2025-2026 NFL Season Thread

[TxDave]

Originally Posted by filmnut5

How appropriate would that be after all those beatings he took down your way. I liked his toughness, he was certainly a gamer.

Yeah, I was really hoping he would be our QB for awhile but our offensive line was terrible and he took a beating. I have to give it to him though, he was a very tough QB because he did not miss many plays even with the all those hits. Unfortunately, it did affect him and he started seeing pressure even when there was none.

[wilky61]

Is anybody an ESPN Insider? Apparently, ESPN's Trent Dilfer has ranked which QBs are elite, which are close, which are way off, etc. and I'm curious to see his list and arguments.

Trent Dilfer wasn't an elite QB himself, no, but I have a pretty good amount of respect for him as a person and as a commentator on the game.

[filmnut5]

Originally Posted by TxDave

Yeah, I was really hoping he would be our QB for awhile but our offensive line was terrible and he took a beating. I have to give it to him though, he was a very tough QB because he did not miss many plays even with the all those hits. Unfortunately, it did affect him and he started seeing pressure even when there was none.

Agreed, the kid became shell shocked. Too bad, but I still remember the Texans first ever game was at home against Dallas, and they beat the 'Boys. That must have been one wild party.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Is anybody an ESPN Insider? Apparently, ESPN's Trent Dilfer has ranked which QBs are elite, which are close, which are way off, etc. and I'm curious to see his list and arguments.

Trent Dilfer wasn't an elite QB himself, no, but I have a pretty good amount of respect for him as a person and as a commentator on the game.

I'll cut and past a lot of what Dilfer wrote. He also described each quarterback but this post is already going to be incredibly long so I won't include each QB's description.

Hall of Fame Level: This category is reserved for guys who are considered the current Mount Rushmore among NFL quarterbacks -- they have secured legacies through things already accomplished. The numbers, status among peers, Super Bowl rings and franchise-leader status are all there. Plus, you'll see in each case, losing is a rarity even in a league built for parity. Trajectory is not an issue.
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger

The Eli Zone
Eli Manning (Giants): Gets his own category for the purposes of this article because a second Super Bowl would really shift league perception. Minus that, he's probably more set in the next category. (Remember, that league perception hints that Eli was perhaps a little fortunate the first time around, fair or not.) And he's had ups and downs since. I do think people need to consider that he's been pretty good but is still improving.

A Ring Away
This category reflects quarterbacks who have the shown the ability to play at an elite level or are winning at an elite level and need a Super Bowl win to validate the perception of them. They don't have job-security questions and have proved vital within their offenses. Most display a solid career trajectory and have proved themselves as winners, if not title winners.
Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matt Stafford, Jay Cutler, Matt Schaub

Mostly Good
This is the group currently hurt by the fact that 2010-2020 will almost surely give us the best quarterbacking the game has seen in terms of depth across the league. For instance, I went to a Pro Bowl in 1997. That year, Alex Smith very well may have been the fifth-best QB in the league. But the standards have gotten higher, the players better. This group has guys who have elite ability but aren't quite there yet based on age, health or recent issues.
Cam Newton, Mike Vick, Andy Dalton, Josh Freeman, Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, Alex Smith

Could Go Either Way
This is a group of quarterbacks who have shown talent and even results but are facing major questions regarding the future trajectory of their careers. Most have pretty decent job security, but each is in a situation now in which his league perception is filled with questions. There is also a wonder in each case whether the environment is the best one to succeed in.
Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, Kevin Kolb, Matt Cassel, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kyle Orton, Matt Moore, Jason Campbell

Short Leash
Guys who may begin 2012 as starters but have no guarantee to last without improved performance.
Tim Tebow, Blaine Gabbert, Colt McCoy, Christian Ponder, Rex Grossman, Tarvaris Jackson, Curtis Painter, John Beck

Intriguing Wild Cards
Guys who don't have the reps but could have high ceilings as starters.
Matt Flynn, Jake Locker, T.J. Yates, John Skelton, Brian Hoyer

/nfl/playoffs/2011/story?id=7521145&...ffs/2011/story

[Blu-Benny]

That’s a cool read…thanks fate!!

[Chordata]

Who the hell is this Jay Cuter guy?

[Hatter]

I know Roehtlisberger has a fantastic w-l record and two superbowls but I have a hard time looking at him as a hall of famer right now. I know it says he has a 92 career QB rating but Romo is never given elite status and he sports one of the best career QB rates of all time at 96.9. Sure he hasn't one anything but while when he makes a mistake the team loses, Roehtlisberger's team can bail him out of tons of mistakes and still win. Charlie Batch has also been very effective as Roethlisberger's backup. For fairness yes I think Eli still needs to put together more regular seasons like this one to be a hall of famer even after he wins this sunday. Look at Brady for example. After winning three superbowls, he eventually kicked up his QB play several notches.

If Roehtlisberger stars putting together quality QB'ing seasons (and this year's pro bowl selection was only because the AFC QB play was so diluted), then I'll consider him a hall of famer. He's got plenty of time to do it.

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

A Ring Away
This category reflects quarterbacks who have the shown the ability to play at an elite level or are winning at an elite level and need a Super Bowl win to validate the perception of them. They don't have job-security questions and have proved vital within their offenses. Most display a solid career trajectory and have proved themselves as winners, if not title winners.
Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matt Stafford, Jay Cuter, Matt Schaub

First off, thanks for the copy/paste diesel.

I think this is the most interesting section of the content you provided because I think there is a rather large gap between these guys and the guys above them.

Rivers: 160 TD, 77 INT, 24000 yards, 95.2 rating, 63.5 comp%, 4 Pro Bowls, 3-3 postseason
Romo: 149 TD, 72 INT, 21000 yards, 96.9 rating, 64.5 comp%, 3 Pro Bowls, 0-3 postseason
Ryan: 93 TD, 46 INT, 14000 yards, 88.0 rating, 61% comp, 1 Pro Bowl, 0-3 postseason
Flacco: 79 TD, 46 INT, 13700 yards, 85.7 rating, 60.5% comp%, 0 Pro Bowls, 5-4 postseason
Stafford: 60 TD, 37 INT, 7850 yards, 84.7 rating, 59.8 comp%, 0 Pro Bowls, 0-1 postseason
Cutler: 117 TD, 86 INT, 18300 yards, 84.5 rating, 61.1 comp%, 1 Pro Bowl, 1-1 postseason
Schaub: 98 TD, 58 INT, 18000 yards, 92.2 rating, 64.3 comp%, 1 Pro Bowl, 0-0 postseason

I think out of all of them, Rivers is clearly the closest to jumping into the elite tier. Judging by the current trajectory, he might retire with a HoF career even if he doesn't ever win a ring. One ring, and he ought to be a lock.

Romo's numbers match up well, but the league perception is much more negative. Romo just seems to be right in the middle of all the Cowboys' screwups, and those mental images resonate in our collective memories. He's thrown so many INTs at awful junctures late in games. He botched the hold on the FG in the 2007 Wild Card game trailing by a point with 1 minute remaining. Though not officially a playoff game, his Cowboys also lost to the Eagles 44-6 in 2008 (Romo: 3 TOs, 0 TDs), and the Eagles grabbed the last playoff seed. He's going to need some serious postseason production to validate his career numbers. Doubtful Hall of Famer, I'd think.

Matt Ryan isn't and will never be elite. As an Atlanta fan, I am confident in this. He's at the same level as Joe Flacco. He plays with good players all around him and they make him seem better than he really is, but he's not the greatest of leaders or passers. IMO, here's the telling stat: Yards per attempt.

Rodgers: 8.2, Roethlisberger: 8, Rivers: 8, Manning: 7.6, Brees: 7.44, Flacco: 7.1, Ryan: 7

Too many checkdown passes, not enough ability to move the chains. I also question both QBs' on-field leadership and decision making skills when in the pocket. Flacco (whose numbers are particularly mediocre) has been bailed out in the postseason by Baltimore's tremendous defense (in their postseason wins, they have frequently stifled opposing squads to 7 points). But both QBs need to improve their stats across the board (comp%, TD/INT ratio, etc.) and win at least one Super Bowl to elevate their league perceptions.

The other three guys have great upside and are still quite young/unproven, so time will have to tell there. Schaub has posted some very impressive numbers so far, though, and I always thought he would go on to achieve postseason success with another team when he was a backup behind Michael Vick in ATL all those years.

[Chordata]

Stafford's done all that in 29 games. Flacco, by comparison, has 64.

Time will tell with him. He pretty much had monster numbers this year because DET's defense is so awful, the Lions had to throw to stay in games.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by wilky61

First off, thanks for the copy/paste diesel.

I think this is the most interesting section of the content you provided because I think there is a rather large gap between these guys and the guys above them.

The problem with those stats is that it doesn't take into account the rest of the team, and some of the issues they've faced.

Qb makes up .04% of the players on the field (and less if you take into account any kind of depth at positions).

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by supersix4

The problem with those stats is that it doesn't take into account the rest of the team, and some of the issues they've faced.

Qb makes up .04% of the players on the field (and less if you take into account any kind of depth at positions).

I think you mean 4%.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by wilky61

I think you mean 4%.

yes , less than half a person would make an interesting addition to a football team

[Blu-Benny]

it'll be interesting to see what flacco does when he doesn't have that stellar def. backing him up...b/c lets face it, that def. is getting really old and won't be there much longer.

stafford could make the jump to elite status w/a few more seasons like the one he just had...but that team needs to "grow up" and be more mature if they want to win anything. they can be tuff and aggressive all they want, but until they grow up, a more mature team will come along and always knock them out. either that or they'll knock themselves out of contention b/c of their own stupidity.

ryan is mediocre @ best b/c of the players around him. and the guy can't throw the ball downfield to save his life. my buddy said last year when they played the packers, if the falcons get behind, it's hard for them to catch up b/c they just can't get the big plays to get them back in the game.

and romo, romo romo romo....he makes to many mistakes and always seems to be the reason they lose the big games. it's like he gets inside his own head and he psychs himself out.

and rivers gets all of this praise every year and he never seems to do anything!!!

i don't see any of these QB's winning a super bowl in their career.

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

it'll be interesting to see what flacco does when he doesn't have that stellar def. backing him up...b/c lets face it, that def. is getting really old and won't be there much longer.

stafford could make the jump to elite status w/a few more seasons like the one he just had...but that team needs to "grow up" and be more mature if they want to win anything. they can be tuff and aggressive all they want, but until they grow up, a more mature team will come along and always knock them out. either that or they'll knock themselves out of contention b/c of their own stupidity.

ryan is mediocre @ best b/c of the players around him. and the guy can't throw the ball downfield to save his life. my buddy said last year when they played the packers, if the falcons get behind, it's hard for them to catch up b/c they just can't get the big plays to get them back in the game.

and romo, romo romo romo....he makes to many mistakes and always seems to be the reason they lose the big games. it's like he gets inside his own head and he psychs himself out.

and rivers gets all of this praise every year and he never seems to do anything!!!

i don't see any of these QB's winning a super bowl in their career.

I agree with all of your points except the bold. Matt Ryan plays with Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. Harry Douglas also had a breakout year this year for ATL at the WR position. Michael Turner in previous years was a huge offensive asset, but lately he seems to have become the slowest RB in the NFL.

I'm going to fix your original bolded statement: Ryan is mediocre @ best because of the coaches around him. I think the problem lies in Atlanta's offensive scheme and in its hurry-up-style-offense where Ryan directs the audibles at the line of scrimmage. Ryan has a tremendous home record when playing in the Georgia Dome, but this success does not translate to road victories because of the hostile conditions. Furthermore, look at the Saints/Falcons MNF game late in the season where Brees broke Marino's mark... All game long, Saints LB Jonathan Vilma was counter-audibling all of Matt Ryan's audibles. Any team with a good defensive field marshall can shut down ATL's offense.

Next season, they need to find a way to reinvigorate the running game so that their offense isn't so one-dimensional. The very successful 2010 season was characterized by two traits: Establish the run first, and score the last points inside the two-minute-warning in both halves. Neither of these things occurred in 2011.

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by wilky61

I agree with all of your points except the bold. Matt Ryan plays with Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. Harry Douglas also had a breakout year this year for ATL at the WR position. Michael Turner in previous years was a huge offensive asset, but lately he seems to have become the slowest RB in the NFL.

I'm going to fix your original bolded statement: Ryan is mediocre @ best because of the coaches around him. I think the problem lies in Atlanta's offensive scheme and in its hurry-up-style-offense where Ryan directs the audibles at the line of scrimmage. Ryan has a tremendous home record when playing in the Georgia Dome, but this success does not translate to road victories because of the hostile conditions. Furthermore, look at the Saints/Falcons MNF game late in the season where Brees broke Marino's mark... All game long, Saints LB Jonathan Vilma was counter-audibling all of Matt Ryan's audibles. Any team with a good defensive field marshall can shut down ATL's offense.

Next season, they need to find a way to reinvigorate the running game so that their offense isn't so one-dimensional. The very successful 2010 season was characterized by two traits: Establish the run first, and score the last points inside the two-minute-warning in both halves. Neither of these things occurred in 2011.

after reading my original post, yes, i agree w/u that i worded that wrong.

another way i could put it is b/c of the players around him, ryan comes off as looking/being better than he actually is.

some guys can take a mediocre recv'ing corps and make the team into a winner.....ala Favre for so many years here in Green Bay.

i don't think Ryan would be 1/2 as good if he didn't have all of those weapons.

[SleeperAgent]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny;5748324[B

]it'll be interesting to see what flacco does when he doesn't have that stellar def. backing him up...b/c lets face it, that def. is getting really old and won't be there much longer.[/B]

First off, aside from Ray Lewis the defense isn't that old.

Secondly, Flacco HAS to prove himself as the franchise QB this year or be cut. Before wer could always blame it on lack of weapons. Now he has all the weapons he could ask for; Ray Rice, Vonta Leach, Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta, Lee Evans (maybe) and an above average offensive line. If the Ravens don't win the Superbowl in 2013, which will most likely be Ray Lewis' last year, they won't win it with Flacco ever.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by SleeperAgent

First off, aside from Ray Lewis the defense isn't that old.

Secondly, Flacco HAS to prove himself as the franchise QB this year or be cut. Before wer could always blame it on lack of weapons. Now he has all the weapons he could ask for; Ray Rice, Vonta Leach, Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta, Lee Evans (maybe) and an above average offensive line. If the Ravens don't win the Superbowl in 2013, which will most likely be Ray Lewis' last year, they won't win it with Flacco ever.

It's going to be interesting to see if the Ravens and Flacco sign a contract extension this offseason. He's a free agent after next season and the team has previously said they want to sign him before the 2012 season. There are rumors though that Flacco considers himself an upper-tier quarterback and worthy of a deal similar to Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers, whose contracts are both worth around $100 million with $35 million guaranteed, but it's unlikely the team would agree to that much guaranteed money.

Flacco is a very unique case. He's the only quarterback ever to make the playoffs his first 4 seasons, he's won 5 playoff games (2 more than Rivers in his career) and made the AFC title game twice, but few people would say that was due to him, so it's hard to gauge his value. I've read a lot of articles about Flacco's contract status on the Baltimore news sites and they all think an extension gets done before next season.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

I've read a lot of articles about Flacco's contract status on the Baltimore news sites and they all think an extension gets done before next season.

I agree and while it may not seem ideal for ravens fans, he's done too much to not be kept around.

[Batman1980]

Rob Gronkowski told reporters Wednesday that the Patriots are looking into a specialized cleat to wear on his high left ankle sprain during Super Bowl XLVI.
Gronkowski also conceded that he "hasn't done much running," opening up questions about his cardio. "That's what I'm wondering, too," said Gronk about whether he'll be in football shape. "But the training staff has us doing things to keep it up like eating healthy everyday and making sure you’re not eating trash. I’m just staying at weight and doing what I possibly can do to stay in shape." ESPN's James Walker suggests Gronkowski may be available for only a "limited role" against the Giants.

Source - http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5729/rob-gronkowski

[wilky61]

^I heard an ESPN analyst the other day expecting Rob Gronkowski to be utilized in a lot of vertical routes/slants, etc. (routes that ought not aggravate his ankle sprain as much) and for the more athletic/healthier Aaron Hernandez to be making the shiftier kind of moves on Sunday.