Ken Anderson
Ken Anderson is one of the best quarterbacks in history that has yet to be elected to the Hall of Fame, but his long career as one of the top quarterbacks in the league should be enough for him to be a member.
Anderson was a 3rd round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1971, and by the end of his rookie year he had taken over as the starting quarterback for Cincy. He improved steadily for his first 5 seasons, hitting his first peak in 1975, when 3000 yards and 20 touchdowns for the first time in his career and led the Bengals to an 11-3 record, the best record they achieved during Anderson's career. They earned the wild card that season, but could not beat the Raiders, even with Anderson's 201 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Things went downhill from there for the rest of the decade, with Anderson throwing more interceptions that touchdowns and missing the playoffs for 5 straight seasons. It appeared that his run as Cincinnati's starter was drawing to a close, especially after he was benched at halftime of the opening game in 1981. Coach Forrest Gregg decided to give him one more chance, starting him in week 2, and it turned out to be the jump start he needed to have the best season of his career.
By the end of the season, he had thrown for 3754 yards, eclipsing his previous career high by nearly 600 yards, and 29 touchdowns, 8 higher than his old record. He was named the league MVP and Comeback Player of the Year for his performance. The Bengals finished at 12-4, the top record in the AFC, and defeated Buffalo and San Diego on their way to the Super Bowl. It was the first time the franchise had even won a playoff game. Anderson was very good in the Super Bowl, throwing for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns while running for another, but Joe Montana and San Francisco beat them 26-21.
He was even better the next season, which was shortened to 9 games by a strike, throwing for 2495 yards and an NFL record 70.6% completion percentage, topped off by a 7-2 record and a return trip to the playoffs, but they were blown out in their first playoff game. He remained the starter for a couple more years, but was always hurt or ineffective, and was replaced by Boomer Esiason as the starter. He remained on as his backup for two seasons before retiring.
Other than the Super Bowl season, he did not have any playoff success at all, but he was one of the top quarterbacks in the league for 4 seasons, and was a solid player for several more. He won the MVP in 1981 and should have won it in 1975, all while leading a franchise that had always been a laughing stock to the brink of a championship. All of that is why he is one of the all-time greats.
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