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For every Tom Brady in this league, there's a Dan Orlovsky. For every Peyton Manning, there's a Bobby Hoying. Here is a list of the top 10 worst quarterbacks to start a game in the NFL over the last 10 seasons...

Top 10 Worst Quarterbacks to Start a Game in the NFL

by Cody Swartz (Senior Writer)

30

1608 reads

Opinion

November 03, 2008


For every Tom Brady in this league, there's a Dan Orlovsky. For every Peyton Manning, there's a Bobby Hoying. Here is a list of the top 10 worst quarterbacks to start a game in the NFL over the last 10 seasons.

 

 

10. Joey Harrington

 

It has to be tough when you're the No. 2 overall draft pick and expected to be the savior of the team. Harrington never quite fulfilled his potential, becoming one of a series of first round busts by the Lions in the recent decade.

 

How he was able to start 76 games in this league is a mystery, but his 69.4 passer rating and his .342 winning percentage are some of the worst in history for quarterbacks with at least 75 starts.

 

 

 

9. Rick Mirer

 

Like Harrington before him, Mirer was the No. 2 overall pick in the '93 draft. Pro Football Reference, the league's official football statistics Web site, ranked Mirer as the worst quarterback in NFL history.

 

 

8. Andrew Walter

 

What a joke at quarterback. Let's hope for the sake of Raiders fans that JaMarcus Russell makes them forget the days of Walter behind center. He lost six of eight starts in 2006 and threw three touchdowns to 13 interceptions.

 


7. Doug Pederson/Bobby Hoying

 

It's difficult to separate Pederson and Hoying, as both were career backup quarterbacks for the Eagles in the late '90s who were forced to start. Hoying set an NFL record in '98 by completing 114 passes without throwing a single touchdown pass. Pederson merely served as a tackling dummy for McNabb, the face of the franchise who would be drafted in '99.

 


6. Akili Smith

 

Formerly the No. 3 overall pick in the '99 draft, Akili Smith was last seen as a third string quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. In his less-than-spectacular NFL career, Smith (like Pederson) won just three of 17 starts and posted a dreadful 52.8 passer rating.

 

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30 comments Last one added 2 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Bryn Swartz 8 months ago

    Good article, but for the top 2 quarterbacks, you should put their team and years played for those who won't know.

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  2. Craig Swartz 8 months ago

    One of my favorite articles. Remembering these flops is hilarious! If you want to take it back 20 years, the worst qb I ever saw was Babe Laufenberg when he played with Dallas. I'd like to hear other comments on the worst qb ever. Thanks, Cody.

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  3. William Berry 8 months ago

    What, no Grossman?:)

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  4. David Arreola 8 months ago

    Lets be real. Ryan Leaf was on the Chargers....nobody could win on that team....lol

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    • Cody Swartz 8 months ago

      That's true. He wasn't surrounded by much talent... But I don't think Leaf helped out the team much...

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    • Bob K 7 months ago

      and don't forget that when Cade was playing Enis had aknee injury - in fact, if I remember, Cade had
      more yds/carry than the back... mostly running for his life.

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  5. Noel Purcell 8 months ago

    Show some love for Brooks Bollinger, the guy can barely see over the center and beyond that he is at least the worst QB to play backup for the Jets.

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    • Cody Swartz 8 months ago

      I had him about 15th on my list. It was close. Other guys who just missed: Dan Orlovsky, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Craig Krenzel, Chad Hutchinson, Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright...

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  6. Noel Purcell 8 months ago

    Quincy was the other I thought of. Maybe Chad Hutchinson? Tarvaris Jackson?

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  7. Isaac Barrow 8 months ago

    No Kyle Boller?

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  8. Bryn Swartz 8 months ago

    Seriously. Rex Grossman has to be close. Top 20 worst? Worst full-time starter for a winning team?

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    • Ted Kissel 2 months ago

      Rex Grossman was about the second worst QB to ever start in a Super Bowl behind Trent Dilfer. But I wouldn't put him on the top 10 worst QB's to ever start a game list. Top 20 maybe.

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  9. Abhi T 8 months ago

    Andre Ware should be here, and Joey Harrington was a 3rd overall pick not the 2nd overall.

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  10. Goodheart1213 Smith 6 months ago

    What about JaMarcus Russell of the Raiders. He has the lowest completion rate of any quarterback in the NFL, he fumbles a lot, and has no pocket presense whatsoever. He's the worst by stats in the NFL right now because is he the worst. He's terrible. He's a huge bust. The Raiders will suck as long as he is quarterback.

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    • Cody Swartz 6 months ago

      You know, I don't think Russell is even close as bad as people think he is. Look at this stat from yesterday.

      QB A --> 17-31 242 2-1
      QB B --> 17-30 207 1-2

      QB A clearly had a better game than QB B. I think most people would agree with that.

      QB A is Russell, who I have heard nothing other than how badly he played yesterday. He was competing against a tough Patriots defense with no WRs or offensive line to aid him.

      QB B is Favre, the most overrated QB in the NFL. Favre was competing against a slumping Bills team, and gets credit for the win because Shaun Ellis scooped up a fumble and ran it in for a score.

      Russell is really not as bad as people believe he is. He has an interim coach to work with. I think peopleneed to give him time.

      Look at Russell compared to Kerry Collins this season. People consider Kerry Collins to be almost an MVP candidate because the Titans are 12-2.

      Collins: 78.7 passer rating
      Russell: 71.9 passer rating

      I'm not going to say Russell is even close as good as Collins - he's not - but people tend to overreact. If Russell was on the Titans instead of Kerry Collins, I believe the Titans would still be a playoff team. And if Collins was on the Raiders, he would be considered one of the worst QBs in the NFL.

      I don't think the Raiders will suck as long as Russell is the QB. I think the Raiders will suck as long as they surround Russell with no offensive talent, and Al Davis remains the owner.

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    • Ted Kissel 2 months ago

      I completely agree with you. PS. Check Tell me what you think of my list below.

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  11. Ted Kissel 2 months ago

    That's not a bad list, but I like this one better
    1.Ryan Leaf-SD Charger (1998-2000) (Rd. 1 Pk. 2 SD-1998) (Who's list is the guy not #1 on)
    2.Henry Burris-Chi Bears (2002) (CFA GB-2002, FA Chi-2002 (after being cut by GB)
    3.Akili Smith-Cin Bengals(1999-2000) (Rd. 1, PK.3 Cin-1999)
    4.Chris Weinke-Car. Panthers (2000-2004), SF-49ers-(2008) (Rd. 4, PK.106, Car-2001)
    5.Cade McNown-Chi Bears (1999-2000) (Rd.1, Pk.12-Chi-1999)
    6.Eric Zeier-TB-Buccaneers (1999) (Rd. 4, PK. 94 CLE-1995)
    7.Craig Krenzel-Chi Bears (2004) (Rd. 5, Pk. 148 Chi-2004)
    8.Charlie Frye-Cle Browns (2006) (RD 3, PK. 67 CLE-2005)
    9.Trent Dilfer-TB Buccaneers (1994-1999), Balt-Ravens (2000), SF-49ers (2005-2006) (RD1. PK. 6 TB-1994)
    10.Tim Couch-CLE-Browns (1999-2002) (PK 1. RD.1-Cle, 1999)

    Key-
    CFA-College free agent
    FA-Free agent
    Pk.-Pick
    Rd.-Round

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    • Cody Swartz 2 months ago

      Pretty nice list. Ryan Leaf at No. 1. Absolutely.

      You have Trent Dilfer on the list? I'm not going to bring up the whole "he won a Super Bowl" argument, because the defense won that, but Dilfer wasn't THAT bad. And he had a pretty decent Super Bowl - 12 of 25, 153 yards, 1 TD, no INT. That's what you need out of a caretaker QB.

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  12. Isaac Barrow 2 months ago

    Leaf wasn't that good, was he?

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    • Ted Kissel 2 months ago

      Well, actually he was in college. But in the NFL he is by far the worst QB to ever start a game.

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      • Cody Swartz 2 months ago

        Leaf might be the single worst professional athlete ever to play a sport, if you factor in what they accomplished with the talent they had and the expectations from them.

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  13. Alexeiv Goodenov 2 months ago

    Good list, I need to do mine.

    I have Walter much higher.

    In a total of 15 games, 9 starts, he threw 16 INTs, fumbled 15 times and got sacked 51 times.

    Let's considering his 15 games as full, that's still an average of 2 turnovers a game and 3.5 sacks.

    But in seriousness he played 10 full games.

    So that's 3.1 turnovers a game and 5.1 sacks.

    Epic.

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