7 Best QB Controversies in NFL History

There's an old NFL saying that if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any.

More than any position in any sport, quarterback play determines a team's success or lack thereof.  A team that doesn't have an established, productive leader behind center is as doomed as a rudderless ship at sea during a storm.

There have been rare occasions where a two-headed quarterback system has worked, but usually all a quarterback controversy is good for is to fracture a clubhouse and fan base.

As the NFL has become more quarterback-driven, the need for an established star at the position has become more of a necessity.  

The Tim Tebow trade has conjured up the argument again about whether this whole system can work. Tebow's presence will either undermine Mark Sanchez or provide a change-of-pace and help the Jets in short-yardage situations.

Despite what people might have you believe, nobody knows for sure just yet. 

Every decade or so a team finds some measure of success with two capable quarterbacks on their roster. Sometimes the controversy is brought on by injury while others occur when a team with an established quarterback drafts his future replacement.

With the Tebow-Sanchez controversy fresh in everyone's mind, here's a look at seven of the best quarterback controversies over the past four decades.

Randall Cunningham vs. Ron Jaworski

If Rex Ryan is looking for guidance on how to share snaps between two quarterbacks, he may not have to go far for advice.

In 1986, Rex's father Buddy Ryan took over the Eagles, and the new head coach inherited somewhat of a quarterback controversy.

His starter was 35-year-old Ron Jaworski, who had enjoyed a great career with the Eagles, but was clearly at the end of his run in Philly.  The backup was an energetic youngster named Randall Cunningham, who was raw, but unlike any other quarterback in the league at the time.

It was the era of the drop-back, stationary passer, and outside of John Elway and Steve Young (Tampa Bay Buccaneers version), quarterbacks were content to sit back in the pocket and run only in case of emergency.

Ryan figured that having such an elite athlete sitting on the sidelines was a waste, so he instituted a plan in which Cunningham would relieve Jaworski on third downs.  

While Cunningham didn't have the passing ability to be a full-time quarterback at that time, he was a dangerous weapon in small doses.  

The plan was going fine. But when Jaworski was injured in Week 10, Cunningham took over permanently, and the torch had been passed in Philadelphia.  

George Blanda vs. Daryle Lamonica

Incredibly, George Blanda's career started just four years after World War II, and we are talking here about a quarterback controversy in the 1970s.  

At the time, Blanda was a 43-year-old kicker and backup quarterback to Daryle Lamonica on the Oakland Raiders.

When Lamonica was hurt in a game against the Steelers, Blanda was forced into action and threw for three touchdowns in the game.  That started a string of five games where Blanda relieved Lamonica and led the Raiders to wins over the Chargers, Broncos and Browns in the closing seconds as well as a late-game tie with the Chiefs.

The Raiders improbably made the AFC Championship Game where again, Blanda relieved Lamonica.  

While Blanda kept the Raiders in the game for a while, he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions as the Baltimore Colts pulled away.  Blanda completed 17-of-32 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.

Blanda's career spanned six US Presidents (from Harry Truman to Jimmy Carter) and finally came to a close when he retired after the 1976 season at the age of 48.

Bernie Kosar vs. Vinny Testaverde

Fans under the age of 35 might not realize how much Bernie Kosar was beloved in Cleveland, but believe me, he was.

In fact, a 1993 Sports Illustrated article called Kosar "the most revered Cleveland player since Jim Brown."

Kosar was in his ninth year as the Browns quarterback when an unpopular, dour third-year head coach named Bill Belichick decided that Kosar wasn't the answer anymore.

Belichick, who was an inexperienced 41-year-old coach at the time and was already hated by hometown fans and media alike, signed Testaverde in the 1993 offseason.

Let the quarterback controversy begin.

On one side you had Kosar, who was beloved by the Cleveland fans and Cleveland media. And on the other side, you had the reviled Testaverde, who to that point had been a major bust after being selected No. 1 overall by Tampa Bay in 1987.

Guess who won that one?

Kosar started the first five games of the 1993 season, but Testaverde relieved Kosar in Weeks 3, 4 and 5.

Testaverde started Weeks 6 and 7, but in that Week 7 matchup against the Steelers, Testaverde suffered a shoulder injury.

Belichick turned to Kosar for one week, but after losing 29-14 to the Denver Broncos, a game in which Kosar played extremely well, Belichick released Kosar and turned the keys over to the immortal Todd Philcox.

To his credit, Testaverde turned things around in 1994 and went 11-5 with a first-round playoff win. However, after a 5-11 season in 1995, Belichick was gone and the rest is history. 

Philip Rivers vs. Drew Brees

It might be hard to believe now, but the first three full seasons of Drew Brees' career were statistically about the same as Mark Sanchez's, minus the playoff wins.

So when the Chargers traded Eli Manning for Philip Rivers at the 2004 NFL Draft, it was clear there was going to be a quarterback controversy in San Diego.

Going into the 2004 season, Brees had a record of 10-17 as a starting quarterback and had thrown 31 interceptions against just 29 touchdowns.

Aside from that, he stood just 6'0" tall and was a second-round draft choice in 2001.

Most figured that while Brees had potential, his physical limitations would keep him from ever being a dominant NFL quarterback.

The Chargers held the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft and it was pretty clear that Eli Manning was going to be the top pick.  However, Archie Manning made it perfectly clear that Eli wouldn't play in San Diego.

So eventually the Giants and Chargers worked out the deal swapping Rivers and Manning, and the real controversy in San Diego was about to begin.

At 6'5", 220 pounds, Rivers looked the part of an NFL quarterback and it seemed like the Drew Brees experiment was going to come to an abrupt end. 

Head coach Marty Schottenheimer proclaimed it would be an open competition, but Rivers would start behind the pace because a contract holdout caused him to miss a large chunk of training camp.

Brees put a stranglehold on the job when he lit up the stat sheet in the preseason and ultimately led the Chargers to a surprising 12-4 record and AFC West title.  This came just one year removed from a 4-12 2003 season.

Brees was a free agent after the 2004 season and was designated the Chargers' franchise player in 2005.  Rivers meanwhile continued to sit behind Brees, learning and adapting to life in the NFL.

Free agency loomed once again in 2005 for Brees, but as the season came to a close, fate intervened and helped the Chargers avoid having to make a difficult decision between Brees and Rivers.

During the final game of the season, Brees tore the labrum of his throwing shoulder trying to recover his own fumble in a game against the Broncos.  

With Rivers ready to take over, there was no way the Chargers could guarantee Brees a big contract off of such a catastrophic injury.    

They offered an incentive-laden contract to Brees that was quickly turned down. 

Brees explored his options, chose the Saints over the Dolphins, and Rivers became the new leader of the franchise.

Doug Flutie vs. Rob Johnson

Most quarterback controversies divide two sides in a debate over who would be the best choice to start.  However, in the Doug Flutie vs. Rob Johnson debate, it seems the only people on Johnson's side were Wade Phillips and Ralph Wilson.

In the opening game of the 1997 season, the athletically gifted Johnson completed 20-of-24 passes for 294 yards in a 28-27 Jaguars win over the Baltimore Ravens.  He sprained an ankle the next week then took a back seat to Mark Brunell for the rest of the season.

After the season, the Bills traded for Johnson and gave him a five-year, $25 million contract extension on the basis of that one game. That same offseason, the Bills signed Flutie as a bargain-basement backup.

Johnson suffered an injury in Week 5 against the undefeated Colts, allowing Flutie to come in and lead the Bills to a 31-24 win. Flutie would win four consecutive games, prompting Phillips to name Flutie the starter for the remainder of the year.

The Bills finished 10-6 but lost to the Dolphins in the playoffs.  

In 1999, the Johnson-Flutie controversy was in full bloom.  As expected, the entirety of the Bills fanbase supported Flutie, the former Boston College hero over the laid-back Johnson.

Flutie led the Bills to a 10-5 record and with nothing to play for in the final week of the season, Phillips decided to rest Flutie in favor of Johnson.  

Johnson lit up the Colts in a 31-6 win and then surprisingly (and regrettably) was named the starter for their playoff showdown against the Titans.

The Bills ended up losing to the Titans in the "Music City Miracle" game and the franchise has been in a downward spiral ever since. 

Phil Simms vs. Jeff Hostetler

The quarterback controversy between Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler is one that has roots with a coaching legend and ended during the reign of a coaching buffoon.  

While Simms is now considered a borderline Hall-of-Famer, that wasn't always the case in New York.  From the time he was drafted seventh overall in 1979 until he won the Super Bowl in 1987, Giants fans never believed Simms could get it done.

By 1990, fans had finally warmed to Simms, who had developed into an efficient veteran, and when he went down with a broken foot in December of 1990, it seemed the Giants championship hopes were dashed.

Head coach Bill Parcells turned to Jeff Hostetler, who had started a grand total of two games in his career since being drafted in 1984.

Unexpectedly though, Hostetler led the Giants to two wins to end the season and then playoff wins over the Bears, 49ers and Bills to complete the improbable Super Bowl run.

Parcells retired for the first time after that season, leaving the team and quarterback controversy to the infamous Ray Handley.

In training camp, Handley opened the quarterback competition up to both and even remarked, "I'm not concerned about the decision because I can't make a bad decision."

Boy, could those words have not been more inaccurate.

Handley made a mess of the quarterback situation and the Giants franchise, before being jettisoned out of the NFL for good after two seasons. 

Joe Montana vs. Steve Young

Joe Montana vs. Steve Young is the greatest quarterback controversy of all time, bar none.

It involved two of the greatest quarterbacks who ever played the game on one of the most storied franchises in the NFL, and it divided the city of San Francisco.  

What is most amazing though is that this was not a one or two season type of thing. Montana and Young were teammates for six seasons.

Montana was the unquestioned superstar and Super Bowl champion, but by 1987 was 31 years old.  Young was 26 years old and a superior athlete.

Next to the aging and injured Montana, Young's athleticism stood out even more.  But replacing Montana with Young at that time bordered on blasphemy.

However, in a playoff game against the Vikings in 1987, Montana played poorly, completing just 12-of-26 passes with no touchdowns and an interception.  

Bill Walsh pulled Montana and inserted Young, who finished 12-of-17 with a touchdown and rushed for 72 yards with another touchdown.

That was the game that divided the city.

From that point on, Montana and Young went back and forth between starting, with Montana playing a majority of the time.

Montana missed the entire 1991 season and didn't return until the last game of the 1992 season. He played well at that point and looked extremely sharp.

However, when the playoffs came around, the healthy Montana sat while the Cowboys upset Young and the 49ers 30-20 in the NFC Championship Game.

That was the end of Montana's 49ers career and the greatest quarterback controversy in NFL history.