View Full Version : Greatest QB ever poll from Sportsnation
Sir Mawn
02-05-2007, 11:29 PM
ESPN is conducting a new poll: The Greatest QB ever and narrowed it down to 12.
http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/listranker?id=662
I'm curious about how the Mane would rank the 12 "finalists". I think we know who number one is....
Poll coming.
VOTE FOR YOUR TOP THREE ONLY
Mine:
Elway
Montana
Marino
Bradshaw
Aikman
Farve
Brady
Unitas
Staubach
Manning
Young
Starr
Hopefully after a handful of years we can put Cutler up there :wiggle:
My claim that Elway was the best ever was he started in 5 Superbowls (more then any other guy) and won 2 of them. Lord knows he probably could have won a few more if he had more talent around him and a coach that didn't go ultra conservative. He's got the stats, he's got the rings and he did more with less then everybody for most of his career. He also played several of his final seasons with no bicep really in his throwing arm. Let's not forget that Montana and Bradshaw won all those rings when free agency wasn't around. Both those teams had players galore.
DBroncos4life
02-06-2007, 01:43 AM
I'm the only one that voted for Farve....
Kaylore
02-06-2007, 03:45 AM
How does Unitas only have 9 votes? I thought it was universally believed that he's in the top three minimum...
Bronco_Beerslug
02-06-2007, 08:18 AM
How does Unitas only have 9 votes? I thought it was universally believed that he's in the top three minimum...Because most people here are too young to vote for players from different eras.
-Slap-
02-06-2007, 08:24 AM
I went Unitas/Elway/Montana.
Steve Young gets a lot of love on this board.
Broncoman13
02-06-2007, 08:30 AM
How does Unitas only have 9 votes? I thought it was universally believed that he's in the top three minimum...
I've seen a grand total of maybe 20 plays with Johnny U. I've heard from guys like Slap (who I trust) that he was great. But, I've not seen enough of him to make a "worthy" call when it comes to him being the best ever, or even in the top 3.
I voted Elway, Montana and Manning. Say what you'd like about Manning, he is one of the hardest working QB's in football history and puts forth enough effort to be mentioned in the conversation. I hate his whining and cry baby attitude, but you can't argue with the numbers. He's been successful for years. They showed his career numbers after/during the Superbowl. When you avg 4000 yards 32 TDs and 12 Int's over the past 5 or 6 years you have put yourself amongst the all-time elite.
Play2win
02-06-2007, 08:39 AM
My question is if you, supposedly, have the GOAT (rice), who directly influences your play and success as a QB... How can that QB be the best QB that ever played. The logic just doesn't fit. Its either Jerry Rice is the G.O.A.T. or Montana is the best QB to every play. It is debatable whether either one really is, but for both of them to be is just ridiculous. But I guess everybody wants to have their cake and eat it too...
OrangeShadow
02-06-2007, 08:51 AM
I went Elway/Unitas/Montana
ok so my homerisim shed through a little bit :ouwknow:
-Slap-
02-06-2007, 08:56 AM
My question is if you, supposedly, have the GOAT (rice), who directly influences your play and success as a QB... How can that QB be the best QB that ever played. The logic just doesn't fit. Its either Jerry Rice is the G.O.A.T. or Montana is the best QB to every play. It is debatable whether either one really is, but for both of them to be is just ridiculous. But I guess everybody wants to have their cake and eat it too...
I don't think there's any debate Jerry Rice is the greatest wide receiver ever. The only guy who ever dominated the position to a greater degree was Don Hutson (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=104), who played 70 years ago and was widely regarded as a pioneer in the sport.
Also, it should be noted, Joe Montana played almost half his career and won half of his four Super Bowls before Jerry Rice got to San Francisco.
TailgateNut
02-06-2007, 09:33 AM
I went Unitas/Elway/Montana.
Steve Young gets a lot of love on this board.
Same here but I juggled #1 and 2. I'm a homer:wiggle:
Hotrod
02-06-2007, 10:07 AM
Montana/Elway
Rock Chalk
02-06-2007, 10:12 AM
Elway, Montana and Peyton as much as I hate him.
Garcia Bronco
02-06-2007, 10:27 AM
I voted JohnU, JohnE, and JoeM
Billy Clyde Puckett
02-06-2007, 10:44 AM
Elway/Unitas/Staubach
12th man
02-06-2007, 10:48 AM
Elway, Unitas, Montana for me.
jonny1
02-06-2007, 10:58 AM
I voted Elway, Unitas, and Montana.
To do what Unitas did back in those days, when the receiver could be mugged ALL over the field, plus no mamby-pamby roughing the passer calls . . . amazing.
epicSocialism4tw
02-06-2007, 11:02 AM
1. Elway
2. Unitas
3. Manning
I voted for Manning because I believe that he will hold all of the major passing records and will have at least another championship before he hangs them up. His consistent level of performance throughout his prime years is nothing short of top-notch. He's been the dominant player in the NFL throughout that period. Brady may have beaten him out of the playoffs a couple of times, but that perception changes dramatically with just one more Colts playoff win over the Pats. Now that the Colts have taken that monkey off of their backs, I dont see the Pats catching back up.
Like the Mavs/Spurs last season, I think that the tides have turned in the Colts' favor.
Rohirrim
02-06-2007, 11:35 AM
It would be interesting to do a national poll on this and split the responses up into age groups. I'll bet the age 20 to 30 vote would look totally different from the age 40 to 50 group.
Jason in LA
02-06-2007, 11:58 AM
Also, it should be noted, Joe Montana played almost half his career and won half of his four Super Bowls before Jerry Rice got to San Francisco.
That's the one point that puts a wrench in the argument that Montana was great because of Rice.
But I will say that Montana was in the best situation for a QB ever. Great passing system, and he always had a boat load of talent around him, on both sides of the ball. I can't think of any other QB who was lucky enough to have all of that for their entire career. Aikman had a similar situation, but not for 10+ years. If Elway was put in that same situation it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the league. Elway was only in a situation like that for his final three years, and the Broncos lit the league on fire.
Jason in LA
02-06-2007, 12:06 PM
Elway
Young
Farve
This is my personal opinion, and I am taking out factors like the situation that these players played in. Montana had it perfect for his entire career, which is a major reason why he is reguarded as the greatest. QBs can't control that, so I don't want to give a guy credit for that. Put Montana on a lot of other teams and he isn't so great.
Elway had everything that you want a QB to have. He had no real weaknesses. Young and Farve are Elway type QBs. They were all play makers. They could avoid the rush and make a great play out of a broken play.
Young doesn't get much credit because he was in Montana's shadow. But I'd say that if Young had been the Niners QB for all of those years that Montana was they would have won just as much, maybe more. People will say that the Niners only won once with Young. Yeah, but Montana didn't have to deal with those early '90s Cowboy teams. That's not saying that Montana didn't play great teams. He did (Giants, Skins, and Bears). But I put those Cowboy teams above the teams that Montana had to deal with.
As for Farve, I've always like the guy, even though I think he should have retired a couple of years ago. He's a wacky Elway. That guy can move, and has a laser arm.
JCMElway
02-06-2007, 12:44 PM
Boy. Pey-a-ton at #4? I don't think so.
NaptownChief
02-06-2007, 01:43 PM
Boy. Pey-a-ton at #4? I don't think so.
Elway at #1? Everyone outside of Denver don't think so either...
-Slap-
02-06-2007, 01:54 PM
That's the one point that puts a wrench in the argument that Montana was great because of Rice.
But I will say that Montana was in the best situation for a QB ever. Great passing system, and he always had a boat load of talent around him, on both sides of the ball. I can't think of any other QB who was lucky enough to have all of that for their entire career. Aikman had a similar situation, but not for 10+ years. If Elway was put in that same situation it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the league. Elway was only in a situation like that for his final three years, and the Broncos lit the league on fire.
The 1981 49ers (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo1981.htm) were not a powerhouse by any means. They were 6-10 in 1980 and 2-14 in 1979. No running backs or tight ends worth a damn and only Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon at wide receiver.
Their big advantage was nobody else was running the West Coast offense yet. Montana was just an awesome football player. Most people don't realize that was only his third year in the League and his second year as a starter.
Maximus
02-06-2007, 01:56 PM
Their poll is screwed up. I didn't like Fran Tarkenton or Dan Fouts when they were playing but they certainly deserve to be mentioned in a poll like this. Brady is over-rated, Bradshaw and Bart starr should all be eliminated.
NaptownChief
02-06-2007, 02:05 PM
Their poll is screwed up. I didn't like Fran Tarkenton or Dan Fouts when they were playing but they certainly deserve to be mentioned in a poll like this. Brady is over-rated, Bradshaw and Bart starr should all be eliminated.
I would agree that Fouts and Tark deserve to be on the that list before the guys you mentioned. I would also include Aikman.