Top 10 Worst Quarterbacks Of The Last 20 Years (1993-2013)

With every good list needs some criteria, so lets get right into it! For this list the criteria is as follows;
1. Must have started 8 games
2. Draft position must have been high
3. Had to have some hype coming in the NFL
4. Played some years pro with low success


#10. Jonathan Paul "J. P." Losman (2004-2011)


With only one season under his belt with touchdowns higher than interceptions, J.P Losman ranks 10th on our list with a stellar 33 career touchdowns and 34 interceptions. Losman started 33 games and played in 45 games. He was drafted 22nd in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft behind Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger, and ahead of Matt Schaub who was the 90th pick overall. Coming out of Tulane, Losman had a Great last year with 251 completions, 3077 yards, 33 touchdowns, and only 14 interceptions. Losman also had a very high 139.9 quarterback rating. Given this great last year, Losman was considered a sleeper pick in the late 1st round. Sleep is very well what Losman did, with a couple horrible years and one decent year before going to the place where all busts go to die, Oakland.


#9 Heath Shuler (1994-1998)


Very few times post his college career would Heath be doing this pose. The only reason he isn't higher on this list is he was benched to Gus "headbutt" Frerotte before being able to suck even more. With a career total of 15 touchdowns and 33 interceptions, it's no wonder why Heath is now a congressman. The 1993 SEC player of the year and 1993 runner up to the Heisman, Heath went 3rd overall in the 1994 NFL draft. He had a monster season coming out of Tennessee with 184 completions for 2354 yards and 25 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions. Shuler had a 157.3 quarterback rating after having a 133.4 the year before. After losing his job to Frerotte, Shuler would battle "foot problems" and be forced to retire.

#8 Tim Couch (1999-2003, 2004, 2007)


Drafted 1st overall in the 1999 NFL draft, Tim Couch had a lot to prove being taken over Donovan Mcnabb and many other great players. Couch threw 64 touchdown passes and 67 interceptions, which wouldn't be bad if he was taken 150 picks later than he was. Couch was a very great college player winning SEC player of the year with 400 completions, 4275 yards, 36 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions. He also had a 153.3 quarterback rating. It didn't take him long to prove he was going to be a bust tho, lasting only 5 seasons and being sacked 166 times. Later in his career he took steroids and failed to make the Packers and Jaguars still.

#7 David Klingler (1992-1998)


Igniting the Bengals offense is exactly what Klingler did, with 16 career touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Klingler was taken 6th overall in the 1992 NFL draft. He had high expectations after winning the Sammy Baugh Trophy with 374 completions for 5140 yards and 54 touchdowns, and only 20 interceptions. He also had a quarterback rating of 146.8. Klingler was only the starter for one season where he went 3-13. Next year he went 0-7 before losing his job to Jeff Blake. He played a few games the next year from the bench, nothing special. Then he was released, but surprisingly his career wasn't over yet. Who would want a quarterback with a 3-20 record? You guessed it, the Raiders. He sat on Oakland's bench and never had another touchdown.

#6 Rick Mirer (1994-2003)


Taken just behind Drew Bledsoe, Rick Mirer was the 2nd overall pick in 1994. Mirer set the single season touchdown record with 18 and was named co-MVP with teammate Jerome "The Bus" Bettis leading Notre Dame past Florida in the 1992 Sugar Bowl. He also had 9 touchdowns rushing that year, 2117 yards passing, and a quarterback rating of 134.7. Then he had a bunch of not great years in the nfl eventually finishing with 50 touchdowns and 76 interceptions. He was a Seahawk four years before being traded to the bears for their 1st round pick, which later became Shawn Springs. He only started three games as a Bear are requested a release. Then he backed up Favre in Green Bay, and Testaverde before ending up in you guessed it again, Oakland.

#5 David Carr (2002-Present)


How could someone who led the NFL in completion %, and has a Superbowl ring be so high on the list you ask? David Carr came out of college with a 308 completion 4299 yard passing season with 42 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. Which is an amazing 166.7 quarterback rating. He finished 5th in the Heisman vote, won the Johnny Unitas Award, Sammy Baugh Trophy, and had his number retired with Fresno State. He had an amazing amount of hype coming into the NFL. The hype was well received as he was the 1st draft pick of not only the 2002 NFL draft but also the Texans Franchise. I chose Carr for this spot because his NFL numbers come down to this, he is 22-56 as a starter. He has thrown 65 touchdowns, and 71 interceptions. He threw 11 touchdowns and went 6-10 the year he had the highest completion percentage. He won his Superbowl sitting on the bench. David Carr probably will never start again, and is a disgrace to any Texans fan in the country.

#4 Joey Harrington (2002-2008)


Many people thought Joey would go #1 in the 2002 draft, before Carr had the amazing season he did. Harrington was the PAC-10 Offensive player of the year with Oregon. He had 186 completions for 2415 yards and 23 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions. He had a 141.2 quarterback rating. He was taken 3rd in the draft, and never won more than six games in a season as a starter. The lions drafted receiver after receiver to try to help Harrington, but it just didn't help as he threw 62 interceptions and 60 touchdowns. After a few years the lions got tired of him and benched him for Jeff Garcia. At the end of the year they gave up the former 1st round pick for a 5th and 6th round Dolphin pick, as he continued to struggle. He finished his career in Atlanta with 79 touchdowns and 85 interceptions.

#3 JaMarcus Russell (2007-2009, maybe comeback)


The last 3 players are a toss up, but i believe Russell is the best of the three. Russel won the Columbus Touchdown Club SEC Player of the Year, and First-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and SEC coaches. He also won the Manning award. Russell had amazing stats his last year of college at Louisiana state. He completed 232 passes for 3129 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions. This amazing season yielded him a 167.0 quarterback rating. Then the big day came, the Raiders had the 1st pick, and busted again. Russell immediately held out for more money, and ended up with a 61 million dollar contract with over half guaranteed. That year he only started 1 game, and only played in 4 with an 0-1 record. In his second year he actually played fairy well for a Raiders quarterback throwing only 8 interceptions in 15 games, while throwing 13 touchdowns, and rushing for one. In 2009 Russell was immediately benched, and then continued to get out of shape. He is allegedly looking to make a comeback.

#2 Akili Smith (1999-2002)


At Oregon, Akili Smith was the man. The 1998 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, threw for 3,763 yards on 215 completions with 32 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. This monster season yielded a 167.3 rating and allowed Akili to go 3rd in the 1999 NFL draft. The first major reason Akili is higher than Russell in my book, is the Bengals could have traded this pick for the Saints' entire draft, and maybe have gotten Culpepper instead. After the draft, Akili missed most of training camp because he wanted more money. This resulted in Akili only starting 4 games in 1999, and winning only 1 of them. Then primed and ready for next season, Smith came back to go 2-9 before being benched. He got chances the next couple years, and blew them both going 0-2 before being released.


And Now the moment you all been waiting for!

#1 Ryan Leaf (1998-2001)
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCKjrvpXuY]Ryan Leaf on The Simpsons - YouTube[/ame]

This TSN 1st team first All-American, Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year was also 3rd in Heisman Trophy Voting in his senior year. He
completed 227 passes for 3968 yards and 34 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions. He had a mighty 158.7 rating and was very hyped up to go to the NFL. Taken 2nd in the draft to Peyton Manning (they must be thanking God,) Ryan Leaf was highly considered the stronger armed quarterback with much higher potential. To obtain the second draft pick, the team traded its third overall pick, a future first round pick, a second round pick, and three-time Pro Bowler Eric Metcalf to the Arizona Cardinals. Leaf started off cocky saying he would play for 15 years, win a couple superbowls, and then partied all night. Leaf had a great pre-season. In the regular season, he was benched multiple times, and lost the game against Manning. He struggled as he led the team to a 3-6 record as a starter, losing his job to Craig Whelihan. Leaf's rookie year was abysmal as he threw only 2 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Leaf missed the next year with a shoulder injury. Even tho he was "injured," Leaf was caught playing flag football and fined multiple times that year for screaming at people. The 2000 season was his best year as he threw for 11 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, soon after he was released. He was signed two days later by the Tamba Bay Buccaneers, he never played for them tho. Leaf had a brief return to the Dallas Cowboys where he failed his physical and was cut. He was the Cowboys last option as Quincy Carter went down with an injury and they needed a viable starter. He wasn't very viable tho, as he went 0-4. Leaf appeared in 25 games and made 21 starts. He completed 317 passes for 3,666 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions and a career quarterback rating of only 50.0. He is the worst quarterback not only of the last 20 years, but in my opinion ever.


Wrapping it up

This is my first written Blog, and i would appreciate any feedback that is given. I am a man for the people, and i would appreciate top 10 ideas from you all, leave a thumbs up and a comment and i'll see you all next week.

 

Great Write up. Disappointed not to see Rob Johnson on the list. Freaking bum!!!



Maybe 10-Worst Free Agent Signings?

Regardless...great stuff. Looking forward to more.

 

Hard to disagree with this list

 

Why Russell got the love he got will forever baffle me.

Ugh Joey Harrington. Lol. That was bad.

 

Darn. I was thinking this was just a list of horrible bum QBs. I was gonna throw a few on there. But .. how about Matt Leinart? He's back-up at best.

 

Good List!
It would be fun to go back and see if any others should be added, but what you've got is a great start.
As a Saints fan, Heath Shuler stands out to me. Coming off the usual crummy year for the Saints in 1996, Mike Ditka had been hired to turn things around in 1997. Ditka took a bad team and actually made them worse. He started by dumping Jim Everett, our starting QB who had actually had 3 pretty decent seasons before he got there.
Ditka brought on Wonder-Dud Heath Shuler without even giving Everett a chance to compete (that was Da' Coach).
Shuler did absolutely nothing. He threw 2 TDs and 14 interceptions and was gone before the next season even started.

 

One thing I noticed on the website is that I don't like the comic font.

 

If there were more added to the list, Jim Drunkenmiller would have to be on there. Why we didn't grab Jake Plummer, I'll never understand

 

Just off the top of my head ...

Charlie Frye
Quincy Carter
Patrick Ramsey
Brady Quinn
Danny Wuerfel
Vince Young
Kyle Boller

Wasn't there another one from the 49ers?

 

Cade McNown.

 

Kevin Kolb should be on an "Honorable Mention" list.

 

heathe shuler,rex grossman,kevin kolb come to mind .

 

Excellent list, although I don't see why JaWalrus Russell is lower than #2. Leaf and Russell are 1a and 1b, depending on the POV. lol

 

What did you have to go & do that for?

 

Sorry...I could go Kordell Stewart to make up for it, but that'd be like sticking it to you as well...lol.

 

Rick Mirer, Heath Shuler, Jim Druckenmiller, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Cade McCown, David Carr, Joey Harrington, Patrick Ramsey, Kyle Boller, J.P. Losman, Matt Lienart, JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn.
All first round picks, all waste of space. My worst 10 would come from that list of 15.
Not to be technical, but Klinger was drafted in 1992 and you said this list is from 1993-2013.
Fantastic job. Can't wait for the next one.

 

Chris Weinke, that is all

 

Cade McNown popped in my head too. He had a helluva career at UCLA and then disappeared.....

Very good first entry to the Top 10 [MENTION=4462]Two Girls One Kaep[/MENTION]! You have so many different directions you can take this featured article, it's going to be fun to check this out each week.

 

ditto.