There are various lists of the best NFL players, and the criteria completely vary.
Just a couple of clarifications: first, we will try to reduce the statistical theme because each era has changed (previously fewer games were played per season, less was spent, sacks were not counted, etc.) and we will leave it as something that will simply help illustrate some issues. Second, the main criterion will be the overall impact that player had on his era, his influence and his contribution to the league’s history.
Without further ado, let’s continue:
Johnny Unitas
Although he played many years before the NFL became a passerby League, Unitas is considered one of the best passers-by in history and is demonstrated by his 26 games pitching for 300 yards. ‘Johnny U’ was an exceptional leader in the field and one of the best passers under pressure, and later was the hero of many passers-by of the modern era.
Peyton Manning
If there were a laboratory where the prototype of modern QB could be built, they would surely have made Peyton Manning, and not just by his strong arm: his intelligence to understand the game made him the “ground offensive coordinator” of the Colts (and then the Broncos), something is little seen in the NFL. Their numbers speak for themselves, and their leadership was unquestionable. To be the only QB to win the Super Bowl with two different teams is the proverbial cherry on the cake.
Billy Kilmer
After his time with 49ers and Saints Kilmer, he reached George Allen’s Redskins as a substitute for Sonny Jurgensen, but eventually made a head start, taking Washington to the Super Bowl VII they lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Kilmer was an extremely reliable QB who played for 16 years in the league. Curiously he was sent to the bank in his senior year to give way to the young Joe Theisman who had arrived from Notre Dame.
Joe Montana
Not much can be said about Joe Montana that is not known: he was the general who perfectly executed Bill Walsh’s offensive scheme and is considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Winner of four Super Bowls, Montana was a master at the time of orchestrating returns and directing two-minute offensives, which left the opposing defensive with constant nightmares.
Bart Starr
Before Belichick and Brady, Johnson and Aikman, Walsh and Montana or Noll and Bradshaw existed Lombardi and Starr. As the QB of the Green Bay offensive, Starr was in charge of carrying out the Lombardi attack. Starr led the Packers to win five old NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls, where he was also the MVP. Bart Starr is undoubtedly the first major QB in the history of the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady
Okay, before anything else: if you ever have a kid playing QB, make sure he uses number 12 because it’s the number of the big quarterbacks. In this issue are six Hall of Fame members and at least two more who will enter the future. Turning to the winner, it is impossible to deny Brady the position: not only does he have more Super Bowl victories than any QB in history, but his numbers are also up to the competition in this position. With an unquestionable leadership and longevity that puts to the test the concepts, classics, ‘Tom Terrific’ has rewritten the history of what the pins can do after the age of 40.