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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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THE DAILY DEBATE
After Manning and Brady, who will be the next great quarterback in the NFL?
By Kyle Hicks
@udkylehicks
AARON RODGERS
Over the past decade, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have dominated their positions like no other. As they both reach their decline and retirement nears, the question arises: Who will take their place as the top quarterback in the NFL? That man goes by the name Aaron Rodgers.
After three years of sitting under Brett Favre, Rodgers has begun to pave the way for a career as impressive, if not more impressive, than his predecessor. Among active quarterbacks, Rodgers ranks 10th in career passing yards (26,604) all while having two or more years less of playing experience on his belt than the other nine. He also breaks the top 10 for most career touchdown passes by an active quarterback, standing at No. 9 with 213.
Even more impressive. Rodgers currently ranks No. 1 in pass completion percentage (66 percent) and career
passer rating (106.2), ahead of Peyton Manning (97.8) and Steve Young (96.8). Of course, this statistic doesn't necessarily make him better than Manning or Young, but being ahead of these two in any quarterback statistic is saying something.
The most important aspect coaches want in their quarterback isn't a high passer rating or a boatload of passing yards. Most importantly, a quarterback needs to find ways to win games. If his team doesn't leave the stadium Sunday with a victory, no one will care how many touchdowns were thrown. Despite his initial 6-10 season, Rodgers has managed to win on a consistent basis, posting a 69-36 record throughout his career. Not to mention, Rodgers added a Super Bowl win and MVP to his (discount double check) belt by his third season.
Putting all of these numbers and statistics aside, what makes Rodgers an elite quarterback is his intangibles. He's no Michael Vick, but he's quick and smart enough to
use his feet to extend drives and move around the pocket. His football intelligence is through the roof, which has led him to a mere three interceptions to his 25 touchdowns this season.
earlier this year in Miami, down by four, Rodgers was leading the Packers to a fourth quarter comeback with no timeouts remaining and just 15 seconds left on the clock. While everyone on the field — and even his coach, Mike McCarthy — assumed Rodgers would spike the ball to stop the clock, he faked the spike and threw to wide receiver Devante Adams for 12 yards, making it out of bounds at the 4-yard line. The next play, he threw a game-winning touchdown to tight end Andrew Quarless to win the game.
It's plays like this that leave you in awe when Rodgers takes the field and why there is no other quarterback better fit to play his position for the next seasons to come.
Edited by Lyndsey Havens
ANDREW LUCK
By Jacob Clemen
@jclemn9
In 2012, the Indianapolis Colts drafted Andrew Luck and tasked him with the unenviable responsibility of replacing Peyton Manning. arguably the best quarterback to ever play professional football.
Manning reminded NFL viewers of his greatness when he and the Denver Broncos faced off against the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, who many regard to be just as good, if not better, than Manning. Both of these quarterbacks are over 35 years old and will likely retire in the coming years.
second season was about 2 percent lower than Manning's, and he threw 46 touchdowns compared to Manning's 52.
While guys like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers are excellent quarterbacks,Luck will be the one to receive the attention that Brady and Manning command.
Luck has a 1-2 record in the postseason, but he threw for more than 250 yards in each game, including a 443-yard effort against the Chiefs last season where he led the Colts back from a 28-point second-half deficit.
Luck statistically compares very similarly to his predecessor through his first two and a half seasons. Luck's completion percentage through his
He has also shown a tendency to shine brightest in high-pressure situations. Luck already has eight fourth-quarter comebacks and 11 game-winning drives to his credit in his young career, according to pro-football-reference.com.
Luck is a dual-threat quarterback as he excels passing in the pocket and has the ability to scramble from the pocket and pick up rushing yards at a solid clip. Last season, Luck rushed 63 times for 377 yards, four touchdowns and averaged six yards per rush.
Size and strength could be one of the most crucial elements of Luck putting together a Hall of Fame career. With his size and strength,
Luck can withstand the rigors of the NFL season and could put together a lengthy and healthy career due to his ability to withstand hits.
An encouraging sign for the young quarterback has been his signs of improvement each season. Since his rookie year, he cut his interceptions in half while maintaining his touchdown rate at 23 per year. Most notably, he increased his quarterback rating from 76.5 to 87. This season, that rating rose to 100.3. He's also thrown 26 touchdowns after just 10 weeks and averages 342.8 yards per game — over 100 yards more than he averaged last season. If this increase in production keeps up, he will be among the best quarterbacks in the game very soon.
Andrew Luck still must win at least one Super Bowl before he receives the same types of accolades as Manning and Brady, but a solid Colts team and his own outstanding abilities set him up to have many opportunities to win the big game.
Cross country teams head to Illinois for championships
Edited by Drew Parks
JOEY ANGUIANO
@joey_anguiano
On Friday, in Peoria, Ill. everything the Kansas cross country teams have been training for will be put to the test. The NCAA Midwest Regional Championships are the only way for the Jayhawks to advance onwards to the NCAA Championships. The men's team is looking for it's first NCAA berth in eight years, while the women are trying to do so for the first time since 1994.
Junior Jacob Morgan tries to catch up to an Oklahoma State runner at the Big 12 Championships in Lawrence on Oct. 31. Morgan placed 5th overall in the men's race.
Heading to Peoria for the men's team are four runners who are competing in their third regional meet. This group includes junior Jacob Morgan, who put in an All-Big 12 fifth-place performance two weeks ago at the Big 12 Championships.
Joining Morgan are senior James Wilson and freshman Chris Malgares, who have both been among the top three finishers for the Jayhawks three times this season. While this is the first regional race for Malgares, it will be Wilson's fourth, making him one of the more experienced runners on the course.
look for all three of these runners to be in the top three finishers for the Jayhawks, and possibly make an impact on the regional field. Another thing to look out for is how the length of the race will affect
the runners. The men have not run a 10K race all season, yet will be faced with the task in Peoria.
On the women's side, sophomore Nashia Baker will lead the way for the Jayhawks in her second regional meet. Baker has finished first for the women's team four times this season. In addition to Baker, junior Haley Francis and sophomores Kelli McKenna,
Courtney Coppinger and Rachel Simon are all heading to Peoria as well. Together, these five are part of a team that took fifth place at regionals last season.
The gun will go off for the women at noon, while the men will start an hour later at 1 p.m.
— Edited by Logan Schlossberg
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