A sorta specific poll but that was the end result of a recent ESPN-driven questionnaire. Of quarterbacks who played the majority of their career since 1978, when the league changed rules to favor the passing game, Ben Roethlisberger was voted as 11th best.
A slew of current and former head coaches were tasked to come up with their rankings. Those coaches included: Pete Carroll, Wade Phillips, Mike Shanahan, and Howard Mudd, among others.
Technically, Roethlisberger tied for 11th place with Kurt Warner. The article included comments from Shanahan and Mudd.
An excerpt from Shanny.
I have always admired his ability to stand in the pocket and make big-time throws with guys hanging on his body. He’s just one of the few guys I have seen with the leg strength and arm strength to do it.
And Mudd’s comments.
“when you put him in the game, don’t bet against him. So many times he has brought the team back. Like in that Super Bowl against Arizona, are you kidding me?”
Roethlisberger finished ahead of the likes of Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, and the first overall pick of Ben’s class, Eli Manning.
Tom Brady topped the list, ranked first or second by nearly every coach (another had him 6th).Here are the top five.
1. Tom Brady
2. Peyton Manning
3. Joe Montana
4. Jon Elway
5. Aaron Rodgers
You could argue Roethlisberger should be ranked two spots higher, above Drew Brees and Dan Fouts. But those are the only two names any reasonable Steelers’ fan could quibble with. By the end of his career, he should “move” ahead of at least Fouts.
I would be interested to see an all-time list that included quarterbacks of every era and see where Roethlisberger still winds up. That would probably have Roethlisberger somewhere in the 18-20 range and again, by the end of his career, maybe cracking the top 15.
If you want to make such a list, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
h/t Jeff
