[Jawbone54]

The other thread inspired this poll. I put in the max allowed by MacNN, but I got my source for the top QBs to include in the thread from here.

If you vote for "other," list who you would vote for, but ONLY ONE quarterback!

Terry Bradshaw of the Pittsburgh Steelers (1970-83)

This lifelong Steeler was the first player chosen in the 1970 NFL Draft coming out of Louisiana Tech. Armed with one of the NFL's best throwing arms, Bradshaw led the Steelers to eight AFC Central titles and, most importantly, along with "The Steel Curtain" defense, led his team to four Super Bowl titles. Bradshaw was selected Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowls XIII and XIV. Other notable achievements by Bradshaw include his Super Bowl Records of nine touchdown passes and 932 yards. His career stats of 27,879 passing yards, 212 TD passes, 2,257 rushing yards, and 32 rushing TDs only cement his status as one of the game's great quarterbacks.

Now working as an NFL commentator for Fox Sports, Bradshaw was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in 1989.

John Elway of the Denver Broncos (1983-98)

A man who could be very simply known as the king of comeback, ended his storied career in 1998 by going on top. His MVP performance in Super Bowl XXXIV capped back-to-back Super Bowls from the quarterback from Stanford and stamped his stature as one of the game's greats. Through a storied 15-year career, Elway is second in all-time total offense leaders in NFL history with 59,006 total yards, third in touchdowns with 417, and has a NFL record 40 come from behind victories in the fourth quarter for wins.

He led the Broncos to a 161-93-1 record during his career and his 234 games played as a Bronco is a team record.

Bob Griese of the Miami Dolphins (1967-80)

An All-American in college for Purdue University, Griese joined the Dolphins in 1967 and, through his 13-year career, led the Fish to three AFC titles, Super Bowl VII and VII victories, and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1971. Griese was named an All-pro twice, All-AFC three times and his career stats include 25,092 yards, 192 touchdown passes, 77.1 passing rating, 994 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Griese was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1990 and, like fellow NFL Counterparts, is a football commentator for ABC college games. His son Brian has continued the Griese tradition as the heir apparent to John Elway as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins (1983-1999)

After the Dolphins lost Griese in 1980, it took them only three years to find another Hall of Famer in the making. Marino was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft out of Pittsburgh University. It didn't take long for Marino to make an impression, the only rookie quarterback to ever start the Pro Bowl, Marino has shattered the NFL record books in his 17-year NFL career.

Just a few of his memorable accomplishments include 420 touchdown passes, 61,361 passing yards, 4,967 pass completions, all good for first in the NFL record books. All in all, Marino has established 20 NFL records and appears to have no immediate competition ahead of him. A guaranteed Hall of Famer, the only thing eluding Marino is a Super Bowl ring, something he played for in 1985, but lost to another Hall of Fame quarterback by the name of Joe Montana.

Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs (1979-1994)

A third-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers from Notre Dame University, Montana enjoyed a spectacular career filled with great comebacks and Super Bowl championships.

Throughout his career, Montana led his teams to 11 playoff appearances, nine divisional championships and victories in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV. His spectacular play in the Super Bowl games led to MVP trophies in three of the 49ers Super Bowl wins with the exception of Super Bowl XXIII. All-NFL three times, All-NFC five times, Montana was also selected to eight Pro Bowls and has career statistics of 40,551 yards, 273 touchdown passes, and 3,409 competitions with a 92.3 passing rating.

Joe Namath of the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams (1965-1977)

"Broadway" Joe, as many would call him, came from Alabama University and will always be known for his Super Bowl "guarantee" victory in Super Bowl III. It was a guarantee that Namath backed up as he led his Jets to a stunning 16-7 upset of the Colts. Namath is also known as the first quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season and, as an AFL player, threw three touchdown passes in the 1968 AFL Title Game and played in three AFL All-Star games.

Enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1985, Namath finished his career with 27,663 passing yards and 173 passing touchdowns.

Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers (1956-1971)

A very precise passer that also was a product of Alabama University, Starr led his respective Packer team to six division, five NFL and two Super Bowl titles. The NFL Most Valuable Player in 1966 and MVP of Super Bowls I and II, Starr was also a three-time NFL passing champion and competed in four Pro Bowls. Starr, a 17th round draft pick (200th overall), was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1977 and finished with career passing totals of 24,718 yards, 152 touchdowns, and a 57.4 completion percentage.

Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys (1969-1979)

A 1963 Heisman Trophy winner from Navy, Staubach served his four-year Navy service before entering the NFL. A quarterback known for his late-game heroics, Staubach led the Cowboys to four NFC titles, Super Bowl VI and XII wins, and was a four-time NFL passing leader. Staubach was also an All-NFC selection for four years and finished his career with 22,700 passing yards, 153 touchdown passes, 20 rushing touchdowns, and an astounding 83.4 pass rating, which was a record at the time of his retirement.

Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants (1961-1978)

Selected by the Vikings in the third round of the 1961 NFL Draft, Tarkenton's rise to fame came in his first game as he threw four touchdown passes. Playing for the Vikings, Tarkenton was traded to the Giants and then traded back to the Vikings. It was in a Viking uniform in which the quarterback had his most success has he led the Vikings to three Super Bowls.

An exciting and elusive scrambling quarterback, Tarkenton was among the best the game has seen. When he retired, Tarkenton was near the top in almost every passing category. He finished his career with 47,003 passing yards, 342 touchdowns, and 3,686 competitions. On top of his passing numbers, Tarkenton also rushed for 3,674 yards in his career and 32 touchdowns.

In 1986 Tarkenton was enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers (1956-1973)

Picked up as a free agent by the Colts in 1956, Unitas is a legend in NFL circles. An exceptional leader, Unitas lead the Colts to 1958 and 1959 NFL crowns and was named All-NFL for five seasons including three Player of the Year awards.

Unitas also picked up three MVP trophies as well as 10 Pro Bowl selections. Other accomplishments by the quarterback from Louisville include 26 games of over 300 yards passing and a 47-game streak of at least one touchdown pass per game. Overall, Unitas finished his career with 40,239 passing yards, 290 touchdown passes, and 2,830 competitions.

Unitas was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

[turtle777]

Brett Favre

-t

[Ouhei]

Montana hands down.

[rickey939]

Steve DeBerg.

[Dakar]

Jake Wyler.

[bewebste]

Ryan Leaf!

[Dork.]

Montana's probably the best one I've seen play, with Elway second.

Out of the older bunch, I'd go with Bradshaw, but I still like Montana better.

No Jim Kelly?

[cakey]

I'd have Favre over Griese.

For a season: Marino
For a game: Montana
For one drive: Elway

[the_glassman]

Montana
[/thread]

[SVass]

Sammy Baugh
He had a good name. sam

[cakey]

Heck, Aikman and Young over Griese too.

[exca1ibur]

Marino. He never had a team around him and managed to set damn near every QB record out there. Montana is up there, but he had a hall of fame cast. Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, etc. Not to take nothing away from him, as he for sure deserves to be on the list.

Aikman should be on this list, too. BTW

[mac128k-1984]

Montana Hands down.

[sek929]

Montana, no contest.

[spacefreak]

On Marino: He had excellent offensive teams. The problem was with their defenses. Like Indianapolis of recent years, Marino's Dolphins had to score a lot of points to win because they gave up so many points.

How is Troy Aikman not on that list? Heck, even most of the QBs listed above have stated Aikman was the most accurate passer they've even seen.

His stats weren't super-impressive, but wither were Bradshaw. If we were to factor stats into this, Testeverde and Bledsoe would be in the top 10. But were not basing it on stats, so I say Aikman needs to be discussed.

"Troy had the prettiest drop I've ever seen," (Carolina Pathers QB Jake) Delhomme said. "He'd stick that fifth step in the ground and throw rockets. He'd put it in the [receiver's] chest. Say what you want about him having good running backs and receivers – but he was an unbelievable accurate passer. He'd stand tall and fire the football."

Peter King of SI: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...say0726/1.html

Aikman was a standout player for one of the most successful franchises in sports. I think of him as the perfect marksman who rightfully shares the eternal Dallas stage with Roger Staubach. He was the most accurate quarterback I've ever seen. It drives me crazy every year when scouts and coaches and general managers at the NFL scouting combine talk about attributes they want to see in quarterbacks. They talk about toughness, intelligence, the ability to move in the pocket and a rocket arm. Accuracy is usually about sixth on the list. Aikman showed it should be first.

Once, when Norv Turner was the Cowboys' offensive coordinator, he walked off the practice field and said to me, "You see that practice? The ball never hit the ground."

"Huh?" I said. "What do you mean?"

"Troy did not throw one incompletion in two hours," Turner said.

[Albert Pujols]

Tim Couch

[Rumor]

Doug Flutie, he even has his own cereal.

[voodoo]

Brett Favre

V

[itai195]

I voted for Montana, but Young and Aikman should be on the list.

[zro]

Elway.

He could throw and run.

[King Bob On The Cob]

I can never say Farve is the best quarterback of all time...

I watched him throw 6 INTs against the Rams in '01 IN THE PLAYOFFS.

[Ghoser777]

Grossman

[Jawbone54]

In my opinion, Young and Aikman should've been, but under the list that I took from that site, they weren't there. I could've put my personal top 10 on there, but I'm sure there would've been disputes about that as well.

How is Troy Aikman not on that list? Heck, even most of the QBs listed above have stated Aikman was the most accurate passer they've even seen.

His stats weren't super-impressive, but wither were Bradshaw. If we were to factor stats into this, Testeverde and Bledsoe would be in the top 10. But were not basing it on stats, so I say Aikman needs to be discussed.

"Troy had the prettiest drop I've ever seen," (Carolina Pathers QB Jake) Delhomme said. "He'd stick that fifth step in the ground and throw rockets. He'd put it in the [receiver's] chest. Say what you want about him having good running backs and receivers – but he was an unbelievable accurate passer. He'd stand tall and fire the football."

Peter King of SI: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...say0726/1.html

Aikman was a standout player for one of the most successful franchises in sports. I think of him as the perfect marksman who rightfully shares the eternal Dallas stage with Roger Staubach. He was the most accurate quarterback I've ever seen. It drives me crazy every year when scouts and coaches and general managers at the NFL scouting combine talk about attributes they want to see in quarterbacks. They talk about toughness, intelligence, the ability to move in the pocket and a rocket arm. Accuracy is usually about sixth on the list. Aikman showed it should be first.

Once, when Norv Turner was the Cowboys' offensive coordinator, he walked off the practice field and said to me, "You see that practice? The ball never hit the ground."

"Huh?" I said. "What do you mean?"

"Troy did not throw one incompletion in two hours," Turner said.

*high five*

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by rickey939

Steve DeBerg.

The guy that took his starting job got my vote.

John Albert Elway Jr.:

The most physically gifted quarterback I've ever seen. Fantastic arm. Great scrambler/improv artist. Smart and understood the game. Good touch. Unmatched competitiveness (he once got beat at pool by Bubby Brister on Elway's brand new pool table - the next day, he had it removed from his home.) Fourth quarter magician.

More wins than any QB in NFL history. Record of 148-82-1. Most 4th quarter comebacks - 147.

Here's the kicker: He did this, for the most part, with a team that wasn't really that good. (1996-1998 are the three exceptions.)

Put simply:

Place Elway on the teams that Joe Montana played for, and he would have won just as many or more rings.

Montana was a great technician. Perfect for the "west coast offense" - short, accurate, timing routes. Cool cat under pressure.

But Elway was better.

I am biased as a Bronco fan, where we consider #7 to be God. But, I really believe it. I watched nearly every one of his games, and he was beyond special. He's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player.

I can only hope that Jay Cutler ends up being half as good as the GOAT.

[davesimondotcom]

Aikman, Young and Kelly should all be on that list.

Namath is WAY overrated. Important in the history of the game, but not that great.

Kelly was a hell of a player, but he lost 4 Super Bowls, so people forget about him. They win those games, people are talking about him over Montana.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

Marino. He never had a team around him and managed to set damn near every QB record out there. Montana is up there, but he had a hall of fame cast. Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, etc. Not to take nothing away from him, as he for sure deserves to be on the list.

Marino = All flash and stats = Peyton Manning

Both have something very specific missing from their "equation."

Hint: It's big and garish and sparkles with diamonds. It goes on your finger.

(I'm of the opinion that the Manning most likely to win a Super Bowl plays in New Jersey.)

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Marino = All flash and stats = Peyton Manning

Both have something very specific missing from their "equation."

Hint: It's big and garish and sparkles with diamonds. It goes on your finger.

(I'm of the opinion that the Manning most likely to win a Super Bowl plays in New Jersey.)

I dont agree with that (Ring only quarterbacks are great, bull). So by your definition Trent Dilfer is a better quarterback than Payton Manning? Dan Marino? Trent Dilfer shouldn't be allowed to even carry their jock straps, much less be mentioned in the same breath. You rate a career in TOTAL accomplishments, not JUST a ring being a measure of how good a quarterback is. Hell most on here would agree that even Jim Kelly with no ring is better than Trent Dilfer.

[NYK Ace]

Originally Posted by Rumor

Doug Flutie, he even has his own cereal.

haha yes!!!

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

I dont agree with that (Ring only quarterbacks are great, bull). So by your definition Trent Dilfer is a better quarterback than Payton Manning? Dan Marino? Trent Dilfer shouldn't be allowed to even carry their jock straps, much less be mentioned in the same breath. You rate a career in TOTAL accomplishments, not JUST a ring being a measure of how good a quarterback is. Hell most on here would agree that even Jim Kelly with no ring is better than Trent Dilfer.

You are putting words in my mouth. I didn't say that having a ring makes someone better than someone else. However, the fact that Marino and Manning both have trouble in the playoffs speaks volumes.

They are great QBs, but they would be on a higher level with success in the playoffs.

TEAMS win Championships. But a great QB can do a whole lot towards getting you there. Look at Elway - bad teams, three Super Bowl losses. Good teams, two Super Bowl wins.

But I still see the lack of Super Bowl appearances and rings as a big dent in Marino/Manning's armor.

And Dilfer is a bad example. With the team that he played on, they could have won a Lombardi without a quarterback. Just punt on first down.

[exca1ibur]

I still dont agree with you there. Playoffs is a perfect example of TEAM effort needed, they are also need to GET to the playoffs as well. The QB can only do his part on offense not defense. Still my point holds water. If the QB puts up the points and the defense gives more up, how is that his fault? How does that dent his armor? This is why the the full value of their career is a better measure, because you can't 'always' single out the QB in all cases being they only control one part of the team. Dilfer was a perfect example to just explain a QB with a ring is not always a 'great' QB. That alone doesn't define a QB greatness over time is all I'm saying.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

I still dont agree with you there. Playoffs is a perfect example of TEAM effort needed, they are also need to GET to the playoffs as well. The QB can only do his part on offense not defense. Still my point holds water. If the QB puts up the points and the defense gives more up, how is that his fault? How does that dent his armor? This is why the the full value of their career is a better measure, because you can't 'always' single out the QB in all cases being they only control one part of the team. Dilfer was a perfect example to just explain a QB with a ring is not always a 'great' QB. That alone doesn't define a QB greatness over time is all I'm saying.

I agree that rings alone don't matter. But, over a 15 year career, a great QB should get his team at least to the AFC or NFC Championship game, if not through it.

Heck, our list is forgetting a guy with terrible technique who just managed to win. (Except when his team played Martyball.)

Bernie Kosar. He should at least get honorable mention.

I'd be saying that Elway should top the list even if it weren't for the two rings. But the five AFC Championships and two rings do matter.

(And don't try to tell me the Broncos of 1986-1990 were all that supportive of Elway. He was the guy who picked the team up and took it through the playoffs. He just couldn't win the Super Bowl by himself. As a test, name me one 1000 yard running back that played with John Elway before 1995 when Terrell Davis came along...)

When Sammy Winder is your star running back and Vance Johnson is your best reciever and Clarance Kay is your best tight end, you are much more likely to go 8-8 than lose in the Super Bowl.

I'd much prefer Terrell Davis, Rod Smith/Ed McCaffery and Shannon Sharpe.

[the_glassman]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

(And don't try to tell me the Broncos of 1986-1990 were all that supportive of Elway. He was the guy who picked the team up and took it through the playoffs. He just couldn't win the Super Bowl by himself. As a test, name me one 1000 yard running back that played with John Elway before 1995 when Terrell Davis came along...)

You said it already yourself. Sammy Winder (1984) rushed for over 1,000 yards on an Elway team and was a Pro Bowler long before Davis was ever around. There was also Bobby Humphrey (1989, 1990) and last but not least Gaston Green (1991). All of whom were Pro Bowlers at one point.
Elway was good, but IMHO is one of the most overated of all time.

[wallinbl]

Steve Young led the league in passing six times, including four in a row. Both are more than any other QB in the modern era. Young has a career passer rating of 96.8, higher than that of any other QB. He had the second best seaon rating of all time. He lead the league in completion percentage five times, tied with Joe Montana. He lead the league in touchdowns four times, tied for first.

I'm not saying he's the best ever, but he should be in the poll.

[olePigeon]

"Joe Montanna ... with a 92.3 passing rating."

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by the_glassman

You said it already yourself. Sammy Winder (1984) rushed for over 1,000 yards on an Elway team and was a Pro Bowler long before Davis was ever around. There was also Bobby Humphrey (1989, 1990) and last but not least Gaston Green (1991). All of whom were Pro Bowlers at one point.

And you answered the question well. But, if you know them beyond stats, Winder, Humphrey and Green all were mediocre pros (at best.)

Originally Posted by the_glassman

Elway was good, but IMHO is one of the most underrated of all time.

Fixed.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Steve Young led the league in passing six times, including four in a row. Both are more than any other QB in the modern era. Young has a career passer rating of 96.8, higher than that of any other QB. He had the second best seaon rating of all time. He lead the league in completion percentage five times, tied with Joe Montana. He lead the league in touchdowns four times, tied for first.

I'm not saying he's the best ever, but he should be in the poll.

Young is a perfect example of how good the system was in San Francisco.

He should be on this list, for sure, but look how well known he was when he was a Buc.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Young is a perfect example of how good the system was in San Francisco.

He should be on this list, for sure, but look how well known he was when he was a Buc.

Yeah, but the Bucs used to use traffic cones for offensive linemen. Everyone sucked when they were here because they were just trying to avoid being injured.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Young is a perfect example of how good the system was in San Francisco.

As a Gator fan, I don't buy into the "system" argument all that much. I keep hearing how Danny Wuerffel was a product of the system, but if that were true, then why weren't Terry Dean, Doug Johnson, and Jesse Palmer better?

I think the argument might go a little better by saying that Young was the right guy for the right system, but I wouldn't give the system all the credit.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

As a Gator fan, I don't buy into the "system" argument all that much. I keep hearing how Danny Wuerffel was a product of the system, but if that were true, then why weren't Terry Dean, Doug Johnson, and Jesse Palmer better?

I think the argument might go a little better by saying that Young was the right guy for the right system, but I wouldn't give the system all the credit.

Oh, I'm not saying that it's ALL the system.

Heck, I'm a Broncos fan, I know ALL ABOUT the "It's just the system" thing. Trust me, Terrell Davis was not because of the system. He was special.

So was Young.