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Greatest QB of all time


Willis990

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I love Jimbo but he isn't even in the same ballpark as those guys. If Brady played his whole on the 90s Bills, he would own every passing record in football history. The 90s were one of the most loaded offensive teams in history.

I don't know about Brady. It is Much EASIER to QB when you KNOW what the DEFENSE will be ahead of time.

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As great as Montana and Brady both were/are, I think the emergence of Steve Young and Matt Cassel in their absence says a thing or two about the systems that they played in and the supporting talent around them.

 

Personally, I have it as a three-way toss up with all three guys being great QBs that I believe could have flourished in any system or era -- and all (like Brady and Montana) were clutch when it mattered.

 

1. Unitas

2. Elway

3. Graham

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ohh man will people please stop with the sammy baugh, otto graham or norm van brocklin references. yes they were great in their time but if they were to play now they would get the sh*t kicked out of them. you cannot tell me that if they were to play in todays game or in the last 20 years for that matter that they would have nearly the success that they have had. defenses are much more complex and the athletes of then are no where near what they are today. the things that the peyton mannings, tom bradys, john elways, joe montanas and dan marinos have done with the athletes on defense and the technology of today are much more significant than what was accomplished back then.

Poor argument. Those old QBs did what they did WITHOUT the benefit of all the elaborate coaching schemes. It balances out. Works both ways.

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Let me know when Manning can play consistently well in the Post Season and then you can make a case for him. I know he has a SB, but so does Trent Dilfer. Overall he has not very good in the post seasons. There was an interesting article about it on ESPN.com recently about why Warner is better than Manning and it was in direct reflection of Warners high level of play in the postseason in both AZ and St Louis while Manning tends to fizzle out.

 

Manning is great, and top 3 QB in our league (one can argue who is 1, 2, and 3 between him, Warner, Brees, and Brady right now) but he won't start knocking some of the other top people off that All Time list until he can start finding his groove more in the post season. This is the very reason why Brady has to be considered the best QB in football and in my opinnion, one of the best of all time, maybe even top 5.

 

While Manning is clearly a great quarterback, I wouldnt be able to say he is ahead of those other guys and put him in top 5...I definitley would put him top 20, but until he starts playing better in post season, I would be reluctant to move him much higher...but top 20 all time is still pretty darn good and I would take him in a heartbeat.

 

Farve though is not top 10 all time IMO, and I am not sure he is even top 20, plus I would definitely put Manning ahead of Farve. He was fun to watch, but he was as dangerous to your own team as he was to his opponents team the last half of his career.

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As great as Montana and Brady both were/are, I think the emergence of Steve Young and Matt Cassel in their absence says a thing or two about the systems that they played in and the supporting talent around them.

 

Personally, I have it as a three-way toss up with all three guys being great QBs that I believe could have flourished in any system or era -- and all (like Brady and Montana) were clutch when it mattered.

 

1. Unitas

2. Elway

3. Graham

Great point. ;) I would put Graham at #1 & Unitas at #3 myself, but NO QUESTION those are the 3 GREATEST.

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If today's QB's went back in time, with bump and run coverage, single-bar helmets or no bar, goal posts planted at the goal line, and personal fouls assessed (maybe) only if you were unconscious and bleeding to the point you would sully the field...they might not shine so brightly.

 

 

Crackback blocks, receivers being constantly pummeled after the snap, slaps and elbows to the face, 2 goal posts on the goal line, not 1 at the back of the end zone and so on.

 

"peyton mannings, tom bradys, john elways, joe montanas and dan marinos" might have been weeping and sulking on the sidelines. Who knows?

 

Excellent points. Well stated.

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ohh man will people please stop with the sammy baugh, otto graham or norm van brocklin references. yes they were great in their time but if they were to play now they would get the sh*t kicked out of them. you cannot tell me that if they were to play in todays game or in the last 20 years for that matter that they would have nearly the success that they have had. defenses are much more complex and the athletes of then are no where near what they are today. the things that the peyton mannings, tom bradys, john elways, joe montanas and dan marinos have done with the athletes on defense and the technology of today are much more significant than what was accomplished back then.

 

 

If they played today, they would have far more advantages than they had in their day. They didn't have video to take game film home with, in fact some didn't have game film. They didn't have the advanced physical therapy they have today.

 

The athletes on defense? What about the athletes on offense? They didn't have 6'3" wide recievers in those days.

 

Defenses are much more complex? Offenses are much more complex, which gives them a huge advantage.

 

If they played today, they would be much much better than they were. They would likely tower over the QBs of today. The actual facts are that these days the rules have been changed to completely favor the offense and facilitate higher scoring in games. Back in the old days, you had to earn the points, not like today.

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Steve Young

 

 

There have been a lot of great ones...but I think you are on to something. I won't comment or consider any of the guys I am too young to have seen (say anyone pre-1972), but I think Steve Young is the most overlooked of all the greats. Personally, I will go with the unpopular pick of John Elway. I know you can make a million arguments against him, but, for me, outside of Jim Kelly, I can't think of a single NFL QB who was involved in more great, important games during my time. I might even make an argument for Favre, but in the end, if I could pick one non-Bills QB to enjoy all over again, it would be Mr Ed, John Elway... I hate all the bs the guy takes for refusing to play for the Colts. When you are as talented an athlete as he was, and you can say, "I don't want to play for your team, if you choose me, I will just play a different sport" that is something to be respected, not despised.

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Montana and Baugh. How would you rank them?

Personally and with no disrespect for Montana, I'd have to go with Baugh. QB's in that era had much more personal responsibility on a play by play basis, lacked the computer feedback after every play. Montana had Bill Walsh on his sideline and in his helmet. Norm Van Brocklin, Johnny U, and some of the other older qbs have to have an edge for this reason.

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Not the greatest I've ever seen, but it's nice to see some people throw Steve Young's name into the mix. He got thrown into a sh-- situation early in his career. Completely underappreciated player.

 

The most efficient QB ever based on the rating system, which doesn't even account for how great of a scrambler he was (he had more rushing TDs than Cunningham or Elway). He was still playing at an extremely high level when the concussions ended his career. His stats don't do him justice- he wasn't even a full-time starter in the league until he was 30 years old.

 

Yeah, he only won the one Championship...but had he been the starter instead of Montana in '88 and '89, chances are they still win one of those Super Bowls. Maybe the 1990 NFC Championship game goes to the Niners, not the Giants if Young played that whole game. He had the misfortune of running into the Dallas buzz saw in the prime of his career.

 

Definitely a guy that deserves to be mentioned with guys like Elway, Marino, Favre, and Manning (and probably well above a couple of them)...

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