NationStates Jolt Archive

Who was/is the greatest quarterback ever in the game?

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Joe Montana. No question.

Joe Montana. No question.


Seconded.

If Marino had won at least ONE championship, it would be him, no doubt. But since QBs are remembered for leading teams to victories and not throwing for tons of yards for 9-7 teams, I vote Montana.

Also, as a lifetime Patriots fan, if anyone votes Brady, they should be shot. He's not even the best QB in Patriots history.

How the hell did John Elway not make this list?

My vote goes to John Elway.

Okay, who wants to be shot? Step forward.

Elway was the best, but chosing from your gimp list i'd say Marino. he NEVER (in his prime) had a real good team. no run support, little defense, and still won a ton of games. Elway did the same thing but he's got the rings baby, and that pushes him over the Dan-man.

montana and tom brady are the same. they win superbowls because they have great supporting casts and can throw a 10 and out. that doesnt make a great QB

montana and tom brady are the same. they win superbowls because they have great supporting casts and can throw a 10 and out. that doesnt make a great QB

Ah. I always love hearing from someone who obviously never saw Montana play. Move along, junior.

montana and tom brady are the same. they win superbowls because they have great supporting casts and can throw a 10 and out. that doesnt make a great QB

As the leader of a team, championships are the ultimate measure of a quarterback. Not yards, not touchdowns; rings. It's that simple.

Montana was great, no question about it. Marino was great, also no question. But for me the greatest was Roger Staubach. Why? Because I'm feeling old and nostalgic, damm it!

And what happened to Joe Nymath? Why isn't he on the list?

Montana was great, no question about it. Marino was great, also no question. But for me the greatest was Roger Staubach. Why? Because I'm feeling old and nostalgic, damm it!

And what happened to Joe Nymath? Why isn't he on the list?

Joe Namath is definately on the list....

Joe Namath is definately on the list....
Did I mention that besides being old and nostalgic I also misplaced my reading glasses and Alzheimer medicine?

Did I mention that besides being old and nostalgic I also misplaced my reading glasses and Alzheimer medicine?

I think you should edit that into your original post, and I'll delete the one where I showed you up. :D

Marino's not worthy to be on this list. He's a prima donna, who forced two great run-centered coaches to do things his way. Then never buckled or considered alternatives when he couldn't win against better, more balanced offenses.

Farve, however... :D

I still think Elway is the best quarterback of all time.

Doug Flutie, baby! Moxy Fruvous even made a song about him.

(to the tune of "Windy")

Who's sneakin' past the offensive lineman?
Scramblin' when they call for the blitz?
Out from the pocket, in for a touchdown,
Everyone knows it's Flutie.

And Flutie is 5-foot-3,
He has tiny hands and feet!
The Bills are the team to beat, in the AFC (In the AFC) In the AFC East

Who's dodgin' sacks from Dolphins built like tanks?
Who's makin' fans go totally nuts?
Who deserves more than Piazza and Jordan?
Everyone knows it's Flutie

And Flutie is 4-foot-1!
But Flutie's heart weighs a ton.
He's now got the QB role,
You're in my soul (You're in my soul) You're in my soul!

Who spent 10 years in exile in Canada?
Lived in an igloo, ate only snow.
Who's even got his own breakfast cereal?
Everyone knows it's Flutie

And Flutie's got young man's knees,
He throws like a summer breeze,
And Flutie's pals with the Wease,
The brother Wease, (Cindy, Tommy, House, and everybody else!) ahhh!

How the hell did John Elway not make this list?

My vote goes to John Elway.

Seriously. Any knowledgeable fan of football would have to concede he was better than Namath, Bradshaw, and Brady at the very least, and I'd say he's the best ever.

Seriously. Any knowledgeable fan of football would have to concede he was better than Namath, Bradshaw, and Brady at the very least, and I'd say he's the best ever.

I don't get why the original poster even included Brady, since he so obviously disagrees with his inclusion in this sort of discussion.

Seriously. Any knowledgeable fan of football would have to concede he was better than Namath, Bradshaw, and Brady at the very least, and I'd say he's the best ever.

Old Horse Teeth isn't worthy enough to carry Montana's jock.

Since I'm a huge Bills fan, I'll unrealistically say Jim Kelly. I'd like to see Marino run the K-Gun :D

P.S.-Do you live in Rochester, Mega?

If it's rings we're counting, how 'bout Aikman?

Old Horse Teeth isn't worthy enough to carry Montana's jock.

Bah. Elway was the original Michael Vick, only he had a brain and an accurate arm to go with his athletic talents. He took Denver teams with horrible offensive lines and nonexistent running games to the Super Bowl. Montana had a great supporting cast from day one until the Kansas City Chiefs.

Doug Flutie, baby! Moxy Fruvous even made a song about him.

(to the tune of "Windy")

Who's sneakin' past the offensive lineman?
Scramblin' when they call for the blitz?
Out from the pocket, in for a touchdown,
Everyone knows it's Flutie.

And Flutie is 5-foot-3,
He has tiny hands and feet!
The Bills are the team to beat, in the AFC (In the AFC) In the AFC East

Who's dodgin' sacks from Dolphins built like tanks?
Who's makin' fans go totally nuts?
Who deserves more than Piazza and Jordan?
Everyone knows it's Flutie

And Flutie is 4-foot-1!
But Flutie's heart weighs a ton.
He's now got the QB role,
You're in my soul (You're in my soul) You're in my soul!

Who spent 10 years in exile in Canada?
Lived in an igloo, ate only snow.
Who's even got his own breakfast cereal?
Everyone knows it's Flutie

And Flutie's got young man's knees,
He throws like a summer breeze,
And Flutie's pals with the Wease,
The brother Wease, (Cindy, Tommy, House, and everybody else!) ahhh!


Flutie was the MAN!


But I'm a huge Montana fan myself.

What's all this Montana-wanking? He had a superb team his entire career --- Elway and Marino didn't.

Marino had a great passing game all but two years of his career, sure, but he either lacked a running game or a defense. TEAMS win championships, not individuals. Sure, Dan couldn't run, but he had the best passing arm ever. It may not have been as strong as Elway's, but it was the most reliable.

John Elway's of equal status. He wasn't the pure Quarterback that Marino was, but he was a better athlete. He had the strongest arm ever, he ran a 4.70 40, and could kick like a polished punter. He took absolutely shitty Broncos teams to three Super Bowls, and inevitably lost them to much better teams.

In the end, Elway got the supporting cast he needed to take on the evil Green Bay Packers, and beat them with all he had. He bested Brett Favre's performance, even in his old age. And, in his final year, he had his best team ever. They beat the living shit out of a very good Atlanta Falcons team, which came as no surprise to many people.

Marino, sadly, never got that chance. Jimmy Johnson literally screwed the end of his career by trying to develop a running game when the Dolphins had no good running backs. Dan felt strongly about passing, because that's all they had. Dan didn't get his way, and the Dolphins slipped into mediocrity. They've yet to recover.

What's all this Montana-wanking? He had a superb team his entire career --- Elway and Marino didn't.

Marino had a great passing game all but two years of his career, sure, but he either lacked a running game or a defense. TEAMS win championships, not individuals. Sure, Dan couldn't run, but he had the best passing arm ever. It may not have been as strong as Elway's, but it was the most reliable.

John Elway's of equal status. He wasn't the pure Quarterback that Marino was, but he was a better athlete. He had the strongest arm ever, he ran a 4.70 40, and could kick like a polished punter. He took absolutely shitty Broncos teams to three Super Bowls, and inevitably lost them to much better teams.

In the end, Elway got the supporting cast he needed to take on the evil Green Bay Packers, and beat them with all he had. He bested Brett Favre's performance, even in his old age. And, in his final year, he had his best team ever. They beat the living shit out of a very good Atlanta Falcons team, which came as no surprise to many people.

Marino, sadly, never got that chance. Jimmy Johnson literally screwed the end of his career by trying to develop a running game when the Dolphins had no good running backs. Dan felt strongly about passing, because that's all they had. Dan didn't get his way, and the Dolphins slipped into mediocrity. They've yet to recover.
Marino was an incredible QB and so was Elway. When you reach a certain level of mastery of skills there really are no differences of ability between one genious and the other, but rather differences in style. It will always come down to a popularity contest. It's like asking who is the greatest guitarist of all time.

Marino always had a great passing offense to work with btw. Don Shula always made sure of that. Unfortunately for him and for the fans the Dolphin's team where usually as lopsided as a two dollar haircut. No passing defense and no running game, but solid ground defense and great passing game.
Of course you can't win like that.

I still prefer Montana. It's a fan thing.

EDIT:

And Marino did get his chance way back in 1984. vs... you guessed... Montana. Lost pretty bad too.

Marino was an incredible QB and so was Elway. When you reach a certain level of mastery of skills there really are no differences of ability between one genious and the other, but rather differences in style. It will always come down to a popularity contest. It's like asking who is the greatest guitarist of all time.

Marino always had a great passing offense to work with btw. Don Shula always made sure of that. Unfortunately for him and for the fans the Dolphin's team where usually as lopsided as a two dollar haircut. No passing defense and no running game, but solid ground defense and great passing game.
Of course you can't win like that.

I still prefer Montana. It's a fan thing.

Well, that's what I'm saying. He always had that great passing game until Jimmy Johnson took over and screwed them. But, like you said, the Dolphins always had some horrible defeciency that ended up killing them.

And, I understand Montana being a fan thing. He's a great Quarterback, yes, but if you want to see him in his true colors, watch some of his old Notre Dame games. He's not the uber Quarterback a lot of people make him out to be.

And Marino did get his chance way back in 1984. vs... you guessed... Montana. Lost pretty bad too.

Yep. The Dolphins had a pretty shitty pass defense, though, and the 49'ers team of '84 was one of the best ever. Teams like that aren't even possible anymore, due to the salary cap.

Otto Graham led the Browns to 10 championship games in the 10 seasons he played for them and finished his career with an astounding 105-17-4 regular-season record.

Montana had a pretty tough time at Notre Dame. He only started at the end of his junior year I think. They hardly passed the ball anyway, it was usually run run run. He had a pretty solid final season and won the Cotton Bowl in absolutely heroic fashion. Perhaps the greatest moment of his playing career period.

Yep. The Dolphins had a pretty shitty pass defense, though, and the 49'ers team of '84 was one of the best ever. Teams like that aren't even possible anymore, due to the salary cap.I'm a huge fan of the Salary cap. Baseball would be a helluva lot more interesting if they had one.

Montana had a pretty tough time at Notre Dame. He only started at the end of his junior year I think. They hardly passed the ball anyway, it was usually run run run. He had a pretty solid final season and won the Cotton Bowl in absolutely heroic fashion. Perhaps the greatest moment of his playing career period.

Thus proving my point that he's a great Quarterback. Still, he's not a Marino or Elway (those guys were INCREDIBLE in college).

Thus proving my point that he's a great Quarterback. Still, he's not a Marino or Elway (those guys were INCREDIBLE in college).

Who the hell cares what they did in college? They didn't win the big games like Montana did when they played against big boys (well, Elway won 2.) This would be like basing your estimation of how good a baseball player was on how they did in the minors.

Marino was soft. Soft soft soft. Elway's throws were pushed off target by the great weight of his teeth.

Who the hell cares what they did in college? They didn't win the big games like Montana did when they played against big boys (well, Elway won 2.) This would be like basing your estimation of how good a baseball player was on how they did in the minors.

Marino was soft. Soft soft soft. Elway's throws were pushed off target by the great weight of his teeth.

Heh, don't think you can get a flame out of me. It doesn't quite work...

Heh, don't think you can get a flame out of me. It doesn't quite work...


My point still stands...if you're going to let college ball enter into the equation, then people might have the impression that you think Ryan Leaf was a great QB.

College doesn't count.

My point still stands...if you're going to let college ball enter into the equation, then people might have the impression that you think Ryan Leaf was a great QB.

College doesn't count.

Ryan Leaf *was* good. They seriously fucked with him, and the assholes at ESPN helped along with it. It didn't surprise me when he exploded in his coach's face.

Ryan Leaf *was* good. They seriously fucked with him, and the assholes at ESPN helped along with it. It didn't surprise me when he exploded in his coach's face.

There was a real debate as to who was the better prospect; Payton Manning or Ryan Leaf.

But I'll stil argue that Graham was the best of all time based on Championship games and win/loss record.