I noticed something while watching the NFL Network the other day when they had a program up about the Bill Walsh coaching tree. Now the subject of this thread isn't that line of coaches but rather the teams that have been blessed with good to great QB talent throughout their history. I compiled a list with a few rules:

1. There has to be more than just two good QBs, but two great ones might get you on the list.
   
2. You get points for Super Bowl appearance, but only so much.
   
3. Longevity counts because the longer a good QB plays, the more chances he gives his team.
   

After compiling the list, I found it curious that only eleven teams in the League were "lucky" enough to be considered blessed with a lot of QB talent. That's just a third of the total teams!

 

Given that, consider the following list that is arranged alphabetically (I listed some of the "good" QBs and annotated them with a (?) as an "honorable mention" type of thing):

 

Dallas - Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, Danny White, Troy Aikman, Tony Romo (?) - Has any team had more top notch talent than Dallas? Look at that list, even with Tony Romo! That's a ton of QB talent for one team to have throughout it's legacy.

 

Denver - Elway, Manning - Two greats put them on the list, but I kinda feel like that's cheating a bit since they brought in Manning in the Twilight of his career. Still, he wears the jersey so I guess it counts.

 

Green Bay - Bart Starr, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers - Might be the best all around in terms of quality over quantity. That is some sterling credentials right there.

 

Indianapolis / Baltimore - Unitas, Manning, Luck - Having the guy that basically created the two-minute Offense, followed up by the guy that perfected the "call at the line" aspect, then follow him up with a guy that was pretty much born to play QB in the NFL is a really good haul. Apologies that I missed this stellar collection at first swipe.

 

New England - Steve Grogan (?), Tony Eason <strong>(?), Tom Brady</strong> - Brady leads this class and while Grogan and Eason are both only good, it's not often that a team has two good QBs from which to choose.

 

New Orleans - Manning, Brees - This is the exception that proves the rule. I'd probably be willing to put up with some lousy seasons if I got to cheer for both Manning and Brees in my lifetime. Two greats right there.

 

New York Giants - Conerly, Tittle, Tarkenton, Simms, Manning - That list might just rival Dallas'. That is some serious luck for one team to bring in all that QB talent.

 

Oakland/LA - Lamonica, Stabler, Plunkett, Wilson (?), Gannon (?) - Oakland gets on here out of sheer volume. While maybe Stabler is the only really great QB on the list, the simple fact that they have had so many good QBs wear the Black and Silver speaks volumes about Al Davis. Granted, he made some really poor decisions later on in his career, but he has quite a list of good QBs to his name.

 

Pittsburgh - Bradshaw, Roethlisberger -  (Can't believe I missed this one) Having two multi-Super Bowl Champion QBs is about all a fanbase can wish for. Too bad it had to happen to the Pittsburgh fanbase.

 

St. Louis/LA - Van Brocklin, Gabriel, Everett, Warner, Bulger (?) - An early oversight on my part. The Rams have had a pretty good run of some top notch QB talent in their history.

 

San Diego - Dan Fouts, Drew Brees (?), Philip Rivers - This one is just skirting the edge due to Brees not really hitting his stride until he left but he was a good QB while there. Also, the careers that Fouts and Rivers put together were probably enough to get them on the list.

 

San Francisco - Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jeff Garcia (?) -For me, Joe Montana was the best QB I've ever seen play. He was sneaky athletic, had a good enough arm, and understood the Offense he was running to a point where you were playing Checkers and he was playing Chess. Steve Young was athletic as you could get but once he started winning games with his arm, he really took off.

 

Tennessee/Houston - Moon, McNair - Here's another of the exceptions. While McNair was maybe never great, the fact that he strung together a thirteen year career and a Co-MVP to boot is nothing to sneeze at. And Moon's career speaks for itself.

 

Washington - Baugh, Snead, Jurgensen, Kilmer (?), Theismann (?) - Not a bad list, and I'd like to have one like it but not the best I've seen either.

 

 

 

Have any of your own to add? Want some taken off? Whaddaya got?

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I'm trying to make myself more informed and less opinionated.

Stop saying whatever stupid thing you're talking about and pay attention to all the interesting things I have to say!

I think you've covered the majority.


Its probably still too early but the Indy Manning-Luck combo will be on that list shortly.


Perhaps Eagles Cunningham-McNabb?

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot."

How about 2 HoF QBs in Norm Van Brocklin and Kurt Warner of the LA/St.Louis Rams?

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot."

How about 2 HoF QBs in Norm Van Brocklin and Kurt Warner of the LA/St.Louis Rams?

 

You know what, given those two and Roman Gabriel along with Jim Everett, that was an obvious oversight on my part. That team deserves a spot on the list. Thanks for the suggestion!

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I'm trying to make myself more informed and less opinionated.

Stop saying whatever stupid thing you're talking about and pay attention to all the interesting things I have to say!

What about Bledsoe for the pats?

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What about Bledsoe for the pats?

Craig Morton also QBed both Dallas and Denver to Super Bowls.

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Uhh Pittsburgh? Terry Bradshaw & Ben Roethlisberger.  Which is only two, but Denver brought in Manning in the twilight of his career as you stated, while Pitt had Bradshaw and Roethlisberger the bulk of their careers.


How about Miami?  Bob Griese and Dan Marino.  


I'd put both of those teams above Tennessee/Houston.

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

Colts:

Unitas

Manning

Luck (?)

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Colts:

Unitas

Manning

Luck (?)

This one to.

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Regarding the Baltimore Colts,   I definitely would include Bert Jones who helped them win 3 straight AFC East Titles in the mid 1970's.   Bert Jones'  had tremendous tools.   If Jones would have remained relatively healthy,   he could easily have had a HOF caliber career.  

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Uhh Pittsburgh? Terry Bradshaw & Ben Roethlisberger.  Which is only two, but Denver brought in Manning in the twilight of his career as you stated, while Pitt had Bradshaw and Roethlisberger the bulk of their careers.


How about Miami?  Bob Griese and Dan Marino.  


I'd put both of those teams above Tennessee/Houston.

 

 

Colts:

Unitas

Manning

Luck (?)

 

Both really good points! Thanks guys!

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I'm trying to make myself more informed and less opinionated.

Stop saying whatever stupid thing you're talking about and pay attention to all the interesting things I have to say!

What about Bledsoe for the pats?

 

Maybe it's just personal preference, but I was never that big of a Bledsoe fan. Maybe he's better than what I give him credit for, but whatever.

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I'm trying to make myself more informed and less opinionated.

Stop saying whatever stupid thing you're talking about and pay attention to all the interesting things I have to say!

Forgot Doug Williams for the Skins. He did QB them to a Super Bowl.

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“Motivation alone is not enough.  If you have an idiot and you motivate him,now you have a motivated idiot.” Jim Rohn

 

Forgot Doug Williams for the Skins. He did QB them to a Super Bowl.

 

I might be talked into putting Williams into the good category, but he only played four seasons for Washington and never played all 16.

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I'm trying to make myself more informed and less opinionated.

Stop saying whatever stupid thing you're talking about and pay attention to all the interesting things I have to say!

Maybe it's just personal preference, but I was never that big of a Bledsoe fan. Maybe he's better than what I give him credit for, but whatever.

 

It's not just you who has this opinion.

 

Granted,  Drew Bledsoe helped the Patriots get to a Super Bowl and he was the QB that helped Bill Parcells turn that franchise around from the point that they almost moved to St. Louis.   Yet,  something seemed missing with Bledsoe.   It probably was instincts/ natural feel related.   If Bledsoe had the instincts and intangibles that Jim Harbaugh had,   he would have almost certainly made it to the HOF. 

 

Regarding Jim Harbaugh,  I would add him to the Indianapolis Colts list.   Harbaugh was one pass away from taking them to the Super Bowl in the 1995 season.  IMO,  Harbaugh was one of the more underrated QB's.  

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Forgot Doug Williams for the Skins. He did QB them to a Super Bowl.

 

  Despite Brad Johnson being the Bucs QB that helped led them to their Super Bowl win in the 2002 season,   I definitely would choose Doug Williams as the best Bucs QB in their history.

 

  Regarding Doug Williams'  accomplishment with the Redskins,  it's a reminder of why I feel Joe Gibbs was the best NFL HC in the last 45 years or so.   Winning 3 Super Bowls with 3 different QBs,   none that are in the HOF,   speaks volumes of what Gibbs accomplished.  

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I noticed something while watching the NFL Network the other day when they had a program up about the Bill Walsh coaching tree. Now the subject of this thread isn't that line of coaches but rather the teams that have been blessed with good to great QB talent throughout their history. I compiled a list with a few rules:

1. There has to be more than just two good QBs, but two great ones might get you on the list.
   
2. You get points for Super Bowl appearance, but only so much.
   
3. Longevity counts because the longer a good QB plays, the more chances he gives his team.
   

After compiling the list, I found it curious that only eleven teams in the League were "lucky" enough to be considered blessed with a lot of QB talent. That's just a third of the total teams!

 

Given that, consider the following list that is arranged alphabetically (I listed some of the "good" QBs and annotated them with a (?) as an "honorable mention" type of thing):

 


 

San Francisco - Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jeff Garcia (?) -For me, Joe Montana was the best QB I've ever seen play. He was sneaky athletic, had a good enough arm, and understood the Offense he was running to a point where you were playing Checkers and he was playing Chess. Steve Young was athletic as you could get but once he started winning games with his arm, he really took off.

 



Have any of your own to add? Want some taken off? Whaddaya got?

 

 

 

   The 49ers also had at least two other QBs that add major value to their franchise QB history.   Y.A. Tittle and John Brodie never won NFL Championships.  However,   both contributed to the 49ers making the playoffs and were very productive.     The 49ers have been blessed at the QB position over the decades.   

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Here's an opinion question:

 

Do the Bills belong on the original list that Deacon created?

 

Jack Kemp and Jim Kelly had great careers,  including what they produced from a team standpoint.

 

Joe Ferguson was a pretty good QB for the Bills but not a great QB. 

 

Doug Flutie had his moments for them.

 

Otherwise,  for the most part,  the Bills QB history is spotty at best. 

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Regarding Jim Harbaugh, I would add him to the Indianapolis Colts list. Harbaugh was one pass away from taking them to the Super Bowl in the 1995 season. IMO, Harbaugh was one of the more underrated QB's.

Harbaugh was one of my favorite QBs to watch, especially with his time at the Colts. He was an ultra competitive guy, with an unbelievable will that wouldn't stop.

I have no problem putting him on the list for the Colts. They were pretty darn good while he was QBing them.

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I'd almost consider adding Minnesota to the list. They've only had one really great QB spend the bulk of his career there (Tarkenton), but since the late '90s, they've managed to get short bursts of elite out of their QBs. Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Daunte Culpepper, Brett Favre, hell, even Jeff George looked really good up there for a year. The reason I would ultimately leave them off is Dennis Green. The success of Johnson, Cunningham, Culpepper and definitely Jeff George can be linked directly to his offense being one of the most stat-friendly for QBs ever.

 

Drew Bledsoe definitely belongs on the Patriots list. Having one of the best QBs in NFL history replace him has made it easy to forget that he was a franchise QB, not benched because of poor play, but benched because the guy who replaced him while he was injured happened to be Tom freaking Brady. 

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