How 'Golden Age' of quarterbacks began passing the torches in 2017

For more than a decade, NFL fans have known which names to expect among the league's top passers year in and year out.

Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers have been not only staples of NFL Sundays, but have immortalized themselves in league record books.

All five quarterbacks got their first career starts between 2001 and 2004 and proceeded to become household names, regularly leading their teams to the postseason and racking up Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.

While Peyton Manning may have started the era and Aaron Rodgers will likely continue to dominate into his late-30s, these five passers defined the "Golden Age" of NFL passers. Football spent decades collecting the likes of Brett Favre, Dan Marino, John Elway, Fran Tarkenton, and Joe Montana to eventually achieve accomplishments that these five modern passers did simultaneously in just 15 years.

This year began to show not just cracks in the armor of these veterans, and that their dominance in the NFL is coming to an end as the next generation introduces itself to the football world.

Manning saw his consecutive start streak end at 210 games, as he was unable to prevent his team from its worst record in franchise history. Brees is likely to put up his lowest passing yardage total of a 16-game season since 2005, while the Saints have shifted to a run-first attack. Rivers is still putting up close to normal statistics for himself, but his team is in danger of missing the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years and is expected to look for its next franchise passer at the draft.

Brady and Roethlisberger remain first and second, respectively, in league passing yards this season. While Brady has gone to every length of the earth to find out how to continually fend off Father Time, Roethlisberger has teased retirement each of the past three seasons, citing injuries and long-term health concerns.

Had it not been for some key injuries, however, the future Hall of Famers could have been watching as the league's next crop of generational passers overtook them.

Deshaun Watson was leading the NFL in passing touchdowns and had already set three rookie records through the first seven games of his career before an ACL tear derailed his first season. Carson Wentz hasn't played since Week 14 and still leads the league in passing scores; an ACL tear also ended his season, which was lining up for him to win MVP.

Those two quarterbacks, along with Jared Goff, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Dak Prescott, represent the changing of the guard among NFL passers. Whatever you want to call them, these are the men who represent the NFL's new age.

It doesn't take long to recognize these five young passers aren't carbon copies of their predecessors, as all but Goff have shown an affinity for being much more mobile than their seniors. But personality wise, it isn't hard to draw parallels between the young and the old.

Brady literally spent three-and-a-half years transferring knowledge and mentoring Garoppolo, who has been the talk of the league since winning four straight with the 49ers - a team that had just one victory before he took over. Garoppolo's character has been infectious in San Francisco, and his good looks and calm demeanor have everyone convinced he's a star.

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It's still early in Goff's career, but he has already started building a portfolio of lackadaisical faces worthy of comparisons to Manning and his infamous "Eli face." On top of that, the two players are both former first overall picks with laid-back leadership styles who like to stay in the pocket.

Watson's ability to take command of the entire Texans organization and convincingly show them he's their franchise quarterback. Brees took a few years and had to jump franchises, but once he landed in New Orleans, he was in full command of the organization. No teammate ever speaks a bad word about Brees, and no one should expect Watson's teammates to do so either.

Rivers and Prescott are the ultimate "blame it all on me" guys for their teams. Rivers has been loyal to a fault with the Chargers, grinding through injuries every season and keeping his team in virtually every game they play. Prescott tried so hard to shoulder the blame for a dropped pass last weekend he accidentally threw Dez Bryant under the bus. Both quarterbacks have also benefited from playing with All-Pro running backs - LaDainian Tomlinson and Ezekiel Elliott - early in their careers.

The comparison between Wentz and Roethlisberger may be the strongest. Both were drafted out of smaller schools and now play for teams in Pennsylvania. Both stand 6-foot-5 and weigh between 237 and 240 pounds. Both play with reckless abandon, which has come back to bite them with ill-timed injuries.

It would be no surprise to see all five veteran quarterbacks return for the 2018 season, but it seems clear the days of expecting them to dominate defenses, headlines, and league statistics without competition are over. Time to embrace the next generation and applaud the golden age.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)