[OldDave]

Interesting question and thread. Certainly the 5 you name are all outstanding, but I would suggest it is more than the quarterback. You must have a good team around you. Good example. A couple of years ago Tom Brady was out for the whole season. His backup, little played Matt Cassell played that season and did well, 11-5. Unfortunately for him, in that division that year, that didn't even make the playoffs. My poor old Kansas City Chiefs bought him for $60 million dollars. He has been a flop. Partly because he is only an average quarterback who had shone with a great team, and partly because the Chiefs pretty much sucked at every position, especially offensive line. That is critical to any quarterback being successful.

I believe quarterbacks generally get too much credit and too much blame in football.

As to the new crop of QBs this year, and it certainly is an amazing year with all the young guys actually starting. So many of them are "running quarterbacks". I had not seen Kapernick play until yesterday and he was great. His biggest benefit that puts him above most of this year's crop, and other runners like Michael Vick, is that he can really throw the ball. The running was extra. When you run first you have the melt downs like that poor Griffin kid. They let him stay in and destroy his knee. While I hope for the best, his career may already be over.

My daughter has never been interested in football, but she is now a Junior at Kansas State and was forced to become interested this year or her sorority sister would toss her out. At the height of the season their QB Collin Klein was the leading contender for the Heissman. I explained to her why those option QBs in college, no matter how good, never make it in the NFL. If they run that much they get killed. Look at Griffin, Vick, Tim Tebow, and most of the new class of QBs. They just cannot take that kind of punishment. Perhaps the NFL is just too violate, but I'm not sure how you reign it in.

Anyway, thanks for the interesting question.