Below is my list of the 10 greatest quarterbacks of all time. The list is based on what I've seen, heard and read since watching football over 20 years ago. Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section.
1. JOE
Perhaps the greatest clutch quarterback of all time, Montana won four championships with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980's and is the only player to be named MVP of the Super Bowl three times.
2. DAN MARINO
At the time of his retirement, Marino held every major career passing record and is widely considered one of the greatest passers ever. Marino is the only player to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a campaign and toss 40+ touchdown passes in two different seasons. The savvy Marino had a lightning quick release and was so mobile in the pocket that he was rarely sacked, helping him become the first quarterback ever to post six 4,000-yard seasons. Perhaps the only thing that holds Marino back from being considered the greatest quarterback of all time is the fact that he went to just one Super Bowl and lost.
3. BRETT FAVRE
Known more for his toughness and durability, Favre is one hell of a passer. Favre owns nearly every passing record, including the most attempts, completions and touchdowns in league history. The quintessential gun slinger, Favre has thrown 30+ touchdown passes in a season eight times, four more than the next closest player. Favre won three MVP awards in the 1990's and passed for a mind-boggling 145 touchdowns between 1994 and 1997. Only defensive end Jim Marshall started more consecutive games than Favre, but no other quarterback is even close to Favre's iron-man streak of 249 games.
4. STEVE YOUNG
No other quarterback in league history had a better combination of running and passing skills. The always accurate Young won six passing titles (tied with Sammy Baugh for the most ever) in his 15-year career, but sat behind Joe Montana for most of his first four seasons with the
5. JOHN ELWAY
Like Joe Montana, Elway was at his best with the game on the line. Among Elway's many accomplishments, none is more impressive than his NFL record of 47 fourth quarter game-winning or game-tying drives. As clutch as Elway was late in games, he was just as versatile. Elway, always a threat to beat defenses with his feet, became the first quarterback in league history to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 200 yards in seven consecutive seasons. Elway's legendary status was cemented when he won a pair of championships in his final two seasons as a pro, highlighted by his Super Bowl MVP performance in the final game of his career.
6.
If you factor in Moon's statistics from the Canadian Football League, he is the most prolific passer in the history of football. Despite playing his first six seasons in the CFL, Moon still ranks fourth on the NFL's all-time list in attempts, completions and yards and is sixth in touchdown passes with 291. Although Moon had individual success in the playoffs, he finished just 3-7 in the post season, somewhat tarnishing his legacy. Despite not winning a championship, Moon remains one of the greatest quarterbacks ever because of his passing and running skills and staggering numbers.
7. PEYTON MANNING
When Manning retires, he might go down as the greatest quarterback that ever played the game. In just his 10th season, Manning has already gone over 40,000 yards and is approaching 300 touchdown passes for his career. The season Manning threw an NFL record 49 touchdown passes he also posted a quarterback rating of 121.1, smashing the previous league high of 112.8 set by Steve Young in 1994. Like Dan Marino, Manning gets rid of the ball so quickly that he hardly gets touched by opposing defensive players and protects the ball like no one else with just 51 interceptions in his last 75 games. Manning led the Colts to a Super Bowl victory in 2006 to put the final touch on his already Hall of Fame career.
8. TOM BRADY
Brady is on this list for primarily one reason – he wins games like no other quarterback has done before. Brady has won three Super Bowls in just six full seasons as a starter and won the MVP award for the big game twice. The cool and calm Brady has won 82 of 108 regular season games in his career, owns a 12-2 record in the playoffs and has never lost in seven overtime contests. Up until this season, Brady had always posted good, but not great numbers in his time as a starter. With 41 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 12 games, 2007 looks to be an astonishing season for Brady, however. If Brady turns into a statistical machine, which appears possible, he and Manning will end their careers as the undisputed two greatest signal callers in the history of the sport.
9. JOHNNY UNITAS
Playing in the 1950's and 60's, Unitas basically dominated in an era not built for the passing game. "The Golden Arm" went to 10 Pro Bowls, a record for quarterbacks, and was named Player of the Year three times. Always consistent, Unitas holds one of the greatest streaks in the history of sports with at least one touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, a record that may never be broken. At the time of his retirement in 1974, Unitas owned virtually every major passing record.
Tarkenton was the first great scrambler in pro football, but was also one of the best passers. "Frantic Fran" retired as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdowns and is one of only two quarterbacks to rush for at least 300 yards in seven different seasons. Tarkenton scored at least one rushing touchdown in 15 seasons, a league record, and only Randall Cunningham, Steve Young and Michael Vick have run for more career yards than Tarkenton. The blemish to the 1975 MVP's resume was that he went 0-3 in the Super Bowl with just one touchdown and six interceptions.
Notable Omissions (in no particular order):
DAN FOUTS
Fouts is the only player to lead the league in passing yardage in four straight seasons and is just one of six quarterbacks to throw 30+ touchdown passes in back-to-back campaigns. Fouts passed for an amazing 4,802 yards in 1981, an NFL record at the time and currently the third most ever in one season. Unfortunately for Fouts, he never had much luck in the playoffs and threw a lot of interceptions during the regular season.
JIM KELLY
If Kelly had not played in the USFL for a couple of seasons at the beginning of his career, his already Hall of Fame numbers would have been even better. The only problem with Kelly was that he played lousy in four Super Bowl appearances, posting just two touchdowns against seven interceptions. It may not be fair, but Kelly's legacy would have been different if he had won at least one of those Super Bowls.
SAMMY BAUGH
Many that saw Baugh play from 1937 through 1952 would argue he is the greatest PLAYER and certainly most versatile of all time. Baugh helped influence the passing revolution of the 1930's and 1940's with an innovative style and accurate arm. "Slingin' Sammy" won six passing titles, tied with Steve Young for the most ever, and finished the 1945 season with a 70.3 completion percentage, a record that stood for nearly 40 years. Baugh was also one of the best punters in NFL history (led the league in punting four straight years from 1940-43) and picked off 31 passes, including a league-leading 11 interceptions in 1943.
7 comments:
I think you have to move Marino ahead of Montana for 2 reasons.
1. Marino had no one to throw to. The Marks brothers were slightly above average receivers who Marino made look good.
2. Montana had Rice who made Montana's stats look better than they were.
its tough to argue with your logic on those guys. i am glad to not see starr, namoth, and bradshaw on the list. mayeb its teh homer in me but i would like to see brady higher on that list. i value the winner in him more than just pure numbers. plus watching him over his career he has doen more with little than perhaps any qb ever. and this year is an example of how he can be as prolific as anyone when he has viable guys to throw to. heck even when he didnt liek in 2006 he still threw over 4000 yds and led his team to teh brink of a superbowl appearance. ps elway and favre are by boys though.
Anonymous,
Thanks for the comments. You could certainly make the case for having Marino ahead of Montana because of the Rice factor.
But I think Montana's four championships are more than impressive and he was money in the playoffs. That gives him a slight edge in my mind
Thanks again,
Don
Mantastic,
Thanks for the comments too. I just can't have active players like Brady and Manning too high on the list since their careers have not finished yet. They will be up near the top when it's all said and done, however.
Guys like Namath and Bradshaw were so overrated. They're barely in my top 20.
Thanks,
Don
I can't argue with the list too much either; I would agree with Mantastic that Brady (and Manning) should both be bumped up a bit already - I would have them both ahead of Moon, although they may be 1-2 by the time they finish their careers anyways. As for the comments on Marino being ahead of Montana, I have to disagree as well - Brady has 3 Super Bowl rings, and before this year, had no one that matched Clayton/Duper in terms of talent...
So because Montana had a better all around team around him (one of the most solid defenses of the '80's), he gets credit for Super Bowls all by himself?
Dwight Clark, Roger Craig, John Taylor, stud offensive line, Tom Rathman, etc, etc.
Can anyone even name Miami's RB?
Hey anonymous,
As mentioned there are reasons to like Marino over Montana. And you're right, the 49ers had better overall teams than the Dolphins in the 1980's.
However, Miami had a fantastic team in 1984 and Marino set a bunch or records yet he played terrible in the Super Bowl against the 49ers with one touchdown and two interceptions.
And you're right, Montana doesn't deserve all the credit for the Super Bowl wins. But he was huge in all the Super Bowls as well as many other post-season games (45/21TD-INT ratio compared to Marino's 32/24).
Thanks for the comments and the debate.
Don
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