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The 30 best quarterbacks in NFL history

By Randy Gurzi

Joe Montana #16, Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers prepares to throw a pass during the National Football Conference Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams on 14 January 1990 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, United States. The 49ers won the game 30 - 3. (Photo by Otto Gruele Jr/Allsport/Getty Images)
Joe Montana #16, Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers prepares to throw a pass during the National Football Conference Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams on 14 January 1990 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, United States. The 49ers won the game 30 - 3. (Photo by Otto Gruele Jr/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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Miami Dolphins, Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins, Dan Marino (Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images) /

8. Best NFL quarterbacks of all time: Dan Marino

Dan Marino is easily the most popular Miami Dolphins player, which is hard to do considering the number of successful players they’ve had. Drafted in 1983 out of Pittsburgh, Marino had instant success — which wasn’t the norm for rookies in this era. Taking over the starting job in Week 6, Marino was 7-2 as the starter with a 20-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

He was named the NFL Rookie of the Year, but his second act was even better. As a sophomore, Marino became the first player to ever surpass 5,000 yards passing when he hit 5,084 yards (a record that stood until 2011) and 48 touchdowns (another record at the time which lasted until 2004).

Marino and the Dolphins were 14-2 that season and had a home-field advantage in the playoffs. They parlayed that into a Super Bowl berth by knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game where Marino threw for 421 yards and four touchdowns — both of which remain records in the AFC Championship Game. He then lost a duel with Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in what would be his only chance at a ring.

Even though he never got that title, Marino kept Miami competitive every season and they made the playoffs 10 times in his career. Gifted with a strong arm and a super-fast release, Marino is atop the Miami passing leaderboards in every major category and has more than doubled up the next closest signal-caller for both yards and touchdown passes.

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