We begin our series of position-by-position rankings in the NFC South with the most important one in modern professional sports: the quarterback! How do Jameis and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stack up?
Quarterback felt like a natural place to begin this series. It’s infinitely important and also the NFC South’s claim to fame. For years upon years the South has been a quarterback powerhouse. It began when the Saints added Drew Brees as a free agent in 2006, continued when the Falcons selected Matt Ryan in 2008, and became arguably the best group in the league once the Panthers selected Cam Newton first overall in 2011. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been the weak link, until they hit the lottery with Jameis Winston in 2015.
Absurd amounts of talent aside, the Southern quarterbacks are fun because they collectively offer you a little bit of everything in terms of style. Drew Brees and Matt Ryan are precision passers, Cam Newton is a prolific dual-threat, and Jameis Winston is a little bit of everything.
So, how do these guys rank against one another? I’m pretty sure it’s not a spoiler to say that Drew Brees leads the bunch; he’s got by far the best resume and is one of the six or seven greatest passers to ever play. Ranking the other three is a legitimate struggle though, and very much open to debate. I’ll break down the four of them in order of how their respective teams finished in record, and then give a final verdict at the end.