NFL’s Hottest QBs

By Eric (Caveman) Kosovich, 2013 NFL Training Camp QB Rankings

1. Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos.  Am I being a homer? I don’t think so. He was the best QB in the NFL last year, and has gotten more weapons. And he is healthier. Don’t mess with PFM.

2. Aaron Rodgers – GreenBay Packers.  Will likely be a top 5 player for the rest of his career. A mobile sniper of a QB, he has the will and grit to win.

3. Tom Brady – New England Patriots.  Even without any talented receivers, Brady is a top-3 QB in the NFL. Whatever names I may call him (sissy, pansy, baby, being the more printable ones), I fully realize that the guy is unstoppable.

4. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints.  Expect a dramatic bounce-back season from Brees with the return of his coach, Sean Payton.

5. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons.  Ryan is without a doubt the best QB in the NFL to not yet have won a Super Bowl. He’s going to make a run for it this year with his stacked Falcons team.

6. Eli Manning – New York Giants.  If he could play consistently, Little Brother would be ranked higher. But then again, if he plays well in the playoffs and Super Bowl, does consistency matter?

7. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts.  A cerebral player who also happens to be tremendously physically gifted, Luck will quite possibly be a perennial list-topper in 5 years.

8. Colin Kaepernick – San Francisco 49ers.  He made it to the Super Bowl last year, and his team is widely considered the NFC favorite to return. He is also a notoriously hard worker. The question is if he can stay healthy throughout the length of his first full season.

9. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens.  I personally don’t believe he deserves his ridiculous $120 million contract. I also think he’s not much more than an average QB. Why is he in top 10? Because he won the Super Bowl.

10. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks.  Wilson is perceived as running QB…but in his fabulous rookie season last year, he beat teams through the air more often than not.

11. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburg Steelers.  As much as I hate this man, it’s hard to overlook the fact that he’s got the goods. His team won’t go very far, but it won’t be his fault.

12. Matt Schaub – Houston Texans.  Schaub will be like he always is: great in low-pressure games, bad in high-pressure ones.

13. Jay Cutler – Chicago Bears.  We all hate him and call him names here in Denver, but the Bears need Cutler. They need him very much.

14. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals.  The Ginger Ninja has been slinging the pigskin well the past couple seasons, and I believe that he’s establishing himself in the upper echelon of QB’s.

15. Robert Griffin III – Washington Redskins.  Expect a slight sophomore slump for a great player who had an astounding rookie season.

16. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions.  A decent QB with an amazing weapon in Calvin Johnson. Megatron alone will ensure Stafford’s numbers are solid.

17. Alex Smith – Kansas City Chiefs.  Keep an eye out, Bronco fans – the Chiefs are likely going from last year’s worst team in the NFL to possibly a playoff contender this year. A lot of that is due to Alex Smith upgrading the QB position.

18. Michael Vick – Philadelphia Eagles.  May not be the dual-threat he used to be, but if he can stay healthy (read: in the pocket), his career is not yet over.

19. Tony Romo – Dallas Cowboys.  Being middle-of-the-pack isn’t bad, right? Well, I simply consider the huge contract extension he got ($108 Million), along with his playing for one of America’s favorite teams, and I come to the conclusion that Tony Romo is a joke.

20. Sam Bradford – St. Louis Rams.  This season will be a turning point for Bradford. His Rams are arguably in the toughest division in the NFL, but they have vastly improved from season. Whether they keep up or become the lame duck in the division is on the shoulders of Sam.

21. Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins.  Now with more weapons and a better team around him, I fully expect Tannehill to take the leap from bad to mediocre.

22. Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers.  Once the cream of the AFC West’s QB crop, Rivers is now 3rd in my opinion. Doesn’t look like this season is going to be fun for the talent-drained Chargers.

23. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers.  #1 overall pick and fantasy stud has not proven himself to be anything special when it comes to winning games. He has a lot of maturing to do.

24. Jake Locker – Tennessee Titans.  I expect him to improve in his 3rd NFL season…although improving to 24 is not an astonishing feat.

25. Josh Freeman – Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He seems to be declining from his fairly decent start as an NFL QB.

26. Carson Palmer – Arizona Cardinals.  Now playing for the Redbirds, Carson Palmer better not expect to improve on his bad 2012 season.

27. Christian Ponder – Minnesota Vikings.  RB Adrian Peterson should be glad his QB sucks: he gets plenty of carries, and gets to be the face of the once-proud Minnesota Vikings.

28. Kevin Kolb – Buffalo Bills.  I don’t expect him to start the whole way though. Look for rookie EJ Manuel to take that job from him mid-season.

29. Brandon Weeden – Cleveland Browns.  Likely going to duke it out with Jason Cambell for the starting position. Don’t be surprised if the latter comes out on top by the season’s beginning.

30. Chad Henne – Jacksonville Jaguars.  Yup, sucks to rank in the 30’s in a 32-team league…

31. Matt Flynn – Oakland Raiders.  Why is he starting for the Raiders? Because he had one good game in his career…and it was week 17, with an amazing Packers cast around him, trouncing the pathetic Lions. Oakland, Al Davis is with you yet!

32 .   Mark Sanchez – New York Jets.  The Sanchez thing is over, but it looks like the Jets just won’t let it go. It’s surprising just how bad Mark Sanchez is. He is sooooo bad. If the Jets want to amount to anything this season, they’ll start Gino Smith, a 4th round pick rookie diva. And he’s not very good. That’s how bad Sanchez is.