Top Five Quarterbacks in the NFL

From Johnny Unitas to Joe Montana, football fans all across the United States have loved - and hated - NFL quarterbacks to a degree that sometimes surpasses the love for one's own spouse.

As amazing as that may sound - it's true and I can go get five guys off the streets right now that will tell you they'll take their favorite quarterback over their respective wives right now.

No, they won't cook or clean for them, but then again, they won't nag them to death about senseless nonsense either. (Oh God, I hope my wife doesn't read this column).

At any rate, the debate about who is the greatest quarterback of any era, has raged almost since the inception of professional football and it is certainly no different today.

Having said that, here is my column naming the top five quarterbacks currently plying their trade in the game today.

Peyton Manning
Is there any doubt that Manning is the undisputed, best quarterback in the game today? Not in my mind. Manning is so good in fact, that I think he's already among the top five quarterbacks of all-time - even without a Super Bowl ring. Let's put it this way, if Manning were the quarterback of the New England Patriots, he'd have the three Super Bowl rings that Tom Brady currently has - no doubt.

Once again, the Pro Football Hall of Fame officials in Canton, Ohio should just create his bust right now and put it in storage until he retires.

Tom Brady
Brady is undoubtedly the second best quarterback in the game today. To be blunt about it, Brady's decision-making should probably have him in George Dubya's seat instead of behind the Pats' offensive line.

Of course, Brady has benefited from being joined at the hip with head coach Bill Belichick, but I don't know how many quarterbacks could perform as well as Brady has under the intense pressure that he's had to deal with the last five years. Simply put, I think the man has ice water in his veins.

Drew Brees
Brees went from a decent quarterback who struggled often between 2001 and 2003 to an absolute star beginning in 2004. His 65 touchdown passes and only 22 interceptions since 2004 are Pro Bowl numbers that are only matched by a few qb's in the entire league. However, I think Brees is only a cut below Manning and Brady because of his moxie and on-field leadership. Brees is a winner through and through and the biggest reason that the New Orleans Saints are now winners.

Carson Palmer
I know Palmer has struggled a bit this season, but that is because the Bengals offensive line has played inconsistently all year. Anyone who knows a thing about football knows Palmer is the real deal. He can make every throw and, like Brees is a wonderful leader. The scary thing about Palmer is that he hasn't reached his peak yet and is still going to get better over the next couple of years.
Matt Hasselbeck
This was a pretty tough call but I ultimately decided to go with Hasselbeck because of his consistency as well. I also like the fact that he's had to overcome a lot of adversity in his career to get to the point where he is. Sure, Hasslebeck may not look like the prototypical big name quarterback, or throw for huge numbers on a regular basis, but the man is a undoubtedly a winner - and one of the game's best leaders as well.

I cannot tell a lie; this column was a toughie. Of course, the first two picks are locks, no matter what order you choose to put them in. However, the final three selections were purely judgment calls - and I have to admit that I could have easily selected at least two other quarterbacks for the final two spots, but in the end, I am comfortable with my selections.

Here are the league's passing leaders through week nine.

1 Donovan McNabb PHI 2312 277 162 16 5 87 97.3
2 Marc Bulger STL 2300 290 186 13 1 67 102.1
3 Peyton Manning IND 2291 281 183 17 3 51 106.0
4 Drew Brees NO 2206 284 186 14 7 86 95.2
5 Jon Kitna DET 2174 296 187 10 10 60 82.5
6 Brett Favre GB 1948 310 179 11 7 75 78.8
7 Carson Palmer CIN 1879 258 158 12 6 71 89.3
8 Eli Manning NYG 1851 261 160 15 9 50 87.5
9 Rex Grossman CHI 1849 260 148 14 10 62 81.1
10 Tom Brady NE 1799 267 155 14 8 45 83.5
11 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 1779 234 150 7 14 63 72.2
12 Philip Rivers SD 1747 238 158 10 3 57 96.7
13 Jake Delhomme CAR 1730 270 160 8 5 72 80.3
14 Mark Brunell WAS 1657 229 146 8 3 74 91.5
15 Damon Huard KC 1623 203 131 11 1 78 105.2
16 Brad Johnson MIN 1620 258 163 4 8 46 73.1
17 Charlie Frye CLE 1565 266 164 8 12 75 69.2
18 Chad Pennington NYJ 1558 218 136 9 8 71 82.3
19 Alex Smith SF 1525 229 136 9 7 75 79.7
20 David Carr HOU 1506 223 157 9 5 53 93.0
21 J.P. Losman BUF 1415 212 130 7 6 56 80.2
22 Jake Plummer DEN 1385 217 117 8 7 83 72.5
23 Michael Vick ATL 1362 206 113 11 7 51 79.0
24 Steve McNair BAL 1319 223 133 7 7 38 73.8
25 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 1249 176 103 10 7 72 82.8
26 Drew Bledsoe DAL 1164 169 90 7 8 51 69.2
27 Byron Leftwich JAC 1159 183 108 7 5 51 79.0
28 Joey Harrington MIA 1049 178 102 6 9 44 64.6
29 Daunte Culpepper MIA 929 134 81 2 3 52 77.0
30 Andrew Walter OAK 925 148 70 3 9 51 49.0

Eric Williams is a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and nationally syndicated freelance writer who can be heard every Wednesday at 3:15 eastern on www.BetUSradio.com. Contact Eric at eklass66@yahoo.com.