Guru 2006 NFL Preview Part 1 — Top and Bottom 5 QB’s
Posted in Broncos/NFL, 2006 NFL Preview on July 20th, 2006With the first training camps getting started in Philadelphia and New York, it’s time for the much anticipated NFL 2006 Guru Preview. Over the next month or so I am going to take a look at all the teams and players and let you know my thoughts on them. I’ll begin with the Skill Position players, giving you my Top and Bottom 5. Today we’ll start with the most important position on the field, The Quarterback. Two guys on offense have he ball in their hand every play, one being the Center, the other the QB, which makes the quality of your starting QB the most important aspect of the success of your team. Here are my best and worst of the proposed starting QB’s in the NFL going into 2006.
Top 5 Quaterbacks
1. Tom Brady, NE — Sure, this pick is going to get some ridicule, but the guy has three rings. To me, those are the differences between Brady and Manning, the three Super Bowl championships Brady owns. With all of the injuries the Pats endured last year they were still right there at the end before being knocked out by my Broncos. Lose Brady for any length of time however and the Patriots would be lost. His calm and cool demeanor covers a fiery determination and leadership that demands respect in the huddle and on the sidelines. Even after all of the accolades Brady still plays with the chip of being a 6th Round draft pick on his shoulder and looks forward to making the 31 other teams in the league pay every time he steps on the field. Even though his stats are never glamorous, for my money, one game I need to win and Brady is my guy.
2. Peyton Manning, IND — Manning’s numbers speak for themselves. In addition, Peyton’s NFL Sunday Tickets ads are pretty spectacular. Already one of the most prolific passers in the history of the game, Manning is heading for a Marino-esque career, and that is why he is number 2. Dan Marino’s pure numbers are the best ever. But after reaching the Super Bowl in his 2nd season, Dan never got there again. Manning is still waiting for that first shot and has had to sit and watch as the last three Super Bowls winners have beaten his Colts and ended his season. It will also be interesting to watch how Manning and the Colts handle this season after the loss of Edgerrin James. Until the AFC Playoff game against the Steelers the Colts looked like they were satisfied to let Edge lead them to the promised land. Now they may have to go back to their throw happy ways which will probably mean huge numbers for Peyton, but another playoff failure as well.
3. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT – I’ll be honest, this was a tough one, but in my opinion it’s all about the W’s baby and in his 2 years in the league, Big Ben has done a lot of that. Becoming the youngest starter to win a Super Bowl, Ben and the Steelers did it the hard way having to win three road playoff games to get there. Like Brady, Ben’s numbers don’t jump off the page at you, but he doesn’t make the big mistake and keeps the Steelers in the game long enough for the other team to make the big mistake. He proved in Indy and Denver during the playoffs however that he can make the big throws when he needs to and has a firm grasp of the offense. His near-death experience this off-season will only fuel Ben more and I look for Big Ben to have a great season, even though it’s a tough road ahead for the defending champs.
4. Carson Palmer, CIN – – I still wonder sometimes what would have happened had Palmer not been hurt against Pittsburgh on his first throw of the game. It was complete for 60+ yards and the Bengals were off and running. Injuries definitely play a role in my thinking and I hesitated to put Palmer up here after the devastating knee injury. All reports out of Cincy have been positive however and Palmer looks like he’ll actually be ready to go when the season starts. That’s good news for the Bengals, bad news for everyone else in the AFC. Palmer finished with the 2nd best passer rating in the league last year and has improved each season after winning the Heisman Trophy at USC. With all the weapons at his disposal, if Palmer can truly come back healthy he will have a big year for Bengals.
5. Matt Hasselbeck – Several things go through my mind when thinking about the best QB’s. One of the most important factors that everyone on this list possess is tremendous leadership skills. Every one of these guys has earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike. Hasselbeck is no different, and after years of flirting with greatness finally put it all together to lead the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl. It seems Hasselbeck has “just enough” of everything to be effective. Just enough arm strength to make all the throws, just enough athleticism to avoid the rush, makes just enough plays to win ball games. With the reigning MVP behind him, Hasselbeck has just enough to get his team back to the Super Bowl.
The Bottom 5 Quarterbacks –
Above are the best of the best. Below are the guys whose teams probably can’t wait to replace them with someone else. That being said, there are still only 32 starting QB’s in the world, so it is a pretty good gig of you can get it.
32. Aaron Brooks, OAK – Remember, this is a list of STARTING QB’s. Many guys that would be on this list(Kyle Boller, Gus Frerrote, etc) probably aren’t going to start for their teams this season. It appears that Brooks will start for the Raiders and after looking at his body of work in New Orleans it could get very interesting in the other side of the Bay this season. What makes Brooks so interesting is he has all the ability and athleticism in the world, but between the ears he leaves a little to be desired. Throwing passes to lineman, throwing backwards passes, scrambling 25 yards backwards, a lot about Brooks’ game is backwards. He has some weapons in Oakland, however and has the arm to get the ball out to Randy Moss. The Raiders took a big chance in the draft passing on Matt Leinert and Jay Cutler in the draft tying their success to Brooks. Too much risk for me however and he is my worst starter in the NFL.
31. Philip Rivers, SD – Ok, ok. This one is a little unfair since Rivers has never started a game. That is the reason I didn’t put him last. Rivers can easily make a jump out of this list by midseason when I will take a look at it again. He has patiently waited for his opportunity and with Drew Brees off to New Orleans his time has come. Like Brooks, Rivers has the weapons to succeed right away and with higher expectations and a disappointing season last year, pressure is on in San Diego with the light firmly focused on Rivers.
30. Alex Smith, SF – Last season’s #1 overall had what I call a BAD season. But he also played on a horrible team, and showed flashes late in the year that the 49’ers may not have made a mistake selecting him. On the bad side it did take until week 17 for Smith to throw his first TD pass. On the plus side, Smith led the 49’ers to wins in their last two games leading to hope in San Francisco. It is going to be another tough season for Smith and the 49’ers, but he has the tools and brains to make a leap this season.
29. Brett Favre, GB – WHAMO! There it is. I know this pick is going to cause a stir, but let’s be honest – Brett isn’t Brett anymore. To be frank, Brett never was as good as everyone said, and he probably isn’t as bad as I am making him out to be now, but a QB rating of 70 and 29 picks a year ago don not a good QB make. The “gunslinger” mentality doesn’t work in the NFL anymore, especially when you are on the wrong side of 30. Defenses are too quick and the Packers’ offense is too untalented. Sure, Favre has won a Ring, but so has Jeff Hostetler. Give it up Favre lovers, Brett is done and all he is doing now is ruining his legacy and padding his stats.
28. David Carr, HOU – Sure, the Texans had the worst record in the league last year but not all the blame can fall to Carr. I really like Carr as a QB and think he could really become a star in the very near future. If he can stay on his feet that is…Dude has been sacked over 200 times in four seasons but still has managed to throw more TDs(30) than INTs(25) the last two seasons. With Gary Kubiak in as the Texans new HC, things are looking up for Carr and I expect a big season out of him this year.
