NFL: 2012, the Quarterbacks.

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“SPORTS NOTEBOOK” posts its columns Tuesday and Friday of every week---Ed. & Publ., Marvin Leibstone.

NFL:    IT’s no secret that the measure of a good NFL quarterback rests with more than his arm. Into account is his playbook execution, in effect, his employment of wide receivers, tight ends and running backs, how he adds to his own protection after the snap, the way that he innovates when plans go awry, so much more. Prevent QB’s Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos), Eli Manning (New York Giants), Tom Brady (New England Patriots), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers), Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints), Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens), Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) and Phillip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) from being afield during two or three regular season games, the standings of each club will surely drop back a notch as observers witness the absence of factors that separate “the best QB’s from the rest.” Several differences are quite clear---noted in this week’s Sports Illustrated, the aforementioned QB’s have combined for an average above 300 yards per game, Brees being highest with more than 5,400 total yards last season, Brady close behind with more than 5,000 total yards, the total for the eight listed herein surpassing that of any other list of eight active NFL QB’s.

No question about it, at center the QB is the CEO of all that will happen for his team’s offense as soon as the football is given to him, but that has to be a very brief experience---the best QB’s live to get rid of the football as fast as they can, they know to relinquish their power immediately if not sooner, they hand that ball off hopefully to the creator of a first down or of a touchdown, and for this “good” they must avoid that lightning-fast enemy assault, “the pass rush.” While none of the above-cited QB’s have been sack-immune in a season, and, yes, several have been sacked more than once in a single game, noteworthy is that these top NFL QB’s are rarely sacked more than once during a single drive.

Note, too, that a marginal NFL QB is occasionally “the extra man” on an opposing team’s defense, causing turnovers via bad passes that morph into fumbles or intercepts, or by being scoreless from excessive “punt reliance.” The above-listed QB’s have risen far above this category.

Who, then, will be the top QB’s this year?

Going by motivation alone, we could select Denver’s Peyton Manning, eager to show that after a year away from the game he could lead the Broncos into the post-season, and/or the N.E. Patriots Tom Brady wanting to demonstrate that getting older isn’t a problem for him and that he can shout, “Vengeance is mine,” when possibly topping the N.Y. Giants at the 2013 Super Bowl.

And, Drew Brees must be wanting to prove that the post-scandal New Orleans Saints are a comeback organization, led by his incredibly accurate throws.

But any of the above QB’s could nail “best QB,” in that they achieve “across the board,” they are multi-tool athletes, better than other QB’s at spotting and engaging receivers at hard angles and at the corners, at passing deep or shallow speedily and accurately, at rushing through or over barricades, at escape and evasion, at dominating when taking fourth down risks (knowing “when to hold”), and at understanding when the switch-off for that punt or field goal is necessary (“knowing when to fold”). Some QB’s, like Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick, and maybe the now older Peyton Manning, may not be the very best of the top eight QB's in any of these single performance categories during 2012, but in past seasons they have displayed the fewest vulnerabilities within the categories. 

If there’s a long shot for best QB of the year, it could be rookie, Andrew Luck, straight from Stanford to the Indianapolis Colts, clearly as the QB with the most potential for next-decade NFL offense savvy and execution.

Great now for a leveling of the playing field, is this: a lion’s share of the 32 NFL teams will meet a top league QB three or more times during the 2012 regular season, for instance, this year the Denver Broncos (Peyton Manning) will face Tom Brady (N.E.), Drew Brees (N.O.), Joe Flacco (Balt.), and Phillip Rivers (S.D.); and, last year’s Super Bowl championship team the N.Y. Giants (Eli Manning) will be challenged by Aaron Rodgers (G.B.), Drew Brees (N.O.), Michael Vick (Phila.) and Joe Flacco (Balt.). Last season’s Super Bowl runner-up, the N.E. Patriots (Tom Brady), will see Peyton Manning (Denver), Joe Flacco (Balt.) and Andrew Luck (Ind.). 

The above said, selection of winning teams can go in the direction of a QB’s past record. With Peyton Manning at center, the Broncos have been slotted inside the top 10 among NFL teams for post-season contention, the Super Bowl in range. If that happens, it will be primarily from (1) Strategies incorporating multiple receivers always being free for Manning’s throws (the wise and skillful QB demands, and finds, multiple options), plus Manning always aware that all receivers, the marginal as well as the best, can be open for a pass if only for a second---his ability to get the ball to either is amazingly fast and accurate enough, and (2) the Broncos defense rarely wasting the points leverage attained by Manning’s offense captaincy.

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