Manning's Place in History (so far)

Okay, so Peyton Manning finally won his title. And all I've heard for the past few days is where he ranks in the list of all-time great quarterbacks. They talked about it on Cold Pizza and Skip Bayless put him behind Dan Marino. That is ludicrous. He's won a title and will break or come close to breaking all his records. He's ahead of Marino. Anyway, here's the list.

The last number is titles, not just games played in.

1.) Joe Montana (40,551 yards, 273 TDs, 63% pass comp., 4 SB)
2.) Johnny Unitas (39,768 yards, 287 TDs, 55% pass comp., 2 NFL, 1 SB)
3.) Tom Brady (21,564 yards, 147 TDs, 62% pass comp., 3 SB)
4.) Terry Bradshaw (27,989 yards, 212 TDs, 52% pass comp., 4 SB)
5.) John Elway (51,475 yards, 300 TDs, 57% pass comp., 2 SB)
6.) Otto Graham (23,584 yards, 174 TDs, 4 AAFC, 3 NFL)
7.) Peyton Manning (37,586 yards, 275 TDs, 64% pass comp., 1 SB)
8.) Troy Aikman (32,942 yards, 165 TDs, 61% pass comp., 3 SB)
9.) Roger Staubach (22,700 yards, 153 TDs, 57% pass comp., 2 SB)
10.) Dan Marino (61,361 yards, 420 TDs, 59% pass comp., 0 SB)

Positions six, seven, and eight are the hardest on that list. Otto Graham was an amazing quarterback. He revolutionized the position in almost as big a way as Unitas. He played in 10 straight championships and won 7 of them. The only problem is that he played in an era before the Super Bowl. Unitas at least got to cross over into the modern era and start a Super Bowl (though he was hurt in it), which his team won. Graham never got that chance, so it's pretty hard to measure him up, but he was a great player and NEEDS to be in the top 10. Troy Aikman is hard too because his numbers are pretty uninspired, even with so many Hall of Famers on his team. He did win 3 Super Bowls though, and it's not like he was carried along like a Trent Dilfer. He's a bit like Terry Bradshaw in that regard, but Bradshaw has 4 titles and more TDs (though more interceptions too). I'd like to put him lower, but it's hard to put him behind a guy (Elway) with half as many titles.

Tom Brady obviously earns his rank with 3 titles, already tied for third all-time. He may never win another title (though he certainly could), but he'll certainly put up numbers similar to Unitas if he stays healthy. And there's no reason to think he won't. I don't see him ever moving up on the list, but he also will only be knocked down by 1 guy.

That is, of course, Peyton Manning. Manning would have to win at least 1 more title though. If he gets 2 titles in his career, his numbers will dwarf Brady (and everyone but Marino) and he will certainly be in position for second place. I don't see Manning ever passing Montana though. Even though he could compete at a high level for another 6 years or so, it's pretty tough to win 2 titles in 6 years in the salary cap era. He gets those 2 more titles though and he's no worse than second on the list.

Oh, and for the record, Brett Favre is probably 11th. Though he's doing his best to ruin that legacy.