Football is a team game, but it’s hard to argue that quarterbacks aren’t the protagonists of America’s new favorite tradition. They are the conductors of this beautiful, savage ballet, the people with an elegant touch amongst brutality and punishment. They are easily the most recognizable faces of a culture that blankets the nation from coast to coast. We watch and enjoy football players play in concert and espouse the hallmarks of quality teamwork, sure, but none of that comes together without a great quarterback.
When we talk about football history, quarterbacks are the ones who pen it, who use their unique skills to leave lasting imprints on the game. It’s a subjective opinion, but I’m having trouble imagining football and the NFL dominating the American cultural landscape without incredible, magnetic quarterbacks.
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Below, you will find the greatest quarterbacks ever to launch a forward pass. The men who defined their respective eras and revolutionized football in ways we previously never thought possible. Picking the best quarterbacks of all time isn’t an exact science, but telling the story of the game would frankly be impossible without these passers.