Stat check: Greatest QB's of all time

[SalishHawkFan]

Over at Football Perspective they have an article titled Greatest Qb of all time: Wisdom of the crowds edition. Lot of "well, I feel this way" responses with no actual statistics to back them up. When they unanimously claim Johnny Unitas was better than Bart Starr (which I personally would have believed until I saw the actual stats) because he so consistently did better come playoff time, I had to show that simply wasn't true.

Which brings me to this post. Who, statistically, is actually the greatest QB of all time?

To qualify, the QB had to be in the HOF or a shoe in for the HOF or Aaron Roders or Russell Wilson. I looked at Completion %, TD%, INT%, AY/A and ANY/A for both regular and post season. I first compared by era, then took the best of each era and compared one on one. All stats listed as regular/playoffs.

The late 50's through 60's.

Bart Starr: 1956-1971
C% 57.4/61.0
TD% 4.8/7.0
INT% 4.4/1.4
AYA 6.8/9.0
ANYA 6.55/9.0
Johnny Unitas: 1956-1973
C% 54.6/53.1
TD% 5.6/3.1
INT% 4.9/4.4
AYA 6.7/6.0
ANYA 6.48/5.99
Len Dawson: 1957-1975
C% 57.1/56.9
TD% 6.4/3.7
INT% 4.9/4.3
AYA 6.8/6.8
ANYA 6.1/6.79

Bart Starr wins hands down. Len Dawson even beats out Johnny Unitas.

The late 60's through 70's.

Bob Griese: 1967-1980
C% 56.2/53.8
TD% 5.6/4.8
INT% 5.0/5.8
AYA 6.2/5.4
ANYA 5.11/5.42
Roger Staubach: 1969-1979
C% 57.0/54.4
TD% 5.2/5.9
INT% 3.7/4.6
AYA 7.1/5.9
ANYA 5.72/5.89
Terry Bradshaw: 1970-1983
C% 51.9/57.2
TD% 5.4/6.6
INT% 5.4/5.7
AYA 5.8/7.2
ANYA 4.77/7.16

Bradshaw and Staubach are a wash. Each better than Griese. In ties, I give the nod to playoff performance so Bradshaw wins hands down. Since you can argue regular season means more, I'll send both to the finals. But IMO, a team can do well vs lesser opponents and in the playoffs the field is even so IMO, it's Bradshaw. Others can argue legitimately that the better team shines through in the playoffs.

80's and 90's. (Most of these guys careers spanned two decades.

Joe Montana: 1979-1994
C% 63.2/62.7
TD% 5.1/6.1
INT% 2.6/2.9
AYA 7.4/7.8
ANYA 6.6/7.8
John Elway: 1983-1998
C% 56.9/54.5
TD% 4.1/4.1
INT% 3.1/3.2
AYA 6.5/7.0
ANYA 5.6/7.0
Dan Marino: 1983-1999
C% 59.4/56.0
TD% 5.0/4.7
INT% 3.0/3.5
AYA 7.0/5.9
ANYA 6.55/5.92
Warren Moon: 1984-2000
C% 59.4/64.3
TD% 4.3/4.2
INT% 3.4/3.5
AYA 6.5/6.4
ANYA 5.66/6.40
Steve Young: 1985-1999
C% 64.3/62.0
TD% 5.6/4.2
INT% 2.6/2.8
AYA 7.9/6.7
ANYA 6.85/6.67
Jim Kelly: 1986-1996
C% 60.1/59.1
TD% 5.0/3.9
INT% 3.7/5.1
AYA 6.8/5.5
ANYA 5.86/5.55
Troy Aikman 1989-2000
C% 61.5/63.7
TD% 3.5/4.6
INT% 3.0/3.4
AYA 6.3/7.1
ANYA 5.66/6.30

This one comes down to Joe Montana and Steve Young with Young being the better in the regular season and Montana being better in the playoffs. You can argue either way so I'm sending both on to the finals.

Where to put Favre? He played throughout the 90's and 00's. I'm adding him to the 00's group.

late 90's through 00's.

Brett Favre: 1991-2010
C% 62.0/60.8
TD% 5.0/5.6
INT% 3.3/3.8
AYA 6.6/6.8
ANYA 5.93/6.76
Peyton Manning: 1998-2014
C% 65.5/64.0
TD% 5.9/4.1
INT% 2.6/2.6
AYA 7.7/6.9
ANYA 7.27/6.77
Tom Brady: 2000-2014
C% 63.5/62.9
TD% 5.5/4.9
INT% 2.0/2.4
AYA 7.6/6.7
ANYA 6.95/6.10

Manning comes out on top here.

late 00's to present.
Aaron Rodgers: 2005-2014
C%: 65.8/65.4
TD%: 6.5/5.9
INT%: 1.6/1.8
AYA: 8.8/8.1
ANYA: 7.75/7.12
Russell Wilson: 2012-2014
C% 63.4/60.9
TD% 5.8/5.9
INT% 2.1/3.0
AYA 8.2/8.9
ANYA 6.93/7.35

Rodgers comes out on top.

So we have the following if you weight playoffs higher than regular season:
Bart Starr: 1956-1971
C% 57.4/61.0
TD% 4.8/7.0
INT% 4.4/1.4
AYA 6.8/9.0
ANYA 6.55/9.0
Aaron Rodgers: 2005-2014
C%: 65.8/65.4
TD%: 6.5/5.9
INT%: 1.6/1.8
AYA: 8.8/8.1
ANYA: 7.75/7.12
Joe Montana: 1979-1994
C% 63.2/62.7
TD% 5.1/6.1
INT% 2.6/2.9
AYA 7.4/7.8
ANYA 6.6/7.8
Peyton Manning: 1998-2014
C% 65.5/64.0
TD% 5.9/4.1
INT% 2.6/2.6
AYA 7.7/6.9
ANYA 7.27/6.77
Steve Young: 1985-1999
C% 64.3/62.0
TD% 5.6/4.2
INT% 2.6/2.8
AYA 7.9/6.7
ANYA 6.85/6.67
Terry Bradshaw: 1970-1983
C% 51.9/57.2
TD% 5.4/6.6
INT% 5.4/5.7
AYA 5.8/7.2
ANYA 4.77/7.16
Roger Staubach: 1969-1979
C% 57.0/54.4
TD% 5.2/5.9
INT% 3.7/4.6
AYA 7.1/5.9
ANYA 5.72/5.89

If you weight both playoffs and regular season equally:

Aaron Rodgers: 2005-2014
C%: 65.8/65.4
TD%: 6.5/5.9
INT%: 1.6/1.8
AYA: 8.8/8.1
ANYA: 7.75/7.12
Peyton Manning: 1998-2014
C% 65.5/64.0
TD% 5.9/4.1
INT% 2.6/2.6
AYA 7.7/6.9
ANYA 7.27/6.77
Steve Young: 1985-1999
C% 64.3/62.0
TD% 5.6/4.2
INT% 2.6/2.8
AYA 7.9/6.7
ANYA 6.85/6.67
Joe Montana: 1979-1994
C% 63.2/62.7
TD% 5.1/6.1
INT% 2.6/2.9
AYA 7.4/7.8
ANYA 6.6/7.8
Bart Starr: 1956-1971
C% 57.4/61.0
TD% 4.8/7.0
INT% 4.4/1.4
AYA 6.8/9.0
ANYA 6.55/9.0
Terry Bradshaw: 1970-1983
C% 51.9/57.2
TD% 5.4/6.6
INT% 5.4/5.7
AYA 5.8/7.2
ANYA 4.77/7.16
Roger Staubach: 1969-1979
C% 57.0/54.4
TD% 5.2/5.9
INT% 3.7/4.6
AYA 7.1/5.9
ANYA 5.72/5.89

And if you rate regular season higher than playoffs:

Aaron Rodgers: 2005-2014
C%: 65.8/65.4
TD%: 6.5/5.9
INT%: 1.6/1.8
AYA: 8.8/8.1
ANYA: 7.75/7.12
Peyton Manning: 1998-2014
C% 65.5/64.0
TD% 5.9/4.1
INT% 2.6/2.6
AYA 7.7/6.9
ANYA 7.27/6.77
Steve Young: 1985-1999
C% 64.3/62.0
TD% 5.6/4.2
INT% 2.6/2.8
AYA 7.9/6.7
ANYA 6.85/6.67
Joe Montana: 1979-1994
C% 63.2/62.7
TD% 5.1/6.1
INT% 2.6/2.9
AYA 7.4/7.8
ANYA 6.6/7.8
Roger Staubach: 1969-1979
C% 57.0/54.4
TD% 5.2/5.9
INT% 3.7/4.6
AYA 7.1/5.9
ANYA 5.72/5.89
Bart Starr: 1956-1971
C% 57.4/61.0
TD% 4.8/7.0
INT% 4.4/1.4
AYA 6.8/9.0
ANYA 6.55/9.0
Terry Bradshaw: 1970-1983
C% 51.9/57.2
TD% 5.4/6.6
INT% 5.4/5.7
AYA 5.8/7.2
ANYA 4.77/7.16