Over the past few months, a quarterback controversy has emerged between some of the visitors of this site.  Some call Ben Roesthlisberger the best quarterback this year, and some say he will become one of the best of all time.  But Ben didn’t make the Pro Bowl this year.  Is this because Steeler Nation slept on voting?  Or did his numbers not keep him up to par with the other QBs who made it?  Read on, you might be surprised by the numbers I found…

I realize that statistics are not everything.  That is why the XANESCORE is not 100% accurate, nor do I claim is the the absolute deciding factor for the quarterback controversy.  I do not take into account team wins or on-field leadership, 2 important things that a great quarterback must have.

But I did take into account the statistics of 40 of the greatest quarterbacks, past and present.  Quarterbacks were give .5 points per completion and -.5 per incompletion.  .1 points were awarded per throwing yard.  They got 5.5 points per throwing touchdown (because they also got .5 for the completion, making it 6 points total per touchdown, though calculated separately).  -1 for a lost fumble, -1 for an interception, 6 for a rushing touchdown.  I then decided on giving each quarterback 50 points for a Superbowl appearance, and 100 for a Superbowl win (150 total if they won).  This total number was divided by the total number of games started.  The outcome was the XANESCORE. (All Stats taken from NFL.com).

It is important to note that these numbers were decided on BEFORE compiling the states for quarterbacks.  I then listed the quarterbacks alphabetically and began adding the numbers up.  I did not include any quarterbacks who had played less than 100 games, unless they made the Pro Bowl this year, or was named Ben Roethlisberger.

Kurt Warner (100) games, was at the top of the list by a few points, over Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.  As you can see on the list, Ben Roethlisberger, in 70 games, IS in fact, in the top 10, over notable names such as Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Steve Young.  If Roethlisberger can keep playing as well as he has in his first 5 year, he will be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.  The numbers don’t lie.  And if Drew Brees keeps up his numbers, he will also be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, even ahead of Ben Roethlisberger.  However, I do not think that either Ben or Drew will keep those numbers up.  Peyton Manning ranks at #2 with 175 games, Marino at #5 with 242, Favre at #6 with 268 and counting, and Montana at #9 with 194.

The list is as follows:

If we set the cutoff mark at even 150 games, Roethlisberger must put up similar numbers and at least get to another Superbowl to keep his #10 ranking, something I do not think he will accomplish.

Here is my reasoning.  Roethlisberger’s numbers are dropping after a phenomenal first 2 seasons.  Let’s take a look at this seasons XANESCORES for the Pro Bowl (and possibly Pro Bowl worthy) Quarterbacks vs Big Ben through the first 15 games.

We clearly see here, that it was not Big Ben who was snubbed for a Pro Bowl spot, but Romo, Rivers, Cassel, and McNabb, since they all had higher XANESCORES than Favre and E. Manning, who both made the Pro Bowl.

I have put alot of work into compiling these stats and I feel I have a better understanding of quarterbacks from doing so.  Please comment, I know you want to.  Oh, and if you want to see my excel sheet, or use it to try to find where I cheated or try to use new numbers to get the quarterback you like to look better, download it here.  Download

Final note: I’m not saying the XANESCORE is perfect, but it is definitely a good way of ranking quarterbacks.

1. Justin Cady Says:
   December 22nd, 2008 at 6:48 pm

   I like the effort you put into XANESCORE, but the fact that Kurt Warner is number one and is above Marino, Montana, Unitas and Bradshaw (among others) should raise some flags.

   I do agree that Favre has absolutely no place in the Pro Bowl this season, even though he is one of the greatest ever.

2. airxxi Says:
   December 22nd, 2008 at 7:13 pm

   Kurt Warner is #1 only because he has only played 100 games. He hasn’t had those games late in his career where he does nothing, like those names you mentioned did. Like I said before, I don’t think he is the greatest, but he does have his place in history. Just give it 5 years. Even 10-15 “bad” games toward the end of his career will drop his score DRAMATICALLY.

3. mark Says:
   December 23rd, 2008 at 6:53 pm

   this is impressive. roethlisberger is a good quarterback and i also agree that his first two years were so much better than the last couple. he made some big plays in our superbowl run (namely the play where he ran up to throw, checked the line of scrimmage, backed up and then completed). because of plays like those on a consistent basis i would give him a lot of credit for the wins that we received. this year however i would consider our wins to be the effects of a great defense, decent running game, and then a quarterback who has played well (for the most part). that is why i don’t think he is the best qb this year. just because we find ways to win does not mean that he has valiantly led our team to win. i credit our defense with that (cowboys game pick). marino never won a superbowl, but is great. winning isn’t everything, its a lot, but not everything. i don’t know why but i have never seen ben as a great leader of our team. maybe this is because he is so young so i don’t see all the veterans rallying behind him and getting energy because of him going crazy on the sidelines and getting them pumped. i don’t think there are any greats in the league this year. i would say favre, p. manning, and donovan lead the list tho. elway was the epitome of this (see superbowl XXXII where he dove for the end zone and players were quoted as saying i have to step up my game when our leader is doing things like that).

   roethlisberger, however, is a good QB.

4. bean Says:
   December 24th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

   wow thats amazing, i cant believe warren moon is above elway and montana, i like the extra points they get for the super bowl.

5. Chocolate Heepz Says:
   December 30th, 2008 at 11:33 pm

   Sammy baugh played in an era when the forward pass was only used out of necessity. I wouldn’t have included him even though he was one of the greatest of his time.

6. airxxi Says:
   December 31st, 2008 at 12:10 am

   I agree. Same as Bart Starr. Both played when the running game was more prevalent, and they are still superstars.

7. Jr.Welterweight1979 Says:
   January 6th, 2009 at 8:27 pm

   Mr.XANESCORE,

   I am curious to know if Archie Manning was invloved in your calculations. I remember watching him in college with Ole’Miss and then in the Pros with the lowly Saints. He was always a accurate ,hard nosed quarterback and could not imagine Eli being higher on this scale than his old man.

8. airxxi Says:
   January 6th, 2009 at 9:43 pm

   Archie Manning actually falls between Bart Starr and John Hadl with a 19.26 XANESCORE. Sorry!

9. Luke Says:
   January 8th, 2009 at 2:43 am

   I hate this.

10. Luke Says:
    February 4th, 2009 at 1:35 am

    XANESCORE is bogus. Or else The Cardinals would have won the Super Bowl.

11. airxxi Says:
    February 4th, 2009 at 9:17 am

    Are you serious? XANESCORE was once again proved correct by the statistics of Roethlisberger vs Warner. Warner outplayed Ben in every statistical area. The Steelers won because they were a better team with a better defense and better players at many positions, not a better quarterback.

12. Luke Says:
    February 4th, 2009 at 11:24 am

    Yes, I am serious. XANESCORE is bogus because WINS are the most important statistic ever. And who has the most ever at this stage of his career? Gentle Ben.

13. airxxi Says:
    February 4th, 2009 at 11:31 am

    I’m pretty sure the biggest turn of events and the “best play in Superbowl history” was the Pick-6. Not saying the final drive wasn’t amazing, because it was, but the win was clearly not solely on Ben’s shoulders. Top performers of 43? Holmes, Warner, Fitzgerald, Harrison, then Roethlisberger, in that order.

14. chocolate heepz Says:
    February 4th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

    XANESCORE is absolutely bogus. What does every single game come down to at the end? Who wins. And Gentle Ben has more wins at this stage of his career than any other QB in history, plus 2 Super Bowl rings to go with it. Also, imagine if a drop back, stay in the pocket type of QB like Manning or Brady had the same terrible offensive line that Ben has….they would egt sacked twice as much as he does. Now I’m not saying Ben is the best of all time or anything like that, but if I had to win a game TODAY in the current NFL I would pick Gentle Ben over any other QB. Also, an actual quote from above: “Roethlisberger must put up similar numbers and at least get to another Superbowl to keep his #10 ranking, something I do not think he will accomplish.” Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIII Champions.

15. airxxi Says:
    February 4th, 2009 at 6:13 pm

    Ben got another Super Bowl, but he did not put up good numbers this season. He must continue to win and put up big numbers. However, I do think he will be in the top 20 now, but I would still take Brady, Manning, and Warner, and possibly Brees, over Roethlisberger in a game if it were to be played TODAY.

16. mark Says:
    February 4th, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    it is so difficult to say which qb you would take now to win a game, because it all depends on the team you are playing with. if it was the steelers, i would absolutely take ben (something that i would not have done 2 months ago but have now been convinced). if i was playing with the cardinals i would definitely not take ben. heepz brings up his line which is a good point, but also is very difficult because you can’t compare qbs across the board then. if i had to have a stay in the pocket qb then ben is definitely not the highest in my list, a manning or brady type is. ben, as if i had to say this, is great from escaping sacks, and other qbs aren’t as much, but that also could be because they haven’t had to acquire that skill and ben has. right now, if the steelers had to play a game, no one but ben would be under center for me. he is not in the 10 greatest qbs ever, but has the possibility if he grabs another 2 rings (which could be easily done if he stays with the steelers for another 10 years). but why look to the future, ben had a phenomenal super bowl game (made up for previous mistakes) and could have been mvp. he led our team in the playoffs and come on guys, he likes russian hats.

17. Luke Says:
    February 5th, 2009 at 10:32 am

    The more I read how XANESCORE was created, and the way you score things the more I hate it. I like how you say wins and leadership are very important but you don’t take either into consideration. I refuse to let this topic die.

18. airxxi Says:
    February 5th, 2009 at 10:38 am

    Because you can’t categorize leadership. And a quarterback can play horribly and win (Ben this season) and a quarterback can play terrific and lose (Rivers and Brees). So I made it into basically what a quarterback does by himself (assuming offensive lines are basically even, even though they are not). XANESCORE has it’s flaws, but it is overall a good indicator of quarterback greatness.

19. thePhantom Says:
    April 16th, 2009 at 10:12 am

    I know I am a little late on this, but I like the way you have gone about doing it. For the most part. I understand that those two things are impossible to give scores for but one thing that would take some serious research but would change the outcome would be to consider the quarterbacks mobility by adding rushing stats. For example, treat a carry as a completion and add the rushing yards to their total yards. Treat a sack like an incomplete pass and subtract the yards from the total. Ben’s mobility is his greatest threat and allows his receivers to find a hole in the defense thus creating plays. This topic can be argued until the end of time, but I believe that the success of a quarterback is directly tied to the team that he is playing on. Not only in how good the team is, although the wins and possibly SB’s can add up, but what kind of system they run. Ben is the perfect quarterback for Pittsburgh and he does all that he has to do to WIN.

20. Smooth Vanilla Says:
    April 16th, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    thePhantom, back in action.