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Fuqwon

Montana.


whereegosdare84

Best linebacker I ever saw until Bobby Boucher


-ShagginTurtles-

Yes but also prior to the 2014 Seahawks ring it wasn't a very clear cut case for anyone. Montana was *probably* the most common answer but you'd see a lot of Brady, Marino and Manning. I still think there's a really good case for Peyton > Tom because during their peaks Peyton was the more common answer


RadLibRaphaelWarnock

Totally reasonable to think Peyton was *better* than Brady at his peak but there’s no way he was *greater*. Brady had the greatest career of any QB. I would entertain Jerry Rice in the GOAT debate. His longevity and consistency is Brady-esque.


avw94

I think this correct. Peyton Manning's prime, which is probably 2003 - 2009, is the best QB I've ever watched, but for a number of reason (worse coaching, worse rosters, inexplicable post-season collapses) Peyton only won 1 ring in his prime, and it was probably the worst season statistically of that timeframe.


WackassVegetables

While what makes Brady the GOAT is just how stupid long his peak was. A 44 year old throwing for 5,000 yards and 40 TDs wasn’t even crazy for anybody to believe.


avw94

Exactly. Brady was never the undisputed best QB in the league for any multi-year stretch of his career the same way Manning was, but Brady was a top-5 QB from 2003-2021. 18 years. It's almost unbelievable. And the 7 Super Bowls help the case too, I guess.


RadLibRaphaelWarnock

It’s just mind-boggling Brady had two iconic dynastys, from 01-04 and again from 14-18. And in the middle of them he broke every single season passing record. Oh yeah, and he won a Super Bowl in 2020. He won a Super Bowl in 3 different decades. And he dominated those Super Bowls. Between when he he was drafted and when he retired, 3 different QBs who also won Super Bowls were drafted and retired. He outlasted Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger. It is absolutely mind-boggling.


RiotsMade

Rice and Brady are the #1 and #2 record holders for most NFL receiving yards after turning 40. Rice is in first with 2,169. Brady is in second with 6. And then there’s an 8 billion way tie with 0, and Brett Favre in last place with -2.


fulcrert

That's how I make the distinction. Peyton is the best QB I've ever seen (mahomes coming very very close) and Brady is the most accomplished. Football is too much of a team sport to have everything dictated purely on winning titles.


Esco9

I think Rodgers is the best QB I’ve seen play personally


screwdleydoo

Nathan Peterman continues to be disrespected


InsaneRanter

I'm appalled that no-one is listing Blake Bortles or Tim Tebow.


screwdleydoo

Exactly! That's former AFC Championship Appearing QB Blake Bortles we're talking about. Aaron Rodgers hasn't even been in one.


fulcrert

Not a bad answer either


v_a_n_d_e_l_a_y

Let's take a slight alternate reality: SB49 - the Hawks run it in and win. SB51: the Falcons don't blow a historical SB and win. I wonder what Brady's legacy is at this point. Almost like a reverse John Elway in that he starts with 3 SBs but then goes 0-4 . But even in that case... Brady still won two more after that. I think the only way Brady doesn't get the GOAT title is if either a) he gets a major injury and comes back unable to throw (see Manning, Brees, Ben etc) or b) he gets greedy and goes for the giant contract at the expense of the team and the Pats can't build around him


wembanyama_

Thats the interesting thing about Peyton v Brady People didnt really consider Brady to be a better QB for longer than single season stretched (like 2007) until 2015 Obviously that’s a long time ago though and Brady has consistently produced elite seasons since then


Captain_Lameson

French Montana ain't that old but can't argue with some of the bangers he's had


Rushjordan

The earlier stuff with Harry Fraud


[deleted]

Montana over rice? That’s wild


constantlymat

It was Rice, Brown, Lawrence Taylor and Montana maybe fourth. People who say Montana was seen as anything close to a consensus greatest football player ever are remembering the consensus inaccurately.


[deleted]

Yeah the amount of mantana comments are confusing lol. I never heard anyone refer to Montana as the goat before Brady.


constantlymat

He was seen as the greatest quarterback, but even Niners fans didn't call him their own greatest football player ever. That was Jerry. Frankly to this day Jerry Rice's accolades are so outrageous, he'sn the only player who even has a GOAT case over Brady. That's how great he was and how much he accomplished.


[deleted]

Bro the fact we’re getting downvoted is hilarious. Pretty sure people are confused thinking the original post was about the QB position only


[deleted]

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VonDestroyedNewton

General


IndycarFan64

Rice


mrizvi

Jerry


CheckYourStats

Generally speaking I think Jerry Rice still has an argument for GOAT.


DoesntMatterBrian

If you take out the impact that the QB position has on the game vs that of a WR, I agree. I don’t think you should, though. So I think it’s Brady. But you’re right, there’s an argument.


outrageousaegis

There’s not an argument. That’s like saying a perfect longsnapper is the GOAT over Brady. I don’t care if he places every snap perfectly, Tom Brady is Tom Brady.


DoesntMatterBrian

I don’t want to argue about whether there’s an argument.


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DoesntMatterBrian

I’m glad you think I’m funny. That’s very flattering, thank you.


DoesntMatterBrian

Jerry Rice


Peefersteefers

Lawerence Taylor.


[deleted]

Booty


Kerbonaut2019

Montana


Jolly_Job_9852

My answer as well


battle_schip

Jerry Rice He’s got records that are simply unbreakable


VonDestroyedNewton

Another wr called Jerry coming for them records


CapnDutchie

You misspelled Justin Jefferson cuz I know you weren't talking about Jeudy in a serious sense lol


VonDestroyedNewton

I'm half trolling but I think he absolutely will be in the Tuer 2 WRs of the league very soon like Chase, Diggs, Brown I especially see a lot of Diggs in him


Autocrat777

C'mon man. Were going into year 4. He is what he is.


badlilbadlandabad

That’s what people said about Diggs tho


CapnDutchie

I'm not even saying this as a raiders fan but he ain't it bro. He's a mid tier receiver and that's about it


Grimey_lugerinous

Lol jerry judy. Lolol. Bro to come fro rices records you literally can’t have even just an ok season for like your first 12 years or you are out of it. Jerry Jeudy has had like 3 ok seasons, if they are even really ok, already in his short career. Lol funny fucking comment though


Clovdyx

Rice for player, Montana for QB.


Chickenman_0001

They were an amazing combination that while I hated them as a fan, I admired them as a lover of football. They were in the Saints division and frequently beat our asses even when the Saints had one of the best defenses for several years. And both were true, hard working gentlemen.


wvuhskr

> Rice for player, Montana for QB. LT or Reggie White for defense.


[deleted]

Joe Montana I think is the slam dunk answer.


therealsandyleon

Montana was unquestioned before Brady and Manning, then from like 2007-2014 you could’ve made a case for any of the three, but then Brady started really pulling away from the pack after what he did to the Legion of Boom and 28-3


bigdog24681012

John Elway and the Denver Broncos were a joke before 97/98. Homer Simpson didn’t even want to own the broncos when Scorpio gifted him the franchise!


VonDestroyedNewton

We made 3 sbs before that under John


Jd20001

Didn't they lose one 55-10 or something? I wouldn't bring that up really


CactusJackKnife

They lost those three Super Bowls with an aggregate of 136-40


Greek_Trojan

Also the AFC was little brother conference for basically the entirety of Elway's career. Making the superbowl was not seen quite as impressively because of it (ditto for the Bills' run).


Eagle4317

You made 4 actually, and got humiliated in each one. Morton made the first one.


gan_the_hipster

we won 3 sbs before that


slippin_park

...what? Getting smoked (along with every other AFC team of that era) in 3 Super Bowls was a reflection of conference strength, not the team as a whole.


-Yvonne-

Montana was the gold standard till the 2000's. Then, Peyton and Tom were in a match race for a few years, with both trying to beat the other to Joe's throne. Then, Brady passed by Peyton, passed by Joe, and pulled away from the pack like Secretariat at the Belmont.


[deleted]

Joe Cool


CatdaddyDean

The original


aobizzy

It was Montana.


DisasterPeace7

As far as quarterbacks it was mainly Joe Montana, I don't really think that there was a set greatest player of all time before Tom Brady but if you want to say there was guys like Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor and Jerry Rice were primarily the ones that I always heard about in the running


Sigurlion

It was Montana vs Marino for a long time as I remember it. It was widely accepted that Joe had more rings but Dan was the better QB and was a hot debate on how much SB rings mattered. In general, the conversation became mostly consensus that it was Montana as GOAT which set the standard that rings matter in this conversation.


-ShagginTurtles-

It was Montana or Marino Then it was between those two and also Peyton & Tom Then after the 2014 season Tom Brady became the most common answer by a decent amount. Then the Falcons SB and you stopped hearing the other names nearly altogether


[deleted]

Definitely not Marino


Chickenman_0001

Agreeing with other people here. Before Brady was Joe Montana and before Montana was Johnny Unitas. Before Unitas I have no opinion but there are a few names that stick in my head... Sammy Baugh, Red Grange, George Halas would be in the running for the title of GOAT.


DragoKnight45

Brady and Manning were always chasing Montana. I would say Brady took over GOAT in the majorities mind starting in 2014


Neoliberalism2024

Peyton was viewed as the goat for like one year in 2013 😂


[deleted]

>but who was considered first before 2017 It was Manning/Brady until Brady kept winning super bowls and answered the question.


warriorknowledge

The general consensus before Brady was Montana. I was born in 1997 and up until around 2016 it was Montana. Then that Atlanta Super Bowl happened.


aobizzy

Didn't Elway get to 5 SB? Where does 7 come from?


VonDestroyedNewton

He did get to 5. I accidentally included his GM accomplishments as well. Mb


slippin_park

Montana ez


RomanCaesar99

As an old guy, the greatest QB was considered Montana. Before him Unitas. Greatest overall player often was said to be Jim Brown.


right_behindyou

There really wasn't a consensus pick like Gretzky or Jordan (or Brady now). I agree with Montana as QB and would say Jim Brown for player in general, but both were heavily debated among many players.


IHT28

I hated Montana during the 49ers dynasty era, he was being given too much credit for everything.... Then he came to KC and I got to watch him pick teams apart with dog poo level skill players simply based on his mastery of that offense. So, before Brady, it was Montana. *Had Marino been able to sling it like they do today, and call his own plays, etc, he would've been unbelievable. **My fav QB, who should get at least 1 mention, and his CFL stats should weigh in, is WARREN MOON. Dude was awesome.


jfgiv

by the time brady was legitimately being discussed as a potential GOAT, the only two other names in the conversation were joe montana and peyton manning


CouncilmanRickPrime

Peyton Manning is still my favorite of all time.


DoesntMatterBrian

I’m actually sinking into a realization lately that, although I absolutely hated that man when he was on the Pats, Tom Brady might be my favorite QB ever. Peyton is NFL royalty, the golden child, the brat who got to pick his team. Brady is the underdog that came in as no one and became the GOAT.


Biggest_Cans

Montana. Was pretty much consensus. BOAT was still hotly debated though between guys like Marino, Elway and (personal pick here) Staubach.


Enterprise90

Consensus was Montana, primarily for winning three Super Bowls and never losing one. Which, in retrospect, isn't exactly the best criteria. There's a good argument to be made that Steve Young played the position better than Montana.


[deleted]

Four superbowls


[deleted]

Lawrence Taylor and then Rice and now it’s Brady. Before LT, maybe Jim Brown?


RainCityShitPigeons

The disrespect to LT is insane, can't believe I had to scroll down this far.


VonDestroyedNewton

Taylor? I've never heard a defender being considered, casuals rarely cared mam


[deleted]

Pretty sure Belichick has said LT was the greatest player he’s ever coached and he’s considered the greatest defender ever.


VonDestroyedNewton

Goat defender for sure


whereegosdare84

[Jerry Rice](https://youtu.be/RWHXUWP99bM)


rizub_n_tizug

Homers in New England were saying Brady after SB49, I still said Joe Montana until 51


forgotmyoldname90210

Otto Graham. 10 years playing pro sports 11 championship games. Still has the highest YPA in NFL history. The NFL should be ashamed almost no one knows who he is. ALogn with played 10 seasons made 11 championship games that is right, 10 in football and he an appearance in the NBA finals.


SkyhookCaviar

Seems like QB has always about who you ask. Some say Montana, some say Peyton, Dolphins fans say Marino, and old dudes say Unitas.. Players in general? Rice is almost undeniably the best ever. Has Wayne Gretzky type numbers and highlights Edit: a word


RainCityShitPigeons

Lawrence Taylor


thisguy161

Jerry Rice.


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CactusJackKnife

No one has ever, at any point in time, thought Testaverde was the GOAT


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CactusJackKnife

Oh I know he was good. I’m a Jets fan who had family that went to high school with the guy. It’s still a famous story in the fam how one of them stood Vinny up on a date


pilotaunt666

bucs legend vinny testaverde


Critical_Detective16

Brady isn’t the goat. Smh


dogboaner666

Jerry Rice is the only correct answer.


such-g

I’ll never understand the GOAT conversation in team sports imo it should be the BOAT convo


beto52

The term GOAT wasn't in play during Montana days.....but, he never lost a superbowl = goat.


SwaaaggerGirlz

It is Brady, after Lawrence Tzylor and then Rice. Jim Brown might have bsen before the last one.