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Pro Football Reference has a list of the top 25 QBs all time and there are a couple with which I disagree.
In alphabetical order:
Ken Anderson
*Terry Bradshaw
Tom Brady
Drew Brees
*Len Dawson
John Elway
Brett Favre
Dan Fouts
*John Hadl
Peyton Manning
Eli Manning
Dan Marino
Joe Montana
Warren Moon
Carson Palmer
Phillip Rivers
Aaron Rodgers
Ben Roethlisberger
Matt Ryan
Matt Stafford
*Fran Tarkenton
Vinny Testaverde
*Johnny Unitas
Russell Wilson
Steve Young
First off, I've always been against lists of TOP anything. But QBs are so different because the game has evolved so much. There was a time QBs used to call the plays*, not the HC or OC. And during that time running the ball was so much more important. But Carson Palmer, Vinny Testaverde and Ken Anderson over Roman Gabriel or Kurt Warner? I know that sounds like a "homer" but I could also include Sonny Jurgenson, John Brodie and Jim Kelly, from completely different eras. FWIW, I thought Ken Anderson had better intangibles than Palmer or Testaverde.
It seems PFR used some parameters. 17 of the 25 on their list are top 25 all time in passing yards, TDs and 4th quarter comebacks. 3 more are in the top 25 in TDs, Yards but just outside 4th quarter comebacks (Palmer #26, Fouts and Rodgers tied for #28). And if they're going to use those 3 catagories, where's Dave Krieg? #25 in yards, #20 in TD and #24 in CB. Not that I believe he should be on the list but under those parameters, he ranks right up there with them. He didn't play in a SB but neither did 6 of those 25. Fouts, Hadl, Moon. Palmer, Testaverde and Rivers. Of course I'd rank all of them except Testaverde and Palmer above Krieg at first look.
But I guess that's why I dislike "TOP" lists. Jim Kelly led his Bills to 4 Superbowls. Warner was one of the best passers of all time. Gabriel, Sonny Jurgenson, John Brodie, YA Tittle and many others called their own plays. That in itself is a burden from which modern QBs are relieved, except with audibles and certainly a few of them were very good at that (Marino, Brady, Peyton Manning, etc). Though I never saw him play Otto Graham went to 10 straight Championship Games prior to the SB era. 4 in the AAFC, then 6 in the NFL. He's #1 in career yds/att (9.0), another parameter that's important. 10 of the 25 on that list are in the top 25 all time.
So, who's not on that list of top 25, you believe should be there? Who on that list should not be?
In alphabetical order:
Ken Anderson
*Terry Bradshaw
Tom Brady
Drew Brees
*Len Dawson
John Elway
Brett Favre
Dan Fouts
*John Hadl
Peyton Manning
Eli Manning
Dan Marino
Joe Montana
Warren Moon
Carson Palmer
Phillip Rivers
Aaron Rodgers
Ben Roethlisberger
Matt Ryan
Matt Stafford
*Fran Tarkenton
Vinny Testaverde
*Johnny Unitas
Russell Wilson
Steve Young
First off, I've always been against lists of TOP anything. But QBs are so different because the game has evolved so much. There was a time QBs used to call the plays*, not the HC or OC. And during that time running the ball was so much more important. But Carson Palmer, Vinny Testaverde and Ken Anderson over Roman Gabriel or Kurt Warner? I know that sounds like a "homer" but I could also include Sonny Jurgenson, John Brodie and Jim Kelly, from completely different eras. FWIW, I thought Ken Anderson had better intangibles than Palmer or Testaverde.
It seems PFR used some parameters. 17 of the 25 on their list are top 25 all time in passing yards, TDs and 4th quarter comebacks. 3 more are in the top 25 in TDs, Yards but just outside 4th quarter comebacks (Palmer #26, Fouts and Rodgers tied for #28). And if they're going to use those 3 catagories, where's Dave Krieg? #25 in yards, #20 in TD and #24 in CB. Not that I believe he should be on the list but under those parameters, he ranks right up there with them. He didn't play in a SB but neither did 6 of those 25. Fouts, Hadl, Moon. Palmer, Testaverde and Rivers. Of course I'd rank all of them except Testaverde and Palmer above Krieg at first look.
But I guess that's why I dislike "TOP" lists. Jim Kelly led his Bills to 4 Superbowls. Warner was one of the best passers of all time. Gabriel, Sonny Jurgenson, John Brodie, YA Tittle and many others called their own plays. That in itself is a burden from which modern QBs are relieved, except with audibles and certainly a few of them were very good at that (Marino, Brady, Peyton Manning, etc). Though I never saw him play Otto Graham went to 10 straight Championship Games prior to the SB era. 4 in the AAFC, then 6 in the NFL. He's #1 in career yds/att (9.0), another parameter that's important. 10 of the 25 on that list are in the top 25 all time.
So, who's not on that list of top 25, you believe should be there? Who on that list should not be?
