John Elway

#7 is the best ever. Put all the others on the same team he carried on
his back in the late 80's and 90 and they would have finished .500 for
the year. The difference is that he played in a system for the first 9
to 10 years that basically played conservative, then when they were down
in the 4th quarter Dan said tee it up Johnny. And boy did he!!! Put
Montana with that defensive line and his career likely would have lasted
less than 5-years. Put Marino there and he would have been killed
because he did not have the wheels to keep them in the game or himself
alive. Put John on Montana's team with the all pro cast he played with
and who knows what his stats would reflect and how many Super Bowls he
would have won. This isn't even a contest when you consider that if you
swap these great players to the other teams John would have been more
successful and the others would have been average. Then take the
Shanahan years, although I am not a big fan of him, but now John had a
coach that designed a system that took advantage of his skills and added
a cast to take the team to the next level. Last but not least Denver
won more games during John's 16 year career than any other team at the
same time. He helped build a winning program that has suffered
tremendously since he left the game. I lived in Denver from 86 to 89.
Was not a big fan of John because he did not go to Baltimore when he was
first drafted and at the time I lived in Baltimore. But in the first
season I lived there and watched him play I was won over. I watched
Johnny U in his best years and he was incredible, but when you look at
all the skills and then consider the cast that they played with, #7 is
the best ever.

He was pretty good. Walk in hall of famer material I think not.

Didn't this guy lose 3 Superbowls? A rebutal is that he won two, I'll give him that. I think he is the biggest choker of all time.

He was gutsy in all those 4th quarter comebacks. He had many years without a strong supporting cast.

Elway was the most talented QB ever in my book. I get the feeling that some people who dont rate him very high are people who are too young to have seen him in his prime and are just looking at his stats. Until 1993 he was not in a "QB friendly" system with Dan Reeves. His numbers got better from 93 on. Then there is this "choker" garbage: I hate to tell you this, but those Bronco teams would have never made it to ANY of those 5 Super Bowls if not for Elway. 2 of the 3 teams his Broncos lost to were 2 of the best Super Bowl teams ever. (86 Giants, 89 49ers) Also, don't give me this "Davis carried the Broncos in Elway's last 2 years" crap either. They had Pro-Bowl caliber players almost everywhere on that offense. Let's not forget that Mike Shanahan has proven time and time again that he can plug almost any decent back into that zone blocking system of his and make them look great. After Elway retired, Davis was averaging a whopping 3.1 yards a carry in the '99 season BEFORE he hurt his knee. Why? Because the defense didnt have to worry about #7 passing anymore. Denver has had running back after running back come in and look great for them since Davis retired. How has their QB situation been since Elway retired? How many playoff games have they won since Elway retired? I dont think they have won 1!! Yeah, Elway was a real loser wasn't he?

I find myself becoming skeptical of the legend of Elway as I look further into it. I can sum up why in two words: Terrell Davis

UPDATE: Just looked up the stats and I feel a compelling need to take another star away. Davis gained over 4000 yards from scrimage in the two Super Bowl years. Denver, you may want to switch up your little statues and such...

best EVER

John Elway got absolutely crushed in his first three Superbowls, but later on was able to win two because of Terrel Davis and a tough defense.

Best Plyer Ever

One of the best 5 QB's ever to play the game. No one was ever better in the clutch.

I hate the Broncos! He sucks uber big balls!

Elway would've never, ever got a ring without terrel davis. period. Imagine marino with such a rb.

He is better than #54

He's a all American good guy. 2 time Superbowl winners don't grow on trees. Who doesn't want to be John Elway?

name one more quarterback with more wins than elway...you cant, so dont waste your time-he was the best ever at the position, hands down.

Very good quarterback, deserves everything he's got. Heart is what made this guy a winner. He even has a huge passion in his dealerships. I admire John and would rate him higher than Dan (I'll throw every down Marino) any day of the week. Plus hes won the big one.

Bests he gave his all every game, and lead the team with his skill, and personality.

Not near as good a passer as Favre or Marino. Lost lot's of Superbowls too.

wow, so here we are big john eh, f'ing buck tooth. 5 stars for the horse teeth but one star for all the interceptions and low completion %

oh you mean the guy who throws alot of picks! he passed on every down so he has the yards and td's but completions and int's will always haunt my mind. OVERRATED. 3 stars. (i give him one to bring it down)

Quite possibly the most deserving player without a Super Bowl ring (along with Dan Marino) before finally achieving it in both his final two seasons with his beloved Denver Broncos, John Elway initially seemed star-crossed. But Elway showed heart against seeming odds, persevering through sports writers' and fans' criticisms and a coach who disliked him immensely (Dan Reeves). His patience and talent finally paid off against Brett Favre's Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII and culminated with his final game and Super Bowl MVP performance in game XXXIII.

After analyzing every conceivable performance measure for NFL quarterbacks, I conclude that Joe Montana, John Elway, and Johnny Unitas are the top 3 of all time - the NFL's QB Triumvirate, the top tier of the Elite. When all is said and done and all the results are in, other NFL quarterbacks come close (Graham, Favre, Young, Marino, Starr, Staubach, Bradshaw, Baugh), but these guys - each in his own unique way and style - are unsurpassed in their accomplishments on the gridiron. Raw statistics are one important measure, but they are not the final arbiter - not the true measure of greatness. Fact is, numerous other quarterbacks had better QB ratings, more passing TDs, and higher completion percentages than Montana, Elway, or Unitas. But who had more Super Bowl victories and played better in the big games than Montana? Who won more NFL games, more total championships (Super Bowl, Conference and Divisional), and comeback victories than Elway? Who was a superior field commander and played the game with more grit and determination than Johnny U? As for Elway, you will be hard pressed to find another Hall of Fame quarterback who played all phases of the game with more athleticism, competitiveness, power, and endurance. Come on young folks, learn how to interpret the signs of true greatness.

The most exciting and triumphant career I've ever watched. Anyone who thinks q/b ratings are an accurate measure of a quarterback's worth is clueless. A quarterback has to make plays and win games; that's what John Elway did, as well as anyone. Elway didn't play a game that rated well. He played to win. You can't argue that any of his teams were that great without him, and yet he won more games than any other quarterback ever. He also threw for more yards than all but Marino. Today's q.b. ratings are so inflated . . . When people look back, they'll ask how many yards did he throw for? how many yards did he run for? how many games did he win? how did his teammates feel about him? how many championships did he win? John Elway did it all.

Much superior to Marino!

classic case of work hard enough and ull get there

hes a sissy

Showed patience to getting his first ring in '97.

Elway may not have had the best stats known to man, but he didn't have an offense built around him either. He lacked a defensive unit thoughout the nineties and still managed to make over 40 fourth quarter wins and 7 fourth quarter ties. He was consistant and led his team to 14 winning seasons in 16 years in the NFL. And what about his leadership commitment to one team. Few players can say that they played for the same team for their entire career, let alone a 16 year career. Players aren't all about stats, especially quarterbacks, they are supposed to lead the team along with making plays.

The most important stat for a QB is wins. Who holds the record...John Elway. And that includes 2 Super Bowls, and an Super Bowl MVP, and the most late game comebacks ever. If Dan Reeves hadn't kept him bottled up for the first 10 years of his career, Marino wouldn't have any career records.

pretty good. ok i guess.

Over-rated. Favre, Marino, Manning, and Montana are way better

Big Time Choker.

John Elway is the best quarterback ever to p;ay the game. Elway's stats may not be the best, but he does rank near the top in career stats and he went to 5 Super Bowls. How many other quarterbacks have gone to 5 Super Bowls. John Elway also has more wins then any other quarterback, what does that tell you? Elway will be the greatest quarterback to play the game.

pound for pound the best ever,he was not a system qb like montana and he had a better arm than unitas,mr iwatch500 real football started after 1975

I have been watching NFL football since the 60s and I have never seen a player as over-rater as John Elway. I read an old Sporting News article form 1983 which had a story about him after his first pre-season game. The press had this guy in the Hall Of Fame before he played his first regular season game. Can somebody explain to me why he is considered a great quarterback? But lets let the numbers speak for themselves Trivia question: Based on passers with at least 100 attempts per season how many times did John Elway rank in the top 10 in his first 10 years in the league? Correct answer is ZERO. His best ranking was 14th in 1987. People were drooling over this great QB who ranked an average of 22.5 (out of an average of 40) in his first 10 years in the league. Later in his career he got better and actually ranked 5th (his best) in 1993. In his 16 years in the league his average ranking was 17th. But what about his play in those big games? Elway played in 5 Superbowls and his QB ratings in those 5 games were 83.6, 36.8, 19.4, 51.9 and 99.2. His total for those efforts is just 59.3. If you dont understand how poor a 59.3 rating is go to NFL.COM and look at the current ranking for QBs. Anyone under 70 is considered a total bum. Career rating for some players that had respectable careers: Neil Lomax was 82.7, Bernie Kosar 81.8, Neil ODonnell 81.6 and Dave Kreig 81.5. These are solid quarterbacks but I never hear them considered Great. Then why is John Elway, with a lifetime ranking of 79.9, considered great?

A good QB, but I never really thought the Broncos success was due to him the same way the Packers is due to Favre.

Way overrated. If it wasn't for all the talent he got in the later part of his career when he got his super bowl wins, he wouldn't even be considered as a good quarterback. Even with the talent in the last 6 years of his career, career qb rating- 79.9...Brad Johnson had a higher qb rating than that, and was 1 off from John Elway's career high for touchdown passes last year, and Brad Johnson sucked last year...With that said, how can people still say John Elway was better than, or even in the same league with Joe Montana or Brett Favre?

John Elway is the best quarterback i've seen since watching football...qb that can beat a team with his arm as well as his legs...took the broncos to three superbowls with very little help...won two with a running game....terrell davis didn't win the superbowls, it took both of them....was superbowl mvp with the second superbowl...only qb to start five superbowls....winnest qb of all time...some of the great qbs who were playing at the same era....Marino got to one superbowl with no help....Elway made it to three...Montana was on some of the greatest teams of all time with the greatest receiver of all time...Elway would have won more superbowls if he had Rice and Taylor to throw it to

thanks terrel davis

Johnny Frickin Ballgame....The Winningest QB of all time. Enough Said. Ok, I'll say more. He never had a supporting cast until TD came along. But TD was just that...supporting. Elway carried the Broncos since he was drafted. He had a cannon for an arm and a the passion for success that can only be rivaled by Brett Favre (who idolizes Elway). Marino never even made it to the Super Bowl and had 50 some rushing yards. Montana had an outstanding supporting cast. There is no comparison...watch The Drive and you'll feel the same way.

Jeeze Lousie...John smoked and drank and still kicked butt...He is without a question the finest QB in the history of football. Ask Montana, Marino, and Farve...they say the same thing...John is the best.

wat a loser he sucks cant throw far or hit any reciever(only moss or to)

elway was a good team leader, but as for ranking him with the likes of favre or marino, thats crazy talk

GREATEST EVER!!!!

Could have been an average player if he'd have played the Browns every week. Of course, the Browns have a way of making every mediocre player a star.

One of the best ever. The Drive in Cleveland showed his guts and determination and brains, and when he finally got a team as determined as he was, he became damn near unstoppable.

In my opinion, he was the best quarterback ever. Marino and Montana would have been injured and sidelined in the first season had he played behind the offensive line that John did. He never played for himself, always for the team and for the Denver fans. He gave up part of his salary to get a good running back like Davis that eventually helped them to win 2 Super Bowls. Now that he's gone, I appreciate him even more.

the only other qb ive seen as good is favre

God took a chisel and said, "I'm gonna make me a quarterback!" And, thus, John Elway was born. He was the perfect quarterback, with leadership, touch, size, athleticism and a howitzer of an arm. He was surrounded by TERRIBLE teams early in his career and still managed to carry them to 3 Super Bowls, where he lost to some of the greatest teams of all time. Yes, his team mostly carried him when he finally won, but don't forget: he's won the most games of any QB, also. He did everything he could during his career, and did it well. The best ever!

Sorry Johnny U, Joe, Steve, and Dan! #7 is truly the greatest all time QB. He had and played with it all: the arm, the legs, the wins, the championships, the comebacks, toughness (missed minimal starts even behind mediocre lines for years), and the heart! See you next August (2004)in Canton, John!