10 Greatest QB's In The History Of The NFL

[circumstances]

A little national respect for our beloved #13.

http://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/the-10-greatest-nfl-quarterbacks-of-all-time.html/?a=viewall

 

[Sons Of Shula]

3. Dan Marino
Dan Marino is the greatest pure passer in the history of football. Recognized for his quick release and ability to deliver the ball into tight quarters with precision and touch, Dan Marino proved that no defense could stop the perfect pass. This 2005 Hall of Famer spent his 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins and owned every significant passing record upon retirement.

Despite the fact that the Isotoner pitchman performed as a virtual stiff behind center, Marino and his quick release rarely took sacks. In fact, Marino was sacked only 6 times during 1988 when he dropped back to pass for 606 attempts. In 1984, Dan Marino threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns well before the run and shoot, shotgun spread, and West Coast gimmicks of this present era had ever been installed into the playbook. From there a 27-year old Marino went on to match up against Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. After the Super Bowl XIX loss to the 49ers dynasty, leading football commentators generally agreed that the young Marino would be back.

Dan Marino never returned to the Big Game, though, as his career was attacked by Miami’s lack of a running game, porous defense, and Jim Kelly’s K-Gun Buffalo Bills. We may only speculate as to what might have been with Marino starring alongside Hall-of-Fame backs, receivers, and defenders in South Florida.



Read more: http://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/th...cks-of-all-time.html/?a=viewall#ixzz3gOMOwCJh

:dolphins::df81::dolphins:



*Then I saw #2...

That chode better wake up every morning and thank Terrell Davis.

 

[rickd13]

Montana wasn't as good as Elway or Marino in my opinion. Elway and Marino both carried their franchise's on their back while Montana played on some of the most talented rosters in NFL history. Montana also had the benefit of playing for Bill Walsh, who I believe was the most innovative offensive mind that ever coached in the NFL. I am not even sure Montana was as good as Brady. Although, I think Montana faced tougher teams with better rosters than Brady has had to face over the span of his career.

 

[Ayahuasca]

Marino should have put more time in developing the smaller aspects of the game. He refused to practice play action, for example. I will always remember Bruce Smith interviewed after the 1993 AFC championship in Joe Robbie stadium stating that Marino tips off defenses run or pass. Imagine Marino with a complete game.

 

[TheWalrus]

I'm consistently amazed at how overrated John Elway has become. He was maybe the fourth best quarterback of the 80s (behind Montana, Marino and Fouts) and became a supporting player in the 90s, yet those two Super Bowls at the end have put a polish on the resume of a guy who was a highlight reel player but wildly inconsistent -- the Cam Newton of his day.

Brett Favre -- I get why he's overrated. He's an utter creation. A legend in the Billy the Kid mold where the legend far FAR outstrips the deeds. But at least I understand how that happened.

The Elway thing is just... I dunno. It's like that line from Adaptation. "You can have flaws and problems... but wow them in the end and you've got a hit."

By the way, the greatest QB to ever play was Johnny Unitas.

 

[raving]

Nah - Marino was the greatest QB of all time.

He was ridiculously amazing.

He put the Dolphins in every single game - with no running attack and no defense - he was just incredible.

He had yoda like pocket presence.

He was mad dog competitive.

He was so gifted and so accurate...

But he was revolutionary - he was one of kind.

Every game for 17 years - with Brian Sochia as our nose tackle - we were in it!

With Erik Kumerow blowing out his knees - we were in it.

With Jackie Shipp a full on mess - we were in it.

With NO running back worth a damn - we were in it.

With corner backs able to manhandle receivers down the field - we were in it.

With NO protection for QB in terms of how defenders could hit them we were in EVERY GAME!

When we were getting killed at half time - we were in it!

Marino made us relevant.

And that STUPID notion that somehow he did not win a Super Bowl as defining of his status as THE BEST QB ever is beyond preposterous.

Really guys like Brady Bunch would not have been relevant with the rules that Marino played under. Not to take anything away from him now but sorry he would have been average.

Marino was the Best EVER! and maybe some day someone will come along and out do him - but until then he was AMAZING!

Thanks DAN!!!!

I'm consistently amazed at how overrated John Elway has become. He was maybe the fourth best quarterback of the 80s (behind Montana, Marino and Fouts) and became a supporting player in the 90s, yet those two Super Bowls at the end have put a polish on the resume of a guy who was a highlight reel player but wildly inconsistent -- the Cam Newton of his day.

Brett Favre -- I get why he's overrated. He's an utter creation. A legend in the Billy the Kid mold where the legend far FAR outstrips the deeds. But at least I understand how that happened.

The Elway thing is just... I dunno. It's like that line from Adaptation. "You can have flaws and problems... but wow them in the end and you've got a hit."

By the way, the greatest QB to ever play was Johnny Unitas.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

Montana also had the benefit of playing for Bill Walsh, who I believe was the most innovative offensive mind that ever coached in the NFL.

I've been reading and studying Bill Walsh quite a lot this off-season and I completely agree. It's very difficult in some situations to separate the QB from the HC. Many of the great QBs had the mentoring of a great HC.

• Bill Walsh was an innovator, arguably the best ever. Montana was a perfect QB to run his system.
• Bill Belichick is a game planner, arguably one of the best ever. Brady is the perfect QB to run his game plans.
• Don Shula is a motivator, arguably one of the best ever. Marino was the best pure passer to ever play the game.

In these situations, Marino is the easiest to separate from the greatness of his HC. I haven't really haven't read to extensively about Unitas. Apparently, I should; not only did he also play for Shula but because Walrus knows his feces.



*Elway had a defense and a running game that Marino never did so his punk ass is left out.

 

[bird33]

stop with the montana was a product of his surroundings crap. sure he had great talent but he lifted that team to what it was, probably the second greatest team in nfl history behind the steelers of the 70's. go back and watch the drive against dallas or sb16 and even sb 19, he made gigantic plays that a good qb or even very qb would have an awfully hard time making. he shredded us in sb 19 with his running ability, he destroyed us early and often in that 1st half. i dont think montana gets enough credit....

 

[Sons Of Shula]

stop with the montana was a product of his surroundings crap. sure he had great talent but he lifted that team to what it was, probably the second greatest team in nfl history behind the steelers of the 70's. go back and watch the drive against dallas or sb16 and even sb 19, he made gigantic plays that a good qb or even very qb would have an awfully hard time making. he shredded us in sb 19 with his running ability, he destroyed us early and often in that 1st half. i dont think montana gets enough credit....

You stop first.

 

[TheWalrus]

I've been reading and studying Bill Walsh quite a lot this off-season and I completely agree. It's very difficult in some situations to separate the QB from the HC. Many of the great QBs had the mentoring of a great HC.

• Bill Walsh was an innovator, arguably the best ever. Montana was a perfect QB to run his system.
• Bill Belichick is a game planner, arguably one of the best ever. Brady is the perfect QB to run his game plans.
• Don Shula is a motivator, arguably one of the best ever. Marino was the best pure passer to ever play the game.

In these situations, Marino is the easiest to separate from the greatness of his HC. I haven't really haven't read to extensively about Unitas. Apparently, I should; not only did he also play for Shula but because Walrus knows his feces.



*Elway had a defense and a running game that Marino never did so his punk ass is left out.

Unitas was essentially the first modern passer. You'll hear people make a case for Sid Luckman or Otto Graham, but it's Unitas. The thing to consider with him is two fold: first, look at the usage. In his prime years, Unitas was a 30+ attempt per game guy averaging about 8 yards per attempt and throwing for ~250 yards a game. Those are all modern numbers. 30 attempts per game is about what Aaron Rodgers averages and and Elway and Fouts averaged for their careers (Marino was higher at 34.5). Likewise 250 yards per game during those years is in line with Marino's career average (and 30 yards more than Elway). And it's not like he was just flinging it around haphazardly. Unitas' career 54.6% completion percentage is below Otto Graham's but it's in line with Elway's 56.9%, for example.

But the second -- and more important -- thing to keep in mind is that Unitas played in late 50s and early 60s. This is a time before illegal contact even exists as a concept, much less a rule. Before any serious rules about pass interference or late hits to the quarterback. In a time where offensive linemen could not use their hands to block (only their forearms and elbows). The major rule changes to help passing would not come until 1978, five years after Unitas retired (he played until he was 40).

The bottom line is that this is a man who threw it as much as any modern quarterback with about the same statistical results 30 years before that should have been possible. That's Unitas' legacy. And to top it off unlike players like Dan Fouts (who's also underrated) or Joe Montana, Unitas did not have the benefit of playing under some radically new offensive system that defenses took a while to figure out. Like Dan Marino, he did what others had been doing... only he did it a lot better.

Edit: it's also worth looking up what Fran Tarkenton was able to accomplish with many of the same limitations faced by Unitas. His usage -- the amount of the offense the Vikings and Giants asked him to carry -- was never as high as Unitas' but his efficiency standards are good even by modern standards. 57% completitions, 342 TDs vs 266 INTs (compare that to 300 TDs vs 226 INTs for Elway). What Tarkenton was really able to do was remain a viable player well into his late 30s. Unusual in any time, but especially in those days. Unitas was essentially done at 35, though he stayed five more years.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

Unitas was essentially the first modern passer. You'll hear people make a case for Sid Luckman or Otto Graham, but it's Unitas. The thing to consider with him is two fold: first, look at the usage. In his prime years, Unitas was a 30+ attempt per game guy averaging about 8 yards per attempt and throwing for ~250 yards a game. Those are all modern numbers. 30 attempts per game is about what Aaron Rodgers averages and and Elway and Fouts averaged for their careers (Marino was higher at 34.5). Likewise 250 yards per game is in line with Marino's average (and 30 yards more than Elway). And it's not like he was just flinging it around haphazardly. Unitas' career 54.6% completion percentage is below Otto Graham's but it's in line with Elway's 56.9%, for example.

But the second -- and more important -- thing to keep in mind is that Unitas played in late 50s and early 60s. This is a time before illegal contact even exists as a concept, much less a rule. Before any serious rules about pass interference or late hits to the quarterback. In a time where offensive linemen could not use their hands to block (only their forearms and elbows). The major rule changes to help passing would not come until 1978, five years after Unitas retired (he played until he was 40).

The bottom line is that this is a man who threw it as much as any modern quarterback with about the same statistical results 30 years before that should have been possible. That's Unitas' legacy. And to top it off unlike players like Dan Fouts (who's also underrated) or Joe Montana, Unitas did not have the benefit of playing under some radically new offensive system that defenses took a while to figure out. Like Dan Marino, he did what others had been doing... only he did it a lot better.

Edit: it's also worth looking up what Fran Tarkenton was able to accomplish with many of the same limitations faced by Unitas. His usage -- the amount of the offense the Vikings and Giants asked him to carry -- was never as high as Unitas' but his efficiency standards are good even by modern standards. 57% completitions, 342 TDs vs 266 INTs (compare that to 300 TDs vs 226 INTs for Elway). What Tarkenton was really able to do was remain a viable player well into his late 30s. Unusual in any time, but especially in those days. Unitas was essentially done at 35, though he stayed five more years.

Thanks. I'll definitely read up more on Unitas. I've always seen him in conversations for the greatest, just never took the time. I've certainly read up on Tarkenton. Though, I'm afraid to admit it was before the time of the internet back when Marino was approaching his records. It was at one of these things called a library. Funny enough, I was just at one this past Saturday and checked out Coaching Confidential by Gary Myers. Long live the bibliotheca.

 

[BlueFin]

I'm consistently amazed at how overrated John Elway has become. He was maybe the fourth best quarterback of the 80s (behind Montana, Marino and Fouts) and became a supporting player in the 90s, yet those two Super Bowls at the end have put a polish on the resume of a guy who was a highlight reel player but wildly inconsistent -- the Cam Newton of his day.

Brett Favre -- I get why he's overrated. He's an utter creation. A legend in the Billy the Kid mold where the legend far FAR outstrips the deeds. But at least I understand how that happened.

The Elway thing is just... I dunno. It's like that line from Adaptation. "You can have flaws and problems... but wow them in the end and you've got a hit."

By the way, the greatest QB to ever play was Johnny Unitas.

No doubt Elway was a great quarterback....but not greater than Marino.

Marino would top the list if he and Montana had swapped teams in in 1983.....Montana had an amazing football team around him in 1984 when he defeated Dan in Superbowl 19. There is no comparison in the quality of the 2 rosters in that game.

Miami's defense was ranked 19th out of 28 teams.....with a very pedistrian running game which couldn't get it done when it really mattered.

Marino's sheer talent lifted that team into the big game.

 

[rickd13]

I'm consistently amazed at how overrated John Elway has become. He was maybe the fourth best quarterback of the 80s (behind Montana, Marino and Fouts) and became a supporting player in the 90s, yet those two Super Bowls at the end have put a polish on the resume of a guy who was a highlight reel player but wildly inconsistent -- the Cam Newton of his day.

Brett Favre -- I get why he's overrated. He's an utter creation. A legend in the Billy the Kid mold where the legend far FAR outstrips the deeds. But at least I understand how that happened.

The Elway thing is just... I dunno. It's like that line from Adaptation. "You can have flaws and problems... but wow them in the end and you've got a hit."

By the way, the greatest QB to ever play was Johnny Unitas.

I understand why you said what you said about Elway, but the reason why I think he was great was because the way he found ways to hurt a defense with his legs. There were countless times where I had seen him about to be sacked but escape and make a big play with his arm or by running for a first down. He could hurt you with his big arm like Roethlisberger or run for big gains like Steve Young. Elway took three garbage teams, with a head coach that was clueless on how to maximize his talent, to the Super Bowl before he finally won two of them at the end of his career. I agree with you about Unitas. He revolutionized the position. He was one of the first quarterbacks to throw timing routes. He was one of the first to master throwing the ball to a spot before the receiver ever came out of his break.

 

[Digital]

Marino was the best QB in the 80s. Any other view is simply uninformed. Watch those 49'ers teams, those Bills teams, those Chargers teams and those Broncos teams. No QB did more for their team than Marino. .. and it wasn't even close.

 

[BahamaFinFan78]

No doubt Elway was a great quarterback....but not greater than Marino.

Marino would top the list if he and Montana had swapped teams in in 1983.....Montana had an amazing football team around him in 1984 when he defeated Dan in Superbowl 19. There is no comparison in the quality of the 2 rosters in that game.

Miami's defense was ranked 19th out of 28 teams.....with a very pedistrian running game which couldn't get it done when it really mattered.

Marino's sheer talent lifted that team into the big game.

This is how I feel. If you want to know where some of these QB's stand in comparison to their teams, ask yourself how they would have done on the other team. What would Montana and Elway have done if they were on the same Dolphins teams as Marino? How many rings would Marino have had if he played for the 49ers or the Super Bowl winning Broncos?