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Ten Best QBs All-time in SuperBowl
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8.8
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1981 Super Bowl XVI 49ers VS Bengals: 26-21 Won
1984 Super Bowl XIX 49ers VS Dolphins: 38-16 Won
1988 Super Bowl XXIII 49ers VS Bengals: 20-16 Won
1989 Super Bowl XXIV 49ers VS Broncos: 55-10 Won
He was certainly not the most athletic of quarterbacks; in fact, that was often a criticism of Joe throughout his career. But there is no denying his ability to win, and to win in the clutch. Of all the QBs on here, there is no one I would rather have playing on my team in any situation. What sets Montana strides ahead of everyone else on here, and indeed, even among active QBs is his calm under pressure, his leadership and ability to make plays in any environment and situation. He went to and won four Super Bowls, and he beat the other top QBs of his time, including John Elway, Dan Marino, and Boomer Esiason in Super Bowl appearances. To me, there is no one else who quite compares.
Fraterlucis's rating:
8.5
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1974 Super Bowl IX Steelers VS Vikings: 16-6 Won
1975 Super Bowl X Steelers VS Cowboys: 21-17 Won
1978 Super Bowl XIII Steelers VS Cowboys: 35-31 Won
1979 Super Bowl XIV Steelers VS Rams: 31-19 Won
Bradshaw was certainly not your conventional quarterback. In fact, it was his unorthodox play that highlights much of his career. But he had one factor that seemed to place him above the other, well, beyond the four Super Bowl wins. He had the ability to make plays out of not merely broken plays, but downright bumbling plays. I still recall the game where he bounced the ball of the turf, caught it on the bounce and threw a long completion. Was some of that luck? Certainly, but it's hard to imagine an elite quarterback who doesn't also possess some measure of luck. Bradshaw was not only a great quarterback, but had more than his fair share of luck on his side.
Fraterlucis's rating:
8.6
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1971 Super Bowl VI Cowboys VS Dolphins: 24-3 Won
1975 Super Bowl X Cowboys VS Steelers: 21-17 Lost
1977 Super Bowl XII Cowboys VS Broncos: 27-10 Won
1978 Super Bowl XIII Cowboys VS Steelers: 35-31 Lost
I find myself having to grudgingly place Roger here. Not because I have anything against him as a person, but rather, I cannot stand the Dallas Cowboys. That being said, I have to give credit to one of the top quarterbacks of the twentieth century. He also played in four Super Bowls, but he only won two of those. Of course, he did lose those two to another quarterback on this list, Terry Bradshaw. He is also one of the few QBs to win the Heismen Trophy and the Superbowl, the other being Jim Plunkett. He also had a knack for comebacks in the vein of Montana, and had a great ability for scrambling away from tackles to make plays. On a last and interesting note, it was a comment by Staubach that ingrained the phrase "Hail Mary" into football terminology.
Fraterlucis's rating:
8.7
0
NFL Championships (before Super Bowls)
1960 NFL Championship Packers VS Eagles: 17-13 Lost
1961 NFL Championship Packers VS Giants: 37-0 Won
1962 NFL Championship Packers VS Giants: 16-7 Won
1965 NFL Championship Packers VS Browns: 23-12 Won
Super Bowl Appearances
1966 Super Bowl I Packers VS Chiefs: 35-10 Won
1967 Super Bowl II Packers VS Raiders: 33-14 Won
Bart Starr played long before most people on here probably remember, and while there are some arguments for placing some of the other QBs on here above him, I gave him the nod for this spot. He won the first two Super Bowls in the NFL, but what most do forget, he also won three of four championship games before the Super Bowl even existed. And he did all of these things with a ball designed more for running plays than passing plays. To me, he deserves to be here as much as anyone on this list.
Fraterlucis's rating:
8.7
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1968 Super Bowl III Colts(Baltimore) VS Jets: 16-7 Lost*
1984 Super Bowl V Colts (Baltimore) VS Cowboys: 16-13 Won
While it's true, he did only win one Super Bowl, and played in two (at least partly), to me, he's one of the all time greats. Until Drew Brees broke his record, he held the record for most consecutive games with a TD pass at 47. Back in a time when the running game was the dominant side of football, Unitas was the prototype of the modern passing QB. Even though he also goes down as the first NFC QB to lose to the AFC(AFL at the time), I honestly don't credit that completely. Not only did he not even play half of the Super Bowl, but he was not healthy when he was put in the game. And he led his team in the few remaining minutes (why didn't they play him earlier) to their only touchdown of the game. Yes, the NFC lost, but I don't believe it was because of Unitas play for the little time he was in the game.
*Unitas in fact only played essentially one quarter of the game.
Fraterlucis's rating:
8
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1986 Super Bowl XXI Broncos VS Giants: 39-20 Lost
1987 Super Bowl XXII Broncos VS Redskins: 42-10 Lost
1989 Super Bowl XXIV Broncos VS 49ers: 55-10 Lost
1997 Super Bowl XXXII Broncos VS Packers: 31-24 Won
1998 Super Bowl XXXIII Broncos VS Falcons: 34-19 Won
There's no denying that Elway is one of the greats to play the game. Like a few other names on here, he also had a knack for comeback victories. He was in five Super Bowls, but lost three of those, once to Joe Montana and another to NFL great Phil Simms. What was most amazing about Elway was his ability to play at such a high level during the end of his career. His two Super Bowl wins come at the end of his career, the last two years in fact. It's good to go out on top.
Fraterlucis's rating:
8.3
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1971 Super Bowl VI Dolphins VS Cowboys: 24-3 Lost
1972 Super Bowl VII Dolphins VS Redskins: 14-7 Won
1973 Super Bowl VIII 49ers VS Vikings: 24-7 Won
Even though Griese did not play for a good deal of his perfect season, I can't take away the fact that he was a huge part of the Dolphins' success during that year, winning the early games he played in, and coming off the bench in the playoffs to come from behind and then move on to win the Super Bowl. He played in three Super Bowls, winning two of those. Of the loss, it was to another great you may have heard of, Roger Staubach. His career was often plagued by injuries, and he was unable to mount a successful campaign after his second Super Bowl win, but that does nothing to tarnish his place on here and in NFL history was one of the best to play the game.
Fraterlucis's rating:
8.8
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1994 Super Bowl XXIX 49ers VS Chargers: 49-26 Won
While much could be said to place Young below Aikman, I gave him the nod, not merely because I'm a 49er fan, but also because of his ability as a QB. Not only does he have one of the highest lifetime QB ratings in the NFL, but he has as much athletic ability as most of who played the game, and more than most. And he had grit like few I've seen play. Of those QBs who have played through ridiculous injuries, few other names come to mind (McNabb is one, who played through a broken ankle; how on earth he did that, I have no idea). Most memorable for me was his playing through cracked ribs. For anyone who knows what that feels like, nothing else needs to be said. He has one Super Bowl win in one appearance.
Fraterlucis's rating:
6.2
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1992 Super Bowl XXVII Cowboys VS Bills: 52-17 Won
1993 Super Bowl XXVIII Cowboys VS Bills: 30-13 Won
1995 Super Bowl XXX Cowboys VS Steelers: 27-17 Won
I came very close to placing Aikman above Young on this list, even in spite of my distaste for the Dallas Cowboys. Aikman is undoubtedly one of the greats of the NFL, and he does indeed have more Super Bowls than Young, three to Young's one. However, he also had the better overall o-line, making his need to scramble and make plays with his legs very small. Perhaps I shouldn't take this away from him, but to me, Young is the more complete quarterback. Still, Aikman had a knack for playing under pressure, and for getting the job done, more than can be said for Dallas QBs after him. I have to tip my hat to Aikman, not only for that, but he is one of the few Cowboys who I can say is a class-act.
Fraterlucis's rating:
7.6
0
Super Bowl Appearances
1996 Super Bowl XXXI Packers VS Patriots: 35-21 Won
1997 Super Bowl XXXII Packers VS Broncos: 31-24 Lost
So much can be said of Favre, and there are many that do not like him after some of the fanfare that occurred at the end of his career and beyond, but there is no denying he was a very gifted QB. He played in two Super Bowls, winning one and losing the other. The loss comes to John Elway, hardly a nobody. But what sets him ahead of some others I had considered for this list is not only his winning, but his ability to do so on every time he played on. Yes, he had a knack late in his career for making horrible decisions at the worst times. But there is no denying that when he went to those teams, he elevated their play far beyond where they had been before him arrival. That, to me, is the mark of a great quarterback.
Fraterlucis's rating:
I've listed here the ten best quarterbacks of all time to play in a Super Bowl. This list is entirely subjective, obviously, and before you complain about some quarterbacks not being on here, these are the top ten who have been in a Super Bowl. It necessarily excludes a number of great quarterbacks who may not have made it to the big game. I have also excluded quarterbacks still playing the game, as their legacy is not yet complete, and they may in the future replace a name or two on this list (hence, Brady, who I might well place on here, is not listed).
I considered a number of factors beyond mere statistics for this list, and I stress again, this list is my own opinion and is entirely subjective. If you disagree, that's fine; make a list of your own. If you want to offer a suggestion and make a case for one not on here, or one that should be moved up or down, fine, but please keep comments respectful of myself and of others commenting on here. Thanks.
I considered a number of factors beyond mere statistics for this list, and I stress again, this list is my own opinion and is entirely subjective. If you disagree, that's fine; make a list of your own. If you want to offer a suggestion and make a case for one not on here, or one that should be moved up or down, fine, but please keep comments respectful of myself and of others commenting on here. Thanks.
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