Ranking The Greatest NFL Quarterbacks Of All Time
Oct 25, 2010 2:17:12 GMT -8
Post by Jason on Oct 25, 2010 2:17:12 GMT -8
What makes a great quarterback? Is it impressive statistics? Is it the percentage of victories throughout his career? Is it the amount of Super Bowl appearances? Is it the amount of Super Bowl rings? Taking the absolute best quarterbacks of all time and ranking them in terms of greatness is a very analytical process. It takes a combination of things many people don't consider. Separate generations of players and NFL rule changes makes it nearly impossible to create a perfectly accurate list, but when taking into account all of the possibilities that truly make a quarterback great, the list that is generated will be about as accurate as it can get.
Putting statistics, victories and Super Bowls aside, let's look at some other things that are just as important in the ranking process.
Team Caliber and Overcoming Adversity
A very, very important (possibly the most important) and commonly overlooked aspect. Most people rank based on Super Bowls, but if that were truly the case, you'd see players such as Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson ahead of Dan Marino. Who contributed most for Trent Dilfer of the Ravens and Brad Johnson of the Buccaneers? I would say it was their smash mouth defenses. Too much weight is applied to the shoulders of quarterbacks to go out and win games. Most quarterbacks cannot carry teams to victory, and the rare quarterbacks who can, will only carry them as far as their team will let them. Quarterbacks such as Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw are classic examples of quarterbacks who've had a very stable safety net of teams throughout their careers. For Terry Bradshaw, all that needs to be mentioned are two words. "Steel Curtain". For Joe Montana, I'm sure most people agree that the 49ers of his time had the best offense the NFL has ever seen. But this doesn't mean they weren't great quarterbacks.
In all my years of watching football (even old, old tapes from the early years), I've only seen a select few quarterbacks with the ability to put the game on their shoulders and get a victory. Marino, Kelly, Favre are examples of guys who've had this ability, but the quarterback that defines overcoming adversity is John Elway. Elway holds an NFL record of 47 4th quarter comebacks, but what's most impressive about this, is the fact that he, literally, carried his team to do it. It's one thing to have Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders or Kellen Winslow at the helm, but to have decent players and a horrid offensive line, at best, and truly carry your team to victory is astounding.
Passing: Generations, Statistics, Accuracy and Power
For me, this is one of the most important aspects of ranking a quarterback. For a Super Bowl victory to be decided, it must be a complete team effort. But raising your statistics, passing accurately and with power is all on the quarterback. Brett Favre is currently in his 20th NFL season, and who knows if he'll ever retire? He recently reached the 70,000 yard passer mark and is ranked #1 all time in passing yards. Impressive? Very. But I find Dan Marino's 60,000 yards to be far more impressive than Favre's 70,000. Does that sound crazy? Think about it.
Aside from Favre having 3 extra years over Marino to reach his 70,000 yard mark, Dan Marino passed for 60,000 yards during an era where even 50,000 was unheard of. Quarterbacks during the era of Marino had it tough. The NFL system wasn't nearly as passer friendly as it is today, and to do it with no-name receivers makes it even more impressive and appreciative. Favre had Sterling Sharpe and Donald Driver to help out. A bit of a step up from Duper and Clayton, I would say. When Marino came along, he broke nearly every passing record you can think of, and still holds many records to this day. He's untouchable in accuracy and proved it, not just on the field, but NFL quarterback challenges, as well.
Extremely powerful arms aren't necessarily easy to find in most quarterbacks. But there were quarterbacks with incredibly powerful arms. Randall Cunningham, John Elway and Bert Jones are the three that come to mind first and were among the most powerful, without a doubt. Both, Cunningham and Elway, could escape danger and fire the ball 80 yards down the field in the blink of an eye. In some instances, "The Elway Cross" was clocked in with speeds over 80 miles per hour. One of Randall Cunningham's most memorable plays was against the Buffalo Bills in 1990. Cunningham eluded Bruce Smith out of his own end zone and threw the ball, almost effortlessly, 60 yards down the field for a 95 yard touchdown pass. Arm power only matters at the quarterback position if you have accuracy to go with it. These men have proven time and time again that they can sling the ball down field in an instant, right on the button.
Scrambling and Elusiveness
The NFL has had it's history of quarterbacks with incredible scrambling ability. Fran Tarkenton, Warren Moon and John Elway are players who've established great scrambling ability, but there have only been a select few with mind blowing speed and elusiveness. Randall Cunningham is considered by many to be the greatest scrambling quarterback the NFL has ever seen (and we can't forget how quickly Michael Vick has made a name for himself). Cunningham's ability in this aspect of the quarterback position is almost untouchable. Defenses had never seen anyone with the speed that Cunningham had at the quarterback position. Even on 3rd and long situations, Cunningham could escape and scramble for 30 yards with ease. You won't find many quarterbacks with incredible scrambling ability. Cunningham's ability at eluding defenses and scrambling for yardage is beyond incredible.
Fooling Defenses and The Running game
Never have I seen a quarterback who can easily read defenses, audible and expose their game plan the way Peyton Manning does. I believe he is the overall most intelligent player we've ever seen at the quarterback position, and because quarterbacks receive the ball on almost every play in the game, an intelligent quarterback is a phenomenal attribution and a very important aspect in ranking quarterbacks.
The running game? How can the running game be utilized in ranking quarterbacks? This is how:
To have success throwing the ball, a great ground game is essential. Why? Because if a team has a horrid running game, defenses are more likely to expect a pass, making it more difficult to have success in this area, as well. Dan Marino, in his 17 seasons as a Miami Dolphin, had one 1,000 yard rusher in his entire career. Just one. Yet, he still managed to overcome even the best defenses the NFL has ever seen (The '85 Bears went 15-1, can you guess who they lost to?). Elway and Marino are alike in many ways. The biggest difference, is after Elway put the entire team on his shoulders 3 times and carried them to the Super Bowl, Denver finally acquired a solid all around football team. Namely, a great running back, Terrell Davis. After the acquisition of Davis, Elway and the Broncos won 2 Super Bowls. Elway finished his career as the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII.
Statistics
There are more to statistics than what's on paper. The era of the quarterback needs to be brought into the discussion. What impresses me more when racking up passing yards is the era in which it happened. The NFL is much more passer friendly today than the 80's and 90's. Marino achieved the 60,000 feat with a much less talented receiving core, and with a very, very small running game, while Favre had great receivers and running backs throughout his career to elevate him over 70,000.
Super Bowl Appearances and Games Won
Statistics that I believe truly matter in ranking quarterbacks is everything I listed above. If Super Bowl appearances and Super Bowls won are used in ranking quarterbacks, it is essential to consider team caliber. John Elway carried 3 mediocre teams to a Super Bowl on his back. Because those three weren't won, he's considered to be a Super Bowl loser. Same goes for Jim Kelly. If Scott Norwood hadn't missed the game winning kick, Kelly would be far more praised because he has a ring. I don't believe that matters. Winning Super Bowls is a team effort, and you'll never see a quarterback carry teams to Super Bowls time after time the way that Elway did. Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw. Great quarterbacks? Without a doubt. Had great teams? Without a doubt. Could they win big games with teams that Elway or Marino had? I don't think so. That is why I believe there are more quarterbacks worthy of a higher spot on the list than Joe Montana, who is widely regarded as #1.
To create a list as accurate as possible, quarterbacks must be ranked in all aspects of the game. Team caliber, overcoming adversity, passing generations, statistics, accuracy, power, scrambling, elusiveness and intelligence are my most important aspects when ranking quarterbacks.
Who really is the greatest quarterback of all time?
You decide.
Putting statistics, victories and Super Bowls aside, let's look at some other things that are just as important in the ranking process.
Team Caliber and Overcoming Adversity
A very, very important (possibly the most important) and commonly overlooked aspect. Most people rank based on Super Bowls, but if that were truly the case, you'd see players such as Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson ahead of Dan Marino. Who contributed most for Trent Dilfer of the Ravens and Brad Johnson of the Buccaneers? I would say it was their smash mouth defenses. Too much weight is applied to the shoulders of quarterbacks to go out and win games. Most quarterbacks cannot carry teams to victory, and the rare quarterbacks who can, will only carry them as far as their team will let them. Quarterbacks such as Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw are classic examples of quarterbacks who've had a very stable safety net of teams throughout their careers. For Terry Bradshaw, all that needs to be mentioned are two words. "Steel Curtain". For Joe Montana, I'm sure most people agree that the 49ers of his time had the best offense the NFL has ever seen. But this doesn't mean they weren't great quarterbacks.
In all my years of watching football (even old, old tapes from the early years), I've only seen a select few quarterbacks with the ability to put the game on their shoulders and get a victory. Marino, Kelly, Favre are examples of guys who've had this ability, but the quarterback that defines overcoming adversity is John Elway. Elway holds an NFL record of 47 4th quarter comebacks, but what's most impressive about this, is the fact that he, literally, carried his team to do it. It's one thing to have Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders or Kellen Winslow at the helm, but to have decent players and a horrid offensive line, at best, and truly carry your team to victory is astounding.
Passing: Generations, Statistics, Accuracy and Power
For me, this is one of the most important aspects of ranking a quarterback. For a Super Bowl victory to be decided, it must be a complete team effort. But raising your statistics, passing accurately and with power is all on the quarterback. Brett Favre is currently in his 20th NFL season, and who knows if he'll ever retire? He recently reached the 70,000 yard passer mark and is ranked #1 all time in passing yards. Impressive? Very. But I find Dan Marino's 60,000 yards to be far more impressive than Favre's 70,000. Does that sound crazy? Think about it.
Aside from Favre having 3 extra years over Marino to reach his 70,000 yard mark, Dan Marino passed for 60,000 yards during an era where even 50,000 was unheard of. Quarterbacks during the era of Marino had it tough. The NFL system wasn't nearly as passer friendly as it is today, and to do it with no-name receivers makes it even more impressive and appreciative. Favre had Sterling Sharpe and Donald Driver to help out. A bit of a step up from Duper and Clayton, I would say. When Marino came along, he broke nearly every passing record you can think of, and still holds many records to this day. He's untouchable in accuracy and proved it, not just on the field, but NFL quarterback challenges, as well.
Extremely powerful arms aren't necessarily easy to find in most quarterbacks. But there were quarterbacks with incredibly powerful arms. Randall Cunningham, John Elway and Bert Jones are the three that come to mind first and were among the most powerful, without a doubt. Both, Cunningham and Elway, could escape danger and fire the ball 80 yards down the field in the blink of an eye. In some instances, "The Elway Cross" was clocked in with speeds over 80 miles per hour. One of Randall Cunningham's most memorable plays was against the Buffalo Bills in 1990. Cunningham eluded Bruce Smith out of his own end zone and threw the ball, almost effortlessly, 60 yards down the field for a 95 yard touchdown pass. Arm power only matters at the quarterback position if you have accuracy to go with it. These men have proven time and time again that they can sling the ball down field in an instant, right on the button.
Scrambling and Elusiveness
The NFL has had it's history of quarterbacks with incredible scrambling ability. Fran Tarkenton, Warren Moon and John Elway are players who've established great scrambling ability, but there have only been a select few with mind blowing speed and elusiveness. Randall Cunningham is considered by many to be the greatest scrambling quarterback the NFL has ever seen (and we can't forget how quickly Michael Vick has made a name for himself). Cunningham's ability in this aspect of the quarterback position is almost untouchable. Defenses had never seen anyone with the speed that Cunningham had at the quarterback position. Even on 3rd and long situations, Cunningham could escape and scramble for 30 yards with ease. You won't find many quarterbacks with incredible scrambling ability. Cunningham's ability at eluding defenses and scrambling for yardage is beyond incredible.
Fooling Defenses and The Running game
Never have I seen a quarterback who can easily read defenses, audible and expose their game plan the way Peyton Manning does. I believe he is the overall most intelligent player we've ever seen at the quarterback position, and because quarterbacks receive the ball on almost every play in the game, an intelligent quarterback is a phenomenal attribution and a very important aspect in ranking quarterbacks.
The running game? How can the running game be utilized in ranking quarterbacks? This is how:
To have success throwing the ball, a great ground game is essential. Why? Because if a team has a horrid running game, defenses are more likely to expect a pass, making it more difficult to have success in this area, as well. Dan Marino, in his 17 seasons as a Miami Dolphin, had one 1,000 yard rusher in his entire career. Just one. Yet, he still managed to overcome even the best defenses the NFL has ever seen (The '85 Bears went 15-1, can you guess who they lost to?). Elway and Marino are alike in many ways. The biggest difference, is after Elway put the entire team on his shoulders 3 times and carried them to the Super Bowl, Denver finally acquired a solid all around football team. Namely, a great running back, Terrell Davis. After the acquisition of Davis, Elway and the Broncos won 2 Super Bowls. Elway finished his career as the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII.
Statistics
There are more to statistics than what's on paper. The era of the quarterback needs to be brought into the discussion. What impresses me more when racking up passing yards is the era in which it happened. The NFL is much more passer friendly today than the 80's and 90's. Marino achieved the 60,000 feat with a much less talented receiving core, and with a very, very small running game, while Favre had great receivers and running backs throughout his career to elevate him over 70,000.
Super Bowl Appearances and Games Won
Statistics that I believe truly matter in ranking quarterbacks is everything I listed above. If Super Bowl appearances and Super Bowls won are used in ranking quarterbacks, it is essential to consider team caliber. John Elway carried 3 mediocre teams to a Super Bowl on his back. Because those three weren't won, he's considered to be a Super Bowl loser. Same goes for Jim Kelly. If Scott Norwood hadn't missed the game winning kick, Kelly would be far more praised because he has a ring. I don't believe that matters. Winning Super Bowls is a team effort, and you'll never see a quarterback carry teams to Super Bowls time after time the way that Elway did. Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw. Great quarterbacks? Without a doubt. Had great teams? Without a doubt. Could they win big games with teams that Elway or Marino had? I don't think so. That is why I believe there are more quarterbacks worthy of a higher spot on the list than Joe Montana, who is widely regarded as #1.
To create a list as accurate as possible, quarterbacks must be ranked in all aspects of the game. Team caliber, overcoming adversity, passing generations, statistics, accuracy, power, scrambling, elusiveness and intelligence are my most important aspects when ranking quarterbacks.
Who really is the greatest quarterback of all time?
You decide.
