Rank your top-5 QBs of all-time

[Redball Express]

If we were to stick with QBs since the merger, from 1970-on, I think there are a number of QBs that a case could be made that they were the greatest:

Here are 10 guys to choose from in chronological order (sort of):

Roger Staubach
Terry Bradshaw
Dan Fouts
Joe Montana
John Elway
Dan Marino
Troy Aikman
Brett Favre
Peyton Manning
Tom Brady

Now put them in order:

You could order them based on who you would want if you needed to win a big game or to build a team around. You could base it on who did the most with the least. Who won the most or put up the best numbers. You could order them based on who you liked best or who you enjoyed watching the most.

I just noticed that almost all of them (except Montana & Favre) played their entire career with the same team. Interesting... I wonder if that was because they were so great or what helped to make them great. Maybe a combination of the two. Hmmm...

Only Fouts & Marino are without SB victories but both guys played for teams with poor defenses. No QB can win without a good supporting cast regardless of how great they might be.

I left out some great QBs who I don't think could reasonably be called the greatest:
Kenny Stabler
Ken Anderson
Warren Moon
Jim Kelly
Steve Young


Here's mine based on who I would want to lead my team:

1. Roger Staubach
2. Joe Montana
3. John Elway
4. Tom Brady
5. Troy Aikman
6. Peyton Manning
7. Dan Marino
8. Terry Bradshaw
9. Brett Favre
10.Dan Fouts

That's not set in stone for me as I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about this group.

I think that one of the greatest QBs left off anybodies list is certainly Fran Tarkenton.

For my money, in the era of the mid-60's-late 70's..there were few QBs that could compare with a guy who carried teams all by himself with few true stars to support him than Fran.

He did it with an expansion team with the Vikes (very hard to do) and grew them into a powerhouse, then went to the Jints and won for them, then returned to the Vikes again and took them repeatedly to the playoffs and won, again.

Really, he did it with three different teams, even though it was one team twice he played for.

And it took Marino to break his yardage marks. He was incredible to watch and he was as tough a QB as I ever saw. I saw Lilly and Too Tall and Randy White just cream him in a pass rush and you'd figure him he was done for the series..watch him get up with his nose pointing threw his helmet ear hole..

..only to dust himself off, dance back into the pocket and throw a bomb down field for a huge 1st down or a TD to beat you in the 4th Qt. And to go into Minnesota in December to play him was something nobody wanted to do.

I'll never forget that scramble they always used to show on NFL Films of Lilly and George Andre and Willie "Babycakes" Towns trying to tackle him on a scramble that went 30 yards backwards and lasted for like 30 seconds and he still gets free and completes the pass way down field on us.

I was in the Cotton Bowl that day and I remember the dead silence of the crowd after that play. It was errie. We had all witness a once in a lifetime play.

That Hail Mary to Drew Pearson I think just about killed Tark in the end. His ticket was punched to the SB that year until that happened. Tark had just taken the Vikes on a long, time consuming drive to take the lead in the 4th Qt. on the NFC Championship and had shown his All Pro credentials to a national audience.

And then Drew and Roger did their thing.

He was never the same, Tark. Even when he got to the SB 2 years later..he wasn't the same...losing badly.

Anyway..enjoyed all this stuff. Good job.

:starspinRedBaLL ExPreSS :starspin

 

[Cowboy Bill Watts]

Probably the best "QB" on your list. He didn't have the measurables that some of the others did, but probably one of the most cerebral. His decision making was just phenomenal and probably one of the best 2 minute QBs along w/ Elway.

these are all just opinions here, but...

i want the dodger running my 2-minute drill.

 

[THUMPER]

I think that one of the greatest QBs left off anybodies list is certainly Fran Tarkenton.

For my money, in the era of the mid-60's-late 70's..there were few QBs that could compare with a guy who carried teams all by himself with few true stars to support him than Fran.

He did it with an expansion team with the Vikes (very hard to do) and grew them into a powerhouse, then went to the Jints and won for them, then returned to the Vikes again and took them repeatedly to the playoffs and won, again.

Really, he did it with three different teams, even though it was one team twice he played for.

And it took Marino to break his yardage marks. He was incredible to watch and he was as tough a QB as I ever saw. I saw Lilly and Too Tall and Randy White just cream him in a pass rush and you'd figure him he was done for the series..watch him get up with his nose pointing threw his helmet ear hole..

..only to dust himself off, dance back into the pocket and throw a bomb down field for a huge 1st down or a TD to beat you in the 4th Qt. And to go into Minnesota in December to play him was something nobody wanted to do.

I'll never forget that scramble they always used to show on NFL Films of Lilly and George Andre and Willie "Babycakes" Towns trying to tackle him on a scramble that went 30 yards backwards and lasted for like 30 seconds and he still gets free and completes the pass way down field on us.

That Hail Mary to Drew Pearson I think just about killed Tark in the end. His ticket was punched to the SB that year until that happened. Tark had just taken the Vikes on a long, time consuming drive to take the lead in the 4th Qt. on the NFC Championship and had shown his All Pro credentials to a national audience.

And then Drew and Roger did their thing.

He was never the same, Tark. Even when he got to the SB 2 years later..he wasn't the same...losing badly.

Anyway..enjoyed all this stuff. Good job.

:starspinRedBaLL ExPreSS :starspin

Good point about Tarkenton. He was a great QB and was amazing to watch. Considering how wimpy he looked he was a tough guy who was rarely injured.

I think he was one of the unluckiest QBs ever in terms of timing. He got traded to the Giants just when the Vikings were getting really good, then came back when they were getting older. They still had some great teams but he missed them when they were at their best in the late 60s-early 70s.

He was kind of the Barry Sanders of QBs. Very exciting to watch but not someone who could win the big games because he did so many individual things. He threw the ball a lot and lasted a long time which is why he put up such great career totals.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

1. Elway - What he could do with a football was simply unreal. How he carried those 80's teams to the Superbowl virtually be himself is beyond me.
1A. Unitas - Only seen him on replays and NFL films, but the numbers he produced vs. the era he played in were incredible. I can't imagine what he could do in today's game with the "Pro-Offense" rules that they have in place. The receivers could just get mugged back in those days.
3. Staubach - Watching him play sold me on the Cowboys for life Bandwagon.
4. Montana - Somewhat of a system QB, but man could he produce with the game on the line.
5. Bradshaw - The long time Dallas Nemesis deserves some respect.

 

[kojak]

At age 37 my choices will be based on who I have seen play.

1. Joe Montana. Very smart and very accurate to boot. Seemed to always shine on the big stage. Very dirty the way san fran handled the situation between him and Young. Joe went to Kanas City and proved he could still play the game. Anyone remember the game between the Cheifs and the 49er's? And aging Montana against Young. Joe prevailed again.

2. John Elway. Played with alot of heart and passion. One of the strongest arms I have seen and took 5 teams to the SB. I was so happy for him when he finally won the big one I was literally in tears and then he proved he could still do it by winning it again the following year. I truly beleive he could of had a 3 peat if he had stayed another year.

3. Roger Staubach. Though I only remember the latter half of his career. From what I remember he was very elusive and smart. Gave 110 percent each and every game. My favorite Cowboy QB of all time so maybe that makes me a homer because he is number 3 on my list. But I feel he deserves to be here.

4. Peyton Manning. Probably the smartest QB in the game today. Very fun to watch. Calls offensive plays and his theatrics at QB is unique and keeps the defense guessing at all times. Great arm and very accurate. Another QB I was happy to see get a ring. I feel by the time he retires he will have most if not all the records.

5. Tom Brady. This one was a toss up between him and farve so I flipped a coin and Brady won. What Brady has managed to do in the short time he has been in the league has been amazing. Having 3 rings in the days of the salary cap is pretty amazing itself. Very Poised in the pocket, very smart, accurate, and has probably the best TD/Int ratio in the game.

Honorable Mentions
Brett Farve
Dan Marino

 

[adamknite]

1. John Elway
2. Montana
3. Staubach
4. Otto Grahm(sp?)
5. Brett Favre (probably replace with Manning/Brady soon)

 

[Redball Express]

1. Elway - What he could do with a football was simply unreal. How he carried those 80's teams to the Superbowl virtually be himself is beyond me.
1A. Unitas - Only seen him on replays and NFL films, but the numbers he produced vs. the era he played in were incredible. I can't imagine what he could do in today's game with the "Pro-Offense" rules that they have in place. The receivers could just get mugged back in those days.
3. Staubach - Watching him play sold me on the Cowboys for life Bandwagon.
4. Montana - Somewhat of a system QB, but man could he produce with the game on the line.
5. Bradshaw - The long time Dallas Nemesis deserves some respect.

I agree with this one, too.

Your comments are all spot on.

Any list that has Staubach on it HAS to have Bradshaw, too. These two were the Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker of their football generation.

You are correct in placing them on any Top 5. 4 SB rings in your bank vault means something very, very special.

I'll bet these guys are really good friends, too.

Actually..I clearly remember all the great SBs we have won fondly.

But the 4 games that will always stand out to me the most were the losses to the Packers in the '66 and '67 NFC Championships and the two losses in the the two SBs to Pittsburgh.

Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw.

For any Cowboy fan of the day..they were the biggest Cowboy Killers there were..ever.

And to both, they have my undying respect. If not also parts of my sports heart after watching them beat us in close games for huge stakes with both teams having legendary rosters of their times.

Thanks.

:starspinReDBall ExPreSS:starspin

 

[dboyz]

Not only is it too soon to evaluate Tom Brady, he has played with the best offensive line in decades. Put any starting QB in the NFL today back there and you are going to get similar results. Geez, half his touchdowns this year were just standing back there chunking the ball down the field to Randy Moss. So basically anyone who could through 40 yards or so to a huge Randy Moss or hit a 5 yard wide target that is Wes Welker would be just as good as Tom Brady.

This is provably false. In the Dolphins game, they were up by about 3 scores, so the backup comes in, promptly throws an interception for six. Brady comes back in and marches the team right down the field for another touchdown. Obviously it made a difference whether Brady was in there and not just anybody can do it. The same things were said about Aikman.

These guys are just so good at what they do they make it look easy. I think it's an exaggeration to say Brady has had the best offensive line in decades. He's had a good offensive line though, I'll give you that. However, he has never had great weapons around him until this past year, and he proceeded to break records. I'm sure any ol Clint Sterner could join the Pats and throw 50 TD's.

BTW, in case anyone thinks otherwise, I really detest the Patriots and have gotten sick of their arrogance. Personally I probably like Peyton better than Brady (as far as someone to root for), but I've just got a lot of respect for what Brady has done.

 

[Doomsday]

Elway
Montana
Marino
Manning
Aikman/Young

I can only go by guys Ive seend play since 1980.

 

[gazmc_06]

This is provably false. In the Dolphins game, they were up by about 3 scores, so the backup comes in, promptly throws an interception for six. Brady comes back in and marches the team right down the field for another touchdown. Obviously it made a difference whether Brady was in there and not just anybody can do it. The same things were said about Aikman.

These guys are just so good at what they do they make it look easy. I think it's an exaggeration to say Brady has had the best offensive line in decades. He's had a good offensive line though, I'll give you that. However, he has never had great weapons around him until this past year, and he proceeded to break records. I'm sure any ol Clint Sterner could join the Pats and throw 50 TD's.

BTW, in case anyone thinks otherwise, I really detest the Patriots and have gotten sick of their arrogance. Personally I probably like Peyton better than Brady (as far as someone to root for), but I've just got a lot of respect for what Brady has done.

Couldn't agree more, Brady is my pick for the best ever. He's had a good line, but not the best in decades. He had no receivers at all until last season and still led the Pats to 3 superbowl wins.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I don't think any QB on any top 5 list, anywhere, is going to be up there if they didn't have at least a good O-Line.

Terrible O-Line = QB never living up to potential.

 

[gazmc_06]

The only QB I recall doing anything with a not very good line was Mike Vick...that was only because he could run, fast.

 

[SanTexCowboy]

IMO, Terry Bradshaw is deserving of a top 5 listing. I hated him when he was playing, but he was one of the best.

 

[silver]

1. Tom Brady
2. Joe Montana
3. Roger Staubach
4. John Elway
5. Troy Aikman

 

[EveryoneElse]

A bunch of y'all need to get a clue, any list with Moon, Favre, or Brady in the top 5 is a complete joke. Personally I don't think Aikman is top five either but I can understand why he is showing up here...but seriously...Moon, Favre and Brady, go back and watch old games.

I think you need to back off and stop acting like a know it all jerk, okay?

The original post asked for all of our opinions, not just yours.

Moons NFL passing numbers alone are staggering, not to mention his numbers in the CFL. The guy threw the rock for over 60k yards and over 430 TDs.

The guy was amazing, imo. I have never seen a guy throw a prettier ball than he did.

Thats why he is my #1

 

[lane]

I think you need to back off and stop acting like a know it all jerk, okay?

The original post asked for all of our opinions, not just yours.

Moons NFL passing numbers alone are staggering, not to mention his numbers in the CFL. The guy threw the rock for over 60k yards and over 430 TDs.

The guy was amazing, imo. I have never seen a guy throw a prettier ball than he did.

Thats why he is my #1

noone threw a prettier spiral.........that's for damn sure.

 

[GhettoxCowboy]

1. Montana
2.brady
3. Staubach
4. Elway
5. favre

 

[DWhite Fan]

I think that one of the greatest QBs left off anybodies list is certainly Fran Tarkenton.

Wish I had thought to put Fran on my list.....wait a minute....I did

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

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).

You mean only from the last century?

 

[cowboyuptx]

I have a hard time rating QBs that I've never seen play (pre- 1985). of the ones I did see, I'd probably have to rank Montana #1, Brady #2, Elway #3, Aikman #4 and Marino or Manning #5. People will argue that Favre belongs in the top 5, but bottom line is that I wouldn't trust him in a must win situation.

Totally agree about Favre, and also about not being able to speak on QB's that were before my time. So my list goes like this...

1. Joe Montana - Joe was cool as a cucumber, and always got it done in the big games. He was like Michael Jordan.
2. John Elway - The 4th quarter comebacks, and the 2 late superbowls, nuff said...
3. Steve Young - The 90's Cowboys are the best team ever (imo), but it was always a toss-up between us and the Young led 49ers. Young was a great runner, mostly because he always knew when to run, and when to pass, he was great at both.
4. Troy Aikman - A winner in the truest sense of the word. Irvin was the heart of the team, but Troy was the back-bone! Most precise QB ever! Three SuperBowls speak for themselves...
5. Tom Brady - This last spot is hard to pick, but I'll go with Brady. Last season was weird for Brady, he set all kinds of records, but then blemished his SuperBowl record... However, he did show that he can put up Manning type numbers, add 3 SuperBowls to that, case closed...