We all know the names of the individuals that top the list
of greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time: Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Brett Favre,
Johnny Unitas and many others. The more interesting question and one that is
not often debated is: Who are we leaving out? The Quarterback position is one
that comes with either a great deal of praise or condemnation. But throughout
the course of history, some quarterbacks have simply flown under the radar.
Their success on the field has been noticed, but not praised to the extent of
some of their counterparts. Set forth below, I will rank who I believe to be
the Top 15 Most
Underrated Quarterbacks
in NFL History. The list is comprised of strictly retired quarterbacks that
have made a significant impact on their franchises, but still do not receive
the admiration and respect they deserve
What’s not to like about this guy? Standing
at 5’9 on stilts and weighing 180 lbs. soaking wet, Doug Flutie appears to be
just your average American male. This average quality that Flutie possesses made
it easy for coaches, players, fans and opposing defenses to significantly
overlook him. This didn’t seem to make any difference to Flutie though who
proceeded to shatter numerous passing records at Boston College and the CFL. In 1998, Flutie started for the Buffalo Bills five games into
the season.
With Flutie at the helm, the
Bills went 8-3. Flutie was selected to the pro-bowl, and is currently the
shortest quarterback to make the Pro Bowl since 1970. The next year, Flutie led
the Bills to a 10-5 record and the playoffs. During Wild Card Week, Coach Wade
Phillips benched Flutie for a taller option: Rob Johnson. The Bills lost the
game in what is now known as The Music City Miracle. The Bills have not been
back to the playoffs since then. Who knows what would have happened had Flutie been given the opportunity to play. Nevertheless, Flutie is the last QB to take
the Bills to the post-season and appear on a cereal box that I have purchased. For
these reasons and more, Flutie is greatly underrated.
14. Earl Morrall
Not many NFL fans know this guy’s name,
and it’s a shame.
If you look up ‘underrated’
in the dictionary, Earl Morrall’s name is likely a synonym. Morrall
is the greatest backup quarterback in NFL history. Morrall backed up two all-time
great QB’s - Johnny Unitas and Bob Griese. In 1968, Morrall filled in for
Johnny Unitas who was injured and compiled a 13-1 regular-season record for the
Baltimore Colts and led them to Super Bowl III. Just two years later, he filled
in for an injured Unitas again, leading the Colts to a victory during Super
Bowl V. In 1972, Morrall filled in for an injured Bob Greise and helped lead
the Miami Dolphins to the only “perfect season” in NFL history. During that
year, Morrall was also awarded the AFC Player of the Year. Not bad for a
backup! This two time pro bowler, two time First Team All Pro and 3 time Super
Bowl Champion backup Quarterback was for real.
13. Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde was never the best
Quarterback in the league while he was playing, but his consistency and
longevity in the NFL is quite impressive. Testaverde played for the Bucaneers,
Browns, Ravens, Jets, Cowboys, Jets again, Patriots, and Panthers, capping off a remarkable 21 year career. Clearly, not
many teams saw him as their long term franchise quarterback. Nevertheless,
Testaverde is good for 7th all-time in pass completions, 8th
all-time in passing touchdowns and passed for 46,233 yards (just behind Hall of
Famers Elway, Moon and Tarkenton). Even with these incredible numbers,
Testaverde is never mentioned in the elite Quarterback discussion. I believe
that while Testaverde is not the most talented QB in NFL history, he is much
better than we give him credit for.
12. Steve McNair
There is often a great deal of
determination and attitude when a player comes from a Division I-AA school to
the NFL. Coming from Alcorn State, Steve "Air" McNair personified this attitude. At 6’2
235 lbs. McNair was not afraid to lower his shoulder and bury a defensive back
or linebacker or beat opposing defenses with his arm. McNair’s versatility and drive
paved the way for a successful NFL career. McNair is 33
rd all-time
on the list of passing yards, and is second behind Hall of Famer Warren Moon in
every major passing category amongst the Tennessee Titans franchise. He was
91-62 as a starter and led the Titans to a record of .500 or better in seven of
eleven seasons. In 1999 he led the Titans to a Super Bowl appearance where they were
fingertips away from being World Champions. Unfortunately, with his recent tragic
death, much of the success he experienced on the field is seldom discussed,
considered and praised.
11. Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe was a damn good Quarterback.
In fact, Bledsoe is one of the best Quarterbacks the New England Patriots
organization has ever had. Bledsoe ranks 8th all-time with over 44,000
passing yards and had eight seasons with over 3,500 passing yards. Bledsoe also
led the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance against the Green Bay Packers, but
came up short. While Bledsoe’s career for the Patriots was great, his
injury turned out to be even better for them. After Bledsoe was injured, the rest was history. His injury paved the
way for a young Tom Brady and now Bledsoe merely lives in the shadows of a 4
time Super Bowl Champion. Although Bledsoe is in the Patriots Hall of Fame, it
is tough to be compared or praised at the level of one of the greatest
Quarterbacks in NFL history, Tom Brady.
10. Boomer Esiason
Most people today know Boomer Esiason for his work on CBSSports. But, many years before Boomer became a network color commentator, he had a fairly illustrious 14 year career as a Quarterback in the NFL for the Bengals and Jets. Boomer's career wining percentage and passing statistics are phenomenal. He ranks in the top 20 in NFL history in both passing yards and touchdowns. In 1988, he led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. Unfortunately for Boomer it was against Joe Montana and the 49ers and we all know how that turned out. Regardless though, Boomer is one of the greatest quarterbacks not in the Hall of Fame and rarely gets the recognition he deserves for his success on the field.
9. Phil Simms
Any Quarterback that brings two Super Bowl titles to New York has to be considered a candidate for the Pro-Football Hall of Fame, right? Just ask Eli Manning and he will give you the right answer. Yet, this doesn't seem to be the case with Phil Simms. Phil probably won't ever get inducted into the Hall of Fame and there are some reasons for this. The main reason is that many believe Phil spent his 14 year career with the Giants as a game manager. Due to the stellar Giant defense lead by Lawrence Taylor, most think that Phil merely needed to get by without too many mistakes and the defense would take care of the rest. This is quite the contrary. Phil was not only an excellent leader that gained the belief and trust of his teammates, but Phil was a great Quarterback with an extremely high football IQ. Unfortunately for Phil, his work as a commentator doesn't always showcase this high football IQ. When most people talk about Phil Simms it is usually about how annoying he is on the Madden video games.
8. Dan Fouts
Besides being a huge bro as referenced in the photo above, Dan Fouts was a gun-slinging QB. Fouts was not afraid to thread the needle or throw a pass that was extremely risky when the game was on the line. Consequently, Fouts threw his fair share of interceptions, but he was one of the
best passers in history at airing the ball out and racking up those passing
yards. Unlike Phil Simms and many of the other Quarterbacks mentioned, Fouts did not have a good defense to rely on. During his 15 years with the Chargers, Fouts produced 43,040 yards and 252 touchdowns, but zero Super Bowl appearances. The zero Super Bowl rings or appearances hurt Fouts' legacy, but he is still among the best Quarterbacks to play the game and grows a better beard than most.
7. Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham was as smooth as the astro-turf he played on. He also significantly influenced a new breed of Quarterback that is prevalent today. Cunningham could run the ball and until Michael Vick, Cunningham's 4,928 career rushing yards stood as an NFL record for QB's. The dual threat Cunningham managed to run and pass all over opposing defenses for 16 seasons in the NFL. This longevity is extremely impressive given the amount of time he spent running
out there. Cunningham was the Godfather of this new breed of Quarterback
who has influenced players today like Kaepernick, Griffin III, Russel
Wilson, Cam Newton and a few others. It is remarkable how long Cunningham lasted in the NFL because of his playing style, and who knows how long these current players will. Regardlesss, Cunningham is never spoken of, which is odd given his influence on the game.
6. Jim Kelly
I'm not sure where to start with Jim Kelly. Should I start with the fact that he is a Hall of Fame Quarterback and the best QB in Bills History? Or should I begin with stating that on top of those facts, he is a surviving cancer patient, a father who lost his son to a rare disease and a QB who lost 4 straight Super Bowls? However you put it, Jim Kelly is a rare tough breed. While Jim Kelly is not underrated in Upstate and Western NY, he most certainly is outside of New York. Kelly only played 10 seasons in Buffalo (he started his career in the USFL), so his 35,467 passing yards could have been even higher. During his time in the NFL though, 40% of the time he led the Bills to the Super Bowl. He is the only QB in history to take his team to 4 straight Super Bowls and I am certain that will never happen again. Outside of NY, Jim is seldom brought up when people speak of elite QB's even though he is certainly in that category.
5. Bart Starr
When people talk Green Bay Packers football, names such as Vince Lombardi, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers almost always come up. But what about Bart Starr? Reality check: the guy was great. He led the Packers to 5 NFL Championships (3 consecutive). And, to my knowledge, that is better than both Montana and Brady. In addition to that impressive stat, Starr passed for 24,718 yards (which in the 1960s is pretty good), threw 152 TDs, and was a two time SuperBowl MVP (in Superbowl I and II). Even though Bart Starr was the MVP of the first two Superbowls, Vince Lombardi gets most of the praise. While it may be easy to forget about QBs who played in the 1960s, I think Bart Starr deserves a little bit more recognition when we talk elite QBs.
4. Warren Moon
Warren Moon is up there with the all time greats. He is not only one of the most underrated quarterbacks in NFL history, but he is also one of the very best to play the game. The numbers don't lie: 9 time Pro-Bowler, Four 4,000 yard passing seasons, retired with the 3rd most passing yards in NFL history and 4th most TD passes in NFL history. Why don't we talk more about Warren Moon? He is clearly a top-10 Quarterback of all time and maybe even higher than that. He fell into the trap of being a part of a franchise that no longer exists and is not talked about much anymore. Consequently, some folks even think of the other underrated QB McNair even before considering Moon's accomplishments on the field.
3. Ken Anderson
Ken who? Yeah, I'm sure you have no clue who this guy even is. That's what makes this guy so underrated. Anyone who leads the NFL in passing yards in a season is a good quarterback. Ken did this twice. In a row. Not too shabby, Ken. In addition to this accomplishment, he was also the 1981 NFL MVP, 4X Pro Bowler, 2 time All-Pro, and passed for just shy of 200 TD passes (197). While he wasn't a Hall of Fame caliber talent, he was a talent that should be mentioned more often.
2. Fran Tarkenton
Well, this picture sums up Fran's career pretty well. Running for his life. While he was running for his life, he was also busy being a 9-time Pro Bowler, Pro Bowl MVP, and Vikings career passing yard and touchdown leader. This Hall of Famer was a very versatile player in his time.The guy could run the ball just as well as he could throw it. He finished his impressive career with 3,674 yards and 32 TDs- rushing. Johnny Manziel only wishes he could be half as agile as this guy was. Unfortunately, he is rarely talked about today. He lost 3 Superbowls, broke a lot of people's hearts in Minnesota, and the rest was history. With that being said, Fran should be considered one of the best QB's of all time.
Rushed for 3,674 yards, 32 TDs
Rushed for 3,674 yards, 32 TD
Rushed for 3,674 yards, 32 TD
1. Kurt Warner
This guy has gotta be number one. Before starting his amazing career in the NFL, Kurt was bagging groceries at the local food mart. After Trent Green tore his ACL in the 1999 season, the backup grocery bagging QB got his chance and never looked back. In 1999, Warner had one of the greatest seasons by a quarterback in NFL
history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a
completion rate of 65.1%. Kurt Warner led his high powered "Greatest Show on Turf" offense to a Super Bowl victory against the Tennessee Titans where he was named MVP. What really stands out about Warner's career is that he had two of them. One for the Rams. And one for the Cardinals. In fact, he is only 1-of-2 players in NFL history to throw 100 TDs with two teams. And, even more crazy, he is the only player in NFL history to throw 14,000 yards with two teams. And yet, for whatever reason, this NFL legend wasn't a first round ballot for the Hall of Fame this year (even though he will get in eventually). Maybe its Kurt's humble demeanor, but whatever the reason, he deserves more respect than he is given. He is elite. Period.
