Top Ten Quarterbacks Heading Into 2018: Number Two
The Unplugg’d Staff voted on which signal callers they believed would rise above the rest in 2018. Andrew Fenichel brings you Number Two, the winningest quarterback in NFL history who has some unfinished business in 2018.
In determining the Top Ten quarterbacks heading into the 2018–2019 NFL Season, four members of the Unplugg’d Staff voted on their Top 15 passers. We averaged out all of the rankings to hammer out our final list; you can read all of the previous entries here. Let us know what you think about our rankings by leaving a comment below!
№2 Tom Brady, New England Patriots
2017 Stats: 66.3% CMP%, 4,577 YDS, 32 TD, 8 INT, 102.8 Passer Rating, 1,595 DYAR
And next up on the Unplugg’d staff’s 2018 top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL…
Is Tom Brady, touching down at number two.
Now, I voted for Touchdown Tom as my number one QB in the NFL, a stance which I’ll back up in a second, but right now I want to showcase a series of tweets about Boston’s superhero.
You don’t need a high IQ to see the pattern here.
Since 2012, people have been calling Brady washed up, done, and on the verge of retirement, all while begging the Patriots to draft a quarterback to replace TB12.
And yet here we are, just ahead of week one of the 2018 season, and Brady is still arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. Every single year, Brady keeps on doing Brady things, leading the Patriots to the AFC championship or further year in and year out, putting up prolific numbers, and truly cementing his status as the greatest-of-all-time. Move over Joe Montana.
They say numbers never lie, so with that said, take a look at this. In 2007, Brady threw for 4,806 yards and 50 touchdowns on route to winning his first MVP award. Fast forward 10 years to last season. In 2017, Brady threw for 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns and was awarded another MVP trophy, the third of his career. So much for “he’s done.”
Over the last 10 seasons (taking out 2008, which he missed with an injury), Brady is second in the NFL in passing yards (44,519) and passing touchdowns (341). Statistically, Brady is as dominant as it gets.
But it’s his dominance in the playoffs that separates him from the pack, and to me, makes him the best quarterback in football. In an era when Aaron Rodgers’ Packers have only won one Super Bowl, missed the playoffs twice, and lost in the divisional round or earlier five times, Brady’s greatness shines. Five rings. Another three appearances in the Super Bowl. Who cares that they lost? Brady still won multiple playoff games against high quality teams to reach that stage, something Rodgers has, again, only accomplished once. All in all, Brady’s Patriots have only NOT made the AFC championship four times in 17 years. Four times!! That’s the stuff of postseason legends like the Popovich Spurs, the Self Jayhawks, and the Auerbach Celtics. Legendary.
“He’s a system quarterback.” No he’s not — and even if he is, he’s still the one making the throws and commanding a championship huddle. “It’s all Belichick’s greatness. Belichick makes Brady.” Again, Brady is the one standing in the pocket, delivering big throw after big throw in high-leverage situations. “Belichick just tells him where to throw it.” One of those skills is more important than the other when you’re playing football. “He’s a cheater.” I’ll bet my college tuition that every team in the NFL has engaged in some illegal activity in the last 10 years. The Patriots are just under the biggest microscope.
Whatever excuse you want to make against Tom Brady’s greatness, go ahead and say it. Tom Brady doesn’t care. We already know what’s going to happen in 2018. Brady will throw for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. Finish in the top three of MVP voting. Probably lead the Patriots to another Super Bowl appearance. And then he’ll go home to his supermodel wife and prove that once again, Tom Brady is always winning.
Join the discussion as we continue to roll out our Top Ten Quarterbacks Heading Into 2018! For more of our 2018 NFL Preview coverage, click here.
