Ten accomplished panelists -- each with a Super Bowl ring and a combined 330 seasons of NFL experience -- ranked their greatest NFL quarterbacks of the past four decades for ESPN, ultimately deciding on a top 10.
Tom Brady ranked No. 1, followed by Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, John Elway and Aaron Rodgers.
As with every ranking, there's usually a player who has been omitted, a player who ranks too high or a player who would have made the list had the criteria been different. We asked our panel of four NFL Insiders to give their thoughts on the list created by Pete Carroll, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Howard Mudd, Wade Phillips, Mike Reinfeldt, Ray Rhodes, Mike Shanahan, Al Saunders and Norv Turner.
Here are our Insiders' answers to specific questions on the panel's top 10 QBs since 1978:
Which quarterback is ranked too low?
Mike Sando, senior NFL writer: It's probably Troy Aikman, who barely registered in balloting. He was a sensational talent who played his best during the playoffs for a three-time Super Bowl winner. The Cowboys' offensive system contributed to lesser numbers for him, and it's easy to forget all these years later just how accurate he was from the pocket. Concussions shortened his career. It wouldn't be a crime to sub Aikman into the top 10 over Steve Young, who blossomed later in his career and was sensational for a stretch but ultimately won two fewer Super Bowls as the starter for a team that was also very talented.
Aaron Schatz, editor of Football Outsiders: The question is: How much weight do you put on longevity, and how much do you put on peak value? Based on how good guys were at their peaks, Young is definitely too low. In Football Outsiders' DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement) stats, Young has three of the top five quarterback seasons between 1986 and 1998. His peak lasted only eight seasons, but he was the most efficient passer in the league and added more rushing value than any other quarterback on top of that.
Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: Speaking purely subjectively, it's difficult to accept that there have been two quarterbacks in NFL history better than Montana. Reasonable people can debate Montana's legacy vs. Brady's, but Montana should have finished no worse than second. Manning's passing numbers were phenomenal and exceeded Montana's in every way, but they were of an era that granted him and his receivers innumerable advantages that Montana never received.
Field Yates, NFL Insider: Given that the list is only 10 names long, it's hard to begrudge the order much. Dan Marino is the one who stands out, given his prolific numbers during the decades in which he played, but it's also hard to separate a quarterback's résumé from his team's overall success. Even just one Super Bowl ring likely would've thrust Marino into the top five.