Jeffrey Beall-Flickr
Going into the 2014 season here are the top 5 quarterbacks based on assets, performance and statistics.
5. Nick Foles: Despite playing a little over 10 games, Nick Foles established himself as a top tier passer. His 105.1 passer rating was the league best. Fole’s 27 Touchdowns were impressive but he made his mark with his 7 Touchdown performance against the Oakland Raiders. Many might say “Well it’s the raiders what do you expect.” Well if that’s the case why did we not see any other Qbs doing the same thing to them. Foles has been a dominant player and has gotten the Philadelphia Eagles to the playoffs. We can expect Foles to do something close to the same thing in the 2014 season with the newly acquired Darren Sproles, despite the loss of Desean Jackson. Foles lead with a little over 17% of his passes traveling 20 yards, which was the most in the league. With Chip Kelly, Foles will ramp-up his production and he should pass over 30 Touchdowns this season.
4. Aaron Rodgers: Aaron Rodger stormed back from injury and took the Green Bay Packers back to the Playoffs. Despite being plagued with injuries, the Packers maintained a Playoff berth. If Rodgers retired today, he’d have the highest Passer Rating in league history and 3rd highest completion percentage in league history. Look for Rodgers to lead a hopefully healthy Packers team far into the 2014 season. Despite playing a little more than half the season, Rodgers proved he was still an effective passer. He lead his team to the Playoffs, despite the injury plagued, lack-luster Defense and young running-game.
3. Drew Brees: Drew Brees year-after-year has proven himself to be one of the best QBs playing. He has thrown 3 consecutive 5,000-yard seasons and has made players like Lance Moore and Marques Coltson even better. His 39 Touchdowns helped the New Orleans Saints clinch a Playoff-berth. Brees and Jimmy Graham also dominated the league last year. Look for Brees to continue his high passing attack. Only thing hurting him will be the loss of Darren Sproles and a reliable Moore. The team overall is still stacked with talent. Saints’ rookie Brandin Cooks is looking better than most rookie receivers. Kenny Stills will also improve in his second year with Brees and Graham alone had 16 Touchdowns. Now all Brees has to do is find the open man, while Graham is double-covered and we can expect a similar throwing outburst as his last few years.
2. Tom Brady: Tom Brady was not the same Brady we were used to seeing but that’s what made him better. Brady had 5 comeback wins last year, showing that he still has plenty left in the tank. Brady did not need too many targets. Instead, Brady replicated production as he did when all he had previously was Deion Branch and Daunte Stallworth. The 3-time Super Bowl Champ continued to produce despite major talent. The New England Patriots clinched a weak division but also beat the eventual AFC Champions last year as well as a couple playoff teams. Julian Edelmen, Kembrell Thompkins and Danny Amendola were the main focus when Rob Gronkowski was injured. Brady may have had a really low season but, he still found ways to win games and play. Brady’s receiving corps had the most total drops in the league. If this can be fixed, if the Patriots can replace Legarrette Blount and keep Gronkowski healthy we will see an incredible season
1. Peyton Manning: Peyton Manning has all the pieces in place to win a Super Bowl this season. The Defense is coming together and the Offense lost Eric Decker but, gained a much faster and quicker Emmanuel Sanders. Julius Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, and Wes Welker are amongst the best players in the Offense. This is not your Austin Collie, Dallas Clark, and Reggie Wayne. This is the deadliest offense we have seen in NFL history and Peyton Manning should capture another NFL MVP of the year award. Look for the 16-0 count down to begin Denver Bronco fans. If Manning does not win MVP this year, it will be due to injury, because it is nearly inevitable.
Josh Gantt is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on twitter or Facebook