tennesseeboy Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 Otto graham Sammy Baugh Joe Montana Tom Brady Peyton manning Manning and Brady are too close to call, so I list the xalphabetically.
bbb Posted January 17, 2014 Author Posted January 17, 2014 In my lifetime I've never seen a QB better than Steve Young. Not Montana, not Marino, not Elway. Now, it can be argued that he didn't have the longevity those guys had because he sat on the bench for years but when he got a chance to play he was better than any of those guys. Young was just as good as Montana at breaking down D's and quickly finding the right WR to throw to but he had a better arm, threw deep more often and added 4k career yards on the ground yet wasn't a guy who looked to run first. Young averaged a half a yard more per attempt than Montana and had a higher completion percentage - all while running the same offense. That's a significant amount and goes to show you who was more accurate all the while taking more chances by pushing the ball down field. His running ability especially made me fear him more than Montana. Otto graham Sammy Baugh Joe Montana Tom Brady Peyton manning Manning and Brady are too close to call, so I list the xalphabetically. You've got a strange alphabet.
tennesseeboy Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 His running ability especially made me fear him more than Montana. You've got a strange alphabet. well...x's kind of get the short end of the stick when we do these things....so I thought I'd give one a break this time.
Kemp Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 1 - Otto Graham 2 - Johnny Unitas 3 - Joe Montana 4 - Dan Marino 5 - Sammy Baugh 6 - Payton Manning 7 - Roger Staubach 8 - Tom Brady 9 - John Elway 10 - Archie Manning Archie Manning was the best qb I ever saw on consistently horrible teams. Every play was a mad dash of 3 or 4 guys chasing him.
Coach55 Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 One person who deserves an honorable mention is Warren Moon. He spent 6 seasons in the CFL prior to joining the NFL where he threw for 21,000 yards, won the Grey Cup 5 times and the MOP twice. Then went on to join the NFL at age 28 and still threw for a tad under 50,000 yards. Yes he never won a super bowl, but he was a 9 time pro-bowler. Had he been given the opportunity to play in the NFL his whole career, his stats would have been off the charts and him, not Marino, would have all of the passing records (that have all since been broken). The guy's career touched into 4 decades.
tennesseeboy Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 Archie Manning was the best qb I ever saw on consistently horrible teams. Every play was a mad dash of 3 or 4 guys chasing him. I nevefr saw Graham or Baugh live, but I think I'd have to rate Peyton as a quarterback over Archie, although Archie was a very good qb. Actually I'd probably rate Eli closer to Archie than Peyton. The case can be made, regrettably, for Brady over Peyton, but I'm not going to make it because I hate the Patriots.
bbb Posted January 18, 2014 Author Posted January 18, 2014 I always said Elway was the best, and maybe he was. I always argued "he has the strongest arm, he's a great runner, a great leader (see The Drive), what else could you want?" But, then I recently became aware that Montana's stats in the 4 Super Bowls are 16 touchdowns, zero interceptions. Holy crap - could he be any more clutch. And, started thinking that the reason I would pick Elway out is because I really didn't watch a ton of any of these guys. Having season tickets for going on 30 years, I would be spending half the season at the Bills game and after game festivities. And, Sunday night is actually a good night for my business to be on the phone. So, if you're only seeing Elway and Montana for limited time (some playoff games, etc.), you're (or I) would be like holy cow - look at that arm. I remember being blown away the first time I saw him throw a bullet..............Montana takes a little more time to understand what he understands. His coolness, knowledge of the game.............He's not going to jump off the screen like Elway did with feats of athleticism.
bbb Posted January 18, 2014 Author Posted January 18, 2014 Hah, so Bill Simmons weighed in on this very topic in his mailbag today: And you can’t have the “Best QB” conversation without these five guys being involved: Brady, Manning, Montana, Elway and Unitas. (Every other candidate comes with a “But … ,” whether it’s Marino, Favre, Young, Bradshaw, Luckman, Graham, Baugh or whomever.) Year after year, those five guys gave you the best chance to contend — of anyone — as long as you surrounded them with a half-decent team. I don’t think someone like Aaron Rodgers cares about being remembered as the GOAT; he just wants to win some titles, make some money, stay healthy and turn that list from five to six. http://grantland.com/features/that-championship-mailbag-2/
KGUNBILLS Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 Brady - this guy does more with less year after year. Makes me want to throw up to say that. Elway - he would never give up. Probably the biggest gamer of all time. Never say die attitude was the best way to describe it. Montana - this is just a no brainer when it comes to a top 5 QB thread. McMahon - he was known to be mouthy, but what a warrior attitude. The guy would not quit. He would have multiple rings if not for the injury. Brees - would improve the bleakest teams situation no matter what kind of talent surrounds him. Doesn't choke, and never is off his game.
BillsBytheBay Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 (edited) My top 5: 1. Montana - Most amazing QB I have ever seen, he made plays happen i never thought were possible back then. 2. Brady/Mannin -- not doing the debate so tied for 2, def 2 the best ever. 4. Marino --- Guy had the fastest release I have ever seen. 5. Kelly --- He was snake bit by facinf some of the best D the league ever seen, and he started the hurry up that almost every team uses Boomer was the first to use the hurry up all game. Kelly just perfected it. Edited January 18, 2014 by JaxBills
machine gun kelly Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 I know the question was top 5, but it's more of who were the best dueling QB's matchups? My favorites given a homer was Marino vs. Kelly or Elway vs. Kelly. Those were fun days and good battles. I'm sure you guys can think of many more like Montana vs. Simms. Staubach vs. Bradshaw. before my time but Dawson vs. Griese. Anyone else you guys loved watching go at it. I know people are sick of Brady / Manning, but I'm not. How can you not get excited for tomorrow.
bbb Posted January 18, 2014 Author Posted January 18, 2014 I know the question was top 5, but it's more of who were the best dueling QB's matchups? My favorites given a homer was Marino vs. Kelly or Elway vs. Kelly. Those were fun days and good battles. I'm sure you guys can think of many more like Montana vs. Simms. Staubach vs. Bradshaw. before my time but Dawson vs. Griese. Anyone else you guys loved watching go at it. I know people are sick of Brady / Manning, but I'm not. How can you not get excited for tomorrow. That is really where I was going with my question. Trying to find out if this rivalry is the best ever. If it's two of the top five, I'd say it has to be. This one isn't like the summit we'll have tomorrow, but you brought up Dawson, and when I was a kid, whose 2nd favorite team was the Chiefs, and all my friends 2nd favorite team was the Raiders - there was nothing better than Dawson vs. Lamonica.
wnysteel Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 4. Marino --- Guy had the fastest release I have ever seen. 5. Kelly --- He was snake bit by facinf some of the best D the league ever seen, and he started the hurry up that almost every team uses Marino was an excellent passer, but never really won anything. Kelly was a great leader but still couldn't win the big one (hurts me to type that but its true).
Greybeard Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 My top 5: 1. Montana - Most amazing QB I have ever seen, he made plays happen i never thought were possible back then. 2. Brady/Mannin -- not doing the debate so tied for 2, def 2 the best ever. 4. Marino --- Guy had the fastest release I have ever seen. 5. Kelly --- He was snake bit by facinf some of the best D the league ever seen, and he started the hurry up that almost every team uses I believe the "started the hurry up" is wrong multiple times.
Cold Front Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 1 Otto Graham 2 Johnny Unitas 3 Joe Montana 4 Payton Manning 5 Brett Farve 6 Sammy Baugh 7 John Elway 8 Roger Staubach 9 Drew Brees 10 Dan Marino
flmike Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 I won't put them in order because they have/had different strengths. Brady Marino Unitas Stabler P Manning But 5 is so arbitrary, I could swap out these guys too Favre Staubach Aikman Griese Kelly Tarkington YA Tittle wnysteel, Kelly would have won the big one had his defense held up in 1990. Sorry, forgot Montana and Young
Greybeard Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 Most games played by QBs: Brett Favre 302 Earl Morrall 255 Fran Tarkenton 246 Dan Marino 242 Peyton Manning 240 John Elway 234 Vinny Testaverde 233 John Hadl 224 Sonny Jurgensen 218 Dave Krieg 213 Johnny Unitas 211 Len Dawson 211 Warren Moon 208 Steve DeBerg 206 Y. A. Tittle 203 Craig Morton 203 John Brodie 201 Jim Hart 201 One of the names that came to mind as I went through the threads was George Blanda. His name wasn't on your list, so went to look at his stats at NFL.com. It appears he would have way more games than any of the others on your list although the don't have a specific Games Played column. So where did your numbers come from? Archie Manning was the best qb I ever saw on consistently horrible teams. Every play was a mad dash of 3 or 4 guys chasing him. It is interesting to see how everyone evaluates this. Archie was probably the greatest QB that ever had to play with the least. If he had any support he would have made the top 5 of half the posters here.
Gugny Posted January 19, 2014 Posted January 19, 2014 One of the names that came to mind as I went through the threads was George Blanda. His name wasn't on your list, so went to look at his stats at NFL.com. It appears he would have way more games than any of the others on your list although the don't have a specific Games Played column. So where did your numbers come from? It is interesting to see how everyone evaluates this. Archie was probably the greatest QB that ever had to play with the least. If he had any support he would have made the top 5 of half the posters here. Damn. I'm trying to find the site and I can't. I'll keep trying. But yes ... I sorted on Games Started because I was really interested in the Kelly vs. Young head-to-head stats (Young's are better, IMO, especially with the jewelry), and I didn't want his backup games counted.
KRC Posted January 19, 2014 Posted January 19, 2014 We thread should really be renamed "The top five QBs of my recent memory." Here are my top four, based on film study: Graham Unitas Baugh Montana I could switch Baugh and Unitas without too much argument, but Unitas has a slight edge. I would probably put Brady or Manning at five, but I have a general rule that I do not put careers into historical perspective until the careers are complete. There is no question that Graham is the greatest of all time. Went 29 straight games without a defeat. That is starting in one season losing only one game. Winning the championship game that season. Going undefeated the following season and winning the championship. Then going into the following season, only losing one game, then winning the championship. Ten straight championship game appearances in a ten year career, winning seven championships. Nobody in history even comes close. You watch him play and you see a true field general. Never looked fazed. Even when he was down, you knew that he would come back and win it. And for those who disparage the AAFC and say it was a "minor league, therefore those four years don't count" know nothing about the league. I have probably watched more film of that league than most people and comparing it to the film of the NFL at the time, there is no question that the AAFC was just as good, if not better, than the NFL. If you don't believe me, I have interviewed a lot of players who played in both leagues. ALL have said that the AAFC was just as strong, if not stronger, than the NFL. None said that the NFL was better. Again, these are players who played in BOTH leagues, not just players who played in one league.
machine gun kelly Posted January 19, 2014 Posted January 19, 2014 That is really where I was going with my question. Trying to find out if this rivalry is the best ever. If it's two of the top five, I'd say it has to be. This one isn't like the summit we'll have tomorrow, but you brought up Dawson, and when I was a kid, whose 2nd favorite team was the Chiefs, and all my friends 2nd favorite team was the Raiders - there was nothing better than Dawson vs. Lamonica. Cool. I like this question more, and I forgot about Dawson v. lamonica. I wish the posters would read your latest comment as I'd love their feedback. For example, I can't think of any great rivalry QB to Brees or Rothlesberger. For example, who was the big QB rival to Steve Young? That's why it's so special today with Brady and Manning. I'm pulling for Manning. I'd love for that team to win it all so it will put to bed Manning is probably the best if all time. I guarantee if he wins this year and next like Elway at the end of his career, he'll seal it. He'll probably break all of the rest of Marino's records.
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