The word “elite” gets thrown around a lot, but what actually constitutes an “elite” quarterback?
Over the last two years we’ve seen an influx of talent at the quarterback position. In 2012 alone, rookies Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson already made the playoffs. A solid 2011 class is, so far, headed by Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton. Those five players are already among the top signal callers in the NFL, but it’s nearly impossible to compare them to the veteran classic drop-back passers like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers — though he does offer more mobility.
Over the next few years, we’ll likely see two parallel lists of “best quarterbacks in the NFL” — the young, mobile group and the proven group of veterans. After reaching the Super Bowl, Kaepernick leads the younger group, but the rest of those players aren’t far behind.
NESN.com’s NFL editor Luke Hughes and assistant editor Doug Kyed discuss these two groups of signal callers in this week’s NFL podcast. They also recap the Super Bowl, break down Jim Harbaugh versus John Harbaugh and discuss Rob Gronkowski‘s young, but turbulent, offseason.
Listen in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes to download it there.
