David Carr is receiving a lot of heat from NFL fans this week. The Niner Faithful are upset that the former NFL quarterback turned NFL Network analyst predicted the San Francisco 49ers would start the 2018 season by losing each of their first four games. Pittsburgh Steelers fans are upset that Carr left Ben Roethlisberger off his list of top 10 quarterbacks in the league last week.
"Yes, he's a future Hall of Famer and there's no doubt he can still help the Steelers," explained Carr. "But, he has the most talented skill players in the league on his unit, and that pair -- Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell -- makes him look great 14 seasons in. I don't think Big Ben could win a ton of games without them at this stage in his career."
Carr's list is kicked off with Tom Brady of the New England Patriots in the top spot followed by Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. Carr's brother and Oakland Raiders quarterback, Derek Carr, came in at No. 4.
Two NFC West quarterbacks made Carr's list. The first was Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks at No. 5 and the second was 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco's signal caller came in at No. 10 within the ranking.
"The careers of Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Osweiler, both with small sample sizes of game play before signing massive contracts, couldn't be more different. After helping the Broncos go 5-2 during his time as the team's starter during its run to Super Bowl 50, Osweiler was average -- at best -- in Houston. He's jumped around since his short stint with the Texans and is currently a backup in Miami. Jimmy, on the other hand, has flourished with his new team, recording a 5-0 record last year as a starter under Kyle Shanahan. Garoppolo instantly changed the feel of the season for a 49ers team that didn't get its first win until Week 10. This is a prove-it season for him. Can he continue to win?"
In between Wilson and Garoppolo are Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions, Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers, Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers. As mentioned, Carr predicted the 49ers to start the upcoming season 0-4 despite Garoppolo being, in his mind, a top-10 quarterback in the league.
Garoppolo will have an opportunity to move up several offseason rankings as he heads into his first full season as a starting NFL quarterback. He entered the 2016 season as the starter for the Patriots but played in only two games in place of a suspended Brady. Garoppolo won both those games along with all five of his starts for the 49ers last year. He was ranked at No. 90 in this year's NFL Top 100 list. Although, if it were up to Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the 49ers quarterback would not have made the list at all.
"What did he play, five games? He has good potential, I think he'll be a good player, but my experience in playing him, it was a lot of scheme stuff. It wasn't like he was just dicing us up," Ramsey said on NFL Network this week.
Ramsey's Jaguars gave up 242 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown to Garoppolo during a 44-33 Week 16 loss last season.
"Ramsey said on NFL Network that his fellow players were wrong to put Garoppolo in the Top 100 players in the NFL, as Ramsey didn't come away thinking Garoppolo was great," wrote Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
H/T to Kirk Larrabee of 247 Sports for the find.
