The 2011 NFL season has been filled with several
incredible quarterback performances.
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are putting up
phenomenal numbers this year for the New England Patriots and Green Bay
Packers. Cam Newton could set the rookie record for passing yards and
touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers.
How successful the passing games from most teams have been this year is crazy.
With that in mind, it might be fun to take another look
at one of the greatest debates in sports – who was the greatest quarterback in
NFL history?
The following are just one person's group of 10.
I base this list on the following factors: how big
they won, stats, how or if they changed the game and the era they played in.
Fantasy geeks may hate that part about which era they played in, but it’s an
important part of the ranking.
Current rules in the NFL have made it a lot easier
for quarterbacks of today to dominate than those in the 1980s, let alone the
1950s or 1960s. There’s also better training equipment, medicine and advances
in medical technology and better fields across the league.
Here’s my 10:
10. Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns 1946-1955 – Graham
was one of the league’s greatest quarterbacks in an era known more for running
the ball and defense. His all-time career record when combining the two leagues
he played in was 105-17-4. As an NFL quarterback, Graham was 57-13-1 all-time.
His 86.6 quarterback rating was one of the longest records in existence before
the quarterback boom really pushed that number down. But Graham won and at
times, dominated. He had eight professional championships for the Browns and
every single one of his teams made it to the league championship game.
9. Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers 1956-1971 – Starr has
an argument as the single most underrated football player ever. When you think
of Vince Lombardi’s Packers, you think first of the coach. He was the heart and
soul of Green Bay and it’s no coincidence the Packers went downhill fast within
a few seasons after Lombardi quit. You think of a great offensive line. You
think of a great defense. You don’t think of Starr too much, but you should. He
was a great big-game quarterback, finishing his playoff career with a 9-1
record. He’s the only quarterback in the modern era who led a team to three
straight titles. While Green Bay did run the ball with the Packer sweep, Starr
statistically was underrated. If you project his passing attempts out to say a
Dan Marino-like amount from the 1980s, he passes for over 4,000 yards easily in
some years. Starr also had six seasons averaging 8.2 yards a passing attempt;
Peyton Manning has done that just twice. Very underrated player.
8. Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys 1969-1979 – Fun fact:
Because of the combination of his military service career and the fact he was a
backup, Staubach did not start full-time until the age of 29. Still, in seven
full seasons as the start, Staubach was an all-pro six times and won two Super
Bowls, putting the Dallas Cowboys over the mountain-top after years of disappointments.
Imagine if he had another four or five years? Staubach was underrated and he’s
the single biggest reason why the Dallas Cowboys are known as “America’s Team.”
Staubach was 10-0 in his first season as a starter and finished his career
85-30 as a starting quarterback.
7. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts 1998-present –
How low Manning is on this list may be the biggest controversy from it. Let’s
get this out of the way first – he is a machine. He can be very fun to watch at
times and he can absolutely dominate a team. He resurrected a struggling
franchise in Indianapolis and the Colts have been to two Super Bowls, winning
one of them. Manning’s a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Here are my issues with
Manning: he’s had one of the most favorable situations a quarter has ever had.
Manning plays indoors and rules have really made it easier for him to succeed. Plus,
outside of Brett Favre, I cannot remember one player who’s made more bonehead
mistakes in the postseason than him. It’s unfair to say he “hasn’t won the big
game,” but it’s fair to say “he should have won more big games.” Three separate
times, the Colts have lost on their home-field in the divisional round of the
playoffs following a first-round bye. Manning will retire with at least one
ring, perhaps two after the Colts rebuild a bit and Manning gets healthy. He
left two or three on the board, though.
6. Brett Favre, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers,
New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings 1991-2010 – Favre’s image has taken a big
hit over the past three years with his issues involving cell-phones and the “will
he or won’t he” retirement talk. But that should not spoil how great of
a quarterback he was. Yes, he made stupid plays and interceptions. He also bailed
out the Packers in several postseason games. While Green Bay had some good
running backs, he never was surrounded by great wide receivers like Manning is
and some of the other greats were. Who was his best wide-receiver? Sterling
Sharpe for a few years? He dominated in the tough Green Bay climate and in his
prime, he was almost unbeatable in Green Bay. He holds the all-time records in yards,
touchdowns and yes, interceptions. He played hurt many times and his Iron Man
Streak was great.
5. Johnny Unitas, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore
Colts and San Diego Chargers 1955-1973 – Though he’s a little overrated for my
liking, Unitas still checks in at number five on my list. Unitas was the
winning quarterback in the game that really made the NFL matter nationwide. He
also threw for 32 touchdowns – in 1959!! Even in today’s era of terrible
defense and rules that tie the hands of defenders in the secondary, 32
touchdowns is still a great year. Unitas did this playing in the outdoors, in
the 1950s and before passing games evolved into what they are today. Unitas had
over 30 fourth-quarter comebacks and was clutch for the Colts, While Graham and
Sammy Baugh were two of the founders of the quarterback position, it was Unitas
who put the position on the map.
4. Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City
Chiefs 1979-1994 – Like Unitas, Montana is probably a little lower on my list
than he is on most. Montana never threw an interception in the Super Bowl. He
was the leader of what I think was the best dynasty in NFL history. He was one
of the great all-time clutch quarterbacks and really was the first truly great
accurate quarterback in history. His completion percentage in 1989 was an
absurd 70.1 percent. Still, while this is probably unfair on his part, no Super
Bowl winning quarterback outside of Troy Aikman and Steve Young had more talent
around him than Montana did. He certainly had a lot more talent than anyone on
this list, especially the three guys above him. He excelled though when it
mattered and because of that he deserves a Top 4 or 5 place on any list. Not
having Montana in your Top 5 would be like not having “Hoosiers” on your best
sports movies list.
3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots 2000-present – Lazy
hair aside, Brady’s in my top three and could be the best ever by the time he
retires. Here’s why: including his postseason career, Brady is 129-38 in his
professional career. The way his Patriots are playing this season, Brady could
be 100 games above .500 by the end of this season. He’s 8-1 in overtime games
in his career and he won three Super Bowls with Troy Brown and Dion Branch as
his top two targets. The year New England landed Randy Moss in a trade with the
Oakland Raiders, Brady had a 50-touchdown, 4,800-yard season in 2007. By the
way, Brady’s current touchdown-interception ratio is 275-109. Again, insane.
2. John Elway, Denver Broncos 1983-1999 – For 16
seasons, the Denver Broncos were always part of the discussion on which teams
would make the Super Bowl. Dan Reeves or Mike Shanahan were not the reasons
why. Terrell Davis was not the reason why. The defense was not the reason why.
John Elway was. His stats may not be fantasy friendly when you look at them.
His 300 touchdowns pale in comparison to the numbers being put up in today’s
game. But Elway was Michael Vick before Vick’s “scrambling” abilities allegedly
changed the game. He’s the greatest pure athlete to ever play the position and
was awesome. The three teams Elway made the Super Bowl with were average at
best. Their defensive stars were aging a bit and those teams had legendary
running backs like Sammy Winder and Gaston Green. Not exactly Roger Craig or
Tony Dorsett. Shannon Sharpe is the best tight end in history. But he’s not
exactly Jerry Rice. No quarterback did more with less than Elway. Somehow, he
won two Super Bowl rings and played in another three without a hall of fame
running back or wide receiver around him.
1. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins 1983-2000 – Another fun
fact in this post: Marino’s Dolphins teams had one 1,000-yard running back
during Marino’s career with the Dolphins. One. While we’re at it, try to think
of a top-line defender the Dolphins had in those years.
Outside of his second
season, a Super Bowl caliber team was never built around Marino. Marino’s
second season did include a trip to the Super Bowl. But outside of that, Miami
was rarely considered the obvious favorite coming in to the season. Buffalo,
Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles and even Denver were considered bigger
favorites than Miami many of those years.
Yes, Marino never won the Super Bowl.
But this idea that a championship vindicates a coach or a player is asinine. Because he doesn’t have the ring, Marino has become criminally underrated. It makes me laugh when people automatically rank guys like Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Brett Favre over Marino simply because their left ring fingers are a little heavier than Marino’s. Very few people considered Young and Aikman better than Marino until each of those guys won titles.
But this idea that a championship vindicates a coach or a player is asinine. Because he doesn’t have the ring, Marino has become criminally underrated. It makes me laugh when people automatically rank guys like Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Brett Favre over Marino simply because their left ring fingers are a little heavier than Marino’s. Very few people considered Young and Aikman better than Marino until each of those guys won titles.
(Marino reminds me of pre-2005 Roy Williams, the
basketball coach. The two best coaching jobs Williams ever did by season
were in 1991 and 1993, when he took Kansas to the Final Four. That 1991 team
had absolutely no business making the title game and the ’93 team was great,
but not a Final Four caliber team. But it took him a national title to become
vindicated for everyone. The coaching job he did for North Carolina in 2005 was not anywhere near the impressive coaching jobs he did in those two years.)
He was a combination of Peyton Manning and John
Elway – a statistical machine who made everyone around him much better than
they are. The Marks Brothers were solid, but never considered Hall of Famers.
Switch Marino and Montana’s teams. Put Marino on
Bill Walsh’s team and put Montana on a team that did not include Hall of Famers
all around him. Montana still might have competed for a ring, but those 49er
teams would have been even better. Marino’s cannon and lightning like release
would have opened up the backfield even more and would have extended the
opposing defenses.
He was a force of nature and he was the best
quarterback I’ve ever seen.
It’s stupid that many rank him so low simply because
he doesn’t have a title.
