Doug Flutie enjoyed a distinguished 21-year career as a quarterback in the NFL and the Canadian Football League.

Flutie played for several clubs including the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers, making him well placed to comment on American Football.

Three Grey Cups, three Grey Cup MVP awards, six CFL Most Outstanding Player awards, one NFL Comeback Player of the Year and a Pro Bowl appearance are testament to his ability.

The 58-year-old played alongside some of the biggest names to play the sport during his time in the NFL, and has nominated five of them to comprise what he describes as the perfect quarterback.

In terms of accuracy, Flutie singled out Drew Brees who enjoyed a storied career with the Chargers and New Orleans Saints.

“Drew and I spent four years in San Diego together,” said Flutie in an interview with NFL odds site Betway. “He had the tightest spiral and he was accurate with the ball.

“He didn’t have the strongest arm in the world, but he put the ball where he wanted to put it all the time.”

“You can throw receivers open, you really can. The ball position is so important. Drew was really good putting the ball in position, putting it on the front shoulder, back shoulder, just knowing exactly where to put the ball.”

John Elway is Flutie’s pick for arm strength, with the Denver Broncos legend widely recognised as one of the most powerful throwers of a football.

“He was ridiculous, he could break fingers,” Flutie added. “The problem is he didn’t throw the ball with touch often enough, but to have that in the tank if you need it, just in case you ever need it.”

Athleticism is a key attribute for any quarterback, and Flutie was tempted to go with Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray.

However, he eventually settled on Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, who is widely recognised as one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the NFL.

Toughness is another key element for a quarterback, and Flutie was in no doubt that a Green Bay Packers Legend is the pick of the bunch.

“I’ll go Brett Favre,” he said. “Brett’s one of those guys who validated the way I played the game. He played with injuries, he played through stuff, he started no matter what.

“And my attitude was you never let your backup get on the field. If you can walk, you’re playing. “Brett was that way and epitomised it, and I just I loved the way he played the game.”

The tactical side of playing at quarterback is also hugely important, with the role requiring players to retain plenty of knowledge of attacking plays.

Having operated as back-up to another NFL legend in New England for one season in 2005, Flutie is adamant about who possesses the best Football IQ. 

“Tom Brady,” Flutie said. “Just because of his knowledge of fronts and defences and picking up blitzes and manipulating his offensive line, as well as coverage and game planning.

“I’ve never been around Peyton Manning, but he was very similar. I spent my time around Tommy, so I’ll say Tom Brady.”