What on earth has Matthew Stafford done to earn top five quarterback distinction over Ben Roethlisberger? If I had to take any one QB for one game with my life on the line, it's Big Ben. He simply refuses to lose.

Stafford also needs to prove he can stay healthy for more than one season; last season was only his first in which he played all sixteen games. In my opinion, your placement of him in a top five is premature.

Also, no mention of Philip Rivers whatsoever? That is rather glaring and I would love to hear the rationale. He's certainly better than Vick and Romo, and he's in my eyes the best quarterback in the league who has not yet won a Super Bowl.

I like the list except for Stafford. He really hasn't proven he is a Top 5 guy. Sure he had a great year. If he can stay healthy then I concur but until then I agree with CM. Though I disagree with his Rivers comment. Rivers is atrocious and over-rated. 27TD to20INT. Not exactly elite. Heck Stafford went 41/16. 14 more TD and 4 less INT. Oh and threw for more yards. 421 more yards on 161 less passes completed.

The rankings themselves are fine, but I'm confused by the point of this article.

The vast majority of your reasoning as you described it seemed to boil down to some combination of your gut feeling and hypothesizing about things that are irrelevant to the rankings as you set them up.

there's no such thing as "top five, no questions asked."

career? to win one game? to win the Super Bowl this year? to win the MVP? if you were the GM and you could sign anyone to be your starting QB for the next 5 seasons?

the list is different for all of those. Rodgers might be the only one to be on every one of those lists.

Just top five. Not fantasy, not Madden. Just the top five in the game today.

I am a huge new england patriots and in my own version I think that aaron rodgers is slightly overrated but slightly. just look at all of his wide recievers. most of them are veterans and we are giving him alot of credit for only starting in 3 seasons. now don't get mad at me for saying that but didn't drew brees break a record no one thought would be broken for years and also the fact that we always usually doubt him because of his height but that is a joke to look and someone and say they will suffer in the nfl because of their height and many more stupid characteristics similiar to that.
heres my order
5- Joe Flacco
4- Eli Manning
3-Aaron Rodgers
2- Tom Brady
1- Drew Brees

this ranking is however only for how well each of them performed this last 2 years. I would also like to add that i don't think Tony Romo should ever be in contention as a top 10 quarterback because he has never proved it in the regular season and the playoffs because he isn't good enough to make it to the playoffs. Now as for Tom brady I think that he got ripped off in the top 100 players of 2012. Don't get me wrong Calvin Johnson is great but Tom Brady with the worst defense for 16 straight week but it would have of been 17 if it weren't for that packers lions game. He took them all the way to the super bowl even though he had an awful game against the ravens in the championship he still had an amazing year for being a 34 year old and now he has a much better wide reciever core that is with bringing back jabar gaffney and donte stallworth will give them a slight edge in my mind. However this is only part of my view on the top 5 quarterbacks list.

It is great if you object my point of view because it is my opinion and im sure everyone else has something to say against me and I am sure I am wrong in certain areas.

#1 - Aaron Rodgers (I'm a Packers' fan, but he is by far #1)
#2 - Drew Brees
#3 - Tom Brady
#4 - Eli Manning
#5 - Ben Roethlisberger (I really really don't like this guy, but he's #5 for me)

Just don't get how could Romo could be even close to a top 5 list. He just consistently chokes. Yeah of course he has some really good games, but when it really matters he's a choker and always will be.

Saying that Tony Romo has a great cast is laughable. The Cowboys are only decent because of Romo. The offensive line has had huge holes since it's 13-3 season. Can you really call Barber, Felix Jones, or a half season of Murray elite? Miles Austin has turned in one consistent season. And Dez Bryant can only play one half. So I say, outside of two seasons with T.O. and his blanket Jason Witten, what cast? Romo on the Saints would give him more playoff wins. Romo with the Packers would give him more playoff wins. It's his cast why he's not top 5. He took over an underachieving team his first season from Drew Bledsoe, and SAVED them. Then he fumbled the hold. But if it wasn't for him, they wouldn't have been in that situation. Romo saved that franchise more than Parcells did. He didn't want Romo as his quarterback.

As far as Romo choking... The Jets game last year, that offense was gased after coming out red hot. He tried to make a play with his feet and it bit him. The Lions game was clearly routes ran incorrectly by receivers or getting his timing down with guys like Robinson who he hadn't played with but two games. The Seahawks game, their D didn't hold the Seahawks late, and I would argue that even if they converted, there was still plenty of time for Hasselbeck to march down at home and win the game with a FG. The Giant, Crayton dropped two passed that would have secured the game. The Vikings playoff game... the O-line played like garbage and he was pressured on all sides, all game. The only issue with Romo is he doesn't save face. If thinks aren't happening, he's going to try to make a play. Even Favre went 5 years with only 1 playoff win. It also took the Cowboys 4 years to name Romo the starter. Most of these players started right away.

the list isnt bad. but peyton manning is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, not saying he is a top 5 QB this very second, or even the whole season, but im going to assume this is a "right now" top 5. stafford is a very good QB but he doesnt belong in the top 5, imo. bump off stafford, move eli up one, and possibly put big ben in #5, or even flacco. flacco will continue to prove himself, especially in the post-season. idk why everyone hates on romo, extremely talented QB, he just doesn't get a lot of help. but i definitely like the names you put out there.

I like it. Not because I agree, but because you provided plausible rational for your list. I get why everyone loved Tony Romo, but I think he is a product of the star on his helmet. Stafford took the Detroit Lions.... excuse me STAFFORD TOOK THE DETROIT LIONS TO THE PLAYOFFS. That is more than enough to merit entry into the top 5.

Anyways, congrats on the job, and you are off to a great start look at all the controversy you've stirred up!

Nice article. I thought top 5 would be easy too. Its not. Top 3 is very, very easy. ROgers, Brady, and Brees. Easy. 4 & 5 are not.

Why is Eli Manning in this list, or the other lists I see. He has had 2 years in his career with QB ratings above 87, and those were 92 and 93 QB ratings. Not a top 5 guy. Doesn't anyone remember the off-season in 2011 when Eli said he was a top 10 QB and the country laughed. His TD/INT was 31/25. Very, very bad. Now all the sudden after some good play, a handful of great 4th quarters last year, and not the typical 4-5 absolute dogs of games, now Eli is 4 or 5. Will anyone be surprised if he has a bad year this year and throws 20+ picks? I doubt it.

Phillip Rivers had a "bad" year last year with a 88 QB rating, and 27/20 TD/INT. Please note that that would have been the 3rd best year in Eli's career. 3rd Best!!! And this from a Raiders fan. He has to be #4. Especially after his incredible 2008-2010 years with ratings and rations of 105.5 34/11, 104 28/9, and 102 30/13.

Top QB #5 is harder. It snot either Manning at this point. Its probably Romo. Maybe Vick, Rotherburger or Stafford after another year of staying healthy (which is hard for him). Lots of arguments for #5. But not #4.

Look, it's pretty much accepted that there are not 5 QBs in the league better than Eli right now. Anyone trying to argue against that point could only be a Stafford or Big Ben fan (they're the only ones in the position to unseat Eli at this moment).

Romo and Vick aren't better than Eli. Stop it. Last season proved it.

Rivers is a bad omission, at least from the "missed the cut" list. He's top 10 easy. And I'm sorry, I can't have Peyton on here at all. He didn't play and he's coming off 4 neck surgeries. Until he gets thru a full season with above average numbers, I can't have him on any list.

I like your list for the most part. But Tony Romo is a top five worthy QB. The stats alone prove it. Romo just happens to make the biggest, most inconceivable, rare blunders that puts a bad image on him. I think wearing the star on the helmet hurts him more than helps. The pressure is always on you in Dallas "Americas Team". Oh and Romo is a pretty clutch player too (San Francisco game notably).

And Stafford I think is just a product of Megatron's freakish ability.

this list is off completely Rodgers had a good playoff and 1 good year that makes him the best QB in the league?.. so Brady isnt better then him? ... Peyton isn't better then him?.. hell Eli isnt better then him?.. Aaron is a Choke artist he choked Vs. the Cards in the playoffs 3 years ago he got whipped like a step child last year by the giants the refs spotted them 14 points and still lost by almost 20 points...he came threw last playoffs but if i ever see Rodgers in another SB i would be shocked Matt flynn showed that it's the system rather then the QB just like Cassel did Brady but brady changed systems and hes still superior

Stafford has the best weapon ive seen since Randy Moss in a Vikings Uniform and has one year where he basically throws it up to CJ and he goes and gets everything and all of a sudden hes in the top 5?.. hes over been?.. a 2 time super bowl winner?..

People talk about they dont know if Peyton is healthy or if he gets hit will he get up Peyton rarely gets hit he slides when he takes sacks u rarely see him taking a hard hit its just doesnt happen and if Peyton is back to his old self he's the best QB ever end of story he finally has a Def & running in Denver and he can make anyone on any offense a superstar so if Eric Decker stays healthy he will destroy this year.

Eli gets heat for his 25 ints but if u look at the footage at least 12 of the ints bounced out of his rookie and 2nd yr WR's hands and into the other teams .. not to mention if ur gonna rag on Eli for the ints dont make Brees seem like he's the best thing since slice bread since he had 22 ints last season and he's had the same receiving corp for how many years now?

the media pumps certain players up and people just follow along with what they say ... look at clay matthews 50 tacks 6 sacks and hes still considered a force?.. whereas london Flecher doubles those numbers and also doubles his age but no one talks about him


my list goes ...

Peyton
Eli
Ben
Brady
Rodgers