Best QB you have ever seen play football

[Breaker99]

I put Montana in the same class as Aikman. Great QBs that are well-deserved HOFer that benefitted moreso from the talent that surrounded them in an era that had no salary cap. One reason I do not consider Montana the greatest QB of all time.

so the 1981 49ers were chalk full of talent?

Hardly anyone knew who joe montana was in 1981, and Ronnie Lott was an unproven rookie. That was not some loaded team during his first super bowl run. Later the niners became a dominant force, but he did it during the building process as well as he did it once the Dynasty had been built.




QB Joe Montana San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 82nd pick / 1979
RB Ricky Patton Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 257th pick / 1978
FB Earl Cooper San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 13th pick / 1980
WR Dwight Clark San Francisco 49ers / 10th / 249th pick / 1979
PR Freddie Solomon Miami Dolphins / 2nd / 36th pick / 1975
TE Charle Young Philadelphia Eagles / 1st / 6th pick / 1973
LT Dan Audick Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 106th pick / 1977
LG John Ayers San Francisco 49ers / 8th / 223rd pick / 1976
C Fred Quillan San Francisco 49ers / 7th / 175th pick / 1978
RG Randy Cross San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 42nd pick / 1976
RT Keith Fahnhorst San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 35th pick / 1974

Defensive Starters
LDE Jim Stuckey San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 20th pick / 1980
NT Archie Reese San Francisco 49ers / 5th / 127th pick / 1978
RDE Dwaine Board Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 137th pick / 1979
LOLB Willie Harper San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 41st pick / 1973
LILB Dan Bunz San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 24th pick / 1978
RILB Jack Reynolds Los Angeles Rams / 1st / 22nd pick / 1970
ROLB Keena Turner San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 39th pick / 1980
LCB Ronnie Lott*+ San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 8th pick / 1981
RCB Eric Wright 22 San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 40th pick / 1981
SS Carlton Williamson San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 65th pick / 1981
FS Dwight Hicks Detroit Lions / 6th / 150th pick / 1978

Special Teams Starters
K Ray Wersching
P Jim Miller
PR Freddie Solomon
KR Amos Lawrence

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

How do you know you're not wrong?

Because I am right. Go google it...

 

[Manning2Luck_uJelly]

Because I am right. Go google it...

I googled it and here's what I came up with....

Gil Brandt, the former Dallas executive who squired the Cowboys great Roger Staubach through the media center here, said Manning was the best quarterback ever.

 

[Breaker99]

Ok, so its decided... its Joe Montana.

Honorable mentions..


Johnny Unitas: 1959-61
Y.A. Tittle: 1962-63
Johnny Unitas: 1964-67
Joe Namath: 1968-69
John Brodie: 1970
Bob Griese: 1971-73
Ken Stabler: 1974
Fran Tarkenton: 1975
Ken Stabler: 1976-77
Terry Bradshaw: 1978
Dan Fouts: 1979-81
Joe Theismann: 1982-83
Dan Marino: 1984-86
Joe Montana: 1987-90
Jim Kelly: 1991
Steve Young: 1992-94
Brett Favre: 1995-98
Kurt Warner: 1999-2001
Rich Gannon: 2002-
Peyton Manning: 2003-
Tom Brady: 2007-
Peyton Manning: 2008-09
Aaron Rodgers: 2010-

 

[Jims_Doors]

Yep. Also, Favre's only title was won the the year they had the #1 ranked defense in the league. He spent 18 years as a QB of a team with a defense that wasn't #1. And he never won a Super Bowl.

Elway and Favre are two of the most overrated athletes of all-time. I've glad some of the intelligent people at SportsHoopla get this.

Breaking news!!!

Great defenses help great offenses win Super Bowls. Nobody would have ever thought that could be the case until now!!! Thanks for the great info......

Elway with 231 career starts and over 50,000yds passing

Favre with 298 career starts with over 71,000yds passing

Both played the most exclusive position in sports for a combined 30+ years, yet they're overrated "athletes"

..........................the Bears would have killed to have either guy.

 

[Manning2Luck_uJelly]

Ok, so its decided... its Joe Montana.

Honorable mentions..


Johnny Unitas: 1959-61
Y.A. Tittle: 1962-63
Johnny Unitas: 1964-67
Joe Namath: 1968-69
John Brodie: 1970
Bob Griese: 1971-73
Ken Stabler: 1974
Fran Tarkenton: 1975
Ken Stabler: 1976-77
Terry Bradshaw: 1978
Dan Fouts: 1979-81
Joe Theismann: 1982-83
Dan Marino: 1984-86
Joe Montana: 1987-90
Jim Kelly: 1991
Steve Young: 1992-94
Brett Favre: 1995-98
Kurt Warner: 1999-2001
Rich Gannon: 2002-
Peyton Manning: 2003-
Tom Brady: 2007-
Peyton Manning: 2008-09
Aaron Rodgers: 2010-

Joe Montana and his 2,800 average yards per season and his 18 TDs

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Joe Montana and his 2,800 average yards per season and his 18 TDs

and 4 Superbowl rings and 3 SB MVPs...

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

I googled it and here's what I came up with....

Gil Brandt, the former Dallas executive who squired the Cowboys great Roger Staubach through the media center here, said Manning was the best quarterback ever.

Here is what the Super Bowl told me. Joe has 4 rings and 3 MVPs. PM does not.

Oh, and this...
The Greatest Quarterback of All Time: How Do We Objectively Assess Greatness? | Bleacher Report

 

[Jims_Doors]

No offense man, but the last place I would read something for objectivity is Bleacher Report.

That site is garbage.

 

[Manning2Luck_uJelly]

Here is what the Super Bowl told me. Joe has 4 rings and 3 MVPs. PM does not.

Oh, and this...
The Greatest Quarterback of All Time: How Do We Objectively Assess Greatness? | Bleacher Report

Gil Brandt >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Bleacher Report

 

[BF4L]

I am wondering how many saw Johnny Unitas play ??

Last year he played was 1973.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I am wondering how many saw Johnny Unitas play ??

Last year he played was 1973.

I saw him, what I remember was from about '71 being 9 or 10 y/o...he wasn't the same player I don't think...my Colt days Bert Jones was the guy I remember most.

 

[BF4L]

I saw him, what I remember was from about '71 being 9 or 10 y/o...he wasn't the same player I don't think...my Colt days Bert Jones was the guy I remember most.

Ya same here. I dont remember him cause my Dad was a diehard Pats fan. Steve Grogan was a freaking god.

Point is people are throwing players you probably have no recollection into the discussion. OP asked QB's who you have seen play. I think that would mean when you was beyond the age of 10 at least and had some sort of idea what the game was.

JMO

 

[H2S]

I am wondering how many saw Johnny Unitas play ??

Last year he played was 1973.

Dad took me, 12 and my brother, 14 to the Colts/Bears game in 1962. Saw TE M. Ditka score on a 60-yd pass...saw Unitas get picked like a plum...wasn't impressed.

 

[Breaker99]

Joe Montana and his 2,800 average yards per season and his 18 TDs

Peyton manning the regular season wonder!!!



I have no problem saying that the best regular season QB I have ever seen is Manning. But when the pressure is on.... its Montana by a landslide over him.

 

[Jakology]

Its Peyton right now. Could be overtaken by Rodgers or Luck in the future.

 

[Breaker99]

Joe Montana and his 2,800 average yards per season and his 18 TDs

Peyton manning the regular season wonder!!!



I have no problem saying that the best regular season QB I have ever seen is Manning. But when the pressure is on.... its Montana by a landslide over him.

Peyton Manning:
Playoff Record as Starting QB: 1999 (0-1), 2000 (0-1), 2002 (0-1), 2003 (2-1), 2004 (1-1), 2005 (0-1), 2006 (4-0), 2007 (0-1), 2008 (0-1), 2009 (2-1), 2010 (0-1), 2012 (0-1)
Playoff Comebacks: 2006 (1)
Playoff Game-Winning Drives: 2006 (1)

Joe Montana:
Playoff Record as Starting QB: 1981 (3-0), 1983 (1-1), 1984 (3-0), 1985 (0-1), 1986 (0-1), 1987 (0-1), 1988 (3-0), 1989 (3-0), 1990 (1-1), 1993 (2-1), 1994 (0-1)
Playoff Comebacks: 1993 (2),1988 (1),1983 (1),1981 (1)
Playoff Game-Winning Drives: 1993 (2),1988 (1),1983 (1),1981 (1)

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Manning played in a dome his whole career so automatically I can't put him at the top. If he put up those numbers playing at Foxboro, GB, Meadowlands etc. I'd give him the nod. But that plus not the greatest postseason career makes it tough to really justify saying he's the best.

 

[Breaker99]

I saw him, what I remember was from about '71 being 9 or 10 y/o...he wasn't the same player I don't think...my Colt days Bert Jones was the guy I remember most.

He stayed in the game too long... he should have retired 3 or 5 years earlier than he did. I never got to see him play, but was forced to watch tape of him at an early age.

I grew up with my dad telling me about the greatest game he ever saw.... The 1958 Title game between the Giants and the Colts. Unitas was far from perfect, but when it got to crunch time.. Overtime after stopping the Giants and getting the ball back, he methodically drove the ball down the field about 80 yards in 13 plays and they scored on a 1 yard run. I have heard that story about 3,567 times. According to him Joe Montana's performance in the super bowl against Cincinnati with the come from behind win matched it.

 

[Breaker99]

Manning played in a dome his whole career so automatically I can't put him at the top. If he put up those numbers playing at Foxboro, GB, Meadowlands etc. I'd give him the nod. But that plus not the greatest postseason career makes it tough to really justify saying he's the best.

Or even candlestick.... the wind is brutal there. And back in those days the field was a soggy mess by November.