The 5 best NFL quarterbacks under the age of 30
February 8, 2011 by Eric Schmidt
Source:
http://ffd.me/fZbErSThere has been a lot of discussions over the past 48 hours about the best young quarterback to build a team around, so I figure it’s time to weigh in on my opinion of the best five NFL quarterbacks under the age of 30 currently in the NFL. There are some great young talented quarterbacks out there and some which are over-hyped, I’ll cut through the crap and get right to the best five, the signal callers I would want calling plays for my team. From number five counting down to number one….
5. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Freeman is a beast of a quarterback at 6’6″ 250 pounds and anyone who was able to watch him play this season, could see a vast improvement from his rookie season when he turned the ball over 21 times in 9 games. Freeman threw 25 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions this season and finished the season ranked 6th in the NFL with a 95.9 passer rating. Freeman is only 23, and showed great poise on the field for the Buccaneers this season. Freeman is going to be a star in the NFL for the next decade.
4. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams. The Rams turned some heads this past season when Bradford was given a $50 million dollar guaranteed bonus after signing with the Rams. Bradford responded by leading the Rams to more wins this season than the St. Louis team had in the three previous seasons combined. The Rams are a few receivers away from becoming a force for several years to come.
3. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons. Ryan will be entering his fourth season next year and has already logged over 10,000 passing yards, 66 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. Head coach Mike Smith has laid some great groundwork for the Falcons to be a successful team for seasons to come. A Lombardi trophy in the Falcons future is not out of the question.
2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers. His time on this list is quickly evaporating. Rivers will be 30 next December. I think that Rivers is perhaps the best quarterback in the league without a Super Bowl ring. Rivers can make every throw on the field despite his unorthodox delivery. Chargers ownership better realize that the window of opportunity is running out in the next few years to win a championship with Rivers, otherwise, his talent was wasted in San Diego.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. Let’s put the Brett Favre questions to rest now. Rodgers has been unreal in the regular season and lights out in the playoff games. This is a Packers team which is loaded with offensive weapons, and it’s time to pass the torch in the NFL. Patriots Tom Brady will be 34 next season and Colt’s QB Peyton Manning will be 35, while Rodgers returns next season at 27 and will get his offensive weapons back. Brady played at a high level this season, but Brady is playing on an aging team and you have to wonder if he’ll return to the Super Bowl ever again. Rodgers should return to be big stage at least once more.
I know I’ll hear from Ravens, Jets and Eagles fans about their quarterbacks. Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez and Kevin Kolb, respectively. Here is how I see these three.
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens went out and signed WR’s Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, this was supposed to be the breakout season for the Ravens offense, it simply did not happen.Flacco has to prove something.
Mark Sanchez, New York Jets. Jets head coach stated late in the season that the Jets were a Super Bowl team because of QB Mark Sanchez. Yes, in his career, he’s won four road playoff games, but Sanchez does not impress me. Two 300 yard passing games in the regular season and only 17 touchdowns? 29 touchdowns against 33 interceptions after two seasons? Sanchez, as the quarterback of the Jets is simply a mechanic, a game manager, he’s not an “elite” quarterback. In the Rex Ryan game plan, hand off the ball and don’t make stupid mistakes. Sanchez threw 11 interceptions down the stretch after the Jets bye week as New York lost three of their last five games and nearly missed the playoffs. Sanchez is a work in progress.
Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles. I’ve never seen so much hype over a quarterback entering his fifth year with career passing totals of 2,082 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Fans of some teams are ready to break the bank and mortgage the future in order to bring Kolb to their franchise tomorrow. Why? Potential? Frankly, I think the Eagles would be stupid to get rid of him for anything less than what they are reported to be asking ( 2 second round picks) since he is still under contract for 2011 and Michael Vick won’t last a full season with his playing style. Yet, I think any team willing to give up two second round picks for Kolb would be out of their minds as well.
