plays because he doesn't read defenses well," the second defensive coordinator said. "On film, you see guys open, but he doesn't throw it to the right guy."

We complain a lot about the offensive coordinators, but it must be frustrating to design a good play and have the QB not find the open man. Hopefully Flacco can improve in this area, I think it is his one big weakness.

Yeah, I agree with that. It's hard to tell as fans, because most of us don't ever see the all-22. And even if there is someone open on the right, if Joe's first read according to the play design is on the left, then he wouldn't see it if he's doing everything correctly.

That was one instance where I would REALLY love to know the source of that quote to know how much I should be worried about it.

[JimZipCode]

I also thought the piece was very interesting. And overall pretty fair.

• Two people thought Flacco was a top-tier (elite?) QB.
• Interestingly, even though Matt Ryan ranked ahead of Flacco, he did not have a single person list him as tier-one. Opinions on Flacco are all over the map, but Ryan is pretty clearly seen as a solid tier 2 guy.

That's the really interesting thing about Flacco, the "standard deviation" of opinions on him. You don't usually see quite so big a difference of opinion. I don't think any other QB has as much spread in their ratings. (Maybe RG3? I don't have the piece in front of me.) I think that reflects the reality of Joe.

• He's top-notch at the "other aspects" of QB play, the things coaches value other than throwing the ball: he's tough, he's durable, he's brave against the pass rush and still competing in the 4th Q, etc etc. All the stuff that "rounds out" the QB package, Joe brings that stuff.
• A team guy, he understands handing-off to protect leads etc. Not a diva, does not need to throw every down to be happy.
• He's got the big arm that threatens every area of the field. The whole playbook is open. Lots of offensive guru's think that's rare, and that you can't win a championship without it.
• He's a proven postseason winner. People will always "round up" when it comes to Super Bowl MVPs, and Joe benefits from that (as he should).
• But he's been a very inconsistent passer. He's not always as accurate as you'd expect. Some days he just doesn't seem to have it.
• And he's always been a little slow to make his reads and decide where to go with the ball.
• Not exactly "nifty" as a runner, either. (though I think Joe's athleticism tends to be underrated)

Taking that set of attributes as a whole, you can see how different guys would evaluate that differently. Joe's good qualities are quite strong, but his weak points are pretty pronounced too. Hypothetically, you could see how Bill Parcells and maybe Vince Lombardi would love Joe for #s 1 thru 4 above. And how Bill Walsh & Sean Payton, the geniuses behind Joe Montana & Drew Brees, might have no use whatsoever for Joe for #s 5 thru 7 above. Joe brings a lot to the table, but so far he hasn't brought absolutely everything you might want from a QB.

In this vein, I'm excited to see what Kubiak does for Joe's game. When Kubiak was first announced, I initially thought the WCO was a poor fit for Joe's strengths. But if Kubiak speeds up Joe's footwork and reads, and Joe's accuracy improves as a result of that plus some shorter routes, then the weakest part of Joe's game could become much stronger. That would let the strong parts of Joe's game really shine – Joe's good qualities are very good.

I still wouldn't rank Romo or Ryan above Joe, but that may just be purple glasses, or the fact that I see Joe play all the time, whereas many of these guys might not see much more of Joe than SportsCenter highlights

I can see putting both of those guys above Joe, based on their performance as passers only. Both of those guys make their reads quickly, and they are accurate. In particular I think Ryan is excellent. Joe's intangibles might push him ahead of Romo. Up until the Buffalo game this past season, I had never seen Joe have the type of game where one bad mistake snowballs into a clusterfuck. Whereas frequently for Romo, one bad INT would turn into 3 or 4 INTs in the blink of an eye. Romo seems to implode sometimes, whereas Joe usually just keeps plodding on. But that's just an impression: Romo really is quite good.

I thought this quote about Joe was pretty hysterical:
"...he's kind of got the droopy face, kind of like the Jay Cutler face, where it always looks like things are bad."
So, you're evaluating QB's for a living, and THIS is what concerns you? The 'droopiness' of his face? SMH

Yeah, that's ridiculous. Also untrue: Joe's never been the droopy-face guy, he's been the blank face guy. And that's usually been spun as a strength of his: the Joe Cool demeanor. You can't on the one hand compliment Joe on how "Even keeled" and unflappable he is, and then on the other hand ding him for not being enough of a rah-rah guy.


Great article.

[BcRaven]

I wonder where Flacco was ranked in 2012? To me individual or team rankings are pretty useless, but they sure are fun to talk about... Bc

[JimZipCode]

I wonder where Flacco was ranked in 2012?

Probably quite a range, depending on whether the question was asked post-reg season, or after the SB.

[Money227]

There are only 2 QBs that I would absolutely want the Ravens to trade Flacco for right now. Those two are Rodgers and Luck. I would need to think about Wilson.

[HotInHere]

There are only 2 QBs that I would absolutely want the Ravens to trade Flacco for right now. Those two are Rodgers and Luck. I would need to think about Wilson.

I love Wilson, but let's remember he has by far the best defense and one (if not the) best running games behind him. I think he's perfect for that team, but he does have some big gaps in his skill set.

[GOTA]

I love Wilson, but let's remember he has by far the best defense and one (if not the) best running games behind him. I think he's perfect for that team, but he does have some big gaps in his skill set.

Are they gaps or is he just young? There is usually a lot of growth for a QB from year 1 to year 5. I don't we've seen the player that Russell Wilson will end up becoming. He seems to have a very good head for the game which is going to take to him to a much higher level of play over the next 3 years.

[Rxdoxx]

Actually it looks like he has 9 votes for a 3rd tier out of 5 rating, that's not too bad.

The main thing that concerns me about Flacco is this criticism:

"He has a big arm, but he misses so many plays because he doesn't read defenses well," the second defensive coordinator said. "On film, you see guys open, but he doesn't throw it to the right guy."

We complain a lot about the offensive coordinators, but it must be frustrating to design a good play and have the QB not find the open man. Hopefully Flacco can improve in this area, I think it is his one big weakness.

This is the year we learn if that criticism was wrong.

To give my slant on this, gotta talk about Cam Cameron and his maddening predictability. I am not skilled but many times I could call the play and if I could do it, people like Ed Reed, LeBeau .... could do it easily.... just know the progression and as soon as Joe takes his eyes off your man take off for the new prime area. Pass thrown, gets batted down and some talking head "genius" says "Oh this man was wide open!"

Not saying Joe is totally innocent in this, but the scheme(s) sure didn't do him any favors. ---- (Clayton end around for -2, now it is third and long.... prime time Cam... Boldin to the sideline out)

What I have been hearing about Kubiak, his scheme will be tailored for Joe's strengths .... if Joe does have a real problem in this area we will see it pretty quick, but my anticipation is it will disappear and the haters bandwagon will lose a wheel or two