We are precisely 19 days from Super Bowl 50, the biggest round-number Super Bowl yet. (Even though it wasn't even named the Super Bowl until after three of them had been played.) Such anniversaries make us wistful, so we'll be doing some Super Bowl rankings over the next three weeks. We begin with a ranking of every quarterback to start a Super Bowl.
No position in sports is more important, more powerful and more scrutinized than the quarterback, and starting quarterback in the Super Bowl is one of the most accomplished, stressful jobs imaginable. If you win, it's the closest our current culture has to being what it must have once felt like to be the heavyweight champion of the world. And if you lose -- particularly if you haven't won one yet -- you spend the rest of your career trying to get back for another chance.
We thought we would look at, and rank (of course), every quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl. There are a total of 57. Now, this ranking is not based just on how they did in the Super Bowl, or whether they ever won one. It is a career-marker. But, because this is the position of NFL quarterback, how they did in the Super Bowl does matter. Many great players appeared in the Super Bowl, and won them. But with rare exceptions, it's the quarterbacks we ultimately talk about. This year, we'll be adding one new name to this list: Either Cam Newton or Carson Palmer will start the first Super Bowl of their careers. It's an illustrious list.
57. Joe Kapp, Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl IV. (Record: 0-1.) The only man to ever play in the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Grey Cup. Though we're still holding out hope for Doug Flutie.
56. Tony Eason, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XX. (Record: 0-1.) Not good when you get pulled in the second quarter of your lone Super Bowl. Still the only guy from my alma mater (Illinois) to play quarterback in a Super Bowl, though, so I probably have him overrated.
55. Rex Grossman, Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XLI. (Record: 0-1.) Seriously, he really did start in a Super Bowl. You did not imagine that. And heck, if the Bears would have caught a couple of breaks, he might have beaten Peyton Manning. You never know.
54. Stan Humphries, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XXVI. (Record: 0-1.) Sad as it is to say, it looks like he'll be the only person ever to start a Super Bowl for the San Diego Chargers.
53. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XLVII. (Record: 0-1.) When they watch highlights of this game in 50 years, they'll have no idea how he didn't become an all-timer. I'm not sure what happened myself. Choose your next step carefully, Colin: It may be everything.
52. David Woodley, Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XVII. (Record: 0-1.) At the time the youngest Super Bowl starting quarterback in NFL history, he lost his job soon thereafter to Dan Marino and ended up having a very sad end to his life.
51. Vince Ferragamo, Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl XIV. (Record: 0-1.) The first quarterback to start a Super Bowl the same season as his first regular-season start. The Rams were up after the third quarter in this game, actually. He, strangely, went to the CFL a year after his Super Bowl appearance.
50. Neil O'Donnell, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXXIV. (Record: 0-1.) A little lower here than he probably should be, he loses points for how bad his Super Bowl performance was.
49. Chris Chandler, Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XXXIII. (Record: 0-1.) Ultimately, he was probably just a Dan Reeves creation. Do not ask Mike Martz about him.
48. Billy Kilmer, Washington Football Team, Super Bowl VII. (Record: 0-1.) He was a running back when he was drafted, and took over for an injured Sonny Jurgensen (who never played in a Super Bowl) for a different team, at a different position, nearly a decade later.
47. Daryle Lamonica, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl III. (Record: 0-1.) Known as the "Mad Bomber," he lost the one Super Bowl he appeared in and later lost his job to Ken Stabler, who went on to win Al Davis that Super Bowl he wanted so badly.
46. Jim McMahon, Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XX. (Record: 1-0.) With all those personalities on that team, it was McMahon and his dumb headbands who dominated all the discussion that week. It seems like such a waste now.
45. Kerry Collins, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXXV. (Record: 0-1.) Ole Kerry was a little better than you remember him: He's 15th on the all-time pass-yardage list, you know.
44. Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl XXXVIII. (Record: 0-1.) Panthers fans don't need to be reminded of this, but: Man, Delhomme was so close to winning the Super Bowl in a game in which he played nearly perfectly. It makes us sad to even think about it.
43. Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXV. (Record: 1-0.) He was going to retire after he won that Super Bowl against the Bills, and while it would have been amazing, he made his only Pro Bowl years later, with the Raiders.
42. Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XXXV. (Record: 1-0.) Don't bag on the guy: He threw for more yards than more people on this list than you might think.
41. Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XXXVII. (Record: 0-1.) This was the era of the System Quarterback. Gannon wasn't bad, not at all, but I'm still glad it's over.
40. Craig Morton, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos, Super Bowl V, XII. (Record: 0-2.) The Cowboys quarterback between Don Meredith and Roger Staubach, and the Broncos quarterback before John Elway. He lost Super Bowls with both teams, which is not nothing.
39. Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Super Bowl XXXVII. (Record: 1-0.) I'll confess: Of all the Super Bowls of the last 30 years, this is the one I forget most often.
38. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XL. (Record: 0-1.) He has thrown for more yards than Jim Kelly, and hey, he ain't done. You never know: Maybe the guy's got one more Super Bowl left in him!
37. Earl Morrall, Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl III. (Record 0-1.) The man backed up Johnny Unitas, Bob Griese, Fran Tarkenton, Len Dawson and Y.A. Tittle in his career and was the quarterback for the majority of the only undefeated season in NFL history. Crazy career, to say the least. And he still lost the only Super Bowl he started.
36. Mark Rypien, Washington Football Team, Super Bowl XXVI. (Record: 1-0.) Threw a gorgeous deep ball, and who knows what could have happened if his knees hadn't been constantly trying to destroy him.
35. Drew Bledsoe, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXI. (Record: 0-1.) For all the drama that surrounded this guy's career, he'll ultimately be known as the guy who got hurt so Tom Brady could play. Of all the ways Bledsoe thought he'd be remembered, "Wally Pipp" had to have been pretty low on the list.
34. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XLVII. (Record: 1-0.) This one's still a moving target … but it might be moving in the wrong direction.
33. Doug Williams, Washington Football Team. Super Bowl XXII. (Record: 1-0.) Of greater historical import than known for his dominance on the field, he was still terrific. (To think, he had to fight Jay Schroeder for the starting job.)
32. Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans, Super Bowl XXXIV. (Record: 0-1.) A tragic end to his story, he was one football length away from being even more legendary than he really was. Still one of the toughest guys to ever play the position.
31. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XLVII, XLIX. (Record 1-1.) Is this too high for Wilson this early? Considering how he played the last month of the season, he looks to only be getting better.
30. Joe Theismann, Washington Football Team, Super Bowl XVII, XVIII. (Record: 1-1). It is not his fault that he'll be remembered for how his career ended more than what he did while playing, but it's a fact nonetheless.
29. Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XXIII. (Record: 0-1.) The guy could rack up yards, that's for sure. The game where he threw for 522 yards in 1996 is still one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
28. Ron Jaworski, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl XV. (Record: 0-1.) Part of me still thinks Jaworski is to blame for athletes getting lazy nicknames based off the first syllable of their last name.
27. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl XXXIX. (Record: 0-1.) What might have been with McNabb. It's forgotten just how terrific he was at one point. Gotta work on that stomach issue, though.
26. Bob Griese, Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl VI, VII, VII (Record: 2-1.). Sure, there are those two Super Bowl wins, but it is worth pointing out that he threw for fewer yards in his career than Dilfer, Gus Frerotte and Jeff Blake.
25. Phil Simms, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXI. (Record: 1-0.) Injuries and inconsistency marked his career, but he did have that perfect day in Pasadena.
24. Eli Manning, New York Giants, Super Bowl XLII, XLVI. (Record: 2-0.) Sure? I have no idea on this one. Your guess is as good as mine.
23. Len Dawson, Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl I, IV (Record: 1-1). There is a fan of a certain age -- mine -- that remembers Dawson almost exclusively as the old host of "Inside the NFL." Also: He still does local television in Kansas City, which is fantastic.
22. Ken Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XVI. (Record: 0-1.) If the Bengals win his one Super Bowl appearance, Anderson's in the Hall of Fame, with a statue of himself outside Paul Brown Stadium. So close.
21. Jim Plunkett, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XV, XVIII. (Record: 2-0.) Still the only non-active quarterback to win Super Bowls and not be in the Hall of Fame.
20. Ken Stabler, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XI. (Record: 1-0). The Snake never made the Hall of Fame in life, but he might just make it in a couple of weeks.
19. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV. (Record: 1-0.) The numbers are better than anyone realizes: What a career this guy has turned out to have. And the fact that he's responsible for this is always going to work in his favor:
Saints Superbowl Victory Celebration from Cottage Films on Vimeo.
18. Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams/Arizona Cardinals, Super Bowl XXXIV, XXXVI, XLIII. (Record: 1-2.) He'll be in the Hall of Fame any minute, and with good reason: He remains maybe the best rags-to-riches, feel-good story in the history of the sport.
17. Jim Kelly, Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII. (Record: 0-4.) Too nice of a guy to have to have lost four Super Bowls in a row, that's for sure.
16. Joe Namath, New York Jets, Super Bowl III. (Record: 1-0.) Namath, looking at his career from 10,000 feet up, is maybe a little overrated: He hovered around 50 percent pass completion his entire career. But no one cares about that, and no one should.
15. Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIX. (Record: 1-0.) When he was young and healthy, he might have the platonically ideal quarterback who could do everything, all of it perfectly.
14. Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl I, II. (Record 2-0.) His career playoff record was 9-1, and he still has the greatest playoff passer rating of all time. Also: He won the first two Super Bowls.
13. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XL, XLIII, XLV. (Record: 2-1.) Could still shoot up this list with just one more Super Bowl … but he's starting to look farther away from one, isn't he?
12. Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl VIII, IX, XI. (Record: 0-3.) Hey, don't blame him: If he'd have won one of those Super Bowls, he might be considered one of the 10 best quarterbacks of all time, maybe even top five. Also, here he is on "That's Incredible" with Tiger Woods.
11. Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII, XXX. (Record: 3-0.) May have been more "efficient" than "spectacular" … but at 3-0, who would possibly complain?
10. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XLV. (Record: 1-0.) After that performance against Arizona last week, I'm convinced he'll pass Brett Favre in a year, be in the top five with one more Super Bowl win, and maybe hit the top three with two more.
9. Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XXXI, XXXII. (Record: 1-1.) Now that his polarizing career is over, we can appreciate all the good and forget all the bad. But let's not forget here: For all the gaudy stats and the rocket arm and the GUNSLINGER GUNSLINGER GUNSLINGER-ness, it was Favre himself who kept this number at a surprisingly low two Super Bowls, with just one win.
8. Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl IX, X, XIII, XIV (Record: 4-0.) He may be a yokel. He may be too much on television, still. He may have once been in a "Cannonball Run" movie. But man, four championships, 4-0, is no freaking joke.
7. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XIX. (Record: 0-1.) All he needed was one, man. Just one would have done it.
6. Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl VI, X, XII, XIII (Record: 2-2.) It must have driven the Navy-educated Staubach insane that he lost two Super Bowls to Bradshaw.
5. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts/Denver Broncos. Super Bowl XLI, XLIV, XLVIII. (Record: 1-2.) One more win -- one final win -- maybe puts him even with Elway, right? He loses a few points for doing it with two different teams, but he gains them back by his overall statistical dominance. If he loses Sunday, though, fairly or not, I bet he stays right here. Tough final few years on the ole legacy.
4. Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, Super Bowl V. (Record 1-0). He didn't start in a Super Bowl until he was 37. He probably found the game, the name and all the hullabaloo a bit silly; he had already won two championships by that point.
3. John Elway, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXI, XXII, XXIV, XXXII, XXXIII. (Record: 2-3.) He could have been Marino; he ended up Jordan. (Without the failed comeback no one admits happened.) Tough to beat that.
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVI, XXVIII, XXXIX, XLII, XLVI, XLIX. (Record: 4-2.) He's tied with Bradshaw and Joe Montana for most titles, and his numbers are far better than theirs. And he's still going. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a top-tier quarterback for two or three more years. And he's the most debated, discussed player of his time, which might make him the most debated, discussed player of all time. I think if he gets one more, he passes Montana. Some believe he already has.
1. Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV. (Record: 4-0.) He's Joe Montana. He's the greatest of all time, with Tom Brady right on his heels, two wins away from being the quarterback with the most Super Bowl wins ever. Montana never lost in this game. And he's going up to his room right now to masturbate.
He's No. 1, but just hanging on. If Brady can win these last two games … he might just take this spot.
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Email me at leitch@sportsonearth.com, follow me @williamfleitch or just shout out your window real loud, I'll hear you. Point is, let's talk.
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