Quarterback Legends

[JoeRedskin]

It kind of is a chicken and the egg thing. Are the great QB's only great b/c they were fortunate enough to not suffer a bad injury? OR Can a great QB avoid injury due to his talent and training?

IMO - Injuries are just part of the set of factors that determine the "legendary" status of any player. Many factors that permit a player to play well for a long time are controllable by the player - attitude, conditioning, film study. However, many factors are beyond a player's control - teammates, coaching, injuries. Yes, ability sometimes can overcome bad teammates, coaching and/or injuries but that, IMO, is extremely rare.

As with any great achievement - even those that appear to be based on individual achievement, luck and circumstances play a large part of any QB becoming "legendary". Would Peyton be as good as he is if he hadn't had quality receivers - Could he have succeeded with Atlanta's or Jacksonville's receiving corp or would he simply have been an Archie Manning redux (i.e. good QB on bad team)? What if Culpepper hadn't torn up his knee, was that something he could have avoided or just bad luck? Would Marino have been great if his teams had had a poruous line or would his quick release have saved him?

I think many "legendary" QB's got lucky and that, for the most part, injuries are beyond the control of any player.