Baltimore Ravens: Quarterbacks They Would Be Better off with

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco made headlines when he told Baltimore radio station WNST 1570 that he believes that he is the best quarterback in the NFL.

Now you could say that there is a difference between being confident and cocky, but in Flacco’s case it is just being arrogant.

When asked if he agreed with the statements that his agent made about him being a top five quarterback, Flacco upped the ante by saying he thinks that he is the best.

Whether he can go out and back his comments up like Eli Manning did this year is a mystery.

The next few slides will look at how Flacco stacks up against other quarterbacks in the league and list several players that the Ravens would be better off with under center.

2011 Statistics

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Flacco had an average at best 2011 season. He started in all 16 games while posting 3,610 passing yards which was good enough for 12th in the league.

He also tied for 13th in touchdowns (20) and 15th in interceptions (12). These were great numbers compared to finishing 25th in completion percentage, tied for 22nd in yards per attempt and 18th in quarterback rating.

Flacco also finished behind the likes of Kevin Kolb, Tavaris Jackson and Rex Grossman in some categories.

Career Statistics

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This was Flacco’s worst year statistically since his rookie season back in 2008 where he had only 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions with an 80.3 quarterback rating. His career quarterback rating is 86.0.

In four professional seasons he has completed just fewer than 61 percent of his passes for 13,816 yards while his touchdown to interception ratio is almost two to one, with 80 touchdowns and 46 interceptions.

Flacco’s career highs for yards, touchdowns and quarterback rating all came in 2010, while his highest completion percentage came in 2009.

Obvious Choices

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Aaron Rodgers: 4,643 yards; 45 touchdowns; six interceptions; 122.5 quarterback rating in 2011.

An unbelievable season in 2011 established Aaron Rodgers as the best quarterback in football.

Drew Brees: 5,476 yards; 46 touchdowns; 14 interceptions; 110.6 quarterback rating in 2011.

Brees carried the Saints to a 13-3 record and broke records that Joe Flacco won’t even sniff.

Tom Brady: 5,235 yards; 39 touchdowns; 12 interceptions; 105.6 quarterback rating in 2011.

On top of dominating Flacco statistically, Brady beat him en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

Eli Manning: 4,933 yards; 29 touchdowns; 16 interceptions; 92.9 quarterback rating in 2011.

Flacco needs two Super Bowl MVP’s before he can make Eli Manning type comments.

Ben Roethlisberger: 4,077 yards; 21 touchdowns; 14 interceptions; 90.1 quarterback rating in 2011.

This division rival is better on one ankle than Flacco is on two.

Better Than Flacco

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Matt Ryan: 4,177 yards; 29 touchdowns; 12 interceptions; 92.2 quarterback rating in 2011.

 

Matt Schaub: 2,479 yards; 15 touchdowns; six interceptions; 96.8 quarterback rating in 2011.

 

Tony Romo: 4,184 yards; 31 touchdowns; 10 interceptions; 102.5 quarterback rating in 2011.

 

Michael Vick: 3,303 yards; 18 touchdowns; 14 interceptions; 84.9 quarterback rating in 2011.

 

Matthew Stafford: 5,038 yards; 41 touchdowns; 16 interceptions; 97.2 quarterback rating in 2011.

 

Phillip Rivers: 4,624 yards; 27 touchdowns; 20 interceptions; 88.7 quarterback rating in 2011.

Equivalent to or Slightly Better Than Flacco

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Cam Newton: 4,051 yards; 21 touchdowns; 17 interceptions; quarterback rating in 2011.

Andy Dalton: 3,398 yards; 20 touchdowns; 13 interceptions; 80.4 quarterback rating in 2011.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: 3,832 yards; 24 touchdowns; 23 interceptions; 79.1 quarterback rating in 2011.

Alex Smith: 3,144 yards; 17 touchdowns; five interceptions; 90.7 quarterback rating in 2011.

Matt Moore: 2,497 yards; 16 touchdowns; nine interceptions; 87.1 quarterback rating in 2011.

Josh Freeman: 3,592 yards; 16 touchdowns; 22 interceptions; 74.6 quarterback rating in 2011.