05-06-2020, 01:10 PM
(05-06-2020, 11:18 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: 1.) I doubt we see Big Jen of 5 years ago coming back. 2.) Big Jen is at the point in his career that QB's not named Brady drop off.
I'm not sure how Ben will look with a year of rust. And he's definitely getting older. That said...
1.) His last year played (2 years ago) he posted career highs in both yardage and TD's. His completion % was his 2nd highest of his career, and his QBR ranked in the top 3.
So I'm not sure I understand the refernce point of a need to see him from 5 years ago. To me this makes it sounds as if he's been on a steady decline over that span, that 5 years ago was the "real Ben" and that as of more recent he's not.
2018 was arguably his greatest season as a Pro. So the question should be if he's close to 2 years ago, not 5.
2.) Drew Brees has posted back to back to back 100+ QBR seasons since he was the age Ben is now. At age 40, two years older than Ben his now, he posted a career high rating of 115.7, with 4000k+ yards and a 32 TD vs 5 INT split.
Peyton Manning, at the same age as Ben is now, posted 4,700 yards with 39 TD's and lead his team to 12-4 record, earning MVP votes and being ranked #5 in the Top 100 list.
Even the often forgotten Phillip Rivers, who has very recently finally "aged" out of being a great QB, was posting 4,300 yards, with 32 TD's and a 105 rating at the same age Ben is currently.
Tom Brady is not the only guy who can claim there's success past 35 for QB's. The league has greatly changed due to the likes of not just Brady, but Brees, Manning, and yes, even Ben.
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Like i said, maybe he falls off. Maybe the injury is the nail in the coffin. Maybe it's simply age, rust, or combination of every thing. But I don't think it's fair to say he's due to fall just because he's not Tom Brady. And he doesn't need to return to 5 years ago. The last time we saw him he was still as good as ever.
PS While I think his football skills may have not diminished just yet, I have to believe that he's not raping as many people. At least I hope so. He's much bigger and not as quick so it's probably harder for him corner women in bathroom stalls and hotels.
