Former Giants quarterback and current NFL analyst Phil Simms made headlines a couple of weeks ago when he said, in his opinion, Eli Manning was not one of the "elite" quarterbacks in the NFL.

That comment made for a firestorm among fans and other analysts, who mainly said he was crazy as a loon.  Giants fans called Simms jealous, as most Giants fans would now say Eli, and not Simms, is the best QB in the history of the franchise.  They said he was jealous because Eli is going to pass most of Simms marks in the Giants record book.  Other noted analysts said "how can Eli NOT be among the elite quarterbacks in the game today after winning two Super Bowls in the last four years?

Well, I got your back Phil!  I agree with him.  I'll tell you why soon, but the important thing to remember is....it's all just our opinions.  

According to dictionary.com, the word "elite" means, 1.  "The choice or best of anything considered collectively, as a group of class or persons".  2  "Persons of the highest class".  3.  "A group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group".  So, based on those definitions and my knowledge of football, I will give you MY "elite" quarterbacks in the game today, and the other catagories of ranking.

Top tier:  ELITE QUARTERBACKS.

Tom Brady.  An obvious choice.  The class of the current crop.  30-10 record as a starting QB in the postseason.  324 career TD passes and only 118 career interceptions.  Three Super Bowl wins.

Peyton Manning.  Holds most records in the record book or will most likely by the time he's done.  Made an amazing comeback from neck surgery and is still at the top of his game.  Won one Super Bowl, and the only knock on him is he should have won more with all the good Colts teams he was on.

Drew Brees.  Has led the NFL in passing yards 3 times since 2005 and is leading this year.  Broke Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a season.  Great completion percentage of 65.6 for his career.  Won one Super Bowl.

Aaron Rodgers.  Took over for a legend in Brett Favre, and is on pace to be thought of as a better quarterback than that legend...a rare feat indeed.  Much like Brees and the others, he is unbelievably efficient.  High completion percentage (65.5) and TD/int ratio.  Won one Super Bowl.

Ben Roethlisberger.  The last QB on my "elite" list.  Big Ben is slightly below the others stats wise in every catagory, but makes up for it with guts and guile.  Takes more hits than the other elite QB's and usually gets back up for more.  10-4 playoff record.  Won two Super Bowls.

Tier two--veteran QB's who are very competant but not quite elite:

Eli Manning.  Woefully inconsistent for an upper echelon QB.  200 career TD's but 140 INTs.  Completion percentage only 58.6 for his career, but barely over 60% the last five years.  Will scorch his opponent for 400 yards and 4 TD's one week and then throw for 160 with a TD and 4 picks the next week.  Won two Super bowls and had a 4-0 record in both postseasons, but lost his first playoff game in three other years.  I put him in the same catagory as Terry Bradshaw, who won Super Bowls but was never quite among the elite QB's of his era.

Philip Rivers.  Has good numbers.  Passes for a ton of yards and has a good completion percentage, yet throws too many interceptions.  Lack of leadership, as it seems his teams often win far less than it seems they should.

Tony Romo.  Also too inconstent to be elite.  Exciting QB who takes too many chances throwing into coverage and making bad reads.  When he is on, he is among the best though, but that is not often enough.  Will never win a Super Bowl.

Matt Schaub.  Very competant QB who will never be an elite QB.  Very solid numbers, but not spectacular.  Hasn't been in enough big games to know if he is a good big game quarterback.  A bit injury prone.

Jay Cutler.  Great arm, pretty good numbers.  Very valuable to his teams, as their record without him indicates.  Good leader.  Still, something's missing.  Doesn't endear himself to teammates, or anyone else for that matter.  Too injury prone and brittle.

Michael Vick.  Barely makes this catagory for me, and that is only because of his explosiveness and the fact that he brings something to the table most of these other QB's dont.  Makes things happen on a football field.  Running ability is second to none in NFL history as a QB.

Tier three:  Young quarterbacks who could someday be "elite".

Matt Ryan.  Has the arm, the tools and the head.  Hasn't done anything in the playoffs though yet. 

Matthew Stafford.  All the tools in the world.  Cannon for an arm.  Great numbers so far.  Looks like a young Brees, but the jury's still out.

Andrew Luck.  The number one pick in last years draft is showing why.  He is special, and has shown to be a great leader already.  Leading his team to the playoffs after a one win season last year would be unprecedented.

Robert Griffin III.  Looks like he could be the whole package.  A Michael Vick who can actually pass the ball exceptionally, lead, and read defenses.  Only thing I worry about is his longevity, due to his playing style.

Cam Newton.  Similar to RG3, he is fast and can run, but he is more of a beast physically.  Taller, stronger etc.  Passing wise though, he is still a work in progress.  Lot of upside and could be great, or he could turn into another Daunte Culpepper.

Andy Dalton.  Looks to be the real deal.  Similar to Matt Ryan to me.  Has all the tools and great size and arm stregth.  Way too early to tell for sure though.

Ryan Tannehill.  Too early to say, but has upside and could end up being elite eventually.  Hard to tell with that receiving corps.

Russell Wilson.  The next Fran Tarkenton or tier five?  Could go either way at this point.

Colin Kaepernick.  No way to tell after four games how he will be eventually, but has shown some nice abilities.

Tier four:  Starting NFL QB's no one will remember in twenty years.

Carson Palmer.  Was on his way to being elite after two years in the league, then regressed and has never come back.  Disappointing career for a former #1 pick.

Josh Freeman.  Some may argue he could still be elite, but I just don't see enough pocket presence or defensive recognition in him to get much better.

Joe Flacco.  At least HE thinks he is elite.  He is the only one, and I am pretty sure it will stay that way.

Sam Bradford.  I know many people will say it is too early to leave this former #1 overall pick in the tier four catagory, but I would have liked to see a "special" quality in him by now.  I haven't.

Christian Ponder.  Same for Ponder.  It's early, but he hasn't shown me a dominant, "special" trait yet and I doubt he will.

Tier five:  Guys who should be wearing a ball cap and holding a clipboard.

Mark Sanchez.  Yet another former USC high draft pick who has never lived up to expectations.

Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Comparing him to the other QB's in the league is like saying he brought a squirt gun to a gunfight.  Has an NFL backups arm.  Lucky he found a team he could start for for 3+ years and would pay him a boatload of money.  He should be a less than a million dollar a year backup.

Matt Cassel.  Had his opportunity in KC for the last few years, and hasn't done anything with it.  Headed for a backup job somewhere soon.

Blaine Gabbert.  Former first round pick has played like a sixth rounder.  Has the size and arm but hasn't shown an inkling of being even a competant NFL quarterback yet.

Alex Smith.  Oh right, he is already wearing a baseball cap and holding a clipboard.

Then there is the one guy I can't put in any catagory because the NFL refuses to give him a chance to prove that last year wasn't a fluke, and that is Tim Tebow.