Until someone defines the exact criteria for "greatest quaterback ever" it's all a moot point.

If you just look at statictics, Dan Marino has to be in the conversation - as well as Peyton Manning and Warren Moon for that matter. They all put up huge numbers.

If you just look at last second victories/come from behind victories, you think Elway (I think Kenny Stabler, but I'm a Raider fan).

If you look at Super Bowl victories, then Montana, Bradshaw, Brady and even Troy Aikman are in there.

Tom Brady has crazy numbers AND three rings, but he put up those numbers after Montana poplularized the West Coast offense (now the spread offense).

As the old saying goes - " some people play the game, others change the way the game is played."

I think Montana was the best big-game quaterback ever. He proved that at all levels. Maybe Brady will get a couple more rings and be in the conversation, but right now, for my money, it's Montana and then everyone else.

Yes, it all boils down to the definition of terms such as "greatest." The definition I am using here was somewhat summed up on the last Page......if your life depended on a win, who would you choose for quarterback. I would choose Montana. For reasons I would characterize as "intangible." And I would choose him with no hesitation, and no anxiety. I would choose him with 100% confidence that he would come through with the win. Because......that's what he did.

That's right. If you need someone to drive the team the length of the field in the super bowl, you think Joe Montana.

If you need someone to birdie the final hole at a major, you think Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus

If the clocks winding down and you need someone to hit that jumper to win the game, you think Michael Jordan.

If time's running out, the guests are arriving, and you need someone to melt some cheese, you think Emeril Lagasse.

It's just what those guys do!!

So you think that Brady is successful because of Montana's West Coast offense? Does that apply to Walsh and Montana?

You might want to go back and check into some "Dons" named Fouts and Coryell. Rumor has it that they had a unique and "new" offense at San Diego starting in the late 1970's.

Actually, Coryell was using that offense in St. Louis with Jim Hart when Montana was still dreaming about going to Notre Dame!

Who do you think of if you want someone to mount a 4th quarter comeback or pass for over 60,000 yards or for 430 TD's or win 160 games?:D

Granted, Air Coryell may have thrown the ball all over the lot, but they never won anything with it.

The philosophies were also a little different. Coryell and the Chargers just threw seemingly every down. Ironically, Kevin Gilbride (Giants O-coordinator) and the Warren Moon-Oilers used the run-and-shoot which was similar to what Fouts did in San Diego.

I beilieve Montana and Walsh envisioned a ball-control offense based on short precise passes.

Favre

Ryan Leaf. What's my prize? :D

I have no way of verifying it but I once heard one of the 49er assistant coaches say that they copied and "studied" Coryell's offense.

You bring up a good point about the short, ball control type passing offense. I will try to look up the stats on the average yards per pass of the old St.Louis Cardinals, Fouts Chargers, and Montana's 49ers. It might be revealing.

You get dinner at the Golden Arches with the Mule of your choice!

Doesn't anyone (else) remember that the Giants beat the (Montana) 9ers for the 1986 NFC Championship .
Game was just like yesterdays.
Giants won 6-3 (something like that) .

Joe and John (Unitas) still alone at the top ( in the Modern era for now)

Study, there's a concept that will do you some good! I'm sure they studied a lot before they devised a totally new approach to the passing game & with the greatest QB of all time won 4 SB's!

Yeah, that's a great team record for Joe...4 NFL Champioships.

I bet that he's still wishing that one of his teams at KC could have won another so that he would have 5 (five) NFL Championships like Bart Starr ended up with.
SmileWavy

touche !

Wasn't Bart Starr's career QB rating something like 80? Me thinks he had a lot of help:)

Yeah, that was an interesting display of the famous West Coast offense and Joe Montana.

Giant QB Simms completed LESS than 10 passes but they beat "the greatest QB ever" by the slim margin of 49-3.

Gosh, maybe Phil is the greatest QB of all time huh Mule?

Makes no difference. He was a winner. That's what counts. Ask Mule for expert verification on that.;)

Anyway, my test is a good one.

You're about to die and the powers that be allow you a wager on life. Your team against theirs and you get to pick the QB. Who would you pick with your life on the line?

I might even go Steve Young, the original double threat.

There is such a fine line between winning and losing, usually...that you really need to look at it to have some perspective.

In Super Bowl 16 and later, Super Bowl 23...the 49ers won close games against the Bengals.

In SB 16, they came up with a goal line stand in which the TE from Cinci was tackled on the 1 foot line.... had they made that TD...they would have won the game.

In SB23, on the play before Montana hit Taylor for the winning TD...he threw one right in the breadbasket of Cinci D Back Lewis Billups...who dropped the potential game winning interception. Next play, Montana to Taylor game over.

Yesterday... Brady leads his team down the field late in the game for the TD to go ahead.... Eli comes back...but had any of the following 4 plays been made by the NE defense the game would have been over: the fourth down run by the Giants where they got the first down by a foot...the sack that Eli escaped followed by the incredible catch...and 3 terrible passes by Eli which the Pats D backs dropped potential interceptions on the drive, including Ellis Hobbs and Rodney Harrison....

had any of those plays went the other way, then TB would have his 4th ring...but they didnt.... had the Cinci Bengals made those 2 plays in their SBs vs. the 49ers....they would have been a dynasty...but they didnt.

So when people talk about who is the best, whos not etc...it may help to look at the big picture and realize that its a team game and sometimes luck is involved too. For that matter, there are several QBs bunched up at the top....
SmileWavy

Bart Starr.