bbb Posted January 19, 2014 Author 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. Thanks for the great historical info. Without having seen any film of Graham, just the craziness of going to the championship game in all 10 of his seasons, and winning 7 is totally insane! 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. I am with you all the way on today, and why I'm pulling for Manning. I've seen this called The Legacy Bowl, and that's exactly what it is! I always thought of Aikman as Young's QB rival.
mjt328 Posted January 19, 2014 Posted January 19, 2014 It's stupid how championships (team accomplishment) weigh so heavily in peoples minds when comparing individual players. These guys play 200-300 games over the course of their career, and they are judged by a small handful of wins and losses. Brady built his reputation on clutch play and his team coming out with 3 Super Bowl wins. That is a total of THREE GAMES that defined his legacy. Now the guy just can't get over the hump. Is Brady so much worse? Or where there other factors that come into play? Elway was a big game choke artist. Just like Jim Kelly. That was his legacy. Until the Broncos drafted Terrell Davis, and suddenly he was a winner. Two games completely changed everything. 20 years ago, people inexplicably considered Joe Montana better than Dan Marino. Why? Super Bowl wins. Never mind that Joe Montana was surrounded by several Hall of Famers and the greatest receiver of all time. Marino had the Marks Brothers and had to play in the same division as us every year.
papazoid Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 #1- Montana #2- Brady #3- Manning #4- Otto Graham #5- Elway NFL Career Passer Rating Leaders http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_rating_career.htm
MDH Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 NFL Career Passer Rating Leaders http://www.pro-footb...ting_career.htm It's amazing how all those guys at the top played in the post 2000 era where offenses have become pass first and the rules are bent in their favor...except one.
yungmack Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 It's amazing how all those guys at the top played in the post 2000 era where offenses have become pass first and the rules are bent in their favor...except one. It's also important to remember that career stats for all players are skewed by the length of the season. Up into the 50s, the NFL played a 12 game season with a one-game post season. That means that what a player of today can accomplish in a 10 year career would have taken 15 years in "the olden days."
DC Grid Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 JP Losman, Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Tuel, EJ Manuel How dare you exclude Billy Joe Hobert.
Gugny Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 How dare you exclude Billy Joe Hobert. Are you DC Tom's son?
LancasterSteve Posted February 18, 2014 Posted February 18, 2014 Favre is junk and has zero business on any such list. All-time TD pass leader - true - and the all-time INTERCEPTION thrower too. He doesn't even remotely compare. Peyton's problem is that he has generally not been good in the playoffs - and specifically he was carried by his team to his one Super Bowl win. Marino had little playoff success, but his teams weren't that good. I think the OP was pretty close - but I'd put Sammy Baugh up there for: Johnny Unitas Joe Montana Sammy Baugh Otto Graham Tom Brady John Elway/Dan Marino both just miss. Good list. there were so many very good quarterbacks thru the years. IM somewhat older than most posters so I remember watching very good QB's like Unitas: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=219 and Sonny Jergensen: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=111 and: Joe Namath: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=161 and YA Tittle : http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=214 They were all good and trying to say which one is best is akin to asking a group of kids to agree on what flavor of ice cream is best. Now these are quarterbacks from the modern era enshrined in the Pro Football HOF Never saw Otto Graham but remember my late father and uncles debating, much like here on who the best QB of all time was. My best guess is that this one discussion happened in 1962 when I was 13 at my Grandmother's restaurant in Ridgeway, NY. Remembering this I called my one remaining uncle, now 80 if had any recollection of that somewhat heated debate (that's how I remember it as) on who was the best QB. Well my uncle,( who also played for UB in the early 50's before going to Korea) told me that that was a frequent discussion with my father, uncles and other local customers to frequent my grandmother's restaurant. He told me that the best QB he had ever seen up to that point when these discussions happened so many years ago was Otto Graham : http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=77&tab=Championship He mentioned other QB's like Sammy Baugh and Sid Luckman but said the only time they saw them was at the movies. For the young people here the movie theaters would show shorts on the news and sports highlites. TV was still years away on any grand scale. Here are all the current HOF'ers by position: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/positions.aspx
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