A friend of mine is always to prove that Dan Marino is the greatest QB ever. I tend to agree with him.
I verified none of these numbers, so I neither confirm nor deny the allegations made by my friend, just found it thought provoking if they are correct……
I wanted to compare the quality of football teams between 8 well-known quarterbacks. It's one thing to list the personal statistics for a quarterback, or show how many championships their team won. But I think this gives a better indication of their ability when looking at the strength of their football teams. These quarterbacks are Elway, Marino, Favre, Montana, Aikman, Young, Brady and Manning. Someday I'll include Moon, and possibly Kelly and Cunningham. Bradshaw can't be included because the Steelers played 14 game seasons.
Following the numbers you’ll find a summary and analysis.
The 1ST column shows how many yards gained by all running backs. The 2ND shows how many yards rushed by their best running back, the 3RD shows how their defense ranked in points allowed, and the fourth shows how their defense ranked in yards allowed.
ELWAY
1509 757 9 22
1802 1153 2 25
1556 714 13 13
1388 789 15 21
1437 741 7 9
1456 703 20 20
1800 1151 1 3
1450 1202 23 22
1707 1037 3 7
1291 647 19 23
1311 816 10 22
962 620 25 27
1530 1117 17 12
2038 1538 7 4
2140 1750 7 4
2213 2008 8 12
TOTALS
25590 16743 186 246
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1599 1046 12 15
MARINO
2032 746 1 8
1892 606 7 19
1738 667 12 22
1527 830 26 27
1147 619 17 23
1158 414 24 26
1239 659 22 23
1448 831 4 8
1290 905 24 26
1451 915 12 10
1381 693 24 19
1615 868 18 18
1467 878 10 14
1567 1116 17 18
1333 892 16 25
1514 960 1 3
1339 558 19 4
TOTALS
25138 13157 254 293
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1479 774 15 17
FAVRE
1281 631 15 21
1377 654 9 2
1314 623 5 6
1220 1067 4 13
1701 899 1 1
1696 1435 5 9
1390 386 11 5
1364 1034 20 17
1506 1175 14 15
1599 1387 5 14
1773 1240 12 11
2506 1883 11 16
1506 1175 23 25
1249 582 19 7
TOTALS
21482 14171 154 162
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1534 1012 11 11
MONTANA
1722 543 2 2
1878 856 4 13
2278 1262 1 9
2032 1050 2 15
1766 830 3 11
1635 815 3 1
2100 1502 8 3
1574 1054 3 4
1397 460 2 3
TOTALS
16382 8372 28 61
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1820 930 3 7
YOUNG
1408 561 4 5
1659 1013 3 14
1629 950 16 18
1512 877 6 8
1125 723 2 1
1396 559 5 8
1775 1019 3 1
2034 1570 13 24
TOTALS
12538 7272 52 79
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1567 909 7 10
AIKMAN
1049 446 24 20
1239 937 15 10
1721 1563 17 13
2010 1713 5 1
2004 1486 2 8
1875 1484 3 1
1996 1773 3 8
1604 1204 3 2
1565 1074 14 2
1860 1332 3 17
1892 1397 5 8
1573 1203 22 17
TOTALS
20388 15612 116 107
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1699 1301 10 9
BRADY
1593 1157 6 24
1378 982 17 21
1510 638 1 7
2094 1635 2 9
1388 733 17 26
TOTALS
7963 5145 43 87
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1593 1029 8 17
MANNING
1424 1319 29 29
1581 1553 17 16
1723 1709 15 21
1814 1104 31 29
1368 989 7 8
1631 1259 20 10
1821 1548 19 29
1657 1506 2 11
TOTALS
13019 10987 140 153
AVERAGE PER YEAR
1627 1373 18 19
__________________________________________________________
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
The team's rushing yards by all running backs, and their average rushing yards per year
#1: Montana 1820
#2 Aikman 1699
#3: Manning 1627
#4: Elway 1599
#5: Brady 1593
#6 Young 1567
#7: Favre 1534
#8: Marino 1479
Montana had far and away the best support of a running game. Marino had the worst
The Team's best Rinning Back, and their average rushing yards per year
#1: Manning 1373
#2 Aikman 1301
#3: Elway 1046
#4: Brady 1029
#5: Favre 1012
#6: Montana 930
#7: Young 909
#8: Marino 774
Manning had the most dominating running backs. Marino had far and away the worst Running Backs.
NUMBER OF TIMES A RUNNING BACK MANAGED 1000 PLUS YARDS OVER A SEASON:
#1 Manning; 7 times over a 8 year career
#2: Aikman 10 times over a 12 year career
#3: Favre; 8 times over a 14 year career
#4: Elway; 8 times over a 16 year career
#5: Brady; 2 times over a 5 year career
#6: Montana; 4 times over a 9 year career
#7: Young; 3 times over a 8 year career
#8: Marino; 1 time over a 17 year career
Manning had the most dominant running backs overall. Marino had what was substantially the worst running backs.
BEST DEFENSES POINTS ALLOWED and average:
#1: Montana; 3
#2: Young; 7
#3: Brady; 8
#4: Aikman 10
#5: Favre; 11
#6: Elway; 12
#7: Marino; 15
#8: Manning; 18
Far and away Joe Montana benefited from the better defenses in points allowed. In fact the difference is substantial. Does this shed any light as to why Joe Montana won four Super Bowls? It should. Manning benefited the least in this category, followed by Marino. Marino was blessed with a good defense twice, but it was those very defenses that would fold in the playoffs. Keep in mind this is the average. In Marino's case the median would be much worse.
BEST DEFENSES YARDS ALLOWED and average:
#1: Montana 7
#2: Aikman 9
#3: Young 10
#4: Favre 11
#5: Elway 15
#5: Brady 17
#6: Marino 17
#7: Manning 19
Joe Montana benefited from the best defenses in yards allowed. Manning benefited the least.
Overall analysis:
The saying “football is the ultimate team sport” couldn’t be more apparent than this analysis details. Quarterbacks don’t win Super Bowls teams do. In nearly every category Montana substantially benefited most from the team around him, and that doesn’t even take into account the state-of-the-art offense he was playing in. And as for Marino; you guys wonder why he never won a Super Bowl? Just take a look at the team that was around him. As for Marino’s running game……… I can hear the Marino doubters now claiming Marino preferred it this way. After all, what would Marino know about football? Truth of the matter is Marino averaged no more attempts per game than Favre, less than Manning, and just a few more than Elway. In fact Marino's running backs scored 201 touchdowns. By comparison, Favre’s running backs have only scored 138. Marino was no numbers guy but wanted balance. As for Manning, the running game has been amazing, but the Colt defenses have been horrible. How you can have a great running game but no defense is beyond me.
Two other observations. A. The defenses surrounding Marino were slightly worse than this analysis shows because there were only 28 teams in the league most of his career, and the median is pretty bad. B. The defenses surrounding Brady is somewhat an anomaly, because one year they're the best, then the following year they're pretty bad.
Interesting QB comparisons
- BernieSki
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Interesting QB comparisons
BernSki
- redskingush
- Hog
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Great research, but numbers don't speak for themselves; interpreations do.
For instance, some QB's have great passing numbers because they have no running game. Some, like Moon, play most of their career in an offense that uses short passes in place of the run. Others, like Archie Manning, play for theams that are always behind 28 - 0 at the half, so they just throw and throw into soft defenses. Gibbs' Redskin QB's usually had ordinary numbers because the Hogs were riupping the guts out of most opposing defenses, clearing holes on half the plays for guys like Riggins.
It is a mistake, I've said before, to translate statistics into skill and quality of play.
Incidentally, the list is missing the great QB's from the '60s: Unitas, Sonny, Bart Starr, John Brodie.
And the '50's: just for stats, take a look at Otto Graham and the overall Browns record nder Paul Brown.
Finally, the list is missing the man who made the forward pass an offesnive weapon, rather than a last-gasp. I mean, of course, Number 33, Hall of Famer, simultaneous holder of all NFL passing, punting, and pass defense records (how many DB's have intercepted four passes in one game?), they player that every QB imitates: Sammy Baugh.
For stats, look at 1945:
Gm Cmp Att % Yards Y/p TD INT Rate
8 128 182 70.3 1,669 9.17 11 4 109.9
For instance, some QB's have great passing numbers because they have no running game. Some, like Moon, play most of their career in an offense that uses short passes in place of the run. Others, like Archie Manning, play for theams that are always behind 28 - 0 at the half, so they just throw and throw into soft defenses. Gibbs' Redskin QB's usually had ordinary numbers because the Hogs were riupping the guts out of most opposing defenses, clearing holes on half the plays for guys like Riggins.
It is a mistake, I've said before, to translate statistics into skill and quality of play.
Incidentally, the list is missing the great QB's from the '60s: Unitas, Sonny, Bart Starr, John Brodie.
And the '50's: just for stats, take a look at Otto Graham and the overall Browns record nder Paul Brown.
Finally, the list is missing the man who made the forward pass an offesnive weapon, rather than a last-gasp. I mean, of course, Number 33, Hall of Famer, simultaneous holder of all NFL passing, punting, and pass defense records (how many DB's have intercepted four passes in one game?), they player that every QB imitates: Sammy Baugh.
For stats, look at 1945:
Gm Cmp Att % Yards Y/p TD INT Rate
8 128 182 70.3 1,669 9.17 11 4 109.9
It is way too hard to campare different eras in any sport. The only way I can see doing this is to compare how did they rank against the other players playing at the same time they did. The game was much different 25 yeras ago then today and it certainly was way different 40+ years ago when guys like Unitas, Starr, Graham and Baugh were playing. Besides it did not say these were all the best OBs just "8 well-known quarterbacks". It is always fun to debate.
BernSki
BernieSki wrote:It is way too hard to campare different eras in any sport. The only way I can see doing this is to compare how did they rank against the other players playing at the same time they did. The game was much different 25 yeras ago then today and it certainly was way different 40+ years ago when guys like Unitas, Starr, Graham and Baugh were playing. Besides it did not say these were all the best OBs just "8 well-known quarterbacks". It is always fun to debate.
But your friend is trying to say Marino was the best NFL QB "ever." How can he not compare QBs from more than 25 years ago? The NFL has been around for a long time.
Hog Bowl IV Champion (2012)Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Hail to the Redskins!