This all started with Pete Prisco's Top 100. Ranking the best players across positions is a nearly impossible task and it's sure to lead to friendly discussions among rational observers. Which brings us to "Would You Rather," where we take a closer look at whether one player really is better than another. Let's compare Matt Ryan vs. Joe Flacco.

Prisco's take: Eleven quarterbacks made his list, from Aaron Rodgers (No. 2) to Cam Newton (No. 65). But Joe Flacco, Super Bowl XLVII MVP, is conspicuously absent. It's an interesting omission, partly because (outside of Baltimore, anyway) Flacco isn't considered a franchise quarterback, but also because he came into the NFL the same year as Matt Ryan, who ranks 48th on Prisco's Top 100. In their six NFL seasons, Ryan has routinely garnered the national attention while Flacco has been something of an afterhought.

The measurables: Matt Ryan was drafted third overall in 2008, and he arrived in Atlanta with huge expectations. The Falcons, in the midst of their post-Vick, post-Petrino free fall, were desperately looking for a new face of the franchise. Ryan was that guy. And success came quickly. As a rookie, Ryan led the Falcons to 11 wins. (The season before, the Falcons went 4-12 with Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman throwing passes.)

How good was Ryan's rookie season? The conventional numbers are impressive -- 61 percent completion percentage, 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions -- but the advanced metrics were even moreso. According to Football Outsiders' metrics Ryan ranked seventh among all quarterbacks (that was better than Tony Romo [11th] and Aaron Rodgers [12th]) and earned NFL Rookie of the Year honors.

Who ya got, Matty Ice or Joe Cool? (USATSI)
Who ya got, Matty Ice or Joe Cool? (USATSI)

And while Ryan leading the Falcons to the playoffs made for a nice story, Flacco, drafted 18th overall in '08, did the same, helping the Ravens all the way to the AFC title game. In fact, Flacco, who sported an 11-5 record, had similar passing numbers to Ryan. He completed 60 percent of his throws for 2,971 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and ranked 19th according to Football Outsiders' metrics.

And when you compare the entirety of their careers you quickly realize that they aren't that different. In fact, Ravens owner Steve Biscioitti was so enamored of Ryan before the draft, Biscioitti was willing to do whatever it would take to bring him to Baltimore.

"I told those guys that if they had Matt Ryan listed as the best quarterback in the draft, then I'm willing to give up the whole damn draft for him," Bisciotti said in the book, Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. "I told them there is nothing worse for an owner or for them to be managing a business without a franchise quarterback. I said, 'I don't care what we have to pay for him to trade up. We're getting Matt Ryan.' "

The Ravens' front office convinced Bisciotti that trading up from No. 8 to land Ryan wasn't worth the cost and 15 picks after Ryan went to the Falcons the Ravens got Flacco.

Ryan and Flacco through the years:

2009 
Ryan's line: 58.3 completion percentage, 2,916 yards, 22 TDs, 14 INTs
Flacco's line: 63.1 completion percentage, 3,613 yards, 21 TDs, 12 INTs.

The Falcons and Ravens each were 9-7, and Ryan and Flacco ranked 13th and 14th among all quarterbacks, according to FO.

2010
Ryan's line: 62.5 completion percentage, 3,705 yards, 28 TDs, 9 INTs
Flacco's line: 62.6 completion percentage, 3,622 yards, 25 TDs, 10 INTs
Football Outsiders ranked Ryan No. 5 and Flacco No. 11.

The Falcons went 13-3 and Ryan got his first playoff win; the Ravens were 12-4 with Flacco and made the postseason for the third straight year. Again, each performed like a franchise quarterback.

2011
Ryan's line: 61.3 completion percentage, 4,177 yards, 29 TDs, 12 INTs
Flacco's line: 57.6 completion percentage, 3,610 yards, 20 TDs, 12 INTs
Football Outsiders ranked Ryan No. 6 and Flacco No. 14.

The Falcons went 10-6 and lost their wild-card game; the Ravens were 12-4 and lost the AFC Championship Game to the Patriots.

2012
Ryan's line: 68.6 completion percentage, 4,719 yards, 32 TDs, 14 INTs
Flacco's line: 59.7 completion percentage, 3,817 yards, 22 TDs, 10 INTs
Football Outsiders ranked Ryan No. 5 and Flacco No. 17.

The Falcons went 13-3 and lost the NFC title game; the Ravens went 10-6 and won the Super Bowl -- mostly on the back of Playoff Joe getting red-hot in January and February.

2013
Ryan's line: 67.4 completion percentage, 4,515 yards, 26 TDs, 17 INTs
Flacco's line: 59.0 completion percentage, 3,912 yards, 19 TDs, 22 INTs
Football Outsiders ranked Ryan No. 4 and Flacco No. 40.

Despite the Falcons' 4-12 record Ryan was still one of the league's most proficient passers. The Ravens, meanwhile, went 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time in Flacco's career. Another career first: Ryan was clearly better than Flacco, even if his efforts were wasted on a bad Falcons team.

2014
Ryan's line: 66.1 completion percentage, 4,694 yards, 28 TDs, 14 INTs
Flacco's line: 62.1 completion percentage, 3,986 yards, 27 TDs, 12 INTs
Football Outsiders ranked Ryan No. 7 and Flacco No. 8.

The Falcons again struggled, finishing 6-10, while the Ravens returned to form, went 10-6, and made their way back to the postseason.

Which brings the discussion full circle: Ryan and Flacco are legitimate franchise quarterbacks, though Ryan has been the more consistent player. In fact, that has been the biggest knock on Flacco during his career -- his maddening lack of consistency from one game to the next.

It's a fair gripe but there's also no denying Flacco is a different player in the playoffs. He's 10-5 in the postseason, and while "QB wins" aren't a true measure of a player's worth, there's no denying that Flacco had everything to do with the Ravens' latest Lombardi Trophy. Consider this: In three playoff games and the Super Bowl, Flacco completed 58 percent of his throws for 1,140 yards, averaging 9.0 yards per attempt, and throwing 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Zero. And he did it all while playing out the final year of his rookie deal, which he then parlayed into well-deserved six-year, $120.6 million deal.

Bottom line: So, who ya got? Cop-out: You can't go wrong with either. Our answer: We're taking Flacco. We can live with ups and downs during the regular season because we know who's showing up in the playoffs. For various reasons, Ryan's had less success in the postseason, though that doesn't make him any less a franchise quarterback and, on average, one that should be ranked ahead of Flacco. But it's hard to make the case that Flacco doesn't deserve to be in the conversation for elite passers -- or top-100 players.