Elite Quarterbacks In The NFL

Elite Quarterbacks In The NFL

Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers........ Ben Rothlesburger and Stop.

We are at the halfway point of this NFL football season, so we've had more than enough time to separate the elite quarterbacks from the very good or average QB's. There has been so much talk over the last two season's on who the elite QB's in the league are that it's become very annoying. The list of names that have hit people's lists is a joke. There's only four elite quarterbacks in the NFL ( Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Rothlesburger ) and you must stop there. Trying to add any other names to this list is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

There are a lot of very good quarterbacks in the NFL, however the tag elite is used to loosely in today's NFL. When I think of elite QB's the names that come to mind are ( Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, and Jim Kelly ) and how anyone can put Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco or Eli Manning in the same class as theses great quarterbacks is beyond me. You don't need a super bowl ring to be an elite quarterback, ( Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, and Fran Tarkenton ) but you need to be very special. Taking nothing away from the three young QB's mention in this post and one has a ring ( Eli Manning ) but elite they are not.

Elite quarterbacks are rare and special, only 23 modern day QB's are in the hall of fame. That itself speaks volume to what it take's to be an elite quarterback in the NFL. Some have called me old school because of my take on what i think the standard of an elite quarterback should be. I just don't believe you need to lower your expectations to fit the QB's of today's NFL football. There's more to being an elite quarterback than putting up Fantasy football numbers. The bottom line is can you count on this guy when all the chips are in. I've said it once and it bear's repeating an elite quarterback is a QB the other team knows can win no matter where the game is played. There's only a hand full of quarterbacks in the NFL today you can put that tag on week in and week out.

So before we start anointing every Johnny come lately QB's with eliteness after only a small body of work, let's remember true greatness of a quarterback comes after there's a book on him. A true elite quarterback is one who is alway a step ahead of his opponent.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Preparing for the future

Preparing for the future

I've been reading and listening to all the pre-draft talks about who each team should take and why. With this year's draft being highly spotlighted ( with the Players lockout and the Players Union asking draftee to stay home ) and draft picks not knowing how this could impact their lives the days and maybe months after draft day is over. I keep going back to a story I read on the ESPN Webb sight, John Clayton one of the best in the business at getting the inside scoop on what is happening in the NFL; had two opportunities to address the question of the New England Patriots drafting a young Quarterback in the early rounds of this year's draft to have him mentor behind Tom Brady and maybe one day take over.
In my opinion he missed badly on both answers to this question, first he believe's it might upset the veteran QB that a quarterback has been drafted ( IMO a horrible answer ).Given a second shot at the same question he soften his take on the subject, by saying yeah maybe it's ok but don't look for any help from the veteran QB in the mentoring of a guy who might be his replacement one day. He feels the veteran QB may be unwilling or unable to help in the development of the Quarterback who could be drafted as a look to the future for his team. He sighted the Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre situation as a reason it might not work out. I know its has been talked about over and over again about the fact that Brett wanted nothing to do with the mentoring of his replacement.However taking a young QB by the hand and saying here let me show you how to take my job, is neither realistic or what a true team player has or needs to do to help a young Quarterback to grow into an NFL QB.

As I stated in my earlier blog sitting and watching is just as Important to a young QB's development than anything a veteran QB might say. One would hope a veteran Quarterback at the end of his career ( when ever it might be ) should want to see his team in good hands because it's not if, but when that day is going to come. We're not talking about a lot of Quarterbacks here we're talking about the Payton Manning's, Tom Brady's, or the Drew Brees's of the NFL. The hard true about this game is all careers come to an end ( by the Players choice or the team's ) and the team who most prepares for that ending will be the one who will sustain that winning edge.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com