An article posted by Larry Harris at PressBox ranks Steelers’ great, Terry Bradshaw #5 of all-time NFL best Quarterbacks. See below for the complete article.
The 15: Greatest NFL Quarterbacks
By Larry Harris
Sports fans are eternally fascinated with “greatest” lists. So here is one man’s evaluation of the 15 finest quarterbacks ever to take a snap in the NFL. Few will agree, but debate is part of pro football’s enduring allure. Bear in mind the criteria for forming this particular compendium do not dwell chiefly on statistics (meaningless when comparing 12-game and 16-game seasons), but reflect strongly on the intangibles marking each man’s lasting imprint on the game.
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| Will anyone ever match John Unitas’ record of 47 consecutive games with at least one TD pass? (Photo Courtesy of John Ziemann Collection/ Sports Legends) |
No other QB was ever so endowed with the rarefied “X-factor” as was the Baltimore Colts’ No. 19. His icy demeanor in the most extreme situations combined with unusual physical courage to create the stuff of legend and his 47 consecutive games with at least one TD pass will probably never be equaled. And, oh yes, he called his own plays.
Like Unitas, Montana was a revered leader who made the most of his physical abilities and led his teams to 31 fourth-quarter come-from-behind victories. He won four Super Bowls for the 49ers and was voted Most Valuable Player in three of them. His pass to Dwight Clark in the 1982 NFC title game is forever enshrined as one of sports’ most memorable plays.
No one ever did more with less individual talent than the man who sparked the Packers to five NFL championships and was the MVP in the first two Super Bowls. Admittedly not a leader of men in his early years, Starr learned to command under the iron will of Vince Lombardi and his sneak to victory in the 1967 “Ice Bowl” is a play never to be forgotten.
Graham played pro football for the Browns for 10 years in the old All-America Conference and the NFL. He took his team to the league championship every year — and won seven times. Graham was a master of the comeback pass and his 10-season record for Paul Brown’s mighty teams was an astounding 105-17-4.
They said Bradshaw couldn’t spell, but he surely could throw the football and no one had a stronger arm. Sometimes he couldn’t control that arm for the Steelers, but Chuck Noll surrounded him with what seemed to be an all-star at every position. Bradshaw was at his finest in the postseason. Four Super Bowl victories in a six-year span verify his status.
Thankfully, Elway helicoptered over the goal line and into retirement on a winning note with two consecutive Super Bowl victories. Had he not, the man with an outstanding body of work for his Broncos career might have been judged a failure in the same regard as Fran Tarkenton and Jim Kelly. Remember, Elway lost the first three Super Bowls in which he appeared.
Some say this spot should belong to the Cowboys’ concussion-prone Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls. But Aikman never had the class, flair and maturity of Heisman Trophy-winner Staubach, who captained Dallas when it really was “America’s Team.” Leadership was Staubach’s forte, and his arm wasn’t bad either.
Perhaps there has never been a finer pure passer (well, maybe Sonny Jurgensen) than Marino, whose quickness of release and accuracy were unmatched. He held every NFL passing record at one time, but unfortunately his only Super Bowl appearance was a Dolphins defeat.
9 George Blanda (1949-58, 1960-75)
It’s pretty certain Blanda will hold one record Brett Favre won’t break; he was 48 years old when he kicked his last field goal. Few people in the world believed the upstart American Football League could compete with the big boys in 1960, but ol’ George wowed a new set of fans with a dazzling passing attack. They still talk about him 50 years later.
10 Norm Van Brocklin (1949-60), Bobby Layne (1948-62)
It’s cheating to split a slot, but who cares. Van Brocklin threw the prettiest long ball ever and Layne’s passes often went end-over-end. Both were swashbuckling, John Wayne-types who claimed two NFL titles each. Layne is credited with inventing the two-minute offense. The Dutchman still holds the record for passing yardage in one game (554) and will always be remembered for his battles with the press. After having brain surgery late in life, he announced it was “a transplant. They put in a sportswriter’s brain because they wanted one that hadn’t been used.”
The T-formation was in swaddling clothes when Luckman joined the Bears. After learning the system, he took his team to four NFL titles, including the still-treasured 73-0 win over Washington in 1940. Regarded as the original master of the T, Luckman was the first to throw seven touchdowns in a game (four others have done it since).
No list is complete without the Texan who cut up his career as a T quarterback, single wing tailback, defensive back and punter. He passed for 335 yards in the championship game to win the NFL title for Washington in his rookie year. He once had a 51.4 punting average for a season, and he was the first player to intercept four passes in a game.
One of these days Favre will rise up this ladder. But until he quits for good, there’s always the chance he will go out on a bummer, as did Unitas and Montana. Favre’s list of records is staggering and his streak of games started will never be surpassed. His legacy, however, remains in question because of the bad taste left in many mouths with his recklessness and annual indecision.
Fifty touchdown passes in a single season? Three Super Bowl victories with the Patriots? Career accuracy of 63 percent? Those accomplishments should surely warrant a higher slot in such a list. But like Favre and Peyton Manning, Brady still wears the cleats.
Again, how can he be classified until he sits down? Many critics call him the second coming of Unitas, and it’s true his control of the game sometimes resembles Johnny Hightops. Four times Manning has been named league MVP, but there’s only one Super Bowl for the Indy Colts on his résumé. He needs a couple more titles and a few less commercials to challenge the giants.
