The Quarterback Position

Ok, we’ve done running backs, speed burners and linebackers, I’m about to tackle a very challenging topic, the Quarterback. This one is going to be the most difficult so far and I’m going to make it even more challenging by picking the top QB’s playing right now. It is the most critiqued position and a successful quarterback has to read defenses and make throws on the run, sometimes has to run for his life, throw across his body, decide when to throw it out of bounds or when to take the sack, as well know when to throw it and when not to throw it.

Today quarterbacks are more protected than ever, but some of these brave captains will still take a shot or throw a block because football is football. I believe they are smarter than the old school quarterbacks, but only because of the evolution of the game. So again I’m not naming them in a particular order, that is just too difficult to do, and the quarterback is the leader but the product of whatever the head coach or offensive coordinators are trying to do and the game plan for that particular week. So here goes Bo again, and as I’ve been having so much fun writing today, I’m going to play this by ear, and I don’t yet know if this is a top ten, top fifteen or top twenty list because every quarterback in the NFL and their backups are supreme athletes, make no mistake about that. Just for fun, I’ve played my share of football believe me, and several different positions, I was a little too shy when I was younger to play the quarterback in organized football, but let me assure you, my dad was a great high school quarterback and taught me from an early age the perfect spiral, the rainbow affect so it would float into the receivers arms, and about leading the receiver, and I really was blessed with “The Touch”, if you know what I mean. I could toss the ball a good sixty yards and throw a 90 miles an hour plus fastball.

Also I think it is important to add for fun the fact than John Madden is an absolute idiot announcer who proves more each game that he has know idea whatsoever what he is talking about. I often feel he is talking about another game than the one I am watching. So lets go have some fun.

1)Tom Brady. This guy is Joe Cool and always seems to make the right decision. He never makes a bad throw and he just wins. He doesn’t have the arm that some have, but he makes up for it with swagger. I just hope his knee comes back from his surgery as PR’s did. (Philip Rivers) (That’s what we call him down here in emails and the Charger website.

2)Payton Manning. Before it’s all said and done, He will probably be known as the greatest QB of all time. I strongly feel he or Drew Brees will be the all time yardage leader before they are done.

3)Drew Brees. Yes I know the prototype QB is 6′5” and getting bigger all the time. Nobody and I mean nobody not even Jay Cutler or Matt Ryan has the arm strength and throwing distance of this little six foot guy. He is so accurate downfield it is ridiculous.

4) Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben we call him. About 6′6′and a rocket arm of his own. Ben is the only one who I think is in PR’s toughness class. Ben will stand in the pocket till the last second and take serious shots to get that pass completed. He is big and strong and doesn’t do what I call the puss-out move, the slide at the end of a QB run. I know coaches teach that now days, but he’ll lower his head for a first down.

5)Matt Ryan. Yep, that’s right, I put a rookie on this list. When I saw this guy at the compound competitions, he regularly threw between70 to 80 yards. The kid is super accurate too. I told everyone I knew to watch this kid and predicted he would be that rare starting rookie QB.

6)Kurt Warner.I never liked him much and always thought Bulger and Trent Green were better, he only got his shot because Rodney Harrison gave Green a ferocious shot giving Warner a chance to start some years ago. But I must admit, the last couple of years he has been fun to watch.

7)My Boy, PR, Philip Rivers. My brother and I have had a standing argument for two years over this. He improved drastically over the last couple of seasons, he has become one of the best at selling the play action. Yes he still has a little seasoning to get under his belt but make no mistake folks, he is now among the QB elite. He can throw it a country mile too. He has quit taking so many risky throws and has learned to wait until the next offensive series over a potential turnover. We’ve all seen him grow up right before our very eyes. With Gates Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd to throw too, the future looks pretty bright for the Charger nation. Believe me when I tell you, Charger fans are everywhere.

8)Jay Cutler. Yes he plays for the Broncos. Yes they are AFC West rivals. Yes, I think he has one of the strongest arms in the NFL QB ranks. Yes PR and the Broncos will have many years of great matchups with these two gunslingers at the helm. Yes, he and PR have not kept quiet about the dislike of each other. That’s just good football folks. Look for some great matchups in the future. These guys will probably end up being best and lifelong friends.

9)Eli. One name is all I need to say. I loved the game he played against his brother. They are very close, and who better than him to learn from. Yes, lots of San Diegans don’t like him, I do. I appreciate talent and I had the Giants all the way in last years Super Bowl. The demeanor is great and he has “The Touch”.

I hope we can play them in the Super Bowl one day or him against his older brother. They both have a ring now.

10)Tony Romo. At first I thought he was lucky, then I realized he was just good and pretty tough too. So far he has had bad playoff luck, that won’t happen forever, he makes things happen. He reminds me a lot of Fran the man Tarkenton or Brett Farve in his prime, or a young Elway without the arm strength. More power to him if he dates Carrie Underwood or Jessica Simpson. Hey he’s a good looking young man, look at the girls Tom Brady has had had ties to. The quarterback always gets the girls, that’s just the way it always has been and the way it always will.

I was going to end the list here but A few more come to mind that I can’t leave off my list.

11)Donovan McNabb. Best scrambler in the game and truly one of my favorites. He can pass he can run and his arm never gets tired. He could throw it 60 times a game if he wanted to. Sorely underrated and he has some very unfortunate injuries, but as we say in football circles, he gives them the best chance to win. So what if they drafted a QB this time around, he’s going to spend a good 4 or 5 years holding the clipboard while Donovan shows him how it’s done.

12)Carson Palmer. This guy is a super quarterback. He had a bad year, it can happen to anybody, and he has that idiot Chad Johnson to deal with. If I was Carson, I would punch that moron in the mouth. Nobody talks in the huddle except the quarterback unless he asks what someone thinks. It has always been this way and will always be this way unless the coach sends in a play. TJ Hosmemanzada is twice the receiver Chad is anyway. Also a tidbit of info, his little brother by five years also made the team, the spitting image of his brother. Mama must have been a red head hottie.

13)Chad Pennington. I have always liked him. He has been underrated for years. Yes he has had some injuries but he has great arm strength and can thread the needle as well as anyone. He knocked us out of the post season twice in three years. I was so happy when he went to Miami. My only complaint there is that Cleo Lemon never got the chance to start except once. After years on the Chargers practice squad, he finally made it to the big leagues.

14)Joe Flacco. Another rookie sensation. When the playoffs started I really thought he and Ray Ray would get back to the Super Bowl and be the team for us to beat.

15)Kerry Collins. I have always liked him. I think he has already been to a Super Bowl. I love watching the veterans toward the end of their career, They really display their skills and this year Kerry was no different. I particularly enjoy watching them finally getting a ring when the window of is finally closing and they know it. It didn’t happen for him this year but maybe next year. Tennessee is a very good team now.

16) this is where I tell you my offbeat favorites. Jeff George, Steve McNair, Ken Stabler, Dan Pastorini, Joe Montana and Dan Marino, only because they were of my Pisano brethren. Vince Ferragamo, Fran the man, George Blanda, Ron Jaworski, Drew Bledsoe, Danny White, James Harris, Brian Sipe, Jim Heart, Steve Grogan, Craig Morton, Willie Joe, only because I loved his attitude. That’s it for now, Tell me where I messed up or who I missed.