# Will there be a missing generation of Hall of Fame QBs? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [September 12, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980 "2023-09-12T12:47:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/21 "2023-09-12T22:14:00Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Stafford had the misfortune of playing for the Lions. He had a pretty damn good showing in 2021, and then unfortunately got injured, which is part and parcel of getting older. I don’t know how good he really is, but with anyone who spends a really long time with the Lions and then wins the Super Bowl immediately after leaving, you have to wonder what he would have done on a real team the entire time. He also has a bunch of NFL records for the fastest to a round number of passing yards. All true, but I still don’t think that gets him into the Hall. If he leads the Rams to another championship, then it’s a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/22 "2023-09-12T22:19:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > plus Eli What, in the janitor’s closet? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/23 "2023-09-12T23:39:39Z")
Poor John Elway getting no love in this thread. He should be mentioned with Montana and Marino as he was definitely in their class, not a tier below. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/24 "2023-09-12T23:41:22Z")
Maybe 1/2 notch below. If Montana and Marino were the Brady and Manning of their time, Elway would compare to Drew Brees. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/25 "2023-09-12T23:42:33Z")
As for modern quarterbacks, I think they are also getting short shrift. We obviously have Mahomes, but I think Joe Burrow definitely and Josh Allen probably both have a shot at the hall. Maybe Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts as well. Hell, even Trevor Lawrence has some potential. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/26 "2023-09-12T23:46:50Z")
I’d guess that barring injury, you’re probably right about those guys. But they are all from the post-Mahomes group of QBs. It’s the ones after Rodgers was drafted but before Mahomes was drafted that seem to have had a dip in talent compared to those just before (Rodgers, Brees. Manning, Big Ben, etc.) and the young guys you mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/27 "2023-09-12T23:47:00Z")
Those are all young QBs, so it’s the same issue with Mahomes - if their careers last 12+ more years, there will be a pretty big gap between the Manning/Brady/Rodgers/Brees group and the Mahomes/Allen/Burrow group. It’s weird that there’s no good HOF candidates who are currently 10ish years into their career and will fall between those two cohorts. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/28 "2023-09-12T23:54:43Z")
Oh, now I see what you mean. Yeah, there is kind of an oddly large 10-year gap in HoF candidates at the QB position. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Maybe 1/2 notch below. If Montana and Marino were the Brady and Manning of their time, Elway would compare to Drew Brees. Disagree. A half notch below would be Jim Kelly, who would be the comparison to Brees. IMO. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/29 "2023-09-12T23:57:21Z")
Just to play devil’s advocate, was there a similar gap from the late '80s to the late '90s? I don’t know actually know, but I feel like there are a lot of similarities. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/30 "2023-09-12T23:59:46Z")
Here’s an interesting article rating every quarterback draft class since 2000: > **[NFL draft: Ranking every quarterback class since 2000](https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-ranking-every-quarterback-class-since-2000)** > > This millennium has now seen 23 QB draft classes enter the NFL. How do they stack up against each other? Where does the 2022 class debut? Marc Sessler ranks them all! Looking through the names, there aren’t many between Rodgers (2005) and Mahomes (2017). I was thinking Lamar Jackson might be possible some day (even though I’m not a huge fan), but he was drafted in 2018. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/31 "2023-09-13T00:00:01Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Just to play devil’s advocate, was there a similar gap from the late '80s to the late '90s? I don’t know actually know, but I feel like there are a lot of similarities. You already mentioned Elway and Jim Kelly. I guess it depends on how you feel about the other top talent from that era. Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Brett Favre are the names that come to mind off the top of my head. ETA. I see what you’re getting at. Those guys were the young guns from that era. Guys from that time period in their 30s? Warren Moon comes to mind. Joe Montana and Dan Marino still had game in the early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/32 "2023-09-13T00:02:56Z")
Steve Young became a pro in 84, but yeah, Brett Favre was drafted in 91, and Peyton Manning in 98. So a much smaller window, but still, anyone between 92 and 97? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/33 "2023-09-13T00:06:14Z")
What an insult to Brees. He’s not even half a notch below. Putting him below Manning/Brady/Rodgers at all is splitting hairs. Compared to Manning he has a higher completion %, more yards, more TDs, less ints. Troy Aikman was a completely mediocre QB. Nobody would know his name if he wasn’t on a stacked Cowboys team. Kurt Warner was drafter in 1994. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/34 "2023-09-13T00:06:38Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Steve Young became a pro in 84. I tend to think of him as a 90s guy because he sat behind Montana for so many years. He also had the misfortune of his team trading one of their top two defensive players (Charles Haley) to their greatest rival and eventually losing the other top defensive player (Deion Sanders) to that rival as well. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/35 "2023-09-13T00:12:42Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > So a much smaller window, but still, anyone between 92 and 97? I just checked those years. The biggest names I could find, other than Warner, were Drew Bledsoe, Steve McNair, and Kordell Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/36 "2023-09-13T00:35:03Z")
Elite QBs are like planets, they clear their own path. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/37 "2023-09-13T00:55:57Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > What an insult to Brees. He’s not even half a notch below. Putting him below Manning/Brady/Rodgers at all is splitting hairs. Compared to Manning he has a higher completion %, more yards, more TDs, less ints. Manning’s reputation is as a general. His stats were great but that’s not why he is venerated. He was known as a playmaker on the field, his head was more prized than his arm. But Drew’s in that company at least. I still think it’s a crime he was never an MVP. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/38 "2023-09-13T01:05:02Z")
It’s arguable the 4 best QBs all played at the same time. Tough to get a lot of recognition in that group when you _only_ win one superbowl. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/39 "2023-09-13T01:28:02Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > We obviously have Mahomes, but I think Joe Burrow definitely and Josh Allen probably both have a shot at the hall. Maybe Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts as well. Hell, even Trevor Lawrence has some potential. Tua Tagovailoa has looked special when he’s been healthy. If he blows up, we’ll be pointing to last season as an early indicator- he led the league in passing efficiency, he was just the 4th qb since 1950 to have back to back games with better than 80% completion percentage (with a minimum of 30 attempts), he was the _first_ Dolphin quarterback to put up 80% completion percentage, 350+ yards, 3+ tds, and _no_ picks in a game; plus had a crazy comeback against the Ravens where he threw 6 TDS (with 4 of them coming in the 4th quarter). This seasons’ opener is a continuation of a trend. … Skimming this gap era, I think Matt Stafford is going to make a pitch for the Hall, since he won a title when he went to a good team, and set passing records for the horrid Lions. (Joe Flacco also won a Super Bowl, buts he’s definitely not hall worthy) And while I don’t agree with it, Russell Wilson will likely get a look for his resume with the Seahawks. But I think he’s going to have to show some spark in Denver to actually get in. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980/40 "2023-09-13T01:52:57Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Poor John Elway getting no love in this thread. He should be mentioned with Montana and Marino as he was definitely in their class, not a tier below. As others have intimated, he wasn’t really close to the top guys. Yeah, he deserves credit for his 2 late championships, but he and Aikman are both only in the Hall because of their rings, and are in fact very similar to each other. [Adjusted yards/pass, which takes sacks and ints into account, has them @ 6.5 and 6.3, when Marino, Young, and Montana are all in the 7’s (7.0, 7.3, and 7.9.] As a Raiders fan, it would drive me batty to hear people yakking up Elway, before he won anything at least. Most overrated QB in the past half century. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-missing-generation-of-hall-of-fame-qbs/989980.md?page=3)