Comparing Today's Quarterbacks to Former US Presidents

Every year, the Super Bowl champions get to visit the President at the White House.  The Green Bay Packers' recent visit got me thinking, "What careers of NFL quarterbacks are similar to those of our Presidents."  As it turns out, there is quite a few.  They don't connect on every level, and some are based solely on one or two aspects of each guy, but nonetheless, the comparisons can certainly be made.

I originally was going to go team by team and compare their starting quarterback to one of our 44 Commander-in-Chiefs, but it was getting to the point where the only comparisons I could make for guys like Chad Henne to Gerald Ford just because they both went to the University of Michigan.

Here is the final group of 10 that I decided on. I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to comment and point out any notable comparisons that I may have missed.

Aaron Rodgers and Franklin D. Roosevelt

Despite all the challenges thrown at these two, they always rise to the occasion and exceed all expectations.

FDR dealt with polio, the Great Depression and World War II, and came out of it being considered one of the great, if not the greatest, President in U.S. History.

For Rodgers, he dealt with all of the Brett Favre drama in 2008, a historically bad offensive line in 2009 and an unprecedented string of injuries this past season. Yet he has risen to those challenges and is now one of the best in the game today.

Kyle Orton and Jimmy Carter

Both are considered to be middle of the road type of guys.  Not terrible, but nothing special, either.

Jimmy Carter was never really able to convince the rest of the people at the top to get on his side.  That, not his ideas, was his downfall.  I feel like the same thing is happening to Kyle Orton right now in Denver.

He certainly hasn't wowed anybody, but his steady play has been a surprise considering how bad the Broncos are as a whole.  Yet the organization still seems to like Tim Tebow more at times and almost parted ways with Orton before trade talks with the Miami Dolphins fell through.

Ben Roethlisberger and Bill Clinton

Both have gotten themselves in pretty hot water from sex scandals, but they also got it done when it came to their job.

Big Ben is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and though opinions may vary on Bill Clinton, for the most part, he is considered average at the worst.

Jimmy Clausen and James Buchanan

Not much to be said here.

James Buchanan is consistently ranked near the very bottom for Presidents and until Cam Newton takes over the reigns in Carolina, Jimmy Clausen is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL.

Peyton Manning and Abraham Lincoln

Two of the best there are. 

However, neither did it pretty.  Lincoln was hated by many, mostly in the South, and also was not very good looking as anyone will tell you.  As for Peyton; if you ever watched him throw, it doesn't seem that nice.  The ball doesn't have that nice, tight spiral that an all-time great should.  Nevertheless, he gets the job done.

Tom Brady and Lyndon B. Johnson

LBJ (not to be confused with LeBron James) took over the Presidency with the difficult task of replacing John F. Kennedy after his tragic assassination in 1963.  He went on to become one of the most impactful Presidents of all time.

Tom Brady would have never been able to shine had it not been for a season-ending injury to Drew Bledsoe.  Since then, he has gone on to win three super bowls and become what many consider one of the best all time.

Drew Brees and Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt was one of the manliest men this country has ever known.  He was shot during a speech once, but finished it anyway.  That sort of toughness is what Drew Brees is all about, though maybe not to the same extent.

Brees is a very vocal leader who loves to rally his teammates before games.  Both of these guys are also two of the best.

Tony Romo and Ronald Reagan

The reason why I'm making this comparison is not because I feel they are both great, or because I think they both stink, but because that's pretty much the general feeling on both of them.  Opinions on Tony Romo and Ronald Reagan range from being considered the best or at least among them, all the way to they're flat out terrible.

I'm sure just by reading the comments later, that opinions will vary greatly on whether or not this comparison is a good thing for either of them.

Philip Rivers and Andrew Jackson

Many people know that Philip Rivers is one of the biggest trash talkers and "in your face" guys at the quarterback position, but most people don't know that Andrew Jackson was the same way when it came to presidents, just even more extreme.

Jackson was famous for dueling and sometimes killing any man who dare say something slandering him.  He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, either.  On the last day of his presidency, he admitted that he had but two regrets, that he "had been unable to shoot Henry Clay or to hang John C. Calhoun."  Now that is someone you don't want to mess with.

Michael Vick and Grover Cleveland

I know what most of you are thinking, "This makes no sense at all."  Well, I thought I'd end it on a very obscure and interesting note.

We all know that Vick missed two full seasons thanks to some much-publicized jail time, but what most people don't know is that Grover Cleveland actually took a four-year break between his two terms as president.

That's right, Grover Cleveland was our 22nd and 24th President.  In fact, he is the only president to serve two terms non-consecutively.

The more you know.