As Drew Brees continues to add on to his impressive numbers and Tom Brady adds more and more wins, the great debate of the greatest NFL quarterback of all time is once again in full swing.
The modern discussion usually always consists of Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, and Peyton Manning formerly of the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. So let's break down the four star quarterbacks one by one.
*Yards and touchdowns are by regular season only*
*Stats are accurate after week 13 of the 2018 season*
Tom Brady
19th Season
All Time Record (Regular Season): 205-58 (.779)
Passing Yards: 69,501
Passing Touchdowns: 508
Interceptions: 168
Playoff Record: 27-10 (.730)
Super Bowl Record: 5-3
Brady's case for being the GOAT: Tom Brady has had an unbelievable career and continues to impress. He has the most wins and Super Bowl wins of any quarterback in NFL history. Those numbers are hard to ignore. He seems to be able to flourish regardless of the personnel around him. The future NFL Hall of Famer was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL draft and has undoubtedly proven everyone wrong. He continues to excel at age 41 and once again has his team in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy in February.
My Take: Tom Brady is absolutely one of the best quarterbacks the game has ever seen. However, I think the system he was put in right away made for fairly easy success. His head coach, Bill Belichick is a defensive mastermind and has been with Brady his entire career. Early on in Brady's career, the Patriots were a dominant defensive team and was the main reason Brady was winning. In two of his first three Super Bowl wins, Brady only averaged 190.5 passing yards per game and totaled three touchdowns. Unless you have a dominant defense by your side, those numbers will not get you a win. In Super Bowl XXVI, The Patriots took on one of the best offenses in the league, the St. Louis Rams. The Patriots fearsome defense held the Rams offense (The Greatest Show on Turf) to 17 points. Meanwhile, Brady completed under 60% of his passes and totaled 145 passing yards and just one touchdown en route to the Patriots scoring 20 points. This notion of Brady being lifted by his team was a common theme throughout his early career. Belichick is more essential to the team's success than Brady. Want more proof? Tom Brady went down with an injury in 2008 and missed the entire season. Matt Cassel (yes Matt Cassel) took over and posted a record of 11-5. Cassel went on to join other teams and never enjoyed success resembling what he did in 2008. Additionally, Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season and the Patriots used two different quarterbacks but still went 3-1. The Patriots win with and without Brady.
Drew Brees
18th Season
All Time Record (Regular Season): 152-108 (.585)
Passing Yards: 73,707
Passing Touchdowns: 518
Interceptions: 231
Playoff Record: 7-6 (.538)
Super Bowl Record: 1-0
Brees' case for being the GOAT: Drew Brees has year in and year out produced big numbers and exciting offenses since joining the New Orleans Saints in 2006. He is the all time leading passer (yards) in NFL History. His historic Super Bowl win in 2009 for a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina was monumental. He came to the Saints and made them a relevant franchise for the first time ever. He also is playing the best he ever has in his career at age 39 and has the Saints currently with the best record in the NFL. He and coach Sean Payton have been a match made in heaven and Brees has opened the door for many quarterbacks who do not possess the ideal height for the quarterback position.
My Take: Brees has produced some of the highest flying offenses and did his part to change the quarterback position. The problem with Brees being labeled the GOAT is that he has not shown the ability to consistently win. Before getting to New Orleans, Brees had one playoff appearance in five seasons with the San Diego Chargers and no playoff wins. Brees has since gone on to lead the Saints to six playoff appearances but has not won enough. This late into his career, Brees posted 7-9 records in 2014, 2015, and 2016. He currently holds the lowest winning percentage of the quarterbacks in question. I know his defenses have been near the bottom of the league for a large portion of his career but shouldn't the greatest quarterback of all time be able to overcome some of that and at least post a winning record? His inability to even make the playoffs year in and year out is a huge red flag. It seems like Brees has lacked the "IT" factor and has not possessed the "cut throat" or "closer" trait to put a game away during a majority of his career. Seven playoff wins up to this point isn't comparable to the likes of Brady and Manning. One Super Bowl title certainly does not flash "quarterback immortality." This year, Brees seems to be better than ever and could still add to his illustrious career and prove everything I have said entirely wrong.
Aaron Rodgers
14th Season
All Time Record (Regular Season): 98-52-1 (.649)
Passing Yards: 42,006
Passing Touchdowns: 334
Interceptions: 79
Playoff Record: 9-7 (.563)
Super Bowl Record: 1-0
Rodgers' case for being the GOAT: Rodgers passes the eye test in every measure. The way he plays quarterback is extremely unique. Rodgers can get off a pass from any position and moves around in and out of the pocket like no one has ever seen. Many describe the way he plays as magical because he can make something happen anytime when a play breaks down. At any time, any distance, or any scenario, number 12 in the green and yellow has shown again and again that he will rise to the occasion and get the job done. He also takes care of the ball and plays mistake free football just about better than anyone. I would certainly say he is the most talented quarterback I have ever seen.
My Take: By my measure, I do not think Rodgers should be anywhere near the conversation for the greatest. Not only is the longevity not there, but even in the sample size of his career, he has not produced the results necessary. Rodgers has failed to win the big games in the playoffs since his one Super Bowl win. He is in the middle of a (4-7-1) season and his coach, Mike McCarthy was fired midseason. People are often tricked by the eye test and declare him the best of all time purely because of his talent. Rodgers' talent is undeniable, but people have gotten to the point where there is always an excuse for why Rodgers does not win. People often point to the fact that Rodgers has bad coaching and the Packers organization does not do enough to put pieces around to win championships. Again, the greatest of all time should be able to dominate regardless of who is around him. Rodgers still has many years ahead of him but I think adding his name to the hat at this point is very premature.
Peyton Manning
18 Seasons (Retired after 2015 Season)
All Time Record (Regular Season): 187-79 (.703)
Passing Yards: 71940
Passing Touchdowns: 539
Interceptions: 251
Playoff Record: 14-13 (.518)
Super Bowl Record: 2-2
Manning's case for being the GOAT: Manning has more passing touchdowns than any player in NFL history. In 2013, he set the NFL record for the most passing touchdowns in a single season in NFL history (55). Manning revolutionized the way quarterbacks prepare and became the father of all this pre-snap verbiage. Manning was known for his exotic words and actions before the snap of the ball to throw off and confuse defenders. Manning is also the all-time leader in fourth quarter comebacks and game winning drives. Those stats show that regardless of what situation he had to deal with, Manning found a way to win the game.
My Take: For my money, I am taking Peyton Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time. Manning changed the way the game was played and was one of the founding fathers of the new highly dynamic offenses. Unlike the rest of the guys on this list, Manning flourished with two different franchises. Manning had four Super Bowl appearances with four different head coaches. If that doesn't prove he can make it to the big game with anyone, I don't know what does. In 2011, Manning sat out the entire season after having neck surgery. The Colts went on that season to go 2-14 and was hands down the worst team in the entire league. Unlike Brady's Patriots, Manning's team was not even competitive when he had to sit out. Most declare Brady as the GOAT because of his wins on big stages. Manning is 3-2 against Brady in the playoffs and is 3-1 in the AFC Championship vs Brady. (The biggest stage these two could ever play on.) Manning was drafted first overall in the 1999 draft, because the Colts were the laughing stock of the NFL and had the number one pick. What Manning did for the Colts organization was extraordinary. He then went on to overcome a neck surgery, join the Broncos, throw 55 touchdowns in one season, and appear in two Super Bowls and win one.