Scott Garceau: The Graying Of NFL QB's
They are going, going and will be gone before we know it. This Golden Age of NFL quarterbacks is turning gray. Sure, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson could be around for another 15 years but the clock is ticking for many others who'll be hard to replace.
Steve Young followed Joe Montana, Aaron Rodgers picked up where Brett Favre left off and how lucky were the Colts to have Andrew Luck replace Peyton Manning. When legendary quarterbacks exit teams can fumble for decades looking for a near facsimile. Forty years later the Jets are still looking for Joe Namath's replacement, Ryan Fitzpatrick anyone?
Let's start with today's ELITE (hate that word). I've got 5 in this group they've combined for 9 league MVP's, 6 Super Bowl MVP's, they've all won Super Bowls, played in Pro Bowl's and are likely first ballot Hall of Fame selections, listed by age.
--- Elite ---
Peyton Manning, Den (39)
Tom Brady, NE (38)
Drew Brees, NO (36)
Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt (33)
Aaron Rodgers, GB (31)
The top 3 here will soon lose the battle with Father Time (who remains undefeated). They've done it all and made hundreds of millions but it's hard to extinguish the fire that made them great.
--- Next Best ---
Tony Romo, Dal (35)
Eli Manning, NYG (34)
Philip Rivers, SD (33)
Joe Flacco, Bal (30)
Matt Ryan, Atl (30)
Some might question Romo here, that's fine, but he lead the lead the NFL in QB rating last season and he's tops in fourth quarter game-winning drives since 2011. The iron-men are in this group. Eli has made 167 consecutive regular season starts, Rivers 144 and Flacco 112. That's impressive but they have a ways to go to catch Brett Favre's record 297.
--- Present and Future ---
Andrew Luck, Ind (25)
Russell Wilson, Sea (26)
Cam Newton, Car (26)
Matthew Stafford, Det (27)
Colin Kaepernick, SF (27)
Luck and Wilson are the stars of this group. If you had to pick one future Hall of Famer Luck would be the guy. Wilson has "it" and is a pass away from winning 2 Super Bowls. Cam can be inconsistent and doesn't have a lot of offensive help but he can elevate any team. Stafford has also been inconsistent but he's only 27 and has a 5-thousand yard passing season and 2 others over 46-hundred yards. Not sure about Kap who seems to be regressing.
--- Kids Worth Watching ---
Derek Carr, Oak (24-2)
Teddy Bridgewater, MN (22-2)
Jameis Winston, TB (21-R)
Marcus Mariota, Tenn (21-R)
Carr and Bridgewater showed promise in their rookie seasons, Winston and Mariota are talented but raw 21 year-olds who play for bad teams and will likely take their lumps in their rookie seasons.