x0x Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 1983 is the gold standard for QB classes. Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and John Elway. Despite only Elway winning a Super Bowl the three finished making 10 Super Bowl appearances, Marino owned all passing records, Elway was Top 5 in several categories and Kelly had the shortest career but had Top 5 averages in a few categories himself. Aside from them there was Ken O'Brien who had a solid career making 2 Pro Bowls and Tony Eason who is probably best remembered for getting injured in the 86 Bears Super Bowl before completing a single pass, but funny enough he never threw an INT in 5 playoff games and had a somewhat decent career all things considered for his 3 healthy seasons. The class that often gets compared most is of course 2004. Roethlisberger, Eli and Rivers all being Hall of Famers and totalling 4 rings. Matt Schaub is the Ken O'Brien here with a solid career himself as a 4th guy. The 3 also occupy spots 6-8 in career TDs and despite the era consideration, could end up all above Marino's career marks. I will say if Rivers ever wins his own ring it would be pretty special separation from the 83 class and you could argue Roethlisberger and Rivers are more prolific passers than Elway and Kelly already. It could be a case of Marino being the #1 but the #2-3 of the 6 spots belongs to 83 and the rings argument. Other classes have come up recently however: 1971 Before the 83 class, there was 1971, where the top 3 picks were not only QBs but long tenured ones. This class holds the record for most QBs with career passing yards above 20,000 with 5 and all of them actually eclipsed 23,000. Joe Theismann and Plunkett accounted for 3 Super Bowls while Ken Anderson and Theismann were league MVPs. The remaining guys Archie Manning and Dan Pastorini had Pro Bowl seasons while Lynn Dickey accomplished a rare feat of leading the league in both TDs and INTs. Plunkett never made a Pro Bowl for whatever it's worth but these were different times. The greatest oddity about this class is the 0 Hall of Famers despite the numbers and accomplishments. Plunkett has been hotly debated but lacks the regular season credentials while Theismann probably does make it in if not for the horrific 85 injury. Given his late career push he probably plays at least 3 seasons after and could conceivably win a 2nd title in 86 or 87 as the teams were stacked and went far with freaking Schroeder and Williams. A 2nd title definitely gets Theismann in with his other appearance. Ken Anderson statistically has had the strongest case for the Hall of Fame and is another case of being a title away from induction. The total 5 Super Bowl appearances combined is eye catching but Pastorini adds another 2 Conference Championship appearances. Obviously from a peak level, Theismann-Anderson-Plunkett are all top notch guys at or above Elway-Kelly while clearly being ahead of Ken O'Brien while Dickey-Pastorini-Manning collectively overwhelm the just 4 mark for starters of the 83 class. Keeping in mind Archie was severely limited with his support cast. 1979 The reason this is even in debate is because of Joe Montana and Phil Simms and the heights. There is nobody else worth mentioning in this class but Montana as the undisputed GOAT until Brady a few seasons ago needs mentioning. The difference between Montana and Brady's draft class is 1 additional all-pro QB. That 1 more guy is Phil Simms who was pretty damn good cut down by injuries. It's likely he is a 2-time Super Bowl champ as oppose to just 1 if not for injury. That said, he has 2 Pro Bowl seasons (including his last) and a Super Bowl MVP. The 4 total Super Bowl MVPs by a QB is the most of any class as well as the 5 rings, as 83's Elway only got 1 himself. And just to emphasize how screwed Simms was, he lost 2 seasons early, then is injured before the 91 playoffs and gets back to back IRs in 91-92 seasons. Of course Marino-Elway-Kelly have much better careers than Simms but prime for prime Simms has a case against at least Kelly. Also recall those offenses for Simms are nowhere near as talented as Kelly and Elway statistically threw a lot of picks as well. Really a top to bottom approach here. 2005 I don't expect many takers for this one but it begins and ends with depth. A record 7 QBs who were drafted eclipsed 10,000 career yards. Aaron Rodgers leads the pack and makes it a legitimate comparison among the all-time greats. Alex Smith was #1 pick and has been extremely underrated throughout. Smith has been a 2 time Pro Bowlers, won 94 games in the regular season and his playoff resume reads 14 TDs to 2 INTs, however a 2-5 record which is in no way on him except 2016. His career might be done and he's not going to the Hall of Fame but if we look at leading a great team, I would take Smith over a lot of all-time guys simply because of his playoff numbers. More reliable than Elway and Kelly, hate me. After the top 2, you have Ryan Fitzpatrick with near 30,000 career yards and Pro Bowlers Cassel and Derek Anderson (yes, before he was a joke). Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell who haven't seen light since 2014 (yes Anderson still has a job) but showed flashes of mid-range starters. Again, the 7 man depth is the reason for putting this as an option. It's simply a matter of legitimate starting options which might not be flashy but is significant when you look at a lot of drafts who struggled to produce even 3 long-time starters. 2012 Wilson and Luck headline this class as potential Hall of Famers. Statistically it then goes to Cousins and Tannehill who are looking to have fairly solid careers if health permits. Nick Foles however is the clear cut 3rd man in terms of quality. He had one of the best regular seasons on record with 27 TDs to 2 INTs and his recent resurgence and Super Bowl MVP performance means he's going to at least have one more shot at boosting his career numbers. Overall 5 pretty solid guys with 2 Super Bowl champs with plenty of time to go. RG3 gets a nod too as a fantastic rookie season showcased his potential which has been destroyed by injury. That said, he's still 28 and not many miles the last several seasons so a late resurgence is plausible. Meanwhile, still early, this class set the record for most Pro Bowl QBs ever with 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingseanjohn Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 The 2004 class (Eli, Rivers, Ben are 3 potential HOF plus Schaub and McCown as longtime backups) has a case for top 5. It's far too early, but I think eventually the 2017 class will be up there with Trubisky, Mahomes, Watson, Beathard, Dobbs all appearing that they will be in the league for quite some time as a 1 or 2. Plus HOFer Peterman who can't be stopped from throwing INT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfournier103 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 The 2000 quarterback class produced EIGHT Conference Championships and FIVE Super Bowl Championships. I’d say that’s not a bad class right there. PS: The AFC East has been won by a member of that QB class every single year since 2001. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom cody Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Went with 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich homie Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 2004 is a pretty obvious pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddyboy Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Jim McMahon was a 1983 pick from BYU. Won the 1985 SB, played the Bears into three NFC Championship games and backed up Brett Favre in 1996. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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