Who's your G.O.A.T?

Most people say Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T., right? After all, they say, he's got the rings to prove it! 

The citation of rings--championships--puts the debate firmly in the realm of objectively measurable accomplishments. The one with the most rings must clearly be the best, no doubt about it, they seem to say.

But of course there is more than one measurable out there. Passer Rating, for example, the official formula of the NFL since 1973. The Passer Rating attempts to assign a numerical value to a QB's performance based on a complicated formula that measure things like completion percentage, interception percentage, touchdown percentage, and yards per pass.

The QB with the best passer rating of all-time is Patrick Mahomes (108.7). Deshaun Watson (104.3) is second. These two have only been playing since 2017, so maybe they are not yet in the running for G.O.A.T. status. But 3rd all-time in the Passer Rating olympics is the wily veteran Aaron Rodgers (103.7). You can see the complete list here.

Tom Brady is 9th all time in this rating system (97.2). QBs ahead of him on the list include Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. So, Tommy B. is the G.O.A.T. if you're primarily measuring championships, but only a top-10 guy if you're measuring over-all passing accomplishments.

But isn't winning championships the ultimate goal of every team, you might ask? And since the answer is obviously yes, doesn't that make Tom Brady the best QB of all time?

Yup, if that's the measuring-stick you're using. But I would suggest another measuring-stick, one that is more personal and subjective, yet also in a loose sense "measureable." The goal of a football team may be to win championships, but my goal as a football fan and habitual watcher of the game is, quite simply, to enjoy myself. So let's call my own personal measure of QB performance the Quarterback P.E.R. (Personal Enjoyment Rating).

Now the P.E.R. may be linked loosely to the Passer Rating. After all, there's little enjoyment in watching an inefficient QB. But what I'm suggesting is this: since my goal in watching football on television is to increase my enjoyment, my sense of excitement and pleasure, then my personal favorite quarterback is going to be the one that gives me the most joy, the most excitation, the most pleasure. This QB is the one that has made me jump up and shout more often than any other.

This is the only rating that really matters to me. This measure has to do with my emotional involvement in the game, not simply raw data. When I'm watching a game on television, I don't care that the QB has won championships in the past, I'm just hoping to get some pleasure out of the moment. I think everybody else who watches football feels the same way. This is the true measure of a player's greatness.

So then, the big question: who is my P.E.R. G.O.A.T? Well, my P.E.R. agrees with the Passer Rating as far as today's crop of QBs go. Patrick Mahomes is clearly the most exciting QB in the game today. That's an easy call. He may be the most exciting QB of all-time!

My P.E.R. measures the eager sense of expectation I get when sitting down to watch a game. If one of the QBs in that game is, say, Matthew Stafford (22nd all-time in Passer Rating with an 89.7), then I'm not all that excited. But if it's Patrick Mahomes, my excitement level is sky-rocketing. I don't want to miss a single play!

Given this explanation, I'd have to say the P.E.R. G.O.A.T. is definitely Brett Favre, who gave me more thrills than any QB in history (though he's a mere 87 in Passer Rating, good for 38th all-time--in a tie with Trent Green!). But I firmly expect that, after a few more years, Patrick Mahomes will surpass Brett as my all time P.E.R. G.O.A.T. 

So there you have it: Brett Favre is the greatest. Aaron Rodgers is also up there among the greatest in my personal estimation, along with both Montana and Young. Tom Brady would make the top ten, no doubt, and maybe even the top five. 

What do you think? If you were simply to measure the sheer pleasure you get from watching him play, who would be your P.E.R. G.O.A.T?