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I started watching football in 1978 or 1979, when I'd have been 7 or 8 years old. I've watched a lot of great QBs. The Packers have always been my team, but growing up in Wisconsin, at a time when the Packers sucked, I followed other teams, too. I was a big fan of Roger Staubach's. Loved watching Dan Marino and Dan Fouts, and in the early 80s, I became a big time fan of Joe Montana. 

I've watched enough football to last two lifetimes. I've seen so many of the greats. The game has changed-rules have made it easier for the quarterback now. They get all kinds of rules to protect them. Receivers, too. Imagine, for a second, if Dan Marino played now, with all these rules making passing the football easier than it's ever been before. He might throw 60 TD passes in a season.

But one thing has never changed. A great quarterback would be great in any era. They have the smarts, and can make all the throws. So, when I hear or read people dissing Aaron Rodgers as "overrated", I have to laugh, shaking my head. Ignorance, or jealousy, is coloring their opinion. And, I like to link this pass play. It is, in my opinion, the best throw I've ever seen. 

3rd and 10 at the Packers 25 yard line. 5:59 left in Super Bowl XLV, and the Packers cling to a 3 point lead, 28-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers finished the season with the #1 defense in the NFL, and the Packers, who were up 21-3 at one point, have lost the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson, and the Packers' all-time leading receiver, Donald Driver. 

The pressure in the moment had to be absolutely overwhelming. Millions of Packer fans around the world...sitting on the edge of their seats, or on their knees, praying that Saint Vince would deliver a little bit of magic for the green and gold. 

No praying was needed, though. Because Aaron Rodgers was under center. 

Then, he did this:

Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for a 31 yard strike to the middle of the field with an absolutely perfect pass. Jennings knows the degree of difficulty.

"Oh my God!!!"

If the pass is even an inch in any other direction, Ike Taylor knocks the ball away, intercepts it, or Jennings doesn't catch it in stride. It bounces harmlessly off of Taylor's fingertips into Jennings' hands. 

Seven years later, we've come to expect this from Aaron Rodgers. He makes the impossible throws, tosses that fit into the tiniest of spaces, the way Brett Favre did. But, he has the sense not to force the ball the way #4 did. 

I've seen some amazing tosses in my life. But this will be at the top of my list for a long time. Given the pressure of the moment, what a conversion would mean for the game, and the franchise, and the ball that Rodgers delivered--it simply cannot be any better than that.

So, guys, what's the best pass you've ever seen? 

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I think the hail mary against Detoilet is one of the greatest throws I've ever seen, that and the hail mary against the Cards in the playoffs to Janis. The Detoilet throw though, even on HM throws I had never seen a QB throw that far with that much arc on the ball. It was like a 60 yard punt, and the crazy thing is that he intended to do all of that, it wasn't just a prayer he threw as hard as he could. Amazing. The throw against the Cards was amazing because he was rolling to the left, had no mechanics behind it and heaved it as far as he did. The guy is the greatest passer the league has ever seen. 

I don't remember who we were playing, but James Jones caught a pass, from Rodgers, where he could not see the ball. Jones was being closely defended and could not see Rodgers due to the defender blocking his view. Aaron fit the ball into a small, maybe 6" x 6", open area of Jones' abdomen. When the ball hit the spot, Jones put his hand up to secure it. It was an amazing catch! We have been blessed with great receivers and great QBs for over 20 years.

It's funny- when I read this post the first one that came to mind was what you posted - the throw to Jennings in the Super Bowl late in the game to seal the victory. 

The next one was last year in the playoffs - sideline throw and catch to Cook in almost as critical of a situation.  It allowed GB to get into position to kick and win the game. 

I guess the Hail Mary v Detroit should be higher on the list but maybe it's because Rodgers has done that multiple times so it's easy to overlook. 

I will say that prior to Rodgers the one I always remember is Favre to Sterling Sharpe to beat the Lions.   Throwing across his body like 50 yards and 84 makes the grab in nonchalant fashion.  Amazing 

Last edited by Tschmack

I think almost without question that Rodgers throws the best "Hail Mary" ball in the history of football.  That one vs. Detroit was the best in terms of just the sheer perfection of height, distance, and accuracy.   While there certainly was an element of luck in the fact that lumbering Richard Rodgers ended up in the perfect spot, what wasn't luck was that there are probably less than 5 guys in the history of the planet that could have put the perfect height and distance on that throw. 

For Favre, sadly one of his best throws that I can remember was one that was dropped.  Final drive of Super Bowl XXXII vs. the Broncos, we all remember Favre's final 2 throws that didn't look so hot.  On 3rd down he missed Robert Brooks by a yard, and then on 4th down, the Pack is in panic mode and Favre throws short to Chmura ending the Packers hopes that night.

However, that 2nd down pass on that drive, it was completely overlooked at the time because the announcers actually said it was knocked down by the Broncos.  Truth is, it wasn't touched by a Bronco.  As a matter of fact, the pass was so perfect, I think it shocked Antonio Freeman so much that he dropped it.  There were 2 Broncos that were closing on that ball that was hummed in there that you thought for sure that one of them could knock it down, and to the naked eye, that's what it looked like happened.  But the real honest truth is, that pass was perfect, just hard enough that it whipped by both Broncos defenders before they could reach it.  It hit Antonio Freeman in the perfect spot for him to catch it in stride and unfortunately it bounced right off of him.  If he catches that ball, the Packers either score on that play or Freeman takes it right to the red zone and we never see those unfortunate 3rd and 4th down throws.

Favre had a poor 4th Quarter in that Super Bowl, but that 1 pass was just so good I will never forget it, and I always wonder what could have happened had Freeman caught that one. 

The Hail Marys are incredible, but the one against the Cardinals is just special. He had to roll to his left, compose himself, throw across his body like 50 yards away, and unleash a perfect pass an instant before getting hammered. Look at this up close:

Oh, and the pass right before that, again getting flushed out of the pocket to the left, this time in the end zone, and again to Janis--pretty spectacular. 

I don't know if I've ever seen two greater throws back to back in my life. And Rodgers makes these ridiculous plays all the time. 

 

 

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