My criteria for this list will be based primarily on the fundamental role of the quarterback position in the American football sport. This role, as I see it, is to throw the ball to the skill players whenever called upon. The second aspect I will consider is the role of leadership; too often we assume that the quarterback must be the face or leader of his team. This assumption partly evolved from the fact that all of the men on this list, and other great quarterbacks that didn't make this list, were great leaders of their teams. My final criteria for admission to this list is winning. Let me be clear up front, winning isn't what makes you a great quarterback, it makes you a great competitor and player, but not a great quarterback. Every man on this list has proven they have what it takes to be an elite passer, winning is what differentiates the greats from the could have been and the flops.
I will begin with an honorable mention, then count down to the man I consider the greatest quarterback of all time.
Honorable Mention:
Kurt Warner
St Louis Rams, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals
Warner could have been on this list had he not struggled with injury and entered the league so late in his professional career. But he has to be mentioned because he was the arm behind "The Greatest Show on Turf". He was also one of the few players in the league that you never had to worry about off the field issues. his character was among the best in the league. Also, he knew how to win; and he won despite everyone expecting little if anything from him.
#10
Brett Favre
Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings
Some people may consider this to be a crazy placement for one of the games greatest, but look at his career. Favre was known as a gunslinger; he threw the ball into places a quarterback should never throw and was lucky enough to get away without throwing the game away every time. He had bad plays, but people seem to only remember the miraculous plays. He was a great quarterback, but he lacked the passing efficiency the other men on this list had.
#9
Terry Bradshaw
Pittsburgh Steelers
Bradshaw was a great competitor and great personality. He also knew how to make the throws his team needed him to make when his team needed him to make them. He wasn't a prolific passer, but with a defense called "The Steel Curtain" who needs to throw the ball forty times a game?
#8
Troy Aikman
Dallas Cowboys
Aikman has his career cut short by injury, but he accomplished much in his tenure as the signal caller for the Cowboys. He was never really called on to carry the team for any great length of time because he was always surrounded by a great supporting cast. But he knew how to work his offense and how to help put his team in a position to win.
#7
Steve Young
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Fransico 49ers
The only quarterback on this list toactully replace another quarterback on this list. Young was able to put up big numbers, even late in his career. He knew how to win, and he knew how to make his offense run smoothly. It alos helped that his main target for many years was he greaest reciever in the history of the NFL.
#6
John Elway
Denever Broncos
Elway was almost one of those great players that couldn't win the big one. He didn't win his first Super Bowl until his second to last season in the league. By that time, he had established himself as one of the elites of the league. But when his team needed him most, he delivered, despite being one of the oldest players on the field in that game, where he handed #10 on this list a crushing Super Bowl defeat.
#5
Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos
Manning is a rare gem that may never come again. But you may be surprised that I put him so low on this list. Manning, depsite his amazing arm, struggled to win early in his career with the Colts. "Playoffs?!" He did evenually find a coach to help him in Tony Dungy, and has had great success with his new team. But the remaining men on this list have just shown me more talent, outside of throwing the ball. Manning is a great passer, but remember, being a quarterback is more than passing.
#4
Drew Brees
San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints
If there is one quarterback in the league today that you can gurantee will never give up and will always put the ball down the field efficently, its Brees. Brees has found a home and sytem that fits his style perfectly. He is one of the greatest competitors the game has ever seen and can compete with any other quarterback on this list.
#3
Tom Brady
New England Patriots
The only reason I put Brady ahead of Brees is the fact that he has won more. Brees is a fierce competitor, but Brady is a competitor that wins consistently. Plus, Brady has done it with seemingly no talent around him. No one knows his recievers until the end of he season. But, Brady has a very small window to win another Super Bowl, he may need some known talent to help him get one last ring.
#2
Joe Montana
San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs
When you think of the great quarterbacks that knew how to win, especially the big games, Montana has to come to mind. What he wasable toaccomplish with the 49ers is legendary. He wasn't the best passer in thegame, but he knew how to work the system. Plus, one his most famous passes is known as "The Catch", how could he not be on this list?
#1
Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins
This choice forhe greatest of all time wil ruffle some feathers. Marino never won a Super Bowl; heck, he only played in one Super Bowland lost to the #2 on this list. So how could Marino be the greatest quarterback in NFL history? Well, look at his stats over his career. Marino put up numbers that are common place in the modern NFL, but they were unheard of during his career. Throwingfor 4,000 yards was unimaginable in the 80s, he threw for 5,000 in his second year in the league. Marino held every important record for quarterbacks: career passing yards, season passing yards, career passing touchdowns, season passing touchdowns, and many more. He defined what themodern quarterback should look and play like. He didn't have any quarterbacks to look to for examples of greatness, because he was redefining the role of the quarterback. I claim, and this is simply my opinion, that without Dan Marino, there would be no Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady. This makes him the greatest of all time.
