NOT A CHANCE!
Sorry to burst this media sensations bubble but I just can't take everyone rating Elway as one of the greatest ever! Because of the great comebacks (which he put them in that predicament with his AWFUL play for 56 minutes) and the way he ended his career (probably on the most complete offence ever!) everyone thinks he's so great. Let's look and the numbers. First his drive. The drive would not have been necessary if he played better during the first 56 minutes, in which he had a QB rating of 50 with no tds and one pic completing less than 50% of his passes. Second when you compare him to his contemporaries, Montana, Marino, Young, Elway can't even hold their jockstraps! Elway had 8 1000 yard rushing seasons by a running back during his career but couldn't crack 80 (once) on the QB rating, until The Bronco were STACKED with talent. By comparison Montana had 4 1000 yard seasons Young 3 and Marino ONLY ONE!!! Yet these QBs stats destroyed Elway! Rings are a TEAM STAT not a player. Qbs don't play on defence or special teams. The 49ers had numerous seasons where their leading rusher did not even have 600 yards!!! Just because he was exciting to watch, big arm, risk taking does not make him great! Finally that Denver team was so stacked that even without Terrell Davis, Brian Griese led the league in passing and Jake Plummer made the pro bowl!!!! Everyone forgets how Elway played during the ENTIRE game in his famous comebacks, but only remember a small segment of the game. Good qb yes, one of the greatest ever...not even close!
More stacked than what Marino, or his contemporaries had! He had the benefit of a 1000 yard rusher 8 times in his career, in an era where running the ball has HUGE! and could only crack 80 qb rating once! And he played with 7 of the 10 greatest O-linemen in Bronco's history!
http://www.milehighreport.com/2012/5/31/3051410/the-greatest-denver-bronco-team-offensive-line
And That Denver team was stacked best O-line by a mile, Terrell Davis one of the greatest ever!, best catching TE of his era, Two 1000 yard receivers! Don't know how this is laughable. Like I said Griese led the league in passing without Davis and Plummer made the pro bowl and put up career numbers playing on that stacked team!
If they were so stacked , why were they a 14 pt dog to Green Bay in the Super Bowl ? Denver was only a SB favorite in Elway's last team....Speaking of stacked teams , If you take all the great QB's I bet Elway had less HOF players , less Pro Bowl players , and HOF coaches , then any other great QB to work with...
12 of the 13 last Super Bowls will have either featured Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Ben Roethlisberger.
Super bowl line NFC had won 13 straight Green Bay was defending champion and Broncos had a history of losing! Now that you mention it Marino had 10 offensive pro bowlers Elway 14! Marino had one offensive all-pro Stevenson, Elway had four Nalen, Zimmerman, Sharpe, and Davis! Elway had two pro/all pro receivers before he got to Denver, Marino had none! Upchurch and Watson (Watson was in his prime 26 in 1983 Upchurch ALL-pro 1982) yet non of these receivers put up better numbers with Elway! Rod Smith had more pro bowls without Elway on Denver 3 to 0, and better numbers on Denver without Elway, proving he's a great receiver. Not a single Dolphin receiver that played with Marino made the pro-bowl on Miami after Marino left! Need I go on!
12 of the 13 last Super Bowls will have either featured Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Ben Roethlisberger.
This is 1 of the reasons I see the future for Luck/ Colts as bright. Brady/ Manning/ Roethlisberger and there isn't much else. I don't trust the Bengals for any kind of long term success.
we all use the eye test to some degree.. Marino threw so many big games away and always blamed everyone else... Good to great somewhere, but not top 10 imo... Davis wasn't even around for most of Elway's career.. Dolphins had better defense's in that time period,,Marino also had a lot better coaches then Elway...Reeves pretty much put the reigns on him for a lot of Elway's career.. Elway got to what 5 or 6 SB's winning 2 with arguably less talent..Marino got to 1...OK ....gotcha... Elway it is....BTW, not sure why Andy Luck is even in this thread when discussing this topic
