SB Nation Pittsburgh links to a Ben Roethlisberger quote ruminating on whether his draft class may eventually surpass the fabled 1983 QB draft class that included John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino (and a couple other guys named Bob).
“And all four quarterbacks — Matt Schaub, Philip (Rivers), myself and Eli — that were drafted there. I hope we can play well enough that one day they talk about us as maybe the best quarterback draft class of all time.”
Let’s check out the numbers.
| Class of 1983 | Designation | Superbowl Record | Passing Yards | Years | Yardage Rank |
| John Elway | HOF | 2-3 | 51,475 | 16 | 4 |
| Todd Blackledge | Bust | 0-0 | 5,283 | 7 | 245 |
| Jim Kelly | HOF | 0-4 | 35,467 | 11 | 18 |
| Tony Eason | Ok | 0-1 | 11,142 | 8 | 154 |
| Ken O’Brien | Ok | 0-0 | 25,094 | 10 | 62 |
| Dan Marino | HOF | 0-1 | 61,361 | 17 | 2 |
| Totals/Averages | 2-9 | 189,822 | 69 | 80.83 |
| Class of 2004 | Designation | Superbowl Record | Passing Yards | Years | Yardage Rank | |
| Eli Manning | Potential HOF | 2-0 | 29,980 | 8.5 | 36 | |
| Philip Rivers | Mediocre | 0-0 | 25,931 | 8.5 | 58 | |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Potential HOF | 2-1 | 28,566 | 8.5 | 44 | |
| J.P. Losman | Bust | 0-0 | 6,271 | 8 | 223 | |
| Matt Schaub | Undecided | 0-0 | 19,586 | 8.5 | 98 | |
| Totals/Averages | 4-1 | 110,334 | 42 | 91.8 |
I tend to believe 2004 has already surpassed 1983 because of a superior Superbowl record. 2-9 for 1983? That’s abysmal! Continue reading »