If Big Ben Isn't Elite, Who Is? Ranking Roethlisberger Against the NFL
Can Ben Roethlisberger be considered an elite quarterback?
As described in an article by fellow columnist Ray Jag (which can be found right here), Webster's says, selected as the best, an elect circle.
We are going to take a look at each of the 31 other teams in the NFL and see who would be considered elite.
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AFC East
There is NO QUESTION that the J-E-T-S would LOVE to have B-E-N on their roster. Now that Favre has retired, the QBs on the Jets roster have a total of eight games started. That is exactly how many playoff victories Big Ben has.
Had the Bills thought Ben would be elite, they could have traded up to draft him. Instead they drafted J.P. Losman. Guess they missed the boat.
Brady is HOF already. New England can already say they have one of the elite.
Sure, Chad Pennington is good, but Bill Parcells himself has said that he wants Chad to take more chances. In a straight up trade, Parcells would trade Pennington and a first for Big Ben.
AFC West
One of the teams that COULD have drafted Ben. Instead, they chose Robert Gallery—a decision that has set the Raiders back five years.
With a revolving door at the QB position, none of the QBs on the roster are good enough to even be a backup in Pittsburgh.
Jay Cutler is a good QB working his way to elite. He has good numbers but can't seem to get the team to the playoffs.
If you ask anyone in the San Diego front office, they will tell you they made the right choice. Philip Rivers has good numbers but is the only one of the Big Three from the draft class without a ring.
AFC South
Kerry Collins is good but old. Vince Young is a head case. You can't tell me that they wouldn't trade BOTH of them for Big Ben.
Ben would have been a good fit. Instead they chose Dunta Robinson the pick before Ben. Texans QBs have been sacked almost as much as Ben has; they just can't get the W's.
David Garrard is a long way from his two-INT year two years ago. Jack Del Rio would kill to get Leftwich back, let alone Ben.
Yes, Manning's numbers are amazing. He won't have the stigma of never winning a Super Bowl like Dan Marino. But Manning is 32 and nearing the end of his career.
AFC North
Cincy is set with Carson Palmer—though Palmer has as many playoff wins as the Detroit Lions this decade. Not really a competition.
Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn? Though Quinn has a chance to be a decent QB, they are still undecided on who is going to be the starter next year.
Baltimore has drafted someone they think will be the next Big Ben, Joe "Cool" Flacco. This shows how much they think of Big Ben and his accomplishments.
NFC
NFC North
Detroit Lions
Oh, the QB issues in Detroit! Detroit has no one on the roster that could play in Canada. Yeah, they would take Ben.
Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are both career backups. Ben would make the Bears legit Super Bowl contenders immediately.
Again, legit Super Bowl contenders with Ben.
The decision to let Brett Favre leave last year would have been much easier with Ben on the roster. Aaron Rodgers played great until he got his contract extension.
NFC South
When Jeff Garcia is your best option, and he may not even be back, you need someone. They would kill for Ben.
Matt Ryan did a great job in his rookie season. Atlanta is happy with him. But even as good as he has done, he is not as good as Ben.
Jake Delhomme is a good QB, but fell apart in the playoffs. Ben has proved he can handle the pressure.
Drew Brees is a great QB. He puts up great numbers everywhere he needs to except the win column.
NFC West
Kurt Warner is old, and Matt Leinart was never good enough to win the job from him.
Matt Hasselbeck is good, but like Warner is getting old. Seneca Wallace is not the long-term answer.
St. Louis Rams
Rumor has it that Marc Bulger may be gone, and there is no one else on the roster (Trent Green included) that can be the QB of the future.
San Francisco will probably draft Mark Sanchez from USC in the draft this year. Enough said.
NFC East
Cowboys fans think Tony Romo is the greatest QB in the NFL. Far from it. The Boys haven't won a playoff game in 11 years. That wouldn't be the case if Ben had a star on his helmet.
Eli is a good QB, but not as good as Ben. Want to argue that? Look at the numbers. Very similar to Ben. Ben has two rings to Eli's one.
Donovan McNabb is great, but getting old. Kevin Kolb is their QB of the future. Ben is the QB of now.
Jason Campbell is good, but another one that can't win in the playoffs. I'm actually surprised Daniel Snyder hasn't offered the Steelers 10 first day picks for Ben.
Of all the quarterbacks in the league, only Peyton Manning and Tom Brady can compare to Ben. Sure, some QBs have better numbers. But if you look at what counts—wins and Super Bowls—the ONLY QB that is in Ben's class would be Tom Brady.
If THAT isn't elite, I don't know what is.
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