Death to Google Ads! Texans Talk Tip Jar! 🍺😎👍
Thanks for your support!

Back Up QB Hall of Fame

Hookem Horns

Hookem Horns

Texans Talk Bartender
Staff member
Since back up QB VY proclaimed he will be in the Hall of Fame, I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss who you would put into the back up QB HOF if one existed.

A good candidate would be a QB that was pretty scary coming off the bench and can win a game pinch hitting for an injured starter however never really had what it took to become a legitimate starter.

Some good candidates that come to mind for me are Frank Reich, Cody Carlson, Danny White, and Gary Kubiak.

So who would be in your back up QB HOF?
 
Sage was pretty good for us...aside from that one meltdown.


My favorite from back in the day was Bucky Richardson.
 
Hookem Horns said:
Blanda was before my time but wasn't he an accomplished starter?
Click to expand...


And that's the thing. You can't possibly count a guy who was previously or even later on an accomplished starter. In order for it to work this has to be "career backups" only.

I think some consideration must be given to Don Strock and (possibly on the edge) Vince Evans.

Possibly Evans doesn't work because he did start 10 and then 16 games in 80'-81'. He didn't stick though as a starter so I'd still call him a career backup.

Even more of a close call would be Earl Morrall. He started for a team "full season" only twice it appears in 20 years. He might just be the ultimate backup QB.
 
Hervoyel said:
And that's the thing. You can't possibly count a guy who was previously or even later on an accomplished starter. In order for it to work this has to be "career backups" only.

I think some consideration must be given to Don Strock and (possibly on the edge) Vince Evans.

Possibly Evans doesn't work because he did start 10 and then 16 games in 80'-81'. He didn't stick though as a starter so I'd still call him a career backup.

Even more of a close call would be Earl Morrall. He started for a team "full season" only twice it appears in 20 years. He might just be the ultimate backup QB.
Click to expand...

Who says "career backups" only? So if a baseball pitcher wins 200 starts and then becomes a reliever and saves 500 games he can't be considered among the greatest relievers of all time because he wasn't a "career reliever"?

Separating his career into two parts, Blanda possibly is a HOF starter for the first half and definitely a HOF backup for the second half. There's no question he was a backup and not still a starter - he didn't start games, he came off the bench to turn a loss into a win. George Blanda - probably the greatest backup QB ever. If you set the rules up to throw him out, then the whole exercise is pointless.

I would put Earl Morrall second. Even though he started a lot of games it was only because the intended starter was injuried. Somewhere down the line Jeff Hostelter for winning a Super Bowl.
 
Hookem Horns said:
Blanda was before my time but wasn't he an accomplished starter?
Click to expand...

I'm talking end of his career. Raiders, he was listed I believe as their kicker, but seemed to always come in, and win the game for them as the QB at a very ripe age. Though today, I'd say he was young LOL

Now if they could have never been a starter? Not sure, I lean towards Don Strock myself, but Kubiak had a heck of a reputation as well in his time.
 
Steve Young proved to be a HOF period. I was going to say Cody Carlson but he was already mentioned and I do recall the reins being handed over to him and him not doing so hot once he became the starter.
 
Fred said:
Who says "career backups" only? So if a baseball pitcher wins 200 starts and then becomes a reliever and saves 500 games he can't be considered among the greatest relievers of all time because he wasn't a "career reliever"?

Separating his career into two parts, Blanda possibly is a HOF starter for the first half and definitely a HOF backup for the second half. There's no question he was a backup and not still a starter - he didn't start games, he came off the bench to turn a loss into a win. George Blanda - probably the greatest backup QB ever. If you set the rules up to throw him out, then the whole exercise is pointless.

I would put Earl Morrall second. Even though he started a lot of games it was only because the intended starter was injuried. Somewhere down the line Jeff Hostelter for winning a Super Bowl.
Click to expand...

Well ok, Blanda was a freak of a player with such a long career that you could literally say he had a full career as a starter and another whole career tacked on to that as a backup QB and kicker. How many guys other than Blanda though could you possibly say that about?

My "career backups only" rule was more about keeping out guys who spent a little time as a backup and then rose to the starter position where they really made their mark. Most QB's you can say "He's a starter" or "He's a backup" but almost every starter has spent some time, somewhere as a backup whether it was at the beginning of their career or at the end. Just having backed up another player shouldn't qualify you for this IMO. m5kwatts said "Tom Brady" and I'd say "Nope, he's a starter" even though he was Bledsoe's backup and took them to the Super Bowl when Bledsoe got hurt. Brady has in the years between then and now proven to be an accomplished starter. Moon lost his starting job to Cody Carlson once for something like one game (I think it was one game) and later in his career he was a backup as well. He's another example of a guy who's career as a starter overshadowed anything he did as a backup.

Blanda though, he's just the exception to damn near every rule ever made.

I just think that if you are really looking for best backups and include a lot of guys who eventually became starters or used to be starters then you're really going to slip over into best quarterbacks and that's another debate/argument/poll/whatever.
 
Tony Banks lost his job to his backup (Trent Dilfer), who did exactly what was required of the QB on that team, and therefore won a SB.
 
Well Herv was following the criteria I laid out for this "A good candidate would be a QB that was pretty scary coming off the bench and can win a game pinch hitting for an injured starter however never really had what it took to become a legitimate starter.

This is why I didn't mention Steve Young because he became a legitimate starter. While both Vince Evans and Cody Carlson ended up starting at one point (as did Franch Reich) none of them ever became known as legitimate starters. Think about it, most great QBs start off as a back before they start. We are talking as Herv put it "career back ups" or guys more known for being a back up.

BTW, I mentioned Gary Kubiak in my opening post.
 
Blanda is a starter in my book and in the HOF already.

My rules for backup QB who should be in the HOF:
1st they can not be in the HOF
2nd they had to be known more for the back up job then the starting job.


#1 Earl Morrall, Perfect season with Miami, Lead 2 teams to the Super Bowl.
#2 Billy Kilmer
#3 Doug Flutie
 
Texan_Bill said:
:bat: :tedc: :hunter:

***************************

Don Strock
Danny White
Giff Nielson (Oilers v. Chargers minus Earl, Dan and Kenny B. although the real hero was Vernon Perry)
Click to expand...

Only reason I never mentioned him was because he actually was so successful as a starter...couldn't get over the hump and The Catch effed him.
 
Clint Longley! One-game wonder with the brains and punch of Mike Tyson.

painkiller said Earl Morrall and Bill said Don Strock, I'll buy those. Terry Gilliam also, though I know folks would disagree with that.
 
Hookem Horns said:
Since back up QB VY proclaimed he will be in the Hall of Fame, I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss who you would put into the back up QB HOF if one existed.

A good candidate would be a QB that was pretty scary coming off the bench and can win a game pinch hitting for an injured starter however never really had what it took to become a legitimate starter.

Some good candidates that come to mind for me are Frank Reich, Cody Carlson, Danny White, and Gary Kubiak.

So who would be in your back up QB HOF?
Click to expand...

You See, Everyone misunderstood VY.......What he meant was that he was going to be playing in the Hall Of Fame game......:chickendance:
 
Elvis Grbac. Now, if he grew his hair like Elvis or wore an Elvis wig he could have had a NFL HOF career!
 
Lynn Dickey would have been pretty good if he hadn't broken his hip early with the Oilers, then they traded him.

I still don't understand why the Oilers made that draft. Insurance in case Pastorini didn't work out or trade bait?
 
Koolaid Time said:
Lynn Dickey would have been pretty good if he hadn't broken his hip early with the Oilers, then they traded him.

I still don't understand why the Oilers made that draft. Insurance in case Pastorini didn't work out or trade bait?
Click to expand...
Dickey had some fantastic years and broke some NFL records with the Packers.
 
Hervoyel said:
...
My "career backups only" rule was more about keeping out guys who spent a little time as a backup and then rose to the starter position where they really made their mark. Most QB's you can say "He's a starter" or "He's a backup" but almost every starter has spent some time, somewhere as a backup whether it was at the beginning of their career or at the end. Just having backed up another player shouldn't qualify you for this IMO. m5kwatts said "Tom Brady" and I'd say "Nope, he's a starter" even though he was Bledsoe's backup and took them to the Super Bowl when Bledsoe got hurt. Brady has in the years between then and now proven to be an accomplished starter. Moon lost his starting job to Cody Carlson once for something like one game (I think it was one game) and later in his career he was a backup as well. He's another example of a guy who's career as a starter overshadowed anything he did as a backup.

Blanda though, he's just the exception to damn near every rule ever made.

I just think that if you are really looking for best backups and include a lot of guys who eventually became starters or used to be starters then you're really going to slip over into best quarterbacks and that's another debate/argument/poll/whatever.
Click to expand...
Good explanation and I agree with you. When Earl Morall was starting there was no question that he was going back to the bench when Unitas got healthy. When Tom Brady took over for an injuried Wally Pipp... err.. Drew Bledsoe, there was no way Bledsoe would ever start in front of him again.
 
Okay, Clint Longley made me think of the Redskins. So I'm going to say Sonny Jurgensen. I think Kilmer was the starter, but IIRC they still moved the ball when Jurgensen was playing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top