Best Quarterback of All-Time?

Is it Joe Montana? Dan THE MAN Marino? Johnny Unitas? John Elway? Who?

I have a toss up between Montana and Unitas.

id say montana or marino

Marino has better stats but Montana always seemed to find a way to win so I give it to Joe. Elway definitely threw himself into the mix by winning 2 super bowls in his last 2 season but it is still Joe.

gotta remember thou quarterbacks dont get stats or win without top receivers and montana did have owens for a lttle bit as well as rice wereas i cant really remember anyone for marino so yea id probobly give it to montana

Yes, I gree. Marino was the more talented QB, never saw a QB who could fire the ball off so fast from the snap. Had he had a Jerry Rice to go to, forget about it! As for John Elway, I have never seen a QB who could get pressured into running the opposite way of his throwing arm and still throw a 60 yard pass down the field.

However because of what Montana accomplished, and the type of players that he had around him, I would have to give the edge to him over Marino.


Don Cardi

I agree with this also, but all of these QBs had good receivers at some point in their career. However, Owens never played with Montana, you may be confusing Young with Montana cuz Young did play with Owens.

Otto Graham

Roethlisberger!!!

Ok I'm kidding. Some awesome QB's have already been mentioned and I'm going to be totally biased adding my pick. Terry Bradshaw. I'm not saying he's the greatest but when you're thinking of them he should be at least considered. Ok he was helped by the Steel Curtain D and awesome guys like Lynn Swann, Franco Harris, John Stallworth and co. But you can't dispute 4 rings!!!

Troy Aikman, Sammy Baugh, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Brett Favre, Bob Griese, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Warren Moon, Joe Namath, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, Johnny Unitas and Steve Young. I've probably left out some.

I always thought Boomer Esiason was really good.

AMEN to that, Patrick! Brett Favre is arguably the toughest QB ever to play the game, as his Iron Man streak extends past the 200 game mark. He knows how to win, even when he didn't have what people call "superstar" caliber receivers.

During the season opener on Monday Night Football, his throws were clocked at 75 mph, equivalent to a 96 mph fastball in baseball. He's played well through a great deal of physical and personal setbacks over the years, which puts him over any player I've seen.

No offense to the other QBs. The other selections here were superb. I may be biased since I'm a huge Packers fan, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Favre has NEVER had a great WR. He has turned average guys into great WR. Just look at Freeman (time with Packers), Driver, and Walker. He also made Bill Schroeder a great WR a couple seasons ago. The only person he never really connected with was Glenn. -Pat

Montana in my opinion, but I'd also put "Broadway" Joe Naimath up there too (just b/c I'm a Jets fan!)

I think Joe Montana is tha best QB ever.

From the modern era, I would say Joe Montana. Why - 4 Super Bowl trophies and his uncanny way to get the job done. Before Tom Brady ever laced them up on the pro field. Montana was the master of the 2 minute drill and bringing his team back in the 4th quarter. For crying out loud, he won the 2nd Super Bowl that SF played against Cincy with :16 seconds remaining. How much more clutch can you get?

I would also say that Favre, Marino and Elway are the other 2 from the modern era.

I certainly think Peyton Manning is well on his way, although if he doesn't win a ring, that he'll be viewed by some like Marino is perceived.

Same with McNabb, Vick, and Steve AIR McNair if neither ever win a ring.

Really, all of them, if their careers continue to hold on to as they are right now, are marked for the Hall of Fame for sure.

Joe Montana

Montana, Namath, Favre, and Elway.

Honorable nods to Unitas, Kelly, Marino, et al.

For me I would say Namath then Marino

Actually Boomer was named one of the the most prolific left handed QB's in the history of the game. I didn't write it, a sports writer did!


Don Cardi

Actually, now that I think of it, I'm surprised nobody even mentioned Steve Young (except Don Jasani)...

Umm...are we forgetting Brooks, who was one of the best WR's in the 90's during their Super Bowl run?

Aren't all of you forgetting the most obvious choice?

Ryan Leaf.


But in all seriouness, I'd have to say Joe Montana. Brett Favre, Troy Aikman, Dan Marino. plus many others.

Leave the poor lad alone, he's nearly got 5 stars at McDonalds now.

Favre did play with a great WR. People seem to have forgotten about Sterling Sharpe. In the early 90s the three best WRs in the league were Sharpe, Rice, and Irvin. In 1989, three years before Favre became the starter in Green Bay, Sharpe led the league in catches and was second in receiving yards and receiving TDs.

Whereas Favre made the average receivers look great, Sterling Sharpe made an average quarterback in Green Bay look good...Don Majkowski!

There also has to be a place in history for guys like Gary Cuozzo and Sonny Sixkiller...

tony b.

I wouldn't call Sterling Sharpe "great." He didn't play long enough and didn't change games like the other two WR you mentioned. Defenses didn't build gameplans on stopping Sharpe. Rather, opponents did devise ways of stopping Favre and Dorsey Levens (during the Pack's mid-1990's run).

If you were to compare Sterling Sharpe to someone playing today, I would say he's in the same vein as Hines Ward, Eric Moulds, Derrick Mason, or Rod Smith. Sharpe was not in the same company as elite receivers like Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, or Randy Moss.

Sharpe was a great WR like Terrell Davis was a great RB for a few years. He broke the NFL record for receptions in a season twice in two years, back when 100 receptions was a rare thing. In 1992 he led the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs (and remember that Jerry Rice was still in his prime at this time).

Favre has had Sharpe, Brooks, and Freeman who were all pro-bowlers and now he has the young Javon Walker coming into his prime. I agree that Favre is one of the best ever but you cant say that he had only average receivers.

Also, after his perfomance yesterday and the overall season he is having. Peyton Manning can now definitely be thrown into the mix in my opinion. Yeah, he still hasnt wont anything but neither has Marino.

1. John Elway- arm, scrambler, tough, accurate
2. Brett Favre- toughest QB ever, arm, scrambler
3. Joe Montana- the rings, accurate arm
4. Dan Marino- really strong arm, accurate
5. Joe Namath- little of everything

Then Johnny Unitas, Steve Young and Troy Aikman were good, and what about Terry Bradshaw?

Johnny Unitas was more than just "good". I would rank him as a top 3 QB of all time, along with Joe Montana and probably Elway. Joe Namath is overrated. He has more career interceptions than TD, and had he not won Super Bowl III, there's no way he's a Hall of Famer.

Bradshaw never put up great numbers, but you can't really argue with a guy who won 4 Super Bowl rings and 2 SB MVP trophies. You're also forgetting Otto Graham, who might have been the sport's ultimate winner. He played for 10 years, and led his team to the championship game 10 times.

Unitas, he may have been better than Namath. I think Elway, Favre, and Montana have to be the top 3. Marino was very good, too bad he never got a ring. I don't know a lot about Unitas, whether he was as good as Marino or Montana. I've generally heard he was about at Namath's level.

Perhaps this is a bold statement, but I truly believe that Peyton Manning is the best QB to ever grace the football field. If you can honestly say that you have seen a more talented QB than him then you must be on drugs or something. The fact that hes still performing and probably still in his prime is not a good enough reason to exclude him from the legends.

I definitely agree that he is one of the most talented ever if not the most talented ever. However, the fact that he hasnt played as long as the other guys mentioned is a good enough reason because his numbers still arent good enough to be compared with Montana, Marino, Elway and Favre yet. He could get injured next game and never play again. Then would you say he was the greatest ever??? I dont think so.

Look at Ken Griffey Jr. He definitely had the talent to be one of the best ever, but because of his recent injuries, you dont hear too many talks of him being one of the greatest anymore.

Maybe so... But if he keeps playing at this pace his entire career, then I doubt that anyone will be able to say that he isnt the best.

Unless he wins a ring he will never be considered the best ever. Look at Marino. He's always mentioned as one of the top, but hardly ever is he named as #1 of all time.

Winning a Super Bowl notwithstanding, if he lasts as long as Marino did, I think Manning is gonna wind up being considered better than Marino.

I think Manning will at least need to make it to a Super Bowl (equaling Marino's best finish) to be considered better than him.

Manning is already in the top 10 QB's ever. Actually, I really doubt he'll ever be the best. I mean, yeah, he's great, but John Elway in his prime was better, and so was Brett Favre. Are we already forgetting the 80's and 90's?

No, but since it appears he will finish this season as the best season a QB has ever had statistically, I can see why many people here are putting him at the top of his list. Statistically, Elway and Manning are very similar in their prime. Elway did win two super bowls, but not during his prime. Who knows, maybe Manning will be near the end of his career until he finally wins one.

I think Manning is more similar to Marino than Elway. Manning finishes this season with more TD passes and has a career like he's going, he'll probably be considered just above Marino on all-time lists, but I don't think he's simply as good as QB as Elway or Favre, despite how many TD passes he throws.

Ok...then can you please say why those guys are better then? I can understand Favre because he did win a super bowl in his prime, however, Terrell Davis and the Denver defense were the main reasons the Broncos won those two super bowls. I know Elway was super bowl MVP in the 2nd one, but TD got them there.

Manning reminds me of a coach's son (I guess being Archie Manning's son is close enough), where they hang around their dads their whole lives and completely understand the game inside and out. Many of these guys (Don Shula's kids, for example) end up playing college football on pure smarts but not much physical ability, and then they end up being coaches like their dads. In Peyton's case, he has the head of a coach's son and the genes of a QB's son. It's an unfair combination.

If you compare Peyton to a couple other sons of great QBs, his main advantage is between the ears. You never see them talking about Brian Griese or Chris Simms in the same breath as Peyton. You can even compare Peyton to Archie's other boy. Eli may have similar physical traits, but at this point he doesn't have the smarts that Peyton has. Although it's still early to make a judgement, Eli might be Peyton without the mental preparation.

Born and raised in northern California. Joe Montana all the way.

The best quarterback with the best wide receiver, what can you do?

No. Peyton Manning needs to win a championship. That's a true definement of a great ball player.