ESPNTheMag.Com Presents: All-World Power Rankings

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Dan The Man.

FOR BEST ROOKIE NFL QB EVER, WE'LL (STILL) TAKE DAN MARINO IN 1983

What is "All-World Power Rankings?"

Before this year, conventional wisdom held that rookie QBs in the NFL were supposed to struggle. (True: Big Ben was good as a rookie.) This season, two of 'em made the playoffs, one captured our NEXT title and Joe Flacco is gonna be playing in the AFC Title Game this Sunday after being the first rookie QB to win two games in the playoffs. Got us thinking: best rookie QB ever? Here we go.

TOP 5
RANK (YESTERDAY)		WHAT	WHY
	1 (14)	DAN MARINO (1983)	In his first game as a starter, he threw for 322 yards and 3 TD. The Fins made the playoffs, he led the AFC in passing and he started in the Pro Bowl. What more do you need?
	2 (410)	FRAN TARKENTON (1961)	Interesting: the top two on this list are probably best known for not winning a Super Bowl. Hmm. In Tarkenton's first game, against Da Bears, he chucked 4 TD and ran for another. For the season (Vikes went 3-11), he threw for 18 TD and rushed for five more.
	3 (21)	GREG COOK (1969)	Was pretty much good just in '69, but it was a sweet run: 17.5 yards per completion and over 1,800 yards to go with 15 TD.
	4 (127)	BEN ROETHLISBERGER (2004)	The team was 13-0 in regular season games he started.
	5 (899)	JOE FLACCO (2008)	Yea, we'll put this up here. Did you really think a six-seed Ravens team, even with that incredible D, would be in the AFC Title Game?

HONORABLE MENTION
RANK (YESTERDAY)		WHAT	WHY
	18 (144)	PEYTON MANNING (1998)	Took every snap, threw 26 TD and Bill Polian said of him at the time: "I've never seen improvement like this from a rookie in all my years."
	28 (701)	RICK MIRER (1993)	Sad, in that this was his best year. He completed 274 passes for over 2800 yards and the Seahawks improved four games, from 2-14 to 6-10. We own a Mirer jersey. Bust it out sometimes, to make a broader point about hope and destiny.

RISING AND FALLING
MOVEMENT		WHAT
		MATT RYAN (The Birds will keep getting better.)
		TROY AIKMAN (He definitely got better, but he was 0-11 as a rook with a 1:2 TD to INT ratio.)

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