BECKETT’S TOP 50 QB’s ALL-TIME
Beckett recently posted it’s top 50 NFL QB’s of all-time. With a few exceptions, it’s a pretty good list. How could anyone argue against Joe Montana being #1? I would have had Aikman, Young and Staubach ahead of Favre (yes, I would put Favre in my top 20, at 13 actually). Joe Namath at #15 is a mind boggler!!! Broadway Joe had a great season in 1969. He also threw more INT’s than TD’s during his career. So Namath better than Baugh, Griese, Fouts, Moon, Stabler? Laughable. I’d have Joe Namath around #30 or so (based mostly on his fame and Super Bowl III legend). As for my favorite QB, Marino at 8 is fair and close to where I’d have him, give or take a spot or two. Anyways, I liked the list. What do you guys think? Here it is;
1. Joe Montana
2. Johnny Unitas
3. John Elway
4. Terry Bradshaw
5. Bart Starr
6. Tom Brady
7. Peyton Manning
8. Dan Marino
9. Otto Graham
10. Brett Favre
11. Troy Aikman
12. Steve Young
13. Roger Staubach
14. Fran Tarkenton
15. Joe Namath
16. Sammy Baugh
17. Bobby Layne
18. Dan Fouts
19. Bob Griese
20. Jim Kelly
21. Len Dawson
22. Sonny Jurgensen
23. Y.A. Tittle
24. Warren Moon
25. Sid Luckman
26. Kenny Stabler
27. Donovan McNabb
28. Ben Roethlisberger
29. Bob Waterfield
30. Norm Van Brocklin
31. Drew Bledsoe
32. Boomer Esiason
33. Kurt Warner
34. Joe Theismann
35. John Hadl
36. Roman Gabriel
37. Ken Anderson
38. Randall Cunningham
39. John Brodie
40. George Blanda
41. Kerry Collins
42. Phil Simms
43. Jack Kemp
44. Steve McNair
45. Benny Friedman
46. Eli Manning
47. Jim Plunkett
48. Don Meredith
49. Jim Hart
50. Dave Krieg
September 3, 2009 at 7:39 am
Oh Tony you disapoint me. Marino at 8 no way. This is not a list of greatest Super Bowl winning QB’s of all time. The best guy to play the postition of QB is what this list is supposed to be.
1). Joe M.
2). Johnny U.
3). Dan Marino
He could even be number 2.
September 3, 2009 at 8:31 am
Nick, you and I both know that to be true, just trying to be objective. Pure passer, you’d put Marino at the top of the list (and it wouldn’t even be close). If you are factoring in everything, it’s hard to argue against guys that have won 3 or 4 rings or as many MVP awards.
I’ve seen much worse lists. Again, football is a team sport. Marino never won a ring, yet Trent Dilfer did win one. That debunks anyones theories that suggest greatness is measuring strictly by championships. Could Bradshaw have won as many games as Marino did with no running game and no defense? We’ll never know because of Franco and the Steel Curtain. If Archie Manning, Jim Zorn or Steve Bartkowski had played for Pittsburgh in the 70’s, the Steelers probably would have still won titles.
That said, do I think Peyton Manning is arguably as good a QB as Marino? Montana? Unitas? I can see the argument. That’s what I think concerning this list. If I made a list, Marino would be higher than 8, but I think this list can at least be argued for. Unlike lists that I see where Favre and Brady are in the top 3. As for my top 10, it’d look more like this;
1 Joe Montana
2 John Elway
3 Dan Marino
4 Johnny Unitas
5 Peyton Manning
6 Terry Bradshaw
7 Troy Aikman
8 Fran Tarkenton
9 Tom Brady
10 Steve Young
Again, give or take a spot or two.
September 3, 2009 at 8:37 am
Steve Young might not make my top 20. he was a product of the west coast offense.
Peyton too high…Bradshaw overrated.
Elway can never…never…never be ranked above Marino on any list except for SB won. And as you said that SB ring can be overrated. In John’s case he got his ring because on T.D.
Go Phins!
September 3, 2009 at 9:27 am
Dude, Manning may be the smartest QB to ever walk out there. And yes, I personally would take Marino over all of them. Had Dan been drafted by Dallas or SF (two strongest teams in his era), he would undoubtedly have 3-5 rings. I DO think rings are overrated when considering individual players (see Barry Sanders as just one example) but I can’t completely dismiss them either. Wilt or Russell? Probably Wilt, but how many rings did Russell get? That does play into it for me on some level. I think if Bradshaw, Favre or Young were drafted by the Lions, we may have never heard of them. At the same time, had Dan, Elway or Montana gone to Detroit, they would understand what post season games are all about, you know?
September 3, 2009 at 9:35 am
I concur.
Again I look at this list as best guy to play the postition of QB. I don’t think rings should play any factor in the discussion. As you said Barry S. is a perfect example of that. It’s him and Dickerson right at the top of the list.
September 3, 2009 at 9:43 am
Now there I have to go Walter Payton BUT Barry and Dickerson would round out my top three. Payton is a great example of all of this. When he was great, the Bears still never got anywhere. Luckily for him, he was still around when the team became great, so he cashed in and got a ring. Had he never won one, I’d still say he was the best as I do Dickerson and Sanders. Too bad Miami never got great while Dan was still around … worse yet Jimmy Johnson handcuffed Dan the last 5 years of his career or he’d still hold every record. That’s not to mention the difference in what DB’s were permitted to do in Dan’s era verses what is allowed now. If the rules were what they are now back in 84 … Dan would’ve thrown for 7,000 yards and hit 60 TD’s with ease. People forget that.
September 3, 2009 at 9:56 am
Duper and Clayton down the field with out guys being able to hang all over them the whole game would have been redonculous!
Yeah Sweetness was the man.
Again it all comes down to rings not being in the discussion. If these guys want to make lists they should make a “Greates Player at the Postion” list and a “Players Who Had the Most Impact on Their Team Winning a Super Bowl List” Of course then you have no bodies like kick returners and cornerbacks in the discussion.
September 22, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Beckett hurt its credibility with this pathetic list, and unfortunately, most fans at home probably share the same shallow, ill-informed ignorance that we see on this list.
Whoever concocted this list undoubtedly never observes the game but instead simply looked back over history and saw who won Super Bowls and assumed that those individuals were the best, overlooking the fact that championships are won by teams and that two quarterbacks can lead their teams equally well and that one might win it all with the other going 6-10, due to talent disparities.
Terry Bradshaw was not a great passer, and he had one of the greatest defenses of all time on his side. The same goes for Phil Simms, who isn’t in the top 100. Tom Brady has had one of the greatest coaches in history and a defense that nearly always led to his having good field position. He also had Spygate providing him with information. He’s high on the list, regardless, but in the top ten? That statement is VERY arguable.
Peyton Manning is overrated. Here’s a guy who racks up gawdy numbers on turf and in a dome and who is too methodical. He traditionally has been off in pressure games, with the exception being his performance against the Patriots in January 2007.
Why is Brett Favre ranked tenth? I could write an essay here, but I’ll keep it short: There simply have not been nine quarterbacks to outplay him.
Steve Young and Troy Aikman: also overrated.
Montana had the benefit of the West Coast offense being loaded with guys who could rack up yards after the catch, but having said that statement, he was one of the greatest ever, definitely one of the coolest ever, if not THE coolest, and an elite quarterback, weapons or no weapons.
There are MANY guys who the “experts” never considered for this list who are better than MOST of the guys on it, such as Chris Miller, Billy Volek, etc., and why is Kurt Warner not on the list? Why is Boomer Esiason so low? Why is Steve McNair, one of the greatest leaders of all time, so low?
As for John Elway, he’s one of the greatest of all time, just not for the reasons we’re told on the moronic FSN, which says he saved his best football for his two Super-Bowl years, a typical moronic statement in this postmodern, self-contradictory, liberal-infested culture of ours. He was light years better ten years earlier.
I said earlier that Beckett lost credibility with this list, but don’t misunderstand me: It wasn’t overflowing with credibility to begin with. Heck, its basketball coverage over the years was totally parallel to the ignorant, shallow, nonsensical coverage NBC and Ahmad Rashad showed over the years, where style was lauded over substance.
By the way, Brett Favre is the best quarterback of all time, followed by Dan Marino, and forget Favre’s interceptions. Only about 25% of them really are bad because he is and always has been the antithesis of these horrible quarterbacks today who are afraid to take chances and who refuse to throw the ball downfield. Keith Olbermann, who NBC was STUPID to hire, blasted Favre for this very reason, but I can’t say I’m surprised, as Olbermann’s nothing but a walking, whining, sniveling, ignorant, deceived, preposterous, loud, adolescent, less-than-a-man coward who has no intention of promoting the truth but instead lies and liberal prejudice and propaganda on a constant basis, and Rachel Maddow is no better. Both are complete trash.
September 22, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Great post Ronald! Warner actually is on the list; hard to see in such a long list. I agree that McNair should be higher as well. Can’t begin to agree on the Favre deal, that said, I CAN totally see why you feel the way you do about it. Favre seems to be one of those guys people either love or hate and, in my opinion, he hasn’t helped himself by all of the drama in recent years. One thing to consider in rating QB’s is that before the rules changed in the mid 80’s, QB’s had it WAY tougher because DB’s were allowed to kick the crap out of WR’s all over the place. Had guys like Dan Fouts (just one example) played now instead of the 70’s, his numbers would have been way better. Tarkenton, Marino, Unitas, Elway, Montana … all these guys would be nearly impossible to defend if their prime was in this era. They also only had a 14 game schedule in as far as the numbers go. I also think Manning is better than you do; heck, his dad was pretty good too but always on one of those 6-10 type teams you mentioned. I’m sure he’d have a ring if he had been drafted by Dallas or Pittsburgh, you know? I honestly think arguments could be made for a number of these guys … one thing we can all agree on; football is a great game!
September 23, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Yes, Warner is on the list; I overlooked him the first time.
Brady and Manning are overrated. So is Bradshaw. So is Kelly, who is NOT the twentieth-best quarterback ever, and as for Favre, whether he has made friends or enemies over the past few years is immaterial. This list is not about popularity but instead greatness at the quarterback position.
Of course, we all know how rare objectivity is nowadays. There’s liberal propaganda essentially everywhere– TV, “educational” systems, billboards, etc.. Heck, I saw an airline commercial last night where the narrator spoke of a charge for luggage, and the narrator asked why airlines “hate” the luggage… an INFURIATING question, as many people blatantly-misuse the words “love” and “hate.” (The gay community and the Olbermanns/Maddows of the world come to mind here; opposing perversion is NOT hatred…. Their opposition to the unborn and their support of terrorists is.)
Yes, football is a great game, but its execution is questionable. The game is too choppy nowadays and seldom fluent: too many replays, dumb rules installed, inconsistent enforcement of both good and bad rules, etc..
If we were to have a list of overrated athletes, NO athlete is more overrated than Tim Tebow. He literally isn’t half the player Herschel Walker was.
September 26, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I’m getting in on this argument a little late, but I can’t believe anyone with any knowledge of the history of the game could even talk about the greatest QB’s of the game without mentioning Otto Graham. At least Beckett put him at #9. I’m not sure you guys know who he is. The dude was a multi-sport start before signing with the Browns. He only played 10 seasons, but he played in 10 title games, winning 7. Yeah, the first four were in a league rival to the NFL, but he lead the Browns to the NFL title in their first year in the league. What are the chances a CFL or Arena team could come in and with the Super Bowl their first season? It would never happen.
Graham’s stats weren’t through the roof, but he still holds the highest winning percentage for any QB. And he did it with a team that most people couldn’t name more than one or two other players (Marion Motley, the FB, and Lou Groza, the K)… and Graham played before Jim Brown. In one game, he lead the Browns to victory without throwing a single pass (because the opposing team whined about him beating them with the pass the year before).
Otto Graham. Best QB. Ever. And I’m a Bears fan. Wish I could resurrect Otto from the dead and start him (although Cutler may pan out).