based on post#103, how about winning without any run game or defense at all? then you'd have to put Dan Marino above everyone (proof was vs. the undefeated 1985 bears on monday night - go check out that game!).

i personally think this list has no validity. it does not take into account the fact that certain quarterbacks had better defenses which allow QBs like Brady to win super bowls that he otherwise would not have won. it also does not take into account the fact that QBs such as Manning have pure raw talent as well as being smart QBs. Brady could never call plays at the line like Manning or make average receivers look like pro bowl receivers like he can. Winning super bowls takes a team effort and that's the only reason why Brady or Aikman have any. The proof is in the fact that Cassel, who hasn't played since high school lead the team to an 11-5 record (which should have been a playoff birth) and now is one of the worst QBs in the league. They won because they had a supporting cast. If you look at the actual statistics and how the quarterback manages a game, Manning is the best hands down. He can win without a run game or a run defense (proof is in the monday night football game against miami).

The fact the John Elway isn't even mentioned makes the wisegeek just a geek! Look: not many QB's can say they have even been to two Super Bowls, let alone five. Yeah, yeah, yeah, So he's lost three, not his fault. He's the reason the Broncos got there. Look at the talent in those years! By the way he is still the oldest QB to win a Super Bowl!

John Elway hands down. No other quarterback was as complete. He had the best arm, the drive and competitiveness to win. Add up high school, college and pro and no other quarterback compares.

John Elway was held back in his early pro years with a conservative control system and still had more wins, come from behind wins and made it to more championships than any other quarterback in history.

If you have a choice who will quarterback your

team in the Super Bowl, then there is no choice but Joe Montana. He is precise, very cool in the clutch and always has the ball to throw those winning scores. He is not rattled by defense and time.

How about Brady will he be compared to Joe? No wa. The two first winning Super Bowls were not won by Brady, but by his team mates.

Right now if you see the old video of Joe Montana practicing when he was in college and the early football years, where he practiced throwing the football, you could see that this is the adapted practice of all quarterback these days.

Anyone who uses super bowl wins to rate any player at any position in the NFL is a moron. In the NFL, teams win Super Bowls, not individual players. QBs don't play defense or special teams (unless they are a holder). You can use championships in the NBA, where there's 5 players on the court playing both offense and defense (or in hockey). But don't do that in the NFL please. You just end up looking like an idiot.

obviously doug flutie in the canada scheme of things.

No matter how you look at it, every team is centered around the quarterback. He is the leader. The defense is what wins championships, but teams that do it without that have accomplished even greater heights. By the way, many horrible quarterbacks (define "many") have won a single super bowl. None of them made multiple appearences, excluding possibly Terry Bradshaw. People may disagree with me on this, but do any of them know his stats? The guy averaged one interception per touchdown. His defense carried him. This post refers to those few elites who did it without using the defense as a crutch.

One player does not win super bowls. strong defenses, great running backs, etc all play into a team winning rings - not a quarterback! Many horrible quarterbacks have won super bowls, which means that the montanas and bradys should not necessarily be considered best ever. the best quarterbacks have performed consistently at a high level with average teams, and the teams have not done well without them! Systems win super bowls usually - this is why barry sanders never won. montana left the 49ers, but they were still a great team with young, bono and grbac. before brady they won with bledsoe, after brady they won with cassell. the chargers w/o fouts couldn't win. The dolphins w/o marino couldn't win. rings should not be the judge of the quarterback. if you're lucky, you land into a great system that wins (80's redskins and 49ers), 90s (cowboys), 2000s (patriots). manning on his own has done it because the colts stunk before him, and will stink after. Marino is the best in modern times.

Honestly, currently, Tom Brady is the best quarterback on paper. When people think the best, what is their first question? Super Bowl rings, then maybe appearences. In either catagory, Tom takes it. 50 passing touchdowns in a season is another thing to consider. In fact, had the Pats beaten the Giants, that would have gone down as the most dominating season in history by any team. However, the Patriots have a deeply rooted system and that contributes much to Tom's success in the NFL. He may not have all of the yards or touchdowns that Peyton Manning or Brett Favre have, but he has led his team to greater heights than either one of those combined, so that is why he is the best there is playing right now.

This article stinks -- no mention of John Elway. He retired as the qb with most wins (Farve now is since he pads his stats year after year). Elway has two super bowl wins, started more super bowls than any other QB, was named mvp of the leaque and mvp of the super bowl. He is only behind marino at retirement with yards and completions. He played for a conservative offense or would have torn Marino apart. He has many more rushing yards and td's than all of them. Elway made mediocre teams good enough to get to super bowls. He took pay cuts to improve the talent around him (unlike marino) so he could win. Brady was on his way but does not look the same since the injury. He looks very old on a very old team. No doubt though the man right now is Peyton. He knows more offensive football than all the offensive coordinators. He'll be the greatest by the time he's through.

Joe Montana had a high passer rating because of the west coast offense which relied on short passes, plus he had the best receiver ever. His team was in a weak division and the 49's always seemed to get an easy schedule and he was overly protected by the refs. Probably didn't hurt that the owner was on the competition committee and was caught going over the salary cap. I liked Troy Aikman better. He took many hard hits because he hung on the ball longer. He had a special chin strap made because his chin was split open so many times and he didn't start with a great team around him. The refs hardly ever called roughing the passer when he was hit.

Yeah it's easy to say who's the best, but how about who's the luckiest to have a carrer as long as they had. No. 1 has to be Bernie Kozar. Old side arm Bernie didn't throw many interceptions but there weren't all that many completions either I guess just making his throws hard to catch. No. 2 Rodney Pete but in his defense they relied too much on the running game. I could never be a lions fan. No. 3 Mitchell, forgot first name but the guy who backed up Mariono to start for the Lions. I am now seeing why I could never be a Lions fan. No. 4 Rick Meyer, thought to be the first pick in the draft but wound up second. could he have ever been more Peg Bundy? do nothing, be nothing player. Oddly enough I am going to pick Matt Cassell because I believe he'll be a real bummer for quite some time. Kansas City, what is the matter with you paying him all that money? Probably 25 starting QB's would have taken the stacked patriots to the playoffs and Cassell fell short and he was still wanted? Trainers, couches, and management open your eyes and see who the real players are, and when you get a lemon, which should never happen, make lemonade and trade them quickly while you can still get something from them. Don't hang on to them until the entire team self-destructs and the fans all grow tired of the same old losing crap. But to answer the question that is asked, who are the greatest QB's of all time: 1) Joe Montana; 2) Peyton Manning; 3) Tom Brady; 4)The most fun to watch of all time biggest chance taker, always willing to hurt his stats just to win, the incredible Brett Favre and 5) hmmm? I am going with the humble and great John Elway. If it seems like I picked the players most fun to watch, I will admit that had a lot to do with it.

Peyton Manning will be second to none when it's all said and done. Way to exclude him from the list.

It is and always has been more of a matter of opinion on a site like this so here is mine. With all the rule changes to protect the QB it would be very difficult for any 70's and older QBs to make the list, along with two present QB's that may just become the greatest of all time in Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady because they are still accomplishing more then others have ever done. You have to include every aspect you know in watching them without a bias opinion which none of us truly have. So therefore it may be easier to just name your favorites along with who you think are or were the greatest. As you will see my favorites with differ much from who I think is the best. Like Warren Moon being my no. 1 favorite, mostly because the run and shoot made him incredible to watch. No. 2 is Bret Favre because he took so many great chances and most paid off. No. 3 is Joe Montana because he may be the best clutch performer of all time. No. 4 is John Elway, who was always pretty great with or without a great supporting cast and finally, No. 5, Jim Kelly, who did everything high above average. So now this leaves who I think are the actual greatest of all time? No. 1 is Joe Montana because he is all you could ever ask for and so much more. No. 2 is Tom Brady because I think by the time he is finished in his career he will be the greatest of all-time. No. 3 is Peyton Manning. No. 4 is Bret Favre because he is clutch and makes it happen. Finally, no. 5 is Steve Young, but mostly from his stats rather then coming through in the clutch. Oh but this is just my opinion -- nothing else. I am a very active watcher of the nfl and if I didn't mention Dan Marino, it's because he has the short drop and pass which helps prevent sacks but prevents clutch wins from great pass defenses boosting his stats through the roof but mostly in the regular season, like Warren Moon and the run and shoot. It's always more fun to watch the great passing game but a team needs so much more to be successful. Even though the 49ers were extremely great, having watched all those games I truly believe they are the only team to be successful with a dominating offense and just an OK defense, and that's why Joe comes first. I know he had Jerry and John to throw to, but they were at least as lucky that Joe was the one behind those passes.

The best running backs of all time *ran*. The best quarterbacks of all time *passed*. the best teams of all time *won*. The best quarterback of all time: Dan Marino.

Terry Bradshaw.

Steve Young was the highest rated passer of all-time? But I thought he was the best rushing qb. Oh, he was that too. In considering the greatest of all-time, I find it hard to believe anyone would leave out the highest-rated passer *and* best rusher. How does a qb manage to pass so well, for so many TDs and yards while spending enough of his plays and games to run for 43 TDs(the most ever by a qb)and over 4000 yards *also*? Just something to think about.

Top 10 NFL QB's of all time: 1. Joe Montana 2. Johnny Unitas 3. Roger Staubach 4. Steve Young 5. John Elway 6. Dan Marino 7. Brett Favre 8. Troy Aikman 9. Peyton Manning 10. Tom Brady Joe Montana is No. 1 of all time! No explanation needed. Johnny Unitas is no. 2 because he revolutionized the QB position. Roger Staubach was one of the greatest QBs of his era and is currently a Hall of Famer. He also has Super Bowl titles on his resume. Steve Young is no. 4 because he is the most accurate Hall of Fame QB, not to mention one of the best scrambling QBs ever to play. John Elway is No. 5 because he was a warrior/prolific passer who earned two consecutive Super Bowl Titles to go along with a Super Bowl MVP. Dan Marino is no. 6 because he is the best passing QB of all time. Unfortunately he is the only QB on my list without a Super Bowl title due to his own selfishness. Marino made it clear to Dolphins management that he did not care for a running game, so they tried to keep him happy by passing the majority of the time. Brett Favre is no. 7 because while he has a Super Bowl victory and a bunch of passing records, he also has the most interceptions all time. And for the record, Brett Favre had Pro Bowl players on his team every year in Green Bay. Who remembers Shannon Sharpe's older brother Sterling Sharpe the speedy receiver? Who remembers Antonio Freeman, the guy the helped make the Lambeau Leap famous along with the insane game winning Monday Night touchdown catch while on the ground? Who remembers Robert Brooks no. 87, who ran by defenders? No running game you say? Who remembers Dorsey Levens and Edgar Bennett? Who remembers Ahmad Green, who produced five straight 1,000 yard seasons with Brett Favre? Who remembers Ryan Grant who was the workhorse for Favre in the 2007 playoffs? Anyway, Troy Aikman is no. 8 because he was one of the most intelligent QBs of All Time, plus his 3 Super Bowl rings aren't too bad either. Peyton Manning is no. 9 because he has his Super Bowl title plus he broke Dan Marino's season touchdown record and by the time he retires I think he will be the best all time. Why? Because he is the most accurate QB of all time, has the highest QB rating of all time and his audibles are priceless, but to add to that, Peyton has thrown for over 3,000 yards every year, even when the Colts couldn't make the Playoffs. Don't talk about playoffs! Tom Brady is no. 10 because he, like Peyton Manning, broke the season touchdown record. Tom Brady has three Super Bowl rings with a bunch of years left in him. Even though Brady has one of the best coaches ever to thank for a lot of his success, he has the potential to retire as one of the top three QBs of all time, if not the best all time.

Like others have said, it is difficult to compare quarterbacks of different eras because the game has changed so much. Let's not forget that the earlier quarterbacks (Baugh, Graham, Unitas, etc.) did not enjoy the protection today's quarterbacks do, as well as their receivers and that needs to be taken into consideration. Since Johnny Unitas was named the top quarterback by the NFL for its first 50 years and was responsible for helping usher professional football into the modern times, I have to put him at or near the top. He also was as tough as they come, called his own plays and was the master of the two-minute drill. When he retired, he held 22 NFL records and still holds the record of throwing touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games, a feat many compare to Joe DiMaggio's historic baseball hitting streak.

i think the greatest quarterback ever was Y.A. Tittle.

I think that all the posts I've read are great opinions of their best QB. But I agree that the definition of great needs to be defined. As with all sports debates over who is the best is what are we using as a benchmark for comparison? If you say, "Super Bowl wins" is the key element then hands down, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw are the best with four each. But really, Terry Bradshaw? I am a diehard Steelers fan and I don't consider Bradshaw one of the greatest. He did his part in big games with an "all-time" defense. Question. Would you think Michael Jordan would be the greatest ever to play basketball with no championship rings? Or Tiger Woods with no Majors? The answer is yes! They still had great numbers. I think that what Marino did with what he had was nothing short of amazing! No perennial recievers or backs and no defense to speak of. The same with Favre. Elway edges them out for going five times and winning twice. Unitas may have changed the position and the way it's played but like golf, Palmer was the first to make $1 million dollars in earnings and Hogan had the best swing but they are not the best. Only Tiger and Nicklaus are in the conversation. So with that being said, my top five QB's would be; No. 1, Joe Montana(because he won 4 rings and had Rice on the other end of his arm for half his career. And the "catch" to win the Super Bowl and is in the top five in passing stats.) No. 2, Dan Marino(not no. 1 because he has no rings but went once and was the leader, when he retired, in all passing stats with no star power around him his whole career and no defense.), No. 3, Peyton Manning (because he is still in his prime is on pace to break Marino and Favre's records and has a ring already. Has consistently good yearly stats). No. 4, Tom Brady (because he has three Super Bowl wins in 4 tries and had a 16-0 regular season record and broke the most TD's in a season record(50)), and last but not least, No. 5. John Elway (because he went five times and won twice, only when management got him a supporting cast a la; Sharpe and Davis and is in the top five in passing stats for a career.)

It's probably unfair to compare quarterbacks currently active to those from 20 years ago. And once an athlete reaches a certain level it really is impossible to rank them relatively. They're all champions. Having said that, nonetheless, my pick is Steve Young. He almost certainly would have racked up as many Super Bowl wins as Montana had he had the offense Montana had. He had incredible athletic skills; he could have been quite a good halfback and I wouldn't be surprised if he had been a top rate receiver with his speed and mobility. But above all, his intelligence was his greatest skill. I don't think there's ever been a smarter player in the NFL. And I was terribly impressed with his attitude -- a happy warrior out on the field. Like Montana he had an infectious love of just playing, and playing all out to win because that's the only way the game is fun. Watching him play was pure pleasure.

Everybody has an opinion as to who they think is the "best" QB ever. It all comes down to "popularity". Right? Competition gets tougher and better every year in the NFL. To my way of thinking, Brett Farve has now played in 271 games w/o missing one. And he has taken and endured some pretty vicious hits in his 17+ years. Don't get me wrong, there are Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino and I could name 10 more; but it's really hard to point at one QB and say he is the best of them all.

Again, no Elway in this conversation? When he retired after his second consecutive Super Bowl victory, an MVP performance no less, he retired as the winningest QB in NFL history. The QB position is the hardest on the team. Especially when your team gives you no run support for 90 percent of the time. Elway was sacked more than twice the amount that Dan Marino was and still started more games than Dan Marino. Steve Young's career was too short to call him the best ever. Montana has a legitimate shot, Favre has a legitimate shot, and of the 1980's and beyond era, only John Elway belongs in this group with these two superstars. Tom Brady is great, but too young to say "best ever" -- yet. Yes Brett Favre is now the winningest QB in history, but only because he's playing well into his silver years. It took him longer to get there than Elway, and he had a running attack most of his career. Marino was great, but not the best ever. Not quite.

No Otto Graham, thus the list is lacking. Leading your team to ten championships and winning seven in ten years has to get you on the list.

No John Elway in the conversation? .This article is full of fail.

I like the list because it rightly credits so many of the greats from long ago, when the game was controlled more by quarterbacks and less by coaches in the press box or those wearing headphones. Also, the rules have changed so much to help the passing game. However, I would rank Unitas as the best. He simply was the greatest leader ever in shoulder pads and one hell of a passer.

Bart Starr is the greatest QB of all time because counting NFL championships he won more than Montana or Bradshaw.

even based on post #70, in comparing Brady and Manning, the points made for either of the two actually make marino the best ever. he never had a defense (not til the end of his career) and never ever had a running game! both Manning and Brady have consistently shown that in games where they are rushed hard, they are not very effective. Marino was able to take on arguably the greatest defense ever (1985 bears) and single-handedly dismantle them - if not for Marino, the bears were going to have an undefeated season. to this day, that game is the highest rated monday night football game ever. forget super bowls which are won by teams and not QB's (see the ravens. they won a superbowl with zero offense). Marino is hands down the best in the modern era, and possibly the least appreciated because of the lack of Super Bowl wins.

Tough to pick just one and we all will be biased because of our passion for "our" team. For me Brett Favre is the best. First he has a ring, the first criteria needed to be the "greatest". I argue with anyone who says you can be the greatest without winning a championship. if you've never won then what are you the greatest at? Secondly Favre has put up stats that are simply unbelievable and to add to that he has done so in Green Bay where at least 2-3 games a year the weather is so bad you simply can't pass, at least most couldn't. ;) Third he has the most wins of any quarterback and lastly he has been there for his team every game for 18 years in a row. To anyone who has every played football you know that is simply impossible. Just my thoughts...

sam persall

Just to add a little balance to the Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning debate as to who's the better quarterback. By the time they retire, both are going to be listed as the top two quarterbacks of all time. And right now there is certainly enough time in their careers for one to gain the advantage over the other. At this point in time, Peyton Manning is better than Tom Brady. Yes I know Tom Brady has more Super Bowl victories. But in my opinion that's a team accomplishment in which Brady had an important role. Peyton Manning would have won more Super Bowls had he had a reasonably good defense. Tom Brady always had a great team defense. So while the championships are nice to point out, Brady wins no Super Bowls without the help of a great defense. And let's also be honest, a little bit of luck (tuck rule) and the slimmest of margins of victory on all three superbowl wins. Since Brady threw his 50 touchdown passes, everyone wants to say that this is further proof he is better than Peyton Manning with his 49 TD passes. Oh really? In Brady's season where he threw 50 TDs, the Patriots almost completely abandoned the run. Their team's philosophy was to keep throwing even when they were up by three or more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This helped Brady totally pad his statistics that year. Peyton Manning, in 2004, when he threw his 49 TDs, did so within the normal Colts offense where the run/pass ratio was very close to 50/50. In that year he put up his 49 tds with *less than 100 fewer attempts* than Brady did in 2007 when he threw 50! The Colts were also the class of the league as they pulled most of their starters (including Peyton) when they had big leads in the fourth quarter. Peyton sat out the equivalent of 2-1/2 games that year because of big leads or the team having nothing to play for because they wrapped up their playoff birth. Time will tell who is the better of these two but to simply say Brady is better because has two more rings or that he threw more TD's in a season is not really looking at the comparison objectively.

Roger Staubach.

for the record, the greatest pure QB ever was Dan Marino. Here's the support: if QB's are to be judged purely on their position, just as running backs are, then no one comes close to Marino. if Barry Sanders and Jim Brown are the greatest RB's ever, then Marino is the greatest QB ever. none of those just mentioned have won a Super Bowl. some QBs who've won superbowls: Trent Dilfer, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypien - winning a superbowl has *nothing* to do with how great a QB was. It has to do only with how great a team is. when Marino broke the all time TD record in 1985, he broke the record by 50 percent! he broke the yardage record which has still yet to be broken, 22 years later. but the best measure will be this: if you put Montana, Elway, Favre, Brady, Young, etc. on the teams that Marino was on, they wouldn't come close to winning a Super Bowl, let alone statistically be what Marinowas. Conversely, if Marino was on those 49ers teams Green Bay teams (w/ Reggie White, etc) or today's Patriots, he'd have won many Super Bowls. Also pay close attention to the fact that after Montana and Young, Steve Bono and Elvis Grbac looked like hall of fame QB's. :ook at Matt Cassell on the Patriots after Brady was hurt -- a dropoff but still won 10 games. teams and systems win, doesn't mean anything when regarding the greatness of a position player. Ray Lewis would still be one of the greatest linebackers ever whether or not his team won a Super Bowl or not. comparing teams has nothing to do with comparing players! case closed.

I have some news for the guy who's in love with Joe Montana. First off, there was a qb who didn't throw an interception in the superbowl. Also, Steve Young's run vs the vikings in the '88 playoffs sent Montana to the super bowl. If you just get retarded with matching up qb stats, Montana and Young are equal in passing (Montana gets some slightly bigger numbers in certain categories and vice-versa). But in rushing it's not even close. You could go with Montana because of super bowls if Steve Young didn't help him get to one and actually got him to the another. If the two switched places, I'd have to say Young would put up far better numbers and super bowls. Today it would be like considering playing Peyton Manning or Tom Brady's back-up instead of him, except, this is Joe Montana. How good was Steve Young? Indisputably number 1 all-time.

It's fun to discuss "the greatest," but unfortunately it's meaningless because one can't compare athletes of different eras---in virtually ANY sport. The times change, the rules of the game change, so does the equipment, ad infinitum. When it comes to football, for instance, passing statistics mean very little because it's infinitely easier to complete a pass today than it was in, say, the 50s and before. Offensive linemen then could not use their hands to block pass rushers, only their forearms and shoulders---all else being equal, quarterbacks had less time. Offensive ends could be hit by defensive players all the way downfield---no "one shot" within 5 yards and that's it, as today. There are more legal passing formations today (opening up the way for more eligible receivers). The hash marks today are at the center of the field instead of the edges, so modern quarterbacks do not deal with "short side passes," which were harder to complete if the ball was spotted on the hash mark. The contour of the ball has even been altered (more fitting the profile of the hand). It goes on and on. Everyone's list of their "greatest" players, as in EVERY other sport, will logically reduce to everyone's list of their FAVORITE players. Directly comparing athletes of different eras is technically not possible.

Just for you haters on Peyton Manning, he made great receivers. I guarantee you if they played for any other team they would just be average. Isn't is funny how everyone who catches a ball from Manning turns out to be a top receiver in the league? Come on, we have guys like Dallas Clark being one of the top tight ends in the game. I can't believe this crap. Manning isn't great because of the receivers, he just makes normal receivers into superstars. If Tom Brady didn't play for such a well structured team he would still be considered an average QB. Look, the Patriots were so well managed that Cassel shined and that proves my point. Peyton Manning is the smartest QB to ever play the game, he dissects defenses. Tom Brady just cries when he loses and cannot win without Vinatieri.

Team play (e.g., knowing when to hand the ball off and not get behind) and number of playoff appears, especially Super Bowl appearences need to be taken into account. By these criteria, Jim Kelly is in the top 20.

Montana is great but had rice as a wide out. Marino is best

yea, brett favre really broke a record throwing the most interceptions in the history of the nfl. lol

brady is the best and will be always period

I can only speak for the quarterbacks that played in the 80's and 90's since I'm only 32 years old. Not seeing guys like Staubach, Starr, Unitas, Bradshaw and Jurgensen I cannot fairly place them on my list. From the stats I've seen they were pretty good though and belong somewhere on here.

#1 Steve Young won 65% of his starts and has 1 ring. He hardly ever turned the ball over (once every 39 times he touched it) and he made plays with his feet. He had a passer rating of 96.8 and went to 7 straight pro bowls. He is also a 2 time MVP and has 12 playoff wins. Too bad he was sitting behind #2 on the list for four full seasons or he'd really have some gaudy numbers.

#2 Joe Montana won 71% of his starts and has 4 rings. He too did not turn the ball over (once every 38 times he touched it). He had a passer rating of 92.3 and went to 8 pro bowls. He is a 2 time MVP and has 16 playoff wins. These two guys are so close overall but Young edges Montana in the yards per attempt category 8.0 to 7.5. If Montana had Young's wheels he'd be #1.

#3 John Elway won 64% of his starts and has 2 rings. This guy had all the intangibles and not so much the great stats of #1 or #2. He was a true leader on the field and was definitely the definition of clutch at games end. Not a great passer rating but pretty good at not throwing interceptions in critical situations. He went to 9 pro bowls. He has 1 MVP and 14 playoff wins while guiding his team to 5 Super Bowl appearances. He was the most exciting QB on the list.

#4 Troy Aikman won 58% of his starts and has 3 rings. He had a passer rating of 81.6 and went to 6 straight pro bowls. He had 11 playoff wins.

# 5 Dan Marino won 60% of his starts. He made it to 1 Super Bowl but lost. He had one of the quickest releases in all of football and hardly ever took a sack. He piled up 420 touchdowns and the best receiver he ever had was Mark Duper. That's impressive. He had a passer rating of 86.4 and went to 9 pro bowls. Marino has one MVP and 8 playoff wins. He has better stats than Elway or Aikman, but no rings.

If I had to project the future I'd have to have em 1-10 like this Young, Brady, Montana, Manning, Elway, Roethlisberger, Aikman, Warner, Favre, and Marino.

Michael Vick is the best QB ever

Greatest NFL QB of all time: #1 is Johnny U.....I'll go for Sammy #2.....and probably Bart #3.....If you extrapolate #19's records from a 12 game season to a 16 game season, he'd still hold many records.....3 time MVP and played in a totally different era where receivers were mugged and the run dominated.....Mr. Unitas holds a record that may never be broken......A touchdown pass in 47... that's right forty seven consecutive games.....That's a TD pass in every game for four years.....And, he would just walk off the field....No jumping around and grandstanding, just go over to the sidelines and sit down.....On Dec 28, 1958 (the greatest game ever played), he handed the ball to Alan Ameche, won the game, and just walked away!! OH, by the way, Mr. Unitas invented the two minute drill, and the no huddle offense (see: the greatest game ever played). He called his own plays......So, he doubled as offensive coordinator......A true field general and the prototype of the modern quarterback......And if all that's not enough, he worked off (and during) season at the steel mill in Baltimore.....Peyton, Joe, Dan, John and the most over-rated Brett (or any of those other modern day greats) can take a whack at that job after they throw TD passes in 47 consecutive games.....ain't gonna happen.....#19 will always be greater than #18 and all the rest of the new era (post 1980) qb's.....Plain and simple....

Best Quarterbacks based on having a cool name:

Johnny Unitas

Bart Starr

Fran Tarkenton

Joe Montana

Roman Gabriel

Y.A. Tittle

Boomer Esiason

Daryle Lamonica

Milt Plum

and finally...

NORM VAN BROCKLIN

You guys are too young to remember the greats of the NFL. the players who played the foundation for others to follow. The greatest quarterback of all-time was Otto Graham of the AAFC/NFL Cleveland Browns (1946-1955).

In his career, he and the Browns compiled a 105-17-4 record, during of which he tossed 188 touchdown passes in ten seasons of play.

Graham played six seasons in the NFL and took the Cleveland Browns to the NFL Championship Game all six seasons, winning three NFL titles. Including four seasons in which his team captured four AAFC titles, Graham played ten total seasons of professional football and made the league championship game all ten seasons, winning seven league titles. He even player as a professional basketball player with the Rochester Royals (today's Sacramento Kings) and also captured a league title. Thus, in 11 seasons as a professional athlete, Otto Graham's teams made the championship all eleven years, winning eight titles. There hasn't been a winner like that in quite awhile.

If you don't include Sammy Baugh on your list, then you obviously have no sense of history.

While I agree that Farve is in the top ten, to say he is the best is simply not true. When I judge what makes someone the best player of all time in any sport the main criterion I use is if the championship is on the line is this the guy who you know 100% for certain is the one you want to be "The Guy". Yes Farve holds many all time career stats and should be lauded as such. But when it comes down to who will win that ultimate game everyone seems to forget that he also is the all time leader in interceptions thrown and playoff loses. When it comes down to who is the best QB of all time are you really gonna pick a guy who has a 54% win percentage in the playoffs where it really counts vs someone like Brady, Montana, Young, etc....

Just to clear up some issues. Brett Favre played fewer years than Dan Marino and John Elway when he broke all their records. 16 years vs. 18 years.

Brett Favre has the most wins in history, the most td's in history, the most completions in history, the most yards in history, the most consecutive 3000+ yard seasons in history, etc. etc. etc. etc.

The most MVP awards in history, the most consecutive MVPS in history, the only person to win 3 consecutive MVPS in history. yada yada yada

First of all that idiot earlier who said that tom brady has had an all star cast since hes been in the league has no idea what hes talking about. He made it to the afc championship game with reche caldwell and jabar gaffney as his starting wide receivers. then we he got randy moss he showed what he could really do. Give peyton manning those below average receivers and he wouldnt make the playoffs. brady will stand alone at the top when his careers done and hes already in the top 10 now

I have to agree with anon5903 and completely disagree with anon9860 on the Tom Brady issue. Its funny how people who dislike a team or player will ignore the truth just to try and prove a point. Tom Brady is not the greatest of all time yet, no. He does however have a number of good years left to try and get there. He has not had a great offense to work with all his career, that is a load of crap. Anon5903 said it best when he named Brady's top receivers over the years. They are by no means top end guys and nobody can argue with that. When they went out before last season and got the top end receiving for Brady i said to myself, ok so now everyone will see if Brady can put up the BIG stats with a good receiving core. If he had gone out and done the same numbers as he always had, then there would be a point here, but instead he went and did exactly what an athlete needs to do in that situation to prove themselves, raise the bar!

As for the cheating and tape thing, Anon9860 must be lost!!! He is calling others post retarded yet he is making points that are useless. The league took a tape after the first quarter of the first game of the season! Any two people could sit down forever debating weather what was on the tapes should be allowed or not, but the league made it verdict and so be it. But please tell me how Brady knew where all the defenders were going to be because of 1 tape that he or the team never even got to watch. Then the league watched them extra closely to make sure no taping was done the rest of the year, yet still they thumped teams week after week and broke records. Explain how 1: that is not talent? and 2: how they knew where these defenders were going to be? Anyway the cheater thing is so dumb, the tape was never even watched by the team, weather it was right or wrong is a mute point after a certain point, it has to be used to have an effect on an event, it wasn't and records fell!

All the QBs mentioned other than Unitas are from the more recent era of NFL play. But the old rules--wherein the defensive backs could hit receivers any time on the field--made QB play much harder. Viewed in that light, many other QBs from the "old school" deserve to be considered. E.g.: Otto Graham, Baugh, van Brocklin (sp?).

Tom Brady is the best quarterback to ever play period. His poise in the clutch and his ability to be calm in any situation is what makes watching him worth while. Brady won superbowls with no more than a semi decent cast,( with the exception of Adam V.) I promise you this, Manning is fine but lets see him throw 45 touchdowns plus without Marvin Harrison. Brady did a job no short of excellence without a receiver core to be proud of and even this year with the team he finally deserves to have, he led the Patriots to 18 wins. He may have not won the superbowl, and no disrespect to Eli, but he didnt lose. Regardless of any excuses that may be made the fact remains that Brady went from unknown to champion, he went from bench to clutch when it mattered the most. Brady is the definition of great and he is the greatest quarterback perhaps even player to ever grace the NFL with his presence.

Greg cook definitely comes to my mind as best quarterback in the NFL talent wise. In 1969 he played for the Bengals but only one year due to injury. Could have been great. Played and compared to Terry Bradshaw.

To the guy who said Bart Star being the best QB ever is kinda funny....his stats are terrible, and did u know he coached the packers and the fans got pissed at him cause he sucked and the killed both of his dogs? yeah he maybe in some1's mentally challenged mind been the best QB ever but as a coach, i dont think so.

Right now, it's Unitas and Montana for the top spot*. Anyone else is a runner-up - an all time great but still a runner-up.

*When Manning's career is over he will probably be considered the best QB ever.

All of you are retarded....

Joe Montana

Brett Favre

Steve Young

Dan Marino

Bart Starr

Dan Fouts

Troy Aikman

All meant the most to their teams, and were THE reason they had success. OR failure. Any way you look at it there is no "real top QB" because football is a team sport.

Dan Marino would have won 4 super bowls with even half of Montanas 49'rs, as would Aikman won 8 if he had any more talent around an average QB.

Hell Bradshaw could have had 10 SB rings if he would have had the offense of todays Patriots with his defense.

It is all relative. Each QB holds a place in football history based on each ones accomplishments individually. And each one deserves a place in our memory, but to say Brett Favre = Trent Dilfer cause they both won one super bowl? Sorry that response will always = you are retarded.

So next I will hear that Reggie White sucked as well cause he only had one super bowl....or does this mean Charles Haley is the all time greatest football player ever because he has 5 rings?

Lets put it this way....

Best passer to win superbowls with an excellent supporting cast..... Joe Montana

Most accurate passer, that had a career cut short ...Steve Young

Best QB to never win anything, but hold tons of records forever....Dan Marino

Worst Qb to win 4 SB rings, but was juuuuust good enough not to screw up his defensive geniuses......Terry Bradshaw

Best Qb to never win anything...period..Dan Fouts

Best QB to hold almost every current record, one SB ring, shoulda had 2 but Holmgren refused to run, shoulda had three but some tard allowed a 4th and 26 first down to a team that shouldnt have even been in the playoffs, and who was the only highlight for his team in the bad years, and who played the game like it should be....a game..Brett Favre

best QB LEADER.....Johnny Unitas

Best QB in game management, but rode his RB and his O line to SB victories........Troy Aikman

Best QB to win championships, be fairly accurate, but really not as special as he is made out to be.....but has a huge heart and a Great team behind him as well....Bart Starr

Most accurate, highest rated QB, that plays in a perfect system, with a perfect coach, and the best receivers in the game (stop whining pat fans your receivers have been out standing, not sucky like you all claim), oh did I mention, boring, scripted, yes extremely good, yet robot like with no heart. (makes Trent Dilfer look like a SB god).....Tom Brady

Biggest heart, most gracious Sb winning Qb...Trent Dilfer ( may as well throw him in since you all think SB wins are the only way to rate "the best"

Best QB to suck in Sb appearances......Fran Tarkenton

Best QB to have his coach cheat and tell him what the opponents DEf is gonna be....Tom Brady

Oh man did I go there? Sorry I did.....Yeah, put me as the Pats starting QB, tell me what the Def is gonna do, Ill guarantee I can throw for at least 25 TD's in that season.......Crap tape one of my arms behind my back and blindfold me, Ill still make 12 if you tell me where the defenders will be....

Hehe Thanks Eli Manning and the NYG for making it easier to stomach seeing The NE Patriots period. Also thanks for showing that Tom Brady is only as good as the system put around him. Ill place Tom Brady in my Top Qb list when he proves he didnt, nor the hoodie didnt cheat......sorry NE fans.......they got caught....deal with it...

Joe Montana (Brady a close 2nd) is the absolutely the best quarterback of all time! He has 4 superbowl wins with no losses. He has a career QB rating of 92.3. An even more incredible QB rating of 96.2 in the playoffs. Montana played his best games against the best NFL defenses. No other QB can match that, NOT Brady, Unitas, Elway, Favre, Marino, Manning, or anybody mentioned.

Brady although very close, still hasn't matched Montana's numbers or Superbowl wins. The Superbowl loss to the very good but not great Giants team didn't help him.

Unitas had very ordinary numbers for many years. And he has a Superbowl loss. I'm still trying to figure out why so many people think he's the best. He was very good, but not the best.

Elway folded like a wet taco in 3 superbowls and wasn't that great in one of the Superbowls that he won.

Favre throws too many interceptions and has only won 1 Superbowl. Plus he lost one Superbowl to John Elway.

Marino choked in his only Superbowl. He wasn't even good enough go to another Superbowl, even though the AFC was very ordinary in the 80's and 90's.

Peyton Manning is excellent during the regular season. But on average doesn't play very well in the playoffs.

I can go on and on, but NO ONE compares!

Greatest ever should be judged on winning 1st. Stats 2nd. Granted great stats may get you into Canton, but unless you can win the big game, you cannot be considered among the greats... unless you're Marino. I think he's the exception. As for Favre... Definitely the most durable QB of all time. I'm convinced he could play into his 50's if he wanted to. However, any record he has broken will probably be broken much sooner by Manning or Brady. Also, I'm surprised how many people haven't brought up Steve Young. If you consider that he spent the first 3-4 years as a backup, and became arguably the best quarterback in the league as soon as he became a starter. Also, his Career QB rating record might be a record that is never broken. I wouldn't say he is top 5, but he is most certainly top 10. Also, you've got to give respect where it is due. Johnny Unitas was so ahead of his time in every aspect of the game, he was to football how Bobby Orr was to hockey. He changed the Quarterback position. However, not to praise "The Golden Boy" too much, but if he can stay healthy, and play well into his mid-to-late thirties, I personally think that Tom Brady will stand alone, ESPECIALLY if they win this Superbowl and finish off the greatest season in Football history of 19-0, which may not be duplicated for a loooooong, long time. That is something that no other QB on the list will ever be able to have on their resume. So again, I think there are many QB's that could make the list of top 10, but here's my 2 cents:

1. Johnny Unitus

2. Tom Brady

3. Joe Montana

4. Dan Marino

5. John Elway

6. Brette Favre

7. Peyton Manning

8. Steve Young

9. Terry Bradshaw

10. Roger Staubach/Bart Starr

Surely greatness should be judged on wins. Also a great quarterback may have been stuck on a mediocre or worse team but with individual talent to make it appear good or even great at times. Otto Graham did have a great career but only played a few extra playoff games before getting on to the championship game. He sparkled in some and flopped in others. Bobby Layne was routinely there as well.

Tom Brady and Joe Montana are clear and alone on top. They won with whoever was there good or weak. they in an unexplainable way carried the team to the top or drove the great team to it's destiny.

The other greatest (that fit this criteria) in no particular order.

Baugh, Luckman, Graham, Layne, Unitas, Starr, Staubach, Bradshaw, Stabler (When will the HoF call?), Elway, Young, Farve and Manning.

Best of then rest

Aikman, Jurgensen, Fouts, Moon, Van Brocklin, Tarkenton,Marino, Kelly...

This article is pretty much spot on. How do you define best? There's many ways to look at it.

In order of what makes the best:

I'd say championships first.

Then stats.

Then the team around them. (it's a lot of luck to have a good team, but that's the game)

The best quarterback of all times if you are judging all quarterbacks in the history of the NFL or football is Otto Graham. This guy played in 10 championships in a row in his 10 year career. He won 7 out of the 10 championships and his winning percentage is 86%. He won 3 NFL championships after the merge. His team, the Cleveland Browns, were the first team to really go undefeated though the NFL doesn't count the season. Otto threw and ran the ball better than any of those quarterbacks listed above. Otto Graham best ever period.

Joe Montana was the best quarterback ever.

I love the moron that said about Favre, "Many of his records are a product of a long career, which has been made possible by his blatant abuse of pain killers. Don't say it was an addiction and make him out to be a victim."

First, he wasn't using an illegal drug like steroids. It was a legal pain killer, vicadin. Second, it did not help him play better. My understanding is he was getting 3-4 hours of sleep and constantly vomiting from them. The fact that he won an MVP like that is amazing. Finally, it happened in 1995. He has played over 10 seasons since then and won another 2 MVP titles, finished second in the MVP voting 3 other times, played in 2 more Super Bowls, winning one. He has 5 more 30 touchdown pass seasons since 1995.

Basically what this guy shows is a complete lack of understanding about the NFL. In other words he is a Vikings fan.

Joe Montana is the best quarterback ever to play the game. There should be no question about it. Let's look at the potential list of quarterbacks: Montana, Staubach, Unitas, Graham, Bradshaw, Starr, Elway, and maybe Brady (even though he is too young right now). Staubach, Unitas, Graham, Bradshaw, and Starr had basically the same teams when they won their respective titles. Elway didn't win until the end of his career when he had a workhorse running back. Montana won 4 Superbowl titles with basically 3 different teams. The only constant was Montana. They had different offensive players and different defensive players and even different coaches (even though Seifert was an extension of Walsh for the '90 superbowl). I just don't see how anyone can say that Montana is not the BEST ever.

Oh & to that person that talked about Joe Montana Jerry Rice In The Frozen Tundra? Ummmmm does soldier field ring a bell? Freezing cold in the Bears Backyard!!! NFC Championship on the line? I think you better get the record straight...... By the way, that was the 1st superbowl in their Back to Back year....... The 49ers did go to the superbowl that year as major underdogs with a 10-6 record....... JOE MONTANA drove them down the field in the final minutes of the superbowl & threw the winning touchdown pass to (3rd round pick) John Taylor........ Ok, anymore comments? Nuff Said.......

OK, I think it's time to backup Joe Montana........ 1st of all, in the SUPERBOWL....... Besides Joe, has any one of these other quarterbacks not thrown an interception in the Superbowl? Brady had his chance, then he blew it....... In the 49ers Back to Back Season...... I have yet to see any quarterback put up impressive numbers in the playoffs & into the superbowl....... Does everybody remember when the 49ers crushed John Elway & the Broncos? How about the playoffs leading into the superbowl? I have not seen any team crush every team in the playoffs & in the superbowl....... Beat Minnesota 41-13, Beat The High Powered Rams 30-3 & Crushed The Broncos 55-10 & til this day is the biggest lopsided victory in Nfl History!!! Ok, lets talk Stats!!! Joe was a 3rd Round Pick In the Draft...... Hmmmmm nuff said!!!! Not too mention a backup Quarterback at Notre dame!!! As for the 49er receivers: Read This........ On Jerry Rice

But National Football League teams, renowned for attention to detail, played Rice short. Most didn't have him at the top of their draft lists, didn't even rate him as the best wide receiver. Rice had come from a predominantly African-American college in the lowly regarded Southwestern Athletic Conference, a product of a gimmicky, spread-the-field passing offense that often ran up the score. Rice's competition was suspect, the thinking went, as was his college coaching.

The San Francisco 49ers thought differently. They thought enough of Archie Cooley, Rice's coach, to pick his brain on his unorthodox offense. They thought enough of Rice to trade up and take him with the 16th selection in the 1985 draft.

(John Taylor) (3rd Round Pick)

A third-round pick out of Delaware State, Taylor might have played second fiddle to Jerry Rice in the 49ers' offense, but he certainly left his mark on the game, earning two Pro Bowl selections (1988-1989) and three Super Bowl rings.

(Dwight Clark) (10th Round Pick)

Dwight Edward Clark (born January 8, 1957 in Kinston, North Carolina) was a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987. He played his college football at Clemson University before being drafted in the 10th round of the 1979 entry draft. Clark embarked on a fine career in which he had 506 catches for 6750 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 50 rushing yards. He led the NFL in receptions(60) during the strike shortened 1982 season, and made the Pro Bowl twice in 1981 and 1982 in his 9 NFL seasons.

Ok Now, Lets Talk Running Backs:

Roger Craig (2nd Round Pick)

Drafted in the second round, the movie star-handsome Craig had quite a career while with the 49ers: three Super Bowl rings; four trips to the Pro Bowl; over 8000 yards gained on the ground, and a further 4000 more via pass receptions. That's a lot of yards! Perhaps his best season was 1988, when he was named National Football Conference's offensive player of the year by United Press International after rushing for 1,502 yards and catching 76 passes for 534 yards.

Tom Rathman,

Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the (3rd Round)of The 1986 draft......

As you can plainly see, the 49ers didn't have superstars right out of college...... These players were low draft picks...... Even Brent Jones, He was selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1986 NFL Draft. Jones won 3 Super Bowl rings with the 49ers and was three times named All-Pro (1992-1994) and is a four-time Pro Bowler (1992-95). He finished his 11 NFL seasons with 417 receptions for 5,195 yards and 33 touchdowns.

I can go on & on but I think I made my point...... I don't like the fact that peeps say that Joe was surrounded by pro bowl receivers & running backs...... These Players were not pro bowlers before they came to the 49ers...... They became pro bowlers while being a 49er..... Let us not forget Joe came back from a career ending back surgery & Joe came from the era when quarterbacks could still get nailed after the ball is thrown...... Brett Favre kinda reminds me of Jim McMahon of the Bears...... He had that no fear attitude until he got hammered & ended his career....... I honestly don't think The quarterbacks now could handle the hits laid out on quarterbacks back then....... That's why quarterbacks now, last a lot longer....... I tell you if Joe played in this era can you imagine what kinda damage he would do now? How about those 49ers of the 80's? If they were to play in this era now, I bet you they would've won a lot of superbowls in this era & Jerry Rice would be running wild because now they even have protection for the wide receivers too....... Oh well....... That's what I got to say......

Aloha

I am a die hard vikings fan and I will argue for Brett Favre being one of the best QB's of all time. Granted football is determined by many things defense, coaching, offensive line, wide receivers etc. This guy is simply a pain to watch when he is playing my team. I don't believe you could claim a "best" quarter back of all time because there are too many outside factors. But if I had to pick a quarterback who I would want on my team in his prime it would be Dan Marino or J. Unitus.

Yes Sir wow a bunch of you probably have never even watched Brett Favre play football if you are saying that he is not the greatest ever because if you have watched him play you would understand why 60 percent of the nation thinks he is the best QB ever to play the game YES SIR. Brett has also goon through the most adversity that any other athlete has ever gone through before so reconsider your vote.

Matt Bowe Plymouth, US

Wow, Favre a drunk who can't get it done, huh? That is perhaps THE least thought out comment I've ever heard in a best QB ever debate. Personally, I believe there will never be a clear cut answer to the question. Brady will have the most rings, Montana the most consistency, Starr established the position as by far the most important on the field, and so on and so on. BUT, to say Favre is not to be considered amongst the "best", whomever you think the "best" is, is flat out ignorant.

"Doesn't get it done?" Oh I get it, those most wins ever must've come from the great talent around him. Remind me, how many HOF running backs or receivers did he play with? How many of his supporting offensive players ever led the league in rushing yards, receptions or receiving yards? How long did he play with any one receiver?

"Doesn't get it done?" Oh I get it, the most passing yards and touchdowns must've been the result of his long career. How many of those games did he miss by the way? Once he started that is, let's not forget, that whole first year was pretty much on the bench in Atlanta. But boy he was lucky to go to Green Bay instead of Atlanta, at least the throwing conditions are better. Oh wait, that's right, other than Soldier Field, Lambeau consistently has the worst throwing conditions. The fact that Brett played well over 100 games in northern Wisconsin and still holds records over guys who played in Florida and California doesn't count for anything.

I'm not saying Brett Favre is definitively the best. I'm saying to leave him out is plain stupid. And you're just a flat out jerk to mention the "drunk" part. Maybe we should take a ring away from Brady each time he has an "illegitimate" child or leaves a pregnant woman for a supermodel. If Troy Aikman is gay, maybe he shouldn't have been allowed to play football. Maybe Elway's 4th quarter comebacks don't count for squat because his ego wouldn't allow him to play for the Colts. Maybe Manning would be even better if he didn't spend every second making commercials. EVERYBODY has something off the field that can be held against them, and it has NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING to do with the debate about their play. Maybe Brett drank too much. Maybe Brady is a womanizer. Maybe Aikman is gay. Maybe Elway is a jerk. Maybe Manning is a man-diva. WHO THE HECK CARES? To say any of that behavior makes them a worse football player is wrong.

What about Otto Graham? Not a big stats guy, but if you are talking about leadership and championships he is hard to beat. He led the Browns to the title game every year that he played. I think he was something like 9-3 in play-off games. Starr comes close with all of his wins at Green Bay.

Where's Elway? He's a winner. Great passing stats. Longevity. Probably the best scrambler besides Young. Until Davis he never had a good runningback. I think he's at least top 5.

Ok, who's this Brett Frave guy again?

Packers fans' reasoning for saying Favre is the greatest of all time is like saying John Daly is the best golfer of all time. A quote from a previous post:

"He throws passes that nobody would attempt, sure some end up bad but like said in other arguments more than 50 will turn out outstanding"

That's just like Daly-attempting shots that no one else would and some end up bad, but some end up good. That doesn't make Daly the best ever just like throwing it up there anywhere doesn't make Favre the best ever.

Chucking the ball up there doesn't make you the best ever. Winning does. Consistency does. Winning championships does. The best ever are Montana, Elway, Starr, hands down. Bradshaw is up there, too. Soon we'll be adding Manning and Brady. C'mon guys, Favre is a drunk who can't get it done all the time, just like Daly.

how about everyone stop complaining and start living in the present. the past is gone and it's not coming back so focus on the future and stop the gossip. leave that to high school girls. if you played in the NFL then you have room to bad mouth other players but for now you're just gonna sit around talking on a computer. i respect everyone that has played in the NFL. they all deserve credit that's why they're professionals. it would not make any sense responding to this because i only go online about once a month. Great work PATS COWBOYS COLTS and PACKERS for 2008.

Whoever mentioned the ability to succeed in any system (interchangeable) hit the nail on the head. Could Brady be the 4 time winner he was if he played in Green Bay from 2000 till now? I don't know if the answer is yes or not, but I'm guessing he would have stats similar to the guy who's been there since '00. Same goes for a Manning. I'm too young to talk about the early Elway or Marino years (as I suspect many of the posters who are so high on today's QB's are) but I am guessing that if you sit down and ask how young think your favorite guy would have fared in one of the other top guys systems you'll come away with a pretty idea of who the best 3 are. Personally I think Favre is among them, but I can't say where he fits in - or even who the other 2 are.

if you say the criteria for best qb all time is superbowl wins then how can you not talk about tom brady? im pretty sure he has 4 before he turned 30 and he's about to get another one this year

I agree mostly with the list above. However, John Elway should also be on the list.

John Elway played in 234 NFL regular season games, completed 4,123 out of 7,250 pass attempts, threw for 51,475 yards, threw 300 touchdown passes and 226 interceptions. Elway has appeared in the Pro Bowl nine times, and won the MVP award in 1987. Not to mention to Superbowl victories.

The truth of it all folks is Brett Favre is the most interchangeable QB to any system and any offense. This is perhaps the most significant factor in determining the best QB of all time, not how many chance super bowls they have won as a result of superior coaching and players around them. Manning, Montana, or Marino in the frozen tundra? I don't think so. Give Favre Rice or Moss and a probowl running back...maybe 7 mvps instead of 3 and a runner up to gannon? Favre could make something from nothing. One losing season in 15 yrs with a franchise that at times failed to put quality players around him. His pocket presence, leadership, and arm strength are just as good as ANY qb EVER. You might not think he was the best ever but to not have mentioned him in this article is perhaps crazy so i just did.

Tom Brady has NEVER had an all star cast on offense you must have been watching his games with Vaseline on the screen and mistakenly seen J. Rice or L. Swann or ..hmm i don't know Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison on the Patriots. Commercial boy Peyton is a great QB who has had pro bowl receivers for the last 5 years.

Brady's receivers have been ... Troy Brown, Deion Branch, David Patten, David Givens, and Reche Caldwell....do i have to even argue here? None of these guys will be in the Hall of Fame, and Brady still led them to the Super bowl three times. Moss is pretty much a lock for Canton but when he got to The Pats the status quo raised as well as we see Brady poised to get the records for passing yards and TDs for a season if he can manage 5 more in 3 games.....

The only one still with a steady job is Deion. Givens, Patten, and Caldwell are either not playing or the slot option. Troy Brown [bless him] is a possession receiver..all of them are. He was also the only smart one to realize a good thing and stay in N.E. because the others left for money and realized Brady was magnifying their potential. None of them ever made a pro bowl while on the team. The stars on the Pats during their past superbowls [besides him and vinateiri] were on defense ...Ty law, richard seymour, T. Bruschi, M. Vrable.

This year finally Brady can actually use his skills because he isn't being held back by his receivers. And no, a good defense doesn't make someone a good qb otherwise ...Kyle Boller and Rex Grossman would be the toast of the NFL. A good defense doesn't make a qb avoid bad decisions or look off the safety or recognize blitz packages at the line of scrimmage

At present the all time Qbs are as follows...

Tom Brady

Peyton Manning

Steve Young

Brett Favre

Dan Marino

Joe Montana

Fran Tarkenton

Bart Starr

Pocket passers, Clutch performers, game managers ...These guys didn't just latch onto a dynasty team like the 70's steelers... The quarterbacks that are excelling in the present get more kudos because in this age of free agency it's harder to be great, and also defenses are more sophisticated and seasons are longer

That's amazing that who wrote this does not believe that Brett Favre is not in the top 5. Brett and Joe Montana are the two best qb's to play the game. Joe had a great team around him with great receivers, Brett had Antonio Freeman in mid '90's to throw to. Who is he? To say that Brett has poor game management must be coming from somebody either from chicago or a third world country with no way to watch one game of his. He throws passes that nobody would attempt, sure some end up bad but like said in other arguments more than 50 will turn out outstanding. He will own every major record beating Dan Marino and every other qb mentioned above. It's not just the records he owns that makes him great he makes everybody around him better. Name a top 10 or even 20 receiver in the league and nobody will say Donald Driver or Greg Jennings, but he makes them great. Poor game management, are you serious? Cannot read a defense? Lets refresh your memories, super bowl XXXI checks out of a play throws the longest td to that date in super bowl history, guess he could have done better if he waved his arms around for 30 secs like peyton manning. He has had 15 seasons of 3000 passing yards or more in a row, nobody will do that for years. I guess he got lucky all those years. These arguments are just ridiculous, saying that aaron rogers could break brett's records, he can't play 2 games in a row cause he gets hurt all the time. Brett is tough painkillers or not, and when he did painkillers he never missed a game. Neither did he the other 15 years he didn't. Brett Favre will go down as the best qb to play to date and im not afraid to sign it like the rest of you anonymous cowards.

Cable

Tom Brady is an outstanding QB and already one of the best of all-time. However, to say he hasn't been surrounded by outstanding talent is silly. Since he took over in 2001 he has been on a great team (excluding 2002) every year. Don't forget, the Patriots have had the best defense in the league in this era. This constantly puts the offense in great situations. He has also had the fortune of being surrounded by superior coaching.

Football is such a team game that it makes it difficult to rate top quarterbacks. Both Dan Marino and Dan Fouts were amazing passers who never won the big one. This is of course because they were never part of a complete team. On the other hand Trent Dilfer and Jeff Hostetler both have rings. I'm pretty sure Fouts and Marino would have had a couple of rings if they played for the Patriots of the 2000s. By the way, Patriots WR Troy Brown was Pro-Bowler (an overrated honor anyway) for the 2001 Super Bowl Champs.

are you serious???????

Tom Brady has had an all star cast since he entered the game. Top ranked players surrounding him, he is good, but not in the top 5. Excluding 2007, name the all star cast please? Any pro-bowl receiver will do.

You forget Favre is the Ironman of the sport at Quarterback! He has played with more broken bones that many of us knew existed, while still maintaining his excellence. Many quarterbacks also tend to crumble under immense stress, however he had what would have been a career game the night following his father's passing. 399 yards and 4 touchdowns in the 1st half alone!! Thats 8 touchdowns and 798 yards if he stayed in for the second half. He holds the all time touchdown record, wins, soon to be yards, and has a superbowl ring. Tom Brady has had an all star cast since he entered the game. Top ranked players surrounding him, he is good, but not in the top 5. Brett Favre made a majority of his teammates good over the years. Because if you look at the statistics, many of his wide receivers after traveling to, or coming from other teams, had career seasons only in Green Bay. Brett Favre.

There isn't a better quarterback then Johnny U. Best quarterback to never win a ring is Dan Marino.

Favre has played longer than any great qb, he's not the best but one of the best, Brady will be the greatest when it's all said and done. He's already racked so many legendary moments in his career one or two more super bowls would rap it up for him.

Bart Star is by no means the best quarterback of all time. He was surrounded by talent when he won all five of his championships. he was coached by one of the best coaches ever.He even had a HOF backfield. you wanna talk about championships lets talk about Tom Brady. He already has three and he has never really had a talented offense around him. now he does and lets check out his stats and by the end of this season he will break every major single season passing record, not including Int's and he will have his fourth SB ring.

Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. True, he does make stupid plays once in a while but for every one of those he makes 10 outstanding plays that no one else can make, because no one else will attempt them for fear of making a lousy play once in a while. He has the skill, determination, attitude, longevity, and guts to be considered one of the greatest ever.

This has always been a good argument. If this was tennis or golf, an individual sport, then you could come closer to an answer. The problem would still be the different eras. There is a group of QBs that would be part of a special group from each era, the best of their time. Of more recent times, you have named the names. Who of these QB's have won a Super Bowl without a very good defense. None!!

They only can play their side of the ball. Elway was one of the best, but when he won the Superbowl, he was not as good a player as his earlier years when they lost the SB. Those earlier teams he carried on his back. When he won Terrell Davis was MVP, and Sharpe was the best at Tight End. Farve you can discredit for his Int, but he threw many of them because the game was out of reach, and threw them up for grabs. Count that against him, or that he played the game with a smile. Its just a game he understands that. He was MVP 3 years in a row. That by itself should put him in anyones select group of the best. Farve's biggest problem among football fans, has been Madden's constant sickening praise.

Montana is in there, but why so much praise for the coach when he died, if it was all Montana. Jerry Rice who was he? Who made who? Same could be said he New England. Is not the coach now considered among the best all-time? Who made who? Give any of these great QB's time, and they would pick you apart. There is no best ever, but I agree with every name mentioned above as being in the group that is the special group.

To said that Favre is responsible for "poor game management, bad decisions, interceptions, inconsistency and a lack of ability to read defenses." If YOU take an honest look at his career, you'll see the quarterback with the most wins being Favre. Is that bad game management. Favre also won all those games without a hall of fame running back or wide receiver. Only a few other QB's in the history of the game can say that. As far as the interceptions go, people always bring that up because they just go look up Favre's stats and think "man those ints are the only bad ones i'd better target that." At least 60 of Favre's interceptions were due to receiver errors, but unfortunately there isn't a stat box for that. If you go by skill at the position Favre is the best. If you go by superbowls Brady will be the best.

It's unfortunate that individuals don't look at the bottom line when putting forth their reasons for the best quarterback ever. I look at championships won and none can surpass Bart Starr. What most forget is that Starr and the packers won five NFL championships in seven years 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967, which included the first two super bowls. Bart Starr might not have the statistics of Dan Marino but Dan Marino does not have five NFL championship rings. Here are some other tidbits for those with short memories: Bart Starr lost only one playoff game, the first one he ever played in. After that, nada. He won every playoff game he was in except the first one against Philadelphia; Bart Starr called his own plays which says a lot about his ability to dissect defenses; and although he might not have the glorious statistics of Marino etc. al, he has the rings. No other quarterback, past or present can match that. And if memory serves, winning is what matters, no? Bart Starr is by far the best quarterback to play the game, hands down. Your statistics mean nothing if not supported by championships! And you want tough? How many recall the ice bowl, probably the greatest game ever played, when Bart was sacked 8 times by the Dallas defense but still went on to score the winning touchdown with 16 seconds left?

No my friends, statistics do lie! It's the championships that give credence to the statistics.

Anyone who says Brett Favre is even in the top ten all-time is either a Packer fan or is sentimental toward him for some other reason. There is no way that someone could say, with an unbiased opinion, that this guy ever maintained an all-time great level of play. Take an honest look at his career and its; poor game management, bad decisions, interceptions, inconsistency and a lack of ability to read defenses. Being a smart QB (quality) instead of just playing a lot of games (quantity)is what makes greatness. He's had the luxury of a great offensive line for many years. Just think what someone like Steve Young, with his consistent ability to carve up a defense, would have done with all that protection.

Brett Favre is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Period. Records aside, no one has ever played with as much heart and tenacity as he has. Not mentioning him in this article is either a terrific and unbelievable oversight or an act of incredible ingnorance.

I like how the pundits like to discredit the longevity of Brett Favre's career by bringing up the pain killer addiction which was was resolved in 1996! A mere 4 years into his 15 year career as a Packer. Dan Marino also had a career of 15 years, in fact Farve tied the TD record in the same 240 games that it took Marino to set the record. Arguably Manning will be the one to set all records for quarterbacking (aside from INTs) IF he can remain healthy for another 6-7 years. Being a fan of football, all I know is that Favre is electric, inspiring, and just plain fun (sometimes painfully so) to watch. He may not be the "best" but his greatness is forever indelibly linked to the sport.

Brett Favre is not the all-time greatest. Many of his records are a product of a long career, which has been made possible by his blatant abuse of pain killers. Don't say it was an addiction and make him out to be a victim. The nfl punishes those who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs which have no impact on their on-field performance. the pain killers allowed Favre to continue playing with much less pain, which made it easier to play and perform. Jonny Unitis was a much better leader and quarterback. Others such as Elway, Marino, Montana Brady and Manning helped their team much more by taking much better care of the football and not putting their defense at risk with bonehead passes and plays. As for Tom Brady being the best quarterback ever because he may someday break one record is ridiculous. Aaron Rogers might someday break every record Favre has does that mean he is the best ever right now. I DON'T THINK SO.

The fact that Tom Brady is not on this page makes it not worth reading. You don't discuss the best QB in NFL history and not mention the QB who may set the record for SB Wins.

You forgot to mention Brett Favre in your article. Let the all-time quarterback records/statistics that you speak of in your article speak for themselves in black and white.