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. 

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

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