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ESPN.com’s John Clayton has offered up his 2010 NFL Quarterback Rankings.
Not surprisingly, Peyton Manning sat atop the list. His team is the favorite to win the 2011 Super Bowl with relatively long odds (5/1 at SBG Global)
“At 34, Manning doesn't show any signs of slowing. He sets the agenda for modern NFL quarterbacks with the no-huddle and three-receiver offenses and generates 12-win seasons as easily as he completes passes. Under Manning, the Colts have won 12 or more games for seven consecutive seasons.”
Tom Brady comes in at number two and his team is being offered up with 9/1 odds of winning the 2011 Super Bowl.
“Brady, with three Super Bowl rings, is still the master. The knee injury slowed him a little in 2009 (4,398 yards, 28 TD passes), but I expect his numbers to be much better this season.”
Clayton resisted the urge to put last year’s Super Bowl winning quarterback ahead of Brady, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.
“The combination of Brees and Sean Payton is scary. Brees is a master at finding the open receiver, and Payton is one of the best playcallers in the business.”
That said, the Saints still have great odds of winning the 2011 Super Bowl coming into this season: 6/1 at SBG Global.
Then there’s Ben Roethlisberger, who is serving a 4-6 week suspension for his off-the-field-antics. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to lead his team to another Super Bowl. He’s brought them to two already this past decade.
The Steelers are very long 25/1 odds of winning the 2011 Super Bowl.
“His suspension is a wakeup call, but as a quarterback, he's almost impossible to stop when he rolls out of the pocket and when the game is on the line in the fourth quarter.”
The number 5 in Clayton’s 2010 NFL Quarterback Rankings is easy to grasp. That would be Brett Favre.
The number 6 in his rankings is a bit more difficult to swallow: Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.
“This could be the season Rodgers passes Favre as the best quarterback in the NFC North,” Clayton predicts. “His arm is strong and he finally learned how to win games in the fourth quarter. Rodgers has had a scintillating preseason.”
Oddsmakers believe the Packers will be only slightly better than the Vikings with odds of -130 to win the 2011 Super Bowl compared to Minnesota paying out nearly even odds.
The remaining top 10 of Clayton’s 2010 NFL Quarterback Rankings included San Diego’s Philip Rivers, the Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo, Washington’s Donovan McNabb and Carson Palmer of the Bengals.
Of Romo, who Gambling911.com believes should probably be ranked ahead of Aaron Rodgers, Clayton says: “Now that Romo has won a playoff game, watch out. The only thing that could prevent him and the Cowboys from playing host to a Super Bowl an aging offensive line faltering.”
Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
