Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Bart Starr is not only GB's best QB but the most underrated QB in NFL history in my opinion. Only Tommy Thompson, Charlie Conerly and incredibly, Terry Bradshaw enter the discussion. Bradshaw hardly ever gets talked about any more and he called his own plays ...

I didn't remember Bradshaw being that great -- only the SB 14 pass -- until I watched SB 10 (was the SB the year before I started watching -- I saw it on video many years later). Since then I've seen a lot more video of Bradshaw and he had an incredible arm and was surprisingly athletic. Really blew me away to watch him in his prime. I lived in a different market, so I really mostly got to watch him in the playoffs, midway to late in his career. It's odd to say that a Hall of Famer is underrated, but Bradshaw is IMO.

Same with Bart Starr -- very underrated performer, especially under pressure. Most likely the best at going out and executing a game plan and he is one of the game's greatest leaders. Great man as well. Donated the corvette he won as the Super Bowl MVP to start a ranch for kids who needed help.

JameisLoseston wrote:

Given the choice, I'd pick him over Rivers, Ryan, Dalton....to me, Stafford's seemed a bit on the higher end of the B-level tier.

Dalton is the only one of those four I'd call a "B" quarterback. The rest are at least HOVG locks.

By B-level I meant not as good as A-level Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning. Sorry, that term wasn't very clear. I meant not as good as the all-time greats but clearly better than a lot of other quarterbacks.

Brian wolf wrote:Bart Starr is not only GB's best QB but the most underrated QB in NFL history in my opinion. Only Tommy Thompson, Charlie Conerly and incredibly, Terry Bradshaw enter the discussion. Bradshaw hardly ever gets talked about any more and he called his own plays ...

Even though I'm a Packer fan, I have to disagree about Starr. He became a great leader and a great tactician, but he also had some really bad games...and I don't mean just early in his career, but after Lombardi became the coach and Starr became the starter. He probably had more bad games than Favre and Rodgers put together. At least twice, Lombardi took him out of a game because of his poor performance, something that never happened to Favre or Rodgers.

Brian wolf wrote:Its funny that Favre won with having Reggie White as a teammate, while Rodgers had Charles Woodson on defense.
Neither QB could lead their team to the SB, once those great players retired ...

Give Rodgers two HOF RBs, one of the best O-lines in history, and 6 HOF players on defense and I'm guessing Rodgers would have an easier time leading his team to Super Bowls (even with Mike McCarthy as HC).

Just for the record, PFF has Stafford ranked 12th this season, behind Jalen Hurts and rookie Mac Jones, among others.

rhickok1109 wrote:

Brian wolf wrote:Bart Starr is not only GB's best QB but the most underrated QB in NFL history in my opinion. Only Tommy Thompson, Charlie Conerly and incredibly, Terry Bradshaw enter the discussion. Bradshaw hardly ever gets talked about any more and he called his own plays ...

Even though I'm a Packer fan, I have to disagree about Starr. He became a great leader and a great tactician, but he also had some really bad games...and I don't mean just early in his career, but after Lombardi became the coach and Starr became the starter. He probably had more bad games than Favre and Rodgers put together. At least twice, Lombardi took him out of a game because of his poor performance, something that never happened to Favre or Rodgers.

I think Starr and Lombardi worked well together. It's pretty clear at this point that Lombardi would have preferred other quarterbacks. I think that them being forced to work together probably raised both their games. If Lombardi had Sonny or someone like that, it may have been more of a star system like the Giants and it wouldn't all have come together.

Starr was great at keeping his calm and running the offense, like in an Ice Bowl situation. At least at that point of his career. In that he might have been better than Favre (too panicky) and Rodgers (too cautious.) On the other hand, Starr couldn't always stay healthy, and he was better 1965-1967 than he was 1961-1963. I think the Packers could have won those earlier titles with other QBs.

Brian wolf wrote:Bart Starr is not only GB's best QB but the most underrated QB in NFL history in my opinion. Only Tommy Thompson, Charlie Conerly and incredibly, Terry Bradshaw enter the discussion. Bradshaw hardly ever gets talked about any more and he called his own plays ...

Most underrated is definitely Friedman. Only aficionados like us really know about him, but he's truly one of the greatest to play the position to this day, and possibly is the single most responsible player for unilaterally changing how football is played. That's between him and Hutson, who rightfully remains in the top 10 of everyone's list.

rhickok1109 wrote:Even though I'm a Packer fan, I have to disagree about Starr. He became a great leader and a great tactician, but he also had some really bad games...and I don't mean just early in his career, but after Lombardi became the coach and Starr became the starter. He probably had more bad games than Favre and Rodgers put together. At least twice, Lombardi took him out of a game because of his poor performance, something that never happened to Favre or Rodgers.

That's misleading, though, I think. In the 1950s and '60s, maybe the '70s too, it wasn't at all unusual for a coach to pull the starter if he was having a bad day -- even if just for a couple of possessions, just to see if things would work better with the backup in there. But over the last 30 years or so, NFL coaches have decided that you can never take a star quarterback out, even if he threw three or four interceptions in the first half. Under those conditions, Starr might never have come out of a game once he had the first championship under his belt.

So Stafford and the Rams back into a divisional title. Can the Cards upset them next week ?
Big Ben and the Steelers make the playoffs as well. I predict they upset the Chiefs during Wild Card weekend.