How would you rank the greatest QB's in franchise history?
Just curious with all the discussion around Cousins and us never really having a great heritage of franchise QB's, how would people rank the best QB's in our franchise history? I'm 44 and have been following this team religiously since I was a kid in the mid 80's Just my take:
1. Brett Favre- The one and only time I can recall us having a true difference maker at QB and he put together the greatest single season for a QB in franchise history. Should have been the league MVP in 2009 and I think would have been if not for the unfortunate bounty scandal in our playoff loss to New Orleans. This may be a very unpopular opinion but I believe his jersey should be hung in our ring of honor and hope that it is some day. Very small sample size, but to me he was the best.
2. Fran Tarkenton- Was too young to ever see him play but I know all about Fran and what he meant to this franchise.
3. Daunte Culpepper- Another career cut way too short by injury. Daunte was a freak with his size, arm strength, and athleticism. I really had high hopes he was going to be the guy to finally get us that Super Bowl win.
4. Kirk Cousins- I like Kirk, efficient and played amazing in a playoff game at New Orleans we were supposed to lose. I think he is mostly steady and always puts up numbers.
5. Randall Cunningham- Another amazing short tenure guy who came in as a backup and had one of the most magical rides in franchise history. Huge arm talent and his scrambling ability is legendary.
* Note: I almost threw Jeff George in there just because I loved watching him throw the football.
I'm just curious to see everyone's opinions on this. It really is kind of sad with as much success as this franchise has had that we haven't had a lot of "franchise" type players at the QB position...
Haven't seen much love for two-minute Tommy.....
@"Rigby" said: Haven't seen much love for two-minute Tommy.....I'm embarrassed they I didn't include him. He had the original Minneapolis Miracle.
Tarkenton (by a mile)...Culpepper, Kramer.
Favre? Come on, at least a bit of longevity has to be factored into "greatest in history", doesn't it?? 1 great season, 1 playoff victory - it's not all that far above Case Keenum, if you think about it. Favre threw for only about a hundred yards more than Ponder in a Vikings uniform. Put a 50-game minimum on this and it's easier, though it's striking how few QBs can even meet that requirement.
1 - Tarkenton
2 - Culpepper
3 - Kramer
4 - Cousins
5 - Moon
6 - Favre
7 - Kapp
8 - Johnson
9 - Cunningham
10 - Bradford
11 - Bridgewater
12 - Wilson
May have missed someone, I'm getting old.
@"Jor-El" said: Tarkenton (by a mile)...Culpepper, Kramer.Favre? Come on, at least a bit of longevity has to be factored into "greatest in history", doesn't it?? 1 great season, 1 playoff victory - it's not all that far above Case Keenum, if you think about it. Favre threw for only about a hundred yards more than Ponder in a Vikings uniform. Put a 50-game minimum on this and it's easier, though it's striking how few QBs can even meet that requirement.
I based it on orginazational impact and being a difference maker at the position. How many times have we had a top 5 QB under center for this franchise? The answer is never except for Favre, who could have easily been the league MVP. Yes small sample size, but in context....I believe he was the best. Again, I give a nod to Fran but I never saw him play. Regardless he is not thought as being close to the same calibur player Favre was
@"supafreak84" said:@"Jor-El" said: Tarkenton (by a mile)...Culpepper, Kramer.Favre? Come on, at least a bit of longevity has to be factored into "greatest in history", doesn't it?? 1 great season, 1 playoff victory - it's not all that far above Case Keenum, if you think about it. Favre threw for only about a hundred yards more than Ponder in a Vikings uniform. Put a 50-game minimum on this and it's easier, though it's striking how few QBs can even meet that requirement.
I based it on orginazational impact and being a difference maker at the position. How many times have we had a top 5 QB under center for this franchise? The answer is never except for Favre...
You forgot one. There wasn't a better QB in 2004 than Daunte Culpepper. In fact, in terms of numbers, that was the single greatest year ever for a Vikings QB. Nearly 5,000 yards (NFL passing leader), 39 TDs, 11 INTs, 111 QB rating. All Pro. Favre's year was close, but not quite to that level.Wait a minute...I think Tarkenton had a few years as a top 5 QB. Actually, now that I look at it, he was a 9-time pro bowler and the NFL MVP in 1975. Pretty sure that counts as top 5.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"Jor-El" said: Tarkenton (by a mile)...Culpepper, Kramer.Favre? Come on, at least a bit of longevity has to be factored into "greatest in history", doesn't it?? 1 great season, 1 playoff victory - it's not all that far above Case Keenum, if you think about it. Favre threw for only about a hundred yards more than Ponder in a Vikings uniform. Put a 50-game minimum on this and it's easier, though it's striking how few QBs can even meet that requirement.
I based it on orginazational impact and being a difference maker at the position. How many times have we had a top 5 QB under center for this franchise? The answer is never except for Favre...
You forgot one. There wasn't a better QB in 2004 than Daunte Culpepper. In fact, in terms of numbers, that was the single greatest year ever for a Vikings QB. Nearly 5,000 yards (NFL passing leader), 39 TDs, 11 INTs, 111 QB rating. All Pro. Favre's year was close, but not quite to that level.Wait a minute...I think Tarkenton had a few years as a top 5 QB. Actually, now that I look at it, he was a 9-time pro bowler and the NFL MVP in 1975. Pretty sure that counts as top 5.
We have had QB's string together a few good individual seasons (Cunningham, Johnson, George, etc). You make a good argument for Daunte, and I loved Daunte, but if I had the choice of having Favre lead this team for a season or Culpepper...I'm choosing Favre every time.
On Fran I'm kind of out of the argument because I've never seen him play. But yes based on what you say he might have been a top 5 guy at some point back in the day.
1 - Tarkenton
2 - Favre
3 - Moon4 - Culpepper5 - Kramer
6 - Wilson
7 - Kapp
8 - Johnson
9 - Cunningham
10 - Bradford
11 - Bridgewater
12 - Cousins
Those who were too young to watch Fran Tarkenton play are underestimating how good he was. He was better than all the rest by far, including Favre who had one good year but cost the team a trip to the superbowl by throwing across his body, trying to force a ball into Sidney Rice, and one bad season with the Vikings.
In that era, the Vikings were an expansion team that had the lowest paid players in the league. Yet Bud Grant could get the best out of them.
They lost the 3 superbowls Fran played in, but probably should have won against the Steelers.
They also had a great team in 1975 that was derailed by the Drew Pearson push off in the playoffs. The hail Mary pass with very little time left. There was a play earlier in the drive where Pearson caught a pass out of bounds, but the refs gave him the catch, or the hail Mary wouldn't have happened. Two bad no calls at the end of the game. Incidently, for those who don't know, Frans dad died of a heart attack while watching that game.
Fran wasn't 3 yards and a cloud of dust. He was a scrambler who would throw them short and throw them long.
Fran pretty much held all NFL QB records at the time of his retirement, and was quite deserving of his enshrinement into the NFL hall of fame.
We can debate where all the other Vikings QB's rank. Fran the man was number one!
@"Hawkvike25" said:Looked it up, you are correct. Another Viking record bites the dust lol.@"comet52" said:The Texans won their first game too...I think against the Cowboys?@"Jor-El" said:Why they ever traded him away I don't know. When he led us over the Bears as a rookie in the 1st ever Viking game we became the only expansion team ever to win its first game, which is a record that I think still stands.@"comet52" said:Fran was definitely a franchise QB...but technically, we acquired him via trade from the Giants before his Super Bowl seasons, so even though we initially drafted him, he kind of set the future pattern.@"supafreak84" said: It's just crazy to me that we have never in the franchise's history drafted a QB that's been a franchise type player. Culpepper has been the closest. We have always been the spot for established QB's to go to make a run when our talent has been up to par Fran doesn't count?
@"BarrNone55" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"comet52" said:@"supafreak84" said: It's just crazy to me that we have never in the franchise's history drafted a QB that's been a franchise type player. Culpepper has been the closest. We have always been the spot for established QB's to go to make a run when our talent has been up to par Fran doesn't count?Good call, I never realized that we had actually drafted Fran and thought he was just always someone we acquired via trade from the Giants.
This caught my eye in looking over his career. His last season was in 1978 and he threw 32 INT's that season! How the hell was that even possible in the 3 yards and a cloud of dust era of football? Like I said, all before my time...
It was Burns' Great Lake Offense, the precursor to the WCO.
I prefer Lake Woebegone Offense.
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