RATING THE QBs IN THE NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
The four starting quarterback s in Sunday’s two NFL Conference Championship games include three certain future Hall of Famers – Tom Brady (New England), Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) and Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) -- and the favorite for 2016 regular-season MVP (Atlanta’s Matt Ryan).
Here are my updated rankings of the Fab Four, with extra credit for recent performance:
1—Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) – Since the Packers started 4-6 and Rodgers advised the team’s fans not to panic, he has been near-perfect: 8-0 record; 195-of-283 (.689) for 2,305 yards, with 21 TD passes, 1 INT and a 117.9 passer rating…He is the most mobile QB in the Fab 4 and expert at dodging pass rushers and throwing on the run…Has an amazing knack for connecting on improbable deep throws in do-or-die situations…Of the four surviving teams, none relies more on their QB than Green Bay/Rodgers – and he thrives on the pressure…I’m not implying that Rodgers is the all-time greatest NFL quarterback, but a highlights package of his most incredible long completions in the clutch would be tough to top.
2—Matt Ryan (Atlanta) – “Matty Ice” triggers the NFL’s most potent attack. He is the favorite for regular-season NFL MVP: 373-of-534 (.699) for 4,944 yards, with 38 TD passes, 7 INTs and a league-best 117.1 passer rating…He could be headed for Canton but needs a few more big seasons…He has more mobility than Brady and Roethlisberger but not nearly as much as Rodgers…One advantage Ryan has over the three other QBs on this list is the deepest group of playmakers to work with.
3—Tom Brady (New England) – His four-game “Deflategate” suspension probably will cost him his third league MVP award, but he was spectacular in his 12 regular-season games: 11-1 record, 291-of-432 (.674) for 3,554 yards, with 28 TD passes, 2 INTs and a 112.2 passer rating...16-3 lifetime in playoff games at Foxboro…Still very good, but probably slightly beyond his prime at age 39…A fifth Super Bowl ring, this one minus injured star tight end Rob Gronkowski, could put him over the top for all-time best NFL QB.
FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 14: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots passes the ball in the second half against the Houston Texans during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium on January 14, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
4—Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) – Being ranked last on this distinguished list is hardly a knock…13-6 in 19 post-season starts… He has a sore foot but he’s as tough as any QB who ever played the game…2016 regular-season stats were solid (but not as impressive as those of Rodgers, Ryan or Brady): 328-of-509 (.644) for 3,819 yards, with 29 TDs, 13 INTs and a 95.4 passer rating…One-third of arguably the NFL’s best offensive triplets – with running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown – and he knows how to maximize their effectiveness.
MORE PRO-TYROD TAYLOR AMMO FROM AFAR
Cian Fehey of the website Pre-Snap Reads studies quarterbacks extensively for his annual Quarterback Catalogue. He recently appeared on ESPN’s Dan LeBatard Show and said reports that the Buffalo Bills won’t retain Tyrod Taylor “seem like insanity.”
I won’t go quite that far but I agree with the premise. Fehey thinks “Taylor’s positives greatly outweigh his negatives.” He believes Taylor is consistent in terms of what he does well and thinks a team can build a good offense around him.
More from Fahey: ““Sure, he’ll miss a couple of open receivers at times but overall he had a really, really good year and he kind of took the blame for everything that went wrong around him in Buffalo (including injured wide receivers)…If Sean McDermott and the Bills want to win immediately out of the gate, it’s hard to imagine many options better than Taylor.”
KNIGHTHAWKS DOMINATE THIS TOP NLL ROOKIES LIST
The “ridiculous rookie class” of the “retooling” Rochester Knighthawks occupy three of the top four spots on NLL.com staff writer Andy McNamara’s list of “The National Lacrosse League’s Top Five Rookies Through Week 4”:
5 – Ryan Keegan (Saskatchewan)
4 – Dan Lomas (Rochester)
3 – Tom Schreiber (Toronto)
2 – Josh Currier (Rochester)
1 – Kyle Jackson (Rochester).
Kudos to Curt Styres, Jody Gage and the other savvy talent evaluators for apparently hit gold again in the latest NLL draft. Just what an aging roster needed.
THE WORST QB CLASS IN NFL DRAFT HISTORY?
A listener/reader suggested that I get off Buffalo Bills GM Doug Whaley’s case for his role in the selection of EJ Manuel in the 2013 NFL draft. He pointed out that the fans and media had “driven Ryan Fitzpatrick out of town” and created the void that “forced” the Bills to draft a quarterback. He also pointed out that Manuel “has proved to be the best quarterback selected in that draft.”
That sounded so improbable that I checked out the list of QBs chosen in the 2013 NFL draft. There were 11 of them. In order of selection: EJ Manuel 16th by Buffalo…Geno Smith 39th by the Jets…Mike Glennon 73rd by Tampa Bay…Matt Barkley 98th by Philadelphia…Ryan Nasib 110th by the Giants…Tyler Wilson 112th by Oakland…Landry Jones 115th by Pittsburgh…Brad Sorensen 221st by San Diego…Zac Dysert 234th by Denver…B.J. Daniels 237th by San Francisco…Sean Renfree 249th by Atlanta.
The listener/reader was correct. Unless one of the other 10 QBs suddenly improve – by a lot – EJ Manuel might thus far hold the dubious distinction of being the best NFL QB in the Class of 2013. That DOES NOT mean he should have been picked before the third round.
GOLDEN STATE HUGE FAVORITE TO WIN 2017 NBA TITLE
We have to watch a lot of meaningless NBA games in this regular season before Golden State gets a chance to avenge last season’s Finals loss to Cleveland – at least that’s what the latest odds from VegasInsider.com. suggest.
The favorites to win the championship: Golden State 10-to-11 (bet $11 to win $10)…Cleveland 7-to-4 (bet $4 to win $7)…San Antonio 10-to-1…Houston 20-to-1. No otyher team is less than 40-to-1. The Knicks are 250-to-1. Brooklyn, Miami and the Lakers each is 9999-to-1.
The MVP race is more interesting. Odds from William Hill: James Harden EVEN…Russell Westbrook 6-to-4 (bet $4 to win $6)…LeBron James 6-to-1…Kawhi Leonard 9-to-1…Kevin Durant 12-t o-1…Stephen Curry 28-to-1.
SHORT SHOTS
Kevin Oklobzija, the long-time Democrat and Chronicle hockey scribe and (with Scott Nichol) the newest member of the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame, will on Wednesday, 6:35 p.m., on my News Radio WHAM 1180 sports talk show, unveil his All-Amerks Team: 20 players and a coach from his 31-plus years covering the team. Who do you like?
The Minnesota Twins this week signed free-agent catcher Chris Giminez. He is 34 years old and rated a very good receiver. Assuming he sticks with the Twins, top catching prospect Mitch Garver could at least start this season with the Rochester Red Wings. Garver is a rarity – a young catching prospect who can hit.
Amerks goalie Linus Ullmark has an impressive new mask to honor two exceptional fellow Swedish goalies – Stefan Liv and his idol the late Pelle Lindbergh.
Isn’t it time for Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks to cut the cord? If his waives his no-trade clause, would contending teams be lining up to sign him?
The transplanted NWSL champion WNY Flash will be called the Carolina Courage. Will disappointed loyal former Flash fans to rooting for or against the Courage?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO…
Wednesday, January 18 – Brett Lawrie (27)…Michael Pineda (28)…Julius Peppers (37)…Brian Gionta (38)…pro wrestler Dave Batista (48)…Brady Anderson (53)…Mark Messier (56)…Scott McGregor (63)…Ted DiBiase (63)…former Red Wing second baseman Mickey McGuire (76). Estelle (36) and Kevin Costner (62) are invited to the birthday party.
Thursday, January 19 – Shawn Johnson (25)…James Beresford (28)…JaVale McGee (29)…Thomas Vanek (33)…Sean McMorrow (35)…Phil Nevin (46)…Rick Krivda (47)…Luc Longley (48)…Stefan Edberg (51)…Chris Sabo (55)…Ottis Anderson (60)…Jon Matlack (67)…Dan Reeves (73)…Steve DeBerg (73)…former Red Wings outfielder Fred Valentine (82)…Dan Reeves (83). Dolly Parton (71) is invited to the birthday party.