So was that title wordy enough for you!? Thought we would give a nod to Birdman’s Oscar win with this obscenely long title, I thought it fit. Also thought I’d send a link first to this fantastic song by Europe…one of my next blogs will be just about that song and how amazing it is.
Aaron Pew is back, finishing up his top QB list of all time, THANK GOD! I’ve been wanting to irk Brett Riggs more and Pew has taken 2 weeks too long to do that (he describes why in his article below. Enjoy the Jim Kelly-less selections everybody! (As usual, I am in bold and italicized comments, it makes me feel important…but Pew did such a great job, my comments will be kept to a minimum of at least 100…enjoy!)
A Different Point of Pew
So this has been an adventure. Its been about two weeks since I last wrote a blog, and I am at 3 weeks on the same topic. Its starting to feel played out…amiright? (He’s right)
Well, I apologize for the delay, but in the past 12 days since I wrote the last blog I have worked 6 fifteen hour shifts, had a 3 day long pool tournament, and even spent a day in the hospital with another day of recovery. So, now that I’m done making excuses for making you wait, lets get into…THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!
(Want to hear it again!? You sure do! This thing is long enough, trust me!)
Scheme, scheme, plot, plot, say what?
I’m comin’ for that number one spot, woo, hey
Keep it goin’, it won’t stop, what you doin’ man?
I’m comin’ for that number one spot
That’s right. We have made it to the final installment of my Quarterback ratings, and who better to bring it home with me than Europe and Ludacris. (As previously stated, I love The Final Countdown…but about that Luda song…not so much)
I have been reading a lot of articles and heard a lot of discussion lately about who the best quarterback of all time is. It’s a topic that seems to be grabbing the attention of many sports fans this year, so hopefully you are enjoying my look at the list. I’m going to have some surprises for you in my final countdown, so sit back and enjoy the ride!
But first, check out my previous blogs if you haven’t seen them yet…unless you did…in which case you could still read them again…unless you don’t.
The previous blog: Half Time
The previous-previous blog: The Best Around
Honorable Mention:
Aaron Rodgers
Why he should be on this list: Rodgers is already climbing the record books. He has the highest completion percentage of all on this list, 2nd best completion percentage, a Super Bowl victory, only 56 interceptions and only throws an interception on 1.6% of his passes…by far the best. He already has 2 MVP awards, and the future is still bright for Rodgers. His supporting cast doesn’t matter, as he will turn any receiver into the “it” guy in the league. (Randall Cobb better remember that)
Why he isn’t on this list: Time. He hasn’t had enough years in the league to cement himself on this list. In 5 years he will pass almost all QB’s on this list and I believe he will retire as the best Quarterback of all time…but just not yet. (You just saved Kyle Jensen from having a witty response, agree 100%…if only he was a 9er….)
7. Drew Brees
Why he is on this list: Drew Brees has been playing at an all time elite level for 10 years now. He’s thrown for at least 30 touchdowns in each of the past 6 years and has a career 66% completion percentage…SIXTY SIX! That’s better than any other quarterback and this will stand for a long, long time (or…homer alert…at least until the end of Teddy Bridgewater’s career). Brees throws for more yards per game than any other quarterback on this list and shows no sign of slowing down. At age 36, Brees still has enough time to pass (pun…get it?) Brett Favre for total yards. Brees also won a Super Bowl and keeps his team as a consistent contender year after year.
Why he isn’t number 1: Brees just hasn’t had a full enough career. He has inconsistent results with wins and has only 6 playoff wins. Brees has also failed to win an MVP award, which means he hasn’t done enough to significantly trump fellow quarterbacks like Manning or Brady (or Bridgewater). Once Brees finishes his career, I expect that his ranking will be much higher.
(I agree for the most part, what we can agree on is 1. Pew LOVES Bridgewater. 2. Brees is the best QB of all time… with a birthmark on his face).
6. John Elway
Why he is on this list: There are many people out there that think Elway IS the greatest of all time. Well, why wouldn’t he be? That’s for the next segment, silly. Anyways, lets get into why he would be. John Elway brought two Super Bowls to an otherwise snake-bitten franchise. He was a consistent contender, and (for most of his career) was the main reason they were consistent contenders. To cement this thought, Elway took over a team that won 2 games the year before he started and then retired as the winningest QB in NFL History. He became known as the “Comeback Kid” because he was never out of a game. His career included 46 Game Winning Drives and 35 4th Quarter Comebacks in his career. Elway threw 300 TD’s and over 51,000 yards in his career. That’s pretty good…I suppose.
Why he isn’t number 1: The comeback kid was also known as “Wrong Way Elway”. He got this nickname because he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his first two years in the league. He didn’t stop that throughout his career either. Elway threw for 226 Interceptions, which only 5 other QB’s on this list topped. He threw an interception on 3.1% of his passes, which is 9th place on this list. 9th isn’t terrible, but it isn’t 1st. What I think is likely a bigger factor to keep him out of that number 1 spot is his career 56.9% completion percentage. That’s 13th on this list. The two combined lead to his un-impressive QBR of 79. These are a lot of numbers (agreed!) to say that Elway wasn’t very efficient with the ball and led himself to a lot of difficult situations late in games. If I want to pile on here, I would mention that the two Super Bowls he won were due to a guy named Terrell Davis, who was ran for 1,750 yards in 1997 and 2,008 yards in 1998…but I don’t want to pile it on, so I won’t say that.
(I’d maybe put Elway a spot higher here, BUT I get where Pew Bear is coming from. Also let’s start that Terrell Davis is a Hall of Famer discussion sometime)
5. Brett Favre
Why he is on this list: 71,838. That is how many yards Favre threw for in his career. 502. That’s how many Touchdowns he threw for in his career. Those numbers are astonishing. But, for Favre, it’s not necessarily about the numbers. Even though I spent most of his career rooting for him to collapse on the field from a venereal disease (which probably wasn’t going to happen until he went to the Jets), Favre was the most exciting player of his generation. He was known as the gunslinger and often had any fan sitting at the edge of his seat at any point that he had the football. Favre could make any throw on the field and had no fear any of those throws. It was his childlike joy for playing that made him so loved. Favre was the first player since the Golden Arm (Unitas) to win 3 MVP awards in his career, and consistently put the Packers in a contending spot. He went to two Super Bowls in his career and won 1 of them.
Why he isn’t number 1: 336. That is how many interceptions Favre threw in his career. 70. That is how many more interceptions Favre has thrown than anybody else on this list. Favre holds the NFL record for most passes intercepted by any quarterback, and I’m sorry, but you can’t be the best at a position if you are the worst at giving the ball away. This is the same reason that a WR with the most drops in history can’t be considered the best WR of all time (I’m looking at you, Terrell Owens). Favre always had untimely interceptions or mistakes. I don’t have a specific statistic to back this up, but Favre threw an interception late in a playoff game that either sealed the deal or made it about impossible for his team to win on multiple occasions. I saw 1 in particular that my heart is still recovering from.
For as much as we loved his gunslinger style, it was that exact style that caused a lot of pain and agony for his fan base.
(Out of everyone on this list, Favre was must see viewing for anybody who watched football. Also I’d like to put a picture of Jenn Sterger here because Favre’s penis apparently was not must see viewing for her)
4. Dan Marino
Why he is on this list: I could start with numbers here, and trust me…they are good, but the reason Dan “The Man” Marino is so high on this list is because of the supporting cast he had. Calling them a “supporting” cast is a stretch. Marino broke records in passing yards, touchdowns, yards per game, and was 1 win away from passing John Elway for most wins all time. He did this without a premier running game and Mark Clayton, Mark Duper, and OJ McDuffie as his number 1 receivers throughout his career. Seriously! He led 51 game winning drives and 36 4th Quarter comebacks and consistently picked his team back up throughout his career.
Why he isn’t number 1: This is hard for me, since i have always looked at Marino as the best QB of all time, but I was surprised looking at some of his efficiency numbers. Marino failed to throw for 60% completion percentage and threw 252 interceptions in his career. Now, I think its only fair to point out that he had to force a lot and the defense always knew he was going to pass, but still, those are pretty staggering numbers for a top QB of all time to have. It was much documented that Marino never won a Super Bowl and I again default to his supporting cast, but now I feel like I might be making excuses for Marino. If Marino had won just 1 Super Bowl, he would likely be looked at as the best of all time.
(Marino is hands down the best/biggest athlete to have never won a championship, so that’s kind of winning, right? Also he was in Ace Ventura, so he goes up 3 cool points. And also the following video is amazing. So fierce!)
3. Joe Montana
Why he is on this list: Joe Montana is known as the most clutch player, maybe ever. He is a perfect 4-0 in Super Bowls and made some of the most iconic plays in NFL history. He won 2 MVP awards, won 71% of his games, threw for over 40,000 yards, 63% completion percentage, and threw about half as many interceptions as Brett Favre (and less dick picks…I think). Those are all great numbers, but none are the best in NFL history. For Montana, it’s all about legacy…its all about winning…DUH. I feel I don’t need to say any more, its pretty obvious.
Why he isn’t number 1: I feel like I just upset some people…most notably Jeff Kleeman (yeah, you did). How on earth could Montana be 3rd?! TRAVESTY! But lets go through this, shall we? I’m going to list a group of players: Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark, (and a coach) Bill Walsh. Those are all hall of famers that Montana had on his side of the ball. He also had a few HOFers on his defense (Charles Haley and how could he not list Ronnie Lott!?!). Maybe this is subjective, but how much of the success really falls on Montana’s shoulders vs. the litany of Hall of Fame players on that roster? Statistically, I mentioned that Montana wasn’t the best at any major statistic. This is a very…very fine line, but it’s still a line.
(Do I agree? No! Am I biased? Probably, I can’t help it. Did I almost switch this around with Pew’s #2? I thought about it! I think he’s at worst #2 but this isn’t my list, is it!? Where’s STERGER!!)
2. Tom Brady
Why he is on this list: Tom Brady is as elite as elite can get. He has the highest winning percentage of all quarterbacks, trails only Rodgers in interception percentage, has thrown for 53,000 yards (good for 5th all time), and…oh yeah…he has won 4 super bowls. He’s been in 6. Some might hold losing two Super Bowls against him, as Montana was undefeated in his Super Bowls, but getting to SIX…that’s impressive. Brady will pass 400 touchdowns this year and has a completion percentage of 63.5% for his career. Brady is efficient. Brady wins. Brady is a great quarterback.
Why he isn’t number 1: Brady is a whiny bitch. The biggest thing that Brady has impacted the NFL with is that nobody can hit quarterbacks anymore. This isn’t really a reason to hold him out of the number 1 spot, but…come on!? OK, back to legitimate reasons. I feel this is likely subjective as well, but if somebody had put a quarterback like Matt Cassel on the Patriots, I think they would probably go like 11-5 almost every year. Wait, what was that? That happened? Oh yeah, I forgot that Matt Cassel went 11-5 on the Patriots team that year Brady got hurt. Weird. The Super Bowls that the Patriots have won have been about defense, not quarterback play. In 2014, the Patriots Defense was 13th in YPG (Yards Per Game) and 8th in PPG (Points Per Game). In 2004, the Patriots defense was 9th in YPG and 2nd in PPG. In 2003, the Patriots defense was 7th in YPG and 1st in PPG. In 2001, the Patriots defense was 24th in YPG and 6th in PPG. (so many acronyms! OMG!) Brady hasn’t had to light up defenses throughout his career, and (because of his defense) has dealt with less adversity than the rest of the top quarterbacks. He has been able to rely on his running game and the scheme more throughout his career and a lot of his credit should be given to Bill Belichick.
(I can’t wait til Tom Brady goes to another team, just to see if he is Joe Montana Jr. or Matt Cassel Sr. The man’s made 6 Super Bowl’s, won 4…probably should’ve won 5 if not for the helmet catch. So I can see why he’s this high…now about that #1 ranking….)
1. Peyton Manning
Why he is number 1: Manning controls games better than any other quarterback in history. Manning splits his time as quarterback and offensive coordinator. Manning revolutionized the way Quarterbacks read defenses and is famous for calling the plays at the line of scrimmage based off of what the defense is giving him. I haven’t gotten into the statistics yet…so shall we?
Manning has 69,691 yards and will likely pass Favre by week 8 this year. Only Drew Brees throws for more yards per game than Manning, and nobody has thrown for more touchdowns. He has thrown for 234 interceptions, but has the 3rd best interception percentage on this list. He only needs 8 wins to pass Favre for most wins all time. Manning will retire with the highest Quarterback Rating of all time (only to likely be passed by Rodgers one day). He needs 3 more playoff wins to pass Favre, Bradshaw, and Elway on the all-time list. He has won 5 MVP’s…a number that will likely never be touched again.
Simply put, Manning has been the best quarterback of his generation, hands down. For anybody that thinks his regular seasons don’t matter because he fails in the big game, they need to re-check their stats. Manning won a Super Bowl in 2007 and was the MVP of that game. Does anybody know this? Just curious. Manning has had plenty of good pieces around him on offense, but he typically took them from good to great. How many of them succeeded after Manning?
Reggie Wayne…that’s it…and even he had a drop off. (Buyer beware on Demaryius Thomas). Manning has more comebacks and game winning drives than any other quarterback in history and he did this because of his often sub-par defenses. I’m sure I’ll be debated on this one, but for me it isn’t even close. Peyton Manning is the greatest Quarterback of all freaking time.
Aaron Pew
That is Aaron Pew, and he approves that message. Hot damn what a trilogy he just wrote though! Got to give him some serious props because he did a lot of research, I just make stuff up, so great work! My top 5 is close, different order with: 1. Brady 2. Montana 3. Manning. 4. Marino 5. Elway. But holy crap it’s hard to argue with his list, so I won’t. Unless I do.
As always, thanks everybody for reading, be sure to give Pew some feedback because he put a LOT of hard work in to this. Can’t wait to see what his next blog is about. I’m guessing one of four… 1. What happens with Adrian Peterson? 2. The Twins and the +/- on them winning 80 games this year. 3. Running diary of watching the movie Birdman. 4. The Fall of the Byzantine Empire. Any of these are a winner. Check out the next few blogs, my next one MIGHT be about the 1990’s….actually it WILL be about the 90’s.
the kleeman report 
I’ll take #2…but YOU, my friend are the whiny b*tch!
LikeLike