The Great Debate: Is Peyton Manning The Greatest?

With the Big Game coming up tonight, I thought I'd take my shot at answering the Big Question!

Is Peyton Manning the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL?

Everyone has their opinion on this, and right or wrong I think it is much deeper than an "opinion" based question. Everyone "likes" Peyton Manning, he's funny, and personable...but do people really know what it takes to be the "greatest of all time"? I'm going to try to answer this question and I'm going to give you statistics and logical reasoning to back it up. So here we go...

First of all, to compare a quarterback from this era to a quarterback of a previous era is very difficult. Era's change, rules change, styles change, and mindsets change! The NFL is a passing league right now whereas 25 years ago it was a rushing and defensive league. I'm going to list some guys that should be in the discussion for "greatest ever" and compare them using statistics that I feel are the relevant stats.

There are a lot of great QB's that have played over the years, (Steve Young, Roger Staubach, Johnny Unitas, Bob Greise, Jim Kelly, Boomer Esiason, and even Tom Brady) but these guys are the only ones that are deserving enough to be in the discussion.

The Stats: Yards, Completion %, TD's, INT's, TD/INT differential, Super Bowl wins, and Longevity.

Lets start at the bottom and work our way to the top.

Terry Bradshaw: The Problem with Bradshaw being the "greatest" is his numbers are not that great considering the company he's in. During the Steelers run in the late 70's early 80's he led them to two sets of back to back Super Bowl wins and was MVP twice. In the Super Bowl wins category he is tied for 1st, but in every other category he is dead last against this list of guys. He only passed for 27 thousand yards and his TD/INT differential was 2. Meaning he only threw two more TD's than he did INT's. As far as "elite" QB's numbers go, his Completion percentage is on the low end at 51.9%. He has the Super Bowl wins and yes he was a very good QB, but he played for a team that ran the ball and played defense better than everyone else. Great QB, not the greatest ever.

Brett Favre: One of the most exciting and heartbreaking QB's of all time. He owns quite a few records, but it is some of those records that keep him from attaining the "greatest of all time" label. Favre holds the NFL's all time record for interceptions with 317. Unlike Bradshaw, Favre does come in second on the list in the TD/INT differential with 180 more TD's than INT's. He completes a high percentage at 62% and throws for lots and lots of yards with 69,392. His longevity is unparalleled, and he is a great personality. But the problem that holds him back farther on this list than his statistics would, is his only 1 super bowl win. He also lost a super bowl and has lost 3 out of 5 Conference Championship games in his career. The reason he is as far back as he is on my list is because he has almost always been surrounded by good players and good coaches. He pretty much never endured the kind of hardships a guy like Dan Marino had to deal with his entire career. Brett Favre is a great quarterback, with a ton great accomplishments, but just not quite enough Super Bowl wins to get him in the top couple guys.

Troy Aikman: Aikman is my favorite QB due to the fact that he was my favorite teams QB while I was growing up and they were winning super bowls. So naturally he's my favorite all time. But he's not the greatest all time. I think that he, more than anyone else, helped Jimmy Johnson build the Cowboys from being the worst team in the league to becoming perennial super bowl champs. Without Aikman, it wouldn't have worked. Emmitt Smith and Micheal Irvin and the other guys just would not have meshed right without him. So he was the back bone of that team. He wasn't a big numbers guy, but he gave the team what they needed to win when they needed it. He was the super bowl MVP and roasted the Bills for 4 TD's...in his first appearance. He was the definition of Efficiency. One season he attained a 69.1% completion percentage. One of the highest of all time. He did only throw for almost 33,000 yards, and only 165 TD's. But how can you argue with his taking a team from a 1-15 season to 3 (should be 4) super bowl wins? He is undefeated in super bowls, and I don't think its his fault that they lost the NFC Championship in 94'. All in all, Aikman's career was cut quite short by concussions. He only played 12 season. Imagine if he had 3 or 4 more years the numbers he could have had. Its the same problem Roger Staubach had, a career that just wasn't long enough. Troy is not the greatest ever, but his super bowl wins don't lie, he definitely was a great quarterback.

John Elway: John Elway is one of my favorite QB's ever. He always had a smile, and played the game so patiently. It took him 14 years, but his patience paid off and he was rewarded with back to back super bowl wins. He was able to take the Denver Broncos to the big game a total of 5 times. He totaled 51,475 yards for his career while completing 56.9%. He is also in an elite club of QB's who have thrown 300 TD passes and he did so over 16 seasons. He was an efficient QB with great mechanics and a great feel for the game. He endured times when he was on a terrible team and his longevity gave him the opportunity to come through that and be rewarded. It is hard to put him behind anyone who hasn't won a Super Bowl but the numbers are just too much in favor of Marino. In my mind these two are very close to even on this list, the difference maker in my mind, is Marino never played on teams as good as Elway, yet he still accomplished what he did. So either way, Elway is truly a great QB, but not the greatest.

Dan Marino: He never had a team good enough to win a super bowl. He got there only once, and was no match for Joe Montana's 49ers. The problem with Marino is the fact that he lacked super bowl wins. Just like Dirk Nowitzki will never be looked at in the same light as Tim Duncan even though Dirk is a far superior player, all because Duncan has 4 rings, and Dirk has 0. Marino's numbers are amazing, 61,361 yards with a 59.4% completion percentage. He threw second most TD passes in history with 420, and only threw 252 picks. He was a very durable guy, who played in over 240 games over a 17 year career; most of which was spent not making the playoffs at all. I just imagine how good he could have been if he had a couple receivers to throw to or maybe a line to block or even just a running back to carry some of the load. It is hard for me to put him at number three on the list because of what he hasn't accomplished. All the QB's I've put below him have multiple super bowl rings except for Favre, who at least has been to two. But Marino was too good of a passer to not be this high on the list. Because he was so good, the mediocre offenses that he worked with actually looked good a lot of times. He made his teammates better and threw the ball so well that there is no doubt he is a great naturally gifted passer who deserved more than he got during his career. Therefore, Dan Marino is the greatest quarterback to never win a super bowl...but not the greatest of all time.

Peyton Manning: What can I say about his career thus far, other than the obvious...wow! He's played only 12 seasons, yet, he has surpassed most of the numbers of some of the other names on this list. The times have changed and so have the games attributes, the league is so much more pass happy than it was 15 or 20 years ago. (another reason why Marino's numbers are so great; which is why I put more weight on Marino's passing yards and TD's) Manning has something else though, he has a mind that is unparalleled; no one can match his on field wisdom and his dynamic ability to dissect defenses. He has truly mastered the art of the quarterback position.The thing that makes Peyton Manning so incredible is the fact that somehow, he gets better and better every year. He always finds some way to improve, even when the rest of the world believes he has hit his peak. His mechanics are the greatest ever, bar none. And I do believe that when its all said and done his numbers will be too. I've heard some people call him "Jesus in cleats"...and for a dismal Colts franchise that hadn't won anything since Unitas, he is their messiah. With 50,000 yards and counting, if he stays in the league for three more years he'll pass Marino, but it will take him a few more than that to catch up to Favre. He has never missed a game in his NFL career...that is amazing. He's thrown for 366 TD's and only 181 INT's...the differential is the best on this list at 185! That number could turn out to be the best ever so long as he doesn't become Brett Favre-esque in his later years. But the best statistic on this list is Manning's completion %...for his career it is off the charts at 64.8%. And over his career it has gotten better and better, his rookie year being his lowest at 57% rising to this year where he completed 69% of his passes. He improved a little bit each season. Here is Manning's down side...he only has 1 super bowl ring. That could change later tonight, but for now, he's stuck on one and just one will not get him the title of "greatest of all time". He must win at least two...maybe even a third to truly without question be called the "greatest".

Joe Montana: Is there anything that I can say about the career that Montana had that could do it justice? Not only does he have the coolest name and nick name but he's also got the numbers and the super bowl rings to go with it. While Manning, Marino, and Favre have some better statistical categories there is no question that Montana dominated during his entire career. One of the most telling stats is his completion percentage; over 15 seasons he completed 63.2% of his passes. His yardage is at 40,551, a very respectable mark, and he threw 273 TD's and 139 INT's leaving his differential at 134...not bad at all. The most important stat of all...the thing that puts him over the top is the fact that he was able to win four super bowls! He rarely lost big games and he was undefeated in super bowls. Some of the most remembered plays are passes that he threw. His ability to read defenses and analyze the game as it progressed made him nearly unstoppable at times. And as much as it pains me, being the Cowboy fan that I am, and knowing what he has done to my Cowboys in the past...credit where credit is due...no quarterback has had the sustained success that he did. He won four super bowls in one decade, 81', 84', 88', and 89'.  Thats dominance. So in my mind he is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.

So far that is...while what Montana accomplished was great and worthy of being called the greatest, it doesn't make him untouchable. Brett Favre has almost 30,000 more yards than he did, and Manning is already 11,000 up on him; plus four guys on this list and one guy thats not (Johnny Unitas) have more TD passes. So his stats are very touchable, the question is...can anyone win four again? Tom Brady is the obvious guy in position to do it, but the reason he'll never be on my list of greats is because he's an arrogant punk who was on a super bowl team before he became the starter...he only started because Drew Bledsoe was injured. Manning will become the greatest to ever play...I think the difference right now is only the super bowl wins. Manning has done it all...he was drafted by a terrible team, and has taken them to two super bowl appearances. He has won league MVP 4 times and has a knowledge and understanding of the game of football that surpasses some coaches. His ability to think on the field, call his own plays, read the defenses as if they are an Eric Carl book, and mechanically deliver a flawless spiral unlike anyone else...will one day add up to Peyton Manning being the greatest quarterback to ever play the game...one day!