via press release:
Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Crowned No. 1 in Jaws' QB Countdown Series
ESPN’s 30-part Jaws' QB Countdown series concluded today during the 9 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter as 2011 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers was unveiled as Jaworski’s No. 1 quarterback. Since June 11, NFL analyst and noted film room guru Ron Jaworski has examined each of The League’s veteran starting quarterbacks and Tim Tebow in the daily series. The three-minute segments -- produced by the NFL Matchup team at NFL Films – aired daily throughout the past month on NFL Live (4 p.m., ESPN), NFL32 (6 p.m., ESPN2) and other editions of SportsCenter.
Below are transcribed comments from Jaworski’s assessment of Rodgers. (For summaries of all 30 NFL veteran quarterbacks, click here.)
Jaws’ QB Countdown Series Rankings:
| No. 30 | Tim Tebow, New York Jets |
| No. 29 | Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars |
| No. 28 | Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings |
| No. 27 | Matt Flynn, Seattle Seahawks |
| No. 26 | Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins |
| No. 25 | Kevin Kolb, Arizona Cardinals |
| No. 24 | Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills |
| No. 23 | Mark Sanchez, New York Jets |
| No. 22 | Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs |
| No. 21 | Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders |
| No. 20 | Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams |
| No. 19 | Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals |
| No. 18 | Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee Titans |
| No. 17 | Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| No. 16 | Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers |
| No. 15 | Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers |
| No. 14 | Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions |
| No. 13 | Matt Schaub, Houston Texans |
| No. 12 | Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles |
| No. 11 | Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons |
| No. 10 | Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys |
| No. 9 | Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens |
| No. 8 | Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears |
| No. 7 | Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers |
| No. 6 | Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| No. 5 | Eli Manning, New York Giants |
| No. 4 | Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos |
| No. 3 | Tom Brady, New England Patriots |
| No. 2 | Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints |
| No. 1 | Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers |
No. 1 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers:
“Drum roll, please! Here it is. My No. 1 quarterback, no surprise, it’s Aaron Rodgers. Very few quarterbacks in NFL history have had Rodgers’ exceptional combination of velocity and accuracy, elite arm strength and pin-point ball location. Was there any better example of that than this 3rd and 10, fourth-quarter throw in Super BowlXLV?
“You know what I love most about that throw? Rodgers’ instinctive willingness to pull the trigger. He made it because he knew he could make it. One critical measure of high-level play is the ability to execute versus the blitz. Rodgers’ rating in 2011 was 136, easily the best in the NFL. He was outstanding beating the man coverage that you primarily see with blitz. Again, a function of his accuracy, or as I’ve said many times, ball location.
“Rodgers also defeated the blitz with his movement and his extraordinary ability to throw on the run. No quarterback delivers on the move as well as Rodgers – velocity and accuracy. There’s a larger, more significant issue that speaks to Rodgers’ greatness. He can beat the defense even when the defense wins, whether it’s blitz or a three-man pressure with eight in coverage. The Panthers dropped eight in coverage. Rodgers was not comfortable within the progression of the play. The defense won early in the down. Rodgers extended the play. He broke down the discipline of the coverage. He beat the defense late in the down with a downfield throw. Again, the ability to drive the ball on the move down the field, that’s a rare trait.
“Add running ability to Rodgers’ special throwing skillset and you have the most physically-gifted quarterback in The League. Numerous times last season, I saw Rodgers defeat a predominant NFL coverage, man-under, two-deep, with his recognition and running. The man coverage undercut the routes and there was help over the top. The coverage won. A perfectly-executed coverage concept still resulted in an explosive 25-yard run.
“Aaron Rodgers is my No. 1 quarterback. He has all the attributes that I love: accuracy, velocity, movement, toughness. Those attributes lead to elite play and wins. He’s won two out of every three starts and a Super Bowl championship.”
