To Eli or not to Eli?

Alright, it hasn't even been a week and already the Eli conversations have started. The debate over the greatest quarterback of all time has gone on as long as the forward pass has been around and I don't plan on this article solving the issue. As a matter of fact, I would like it to keep going because as we all know there is a quarterback right now, somewhere in little league that will grow up and take the NFL by storm. But let's get into it anyway. Let's start with the obvious, who is the greatest QB of all time? Well, before the Superbowl I kept hearing that Tom Brady was the greatest QB to ever put on a helmet. BIG STATEMENT! Let's be honest, if that was true and he had to spend the last four or five years thinking about how the Giants stole the ring off his finger in 2007 and now he has the chance to prove to the whole world that the first game was a fluke then what should have happened was Brady comes out and throws 5 TD's in the first half and completely takes the game over. Didn't happen, at the very least, with a minute to go and one timeout, the greatest QB to ever wear a helmet should have put together the game winning drive. Yeah, yeah, I know, Branch and Hernandez dropped passes, but Brady completed a 4th and 16 and had a new set of downs. That eliminates the dropped passes complaint. Here is the truth, Brady, just like Montana, is a very good QB who was lucky enough to play inside of a great system. A great system doesn't make you a great QB. Brady and Montana top ten? Yes. Best ever to put on a helmet? No. The best ever always wins, the best ever takes the game on his shoulders and wins it. He doesn't throw an intentional grounding for a safety or throw a pick in the biggest game of the year.

How do we decide the formula for the greatest ever. Montana supporters have always told me that it's Superbowl wins. Ok, that makes it a tie between Montana and Bradshaw. Believe me, Bradshaw is hardly the same QB as Montana. The rule also makes Eli twice as good as Favre, Rogers, Brees, Peyton, Steve Young or Kurt Warner. The also puts Trent Dilfer in the same group as those QBs. Hardly! Dan Marino only went to one and lost it. How does he get in the conversation or into the HOF? It's not Superbowl wins.

Let's look at NFL moments in history. "The Catch" is always associated with Montana. Watch the play though, how many time have we seen a QB throw the ball away. The catch is a Dwight Clark play, not a Joe Montana play. The Immaculate Reception was a horrible decision to throw the ball by Bradshaw, again, not a Bradshaw play but a Franco Harris play. But when we talk about John Elway, what do we get? The Drive, not the catch or the reception. The Drive, the part of the game that is commanded by the field general. The QB. What about the Eli / David Tyree play? I've heard it called The Prayer and The Snare. Again, not totally just a receiver play but come on, if Eli throws that ball and it gets picked by Rodney Harrison then it becomes a horrible decision. Another QB who benefited from an amazing catch by a receiver. It's not a single moment captured on NFL films either.

Do we go by stats? Well then Brett Favre is the best with 71, 838 yards. Wait a minute, then interceptions would tell us the worst right? That would be Brett Favre with 310. This very easily shows that stats cannot be used because they all depend on how long someone plays. Stats would put Kerry Collins and Vinny Testaverde above Joe Montana. Come on man! Stats? No way!

The truth is, the formula doesn't exist. Its that thing! That thing you know when you see it. It's Peyton reading the defense, its Brees and Aikman's accuracy, it Elway and Young scrambling, Marino's release, Brady and Montana's ice cold veins, and don't forget Roger's discount double check (ha ha). Now it is also, Eli's no quit ability. The fact that this kid plays like he doesn't even realize he's in the Superbowl. The fact that he can get sacked six times in SF and still get up with his helmet on sideways and have enough presence of mind to call the time out and still finish the drive to go to the Superbowl. This is the kid that was able to put together game winning drives in two Superbowl over the greatest QB to ever wear a helmet. You watched the playoffs and the big game and you watch Eli stand in the pocket way way too long and still complete the pass. I heard Kurt Warner say today that Eli is not a HOF QB yet. Guess what Kurt, he has twice as many Superbowl rings as you do and he got his by beating the guy that beat you. Not just once, but twice. Wait a minute though, Warner has lost two Superbowls, just like Brady, so maybe Warner is the greatest to ever wear a helmet too. Yeah, I get it. It's Peyton's kid brother, he's goofing looking and sometimes is very sketchy on his decisions but there is something there, isn't there? That thing. Didn't you know when Eli had the ball at the end that they were gonna go down the field and score. Not because the Pats defense sucked but because that's what Eli does. Didn't you also know that Brady wasn't gonna do it. It's that thing, and while some QB's are good and play inside great systems there is an even smaller list of guys that have that thing. Don't we have to start putting him in the conversation at least?

You know if I was a coach and only had one game that needed to be won, I would choose Tom Brady. If I only had one drive I would choose Drew Brees and if I only had one play I would choose John Elway. I'm not saying that Eli is the greatest either, but he has that thing.

Now we got other guys coming up, Stafford and Newton. Can't you see these two putting up some ridiculous numbers? Maybe even some Superbowl performances. The fact is, everyone has their favorites and everyone has those QB's that scare the hell out of you because you watch them kill your team twice a year for 2 decades (Favre). At the end of the day you know who the greatest really is so be realistic about it. There is not one single QB that is the greatest ever. The NFL doesn't have it's Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky, and if we did, if we had the greatest NFL player ever....it would be...Jerry Rice. But that's a topic for another day.