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Whether it’s during the season or during the offseason, there will always be a debate on which quarterback is the best in the NFL. Leading up to the 2013 season, Ron Jaworski has ranked the league’s 32 projected starting quarterbacks. As of right now, the list is at number three, which is where New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is listed.
I have no problem with Brady’s spot. However, I do have a problem with where Jaworski has Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. According to this list, Roethlisberger is ranked as the seventh best signal caller in the NFL. Don’t get me wrong, being considered seventh best out of 32 is great, but there are a couple of quarterbacks that shouldn’t be ranked ahead of Big Ben.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan were placed at fourth and fifth respectively. To put this ridiculous ranking into more perspective, Flacco and Ryan are also ranked ahead of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who is sixth.
Now Flacco and Ryan deserve to be in the top ten of this list. They are talented passers and have been instrumental in leading their team to the top of their respective divisions. However, looking at the entire picture, both Flacco and Ryan have not come close to accomplishing what Roethlisberger has.
Flacco did come on strong with one of the greatest postseason performances of all time by throwing 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions en route to a championship and being named MVP of Super Bowl XLVII. Nevertheless, Flacco never showed that consistency during the regular season, therefore looking like the average Joe.
On the other hand, Ryan has always had great success in the regular season, but couldn’t transfer that fortune in the playoffs. It wasn’t until this past postseason that Ryan earned his first playoff victory. Furthermore, Ryan and the Falcons’ offense are loaded with much more artillery than the Steelers have, yet Roethlisberger still manages to put up MVP-type numbers.
If it wasn’t for the injury bug, Big Ben would have been a MVP candidate last year, and Pittsburgh would have definitely been in the postseason.
Looking at things from another angle, Roethlisberger has more Super Bowl appearances and Super Bowl rings than Flacco and Ryan combined. In addition, Big Ben is one of seven starting quarterbacks that have at least one championship under his belt, and is one only three starting quarterbacks with multiple titles.
As I stated earlier, both Flacco and Ryan are more than qualified to be mentioned among the best quarterbacks in the league, and there could be a possibility that one day Flacco and Ryan will be considered better than Roethlisberger. But until that day comes, as of right now, Big Ben is definitely ahead of Flacco and Ryan, and everyone (including Jaworski) should recognize it.
Clyde A. Speller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClydeASpeller, or add him to your network on Google+
