The greatest players of the greatest position in sports. Who is the best QB ever? The debate has been around for ages.
Even though I would love to give an all-time list of the greatest QBs ever, I feel that would be impossible for me. The truth is, I don't feel it's just to compare Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, and Roger Staubach to their modern-day bretheren: Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Troy Aikman.
The game has changed and so has our criteria for a great quarterback. Also, to make a list spanning the history of the NFL would be foolish. I never saw these men play, and I wouldn't be able to appreciate what they truly meant to their franchises and be able to judge their performance based on what was asked of at the time.
What I do have a better understanding of is the modern game, so without further ado: The Top 10 Modern-Era Quarterbacks.
TOP 3 (No Order)
Brett Favre
Favre is easily my favorite QB of all time, and, as a Packer fan, it would be impossible for me not to be biased. Favre meant everything to the state of Wisconsin, and almost any Packer fan would defend Favre vehemently to the death.
There are three measures of a QB: Super Bowls, wins, and TDs. Favre has the record for the latter two, although, it is interesting to note that it took him a few more starts than Dan Marino to get the TD record, and John Elway also has a higher winning percentage than Favre does, but Favre has more victories than Elway.
Those facts take away slightly from the achievement, but I feel that Favre's durability makes up for those things. To have 253 consecutive starts is amazing; how many wins did Elway take away from the Broncos by not suiting up? How many TDs did Marino not throw by being injured. As for Super Bowls, it's true he only won one.
For me, that doesn't detract from his greatness, though. Imagine if he didn't have to play against the Cowboys in the early '90s. They were a dynasty and one of the greatest teams ever. It's interesting to speculate how many Super Bowls Favre would have won in better circumstances.
Favre had everything you wanted in a QB. Favre had a cannon of an arm, and not only was his arm strong, but he also demonstrated excellent accuracy, touch, and placement on his throws.
People also tend to forget that, in his prime, Favre was an extremely mobile QB. Although I'm not sure of the validity of the source, I heard that, coming out of college Favre ran 4.5 second 40-yard dash. To put that into perspective, that's faster than Vince Young's 4.6 second 40-yard dash time.
Favre's quick release and excellent pocket presence were surpassed only by few. (Marino being one.) Perhaps Favre's biggest knock is his high interception total. It's undeniable he has thrown more interceptions than anybody in history. I feel that this statistic is blown out of proportion, though.
In my time watching Favre, rarely have I ever seen him throw an interception when his team had the lead. In fact, the majority of Favre's interceptions were the product of a game gone wrong. Instead of fretting over his statistics, Favre took chances, often ill-advised chances but at least he had the mettle to go out there and compete to the very last in every game.
One of Favre's best traits was his leadership, not only was he a great presence in the huddle and a magnificent teammate, but he also showed the ability to raise the performance of the players who surrounded him.
Favre has had good but not great receivers throughout his NFL career. I have to take exception to Sterling Sharpe, if it were not for injuries, he would have gone down as one of the greatest receivers to play the game and a sure-fire HOF'er.
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Finally, what makes you a great is not only your ability to play at a great level for one season, but to consistently play well year in and year out. Favre had five consecutive 30-plus TD seasons. To put that into perspective, Peyton Manning has only done it four times in his entire career. Brady? Only once.
Favre has totaled over 30-plus TDs eight times and 25-plus TDs 10 times, and he threw for over 3,000 yards 16 consecutive years. Since turning 30, Brett posted a passer rating of over 90, five out of nine times. To me, he is the image of consistency, and one of the best and most fun football players ever.
Dan Marino
The pure pocket passer, although not fast, Dan Marino had a knack for avoiding sacks. Marino had a quick release, great pocket presence, an accurate arm.
Marino too played much of his career without spectacular surrounding talent, but his 48 TD-pass season has to be credited as one of the most amazing single-season feats in football.
Also Marino is the only QB to ever throw for over 5,000 yards. With the exception of his 1993 campaign, Marino was an extremely durable quarterback, only missing 10 games (not counting the 11 he missed from the torn achilles tendon).
It is my belief that Manning and Marino will, and must, go down in history as the two best pure-passing QBs. It's also important to mention that Dan ranks No. 3 all-time in wins with 148, just one back of No. 2 man Elway.
Marino's biggest knock is Super Bowls. Zero wins. I feel bad that such a talented QB never had the oppurtunity to win a Super Bowl, I dont think the lack of a ring is a testament to his abilities as a QB, but, rather, to the teams he was surrounded by and the misforunte he had.
Joe Montana
Four Super Bowl rings. That says a lot for itself.
Not only was Joe Montana near-perfect in the playoffs, he was also a great regular-season performer. Montana topped the 100.0 mark three times for passer rating in a regular season, and led the league in completion percentage five times, once even topping 70 percent in 1989.
Montana was calm under pressure and showed great leadership. Montana was the perfect man for Walsh's West Coast Offense that has revolutionized the game, and I doubt that the game will ever find a QB as accurate and as well-suited for the system.
4-5 (Ordered)
4. Peyton Manning
Five or six years down the road Peyton Manning will hold every QB record imaginable.
He is the embodiment of professionalism and hard work. Every year, you can pretty much expect Manning to put up 28 TDs and usually throw you no more than 12 interceptions.
You know his completion percentage will be high, his passer rating high, and his win total high. He is one of the smartest QBs to play the game, and one of the most efficient; he gives you day in and day out what you need to win in the NFL.
5. John Elway
I'm sure I will hear many an angry comment for Elway's low placement.
The point of sports is to win, and Elway did precisely that. He won 149 games in only 231 starts.
Elway was also very durable, although he never would put up an impressive streak of consecutive starts, he always played in at least 12 of his team's games (after taking over full-time starting duties in 1984) and many times finished out the entire season without missing a game.
Elway also proved his longevity by, interestingly enough, having four of his best statistical years in his last four seasons as a pro. Importantly, Elway also won two Super Bowls and made three other appearances, and, even though he didn't win them, it is impressive to think that one man brought his team to the big game that many times.
Of course, you can't ignore his record 47 come from behind victories. Elway also ranks fifth all time in TD passes with 300.
6-10 (Loosely Ordered)
Warren Moon
Despite starting his NFL career at age 28 (most rookies are 21-23), Moon still put up excellent numbers. His 291 TDs put him only nine behind Elway and in 28 less starts.
It's interesting to speculate just how staggering his numbers would have been if he would have had a few more seasons in the NFL.
Even so, Moon played at a high level at an advanced age, throwing for 25 TDs and 3,600 yards in 14 starts at age 41 for Seattle.
Jim Kelly
Kelly also started his NFL career at a relatively advanced age (26) and only played for 11 seasons, but, in those 11 years, he won four AFC championships, and, on the flip side, lost four Super Bowls.
Kelly consistently threw for over 20 TDs, and, in eight out of 11 seasons, he threw for over 3,000 yards. Kelly's career QB rating of 84.4 is only 1.3 points lower than Favre's of 85.7.
Fran Tarkenton
Before there was Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton had all of the QB records. His 342 TDs and thrilling style of play made Tarkenton a nightmare for opposing teams. There isn't much to say besides he was exciting, durable, and holds several records.
Steve Young
Although Steve Young only started nine seasons and was forced to retire due to concussions, what he did while starting was impressive.
Five times Young led the league in completion percentage, four times he led the league in TDs, and he led the league a staggering six times in quarterback rating.
Young also has the record for career passer rating, a staggering 96.8. Young dazzled fans with his scrambling ability and tenacity, and although some may draw unfair comparisons between him and Joe Montana, Young did win a Super Bowl and was inducted into the Hall Of Fame.
Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman won three Super Bowls and was the QB of one of the greatest teams the NFL has seen. Aikman was forced to retire due to concussions at age 34, but that didn't stop him from capturing the hearts of the Cowboy faithful.
I know that many Cowboys fans will argue that Aikman should be rated higher, maybe, maybe not, but he only had a career passer rating of 81.9, and he only threw for 20 or more TDs once.
Honorable Mentions: Dan Fouts, Tom Brady, Randall Cunningham, and others that I'm sure I haven't thought of.
Well, I started to run out of gas there towards the end.
Please keep in mind that the order they were put in wasn't necessarily concrete. I consider them more as tiers—Favre, Montana, and Marino are my best, but I can't say that I could put them in an unbiased order.
Manning and Elway for me were the next tier. Aikman, Young, Kelly, Tarkenton, and Moon were all in another tier with none being particularily better than the other.
So don't get too upset if you feel your favorite QB should have been elevated a spot or two.
Also, please forgive me for my rant on Favre. I really should just write a separate article on him.
Also, I'm interested to hear who I missed.
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5 months ago
good list and good job backing it up, I wouldn't exactly call Tarkenton modern era so one of the honorable mentions should get his spot, Brady in my opinion but I'm a pats fan so i'm wicked biased,
Terry Bradshaw should have been mentioned, he may have had the best (arguably) team ever behind him but 4 rings is 4 rings no matter how you slice it, Phil Simms is also a possibility at least as an honorable mention, good work bud
5 months ago
Pretty good list, not too far off from mine loll........The only things I disagree with are your obvious bias towards Brett Favre and putting Steve Young way too low. Other than that though its all good.
from 5 months ago
Yeah I'll admit i'm biased on Favre, but you'd have a very tough time persuading me to feel he's not top 5 or top 3 material. As for Young you may very well be right, I never got to watch him play really though (well besides him throwing a TD to T.O. in the playoffs :(...even though RICE FUMBLED just a few plays before that)
5 months ago
What do all these QBs have in common?
Sammy Baugh
Bobby Layne
Joe Namath
John Hadl
Terry Bradshaw
Daryle Lamonica
Otto Graham
Len Dawson
John Unitas
Archie Manning
Sonny Jurgensen
Bart Starr
Fran Tarkington
Ron Jaworski
Roger Staubach
Jim Kelly
Warren Moon
????????????????????????
A higher career interception percentage than Brette Favre. So he threw more passes, took more chances, and nailed more of them, on a percentage basis, than the quarterbacks listed above.
5 months ago
good article. always a great debate. i like the idea about tiers - i would probably say first tier: marino, elway, montana. second tier: favre, manning, brady. next tier: aikman, young, moon, kelly. honorable mention: fouts and cunningham.
from 5 months ago
Thanks, I agree with your list too (I of course would flip-flop Elway and Favre, but I am an incurable Favre worshipper) As for the tiers thing, I've taken a liking to it too, but it was bred from my inability to say that one guy is concretely better than another...especially since I haven't watched a lot of these guys play enough to really accurately say...
from 3 months ago
I don't know if you can quite put Brady on the same tier as Manning and Favre, yet at least. He is too young and has TOO good of a team around him to show his true talents and abilities
5 months ago
Joe Montana was the best QB ever, bar none. He made the position into the leadership position, and truly brought attention to the San Fransisco 49ers.
from 5 months ago
I think a lot of people would agree with you, plus 4 Super Bowls is hard to argue with.
5 months ago
A few points.
Elway didn't cost his team many games by sitting out. He missed, I think 13 games his career, and many of those were in the last few years when the Broncos were good enough to win without him....so he didn't cost them.
It's also unlikely the 90s Cowboys cost the Packers Super Bowl wins. The Packers of 93 and 94 were not good enough to win it all even without the Cowboys. The Bills and 49ers were much stronger teams for those years. You could say the 1995 Packers would have won the Super Bowl if not for the Cowboys, but what championship team hasn't been denied by another a great team from a championship? It happens all the time. If anyone was denied it was the early 90s 49ers who were a great team at the same time of the Cowboys, unlike the Packers who got great while the Cowboys were declining.
Favre didn't run a 4.5 coming out of college. He ran a 4.9. Elway ran around a 4.7. Actually Troy Aikman ran about a 4.6 believe it or not.
Favre is a great quarterback, I will never deny that. But what other great quarterback has cost his teams more postseason games with dumb play? Example:
2001 Playoffs vs. Rams: Favre throws 6 interceptions in that game. The Packers defense plays well in that game, holding the Rams to under 300 yards offense in that game. Kurt Warner is showing signs of the thumb injury that derails his career. In a game that was winnable, Favre just gave it to the Rams.
1995 Playoffs vs. Cowboys: Favre plays well, but assures the loss with an interception to Larry Brown at the end of the game.
2002 Playoffs vs. Falcons: Favre plays bad in 1st ever home playoffs loss.
2003 Playoffs vs. Eagles: Favre giftwraps the end of the game by throwing a lollipop of an interception to Brian Dawkins to end the game. A horrible interception, the Packers had a great chance to get to the Super Bowl that year.
2004 Playoffs: Packers vs. Vikings: Favre plays horrible at home in a loss to the Vikings, throwing 4 interceptions.
2007 Playoffs: Favre throws an interception to cost the Packers a berth in the Super Bowl.
I'm less inclined to blame Favre for say losing in the playoffs vs. the Cowboys in 1993 or 1994 in which he was facing a much superior team, and it wouldn't matter how well he played. But some the games I mentioned were winnable games. Other than the 1995 Cowboys none of the opponents were great teams, and many times his play or in a few instances "a play" cost the Packers a win. If you look at the playoff career of say Joe Montana or John Elway, you will find playoff losses, blowouts actually, but they almost never lost a playoff game due to their play alone. When their team didn't let them down or up in the air, they played well. They certainly never threw a game like Favre did in 2007 or 2003. I know, I have all their playoff games on tape/dvd.
Lastly, you don't make enough mention of the skillsets of the quarterbacks other than Favre, which is how a scout would evaluate the players. I can assure you scouts won't sit there comparing stats or quarterback ratings. You're making it into quantitative argument instead of a qualitative argument. For pure skillsets no one has had the skillset of Elway. He's the highest graded player coming out of college at his position, if not any position. Ask scouts or GMs who is the most naturally gifted quarterback ever and his name will come up more than any other. He took 5 teams to the Super Bowl, the first three void of any all pros or pro bowlers on offense. His stats went up late in his career because he got better talent, and got into a better offense. He played the first 10 years of his career with a conservative coach who was basically AFC's Mike Ditka in Dan Reeves. Elway had better stats as an older quarterback, but he was a better player in his 20s. Stats are dependent on way too many variables, many of which have nothing to do with the player.
Lastly, Joe Montana may have not had the greatest skillset, as far as arm.....though his arm was underrated. But he had the greatest career. This is indisputable. Look at his 1988-1990 performances in the postseason. He likely has the best good play vs. bad play ratio of any quarterback ever. He also made reads faster than any quarterback in NFL history. No one could get to his 4th and 5th reads (if at all) faster than Joe Montana. It was a remarkable skill that he had, that I have never seen done better by anyone in NFL history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itN2dSv87As
Look at the 30 second mark of this video.
I think you have a good list, but you should give better reasons for the other players being on the list other than Favre. If you're too young to have seen the other players play, go get some games online. They are there.
from 5 months ago
If the Broncos were good enough to win most of those 13 games, then how important was Elway?
I agree with your assessment of how many more championships the Packers would have won, even though the Bills were getting killed by the same Cowboys team we pushed in those play-off games--the reality is the 'Boys were more likely to overlook us than their Superbowl foe, and you have to go deep before you are ready to win it all.
I knew there was no way Favre had a 4.5, but thanks for finding that info.
Favre's dumb play is the reason I do not put him #1, but I have to disagree with you about most of your examples:
1995 we lost because Dallas was better--the reason we always lost to Dallas (even in '96, they were better on that day at home with us missing receivers and left tackles).
In 2002, Sherman cost us that game by not challenging the right thing on that punt (not whether it was a fumble, but whether it was touched by us first) and digging us a hole Favre tried to get us out of--same hole happened in this year's play-offs, but McCarthy kep everyone even-keel.
2003 he had a bad thumb, and again Sherman should have gone for it on fourth and one (we had never failed on a third OR fourth in one ALL SEASON, and Green was getting six/carry!) and chosen a better defense on fourth and 26.
2007 Although he did have a HORRIBLE second half, McCarthy kept forcing him to make the plays by passing every down, and if anyone recovers one of the FOUR Giants' fumbles we win.
5 months ago
Great comment, the only playoff game I'd have to disagree with you on is the 2003 playoff game against the eagles, you ever hear of 4th and 26? A lot more of the blame has to go to the defense and Mike Sherman (twice on key third and 2's he called pass plays that did not work, when we had a top 5 running game that year, with Ahman Green rushing for over 1800 yards that year.)
I will openly admit that I have only had the chance to watch Brady, Favre, and Manning play. I mean saw some of the others play too, but I wasn't old enough to appreciate what they were really doing. That's part of the reason why I didn't feel confident putting them into a definitive order and part of the reason why I didn't do an all-time list. I don't have much to go off of besides stats and what everyone says about them.
I think it would be interesting for me to watch film of all these players in their prime, including Favre...I was 6 or 7 when they won the Super Bowl.
As for Favre's 40 yard dash time, thank you for the correction i DID admit that i wasn't sure of the validity of the source (it was on Yahoo answers or something to that effect.) I am curious to where you found that out? I'd like to be able to look up stuff like that on other old players.
Thanks again for the comment, and a good perspective.
5 months ago
Great article! Brett Favre is definitely my favorite, and it won't be the same watching the Pack without him. However I must disagree with you about Troy Aikman. He should not be on this list ahead of Brady or Fouts. Aikman's 81.9 passer rating would probably be lower if he didnt have the offensive all-star team that he had during those Super Bowl years. He had the best offensive line of all time plus Emmitt, Irvin, Alvin Harper, and Jay Novacek. You could have won three rings at quarterback with that team!
5 months ago
LOL...I know a Packer fan (and ergo a Cowboy hater) when i see one...and you may be right about where aikman should be, I decided that if I were to redo the list I'd put Brady ahead of Aikman, take out Tarkenton (cuz I rethought about whether or not he is a "modern QB" which is kind of an ambiguous title as it is) and put Aikman back at 10 with Brady at 9.
5 months ago
My favorite stat to use in the Brett Favre debate is how much the Packers won from 1992 to 2007. Only one franchise in the NFL had less than three losing seasons in that span. Green Bay. It's true that all teams have had their years in that span, but not every team has made every year successful like the Packers have.
5 months ago
If you really want lots of feedback as you say in your bio, I can give you lots of constructive criticism and encouragement--post notes on my bulletin board anytime. You have the formula for a good writer: you are young + willing to put your stuff out there to be judged + your passion comes through=success.
As for this list, see how many comments you have gotten? That's a good sign as to the topic you chose. I do disagree with many of your rankings, but you made a lot of the same points I did on my "Great QB Debate" and, like I said there, there is no way to prove a list like this--what makes it fun is that it is totally subjective.
4 months ago
pretty good list,all great QB's.always debatable as to who's the best.even as a Colts fan,i've always admired Favre.
from 4 months ago
Thanks, and it's my personal opinion that Manning most likely has to be considered the best ever in a few years.
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