The quarterback position is easily the most important position in the league today. 2015 was the last time a team won the Super Bowl with bad quarterback play, but they still had Payton Manning. Doug Flutie talked about his time with the Patriots and what his “perfect quarterback” is, so I will be doing the same.
Durability
As the saying goes, “the best ability is availability”. There is one quaterback in the history of the NFL whose durability is unmatched: Brett Favre. Brett Favre still owns the record for most consecutive starts (321). That breaks down to 297 regular season games and 24 playoff games. That is 69 more consecutive games then the next highest-Phillip Rivers (252).
Arm strength
Again, has to be the gun-slinger himself: Brett Favre. I promise this isn’t my Packers bias but the man was breaking fingers while I was in grade school. Antonio Freeman was quoted as saying “…Favre fractured or dislocated 7 of my 10 fingers, so unfortunately the ring no longer fits”, in reference to why he can’t wear his Super Bowl ring.
Mobility
For mobility, Michael Vick, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, and Randall Cunningham are in consideration. The answer is Lamar Jackson. In two full seasons as a starter, he ran for 1311 yards, all while avoiding serious injury. Having a quarterback like him is a nightmare for defenses.
Clutch
Aaron “The Baaaaaaad man” Rodgers is the most clutch quarterback. All he needs is 37 seconds with no timeouts and he can win the game. Right Niners fans? And if he has less time then that, he’ll get you with a hail mary, or find Jared Cook on the sidelines. He has done it over and over throughout his career.
Accuracy
Drew Brees gets the spot here. Not only does he have the record for highest single-season completion percentage (74.4%), he also holds the second for career percentage (67.8%). Near-perfect ball placement is important and no one did it better then him.
Football IQ
This one goes to Hall Of Famer Peyton Manning. Manning is known to study the game more than coaches and the way he controls the line of scrimmage and picks up blitzes is thanks to hours of preparation and attention to detail.
Honorable Mention
Tom Brady was not put in any specific spot, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t belong. To win seven(!!!) Super Bowls, you need to be clutch, accurate, intelligent, and durable. Doug Flutie talks about the year he spent with him. “It’s amazing to think that Tom had already won two Super Bowls,” he says. “Tom was one of the reasons I went to New England. It was home, but I’m thinking ‘I’ve got a shot here. Tom will win me a Super Bowl.’ He was already that guy.” Tom might not be the best in a single category, but he is still great at all of it.
As Always..
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