I know a lot of people will argue that Joe Montana is the greatest QB of all time, but I would disagree for two reasons. One, Montana benefited by playing on the greatest football dynasty of all-time and secondly the greatest quarterback to ever play was and still is Johnny Unitas. Unitas was a 9th round pick by Pittsburgh in 1955 and was cut. He was eventually signed by the Baltimore Colts in 1956. After a rocky start he quickly showed his dominance with a 47 consecutive game streak of throwing at least 1 touchdown pass (1956-1960). His 55.6 percent completion mark was a rookie record, and in his second season, first full season, as the Colts quarterback he finished first in passing yards (2,550) and touchdown passes (24), while helping his team to their first winning season in franchise history and winning the NFL MVP award. In 1958 he lead the Colts over the New York Giants in the NFL Championship game 23-17 in overtime in what is now called the ‘Greatest Game Ever Played.’ By the end of his career Unitas completed 2,830 out of 5,186 passes for a 54.6%, 290 touchdowns, 40,239 passing yards, and a 78.2 QB, 3 NFL MVP awards, 10 time Pro Bowl selection, and 3 NFL championships in 1958, 1959, 1968, and a 4th championship, Super Bowl v in 1970. He did all this during a time where there were 12 to 14 games in a season and it was a league dominated by the run. Also, if you think his completion percentage is low, this was during a time where receivers were manhandled and most passes were long distance throws, unlike now where there are many more short to medium distance passes and a defender gets a pass interference penalty for touching a receiver after 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. When Unitas retired he was the all-time leader in wins for a quarterback with 118 wins, and currently ranks 7th. Johnny U was the perfect example of a record setting and multiple championship winning quarterback and revolutionized the position more than anyone has in the history of the game.
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10 years, 7 month(s) ago