Will There Ever Be a Michael Jordan Of Quarterbacks In The NFL?

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Michael Jordan surpassed Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and so many others just by playing. His stats and ability to carry relatively no-name teams to six NBA titles did the rest.

Oh, and the fact that he was an amazing player, in every aspect of the sense, attributed to him being labeled the "best NBA player of all time" when he was still playing, and still being dubbed so even after retirement.

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in Chicago that doesn't love him, infidelity, big ego, and all.

You'd have a tough time finding more than 10 people that won't attack you if he's not No. 1 on your "best of all time" list, as well.

But is that the same for the NFL?

More specifically, is that the same for the quarterback position? As the most important position on the field (arguably, anyways), the position that garners the most attention (easily without argument), shouldn't there be a Michael Jordan-esque player that rises above the rest and stands the test of time?

Whether or not there should be has actually already been answered. With countless "all-time" and "greatest" lists being pounded out by writers on a daily basis, everyone has their opinion on who the best quarterback of all-time is.

It might have been Brett Favre, but his off-field prima dona antics, the "Favre saga," and the fact that he came out of retirement to play for his former team's long-time bitter rival, well that seals the deal, right?

There's no chance Favre could ever be regarded as the "best ever." Probably not even by the majority of Green Bay Packers fans, and almost assuredly not by the majority of the NFL fans.

Or Peyton Manning? Not after he lost this most recent Super Bowl. His perfect resume of a 1-0 Super Bowl record and a body of work (statistics) has been blemished.

He holds the upper hand in nearly every way over quarterbacks in history when it comes to preparation, direction of a team, and regular season accolades.

I mean, if the guy who has a championship and who has collected four NFL MVP awards isn't the greatest, then who is?

Does it come down to Joe Montana vs. Terry Bradshaw? The battle of guys who had stacked teams and were good enough (or lucky enough) to win four Super Bowls?

Does it go to a great like Bart Starr, who only played in two Super Bowls, won them both convincingly, and excelled in an age where passing just wasn't an option?

Or how about Johnny Unitas? Or the fastest release in history, Dan Marino?

The fact is, none of them can truly be called "the greatest," because they were all great in different ways.

Dan Marino was physically the best passer we have ever seen. He was the first to put up stats that we truly deemed to "never be broken". But then there's that whole "no Super Bowl" thing.

Montana and Bradshaw have the rings and our respect, but they don't necessarily have the stats to back up being dubbed "the best."

Brett Favre has played the game more genuinely and with an entertaining flavor than anyone we've ever seen, and he's established the "longevity card," as he hasn't missed a start since he took his first snap for Green Bay, and he just put together one of the best seasons of his career (which is saying a lot) at the age of 40.

But in an argument full of opinions, stats, circumstances, and supporting casts, is it possible that all NFL fans can come together on one giant, cohesive conclusion?

That maybe, just maybe, there isn't supposed to be one guy that stands above the rest. Maybe there was never meant to be a Michael Jordan of football, an idol that receives all the recognition for his position, sport, or performance.

Because when you really think about it, the quarterback position is glorified and ravaged way more than it should be. 

Football is a team sport, and by claiming one guy is better than the rest is actually taking away from the game.

But even more than that, we're comparing players in different offenses, with different talent around them, different coaches, and in different eras.

It's only human nature to want to hold one person/player above the rest and say, "They are the example. They are the start of the trend".

However, that's actually impossible.

Because even if we were able to choose on an ultimate "best ever" with no biases, we'd still be cutting the guys to follow them short.

The best we can hope for is for everyone to agree to disagree.

Joe Montana was one of the greatest of all-time. But so was Dan Marino. So was Johnny Unitas. And on, and on, and on.

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