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NFL Best Quarterback
Is it ironic that people often debate the NFL’s best quarterbacks in history, yet those quarterbacks never play on the field at the same time, against each other, EVER! Sure, we can judge them based on how they faced similar opponents, but there are countless variables which make that a tricky endeavor. Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning, for example, are often compared as NFL best quarterbacks (QB) by their stats, and compared by their head-to-head stats. But in reality, that would be each quarterback facing different defenses at different times. This is akin to them both playing parallel chess matches, with 2 other players, and considering that a head-to-head matchup. So, who truly is the NFL best qb of all time? Would we know if we saw them on the field at the same time? You can never be sure. And yet people constantly debate this as a great American pastime. It’s like picking one favorite family member — you CAN’T pick just 1!
Best QB in History Stats
It is also a tricky task to compare NFL best QB’s of all time because there are many different statistics that contribute to a football game. A quarterback’s wins are considered by some to be the most valuable stat, and they may be right, but football is the ultimate team game and it is difficult to determine how much was the team and how much was the quarterback. Just look at Rex Grossman. He was able to make it to the Superbowl riding his team’s momentum and defensive clout, even while making many foolish mistakes. A quarterback’s ultimate stats can also be confusing because—as fantasy football players know—stats are sometimes governed by situation and a team which is forced to play from behind (a bad defense) can end up having great offensive stats (especially in “garbage time”) which are essentially worthless to fans looking for Superbowl champions. However, one thing that cannot be denied is certain QB’s who succeed in the NFL year-in and year-out are considered to be greats by football fanatics for years after they retire. Their stat lines may have been matched or even surpassed by others in their era, but the QB’s who were consistently great over their career are considered to be some of the best ever. The current NFL Best QB debate is a classic example of how difficult it can be to measure greatness and stats for this reason: there are the fans, and the “stats-aficionados”, and then there is everyone in between. An argument can be made that one of the biggest reasons for this QB debate is sports networks’ love affair with statistics which scroll across a bottom line during football games. This has led to an increase in the amount of statistics kept by the NFL and reported during games, both of which fuel fans’ desire for more information. However, some stats can be misleading or deceptive as mentioned above.
The Best QB Attribute
Tom Brady has been considered by many as the greatest quarterback of all time (the G.O.A.T.), and they may be correct. What is it that Tom Brady has done better than everyone else? Well, he has the most Superbowls of any quarterback. Again, in “the ultimate team sport”, this is a tricky statistic to break down. But it can definitely be argued that Tom Brady’s best attribute was being a team player in terms of money. That’s right, MONEY, was Tom Brady’s best asset, but not in a usual way. Tom Brady, for most of his career, was an underdog, and he was paid as such. As he gained more respect and clout, he still continued to be paid as an underdog. By accepting less money for his work, in a league with salary caps, his team was able to better utilize resources elsewhere.
In our above comparison to two parallel chess games being considered as head-to-head, it is like making “the other game’s opponent” better. The additional resources, in the form of money, allows the team to get other, better offensive players, but also, to get better defensive players, making it harder on team opponents. Not to take away from Tom Brady’s great accomplishments, but this was probably his most overlooked, but greatest tool and weapon to boost his stats in terms of winning, AND personal stats in general. But also, in the ultimate conversation of “Was it Belichik or was it Brady?”, Bill Belichik was dealt a huge advantage by Tom Brady doing this.
Towards the end of Tom Brady’s career with the Patriots, money became more of a tool of respect and status, and so, like any business, money and politics contributed to a downfall and parting of ways. There is, of course, much more going on in the dynamics of quarterback greatness, but in the NFL, no other quarterback has utilized this unconventional strategy like Tom Brady.
During this same time of Brady’s career, there were players who played harder and had better stats than him. However, he has become the best all around QB of all time because of a combination of things: his motivation to succeed against long odds; preparation for games through having more accurate information available (hmmmm, what are you implying AI? Spygate? Locker room bugging allegations?); and dealing with a salary cap while being paid as an underdog which allowed room for the team to get better elsewhere on the field. All this was made possible by Tom Brady having no ego when it came to money or fame, but instead always had his teammates success in mind first.
The Best Quarterback Strategy
Another factor that has contributed greatly to Tom Brady’s success is his decision making skills in terms of risk taking. Many quarterbacks are always striving to make the best play they can, on every play and every down. Many quarterbacks will make risky and controversial “forced” plays based on their athletic confidence which can often become costly. Tom Brady has often chosen to throw the ball away, to live another day, as a conservative approach. Many quarterbacks should learn from this NFL best quarterback strategy from one of the as it is somewhat unconventional and less flashy, but yields positive results. This strategy gives him another chance, but also contributes greatly to giving his defense better field position (punting rather than an interception or fumble based on risky playmaking). Some of this can probably be attributed to Tom Brady’s entrance as a starting quarterback after Drew Bledsoe (the starter at the time) made a risky decision to run for a first down and being injured by a hit from a linebacker. Surely this factored in heavily to Tom Brady’s decision making skills at the beginning of his career, and also in his later years as he aged. There were times where it appeared he would throw the ball away just because the play had reached its maturity without success and was now venturing into unknown territory. Rather than continue on, trusting in himself, he would opt to end the play and go back to the drawing board—so to speak.
Calling plays at the line and audibling would give his team the advantage of having the informational edge, and a slight edge-up just by being the one to dictate first move advantage. Some of the greatest games to watch were when The Patriots played against The Ravens with Ray Lewis. You could see Tom Brady adjust the play at the line, as he was reading the defense, and subsequently, Ray Lewis would change the play. Tom would then re-adjust the play, and Ray would as well, until the play clock was about to run out. It forced Tom to take more chances rather than play to a known advantage. Sometimes—I would venture to guess—Ray was audibling to a random or possibly even sub-optimal defensive structure, but it at least gave him the advantage of not having Tom know exactly what was going on and forcing him to play on instinct rather than a pure informational advantage.
Who do you think was or is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.
*Disclaimer: Some of this story was generated through the use of AI. All italic text was created by the AI Writer.
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