First, the 4 who just missed the cut.
14.) Carson Palmer, Cincinnati
He might have cracked the top-10 if not for Kimo von Olhoffen's cheap lunge that tore his knee into 456,223 pieces. He has never been the same since, but if never being the same is three 4,000 yard seasons and four 26+ td seasons, then he was really great before. Handed the most moribund franchise in the league, he took the Bengals to the playoffs twice. Only two other QBs have ever done that.
13.) Rich Gannon, Oakland
Sure, he was only a starter for three seasons, but his retiring has single handidly-killed a franchise. Let us not forget that he was a three time pro bowler from 2000-2002, and during those three years, no one threw for more yards, and other than Manning, more touchdowns than the 2002 NFL MVP Rich Gannon. He took the Raiders to two AFC Title Games, and a Super Bowl. That deserves inclusion in the list.
12.) Jake Delhomme, Carolina
Sure, he may have had one of the most disastrous playoff games ever, but he also put up 5 playoff wins where he was great. They guy who outplayed Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and the guy who twice led the Panthers to the NFC Title Game did it all with one receiver.
11.) Eli Manning, New York
His play has improved so much since the 2007 playoffs on. He is now a legitimate top-10 QB, but his lackluster play from 2004-2007 (until the playoffs) puts him just outside the list. It has to be admirable though, that he was able to accomplish so much considering the shadow of his brother.
And now, the Top 10
10.) Philip Rivers, San Diego
The man who has yet to lose a game in December starts off the list. He nobly sat on the bench for two straight years, mainly because the Chargers had a hall-of-fame QB starting, but when Brees injured his shoulder, it paved the way for the man with the awkward throwing motion. River's doesn't seem to have great accuracy, or arm strength, or fundamentals, but he is somehow able to throw beautiful downfield spirals that go exactly where River's wants them. He has become the best young stat-compiler QB of his generation, the Manning 5-years later. However, there are concerns about his playoff career, although concerns that surprisingly aren't voiced by many. He's a career 3-3 in the playoffs, and 1-2 at home, including twice losing the divisional round at home after entering the postseason as the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. He still has time to grow into a Playoff competitor, but for now everyone can just sit and stare in awe at a man that, again, has yet to lose a game in the month of December, has twice topped 4,000 yards, has a career 109-45 td/int and a career 95.8 passer rating. He is one of the QBs primed to make the teens his decade, and has the teama around him to do so. Rivers has finally been able to escape from the Tomlinson shadow, and the Chargers are now Rivers team, and that has to make every San Diegan happy.
9.) Steve McNair, Tennessee, Baltimore
Forget Brett Favre, the perfect "warrior" QB is Air McNair. Sure, his best year was in 1999, but his finest moment of that season, and of his career, came in the 2000s, when he led a last-minute near-TD drive in Super Bowl XXXIV, and set a record for rushing yards for a QB in the Super Bowl. He followed it up with a 13-3, 12-4 and 11-5, season between 2000 and 2003, and then put up another 13-3 with Baltimore in 2006. Numbers cannot do McNair, the 2003 NFL Co-MVP, justice. McNair's legacy and brilliance lies in his own body, namely his ability to play through pain, wether it be broken fingers, ribs or even knees. He was always ready to go Sunday, putting forth every bit of effort his body could muster. Steve was never the most talented QB in the league, he was just the best fighter. He was a boxer on the field, taking hit after hit, and finally delivering blows with that great right hand of his. He made Derrick Mason adn Drew Bennett into pro bowlers, and made Tennessee into one of the 2000s model franchise's. McNair's controversial, tragic death is inescapable, but should not diminish his career and acheivements as a player. McNair was the Titans, he was a Titan, in every sense of the world. Steve McNair will never grace a football field again, but his memory, the ghost of 'Air McNair' will forever roam Nashville, always finding a way to be there on Sunday.
8.) Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle
Mike Holmgren rescued a young bald man from Green Bay, and the bench that awaited him every Sunday behind a man that has started 300 consecutive games. For a backup QB, Green Bay was Hell, a place where you knew the field would never be seen. Hasselbeck was rescued form hell. Matthew paid Holmgren back with the greatest career a QB in the Pacific Northwest has ever seen. From 2002-2007, Hasselbeck had a rating above 85 all seasons, throwing over 3300 yards 5 times and over 20 Tds 5 times. He led the Seahawks to five straight postseason appearances and four straight division titles. His four playoff wins is a franchise record, and he was the best playoff performer on the '05 team that was one shoddy refferee performance from a Super Bowl title. As with anything in Seattle, Hasselbeck was largely forgotten and left unnoticed, but after a while, he became too good to gloss over. Hasselbeck's 2005 and 2007 seasons remain the two best in Seahawks history. Plus, there is Hasselbeck the guy. He's as funny as any NFL player, and when coupled with his ability to lead that team day in and day out adds up to a weird combination, the leader/jokester. Hasselbeck may be done, but his days in the Emerald City, leading a franchise out of a rainy depression, will leave a lasting imprint on the Seattle football base, and a symbol of the true abilities of a balding man.
7.) Brett Favre, Green Bay, Minnesota
The guy who kept Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck on the bench kept them on the bench for a very good reason. Favre was the best QB of the 90's, but his career in the 00's was nearly as good. Favre had some terrible seasons in the 2000s, like his abominations in 2005 and 2008, but Favre's 4-year run from 2001-2004 more than made up for it. Favre's best 6 years of the 2000s (2001-2004, 2007, 2009) were spectacular, even by his standards, as he went 69-27, with a 64.6 completion percentage, 182 tds, 91 ints, 23262 yards. That is a career for most good QBs, that was just six years. He will always be remembered as a Packer, for filling the cold tundra of Lambeau with smiles the size of the giant one plastered on his face. Sure, he had his bad playoff games, like his 6-int disaster in 2001, his three overtime interceptions in 2003, 2007 and 2009, but all of those games were preceeded with vinatage, classic Favre. With the media spotlight fixed on him at all times, and the nauseating coverage of his "will he, won't he" offseason retirement dillemas, Favre has become something of a hated figure, one that commands more attention than he deserves. Sadly, this overshadows a man who truly does enjoy every single Sunday, and truly does play like a kid out there, slinging the ball around without so much as a care for where it lands. For Favre, it generally landed in one of his teammates hands, and far, far down the field.
6.) Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia
Again, the rumors have started. For what seems like the 12th straight offseason, McNabb may be on the move. Philadelphia fans are fed up, feeling that the McNabb era has lasted too long, and gone as far as it ever will. My how they do not realize how good they have it. For the first time in the Super Bowl era, the Eagles had a real QB, a hall-of-fame QB. Donovan McNabb was the refined version of Steve McNair, with all of the scrambling ability with a better arm. McNabb was the centerpeice of the NFC's best franchise, seven times leading the Eagles to the playoffs, something that any Eagles fan wouldn't have ever dreamed of during the mid-90's. The Eagles never did win the Super Bowl, but it was no fault of Donovan, who put up 356 yards and 3 tds. McNabb was always the center of controversy and criticism, wether it be from Rush Limbaugh, Terrel Owens or his own fans, but exceeded all expectations. There was no better winner in the NFC from start to finish, taking the Eagles to the playoffs in 2000, 2009 and five times in between. McNabb might finally be out of Philadelphia, a battered and bruised soul piled onto the sky-high heap of players not able to meet Philly's unrealistic expectations. It is sad that this will be McNabb's fate, a man that could not meet expectations, because he met everyone else's, playing QB at a high, high level for 10 solid years.
5.) Drew Brees, San Diego, New Orleans
The 2009 Super Bowl cements his place in Canton, but also in the top-5 of the 2000s. That Super Bowl trophy, and the amazing stats that he has put up in 4 years in New Orleans (becoming the first QB ever to top 4300 yards in four straight seasons, and just the fourth to throw for 30 tds in back-to-back years), makes the story of his past life so much more amazing. Before helping rebuild a devastated city, he helped bring San Diego out of the quagmire that they were in. From 2004-2005, only Manning was better, as Brees threw for 51 tds, to just 22 ints, leading the Chargers to a 12-4 and 9-7 record. However, the San Diego era ended in flames, as in a meaningless Week 17 game, he tore his labrum and rotator cuff diving for a fumble. Thus ended part one of the Book of Brees, a story about a short QB who had the talent, but lacked the loyalty from a staff that saw him rise the team to level's uncharted. Exit San Diego, enter Sean Payton, a ravaged city and guys like Terrance Copper and Devery Henderson. Four years later, Brees is sitting on top of the football universe, with a legitimate claim to the title of "best football player on the planet". His story is one of true perseverance, one of true fight, and the story ended beautifully in winning a city for a City which has made 'perseverance' a civic motto. Drew Brees is still just 31 years old, with a young, talented team led by a offensive genius. However, as the #3 QB can attest to, the good times don't always last forever. Cherish Brees' brilliance today, because the next dive for a fumble might only be one play away.
4.) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
He is the most underrated QB in football. He is the guy who has a 60-27 career record and a better playoff record than Tom Brady. He is the guy to win two Super Bowls before he turned 27, and to lead the second longest Super-Bowl winning touchdown drive. He is the guy who has 4 seasons with a 98 passer rating or better, thrown for 32 touchdowns in a season and 4300 yards in another. He is Ben Roethlisberger, the longest and most unique name in sports, and the guy who has locked his spot in Canton before his 28th birthday. The Brilliant Giant is the other member of the 2004 draft class in the top-10, and the fact that many people say Rivers is the better player is unfair to Ben and all the talent he has. Sure, he may not hold up, and he is reckless in taking too many hits, but there is no better QB at avoiding getting sacked, ever. He really should be sacked twice as much as he does, behind a porous pass-blocking line, but nonetheless has always been able to spin, juke or step-around rushers. If all of those moves fails, he just mans up and breaks out of reach from defenders. So many times, the DE will say "I got him, Ben's down" and he stays on his feet, re-cocks the ball, fires and completes it down the field. Blessed with a Golden right arm, and placed in a situation that was condusive for winning, Ben took the field in Week 3 of his rookie year, and never looked back. He has all the skills of a Rivers and all the determination of a McNair. He is the guy best set to rule the 2000s, with a great team around him, a baller coach and all the talent in teh world at his disposal. The book is only half-written on Ben, and that is the scariest fact of all, the first half is hall-of-fame worthy.
3.) Kurt Warner, St. Louis, New York, Arizona
There are enough Kurt Warner stories out there on the interwebs that adding one more to the
pile will have no effect. Yet, there are not enough. They story is too good, the man is too talented and too classy, the career path is too perfect. He was the best QB on the planet, then a man searching for a home, then became one of the top-5 QBs again. The stats are all there, with 5 seasons with 3700 yards, four with 27 tds and three more with a 95 passer rating. He has the second highest completion percentage ever, and the fourth best passer rating ever. Statistically, no one can match him healthy, as he has thrown for 300 yards in 44% of his starts, and six more times in 13 playoff games. He has gone to the Super Bowl three times in the 2000s (Super Bowl XXXIV in Jan 2000 counts), and thrown for 414 yards, 367 yards and 377 yards. No one QB has thrown for that many, ever. He has led the Rams to multiple Super Bowls, and if that wasn't amazing enough, in Arizona, unseated the man hand-picked to run the franchise (Leinart) and led the Cardinals, the CARDINALS, to one miracle catch away from a Super Bowl title. There are people out there that can't accept Warner as a first-ballot hall of famer, namely Peter King, because of his mid career malaise. The malaise was really only two years, in 2002 and 2003. Even in 2004-2006, Warner had a 85 or better rating and had a 63 cmp%. However, for the years 2000, 2001, 2007-9 there was no better QB outside the two in front. The story is amazing, however the fact that he became the third best QB of his era and a first-ballot hall of famer is more impressive.
2.) Tom Brady, New England
Winner. That is all he is, and all he has ever done. Sure, he was nothing more than a game manager in 2001, and was essentially Jeff Garcia in 2003, but he then transformed into Tom Brady, great QB from 2004. His numbers post-2004 are hall worthy, and even when you take out the inflated 2007 stats, they are pro-bowl numbers. The days of Brady riding the cottails of his defense are over. Brady is now finally alone by himself, he is the guy leading the Patriots. Even Belichick has taken a step back. The team lives and dies with the Golden Boys right arm. The case of Mr. Thomas Brady is an interesting one. He was king of Boston when he "won" Super Bowl XXXVI despite throwing for 200 yards less than the man on the other team. He became a living legend, the neo-Larry Bird, when he won Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX, but it was his post-dynasty play that cements his status as the second best QB of the 2000s. From 2005 to 2009, he has been one of the best QBs statistically. Forget about the dynasty. The dynasty is dead, and it died a long time ago. Brady, amazingly, has outlived the dynasty, has taken over the face of the team from the hooded weasel head coach and the great defense. It is Brady's team now, and he has not backed down. Sure, the playoff success has dried, but playoff success comes with a great team. Brady can now go to bed every night, knowing not only he has the most famous model in history next to him, but that he is the reason his team is staying among the league's elite. Tom Brady, the Super Bowl champion in the first half of the decade would probably place him behind Warner. Tom Brady the player in the second half is what makes him immortal.
1.) Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
There are great QBs, like Brady, Warner and Roethlisberger, and then there is Manning. He is The QB of the 2000s. He started the decade with 4400 yards and 33 tds, ended it with 4500 yards and tds, and had huge numbers in between. In the 10 years of the decade, Manning put up 42254 yards, 314 tds, seven times had a QB rating above 95, eight times had a cmp% above 65, won 4 NFL MVPs, was a 9 time pro-bowler and 5 time NFL all-pro. During the decade he won 115 games, and seven times won at least 12. Each and every one of those statistics is an NFL record for single decade for a QB. The only decade that compares statisticall is Favre in the 90s and the only decade that compares with a mixture of insane stats and winning is Montana in the 80s. He, arguably, just put together the best decade ever for a QB. Sure, Manning has lost his fare share of playoff games, but in some of those years (2000, 2002, 2008) his team had no right being in the playoffs, but it was because of the brilliance of Peyton alone they got there. Plus, he has thrown for at least 290 yards in each of his last four playoff losses (PIT, SD, SD, NO). His record in the postseason is also 9-6 since 2003, winning more games than anyone not named Brady in that span. He is finally, unequivocally, the best, laying waste to the best defensive minds of his generation, as he is now in the heads of both Bill Belichick, as evidenced by Belichick's decision not to punt in Week 10, and Rex Ryan, as evidenced by the appendectomy Manning surgeried in the AFC Title Game. There are many ways to describe Peyton, but the best comes from his old coaches son, Jim L. Mora. After a 34-17 loss to the Colts in 2009, Mora simply stated "we played greatness today". Yes, Jim, you did, and so did the rest of the NFL.
