When ranking the greatest quarterbacks..

[Zarozzor]

Does your top 10 include all time? Or just Super Bowl era? Trying to decide which way I should go.

 

[BobDigital]

All time is pretty much impossible. The eras are too different. I have 2 list. One pre-SB era and post SB-era.

 

[DarrylS]

Never gave lists much thought having watched Otto Graham, Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, #12 and all of the current comparables, each era needs to be looked at as the rules and game has changed significantly..

They are all great, but as a fan #12 is the Goat hands down..

 

[Boston Boxer]

Does your top 10 include all time? Or just Super Bowl era? Trying to decide which way I should go.

i have a list but it only has one name on it

 

[203Pat]

You have to take into account the eras. Especially with todays passing numbers where the Andy Dalton's of the world have better statistics than a lot of QB's in the HOF.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I start with Otto Graham, who is, along with Brady, the best the position has seen (adjusting for era, of course.). As much as we think Brady’s resume as the GOAT is unassailable, here’s Graham.

Played first four seasons in AAFC and won four championships. That was comparable to NFL competition.

Moved to NFL in 1950 and played six seasons, reaching the championship in every one (so 10 championships in 10 years.)

He was 1-3 in NFL Championship games, and he went for it one last time and won. The next season, he came out of retirement at the urging of Paul Brown and finished with another one to go 3-3.

Statistically, looking at passer rating peak season, compared to contemporaries in the same era, Graham is the best. Winning percentage still the best at over .800.

Graham is the pre-expansion GOAT

—-

Brady’s challenges are different than Graham’s. He is playing in a 32 team league needing to win at least three postseason games. Free agency, turned over rosters, no roster full of Hall of Famers. And to top it off, it’s virtually impossible for a single player to dominate statistically like Graham. Too much competition with fitness and nutrition, film study, athleticism, etc. Brady, like Belichick, is a guy who seeks out and exploits small margins until they add up to be big margins.

I don’t believe anyone will ever equal Brady’s post-expansion era success, or come very close.

Brady is the post-expansion GOAT

——

All other QBs have some (often nitpicky) flaws, but it’s a high bar. You can rank based on what they did comparatively to their peers and era.

My top 5 is

1t. Brady/Graham
3. Montana
4. Starr
5. Unitas

 

[sean10mm]

I'd use the Super Bowl era as the break point too. Past a certain point it's just too hard to compare across eras.

 

[Zarozzor]

You have to take into account the eras. Especially with todays passing numbers where the Andy Dalton's of the world have better statistics than a lot of QB's in the HOF.

I do like PFR’s advanced passing stats to sort of compare eras

 

[primetime]

The greatest quarterback in history was hands down Godefroid de Valladolid, who took the Navarre El Cids to twelve straight Iberian Championships during the Reconquista. His arm strength was unmatched by these pampered nincompoops they call football players in the 21st century, and that was before the Jews were expelled and set back the quality of the sport for centuries.

 

[sean10mm]

I do like PFR’s advanced passing stats to sort of compare eras

It makes you appreciate how much of a football killbot Roger Staubach was. Adjusted for era he was basically Aaron Rodgers... if Aaron Rodgers was actually known for his comebacks... instead of for going 0-37 when trailing by more than 1 point in 4th quarter against teams with a winning record.

Does this stat proves Aaron Rodgers isn't as clutch as we thought?

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

It makes you appreciate how much of a football killbot Roger Staubach was. Adjusted for era he was basically Aaron Rodgers... if Aaron Rodgers was actually known for his comebacks... instead of for going 0-37 when trailing by more than 1 point in 4th quarter against teams with a winning record.

Does this stat proves Aaron Rodgers isn't as clutch as we thought?

Last year, I got flack for ranking Staubach above Brees, after some “football started when I started watching it” folks got riled up and lazily cited the stat comparison. And beyond that, I use Staubach is the ultimate “quick test” to see if someone making these rankings actually understands history. If he isn’t top-15, the list is truly garbage, and even below 12 makes me skeptical. Most lists (and most are bad) have Roethlisberger , Rivers, or even Eli Manning ahead of him. Lol.