Strong Second-Tier QB Cards

August 10, 2010
Will Kolodzie
Somworld.com – www.somworld.com

 

The upcoming 2009 Strat Football set offers a wealth of exciting and outstanding QB card performances, including a few from some names that may have been recognized for the talent but nevertheless turned in sub-par or suspect cards in past sets.  Strat coaches who don’t possess one of the elite QB cards might find a name in the 7 to 12 area of the positional rankings with the guessed right/wrong chances and column averages necessary to lead a team deep into the post-season.

 

The combination of a weaker running attack and a change in offensive philosophy helps Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger turn into a top 10 QB card in the set.  He has 99 total passing chances on the card and that ties him for fifth place with Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers.   The 7.39 FPW column average is the third best score for full-time QB cards in that category.  He also ranks number 6 in SPW column average, and number 10 in LPW column average.  The interception percentages are also better than those for Houston’s Matt Schaub.  Overall, Roethlisberger ranks number 6 in the set for the position.   The card has enough on it to get a team to the playoffs and/or league championship game.  The missed games in the 2010 season will knock some of the value away from Roethlisberger in keeper leagues but this is a good QB card for those teams needing a strong player at the position in the upcoming draft league season.

 

A strong first half to the 2009 season helped produce noticeable improvement in Baltimore’s Joe Flacco statistics and Strat QB card.   The 14.50 LPW column average ranks number 5 in the set.   It’s a number that will keep the defenses honest and help prevent the free safety from having too much freedom on the field.   The card ranks as number 9 or 10 overall in the set depending on the criteria or measurements.   The Flacco card will require more of a strong running game presence based on the FPR and SPR chances being slightly below those of the more elite QB cards.   The card is very dangerous in GW situations so the astute offensive coach with the right RB cards and play-calling scheme will do some damage in draft league play.  Getting the right/wrong call for the defense is very important against this QB card.   Flacco has the biggest differential in GR and GW chances of any full-time QB in the set.   A powerful RB card will turn Flacco into a huge weapon.  The situation isn’t quite as dangerous with an average, run-of-the-mill RB card but forcing the defense to call run will really open up the passing attack with him at the QB spot.  Flacco has a good chance to move higher in the Strat QB positional rankings next season based on the addition of quality WR options in the Baltimore offense.   This is a good acquisition for rebuilding teams and those very close to competing strongly in the post-season.

 

Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers doesn’t make it into the top 10 QB scores for passing chances.  He has a total of 91 chances on the card.  The 15 FPR chances is a little low in terms of the elite QB cards.  The median FPR chances for the full-time QB cards is 16 so Rodgers is basically middle of the pack by the flat pass column standards.  The 8.81 SPW column average ranks number 3 in the set for QB cards.  That’s a number that will move the chains and help the offense pick up steady chunks of yardage in a game.   The 24 SPW chances place him tied for set at the position.  The results from the SP column will make or break the draft league team that uses him as their QB card.   Opposing defensive coaches must focus on the Rodgers SP ability in order to offset the strength of the columns. Rodgers ranks number 17 in FPW column average and number 21 in LPW column average.   The SPW is where Rodgers will get a tremendous boost in league play.  So it’s pretty clear what the Rodgers owner will try to do in the game.  The card will have more success in draft leagues if combined with a better RB card than the very average Ryan Grant.

New York’s Eli Manning continues to exhibit steady improvement in the Strat QB positional rankings.   The Brandon Jacobs knee injury in the first week of the season forced Manning and the team to rely much more heavily on their young receivers.  The FP and SP columns rate as average, perhaps slightly better, but the LP columns give Manning his value in the set.   The 9 LPR chances is good for number two in the set and Manning has the third best column average here.   The LPW column average ranks number 9 for full-time QB cards.   The INT percentages are something of a problem as he ranks at the bottom in the category for the top QB cards.   The 1,616 passing yards on the card ranks number 7 in that category.   Besides the LP column, the SPW units give Manning a big boost.  He has one of the biggest variations in SPR and SPW units.   Manning will burn you on the short pass in those instances where the defense makes the wrong call.  

Dallas’ Tony Romo has never had great units on the card.  The FP units have never reached elite or outstanding proportions.   Having a strong running game will help take some of the luster off in this area.   The card, unfortunately, is not as valuable as last year as Romo takes a downturn in the overall passing yards on the card.   Romo has 1,457 overall passing yards on the card for this set.  That’s almost 200 yards less than the 2008 card.   Just going by a comparison with last year, there’s not many things to like about the current card.   Romo had the number 2 LPW column average in the 2008 set.   He ranks number 12 in the category now.   He had a 6.36 FPW column average in last year’s set.  That drops to a 4.86 average this year.   Yet, focusing solely on the card decline in terms of chances and yardage allows one to miss certain positives.   Romo ranks number 13 in overall passing yards on the card in the new set.  Adding the MR yardage puts the card at number 11 with 1,613 yards.   The 7.75 SPR column average is the number 5 column in the set.  Plus, typing for the top spot in terms of the INT percentages adds to the QB rating and quality of his performances.   Nothing kills a team like the costly or untimely interception, or worse, a QB card with high INT percentages that make the offense coach start to second guess decisions in key or critical moments.   The Romo owner can throw SP and LP calls all day and not really have to worry about INT rolls off the QB card. That’s a very positive aspect of the QB card value, perhaps something overlooked if simply going by units and yardage totals.   Having a strong compliment of RB cards and receivers will help Romo put up very good draft league numbers.   It’s not a card that can win on its own merits but it stands as a good one in the right format and/or situation.  Romo should have better production out of his receivers this season and the emergence of Felix Jones as a more integral part of the Dallas running game should move Romo up the position rankings in the 2010 set.