jobberone
Kane Ala
- Messages
- 54,219
- Reaction score
- 19,659
Interesting thread. This and the like come up time to time and it's always interesting to me to 'hear' the differing arguments.
What does seem to happen almost invariably is the lack of pre-modern era players on the lists.
Perhaps that is why even the hall lists players in differing eras. I believe there is more than the modern and pre-modern eras.
Presently we are in an era of pass first and many rule changes have come into effect to make it so. Protecting the QB is incredibly different than even the 60s and 70s. I'm not making arguments for or against any of the rules but merely pointing out the vast differences.
The defenses are severely limited compared to years ago. I think that has greatly influenced the ratings of QBs and all the 'numbers' we're now seeing. The ability to bump the receivers all the way down the field up to the point of the release of the ball is one reason. You know the rest of them.
I think you have to account for that in some way but I personally don't know how you do it other than just subjectively 'factor' it in.
Leaving Graham, Van Brocklin, and Baugh out of the competition is telling. Even Bobby Layne deserves some consideration. I don't remember those players very well. I never saw Baugh play but I do remember Van Brocklin. Van Brocklin had a gun and was a true field general. He just wasn't liked much. A more serious Aikman if you will.
Then there are those in the early sixties who played well. Y A Tittle is perhaps one who gets too little consideration. He passed for more than 30 TD passes in consecutive years the first time in history. Six pro bowls and several league MVP awards help. He was a gutsy QB whose greatest failure was never to win a title. He was as good a player as Tarkenton IMO.
These lists are hard to make. I prefer to just think of them as the best QBs to ever play. Everyone listed here seriously deserves it IMO.
If you never saw Staubach play then you have to understand how numbers don't always tell the whole story. It's one of those times stats don't do justice.
Interesting thread.
What does seem to happen almost invariably is the lack of pre-modern era players on the lists.
Perhaps that is why even the hall lists players in differing eras. I believe there is more than the modern and pre-modern eras.
Presently we are in an era of pass first and many rule changes have come into effect to make it so. Protecting the QB is incredibly different than even the 60s and 70s. I'm not making arguments for or against any of the rules but merely pointing out the vast differences.
The defenses are severely limited compared to years ago. I think that has greatly influenced the ratings of QBs and all the 'numbers' we're now seeing. The ability to bump the receivers all the way down the field up to the point of the release of the ball is one reason. You know the rest of them.
I think you have to account for that in some way but I personally don't know how you do it other than just subjectively 'factor' it in.
Leaving Graham, Van Brocklin, and Baugh out of the competition is telling. Even Bobby Layne deserves some consideration. I don't remember those players very well. I never saw Baugh play but I do remember Van Brocklin. Van Brocklin had a gun and was a true field general. He just wasn't liked much. A more serious Aikman if you will.
Then there are those in the early sixties who played well. Y A Tittle is perhaps one who gets too little consideration. He passed for more than 30 TD passes in consecutive years the first time in history. Six pro bowls and several league MVP awards help. He was a gutsy QB whose greatest failure was never to win a title. He was as good a player as Tarkenton IMO.
These lists are hard to make. I prefer to just think of them as the best QBs to ever play. Everyone listed here seriously deserves it IMO.
If you never saw Staubach play then you have to understand how numbers don't always tell the whole story. It's one of those times stats don't do justice.
Interesting thread.
