06-10-2015, 08:33 PM
(06-10-2015, 02:04 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: I get annoyed when people try to compare players from 10 years ago to now.
The rules have changed, passing is much easier now than it was then.
10 years ago, getting over 4k yards meant a good season from your QB.
Fast forward to now, 4k is not the same, since 2007, none of the single season passing leaders have had less than 4,700 passing yards. Seriously, Brees by himself has had 5 5k seasons (just missed 6 5k seasons, 48 yards shy last season). Prior to 2007 you have to go all the way back to Marino busting 5k in 1984.
If you want to compare Andy vs Peyton, then compare them by where they ranked in passing yards in their respective seasons.
IE Mannings first 4 years vs Dalton's first 4 years.
Manning:
98 - 3739 yards Ranked: 3rd
99 - 4135 yards Ranked: 3rd
00 - 4413 yards Ranked: 1st
01 - 4131 yards Ranked: 2nd
Dalton:
11 - 3398 yards Ranked: 16th
12 - 3669 yards Ranked: 16th
13 - 4293 yards Ranked: 7th
14 - 3398 yards Ranked: 15th
Palmer:
04 - 2897 yards Ranked: 19th (missed 3 games, using 222 yards/game, it would've bumped him up to ~10th)
05 - 3836 yards Ranked: 4th
06 - 4035 yards Ranked: 5th
07 - 4131 yards Ranked: 5th
Ok... looks like '13 was more of an anomaly than the norm for Dalton, while Peyton's worst year was better than Palmer's best years and Palmer's worst year wasn't too far off from Dalton's best year (if you factor in a full season).
What does this tell us?
Peyton and Palmer were special and Dalton is just slightly better than average.
I agree that rankings among peers is a better way to compare QB's, but I don't agree with using yards as the main stat to compare. I'd use passer rating:
Palmer:
2004: 23rd (led NFL in INT%)
2005: 2nd
2006: 6th
2007: 14th (led NFL in INTs)
Average rank: 11.3
Dalton:
2011: 20th
2012: 13th
2013: 15th (5th in NFL in INTs)
2014: 25th (8th in INT%)
Average rank: 18.3
Not that huge of a gap really. Also consider that Palmer led the league in INT's or INT% twice and Dalton hasn't led that category at all. Palmer basically lived off his reputation he built from 05-06, but he never had any great years other than that. His 2007 season was very similar to Dalton's 2013 season, compared to their peers.
It got worse for Palmer after year 4. Hopefully Dalton's career doesn't follow a similar path.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
