Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady: Who Is the Better Quarterback in 2011?

Right off the bat, you may already have come to the conclusion that Aaron Rodgers is the best player in the NFL and is indeed better than Tom Brady thus far...but not so fast. 

Rodgers may lead the league in nearly every single passing category, but Brady isn't too far behind him, and in most cases, he's just a hair behind him. 

There is no question that football is a team sport and that you're only as good as your weakest link. For an example, quarterbacks can only be so great as long as they have quality receivers to throw to; just ask how Brady felt back in 2006, when he had to throw to guys like Reche Caldwell and Doug Gabriel. 

For starters, there is no doubt in my mind that the Packers have a far better offense than the New England Patriots. I will say that both teams have a solid offensive line and do a phenomenal job at protecting their quarterbacks, but Green Bay's receivers are just more diverse and talented than New England's. 

New England's Wes Welker is clearly the best receiver out of the group, but look at the rest of the Patriots receivers: Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco and Taylor Price—nothing too impressive.

As for the Packers, their No. 1 wide receiver, Greg Jennings, isn't as productive as Welker, but he's nearly just as good. From there, Rodgers has Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Donald Driver; all three of those are light-years better than anyone Patriot besides Welker. 

As Rodgers clearly have a better group of wide receivers than Brady has, but there is something that TB12 has that AR12 doesn't have: Two dynamic tight ends.

Don't get me wrong, Jermichael Finely is one of the top receiving tight ends in the NFL, but outside of him, who else is playing tight end for the Packers? For the Patriots, Brady is very fortunate enough to have Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, who are two rising stars in the NFL. Gronkowski is your traditional tight end, as he's got a very large frame for Brady to target and can make the athletic plays. Hernandez is a mismatch nightmare; he's a cross-between a wide receiver, running back and a tight end. 

So where's the edge? Brady has the better group of tight ends, but keep in mind that Rodgers still has a very deep wide receiver corps, unlike Brady. 

As we analyze and compare the two quarterbacks' stats, Rodgers appears to be the clear-cut winner. He has thrown for 3,168 yards while completing an incredible 72.3 percent of his passes for 31 touchdowns and only four interceptions and recording a 128.8 quarterback rating.

Brady's numbers aren't too far off, as he's thrown for more passing yards in 3,266 while tossing 25 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions and completing 65.4 percent of his passes while recording a 102.0 quarterback rating. 

The stats do go back and fourth between the day, but Rodgers does get the edge considering his such low interception count as well as his incredible quarterback rating. 

However, we cannot stop there, as we have to take a look at the talent that each of these quarterbacks has had to face thus far in the 2011 season.

Rodgers and the Packers have gone up against and beaten the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady and the Patriots have had wins against the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs while losing to the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

By just comparing the two schedules at a quick glance, I have to admit that Green Bay's has been significantly easier. The Packers have had to play against only three legitimate playoff contenders: the Saints, Bears and Falcons.

New England, on the other hand, has had to play six games against legitimate playoff contenders. Clearly, this is an indicator to why Rodgers' stats may be a tad bit better than Brady's.

If we actually go a little bit deeper, the Packers combined opponent's schedule in the first 11 games of the season has been 41-59, while New England's has been 51-49. I don't know about you and how well you are with math, but this is basic math: Rodgers' opposing schedule has been far more easier than Brady's.

And to go a little bit deeper, Rodgers has had to face only two defenses that rank in the top 16 compared to the eight that Brady has had faced that are in the bottom half of the league. For Brady, he has had to go up against a defense that ranks in the top half of the league six times and a defense that is in the bottom half of the league four times. Again, the math isn't difficult; Brady has had to face far more difficult defenses than Rodgers.

Don't get me wrong, Aaron Rodgers is an elite quarterback, but the same could be said about Tom Brady. However, as Rodgers' numbers may indicate that he's better than Brady, it's only because his schedule has been far more easier than Brady's

When it's all said it done, these are two of the great quarterbacks in the game today; in fact, they're arguably the two best players in the NFL today. However, you cannot overlook all the facts, which makes Tom Brady the best quarterback and best player in the NFL today. 

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