They’re both white, you see?! And good athletes!
Inconceivable!
Yeah, anyway, Magic Johnson was obviously watching the Green Bay Packers thrash the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday and one Aaron Rodgers caught his eye. And then Magic was like, “He’s a killer. Just like that goddam hick, Larry!”
And then Magic was all, “I better Tweet this shit out so ESPN can pose it as news and make it into a story.”
So we got this. Deep Thoughts by Jack… Magic Johnson.
Aaron Rodgers reminds me of my good friend and rival Larry Bird. Aaron & Larry have similar qualities.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 16, 2014
Both Aaron and Larry are great leaders, both are competitive & most importantly make their teammates better, all while making it look easy!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 16, 2014
So the highest compliment I can give Aaron Rodgers, the best QB in the NFL, is to compare him to 3x NBA Champion Larry Bird!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 16, 2014
Remember that time in the playoffs when Larry and the Rifleman, Chuck Person, went at each other? Those two fuckers were literally shooting from everywhere on the floor. That shit was epic!
I always hated the Celtics, but had a begrudging respect for Larry. He was a pretty damn good ball player. He’s also fun to bomb threes with on NBA Jam or… wait for this one… Jordan vs. Bird.
So anyway, nice compliment, Magic.
Maybe we should fill out the roster a little.
Jordy Nelson = Kevin McHale
Julius Peppers = The Chief
Randall Cobb = DJ
Mason Crosby = Danny Ainge
J.C. Tretter = Crippled Bill Walton
Larry and Aaron have 3 major things in common: They’re both white, hey both can ball (I’d bet the Hick could still beat any of our asses in a game), and no matter how much anyone raves about them, they’re both underrated.
Incidentally. Jordy kinda reminds me of the Pistol Pete of the NFL, maybe I’m just being racist.
1)MJ
2)Magic
3)Larry
4) and 5) KA-J/LeBron
6)Koby
7)Russell
8)Wilt
9)Shaq
10)Dr. J/Big-O
1)Joe Montana
2)Johnny U
3)Bart Starr
4)Tom Brady
5)Aaron Rodgers
6)Brett Favre
7)Otto Graham
8)Peyton Manning
9)Terry Bradshaw
10)Steve Young
11)Dan Marino
I am not going to criticize your list – it is difficult to compare different players from different periods, and you included a lot of indisputably great names. I think that if AR wins another Superbowl (or two), he will definitely move even higher.
No John Elway invalidates your list.
There’s always one; John Elway is THE most overrated QB of all time, ahead of even Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman. His place in the HoF is deserved, but he is NOT one of the 10 best to ever play the game as so many think he is.
If it weren’t for an incredible D and Terrell Davis, he wouldn’t have won jack shit He was an inaccurate turnover machine who had 3 or 4 great years. Tell me who on that list you would displace for him. Favre? Young? Marino? Please, provide some evidence to the dispute my claim instead of just saying my list is “invalid”.
I can think of at least another 5 QBs I’d rather have in lieu of Elway: Kelly, Baugh, Warner, Aikman, Brees, Roethlisberger. Hell, maybe even Fouts. And this isn’t just based on stats, I watched most of the dude’s entire career. Pretty much a slightly better version of Eli Manning who could also scramble.
Throw in Staubach as well.
I saw most the guys on that list in their prime, and John Elway was the best QB I’ve ever seen. No other QB on that list could have taken the 86, 87, or 89 Broncos to the Super Bowl. Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Johnny U, Otto Graham, Terry Bradshaw… All beneficiaries of great football teams with Hall of Famers playing around them. When you had John Elway, you didn’t need other offensive weapons; you had JOHN ELWAY. Rank QBs based off their arm- John Elway is in the top 10. Rank QBs based off their legs- Elway is in the top 10. If you think John Elway is over rated, then you didn’t watch him play.
Houston at Denver, playoff game, Oilers by 3. 4th and 10. Season on the line. Sean Jones and William Fuller both beat their blocks and converge on Elway from both sides. He sees them at the last second and spins backwards. Jones and Fuller hit each other and fall down. Elway rolls to his left, lofts it up the sideline to Mark Jackson. 40 yard gain. Denver kicks a FG to tie, wins the game. Still, considering the situation, one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen. But Elway did it all the time….
Can’t compare stats. Per stats, Bart Starr isn’t anywhere near this list. Except in championships….
1. John Elway
2. Joe Montana
3. Dan Marino
4. Johnny Unitas
5. Brett Favre
6. Tom Brady
7. Peyton Manning
8. Bart Starr
9. Otto Graham
10. Terry Bradshaw
Reminds me of someone we know…his name rhymes with Barren Dodgers
The two fellas are super intelligent when it’s game time.
Apples to fucking oranges!
I would compare Rodgers to whoever the top surgeon is.
U forgot Fran tarkenton and a couple others.
ok, hint:
one of the couple of others u forgot is the biggest omission in your entire list: Roger Staubach. His greatness is based on all of the performance measures that were critical in the pre-dome era:
leadership, intelligence, and calling plays without the help of a microphone transmitted to your helmet. like Peppers on D, acquiring a great FB player and leader can pick up an entire team and transform it into a leader of teams. same for HC like lombardi, who took a talented but shitty team in GB and transformed it into a great team with great FB generalship.
Meh, Staubach was good-Top 20, but not Top 10.
I compare the Packers to the Celtics in terms of history and blue collar roots. Rodgers would be Bird, Nelson would be Pistol Pete, Cobb would be Russell, and Matthews would fit the role of McHale.
@Shawn, Since the site won’t let me respond to your comment, I’ll do so here.
I hope that list is based on arm and mobility and not greatness, even if it is how is Rodgers not on it. As for prime, a QBs greatness isnt just based on his prime; but since you went there. ALL the QBs in my first list did more in and had longer primes. I DID indeed watch Elway, in his prime no less. I also watched
Aikman, Young, Favre, Brady, Manning, and Rodgers in their primes and that’s why I’m confident in saying Elway is overrated. BTW Elway had a number of weapons for a good portion of his career: Rod Smith, Ed McCafferey, the aforementioned TD, and like 4 other Mike Shannahan 1000-yd rushers, oh, and let’s not forget SHANNON SHARPE. His SB winning teams also had some of the beat Ds of the era-they had some nasty front 7s.
As for amazing plays, all these greats had ’em. The Ice Bowl Sneak, The Catch, the fake spike, Favres TD run vs the Falcons, his pass vs the Niners as a Queen, Rodgers-Jennings-that’s just a handful off the top of my head. They’ve all made incredible plays, in crunch time, that’s why they’re great.
I NEVER compare stats, use them as a guideline or support sure, but NEVER use them as the sole basis for an argument, especially across different eras. The point I was making with the INTs is that Elway was NOT consistently accurate. People like to
disparage Favre for all the picks he threw and yet he had a better TD-INT ratio than Elway.
The main thing that got Elway into the HoF was his 2nd SB win (Eli Manning is likely in the same boat) Football is (or at least used to be) the ultimate team game-SBs are not won by one player alone.
Furthermore, Elway was never the most feared player of his gen. All the QBs in my first list (except perhaps Graham) were at some point.
Never in the history of human conflict has so much (credit) been given to one by so many for doing so little.
Elway had some great years and great teams, he belongs in the Hall but not in the discussion of the best 10 let alone 5.
Elway was in the Hall even if he doesn’t win a Super Bowl, and if you didn’t know that, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Funny how you say you saw all of Elway’s career, and yet the only part you talk about is the last couple years when most QBs are retired. He played MOST of his career without Rod Smith or Shannon Sharpe. Those guys only came around at the end, when he was past his prime.
Favre had a better TD-INT ratio than Elway because he threw the ball a HELL of a lot more than Elway did. Elway spent the majority of his career under Dan Reeves, who preferred to run the football and play defense. Favre TD-INT ratio was also better than Bart Starr’s. For the exact same reason. True. Look it up.
No one was better at picking up 3rd and long than Elway, and he got a lot of practice. He was the one who said- “QBs are paid for third down.”
I would say Elway was the best at picking up fourth downs as well, but I think Aaron Rodgers will top everyone in that category, among others. Aaron Rodgers is not on my list because he has half of his career in front of him. It isn’t right to rank him yet, not in my mind.
All those great plays you mentioned, Elway could have done all of them. The play I mentioned, only a couple on the list could have made. Elway wasn’t the most feared player of his generation? OK. Again, you seem to have missed much of the mid to late 80s.
Comparing Elway to Eli Manning is about as valid as comparing Bart Starr to Neil O’Donnell. Eli doesn’t have the arm or the legs or the accuracy or the brains, but other than that, sure.
I had no reason to be biased for John Elway. I grew up with no more inclination towards the Broncos as towards the Seattle Seahawks. He’s just the best I’ve ever seen. Great arm and legs combination that few in the league have ever possessed. You add a knack for making big plays in big moments, and you have John Elway.
I am FAR from the only person with Elway at the top of my list. Most other lists I’ve seen usually have him in the top 5. But you can stick with your “over-rated” story while continuing to only remember his last couple seasons.
Make sure to check out Magic Johnson’s twitter account for other middle-school level analysis.