Okay folks.  I am back with Tier 2.  I know, you were all on the edge of your seat waiting patiently for this exact blog.  I know this because I got nothing but positive vibes from Tier 1.  No negativity or mean comments what-so-ever, and gee whiz, I appriciate it.  (Shout out to Reddit).

Tier 1 was full of shmucks who aren’t seeing the Playoffs this year.  Guaranteed.  Signed, sealed, delivered.  (I just came up with that.)  Tier 2 here is full of those players that you can’t decide if they’re good or not.  Is this guy elite? Is he a franchise quarterback?  Should we give him the extension?  These are the questions that GM’s ask themselves every season with a tier 2 QB.

Tier 2: Franchise QB’s?

After nothing but love from the Tier 1 rankings, especially from Reddit, here goes Tier 2.  I know you all are on the edge of your seat.

DISCLAIMER: As I was writing the Tier 1 blog, I had Ryan Tannehill as the first QB in Tier 2.  But alas, his season is gone and so is his spot in the 2nd Tier.  Lets just put Jay Clutch-ler in Miami in the 24 spot, ahead of Wentz, adjust the numbers accordingly.  We will start this list at 20. Also, move Bortles to 64th on the list after what I’ve seen this preseason.

So here. We. Go.

20. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Here we have a field general.  That’s all you ever hear and will ever hear about Alex Smith.  He’s the guy that when he completes a difficult pass, the announcer will say that he has “sneaky arm strength”.  But then when he doesn’t throw more than 8 and a half yards down-field, you hear Collinsworth talk about the jello that Smith has on either side of his torso.  The former #1 Overall Pick has been living in the group of guys that can get you to the playoffs, but not the guy who will carry you through each round.  Every single game will end with Smith walking away with 215 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT.  Signed. Sealed. Delivered. (I might be on to my new catchphrase).

19. Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins

You like that? (Aren’t I with it?) Kirk Cousins was the second QB taken by the Redskins in 2012, after RGIII going 2nd overall.  The Redskins are lucky and glad they went out and drafted 2 QB’s in the first 4 rounds.  Cousins looks like a guy who says “frick” instead of “fuck”.  He loves board games and has every Creed album.  But this guy has played pretty damn well lately.  He stepped up and carried the Redskins to the playoffs in 2015 after finishing the season with 4 straight wins.  Now, after having the 6th best QBR each of the past two seasons, will the Redskins pay him the money and give him the extension he is looking for?

18. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Is Jor Flacco elite? The question that philosophers lost years of sleep over.  According to one non-expert (me) he is not.  Flacco has shown signs of getting to that elite level but lately he has regressed, finishing last season in the bottom 7 in passer rating, interceptions and yards per attempt.  Yeah, he hasn’t had the weapons that Matt Ryan or Ben Rothlisberger have and that hurts his chances of having a great season this year.  The addition of Danny Woodhead will give him somebody to throw to out of the backfield, which might clear things up down the field.

17. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

Science is on display in Arizona, showing why old people migrate down there in retirement.  Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald both have produced in their later years of their career.  Palmer reached the Pro Bowl in 2015 at the age of 36 while carrying the Cardinals to a 13-3 record.  The former #1 overall pick followed that with a very disappointing 2016, watching his QBR drop from 78.6 in 2015 to 58.9.  Could Father Time be catching up to Palmer? Well, having weapons like Fitz and David Johnson could help Palmer dodge Father Time one more time this season.  Until I see him get back to his 2015 form, I will keep him down here in the late teens. (Fun Fact: Byron Leftwich is now the QB Coach in Arizona, was drafted the same year as Palmer)

16. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

Former Heisman Trophy winner and former #2 overall pick Marcus Mariota made huge strides in his sophomore season.  Almost every single statistical category improved from year 1 to year 2 and now, in year 3, can we see him do it again?  Coming off of a broken right leg that ended his season last year might make Titan fans nervous, but now Mariota is surrounded with weapons that give him more options that he has had in his first two seasons.  The additions of Corey Davis in the first round of the draft and the signing of Eric Dekker join Delanie Walker and DeMarco Murray and all of a sudden give Mariota the potential to lead a high-octane offense.  Mariota is someone who is primed to skyrocket up this list next season.

15. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Coming off of his first losing season as a professional, Dalton is looking forward to getting his team back to the playoffs.  Last season, the Bengals had to deal with some injury issues, including star receiver AJ Green.  There aren’t many quarterbacks out there that could put up numbers without their All-Pro receiver.  Dalton now has speedster John Ross out of Washington to take some pressure off of Green and the field will open up a little more for everyone with the speedy threat opposing Green.  The three-time Pro-Bowler could rebound and get the Bengals back to the Promise Land in 2017.

14. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

This one may shock some people. Complete SHOCK.  I’m just the craziest guy you will ever meet.  Dak came out with a stellar rookie campaign but without Ezekiel Elliot for the first six games, Dak will have to take the reigns and try and repeat the 2016 season that brought the Cowboys to the Playoffs.  The O-Line will be able to keep pressure off Prescott and give him the ability to stay in the pocket and find Dez and Beasley all day errrry day.  If the Cowboys expect to win the NFC East again, Prescott will have to help them stay afloat until Zeke gets back in Week 8.

13. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If I needed a quarterback to talk to my elementary school class, I would draft Jameis #1 overall.  If I needed a young quarterback to build my team around for the future, I still might draft Jameis #1 overall.  After leading his team to a 9-7 record last season, missing the playoffs in a tiebreaker to the Lions, Jameis is set for a big breakout season in 2017.  After two seasons in the League, learning how to prepare and read defenses, Winston is now surrounded with weapons that would make Joe Flacco salivate.  The additions of DeSean Jackson and first round pick OJ Howard, along with Mike Evans and Doug Martin, make Tampa’s offense dangerous.  The former Heisman Trophy winner is primed to make a playoff run and show the league what he can do.

12. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers

Family Man.  Father of about 49 children.  And now the quarterback and face of LA’s newest franchise.  Rivers has been putting up numbers his whole career and now ranks 12th all-time in passing yards and only needs 1,170 more yards to pass Fran Tarkenton to crack the top 10.  The 6-time Pro-Bowler’s career is now winding down in a brand new city in front of a max crowd of 2,100 people and that is a shame.  Rivers plays in one of the toughest divisions in football and playing defenses like Denver and Kansas City 4 times a year will be a struggle, but don’t be surprised if he still puts up a season with enough passing yards to sneak into the top-5 in the league.

Wow.  Can you believe it? Tier 2 down and only two more tiers to go.  I know you all can’t wait for more.  I can hear it in your voices.  Tier 3 will be coming soon so please don’t fret.  Thank you again for the support and absolutely no rude comments.  It’s amazing how positive every single person is.  I’m not an expert and you all definitely understand without passing judgement.  You all are just the bees-knees.