Who is the NFL’s GOAT?

            When the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 last Sunday, giving starting quarterback Peyton Manning the second Super Bowl championship of his legendary career, it ignited debate across the sports world as to which quarterback is the NFL’s greatest of all time.

            Knowing this would be the talk around the Mardi Gras ladders on St. Charles Avenue on Monday and Tuesday, I wanted to arm myself with facts to make an argument for which player is the best ever. I looked at NFL MVPs won, career touchdowns, career interceptions, career pass completion percentage, career passing yards,        career QB rating, championship appearances, championship wins, championship losses and championship MVPs.

            For sake of argument, I’ve included a general consensus of the top seven NFL quarterbacks of all time: (in alphabetical order) Tom Brady, John Elway, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Johnny Unitas. While Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh and Terry Bradshaw were phenomenal, their overall stats didn’t merit inclusion.

            So who’s the best?   

            It turns out it’s not quite that objective. Who the GOAT is depends on which stats carry the most weight with a given individual. And that’s nothing but subjective. What’s most important NFL MVP awards, Super Bowl appearances, Super Bowl records, QB rating, touchdowns? There isn’t a singular stat that proves domination. Instead a combination of factors impacts their standing.

            Manning leads the pack in NFL MVPs (5), touchdowns (539), yards (71,940) and QB rating (96.5) and has 100 more touchdowns than his main career competitor, Brady. But Manning’s detractors will say he’s only 2-2 in the Super Bowl. How can that measure up with Brady, who has appeared in more Super Bowls (6) than any other QB in NFL history and is tied for the most Super Bowl wins with four, two NFL MVP awards, and 100 fewer interceptions than Manning?

            Then of course, there is Montana who has four wins, no losses and three MVP performances in NFL championship games, not to mention two NFL MVP awards, to boot. But Manning has nearly twice as many career touchdowns and passing yards. And Montana’s 273 TDs are fewest of this group.

            Elway played in five Super Bowls and won two. He was NFL and Super Bowl MVP once each. While his passing numbers leave something to be desired, Elway’s was able to extend plays with his mobility and was the best runner of the ball of the lot.

            While Favre set several records en route to winning three NFL MVP trophies, most of them have been or are set to be broken. Known as a gunslinger, he was fun to watch, but his play could break hearts at the most inopportune times. I don’t think anyone would choose Favre over Manning, Brady or Montana’s ability to stay cool and will their team to victory.

            Marino put up a bunch of numbers, but appeared in only one Super Bowl and lost to Montana’s 49ers. Had he won a Super Bowl his legacy would be different. As is, he’s the best quarterback to have never won a championship.

            Unitas, long considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time, may have fallen victim to a changing game. Johnny U won three NFL MVP awards, won two NFL championships before the advent of the Super Bowl and went 1-1 in the Super Bowl. Supporters will say it is much easier to pass in today’s NFL. They’re right. It is. Quarterbacks are better protected from big hits than they used to be and receivers are given much greater latitude to make plays in modern day football. Unitas’ numbers, compared to the others, though, leave something to be desired. His 253 interceptions are most among these seven, while his completion percentage and QB rating are the lowest in the group. That’s surprising for such a legend at the position.

            The argument over who is the NFL’s greatest quarterback of all time will continue because the criteria, much less its formulation, is imprecise. There isn’t an incorrect answer. So, who is the NFL’s GOAT?

Who is the NFL’s GOAT?

Who the greatest quarterback of all time is depends on which stats carry the most weight with a given individual. And that’s nothing but subjective. What’s most important NFL MVP awards, Super Bowl appearances, Super Bowl records, QB rating, touchdowns?

*Unitas won two NFL championships before the advent of the Super Bowl

Who is the NFL’s greatest quarterback of all time?

__ Manning

__ Brady

__ Montana

__ Elway

__ Favre

__ Marino

__ Unitas