Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Does Steve Young fit on anyone's Top 10 QB list of the Super Bowl era?

I've gone back and forth with Young. Just how much did he benefit from stepping in to the most well oiled efficient NFL machine of that era and how much of it was his own doing? While I know he worked incredibly hard, was a vocal leader, had great scrambling ability to buy time and put up impressive rushing statistics...the 49ers made Steve Bono look good.

If he never landed on the 9ers I believe he would've been a Brunell type. Successful and remembered well, gutsy and exciting. Not a Hall of Famer. Maybe a ring as a backup late in his career

Young would never have been a star QB in Tampa Bay, but I think the best situation for Young other than San Francisco might have been Detroit, where his career would have lined up pretty well with Barry Sanders, and it would have avoided those draft picks the Lions spent on Andre Ware and Rodney Peete. (How about this - Instead of drafting Rodney Peete, the Lions draft Emmitt Smith, and pair him with Sanders.) With the receivers the Lions had in that era, it is easy to see Young putting up really good stats, and the presence of Sanders could have made Detroit arguably the best offense of the decade. I think in such a situation the Lions could have very well have made a Super Bowl or two during the 90's, and perhaps would have gotten a Lombardi Trophy. From that scenario (Young's stats, the success in Detroit, Super Bowl), one might be able to construct a HOF argument for Steve Young.

Considering most of the great QBs have played in the SB era, it's insignificant as to where Young ranks. He was a tremendous player, a two time MVP, and a deserving HoFer.

JohnH19 wrote:Considering most of the great QBs have played in the SB era, it's insignificant as to where Young ranks. He was a tremendous player, a two time MVP, and a deserving HoFer.

No one is questioning if he was a "tremendous player" or not, nor is anyone questioning if he is a deserving HoFer. But with QBs like Brady, Montana, Elway, Marino, Manning, Brees, Favre and others, I was wondering if anyone would be able to squeeze him in their top ten. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sorry if I seemed abrupt with my last reply.

I know who I rank as the six best QBs of all time. Three of them, Montana, P. Manning and Brady, played their whole careers in the Super Bowl era and Unitas played the tail end of his. There's so many guys who were just a little less "great" than those four and Young is one of them.

I don't think I can get Young into my top 10 but that may only be because he had a relatively brief career as a starter.

Where do you have him?

Let's see. Baugh, Luckman, Graham, Van Brocklin, Tittle, Johnny U and Bart Starr. (The last two players bridge the Super Bowl era, but the bulk of their career came before it.) Eliminating all of them makes it much easier for me to place Young in my top 10. He definitely would have been in there 10 years ago. The 2007 calender year is probably when both Manning and Brady surpassed him. (Manning won a Super Bowl in February, and Brady turned in the greatest regular season ever.)
As of 2007, let's see...Staubach, Montana, Marino, Elway, and Favre were all ahead of him. Arguments came be made for Bradshaw and Fouts as well. That still puts him at #8 at worst. (I definitely have him above Griese, Stabler, Moon, Aikman, and Kelly.)
In the last decade, I think Manning, Brady, Rodgers, and perhaps Brees have surpassed Young. I guess he may still be able to sneak in at #10.

JohnH19 wrote:Sorry if I seemed abrupt with my last reply.

I know who I rank as the six best QBs of all time. Three of them, Montana, P. Manning and Brady, played their whole careers in the Super Bowl era and Unitas played the tail end of his. There's so many guys who were just a little less "great" than those four and Young is one of them.

I don't think I can get Young into my top 10 but that may only be because he had a relatively brief career as a starter.

Where do you have him?

Well, Brady, Montana, Elway and Marino are 1-4. Then no particular order Manning, Favre, Brees, maybe Rodgers, Staubach, not sure about Bradshaw because he had arguably the greatest defense of all time. I think I can fit Young in my top ten. Always subject to change.

Rupert Patrick wrote:Young would never have been a star QB in Tampa Bay, but I think the best situation for Young other than San Francisco might have been Detroit, where his career would have lined up pretty well with Barry Sanders, and it would have avoided those draft picks the Lions spent on Andre Ware and Rodney Peete. (How about this - Instead of drafting Rodney Peete, the Lions draft Emmitt Smith, and pair him with Sanders.) With the receivers the Lions had in that era, it is easy to see Young putting up really good stats, and the presence of Sanders could have made Detroit arguably the best offense of the decade. I think in such a situation the Lions could have very well have made a Super Bowl or two during the 90's, and perhaps would have gotten a Lombardi Trophy. From that scenario (Young's stats, the success in Detroit, Super Bowl), one might be able to construct a HOF argument for Steve Young.

Montana would have failed in late-'80s Tampa. So would Starr, Bradshaw, Elway, and so on. That culture that particaular time was hopeless for any all-time great! Once Young simply remotely chilled-out a bit in SF (just a bit, not too much) with the running and staying more in-pocket, he was HOF QB material.

He with Fontes' Lions? #20 as much as I respect him, he'd simply have to accept having himself a FB along with Young being more in-pocket-friendly and yes...more CC-berths for Detroit in the '90s and perhaps even better than that!

Young could simply make things happen for a team!

Young started out slowly. His USFL numbers were not great, and his time in Tampa forgettable. He struggled or largely sat the bench for most of the first half of his career, but for most of eight seasons he was spectacular. How does that compare with other passers who would be Top 10 players?

Here are his USFL and NFL numbers:
https://www.statscrew.com/football/stats/p-youngste002