With Super Bowl in sight, which QBs are best suited to get thereThe Sporting News
The four thirtysomething quarterbacks left in the 2013 NFL playoffs have an impressive career resume. Between Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, there are 36 playoff victories, 35 Pro Bowl trips and eight Super Bowl appearances.
Then there are the four young guns: Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton. But don’t be fooled by their collective inexperience and limited accomplishments. Their talent and youth will serve them well in the divisional round of the playoffs.
They not only stack up with their elder statesman, but one of them is bound to trump them all with his first ring. Here’s how all those quarterbacks stack up against each other in the quest for Super Bowl XLVIII:
Arm strength
They obviously can make all the throws, but it’s especially crazy that coming into the league, Luck was knocked so much in this area. Watching his zip on deep balls, from both inside and outside the pocket, it aces the eye test. Where Brady, Manning, Brees and Rivers make up for some of their diminished strength is putting their receivers in position to make big plays after the catch.
1. Luck
2. Wilson
3. Kaepernick
4. Newton
5. Brady
6. Manning
7. Brees
8. Rivers
Accuracy/delivery
This was a tricky category. This is the first of Manning’s three wins, having the best combination of completion percentage (68.3) and yards per attempt (8.3). But Rivers and Brees were right there with him in exceptional seasons where they also executed at high levels in diverse passing games.
The young trio behind them has great touch on deep and short balls alike. Still, Manning's touchdown to interception ratio is 55 to 10, while Wilson's was 26 to 9. Brady and Kaepernick would have been higher here last season, but keep in mind both dealt with key receiver injuries.
1. Manning
2. Rivers
3. Brees
4. Wilson
5. Newton
6. Luck
7. Brady
8. Kaepernick
Mobility/athleticism
Wilson finished second to Newton in rushing yards, and doesn’t quite have Kaepernick’s sudden explosiveness. But what makes him top the list is the old-school mad scrambling to keep pass plays alive combined with his effectiveness in just taking off and running. Wilson led all quarterbacks with 26 rushes that went for 10 yards or more, and ranked 12th among all players. Newton and Luck are two big, tough bodies in motion, too.
1. Wilson
2. Kaepernick
3. Newton
4. Luck
5. Rivers
6. Brees
7. Brady
8. Manning
Pocket presence/awareness
True pocket passers never die, and they’re not fading away, either. Given that Manning is the least athletic of this group and still was sacked fewer times than any starting QB in the league (18)—without left tackle Ryan Clady—is a testament that fundamental footwork is still more important that fleet feet. Consider that the last five here were all dropped more than twice as much as Manning. Rivers rebounded thanks to playing a in quicker-release oriented offense.
1. Manning
2. Luck
3. Rivers
4. Brees
5. Newton
6. Brady
7. Kaepernick
8. Wilson
Intangibles
Leadership and competitiveness are more tangible than you think, and no one has manifested them more than Manning. The hardest thing to do is deliver what was expected. The preparation and dedication he’s shown throughout his career has added up to the most prolific production in league history. The others have plenty of the same attributes, but they’re all looking up to No. 18 this season.
1. Manning
2. Wilson
3. Brees
4. Luck
5. Brady
6. Kaepernick
7. Newton
8. Rivers
Totals (based on eight points for first, one point for last)
Through this inexact science and given the rough property that QB = SB, this should tell us that Manning’s Broncos or Luck’s Colts will face Wilson’s Seahawks in this year’s Super Bowl. Given there’s a little separation overall in this group of great passers, the one who emerges will prove to be the best of 2013.
1. Manning, Luck, Wilson — 28
4. Brees — 22
5. Netwon — 21
6. Rivers, Kaepernick — 19
8. Brady — 15
