Photo taken by Raziel45 and edited by Moe Epsilon
by John Hirschauer
Week 15 has come and gone and we only have two weeks left before 20 teams will be preparing for the draft instead of football. The NFL's 15th week provided plenty of surprising games, with the most shocking one perhaps being St. Louis stunning the Saints to the tune of a 27-16 victory. St. Louis (6-8) has played a surprisingly competitive brand of football, even with Kellen Clemens directing the offense, and has figured to be one of those teams that year in and year out field incredibly competitive mediocre teams.
Here are your Week 15 Top 12 QBs:
1. Peyton Manning- He continues to play at a historically elite level. Despite the loss to San Diego, Peyton's quarterbacking with his asininely talented reciveing corps is unmatched in the NFL right now.
2.Drew Brees- Brees executes that quick-strike New Orleans offense as well as almost anyone has ever ran other similar West-Coast schemes.
3. Phillip Rivers- Such a shame it's unlikely Rivers' career season will be rewarded with a playoff appearance.
4. Russel Wilson- Wilson's maturation has been remarkable to watch. His poise in the pocket and willingness to allow the play to develop without taking too many sacks continues to show flashes of just how good Wilson will be two years from now.
5. Aaron Rodgers- He's placed this low because of his injury; it may be difficult for him to come back 100% with this Packer team that's lost a lot of moxie, regardless of the win handed to them by the football IQ-deficient Cowboys. Then again, Rodgers; 50% is probably still good enough to crack the top 4 or 5 and maybe even enough to propel Green Bay to the playoffs..
6. Tom Brady- Brady's career-long ability to highlight the strengths of his slot recievers is one of the reasons New England can adapt so well to the loss of key players. Deep threats and star linebackers will come and go, but the eight yard slant is a staple of Brady's game that translates to virtually any supporting cast.
7. Cam Newton- It was crucial for Newton and Co. to bounce back with a strong performance against the Jets.
8. Matt Ryan- Matt Ryan has proven throughout the duration of his career that he is a stout quarterback that protects the football. A five or six win season does little, from my perspective, to change that perception, especially with a season-ending injury to Julio Jones.
9. Nick Foles- Foles has played some impressive football this season. His seven touchdown outburst is only a window into the good decision maker Foles is. That being said, this week's performance against a very weak Vikings secondary is a bit concerning.
10. Andrew Luck- When Andrew Luck played his first game as an Indianapolis Colt last season, it was clear from the first snap his maturity, professionalism and overall cognizance of the offense. Year Two, up to this point, has been more of the same. But how much growth has there been from the already impressive rookie season?
11. Tony Romo- No player in the National Football League is as polarizing Romo. It always seems there are confounding variables to his "collapses"- this week, it was Garret's ridiculous play calling. Dallas could have gone three runs and out every time from the five minute mark of the third quarter and won the game. No doubt Romo is maddeningly frustrating, but he's not getting a lot of help from some other areas.
12. Ben Roethlisberger- Usually one of the first things to go, Big Ben has not lost his propensity to extend the play with age. A marvelous showing against a top-tier Bengals defense warrants a top 12 bid for Roethlisberger.
by John Hirschauer
Week 15 has come and gone and we only have two weeks left before 20 teams will be preparing for the draft instead of football. The NFL's 15th week provided plenty of surprising games, with the most shocking one perhaps being St. Louis stunning the Saints to the tune of a 27-16 victory. St. Louis (6-8) has played a surprisingly competitive brand of football, even with Kellen Clemens directing the offense, and has figured to be one of those teams that year in and year out field incredibly competitive mediocre teams.
Here are your Week 15 Top 12 QBs:
1. Peyton Manning- He continues to play at a historically elite level. Despite the loss to San Diego, Peyton's quarterbacking with his asininely talented reciveing corps is unmatched in the NFL right now.
2.Drew Brees- Brees executes that quick-strike New Orleans offense as well as almost anyone has ever ran other similar West-Coast schemes.
3. Phillip Rivers- Such a shame it's unlikely Rivers' career season will be rewarded with a playoff appearance.
4. Russel Wilson- Wilson's maturation has been remarkable to watch. His poise in the pocket and willingness to allow the play to develop without taking too many sacks continues to show flashes of just how good Wilson will be two years from now.
5. Aaron Rodgers- He's placed this low because of his injury; it may be difficult for him to come back 100% with this Packer team that's lost a lot of moxie, regardless of the win handed to them by the football IQ-deficient Cowboys. Then again, Rodgers; 50% is probably still good enough to crack the top 4 or 5 and maybe even enough to propel Green Bay to the playoffs..
6. Tom Brady- Brady's career-long ability to highlight the strengths of his slot recievers is one of the reasons New England can adapt so well to the loss of key players. Deep threats and star linebackers will come and go, but the eight yard slant is a staple of Brady's game that translates to virtually any supporting cast.
7. Cam Newton- It was crucial for Newton and Co. to bounce back with a strong performance against the Jets.
8. Matt Ryan- Matt Ryan has proven throughout the duration of his career that he is a stout quarterback that protects the football. A five or six win season does little, from my perspective, to change that perception, especially with a season-ending injury to Julio Jones.
9. Nick Foles- Foles has played some impressive football this season. His seven touchdown outburst is only a window into the good decision maker Foles is. That being said, this week's performance against a very weak Vikings secondary is a bit concerning.
10. Andrew Luck- When Andrew Luck played his first game as an Indianapolis Colt last season, it was clear from the first snap his maturity, professionalism and overall cognizance of the offense. Year Two, up to this point, has been more of the same. But how much growth has there been from the already impressive rookie season?
11. Tony Romo- No player in the National Football League is as polarizing Romo. It always seems there are confounding variables to his "collapses"- this week, it was Garret's ridiculous play calling. Dallas could have gone three runs and out every time from the five minute mark of the third quarter and won the game. No doubt Romo is maddeningly frustrating, but he's not getting a lot of help from some other areas.
12. Ben Roethlisberger- Usually one of the first things to go, Big Ben has not lost his propensity to extend the play with age. A marvelous showing against a top-tier Bengals defense warrants a top 12 bid for Roethlisberger.