By Adriel “The Natural

With the 2016 NFL season one game in and ready to kick off into full effect let’s take a look at my Top 5 Overrated Quarterbacks.

5) Matthew Stafford

This one is easy. He has teased us with his elite arm talent for his entire career. This young man can make every throw in the book. Unfortunately for him, great quarterback play must inevitably be judged by consistency and wins. Going into his 8th year in the NFL, Stafford has a combined record of 42-51. With only two playoff appearances and no playoff wins, it is unbelievable how the Detroit Lions never seem to be in the mix when it comes to searching for a new franchise quarterback. This is one thing about the NFL that really irks my nerves. They just fall in love with the prototype and the measurables. When it comes to that, Stafford has it all. But, someway, somehow he still enjoys job security while being mediocre at best, despite having future hall of famer, Calvin Johnson, at his disposal for his entire NFL career. After 7 years, you are who you are. I don’t see his decision making getting any better.

4) Tony Romo

Now, how great is Tony Romo? The Cowboys have a rookie quarterback in Dak Prescott that impressed during the preseason and already Dallas Cowboys fans are ready to make the switch. Tony Romo is the ultimate disclaimer. “If he was healthy the cowboys would do this.” “If you take away that interception, the Cowboys would’ve done that.”

Come on. Please! Stop the nonsense. Stop it with these excuses. I’m not buying it. Professional sports is a bottom-line business. When you’re in the top league in the world, it’s all about the bottom line. Get the job done or get the hell out of the way. Just like Stafford, there’s no denying his talent. But way too often, while watching the so called experts, I continue to hear that Tono Romo is elite or at least close to elite. Naaaaa homeboy; I don’t think so! Once again, if we all looked hard enough, we can make excuses as to why our lives didn’t turn out the way we hoped. But hey, life just doesn’t work like that. When you only have two playoff victories in a 12-year career, it’s safe to say “you really ain’t all that.”

3) Philip Rivers

Now, we get to the “potential hall of fame” portion of our countdown. Take a look at the career numbers: 41,447 yards, 281 touchdowns and a 64.8 completion percentage. Yes,  based on numbers, you can make a great case as to why Rivers would be a legitimate candidate. However, if you peel back the layers, I don’t think it’s even close.

How many times have the San Diego Chargers had one of the more talented rosters in the league and then routinely came up short in the postseason? Too many to count. Rivers has been on teams with arguably the greatest running back (Ladanian Tomlinson) and tight end (Antonio Gates) in NFL history. He’s had Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson and Pro Bowl all everything Darren Sproles in his prime. With only a 4-5 postseason record I think it’s safe to say that he’s been a huge disappointment considering the talent he’s had to work with. In the last six seasons, Rivers has continued to accumulate volume stats while only leading the Chargers to one playoff appearance. In today’s pass happy era, those stats mean absolutely nothing to me when they don’t amount to team success.

2)Eli Manning

Being a New York Giants fan ever since the 1990 season, there is no way I would put “the great Eli Manning” on this list right? Wrong. Let me get this out of the way now. Yes, he’s a two time Super Bowl Champion and yes he’s a two time Super Bowl MVP. But in my book, two impressive 4 game runs in two separate seasons that were 4 years apart do not add up to a Hall of Fame career. Two things that Eli Manning has severely lacked throughout his entire NFL career are consistency and decision making. On three different occasions he’s led the league in interceptions. In seven out of 12 seasons the Giants have failed to qualify for playoff competition; including missing the playoffs six out of the last seven seasons. And when they do make the playoffs they’ve been mostly an average regular season team which further points to the inconsistency.

Eli has played with elite talent like Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, Odell Beckham Jr. on offense, while enjoying the likes of Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora on defense. Now, I’m not saying Eli isn’t a good quarterback. That would be asinine. But to say he’s elite or hall of fame worthy is pushing it in my book. This offseason, the Giants fired their coach, Tom Coughlin, and spent approximately $200 million in free agency mostly to improve their suspect defense from a year ago. Now, I can’t wait to hear the excuses they come up with if the Giants miss the playoffs and underachieve once again.

1) Andrew Luck

Or Andrew “Lock” as my boy Skip Bayless likes to call him. “Lock” as in, lock for first ballot hall of fame status. Really? Let me get this out of the way now. As far as young quarterbacks go, Andrew Luck is up there with the likes of Russell Wilson and Cam Newton when it comes to talent. The thing that makes him the most overrated quarterback is the fact that he was anointed GOAT status before he even took an NFL snap. I’ve never seen anything like it. In my 26 years of watching the NFL, never has a rookie quarterback been forced down my throat like Andrew Luck has been; even more than number one overall picks like Peyton Manning and Cam Newton. With a lifetime 58.1CMP% and 67 career interceptions in 61 career games (regular season and postseason), Mr. Luck has been far from GOAT status. Unlike most of the people on this list, he has been to the playoffs for three out of his four seasons. But when you’re compared to the likes of John Elway, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers basically from birth, I’m sorry you’re gonna be graded on the ultimate curve when I’m evaluating you.

Do you agree? Did I miss someone? Let me know in the comments!

Adriel “The Natural” is a contributing writer for YourSitch.com

Author: Adriel "The Natural"

I'm all sports all the time. Opinionated but mostly right. Why? Because I am not afraid to think outside the box. View all posts by Adriel "The Natural"