There are many criteria by which some think that a quarterback should be judged in the NFL. Some believe Super Bowl rings dictate greatness while others believe consistency trumps all. Rookie of the year voting simplifies that. You only have to look at a single season and determine who had the best year period. This year it is clear that the vote will come down to 3 quarterbacks (sorry Alfred Morris and Doug Martin): Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III. Only one of these 3 quarterbacks is truly deserving of this honor.
All 3 quarterbacks took over the reins of teams expected to be on the outside of this year’s playoff picture. All 3 are over .500 and 2 are contending for their respective division titles. The Colts and Seahawks are at 10 wins while the Redskins sit at 9. As far as games won between all 3 that’s practically a wash. Now strength of schedule. The Seahawks have had the toughest to this point with opponents at 129-127 while the Redskins have had the weakest at 125-131. Once again, a minimal difference between the 3 teams with respect to strength of schedule. So as far as the level of play and the wins accrued by the 3 teams it is practically even. Next we will consider the team that each player has around them.
Seahawks have FAR AND AWAY the best defense of these 3 teams. Seattle allows the fewest points per game, 4th fewest yards per game, and the 6th best turnover differential. The Colts are 29th in turnover differential, 26th for yards per game, and 22nd for points per game. The Redskins rank 3rd in turnover differential, 21st in points per game, and 28th in yards per game. At first glance turnover differential would seem to suggest that Luck’s defense does a worse job at generating turnovers. The reality is they do a BETTER job at forcing turnovers than the Seahawks OR the Redskins. The Colts have the 3rd most interceptions (18) in the NFL while the Seahawks and Redskins have 10 and 8, respectively. Fumbles recovered the Colts are also ahead with 9, the Seahawks have 8, and the Redskins only 6. So collectively the Redskins have generated the fewest turnovers while staking claim to the highest turnover differential. This suggests that the offense has taken better care of the football than the defense has in taking it away. Advantage here: RGIII.
Lastly, consider the job of a quarterback. He touches the ball on, roughly, every offensive play in every game. He needs to complete passes, generate offense, and protect the football. Griffin has the best completion percentage of the 3 at 66.4% with Wilson at 63.4% and Luck at a lowly 54.3%. Luck has generated offense by throwing for 21 touchdowns and rushing for 5. Griffin has thrown for 20 and rushed for 6 touchdowns. Wilson has passed for 25 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 3. The tale is truly told when considering the turnovers against their offensive production. Luck has a total of 23 turnovers (18 int/5 fum), Wilson has 13 turnovers (10 int/3 fum) and RGIII has 7 turnovers (5 int/2 fum). The fact RGIII has the fewest turnovers when you consider he has thrown and rushed more than any of the 3 is astounding. Griffin turns the ball over once every 70 times he passes or rushes on average. Luck meanwhile averages one turnover per 28.5 of his pass/rush plays. Wilson averages one turnover per 35 of his pass/rush plays. If you are a traditionalist and believe Passer Rating or QBR tell the tale well, RGIII is still your guy. RGIII is second in passer rating to only Aaron Rodgers while Wilson is 6th and Luck is outside the top 25. IF QBR is your flavor Griffin ranks 6th, Wilson 8th, and Luck 13th. No matter how you slice it, Griffin has outperformed his counterparts on a team that has been impacted by injuries in the toughest division in football. I challenge you to explain why anyone else should get this award.
All 3 quarterbacks took over the reins of teams expected to be on the outside of this year’s playoff picture. All 3 are over .500 and 2 are contending for their respective division titles. The Colts and Seahawks are at 10 wins while the Redskins sit at 9. As far as games won between all 3 that’s practically a wash. Now strength of schedule. The Seahawks have had the toughest to this point with opponents at 129-127 while the Redskins have had the weakest at 125-131. Once again, a minimal difference between the 3 teams with respect to strength of schedule. So as far as the level of play and the wins accrued by the 3 teams it is practically even. Next we will consider the team that each player has around them.
Seahawks have FAR AND AWAY the best defense of these 3 teams. Seattle allows the fewest points per game, 4th fewest yards per game, and the 6th best turnover differential. The Colts are 29th in turnover differential, 26th for yards per game, and 22nd for points per game. The Redskins rank 3rd in turnover differential, 21st in points per game, and 28th in yards per game. At first glance turnover differential would seem to suggest that Luck’s defense does a worse job at generating turnovers. The reality is they do a BETTER job at forcing turnovers than the Seahawks OR the Redskins. The Colts have the 3rd most interceptions (18) in the NFL while the Seahawks and Redskins have 10 and 8, respectively. Fumbles recovered the Colts are also ahead with 9, the Seahawks have 8, and the Redskins only 6. So collectively the Redskins have generated the fewest turnovers while staking claim to the highest turnover differential. This suggests that the offense has taken better care of the football than the defense has in taking it away. Advantage here: RGIII.
Lastly, consider the job of a quarterback. He touches the ball on, roughly, every offensive play in every game. He needs to complete passes, generate offense, and protect the football. Griffin has the best completion percentage of the 3 at 66.4% with Wilson at 63.4% and Luck at a lowly 54.3%. Luck has generated offense by throwing for 21 touchdowns and rushing for 5. Griffin has thrown for 20 and rushed for 6 touchdowns. Wilson has passed for 25 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 3. The tale is truly told when considering the turnovers against their offensive production. Luck has a total of 23 turnovers (18 int/5 fum), Wilson has 13 turnovers (10 int/3 fum) and RGIII has 7 turnovers (5 int/2 fum). The fact RGIII has the fewest turnovers when you consider he has thrown and rushed more than any of the 3 is astounding. Griffin turns the ball over once every 70 times he passes or rushes on average. Luck meanwhile averages one turnover per 28.5 of his pass/rush plays. Wilson averages one turnover per 35 of his pass/rush plays. If you are a traditionalist and believe Passer Rating or QBR tell the tale well, RGIII is still your guy. RGIII is second in passer rating to only Aaron Rodgers while Wilson is 6th and Luck is outside the top 25. IF QBR is your flavor Griffin ranks 6th, Wilson 8th, and Luck 13th. No matter how you slice it, Griffin has outperformed his counterparts on a team that has been impacted by injuries in the toughest division in football. I challenge you to explain why anyone else should get this award.