ESPN was doing some of their usual time filler stuff today and they had a number of their guys rank the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Merril Hoge was among those guys and he really likes the Baltimore Ravens Joe Flacco.
Unlike his more sensible colleague (and a former quarterback himself) Tim Hasselbeck, who put Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers No. 1 on his list, Hoge went against convention and logic.
When he was questioned about his rankings, Hoge — a former running back who’s currently brain dead — stood by his pick, saying Joe Flacco is the NFL’s No. 1 quarterback “without a question.”
Although he had Rodgers No. 2 on his list, if you take a closer look, you’ll see just how bunk his list is. Hoge’s top five doesn’t include Drew Brees or Peyton Manning. Hoge put Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger ahead of both of those guys.
If you’re looking for a barometer, Hasselbeck didn’t list Flacco in his top five. We wouldn’t put him in our top five either.
Hoge seems to use the logic that because Flacco’s team just won four playoff games, that’s enough to make him the top signal caller in the NFL.
Flacco was indeed pretty solid in the playoffs, but let’s look at where he ranked in the regular season.
- Yards — 14th
- Touchdowns — 15th
- Rating — 12th
- Completion percentage — 19th
Joe Flacco is a perfectly average NFL quarterback who played well — not spectacularly — at the right time.
(Via TBL)