In a division known for hard-hitting defenses and tight games, the AFC North quarterbacks have changed the profile of many divisional games – we see more shootouts and far fewer 9-6 finishes. The crop of signal-callers might not be the best in the league, but they are a talented group nonetheless. With Joe Flacco’s Super Bowl MVP, a critical debate will without doubt spark in 2013.
Who is the best quarterback in the division, and where does Flacco stand?
Some will make the argument that Ben Roethlisberger has the edge over Flacco—a stance that is certainly defensible. Big Ben’s skill speaks for itself, and he has proven that he is a winner. When asked who the current top dog is in the North however, it’s pretty hard to say that Roethlisberger is the guy that I would take.
Let’s be honest—the guy just can’t stay healthy. Being looked at as elite not only requires talent (which he does have) but durability as well. No matter the state of his offensive line, Roethlisberger can’t string together back-to-back healthy seasons. In his nine seasons in the league there has only been one when he has played 16 games. Big Ben is without question a great guy under center, but his inability to be there for his team and aging body hurt his cause.
Like most conversations, the Cleveland Browns don’t provide much content for this argument. Brandon Weeden isn’t the worst in the game, but the second-year player who will be 30 years old in October doesn’t give the Browns much. He’s more of a placeholder than anything at this point and he’s certainly not the best in the North. The fact that Jason Campbell might be able to start some games for Cleveland this year proves that Weeden isn’t relevant to this debate.
Andy Dalton is a promising young stud who just might have the potential to be named one of the AFC’s best in a few years. His upside is tremendous, being only 25 years old and already beating top-tier teams. There was no Sophomore Slump last year for the TCU alum as his numbers steadily went up. He racked up about 300 more yards than his rookie year, collected seven more TD’s and a much better completion percentage.
Dalton has all of the looks to be a steady future quarterback for Cincinnati, but he has to take charge of the offense and protect the football. He accounted for 20 turnovers last year, 16 of them being fumbles. In an AFC North full of tough defenses, Dalton is going to have to be more careful.
We know what Flacco has done over the course of his five Baltimore seasons. He’s batting 1.000 when it comes to playoff appearances and he already has a shiny ring to don on his finger.
Has Joe Flacco done enough to be considered the AFC North’s best?
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