unreal quick release. and he uncorked it from any angle. running left...running right. off balance...stumbling. Doesnt matter he just launched those missiles
If Vick had worked on his passing game a lot more and ditched the running style, he would have over 30,000 or 40,000 yards in his career and plus more touchdowns. He had Dan Marion's quick release and could throw 50 yard bombs down the field, but his accuracy wasn't really good.
Warren Moon threw the most beautiful spiral ever. It's a shame he tends to be left out of great QBs discussions because he was exactly that....One of the greatest!
Dude had to win 5 straight titles in the CFL just to crack an NFL roster. He gets no respect. But playing in the CFL is part of why his passes in the NFL always had such zip. The larger field and wider hashmarks in the CFL make sideline throws pick-six city if your QB doesn't have a big arm. Sort of like how playing in the AFL uniquely prepared Kurt Warner to get rid of the ball quickly and fit it into tight windows while running the Greatest Show on Turf with all those crazy fast guys in St Louis.
@@wavykid8097 Didn't really win many playoff games either, but his defenses had some epic collapses. About race, that definitely was a reason he didn't get drafted and was exiled to the CFL for 5 years. Black QBs rarely got looks back then and it wasn't just happenstance.
Yeah, there are guys like Vick or Wilson who seem to throw the deep ball only on half the power. Just like some WRs run away from defenders and it looks as if they are just jogging.
Unfortunately, when he was coming up, nobody really taught him how to be a great passer. He had his moments, but with that textbook release, man had somebody spent a few summers really teaching him to pass, he'd have really been unstoppable.
@@ButterBallTheOpossum Mike Vick is an all time great. The only reason why people don’t want to say it is because he went to prison. Get over it. He paid his price
Moon, Marino and Vick stood out the most to me. Moon's spirals were gorgeous, Marino was insanely fast with his release and Vick made it look effortless - like he could easily throw it much further.
Vick looked like he just flicked the ball, like he wasn't even trying to throw hard. That was what was always crazy to me. Lefties often don't have a lot of arm strength for some reason, but he was definitely an outlier.
Even tho he didn't have the greatest career, anyone who truly knows football or QBs can't deny that Jay Cutler had a cannon. Dude could throw it 80 yards barely trying. Half the time it got intercepted but hey, still had an arm. I'm not even a Bears fan and I gotta give credit wear it's due. He did indeed have a strong arm.
@@adren-a-line1473 I think Flacco had good strength, but not all-time good. Kaepernick could, indeed, throw LASERS. He didn't throw deep a lot, but could throw 40yd lines like it was nothing
Cunningham to Moss, Randle literally threw absolute bombs to Moss. It's a reason Moss still holds the most receiving TDs for a rookie WR.(could be broken with 17 games in a season now, might even break moss 07 season).
In a packers fan but when I think of my childhood I remember moss Carter and Jake Reed made Randall Cunningham in 98 Jeff George in 99 and Daunte Culpepper in 2000 made them all look mvp caliber lol
No doubt he had a gun. But elway threw even harder. Brett could release it quicker and from more angles. But if elway set up his cannon was unmatched if any of these guys… by the way it’s close w/ all these guys. Glad b jones and sonny in there b/c they too had guns. And of course no one release as fast and laser accuracy as Marino. & namath had the purest poetic motion…. Cool video.
@@BazookaIke … farve had a quicker release and could not doubt throw ropes 40 yards and in… post 40 though elway is the strongest of his era aside from Cunningham who was less accurate… elway could throw a ball to a wr as a straight rope w/ little to no loft literally 45 yards down field. Straight up cannon. Farve didn’t have quite that same capacity that far out. Go back to the films you will see what I mean.
I watched nearly every game Elway played at Granada Hills High School in 1977 and 1978. You could hear the ball cutting through the air when he threw it. A man among boys. Unbelievable.
Sonny Jurgensen had the best arm in football in the 1960s and early 1970s, you could hear the ball cut through the air and he could throw it a mile, perfect spirals and great accuratcy, watch his highlights. He also was a very nice man.
Best deep throw of all-time has to be what Randall Cunningham did against the Bills. No clue how that wasn't a safety, but to escape that and then chuck that ball up was a thing of beauty
My favorite old highlight. I can watch that for hours. Dude almost gets sacked, Then scrambles and hits the guy for 6. I still have no clue how he did that.
As a Bills fan, I agree. How Smith didn't get him I'll never understand. Cunningham is in my top 3 all time most fun players to watch (Barry Sanders, Michael Vick)
Everyone else especially Elway/Favre put their body into it. Vick and Marino was like they just flicked their wrists and the ball was 60 yards downfield.
Vick on the Eagles was something else. I'm happy to say that I've had the pleasure of watching alot of these guys since the 80's. As a lifetime fan, I've seen some of the best to ever do it.
George was a unique character. He didn't seem to get along with anybody....but because of his arm, he could always find a job somewhere. That's a nice asset to have...
That's what is missing in this video, all these guys had amazing arms but none had the cannon AND accuracy that Rodgers does. Mahomes will be the next Rodgers.
Matt Stafford is criminally underrated all time. He has a top arm talent all time. He throws a perfect spiral and puts it in the smallest windows ever. I’ve watched almost every lions game for years now and stafford is just amazing. His arm wows me even though I’ve been watching him for years. He’s gonna get that ring he deserves in la
I think it's perfect that he got to the Rams. This is one of those perfect trades that doesn't always happen we get to see someone who we know is great on a team that has all the pieces. Hopefully he has 4-5 good years ahead
i know i am in a very small minority but MIchael Vick was and still is one of my favorites. when he threw the ball it just seemed effortless. one of the most exciting players in the history of the NFL.
You are not a small minority at all trust me. Arm talent was off the charts. It just wasn’t utilized in his ATL days because everyone just wanted to see the Michael Vick show. The fact he was able to develop into such an accurate passer in Philadelphia at the age of 30 after 2 YEARS OFF of football makes you wonder how great he would have been if they had developed him correctly as a passer from the start 🤦🏼♂️
Man he was famous for the quick flick of a throw, then the ball would proceed to go 60-70 yds.., When he spun spirals, the truest, purest "frozen ropes" I've ever seen, and I've studied the game religiously from the 70's on. My favorite connection ever was Vick to DeSean Jackson. When throwing to D-Jax you really almost COULDNT overthrow DeSean, Fastest WR I've EVER seen in pads-GAME SPEED.. only guy who appeared quicker to me was Dieon Sanders. And I've given that tremendous thought and STILL go back n' forth. DeSean(Prime Days) faster than Tyreke Hill. Jackson took enormous strides!! Sorry, had another tangent, but yeah 100%, Vick WAS THAT GUY in all aspects, never seen anything like him, only challenger LaMaar Jackson, idk what it is tho, that explosive fast twitch movement from Vick was just more dynamic. I believe if he really put some air under those frozen ropes, I don't see any man spinning a football further, spinning BULLETS. Vick like a .45
Not just if he was developed better early but what if he had at least one hall of fame receiver in Atlanta it would have been a no doubt Super Bowl ring
Yea,if u noticed he never put a lot of air under the ball,even on bombs!!he wanted it to get to the reciever as fast as possible,between his release and his arm strength it was perfect,cuz there were guys with bigger heavier arms,but not the whole pkg and I watched the QB challenge they used to have back in the early 90's and Marino hit a,bulls eye down the middle furthest target to win it and its easier to haul back and put a lot of air under it,but try keepin it lower and still hangin it on a line 50 plus yrd in the air,not nearly as easy!!
The most impressive show of arm strength I ever saw was Elway’s throw to Ken Margerum against USC in 1980. I never saw a professional throw equal it, not even by Elway himself. He threw a 70-yard, cross-field frozen rope, while on the run. It spent shockingly little time in the air, and it knocked Margerum onto his back. It went over the head of an astonished Ronnie Lott, who’d parked himself at what he thought was the maximum distance that a quarterback could throw. To this day, Lott simply shakes his head at it. The second-strongest arm, in my estimation, belonged to Jay Schroeder, believe it or not. He was erratic and his career was short, but good grief, he slung it with power.
My wife's fam is from the San Fran area. In college at Stanford, Elway could stand at home plate and throw a baseball over the outfield wall... That is a generational athlete
@@ftblfn83 --Great story, and not surprising. It’s only a slightly related anecdote, but as a skinny little ninth grader, Nolan Ryan threw a softball 309 feet. During his time in MLB, he used to throw around a football on off days, to stay limber. These kind of arms are natural gifts.
On arm strength, explosiveness, accuracy, and form, Namath was one hell of a passer. He was electrifying. Remember hearing a head coach raving about how you could hear the whizzing of the ball when it went by you. It's too bad his career, other than a few early years and one moment of glory, was so tough. An indelible memory is seeing him crumpled on the ground after getting sacked. Happened way too often.
I recall hearing Glen Campbell saying that he had had the chance to play catch with Namath, and that he had gone out of his way to try to catch the ball away from his body. But the next day, his torso was black and blue from the impact...even though he tried to catch the ball with some distance from his body, the velocity still drove the passes into him with that much violence...
Jeff Blake and Jeff George were two quarterbacks from the 90s who weren't necessarily great, but had absolute cannons of arms. Threw some of the best deep balls I'd ever seen
He's not remembered much today, but Darryl Lamonica had one of the strongest torpedoes of all time. Al Davis set up the Raiders original vertical passing game around Lamonica's mastery of the long ball.
That Vick to DeSean pass always gets me. Vick threw it so hard, DeSean was already well downfield and still had to full-on sprint to barely catch that ball. Insane rocket for an arm.
His throw in the probowl splitting two defenders was one of the greatest throws I ever seen lol. It was side armed and he just flicked it and it was like both defenders finger tips both touched it lol.
His overall performance is worse tho than Kirk Cousins for example, and he is seen as better than Kirk which is in my opinion dumb. Stafford is good and flashes more than just about anyone but he throws a fair bit of headscratchers
@@BA-oy9uo do you even watch the Lions like that? Because you sound like someone who doesn't know Matthew Stafford. Being a Green Bay fan your dogging this man from how good a quarterback he is
Warren Moon threw the prettiest spirals. Also, Matt Stafford's throw at 8:58 is insane (throwing it 45 yards off while running backwards & off platform, SHEESH).
Moon obviously everybody knows who he is but just the beauty of his throwing motion, the spirals, velocity...that doesnt get talked about enough. and he hung in the pocket well. you'd see it collapsing and almost not even see Moon there...all of a sudden you just see a football fly up out of this mass of humanity and land 60 yards away on Haywood Jeffires hands I loved the smooth violence of Elway throwing it too. It was like he was a pro boxer throwing a haymaker
My Dad told me about a Bears QB from the 60s-70s, Bobby Douglas, who he said might have had the strongest arm ever. Huge for the time too, at 6'4", 220. Downside was that he had the touch of a buffalo and couldn't always remember the plays. Held the QB rushing record for years, taking off when he couldn't find anyone in the first second! :-)
I am old enough to remember Bobby Douglass play. Although he wasn't the best QB around he had the strongest arm in NFL history. There is a video on TH-cam of Douglass throwing the ball about 65 yards in the air on a line with hardly any arc to it with a broken wrist. I've also seen a video of a Douglass interview where he said he could throw it 90 yards and if he got the right throw off 100 yds
@@glennbrooke5272 Strongest arm in history up to that point. I'd say the strongest arm of all time belongs to Michael Bishop. He gets forgotten because he had the misfortune of getting drafted by a team who already had Brew Bledsoe and Tom Brady and only ever played in 8 NFL games, but the dude could straight up throw 85-90 yard (all air yards) bombs and make it look easy. Again though, much like Bobby Douglas, he had the touch of a buffalo and the accuracy of a stormtrooper to boot. Spent a good chunk of time in the CFL, which is why I know how far he can throw.
What's not true about it?? Unfortunately, it's also true that Jeff George is one of the biggest disappointments in NFL history, if only because he had so much talent, yet did so little with it. He just didn't have the discipline needed to do the things necessary to capitalize on his crazy arm talent.
As a Packers fan, I can say we've been very blessed and spoiled to have Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers; not only do they have rocket arms, but their scrambling ability was incredible as well
yes. Just when we all wondered how someone could replace Brett Favre the packers found a QB even better! It’s a shame Favre/Rodgers carried the teams themselves almost every season to the playoffs. Although I would say that Favre did have some better defenses (compared to Rodgers) until 2000 and not again until 2007. Packers biggest front office mistake was not giving Holmgren what he wanted. Favre and the team declined without him and meanwhile he should have won the super bowl in Seattle with Mat Hasslebeck. Even when the packers have a good roster injuries seem to hit nearly everyone. Your QB should not have to play near perfect to get wins. Look at Jimmy G’s numbers in the playoffs 😂 I guess that’s what makes the game great
3 decades of hall of fame QBs and only 3 suoer bowls to show. So disappointing. Of course when you only have one capable head coach during that time in Mike Holmgren, that plays a big factor.
glad vick is finally getting some respect in terms of his arm strength. Havnt seen someone able to rope a ball 50 yards on a line quite like that god danm.
@@mackm273 he said talented which he actually was when he was dialed in. Furthermore you could make that the case with some of the other qbs on this list. Dan marino's career comp% is in the 50s unless that was the standard back then.
@@ctaylor2805 Wow lmao imagine daring to compare Vick with one of footballs most accurate qbs ever with insane touch, ridiculous accuracy, all combined with the quickest release probably ever. arm talent is a lot more than being able to throw far, it is a combination of touch, accuracy with placement and just general accuracy to fit the ball in. Vick played lots of his overrated career in a time when passing was far easier than it was in Marino's heyday, comparing the two is like comparing Kerryon Johnson to Barry Sanders. when it comes to being a true passing QB Marino is worlds apart from Vick.
@@mackm273 he didn't compare vick to marino. He just said how marino didn't have the best so called comp% either. I can't stand when people try to put words in other's mouths and say they're comparing something and they are not.
Randal Cunningham looked like he threw the ball further than anyone else. When he first went to the eagles , he was a great qb that ran like crazy , could throw the ball like crazy too. I was so glad we finally destroyed him in the 92 NFC playoffs.
You forgot all about Steve Bartkowski, I once saw him throw a ball almost 50 yards against the Giants and it couldn’t have been more than 10 feet off the ground at its highest point. 😮
@@5000jetadam And he often didn't have touch on shorter passes, which played into his accuracy issues. He also had no idea how to read a defense either, but that may not be as relevant to this discussion. Well, maybe it is...
It doesnt even look real when Vick throws it. Like he's not the biggest guy but he throws the football and it just comes flying off his hand like a superhero trying to not throw it that hard.
Peter King on Pro Football Talk was asked who he thought had the strongest arm in NFL history. He replied: "Michael Vick has the strongest arm I've ever seen. I saw him throw the ball 100 yards endzone to endzone in training camp in Atlanta; and he looked like he could've thrown it even farther." It was with Mike Florio and Chris Simms. You can watch it on youtube. I concur. Vick had a bazooka, the strongest arm in NFL history.
John Madden timed it back then, Marino's release was second fastest, Bert Jones was third. Jeff George had the fastest release ever at that time, that was in the mid to late 80s.
It's amazing how little Favre is being mentioned in this comments section. He arguably had the strongest arm in NFL history, and many people acknowledged this during his career, yet today you'd think that he was second rate. How soon people forget. Or simply choose to ignore someone, when given the opportunity.
Favre threw tight intermediate strikes with velocity! Wasn't known for having a cannon though! More know for his velocity! He could throw tight up to about 30/40 yards on a line was his specialty!
How come I only got the recommendation to this video now? Thank you NFL Throwback! That's a great compilation and whoever chose the QBs is knowledgable for sure. Sonny Jurgensen and Bert Jones are prime examples of the gunslinger and prototypical passer long before Aaron Rodgers or Pat Mahomes.
He was still a Pro Bowl level QB @ 41 with Seattle. Imagine his numbers if he hadn't been forced to play in Canada for 6 years because NFL teams didn't believe in him as a QB.
@@lucashenderson2775 We were happy to have him in Canada. His arm was so effective on the big wide field in Canada. And yes.....his spiral was a thing of beauty.
Lucky, to a point. But: they traded for Favre. Teams passed on Rodgers and they took him. They traded up for Love. That is not luck, it is good decision-making.
Marino is the best QB I’ve ever seen throw a football. He had a laser beam and he was deadly accurate. If he played today he’d have 7000 yards and 65 TD’s a year.
i dunno, i still contend he'd have more than that with how the game is played if he had 5k and 48 td during a period of time when you could maul the WRs in the routes, drive the RBs into the ground and destroy the QB on a blitz. Remove all of that, no way Marino only gets another 2k and 20 tds to that total.
@@guidoluzzi66 And for a fairly immobile QB, he had the most incredible pocket presence and quick feet. It wasn't only his quick release that caused him to barely get sacked, but his ability to shift from on coming passrushers.
@@manuelper facts. He had a certain technique. It’s hard to describe it’s like he could side step with hella quickness, but never could scramble lol. He’s my fav qb.
He wouldn’t have no damn 7500 yards. Yeah the league was tougher, but the defenders weren’t as smart or athletic as they are today. Defensive schemes have become more complicated to decipher. This is why I also hate when people say Brady or Manning wouldn’t make it back in the 70’s and 80’s. With their IQ and ability to adjust pre snap, the ball would be out of their hands before those defenders could sniff them. Marino would still be great today, but he’s not putting up those fake ass numbers
Randall was something else lol. Just the ease with which he could spin it. A flick of the wrist and it was a missile. That connection he had with moss especially was bread and butter
Cunningham and Vick threw such a ridiculously good deep ball. As a Panthers fan, it felt like Vick could throw it farther while on the run, than any of our QB's could from in the damn pocket... I've always felt Cunningham was under rated in his time for as gifted as he was.
I feel privileged to have grown up in the 80s with Elway, Moon, and Marino. I grew up an Oilers fan so Moon's my guy. He not only had a strong arm, he could throw a perfect spiral through the eye of a needle 50 yards away. With Marino, he had that quick twitch release. It was amazing how he could accurately put it in the breadbaskets of the Marks Brothers with a lineman bearing down on him. Elway was the best all around pure QB. He lived up to the hype and then some. He had arm talent and was a dangerous runner especially early in his career. Elway also was that QB where you knew your team was never out of a game. He was clutch in 2 minute situations. However the best QB in the 80s was not the above listed guys. Joe Montana was it because of 4 Super Bowls. He beat Elway and Marino. Moon never had a shot because the Oilers fizzled in the playoffs.
Nah, Joe Montana wasnt the best QB from that era. Look at the roster of that team - stacked with HoFers. Now compare that to what Marino had to work with. Elway only got over the hump when he had Davis and a running game. As for Moon, it's a shame he had to go to the CFL as he was an exceptional QB and very under-rated, even to this day. And if memory serves, he's still the only QB to sport a good looking mustache ;)
@@The_Zilli Actually Montana won Super Bowls with and without HOFers. His first 2 SBs in 1981 and 1984 were won without Jerry Rice. In 1981, his running backs were Ricky Patton and Earl Cooper. They were solid players but not spectacular. The only thing Earl Cooper had in common with Earl Campbell was their initials. Now the teams in 1988 and 1989 were loaded. But there were only 5 guys left from the 1981 Super Bowl on the 1989. So I still say Montana was still the best in the 80s because like Tom Brady, he won championships with different rosters.
@@jlh4jc now that is a fair counterpoint however lets not forget Walsh, the 2nd ranked defense, the offensive line, Lott, Clarke and of course a new offensive system in the West Coast. And it would also be unfair to miss pointing out the term "coaching tree" that stemmed from Walsh. While the team may not have had as big name stars, it was still loaded with HoFers ;) Just different types. And I havent even touched on just how bad that division was - the Saints (Aints), Falcons, Rams which all but assured the Niners a playoff spot each year, very similiar to how the Patriots prayed on the AFC East for all of these years with the other three teams being in constant state of rebuild. Not saying Montana is a bad QB, just I think his legacy of the greatest all time hinges too much on the fact that he had an awesome roster, a great coach and stability. As much as I hate to say it, Brady has to be considered the greatest and Im a Marino Boomer. What he has accomplished with no name players and a different team, and for the duration in whic he has done it, really leaves no room to debate. Is he the best pure passer or is he someone you want to start a new franchise with, that's debatable but come playoffs, tough to pick anyone else other than him.
@@jlh4jc If you're impressed with the "Joe won with a bunch of no-names on his team" argument, then you need to consider who they played against in their 1st SB. Talk about no names. Not to mention he only attempted 22 passes the whole game. Sounds like a complete team to me and that Joe was a game manager.
I got to watch Dan Marino play in 1996 and I couldn't believe how fast and accurate he could throw. Even when cowboys defense terrorized him he would still get it down the field.
His highlight reel video is 20-30 minutes all of rapid fire plays and his release was insane. Many think he had a powerful arm, he really didn't for total yards in the air. He could maybe squeeze 60 yards in perfect conditions. But for imperfect conditions, he could fling it 50 yards all over the field from any position.
I remember this great story I read about Elway. His senior year at Stanford, fully HALF of his interceptions were because he threw so hard that the ball bounced off the receivers chests.
@@toddjacksonpoetry Bert Jones once threw an incomplete pass in the waning seconds before halftime against my Cowboys. The ball was thrown from around the 18 yd line and wound up past the endzone on a hail mary. It was the most non eventful but ridiculously long pass I have ever seen. Till this day.
@@mitchelll3879 Yeah, thats why he's #5 in yards all time AND #5 in completion percentage...thats ALL time. Like in NFL history. So have to disagree with the latter part of your assessment
The guys like Moon, Vick, Namath, Marino, Allen, Elway who do it with a flick of a wrist are the ones who are the most impressive to me. Some have to have somewhat of a windup to go deep. They have strong arms,but it looks like it is harder for them. I think Namath was the first QB who I noticed the quick release and how effortless it was for him. He may have had the best release ever at the time he was drafted by the Jets. Now it is almost mandatory for an NFL QB to have that short,quick release. Marino could have changed uniforms with Namath and it would be hard to tell them apart. All of these QB's have rocket arms. Some just throw a prettier ball and make it look effortless.
Absolutely right about Namath..no one had ever seen anyone with such a quick rifle like release before. Marino was a carbon copy of that style with even better results. Vick's arm flicks on the run don't even have arc, looks like he's throwing darts. His ball maintains the same velo as when it left his hand 45 yards downfield.
Also add Kelly to that list... I was lucky to see the late 80s/ early 90s qbs..moon , Kelly, marino, elway,etc..now it's the new era of young qbs.mahomes,Allen, herbert, ..u can still throw Rodgers and Stafford in their as well..these guys had cannon arms just not the releases the 90s qbs had
Huh? They are up there. No one is forgetting them. Infact, I’ll never forget warren. He let the bills come back from a 30 point deficit in the playoffs. He cost me $200 that day. Lol
Too bad he didn't have the discipline to do what it took to capitalize on all that arm talent. He's one of the biggest disappointments in NFL history, if only because he had the potential to be so much more.
Ive watched Randall Cunningham live at games in nose bleed seats as well as other QBs. It was Randall Cunningham's Arm as watched him throw ball as high as a punt with the distance to see it as WOW. Yeah seeing line drives from Elway, Marino, Farve ect ect ect but Randall Cunningham s Deep Ball Throws one of the best and highest along with distance. The Ball seemed it was same level the section under top nose bleeds, that is very strong arm man. WOW...
Very impressive list. I was really surprised you included Jay Schroeder, which was a good spotlight. I think a few others guys that could have been included were Steve McNair, Drew Bledsoe, Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, and even though he was one of the worst busts ever JaMarcus Russell. Those guys all had circus cannons. Gotta say, if I could equip any QB with any type of arm talent from NFL history it would be between Favre, Elway, Vick, and George.
And Mahomes is about to put ALL of them in his shadow. TheChiefs probably would've won the SB last year except that his receiver simply couldn't believe Pat would get that ball to him & it bounced off his face-mask.
@NIKO SAMUELS Jeff George had a stronger BODY. His arm strength was like a Tom Seaver fastball: a perfect coordination of legs, hips, back, shoulder and arm. He didn't have as strong an ARM as Mahomes, which is why Mahomes can throw so powerfully against his own body weight, or whiile back-pedalling, or off-balance.
I'm 73 years old and have seen everybody here. All mentioned here were exceptional talents but Vick, Elway, Stafford, Cunningham are the most powerful long distance throwers that I saw throw passes 90 yards. The only others I've seen do it were relatively unknown QBs like Peter Tom Willis, Eddie LeBaron [1956] and Sonny Gibbs [1960]. Back in the past...after WWII...all NFL games started at 1pm. There were no night games! Teams would come out at noon without shoulder pads or helmets and we kids could get autographs. The old Baltimore Colts started in Dallas as the Dallas Texans for 1 year. The Kansas City Chiefs originally came from Dallas in1963 and I saw every player in the old AFL and NFL + local semi-pros in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and California. We used to hang around Baltimore Colts, Dallas Texans practice and see the Cowboys in Thousand Oaks,CA. Fact is, The QBs like Joe Willie, Bart Starr, Darryl Lamonica, Terry Bradshaw, Moon etc. would come out with WRs and throw bombs to Don Maynard, Max McGee, Rich Caster or Lynn Swann. I played QB and safety [2 ways] in local leagues and saw a ton of Texas guys who could throw it 70 yards [Dandy Don, Cotton Davidson or Scottie Miles etc.] But, guys like Elway, Stafford, Cunningham and Vick were jaw-dropping!!! I'd like to add that Terry Bradshaw may have had the strongest arm of all. He would warmup throwing 70 and 75 yard darts to WRs + when we were in highschool [I graduated in 1966...same year as Terry], he was state champ throwing the Javelin. Hell, I was a big 'un myself, 6'3" 245 lbs and could chunk it 70 yards...
Can’t believe Jay Cutler isn’t on here. I know he wasn’t the greatest QB but just in terms of pure arm strength i think he’s as good as it gets. Absolute bazooka in his prime
@@theoutlaw9759 What made Montana so great is he did not have the typical skills a QB should have, but he was smart, could move around, and was so calm under pressure. He also simply knew how to win, and that is something all the physical skills in the world cannot teach.
It’s impossible to accurately state who actually had the strongest arm. But I feel very comfortable in saying that Michael Vick consistently threw the prettiest ball I’ve ever seen… followed closely by Aaron Rodgers. But yeah.. Michael Vick throwing a ball so effortlessly was just breathtaking to watch.
Worst luck ever for both of them... Kelly had the team, but had to play 4 HOF coaches ( 5 counting Belichik when he was DC with New York) in the SB, with 4 teams full of Hall of Fame players. Marino played on 8-8 teams at best if they did not have him, Shula was past his prime for most of Marino's career, and missed the playoffs 4 years in a row during his prime... Phillip Rivers suffered the same type of fate
Big respect for those old-timers. Getting smashed pretty much every time they got rid of the ball. Compared to today’s RTP rulings, it was an era where the QBs had to be talented and tough.
@@mitchelll3879 Earlier in his career he tried to do too much.. wasn't content with the easy completion, wanted to make the amazing throws. he was a far better quarterback in second half of his career.
I recall back in the 1970s there was a football throwing contest for NFL players, where MacArthur Lane, then running back for the Green Bay Packers, won that competition with a throw of around 70 yards. I recall about that from a local TV newscast sports segment when the subject was brought up about QB arm strength and throwing capability; it surprised me a running back had the furthest toss. Sadly, such an anecdote cannot be confirmed with all the web searches I've done.
![NFL Longest Throws in History | 60+ Yards [1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SIW5bADcsAA/mqdefault.jpg)
Vicks flicking motion and the velocity of the ball is the craziest thing I’ve ever witnessed in football. The guys arm talent was something to behold.
unreal quick release. and he uncorked it from any angle. running left...running right. off balance...stumbling. Doesnt matter he just launched those missiles
always thought the same and was amazed as well. dude just flicks his wrist and the ball goes fiddy yards.
If Vick had worked on his passing game a lot more and ditched the running style, he would have over 30,000 or 40,000 yards in his career and plus more touchdowns. He had Dan Marion's quick release and could throw 50 yard bombs down the field, but his accuracy wasn't really good.
Great athlete...average QB
Like he wasn't even trying to throw hard . Lol it ain't fair to the rest of us mortals
Warren Moon threw the most beautiful spiral ever. It's a shame he tends to be left out of great QBs discussions because he was exactly that....One of the greatest!
Dude had to win 5 straight titles in the CFL just to crack an NFL roster. He gets no respect. But playing in the CFL is part of why his passes in the NFL always had such zip. The larger field and wider hashmarks in the CFL make sideline throws pick-six city if your QB doesn't have a big arm. Sort of like how playing in the AFL uniquely prepared Kurt Warner to get rid of the ball quickly and fit it into tight windows while running the Greatest Show on Turf with all those crazy fast guys in St Louis.
@@jw-nz2vx well the NFL does not like black QBs so that explains why Moon is left out of the discussion
@@ShawnFX stop the non sense he didn’t win Super Bowls stop bring up race
@@wavykid8097 Didn't really win many playoff games either, but his defenses had some epic collapses.
About race, that definitely was a reason he didn't get drafted and was exiled to the CFL for 5 years. Black QBs rarely got looks back then and it wasn't just happenstance.
@@TheChallenger1000 you know how football is the ob is the leader of the team
I always felt like Vick could throw it two football fields, the way he flicks it is so effortless.
Yeah, there are guys like Vick or Wilson who seem to throw the deep ball only on half the power. Just like some WRs run away from defenders and it looks as if they are just jogging.
@@bowlchamps37 exactly
@@bowlchamps37 Wilson doesn't throw it in the same ball park as Vick tho. Watson throws it effortless deep too but not with the same velocity as Vick.
I have never seen a cannon like Vick, especially on the run
Unfortunately, when he was coming up, nobody really taught him how to be a great passer. He had his moments, but with that textbook release, man had somebody spent a few summers really teaching him to pass, he'd have really been unstoppable.
Say what you want about Vick, but he was an amazing talent. He not only had a rifle for an arm, but he could also run a 4.3 forty. Incredible athlete.
Too bad he didn't have good intelligence. He could have been an all time great
Absolutely! Vick was an electric player.
Too bad he didn’t put any effort into the game tho, never sat down and watched film wasn’t a good leader he just out and balled
He didnt work with a great offensive mind until Andy Reid. Even he said it himself, the difference was night and day.
@@ButterBallTheOpossum Mike Vick is an all time great. The only reason why people don’t want to say it is because he went to prison. Get over it. He paid his price
Moon, Marino and Vick stood out the most to me. Moon's spirals were gorgeous, Marino was insanely fast with his release and Vick made it look effortless - like he could easily throw it much further.
Vick looked like he just flicked the ball, like he wasn't even trying to throw hard. That was what was always crazy to me. Lefties often don't have a lot of arm strength for some reason, but he was definitely an outlier.
Jeff george and moon and vick looked the strongest arms to me . Jeff george because his balls where still lazers coming from 50 yards away
George threw 30 + frozen ropes... Marino could too
Left handed qbs lose a few second on out routes ..especially the deep outs
18:42 son 😮🔥
Even tho he didn't have the greatest career, anyone who truly knows football or QBs can't deny that Jay Cutler had a cannon. Dude could throw it 80 yards barely trying. Half the time it got intercepted but hey, still had an arm. I'm not even a Bears fan and I gotta give credit wear it's due. He did indeed have a strong arm.
Jamarcus Russell cannon
I agree same could be said about Joe Flacco, and regardless of anyone's stance on Colin Kaepernick, that guy had an absolute rocket!
@@adren-a-line1473 Kap also had incredible straight line speed like a gazelle
@@adren-a-line1473 I think Flacco had good strength, but not all-time good. Kaepernick could, indeed, throw LASERS. He didn't throw deep a lot, but could throw 40yd lines like it was nothing
Cutler had a stronger arm than Brady. Jeff George also had a stronger arm than most of these qbs.
Marino, Vick and Rodgers throw a pretty ball but Warren Moon's throws are just drop dead gorgeous.
Cunningham to Moss, Randle literally threw absolute bombs to Moss. It's a reason Moss still holds the most receiving TDs for a rookie WR.(could be broken with 17 games in a season now, might even break moss 07 season).
*Randall
@@lertmelernyers8672 And they weren't literally bombs. But you are right about Cunningham to Moss. No doubt!
@@lertmelernyers8672 thanks 🤝
In a packers fan but when I think of my childhood I remember moss Carter and Jake Reed made Randall Cunningham in 98 Jeff George in 99 and Daunte Culpepper in 2000 made them all look mvp caliber lol
@@ericsmith6823 Moss is the GOAT imo.
All of them have cannons for the deep ball, but if you watch Favre highlights, the VELOCITY on the short to intermediate routes were UNMATCHED
Oh yeah...he broke receivers fingers regularly.
@@johnhatchel9681he even literally split a receiver’s hand down the palm in practice before.
No doubt he had a gun. But elway threw even harder. Brett could release it quicker and from more angles. But if elway set up his cannon was unmatched if any of these guys… by the way it’s close w/ all these guys. Glad b jones and sonny in there b/c they too had guns. And of course no one release as fast and laser accuracy as Marino. & namath had the purest poetic motion…. Cool video.
@@kelvinkloud wrong. Elway did NOT have a stronger arm than Favre. Stop with this foolish talk. John himself won't even try to make that claim.
@@BazookaIke … farve had a quicker release and could not doubt throw ropes 40 yards and in… post 40 though elway is the strongest of his era aside from Cunningham who was less accurate… elway could throw a ball to a wr as a straight rope w/ little to no loft literally 45 yards down field. Straight up cannon. Farve didn’t have quite that same capacity that far out. Go back to the films you will see what I mean.
I watched nearly every game Elway played at Granada Hills High School in 1977 and 1978. You could hear the ball cutting through the air when he threw it. A man among boys. Unbelievable.
Sonny Jurgensen had the best arm in football in the 1960s and early 1970s, you could hear the ball cut through the air and he could throw it a mile, perfect spirals and great accuratcy, watch his highlights. He also was a very nice man.
Best deep throw of all-time has to be what Randall Cunningham did against the Bills. No clue how that wasn't a safety, but to escape that and then chuck that ball up was a thing of beauty
My favorite old highlight. I can watch that for hours. Dude almost gets sacked, Then scrambles and hits the guy for 6. I still have no clue how he did that.
That was in fact some nasty disrespect to Bruce Smith, love Bruce but what a play
A thing of beautifully paid off refs.
I saw that play on TV, was watching that game when it happened. It's still the most remarkable passing play I've ever seen to this day.
As a Bills fan, I agree. How Smith didn't get him I'll never understand. Cunningham is in my top 3 all time most fun players to watch (Barry Sanders, Michael Vick)
Of all the QB's in this video I will say the bombs Michael Vick threw just looked so effortless. Man has a cannon.
Everyone else especially Elway/Favre put their body into it. Vick and Marino was like they just flicked their wrists and the ball was 60 yards downfield.
Vick had such a beautiful spiral, its crazy
Jeff George had arguably the sickest arm ever. I once saw him throw a strike 80 yards falling backwards.
100% agreed
He was definitely sick and that bomb to moss in this video was one of the sickest.
Jeff George, IMO, did not even look like an athlete, but he could throw with the best of them. It often appeared that he just flicked his wrist.
@@ronaldkulas5748 He threw the ball 60 yards as easily as I can throw 60 feet.
@@ronaldkulas5748 Yep, he was just gifted w/ a great arm.
Vick on the Eagles was something else.
I'm happy to say that I've had the pleasure of watching alot of these guys since the 80's. As a lifetime fan, I've seen some of the best to ever do it.
Jeff George was throwing bullets at 50 yards. Also had the quickest release ive ever seen.
George was a unique character. He didn't seem to get along with anybody....but because of his arm, he could always find a job somewhere. That's a nice asset to have...
Muy bueno..... Colts y Raiders
He also wasn’t very good overall
@@theoutdoordad7395 he was good when his ego was being petted. Very talented couldn't handle adversity though.
The precision of Rodgers and Marino is unreal.
That's what is missing in this video, all these guys had amazing arms but none had the cannon AND accuracy that Rodgers does. Mahomes will be the next Rodgers.
@@16rumpole if Mahomes can get better accuracy and decision making, he’d be right there.
Matt Stafford is criminally underrated all time. He has a top arm talent all time. He throws a perfect spiral and puts it in the smallest windows ever. I’ve watched almost every lions game for years now and stafford is just amazing. His arm wows me even though I’ve been watching him for years. He’s gonna get that ring he deserves in la
I think it's perfect that he got to the Rams. This is one of those perfect trades that doesn't always happen we get to see someone who we know is great on a team that has all the pieces. Hopefully he has 4-5 good years ahead
Now hes got his sb. Dude is a generational talent
You called it.
i know i am in a very small minority but MIchael Vick was and still is one of my favorites.
when he threw the ball it just seemed effortless.
one of the most exciting players in the history of the NFL.
You are not a small minority at all trust me. Arm talent was off the charts. It just wasn’t utilized in his ATL days because everyone just wanted to see the Michael Vick show. The fact he was able to develop into such an accurate passer in Philadelphia at the age of 30 after 2 YEARS OFF of football makes you wonder how great he would have been if they had developed him correctly as a passer from the start 🤦🏼♂️
Nope . A lot of people loved watching Vick
Man he was famous for the quick flick of a throw, then the ball would proceed to go 60-70 yds.., When he spun spirals, the truest, purest "frozen ropes" I've ever seen, and I've studied the game religiously from the 70's on. My favorite connection ever was Vick to DeSean Jackson. When throwing to D-Jax you really almost COULDNT overthrow DeSean, Fastest WR I've EVER seen in pads-GAME SPEED.. only guy who appeared quicker to me was Dieon Sanders. And I've given that tremendous thought and STILL go back n' forth. DeSean(Prime Days) faster than Tyreke Hill. Jackson took enormous strides!! Sorry, had another tangent, but yeah 100%, Vick WAS THAT GUY in all aspects, never seen anything like him, only challenger LaMaar Jackson, idk what it is tho, that explosive fast twitch movement from Vick was just more dynamic. I believe if he really put some air under those frozen ropes, I don't see any man spinning a football further, spinning BULLETS. Vick like a .45
Not just if he was developed better early but what if he had at least one hall of fame receiver in Atlanta it would have been a no doubt Super Bowl ring
@@kbentjg24 Roddy White was Really F'n good
I always thought Cunningham had a slingshot for an arm. He had kind of a thin frame but he could absolutely launch the ball.
So much respect for Jim Kelly... From a 30+yr Cowboys fan. Also, imagine if Marino and Moon had an actual team around them.
Moon had fantastic teams around him.
Same
Marino I agree, but Moon actually had several good teams around him, but he folded several times in the playoffs or big games.
@@PhilAndersonOutsideAgainst the Steelers and Chiefs yes. Against the Bills, no, the defense let him down.
Warren Moon definitely throws the most pretty passes in history
criminally underrated
@@trekickz9611 By who? He is in the hall of fame and everyone talks about how great a QB he is.
Naw Dan marino. He had the best looking deep ball of all time
FACTS
I can't count the number of times I've said this in my life. It just looks different.
Dan Marino, phew. Whenever I think of "Nice Velocity" I think of him
Fastest release I have ever seen
Almost every pass hit the receiver in stride, too.
@@Terror832 Magic Johnson did too
Fkg spike game, damn dan marino🤬, but he was great tho.
Yea,if u noticed he never put a lot of air under the ball,even on bombs!!he wanted it to get to the reciever as fast as possible,between his release and his arm strength it was perfect,cuz there were guys with bigger heavier arms,but not the whole pkg and I watched the QB challenge they used to have back in the early 90's and Marino hit a,bulls eye down the middle furthest target to win it and its easier to haul back and put a lot of air under it,but try keepin it lower and still hangin it on a line 50 plus yrd in the air,not nearly as easy!!
That throw from Elway from one side of the field to the other on what was essentially a thirty yard out was insane.
That's about a 75 yard throw.
Looked like a duck to me bro
@@adamdavis5312might be because you don't know what you're talking about, but that's OK buddy...
The most impressive show of arm strength I ever saw was Elway’s throw to Ken Margerum against USC in 1980. I never saw a professional throw equal it, not even by Elway himself. He threw a 70-yard, cross-field frozen rope, while on the run. It spent shockingly little time in the air, and it knocked Margerum onto his back. It went over the head of an astonished Ronnie Lott, who’d parked himself at what he thought was the maximum distance that a quarterback could throw. To this day, Lott simply shakes his head at it.
The second-strongest arm, in my estimation, belonged to Jay Schroeder, believe it or not. He was erratic and his career was short, but good grief, he slung it with power.
My wife's fam is from the San Fran area. In college at Stanford, Elway could stand at home plate and throw a baseball over the outfield wall... That is a generational athlete
@@ftblfn83 --Great story, and not surprising. It’s only a slightly related anecdote, but as a skinny little ninth grader, Nolan Ryan threw a softball 309 feet. During his time in MLB, he used to throw around a football on off days, to stay limber. These kind of arms are natural gifts.
On arm strength, explosiveness, accuracy, and form, Namath was one hell of a passer. He was electrifying. Remember hearing a head coach raving about how you could hear the whizzing of the ball when it went by you. It's too bad his career, other than a few early years and one moment of glory, was so tough. An indelible memory is seeing him crumpled on the ground after getting sacked. Happened way too often.
I recall hearing Glen Campbell saying that he had had the chance to play catch with Namath, and that he had gone out of his way to try to catch the ball away from his body. But the next day, his torso was black and blue from the impact...even though he tried to catch the ball with some distance from his body, the velocity still drove the passes into him with that much violence...
Randy Moss: get me a quarterback with an arm.
NFL: Say less
Made Jeff George look great lmao
That's part of why his rookie year was so great. Cunningham still had a cannon when he retired.
@@ericsigersmith2831 Jeff George had a howitzer for an arm. But he had mush for brains.
Moss made culpepper. Moss leaves and culpepper was extremely sub par.
Brady isn’t truly known to have a strong arm. This is part strong arm part popularity contest.
Jeff Blake and Jeff George were two quarterbacks from the 90s who weren't necessarily great, but had absolute cannons of arms. Threw some of the best deep balls I'd ever seen
Jeff Blake’s deep ball is the best I’ve ever seen-perfect touch, velocity and rotation. Such a beautiful long ball
I agree
Yup
Jeff Blake was the sole reason why the Bengals were mediocre a few years in the 90's.
For sure, Jeff George was Patrick Mahomes before Patrick Mahomes.
He's not remembered much today, but Darryl Lamonica had one of the strongest torpedoes of all time. Al Davis set up the Raiders original vertical passing game around Lamonica's mastery of the long ball.
The Mad Bomber.
Al Davis loved Daryle Lamonica so much that Terry Bradshaw asked AL Davis to trade for him. Davis wouldn't do it
That Vick to DeSean pass always gets me. Vick threw it so hard, DeSean was already well downfield and still had to full-on sprint to barely catch that ball. Insane rocket for an arm.
i really do appreciate how much Randy Moss is included in these highlights! He really could go up to catch the deep ball and back shoulder fades
Appreciate the older guys getting some love. Bert Jones was one of Belichick's favorite players ever.
Bert Jones, if not for the injuries, would be considered one of the greatest QB's of all time.
@@jamesdavis8731 when I look at some of his passes, I think you're right.
Stafford has some of the craziest throws I have seen he is criminally underated
His throw in the probowl splitting two defenders was one of the greatest throws I ever seen lol. It was side armed and he just flicked it and it was like both defenders finger tips both touched it lol.
Let's see how he does now that he is a Ram. Pretty banged up, but I think he has enough in him to be a NFC contender
Hopefully he can finish out his career well now that he’s away from the Lions and get the credit he deserves. He is very underrated
His overall performance is worse tho than Kirk Cousins for example, and he is seen as better than Kirk which is in my opinion dumb. Stafford is good and flashes more than just about anyone but he throws a fair bit of headscratchers
@@BA-oy9uo do you even watch the Lions like that? Because you sound like someone who doesn't know Matthew Stafford. Being a Green Bay fan your dogging this man from how good a quarterback he is
Warren Moon threw the prettiest spirals. Also, Matt Stafford's throw at 8:58 is insane (throwing it 45 yards off while running backwards & off platform, SHEESH).
He also beat his wife well.
Its almost impossible to find a Jeff George highlight reel! What a cannon.
Moon obviously everybody knows who he is but just the beauty of his throwing motion, the spirals, velocity...that doesnt get talked about enough. and he hung in the pocket well. you'd see it collapsing and almost not even see Moon there...all of a sudden you just see a football fly up out of this mass of humanity and land 60 yards away on Haywood Jeffires hands
I loved the smooth violence of Elway throwing it too. It was like he was a pro boxer throwing a haymaker
My Dad told me about a Bears QB from the 60s-70s, Bobby Douglas, who he said might have had the strongest arm ever. Huge for the time too, at 6'4", 220. Downside was that he had the touch of a buffalo and couldn't always remember the plays. Held the QB rushing record for years, taking off when he couldn't find anyone in the first second! :-)
I remember hearing the reason Bobby Douglass ran so much is because the receivers said he threw the ball too hard
I am old enough to remember Bobby Douglass play. Although he wasn't the best QB around he had the strongest arm in NFL history. There is a video on TH-cam of Douglass throwing the ball about 65 yards in the air on a line with hardly any arc to it with a broken wrist. I've also seen a video of a Douglass interview where he said he could throw it 90 yards and if he got the right throw off 100 yds
@@glennbrooke5272 Strongest arm in history up to that point. I'd say the strongest arm of all time belongs to Michael Bishop. He gets forgotten because he had the misfortune of getting drafted by a team who already had Brew Bledsoe and Tom Brady and only ever played in 8 NFL games, but the dude could straight up throw 85-90 yard (all air yards) bombs and make it look easy. Again though, much like Bobby Douglas, he had the touch of a buffalo and the accuracy of a stormtrooper to boot. Spent a good chunk of time in the CFL, which is why I know how far he can throw.
Marino! Wow, what an arm and lightning quick release!
Agreed.
Marino had a quick release, not so much a strong arm.
That throw with Vick running full speed was just insane.
Vick hands down. Most beautiful passes, effortless.
JEFF GEORGE HAD THE BEST RELEASE AND FOLLOWBTHRU EVER!! And the arm strength was off the chart. Love watching his throwing motion.
You can put it all in caps .. DONT MAKE IT TRUE
What's not true about it?? Unfortunately, it's also true that Jeff George is one of the biggest disappointments in NFL history, if only because he had so much talent, yet did so little with it. He just didn't have the discipline needed to do the things necessary to capitalize on his crazy arm talent.
As a Packers fan, I can say we've been very blessed and spoiled to have Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers; not only do they have rocket arms, but their scrambling ability was incredible as well
And the 3 general managers over that time period has only provided us with 3 super bowl appearances.
yes. Just when we all wondered how someone could replace Brett Favre the packers found a QB even better! It’s a shame Favre/Rodgers carried the teams themselves almost every season to the playoffs. Although I would say that Favre did have some better defenses (compared to Rodgers) until 2000 and not again until 2007. Packers biggest front office mistake was not giving Holmgren what he wanted. Favre and the team declined without him and meanwhile he should have won the super bowl in Seattle with Mat Hasslebeck. Even when the packers have a good roster injuries seem to hit nearly everyone. Your QB should not have to play near perfect to get wins. Look at Jimmy G’s numbers in the playoffs 😂 I guess that’s what makes the game great
3 decades of hall of fame QBs and only 3 suoer bowls to show. So disappointing. Of course when you only have one capable head coach during that time in Mike Holmgren, that plays a big factor.
Favre was so fun to watch. He was a football player 1st, and a QB second
glad vick is finally getting some respect in terms of his arm strength. Havnt seen someone able to rope a ball 50 yards on a line quite like that god danm.
I’m glad y’all put Mike Vick In here ppl underestimate how talented of a passer he was
Factz. Paid to much to the running. Same with cunningham.
Just cuz he can throw far doesn’t make him accurate, which he wasn’t at all
@@mackm273 he said talented which he actually was when he was dialed in. Furthermore you could make that the case with some of the other qbs on this list. Dan marino's career comp% is in the 50s unless that was the standard back then.
@@ctaylor2805 Wow lmao imagine daring to compare Vick with one of footballs most accurate qbs ever with insane touch, ridiculous accuracy, all combined with the quickest release probably ever. arm talent is a lot more than being able to throw far, it is a combination of touch, accuracy with placement and just general accuracy to fit the ball in. Vick played lots of his overrated career in a time when passing was far easier than it was in Marino's heyday, comparing the two is like comparing Kerryon Johnson to Barry Sanders. when it comes to being a true passing QB Marino is worlds apart from Vick.
@@mackm273 he didn't compare vick to marino. He just said how marino didn't have the best so called comp% either.
I can't stand when people try to put words in other's mouths and say they're comparing something and they are not.
Randal Cunningham looked like he threw the ball further than anyone else. When he first went to the eagles , he was a great qb that ran like crazy , could throw the ball like crazy too. I was so glad we finally destroyed him in the 92 NFC playoffs.
You forgot all about Steve Bartkowski, I once saw him throw a ball almost 50 yards against the Giants and it couldn’t have been more than 10 feet off the ground at its highest point. 😮
People really say vick didn’t have an arm... they’re delusional!
No one say's he doesn't have a good arm. His accuracy is a different story though......
@@5000jetadam Exactly
@@5000jetadam And he often didn't have touch on shorter passes, which played into his accuracy issues. He also had no idea how to read a defense either, but that may not be as relevant to this discussion. Well, maybe it is...
He got allot of practice throwing dogs around!
@@trafficsignal101 So original.....
It doesnt even look real when Vick throws it. Like he's not the biggest guy but he throws the football and it just comes flying off his hand like a superhero trying to not throw it that hard.
I noticed that. He truly has the most effortless looking power. Then there is Culpepper, he swings it with extreme prejudice.
Yeah Mike Vick could spin that ball with just a flick of the wrist 70 plus yds
Peter King on Pro Football Talk was asked who he thought had the strongest arm in NFL history. He replied:
"Michael Vick has the strongest arm I've ever seen. I saw him throw the ball 100 yards endzone to endzone in training camp in Atlanta; and he looked like he could've thrown it even farther."
It was with Mike Florio and Chris Simms. You can watch it on youtube.
I concur. Vick had a bazooka, the strongest arm in NFL history.
Had forgotten how quick the release was with Marino.
Back in my ultimate frisbee days the guys use to call me Marino cause of how fast my forehand flick release was.
John Madden timed it back then, Marino's release was second fastest, Bert Jones was third. Jeff George had the fastest release ever at that time, that was in the mid to late 80s.
Shit me too you forget about the old boys until you can compare them to this era
It's amazing how little Favre is being mentioned in this comments section. He arguably had the strongest arm in NFL history, and many people acknowledged this during his career, yet today you'd think that he was second rate.
How soon people forget. Or simply choose to ignore someone, when given the opportunity.
You’re right. 20 years ago it was common knowledge that Favre had the biggest arm in the league.
I haven't forgotten #4 made throws that were impossible...
Wokesters hate him now.
Favre threw tight intermediate strikes with velocity! Wasn't known for having a cannon though! More know for his velocity! He could throw tight up to about 30/40 yards on a line was his specialty!
He would hurt people with the ball
How come I only got the recommendation to this video now? Thank you NFL Throwback! That's a great compilation and whoever chose the QBs is knowledgable for sure. Sonny Jurgensen and Bert Jones are prime examples of the gunslinger and prototypical passer long before Aaron Rodgers or Pat Mahomes.
Greatest commentator moments please NFL Throwback
Aaron Rodgers showing tremendous improvisational skills from the pocket
there isn’t a pass Rodgers can’t complete
Still not what I want my main QB doing. They lucky LT was forced to retire hahahahahaha. All it takes is one pinched nerve and game over
@Keith Cousinsno
Nobody threw a better spiral than Warren Moon.
Marino
I was noticing that. My God those were beautiful
Bro...I swer
He was still a Pro Bowl level QB @ 41 with Seattle. Imagine his numbers if he hadn't been forced to play in Canada for 6 years because NFL teams didn't believe in him as a QB.
@@lucashenderson2775 We were happy to have him in Canada. His arm was so effective on the big wide field in Canada. And yes.....his spiral was a thing of beauty.
Greenbay was incredibly lucky to have two of the greatest quarterbacks play for the past 30 years.
It might just be 3 in a row (J.Love).
Lucky, to a point. But: they traded for Favre. Teams passed on Rodgers and they took him. They traded up for Love. That is not luck, it is good decision-making.
Vicks arm was just incredible. It always looks like he just flicked the ball & it went 50+ yards
Warren Moon threw the prettiest ball.
Perfect spiral every rip
Absolutely.
His receivers said that his spiral actually made a whistling sound. It left his hand with a loud snap too.
Picture perfect!
I think Rodgers is tied.
Marino is the best QB I’ve ever seen throw a football. He had a laser beam and he was deadly accurate. If he played today he’d have 7000 yards and 65 TD’s a year.
i dunno, i still contend he'd have more than that with how the game is played if he had 5k and 48 td during a period of time when you could maul the WRs in the routes, drive the RBs into the ground and destroy the QB on a blitz. Remove all of that, no way Marino only gets another 2k and 20 tds to that total.
@@The_Zilli I agree and he was huge for a QB and still is by today’s standard. Hard to sack
@@guidoluzzi66 And for a fairly immobile QB, he had the most incredible pocket presence and quick feet. It wasn't only his quick release that caused him to barely get sacked, but his ability to shift from on coming passrushers.
@@manuelper facts. He had a certain technique. It’s hard to describe it’s like he could side step with hella quickness, but never could scramble lol. He’s my fav qb.
He wouldn’t have no damn 7500 yards. Yeah the league was tougher, but the defenders weren’t as smart or athletic as they are today. Defensive schemes have become more complicated to decipher. This is why I also hate when people say Brady or Manning wouldn’t make it back in the 70’s and 80’s. With their IQ and ability to adjust pre snap, the ball would be out of their hands before those defenders could sniff them. Marino would still be great today, but he’s not putting up those fake ass numbers
Randall was something else lol. Just the ease with which he could spin it. A flick of the wrist and it was a missile. That connection he had with moss especially was bread and butter
Cunningham and Vick threw such a ridiculously good deep ball. As a Panthers fan, it felt like Vick could throw it farther while on the run, than any of our QB's could from in the damn pocket... I've always felt Cunningham was under rated in his time for as gifted as he was.
Bradshaw broke the national HS javelin record, glad he wasn’t overlooked
Saw Bradshaw several times! The man had a cannon and made it look so easy!
I feel privileged to have grown up in the 80s with Elway, Moon, and Marino. I grew up an Oilers fan so Moon's my guy. He not only had a strong arm, he could throw a perfect spiral through the eye of a needle 50 yards away. With Marino, he had that quick twitch release. It was amazing how he could accurately put it in the breadbaskets of the Marks Brothers with a lineman bearing down on him. Elway was the best all around pure QB. He lived up to the hype and then some. He had arm talent and was a dangerous runner especially early in his career. Elway also was that QB where you knew your team was never out of a game. He was clutch in 2 minute situations. However the best QB in the 80s was not the above listed guys. Joe Montana was it because of 4 Super Bowls. He beat Elway and Marino. Moon never had a shot because the Oilers fizzled in the playoffs.
Nah, Joe Montana wasnt the best QB from that era. Look at the roster of that team - stacked with HoFers. Now compare that to what Marino had to work with. Elway only got over the hump when he had Davis and a running game. As for Moon, it's a shame he had to go to the CFL as he was an exceptional QB and very under-rated, even to this day. And if memory serves, he's still the only QB to sport a good looking mustache ;)
@@The_Zilli Actually Montana won Super Bowls with and without HOFers. His first 2 SBs in 1981 and 1984 were won without Jerry Rice. In 1981, his running backs were Ricky Patton and Earl Cooper. They were solid players but not spectacular. The only thing Earl Cooper had in common with Earl Campbell was their initials. Now the teams in 1988 and 1989 were loaded. But there were only 5 guys left from the 1981 Super Bowl on the 1989. So I still say Montana was still the best in the 80s because like Tom Brady, he won championships with different rosters.
@@jlh4jc now that is a fair counterpoint however lets not forget Walsh, the 2nd ranked defense, the offensive line, Lott, Clarke and of course a new offensive system in the West Coast. And it would also be unfair to miss pointing out the term "coaching tree" that stemmed from Walsh. While the team may not have had as big name stars, it was still loaded with HoFers ;) Just different types. And I havent even touched on just how bad that division was - the Saints (Aints), Falcons, Rams which all but assured the Niners a playoff spot each year, very similiar to how the Patriots prayed on the AFC East for all of these years with the other three teams being in constant state of rebuild. Not saying Montana is a bad QB, just I think his legacy of the greatest all time hinges too much on the fact that he had an awesome roster, a great coach and stability. As much as I hate to say it, Brady has to be considered the greatest and Im a Marino Boomer. What he has accomplished with no name players and a different team, and for the duration in whic he has done it, really leaves no room to debate. Is he the best pure passer or is he someone you want to start a new franchise with, that's debatable but come playoffs, tough to pick anyone else other than him.
@@jlh4jc If you're impressed with the "Joe won with a bunch of no-names on his team" argument, then you need to consider who they played against in their 1st SB. Talk about no names. Not to mention he only attempted 22 passes the whole game. Sounds like a complete team to me and that Joe was a game manager.
@@filthyswit 🤦♂️🤦♂️
glad to see jeff george in there. I know all about his attitude and whatnot but lets all appreciate the cannon that dude had lol
I got to watch Dan Marino play in 1996 and I couldn't believe how fast and accurate he could throw. Even when cowboys defense terrorized him he would still get it down the field.
His highlight reel video is 20-30 minutes all of rapid fire plays and his release was insane. Many think he had a powerful arm, he really didn't for total yards in the air. He could maybe squeeze 60 yards in perfect conditions. But for imperfect conditions, he could fling it 50 yards all over the field from any position.
I remember this great story I read about Elway. His senior year at Stanford, fully HALF of his interceptions were because he threw so hard that the ball bounced off the receivers chests.
Elway had the most velocity followed by Favre. Both of them threw over 60mph.
Everyone love the old school Steelers with Bradshaw, but Big Ben’s arm in his prime with the deep ball was incredible
all these have strong arms period no matter what most em are hall of famers to be honest
@Cal L He's a glaring omission here, but Bert Jones probably had the strongest arm of the whole 70s decade.
@@toddjacksonpoetry Bert Jones once threw an incomplete pass in the waning seconds before halftime against my Cowboys. The ball was thrown from around the 18 yd line and wound up past the endzone on a hail mary. It was the most non eventful but ridiculously long pass I have ever seen. Till this day.
Big Ben was a water buffalo who was hard to get on the ground and he hit receivers by accident, not on purpose
@@mitchelll3879 Yeah, thats why he's #5 in yards all time AND #5 in completion percentage...thats ALL time. Like in NFL history. So have to disagree with the latter part of your assessment
The guys like Moon, Vick, Namath, Marino, Allen, Elway who do it with a flick of a wrist are the ones who are the most impressive to me. Some have to have somewhat of a windup to go deep. They have strong arms,but it looks like it is harder for them. I think Namath was the first QB who I noticed the quick release and how effortless it was for him. He may have had the best release ever at the time he was drafted by the Jets. Now it is almost mandatory for an NFL QB to have that short,quick release. Marino could have changed uniforms with Namath and it would be hard to tell them apart. All of these QB's have rocket arms. Some just throw a prettier ball and make it look effortless.
Absolutely right about Namath..no one had ever seen anyone with such a quick rifle like release before. Marino was a carbon copy of that style with even better results. Vick's arm flicks on the run don't even have arc, looks like he's throwing darts. His ball maintains the same velo as when it left his hand 45 yards downfield.
Also add Kelly to that list... I was lucky to see the late 80s/ early 90s qbs..moon , Kelly, marino, elway,etc..now it's the new era of young qbs.mahomes,Allen, herbert, ..u can still throw Rodgers and Stafford in their as well..these guys had cannon arms just not the releases the 90s qbs had
Agreed. Namath threw a beautiful as did Marino, Moon and Unitas.
Randall Cunningham and Warren Moon why are we forgetting these guys they have rocket launchers.!!!
Factz.
Who is forgetting them? They're on the video.
DREW BLEDSOE......
Huh? They are up there. No one is forgetting them. Infact, I’ll never forget warren. He let the bills come back from a 30 point deficit in the playoffs. He cost me $200 that day. Lol
Jeff George was inhuman. The pure velocity he would put into every throw.
Jeff george is like greebs
George coulda put a dent in a brick wall
All the talent in the world and never really achieved much
And perfect spirals.
Too bad he didn't have the discipline to do what it took to capitalize on all that arm talent. He's one of the biggest disappointments in NFL history, if only because he had the potential to be so much more.
Jeff george's arm was scary strong and he wanted to use every ounce of power on every throw. If he had any kind of touch he would of been a great one.
Enjoyed this, but I feel it’s disrespectful to make a 20-minute video on strongest arms and not have a single Jay Cutler throw in here. 🤦🏾♂️
60 yard throws to the defense don't count lol
@@RobertMay289 😂😂 He’s got some bad ones for sure. But damn it, we should’ve at least got ONE Cutler to Marshall connection in here
Cutler doesn't come to mind as anything greatest nor strongest. I can't even remember what team(s) he played for.
@@trafficsignal101 That sound like your problem 😂😂. He retired not even 5 years ago lol. I just think he deserved a throw or two in here
@@meloferg good call
Bert Jones had the strongest arm I have ever seen. Not the best arm, but the strongest. I remember watching him throw a ball away 90 yards in the air.
Ive watched Randall Cunningham live at games in nose bleed seats as well as other QBs. It was Randall Cunningham's Arm as watched him throw ball as high as a punt with the distance to see it as WOW. Yeah seeing line drives from Elway, Marino, Farve ect ect ect but Randall Cunningham s Deep Ball Throws one of the best and highest along with distance. The Ball seemed it was same level the section under top nose bleeds, that is very strong arm man. WOW...
That “Culpepper, Moss and Carter” trifecta 🔥👍🏼
Vicks throw was incredible. What a special player.
Where is Jay Cutler!? Say whatever you want about Jay, but that dude had one of the strongest arms of ALL time
Right
Facts I was about to comment this.
Correct
i mean if we literally had to put EVERY strong arm quarterback that started in the NFL, this list would be hours
Big Ben should be on the list before Jay Cutler. Then again, they both should be on here
This might be the best video NFL Throwback has posted on this site.
Jim Kelly throwing in & through that Up State New York wind for his entire career...Underrated.
2nd 2 None
He seems like an amazing human too
Marino and Elway had artillery pieces for arms. Amazing watching them during their careers.
Marino throwing for over 5 thousand yds in his 2yr in the league in 84 is beyond insane
Steve Bartkowski of the Atlanta Falcons threw one of the prettiest long balls I have ever seen!
Very impressive list. I was really surprised you included Jay Schroeder, which was a good spotlight. I think a few others guys that could have been included were Steve McNair, Drew Bledsoe, Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, and even though he was one of the worst busts ever JaMarcus Russell. Those guys all had circus cannons. Gotta say, if I could equip any QB with any type of arm talent from NFL history it would be between Favre, Elway, Vick, and George.
Flacco can flick a ball 60 yards
I still can’t believe he threw past prevent defense in sub zero weather on the mile high miracle. You don’t just do that lol
And Mahomes is about to put ALL of them in his shadow. TheChiefs probably would've won the SB last year except that his receiver simply couldn't believe Pat would get that ball to him & it bounced off his face-mask.
@NIKO SAMUELS Jeff George had a stronger BODY. His arm strength was like a Tom Seaver fastball: a perfect coordination of legs, hips, back, shoulder and arm. He didn't have as strong an ARM as Mahomes, which is why Mahomes can throw so powerfully against his own body weight, or whiile back-pedalling, or off-balance.
@NIKO SAMUELS That's why these arguments are fun.
Dan Marino....hands down.
Nah, Todd Marinovich
I'm 73 years old and have seen everybody here. All mentioned here were exceptional talents but Vick, Elway, Stafford, Cunningham are the most powerful long distance throwers that I saw throw passes 90 yards.
The only others I've seen do it were relatively unknown QBs like Peter Tom Willis, Eddie LeBaron [1956] and Sonny Gibbs [1960]. Back in the past...after WWII...all NFL games started at 1pm.
There were no night games!
Teams would come out at noon without shoulder pads or helmets and we kids could get autographs. The old Baltimore Colts started in Dallas as the Dallas Texans for 1 year. The Kansas City Chiefs originally came from Dallas in1963 and I saw every player in the old AFL and NFL + local semi-pros in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and California. We used to hang around Baltimore Colts, Dallas Texans practice and see the Cowboys in Thousand Oaks,CA.
Fact is,
The QBs like Joe Willie, Bart Starr, Darryl Lamonica, Terry Bradshaw, Moon etc. would come out with WRs and throw bombs to Don Maynard, Max McGee, Rich Caster or Lynn Swann.
I played QB and safety [2 ways] in local leagues and saw a ton of Texas guys who could throw it 70 yards [Dandy Don, Cotton Davidson or Scottie Miles etc.] But, guys like Elway, Stafford, Cunningham and Vick were jaw-dropping!!!
I'd like to add that Terry Bradshaw may have had the strongest arm of all. He would warmup throwing 70 and 75 yard darts to WRs + when we were in highschool [I graduated in 1966...same year as Terry], he was state champ throwing the Javelin.
Hell,
I was a big 'un myself, 6'3" 245 lbs and could chunk it 70 yards...
cool and interesting information,thanks
70 yards is mighty impressive. there's nothing like throwing a football just so....
longest throw for me was 50 yards.
If we are talking pure strength, Farvre had a reputation for breaking bones in his receivers’ hands early in his career.
Bobby Douglass. Nobody threw it harder. He could throw it a country mile. No where near his receivers but, boy, could he throw it.
The throw Cunningham made at the 12:38 mark was insane. He was back pedaling and threw a rope about 45 yds and hit his man in stride
Stafford and Favre's bullets are so alike. They have like the same arm!
Can’t believe Jay Cutler isn’t on here. I know he wasn’t the greatest QB but just in terms of pure arm strength i think he’s as good as it gets. Absolute bazooka in his prime
or Joe montana/ steve young
@@theoutlaw9759 Montana? HAHA! Shirley you jest.
@@theoutlaw9759 What made Montana so great is he did not have the typical skills a QB should have, but he was smart, could move around, and was so calm under pressure.
He also simply knew how to win, and that is something all the physical skills in the world cannot teach.
AGREED. JAMARCUS RUSSELL SAD TO SAY IS THE SAME
@@theoutlaw9759 Montana and Sound didn't have strong arms man
Definitely Marino and Favre have both of the strongest NFL arms , I must say , helluva throws 💯💯💯💯
Warren Moon had a good spin on the ball
Yet the only QBs to throw longer than 70 yards on this video was Rodgers and Mahomes.
Jim Hart had an absolute howitzer of an arm in an era when guy weren't known to hurl them.
That behind the back pass by Sonny Jurgensen was so clean 👌🏾🧼
It’s impossible to accurately state who actually had the strongest arm. But I feel very comfortable in saying that Michael Vick consistently threw the prettiest ball I’ve ever seen… followed closely by Aaron Rodgers.
But yeah.. Michael Vick throwing a ball so effortlessly was just breathtaking to watch.
Allen's arm is nasty, and now he's getting accurate. Man is going to be scary for a while
Josh Allen is incredible
Josh Allen has proved everyone wrong. Love that kid
They left out his most impressive throws. Diggs vs Arizona, Kumerow vs Denver
@@emkayusa0
Allen is definitely progressing. He’s definitely on pace for the top tier.
Dan Marino and Jim Kelly are the two best passing Quarterbacks i have seen!
Worst luck ever for both of them... Kelly had the team, but had to play 4 HOF coaches ( 5 counting Belichik when he was DC with New York) in the SB, with 4 teams full of Hall of Fame players.
Marino played on 8-8 teams at best if they did not have him, Shula was past his prime for most of Marino's career, and missed the playoffs 4 years in a row during his prime... Phillip Rivers suffered the same type of fate
@@ftblfn83 Turtle Marino😂 all you people justify that turtle
@@juanparty his highlights and the regard of other QBs of his time justify him far more than I can
Big respect for those old-timers. Getting smashed pretty much every time they got rid of the ball. Compared to today’s RTP rulings, it was an era where the QBs had to be talented and tough.
Bobby Douglass, who had an absolute gun for an arm. Threw 4 TDs in one game with a broken wrist on his throwing arm.
NFL throwback back at it! 🤙🏻
Bert Jones is the most underrated arm in NFL history
Elway always had a powerful arm, even in the later years of his career. Early in his career, he had an absolute howitzer of an arm.
@@yuma9663 Yes Sir, Happy New Year To You My Man.
Elway couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a football early in his career..so having a howitzer was not much benefit
@@yuma9663 Aikman had a great arm, but people recall his amazing accuracy more.
@@mitchelll3879 Earlier in his career he tried to do too much.. wasn't content with the easy completion, wanted to make the amazing throws. he was a far better quarterback in second half of his career.
@@mitchelll3879 He was drafted No. 1 the same year Kelly and Marino came out...guess the GM just liked his family or something....
Elway was a legend, and I'm a Redskins fan. John made the game fun to watch
I recall back in the 1970s there was a football throwing contest for NFL players, where MacArthur Lane, then running back for the Green Bay Packers, won that competition with a throw of around 70 yards.
I recall about that from a local TV newscast sports segment when the subject was brought up about QB arm strength and throwing capability; it surprised me a running back had the furthest toss. Sadly, such an anecdote cannot be confirmed with all the web searches I've done.
Wasn't expecting to see Schroeder on the list.
It's cool that he wasn't excluded because he wasn't a big star.
Schroeder threw a beautiful ball