Originally posted by sh76
QB rating is an overrated stat that puts far too much emphasis on interceptions.
Chad Pennington, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer, Daunte Culpepper and Tony Romo are all in the top 20 all time in QB rating. That's all you need to know about that stat.
Productivity, as measured in yards and points, is far more important (though, granted, they should find a way t ...[text shortened]... , outscored Pitt 394 to 325. Eli had a better year than Ben and it's not really that close.
sh76: Productivity, as measured in yards and points, is far more important.
If you were consistent with such an assertion (which you won't be), you'd have to concede that Matthew Stafford was a far better QB than Eli this year. He threw for more yards and 12 more TDs than Eli and his team scored 80 more points than the Giants. Moreover his team had no running attack either; they were 29th in the league.
I do not share your disdain for QB rating. While there may be some anomalies, the best QBs of the modern era are represented in the top ranks of all-time ratings. Here's the top 10:
. Aaron Rodgers (28) 104.1 2005-2011 gnb
2. Tony Romo (31) 96.9 2004-2011 dal
3. Steve Young+ 96.8 1985-1999 2TM
4. Tom Brady (34) 96.4 2000-2011 nwe
5. Philip Rivers (30) 95.5 2004-2011 sdg
6. Peyton Manning (35) 94.9 1998-2011 clt
7. Drew Brees (32) 94.0 2001-2011 2TM
8. Kurt Warner 93.7 1998-2009 3TM
9. Joe Montana+ 92.3 1979-1994 2TM
10. Matt Schaub (30)
Big Ben is 11th. When you have a stat which so obviously includes the best QBs of this generation it's clear it measures something significant. Eli is still in Bernie Kosar territory.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_rating_career.htm
The Steelers played to score enough to win; they are a conservative team. They managed to win 3 more games in a much tougher division and avoided embarrassments like the Giants suffered. Eli's played well in streaks, but I'd still take Big Ben in a big game.