Updated below after 12 games completed for THIS SEASON, here are my lists ...
fire away with your take hopefully looking at the stats as well and in some cases for those not making this high cut, not just the media hype ...
also note that I leave a gap between where I think is he separation between the elite players at the position and the great ones:
Let's see how the QBs stack up when it will matter most for most of these in the playoffs. Beyond these six I'd say that taking aside system QBs like Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Garrard that there are only 10 total good NFL QBs.
Also below TEs, KRs, PRs with WRs and RBs to follow in another post.
Top 6 QBs 2010 and the Only Excellent Overall NFL QBs
Brady
Rivers
Rodgers
Peyton Manning
Vick
Brees
Top 4 Tight Ends
Gates, SD
Vernon Davis, SF
Witten, DAL
Cooley, WAS
Note: Dallas Clark, IND, injured
Top 5 KRs
Stephens-Howling, AZ
Leon Washington, SEA
Brad Smith, NYJ
Logan, DET
Ford, OAK
I'd like to know how QB ratings are calculated. Peyton's number seems just a tad low to me. His numbers are almost identical to those of Rivers and Rodgers, yet he's almost 10 points behind each...
Wikipedia has a complete explanation of this pro QB formula as is complex.
And of course I do not think that QB rating alone tells the whole story when >=85, but it sure tells me all I need to know when it is <85.
In short to provide part of the answer to your question, you lose major points for each pick or when your completion ratio is under 60%, but it seems like you gain a whole lot more with every TD pass.
Note how high for example the ratings are for system QBs like Cassel and Roethlisberger with low interceptions and low yardage compared to system QB Eli Manning with high yardage and league-high interceptions at 25.
Mind you Cassel, like Orton, are the only two with a completion percentage lower than 60% to somehow make the “85er list.”
A completion percentage of <60% kicks them off my own “good QB” list in any league akin to Trestman’s own comments about any such prospective college QBs.
One explanation otherwise for the high rating of Cassel is that he has 27 TD passes, only 7 Int’s, and receivers with a whole lot of YA Catch/Contact.