QBER/Week 4: Old New Favre Is Better Than Ever

(QBER is short for Quarterback Efficiency Rating, a more comprehensive and easily understood rating system that places the emphasis where it belongs—the ability of a quarterback to advance the ball, avoid negative plays and score touchdowns in comparison to his peers. A 100.0 rating is the league average.)

When the Minnesota Vikings signed Brett Favre in August, the question wasn’t whether the 39-year-old could still perform at a reasonably high level. The question was whether he would check his ego at the door and compromise his talents to fit the players and system around him. 

At the one-quarter pole of the season, the answer is an emphatic yes.

At 144.9, Favre ranks behind only Peyton Manning and Drew Brews in QBER, largely because of a ridiculous 8-to-1 touchdown-to-interception rate, the best in the league. He never had a ratio of better than 3-to-1 in his career, and that took place 13 years ago. Of course, he never had feature back Adrian Peterson in the same backfield, either.

The quarterback who replaced the Green Bay Packers legend hasn’t done too badly himself, as Aaron Rodgers ranks eighth (125.7) overall.

If there’s a concern about Rodgers, then it’s his hefty sack rate of one per 8.1 pass plays. He has lost 134 yards on pass attempts, the most of any passer, which more than offset his 108 yards on scrambles, also a league high.

The QBER leaders after Week Four of the regular season:

1. P. Manning 153.3; 2. Brees 145.4; 3. Favre 144.9; 4. Ryan 141.2; 5. Orton 141.1; 6. Schaub 136.0; 7. E. Manning 133.3; 8. Rodgers 125.7; 9. Flacco 125.2; 10. Garrard 122.8; 11. Hill 117.7; 12. Cassel 112.8; 13. Rivers 112.1; 14. Cutler 108.0; 15. Roethlisberger 101.0; 16. Warner 94.5; 17. Brady 92.5; 18. Palmer 92.1; 19. Leftwich 88.0; 20.Bulger 87.5; 21. Wallace 87.2; 22 .Collins 85.1; 23. Romo 84.5; 24. Edwards 82.2; 25. Kolb 80.0; 26. Campbell 76.1; 27. Stafford 62.0; 28. Pennington 61.1; 29. Russell 53.8; 30. Sanchez 53.6; 31. Quinn 41.8; 32. Delhomme -0.6.

Some observations:

• The unbeaten Denver Broncos have to be ecstatic about the Jay Cutler trade thus far. Not only did the AFC West leaders acquire a serviceable quarterback in veteran Kyle Orton, whose QBER is nine spots higher than Cutler at present, but they have a pair of first-round draft picks from the Chicago Bears on the way.  

         In 126 pass plays, Orton has yet to commit a turnover.

• Mark Sanchez can only hope that he doesn’t have a game worse than the one he had last weekend.

         In 34 pass plays, the New York Jets rookie totaled 44 net yards, minus-two net touchdowns and four turnovers. As a result, his QBER plunged 

from No. 10 to No. 30 overall.

• Know how the NFL has gone above and beyond to protect quarterbacks in recent years? It should be called the Manning Rule.

         In 268 pass plays, Eli and Peyton have been sacked exactly four times. Eight QBs were dumped more times in Week Four alone.

• There may be no more underrated quarterback than David Garrard, the Jacksonville Jaguars veteran sign-caller.

         At 122.8, Garrard has a higher QBER than the more celebrated Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Tony Romo among others.