Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #30 - Daryle Lamonica

Daryle Lamonica

Daryle Lamonica was known as "the Mad Bomber" due to his affinity for throwing the long ball, and though he was only a starter for 6 seasons, he has one of the best winning percentages of all time and two AFL MVP awards to show for it.

Daryle Lamonica was drafted in the 24th round of the AFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills in 1963, and he spent 4 years in Buffalo, starting a total of 4 games for the Bills. After winning two titles as a backup, he was traded to the Raiders, which is where he would make a name for himself, though he never did get to hoist the trophy as a starter.

In his first season as a starter, he led the AFL with 30 touchdowns while throwing for 3228 yards, and Oakland finished the season at 13-1, far ahead of anyone else in the league, which helped earn him the league MVP. They destroyed Houston 40-7 to win the AFL title, needing only 111 yards and 2 TD's from Lamonica. They then faced Green Bay in Super Bowl II, and while his numbers were pretty much even with Bart Starr's, it wasn't enough for the Raiders to pull off the upset.

In his second season as a starter, his production was almost equal to his first season, and Oakland's 12-2 record earned them a return ticket to the playoffs, where they destroyed Kansas City in a tiebreaker game behind Lamonica's 347 yards and 5 touchdowns. In the AFL title game, they were unable to overcome the New York Jets, even while Lamonica was throwing 401 yards and a touchdown without an interception.

In 1969, he led the AFL in nearly every category, including completions, attempts, yardage, touchdowns, and interceptions, and Oakland again finished with the best record in the league at 12-1-1. He demolished Houston in the wild card game behind 276 yards and 6 touchdowns, but came up short again in the AFL title game, dropping this one to Kansas City 17-7.

The AFL and NFL merged in 1970, but it didn't slow him down. He did not put up the yardage that he had over the past few years, but Oakland won their division for the fourth year in a row, and he again led them to the AFC title game, but they again fell one game short of the Super Bowl. It would be the last time he would get that close to winning a title.

Lamonica was only a starter in the NFL or AFL for 6 full seasons, but his overall record is incredible, at 66-16-6, a winning percentage of 78.4%, #2 in history, behind only Otto Graham. He made it to the AFC or AFL title game in each of his first 4 seasons as a starter, and also made it to the Super Bowl in his first ever season as a starter, and never played poorly in the playoffs, even when his team lost. Taking all of that into account, Lamonica definitely belongs on this list of the best QBs of all time.