President Barack Obama compared his political skills to the quarterbacking talents of Aaron Rodgers in an interview with GQ Magazine this week. Like the Green Bay Packers great, the president explained, he doesn't get flustered under pressure, keeps his eye constantly downfield and appreciates a good "discount double check" (OK, we made up the last part).
FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver, who knows something about bridging the worlds of sports and politics, had a different analogy: Obama is Eli Manning. It makes sense if you consider that both have two major wins, a bit of a mixed record in between and famous older brothers (again, last part made up).
But that got us thinking. What about the prospective presidents? To which current quarterbacks do they best compare?
To answer this pressing question, The Huffington Post brought together its sharpest sports analysts: Travis Waldron, who actually covers sports for the site; Sam Stein, who writes about politics; Amanda Terkel, who listens to Bills games occasionally when they're on TV in the background while she does work; Igor Bobic, whose fantasy team is currently 3-7; and Paige Lavender, who gave up on this assignment one-third of the way in.
Below is the scientific breakdown.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D)
Travis Waldron: Tom Brady -- Both are subjects of investigations that turned up nothing. Brady destroyed his cell phone to hide text messages from the NFL. Hillary kept her own private email address.
Amanda Terkel: Tom Brady -- He inexplicably lost the Super Bowl in 2008 as Clinton was losing the Democratic primary. But Brady has come back and is a strong contender to win this year. They're both also probably the best-known players in the game.
Igor Bobic: Philip Rivers -- As Clinton is to the Democratic Party, he is just about the only talent the Chargers have left.
Sam Stein: Tony Romo -- Like Romo, she is a talented veteran who plays for a successful but polarizing franchise. She hasn't won the big one yet, but the franchise has, and you feel like she could if she didn't keep injuring herself.
Paige Lavender: I agree with Sam.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Sam: Carson Palmer -- Both are old. Both were largely written off until they suddenly became good again. They have similar hair.
Travis: Peyton Manning -- Old guys who yell a lot. Omaha!
Amanda: Aaron Rodgers -- The Green Bay Packers are the closest thing to socialism in the NFL. And Rodgers recently brought some activism to the field, calling out a fan for making a "prejudicial" comment about Muslims during a moment of silence for the Paris attacks.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Both are men of the people.
Paige: Russell Wilson -- Both Sanders and the Seahawks have crazy invested fan bases.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D)
Igor: Philip Rivers -- He has all the fundamentals and yet is still forgotten.
Travis: Landry Jones -- Successful in a past life. Now inspires questions of "Who?"
Sam: Brian Hoyer -- Successful in a past life. Now inspires questions of "Who?"
Paige: What Sam said.
Amanda: These all sound fine.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
Travis: Ryan Tannehill -- Young and full of promise that he perpetually seems one step away from actually realizing. Not exactly accurate.
Paige: I agree with Travis.
Sam: Cam Newton -- Flashy, strong and telegenic. A new generation player who really is just a better version of past unique talents.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- A coach on and off the field.
Amanda: Aaron Rodgers -- Rodgers' mentor was Brett Favre, but he quickly eclipsed him and eventually took his place. They now share awkward moments on stage. (I know I used Rodgers already, but the number of quarterbacks I know is limited.)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R)
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Both are as quick as a joyful tortoise.
Sam: Robert Griffin III -- Both came out of the gate strong. Bush's answer on Iraq was the equivalent of RGIII blowing out his knee.
Amanda: Eli Manning -- He just can't get out of the shadow of his older brother -- or his father.
Travis: Eli Manning -- It's impossible to improve on Amanda's.
Paige: I like what Amanda said.
Real estate mogul Donald Trump (R)
Paige: Tom Brady -- Both refuse to talk about their downfalls/issues; both have model wives.
Amanda: Tom Brady -- I know I already picked Brady, but he fits here, too. Lives big with a model by his side. He also has a Trump hat.
Sam: Jameis Winston -- Brady is the obvious comparison. But a better analogy would be if a successful baseball player decided to become a QB and shocked everyone by having an utterly offensive playing style and getting away with it. Winston is probably the closest to that.
Travis: Brock Osweiler -- HE'S YUUUUGE. (Get it? Osweiler is tall!)
Igor: Philip Rivers -- He's got the classiest arm.
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (R)
Paige: Andy Dalton -- He started the season with low expectations; she started her campaign with low poll numbers. Both had a strong showing in their first two major events and gained a little more support/respect. Both have faced a lot of focus on their looks.
Amanda: Great answer by Paige.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Leader of another failed California enterprise.
Travis: Nick Foles -- Quarterback of the St. Louis Rams, a team that, like Fiorina, will probably be back in California soon enough.
Sam: Sam Bradford -- Failed with first venture (Rams), had a promising start with the second (Eagles), but basically the same issues that hit the first one (injuries) hampered the second.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R)
Paige: Peyton Manning -- This is a stretch, but he knows pot could be good for business. They are both funny and folksy! Both come from the South.
Amanda: RGIII -- Mine is also a stretch. RGIII stayed in the game when he probably should have left. Huckabee and his type of conservatism may not be where the party is these days either.
Travis: Philip Rivers -- In-your-face religious. Can't win the big one.
Sam: Philip Rivers -- No explanation needed.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Finally, someone else remembered Philip Rivers.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R)
Travis: Johnny Manziel -- Brash and unpredictable. Can't tell if he's actually good or just really loud.
Sam: Johnny Manziel -- Tough to argue with Travis' reasoning.
Amanda: Johnny Manziel -- What everyone else said seems to make sense.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Talented teller of like it is. Still going nowhere.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Igor: Philip Rivers -- The guy you'd have drinks with.
Travis: Matthew Stafford -- Likes to throw bombs, is often indiscriminate about who they're actually targeted at.
Sam: Matthew Stafford -- The bombs. Yes, the bombs.
Amanda: I don't know who Matthew Stafford is, but everyone tells me this is a brilliant comparison.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
Travis: Kirk Cousins -- Guy whose most rabid supporters think is amazing, but everyone else realizes is only here until his team finds someone better.
Sam: Blake Bortles -- His team is so terrible that you wonder if he's just not as talented as people assumed, if he's a terrible fit for the squad he's on, or if he's just not good himself.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- The most interesting QB in the league.
Amanda: Drew Brees -- He has one-syllable first and last names.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (R)
Amanda: Tyrod Taylor -- I really wanted to get the Bills' QB in here somewhere because he's exceeded expectations for Buffalo this season. Carson, too, has risen surprisingly high in the polls.
Sam: Mark Sanchez -- Somehow he leads the Jets to division title games and then it all falls apart and you have a butt fumble -- which is a way to describe Carson's last few weeks.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Nice guy, hard-core evangelical.
Travis: Blaine Gabbert -- Most likely to make aides/coordinators wonder aloud if he knows what the hell he's doing.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R)
Sam: Alex Smith -- So moderate that he pleases no one.
Travis: Alex Smith -- Sam wins.
Amanda: ^^^
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Swears like a sailor.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Sam: Colin Kaepernick -- Their trajectories are going in opposite directions (Cruz is going up, Colin is going down). But they both have unique talents, are deeply polarizing even to their own fan bases, and have regular moments where you watch them and say, "What the fuck?!"
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Also a fan of bolo ties.
Amanda: Peyton Manning -- He's funnier than you would think he would be, just like Cruz when he impersonates TV and movie characters. He also is a Republican and a strong Christian.
Travis: Russell Wilson -- Skilled at what he's doing, but every word out of his mouth seems over-rehearsed.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.)
Amanda: Michael Vick -- Vick did some things in his past that he's trying to move beyond. Santorum made his name by being a hardcore social conservative, but these days he's more interested in talking about other positions.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- The guy literally endorsed Rick.
Travis: Matt Moore -- He had one decent run that didn't result in anything meaningful. Now no one realizes he's still hanging around. (Matt Cassel could also work here.)
Sam: Matt Cassel -- Both had one great year (subbing for Brady and the 2012 Republican primary) that left people convinced they'd be good if given a chance. In fact, the success was circumstantial.
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R)
Amanda: Ryan Nassib -- Pataki was born in upstate New York, and Nassib went to Syracuse University. He also doesn't get the most playing time, which is just like Pataki at the GOP debates.
Sam: Ryan Nassib -- Amanda did solid Wikipedia research.
Travis: Mark Sanchez -- He had his day in the sun in New York. Now only here in case everyone else gets hurt. (Who is Ryan Nassib?)
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (R)
Travis: Jimmy Garropolo -- Like the Patriots' backup, Gilmore has no chance of being a factor, barring a total catastrophe.
Amanda: Jimmy Garropolo -- They have the same initials.
Igor: Philip Rivers -- Why are we doing this again?
Sam: Peyton Manning -- Just want to see if you've read this far.