How Each of These 5 NFL Quarterbacks Can Achieve Elite Status

We all know Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers are the NFL's elite quarterbacks. 

This is an exclusive club we're talking about here—even Peyton Manning's re-admittance is pending.

Every team's different. Not all 32 teams operate the pass-happy offenses of the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots or New York Giants. That's understandable. 

But a handful of quarterbacks still have a chance to join the renowned and distinctly elite fraternity. 

Let's breakdown what the league's 2012 elite QB candidates must do to become a part of the esteemed brotherhood. 

Matt Ryan: Get Past the Psychological Hurdle

Ryan got his nickname "Matty Ice" during his time at Boston College. It referred to the ice running through his veins in the fourth quarter, a pressure packed time when Ryan often played his best. 

After four years of sound play in the NFL but an 0-3 playoff record, to some, "Matty Ice" may no longer have the same positive connotation—instead alluding to the way in which he and his team go cold when it matters most. 

Ryan hasn't exactly been "ice cold" in the postseason, but he's failed to break the 200-passing yard mark and has thrown three touchdowns to four interceptions. 

First and foremost, Ryan must continue putting a show in the regular season. His numbers haven't been as gaudy as some of the league's "elite" signal-callers, but he's operated an offense that featured a premier running back in Michael Turner.

He's complied a 43-19 record and averages more than a touchdown and a half per contest. Another impressive regular season will benefit Ryan's overall confidence heading into the postseason—something he undoubtedly needs come January.

Remember, part of the reason Brady, Brees and Rodgers make up the NFL's most prestigious quarterback fraternity is due to their tremendous playoff performances.

Ryan has to enter the postseason with the utmost confidence, assure himself he's capable of torching a playoff-caliber secondary and understand he can win a playoff game. 

For Ryan, it's mental.

No, he doesn't necessarily need to make better decisions on the field, but must prepare himself for a playoff game like it's a prove-the-doubters-wrong Super Bowl. 

Philip Rivers: Shake the Sporadic Reputation

Philip Rivers pieced together an MVP-worthy 2008 season. He threw for 4,009 yards with 34 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. If it wasn't for Peyton Manning, the San Diego Chargers' quarterback probably wins the award. 

The following season was nearly identical. Rivers upped his passing-yard total to 4,254 and threw 28 touchdowns to a mere nine interceptions. Manning took home the hardware once again. 

The 2010 season wasn't much different. He led the league with 4,710 yards through the air and zipped 30 touchdowns to San Diego pass-catchers while firing only 13 interceptions. His unconventional delivery sure has yielded some remarkable regular season totals.  

Rivers has been respectable in the postseason, having triumphed over Manning twice (revenge, maybe?). 

So why isn't he considered elite? What does he need to do to earn that distinction?

Eliminate stretches of sporadic play. 

Sure, Brady and Co. experience a bad game from time to time and occasionally are disappointing in consecutive weeks. But have they ever fallen drastically short of expectations as individuals? Have their team's fallen flat on their faces when their respective talent level is extremely high compared to the rest of the league?

No.

The Chargers have boasted some ridiculously talented clubs during Rivers' tenure, but they were all ultimately known as team's who failed to reach their potential.

Is that entirely the fault of Rivers?

Hardly.

But he must rally the troops and play relatively consistent football from Week 1 to Week 16 and beyond.

The roller coaster ride has to end.  

Tony Romo: Limit the Idiotic, Primetime Mistakes

I'll give it to Romo, it can't be easy being the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. 

No, I don't buy into them as "America's Team" (fantastic marketing by the Cowboys, though), but there's no doubting their nation-wide popularity and storied past. 

Romo plays the quarterback position with the most eccentric style of anyone on this list. His quick, short-armed delivery is only outweighed by his bouncy elusive nature and propensity to make something out of nothing. 

As a former undrafted signal-caller out of Eastern Illinois, it should come as no surprise that Romo plays the game slightly different than his counterparts.

We saw in 2011—another disappointing year for the Cowboys—how effective Romo can be. He completed over 66 percent of his passes and threw for 4,184 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Elite-type numbers.

However, Dallas is in the spotlight often, a mainstay on primetime telecasts. What America remembers most is Romo's unnecessary improvisations that led to game-altering interceptions. 

Sure, his creativity in the pocket, and sometimes out, is what makes him great, but he has to take the next step in crunch time and not toss an ill-advised passes into double coverage or squander a huge lead in the second half. 

Like Matt Ryan, much of "it" for Romo is mental. 

Jay Cutler: Scale It Back Without Losing the Conviction

Cutler's supreme arm strength is unmistakable. 

His daring attitude when throwing the football is adored by some and despised by others. There's not a throw he's afraid to make or a coverage that intimidates him.

He's the quintessential modern-day gunslinger in the NFL. 

So why hasn't he even neared the "elite" conversation? 

Cutler's simply gotten in the way of himself far too often. 

Yes, his passing bravery and overt assertiveness is part of the reason why I believe he can be elite, but, at the same time, it's what hurts him the most. 

Actually, to his credit, he's pieced together marvelous balancing acts in each of the last two seasons in Chicago. In 2010, en route to leading his team to the NFC Championship game, Cutler finished the year with a modest 3,274 yards with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. 

Last season, the Bears were 7-3 and Cutler was hardly forcing the issue. He allowed Matt Forte to become the focal point of offense and rode the defense before suffering a season-ending injury. 

Cutler must find a happy medium between the overly courageous quarterback who takes an abundance of huge risks and a pedestrian game-manager. 

If he does, the passing yards, touchdowns and wins will come, especially with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery split out wide. 

Michael Vick: Be Smarter About Staying Healthy

No one will ever question Michael Vick's athletic gifts. To me, he's the most athletically talented quarterback in the history of the NFL. 

Since his return from prison, he's been more humble. On the football field, he's a much more consistent and accurate passer. 

Vick set career highs in both completion percentage and passing yardage over the last two seasons. At the same time, he hasn't relied on his legs nearly as often. Counting all six years in which he's started more than half a season, his rushing attempts in 2010 and 2011 were the fewest of his time in the NFL. 

When the former Virginia Tech Hokie is on, there's no one more electric or multi-dimensional at the quarterback position. 

Unfortunately, his versatility has been his downfall. 

The only time Vick played all 16 games in a season is 2006 with the Atlanta Falcons and he's dealt with a rash of injuries the last two seasons in Philadelphia. 

He's fully aware of his big-play capabilities when extending plays but must be smarter and do more to protect his body. 

Vick cannot open himself up to crushing hits (especially not in the preseason), if he ever wants the chance to be considered elite and advance to a Super Bowl.