Cowboys' Tony Romo has Edge as NFC East's Best Quarterback

Previously, I analyzed the NFC East's coaches, the men who ultimately have the most effect on how Dallas, New York, Philadelphia and Washington will fare in 2010. Now, let's look at the players who'll have the biggest impact on the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and Redskins: the quarterbacks.

It's common to judge quarterbacks on victories and defeats, especially Super Bowl victories. But having helped vote Warren Moon, who never reached a Super Bowl, into the Hall of Fame, and being perfectly fine with two-time champion Jim Plunkett not getting near Canton, I understand that there's much more to the position than winning a title. Consider Dan Marino, who was drafted by the defending AFC champion Miami Dolphins and all-time winningest coach Don Shula, and Archie Manning, who was drafted by the woebegone, coach-churning New Orleans Saints, and it's easy to see that a quarterback's team can make a huge difference in his results.

Given that proviso, let's consider the NFC East's quartet. Philadelphia's stunning decision to trade Donovan McNabb, its quarterback for a decade, to Washington in April changed the division's dynamics at the position. The Redskins suddenly went from having the the least seasoned quarterback, Jason Campbell (now with Oakland), to the most experienced. The Eagles, who promoted three-year backup Kevin Kolb into McNabb's old spot, did the reverse. Meanwhile, New York's Eli Manning is coming off the first non-playoff season of his starting career while Dallas' Tony Romo is coming off his first postseason victory.
Kolb, whose only two starts came last September when McNabb was hurt, might have a world of potential, but he's not even in the conversation at this point given that the others have all been starters for at least four seasons. So the 26-year-old Kolb is No. 4 in the division.

Romo, 30, clearly had the best 2009 season of the veteran trio. Not only did he break through in his third playoff game, but his 97.6 passer rating was the best of the group and ranked fourth in the NFC. He also led the Cowboys, who were second in the league on offense and sixth in passing, to their second NFC East title in three years. Romo was 5-2 against division rivals (counting the wild card triumph over McNabb and the Eagles), 3-2 against Manning and McNabb.

Manning, 29, had a fine 2009 season, too, with a 93.1 passer rating as the Giants, who were eighth on offense and 11th in passing, were done in by a deficient defense and wound up 8-8 after a 5-0 start. Manning was 4-2 in division play, 2-2 against Romo and McNabb.

The 33-year-old McNabb's 92.9 passer rating in 2009 was the third-best of his 10 seasons as the Eagles' starter. Philadelphia ranked 11th on offense, 10th in passing while reaching the playoffs for the eighth time with McNabb as its leader. McNabb was 4-3 in the NFC East (counting the playoff loss to Romo in Dallas), 2-3 against Romo and Manning.

But that was last year. A quarterback's career body of work has to be considered as well.

Romo, an undrafted rookie in 2003, supplanted veteran Drew Bledsoe as Dallas' starter in October 2006. His career .691 regular season winning percentage (38-17) is the best of any NFC starter and trails only those of Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. Romo has guided the Cowboys to the playoffs three times in his four seasons and posted a winning record in the year he missed. However, Romo's 1-3 postseason record is a rare major negative in his strong body of work that includes a career 95.6 passer rating, easily the best of the NFC East's veteran trio.

Manning, the top pick in the 2004 draft (for San Diego which sent him to New York in a pre-arranged trade for Rivers), took over for veteran Kurt Warner for the final seven games of his rookie year under then new-coach Tom Coughlin, but didn't become the established starter until 2005. His career .575 winning percentage (50-37) is just 13th among active starters behind that of the less-than-immortal Kyle Orton but ahead of that of reigning Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees. Manning led the Giants to the playoffs during his first four seasons as their starter until last year. His 4-3 postseason record is good, but odd since he lost immediately in 2005, 2006 and 2008 (twice at home) but went 4-0 in 2007, winning three road games before leading New York to an epic upset of previously perfect New England in Super Bowl XLII. And Manning's 79.2 career passer rating isn't special.

McNabb, selected second overall in 1999 by then-rookie coach Andy Reid, replaced journeyman Doug Pederson in November of his rookie year. McNabb guided Philadelphia to the playoffs in his first full year as a starter. The next four years, McNabb led the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game, finally breaking through in 2004 to the Super Bowl where they lost to the defending champion Patriots. Philadelphia's 6-10 record the next year was its only losing season during McNabb's decade in command although the 8-8 record in 2007 also failed to qualify for the playoffs, making him an excellent eight for 10 in that key statistic. McNabb's career passer rating is a fine 86.5. His .651 career regular season winning percentage (92-49-1) ranks eighth in the league and he has won nine of his 16 playoff starts.

So which of the three veteran quarterbacks is the NFC East's best? McNabb has accomplished the most in a career that has lasted twice as long as those of his rivals, but as is evident by the ankle injury that will keep him out of Washington's preseason game at the New York Jets on Friday, he gets hurt just about every year of late. He's also working with a new coach, Mike Shanahan, a new offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, and new teammates other than guard Artis Hicks. Manning is the only one of the trio to have won a Super Bowl, but his individual numbers aren't as impressive as those of Romo or McNabb. Romo had the best 2009 season but has not achieved any real playoff success.

It's a tough call, especially considering that McNabb is the oldest and has the least impressive supporting cast, but Romo's 2009 playoff breakthrough gives him the slight edge over Manning, who hasn't been as effective as the others apart from the magical run to the championship in 2007.