Brett Favre might hold most of the passing records in the NFL, but he’s not the best quarterback ever. In fact, I don’t think Favre makes the top five, and maybe not the top 10.

When the Giants lost the coin toss to the Packers in the NFC championship game a year ago, I was at work and remarked to a co-worker, “Favre will end this quickly one way or another.” You knew either a big completion or a big interception was coming. As Giants fans know, it was Corey Webster who caught the pass, not a Packers receiver, and the rest was history.

In contrast, when Joe Montana took the ball needed to go 92 yards to beat the Bengals and win his fourth Super Bowl, I never had a doubt Montana would take the 49ers down the field and win the game. I think that’s the test: Who do you want with the ball in the clutch? I’d put Montana first. I don’t remember watching Johnny Unitas play, but from all accounts, he’s right up there with Montana. John Elway lost a couple of Super Bowls before winning two, but I’d take him over Favre if I needed a big drive.

Favre is a lock for Canton and deservedly so, but I still put him a notch below the quarterback pantheon.

What’s your take, Carp?

 CARP SAYS:

 I agree, Joe. Favre is in the “next” group when you talk about all-timers. I mean, in no particular order, I think Montana, Unitas, Starr, Marino, Bradshaw, Elway, Brady and Manning were all better, and there were probably more ahead of Brett the Ex-Jet, including Fouts, Namath, Staubach, Aikman, maybe Jim Kelly and Len Dawson, and probably some old-timers I never saw play.

That said, Favre is a certain Hall of Famer whose greatness dried up on that Corey Webster interception—the Packers probably should not have even been playing in that game, never mind hosting it and ending up a pick away from the Super Bowl—and it was made very clear this year with the Jets that he was done. Yes, he could still throw the ball deep, but that’s like Mickey Mantle hitting 18 homers in his last year. He could still do it once in a while, but batting cleanup? I don’t think so.

More to the point, I think Favre’s presence, while it provided plenty of excitement for a franchise that hasn’t had much, set back the Jets’ progress toward a bright future. That was my column in The Journal News and LoHud.com today. You can see it here.