Best Quarterbacks in the NFL Entering 2010

With the 2009 NFL season now officially over, it's time we reevaluate the hierarchy of quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, this season, and most notably, the postseason, helped clear up a lot of questions about where the top quarterbacks rank among one another. In fact, it may even be time to question just who is the best quarterback in the NFL.

Here are the top quarterbacks in the NFL as we enter the 2010 off-season.

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints - Call me crazy, and maybe I am, but Drew Brees is the best the NFL has to offer right now. Not only do the stats say it, but the wins say it as well. This is not an indictment on Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, because the two of them have had far better careers. But perhaps they've lost their mojo, because the Brady and Manning of old use to only lose to one another, now they're susceptible to just about everyone. Conversely, Brees beat Hall of Famers Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in consecutive playoff games. He also beat Tom-Terrific earlier in the year. And over the past 4 years, there isn't a quarterback with more prolific numbers than Brees. So we can talk about Manning's command of an offense all we want to, but push come to shove, Brees is the better quarterback as of late.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts - Yes, I bumped him down, but he's not chopped liver either. Manning is still one of the most feared quarterbacks in the league, and he keeps his team in the game time in and time out. Without him, the Colts aren't much of anything, which is why he garnered his 4^th MVP Award this season. The postseason mediocrity (a record of 9-9) is something that will hurt his legacy forever, but it's still hard to find a quarterback you'd rather have under center than Peyton Manning.

3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots - I debated this forever, but Tom Brady is still a top three guy in the NFL. He did not have one of his best seasons, and yet he still managed to lead his team to the playoffs rather easily, with wins over some pretty good teams. Chances are that Brady will be even better in 2010, now that concerns about his knee should be completely eliminated from the conversation. While there were quarterbacks that had better seasons in 2009, none of the ones worthy of being in the same sentence as Brady managed to win a playoff game this past postseason.

4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers - Don't look now, but the clamors for Aaron Rodgers to win a Super Bowl are going to start before you know it. Rodgers is that good, and a Super Bowl victory is the only thing befitting of a quarterback of his talent. He has done so much an offense that has failed to protect him and has a rushing game that has gotten progressively worse over Rodgers stint as the starter. Last season, Rodgers was the most prolific passer in all of football, and he nearly led an outstanding postseason comeback over the Cardinals. And with both Kurt Warner and Brett Favre likely out of the picture in the NFC this season, it's going to be very hard to deny Rodgers a healthy playoff run in 2011.

5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers - Despite Big Ben's prowess last season and in year's past, many people won't give him the credit he deserves. But the man wins games, and had he not been hurt this season, who knows what the Steelers could have done, had they made the playoffs. While guys like Tony Romo, Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer come to mind when talking about the Top 5 quarterbacks in the league, I would take Big Ben's postseason record, 4^th quarter comebacks and ability to extend the play over either one of them.