A great QB is a great QB, and we can all recognize one. Peyton, Brady, Rodgers, Montana, Marino, Elway, etc. are all great QB's. We would recognize them as such on any team. But when we have to rank the great ones against each other, we turn to measures that are almost entirely outside of their own control, i.e., what their teammates, coaches, and opponents do. A lot of people are now saying Brady is the best QB ever. But if the Seahawks hadn't called a boneheaded play at the end of last night's game, it would still be Montana. That is illogical and irrational, but maybe attempting to name a QB the "best ever" is simply an illogical and irrational pursuit.
Both Montana and Brady had excellent, well-rounded teams around them for almost their entire careers. When they missed time or left their teams, their teams didn't really miss a beat. Meanwhile, a guy like Peyton Manning sits out one season with the Colts, and they lose 14 games. In his prime, Manning carried bad defensive teams to the playoffs. Typically, teams with bad defenses don't make the playoffs, and they certainly don't win there. But Manning overcame his defense's weaknesses over and over again. Then, unsurprisingly, his teams lost to much more well-rounded teams in the playoffs. It is no coincidence that the only time his defense had a great run in the playoffs, they won the Super Bowl.
Here's another weird one to think about when it comes to ranking great QB's: What if Archie Manning had been in the 1970 draft and Terry Bradshaw had been in the 1971 draft, rather than vice versa? Archie would have been the top pick with the Steelers, and Bradshaw would have gone to the Saints. Maybe in that scenario Archie wins four or five super bowls, and Bradshaw is just a good QB on a really bad team. And what if Marino had played for the Cowboys? Would we all be asking if anyone will ever be as good as Marino was?
Both Montana and Brady had excellent, well-rounded teams around them for almost their entire careers. When they missed time or left their teams, their teams didn't really miss a beat. Meanwhile, a guy like Peyton Manning sits out one season with the Colts, and they lose 14 games. In his prime, Manning carried bad defensive teams to the playoffs. Typically, teams with bad defenses don't make the playoffs, and they certainly don't win there. But Manning overcame his defense's weaknesses over and over again. Then, unsurprisingly, his teams lost to much more well-rounded teams in the playoffs. It is no coincidence that the only time his defense had a great run in the playoffs, they won the Super Bowl.
Here's another weird one to think about when it comes to ranking great QB's: What if Archie Manning had been in the 1970 draft and Terry Bradshaw had been in the 1971 draft, rather than vice versa? Archie would have been the top pick with the Steelers, and Bradshaw would have gone to the Saints. Maybe in that scenario Archie wins four or five super bowls, and Bradshaw is just a good QB on a really bad team. And what if Marino had played for the Cowboys? Would we all be asking if anyone will ever be as good as Marino was?