I’m a football fan, so the subject of who is the worst quarterback in the NFL is one that I get asked about all of the time. And my answer is never quite the same. There have been some really bad quarterbacks in the NFL, and when I think back to the ones I’ve watched, I can easily come up with a few candidates that stand out as the worst of the bunch.
The first one that comes to mind is Ryan Leaf, a former San Diego Charger. He was the complete opposite of a star quarterback. His numbers were terrible, he was constantly fumbling, and he just didn’t have it when it came to skills on the field. He couldn’t read defenses, make accurate throws, or lead his team to success. He was a bust, and it really showed in his performances.
The next quarterback up is the infamous JaMarcus Russell. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the intention of turning them into a powerful team in the AFC, but he completely failed to deliver. His inability to recognize and react to the defense was astounding, and even when he had an open receiver, he would often overthrow or underthrow them. His performances on the field were so poor that it seemed like his teammates just wanted him out of the way.
The lack of success that both of these quarterbacks experienced makes them two of the worst quarterbacks of the last decade. But if I had to pick one, it would have to be JaMarcus Russell. His poor performances were just too frequent and too catastrophic to ignore. He was the ultimate example of a “bust.”
Of course, there are more examples of terrible quarterbacks in the NFL, and each of them has a unique story. For instance, the Browns had a string of bad quarterbacks, beginning with Connor Shaw, and going through Johnny Manziel, Brock Osweiler, and Cody Kessler. While all of these guys had their hits and misses, it was clear these QBs weren’t getting the job done.
Then you have the former Buffalo Bills QB EJ Manuel. Despite showing some flashes of greatness, his inaccuracy and poor decision-making made it nearly impossible for him to stay on the field. He failed to capitalize on the talent around him, and his lack of confidence was also a major problem.
So in my opinion, the worst quarterback in the NFL over the past few years has to be JaMarcus Russell. He may have been the most talented of the bunch, but his lack of mental skills were too much to overcome, and his play ultimately led to failure.
When I look at all of these quarterbacks, one thing that stands out is the role of the front office. How did so many of these quarterbacks been given the chance to start in the NFL?
It’s a combination of bad scouting, pressure to make a splash in free agency and trades because they don’t want to miss an opportunity to make their team better. But the underlying lesson here is that teams need to make sure that they make the right decision and have a long term plan when it comes to these quarterback decisions.
This reminds me of the famous saying “failing to plan is planning to fail”. This is definitely something that teams should keep in mind when selecting a quarterback. It’s not enough to look at numbers and stats. You need to get to know the person behind the stats and see if they have the qualities of a strong leader.
The quarterback position has become one of the hardest to fill for any team because it takes a special type of player to be successful. It takes someone who is not afraid to take risks, someone who can make big plays in important situations, and someone who has great leadership qualities.
Teams need to focus more on finding a leader than just a guy that can put up good numbers. That’s the way to avoid having any more JaMarcus Russells in the future.