The simple phrase, "What have you done for me lately," represents how fans of the National Football League feel.
Fans don't really care what a player did six or seven years ago; they only care about what that player is doing right now.
Whenever I attempt the never-ending debate of who is the league's top quarterback, I always find myself spinning in circles. It was a tight race between Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning and New England Patriots' Tom Brady.
Well, that all changed in 2009—enter Drew Brees. The Saints quarterback led his team to the Super Bowl and came off of a career year. However, he didn't last long at the top.
So who's the latest Drew Brees—the next quarterback to join the spotlight shared by Brady and Manning? It's Super Bowl champion and Green Bay Packer Aaron Rodgers.
As we sit in the midst of a rather depressing offseason, thanks to the looming lockout, there is only the draft to talk about. But there's always the never-ending story of who's the best quarterback entering next season.
I am going to knock off one candidate right away. This might make some fans irate—sorry, you just have to deal with it.
Peyton Manning, at this time, is not the league's best quarterback.
So who are the top two candidates? Brady and Rodgers.
As I previously stated, the NFL is all about "what have you done for me lately?" For starters, Rodgers is coming off of a stellar 2010 season that ended in a Super Bowl victory.
Rodgers played like a champion in 2010. He finished the regular season with a 101.2 passer rating while throwing 28 touchdowns; however, he did throw 11 interceptions.
For other guy known as Tommy Boy or Tom Terrific, he was just him usual self—but better.
Brady set one of the league's most impressive records in 2010: most passes thrown without an interception (335).
Along with his record-setting performances, Brady threw an incredible 36 touchdowns and only four interceptions while completing nearly 66 percent of his passes—that's as good as it gets.
If we start to compare the two, for starters, Brady has the better track record, obviously.
But like I previously said, this league is all about right now, not back in 2005 when Brady was leading the Patriots into the promised land of being a dynasty.
In 2010, it was very much different than 2005 for Brady.
Brady had to play through adversity in 2010, while the New England Patriots were in the midst of rebuilding. However, the same can be said for Rodgers, but his adversity was playing through multiple injuries suffered to key plays such as running back Ryan Grant and tight end Jermichael Finley.
Allow me to cut to the chase—when you take a look at these two quarterbacks, they play with completely different styles, but they are so very effective. But who is the true, clear-cut better quarterback?
Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Brady is the clear-cut better quarterback—at this point of his career, he is on another dimension than all the other players in the NFL.
I realize that Rodgers just won a Super Bowl, but we are looking at this from an individual standpoint.
Brady led his Patriots to a league-best 14-2 record in 2010 with a team filled with rookies and after losing his favorite target, Randy Moss, via trade.
In nearly every win in 2010, Brady had to be perfect in order for the Patriots to win, and when Brady was off-beat, they lost those two games (to the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns).
Brady will enter 2011 as the NFL's top player. He will be playing with up-and-coming stars such as tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and running back Danny Woodhead. Also, not to mention the Patriots will likely add some more players via the draft to go along with Wes Welker and Deion Branch.
Last season arguably was Brady's best season in the NFL. He was literally the New England Patriots, and he is right smack in the middle of his prime. There is no looking back for the California boy, Tom Brady.
NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @ TonySantorsa.
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