Water Cooler Quarterbacks: Peyton Manning and the Thirty-One

As I mentioned in my last post, Manning's regular season success that led to a Super Bowl appearance and the Broncos team-meltdown in that game has sparked a lot of comments regarding Manning's legacy and whether or not he can be called the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).

That previous article talked about the impossible nature of crowning any player as the GOAT when we look at the NFL. The game has simply changed too radically over its ninety-four season history. When you try to compare players that are more than just a few years removed from one another you end up comparing apples to oranges. Let me give you a very simple example:

You have four quarterbacks - A, B, C, D.

QB A played from 1937 to 1942 (6 seasons). During those years he would have had the opportunity to play a maximum of 66 regular season games.

QB B played from 1947 to 1952. In his six seasons, he would have had the opportunity to play a maximum of 72 regular season games -- or the equivalent of approximately one-half season more than QB A in a career of the same length.

QB C played from 1967 to 72. He would have had the opportunity to play a maximum of 84 regular season games. So, in a career which spanned the same length as those of QBs A and B, he would have had the possibility of playing the equivalent of a full season more than QB B and approximately one and one-half seasons more than QB A.

QB D played from 1987 to 1982. This would have given him a possible maximum of 96 regular season games in his six seasons, or an advanted of three-fourths of a season more than QB C, two full seasons more than QB B and nearly three more seasons than QB A.

There is no valid way to compare these four quarterbacks when one has had nearly fifty percent more opportunities to demonstrate what he can do. The example above does not even address the issue of the NFL from 1920-37 where teams often played differing numbers of games during the same season.

One rather interesting suggestion that was made in response to the previous post was the idea that we should ignore anything prior to the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL. The rationale given was that the game has changed so radically that the pre-merger NFL and the post-merger NFL represent different games. While this is an intriguing idea, it does create two rather important issues:

First, this approach would require that we totally ignore the contributions that came during the first fifty years of the NFL's history. Put another way, we would have to abandon 53% of the NFL's history.

Second, the game has changed in significant ways even since 1970. Here are some examples: in 1974, the NFL made sweeping rule changes in order to promote increased action, tempo and scoring. In 1977, the NFL moved from a 14-game schedule to a 16-game schedule. In 1988, the play clock for the teams was moved from 30 seconds to 45. In 1990, the NFL added an additional wild card playoff team to each conference. In 1999, instant replay was brought back and a coach's challenge system installed. A review of the way that teams have moved the ball demonstrates a shift from a run-oriented offense to a pass-oriented one. The list could go on and on.

The whole point being made here is that there is no way to validly crown any player the GOAT. A better question would be:

Does the player's career compare favorably to other players at his position who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

The previous article mentioned how an ESPN panel that included former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis asserted that the highest accolade an NFL player can receive is induction into the Hall of Fame. That panel also asserted that once a player has been inducted into the Hall, the discussion is over.

So, in the case of Manning, the question is NOT "Is he the GOAT?" but rather, "Does his career compare favorably to the thirty-one quarterbacks who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame?" That will be the focus of the remainder of this article.

Now, before we begin, I would like to point out a couple of things. First, I make no apologies for focusing on Manning. He is the Broncos' current quarterback. I am a Broncos fan. This is a Broncos blog. If you are a fan of another team, or simply a fan of another quarterback, I invite you to compile the career data regarding your quarterback using the format below and share those observations in the comments section.

One final item, a plea: This article is NOT about whether or not QB A is better than QB B. It IS about whether or not QB A's (and by extension QB B's) career compares favorably with Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Please, please, please, keep the discussion focused on that.

That said, let's look at Manning and the Thirty-One.

Here is the list of thirty-one quarterbacks who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (in alphabetical order):

Quarterback	Years	Team	Quarterback	Years	Team
Troy Aikman	1989-00	Dallas Cowboys	Bobby Layne	1948	Chicago Bears
Sammy Baugh	1937-52	Washington Redskins		1949	New York Bulldogs
George Blanda	1949-58	Chicago Bears		1950-58	Detroit Lions
	1950	Baltimore Colts*		1958-62	Pittsburgh Steelers
	1960-66	Houston Oilers	Sid Luckman	1939-50	Chicago Bears
	1967-75	Oakland Raiders	Dan Marino	1983-99	Miami Dolphins
Terry Bradshaw	1970-83	Pittsburgh Steelers	Joe Montana	1979-92	San Francisco 49ers
Earl "Dutch" Clark	1931-32	Portsmouth Spartans		1993-94	Kansas City Chiefs
	1934-38	Detroit Lions	Warren Moon	1984-93	Houston Oilers
Jimmy Conzelman	1920	Decatur Staleys		1994-96	Minnesota Vikings
	1921-22	Rock Island Independents		1997-98	Seattle Seahawks
	1923-24	Milwaukee Badgers		1999-00	Kansas City Chiefs
	1925-26	Detroit Panthers	Joe Namath	1965-76	New York Jets
	1927-29	Providence Steam Roller		1977	Los Angeles Rams
Len Dawson	1957-59	Pittsburgh Steelers	Clarence "Ace" Parker	1937-41	Brooklyn Dodgers
	1960-61	Cleveland Browns		1945	Boston Yanks
	1962-75	Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs		1946	New York Yankees
John "Paddy" Driscoll	1920	Decatur Staleys	Bart Starr	1956-71	Green Bay Packers
	1920-25	Chicago Cardinals	Roger Staubach	1969-79	Dallas Cowboys
	1926-29	Chicago Bears	Fran Tarkenton	1961-66	Minnesota Vikings
John Elway	1983-98	Denver Broncos		1967-71	New York Giants
Dan Fouts	1973-87	San Diego Chargers		1972-78	Minnesota Vikings
Benny Friedman	1927	Cleveland Bulldogs	Y. A. Tittle	1951-60	San Francisco 49ers
	1928	Detroit Wolverines		1961-64	New York Giants
	1929-31	New York Giants	Johnny Unitas	1956-72	Baltimore Colts
	1932-34	Brooklyn Dodgers		1973	San Diego Chargers
Otto Graham	1946-55	Cleveland Browns	Norm Van Brocklin	1949-57	Los Angeles Rams
Bob Griese	1967-80	Miami Dolphins		1958-60	Philadelphia Eagles
Arnie Herber	1930-40	Green Bay Packers	Bob Waterfield	1945-52	Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams
	1944-45	New York Giants	Steve Young	1985-86	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sonny Jurgensen	1957-63	Philadelphia Eagles		1987-99	San Francisco 49ers
	1964-74	Washington Redskins	Peyton Manning	1998-11	Indianapolis Colts
Jim Kelly	1986-96	Buffalo Bills		2012-13	Denver Broncos

*This particular team folded in 1950

As we read the statistical comparisons below, it is important to keep in mind that some stats were not officially recorded by the NFL during its earliest years. For example, the NFL did not start officially recording quarterback record until 1950. As a result, some of the Hall of Fame players may not appear in some of the statistical categories.

Longevity: Seasons, Games, Starts, QB Record

Seasons	Quarterback	Games	Quarterback	Starts	Quarterback
26	Blanda (only 12 as QB)	340	Blanda	240	Marino
19	Dawson	246	Tarkenton		Manning
18	Jurgensen	242	Marino	239	Tarkenton
	Tarkenton	240	Manning	231	Elway
	Unitas	234	Elway	203	Moon
17	Moon	218	Jurgensen	185	Unitas
	Marino	211	Dawson	171	Fouts
	Tittle		Unitas	165	Aikman
16	Baugh	208	Moon		Baugh
	Elway	204	Tittle	164	Montana
	Starr	196	Starr	160	Kelly
	Manning	192	Montana	159	Dawson
15	Fouts	181	Fouts	158	Bradshaw
	Layne	175	Layne	157	Starr
	Montana	169	Young	153	Tittle
	Young	168	Bradshaw	151	Griese
14	Bradshaw	165	Aikman	147	Jurgensen
	Griese		Baugh	145	Layne
13	Herber	161	Griese	143	Young
	Namath	160	Kelly	129	Namath
12	Aikman	140	Namath	114	Graham
	Luckman		Van Brocklin		Staubach
	Van Brocklin	131	Staubach	106	Blanda
11	Kelly	129	Herber	103	Driscoll
	Staubach	128	Luckman	101	Van Brocklin
10	Conzelman	126	Graham	71	Friedman
	Driscoll	118	Driscoll	67	Conzelman
	Graham	104	Conzelman	62	Luckman
8	Friedman	91	Waterfield	57	Waterfield
	Waterfield	81	Friedman	56	Herber
7	Clark	75	Clark	49	Clark
	Parker	68	Parker		Parker

Manning is in the middle of the mix here, having a career that so far has been as long as Sammy Baugh, John Elway and Bart Starr. Eight HOF quarterbacks have had longer careers while twenty played for a shorter time. Manning currently trails only George Blanda, Fran Tarkenton and Dan Marino in number of games played and has tied Dan Marino for most starts.

Quarterback Record (not officially recorded until 1950)

Quarterback	Win/Loss %	Record
Graham	.810	57-13-1
Staubach	.746	85-29-0
Montana	.713	117-47-0
Manning	.696	167-73-0
Bradshaw	.677	107-51-0
Young	.657	94-49-0
Unitas	.645	118-64-4
Elway	.643	148-82-1
Waterfield	.636	14-8-0
Kelly	.631	101-59-0
Van Brocklin	.624	61-36-4
Griese	.619	92-56-3
Starr	.618	94-57-6
Dawson	.616	94-57-8
Marino	.613	147-93-0
Layne	.607	80-51-4
Tittle	.596	78-52-5
Aikman	.570	94-71-0
Tarkenton	.531	124-109-6
Baugh	.524	11-10-0
Blanda	.514	53-50-1
Fouts	.506	86-84-1
Moon	.502	102-101-0
Namath	.496	62-63-4
Jurgensen	.487	69-73-7

Manning is currently in fourth place in winning percentage, trailing Otto Graham, Roger Staubach and Joe Montana.

Passing (Most of these were not officially recorded until 1932)

Quarterback	Comp %	Quarterback	Yards
Manning	65.5	Manning	64,964
Young	64.3	Marino	61,361
Montana	63.2	Elway	51,475
Aikman	61.5	Moon	49,325
Kelly	60.1	Tarkenton	47,003
Marino	59.4	Fouts	43,040
Fouts	58.8	Montana	40,551
Moon	58.4	Unitas	40,239
Starr	57.4	Kelly	35,467
Dawson	57.1	Young	33,124
Jurgensen	57.1	Tittle	33,070
Staubach	57.0	Aikman	32,942
Tarkenton	57.0	Jurgensen	32,224
Elway	56.9	Dawson	28,711
Baugh	56.5	Bradshaw	27,989
Griese	56.2	Namath	27,663
Graham	55.8	Blanda	26,920
Tittle	55.2	Layne	26,768
Unitas	54.6	Griese	25,092
Van Brocklin	53.6	Starr	24,178
Bradshaw	51.9	Van Brocklin	23,611
Luckman	51.8	Graham	23,584
Waterfield	50.3	Staubach	22,700
Namath	50.1	Baugh	21,886
Layne	49.0	Luckman	14,686
Blanda	47.7	Herber	8041
Parker	46.7	Parker	4698
Friedman	41.9	Clark	1507
Herber	40.9	Friedman	929

Manning has a better completion percentage and has thrown for more yards than any of the thirty-one HOF quarterbacks.

Quarterback	TD	Quarterback	TD%	Quarterback	Int	Quarterback	Int%
Manning	491	Friedman	39.5	Friedman	19	Montana	2.6
Marino	420	Luckman	7.9	Clark	26	Young	2.6
Tarkenton	342	Herber	6.9	Parker	50	Manning	2.6
Elway	300	Graham	6.6	Herber	106	Aikman	3.0
Moon	291	Dawson	6.4	Young	107	Marino	3.0
Unitas	290	Baugh	6.2	Staubach	109	Elway	3.1
Montana	273	Jurgensen	6.0	Waterfield	128	Moon	3.4
Jurgensen	255	Van Brocklin	6.0	Luckman	132	Kelly	3.7
Fouts	254	Waterfield	6.0	Graham	135	Staubach	3.7
Tittle	242	Blanda	5.9	Starr	138	Tarkenton	4.1
Dawson	239	Manning	5.8	Montana	139	Fouts	4.3
Kelly	237	Griese	5.6	Aikman	141	Jurgensen	4.4
Blanda	236	Unitas	5.6	Griese	172	Starr	4.4
Young	232	Young	5.6	Kelly	175	Dawson	4.9
Bradshaw	212	Tittle	5.5	Van Brocklin	178	Unitas	4.9
Layne	196	Bradshaw	5.4	Dawson	183	Griese	5.0
Griese	192	Tarkenton	5.3	Jurgensen	189	Graham	5.1
Baugh	187	Layne	5.3	Baugh	203	Bradshaw	5.4
Graham	174	Staubach	5.2	Bradshaw	210	Tittle	5.6
Namath	173	Montana	5.1	Manning	219	Namath	5.8
Van Brocklin	173	Kelly	5.0	Namath	220	Van Brocklin	6.1
Aikman	165	Marino	5.0	Elway	226	Layne	6.6
Staubach	153	Starr	4.8	Moon	233	Baugh	6.8
Starr	152	Namath	4.6	Fouts	242	Blanda	6.9
Luckman	137	Fouts	4.5	Layne	243	Parker	7.0
Waterfield	97	Clark	4.4	Tittle	248	Luckman	7.6
Herber	81	Moon	4.3	Marino	252	Waterfield	7.9
Friedman	66	Parker	4.2	Unitas	253	Herber	9.0
Parker	30	Elway	4.1	Tarkenton	266	Clark	10.4
Clark	11	Aikman	3.5	Blanda	277	Friedman	11.4
Conzelman	10

Manning has more touchdown passes than any of the others, but is only in the middle of the pack when it comes to touchdown percentage. While he is in the middle of the pack in terms of the number of interceptions thrown, he has matched Joe Montana and Steve Young in interception percentage.

Quarterback	Yds/Attempt	Quarterback	Yds/Catch	Quarterback	Yds/Game
Graham	8.0	Herber	16.7	Manning	270.7
Luckman	8.4	Luckman	16.2	Marino	253.6
Van Brocklin	8.2	Graham	16.1	Fouts	237.8
Young	8.0	Van Brocklin	15.2	Moon	237.1
Starr	7.8	Layne	14.8	Kelly	221.7
Unitas	7.8	Namath	14.7	Elway	220.0
Dawson	7.7	Waterfield	14.6	Montana	211.2
Fouts	7.7	Unitas	14.2	Aikman	199.6
Staubach	7.7	Blanda	14.1	Namath	197.6
Manning	7.7	Parker	14.0	Young	196.0
Jurgensen	7.6	Bradshaw	13.8	Tarkenton	191.1
Montana	7.5	Starr	13.7	Unitas	190.7
Tittle	7.5	Tittle	13.6	Graham	187.2
Kelly	7.4	Staubach	13.5	Staubach	173.3
Namath	7.4	Dawson	13.4	Van Brocklin	166.6
Baugh	7.3	Friedman	13.3	Tittle	162.1
Griese	7.3	Clark	13.2	Griese	155.9
Marino	7.3	Jurgensen	13.2	Layne	153.0
Tarkenton	7.3	Fouts	13.1	Jurgensen	147.8
Waterfield	7.3	Griese	13.0	Dawson	136.1
Bradshaw	7.2	Baugh	12.9	Baugh	132.6
Moon	7.2	Tarkenton	12.8	Waterfield	130.2
Layne	7.2	Elway	12.5	Starr	126.1
Elway	7.1	Marino	12.4	Luckman	114.7
Aikman	7.0	Moon	12.4	Blanda	79.2
Herber	6.8	Young	12.4	Parker	69.1
Blanda	6.7	Kelly	12.3	Herber	62.3
Parker	6.5	Montana	11.9	Clark	20.1
Clark	6.0	Manning	11.7	Friedman	11.5
Friedman	5.6	Aikman	11.4

These categories were intriguing. Manning is in the top third in yards per attempt, but near the bottom in yards per catch, yet leads all of the rest in yards per game.

Quarterback	Sacks	Quarterback	Sack%
Blanda	12	Blanda	0.3
Starr	59	Unitas	1.4
Unitas	74	Starr	1.8
Jurgensen	94	Jurgensen	2.2
Namath	109	Namath	2.8
Dawson	167	Marino	3.1
Aikman	259	Manning	3.1
Griese	267	Tarkenton	4.1
Marino	270	Dawson	4.3
Manning	270	Aikman	5.2
Tarkenton	274	Fouts	5.4
Bradshaw	307	Montana	5.5
Montana	313	Kelly	6.3
Staubach	313	Moon	6.3
Fouts	319	Elway	6.6
Kelly	323	Griese	7.2
Young	358	Bradshaw	7.3
Moon	458	Young	7.9
Elway	516	Staubach	9.6

* not officially recorded prior to 1969

Manning is right in the middle of the pack in both of these categories.

Rushing

Quarterback	Attempts	Quarterback	Yards	Quarterback	Yds/Attempt	Quarterback	Yds/Game	Quarterback	TDs
Elway	774	Young	4239	Young	5.9	Clark	37.0	Graham	44
Young	722	Tarkenton	3674	Staubach	5.5	Young	25.1	Young	43
Tarkenton	675	Elway	3407	Tarkenton	5.4	Parker	19.0	Tittle	39
Layne	611	Clark	2772	Starr	5.3	Staubach	17.3	Clark	36
Clark	606	Layne	2451	Bradshaw	5.1	Tarkenton	14.9	Elway	33
Moon	543	Staubach	2264	Clark	4.6	Elway	14.6	Bradshaw	32
Parker	498	Bradshaw	2257	Dawson	4.4	Layne	14.0	Tarkenton	32
Montana	457	Unitas	1777	Elway	4.4	Bradshaw	13.4	Layne	25
Unitas	450	Moon	1736	Layne	4.0	Montana	8.7	Moon	22
Bradshaw	444	Montana	1676	Unitas	3.9	Unitas	8.4	Montana	20
Staubach	410	Starr	1308	Griese	3.8	Moon	8.3	Staubach	20
Graham	405	Dawson	1293	Montana	3.7	Graham	7.0	Manning	18
Manning	401	Parker	1292	Kelly	3.5	Starr	6.7	Namath	16
Tittle	372	Tittle	1245	Tittle	3.3	Kelly	6.6	Jurgensen	15
Aikman	327	Kelly	1049	Moon	3.2	Aikman	6.2	Starr	15
Baugh	324	Aikman	1016	Aikman	3.1	Griese	6.2	Conzelman	13
Kelly	304	Griese	994	Friedman	3.0	Dawson	6.1	Fouts	13
Marino	301	Graham	882	Parker	2.6	Tittle	6.1	Parker	13
Dawson	294	Manning	697	Graham	2.2	Friedman	5.7	Unitas	13
Griese	261	Jurgensen	493	Fouts	2.1	Manning	2.9	Waterfield	13
Herber	250	Fouts	476	Namath	2.0	Jurgensen	2.7	Van Brocklin	11
Starr	247	Friedman	458	Manning	1.7	Fouts	2.6	Aikman	9
Fouts	224	Baugh	325	Baugh	1.0	Baugh	2.0	Baugh	9
Luckman	204	Namath	140	Van Brocklin	0.4	Namath	1.0	Dawson	9
Jurgensen	181	Herber	116	Marino	0.3	Waterfield	0.8	Marino	9
Friedman	152	Marino	87	Waterfield	0.2	Van Brocklin	0.7	Griese	7
Van Brocklin	102	Waterfield	75	Luckman	-1.2	Herber	0.5	Kelly	7
Namath	71	Van Brocklin	40			Marino	0.4	Namath	7
		Luckman	-239			Luckman	-1.9	Luckman	4
								Herber	3

It was rather surprising to see Manning with as many rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns as he has.

Fourth Quarter Comebacks and Game Winning Drives*

Quarterback	4QCB	Quarterback	GWD
Manning	40	Marino	51
Marino	36	Manning	51
Elway	35	Elway	46
Montana	31	Moon	37
Tarkenton	30	Tarkenton	34
Unitas	27	Montana	33
Moon	26	Kelly	29
Fouts	24	Unitas	29
Kelly	22	Bradshaw	27
Bradshaw	19	Fouts	26
Starr	19	Staubach	23
Friedman	18	Aikman	21
Jurgensen	18	Griese	20
Aikman	16	Dawson	18
Griese	16	Starr	18
Namath	16	Young	17
Dawson	15	Jurgensen	14
Staubach	15	Blanda	11
Young	14	Van Brocklin	6
Blanda	11	Layne	5
Tittle	6	Tittle	5
Van Brocklin	6	Graham	2
Layne	4	Luckman	1
Graham	1

* based on pro-football-reference.com's work (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=3392)

It was interesting to see that Pro-Football-Reference has Manning listed at the top of both of these categories.

Post Seasons as a Starter

Quarterback	Post Seasons	Quarterback	PS Win%	PS Record	Quarterback	Championships
Manning	13	Clark	1.000	1-0	Graham	7
Montana	11	Starr	.900	9-1	Starr	5
Graham	10	Graham	.750	9-3	Bradshaw	4
Marino	10	Unitas	.750	6-2	Herber	4
Staubach	10	Layne	.750	3-1	Luckman	4
Bradshaw	9	Bradshaw	.737	14-5	Montana	4
Elway	9	Aikman	.733	11-4	Aikman	3
Kelly	8	Luckman	.714	5-2	Layne	3
Aikman	7	Montana	.696	16-7	Unitas	3
Griese	7	Elway	.667	14-7	Baugh	2
Moon	7	Blanda	.667	2-1	Blanda	2
Young	7	Herber	.667	2-1	Elway	2
Luckman	6	Namath	.667	2-1	Griese	2
Starr	6	Staubach	.647	11-6	Staubach	2
Van Brocklin	6	Dawson	.625	5-3	Van Brocklin	2
Baugh	5	Young	.571	8-6	Waterfield	2
Dawson	5	Griese	.545	6-5	Clark	1
Tarkenton	5	Tarkenton	.545	6-5	Conzelman	1
Tittle	5	Kelly	.529	9-8	Dawson	1
Unitas	5	Baugh	.500	3-3	Jurgensen	1
Waterfield	5	Jurgensen	.500	3-3	Namath	1
Fouts	4	Waterfield	.500	3-3	Young	1
Herber	4	Manning	.478	11-12	Manning	1
Jurgensen	4	Marino	.444	8-10	Fouts	0
Blanda	3	Fouts	.429	3-4	Friedman	0
Layne	3	Van Brocklin	.429	3-4	Kelly	0
Namath	2	Moon	.300	3-7	Marino	0
Clark	1	Tittle	.000	0-5	Moon	0
					Parker	0
					Tarkenton	0
					Tittle	0

This has been the area in which Manning has drawn the most criticism. Although he has guided his teams to more post season appearances than any of the thirty-one HOF quarterbacks, his winning percentage puts him near the bottom of the group. Many people want to make it an issue that he has only won a single Super Bowl. Yet that merely means that he has more championships than one-fourth of the HOF quarterbacks (Fouts, Friedman, Kelly, Marino, Moon, Parker, Tarkenton and Tittle have no rings). It puts Manning in the company of Clark, Conzelman, Dawson, Jurgensen, Namath and Young who each have a single championship to their careers. So, nearly half of the quarterbacks in the HOF have one or less championships.

Awards & Notable Aspects of Career

Note: when setting records is mentioned, it refers to records at the time the quarterback retired.

Quarterback	Awards and Notes
Troy Aikman	Named Super Bowl MVP (1992), voted to 6 Pro Bowls (91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96), was the winningest quarterback of the 1990s, held or tied 47 Dallas passing records.
Sammy Baugh	Influenced the evolution of NFL game from a run-dominant game to a passing game, voted All-NFL 7 times, led the NFL in passing 6 times, led the NFL in passing, pass interceptions (as a defender) and punting in 1943
George Blanda	Voted to 4 Pro Bowls (61, 62, 63, 67), voted 1st Team All-Pro in 1961, played multiple positions (QB 1949-50, K/LB 1951, QB/K 1952-54, K 1955-58, QB/K 1960-66, K 1967-75), currently holds record for longest NFL career by any player, held or tied 16 regular season records, held or tied 21 title game records.
Terry Bradshaw	Was voted NFL MVP in 1978, was voted Super Bowl MVP twice (78, 79), was voted to 3 Pro Bowls (75, 78, 79), was voted 1st Team All-Pro once (1978), called his own plays, set 13 team records, set 5 post season records, set 6 Super Bowl records.
Earl "Dutch" Clark	Voted All-NFL in 6 of his 7 years, was the NFL's scoring champ 3 times, led the Detroit Lions to the 1935 title, called the plays for the offense, was a triple-threat back who could run, pass and drop-kick,
Jimmy Conzelman	Was a player/coach for 4 teams in the 1920s, led the Providence Steam Roller to the league championship in 1928, became the player/coach/owner of the Detroit Panthers in 1925-26 (he was offered ownership by the NFL for a $100 investment -- that is the equivalent of $1331 in 2013; the Cleveland Browns were purchased in 2012 for over $1 billion), won an NFL championship as the coach of the Chicago Cardinals in 1947.
Len Dawson	Was voted Super Bowl MVP (1969), was voted to the Pro Bowl 7 times (62, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71), was voted 1st Team All-Pro twice (62, 66), is best remembered for Kansas City's 23-7 upset win over Minnesota in Super Bowl IV, led the Chiefs to two SB appearances (I, IV), was noted for his calm and poise on the playing field, won the NFL's passing crown 4 times (62, 64, 66, 68), was regarded as a pin-point passer and astute field general, set 20 team records.
John "Paddy" Driscoll	Was voted All-NFL 6 times in 10 seasons, played both offense and defense, was a triple threat (run, pass, kick) on offense, drop kicked a 50-yard field goal in 1924.
John Elway	Was voted Super Bowl MVP (1998), was voted NFL MVP (87), was voted to 9 Pro Bowls (86, 87, 89, 91, 93, 94, 96, 97, 98), is best remembered for "The Drive" - a 98-yard come from behind TD drive to tie the Cle Browns in the 1986 AFC Champ game that Den went on to win 23-20 in OT, became only player to pass for over 3000 & rush for over 200 in same season 7 consecutive times, set 30 team records, 17 post season records and 2 Super Bowl records.
Dan Fouts	Was voted NFL MVP (1982), was voted to 6 Pro Bowls (79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85), was voted 1st Team All-Pro twice (79, 82), led SD to three AFC West titles, 3rd player to ever pass for over 40,000 yards, set 20 team records, 15 post season records.
Lenny Friedman	Was voted 1st Team All Pro 4 times (27, 28, 29, 30), is considered to be the NFL's 1st great passer, threw a league record 11 TD passes in 1927 as a rookie, led the NFL in TD passes 4 consecutive years, was a triple threat player (run, pass, kick).
Otto Graham	Was voted NFL MVP 3 times (51, 53, 55), was voted to 5 Pro Bowls (50, 51, 52, 53, 54), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 7 times (47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 55), guided the Browns to 10 division and/or league titles in 10 seasons, was the NFL's passing leader in 6 seasons, had 3 passing TDs & 3 rushing TDs in 1954 title game.
Bob Griese	Was voted to the Pro Bowl 8 times (67, 68, 70, 71, 73, 74, 77, 78), was voted 1st Team All-Pro twice (71, 77), led a classic ball-control offense, led Miami to 3 AFC titles & wins in SB VII & VIII, was named NFL player of the year in 1971.
Arnie Herber	Voted to the Pro Bowl once (39), was voted 1st Team All-Pro once (32), led the NFL in passing 3 times (32, 34, 36), led Green Bay to 4 NFL titles.
Sonny Jurgensen	Was voted to the Pro Bowl 5 times (61, 64, 66, 67, 69), was voted 1st Team All-Pro twice (61, 69), led the NFL in passing 3 times, surpassed 3000 yds in a season 5 times, had 25 300-yd games, considered to be one of finest pure passers in league history.
Jim Kelly	Was voted to the Pro Bowl 5 times (87, 88, 90, 91, 92), was voted 1st Team All-Pro once (91), had 8 3000-yd seasons, mastered Buffalo's "no huddle" offense, guided the BIlls to 8 post season appearances, guided the Bills to 4 consecutive Super Bowls, set 13 team records, 4 post season records and 3 Super Bowl records.
Bobby Layne	Was voted to 6 Pro Bowls (51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59), was voted 1st Team All-Pro twice (52, 56), was voted All-NFL twice, was lauded for intangibles - leadership, determination, competitiveness, guts, having fun, was reputed to "not always follow appropriate team behavior" off the field.
Sid Luckman	Was voted to 3 Pro Bowls (40, 41, 42), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 5 times (41, 42, 43 44, 47), is considered to be the first great T-formation quarterback in professional football, went 3/4 for 88 yds 1 TD & rushed 1 time for 1 yd & 1 TD in Chicago's 73-0 win over Washington in 1940 NFL Title game.
Dan Marino	Was voted NFL MVP once (84), was voted to 9 Pro Bowls (83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 91, 92, 94, 95), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 3 times (84, 85, 86), at time of retirement was the most prolific passer in NFL history, was 1st QB to ever to pass for 5000 yds in season, set a record for TD passes in season (48), had 13 3,000-yard seasons, set 35 team records, 17 NFL records.
Joe Montana	Was voted NFL MVP twice (89, 90), was voted Super Bowl MVP 3 times (81, 84, 89), was voted to 8 Pro Bowls (81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, 90, 93), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 3 times (87, 89, 90), led the NFL in passing twice, led the 49ers to 9 NFC West, set 15 teams records, 2 NFL records, 5 post season records and 6 Super Bowl records.
Warren Moon	Was voted to the Pro Bowl 9 times (88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97), set team record in 1st year with Houston, led the NFL in passing twice, set 16 team records with Houston, 8 with Minnesota, 5 with Seattle and set 4 NFL records.
Joe Namath	Was voted Super Bowl MVP once (1968), was voted to 5 Pro Bowls (65, 67,68, 69, 72), was voted 1st Team All-Pro once (68), was 1st player to pass for over 4,000 yards in a single season, set 13 team records.
Clarence "Ace" Parker	Was voted NFL MVP once (40), was voted 1st Team All-Pro twice (38, 40), was a dual-sport player (football & baseball) was a multiple threat player (run, pass, catch, punt, return, kick, defense), set 3 NFL records.
Bart Starr	Was voted NFL MVP once (1966), was voted Super Bowl MVP twice (66, 67), was voted to 4 Pro Bowls (60, 61, 62, 66), was voted 1st Team All-Pro once (66), led the NFL in passing 3 times, led a balanced offensive attack that caused many people to underestimate his passing abilities.
Roger Staubach	Was voted Super Bowl MVP once (1971), was voted to 6 Pro Bowls (71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79), was feared for his ability to scramble out of trouble, led the NFL in passing 4 times, had a reputation for making big plays, set 13 team records, 4 divisional playoff records and 2 Super Bowl records.
Fran Tarkenton	Was voted NFL MVP once (1975), was voted to 9 Pro Bowls (64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 74,75, 76), was voted 1st Team All-Pro once (75), threw 4 TD passes & ran for a 5th in first game, led Vikings to six divisional titles and three Super Bowls.
Y. A. Tittle	Was voted NFL MVP 3 times (1957, 62, 63), was voted to 7 Pro Bowls (53, 54, 57, 59, 61, 62, 63), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 3 times (57, 62, 63), had 13 300-yard games.
Johnny Unitas	Was voted NFL MVP 3 times (1959, 64, 67), was voted to 10 Pro Bowls (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 5 times (58, 59, 64, 65, 67), had 26 300-yd games, set 18 team records, 7 NFL records.
Norm Van Brocklin	Was voted NFL MVP once (1960), was voted to 9 Pro Bowls (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60), was voted 1st Team All-Pro (60), led the NFL in passing 3 times, led the NFL in punting twice, threw a record 554 yds in a 1951 game, was the only man to defeated a Lombardi-coached Green Bay team in championship play.
Bob Waterfield	Was voted NFL MVP once (as a rookie) (1945), was voted to 2 Pro Bowls (50, 51), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 3 times (45, 46, 49), led the NFL in passing twice, was a multiposition player, had 20 interceptions as a defender during his career, was known for his ability to throw deep, often led his team to come-from-behind victories.
Steve Young	Was voted NFL MVP twice (1992, 94), was voted Super Bowl MVP once (94), was voted to 7 Pro Bowls (92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98), was voted 1st Team All-Pro 3 times (92, 93, 94), is tied with Sammy Baugh as only QB to win 6 NFL passing titles, spent 1st 2 yrs with TB before being traded to SF where he was backup to Joe Montana for 4 yrs, had 6 3000-yd seasons, had 20+ TDs in 5 seasons, was seen as a constant threat as a runner, was known as one of most accurate passers in the league, set 16 team records, 5 NFL records.
Peyton Manning	Has been voted NFL MVP 5 times (2003, 04, 08, 09, 13), was voted Super Bowl MVP (06), has been voted to 13 Pro Bowls (99, 00, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 12, 13), has been voted 1st Team All-Pro 6 times (03, 04, 05, 08, 09, 12, 13), in 14 seasons with the Colts led them to 8 division titles, two AFC championships and 1 Super Bowl title, in 2 years in Denver led the Broncos to consecutive division titles, and an AFC championship, has 13 4000-yd seasons, is the Colts all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, is considered to be the master of the hurry-up offense, his pre-snap routine has earned him the nickname "The Sheriff," has set 57 francise records for the Colts, 10 for the Broncos and 37 NFL records.

When all is said and done, it must be recognized that Manning's career compares favorably with those of the thirty-one quarterbacks that have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There is little -- if any -- argument against the idea that he will be elected to the Hall of Fame after his retirement. As the ESPN panel suggested, once that happens, the discussion is over.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Once again, feel free to include a thumbnail of your favorite quarterback and how his career compares to the current list of Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the comments section. Please remember:

This is not about who is better than whom, but rather, is your favorite quarterback worthy of a place in the Hall of Fame?