John Hadl
John is one of the most obscure quarterbacks on my list, and for good reason. First of all, his best seasons came in the 1960's AFL, and through his entire career as a starter he only guided his team to the playoffs two times, and did not pick up a win in either playoff appearance. John is here completely due to his performance during the regular season.
He took over as starter for the San Diego Chargers in the middle of the 1964 season, while they were still the defending champions of the AFL. Over the course of the next 8 seasons, he was in the top 5 (NFL and AFL combined) in terms of passing yards and touchdowns 6 times, but was always kept from greatness by his penchant for throwing interceptions, throwing over 20 in a season 7 times.
John was traded to the Los Angeles Rams before the 1973 season, and for the first time in 9 years made the playoffs, leading them to a 12-2 record, tops in the league. Even with the high expectations, they were upset in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys, and he was again traded the following season, this time to Green Bay.
The trade to Green Bay has gone down as one of the most lopsided in history, with Hadl way past his prime and unable to guide a team that hadn't made the playoffs in 7 years going one way, and 5 early-round draft picks going the other. It would be 20 years before the Packers would make the playoffs again.
It is hard to determine which one his season was statistically best, but the season that did the most to get him into the top 50 was 1967, when he near the top in every passing category, finishing with 3365 yards and 24 touchdowns while guiding San Diego to an 8-5-1 record. He may not meet the criteria of being a winner, but he was a very good offensive player who maintained his high level of play for a full decade, which has earned him a spot in the lower reaches of my countdown.
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