Dan Marino, Not John Elway, Is the All-Time NFL Comeback King

Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend is always a fun time to debate which players are the greatest in the history of the sport. And this weekend, the debate about the greatest quarterbacks of all time has been enlivened by new research indicating that Dan Marino -- and not John Elway -- is the all-time NFL comeback king.

On Elway's page at the Hall of Fame's web site, the first accomplishment listed, before his MVP award and his Super Bowl rings, is, "Led Denver to record 47 fourth quarter comebacks." That's how central Elway's image as the greatest leader of comebacks is to his status in pro football history.

But where did that statistic of "47 fourth quarter comebacks" come from? The NFL Record and Fact Book doesn't list "fourth quarter comebacks" as an official record.

It turns out that the number 47 came from the Broncos' public relations staff, and they had a fairly loose definition of "comeback," including games in which the Broncos were never even behind, a game that ended in a tie, game-winning drives on which Elway never threw a pass, games in which Elway left because of injury, and so on. The Dolphins' public relations staff also promoted Marino's comebacks, but wasn't as generous about counting them.

Now Scott Kacsmar, a researcher at Pro Football Reference, has gone back and applied a stricter definition to the term "fourth quarter comeback" and discovered that it's really Marino who deserves credit as the best of the bunch. You can read all the research in great detail here and here, but the bottom line is this:

Marino had 51 overall wins decided in the 4th quarter/overtime, and 36 of them are comebacks. ... Elway had 49 overall wins decided in the 4th quarter/overtime, and 34 of them are comebacks. ... Marino has more than Elway, and deserves to be recognized for it.

As Mike Tanier of Football Outsiders writes, the point here isn't to diminish Elway's achievements in the NFL. But the bogus "47 comebacks" number should be retired, and Marino's status as the quarterback who led the most fourth-quarter comebacks should be celebrated.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

8-08-2009 @ 8:45AM

JFCJR said...

If it came down to a vote between players, coaches and fans, John Elway would win by a SLAM DUNK margin over Marino with Marino's votes coming only from Dolphin/Marino fans on who you would want behind center in the 4th quarter as well as the last 2 minutes of any game!

8-09-2009 @ 1:29AM

Hello said...

Yea, nobody would want the most prolific passer of all time under center. Don't be an idiot.

8-08-2009 @ 9:11AM

TheMcEntyres said...

Dan Marino could'nt make a pimple on John Elway butthole.Elway could do so much more on the football field than (stay in the pocket Marino)How many rings does overhyped and over rated Marino have? Zero to Elway 5 trips and 2 rings.Elway is the greatest come from behind to ever live and there will never be another like him ever in the NFL.Throwers like Marino are a dime a dozen.

8-09-2009 @ 1:18PM

You are a retard. That is all.

8-11-2009 @ 4:17PM

lighthousecog said...

Simple quesion... put Marino on the 49ers in the 80's and do they have any less championships with Marino that with Montana? No. Maybe even one more. Rings don't mean squat without a team, and most people outside of Miami can't name anyone Marino played with over 17 years outside of Duper and Clayton.

8-08-2009 @ 10:06AM

toddsworld05 said...

give marino props, he was good and so was elway, if anyone is overrated its brett favre

8-08-2009 @ 11:05AM

Kasey said...

Yes, but at least Favre has won a Super Bowl. The record for career interceptions doesn't help though.

9-27-2009 @ 4:40PM

hulkmaniac019 said...

wtf...brett has done it all and never missed a game while at the same time piling up all the records. what are you going to say brett had better receivers? NO! MIA and Brett's receivers were about the same. You're just a hater. Marino was sacked the leasts amount of times in 7 seasons. He had a good line...And the 90s D for the fins was good too. Maybe it's because he wasn't that good. Look at his superbowls

8-08-2009 @ 11:07AM

jsatter648 said...

You have to go on percentages. ken Stabler was the KING!!!!!!!

8-08-2009 @ 11:19AM

ranton347 said...

If it wasn't for Tyrell Davis, Elway would have retird with nothing but blowout losses in the superbowl. Big baby threatened to go play baseball instead of playing for the colts, who had the number 1 pick in the draft...what a PUSS!

8-20-2009 @ 5:03AM

RBauer1404 said...

First of all its Terrell Davis and in the second superbowl win...Elway threw for over 300 yards and was the MVP. Every superbowl winning quarterback had a good running game. Montana had Roger Craig....Bradshaw had Franco Harris....Aikman had Emmitt Smith.....Marino was a great quarterback but Elway took three teams to the Superbowl in the 1980's with very little offensive talent (Sammy Winder RB....Mark Jackson and the 3 Amigos)...You are flat wrong on Elway.

8-20-2009 @ 11:42AM

Yeah, and 2 of the teams he took got BOMBED! He threw for 300 yards on a defense that had 1 of its stars arrested less than a week before the game. That defense was shell shocked. I bet the arresting officer had money on the Broncos! Doesn't matter, without Davis, Elway is no where near the superbowl to get an MVP award. You're entitled to your opinion of the big baby, no matter how wrong it is!

8-08-2009 @ 11:37AM

shadow4186 said...

elway and dan are both class acts, and respected football qb's. rings do not make the final analysis for how great these 2 guys were playing football. brett farve is in a totally different class than dan and john and some others. brett is over-rated, selfish and arrogant. yes he's got the rings, but his ego hurts him

8-08-2009 @ 12:39PM

Totally agree about Elway & Marino both being great QBs although I think most people would favor John. And I MOST DEFINITELY agree about Favre. The only thing that impresses me with Favre is his streak of consecutive games which is truly amazing. Other than that, the guy is average at best and he has truly damaged his reputation with this annual soap opera that he puts everybody through. He is not a player that comes through in the 4th quarter or December. The NFL Channel just did a piece on the top choke artists of all time and Favre (most appropriately) was rated number 6! His biggest choke (and he had many) was against the Giants in overtime on the "frozen tundra of Lambeau" in the NFC Championship game...HA! He will never live that down! Sure he is a "gunslinger". Thats why he is the NFL leader in interceptions. He just throws it all over the place using absolutely no brains or no regard for the consequences. I just hope the guy stays retired this time.......but I doubt it.

8-08-2009 @ 1:07PM

LaKeeta said...

As a Broncos fan I have obviously watched a lot of Broncos games. There was one game years ago between the Chiefs and Broncos that even I nor a Chiefs fan living with me at the time thought Denver would win with less than 2 minutes to go. Well Denver did win behind another "Drive" by Elway. I don't think Marino could have done such things.

8-08-2009 @ 1:11PM

Correction......Favre was rated #4 on the list of top choke artists of all time! And so Brett Favre has a ring. BIG DEAL! So does Trent Dilfer!

8-08-2009 @ 1:57PM

Kyle said...

where's captain comeback harbaugh on that list?
and soon enough Big Ben will pass all to be the king of the 4th quarter

8-08-2009 @ 6:13PM

timothy said...

one name that tops both of them. Montana

8-09-2009 @ 12:24AM

spikeritz said...

Montana has to be the most over rated QB of all time. He was an average QB with the best supporting cast of all time. Elway had a bad scheme and no help for the first ten years of his career. Marino was a great pure pocket pass and was the best in that catigory. However, I could have thrown for 3000+ yards with Montana's line, backs a recievers.... Not to mention what was a ground breaking scheme. But he cannot hold Elways jock.