Aikman vs. Elway

[ZB9]

Elway was better imo, but Adam Rank at NFL.com wrote a column highlighting an interesting debate between Troy Aikman and John Elway. I dont know why they chose those two quarterbacks to compare but here is the debate:

Troy Aikman and John Elway were two of the best quarterbacks to come out of the 1980s. Aikman was the first overall selection in 1989 and led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Elway was the first overall selection of the Baltimore Colts in 1983, but played his entire career with the Broncos. Elway ended his career in style with back-to-back Super Bowl wins and was a member of the 2004 Hall of Fame class.

But who was the best?

NFL.com editors and football enthusiasts Adam Rank and Jim Reineking try to answer that question over instant messenger in NFL.com’s “Instant Debate.”

NFL Adam (3:52:29 PM): The knock against Troy Aikman has long been that he was surrounded by great talent, as if that makes him less of a quarterback. That actually had a negative impact on his numbers. Aikman never posted the passing numbers of some of the other great quarterbacks in NFL history because that was not the way his offense was designed. The Cowboys were methodical in their approach, and most of their drives culminated with Emmitt Smith busting through the line on a short touchdown run. But Aikman was at his best when his team needed him the most. Aikman posted a 104.3 passer rating during the playoffs (a number bested only by Bart Starr) from 1992-1995, when his team won three Super Bowls in four years. To me, he was the best of his generation.

Rhino (4:01:24 PM): The fact of the matter is, Elway was the winningest quarterback in NFL history until the greatest quarterback of all time (Brett Favre) finally eclipsed his career mark of 148 wins. And don't forget about those signature comeback drives. One of those fourth-quarter, come-from-behind victories has gone down as one of the most clutch performances in NFL history in what resulted in one of the greatest games ever played -- the 1986 AFC championship. Twelve years later, Elway's final game was a Super Bowl triumph, which is the way any quarterback would want to end his career. For putting up the numbers –- Elway is near the top in every major statistical category –- and for his moments of magic on the field when it mattered most, Elway should be considered as the best.

NFL Adam (4:11:23 PM): Once again, I feel that Aikman gets slighted because his teams always won. The Cowboys never trailed much during his career, and he doesn’t have that one signature moment that captures the imagination like "The Drive" or other great comebacks. When it comes to being a winner, none were bigger than Aikman. No other quarterback did more for his team than Aikman. He sacrificed his own personal statistics to make sure that his team won. You have to image that, deep down, Aikman would have liked to have been one of those gun slinging quarterbacks who threw the ball all over the field and put up huge numbers like some of his fellow quarterbacks. The fact that he played so unselfishly on great teams and ended up with more Super Bowl titles than all of the quarterbacks from his era should not be viewed as a coincidence.

Rhino (4:17:34 PM): If you don't want to discredit Aikman for playing on some great teams, then why do you want to penalize Elway for playing on some bad teams? If you look at the rosters of the Broncos during his Super Bowl losses, the roster isn't a "who's who," but rather, "who the heck is that?" I challenge any NFL fan to try to remember some of the running backs who played with Elway during the early part of his career. Elway put up huge passing yards because he had to. There was nobody else there to help. When you talk about a guy who made a grilled chicken salad out of chicken, umm, stuff, Elway certainly was the guy.

http://www.nfl.com/halloffame/story;...o&confirm=true

[OSUFan_88]

It's not even close. Elway is just sooooooo much better in so many ways.

[SPTO]

Considering the fact that for the majority of his career Elway had crap around him he still put up some amazing numbers. Elway by a country mile IMO.

[Brandon13]

This is a no brainer, Elway.

[MassNole]

I'm a huge Cowboys homer and this isn't even close, Elway is by far the better QB. A better and perhaps more apt comparison would be Troy Aikman and Steve Young.

Quote:

Troy Aikman and John Elway were two of the best quarterbacks to come out of the 1980s

Wow, so are they conceding Aikman is a better QB than Dan Marino? I always thought Marino was the most overrated QB in NFL history, but that is a pretty bold assertion by that article.

[ZB9]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

Considering the fact that for the majority of his career Elway had crap around him he still put up some amazing numbers. Elway by a country mile IMO.

I agree that Elway was better, but because he was one of the most talented, well rounded QBs ever, and because of his competitiveness...not because of the "crap around him" argument.

Personally, i never like the supporting cast argument in football. Football is the ultimate team sport, and the objective is to build a good team and execute. If Aikman executed with the team they put around him, that is not a negative on Aikman, it is a positive. That is what the ultimate team sport is all about imo.

I dont understand the criteria to pick and choose what players had better supporting cast and which cast was better, and why that matters as much as it does to some people when comparing, but to each their own I guess.

[ZB9]

Quote: Originally Posted by MassNole

Wow, so are they conceding Aikman is a better QB than Dan Marino? I always thought Marino was the most overrated QB in NFL history, but that is a pretty bold assertion by that article.

lol I didnt understand that either. Aikman didnt really "come out of the 80s". I would say he came out of the 90s.

[SPTO]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZB9

I agree that Elway was better, but because he was one of the most talented, well rounded QBs ever, and because of his competitiveness...not because of the "crap around him" argument. Personally, i never like the supporting cast argument in football. Football is the ultimate team sport, and the objective is to build a good team and execute. If Aikman executed with the team they put around him, that is not a negative on Aikman, it is a positive. That is what the ultimate team sport is all about imo.

I agree with you but I made the point about the supporting cast because if you were to put Aikman on those Broncos teams he wouldn't have been nearly as good. That's one factor that raises Elway above Aikman IMO. I've seen Elway have amazing days with a substandard supporting cast when 90% of QBs would have a hard time having success with.