I’ve seen lots of quarterbacks, more than I’ll ever remember. But, for a long time now, I have been sure that the best professional quarterback I’ve seen was Denver’s John Elway.
More than any quarterback, Elway had the ability to pick up a team and carry it down the field late in a game. He could pass you down the field from the pocket, pass you down the field on the run or he could run the dumb ball himself to get a drive-sustaining first down.
We could argue about statistics all we want. Some passers have more yards or more scoring passes than Elway and several won more championships.
But Elway had that ability to do whatever was needed to get the late score to win the game. Joe Montana and John Unitas were sensational in this regard as well, but Elway is my pick. Here are my reasons.
First, Elway spent much of his career playing on teams with mediocre players in the offensive skill positions. In contrast to Montana, who had hall of famers catching his passes, Elway's receiver’s seldom rated All Pro recognition.
Until his final two seasons, Elway’s Denver teams seldom had a truly effective ground attack. Once his passing was augmented by a strong running game, Elway won two Super Bowls.
Montana played for Bill Walsh, whose brilliantly coached offenses fit perfectly with Montana’s strengths. Elway did not play for a truly offensive-minded head coach until Mike Shanahan came along near the end of Elway’s career.
Had Elway played for Walsh and Montana played for the Broncos, Elway would have achieved everything Montana did, if not more. Montana, whom I would rate a close second to Elway on my list of the best quarterbacks of all time, would not have been as effective in Denver as Elway was.
My personal list of the top 10 professional quarterbacks of all time is below. It should be noted that I deliberately have not included active players.
John Elway
Joe Montana
John Unitas
Otto Graham
Joe Namath
Sammy Baugh
Warren Moon (special recognition for his Canadian Football League years)
Terry Bradshaw
Norm Van Brocklin
Kurt Warner
I’ve talked about Montana already. He was frustratingly efficient in the late going of close games. Ask the Cincinnati Bengals how good Montana was in the Super Bowl. Unitas, of course, is the man credited by many as the greatest of all time. I have no argument against Unitas but I put Elway and Montana ahead of him.
Graham won more professional championships than any quarterback. He won titles in two leagues, the All American Football Conference and the National Football League, advancing to the championship game in every one of his 10 professional seasons. Quarterbacks are frequently measured by championships and he has the most including one which most fans forget about. Graham played one season of professional basketball and was a member of the 1945-46 NBA champion Rochester Royals.
Namath is best known for one game, but that game is enough for me. That and all the yards and touchdown passes he completed. He had one of the two quickest releases I’ve seen (Dan Marino had the other one). Namath played on very few competitive teams but he remains among the best of all time.
Baugh was the best quarterback of his era and one of the best passers ever. He won in the single wing formation and in the T-formation. By the way, he was one of the best defensive backs of his era and a tremendous punter.
You’ll note that I have consistently written about professional quarterbacks rather than NFL quarterbacks. Warren Moon needs to be credited with his years of excellence in the Canadian Football League and for the purposes of this blog, he is. He is both the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame and the Pro Football HoF in the United States.
Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls, heading one of the best teams of all times. I was in the Rose Bowl the day his Steelers beat the Rams for the title. I haven’t forgiven him yet, but I still rank him among the best professional quarterbacks of all time.
Van Brocklin was a fiery leader, a tough guy and a great passer. He shared time with Bob Waterfield as the Rams quarterback in the early 1950s and together they directed an offense that is still considered one of the best ever. He was the starter for the Rams team that reached the championship game in 1955 (which Graham and the Browns won). Then Van Brocklin went to the Eagles and became the only quarterback ever to beat a Vince Lombardi-coached team in a championship game.
Kurt Warner quarterbacked two franchises to Super Bowl games (the Rams twice and the Cardinals), playing in the big game three times and winning one. He had his teams ahead or tied inside the final two minutes of all three games. He had a brief stay with the Giants and won games with that team as well. Warner and Dan Fouts remain the most accurate passers of the football I’ve ever seen. Warner won a title and Fouts, whom I loved to watch play, did not.
Fran Tarkington isn’t on this list. Neither is Marino or Bart Starr. You don’t see Sid Luckman. I nearly included Doug Flutie because of his brilliant years in Canada. Obviously there is room for argument. But it’s my blog and it’s my list.
You can always write your own.
In the meantime, thanks for reading.
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