Re: Super Bowl XLVIII and NFL Thread: Sherman's March to Jersey
I guess that depends upon how old you are. I'd rate Bart Starr higher. Hard to compare across eras, but defenses were allowed much more leeway back then. His completion percentage and game management skills were exceptional. and if you count winning titles, then it's something like 5 titles out of 7 years or something ridiculous like that.
Of course, that comes with the package of having Lombardi as coach, an offensive line that could block cohesively, and a strong running game that could set up play action quite nicely.
The case for Bart Starr includes:
* 5 NFL Championships (including the first two Super Bowls) in 6 trips to the title game;
* Quarterback of the ONLY team in NFL history to win three consecutive NFL titles (1965-1967);
* Postseason record of 9-1, with the only loss being in his first trip to the title game in 1960, when they simply ran out of time while driving deep into Philadelphia territory, when MVP Chuck Bednaik tackled and sat on Jim Taylor inside the 10 yard line;
* At time of his retirement, he held the best career completion percentage (57.4%);
* At time of his retirement, he was tied with Johnny Unitas for best yards per attempt (7.8);
* Played in an era where defenses DID have much more leeway, with no defensive holding, no illegal contact ("chuck rule" which came into play in the mid-70's), head-slaps were allowed for defensive linemen, intentional grounding was not codified and allowed as it is in the present, and roughing the passer calls were for VERY late hits only;
* Starr's best teams went head-to-head with Johnny U and the Baltimore Colts, who were in their prime and had already won two NFL titles ('58-'59) in the years immediately proceeding Green Bay's run ... with the last few relevant Detroit Lions teams, who also had won multiple NFL titles in the years before the Colts ... the Chicago Bears, who were George Halas' last best teams in his storied career, and won the title game in 1963, and who featured Gayle Sayers and Dick Butkus in the years that followed ... in the SAME 7 team division, where only the winner made the postseason;
* Starr's last two title teams would also have to overcome emerging teams like the Dallas Cowboys and the LA Rams, who featured the two dominant defenses of their time (what would become the "Doomsday Defense" and the "Fearsome Foursome" respectively) in the NFL playoffs, before going on to overmatch the AFL champions in the first two Super Bowls;
* Starr's postseason stats included 15 TD's vs. 3 INT's, a 61.0% completion percentage, and 8.23 yards per attempt - ALL off the charts great for any era, but even more so for the era in which he played.
But since it all happened before the advent of ESPN, of course, none of this counts ...
