Two months later, ESPN finally did what they did last year and added a ranking poll of 34 NFL quarterbacks. Being the sucker I am, I went for it.
Obviously there's some debate in terms of particular order, but like I did last year, I'm going to separate these quarterbacks into tiers. The tier names may change, but the principle is pretty much the same. I'm also including the overall SportsNation rankings as of the time I submitted my list.
Like last year, these guys are the elite: the best of the best. And like last year, it's a small and honestly, identical list.
1. Peyton Manning (SN: 1)
2. Tom Brady (SN: 2)
3. Aaron Rodgers (SN: 3)
4. Drew Brees (SN: 4)
I moved Rodgers down a bit, though in retrospect I maybe could have moved him up a spot. I think with the injury it's a fair spot though. Manning is pretty much the obvious number one, and Brees has to be in the conversation as well.
The Tim Tebow* Tier
I know, this sounds silly and asinine. But in that Madden franchise I haven't done anything with in a couple months because my TV turned into a monster, Tim Tebow is a legit NFL quarterback, albeit one who's still way more of a threat to run than he is to pass. Nonetheless, he's helped lead his team to the Super Bowl a couple times. The guys in this tier can also do that.
5. Russell Wilson (SN: 6)
6. Ben Roethlisberger (SN: 10)
7. Joe Flacco (SN: 14)
8. Andrew Luck (SN: 5)
9. Colin Kaepernick (SN: 8)
Pretty close, though I probably overrated Flacco just because he won a Super Bowl. Other people commenting on ESPN would probably call me an idiot for rating Russell Wilson higher than Andrew Luck, but really, I think even though it was a team effort, the title speaks volumes. Luck is still a fantastic quarterback though, and he's pretty much had to carry that Colts team the last couple years. Big Ben is probably a little high on this list, but he's still a good quarterback, and Colin Kaepernick is still someone to account for even if the league is adjusting to him.
The Tim Alliman Tier
Alliman is the quarterback of arguably my greatest rival in the NFC in Arizona, and in his first few years in the league has done a good amount of damage while putting up gaudy records for his team and leading them to good playoff runs. These guys are all capable of that and are just a bit outside that top class.
10. Phillip Rivers (SN: 9)
11. Cam Newton (SN: 7)
12. Nick Foles (SN: 15)
13. Matt Ryan (SN: 11)
14. Matthew Stafford (SN: 12)
Bolo tie! Overall, this tier seems to be pretty much agreed on by the fans, though I think they slightly overrate Cam Newton (though he has room to grow) and they underrate Nick Foles. He's not going to go a full season without a pick, but the man thrived in Chip Kelly's offense last year. He'll do more damage this season. Matt Ryan is who he is at this point, and Matt Stafford could make a jump, especially if the Lions draft an premier wideout to line up across from Megatron.
The Chauncey Armstrong Tier
I'm stealing this tier from last year since I can't come up with another quarterback due to not remembering guys. This is the next step down: guys who are still pretty good, but aren't that great for whatever reason.
15. Tony Romo (SN: 16)
16. Jay Cutler (SN: 17)
17. Andy Dalton (SN: 20)
18. Robert Griffin III (SN: 19)
19. Alex Smith (SN: 18)
20. Eli Manning (SN: 13)
Yeah, I know; I probably underrated Eli. But he's interception prone at times, and despite his two rings I think he's an above average quarterback who might be a tad overrated by everyone. Tony Romo is much maligned for his ill-timed interceptions, but the man puts up gaudy numbers every year. Cutler has room to move up this year thanks largely to his receivers, but we'll see if he can actually stay healthy for a full year. Dalton and RGIII are both good, young quarterbacks, but Dalton has problems in the playoffs and Griffin showed signs of a sophomore slump/injury rust/possibly not being 100% healed. Alex Smith is who he is, and on the right team could be a nice asset. This isn't a bad tier to be in, but if you have the chance to upgrade, you should take it.
The Elijah Jones Tier
Stealing another tier. The principle remains the same though; these are guys who will probably battle a bit for a starting job or either need some work or are old and past their best days. Still serviceable guys though if you need them.
21. Josh McCown (SN: 28)
22. Mike Glennon (SN: 30)
23. Ryan Tannehill (SN: 24)
24. Matt Schaub (SN: 25)
25. Michael Vick (SN: 23)
26. Sam Bradford (SN: 21)
I may have overrated a couple guys here, but with how McCown played in place of Cutler last year, and how Glennon was decent for Tampa after Josh Freeman left. Schaub needs to rebuild his confidence to climb back up the rankings. Tannehill is young and still has some room to grow (and hopefully has a line that isn't full of bullies now). Michael Vick is who he is at this point and won't play a full season, and Bradford I think is also who he is now. Maybe I underrated him a little bit, but I definitely don't think he lived up to his #1 pick billing.
The Jim Bonds Tier
He's had another season or so under his belt, but one thing that remained constant in Madden was my abuse of the young Detroit quarterback with my defense. These guys are mostly young, but I have a couple older guys in here too that are probably running on fumes.
27. Matt Cassel (SN: 29)
28. Carson Palmer (SN: 22)
29. Chad Henne (SN: 32)
30. EJ Manuel (SN: 27)
31. Geno Smith (SN: 33)
According to the masses I underrated Palmer, but I don't know how much he has left. Cassel hasn't really done anything after that one year of Brady relief in New England, and Minnesota doesn't have much in the way of a supporting cast besides Adrian Peterson. Chad Henne is probably a little too highly rated, but not by a lot. But I think Manuel and Smith are the archetypes of guys that belong in this tier. Still young and have room to grow, but did not start their NFL careers very well.
The CJ Reid Tier
Okay, new guy. He's probably the worst starting quarterback in my Madden franchise. He replaced Jay Cutler in... Cleveland, of all places! Man, even in an alternate reality, God hates Cleveland.
32. Jake Locker (SN: 26)
33. Case Keenum (SN: 34)
34. Brian Hoyer (SN: 31)
These rankings are probably least fair to Keenum, since he doesn't have a ton of experience under his belt, yet I'm harder on Brian Hoyer despite the fact that if memory serves, he was actually okay in a couple games last year. Still, this is not the class you want to be in. Sorry guys. And sorry, Cleveland readers.
I'm not going to include any incoming rookies because I don't know how they'll adjust to the NFL game, and I don't really want to dig too much for other quarterbacks currently in the NFL not on this list. All I know is this: Mark Sanchez probably belongs in either the Bonds or Reid tier, and Brandon Weeden definitely belongs in the Reid tier.
Hopefully this fills your football fix. But what do you think about these rankings? Am I on the mark? An idiot? Somewhere in between those two extremes? How would you rank these quarterbacks? Click the link in the second paragraph at the top to rank them yourself, and feel free to share with me your thoughts.
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