Adam Steele is back to discuss Marginal YAC, this time in the context of the 2015 season. You can view all of Adam’s posts here.
Marginal Air Yards: 2015 Year In Review
Today I will be updating my Marginal Air Yards metric for the now completed 2015 season. New readers who aren’t familiar with Marginal Air Yards can get up to speed by reading my three part intro-series and 2014’s year in review.
There were 44 quarterbacks who threw at least 100 passes in 2015, and they are ranked by mAir below:
| Rk | Quarterback | Team | mAir | mYAC | Att | AirYds | YAC | Air/C | YAC/C | Air/A | Air % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carson Palmer | ARI | 810 | -52 | 537 | 2897 | 1774 | 8.47 | 5.19 | 5.39 | 62% |
| 2 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 646 | -234 | 469 | 2469 | 1469 | 7.74 | 4.61 | 5.26 | 62.7% |
| 3 | Jameis Winston | TB | 448 | -152 | 535 | 2528 | 1514 | 8.1 | 4.85 | 4.73 | 62.5% |
| 4 | Cam Newton | CAR | 442 | -114 | 496 | 2370 | 1467 | 8.01 | 4.96 | 4.78 | 61.8% |
| 5 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | 421 | -155 | 380 | 1898 | 1137 | 7.84 | 4.7 | 4.99 | 62.5% |
| 6 | Russell Wilson | SEA | 329 | 61 | 483 | 2206 | 1818 | 6.71 | 5.53 | 4.57 | 54.8% |
| 7 | Blake Bortles | JAC | 294 | -118 | 606 | 2650 | 1778 | 7.46 | 5.01 | 4.37 | 59.8% |
| 8 | Andy Dalton | CIN | 283 | 105 | 386 | 1783 | 1467 | 6.99 | 5.75 | 4.62 | 54.9% |
| 9 | Matt Ryan | ATL | 278 | -247 | 614 | 2665 | 1926 | 6.55 | 4.73 | 4.34 | 58% |
| 10 | Brian Hoyer | HOU | 263 | -287 | 369 | 1697 | 909 | 7.58 | 4.06 | 4.6 | 65.1% |
| 11 | Marcus Mariota | TEN | 196 | -44 | 370 | 1634 | 1184 | 7.1 | 5.15 | 4.42 | 58% |
| 12 | Kirk Cousins | WAS | 147 | -116 | 543 | 2258 | 1908 | 5.96 | 5.03 | 4.16 | 54.2% |
| 13 | A.J. McCarron | CIN | 64 | -95 | 119 | 527 | 327 | 6.67 | 4.14 | 4.43 | 61.7% |
| 14 | Drew Brees | NO | 27 | 120 | 627 | 2464 | 2406 | 5.76 | 5.62 | 3.93 | 50.6% |
| 15 | Brandon Weeden | 2TM | 26 | -44 | 140 | 570 | 474 | 5.88 | 4.89 | 4.07 | 54.6% |
| 16 | Kellen Moore | DAL | 22 | 27 | 104 | 426 | 353 | 6.98 | 5.79 | 4.1 | 54.7% |
| 17 | Andrew Luck | IND | 21 | -144 | 293 | 1160 | 721 | 7.16 | 4.45 | 3.96 | 61.7% |
| 18 | Peyton Manning | DEN | -13 | -82 | 331 | 1274 | 975 | 6.43 | 4.92 | 3.85 | 56.6% |
| 19 | Tony Romo | DAL | -17 | -12 | 121 | 453 | 431 | 5.46 | 5.19 | 3.74 | 51.2% |
| 20 | Ryan Tannehill | MIA | -21 | 13 | 586 | 2257 | 1951 | 6.22 | 5.37 | 3.85 | 53.6% |
| 21 | Brock Osweiler | DEN | -21 | 11 | 275 | 1048 | 919 | 6.16 | 5.41 | 3.81 | 53.3% |
| 22 | Jay Cutler | CHI | -26 | 147 | 483 | 1851 | 1808 | 5.95 | 5.81 | 3.83 | 50.6% |
| 23 | Josh McCown | CLE | -43 | 24 | 292 | 1092 | 1017 | 5.87 | 5.47 | 3.74 | 51.8% |
| 24 | Jimmy Clausen | 2TM | -48 | -83 | 125 | 438 | 301 | 6.08 | 4.18 | 3.5 | 59.3% |
| 25 | Tom Brady | NE | -54 | 252 | 624 | 2371 | 2399 | 5.9 | 5.97 | 3.8 | 49.7% |
| 26 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | NYJ | -61 | -7 | 562 | 2123 | 1782 | 6.34 | 5.32 | 3.78 | 54.4% |
| 27 | Eli Manning | NYG | -65 | 32 | 618 | 2337 | 2099 | 6.04 | 5.42 | 3.78 | 52.7% |
| 28 | Ryan Mallett | 2TM | -66 | -272 | 244 | 882 | 454 | 6.49 | 3.34 | 3.61 | 66% |
| 29 | Johnny Manziel | CLE | -77 | 21 | 223 | 790 | 710 | 6.12 | 5.5 | 3.54 | 52.7% |
| 30 | Case Keenum | STL | -81 | 17 | 125 | 405 | 423 | 5.33 | 5.57 | 3.24 | 48.9% |
| 31 | Derek Carr | OAK | -90 | -19 | 573 | 2137 | 1850 | 6.11 | 5.29 | 3.73 | 53.6% |
| 32 | Matt Cassel | DAL | -91 | -65 | 205 | 706 | 570 | 5.93 | 4.79 | 3.44 | 55.3% |
| 33 | Matt Hasselbeck | IND | -103 | -35 | 256 | 892 | 798 | 5.72 | 5.12 | 3.48 | 52.8% |
| 34 | Zach Mettenberger | TEN | -142 | -107 | 166 | 503 | 432 | 4.98 | 4.28 | 3.03 | 53.8% |
| 35 | Blaine Gabbert | SF | -173 | 157 | 282 | 923 | 1108 | 5.19 | 6.22 | 3.27 | 45.4% |
| 36 | Colin Kaepernick | SF | -197 | 95 | 244 | 751 | 864 | 5.22 | 6 | 3.08 | 46.5% |
| 37 | Joe Flacco | BAL | -302 | 68 | 413 | 1303 | 1488 | 4.9 | 5.59 | 3.15 | 46.7% |
| 38 | Alex Smith | KC | -312 | 332 | 470 | 1515 | 1971 | 4.93 | 6.42 | 3.22 | 43.5% |
| 39 | Teddy Bridgewater | MIN | -322 | 257 | 447 | 1415 | 1816 | 4.85 | 6.22 | 3.17 | 43.8% |
| 40 | Sam Bradford | PHI | -391 | 200 | 532 | 1677 | 2048 | 4.85 | 5.92 | 3.15 | 45% |
| 41 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | -427 | 172 | 572 | 1796 | 2025 | 5.18 | 5.84 | 3.14 | 47% |
| 42 | Matthew Stafford | DET | -441 | 277 | 592 | 1860 | 2402 | 4.67 | 6.04 | 3.14 | 43.6% |
| 43 | Nick Foles | STL | -452 | 179 | 337 | 858 | 1194 | 4.52 | 6.28 | 2.55 | 41.8% |
| 44 | Philip Rivers | SD | -456 | 345 | 661 | 2113 | 2679 | 4.84 | 6.13 | 3.2 | 44.1% |
Using conventional passing stats, the QB field in 2015 was bunched very close together – the majority of the league’s signal callers floated together in a sea of mediocrity. Curiously, when we parse their numbers by air yards and YAC, the exact opposite becomes true. This year, we saw a lot of quarterbacks rack up gaudy air yardage numbers, with just as many sinking to the depths of air yardage depravity. As impressive as Carson Palmer’s season was by conventional stats, he was historically dominant when air yards are factored in. Ben Roethlisberger put together a similarly dominant 2015, and perhaps would have matched Palmer had he not missed time due to injury. Although the Buccaneers limped to a 6-10 record, Jameis Winston had an extremely impressive rookie campaign, finishing 3rd in mAir and 2nd in air yards per completion. Another first year starter, Tyrod Taylor, was an air yardage monster in 2015, nearly eclipsing Winston on 155 fewer attempts. Speaking of young quarterbacks, the turnaround for Blake Bortles this year was borderline miraculous. In his rookie year of 2014, Bortles finished dead last in mAir, posting a ghastly -513. But in 2015, he jumped all the way up to 7th with a healthy +294. Color me surprised.
At the other end of the spectrum, Captain Checkdown became a very popular alias in 2015. We have the usual suspects like Alex Smith and Sam Bradford, two quarterbacks who personify the inability to go deep. But then we find some names that seem quite out of place lurking near the bottom, most notably Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers. In fairness, both of them were hamstrung by key injuries to their supporting cast, and they did compensate somewhat with high mYAC, but it’s still shocking to see these two perennial greats fall off a cliff as they did in 2015. How shocking? Check out their season-by-season splits:
| A. Rodgers | mAir | mYAC | Att | Air/C | YAC/C | Air/A | Air % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 358 | -115 | 536 | 7 | 4.84 | 4.45 | 59.1% |
| 2009 | 287 | 258 | 541 | 6.49 | 6.18 | 4.2 | 51.2% |
| 2010 | 287 | 180 | 475 | 6.55 | 6.02 | 4.31 | 52.1% |
| 2011 | 542 | 258 | 502 | 7.23 | 6.31 | 4.94 | 53.4% |
| 2012 | 38 | 164 | 552 | 5.82 | 5.75 | 3.91 | 50.3% |
| 2013 | 141 | 242 | 290 | 6.28 | 6.85 | 4.18 | 47.8% |
| 2014 | 264 | 282 | 520 | 6.42 | 6.43 | 4.21 | 50% |
| 2015 | -427 | 172 | 572 | 5.18 | 5.84 | 3.14 | 47% |
Since becoming the Packers’ starter in 2008, Rodgers had generated positive mAir every season without exception, finishing at or near the top of the league on an annual basis. Until 2015, that is. Rodgers fell to an unreal -427 mAir and a corresponding 41st place finish. I never dreamed he would have a season of this nature until he was well past his prime. Now, to Rodgers’ credit, he has also been a YAC extraordinaire throughout his career, and this year he still registered a strong +172. But even with the YAC boost, he still finished with a career low (by a mile) 6.7 yards per attempt.
| P. Rivers | mAir | mYAC | Att | Air/C | YAC/C | Air/A | Air % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 215 | -25 | 460 | 6.88 | 5.05 | 4.25 | 57.6% |
| 2007 | -38 | 57 | 460 | 6.27 | 5.1 | 3.78 | 55.1% |
| 2008 | 361 | 223 | 478 | 6.95 | 5.9 | 4.54 | 54.1% |
| 2009 | 424 | 322 | 486 | 6.96 | 6.46 | 4.54 | 51.9% |
| 2010 | 353 | 414 | 541 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 4.35 | 50% |
| 2011 | 217 | 127 | 582 | 6.73 | 5.9 | 4.23 | 53.3% |
| 2012 | -359 | 143 | 527 | 4.93 | 5.74 | 3.16 | 46.2% |
| 2013 | 194 | 157 | 544 | 5.83 | 6.02 | 4.05 | 49.2% |
| 2014 | 101 | -48 | 570 | 5.84 | 5.47 | 3.88 | 51.6% |
| 2015 | -456 | 345 | 661 | 4.84 | 6.13 | 3.2 | 44.1% |
Mr. Rivers has also been a very consistent air yardage generator throughout his career, highlighted by a trio of top three mAir finishes from 2008-10. His only major hiccup came in 2012, but in 2015 Rivers sunk to a new low at -456 and a startling last-place finish. Like Rodgers, he has traditionally been a YAC gobbler as well, and this year YAC was his only saving grace with a formidable +345 mYAC. I have to think that both of these guys will bounce back in 2016 and play more like their usual selves, although Rivers is now in his mid-30s and his struggles in 2015 could be foreshadowing the decline phase of his career.
Earlier I mentioned Carson Palmer’s historical mAir production in 2015, but where exactly does it stack up? Here are the top 50 Marginal Air Yards seasons since data became available in 1992:
| # | Quarterback | Team | Year | mAir | mYAC | Att | Air/C | YAC/C | Air/A | Air % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daunte Culpepper | MIN | 2000 | 810 | -178 | 474 | 8.82 | 4.43 | 5.53 | 66.6% |
| 2 | Carson Palmer | ARI | 2015 | 810 | -52 | 537 | 8.47 | 5.19 | 5.39 | 62% |
| 3 | Peyton Manning | IND | 2006 | 785 | -353 | 557 | 7.98 | 4.17 | 5.19 | 65.7% |
| 4 | Mark Brunell | JAC | 1996 | 782 | -299 | 557 | 8.17 | 4.2 | 5.18 | 66.1% |
| 5 | Peyton Manning | IND | 2004 | 763 | 100 | 497 | 8.43 | 5.13 | 5.7 | 62.1% |
| 6 | Steve McNair | TEN | 2003 | 702 | -215 | 400 | 8.79 | 4.07 | 5.5 | 68.4% |
| 7 | Kurt Warner | STL | 2001 | 665 | 201 | 546 | 7.36 | 5.52 | 5.05 | 57.1% |
| 8 | Peyton Manning | IND | 2000 | 654 | -218 | 571 | 7.94 | 4.42 | 4.96 | 64.2% |
| 9 | Steve McNair | TEN | 2001 | 649 | -269 | 431 | 8.72 | 3.97 | 5.34 | 68.7% |
| 10 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 2015 | 646 | -234 | 469 | 7.74 | 4.61 | 5.26 | 62.7% |
| 11 | Jeff Hostetler | LAA | 1993 | 599 | -129 | 419 | 9.53 | 4.2 | 5.37 | 69.4% |
| 12 | Tony Romo | DAL | 2006 | 577 | -78 | 337 | 8.41 | 4.79 | 5.49 | 63.7% |
| 13 | Tom Brady | NE | 2007 | 555 | 70 | 578 | 7 | 5.07 | 4.82 | 58% |
| 14 | Randall Cunningham | MIN | 1998 | 552 | 149 | 425 | 8.72 | 5.58 | 5.32 | 61% |
| 15 | Chris Chandler | ATL | 1998 | 544 | 345 | 327 | 9.78 | 6.82 | 5.68 | 58.9% |
| 16 | Peyton Manning | IND | 2005 | 544 | -43 | 453 | 7.57 | 4.71 | 5.1 | 61.6% |
| 17 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | 2011 | 542 | 258 | 502 | 7.23 | 6.31 | 4.94 | 53.4% |
| 18 | Carson Palmer | CIN | 2006 | 538 | -134 | 520 | 7.73 | 4.73 | 4.81 | 62% |
| 19 | Jeff George | MIN | 1999 | 528 | 48 | 329 | 9.36 | 5.38 | 5.43 | 63.5% |
| 20 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 2009 | 521 | 117 | 506 | 7.05 | 5.79 | 4.7 | 54.9% |
| 21 | Kurt Warner | STL | 2000 | 517 | 404 | 347 | 7.84 | 6.75 | 5.31 | 53.7% |
| 22 | Peyton Manning | IND | 2007 | 509 | -108 | 515 | 7.41 | 4.58 | 4.85 | 61.8% |
| 23 | Matt Hasselbeck | SEA | 2005 | 506 | -225 | 449 | 7.67 | 4.09 | 5.02 | 65.2% |
| 24 | Peyton Manning | DEN | 2014 | 500 | -195 | 597 | 6.86 | 5.1 | 4.54 | 57.4% |
| 25 | Eli Manning | NYG | 2011 | 484 | 181 | 589 | 7.68 | 6.06 | 4.68 | 55.9% |
| 26 | Tony Romo | DAL | 2007 | 484 | 78 | 520 | 7.44 | 5.13 | 4.79 | 59.2% |
| 27 | Trent Green | STL | 2000 | 483 | -66 | 240 | 9.66 | 4.57 | 5.83 | 67.9% |
| 28 | Scott Mitchell | DET | 1995 | 482 | -126 | 583 | 7.83 | 4.71 | 4.65 | 62.5% |
| 29 | Drew Brees | NO | 2009 | 465 | 62 | 514 | 6.47 | 5.62 | 4.57 | 53.5% |
| 30 | Jake Delhomme | CAR | 2008 | 453 | -6 | 414 | 8.21 | 5.16 | 4.88 | 61.4% |
| 31 | Jameis Winston | TB | 2015 | 448 | -152 | 535 | 8.1 | 4.85 | 4.73 | 62.5% |
| 32 | Drew Bledsoe | NE | 1998 | 447 | -62 | 481 | 9.05 | 4.77 | 4.95 | 65.5% |
| 33 | John Elway | DEN | 1998 | 445 | -120 | 356 | 8.93 | 4.43 | 5.27 | 66.8% |
| 34 | Carson Palmer | CIN | 2005 | 444 | -268 | 509 | 7.04 | 4.08 | 4.77 | 63.3% |
| 35 | Cam Newton | CAR | 2015 | 442 | -114 | 496 | 8.01 | 4.96 | 4.78 | 61.8% |
| 36 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 2007 | 439 | -138 | 404 | 7.57 | 4.38 | 4.95 | 63.4% |
| 37 | Elvis Grbac | KC | 2000 | 435 | 4 | 547 | 7.75 | 5.04 | 4.62 | 60.6% |
| 38 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 2004 | 434 | 11 | 295 | 8.48 | 4.89 | 5.63 | 63.4% |
| 39 | Drew Brees | NO | 2011 | 429 | -89 | 657 | 6.34 | 5.37 | 4.51 | 54.1% |
| 40 | Eli Manning | NYG | 2012 | 427 | -245 | 536 | 7.75 | 4.55 | 4.64 | 63% |
| 41 | Steve Young | SF | 1993 | 426 | 284 | 462 | 7.16 | 5.66 | 4.86 | 55.9% |
| 42 | Philip Rivers | SD | 2009 | 424 | 322 | 486 | 6.96 | 6.46 | 4.54 | 51.9% |
| 43 | Peyton Manning | DEN | 2012 | 424 | -132 | 583 | 6.66 | 4.99 | 4.57 | 57.2% |
| 44 | Jim Kelly | BUF | 1992 | 421 | -151 | 462 | 8.63 | 4.22 | 5.03 | 67.2% |
| 45 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | 2015 | 421 | -155 | 380 | 7.84 | 4.7 | 4.99 | 62.5% |
| 46 | Steve Beuerlein | PHO | 1993 | 421 | -130 | 418 | 8.02 | 4.25 | 4.95 | 65.4% |
| 47 | Tony Romo | DAL | 2014 | 420 | -28 | 435 | 6.68 | 5.51 | 4.67 | 54.8% |
| 48 | Matt Schaub | HOU | 2009 | 413 | 64 | 583 | 6.44 | 5.61 | 4.37 | 53.5% |
| 49 | Marc Bulger | STL | 2004 | 410 | -17 | 485 | 7.57 | 4.78 | 5.01 | 61.3% |
| 50 | Dan Marino | MIA | 1992 | 408 | -149 | 554 | 8.14 | 4.33 | 4.85 | 65.3% |
So close! Palmer finishes a mere fraction of a yard behind Daunte Culpepper for the greatest air yardage season on record. If I had an MVP vote, it would have gone to Palmer. He somewhat quietly had one of the best QB seasons in recent memory, and led the Cardinals to their most successful regular season in franchise history. Roethlisberger also cracked the historical top 10, with the aforementioned Winston, Taylor, and probable MVP Cam Newton joining him in the top 50. This is only the second season since 1992 (the other being 2000) to place five quarterbacks in the top 50.
Of course you also want to see the bottom 50, right?
| # | Quarterback | Team | Year | mAir | mYAC | Att | Air/C | YAC/C | Air/A | Air % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1051 | Christian Ponder | MIN | 2012 | -635 | 119 | 483 | 4.07 | 5.71 | 2.53 | 41.6% |
| 1050 | Mark Rypien | WAS | 1993 | -634 | 102 | 319 | 3.75 | 5.37 | 1.95 | 41.1% |
| 1049 | Sam Bradford | STL | 2010 | -614 | 17 | 590 | 4.44 | 5.49 | 2.66 | 44.7% |
| 1048 | Joey Harrington | DET | 2003 | -606 | -109 | 554 | 4.75 | 4.57 | 2.65 | 50.9% |
| 1047 | Blaine Gabbert | JAC | 2011 | -561 | 14 | 413 | 4.92 | 5.62 | 2.5 | 46.7% |
| 1046 | Joey Harrington | DET | 2004 | -559 | 245 | 489 | 5.39 | 5.73 | 3.02 | 48.5% |
| 1045 | Brett Favre | GB | 2006 | -552 | 358 | 613 | 5.14 | 6.18 | 2.88 | 45.4% |
| 1044 | Blake Bortles | JAC | 2014 | -513 | 95 | 475 | 4.45 | 5.94 | 2.62 | 42.8% |
| 1043 | Derek Carr | OAK | 2014 | -509 | -387 | 599 | 4.91 | 4.49 | 2.85 | 52.3% |
| 1042 | Boomer Esiason | CIN | 1992 | -498 | 72 | 278 | 4.49 | 5.28 | 2.32 | 45.9% |
| 1041 | Tom Brady | NE | 2002 | -497 | 151 | 601 | 4.78 | 5.31 | 2.97 | 47.3% |
| 1040 | Joey Harrington | DET | 2002 | -497 | 109 | 429 | 5.26 | 5.41 | 2.63 | 49.3% |
| 1039 | Brett Favre | GB | 1993 | -489 | 224 | 522 | 4.93 | 5.46 | 3 | 47.5% |
| 1038 | Bruce Gradkowski | TB | 2006 | -489 | 1 | 328 | 4.24 | 5.15 | 2.29 | 45.2% |
| 1037 | Donovan McNabb | PHI | 2000 | -488 | 19 | 569 | 5.11 | 5.09 | 2.96 | 50.1% |
| 1036 | Matt Hasselbeck | SEA | 2009 | -485 | 130 | 488 | 4.45 | 5.89 | 2.67 | 43.1% |
| 1035 | Chad Henne | JAC | 2013 | -481 | 155 | 503 | 4.52 | 6.11 | 2.74 | 42.5% |
| 1034 | Brandon Weeden | CLE | 2012 | -473 | 293 | 517 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 2.93 | 44.7% |
| 1033 | David Carr | HOU | 2006 | -472 | 16 | 442 | 3.97 | 5.2 | 2.71 | 43.3% |
| 1032 | Bobby Hoying | PHI | 1998 | -468 | -42 | 224 | 3.79 | 4.64 | 1.93 | 45% |
| 1031 | Chris Weinke | CAR | 2001 | -458 | -143 | 540 | 5.51 | 4.49 | 2.99 | 55.1% |
| 1030 | Philip Rivers | SD | 2015 | -456 | 345 | 661 | 4.84 | 6.13 | 3.2 | 44.1% |
| 1029 | Drew Bledsoe | NE | 2000 | -454 | 147 | 531 | 5.04 | 5.5 | 2.96 | 47.8% |
| 1028 | Nick Foles | STL | 2015 | -452 | 179 | 337 | 4.52 | 6.28 | 2.55 | 41.8% |
| 1027 | Matthew Stafford | DET | 2015 | -441 | 277 | 592 | 4.67 | 6.04 | 3.14 | 43.6% |
| 1026 | Jay Cutler | CHI | 2014 | -439 | 103 | 561 | 4.43 | 5.88 | 2.92 | 43% |
| 1025 | Kyle Boller | BAL | 2004 | -434 | -187 | 464 | 5.81 | 4.11 | 3.23 | 58.5% |
| 1024 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | 2015 | -427 | 172 | 572 | 5.18 | 5.84 | 3.14 | 47% |
| 1023 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | BUF | 2012 | -427 | 260 | 505 | 4.95 | 6.16 | 3 | 44.5% |
| 1022 | David Klingler | CIN | 1993 | -426 | 106 | 343 | 4.87 | 5.31 | 2.7 | 47.9% |
| 1021 | Drew Brees | SD | 2003 | -405 | 171 | 356 | 4.52 | 5.76 | 2.6 | 44% |
| 1020 | Jason Campbell | WAS | 2009 | -402 | 380 | 507 | 4.46 | 6.61 | 2.87 | 40.3% |
| 1019 | Alex Smith | KC | 2013 | -399 | 110 | 508 | 4.8 | 5.96 | 2.91 | 44.6% |
| 1018 | Alex Smith | KC | 2014 | -395 | 246 | 464 | 4.37 | 6.41 | 2.85 | 40.5% |
| 1017 | Jimmy Clausen | CAR | 2010 | -394 | -9 | 299 | 4.54 | 5.38 | 2.38 | 45.8% |
| 1016 | Sam Bradford | PHI | 2015 | -391 | 200 | 532 | 4.85 | 5.92 | 3.15 | 45% |
| 1015 | Shaun Hill | DET | 2010 | -388 | 136 | 416 | 4.48 | 5.97 | 2.77 | 42.9% |
| 1014 | Steve Bono | KC | 1996 | -380 | 114 | 438 | 5.42 | 5.53 | 2.91 | 49.5% |
| 1013 | Drew Bledsoe | NE | 1995 | -376 | -185 | 636 | 6.36 | 4.5 | 3.23 | 58.6% |
| 1012 | Matt Cassel | NE | 2008 | -375 | 421 | 516 | 4.82 | 6.47 | 3.06 | 42.7% |
| 1011 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | BUF | 2011 | -360 | 35 | 569 | 5.2 | 5.65 | 3.23 | 47.9% |
| 1010 | Philip Rivers | SD | 2012 | -359 | 143 | 527 | 4.93 | 5.74 | 3.16 | 46.2% |
| 1009 | Jason Campbell | WAS | 2008 | -355 | 53 | 506 | 4.95 | 5.35 | 3.08 | 48% |
| 1008 | Matthew Stafford | DET | 2009 | -351 | 142 | 377 | 5.13 | 6.15 | 2.73 | 45.5% |
| 1007 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | CIN | 2008 | -350 | -297 | 372 | 4.78 | 3.84 | 2.84 | 55.5% |
| 1006 | Jon Kitna | SEA | 2000 | -350 | 108 | 418 | 4.81 | 5.45 | 2.98 | 46.9% |
| 1005 | Peyton Manning | IND | 1998 | -345 | 142 | 575 | 6.03 | 5.44 | 3.42 | 52.6% |
| 1004 | Stan Gelbaugh | SEA | 1992 | -339 | 18 | 255 | 5.87 | 4.93 | 2.78 | 54.3% |
| 1003 | Kyle Boller | STL | 2009 | -338 | 58 | 176 | 3.13 | 6.04 | 1.74 | 34.1% |
| 1002 | Shane Matthews | CHI | 1999 | -330 | 65 | 275 | 4.33 | 5.52 | 2.63 | 44% |
While none of this year’s passers could equal the futility of Christian Ponder or Joey Harrington, 2015 became the first season to place five quarterbacks in the bottom 50. Apparently historical greatness must be balanced out by historical suckiness!
What are your observations? If you have any ideas on other things I could do with this data, please let me know!