NFL
By: Greg Rector
Quarterback is the most controversial position in the game and of course like ranking the best, ranking the worst quarterbacks for every NFL franchise is also subjective. I figured with this being the season where all the criticism for those quarterbacks who did not lead their teams into the playoffs or who didn’t win in the wild-card round might be the right time to remind all those critics that things have indeed been worse for your team. I will stick to the Super Bowl era.
Arizona Cardinals
Now I won’t go through the Chicago or St.Louis Cardinals eras. As for the Arizona Cardinals, Josh Rosen with just one season wouldn’t be really fair either. Just for Bill Carroll, I will give an honorable mention to pre-Super Bowl-era Cardinals QB Lamar McHan.
Ryan Lindley – Drafted in 2012 (6th Round) had 7 interceptions and no TDs. Went to the Chargers for a season and came back to Arizona, finishing his career with 4 TDs and 14 interceptions.
Atlanta Falcons
Randy Johnson – Not the left-hander pitcher, this Randy Johnson was a 1st round pick for the expansion Falcons in 1966 from Texas A&I (Now Texas A&M – Kingsville) Now it’s no easy task to be a rookie let alone for an expansion team. Johnson managed three wins in his eleven starts. For the rest of his time with Atlanta things never improved in 26 starts Johnson as the quarterback helped the Falcons win 5 games. 32 TDs but 65 interceptions later.
Baltimore Ravens
Sometimes the Ravens do miss on picks at the NFL draft. Kyle Boller is proof of that. Selected 19th overall in the 2003 draft from Cal, Boller was no Aaron Rodgers. 42 career starts and the Ravens were 20-22 in his starts over 5 seasons. Boller had great arm strength but accuracy-wise? Let’s just say does Nuke LaLoosh ring any bells?
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are known for Jim Kelly and now Josh Allen, the infamous quarterback in Bill’s history though has to be J.P. Losman a 1st round pick from Tulane in the 2004 draft. Between 2004- 2008 Losman threw 33 TDs and 34 interceptions while the Bills’ record was 10-23 in the games he started. Injuries didn’t help but Losman was the model of inconsistency even when healthy. Honorable mention to Dennis Shaw.
Carolina Panthers
No, I’m not going to throw Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold under the bus here. I’m also about to make my colleague here at teamnbsmedia.com Brock Viera’s day. As a Notre Dame lifelong fan, this one is painful. Jimmy Clausen was drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft from the University of Notre Dame. In 20 career starts, Clausen had a grand total of 3 TD passes and nine interceptions. They hit on his successor, some guy named Cam Newton. Chris Weinke was a very close second for me.
Chicago Bears
We could write a very long article on bad Bears quarterbacks over their long history. However, for all those folks who howl when their defense carries the load and the quarterback play is truly awful let’s go with the guy who backed up Jim McMahon on the Super Bowl XX-winning Bears, and the following season the Bears would go 7-0 in games Tomczak started, but 2 TDs and 10 interceptions? Yes, it was uglier than Mitch Trubisky. For his career in 31 starts, Tomczak would throw for 33 TDs and have 47 interceptions.
Cincinnati Bengals
Now another teamnbsmedia.com colleague our own Monte Perez, host of the Full Monte Sports Show on our youtube channel and his own podcast of the same name, is a major fan of the Oregon Ducks. Bengals fans still have nightmares of 3rd overall draft pick in 1999, Akili Smith. The former Oregon Duck is definitely in the all-time 1st round quarterback bust Hall of Shame. The Bengals were just 3-14 in Smith’s starts and he had just 5 TDs with 13 interceptions.
Cleveland Browns
Another franchise with a long history, I could go far back in time to find a Browns quarterback that was truly bad, I’m going to choose recency bias and again it’s not Baker Mayfield, no I’m going with the other recent Heisman Trophy winner the Browns have drafted. Selected 22nd overall in 2014, this guy was a total disaster off and on the field. Johnny Football started just 8 games and the Browns were 2-6 in his starts. Mike Phipps be glad things did get worse for the Browns after your career.
Dallas Cowboys
There are several candidates, trust me as a Cowboys fan of over 50 years the franchise of Meredith, Staubach, Aikman, Romo, and Prescott has had a few guys that were also awful. For me, I might go against the grain as many would say someone else, but for terrible quarterback play in a Dallas uniform, I have to go with Chad Hutchinson. He was signed after an open workout and in nine of the most painful starts I have ever had to witness the Cowboys went 2-7 as Hutchinson threw 7 TDs and 8 interceptions.
Denver Broncos
Sorry Broncos fans who think some of the quarterback failures post John Elway and Peyton Manning would make my list. I remember Steve Ramsey though who had 31 starts between 1971 and 1976. 35 TD passes and 53 interceptions later, the Broncos would go 14-17 in his starts. It wasn’t pretty. On the bright side after the 1976 season, he was traded to the Giants (cut before ever playing for New York), for a guy named Craig Morton who would quarterback the Broncos to the team’s first Super Bowl the next season.
Detroit Lions
Another franchise with a long history of some awful quarterback play, In the Super Bowl era, only though the honorable mentions alone include Dan Orlovsky Andre Ware Rusty Hilger Jeff Komlo, and Joey Harrington. I Selected Chuck Long though. The former Iowa Hawkeye was a big quarterback (6’4″ 217lbs when size was becoming a hot topic for quarterbacks), but things just never clicked for Long with the Lions. in 21 career starts the Lions granted were a bad team but as the starter, their record would be 4-17 and Long managed 19 TDs along with 28 interceptions. It was tempting to pick Harrington or Orlovsky.
Green Bay Packers
If this was just a bad character contest sure we could go with a dead-heat between Favre and Rodgers and would be correct with that choice. This is the worst on-field list though. with that in mind the easy choice is Randy Wright. Wright was a fifth-round pick from the University of Wisconsin in 1984. He would start a total of 32 games and in that era, they were not the Packers of the 60s, 90s, or the Rodgers era at all. With wright at quarterback, the Packers were 7-25 with Wright throwing 31 TDs and 57 interceptions.
Houston Texans
There have been so many different Texans quarterbacks that many would just throw David Carr as their choice. Like Randy Johnson with Atlanta it’s tough to nail him for being the franchise’s first-ever selection and quarterback. I’m going with Tom Savage instead. Savage had 9 starts, the Texans would go 2-7 while Savage threw for 5 TDs and 7 interceptions. How bad was his first start? After being named the starter for the 2017 season, he was replaced after one start by a guy named Deshaun Watson. Watson would hurt his knee and Savage in six more starts would go 1-5.
Indianapolis Colts
It isn’t Carson Wentz, it’s not Sam Ehlinger, Matt Ryan or any of the recent Colts QBs. This one is simply too easy. Many know this upcoming draft the Colts might trade up for the first overall pick to draft a quarterback. They did this in 1990 as well actually trading two players and three draft picks to select Jeff George, clearly one of the biggest draft busts in football history. He was as Charles Barkley would say “Turrible” and that’s being generous. 49 starts for the Colts and they went 14-35 as the sure thing threw 41 TDs and had 46 interceptions. Y’all wonder who taught today’s me first quarterbacks like Manziel Murray and Mayfield? Jeff George is the poster boy.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert simply never came close to the expectations so many had for him when he was selected 10th overall in the 2011 draft. He would start 27 games for the Jaguars, % wins only and he threw 22TDs and 24 interceptions.
Kansas City Chiefs
I have to go with another failed NFL quarterback from Notre Dame here. The Chiefs back in 2012 were not good at all. Matt Cassell was the starter but he was sidelined by a concussion. Enter former Fightin Irish QB Brady Quinn. We could have given Quinn an honorable mention with Cleveland but I saved his worst for this spot. Eight starts and just 2 TD passes along with 8 interceptions later, the Chiefs would go 1-7 with Quinn as the starter. Thus ended his awful NFL career and off to TV analysis for Brady Quinn. Honorable mention for another TV guy Todd Blackledge is also not fondly remembered either.
Las Vegas Raiders
We will have a really easy time in this franchise’s history there have been many greats Stabler and Plunkett are beloved and even the soon-departed Derek Carr. I don’t even want to post his numbers, there’s only one choice, Jamarcus Russell. This guy simply had no discipline and really no passion for the game and it showed. raiders would go 7-18 in his starts and he threw for 18 TDs and 23 interceptions.
Los Angeles Chargers
While still based in San Diego in 1998 the Chargers selected Ryan Leaf 2nd overall after some guy named Peyton Manning. Leaf was a disaster off the field as we all know and his well-known temper did him no favors as a starting QB. in 18 starts the Chargers won just 4 times and Leaf threw for 13 TDs and 33 interceptions.
Los Angeles Rams
Dan Pastorini had several good seasons for the Houston Oilers, towards the end of his career though he found himself with the Rams. He would start six games and it was clear his playing days were ending. How bad was it? 2 TD passes and a whopping 14 interceptions (So leave me alone about Dak’s 15 picks this year okay?) I sadly witnessed one of those starts in person. Those were his final six games in the NFL and for any Rams fans old enough you should have T-shirts made “I survived Pastorini as our QB”
Miami Dolphins
That bum Marino, oh wait he just never got them a Super Bowl. The Dolphins choice and it’s time to take a potshot at the boss here Joe Cardoso super fan of “That School Up North” I have called out two of my beloved Fighting Irish already so suck it up, Joe. The Dolphins selected Chad Henne in the second round of the 2008 draft. 31 starts with 31 TD passes and 37 interceptions the Dolphins would record just 13 wins with Henne as their starting QB.
Minnesota Vikings
Should we just agree it’s “Prime Time” Kirk Cousins and move on? I’ll be nice and instead with go with poor Tarvaris Jackson. The Vikings’ cupboard was bare when Jackson became their starting QB. Before Adrian Peterson, before Sidney Rice so those starts in 2006 and 2007 were brutal. Even with them on the roster, I believe Jackson was simply shell-shocked and could never recover. in 20 starts the Vikings would be 10-10 and Jackson had 24 TD passes and 22 interceptions.
The easy choice that Patriots QB who lost to the Giants twice in the Super Bowl. Of course not, while many remember Jim Plunkett for his heroics with the Raiders, Plunkett’s career was almost in the draft-bust Hall of Fame. selected first overall in the 1971 draft from Stanford, the man I share a birthday with didn’t see things go well in New England. 61 starts with the Patriots record being 23-38 Plunkett was very inaccurate and as evidenced by his 48.5% completion number. 62 TD passes and 83 interceptions.
New Orleans Saints
If you aren’t old enough to remember the team most often called the Aint’s well let’s just say there were a whole lot of really bad teams in New Orleans, including all those years with Peyton and Eli’s dad Archie at quarterback. Many would be tempted to say Heath Schuler but I will go with the 1984 season for former Jets QB Richard Todd and his 1984 season in New Orleans. While the Saints would go 6-8 in his 14 starts and Todd would have 11 Td passes, there 19 interceptions and they were truly horrible to witness. All year Todd found opponents with better passes than his own receivers.
New York Giants
Joe Pisarcik beats out Dave Brown for me. Pisarcik had 18 TD passes and 43 interceptions for the Giants between 1977 and 1979 and they were an awful 8-19 in his starts.
New York Jets
As fondly remembered as he is for the Super Bowl III victory Joe Namath will not be included in many greatest-ever conversations. This franchise has an abysmal record with quarterbacks and you could list a number of them as worst ever, but I will say Monte Perez might be right eventually for this distinction with his dislike of Zach Wilson. However, in 1991 the Jets missed out on Brett Favre by one pick in the second round. They instead chose Browning Nagle. Nagle in 1992 would start 13 games and the jets went 3-10 in his starts. Just 7 TD passes and 17 interceptions.
Philadelphia Eagles
As tempting as it is to just say all of them as a Cowboys fan, for me there’s one choice only and that is Bobby Hoying. For many years Ohio State quarterbacks often were not very good at the NFL level. It was very true for Hoying. Before McNabb and Vick came along Hoying over two seasons started 13 games. The Eagles were 3-9-1 in those games. Hoying had 11 TD passes and 15 interceptions. In 1998 he actually had no TDs and nine picks in seven starts. Kind of surprised he left Veterans Stadium upright.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Hard to follow a guy with 4 Super Bowl rings, add to that the vaunted 1970s Steelers were shadows of themselves and you have Mark Malone. 21-24 as the starter throwing for 54 TDs and 68 interceptions.
San Francisco 49ers
Before Bill Walsh and Joe Montana, the decade of the 70s was pretty miserable for the Niners. Steve Deberg had three seasons as the primary starter in San Francisco. The Niners would have a 7-28 record in DeBerg’s starts. DeBerg would have 37 TD passes but throw 60 interceptions as well.
Seattle Seahawks
Yet another Notre Dame quarterback that many had hopes for but never lived up to them was Rick Mirer. A 2nd overall pick in the 1993 draft Mirer would struggle mightily. The Seahawks would go 20-31 and Mirer threw for 41 TDs but add 60 interceptions.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
You could go with a winless Steve Spurrier but I really think before his Hall of Fame career took off with the Niners Steve Young was pretty awful in Tampa Bay. In 19 starts over two seasons, Young’s Tampa team went 3 and 16. With only 11 TD passes and 21 interceptions, no one foresaw his later numbers coming.
Tennesee Titans
Two guys come to mind, Zach Mettenberger or Jake Locker. I will go with the former as Mettenberger went winless over his 10 starts. 12 TD passes and 14 interceptions. That many chances and no wins gets the nod.
Wahington Commanders
If we went with their first season with the new name only it’s Carson Wentz hands down. However, we all know the nation’s capital has a much longer history. This is where I will choose Heath Schuler. The third overall pick in the 1994 draft started 13 games in Washington and they would 4 games with Schuler. He threw for 13 TDs and had 19 interceptions.
So there you have it for all of you with hate on’s for your current quarterback, things have been worse.
