It’s that time of year again when everyone wants to start ranking quarterbacks, or at least define who is in the “elite” class of quarterbacks. Giants quarterback Eli Manning thinks he’s in Tom Brady’s class of quarterback, although no one seems to agree with him. This got me thinking. As I listened to the usual sports radio shows during the day and heard the usual lists of “elite” quarterbacks, I’m always left frustrated at how Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers seems to rank higher than Ben Roethlisberger on everyone’s list.
First off, I don’t understand why little Eli is getting raked over the coals for considering himself in the same class as Pretty Boy Brady. What did they really expect him to say? “Aw shucks, Tom Brady? He’s dreamy. I sure wish I could be as good as him someday. I’m not even the best quarterback in my family.” I started with the “aw shucks” because Eli constantly has an “aw shucks” kinda look on his face. Good for him, though. If I was a Giants fan I sure as heck wouldn’t want my quarterback publicly kissing another quarterback’s backside, especially one he had beaten in a Super Bowl. Of course you’re as good as Tom Brady, Eli, now be a good boy and go make Peyton a sammich, he’s hungry.
Now that I’ve gotten that out, on to the more important discussion; why is Ben always ranked behind Philip Rivers? As I listen to people pick apart Eli for thinking he’s on some list of awesome quarterbacks that never include Ben in the top 5 but have Rivers close to the top I’m puzzled. No, seriously, am I missing something because I was under the impression that the Chargers have been to zero Super Bowls and 1 AFC Championship game in the past 5 years. I understand the stats argument, I really do, but stats don’t always win games let alone playoff games. Why are we constantly subjected to the rationalization of Rivers as an elite quarterback because he regularly accumulates tons of passing yards but fails to lead his team to any meaningful victories?