Jump to content

Best Back-Up QB of all time.

Pilsner

By Pilsner
in The Stadium Wall Archives

 Share

Recommended Posts

Pilsner Veteran

Pilsner

Posted
Posted

I'm young compared to a lot of peeps here on this board. So I can only go from memory. My first choice would obviously be Frank Reich, then after that it would be Steve Young. This is not necessarily based off stats. But based off of who in your gut you would want in your corner if your starter went down. Just a new topic to throw in here for a change of pace :)

 

What are your thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bbb Hall of Famer

bbb

Posted
Posted
Like you said best back-ups:

 

These are dudes that, well... suck as full-time starters... making them great back-ups:

 

Frank Reich

Damon Huard

Jeff Hostetler

Scott Mitchell

Todd Collins

 

Exactly - Steve Young is not a backup just because at one point he was. He's one of the greatest QBs period. Lamonica falls in the same category - not a HOFer but an MVP etc.

 

I'd have to say Earl Morrall was the best of all time for what he did subbing for Unitas and then for Griese in the perfect season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AxelRipper RFA

AxelRipper

Posted
Posted

I honestly think if the bills QB situation were different, Fitz would be an awesome guy to have behind a reliable starter. He is good when he comes in to finish off a game, but not quite good enough to be able to start and succeed in the NFL.

 

unless gailey can coach natural talent

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest dog14787

Guest dog14787

Posted
Posted
I'm young compared to a lot of peeps here on this board. So I can only go from memory. My first choice would obviously be Frank Reich, then after that it would be Steve Young. This is not necessarily based off stats. But based off of who in your gut you would want in your corner if your starter went down. Just a new topic to throw in here for a change of pace :)

 

What are your thoughts?

 

 

Frank Reich.

 

 

Yup, Frank Reich is my favorite backup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
justnzane Veteran

justnzane

Posted
Posted
Exactly - Steve Young is not a backup just because at one point he was. He's one of the greatest QBs period. Lamonica falls in the same category - not a HOFer but an MVP etc.

 

I'd have to say Earl Morrall was the best of all time for what he did subbing for Unitas and then for Griese in the perfect season.

 

 

I'd almost have to say that Morrall was a decent starter in his own right before those two seasons. he was a pro bowler (or what ever they called it then) in his second season, and only got traded to detroit because Pittsburgh got Bobby Layne in the deal. He got yo-yo'd a bit at Detroit with some decent seasons there, before ending up at the Giants for a few years where he had another decent year.

 

When the Colts went to the Super Bowl with Morrall, he played the whole season as Johnny U was injured in pre-season. That season he was the NFL MVP. So, I think it is an injustice really call him a backup as he did start over 100 games and started more than half the season 7 times. It is somewhat the same argument for Steve Young where he was a great backup that became an MVP starter.

 

That all said, I'd love to have either of them as a backup. But for journeyman that never really caught as the man, my money would be on Reich.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Skoobydum RFA

Skoobydum

Posted
Posted
I always thought Tom Brady did a halfway decent job filling in for Drew Bledsoe when he got that chest injury.....

 

Farve has a few more yards thrown and hasn't missed a start in like 308 games, brady made it to 111 before getting hurt a few years back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Senator All Pro

The Senator

Posted
Posted

"The Mad Bomber" himself, Daryle Lamonica...

 

Lamonica played with Buffalo for four seasons, backing up Jack Kemp on a team that won back-to-back AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. He was known as "The Fireman", coming into games if Kemp was hurt or ineffective, and pulling out victories.

 

In 1967, Lamonica was traded to the Oakland Raiders with Glenn Bass for Art Powell and Tom Flores. In his first year with the Raiders, under head coach John Rauch, he threw for 30 touchdowns and ran for four more...

 

Daryle Lamonica went 66-16-4 as a starter, good for a 78.4% winning percentage, second best in NFL history (Otto Graham is the highest at 81.0%). In the American Football League, Lamonica's winning percentage as a starter was 90.0%, on 40 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie in 45 games, the best ever in the AFL.

Period. Hic finis est.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glory Bound RFA

Glory Bound

Posted
Posted
Like you said best back-ups:

 

These are dudes that, well... suck as full-time starters... making them great back-ups:

 

Frank Reich

Damon Huard

Jeff Hostetler

Scott Mitchell

Todd Collins

One of these guys won a SB, & was a terror in the post season...& therefore ...IMHO...deserves his name removed. Was he an elite QB?...no, but I think I would take him right now (in his prime) in lieu of our current options.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
silvermike Veteran

silvermike

Posted
Posted

What's the cutoff? I'd say a reasonable measure would be to only look at QBs that never started the majority of their team's games in a playoff year. That knocks out one-time backups like Tom Brady or Steve Young, but preserves Reich. Of other QBs mentioned, Todd Collins Don Strock, and Damon Huard (narrowly - he was 5-3 with the playoff bound 2006 Chiefs) are okay, but Hostetler, Mitchell, and Morrall have too many starting seasons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
agilen RFA

agilen

Posted
Posted

I'd have to say Flutie was one of the best backups....whenever he came off the bench, he performed. When he was a starter, teams could game plan to keep him in the pocket, and he just wasn't that effective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jerry Jabber Veteran

Jerry Jabber

Posted
Posted
Like you said best back-ups:

 

These are dudes that, well... suck as full-time starters... making them great back-ups:

 

Frank Reich

Damon Huard

Jeff Hostetler

Scott Mitchell

Todd Collins

 

I agree, also add Sage Rosenfels to that list. I'll never forget a very painful loss to the dolphins, when Rosenfels came in the game (due to injury) and had 272 passing yards in the 2nd half and beat the Bills, especially when the Bills were dominating that game up until Rosenfels came in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
billsfreak Veteran

billsfreak

Posted
Posted
Ed Rutkowski

My heart says Frank Reich

My head says Earl Morral

 

Honorable Mention: Jeff Hostetler, he was a backup when he beat us in the Superbowl. I can't think of another QB that took over for the starter at the end of the season and lead his team as they dominated throughout the postseason. If I remember right, Phil Simms got hurt against us, the same game that Kelly got hurt and missed the last game or two of the 1990 season. Hostetler was unproven at that point, and Parcells had faith in him and it paid off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jluckey Probation

Jluckey

Posted
Posted
I'm young compared to a lot of peeps here on this board. So I can only go from memory. My first choice would obviously be Frank Reich, then after that it would be Steve Young. This is not necessarily based off stats. But based off of who in your gut you would want in your corner if your starter went down. Just a new topic to throw in here for a change of pace ;)

 

What are your thoughts?

Travis Brown

Alex Van Pelt

Kelly Holcomb

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Spiderweb Veteran

Spiderweb

Posted
Posted
Earl Morrall

Billy Kilmer

 

Just because.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Billy Kilmer? No arm, no real QB skills at all, but was tough as nails. The best thing about Kilmer when he played for the Redskins was that Sonny Jurgensen was his backup (late in Sonny's career). Sonny was an excellent QB.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...