This is the second article is a "best of" series, in which various people will be ranking the top 10 of each position in the NFL for this year. The first article was the DB's, and this, as I'm sure one could figure out, is the QB's.
These are just personal rankings, and are not done by any particular stat. So, here is my list, with a few surprises, starting from 10 down.
10. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers lost a lot of ground because his Green Bay Packers went 6-10, not an attractive record. However, he still gets this spot for putting up very solid numbers, especially for a first-time starter.
Rodgers had the fourth-most yards in the league, with 4,038. He threw 28 touchdowns, also fourth-best in the league, and only 13 interceptions. He ended the year with a QB rating of just under 94, with a 93.8.
Yes, the 6-10 weighs him down, but you have to remember, this guy is starting his first year, having backed up none other than Brett Favre.
9. Matt Cassel, New England Patriots
Another first-year starter, and another QB who failed to lead his team to the playoffs. But Cassel’s situation is much different. He led the Pats to an 11-5 record, and he wasn’t even the starter Week One. He had to fill in for the injured Tom Brady, and had to start for the first time since high school.
Cassel finished the year eighth in yards, with 3,693, and 10th in touchdowns with 21. Cassel only threw 11 picks, but was sacked an NFL-leading 47 times.
8. Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos
This may be surprising to most, seeing Cutler this far down on the list, but to me, one of the most important stats is if your team is playoff-bound, which Denver, 8-8, failed to do, losing their last three.
Cutler finished third in the league in yards, having 4,526, but threw just seven more TD’s than INT’s. Cutler did have seventh-best 25 touchdowns, but had the second-most interceptions, only behind Brett Favre, with 18.
7. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
Remember how recently everyone was saying McNabb was done, be a backup, and would never play in Philly again? Well now that they are in the playoffs, all but that last statement are very wrong.
He had the seventh-most yards, 3,916, and eighth-most TD’s, 23. He only had 11 picks, and had the third-most passes for 20+ yards with 52, and the fifth-most of 40+ with 11.
6. Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins
Pennington had the second-highest QB rating in the league, with a 97.4 rating. He took the Dolphins from rags to riches, going 11-5, winning the AFC East, and hosting a playoff game this week.
Pennington had the lowest picks of all QB’s who started the entire season, with seven, and had just one lost fumble. That is astonishing, considering the team he had to work with went 1-15 last year.
Chad also had 19 touchdowns, and ninth-most yards, with 3,653. Pennington had the highest completion percentage in the league, at 67.4 percent.
5. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
His numbers aren't so flashy, but this rookie QB took his team from the lowest of lows, following the Vick incident, to the highest of highs, 11-5, and a very winnable playoff game at Arizona.
He was 13th in the league in yards, and only 16th in TD's, but only had 11 INT's. But what he did alone gives him this spot, and, one must also factor in that he is a rookie.
4. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
Throw away the record, this team is dangerous, and it's not because of LT's worst year, but because of Rivers.
He was fifth in yards, with 4,009, and tied for first in touchdowns with 34. His 11 interceptions gives him the best TD-to-INT ratio at 34:11. He's third in the league with 12 40+ yard throws, and essentially led this team to the playoffs single-handedly. He also had a 105.5 QB rating, the most by 8.1.
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