Quarterbacks that didnt flop

Well, his offenses at USC did pretty well. Maybe he could do the same thing in the NFL if he had a QB who knew how to throw. VY has a strong arm, but not an accurate one. No one can build a good offense aroud that.
That doesn't really count. You know how well Pete Carroll did in the NFL....

Besides, "VY can't throw" is a myth. He had the highest quarterback rating for his last season (well third highest after the bowl season because two other quarterbacks played in really lopsided bowls).
 
Other QB's

Here are some other QB's:

John Reaves: He was the #1 pick by the Eagles in 1972. The next year, Mike McCormack, the new HC, decided to go with veterans and trade for Roman Gabriel. What if he gave Reaves a shot? Or, what if he traded Reaves to the Rams in the Roman Gabriel trade in 73, and then Reaves took over after Hadl gets traded to GB the next year?

Timm Rosenbach: He was the Cardinals pick in the 1989 Supplemental draft. Injuries prematurely ended his career. What if he stayed healthy? Or, what if he went back to school and came out in 1990? Maybe the Chargers or Lions draft him instead, and he has a much better career.

Tommy Maddox: As a Bronco fan, I am still flabbergasted about this one. This draft pick was considered a middle finger to Elway in his never-ending war with Dan Reeves, which almost ended the year before because there was a trade in the works to send Elway to Washington that fell through. People wondered why they drafted this guy when they could have used a WR like Carl Pickens or a OT like John Fina to get them over the hump and into the SB. He ended playing well for a while with the Steelers, but, his injury led to Big Ben's debut, and, the rest is history. But, what if Maddox goes back to school for one more year and comes out in 93?
 
Going back another generation or so, don't forget Terry Hanratty, who was supposed to be the next golden boy coming out of Notre Dame: had he put up numbers with the Steelers along the lines of those at South Bend, perhaps they'd have gotten it out of their system sooner and sunk back to mediocrity (and Steeler fan smugness, second only to that of Cowboys fans, would be a dim memory). While we're at it, recall Norm Snead: supposed to be a star on the rise when drafted by the Redskins; came to the Eagles for Sonny Jurgensen; proved to be completely run-of-the-mill at best.
 
Hanratty

I can't believe the Steelers wanted to draft that guy in the first round. That would have been a disaster. Maybe in an alternate history path, where Joe Paterno was hired as the Steeler Coach in 1969(he was the first choice of the Rooneys), he may have drafted Hanratty in the first round instead of Joe Greene.
 
He had the highest quarterback rating for his last season (well third highest after the bowl season because two other quarterbacks played in really lopsided bowls).

But like you said about Pete Carroll, that really doesn't count. He threw more interceptions than TDs in every single one of his NFL seasons. Having a good arm for a college QB is completely different from having a good arm in the pros. The window that you have to fit the ball through is so much smaller that it puts accuracy at a premium. I'm not denying that VY has a strong arm, it's the lack of accuracy that will stop him from ever being a superstar QB.
 
I can't believe no one hasn't mentioned Steve DeBerg. Talk about snake bit.

-Drafted by the 49ers in '78 only to lose his job to Joe Montana.

-Plays for the Broncos only to lose his job to John Elway

-Plays for the Bucs only to lose his job the first time to Steve Young, then when Steve was traded, he got his job back, only to lose it to Vinny Testaverde

-Plays for the Chiefs, and does pretty good, but ultimately loses his job to DAVE KRIEG!

-Plays for Bucs again, retires the year before they stop being the Yucs!

If only...
 
I can't believe no one hasn't mentioned Steve DeBerg. Talk about snake bit.

-Drafted by the 49ers in '78 only to lose his job to Joe Montana.

-Plays for the Broncos only to lose his job to John Elway

-Plays for the Bucs only to lose his job the first time to Steve Young, then when Steve was traded, he got his job back, only to lose it to Vinny Testaverde

-Plays for the Chiefs, and does pretty good, but ultimately loses his job to DAVE KRIEG!

-Plays for Bucs again, retires the year before they stop being the Yucs!

If only...

Come on! The man had an awesome life. Oldest guy on a Super Bowl roster, the original operator of the West Coast offense, set some completions and attempts records, and is still on the top 20 all-time in several categories. Sure he got kicked around a lot, but that's a testament to his skill - it took some incredible quarterbacks to budge him, and he still found a spot somewhere else. Not to mention his insane durability. He was badass.

Steve DeBerg - the NFL's answer to Chuck Norris. :D
 
DeBerg

I agree, he had a great career, but, I wonder what would have happened if we didn't get Elway. I heard that Dan Reeves said about DeBerg in the 82 Strike-Shortened season that "If everyone on the team played like DeBerg did, we would have been in the playoffs". He might have stayed with the Broncos for several years, but I don't know if he could have gotten them over the hump.
 

Xen

Banned
Y'know it never ceases to amaze me. Back when I started this thread I thought it would get some responses, but that was in 2005 and it wasn't too popular then, now 4 years later:)
 
Guy Benjamin

Another QB that didn't get a chance at all was Guy Benjamin. After a successful career at Stanford under HC Bill Walsh, he was drafted in the second round by the Dolphins in 78. From what I heard, the Dolphin players made it hard on him. They didn't want no "hippie type from Stanford" replacing Bob Griese. Then, he got traded to the Saints in 1980. At the end of their 1-15 season, the GM ordered the coach to give Guy a chance, but he wouldn't. The next year, Bum Phillips was hired, and he apparently didn't believe in Guy. He was traded to the 49ers, where his old college coach was at. Only, there was a little problem: A guy named Montana. He stayed as a backup for a few years. He could have tried out for other teams, like the Colts, but he retired instead. I heard that he lives in Hawaii now and is a doctor and has been very successful, so it worked out. But, I wonder if he wishes that he would have went on a team that wanted him.
 
Joey Harrington. If the Lions had a better offensive line, a better WR corps, better running backs, Joey Harrington could have been an elite quarterback. Even better, if Joey just sat for a couple years. He was just thrust into the spotlight too soon, and his development was knocked back.
 
Danny White

1. Danny White: If the pass that he threw to Drew Pearson on the play after The Catch in the 1981 NFC Championship goes for a TD or gets them in position for a game-winning FG and Dallas goes on and wins a Super Bowl, he would have had a much better career, and maybe things don't disintegrate so bad in Big D by 1989 that Jimmy Johnson is hired and Troy Aikman is drafted.

2. Joe Gilliam: The Steelers drafted him late in the 1972 draft. He played some in 1973, and won the starting job going into the 1974 season. He was then benched for Bradshaw, who went on to lead Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl wins. If he would have started out with a different organization and got a good chance, maybe he would have had a better career and stayed off of drugs.

3. Jack Thompson: The Throwin Samoan was taken by the Bengals in 1979 in the top 5 of Round 1, but stayed on the bench behind Ken Anderson most of the time. Then, he went to a bad situation in Tampa. If he would have went to a different team, maybe he would have lived up to his billing.
 
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