QB Power Rankings

June, July, August - the season of preseason power rankings. As interesting as they are to glance at while the football season is at an idle stall, they prove so often to be entirely off by the end of the year. Too often, writers look at what teams did the prior year and expect the same results the following year. There is too much parity in the NFL for this to be a reliable evaluation. The better way to judge a team is, simply, by the talent on their roster.

In 2007, the Green Bay Packers were ranked as a middle-of-the-pack team, largely due to their 8-8 2006 record. Their record didn't show the abundance of young talent on their roster that had been jelling for the last two seasons. I had them winning the NFC North based on their talent and I was right. But I too fell into the record trap and completely missed on the New York Giants. In 2006, the 8-8 Giants rallied to a .500 record on the shoulders of Tiki Barber. With his retirement I assumed nothing but a step down for a team. I didn't factor in the talent on both lines and the team I thought would finish 6-10 won the Super Bowl

That is why I've decided, instead of doing another team power ranking, to rate every team's starter amongst their peers. I sorted players into five categories: elite players, solid and adequate starters, fringe players and rookies. The latter automatically ranked at the bottom.

So to begin the series, I'll rank the NFLs 32 starting QBs.

Elite
1. Tom Brady - New England Patriots - He had the rings, now he has the records too.
2. Peyton Manning - Indianapolis Colts - Has a ring, and used to hold the records.
3. Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints - 4,000 yards for two straight years, the most accurate QB in the NFC and a perfect fit in Sean Payton's offense.
4. Ben Roethlisberger - Pittsburgh Steelers - Huge bounce back season in 2007 with 32 TDs and 104.1 QB rating.
5. Carson Palmer – Cincinatti Bengals - Has the weapons outside, but it still takes a great QB to amass 104 TDs in just 4 seasons.

Solid
6. Tony Romo – Dallas Cowboys - Electrifying player, but end of year struggles must stop for him to join the NFL’s elite.
7. Matt Hasselbeck – Seattle Seahawks - Because of the division he plays in, is often forgotten, but all he has done is post a career 86.2 passer rating in 7 consistent years in Seattle.
8. David Garrard – Jacksonville Jaguars – Has only one really strong season under his belt, but throwing only 3 INTs as a starter last year shows tremendous decision-making and accuracy.
9. Eli Manning – New York Giants – Which Eli Manning will show up for 16 games this year?
10. Donovan McNabb – Philadelphia Eagles – Injuries have hurt accuracy and mobility, but is fully healthy for first time since start of 2005 season.
11. Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers – Tough, gritty QB has all the talent around him to succeed, but an ACL injury to recover from.
12. Marc Bulger – St. Louis Rams – Injuries ruined what should have been best season. Needs better protection to capitalize on weapons.
13. Jay Cutler – Denver Broncos - Solid, composed and a leader despite questionable line play and undependable receivers.
14. Derek Anderson – Cleveland Browns – Came out of nowhere to orchestrate NFLs most improved offense.
15. Jon Kitna – Detroit Lions – Has been sacked 114 times in two seasons with Lions, but has still passed for over 8,000 yards.
16. Jeff Garcia – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Veteran QB doesn’t have a great NFL arm, but just doesn’t make any mistakes.
17. Jake Delhomme – Carolina Panthers - Fiery QB is aging and has missed 16 games in two years.

Adequate
18. Jason Campbell – Washington Redskins - Throws a beautiful deep ball, and now should have better receivers on the other end of them.
19. Matt Schaub – Houston Texans - Was having solid year before injuries ended first season as starter. Might have to battle backup Sage Rosenfels in preseason.
20. Trent Edwards – Buffalo Bills – Was accurate and decisive enough in rookie year to dethrone J.P. Losman as starting QB.
21. Vince Young – Tennessee Titans – Accuracy improved in second season, but threw only 9 TDs and 17 INTs. Gets too much credit for Titans’ recent improvement.
22. Chad Pennington – New York Jets – Is extremely smart, accurate and sound, but has far and away the weakest arm among NFL starting QBs. Will have to hold off Kellen Clemens in preseason.
23. Matt Leinart – Arizona Cardinals – Injured in second year as starter, but was struggling before that. If Arizona wants to contend, Leinart will have to step up or Kurt Warner may again be the starter
24. Alex Smith – San Fransisco 49ers – Former #1 overall pick has one last year to prove he’s not a bust, but he’ll have to win starting job first.
25. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – 4th season will really be rookie year. Played well in spot duty last year but has Shaquille O’Neal sized shoes to fill.
26. JaMarcus Russell – Oakland Raiders – Big frame and cannon arm will be given opportunity to prove his worth. It’s questionable whether or not he’s ready.

Fringe
27. Kyle Boller – Baltimore Ravens - Isn’t a terrible QB, but is an inadequate starter. May get to start entire season while raw QB of the future Joe Flacco learns.
28. Rex Grossman – Chicago Bears – Has a great arm, but is inaccurate and absurdly inconsistent. Chicago has decided to give him yet another chance.
29. Brodie Croyle – Kansas City Cheifs - In 6 winless starts in 2007, Croyle had no running game and was sacked 17 times.
30. Tavaris Jackson – Minnesota Vikings – Young QB has suddenly found himself on a team with playoff aspirations. He will be crucial to how far the Vikings actually go.
31. Joey Harrington – Atlanta Falcons – Will start until Matt Ryan is deemed ready. Fringe starter who will remain a decent backup once Ryan era has begun.
32. John Beck – Miami Dolphins – Will battle Josh McCown and rookie Chad Henne for starting job. Beck was a turnover machine in 4 starts last season.