Everyone always loves to have this debate. It is an argument that will stand the test of time. Every time someone new shows up, the older quarterbacks will slowly be beaten. Who knows what this list will look like 100 years from now? But without further ado, here is my list of the top 10 quarterbacks of all time:
10) Terry Bradshaw – He may be best known for being a commentator these days, but in his playing days he won 4 super bowls. The guy had an absolute cannon for an arm.
9) Steve Young – As a talented athlete who has ever played the position. He was always in the shadow of Joe Montana. That quickly ended when he won his first Super Bowl.
8) Johnny Unitas: an icon of a bygone era. I think the term “general field” was invented thanks to Unitas.
7) Fran Tarkenton -Sure, the big one never won, but who cares? All you have to do is look at your statistics. He was a quarterback far ahead of his time.
6) Joe Montana – Blessed to have an offensive genius as a coach, Montana led the 49ers as the team of the ’80s and solidified his legacy with an incredible last minute drive to beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl.
5) Tom Brady – When this guy’s career is over, he could be number 1 on this list. It is an almost exact replica of Joe Montana. It is part of an offensive system that was created for him.
4) Peyton Manning – Not only is he an amazing quarterback, but he’s also an amazing offensive coordinator. I don’t think there has ever been a quarterback who understands the x’s and o’s in football better than Peyton Manning.
3) Brett Favre – Anyone who can play at that level for that many games in a row is nothing short of legendary. I’m a big fan of Cal Ripken, but his ironman record pales in comparison to what Favre has done.
2) John Elway – No quarterback has played in more Super Bowls than John Elway. To put Elway’s skills in perspective, when he played, the Broncos were always Super Bowl contenders. By the time he resigned, the Broncos have become nothing more than playoff hopefuls.
1) Dan Marino – Quite simply the best pure passer to ever play the game. He never played with teams as complete as others on this list, but he threw passes that mere mortals shouldn’t be able to make. With a quick-release lighting, the ball could go through a brick wall.
