The New Elites In The NFL

I'm not a big fan of "conventional wisdom," but it consistently remains true that the key to winning the Super Bowl is having an elite quarterback. 

Elite quarterbacks were on display this past weekend in the NFL: Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning. 

With the exception of Brady, the new elites pushed them aside. 

Whether Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco would ever be ready to join the elite ranks has been the subject of much debate. Flacco ended the talk on Saturday, not just with the "Flacco fling," but by coolly stepping up and answering Manning's big plays with big passes of his own in front of a hostile crowd.

Colin Kaepernick used both his feet and stunning accuracy to defeat Rodgers. Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson dueled in a classic game. Only Matt Schaub, who had already been struggling down the stretch, failed to impress, while Tom Brady picked apart the Texans.

This past weekend not only featured great games, but also the future of the NFL.