Lost in the excitement was the play of wounded Aaron Rodgers. A calf injury limited the star to playing snug in the pocket for most the game. Throwing two early picks he regained momentum briefly before the half. With the kicking team doing most the work, Rodgers could only watch from the sidelines as his season began to dwindle. Seeing the 16 point lead wiped out in the last 5 minutes, he came back on to secure his second SuperBowl appearance. Driving his team down the field to tie the game he just couldn’t do the job and came up short. With a long offseason in front of Rodgers, he will definitely take some time to reflect on a superb year. Most importantly take the time to heal. His ability to play through that calf injury and do it well has him high on rating lists. He continuously wins in regular season play and January. If not for the stellar Seattle Defense, Gbay and their leader head to a February date for the championship. Take away this 2014 season and Aaron Rodgers is #1 on a lot of lists. He’s already won a Super Bowl once, seems like he is never phased by any NFL defense and most importantly has the athleticism rarely seen in the quarterback position. Hard to imagine what he could do 100% healthy.
After these two machines the list gets scarce of noteworthy quarterbacks.
Shadowed by the worst final standings for a division in NFL history, the NFC south has a few QBs some would place on this list. Drew Bree’s and Cam Newton instantly come to mind. Bree’s has always been atop the ratings charts, posting ridiculous numbers each and every year. With the giant himself, Jimmy Graham. Bree’s has built a great reputation for himself in New Orleans. Holding many records including fastest to reach 40000 and 50000 yards, few have been able to rival the regular season statistics that he has notched. A Super Bowl champion/MVP, 9 time pro bowler, all time leader in completion percentage and much more makes it hard to leave him off the list. When you compare him to other QBs, you see the difference in numbers immediately. The accuracy and power in his throws make him deadly in the pocket. Playing with a basically stagnant defence, no real run game since the loss of Reggie Bush, not to mention the bounty scandal, hurricane Katrina, the curse of the Ryan brothers, it all drops his name further out of my final rankings list. Some issues being out of his control mind you.
The other guy from the same divison who rivals Bree’s for best in the NFC, Cam Newton. Heralding the title of most underrated quarterback in my opinion, “SuperCam” has shown his prowess as a play caller early in his already storybook career. Becoming the first player in the modern era to win the Heisman, a national championship and the #1 draft pick in the NFL all in a one-year span. Landing with the Carolina Panthers after spectacular play in Auburn for his college ball, Cam quickly rose to stardom breaking decade old records in his rookie year. Starting in his very first NFL game he eclipsed 400 yards passing, bringing down a 61-year old Otto Graham record. Soon thereafter he went on to demolish numerous other statistical feats including 13 rushing Tds, previously set by Pats QB Steve Grogan in 1976. Seen by many as having a sophomore slump, what most don’t realize is Cam greatly improved in his second year. Fantasy owners may have despised the decline in production but Panthers fans loved it. The gameplan was altered so Cam would take less contact at the line of scrimmage due to the reduction of his workload. Playing injured has seemed like Newtons forte, and that is his one and only pitfall. A healthy season from start to finish combined with the emergence of rookie WR Kelvin Benjamin will almost certainly result in Cam making a run for the Lombardi.
