Another good comparison article of Ryan and Rodgers

[mcsupersport]

http://gnb.scout.com/2/1038830.html

Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan, who will guide their teams on Saturday night, aren't just good but historically great. And at their age compared to the other top quarterbacks in the conference, this could be a matchup to watch for years to come.

Not only are Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan two of the NFL’s premier young guns, but they’ve staked their claim to potentially becoming two of the best in NFL history.

No, that’s not hyperbole.

With 12,394 passing yards in his first three seasons as a starter, Rodgers trails only Kurt Warner (12,612) during that timeframe in NFL history. His passer rating of 97.2 and interception percentage of 1.99 are the best in league annals.

With 33 career victories, Ryan is tied with Dan Marino for the most wins in NFL history by a quarterback in his first three seasons.

On Saturday night at the Georgia Dome, these elite quarterbacks will engage in their first playoff duel. Given their age, the stable and successful front office and coaching structures, and that their teams have been built for the long haul, it would hardly be a surprise if this would be the first of many playoff battles between these players.

Of the NFC’s six playoff quarterbacks, Ryan (25) and Rodgers (27) are the youngest, with only the Bears’ Jay Cutler (also 27) younger than 30. In fact, of the NFC’s top eight quarterbacks in terms of passer rating, only Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman, who turns 23 this week, is younger than Ryan and Rodgers. (See chart below.)

Rodgers has the glittering statistics, and now he’s got the playoff win under his belt after an efficient 18-of-27 performance with three touchdowns last weekend at Philadelphia. His seven touchdown passes in his first two playoff starts are a league record.

Ryan, who lost his only playoff game as a rookie in 2008, has lived up to his “Matty Ice” nickname with 13 victories coming in the fourth quarter or overtime. That includes six games this season, highlighted by the Falcons’ 20-17 win over the Packers on Nov. 28, when Ryan led a short drive to the winning field goal.

“I have a lot of respect for the way he plays,” Rodgers said on Tuesday. “I think he delivers the ball on time, he gets the ball out of his hands, doesn't take a lot of sacks. He obviously played at a Pro Bowl level this season and he's tough to beat at home (20-2 in Ryan’s career). So, he does a great job there in that dome and he's very efficient with that offense. He's a great player.”

Rodgers hasn’t been nearly as clutch, with a 2-13 record in games decided by four points or less, though that’s not entirely of his doing. In the Atlanta game, for instance, he led the offense on a game-tying touchdown drive of 90 yards in the final 5 minutes, only for the special teams to give up a big return to set up Ryan’s winning drive. Officially, Rodgers has led five game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The late-game heroics notwithstanding, the key statistics point to these quarterbacks’ greatness.

— In their last two seasons, Rodgers has thrown 58 touchdown passes against 18 interceptions while Ryan has 50 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. That includes 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions by Rodgers and 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions by Ryan this season.

— In the fourth quarter of games with a margin of seven points or less, Rodgers’ passer rating is 94.2, with two touchdowns and one interception. Ryan’s rating is 88.3, with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

— On third down, Rodgers’ rating is 94.0 with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Ryan’s rating is 104.1 with 15 touchdowns, four interceptions and a league-high 85 first downs.

— In the red zone, Rodgers’ rating is 107.4 with 19 touchdowns and one interception. Ryan’s rating is 102.1 with 22 touchdowns and one interception.

— Against the blitz, Rodgers’ rating is 104.4 with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Ryan’s rating is 96.7 with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Not only are Rodgers and Ryan two of the league’s top guns, but they’re friends. While the spotlight will be on them on Saturday night, the individual matchup is the least of Rodgers’ concerns.

“I don't think about that too much, I really don't,” Rodgers said. “I look at that as Green Bay against Atlanta. As cliché as it is, if you know my personality I never really get into the mano-a-mano or quarterback-on-quarterback or quarterback on big-name defender. I just realize it's our 11 against their 11.”

NFC’s top quarterbacks

NFL ranking, player (age) and passer rating

3. Aaron Rodgers (27), 101.2

4. Michael Vick (30), 100.2

6. Josh Freeman (22), 95.9

11. Matt Ryan (25), 91.0

12. Drew Brees (32), 90.9

14. Jon Kitna (38), 88.9

16. Jay Cutler (27), 86.3

17. Eli Manning (30), 85.3

Agree or disagree?: Discuss hot Packers topics in our, free forums. Leave Bill a question in the subscribers-only Packers Pro Club forum.

Bill Huber is publisher of Packer Report magazine and PackerReport.com and has written for Packer Report since 1997. E-mail him at packwriter2002@yahoo.com, or leave him a question in Packer Report’s subscribers-only Packers Pro Club forum. Find Bill on Twitter at twitter.com/packerreport and Facebook under Bill Huber.

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Sorry if already posted, but I thought it was too good to not post.

[Paulitik]

Great breakdown on Matt and Aaron. I love articles like this. It really explains why Matt is an exceptional QB. ESPN and NFLN boneheads look at passer rating, total yards, and TDs. When you break down Matt's play based on situations it's stunning how great he is. He's only going to get better.

[monoxide]

(01-12-2011 07:26 PM)Paulitik Wrote:  Great breakdown on Matt and Aaron. I love articles like this. It really explains why Matt is an exceptional QB. ESPN and NFLN boneheads look at passer rating, total yards, and TDs. When you break down Matt's play based on situations it's stunning how great he is. He's only going to get better.

and the crazy thing is I don't think we realize how special he is sometimes. I loved when Mayock was breaking down his Carolina game on NFL network and after showing a beautiful pass Ryan chucked to Gonzalez, he stopped and asked Brian Baldinger "how is that not almost identical to Peyton Manning to Dallas Clark?" None of the analysts disagreed and it made me smile how good this kid already is. Regardless of what happens this year, we need to remember that for the first time in over a decade, we have a pure QB who is already a top 10 player at his position at the age of 25. Granted, I think at the end of February, the doubters will realize why wins mean more than a QB rating.

[PokerSteve]

Great article. Easy to see why Ryan is already considered an elite QB despite his youth.

Ryan is the kind of guy you can respect and I really hope he has a great game. If he does, he can carry this whole team to a win no matter what happens.

[Jen]

I think Matt Ryan is extraordinary. In my mind he will be without a doubt the best QB this team has ever had. And the thrilling thing is that he is young. This kid is only going to get better! He hasn't even come close to hitting his prime. The Falcons identity for the last few years has been led by our running game with Turner. Well I think we have all noticed this year that Matty is more than capable of putting the team on his shoulders and I believe we will see that more and more. We are very lucky to have him. I just can't say enough lol...