Best quarterback in football

I ask the same thing I asked Versatile: Why is Romo so low?

Man, I grew up a Cowboys hater and it's hard to become dispassionate about them the way I am about the rest of the NFL (the Saints are my local team, but I certainly don't feel a great "loyalty" to them that most fans feel to a team), not as long as Jerry Jones is the owner.

But Romo has been very, very good with average receivers, an average running game, below average defense and poor protection. The only above-average element he has to work with is his tight end.

I'd put him ahead of your entire second tier. I'd put him at 6, 5 if you aren't including Peyton Manning.

 

I consider Romo to be "pretty good" but I don't think he's even close to anybody who I have ahead of him.

I looked at my own list and thought, "Matt Ryan No. 12?" but everybody ahead of him is better or more accomplished.

Ask most GMs if they're prefer Schaub or Ryan to Romo and I'm guessing the bulk of them would.

 

Can I just throw something out there with regards to Christian Ponder?

Joe Webb > Christian Ponder

Thanks.

 

Eli >>> Romo.

How do I know this? Even the Cowboys homers on DFW talk radio no longer argue the point. Last week, one of them actually called it "silly" to suggest you'd rather have Romo than Eli.

 

Romo is a middle-of-the-pack QB.

 

Oh, and as for the idea that Romo props up a bad team -- in 2010, Dallas was 1-5 with Romo as the starter and 5-5 with Jon Kitna.

 

Career passer ratings

1. Aaron Rodgers, 104.1
2. TONY ROMO, 96.9
3. Steve Young, 96.8
4. Tom Brady, 96.4
5. Philip Rivers, 95.5
6. Peyton Manning, 94.9
7. Drew Brees, 94.0

Others
10. Schaub, 92.2; 11. Rothliesberger, 92.1; 13. Ryan, 88.4; 24. Stafford 84.7; 41. Eli Manning, 82.1; 51. Michael Vick, 80.7;

Now, I'm not saying passer rating is the end-all stat for quarterbacks and you'll note that I have several quarterbacks rated ahead of Romo who don't have as good of a passer rating as he does.

But you have the second highest-rated passer in the history of the NFL ranked No. 13 among current QBs. Think about that.

And again, compare what he has to work with with what other teams have to work with. And remember that some Cowboys gain a degree of fame by being Cowboys, so please don't mistake Miles Austin for Jerry Rice.

I think Romo takes more shit for being on a bad team than any player in football.

 

Romo has a history of fading badly down the stretch (though he was much better in that regard this season) and/or making boneheaded plays late in games.

Is he talented? Absolutely. Do I want him starting for me in an absolute must-win game? No freaking way.

 

Romo has led 13 fourth-quarter comeback wins in his career, the same number as Rivers in the same number of seasons. He's engineered 14 game-winning drives, same as Kurt Warner.

His fourth quarter disasters are overhyped and often they are games the Cowboys are in primarily because they have a good QB and little else remarkable. Lots of underachieving names.

And "talent" is having a rifle arm at the combine. "Good" is when you complete a high percentage of passes with lots of touchdowns and few interceptions. That's Romo.

 

The"down the stretch" part was referring to the entire season, not individual games. His December/January stats are average at best (though, again, he finished strong this season).

Mostly, I agree. Romo's a good quarterback. I just wouldn't count on him when it matters.

 

I don't think anybody is saying that Romo sucks. But there are 12 quarterbacks in the league who are better and that's not including Newton.

 

So the second highest-rated QB in NFL history is the 13th or 14th best QB in the league?