We at SB Nation pride ourselves on being responsive to our audience, so I want to take a minute to respond to a few of the comments from last week's rankings of 80s quarterbacks based on the number of times they have been mentioned in rap lyrics.

I indicated this in a reply to Mr. or Ms. MenWithHats, but the editorial decision was made to place Testaverde in the 90s group, and not the 80s, given that he only started playing pro football in 1987. We feel this was not a particularly difficult decision,

Bo Jackson was undoubtedly a wonderful player, dslevang, but I would not feel comfortable putting someone who never threw a single pass on a "best quarterback" list. I am willing to hear arguments to the contrary, however.

I edited Mitch's comment for length, but he was not alone in pointing out Dan Marino's absence on the 80s list. Unlike the Testaverde case, this was a much closer call - Marino was a rookie in 1983 and led the league in both passes completed and attempted in 1984, 1986, and 1988. There is a strong case for including him in last week's group, but it is counterbalanced by one key fact: Dan Marino was in a Hootie & The Blowfish music video. So we have placed him with his 90s peers:





Brett Favre. Nothing about Brett Favre, Country Fella seems all that hip hop. So why is he lapping the field in this metric? Versatility. Favre can serve as a reference point for a variety of topics, including:

Statistical superiority or champion status

Association with the color green, as in money or weed

Suggestions that other, lesser rappers should stay retired

Penis stuff

Favre is such a memorable player that rappers can even use specific moments from his career:

"Barbaric with my merit, keep what I kill like them viking folks

I am throwed, pass it like Brett Favre before the Vikings choked."

- Big KRIT, "Remember The Titans"

Troy Aikman. In part due to Aikman's association with flashier types like Michael Irvin and Jimmy Johnson, but the numbers are the numbers. What if Dallas had traded the first overall pick in the 1989 Draft and selected Billy Joe Tolliver instead? Could this have been his slot instead? Ah, the pain of not knowing.

Dan Marino. Only fitting that he's behind Favre (who ended Marino's stranglehold on a number of career passing statistics) and Aikman (who won the most Super Bowls of any 90s quarterback, an achievement Marino could never quite reach). Did his appearance in the aforementioned Hootie video hurt his street cred?

"Feelin' like Deniro in Casino but she ain't getting a ring, call that b*tch a Dan Marino."

- Roosh Williams, "Another Night"

The answer is yes. Yes, it did.

John Elway/Steve Young. There's a steep drop off between the medalists and fourth place; part of that is explained by Steve Young being the secondary quarterbacking legend option for San Francisco area rappers. The rest is due to John Elway being a tremendous dork.

Drew Bledsoe. This ranking has to be the product of lyricists wanting to prove their depth of knowledge. Sure, everyone remembers Troy Aikman. But dropping Bledsoe's name shows that you have a broader understanding of 90s NFL culture, and/or you have some pathological need for interceptions. That said, this is reasonably clever.

Girls playin' games for the bills, they Drew Bledsoe.

- Mac Miller, "Cold"

Rich Gannon. Amazing to think that it wasn't that long ago when one could rhyme about a Raiders quarterback without it being a diss. Please tell me there's an unreleased Lil Wayne mixtape in which he compares himself to Bruce Gradkowski and JaMarcus Russell.

Jim Kelly/Vinny Testaverde/Jim Harbaugh. I know he's got the whole four Super Bowl loss thing hanging over his head, but it really, really feels like Jim Kelly deserves better than this. He has to deserve better than this.

Jeff George/Jeff Hostetler. Does Jason Whitlock know about this? Would it change his mind about rap? Or would it (gasp) change his mind about Jeff George????

Scott Mitchell/Trent Dilfer/Kerry Collins. I'm just going to end this with the words of our nation's greatest working poet:

First out the gate, my name carry weight

Now I'm back to ballin', rap game Kerry Collins

- Riff Raff, "Suckas Askin Questions"

Literally no other human in history has referred to themselves as "rap game Kerry Collins." Kudos to you, Riff. You continue to explore territory others don't even know exists.