To the Washington Redskins, stuck at the bottom of the NFC East for years, thank you for a wonderful showing in 2012

To JJ Watt, batting down passes and terrorizing QB’s left and right. You are the Defensive Player of the Year.

To the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coming off a season where the players turned against the coach. You regrouped behind a new coach, put in the effort, and almost made the playoffs. I see even greater heights being reached next season.

To Andrew Luck, RGIII, Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson, and Brandon Weeden, thank you for putting some spunk into this quarterback class. Here is to hoping it can rival the 1983 and 2004 classes.

To Peyton Manning. Fifteen months ago, you were legally paralyzed and discarded by the team you put your life into. You sign on with another team and lead them to the top seed. You are the Comeback Player of the Year.

To the Atlanta Falcons, you finally got that monkey off your back and won a playoff game. You are almost over the hump, keep it coming.

To OJ Brigance, a great athlete with a life threatening illness. Everyone prays for you. Keep fighting.

To Ray Lewis, one of the most feared linebackers to ever play the game. You got to go out the way few athletes do, a champion. You were a warrior on the field, and a class act off of it. We will miss you tremendously.

To Bruce Arians, taking over for a coach with a life threatening illness, you led a 2-14 team to a playoff appearance. Welcome to the Coach of the Year Club.

To Adrian Peterson, coming back from a devastating knee injury to nearly break the NFL rushing record, you are the NFL MVP.

To the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. Not making the playoffs really sucks, but everyone has down years. A rebound is in the cards for you both.

To Colin Kaepernick, coming out of a non football school that ran an unorthodox offense, you started eight games, dazzled everyone with your arm and your feet, then brought your team back from the dead on the biggest stage of them all and nearly took home the hardware. Don’t you dare hang your head.

To John Harbaugh, a championship coach. Getting it against your brother was even more amazing. Soak this one in as it could be the first of many or your first and only.

To Joe Flacco, long mired in that second tier of NFL QB’s, you have now officially ascended to elite status. Super Bowl MVP. Nuff said.

To the Baltimore Ravens, you’ve made it to the winner’s circle for the second time and ain’t it so sweet??

I sit in my office and look out the window. It is a clear, cold day in Orlando, FL… the coldness of something having gone away. Team media guides sit unopened on my desk. The Arizona Cardinals, the Carolina Panthers, my beloved Miami Dolphins. A solitary e-mail trickles in from one of my high school teammates, former Oakland Raiders safety Derrick Gibson. He talks a little bit about the past season, then gives me a depressing message, “Six months till training camp, right?”

Six months of nothing. All across America this coming Sunday will be empty NFL stadiums…. Stadiums that once held thousands of rabid, screaming fans. No cheerleaders or officiating crews will report to work on Sunday. Soon these stadiums will face a silent spring and the blistering heat of summer. Team pendants will be taken down, inflatable chairs packed away, football jerseys hung up in closets, grills and coolers stored in garages. While the rest of the sports world turns to other things such as March Madness and MLB Spring Training, the football diehards will go into hibernation until August, coming out only once in late April for the NFL Draft.

And so it’s time to say goodbye to the 2012 NFL Season. As the Ravens swarm the podium basking in the joy of a well deserved Super Bowl win, I choke back the same tears I have always choked back at this time of the year.

NFL Football. I live for this.

Good write up...

one thing... Joe Flacco is still not elite. He's a VERY GOOD QB... but he's not elite. He doesn't set fear in the enemies eyes the way a Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees does.

Alas, that's not the point of this thread... the point is football is gone for quite some time and it will be missed... till next season... dream on boys

Notice how much better Flacco suddenly got once the Ravens got rid of Cam CaMORON.

Wanted Cam Moron gone after week 8, seen enough.

Can't believe he ever got rehired...I can see why the Ravens got better without him.

He's elite. He just finished a postseason in which he had a rating of 117, 11TDs, no INTs, he is a franchise quarterback and he played lights out in the biggest stages.

So that makes him elite? I think we have a different definition then.

Beating Manning and Brady on the road. Something like 56 - 26 in his first 5 seasons. 9-4 in the playoffs with 5 road wins and now a ring going for 11 TD's with 0 interceptions. Pretty elite to me.

Seems everyone takes it as an insult to say someone is not elite. To me, elite is a very rare thing. Not many QB's reach this status... only the best of the best.

I think Flacco is probably a top 5 QB at this point... maybe... but still he's not carrying his team. He has one of the most solid defenses in the league and a top 5 running game to boot. Is he a great QB? Yup... but he's not to ELITE status at this point... not enough consistency.

Depends what you define as elite.

I agree with Phil Simms' explanation a few weeks ago. Brady, Peyton and Rodgers are the only "elite" QB's in the game. But there are other Super Bowl capable QB's, who I'd also consider to be elite. Flacco is now one of them.

Yes, I would say that having an historic play off run (117 QB rating, 11 TDs, 0 INTs) while beating Peyton Manning and Tom Brady ON THE ROAD is pretty damn special, capped off with the Superbowl MVP.

He has joined the top tier of NFL QBs. If Eli Manning is elite, so is Joe Flacco.

So because people are disagreeing with you, they are taking insult? I don't see anyone acting insulted or offended by your opinion.



But he isn't elite?

Elite means upper echelon. You just said he is upper echelon by saying he is top 5.

So according to Simms, Drew Brees is not elite? A guy who turned an entire franchise around and throws for 5000+ yards and 40+ TDs the past two years is not elite?

Phil Simms is smoking crack.

I didn't mean to specify just you guys... but I've talked to many people about this same topic and every time I say he's not elite it's like I just killed a baby. I'm not trying to disrespect him by any means, he's a fantastic QB who did an amazing job in the post season this year... I just don't see the consistency from him that you see in the guys I consider to be Elite.

Maybe you're not seeing the consistency because he hasn't been around as long as Manning and Brady. He only came into the league in 2008, whereas Manning and Brady are on the back-end of their careers, but he is an arrow up guy. He's gotten a little better each season and now that Cam Cameron has been removed, he's playing lights out.

What he has done this postseason is nothing short of amazing.

I absolutely agree... if he comes back next year and continues to perform at that level there's no doubt he'll be right there in the mix with those other guys. If the only thing holding him back all these years was a conservative offensive coordinator then I'm a little scared to see how good that offense can be.

Eli and Flacco are too inconsistent.

Phil Simms once had an amazing playoff run and he isn't elite or a HOFer.

Yeah I forgot about Brees. I'd include him with those 4.

If you look at Flacco's numbers, he is actually pretty consistent. INTs between 10-12 a season and TDs in the low 20s.

I don't see the comparison to Phil Simms who ended with a career rating if 77 while Flacco is consistently 10 points higher.

I think Flacco and Eli Manning are a good comparison.

Flacco plays without a pulse and that is exactly what I hope Tannehill becomes. Fearless and focused.

Not me.

You can still have ice running through your veins and show emotion.

I wish I had ice running through my veins... *flexes*

Yep. He made big plays all year. Getting rid of Cam was great. The Ravens offense is loaded.

He needs to be more consistant during the regular season and continue to play at this level then we can call him elite. People use that term way to loosly for me.
ELITE:
Brady, P.Manning, Brees, Rogers, Rothlisberger & E. Manning!

Go look at Rothlisberger and Manning's numbers from season to season, compare them to Flacco's and then get back to me.

What do you define as elite?

Since "elite" is by definition supposed to be a small group, just how many Qbs can actually be called "elite" without the term losing its meaning?

Can a QB be considered "great" and not "elite?"

Hypothetical:

Flacco Qbs the Dolphins with the same exact play and results, 90% of Phinfever calls him elite.

Depends on your idea of what upper echelon or elite means. Top 5%? Top 10%? Top 20%?
It also depends on your need to see consistency at that level.

I think he is a very good QB with a chance to be elite, but I don't see him there just yet.

Damn I stand corrected...Joe has Ben good but Eli JUST made the list for me with this last SB. I would like to see Joe in a full season without Cam who I believe was holding him back!
But you definitely changed my opinion of Flacco....just don't want to say Elite yet!

I guess multiple super bowl wins makes you elite. In looking at things now , if Flacco is not elite he is well on his way. As a Dolphin fan I am beginning to think that 10 wins makes you elite.
Also as a Dolphin fan I would love to have either of those guys who played on Sunday. Yes honestly more than the current guy. (sorry) But it will be interesting to see how many rings Tannehill has 5 seasons from now.

I've always disagreed with that.

I'd take Marino 52 Sundays a year over Terry Bradshaw

maybe it's just me but seasons with only 20 to 25 TD's don't cut it anymore in this easy passing era. If you're not throwin 28 to 40 per season I don't think of that QB as elite. More of a 2nd tier guy or the game managing type.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 24 TD's this year. Andy Dalton threw 27. Freeman threw 27.
Flacco had a paultry 22. Bested by 2 rookies and some average QB's.
on the flipside of that Peyton threw 37 TD's, Rodgers 39 and Brees 43.
And I'm sure if Marino played today he would've had 50.

Flacco was about the 14th or 15th best Quarterback all season.
Let's just say he is a solid QB that got hot and had a nice postseason.
Alot like the way Eli's runs were
It is possible for 'good' not 'great' QB's to win a ring. (usually because of great overall team play)

As for that Simms career rating...hard to compare to Flacco now.
QBing was just more difficult those days.
So many quarterbacks can put up bigger numbers these days.

Flacco's game seems to just revolve around rainbow throws to speed receivers. He just gives them a chance and they fight for it. Not a pinpoint passer, he doesn't wow by hitting tight windows. Eli is very similar too.

Give the Ravens credit for playing to his strengths and going after Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones, 2 guys that can burn a defense deep.

and Mark Rypien and Doug Williams and Brad Johnson and so on......
TEAMS win titles!

There's nothing wrong with that, but doing it 22 times in a season doesn't make you elite. Double that, do it for a few years and then we can have the elite discussion (not that I think you are saying he is elite swerve, just extending the point).

I've been preaching that for years.
A great QB helps. But there are 50 other players and a dozen coaches that all help too.

I agree Degs, speaking more on Flacco....I am currently watching NFL network and Jamie Dukes said that Flacco was held to a QB Rating under 80 for half of his 16 regular season games last year.
And he said there is a reason why Ozzie Newsome has dragged his feet on paying Flacco big money. He has more to do to become one of the best.

Degs , I dont disagree with you but honestly us Dolphin fans are the only ones because lets face it there really is only one elite QB without a ring & we know who it is. However growing up a Giant fan & still being one as well , I can put up with a season like this last one because the two super bowl runs that Eli pulled (and yes I know there are 50 other guys involved but lets face it , the QB gets the props) were just amazing & as a fan when your team wins that game in February there is nothing like it , and then to do it twice there is something to be said for that. Fans of those teams QB'ed by Dilfer , Johnson or Williams can care less how they are evaluated. They were champions & if Tannehill somehow wins one , we will feel the same way.
I understand the Marino / Bradshaw thing but I dont know. Having those 4 titles in that short time span while being relevant in the non title years is something I would not mind anyone of those 52 Sundays.

Some people like to look at numbers and declare if a guy is elite or not.

That's fine, that's one way to look at it.

In this case, I'm looking at not just the numbers, but the setting and the performance of that player in that setting.

Flacco went on the road against two elite, future Hall of Fame QBs (and a very good defense in Denver) and won. He won in hostile Denver, making a clutch big play to win the game and he went into New England and performed at a high level in crunch time. 11 TDs and 0 INTs during the most important part of the season. He upped his play when it mattered most. He played at an elite level.

So rather than looking at a piece of paper and using simply numbers to determine the value of a player, I'm looking at when and where and in what moments to determine the value of that player.

He stepped up on the biggest stage. And he is still a young QB, his fifth season. The arrow is definitely up for him and barring some career threatening injury, he will probably continue to get better.

and Mark Rypien and Doug Williams and Brad Johnson and so on......
TEAMS win titles!

Those days are over my friends. You validated our point that you need a franchise/elite QB to win in this era of football. Here are a few examples that you need an "elite" QB. Start with our Fins, Marino retired and we've done crap since then. Warner retires and the Cards have blown since then. Saints sucked and here comes Brees, they win a title.