All-Time Quarterbacks

1. Joe Montana 1979-1994 (San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs)

When Joe Montana took the field you knew that both The Niners and
Chiefs were in good hands. In The Super Bowl era, Montana is the only
three-time Super Bowl MVP. Montana was drafted in the third round by San
Francisco in 1979 out of Notre Dame. Critics felt that at 6’1″ that he
wasn’t big enough and that his throwing arm wasn’t that strong. What
49er head coach Bill Walsh saw was a man that was accurate and knew how
to execute The West Coast offense. Montana made a name for himself by
leading game winning drives in the playoffs. In The 1981 NFC
Championship Game Montana led San Francisco down the field on a 92-yard
drive that ended with Montana finding Dwight Clark for a touchdown pass
versus The Dallas Cowboys. This is when The Cowboys were truly
“America’s Team” and the nation was not accustomed to seeing The Cowboys
losing a big game when they had a lead. Montana’s drive led to a
changing of the guard in The NFC as The Niners would go on to be the
team of the 80s. In Super Bowl 23 Montana pulled his magic once again as
he lead San Francisco on another 92-yard touchdown drive which
culminated with Montana finding wide receiver John Taylor in the endzone
for a touchdown with under one minute remaining in the game. Montana
may not hold some of the big passing records, but on Super Bowl Sunday
he is undefeated and that is the best stat.

2. Johnny Unitas 1956-1973 (Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers)

Years had gone by before modern era quarterbacks broke some of
Unitas’ passing records. Unitas did it in an era where defenses had more
freedom to be aggressive and he got it done. Unitas will always be
remembered for The 1958 NFL Championship Game versus The New York
Giants. Unitas led The Baltimore on a game tying touchdown in regulation
and and the game winning touchdown in overtime. The Giant defense
consisted of future Hall of Famers Andy Robustelli and Sam Huff along
with defensive coordinator Tom Landry. Unitas called his own plays which
is something that most quarterbacks do not do currently. At the end of
every college football season, The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is
awarded to the top quarterback in the nation. During his career, Unitas
threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games which still remains a
record.

3. Tom Brady 2000-Present (New England Patriots)

Fans of both The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts may not want
to hear it, but yes Tom Brady is that good. I am still surprised that
Brady was drafted in the sixth round in 2000. I remember seeing Brady
playing in college and Michigan and I saw a tough minded quarterback. In
1997 Brady was the backup to senior Brian Griese who went on to lead
The Wolverines to a national championship. In 1998 Brady was named the
starter for a Michigan team that came into the season ranked #5. The
Wolverines lost the first two games of the season and everyone was
calling for freshman phenom Drew Henson. Brady responded by leading The
Wolverines on an eight-game winning streak and finished the season by
leading Michigan to a Citrus Bowl win over The Arkansas Razorbacks. In
1999, Brady had to constantly look over his shoulder as Henson was
trying to take his job. Brady remained a cool customer as he led The
Wolverines to an Orange Bowl win over The Alabama Crimson Tide and
earned The Orange Bowl MVP.
In week two of The 2001 NFL season, Brady took over for an injured Drew
Bledsoe. The Patriots lost the game to The Jets and most figured that
the season was over. Before you knew it The Patriots were in the
playoffs. At first critics felt that Brady won because on The Patriot
defense. After “the snow game” in The Divisional Playoffs versus The
Oakland Raiders that saw the infamous “tuck rule” people felt that Brady
was lucky. Brady and The Patriots then upset the heavily favored St.
Louis Rams in Super Bowl 36 with Brady earning The Super Bowl MVP. Brady
followed this up by leading New England to consecutive Super Bowl wins
in 2003 and 2004. The Patriots became the first team to win 14 games in
consecutive seasons in NFL history. For an encore Brady was the
quarterback of the most prolific offense in NFL history in 2007. Brady
passed for over 4,800 yards with 50 touchdowns that season in helping
The Patriots to become the first team to go undefeated in the regular
season since The 1972 Miami Dolphins. Yes for this era Tom Brady is the
face of NFL quarterbacks.

4. Otto Graham 1946-1955 (Cleveland Browns)

Some young bucks my wonder about this, but Otto Graham led The
Cleveland Browns to The Championship Game every year that he played. 
During his career, Graham was a three-time NFL MVP and led The Browns to
three NFL Titles. Graham’s career record as a starter was 105-17-4.

5. John Elway 1983-1998 (Denver Broncos)

It’s hard to believe that John Elway only passed for over 4,000 once
in his career. Elway was busy shattering the playoff dreams of teams in
The AFC, especially The Cleveland Browns. Elway led The Broncos to
three victories over The Cleveland Browns in The AFC Championship Game
over a four-year span.  Elway’s crowning moment was in The 1986 AFC
Championship Game in which Elway led The Broncos on a 98-yard to drive
to tie the game and The Broncos won in overtime. When the drive started,
Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium was going crazy as fans had visions of
heading to Pasadena, California for The Super Bowl. Once Elway was done
the place sounded like a funeral as he buried The Browns. During his
career, Elway led The Broncos to 34 fourth quarter comebacks. Elway was
one of the few players selected first overall that was able to live up
to the hype. Elway was drafted by The Baltimore Colts and refused to
play for the organization. Elway was traded to The Broncos and the rest
is history. Elway is one of four quarterbacks to pass for over 50,000
yards in his NFL career. Elway played in five Super Bowls, winning twice
and was a one-time Super Bowl MVP.

6. Sammy Baugh 1937-1952 (Washington Redskins)

“Slingin” Sammy Baugh is considered by many as the father of the
forward pass. Baugh played in an era where quarterbacks didn’t have
facemasks and they actually got hit by defenders. Baugh led The Redskins
to The NFL Championship is his rookie season. Baugh passed for 335
yards in The NFL Championship Game versus The Chicago Bears which is a
record for a rookie. Baugh always dreamed of playing football in the
modern era as he would have loved to torched defenses.

7. Peyton Manning 1998-Present (Indianapolis Colts)

From the moment that The Indianapolis Colts made Peyton Manning the
first overall selection in 1998, Manning has been a student of the game.
Manning is arguably one of the hardest workers that the game has ever
seen. Manning strives for perfection and he expects his teammates to put
forth the same effort. In 11 of his 13 seasons, Manning has passed for
over 4,000 yards. Manning’s hard work made the combination with wide
receiver Marvin Harrison one of the best in history as the duo hooked up
on 112 touchdowns which is the best of any quarterback-wide receiver
duo. In 2009 Manning set a record with seven fourth quarter comebacks.
Before each season starts for The Colts, you can pencil them in for at
least 12 wins with Manning under center.

8. Roger Staubach 1969-1979 (Dallas Cowboys)

People talk about Tom Brady being overlooked as a sixth round pick,
but Roger Staubach wasn’t taken until the tenth round. Some of that had
to do with Staubach’s commitment to The Navy after his collegiate days.
Staubach was given the nickname “Captain Comeback” as he constantly
brought The Cowboys back especially in big games. In 1972, The Cowboys
were trailing The San Francisco 49ers 28-13 in the fourth quarter in The
Divisional Round. Staubach led The Cowboys on a comeback to win 30-28.
In 1975 Staubach defeated The Minnesota Vikings on a “Hail Mary” pass
which propelled The Cowboys to a Super Bowl appearance. During his
career, Staubach directed 23 fourth quarter game winning drives.
Staubach is one of four players along with Desmond Howard, Jim Plunkett,
and Marcus Allen to be a Super Bowl MVP and win The Heisman Trophy.
Staubach helped The Cowboys reach four Super Bowls as a starter winning
twice.


9. Brett Favre 1991-2010 (Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings)

Brett Favre might be remembered as a player who constantly wavered
about retiring, but no one can deny he was one of the best quarterbacks
that the game has ever seen. Favre always had that “gunslinger”
mentality. Favre was always one to take risks throwing the ball and
wound up with over 70,000 passing yards which is a National Football
League record.. Favre may have won a Super Bowl, but his best moment may
have come in 2003. Favre’s father Earl died and Favre still played on
Monday night and torched The Oakland Raiders in a 41-7 victory for The
Packers. Favre is a three-time NFL MVP and despite changing teams in the
past few seasons, Favre will always be remembered as a Packer.

10. Dan Marino 1983-1999 (Miami Dolphins)