Is Tony Romo one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL?
That question surely has sparked some water cooler debate, and not just with the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. That question can be asked about a good handful of quarterbacks around the league.
To try and determine the top signal callers, ESPN's Mike Sando recently polled 35 NFL coaches and evaluators asking them to rank starting quarterbacks into four separate tiers. Each tier represented a different level.
Here's how Sando broke down each category.
-- Tier 1 quarterbacks can carry their teams week after week and contend for championships without as much help.
-- Tier 2 QBs are less consistent and need more help, but good enough to figure prominently into a championship equation.
-- Tier 3 are quarterbacks who are good enough to start but need lots of support, making it tougher to contend at the highest level.
-- Tier 4 is typically reserved for unproven starters or those who might not be expected to last in the lineup all season. Voters used the fifth tier sparingly.
Romo finished ninth overall, which fell into the second tier of quarterbacks. He fell in line behind San Diego's Philip Rivers and Seattle's Russell Wilson.
Sando says that seven of the 35 members put Romo in the top tier, but most placed him among the second group. Two evaluators spoke under the condition of anonymity about why they voted the way they did.
"Last year's formula was outstanding for him and I'm wondering why they have not done that forever," an offensive coordinator told Sando. "I do not care how sexy he looks throwing, he is a 2 to me because I know if it ends up in his hands, it is 50-50 [whether] he is going to make the big mistake."
A personnel director told Sando that, "You never really want to put it on his shoulders game in and game out. They have done that in the past and it did not work out as well. When you give him the tools and add some run game and protection, he is much better."
One person had a differing viewpoint from the first two.
"Unequivocally, he is a top 6-7 quarterback," Sando's source said. "What they did offensively was perfect for him this past year where they had a strong run game and they could create space for people. Romo can find people and make all the throws. He had only one year where he threw a ton of picks. He has thrown picks at inopportune times, but it is not like Jay Cutler where he's in the 14-15 range per season. Romo can make a play to win the game."
Our own Jon Machota recently ranked his top 10 quarterbacks for the 2015 season and he had Romo as the fifth best.
"Romo had his best season in 2014. He was very accurate, posting a league-high 113.2 passer rating," Machota said. "His yards were down but that had a lot to do with a dedication to DeMarco Murray and the running game. Without Murray, Romo will likely go to the air more often in 2015, and that could lead to a career-year for Dez Bryant."
For what it's worth, Romo was the highest rated NFC East quarterback.
New York's Eli Manning finished tied for 12th (second tier). Said one coach: "I've seen him play some bad football. Based on this scale, to keep it consistent, I think you have to give him a 2. The guy can go win a championship, but if we are talking quarterback evaluation, a 1 can go win it for you every week. Eli has been a 1 the right time of year."
Philadelphia's Sam Bradford finished tied for 23rd (third tier) and Robert Griffin III finished 28th (fourth tier) behind rookies Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. The only QBs that RGIII finished ahead of were Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, Matt Cassell and Geno Smith.
That question surely has sparked some water cooler debate, and not just with the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. That question can be asked about a good handful of quarterbacks around the league.
To try and determine the top signal callers, ESPN's Mike Sando recently polled 35 NFL coaches and evaluators asking them to rank starting quarterbacks into four separate tiers. Each tier represented a different level.
Here's how Sando broke down each category.
-- Tier 1 quarterbacks can carry their teams week after week and contend for championships without as much help.
-- Tier 2 QBs are less consistent and need more help, but good enough to figure prominently into a championship equation.
-- Tier 3 are quarterbacks who are good enough to start but need lots of support, making it tougher to contend at the highest level.
-- Tier 4 is typically reserved for unproven starters or those who might not be expected to last in the lineup all season. Voters used the fifth tier sparingly.
Romo finished ninth overall, which fell into the second tier of quarterbacks. He fell in line behind San Diego's Philip Rivers and Seattle's Russell Wilson.
Sando says that seven of the 35 members put Romo in the top tier, but most placed him among the second group. Two evaluators spoke under the condition of anonymity about why they voted the way they did.
"Last year's formula was outstanding for him and I'm wondering why they have not done that forever," an offensive coordinator told Sando. "I do not care how sexy he looks throwing, he is a 2 to me because I know if it ends up in his hands, it is 50-50 [whether] he is going to make the big mistake."
A personnel director told Sando that, "You never really want to put it on his shoulders game in and game out. They have done that in the past and it did not work out as well. When you give him the tools and add some run game and protection, he is much better."
One person had a differing viewpoint from the first two.
"Unequivocally, he is a top 6-7 quarterback," Sando's source said. "What they did offensively was perfect for him this past year where they had a strong run game and they could create space for people. Romo can find people and make all the throws. He had only one year where he threw a ton of picks. He has thrown picks at inopportune times, but it is not like Jay Cutler where he's in the 14-15 range per season. Romo can make a play to win the game."
Our own Jon Machota recently ranked his top 10 quarterbacks for the 2015 season and he had Romo as the fifth best.
"Romo had his best season in 2014. He was very accurate, posting a league-high 113.2 passer rating," Machota said. "His yards were down but that had a lot to do with a dedication to DeMarco Murray and the running game. Without Murray, Romo will likely go to the air more often in 2015, and that could lead to a career-year for Dez Bryant."
For what it's worth, Romo was the highest rated NFC East quarterback.
New York's Eli Manning finished tied for 12th (second tier). Said one coach: "I've seen him play some bad football. Based on this scale, to keep it consistent, I think you have to give him a 2. The guy can go win a championship, but if we are talking quarterback evaluation, a 1 can go win it for you every week. Eli has been a 1 the right time of year."
Philadelphia's Sam Bradford finished tied for 23rd (third tier) and Robert Griffin III finished 28th (fourth tier) behind rookies Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. The only QBs that RGIII finished ahead of were Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, Matt Cassell and Geno Smith.
