Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #43 - Boomer Esiason

Boomer Esiason

Boomer Esiason did not make many playoff appearances as a starter, making it out of the regular season just twice in his career, but he was a great QB during the regular season.

Boomer was drafted in 1984 by the Bengals to eventually replace Ken Anderson, and his time to take over came in his second season. While Cincinnati did not see a ton of success during his run as starter, he did finish in the top 10 in both passing yards and touchdowns 7 times in his first 9 seasons.

The biggest reason he is on this list is the 1988 season, in which he finished with 3572 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just 14 interceptions while leading the Bengals to a 12-4 record and the #1 seed in the AFC. For his efforts during that season, Esiason was awarded the league MVP award, becoming only the second Bengal ever to receive it.

That postseason was also the best in Bengal history, as they won each of their first two playoff games easily on their way to face San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIII. Cincinnati took the lead on a field goal with 1:22 remaining in the game, but Joe Montana led a 92-yard touchdown drive to seal the win and keep Cincinnati from their first title. Esiason threw for only 144 yards and one pick in the game, which happened to be his best game of a subpar postseason in which the team rode running back Ickey Woods as far as he could take them.

The Bengals made it back to the playoffs 2 years later, and Esiason played better than the previous time, with 254 yards and 3 touchdowns over two playoff games, but they were knocked out in the divisional round by the Raiders. Boomer Esiason would never see the playoffs again.

A few years later he was traded to the New York Jets, and he had a bit of a renaissance that year, throwing for 3421 yards and 16 touchdowns during the season, but by that point he was 32 years old and on the downside of his career. He joined the Arizona Cardinals in 1996, and set a team passing record with 522 yards in one game, making him the only player in history to hold the single-game passing records for two different franchises.

Boomer never suffered a major injury during the prime of his career, which allowed him to rack up some big numbers. He is currently among the top 25 all-time in passing yards and touchdown passes, and is #1 all-time in both categories among left-handed quarterbacks, but the lack of success in the postseason prevented him from climbing any higher on the all-time list of greatest quarterbacks.

Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #44 - Y. A. Tittle

Y. A. Tittle

Yelberton Abraham Tittle is the full name of the quarterback who is often named as one of the early greats, but he was always known as Y.A. for obvious reasons. He retired over 50 years ago, so it's actually somewhat impressive that his career still stands up to many of today's offensive-minded quarterbacks.

He began his career with the Baltimore Colts of the AAFC, a short-lived league that was absorbed into the NFL after Tittle's second year. One year later, the team folded, and Tittle and his teammates were thrown back into the draft to be dispersed among the remaining teams, and Tittle ended up being picked up by San Francisco.

He spend the entire decade of the 1950's in San Francisco, starting most of the games for a team that was almost always in the middle of the pack in the Western Division, back in the days before playoffs existed and you had to win your division to play in the championship game. During his 10 years leading the 49ers, they tied for the division lead once, which put them in a one-game playoff with Detroit, who beat them to advance to the title game.

The 49ers felt that he was washed up, so he was traded to the New York Giants prior to the 1961 season, and he most likely wouldn't be on this list if that hadn't happened. Despite playing only four seasons in New York before retiring, Tittle amassed some amazing numbers that made him one of the greats. He was named MVP in 1961, 1962, and 1963, leading the Giants to the Eastern Division title each time, but losing in the championship game all three times, twice to Green Bay and once to Chicago.

Even though he did not win a championship during his career, or even a playoff game, his passing prowess was amazing. In 1962 he threw for 3224 yards and 33 touchdowns, 4 more than any other quarterback that season and a new record. The following season was even better, with 3145 yards and another NFL-record 36 touchdowns with only 14 interceptions.

He is one of the quarterbacks who holds the record for most touchdowns in a game with 7, and was the league leader in touchdowns three times, and his great play in those two seasons at the end of his career were enough to push him over the edge and get him included on this list of the greatest of all time.

Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #45 - Jeff Hostetler

Jeff Hostetler

Jeff Hostetler is one of the few backup quarterbacks to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory, and as a result he was able to earn a starting job for several years and became a pretty good quarterback.

Hostetler was drafted by the Giants in 1984, but didn't even take his first snap until 1988, when he moved up to the backup role behind Phil Simms. He played well when he was needed, but it wasn't often, and near the end of the 1990 season he was considering retirement when his moment finally came.

Phil Simms injured his foot late in the 14th game of the season, which they eventually lost to the Bills, but Hostetler led them to victory in their final two games, then guided them through the playoffs as well, throwing 3 touchdowns and running for another without an interception in 3 playoff games, and the Giants held on in the Super Bowl against Buffalo to become world champions.

When Simms was healthy again before the next season, Hostetler was able to win the starting job in training camp, but he broke his back in game 12, which resulted in him missing the remainder of the season. The next year, Simms won the starting job in camp, but was lost for the season in week 4, giving the job back to Hostetler again, but missed 3 games of his own with injuries.

After the season, the Giants decided not to resign him, so he went west to claim the starting job with the Raiders. His first season in LA was his best, with 14 passing touchdowns and a career high 5 rushing touchdowns, and he led the Raiders to a huge wild card win with 294 yards and 3 touchdowns before they fell to the Bills in the divisional round. In his 5 career playoff starts, Hostetler had a 4-1 record with 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

He was elected to his only Pro Bowl the following season, and had a couple more solid but injury-ridden seasons with the Raiders, but the twin peaks of his career were the two playoff runs while he was starting, when he really stepped up his play over his regular season levels. He may have had a short starting career, but he played best when he needed to, and has a Super Bowl title and a spot on this countdown of the best quarterbacks of all time to show for it.

Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #46 - Norm Van Brocklin

Norm Van Brocklin

Norm Van Brocklin may not be a household name, but he was a great quarterback way back in the 1950's, winning titles with two different teams and setting a huge record that has still never been broken.

He began his career in 1949 with the Los Angeles Rams, but the team already had a star quarterback named Bob Waterfield, so he hardly played as a rookie. After that season, the Rams got a new coach with a new approach, a platoon system at quarterback that gave each of them equal time. It worked well, with the Rams advancing to the title game, which they lost 30-28.

The following year the Rams returned to the NFL championship game and earned their revenge, beating the Cleveland Browns 24-17 on Van Brocklin's first-ever playoff TD, a 73-yard pass late in the 4th quarter. That play enabled them to overcome Waterfield's two earlier interceptions, and Van Brocklin was a champ for the first time.

1951 was also the season that Van Brocklin set his most famous record. In the season opener, the Rams were hosting the New York Yanks, who would finish in last place, and Waterfield was out with an injury, so Van Brocklin got to take every snap of the game. That perfect set of circumstances led to him throwing for 554 yards, a record that still stands 68 years later. He also threw 5 touchdowns in that game, which was a huge blowout for the future champs.

The next year the Rams lost a tiebreaker game to Detroit after the regular season, which kept them from their 4th straight championship game, and Waterfield retired after the season ended, which handed the quarterback reins exclusively to Van Brocklin for the first time. The following season was one of his best, with new career highs in passing yards, touchdowns, and TD:INT ratio, but it was also the first time in his career that his team missed the playoffs.

He continued to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league for several more years with the Rams, but only made it back to the title game once more, another loss to Cleveland in 1955. He had won a title in 1951, but had yet to win one as a starter. He grew tired of LA's offensive scheme and decided to retire after the 1957 season, only to unretire after being told he would be traded to Philadelphia.

When he arrived, the Eagles had missed the playoffs 8 straight years, and they did no better in his first season with the new squad, but they improved the following season, posting a winning record for the first time in nearly a decade, then made the big jump in 1960, earning the best record in the league at 10-2. Van Brocklin also won the league MVP honor that season, with 2471 yards and 24 touchdowns, both among the league leaders.

Because they won the Eastern Division, they got to play in the 1960 championship game, in which they faced the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles won that game 17-13 behind 204 yards and a touchdown from Van Brocklin, and he finally earned his title as a starter. He retired a couple weeks after the game to begin a career as a coach, which didn't go nearly as well, but he remains the only quarterback to beat the Packers in a playoff game while Vince Lombardi was the coach.

Other than his one huge single-game passing record, Van Brocklin didn't do anything super flashy during his career, but was a very good quarterback for an entire decade and won 2 NFL titles while narrowly missing a third. That is enough to say that he deserves a place among the all-time greats.

Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #47 - Kordell Stewart

Kordell Stewart

Kordell Stewart was one of the most versatile players in history, playing every skill position at some point and even punting once in an emergency situation, and while his passing numbers were somewhat lacking at times, he was a strong runner who made defenses plan differently.

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1995, but they were hoping that he would agree to play another position, as they had 3 other quarterbacks on the roster at the time. He did play multiple positions as a rookie, and was able to record touchdowns passing, rushing, and receiving that year. In his second year, he scored 2 rushing touchdowns in a playoff game during his regular spot duty.

In his third season, he was able to secure the starting quarterback job he coveted, and he led the Steelers to the AFC title game, with 21 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns during the season, becoming the first QB ever to surpass 20 and 10 in a season.

The team was in turmoil for the next couple seasons, losing many of its starters and going through multiple offensive coordinators, and Stewart did not perform well, throwing more picks than touchdowns and losing his starting job. He opened the 2000 season on the bench, but was able to earn it back, and he rode that momentum to his best season as a passer in 2001.

That year, he made his only Pro Bowl appearance after throwing for a career-high 3109 yards and leading the Steelers to a 13-3 record, though they again fell short of the Super Bowl, and Stewart's TD:INT radio was a mediocre 14:11, and he would lose his starting job again the next year after being unable to reduce the turnovers.

He played for a few more years with the Bears and Ravens, but was never able to regain his form from his three good seasons. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his career, but he has the 4th-most rushing touchdowns of all time for a quarterback, behind only Cam Newton, Steve Young, and Jack Kemp. He made up for his shortcomings as a passer with his rushing ability, and though he never developed into the all-around quarterback most on this list did, he still deserves to be remembered as one of the best to play the game.

Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #48 - Steve Grogan

Steve Grogan

Steve Grogan had one of the most injury-plagued careers of any quarterback in history, but on those rare occasions when he was healthy, he was one of the top quarterbacks in the league.

Grogan was drafted by the Patriots in the 5th round in 1975 to back up Jim Plunkett, who was a Heisman winner and #1 overall pick, but by the end of his rookie season he had taken over the starting job, leading to Plunkett being traded to the 49ers after the season.

During his first full season as a starter, he led the Patriots to an 11-3 record, the best in franchise history to that point, and their first playoff berth in over a decade. That year he also set a record that would stand for 35 years, most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season, with 12, which was 3 times as many as any other QB that year, and wasn't broken until Cam Newton had 14 in a 16-game season in 2011.

In 1978, he led the Patriots to a division title and their first-ever home playoff game on a team that set the record for most rushing yards by a team (3156), which still stands today. It was also the only team ever to have 4 players record over 500 rushing yards, and QB Grogan was among them. The following season he led all players in passing touchdowns with 28, but it would also be his final full season.

His injury problems started in 1980, when he missed 4 games due to 2 sprained knees, one of each. In 1981, he missed 4 games with a neck injury and 4 more with a knee injury. The Patriots drafted Tony Eason in 1983 as insurance, and he came in handy when Grogan broke his leg near the end of that season, missing the final 4 games and most of the 1984 season.

In 1985, he was finally looking healthy again, and the Patriots were winning, but then he broke his led and injured his MCL, which kept him out until the Super Bowl. Eason still started the Super Bowl, but after being unable to complete a pass, Grogan took over and led the Patriots to 10 points, the only points scored against the Bears in that entire postseason.

He continued to play off and on between injuries through the 1990 season, when the Patriots decided it was time to part ways. When he retired, he was the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, and the only Patriot to play longer for the franchise is Tom Brady.

He may have never won a playoff game as a starter, never been voted to a Pro Bowl, and be largely forgotten today, but he had a good run of great years early in his career, and was a solid player in stretches for another decade. He was one of the early dual-threat quarterbacks, having led the league in both rushing touchdowns and passing touchdowns at one point, and helped a franchise that had never seen any success reach a Super Bowl.

Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #49 - Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly is best known for being the only quarterback to start in 4 consecutive Super Bowls, but his making this list actually has very little to do with that. He quarterbacked some great teams and was always solid in the regular season, but was usually not at his best during the playoffs, which may be a big part of the reason he never won a Super Bowl.

Kelly was drafted by Buffalo in 1983, but he had no desire to play for the Bills, so he signed on with the USFL's Houston Gamblers, where he set league records for passing that nobody else was close to, but when the league folded in 1986, he had no choice but to join Buffalo.

The Bills were struggling through the rebuilding process for his first couple of seasons in Buffalo, but starting in 1988, they would make the playoffs 8 times in 9 seasons. He peaked in 1990, when he led the Bills to a 13-3 record, best in the AFC, and led the league with a 63.3% completion percentage while throwing a career-low 9 interceptions.

That season was the only time he played well in the playoffs, throwing for 639 yards and 5 touchdowns in the first two games, which earned Buffalo its first-ever Super Bowl berth. Kelly was solid in the Super Bowl, throwing for 212 yards, but did not throw a touchdown, and the Bills lost at the last moment when Scott Norwood missed what would have been the winning field goal with 8 seconds left in the game.

The following season he led them back to 13-3, led the league with 33 touchdowns, and they again made the Super Bowl, but it was in spite of Kelly, who threw for only 390 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in the two games leading up to the big game. He added 4 more picks in the Super Bowl as the Bills lost to Washington 37-24.

In 1992 he missed the first two playoff games due to injury, which were the biggest comeback in playoff history and a blowout upset of the Steelers. He returned in time to help Buffalo upset Miami, but struggled in the Super Bowl, throwing 2 picks before going down again and being replaced as Dallas ran away 52-17.

It was more of the same in 1993, as Buffalo advanced to the Super Bowl, while Kelly threw for only 447 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first two playoff games, then again failed to throw a touchdown in the Super Bowl as they fell to Dallas, this time 30-13.

He played another 3 years, making two more playoff appearances, but he lost his best chance at a title when that kick missed in his first trip to the big game. He never played up to his potential again in the playoffs, and that is a big part of the reason that he isn't ranked higher on this list, but he was good enough in all those years of leading Buffalo to the playoffs that he has to be part of this countdown.