As we've all seen, Brett Favre's recent retirement has brought to the forefront once again the question of "Who is the Greatest NFL Quarterback of All Time?". I for one choose to abstain from joining the conversation, but I will put my own spin on why, and perhaps on a way to more meaningfully tweak this epic debate.
Many fans are quick to offer their answer to this question. The problem I have with doing so is that, the average fan, in fact even the above-average fan cannot possibly hope to accurately assess this question and all that comes with it, en route to a truly informed choice. It reminds me of politics and helps clarify for me why I tend to go mute when I find myself surrounded by a political conversation. Such as is the case with so many political-type issues, with the question of determing the 'Best' all-time QB....there is just too much that we can't possibly know as mere human beings.
Football is the ultimate team game, 11-on-11, all working together on any given play, to achieve an objective. If I hit the lottery and had years of free-time ahead of me, and decided to undertake this Question for real (don't worry, i wouldn't seriously try this)..... I still couldn't possibly hope to assess enough game film of the QB's in the conversation, factoring in all the variables of: 1)How good was the play-call the coach made on that play? 2)How well did the Defense out-guess that play call? 3)How well did the O-Line block, given their play-call blocking assignment? 4)How well did the WRs run their routes? 5)Was that interception truly the QB's fault? 6)Was that TD pass truly brilliant or just a great play-call by the coach?.......and on and on and on and on.
Having watched a fair amount of NBA over the years, I have to say determining your 'Greatest All Time' basketball player might be a more worthy and valid quest. Basketball is 5-on-5. For the player with the ball in hand, raw atheticism, artistry and mastery are on naked display. Sure, it's a team game, but less so than football. Do I think that Michael Jordan was the best to ever play? Well, probably. But I'd be lying if I didn't confess that his game-face-extraordinaire, his gum-chewing tongue-wagging swagger, his overall sense of theatre and sense of hunger for the big moment didn't play a significant role in wowing me. In fact, wowing all of us. The guy was INTENSE.
So perhaps the question I can more aplty address is "Who is the most Intense NFL QB of all time?" Now that's much easier. Madden hit the nail on the head (and then proceeded to club us all over the head repeatedly) when he said "Brett Favre plays QB with a linebacker's mentality." And it was a pleasure to witness, especially since he was on MY team. Favre could deliver the chills even before the snap of the ball, with the routine buckling of his chin strap, grabbing of his face mask, assessing of the defense, and audible-calling...... always with the nastiest game-face in the business. It's no wonder the network cameras loved the Favre close-up. And I'm glad they did.
In my estimation, Favre didn't exaggerate when he said during his retirement speech that he'd given everything he had to the game. His commitment and intensity were evident every time he walked up and got under center.
Comments
Hey, Kevin. All great points. I will be the first to say I'm not the most knowledgable of football people, but I'm not a novice either. I was a huge fan of Montana's. I'm a huge fan of anyone that is SUPER-CLUTCH (thus, MJ, Montana, Jeter, and Tiger). I must say, also, that my memory of Favre's best years (late 90s, right?) are not so fresh. Maybe it's selective memory. Call it what you may, I need to participate in this community, so here are my two cents.
Just going by the "eye test," I cannot rank Favre as the best QB ever. As you can tell by the previous paragraph, one of my major criteria for being an all-time great is clutchness. Therefore, sticking with that, 4th quarter, Super Bowl, last two minutes, final drive ... I would definitely rather have Montana, Elway, and Brady leading me down the field before Favre. Now, before you say anything ... I get it ... I really do. How can you NOT love Favre's intensity and enthusiasm, right? And his longevity! The way he plays the game is truly a joy to watch. In fact, every player should strive to play with such heart and child-like enthusiasm. BUT ... does that make him SOOO great that everyone has to have a boner every time Favre's name is mentioned? His stats are great and he holds so many records partly because he's played longer than any other quarterback. I mean, that interception record is nothing to be proud of. And, for me, that last interception against the Giants really summed it up.
Fantastic player. Great ambassador for the game. Certainly one of most beloved player ever. But the BEST? Not quite.