Elway won 65% of his games. Over a long career, supporting casts tend to even out with some good ones and bad ones. Winning at that percentage suggests that his rushing ability helped to win a lot of games and just looking at passing stats don’t tell the whole story. He was a ridiculous 105-27 at home. Could counter that he was below .500 on the road, but for almost 15 years playing in Denver was an almost certain loss for every team.
I ranked Manning #6. I think that’s fair because 1-5 (Brady, Graham, Montana, Starr, Unitas) were essentially bulletproof, though Starr is polarizing in his ranking. Manning is the best of the rest. His career was incredible, but he marks the first time on the list that a QB has fairly large criticism as well, which was his lack of postseason magic. If someone put him at #4, that’s fine. I think it’s bias the other way to put him ahead of Brady, Montana, or Unitas.
Brees is a great QB, but the bar is higher now. Sure, in a vacuum he is better than a guy like Unitas, Staubach, etc. Compared to his own contemporaries, he is looking up at Brady and Manning, and he isn’t clearly ahead of Rodgers or Wilson. I’ve said he’s a top 12 guy and if someone put him in the top 10, I wouldn’t argue. I think Pats Fans tends to push back against horrible takes that Brees is a top 5 or even top 3 all-time QB. That’s ridiculous and absolute prisoner of the moment thinking. Brees has had many chances the last few years to change the narrative and has failed.