Rank your top-5 QBs of all-time

[Fletch]

Mark Rypien
Doug Williams
Patrick Ramsey
Todd Collins



Seriously...

Sammy Baugh
Roger Staubach
John Elway
Joe Montana

 

[burmafrd]

That is your opinion Hoss. I really doubt most coaches would take elway over Montana each in his prime.

 

[burmafrd]

Bradshaw was bailed out many times by his receivers making circus catches. His INTs and low completion percentage argue against him even in the top 10. Put him with another team not so good and he never would have gotten a mention.

 

[Cbz40]

Staubach
Montana
Elway
Unitas
Brady

 

[rcaldw]

1. Aikman - Most underrated disrespected great QB in NFL history.
2. Montana - 4 SB's with some different people around him
3. Unitas - Tough as nails, called his own plays, and won games
4. Staubach - Great leader, captain comeback, my first favorite NFL player
5. Starr - Can you tell I like leaders?

 

[Fletch]

1. Aikman - Most underrated disrespected great QB in NFL history.
2. Montana - 4 SB's with some different people around him
3. Unitas - Tough as nails, called his own plays, and won games
4. Staubach - Great leader, captain comeback, my first favorite NFL player
5. Starr - Can you tell I like leaders?

What? No Billy Kilmer?

 

[Hailmary]

1. Aikman - Most underrated disrespected great QB in NFL history.
2. Montana - 4 SB's with some different people around him
3. Unitas - Tough as nails, called his own plays, and won games
4. Staubach - Great leader, captain comeback, my first favorite NFL player
5. Starr - Can you tell I like leaders?

I'm not sure I'd rank Aikman #1, but I do agree he's one of the most underrated QBs (which is weird to say about a HOF QB).

People often cite that he had the success that he did b/c of Smith, but I think it was b/c of Smith that his career stats aren't as impressive as it should be.

 

[gazmc_06]

1. Brady
2. Montana
3. Elway
4. Staubach
5. Aikman

 

[THUMPER]

Staubach
Montana
Elway
Unitas
Brady

CBZ I had you pegged for:

1. Sammy Baugh
2. Sid Luckman
3. Arnie Herber
4. Ace Parker
5. Cecil Isbell

 

[Redball Express]

CBZ I had you pegged for:

1. Sammy Baugh
2. Sid Luckman
3. Arnie Herber
4. Ace Parker
5. Cecil Isbell

Didn't some of those guys play on the infamous Black Sox baseball team..?

You can't fool me.



:starspinReDBaLL ExPreSS:starspin

 

[THUMPER]

Actually..

I really think Terry Bradshaw would have to be in any Top 5 list ALL Time. You don't win that many SB rings and MVPs like he did by riding the coattails of the Steel Curtain defense.

He was flat out great and consistantly beat our Staubach in their showdowns.

I was rather amazed nobody really mentioned him. Steeler predjudice prevails here on this board, probably. Or the majority of posters only know him as the goofy sidekick guy with Howie Long on Fox Sunday Game Day.

So I'll add him to my list as #5b.

:starspinReDBaLL EXpreSS :starspin

Bradshaw never struck me as a truly great QB. He was tough, had a very strong arm, and won a lot of big games. He also had a tough time winning the starting job for a number of years against guys like Joe Gilliam and Terry Hanratty, not exactly world beaters. At the height of his career he was a good as anyone except Staubach IMO. He just didn't have a very long "prime".

As for prejudice, I hate the Browns yet selected Graham as my #1. I hate the Commanders and 49ERs yet have Baugh & Montana on my list. If I felt Bradshaw met my criteria he would be on my list regardless of the team he played for.

 

[WarC]

I'm going to make a list of QBs based only on those I've seen play during their careers. Five is just too few! I keep changing out names LOL.

1. John Elway. Did this guy have a weakness? I just remember being almost afraid for the team playing the Broncos with Elway as QB, right up until he retired. His SB win against Brett Favre and the Packers is one of my most memorable games. Like the two below him, at his prime he'd make a below-average offense elite.

2.Dan Marino/Brett Favre. Tie. I can't choose between them. Dan Marino was probably one of the best pure passers ever, in form and strength. Brett because of his longevity, records, and ability to dictate games. Both of these guys could singlehandedly carry their teams while shouldering the celebrity status.

3. Troy Aikman. Very underrated IMO. Sort of a personal favorite though not many would put them in a Top 5. Got the job done right, no stupid mistakes, and played tough. Always seemed to get the ball where it needed to be. World's Best Bus Driver, no wonder Parcells sought him out.

4. Joe Montana/Steve Young. My "honor thy enemy" pick. Masters of the WCO. The Cowboys' antithesis and arch-nemesis. Both scrappers and scramblers with accurate arms. In some ways they both cemented eachother's legacy by holding up that 49ers dynasty back to back. Montana raised the bar and Young notched it even higher.

5. Peyton Manning. He can be awe-inspiring to watch. A field general. Understands the whole game and commands the offense, yet is kinda ugly and always plays second fiddle to the superstar QBs. "The Napoleon of the Pigskin".

 

[Redball Express]

Bradshaw never struck me as a truly great QB. He was tough, had a very strong arm, and won a lot of big games. He also had a tough time winning the starting job for a number of years against guys like Joe Gilliam and Terry Hanratty, not exactly world beaters. At the height of his career he was a good as anyone except Staubach IMO. He just didn't have a very long "prime".

As for prejudice, I hate the Browns yet selected Graham as my #1. I hate the Commanders and 49ERs yet have Baugh & Montana on my list. If I felt Bradshaw met my criteria he would be on my list regardless of the team he played for.

..why Bradshaw isn't held up there in the pinnacle All Time Great QBs by most people.

I agree he had issues and because he played with such an incredible Steel Curtain Defense and so many great offensive weapons, he's underplayed as to his real value.

But still..4 Championships in their era under him..only Brady has a shot at tying or breaking that record.

That's pretty lofty.

I think I was so happy the day he finally retired.

He personally in my opinion took 2 SB Trophies out of our case, IMO..with his play against us in SBs.

:starspinReDBaLL ExPreSS:starspin

 

[Biggems]

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...

This is a great list.....unfortunately for me, I only remember seeing Montana play. Sure wish i was older when Staubach was playing. I will cheat off part of your list.

1. Otto Graham
2. Johnny Unitas
3. Joe Montana
4. Roger Staubach
5. Dan Marino

 

[Bleu Star]

1. R. Staubach
2. T. Aikman
3. T. Romo
4. J. Garrett
5. Q. Carter (comedy effect)

Got my homer hat tilted to the side...

 

[lane]

1. elway
2. montana
3. marino
4. staubach
5. aikman

 

[mmillman]

Elway
Staubach
Marino
Unitas
Brady

I leave Montana off because I think he was a product of the system as invented by Walsh. Walsh turned good qb's great everywhere he went. Fouts, Anderson, Montana, Young and even some lesser qb's faired very well in his horizontal stretching, high completion system.

 

[Bleu Star]

Top 5 worst of all time

Ryan Leaf
Akili Smith
Neil O'Donnell
Byron Leftwich
Rick Mirer

 

[The Panch]

I have tons of respect for Montana, but put Elway on that 49ers team with Rice, Taylor, Craig, etc. and Montana never sees the field.

I don't think there's a HC anywhere who if he had both would bench Elway in favor of Joe.

He is the prototype.

How many INTs did he throw?? What was his career completion percentage?? Don't get me wrong, he's a top 5 ever and I'll give him props for taking 3 average teams to the SB, but he he still made plenty of mistakes himself. His career completion percentage was just under 57%. Joe's was just over 63%. 4% of his passes were for TD's and 3% were for INT's. 5% of Joe's were for TD's and 2.5% were for INT's. And last time I checked, Montana was a multiple SB MVP and first ballot HOFer before Rice and Taylor. And last I checked, Taylor was not a great receiver. And if you're gonna talk about Craig, talk about how Elway couldn't win a SB til he had a running game with TD and throwing balls to Sharpe.

I really think Terry Bradshaw would have to be in any Top 5 list ALL Time. You don't win that many SB rings and MVPs like he did by riding the coattails of the Steel Curtain defense.

He was flat out great and consistantly beat our Staubach in their showdowns.

I was rather amazed nobody really mentioned him. Steeler predjudice prevails here on this board, probably. Or the majority of posters only know him as the goofy sidekick guy with Howie Long on Fox Sunday Game Day.

So I'll add him to my list as #5b.

Bradshaw was not a great quarterback. He had "great season" and yet throughout his career, his TD to INT ratio was 212-210 and he completed less than 52% of his passes. He was an average QB carried by a great team.

 

[jackrussell]

Top 5 worst of all time

Ryan Leaf
Akili Smith
Neil O'Donnell
Byron Leftwich
Rick Mirer

This list loses any legitimacy without Todd Marinovich.