Manning Brady

[conace21]

Brees wouldn't knock off any of the 4 from the 75th Anniversary Team, IMO. I also wouldn't put him on before Aaron Rodgers or Roger Staubach.

I think if they go to 5 QB's, Graham gets removed and Manning and Brady both get added. That could be justified by strictly interpreting this as the NFL's 100th Anniversary Team and discounting Graham's AAFC years. (Note: when discussing great professional QB's, I think 1946-49 should be included in Graham's career. But this technically is celebrating the 100 NFL seasons. Of course, that would disqualify Lance Alworth.)

As far as Brady vs Manning, Manning certainly has unprecedented honors. 5 MVP awards, and seven 1st Team All Pro selections. I believe 6 of the 7 were consensus or near-consensus. Brady only has 3 of each... but he also has the 4 SB NFL awards.

One interesting point I read that favors Manning. Brady is just more of a cog in the Patriots machine. Now, that's not to say that just anyone could step in and have the same success he's has, especially at age 41. But Belichick runs the Patriots, and Brady just fills a role. Now, he works extremely hard at that role and fills it well.

Manning, on the other hand, has always exercised more direct control and he always ran more of the show, serving as de facto offensive coordinator. That proved to be the case with two franchises.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Good point about Graham and AAFC - same point can be made about Thorpe whose best seasons were '15-'17, '19.

I like seeing some alternate QBs discussed too. I think on some other boards saying Brady wasn't the greatest QB would be like saying Jim Brown wasn't the greatest RB, but I'm glad that's not the case here - I thought some of the arguments were valid. The MMQB draft had 6 QBs taken in first two rounds: Unitas, Brady, Graham, Montana, Elway, Staubach, Manning.

[JohnH19]

They should go with six on the all-century team:
Baugh
Graham
Unitas
Montana
Manning
Brady

[JohnTurney]

They should go with six on the all-century team:
Baugh
Graham
Unitas
Montana
Manning
Brady

That would be my six...though I'd take Aaron Rodgers over Manning, but Manning has the credentials...and he got that last ring.

[Andrew McKillop]

It's funny to not even see Brett Favre's name mentioned at least once in this thread. I wouldn't put him on the all-NFL team, but I feel like he was at least a top-ten all-time QB.

[JohnH19]

They should go with six on the all-century team:
Baugh
Graham
Unitas
Montana
Manning
Brady

That would be my six...though I'd take Aaron Rodgers over Manning, but Manning has the credentials...and he got that last ring.

I still have Rodgers lumped in the second tier with Brees, Favre, Marino, Elway, Staubach, Tarkenton, Jurgensen, Starr, Tittle and Luckman. But, believe me, that’s no knock against Rodgers.

[JohnH19]

It's funny to not even see Brett Favre's name mentioned at least once in this thread. I wouldn't put him on the all-NFL team, but I feel like he was at least a top-ten all-time QB.

Brett is certainly in or very close to the top 10. He may even be #7. He just isn’t in the top 6.

[TanksAndSpartans]

I still have Rodgers lumped in the second tier with Brees, Favre, Marino, Elway, Staubach, Tarkenton, Jurgensen, Starr, Tittle and Luckman.

John, I find that 2nd tier really interesting. Every time I watch 50s highlights of the 49ers, I feel like Tittle is alternating with Frankie Albert. I never researched it, just seemed odd that one of the all-time greats was alternating with a QB not many remember. In the case of Waterfield/Van Brocklin, both were HOFers. Speaking of Van Brocklin, I think I've seen him and Steve Young sometimes show up in 2nd tier.

[74_75_78_79_]

In these ‘GOAT QB’ convos - and I can be guilty of it myself - John Elway seems to get overlooked; or at least not mentioned until quite a few others get mentioned first. I know his ‘just one’ All Pro start (’87) doesn’t help things for him amongst others. I believe there was a thread a little while back asking what three players would you pick to build a team around from scratch. I believe I put Deacon Jones, OJ, and Montana but right after I did that I thought maybe Elway at QB instead.

No, Joe is in my personal Top 4 QBs with Graham/Unitas/Brady, but Elway struck me as perhaps the QB who could do the most with less around him. I don’t want to venture into “when if John played for SF, Joe played for Denver in the ’80s?” You can only go by what actually happened and, fair or not, your cream-of-the-crop QBs are going to be the benefactors of being in the right place at the right time; especially if championships/All Pros/stats/etc are going to be what you’re judged by. They still had to do their part which they then did (which very many wouldn’t have been able to do) thus earning their historic stature.

My personal Top 4 QBs each could have shined and shown greatness with lesser teams or systems surrounding them, same with many of the other great QBs who are generally mentioned before #7, but what Elway did for those ’80s Broncos squads who otherwise may have been fringe playoff teams really stands out for me. And as great a coach Reeves was, it can be argued that his conservative style may have actually held Elway back. In either event, I’d like to think that John should be mentioned sooner. Top Ten maybe? Better than Marino?

Thoughts?

[Jeremy Crowhurst]

I'm a Brady fan, but I think we underestimate the amount of just pure luck that goes into determining a young QB's fate. Belichick decided to keep four QBs on the roster in 2000. The Patriots were one of the only teams in the league to do so that year. What happens if he doesn't do that? Marc Bulger was in that situation, drafted by New Orleans but ended up in fifth place in the QB race behind Jeff Blake, Aaron Brooks, Jake Delhomme, and Billy Joe Tolliver. Then he went to Atlanta and lasted two weeks on their practise squad. St. Louis ended up being the perfect landing spot for him, and he ended up with a decent career.

What happens to Brady if Belichick gets hit by a truck, and the coach who replaces him decides to keep only Bledsoe, Friesz, and Bishop?