Are the steelers in football purgatory? heck yes

What 19 Qbs you got above him, and why??
I'm not trying to be smart a$$, I'm seriously curious.
I got Him at about his number...7

 

Hard to make a list but for me QB better that Ben career wise in the super bowl era are in no order

Montana,Brady,Manning,Mahomes,Rodgers,Brees,Marino,Elway,Favre

I likely forget some but I don't think Ben has a shot to be around 7...I put him around 15

 

Remember, I said Top 20. That doesn't necessarily mean his spot is at 20. Even so, thank you for asking!! Been wanting to actually answer this!



My list:


1-4: The Ones Above All


5-10: The Games Elite


11-15: Masters of Winning


16-20: The tough Mofos

1. Tom Brady: I know, I know, que the "Spy Gate" music but he did win his seventh without Belichick. That does account for something. That said, he isn't the best thrower in NFL History. He is top 10 though in that regard. He also doesn't possess the most awards either though he isn't lacking. It is his combination of accolades, awards, records and overall winning that gets him here.
   
   
   
2. Joe Montana: Before Tom Brady, there was this guy. Never dropped a Super Bowl either and could have easily won 4 Super Bowl MVPs. That guy wearing number 80 did help a bit but that doesn't diminish the OG "Joe Cools" accomplishments.
   
   
   
3. Johnny Unitas: Some might find his placing here extremely hard to believe. That said, he is a 5-time MVP/POY (1957, 1958, 1959*, 1964*, 1967*), 3-time NFL Champ, 2-time passing champ and 4-time passing yards champ. At one point, Johnny U was considered the GOAT that couldn't be matched. Even in an era with others like Len Dawson, Bart Starr, Norm Van Brocklin (remember that the 1950 Rams still own the record for the most PPG among any Offense at 38 a Game) and Sonny Jurgenson, Johnny U was the king of QBs. To think that the Pittsburgh Steelers told him to piss off essentially.
   
   
   
4. Otto Graham: Even before the NFL acknowledged the AAFC (All America Football Conference from the 1950s), I had Otto this high. While the 1960s Packers are fondly remembered, people tend to forget how much of a Powerhouse the Browns from the 1950s were. Jim Brown, Marion Motley and that Offensive Line stacked with four HOFers were great but Graham was in a league of his own; a 6-time NFL/AAFC MVP/POY (1947*, 1948*, 1949*, 1951*, 1953*, 1955*), 7-time NFL/AAFC Champ, 5-time NFL/AAFC passing cham and 5-time NFL/AAFC passing yards champ to his credit. Now that the NFL finally recognizes his era, it is now officially safe to say that Otto Graham is the greatest winner among any QB in NFL History. Regardless of the Era he played in, someone was winning those chips. Otto sought to that.
   
   
   
5. Peyton Manning: Do I need to explain much of anything here?! Arguably the smartest QB in League History. Only major reason he cannot crack into the TOAA section is that is Outdoor vs Indoor records really let him down. Still was an absolute beast though in his prime. Won two Super Bowls with Franchises that haven't been relevant since he left. The only Five Time NFL MVP as well.
   
   
   
6. John Elway: Before Peyton Manning, everyone in the entire country once called John Elway "the next one." A true generational talent, the only reason those Broncos were as dominant as they were in the 80s was because of this man. Once he got into Mike Shanahan's West Coast Offense, he became the benchmark in which all future consensus number one overall QBs were to be measured. It also helps that Elway was what many of us call the "Complete Package" at QB.... in 1983.
   
   
   
7. Patrick Mahomes: This is gonna piss off a lot of people I know (I actually had Slingin' Sammy Baugh here initially) but for Mahomes to take the Chiefs, a Franchise that had not seen a Super Bowl since the Red Wood Forest Chiefs of 1969, five times total and win three of those is nuts. Before turning 30?! Not even Brady was able to accomplish this. For that matter, Mahomes is only QB not named Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl Era to have his team reach the big three three times or more consecutively. Beyond his Super Bowls though, he is a two time League MVP, three time All Pro and is the fastest QB to reach both 300 TDs and 30K yards. Don't sell what Mahomes has done in his short NFL Career so low. He is an All Time Great and easily among the elite of the elite. Who knows?! By the time he retires, it is very possible he ends up as number one though it is also possible he could slip as well.
   
   
   
8. Sammy Baugh: Meet "Mr Quarterback". Even before Johnny U, Sammy Baugh was the GOAT of the position. Not only was he the GOAT at the time of his retirement, he was and shall always be remembered as the game's Pioneer for the position. His overall accomplishments in being a 3-time NFL MVP/POY (1947, 1948, 1949), 2-time NFL Champ, 3-time passing champ and 4-time passing yards champ during the late 1930s to early 1950s, a time in which running the Football was the bread and butter, is very noteworthy.
   
   
   
9. Brett Farve: While I am not a fan of what Brett has become off the field, on the field is a completely different story. If Slingin' Sammy Baugh is Mr. Quarterback, Brett Farve is "Mr. Gunslinger". No QB in NFL History had more confidence in throwing the ball than he did; be it good or bad. He held quite a bit of records at the time of his retirement (some I'd imagine he will not be too happy about) but he is easily among the elite of the elite.
   
   
   
   
10. Aaron Rodgers: Lowest INT Percentage?! Check. Highest Career Passer Rating?! Check. Most seasons with a Passer Rating with over 100?! Check. Highest Passer Rating in NFL History?! Also Check. Do I need to go on?! Being a Four Time NFL MVP doesn't hurt; one less than Peyton Manning. A severe lack of Playoff Success does ding him a bit but not enough to knock him out of the Top 10.
    
    
    
    
11. Terry "Blond Bomber" Bradshaw: Was really gonna go Drew Brees here. Terry's stats are.... nothing special at a glance. Having a very tough first couple of years in the NFL isn't gonna help either. Despite a very hard beginning, Bradshaw would evolve to become one of the NFLs Greatest Ever winners. Bradshaw remains one of two QBs in league history to win 4 Super Bowls without dropping one. For that matter, Bradshaw held multiple Super Bowl Passing Records at the time of his retirement; most Pass Completions in a Career: 261 completions in 19 postseason games, most Touchdown Passes in a Career: 30 touchdowns in 19 postseason games, most Passing Yards in a Career: 3,833 yards in 19 postseason game and Super Bowl Passing Yards: 932 yards in four appearances. He still remains the only QB in NFL History to win Four Super Bowls in Six Seasons: a record that likely isn't going to be broken.
    
    
    
    
12. Steve Young: Starting your time at age 30 to get things going isn't ideal but Young made do with his rocket South Paw style. A Super Bowl MVP and two league MVPs aren't too shabby. His biggest statistical accomplishment though was his Passing Rating; 98.6. That was the highest in League History at the time of his retirement. His biggest though will easily be taking over for Joe Montana and proving the San Fran FO right about him.
    
    
    
    
13. Rodger "The Dodger" Staubach: Terry Bradshaw ruled the 1970s but Rodger wasn't too far behind. If one looks at it, Rodger's stats from the 1970s far exceed the Blonde Bombers.... minus the two big Ls he took in Super Bowls X and XIII. Despite this, Rodger Staubach was the OG Captain Comeback was Top Five in NFL History for the most 4th Quarter Comebacks by a QB at the time of his retirement. Remember Steve Youngs Passer Rating?! He had to break Roger's previous record of 83.4; a rating that doesn't look too good on paper but understand the era in which Staubach played in.
    
    
    
    
14. Drew Brees: The modern variant of Sammy Baugh. Like Baugh, Brees didn't have the rocket arm but he was so surgically precise it didn't matter. At the time of his retirement, he held numerous records. Only Tom Brady has more TDs and Passing Yards. His biggest ones?! Most seasons ever leading the league in passing, most 5k seasons in a career and most consecutive games passing a TD pass with 54. He may not have nearly as many Post Season wins but his stats are simply too difficult to ignore.
    
    
    
15. Bobby Layne: Some might remember his final years with the Steelers being not so good (rather, not good enough to win an NFL Championship) but him being a 3-time NFL Champ and 2-time passing yards champ with the Detroit Lions are to be noted. Being a six time All Pro is also not too shabby either. Even with the likes of the Browns, Packers and even the Rams, Layne was a winner during the 1950s; through and through.
    
    
    
16. Dan Marino: Didn't really wanna put him this low on the list. At the time of his retirement, one could argue he belongs much, much higher. The problem though stems from his overall lack of playoff success. That said, among the many records that stood for a long time, some still remain. Marino still has the Most Seasons Leading League, Pass Attempts with 5 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1997), Most Seasons Leading League, Lowest Sack Percentage with 10 (1983–1989, 1994, 1997, 1999) and Most Consecutive Seasons Leading League, Lowest Sack Percentage with 7 (1983–1989). What is even more crazy about these records that still stand is he played in an era with some of the greatest ever QB Hunters in Lawrence Taylor, Dexter Manley, Howie Long, Richard Dent and most notably, Mark Gastineau (a player that T.J. Watt Surpassed just recently) roamed the league. Even more crazy is this was also during a time in which running the Football was still the method of scoring points. Now, if we are talking about "Greatest Passers in NFL History", Marino would be in a class by himself.
    
    
    
17. Troy Aikman: Technically speaking, he actually belongs in the next tier but Drew Brees being the better of the two while having much less to work with dings Aikman here. That said, his 70% completion percentage in the Super Bowl was a record that stood for a long time until Jalen Hurts beat it recently.
    
    
    
18. Big Ben: Big Ben's first five years can be argued as some of the best in NFL History. The issue begins from 2011 onward. Like Rodgers, Big Ben didn't have much playoff success. Unlike Rodgers though, Big Ben doesn't have the accolades nor Super Bowls to punch above this spot. Even so, he is the only one in this tier to post a non losing season.
    
    
    
19. Kurt Warner: Warner may have the MVPs (2) and Super Bowl wins (1) over Big Ben but not the longevity to match. He is the leagues greatest ever Undrafted QB though. In addition, having the "Greatest Show on Turf" does help quite a bit. If anything, him not winning his second Super Bowl against New England is what really stings him here. He is still the greatest ever Undrafted QB though.
    
    
    
20. Jim Kelly: The only QB on my entire list of the Super Bowl Era to go to four straight Super Bowls... only to lose all three. Even so, the K Gun did lead the league in completion percentage and passer rating in 1990. He was also the Passing TDs leader in 1991.

Thanks again for asking!!

 

I like the nod to the old guys like Otto Graham, Unitas and Sammy Baugh. I would add Bart Starr to the top 10 in this list. His 9-1 career record in the playoffs is the best of all time. As far as Ben goes without going through all of the list again I have him at #14.

 

As much as I wanted to add Starr, he more so a winner than what I'd call Elite. That said, even among the winners Tier, Drew Brees' Passing Records sadly cannot be faulted. Way too accomplished to knock him out. Closest player to be bumped off in that tier was Bobby Layne. Thing is, while Start has Layne beat in Playoff Winning Percentage and overall NFL Championship Wins, Layne has him beat everywhere else.