Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and even the likes of Johnny Unitas. These men are remembered forever because of their excellence on the gridiron. The quarterback is widely considered the most valued role in all of sports. Naturally, it has been debated for decades: who is the greatest quarterback of all time? A question that appears to be unanswerable, forever condemned by the variable of bias and lack of objectivity.

That is what sets my list apart. All opinion is cast to the side, only the facts and statistics remain. While determining the best quarterback in the history of the NFL may seem improbable at best, an unbiased point system comparing the highs and lows of a quarterback’s stat line, employing objectivity and reason, may offer insight into this heated debate.

Aspects such as passer rating, completion percentage and touchdown to interception ratio are factored in to calculate a players’ overall score. Bonus points are accumulated for being named Most Valuable Player or winning the Super Bowl.

The system works as such: Passing yards+passing touchdowns+completion percentage+passer rating+rushing yards+rushing touchdowns+career wins as a starter+1000 points per Pro Bowl+5000 points per MVP+ 5000 points per conference championship+and 7500 points per Super Bowl. An additional 2500 points are awarded per playoff win.

My system also factors in negative aspects of a quarterback’s career as well, subtracting years as a starter, career losses (2,500 per playoff loss), interceptions and fumbles.

To even out the different statistics, an aspect such as passer rating with a decimal point would be moved over till it was a whole number (ex. 93.71 to 9371) to make the addition and subtraction cycles easier. To add more relevance to three digit or two digit numbers, zeros were added to the totals to better reflect the quarterback’s overall score.

Great quarterbacks from all eras were considered, each one either a current member of, or perceived to be in the future, the Hall of Fame. From Otto Graham to Aaron Rodgers, this comprehensive list created and calculated by yours truly, may just be the most accurate system devised to answer this stumbling question.

5. Brett Favre – 136,022 points

The definition of a “gun-slinger”, the all time leader in career passing yards, and two time league MVP, its no surprise Brett Favre is on the short list of all time greats. The only knock against Favre is also being the all time leader in career interceptions thrown, and only winning one Super Bowl in his 20 year NFL career.

4. John Elway –  138,802 points

Famous for his moxy and unwillingness to give up, two time Super Bowl champion John Elway takes the number 4 spot and is immortalized for his style of play. What’s holding him back? Three Super Bowl losses and only one MVP award prevent John from rising any higher on the list.

3. Peyton Manning  – 140,044 points

Manning recently passed up Brett Favre for the most passing touchdowns in league history and has won a record 5 MVP awards. His playoff record (11-12) and only one Super Bowl victory in three tries keeps Manning at number three, at least for now.

2. Joe Montana –  141,787 points

The epitome of winning, Joe Montana and his 4 Super Bowls are the runner-up in this battle of quarterback greats. Montana never threw for 4,000 yards in a season and a measly 273 career touchdown passes keep the comeback kid from taking the top spot.

1. Tom Brady  – 151,050 points

What allowed the Patriot legend to take the top spot? Over 50,000 career passing yards, over 250 more touchdown passes than interceptions, and being a two time MVP is an impressive resume in itself. Not to mention three Lombardi Trophys, Brady has proved time again his greatness and future status as an all-time great.

These five quarterbacks far exceeded the rest, with Johnny Unitas at number six scoring 119,186 points. Quarterbacks like Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Fran Tarkenton were excellent statistical quarterbacks, but poor winning percentages and lack of a championship hardware kept all three outside the top ten.

Quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Aikman do not stand out statistically as passers, but their ability to win close games and bring in five combined championships allowed both to sneak into the top ten. Other big winners like Bart Starr however, were not able to overcome their average passing statistics despite winning multiple championships.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers scored 71,029 points, but in only six full years as a starter. Rodgers score is already higher than the likes of Warren Moon, Donovan McNabb, and Joe Namath. If Rodgers continues at his current pace, we could see his name at the top of the list in close to decade.

Do you agree with my list? Who was left off? Who is ranked too high? Voice your opinion in the comments below and let the debate continue!