John Elway -- QB, 1983 to 1998

You're looking at a guy who might have been the Michael Jordan of professional football if he had been surrounded by a better supporting cast and a coach who knew how to utilize him properly. Consider this: What do you think would have happened if John Elway had been quarterback of, say, the San Francisco 49ers under Bill Walsh? Now, take into consideration that Elway carried deficient Broncos teams to three Super Bowls and lost to teams that were superior in every way except quarterback, and you can see why Elway is by any measure the most gifted quarterback the game has ever seen. I dare anyone to find a quarterback who can match both Elway's physical tools and results relative to the situation in which he played. If you rank him below any quarterback relative to reality, you are underrating him.