Ask 20 sports fan who’s the greatest player in a particular sport and you’re likely get 20 different answers. One of my favorite discussions revolves around the greatest living quarterback. There are a number of worthy candidates like Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Tom Brady, but in my opinion, the argument boils down to three – John Elway, Dan Marino and Joe Montana.
I believe the first criteria is to look at the number of Super Bowls each have won – Montana won four, Elway two and Marino none (Marino lost his only Super Bowl appearance to Montana’s 49ers in Super Bowl XIX).
Secondly, I look at their statistics. Joe Montana was an 8-time All-Pro and is the only quarterback to have been named Super Bowl MVP three times. He holds the record for most consecutive games with 300 or more passing yards and led the NFC in passing five times. He also holds the second highest career pass completion record, the third lowest interception record and the third highest number of seasons with 3,000 or more passes.
John Elway was a 9-time All-Pro and is the only quarterback to have started five Super Bowls. He ranks third all-time in passing attempts, yards and completions. His 148 wins rank second for a quarterback and he holds the record for most game-winning or game-tying drives in the fourth quarter with 47.
Dan Marino was a 9-time All-Pro. He’s holds the NFL record for most yards passing in a season with 5,084 and most seasons with 3,000 or more yards passing with 13. He’s ranked second in career yards passing with 61,361 and most career touchdown passes with 420.
Lastly, I like to look at their supporting cast. Montana had one of the most potent offenses in NFL history, including Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Tom Rathman, Brent Jones and Dwight Clark.
Similarly, Elway had future Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and NFL MVP Terrell Davis along with an offensive line anchored by Hall of Famer Gary Zimmerman.
Dan Marino had two powerful offensive weapons in wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper but he never had a powerful running game to balance his offense like Montana and Elway.
So who’s the greatest among those three? That’s like asking whether you prefer filet mignon or lobster. But for my money, I’ll take Elway. If the game was on the line and you needed a clutch performance, he’d be my choice.
