ProFootballTalk.com's Top 25 In 25

No. 2 John Elway.

Though he forced his way out of Baltimore before ever playing a single NFL game there, John Elway became a rare superstar quarterback who played his entire career with only one team. 

And Elway ended his run in true storybook style, winning two straight Super Bowls and then riding off into the sunset.

But before those final two seasons, when his contributions were nearly lost in the shuffle by a strong running attack and very good, but not great, defense, Elway already had established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game.

His penchant for late-game heroics was legendary, highlighted by his 1986 comeback against the Browns in the AFC title game.  But three Super Bowl losses during the 1980s prevented him from reaching Montana-like levels of overall fame.  In two of those losses, the Broncos held a lead in the first half, only to have the wheels bust off of the wagon.

Still, Elway made much more out of his final seasons, and we think that his full body of work puts him at one notch above the aforementioned Joe Montana.

Statistically, Elway is near the top of every major category.  He is third in all-time passing yards (behind Marino and Favre), third in completions (behind Favre and Marino), and fourth in touchdown passes (behind Marino, Favre, and Tarkenton).  The only active player with a realistic shot at knocking Elway down a peg in those categories is Peyton Manning.

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