The greatest?

[Krissy Phaserman 0]

If you could create a list of the top 3 best Quarterbacks ever, who would you pick?

 

Right now, my list is as follows, though in no perticular order.

 

Joe Montana

Brett Favre ( :angry: )

Roger Staubach

 

Honorable Mentions for my list:

 

Terry Bradshaw

Joe Thiesman

Peyton Manning

Troy Aikman

Dan Marino

Steve Young

[APW 0]

Quarterbacks that I've seen play:

 

1. Joe Montana

2. John Elway

3. Dan Fouts

 

ALL Quarterbacks:

 

1. Joe Montana

2. Roger Staubach

3. Johnny Unitas

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Joe Montana

Dan Marino

Steve Young

 

There's no way I'd ever include Joe Thiesman in a list of "great" Quarterbacks.

 

I know Favre will land on people's lists because he's a current player that most people will recognize but I've seen too much wild play out of him through the years to include him on my list. Another name that I'd never include is Joe Namath, he's considered "great" only because of 3 words... "I Guarantee It" without that he'd be a forgotten nobody.

[Kor37 9]

1. Johnny Unitas

2. Joe Montana

3. Roger Staubach

[Krissy Phaserman 0]

Favre has been wild, VBG, but he's won games. as a testimate to that, he's been to two more superbowls than Dan Marino, and is the only person to be named MVP 3 times. and there's the legendary toughness. Something like 220 consecutive starts. He's at the top of alot of the stats lists, also.

[Odie 0]

My quarterbacks are: (no order)

 

1. Jim Kelly

 

2. Jack Kemp

 

3. Steve Young

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Favre has been wild, VBG, but he's won games. as a testimate to that, he's been to two more superbowls than Dan Marino, and is the only person to be named MVP 3 times. and there's the legendary toughness. Something like 220 consecutive starts. He's at the top of alot of the stats lists, also.

Favre only went to 2 Super Bowls, winning 1 and losing 1 didn't he, or am I forgetting one? Marino went to 1 and lost it.

 

I don't question his toughness but a lot of QB's are tough. Donovan McNabb once played 3 quarters of a game with a broken leg and still threw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's. There are times though when "toughness" can hurt a team. This year McNabb needed surgery, if he had gotten it done early enough he may have been able to return and complete the season but he decided to tough it out, now he's on IR. His toughness wound up hurting the team. Favre has been hurt in the past where he probably should have taken a seat to heal but he didn't and it wound up hurting his team in the end.

 

As for winning games McNabb's career winning percentage is .674, Favre's is .628. I calculated this from this article and included this year's win's and losses:

 

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/p...321/1007/SPORTS

 

Don't get me wrong though, Favre will make it to the HOF and he deserves to make it there but I'm just not one of those that are willing to crown him as a top 5 all time QB, upper top 10 maybe but not top 5. I also admit my bias, put him out of the league for 10 years and ask me again and I may have a different view but for now I just can't put him above names like Johnny Unitas, Bart Star, Joe Montana, Dan Fouts, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway and Steve Young to name a few. Then there's names like Otto Graham, Sonny Jorgensen, Len Dawson and Fran Tarkenton as well as a bunch that I haven't named that were all great QB's.

 

Again though, don't misunderstand me I will accept Favre as one of this decades great QB's and I agree that he holds a place among the top 10 (or 20) but there's just too much NFL history in the past 85 Years to put him in the top 3.

[Jim Phaserman 0]

What is one thing all of those quarterbacks (Save maybe Marino) had in common? Throughout their careers, they've had pretty good teams around them. I mean, look at Carson Palmer. Fantasy-wise, I wrote him off. Why? He played for the Bungles, a team that has historically, to be rather rude to the Cinci fans (My apologies) sucked. He's got Chad Johnson, Rudy Johnson, and TJ HUSH-menzadah around him, with a hellatious D, and now he's rockin'. Marino was a great quarterback who never had the talent around him that others such as Young, Staubach, Favre, McNabb, Johnny U, and the others had. THat's why I'd place Marino near the top.

 

Here's another element: A good quarterback needs 3 things around him on Offense to be great. First and foremost, an Offensive Line. THis is why Joey Harrington and Jeff Garcia in Detroit and David Carr in Houston look so bad. They can't get a pass block to...well, to save their behinds. Second, they need someone to throw to. YOung and Montana had Jerry Rice. Favre has had many (Brooks, Walker, Sharp, just to name a few). McNabb HAD Terrel Owens. Manning has Harrison. and third, you can't pass on every down. You need a running back who will get the job done. Terrel Davis for John Elway. Emmit Smith for Troy Aikmen. A QB can't do it alone. That's why Favre is struggling this year. that's why alot of Quarterbacks have faded into obscurity. (the 4 the Bears started last year, for example. Who the hell were they?)

[VaBeachGuy 12]

In general all of those things are true but aren't always 100% needed. The main key to a good or great QB is the offensive line. Without that nothing else matters, and I don't say that because I am a former Center and Guard lol.

 

The running game is very important also, not so much because you want to jam the ball down the opponents throats but you have to have that threat there in order to set up the play action passing game. If the defense doesn't fear your running attack then they can completely focus on your passing game and that makes things so much harder.

 

A good/great QB can get by with "so-so" WR's though, look at McNabb as an example. He's always had a good O line and a capable running attack (Even if he was the only running threat at times) but what's the one thing he never had until last year? A dominate WR. McNabb is one of the top QB's in the NFL despite struggling a little this season due to injuries. McNabb broke Joe Montana's record for consecutive pass completions and is the new record with 24 straight. He's also the only QB in NFL history to throw for 30 or more TD's and fewer then 10 Interceptions. The majority of his achievements were accomplished with "no name" wideouts.

 

I'm not ready to rank DMac among the top of the all time NFL QB's but in time I believe he'll make it there, and there is one thing that McNabb and Favre have in common.... Andy Reid.

 

I think there's another QB that doesn't get recognized only because of the sorry team that he was on but if he had been on any other team would probably have been thought of as one of the top QB's.... Archie Manning.

[Jim Phaserman 0]

Papa Manning, how could we forget him? D'oh!

 

the O-Line is decidedly the #1 thing. The WR's, QB's, and RB's get the money and the recognition, but it's the T's, G's, C's and in many cases, the TE's that get them there.

 

Here's a question for ya, VBG: Pick 5 currently active linemen for your "fantasy" O-line.

 

My 1st Team O-Line

 

Tackles: Johnathan Ogden (Ravens), Orlando Pace (Rams)

Guards: Mike Wahle (Panthers), Adam Timmerman (Rams)

Center: Olin Kruetz (Bears)

[Itchygomba69 0]

1. Johnny Unitas

2. Payton Manning

3. Joe Montana

[Sgt. Phaserman 0]

Jim McMahon...Lol, Not even Porky Pig was so big a Ham...

 

Johnny U, Papa Manning, Roger Staubach, all great players. The list of great quarterbacks is miles long. picking 3 or 5 or 20 is a difficult chore. What about Bart Starr? The man who led the Packers to two Superbowl wins and a few World Championships prior? Of course, Starr was coached by the greatest Coach ever to hold the title.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

What about Bart Starr?

 

I thought I had mentioned him, it was my intention to do so anyway but I see I forgot to. You can't really mention Johnny Unitas without mentioning Bart Starr in the same breath. At least in my mind anyway.