*The NFL is revealing the 100 greatest players and 10 greatest coaches in NFL history. Every Friday night at 8 ET through Dec. 27, NFL Network will announce the latest members of the All-Time Team during a special hosted by Rich Eisen and featuring Bill Belichick and Cris Collinsworth. *
Below are the 10 quarterbacks on the NFL All-Time Team, as revealed on NFL Network:
Joe Montana (1979-1994)
2000 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by 49ers in 3rd round (82nd overall pick) of 1979 draft... Master of comebacks, nicknamed "Joe Cool." Led 49ers to 4 Super Bowl titles in 1980s (T-2nd most among QB), winning Super Bowl MVP 3 times (2nd-most)... Orchestrated 92-yard winning drive, throwing TD with :08 left in SB XXIII... Back-to-back NFL MVP awards, 1989-1990... Highest-rated passer in SB history (127.8, with 11 pass TD, 0 INT)... Made 8 career Pro Bowls... 3-time 1st-team All-Pro... Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1980s... Member of NFL's 75th Anniversary Team... Born June 11, 1956, in New Eagle, Pennsylvania.
Tom Brady: We had season tickets to the 49ers. We sat like three rows from the top of the stadium and it was one thing we would do every Sunday. It was a perfect time to grow iup in the Bay Area and watch him play, watch the 49ers win and fall in love with the game. When I was in the parking lot in Candlestick, I was trying to be Joe Montana. That was a huge point in my life. He was my idol. When you saw Joe Montana on TV, you knew your team had a chance.
Brett Favre: A lot like Tom (Brady), he made it look easy. And I know it's not easy. Believe me, I know it's not easy, it's far from easy. I ran that offense. But his footwork, his timing, his accuracy, there was never a double-clutch -- it was always in rhythm.
Bill Belichick: The only chance you had was to try to disrupt the timing. Just as Brett said, that offense is based on timing. When that foot hit, the ball was gone and out on time. The only chance you had to try and hit the receivers and try to make him hold the ball for a second and make him clutch a little bit, but he was a nightmare. I still see him hitting Jerry Rice on an 80-yard touchdown pass with a minute to go in the game at Giants Stadium.
Tom Brady (2000-Present)
Selected by Patriots in 6th round of 2000 draft... Winningest QB in NFL history; only QB with 200+ regular-season wins (218)... NFL-high 30 postseason wins... Patriots have never had losing season with Brady as starter (since 2001), winning 16 division titles, most by any QB... NFL-record 6-time Super Bowl champion, 4-time SB MVP. Entering Week 16, ranks 2nd all-time in pass yards (74,079), 2nd in pass TD (538), 6th in passer rating (97.0)... Has won 3 NFL MVP awards, made 14 Pro Bowls (tied for most in NFL history)... 3-time 1st-team All-Pro. Named to NFL All-Decade Team for 2000s... Born August 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California.
Brady: It's pretty amazing. I think you look at all the names and so many of the guys I looked up to over the years, some of my idols and heroes and I love everyone who has supported me and really challenged me -- especially coach -- who to be the best that I could be. I'm glad I'm sitting here, but I'm glad I'm still doing it too.
Belichick: Tom was special his rookie year, even though he didn't play. His leadership with the other rookies in the class. We had a big rookie class, and Tom took them everyday after practice and would run them up and down the field on their offensive plays. He was clearly a leader on the field and then had a very good training camp in 2001. The crossroads was in the middle of the 2001 season when we played the Rams. That was the week that Drew (Bledsoe) had come back and so I split the reps between Tom and Drew that week. The Rams beat us in that regular season game on Sunday night. I didn't think that was Tom's best game, but in retrospect I looked at it and thought it would be hard for anybody to play well getting half the reps. The following week against New Orleans I said we're going with Tom, he's getting all the reps and he's going to play. He played very well in that game, and I think that's one of the real trademarks of Tom's career. There have been a couple games along the way where it hasn't been his best, but the next game he has always came back for an outstanding game. That was a real turning point, I would say, in that season and all in the evolution of Tom's great career.
Johnny Unitas (1956-1973)
1979 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by Steelers in 9th round of 1955 draft; signed with Colts after being cut... Led Colts to 2 NFL titles, 1958-1959, plus 2 SB appearances, winning SB V... 3-time NFL MVP, 1959 (co-winner), 1964, 1967... Retired as NFL leader in pass yards (40,239), pass TD (290)... Threw 1+ pass TD in 47 straight games, NFL mark that stood for 52 years... 10 Pro Bowls (5th all-time by QB)... 5-time 1st-team All-Pro (T-3rd most in NFL by QB)... Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1960s... Member of NFL's 75th Anniversary Team... Named NFL Man of Year, 1970. Born May 7, 1933, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Belichick One of my biggest thrills as a young kid was to snap a ball to Johnny Unitas at my dad's football camp. Everybody got to go out for a pass and Johnny threw it to each kid, but because I played center, I got to snap it to him. ... He was a classic dropback passer even though he was a single-wing tailback at Louisville. He had a great knack for stepping up into the pocket, not so much to run, but step up to get away from the rush. He could make all the throws. He could stand in there and take the hit and make the big throw. He was a classic passer.
Otto Graham (1946-1955)
1965 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by Lions in 1st round (4th overall pick) of 1944 draft... Led Browns to division/league title game in all 10 seasons, winning 7 times -- with 3 NFL titles, 1950, 1954-1955... NFL career record 8.6 yards/pass attempt... Career .810 win pct as starter, best in NFL history (min. 50 starts)... Dominant in NFL title game wins in 1950 (4 pass TD), 1954 (3 pass TD, 3 rush TD), 1955 (2 pass TD, 2 rush TD)... 5 Pro Bowls... 7-time 1st-team All-Pro (tied for most among QB)... Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1950s... Member of NFL's 75th Anniversary Team... Born December 6, 1921, in Waukegan, Illinois.
Belichick Otto Graham was the first player taken by Paul Brown when he became the head coach of the Cleveland Browns -- that was a pretty good pick. Single-wing tailback All-American out of Northwestern, so Otto could throw as well as run, and he was able to escape the pocket. He was tough. Could run to pick up first downs and make yardage in the open field -- you had to tackle him. Otto had great leadership and always played his best in big moments. Graham was a special player not just in statistics, but the championships that he won. He had great leadership.
Sammy Baugh (1937-1952)
1963 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by Redskins in 1st round (6th overall pick) of 1937 draft... Elite passer who sparked offensive revolution... Split career between QB, tailback, punter... Led league in passer rating, punting avg, defensive INT in 1943... Topped NFL in passing 6 times (T-1st all-time), completion pct 7 times (2nd), pass yards 4 times (T-4th), pass TD twice... Led Redskins to 2 NFL titles, 1937, 1942... 6-time Pro Bowl selection, 1938-1942, 1951... 4-time 1st-team All-Pro (5th-most in NFL history among QB)... Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1940s... Member of NFL's 75th Anniversary Team... Born March 17, 1914, in Temple, Texas.
Belichick: A great dropback passer in an era where the forward pass was just really becoming more prevalent. He had a great touch on downfield throws. A strong arm but very accurate and that was a big part of the passing game in the 40's. A lot of the passes weren't made to go two or three yards for possession passes -- they were home run balls like this. Very athletic player. One year led the league in interceptions, punting and passing. And very athletic to scramble out.
John Elway (1983-1998)
2004 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by Colts with 1st overall pick of 1983 draft by Colts, immediately traded to Broncos... Ranked 2nd in pass yards (51,475), 3rd in pass TD (300) at time of retirement... One of 10 QB in NFL history with 50,000+ pass yards. Won Most Valuable Player award, 1987... Led Broncos to 5 Super Bowl appearances (2nd-most by QB), winning SB XXXII, XXXIII... Broncos' all-time leader in pass yards, pass TD, completions, attempts, QB wins... 9 Pro Bowl selections (T-6th all-time among QB)... Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1990s... NFL Man of Year award winner, 1992... Born June 28, 1960, in Port Angeles, Washington.
Belichick: John is a dynamic player. He had a tremendous arm. I don't know if anybody had a stronger, more accurate arm down the field than John did. Could throw on the run and obviously throw in the pocket. Very athletic. He could scramble, make plays and extend plays on his own. Very smart player that seemed to play his best football in critical times of the game -- two-minute drives, fourth quarter, third-down, red area -- things like that. I'm just glad he doesn't have three Super Bowl wins.
Peyton Manning (1998-2015)
Selected by Colts with 1st overall pick of 1998 draft... NFL-record 5-time NFL MVP... Entering Week 15, NFL's career leader in pass TD (539)... Had 4,000+ pass yards a record 14 times... Set NFL single-season records for pass yards (5,477), pass TD (55)... One of 8 QBs with 7 pass TD in a game... Only starting QB to win Super Bowls with 2 franchises... Super Bowl XLI MVP in Colts' win... 2-time NFL Offensive Player of Year, 2004, 2013... Made 14 Pro Bowls (tied for NFL record at any position)... 7-time 1st-team All-Pro (one of only 2 QBs to do so)... Named to NFL All-Decade Team for 2000s... Born March 24, 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Brady: Peyton was such a spectacular player and we had so many great games against him and to be on the other sideline, you just knew that the margin of error was razor thin. He was a relentless competitor and I think he had incredible expectation. I think one thing I really admire, I felt as a 199 pick, I had a year where essentially I could learn and play with no expectation. He was first pick overall and probably the top-rated recruit in high school, and then ends up having probably the most prolific career of anybody that's ever played. Only he himself can match his expectation as that type of athlete and competitor.
Roger Staubach (1969-1979)
1985 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by Cowboys in 10th round of 1964 draft... 1963 Heisman Trophy winner at Navy... Noted for last-minute heroics, guided Dallas to 4 Super Bowl appearances, including 2 titles (SB VI, XII)... Named Super Bowl VI MVP (2 pass TD, 115.9 passer rating)... One of 6 QBs ever to start 4 Super Bowls... Retired as highest-rated passer in NFL history (83.4)... Led NFL in passer rating 4 times (T-3rd all-time), 1971, 1973, 1978-1979... Earned 6 Pro Bowl selections, including in each of last 5 years, 1975-1979 seasons. Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1970s... Named NFL Man of Year, 1978... Born February 5, 1942, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Roger Staubach: I just thought I was coming up to be with my favorite coach Bill Belichick. I mean, next to Tom Landry, of course.
I enjoyed running. Coach Landry was against it. In fact, my eleventh year in 1979, we were still watching film and he said, 'Staubach, you can't do that -- you're gonna learn someday on this running.' After the film, I said, 'Coach, I'm going to be retiring here pretty soon. ... We all have instincts as quarterbacks. I had an instinct of running that was pretty good for a quarterback. I had a feel for things and it came in handy. Quarterbacks that have success have certain types of instincts that others don't have.
Favre: I was a die-hard Cowboy fan but more so because of Roger. And there's no telling how many people would say the same thing. I've seen Roger, I don't know how many times in my career and since, and it never gets old. Just because I've met him doesn't mean I don't get numb again. He's my idol and I emulated my game after him.
Brett Favre (1991-2010)
2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by Falcons in 2nd round (33rd overall pick) of 1991 draft; traded to Packers after rookie season... 4th all-time in pass yards (71,838) & pass TD (508), T-2nd in QB wins (186) -- retired as NFL leader in each category... Made record 297 straight starts at QB, Only player with 3 straight NFL MVP awards, 1995-1997... NFL-best 18 career 3,000-yard seasons... Had pass TD in NFL-record 20 straight playoff games... 11 career Pro Bowls (4th among QB)... 3-time 1st-team All-Pro. Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1990s... Born October 10, 1969 in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Favre: I'm extremely honored. When I was a little kid, I wanted to play pro football. I wanted to be Roger Staubach. I loved Roger, that's who I looked up to, he's my favorite player and he's still my guy. To be able to do exactly what I wanted to do and do it for so long, and to have accomplished so much. At one time, maybe not so much now, have all the passing records. I mean, are you kidding me? I think for me, when I was a kid we only had two channels. I couldn't watch everybody, so if Dallas was out of regional I had to watch the Saints, and I loved Archie Manning, but they were horrible. But he was the bright spot. My deal was Roger Staubach and Archie Manning. I never thought about Pro Bowls, I never thought about MVPs -- I envisioned how it would be like to run out on the field for a Super Bowl and how cool it would be. I got to live that. Everything that has come after, has been like, 'Are you kidding me?' It wasn't like I'm waiting for when they're gonna retire my number, just playing and being able to be Roger Staubach or be Archie Manning, is enough. And I mean that with all honesty.
Belichick: Brett was impossible to plan for because you never knew what he was going to do.
Favre: It was by accident. My dad was my coach and he was old-school. Rather than do 7-on-7, we did Oklahoma drill. We never worked on fundamentals. As a high school senior I could throw it 75 yards, but when teams would come in and colleges or recruiting coach would come in, and he would say, 'Coach Favre I want to see your sun throw.' He goes, 'Well you better come and watch pregame.'
Dan Marino (1983-1999)
2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee... Selected by Dolphins in 1st round (27th overall pick) in 1983 draft... Retired as most prolific passer in NFL history, leading in completions (4,967), attempts (8,358), pass yards (61,361), pass TD (420)... Still ranks 5th in pass yards & pass TD all-time, ranks 6th in QB wins (147)... Was 1st player with 5,000 pass yards in single season (5,084) while throwing then-record 48 pass TD, 1984... Named 1984 NFL MVP... Topped NFL in completions league-record 6 times... 9 Pro Bowl selections (T-6th all-time among QB)... 1st-team All-Pro in 3 straight seasons, 1984-1986... Named NFL Man of Year, 1998... Born September 15, 1961, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Chris Collinsworth: I always thought of that classic throwing motion that was very little arm and it was just sort of from the hip. Maybe the quickest release we've ever seen in the game.
Belichick: Didn't need to stride up to make the throw either. Could throw flat-footed from almost any point on the field. He was a pretty easy guy to pass-protect for because he didn't need much space to throw the ball. His passing statistics and production is just phenomenal. Did it with a lot of different receivers, tight ends, backs, and he could throw the ball to anybody. A terrific competitor.
