The NFL has released its list of the 22 finalists for the all-century team at quarterback: Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman, Otto Graham, Bobby Layne, Norm Van Brocklin, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Fran Tarkenton, Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Dan Fouts, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers.
We know that the final team will have 10 quarterbacks on it. Who will make it? I think there are 6 (or 7) locks that are guaranteed to make the team. The real debate is who are the last three to join them. So today, let’s review the 7 quarterbacks who seem to be assured a place on the final team.
When the NFL unveiled its 50th anniversary team in 1969, Johnny Unitas was the first-string QB, Sammy Baugh was the backup, and Norm Van Brocklin was the third string choice.
When the NFL named its 75th anniversary team, Unitas and Baugh remained, and were joined by Joe Montana and Otto Graham, whose legend grew over the previous 25-year period.
With the NFL set to name its 100th anniversary team, there’s little reason to think that Unitas, Baugh, Montana, and Graham won’t make this team, too. There are, after all, 10 spots, and there won’t be 7 QBs from the last 25 years and there’s not much justification to switch out any of Unitas/Baugh/Montana/Graham.
Two additions, of course, will be Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. There is nobody on the planet who needs convincing that these are two of the best ten quarterbacks in NFL history.
That makes for 6 locks, and I think any top-10 list has to have these six quarterbacks. There’s a 7th near-lock, in my opinion, in Dan Marino. How do you leave him off any all-time QB list?
When Brad Oremland wrote about his top statistical quarterbacks since 1946, he had Manning at #1, Marino at #2, Brady at #3, Drew Brees at #4, Unitas at #5, Fran Tarkenton at #6, Montana at #7, and Graham at #8.
This summer, Brad profiled his best 125 players in pro football history. He had Baugh, Graham, Unitas, Montana, Marino, Manning, and Brady in his top 7, although not in that order.
These 7 players need little summary, so let’s…. well, just do a little summary.
Baugh is one of the greatest players of all time, and a worthy choice for top 10 player ever. He played before the modern MVP was a thing (though he did win two Washington D.C. Touchdown Club MVPs), but he was an 8-time All-Pro. Bryan Frye named Baugh his MVP in 4 seasons, and Baugh led the NFL in AY/A four times and won two titles. He held the all-time passing touchdown record for 19 seasons. Baugh ranks 1st all-time in adjusted interception rate, and 3rd all-time in era-adjusted passer rating.
Graham won 7 championships in his career. He was the best player in the AAFC from 1946 to 1949, and then won 3 NFL MVPs (UPI) during his 6 years in the NFL. His Browns made the championship game every year of his 10-year career.
Unitas was MVP in 1957 (NEA), 1959 (AP, BBA, UPI), 1964 (AP, BBA, UPI), and 1967 (AP, BBA, UPI, NEA). His teams won three titles and was selected as the best QB of the first 50 years and one of the four best QBs of the first 75 years.
Montana is famous for his 4-0 record in Super Bowls and 3 Super Bowl MVPs, but he also was the MVP in 1989 (AP, BBA, NEA, PFWA) and 1990 (AP). In addition, the AP named him the best QB in the NFL in 1987, when Elway won the AP MVP award.
Marino swept the MVP circuit in 1984 (AP, NEA, PFWA, BBA), but that was his only MVP. By virtue of never winning one championship, let alone multiple, he’s the one player of this group I seven that I think some could make a bad faith argument to keep out.
Brad wrote a very long entry about Marino, who he ranked as his 14th best player ever. It’s a worth a read if you are on the fence. Marino ranked #2 in my Gray Ink test for the Hall of Fame among quarterbacks, trailing only Manning. For a different view, you can see John Turney’s list, which has the same top 6 but has Marino down at 13th. If you have a tier 1 of the top 6, and put Marino in his own tier at 7, that is a reasonable approach. But I don’t think it’s reasonable to keep Marino out of the top 10.
Manning was the MVP in 2003 (AP, BBA, NEA), 2004 (AP, BBA, PFWA, NEA), 2008 (AP, PFWA), 2009 (AP, PFWA), 2013 (AP, BBA, PFWA), and also was a runner-up (and probably should have won) in 2012 to Adrian Peterson. He won two Super Bowls, including a Super Bowl MVP.
Brady was Super Bowl MVP in 2001 and 2003, swept the MVP voting in 2007 (AP, BBA, NEA, PFWA), won another MVP in 2010 (AP, PFWA), won two more Super Bowl MVPs in 2014 and 2016, won another MVP in 2017 (AP, PFWA), and won his 6th Super Bowl in 2018. Calling him one of the 10 best quarterbacks ever is an understatement.
There are still three quarterbacks to go, of course. We will get to which three I think will make it tomorrow.
But first: do you agree that these 6 or 7 deserve their own tier? If not, who should join them?