Top Five NFL Quarterbacks

By Dylan Webster
Three of the NFL’s top-five rated quarterbacks have nowhere to go but down. Down for this group however, may be more than enough to go all the way to Superbowl XL. This year, fans must view the level of success for Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger with a little perspective.

Last season Manning threw for 4,557 yards and completed over two-thirds of his passes. More amazing was his NFL-record 49 touchdowns passing. While the Colts’ star is likely to put up big numbers again, it is very unlikely he will toss 45-plus scores this year. One setback is the loss of veteran tight end Marcus Pollard via free agency. Pollard provided Manning with a big, sure-handed target in the red zone and was athletic enough to exploit the middle of the field against two-deep coverage. The second factor is a need to run more, allowing their defense to rest. The Achilles’ heel for the Colts has been their “soft” defense, but slowing the tempo may enable them to become more physical. It is safe to expect 500-1000 less yards and likely 10 fewer touchdowns, which should be plenty.

Eagles signal caller Donovan McNabb slides easily into this category. McNabb posted career highs in passing yards and touchdowns. There is no doubt that he benefited from last year’s addition of Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens, but no such signings were made in this off-season and the Eagle pass-catching corps is very thin. After finally earning a trip to the Superbowl last season, Philadelphia spent the pre-season cutting virtually all other experienced receivers from their roster. Apart from Owens, only the dinosaur-armed Todd Pinkston remained from the Superbowl team. To make things worse T.O. held out, would not speak to McNabb, and generally was himself during which time Pinkston was lost for the season due to injury. As of game one, Eagle receivers other than Owens had a combined 24 NFL receptions. All this having been said, they still possess a great defense, solid coaching, and, most important, they play in the NFC. Good luck, Donovan.

This leaves us with Roethlisberger, the man who can do nothing but fall. After guiding his Steelers to a 15-1 record and remaining undefeated during the regular season as a starter, one can be absolutely sure of one thing: He will lose. There will always be naysayers, but realistically Big Ben could lead Pittsburgh to 11 or 12 wins this year and still be a far better quarterback. The Steelers’ running game looks stronger than ever this season with the emergence of Willie Parker, but it is the loss of the 6’5 wide-out Plaxico Burress that might have the largest impact on Roethlisberger. In any event, the second year QB’s season can probably be summed up by saying he will lose more and get better at the same time.