This is what I created this platform for. In today’s everchanging black hole of media coverage, the list remains as one of the few devices that is as attention-garnering and inflammatory as it has ever been. Pair that with the “hot take” culture and the innate need of most consumers to argue on behalf of the celebrities and sports teams they vicariously live through, and you have what is one of the backbones of journalism, genuine reaction and intellectual activity on behalf of your readers, viewers and listeners. And in the case of huge media corporations, you can even put it behind a paywall to maximize the already gaudy profit you make off your patrons. As is the case with the ESPN’s staff writer, Jeremy Fowler, whose piece on the best quarterbacks in the National Football League has made waves across the entire sports media landscape regardless of the $7 barrier between the actual article and someone like me who refuses to pay for it.
Nevertheless, the list became public and was obviously thrown out to the carnivorous judgement of the internet and sports personalities popular and humble, from coast to coast, and morning into the evening. The awe-inspiring power of the list, exemplified. And the only thing better than a good list to talk about? A bad list to talk about.
This list, as Fowler described it in the few paragraphs the site teases as a preview before it kindly asks you to pay the price of a hot meal to read this hot garbage, was compiled not by Fowler himself but from several surveys of more-than-informed NFL personnel: coaches, executives, and players. This formula is not new and apparently Fowler and ESPN do something similar with all positions every year. So why am I writing about it now? Because it’s that jarring of a list.
Of course, the individuals surveyed certainly know more than I or most anyone who disagrees with the list about what it takes to play the position effectively in the pros. And a lot of the list, I can see being widely agreeable. But there are a few choices that I believe to be egregious as least and nauseating at most. Fowler calls his list an identification of the best players of 2022, going into the coming season. “Not a five-year projection or an achievement award.” In other words, who would you want leading your offense going into the 2022-2023 football year?
Here are my thoughts on Fowler’s list.
1. Aaron Rodgers – There was a time when Aaron Rodger’s supreme talent and unique quarterback ability was one of one in the NFL. In an era where Brady and Manning were entering second primes and winning multiple championships, and the new breed of signal-caller-athlete was just as good as running for scores as they were throwing for them, there was an understanding that the true best QB in the league almost indisputably resided in Green Bay. That time has passed. Yes, A Rod has won two straight MVP awards. Regardless of if he 100% deserved them or not, the award rarely goes to the wrong person, especially in consecutive seasons. However, I think we have gotten too far past January 2011 to use Super Bowl XLV as the one-time pass for any Green Bay playoff disappointment led by Rodgers. Has he been better than most anyone over the past ten years and especially over the past two? Yes, he has. He will always be. But I feel like, to be the best of all time (which many claim him to be), or at least the best right now (which this list claims him to be), your recent playoff success, or lack thereof, should have something to do with that. I made a video last year, when he lost to Tampa Bay at home in the NFCC game and I said he is not as great as I thought he was. That is not to say he is not great. And if I sat down and made a list, that is not to say I wouldn’t have him as high as number two. But you tell me, who would you rather have for the extent of your season next year, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady? Aaron Rodgers or Pat Mahomes?
2. Patrick Mahomes – The window I described before where Aaron Rodgers was clear and away the best in the league talent wise and it didn’t matter who won MVP or who won the league, his single Super Bowl win was enough to legitimize a certified ‘best in the league title’ until further notice? Yeah, that is where Patrick Mahomes is right now. The difference? Pat has a little more competition on his ass than Aaron did. During the early to mid 2010’s, Aaron’s comp included old dogs like Manning and Brady that were trying to put the cherry on top of an already solidified legacy while Aaron was writing his story as a less than a decade old player. Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson had a bit to say about it but they were never true threats to Rodger’s throne. Mahomes on the other hand has some prestigious young guns coming for him. We will talk about all of them soon. But as for Mahomes, his status as the best in the league should not be argued, even with Tyreek Hill’s departure and his confusing second half and overtime of the AFCC. The dude is awesome and, though he has mess-ups like everyone on this list, he also does things regularly that would make everyone else’s top 5 highlight video. There really doesn’t need to be much else said.
3. Josh Allen – Ahh yes, the moment I have been waiting for. I really want to like Josh Allen, and y’all won’t let me. I think half of the reason Josh Allen is ranked this high, not only on this list, but most lists, is because he was average for the better part of his first two seasons and now, he’s really good. That shows perseverance and a hunger to get better, which is commendable. The other half? A combination of “Running White QB” fever, the reaction to his and Mahomes’ all-time QB duel in January, and some objective truths about his clear effectiveness. Do I think Josh Allen is a top QB in today’s NFL? Yeah? Are there 3 QB’s I would take over Josh Allen for 16 games and a postseason? Yes, there are. Look, I don’t mean to sound like a hater or even a sceptic. I think the guy has improved a lot and he has shown himself to be a top tier guy when he is at his best, which is becoming more and more often. But I just need someone to explain to me why, Josh Allen’s best moments are grounds for a damn near coronation and why another QB (who is not on this awful list), is often regulated to the worst parts of his career, even when they come few and far between.
4. Tom Brady – I mean, yeah. I’m done betting against Tom Brady. I will do it no longer. The last time we saw him on the field, he was staging one of the greatest comebacks in recent playoff memory (shocker!). He will undoubtably be one of the best statistical throwers this year, the Bucs will most likely make the playoffs, and if they win the Super Bowl, I will not be surprised in the least. Football is not supposed to be as formulaic and intentionally systematic as Brady has made it, but he’s done it. This past offseason with retirement bonanzas and coaching changes is only slightly concerning. Gronk is gone but I’m pretty sure they still have more weapons than you need to surround Brady with to be very good. Don’t overthink it, he has the game and the quarterback position mastered.
5. Joe Burrow – For me, I go off what you do. If what you do is more than what the other guy does, it is hard for me to put that guy over you regardless of what it looks like. Last year, Joe Burrow, as a second-year player, less than 12 months from an ACL tear, with a terrible offensive line, a spunky (?) defense, and whatever kind of coach Zac Taylor is, took the CINCINATTI BENGALS to the damn Super Bowl. That is no fluke. That is not coincidental. I don’t need to see much else. I won’t say I don’t need to see anything else, but I will say this: I need to see more from Josh Allen than I need to see from Joe Burrow. Josh Allen walked into twice the situation Joe Burrow walked into. And Allen has done very well for himself and that Bills franchise. But he hasn’t done what Joe Burrow has. They’re in the same conference, Joe is in a tougher division, Josh has a better overall team, and they played in the same stadium against the same team in the playoffs, Kansas City. Josh was great in his game. Joe won his. That means a lot in ranking quarterbacks if you ask me.
6. Matthew Stafford – Alright, alright. I will give props where props are due. Last year when Matt was traded to the Rams, I predicted there was no way they would get farther than they had gotten with Jared Goff the year before, which was the second round of the playoffs. I did not believe in Matt Stafford’s ability to elevate much higher than he had gotten in Detroit, which was a playoff berth and no more. Then when they won the first playoff game, I predicted that there was no way he would get them farther than the farthest they had ever gotten with Goff, the Super Bowl, especially having to go through the GOAT, Tom Brady, in Tampa. And then once he did that, I had no more hating energy left in me. Matt Stafford proved me wrong and y’all right. And then, y’all started calling him a Hall of Famer. Again, I try to like people… and y’all won’t let me! Nevertheless, you cannot throw three touchdowns in a Super Bowl win and not be in the following year’s top 10 (just ask Joe Flacco!). Number six feels just right for the man who proved that the Lions really are just that bad.
7. Justin Herbert – I don’t know what this man did to you all, but please snap out of it. Justin Herbert has played two (2) seasons of professional football. He’s probably performed better statistically in his first two seasons than any quarterback in the history of the NFL. Great! He has not stepped *foot* on a playoff football field yet. Can you imagine if we had a top 10 NBA player who had played two years and hadn’t made the playoffs? Or a top 10 Olympian who hadn’t won a gold medal? Or a top 10 rapper who hadn’t made a great album? It would not make sense. Derek Carr made the playoffs last year. HIS COACH GOT FIRED MID WAY THROUGH THE SEASON. Justin Herbert may very well win the MVP this coming season and no one would be surprised, but I think when we make these lists, we pick and choose who we are making prognostications for and who we are judging off of their current body of work. We have decided that we are putting Justin Herbert on this list because he will definitely be on the list for the next decade. But that does not necessarily mean he is on the list right now, especially not over the people he is over. For instance, if Herbert’s upside is so great and it’s about the future, Matt Stafford shouldn’t be ahead of him. Except for the fact that the only thing that separates a quarterback who hasn’t played a playoff game and one who won the most recent Super Bowl is a single ranking space.
8. Russell Wilson – At once, Russell Wilson is a once in a lifetime passer, athlete, and leader at the position and also someone you trade a decade into his career. There has never been a time Russell Wilson would be mistaken for the best quarterback in the NFL. However, his consistency and his even-keel demeanor are special and conducive to winning. Think Ben Roethlisberger. Or even Aaron Rodgers, save the even-keel demeanor part. None of these guys I just mentioned would ever leave anyone’s top 10 list during their prime years, yet all of their best years of team success occurred together in a half decade window near the beginning of their careers, never to be recaptured. Wilson has a shot at rekindling that fire that made him the maestro of near dynasty 8 years ago and kept the Seattle franchise respectable in the years after Super Bowl XLIX. In many ways Wilson and Rodgers careers in the past few years mirror each other. Fast starts, internal team turmoil, and unceremonious playoff exits. It just so happens than Rodgers is a bit better, hence the MVP worthy campaigns and farther playoff runs. Alas, they remain in the same boat come February, watching someone that probably beat them ride an inferior regular season stat line to glory. Hopefully, Wilson can remind everyone he is a top 5 quarterback, who I happen to believe he is. But to get that high on most lists once again, he will have to sustain it long past mid-October.
9. Deshaun Waston – No.
10. Dak Prescott – Is it possible that Dak Prescott has found himself in the exact position his predecessor, Tony Romo spent most of his career in? The purgatory of great moments and considerable counting stats at the expense of playoff success and contemporary competitiveness? In other words, Dak puts numbers up every year he’s healthy. The Dallas Cowboys will be a TV draw for any network and a tough go for any defense when they are clicking on all cylinders. The only question is how long it will take in the game for those cylinders to start clicking and how deep in the season will they continue to click. Last season’s wild card loss to the 49ers is a perfect microcosm of the Cowboy experience in the past two decades with Romo and Prescott; underwhelming out of the gate, shooting yourselves in the foot, and missing opportunities late in the game. Dak is a more than capable passer and has the weaponry to have great seasons. But for some reason, the Dallas franchise can only rise so high over mediocrity and in turn, their quarterback often follows suit.
My thoughts
The quarterback position in my opinion should ultimately be all encompassing. Would I rather my quarterback be statistically stellar or win a bunch of games? The answer is yes. There shouldn’t be a quarterback on a top 10 list that has a bad win/loss record or one that has bad stats or bad tape. We are picking nits when it comes to the best of the best, so it gets a little dicier than that.
Lamar Jackson being excluded from this list is unfortunately unsurprising. On a list where MVPs get you a top ranking and a non-existent playoff resume gets you in the seventh spot, Lamar’s “style” makes him ineligible even though he has both. For all of Lamar’s naysayers condemning his play as inefficient come playoff time, Josh Allen has two (2) more playoff wins than Jackson. It’s another example of running the football effectively being used against a QB (except for when that QB is Allen, then it's cool). For my money, Lamar is as good than any QB who hasn’t been to a Super Bowl yet. He had by far the worse situation of any QB on this list last year and still managed to have Baltimore in the #1 seed through nine games if I remember correctly. Start respecting QB’s that don’t look like anything we’ve seen before.
My top 10
1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Tom Brady
4. Joe Burrow
5. Lamar Jackson
6. Josh Allen
7. Matthew Stafford
8. Russell Wilson
9. Dak Prescott
10. Derek Carr / Justin Herbert (Depends on who makes the playoffs)
Photo credits: AP, Getty, USA Today
By Billy Listyl
July 21, 2022
Comments