Quote:We’re big on recognizing players at all positions here at Pro Football Focus, but it remains clear that the most important position on the field is quarterback.

Which is why our 10 voters collectively put four quarterbacks at the top of this week’s MVP list (note: a certain three-time Super Bowl winner is not among them). It’s a golden age for QBs — even with defensive lines taking a clear edge over offensive lines here in 2010, seventeen QBs have NFL passer ratings above 90.0. Consider that in 1978, when the league went to a 16-game schedule and changed the rules to favor passing games, that Roger Staubach led the league at 84.9.

Our four QBs atop the list have at least one thing in common — all were picked in the top four overall in their respective drafts. Which top gun is No. 1? For now, it’s the “Decatur Dandy,” but this race is going to come down to the wire.

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4. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta (44 points, 1 No. 1 vote). Ryan actually sits atop our passer grades for the season, and he is coming off the best four-game stretch of his career by a fair margin. Ryan has been good-not-great throughout his Atlanta career, and he was mediocre at best over the final 12 games of 2009 even before suffering a toe injury. His emergence this year isn’t a shock considering his solid play, but he’ll need to string together more top games to officially enter the elite range.

(11-17-2010 11:31 AM)Paulitik Wrote:  What's crazy is how they call his performance "good not great" and "mediocre" until now. He's half way through his 3rd season and his running game disappeared in his second in a run first offensive system, and he still found a way to go 9-7. Really? I mean was he really expected to be Peyton Manning in his second season? I just don't get the sports media.

(11-17-2010 11:32 AM)Sporkdevil Wrote:  I think they were saying he is coming around from his sophomore slump, regardless of what it was attributed to.

(11-17-2010 08:06 PM)zigg zagg Wrote:  all qbs have bad years, ryans was last year. some of it carried over into this season but over the last few games hes been quite excellent.

(11-17-2010 09:07 PM)Sporkdevil Wrote:  I do agree. I was REALLY concerned during game 1 against Pitt. Matty Ice looked flustered and just uncomfortable in the pocket.

That has changed

(11-18-2010 12:18 AM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  If we re-played Pittsburgh now we would beat them

(11-18-2010 12:21 AM)Sporkdevil Wrote:  They have fallen apart. D is hurt and ineffective, OL is finally showing, Big Ben isn't looking much better than anyone else who has played QB on that team. I agree. We have improved, Pitt has not. I think we wouldn't have even needed OT if we played them now.