Commentary

Manning’s place among greats safe

It seems the same people who were claiming Peyton Manning should be considered the greatest quarterback of all time with one more Super Bowl win are now claiming he doesn’t even belong in the top five.

I’m not one of them.

With that in mind, here is my list of the five greatest quarterbacks to play the game:

5. Tom Brady
NFL experts tend to judge players by Super Bowl victories and Brady’s three titles put him just above John Elway and his two titles on my list. Brady, a former sixth-round pick out of Michigan, is a two-time Super Bowl MVP, five-time Pro Bowler and one-time NFL MVP (2007).

What may ultimately help Brady move up this list is his ability to bounce back from 2008’s devastating knee injury. His 2009 season was a good start.

Should he put together another solid five seasons and improve upon his already impressive 14-4 playoff record, Brady may one day find himself staring down at all the other greats.

4. Dan Marino
Despite never winning a Super Bowl, Marino was simply one of the greatest to ever lace them up. The 1984 MVP still holds 15 NFL records despite losing a ton of records by way of Favre’s longevity.

Marino’s nine Pro-Bowl selections and eight combined First and Second Team All-Pro selections for Marino got him into the Hall of Fame. Since then, the former Miami Dolphins quarterback has done great work as a NFL analyst on CBS and HBO.

3. Joe Montana
Of all the candidates on this list, Montana has the best case for moving up.

The third-round daft pick from Notre Dame won all four of his Super Bowls, earning MVP in three. He was named league MVP on two occasions and selected to eight Pro Bowls.

Throw in Montana’s six combined First and Second Team All-Pro selections and its difficult to keep him out of the top three.

2. Peyton Manning
Manning’s pick-six in the Super Bowl may be what most fans remember him for, but not me.

He has been right there with Favre as the best quarterbacks over the last decade, and the four-time NFL MVP may eventually replace Favre as No. 1.

Manning was the 2007 Super Bowl MVP, has earned eight combined First and Second Team All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl selections — all by age 33. Despite a 9-9 record in playoff games, including a 1-1 mark in the Super Bowl, Manning continues to be the poster boy for great quarterbacks.

1. Brett Favre
Critics can say what they want about his questionable late-game decisions or his “will-he/won’t-he-retire” mentality. Favre is the best quarterback of all time in my mind.

He’s the NFL’s all-time leader for consecutive starts at quarterback with 285 (309 including playoff games) and is the most exciting player at the position.

Favre has been the ultimate NFL ironman, earning one Super Bowl victory, 11 Pro Bowl selections, three NFL MVPs, six combined First and Second Team All-Pro selections and a spot on the 1990’s All-Decade Team.

Despite his age Favre, 40, holds or shares 43 NFL records and continues to play at a high level. Favre threw a career-low seven interceptions en route to leading the Vikings to a division title and the NFC title game.

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