Motivation Quote by John Elway

Elway’s line lands like a veteran’s eye-roll at a sports bar argument. Fans want a clean ranking - Brady over Montana, Mahomes over everyone - as if quarterbacking is a standardized test. Elway, a Hall of Fame QB turned executive, is pushing back on that fantasy with the simplest weapon in football: scheme.

The specific intent is practical. If you’re evaluating quarterbacks, you can’t pretend the job is identical across teams. One guy is asked to be a point guard in a timing-based West Coast offense; another is a downfield attacker living off play-action and protection; another is basically a run-game accessory who must avoid mistakes. “Different system” is shorthand for play design, coaching philosophy, supporting cast, protection rules, receiver separation, even how much freedom a QB has at the line. Same position, different labor.

The subtext is also self-protective and managerial. Elway is signaling to fans and media that judgments should be contextual, not moral. When a QB struggles, it might not mean he’s “bad”; it might mean he’s miscast. That’s the executive talking: draft and roster decisions get framed as fit, not failure.

Culturally, it’s a quiet critique of sports discourse itself, which loves neat hierarchies and ignores infrastructure. Elway reminds you that quarterbacks are often treated like sole authors of wins and losses, when they’re closer to lead actors: vital, visible, and still dependent on the script.