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Papa
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There is another thread where we are voting on who we think are the best and worst QBs from a list of names but I wanted to see who others rank as their top-5 all-time and why (please post your reasons for ranking them the way you do).
Don't argue with someone for their list but post your own. Everyone has their reasons why they think someone is the best and utilize different criteria for making those choices. That is the purpose of this thread, not to argue with someone for their choice but to understand how people look at things differently.
Here are my top-5 QBs of all-time:
1. Otto Graham Led his team to the championship game in every season he played winning 7 out of 10. Great passer, fierce competitor, cool under pressure, Graham had it all. His record for rushing TDs by a QB wasn't broken until 1999 by Steve Young even though he wasn't known as a runner. He was the top rated QB 6 times, 2nd and 3rd twice each. Other QBs at that time were: Sid Luckman, Sammy Baugh, YA Tittle, Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield, & Bobby Layne, all Hall of Famers. Graham is STILL ranked 11th in passer rating (as of June 2007). Of the 10 guys ranked ahead of him, 8 are still playing and the other two are Joe Montana and Steve Young. His stats are mind-boggling for the era he played in.
2. Johnny Unitas Johhny U was one of my heroes when I was a kid and even to this day when I play QB I am Johnny U with my black hightop cleats. When healthy there was no one better. He played hurt for most of his career and still set records that weren't broken until Marino came along in a pass friendly era. Unitas set those records when the rules favored the defense and the running game. He was the master of the play-fake, had a great arm with excellent accuracy either short or deep. Receivers said his were the easiest passes to catch because of the touch he had on them. In an era when QBs called their own plays he was the best at it.
3. Roger Staubach When you list the attributes an NFL QB needs to have, leadership has to rank among the top and Roger was the best leader ever to don pads. His teammates routinely stepped up when he was in the game because they knew he could lead them to a win. His stats would be much better if he had played more than 8.5 years as a starter. In that time he led the Cowboys to 4 SBs winning 2 of them and losing 2 close ones to the Steelers. Respected even by those who played against him. Jack Lambert said he was the toughest QB he ever faced and the only one he ever respected. If I had to pick one guy to lead my team he would be it. He retired at his peak, having led the league in passing his final two seasons.
4. Sammy Baugh Consider the era when Baugh played then look at what he accomplished. The ball was fat and rounded instead of pointed and was much more difficult to throw accurately yet Baugh completed passes at what would be considered good now. His career completion % of 56.5 blows away everyone else who played in that era except Sid Luckman's 54.6%. In 1945 Baugh completed 70.3% of his passes, that record wasn't broken until the pass friendly 80s by Ken Anderson (and in a strike shortened season at that). Baugh was also an outstanding Punter and DB. His punting records will probably NEVER be broken. His 51.3 yard average in 1940 still stands as does his lifetime average of 44.9. He is credited with 28 INTs as a DB but the league didn't start keeping individual INT stats until his 5th season when he had already established a reputation for picking off passes so no one really knows how many he had but probably at least double that number which would put him in the top-10 all time. Probably the best all-around player ever.
5. Joe Montana This was a tossup between Montana, Elway, and Marino but I chose to go with Montana because of his success and leadership although Marino was a better pure passer and Elway was a better player. Montana had similar qualities to Staubach in terms of leadership. His numbers might be inflated by the pass-happy system he played in but there is no denying the success he enjoyed and the games they won mostly due to his leadership. Despite not having a strong arm, he was very accurate and had excellent touch on the ball. He was fortunate to play for Bill Walsh who used a system that protected his weaknesses and promoted his strengths. He was not required to make throws that would have been difficult for him with his arm.
Let's see yours...
Don't argue with someone for their list but post your own. Everyone has their reasons why they think someone is the best and utilize different criteria for making those choices. That is the purpose of this thread, not to argue with someone for their choice but to understand how people look at things differently.
Here are my top-5 QBs of all-time:
1. Otto Graham Led his team to the championship game in every season he played winning 7 out of 10. Great passer, fierce competitor, cool under pressure, Graham had it all. His record for rushing TDs by a QB wasn't broken until 1999 by Steve Young even though he wasn't known as a runner. He was the top rated QB 6 times, 2nd and 3rd twice each. Other QBs at that time were: Sid Luckman, Sammy Baugh, YA Tittle, Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield, & Bobby Layne, all Hall of Famers. Graham is STILL ranked 11th in passer rating (as of June 2007). Of the 10 guys ranked ahead of him, 8 are still playing and the other two are Joe Montana and Steve Young. His stats are mind-boggling for the era he played in.
2. Johnny Unitas Johhny U was one of my heroes when I was a kid and even to this day when I play QB I am Johnny U with my black hightop cleats. When healthy there was no one better. He played hurt for most of his career and still set records that weren't broken until Marino came along in a pass friendly era. Unitas set those records when the rules favored the defense and the running game. He was the master of the play-fake, had a great arm with excellent accuracy either short or deep. Receivers said his were the easiest passes to catch because of the touch he had on them. In an era when QBs called their own plays he was the best at it.
3. Roger Staubach When you list the attributes an NFL QB needs to have, leadership has to rank among the top and Roger was the best leader ever to don pads. His teammates routinely stepped up when he was in the game because they knew he could lead them to a win. His stats would be much better if he had played more than 8.5 years as a starter. In that time he led the Cowboys to 4 SBs winning 2 of them and losing 2 close ones to the Steelers. Respected even by those who played against him. Jack Lambert said he was the toughest QB he ever faced and the only one he ever respected. If I had to pick one guy to lead my team he would be it. He retired at his peak, having led the league in passing his final two seasons.
4. Sammy Baugh Consider the era when Baugh played then look at what he accomplished. The ball was fat and rounded instead of pointed and was much more difficult to throw accurately yet Baugh completed passes at what would be considered good now. His career completion % of 56.5 blows away everyone else who played in that era except Sid Luckman's 54.6%. In 1945 Baugh completed 70.3% of his passes, that record wasn't broken until the pass friendly 80s by Ken Anderson (and in a strike shortened season at that). Baugh was also an outstanding Punter and DB. His punting records will probably NEVER be broken. His 51.3 yard average in 1940 still stands as does his lifetime average of 44.9. He is credited with 28 INTs as a DB but the league didn't start keeping individual INT stats until his 5th season when he had already established a reputation for picking off passes so no one really knows how many he had but probably at least double that number which would put him in the top-10 all time. Probably the best all-around player ever.
5. Joe Montana This was a tossup between Montana, Elway, and Marino but I chose to go with Montana because of his success and leadership although Marino was a better pure passer and Elway was a better player. Montana had similar qualities to Staubach in terms of leadership. His numbers might be inflated by the pass-happy system he played in but there is no denying the success he enjoyed and the games they won mostly due to his leadership. Despite not having a strong arm, he was very accurate and had excellent touch on the ball. He was fortunate to play for Bill Walsh who used a system that protected his weaknesses and promoted his strengths. He was not required to make throws that would have been difficult for him with his arm.
Let's see yours...
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