TOP 32 QBS FOR 2012

I love to do this every year because there is so much turnover from year to year. Players fall off the map (Donovan McNabb) and new faces jump into the mix (two players who have yet to even play a snap in the NFL). There are a lot of differing opinions when talking about quarterbacks but here is my list of guys who I would want leading my franchise in 2012 if I had to take them just for one season.

1. Aaron Rodgers (Last year: 3): If you could design the perfect quarterback, it would be Aaron Rodgers. He has a huge arm, he can accurately throw the ball anywhere on the field, and he is a threat to run the ball at any time. Rodgers is so good that despite going 15-1 and having the most impressive regular season of any quarterback ever, he is extremely disappointed with himself because he came up short in the playoffs. Look for him to be even more focused in 2012 on winning a championship. He could be the best quarterback the league has ever seen if he can continue to play anywhere near the same level as he has been the last two years.
2. Tom Brady (Last year: 1): Brady might be the best quarterback the NFL has ever seen, but Rodgers edges him out barely because of his superior athleticism. No one makes mediocre players look like Hall of Famers like Brady does. And most importantly, he still wins a ton of games in both the regular season and the playoffs.
3. Drew Brees (Last year: 4): Brees shattered Dan Marino’s passing record last season and people barely noticed thanks to Rodgers’ season. Brees always finds a way to improvise when a play breaks down and makes something out of nothing. He is helped by a great system and a lot of role players who fill specific needs, but do not underestimate how good this guy is. The Saints need to pay him whatever number he is asking and be happy they have a quarterback who will single handedly win them 10 games a year. 
4. Eli Manning (Last year: 9): People thought I was giving Eli favoritism when I ranked him at 9^th last year. Little did we know that 9^th was way too low for this guy. Eli carried his team to yet another Super Bowl in which they were an underdog in almost every playoff game. There is not a quarterback in the league who was more clutch when his team needed him most, but he needs to be more consistent before he jumps into the top three.
5. Ben Roethlisberger (Last year: 6): Big Ben continues to develop as a quarterback and is getting better every year. His size and his arm strength make him almost impossible to game plan around. He can break three tackles in the pocket and then throw up a perfect deep pass to one of his many speed receivers. He gives the Steelers the chance to score on every play. Again, more importantly, he wins a ton of games every year.
6. Phillip Rivers (Last year: 5): Last season was a total mess for the Chargers and more specifically for Rivers. Rivers turned the ball over 25 times last season and that was the main reason the Chargers once again missed the playoffs despite having one of the best offenses in the league. Despite all of this, Rivers is an extreme competitor and I think he will actually benefit from getting Vincent Jackson off the team. Rivers should bounce back in 2012.
7. Matthew Stafford (Last year: 25): Before the start of last season, we had seen very little of what Stafford could actually do. He had a huge amount of potential, especially when he was throwing to a healthy Calvin Johnson, but we all know that potential is meaningless in the NFL. Stafford stayed healthy throughout 2011 and took the Lions to the playoffs for the first time since the 90s. Oh and he became only the 5^th player ever to throw for over 5000 yards.
8. Cam Newton (Last year: N/A): I completely missed the boat on Cam Newton. I did not believe he had the work ethic to become a legitimate starting NFL quarterback. He seemed too concerned about becoming an icon and not enough about working to become a better quarterback. He proved me and all his other critics very, very wrong. He had by far the best season for a rookie quarterback ever, throwing for over 4000 yards, rushing for another 700, and scoring 35 total touchdowns (14 of which were rushing touchdowns, which was more than any quarterback in NFL history). Not only that, but his attitude for the entire season was what you would expect from the face of a franchise. He was not happy breaking records because his team only won six games. He wants to win and it will not be long before he turns his franchise around.
9. Tony Romo (Last year: 8): Say what you want about Romo, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He reminds me a lot of Brett Favre and is the prototypical gunslinger. He will win some games in spectacular fashion and will blow some games in spectacular fashion. The Cowboys had a tough year, but Romo was not helped by his receivers being injured, his run game being a mess most of the season, and a defense that could not stop anyone. The Cowboys no longer have the talent that people signify with this franchise and they need to readjust their expectations for America’s team. Cowboys’ fans need to appreciate how good Romo is and understand that a lot of teams would be ecstatic to have him leading their franchise.
10. Peyton Manning (Last year: 2): This is a huge plummet for Peyton, but I am not buying that he is even close to 100% after all of his surgeries last season. He is one of the all time greats, but that will not win you any games in 2012. If you look at pictures of this guy, he looks like the high school version of himself. He has always been a really big dude, but now he looks rail thin, which is not good for his durability. Also, people are forgetting how much Manning’s play fell off in 2010. He threw 11 interceptions in a three game span and was received strong criticism for not being clutch when his team needed him the most. I think Broncos fans might be putting up Tebow signs again after Peyton falls to injuries and they are stuck with Brock Osweiler leading their franchise in 2012 and beyond.
11. Jay Cutler (Last year: 10): I almost put Cutler above Peyton, but as much as I love Cutler, I had to giving Peyton the nod since even if he is at 80% of what he used to be, he is a better option than Cutler. However, I am expecting big things from Cutler this season, who finally has some legitimate options to throw to in Chicago. Cutler has been behind one of the worst offensive lines in football and has been throwing to a very mediocre receiving corps the last few years. The line might not make much of an improvement from last season, but with two big-bodied receivers (Bradon Marshall and rookie Alshon Jeffery), Cutler will be able to get the ball out of his hands much faster. Cutler needs to continue to cut down on the turnovers, but I expect him to be higher on this list next season.
12. Matt Schaub (Last year: 12): Had Schaub been healthy through the Texans season last year, I truly believe that it would have been a Texans-Giants Super Bowl. Schaub is a much underappreciated quarterback, who has done nothing but be the unquestioned leader of the newest franchise in the NFL since he was traded to Houston. In 2012, he will have as many weapons as any quarterback in the league and the Texans field possibly the best defense in the NFL. The Texans are my favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl and Schaub is one of the main reasons why. He can make all the throws you look for in a quarterback and he has superior field and situational awareness that allows him to minimize his turnovers. If not for injury concerns, he would most likely be higher on this list.
13. Michael Vick (Last year: 7): Was there any quarterback in the NFL that disappointed his fan base more than Vick last season? Ok, maybe Blaine Gabbert, but Vick was a close second. Vick got another $100 million contract this offseason. He rewarded the Eagles with a disappointing 8-8 season in which he only scored 19 total touchdowns (after 30 last season) and turned the ball over twice as much as he did in 2010 (18). He also missed three games and continues to prove that he cannot be counted on to even be on the field, let alone produce on it. Vick has all the potential in the world, but he needs to improve his accuracy and decision making for him to move back up this list. Also, he needs to stay on the field or else rookie Nick Foles will be taking his job in the next year or so.
14. Matt Ryan  (Last year: 14): For being nicknamed “Matty Ice” due to his cool demeanor under pressure, Ryan is surprisingly at his worst every time the Falcons get into the playoffs. You might not believe me, but Ryan has yet to surpass 200 yards in any of his three playoff games. No, you did not read that wrong. In an era where quarterbacks might throw for 200 yards on four or five throws, this is a pathetic statistic. It is only made worse by the fact that the Falcons have been blown out in all of their playoff games, meaning the Falcons were passing for almost the entire game. Even Mark Sanchez has thrown for over 300 yards in a playoff game! A quarterback who cannot perform in the playoffs is a completely useless quarterback. Ryan needs to prove he can put this team on his shoulders or else he is going to be even lower on this list next season, and the Falcons could be looking for a new quarterback.
15. Carson Palmer (Last year: 16): I was so excited to see Palmer move back to California, but he really failed to meet expectations in his first season with the Raiders. He showed signs of his old self and he is an extremely competitive player, so I expect him to really take over this team during the offseason. Palmer is a perfect fit for the Raiders offense, which takes a lot of deep shots downfield. Palmer still has one of the biggest arms in the NFL and has the ability to hit a player in stride 60 yards downfield. Al Davis might have almost run this franchise into the ground, but thanks to him Palmer has a ton of speed receivers to throw to in Oakland.
16. Andrew Luck (Last year: N/A): I was wary of putting him this high, but Luck could very possibly be in the top 10 by next season. He is a born leader and is the most polished passer that has probably ever come out of college. He is a more polished passer than a lot of the guys ranked ahead of him on this list (I’m looking at you Cutler). Add in the fact that everyone forgets this guy produced at the combine like Cam Newton did one season earlier, and you have a scary good quarterback project. Being a USC fan, I’ve watched a lot of Luck (he went to Stanford) and I can say from experience that this guy is really hard to bring to the ground. He is not going to be a running quarterback like Newton, but he has that “escapability” similar to Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger that makes him all that more dangerous. I expect the Colts to go 8-8 under Luck this season, despite probably having one of the worst defenses in the league.
17. Robert Griffin III (Last year: N/A): I cannot remember the last time I was this excited to see a preseason game, and that is 100% due to RG3. I love this guy’s attitude, his ability, and his leadership. It might take him longer to be a polished passer like Luck since he came out of a spread offense, but I have never seen a quarterback have so much potential. He can be a threat in the run game like Vick and Newton, but he also has an arm like Rodgers. He is unbelievably accurate and seems to be just as accurate throwing the ball 60 yards downfield as he does 10 yards. This guy has a wow factor like no one I have ever seen and I would not be surprised if in 2-3 years he is the best quarterback in the league. He will have to put in a lot of work, but he seems ready to for all the responsibility of being the savoir of a once proud franchise.
18. Andy Dalton (Last year: N/A): If not for Newton’s spectacular season, Dalton would have been the talk of the town in the NFL. He might not have put up Newton-esque numbers, but he lead a rookie receiver to a 1000 yard seven touchdown season and took a very average team to the playoffs. All of this is even more impressive when you factor in that the Bengals are in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, if not the toughest, and that all three division rivals had top five defenses (yes even the Browns). Yes, he had an easy schedule outside the division, and yes AJ Green might be a top five receiver, but for a kid that most people thought was way too raw to be a day one starter, Dalton was one of the nice surprises of the 2011 season. Don’t forget that he is only going to get better as well.
19. Josh Freeman (Last year: 11): Freeman was right behind Vick on disappointments last year. I cannot remember the last time a young quarterback fell so fast. In 2010, Freeman had 25 total touchdowns to just nine total turnovers. In 2011, he had just 20 touchdowns to a whopping 27 turnovers. The biggest difference between 2010 and 2011 was that the Bucs’ defense was one of the worst in the league and usually put them behind big early. That left Freeman with very little options in the passing game and no third down running back who could pass block or catch the ball (sorry 31 year old Earnest Graham, you do not count). I can make all the excuses in the world for this young quarterback, but he also made a ton of very costly mistakes for his team and seemingly always turned the ball over at the worst times. With the amount of money the Bucs spent on improving the offense, Freeman better bounce back quickly or else he will be looking for a job elsewhere. Whatever happened to Josh Johnson…?
20. Joe Flacco (Last year: 15): I cannot get a read on Flacco at all. One day he is great, the next he looks like a lost little boy, and that moustache doesn’t help at all. The guy almost cost the Ravens the division title by blowing games to horrendous teams like the Jaguars and Seahawks (and almost the Cardinals). Flacco wants to be considered an elite quarterback, then he needs to perform as an elite quarterback. Any quarterback will have off days, but no one has off days like Flacco. Consistency is the name of the game for Flacco and he better find it before his contract runs out. Tick tock my mustachioed friend.
21. Matt Cassel (Last year: 13): I do not know how everyone around the NFL saw the fall of Cassel coming but me. Maybe it was just Trojan pride, but coming off a season in which he had a 27-7 touchdown-interception rate, made the Pro Bowl, and took his team to the playoffs, I thought that he would at least have a solid season. However, he missed almost half of the season, which ended up as a good thing because he was terrible in the time he was on the field. He had more turnovers than touchdowns and once again failed to complete 60% of his passes. I think he will rebound this year with Jamaal Charles coming back and the addition of Peyton Hillis, but I do not expect him to ever come close to his 2010 numbers again. At 30 years old, he needs to prove he can still be a starter or else he will be assigned to backup duties for the rest of his career.
22. Sam Bradford (Last year: 18): Coming out of college, I did not think Bradford had what it took to be a great quarterback. In college, he constantly looked confused about what plays he was running and did not make too many adjustments at the line of scrimmage. That is fine in college, but any starting quarterback in the NFL needs to read the defense before the play and adjust accordingly. In his rookie year, he was spectacular with a group of underachieving receivers. It seemed like the sky was the limit for him. However, last season he looked lost again and could never get anything going on offense. In 10 games, he only scored six touchdowns, which was about an average game for Cam Newton. That would not have even been so bad if he had not also turned the ball over 13 times. If any other quarterback had a season like that, he would be out the door (Mark Sanchez scored 32 touchdowns and was still almost run out of New York). Unfortunately, Bradford has about $60 million guaranteed in his contract, so he is going to be on the team for awhile. The Rams passed on a chance to get RG3 on a much more reasonable contact, so Bradford needs to make a major rebound and perform consistently this season in order to show that he can be a franchise quarterback.
23. Mark Sanchez (Last year: 21): Speaking of inconsistent, enter Mark freaking Sanchez. He has so much potential, yet seems to lack the confidence in the locker room and in the pocket to be effective. Can he change that? Absolutely. The most effective way is by starting to win games again. However, elite quarterbacks do not lose confidence in themselves when they start losing. Hopefully, new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano will not hold him back the same way Brian Schottenheimer did in the past and will let him throw the ball around and make mistakes. This will be a make or break season for Sanchez, especially since Tim Tebow is licking his chops waiting for a chance to become to Jets’ leader (God help us all).
24. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Last year: 23): Fitzpatrick wins the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde award for the 2011 season. Before his contract was extended, he was incredible. He started the season off by throwing nine touchdowns to just three interceptions in the first three games. He looked like he was the master of the Bills offense. However, as soon as he got his big contract extension, he fell right off the map. He looked like a completely different quarterback. He was hesitant at times and threw the ball around like a maniac at other times. This lead to a ton of sacks and a whole bunch of interceptions. The Bills cannot be happy with their investment, and I would hope Fitzpatrick is not satisfied with his performance either.
25. Kyle Orton (Last year: 19): No quarterback in the NFL has gotten a worse deal than Orton over the last few seasons. He was basically given away by the Bears, only to put together two very good seasons with the Broncos, despite having basically no one to throw to. In 2010, he was on pace to break Dan Marino’s passing record before he got injured, but this is something everyone seems to forget. He went into the 2011 season having to battle with Tim Tebow and clearly wins the starting job. Yet after a rough start to the season, he gets essentially run out of town in favor for the all holy Tebow. He gets cut and ends up on the Chiefs, where he manages to win two out of three games for them, including a shocking win over the then undefeated Packers. The Chiefs decide not to keep him and he is forced to take a backup job in Dallas. How the rest of his career will pan out, I do not know. But what I do know is that he is a lot better quarterback than a lot of teams will have starting for them this season.
26. Matt Flynn (Last year: N/A): I absolutely love the way this guy leads a huddle and how he plays the game. He has great accuracy, great mobility, and above average pocket awareness. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly, but has the ability to make something out of nothing if his receivers are not open because of his athletic ability. He is very calm and collected, and his teammates seem to rally around him, even when he is a backup. Despite all this potential, he needs to put it all on the field and show that he can be a leader for 16+ games. I love this kid, but if he cannot beat out Tarvaris Jackson and Russell Wilson, I am going to have to do some serious reevaluating.
27. Alex Smith (Last year: 30): Any quarterback who only turns the ball over seven times and wins 14 games needs to get some love. Unfortunately, Smith still only scored 19 total touchdowns and was part of one of the worst red zone offenses in the NFL last year. The 49ers leaned on the defense and their kicker (not usually one of the stars of a team). Smith was comfortable last season because he knew if he threw the ball away and punted, his defense would hold up and probably give him better field position than where he started. If he wants to be considered a top 20 quarterback, he needs to take some more risks throwing downfield. He was spectacular in the playoffs and hopefully that means a more explosive offense for the 49ers in 2012, especially with all the firepower they added this offseason.
28. Matt Moore (Last year: N/A): This is a guy I have been following closely for the last couple of years. He was spectacular in Carolina towards the end of the 2009 season and was looking to be their starter in 2010. In 2010, he completely flopped as did the rest of his team, and only played in six games that entire year. Miami hires him as a backup, despite clearly being better than their game one starter, Chad Henne. Henne went down with an injury and all Moore did was lead a 0-7 team to six wins over the next nine games, which would equate to almost 11 wins over an entire season. He can still be inconsistent and a little reckless with the ball, but he has the potential to be a solid starter. I would be surprised to see anyone but him open the season as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback.
29. Jason Campbell (N/A): Before getting injured last season, Campbell was having by far the best season of his career and it looked like he was going to lead the Raiders to their first division title since they went to the Super Bowl after the 2002 season. Unfortunately, he had a season ending injury and the Raiders decided to make a play on Carson Palmer, thus making him expendable. In 2012, he will be backing up Cutler in Chicago this year. Should Cutler go down like last season, Campbell better be ready to shine because he might not get too many more playing opportunities in his career, despite his talents.
30. Christian Ponder (Last year: N/A): Ponder was my top ranked rookie quarterback heading into last season. However, he had a very disappointing rookie season. In his defense, he was on one of the worst teams in the NFL, but he still failed to meet even the lowest of expectations. Coming out of college, one of his best attributes was his accuracy, yet he failed to even complete 55% of his passes in his rookie year. That is not going to fly. He also had more turnovers than touchdowns. He has to improve his decision making quickly because Joe Webb is an intriguing prospect who is sitting right behind him waiting for an opportunity. I think Ponder will make huge improvements this season, but with Adrian Peterson’s injury looming and Percy Harvin clamoring for a trade (who I still think is overrated), I am not quite sure where Ponder will find any offense production.
31. John Skelton (Last year: N/A): Say what you want about Skelton, but this team responds to him. Watching the Cardinals when he is in the lineup is like watching a different team compared to when Kevin Kolb is in there. They simply all play better with Skelton as their leader. He might not wow anyone with his abilities, but unlike Kolb, he can at least find Larry Fitzgerald and actually hit him with a pass, which really should not be that hard. And most importantly, they win games under Skelton and lose them with Kolb. Why the Cardinals kept Kolb on this team at around $7-9 million a year I will never understand, but I would be shocked to see Kolb in the starting lineup opening day for the Cards.
32. Colt McCoy (Last year: 29): I cannot get over how quickly the Browns quit on McCoy. He has only been in the league two years and he has not had a single offseason in which he was the starter. Also, the Browns had literally no offensive weapons last year, so I do not understand what they expected McCoy to do. They are tossing him away before even giving him a chance. McCoy is a great leader with very good accuracy and above average athleticism (remember that he lead the Longhorns in rushing while starting for UT). He was a winner all throughout college and played his best in big games. These are all hard qualities to find and I expect him to make an impact with whatever team actually gives him a chance. (Hint: Jacksonville does not have a quarterback on this list, or anyone who I even considered putting on this list).

Honorable Mentions: Tim Tebow, Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker, David Garrard.

Dishonorable Mentions: Kevin Kolb, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Tannehill, Chad Henne. 

***If you made it this far, congrats! That was a lot of info flying at you. Top RBs coming soon!