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Can a backup QB win a Super Bowl in this era?


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Can a backup QB win a Super Bowl in this era?  

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  1. 1. Can a backup QB win a Super Bowl in this era?

    • Yes
      40
    • No
      8


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7 times in NFL history, a backup quarterback relieved a starter and went on to win a Super Bowl in the same season.

 

Roger Staubach, 1971 Cowboys (Craig Morton) Week 4

Terry Bradshaw, 1974 Steelers (Joe Gilliam) Week 7

Jim Plunkett, 1980 Raiders (Dan Pastorini) Week 6

Jeff Hostetler, 1990 Giants (Phil Sims) Week 16

Kurt Warner, 1999 Rams (Trent Green) Week 1

Trent Dilfer, 2000 Ravens (Tony Banks) Week 9

Tom Brady, 2001 Patriots (Drew Bledsoe) Week 3

 

Is it realistically possible we could see this occurrence happen again in our current era?

 

 

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Yes, absolutely. Just because a guy is a backup doesn't necessarily mean that he's bad...could just be young. They were drafted, parked behind established starters, and then after injury / ineffectiveness, got their opportunity. We've seen rookies and second year guys come in and light it up - in the right situation, they could definitely be super bowl contenders. Definitely not out of the realm of possibility that could happen again. There can also be backups who are basically just as good as the starters for the most part and have an elite team surrounding them. Since there's no real drop off between starter / backup, it's still possible (see the Dilfer example). 

 

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We nearly saw Kaepernick do so a few years ago. I see no reason had a couple lucky breaks gone their way, the 49ers couldn’t have won a title that year.

Peyton played like a backup down the stretch for the Broncos and they captured a title. He also came in after Osweiler was benched, so it kinda counts, even though he was the original starter on the team.

I don’t really see why it couldn’t happen. Teams with great defenses and run games can make up for their QB play. And occasionally gem QBs are found coming off the bench. Nothing has changed that would  make either of these concepts any less valid than they had been previously.

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22 minutes ago, 808 said:

7 times in NFL history, a backup quarterback relieved a starter and went on to win a Super Bowl in the same season.

 

Roger Staubach, 1971 Cowboys (Craig Morton) Week 4

Terry Bradshaw, 1974 Steelers (Joe Gilliam) Week 7

Jim Plunkett, 1980 Raiders (Dan Pastorini) Week 6

Jeff Hostetler, 1990 Giants (Phil Sims) Week 16

Kurt Warner, 1999 Rams (Trent Green) Week 1

Trent Dilfer, 2000 Ravens (Tony Banks) Week 9

Tom Brady, 2001 Patriots (Drew Bledsoe) Week 3

 

Is it realistically possible we could see this occurrence happen again in our current era?

 

 

Possible, yes. But realistically, it's going to be a long shot. It's usually not plug and play when it comes to the postseason, and there's a reason why the overwhelming number of SB-winning QBs are Hall of Famers. And the only authentic journeyman on your list is Trent Dilfer, who faded into oblivion after Baltimore cut him. 

And I don't know if any of the deposed starters(outside of Phil Simms), could have pulled out a SB win if circumstances had been different. Trent Green had a promising preseason, but who knows if he could have overcome the Bucs great defensive effort in the NFC TG or pulled out the tight SB win over Tennessee. Usually, it's the great ones who deliver on the biggest stage, and that trend won't be ending anytime soon. Drew Bledsoe had a good career, but I don't know if the Pats win more than just a single SB if Brady never is around.

Nick Foles just might get the Eagles to a SB, but the odds are against it. Wentz is more of a difference-maker.

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6 minutes ago, OleXmad said:

We have a shot for multiple backups to win a SB this year (Foles, Keenum etc.) 

 

I disagree. I don't think multiple backups will win a  SB. One at most.

 

On topic though, I get what you are saying and I agree in part.  Foles has a great chance this year. I don't see the Eagles play drop that much with Foles in for whatever reason.

I think Keenum's going to plummet fast though.

 

but if the question is "CAN a backup win a SB".  Of course.

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56 minutes ago, MathMan said:

I disagree. I don't think multiple backups will win a  SB. One at most.

 

On topic though, I get what you are saying and I agree in part.  Foles has a great chance this year. I don't see the Eagles play drop that much with Foles in for whatever reason.

I think Keenum's going to plummet fast though.

 

but if the question is "CAN a backup win a SB".  Of course.

I think keenum has a better shot than Foles if only for the simple fact Foles hasn't had the practice reps.

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2 hours ago, 808 said:

7 times in NFL history, a backup quarterback relieved a starter and went on to win a Super Bowl in the same season.

 

Roger Staubach, 1971 Cowboys (Craig Morton) Week 4

Terry Bradshaw, 1974 Steelers (Joe Gilliam) Week 7

Jim Plunkett, 1980 Raiders (Dan Pastorini) Week 6

Jeff Hostetler, 1990 Giants (Phil Sims) Week 16

Kurt Warner, 1999 Rams (Trent Green) Week 1

Trent Dilfer, 2000 Ravens (Tony Banks) Week 9

Tom Brady, 2001 Patriots (Drew Bledsoe) Week 3

 

Is it realistically possible we could see this occurrence happen again in our current era?

 

 

I know you mean technically,as they are labeled back ups but...

The only back ups on your list is Hostetler. The rest were long term starters.

Bradshaw wasnt' a back up .he was a young player who got his starts  and did  well.

Maybe you could call Doug Williams a back up because he only started 3 games that year. But the fact is he logged in a lot of games in nfl and usfl before that.

If Foles  or keenum do it ..they qualify more as back ups than any of your list  above. 

Let' not just include winners.....Kaepernick :)

In short,no actual back up has one super bowl except  maybe twice.

An actual back up would be someone who hardly started before and was a liability  the whole way through...so maybe Dilfer comes closer lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yes, it can happen.  As Dilfer and Manning showed, you can win a superbowl with a bad QB if you have an elite defense.

However, the chances are incredibly slim that you will have an elite defense with a bad QB and not have that QB screw up your chances.

And if your backup isn't a bad QB, well then it's obviously possible.

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2 hours ago, biletnikoff said:

I know you mean technically,as they are labeled back ups but...

The only back ups on your list is Hostetler. The rest were long term starters.

Bradshaw wasnt' a back up .he was a young player who got his starts  and did  well.

Maybe you could call Doug Williams a back up because he only started 3 games that year. But the fact is he logged in a lot of games in nfl and usfl before that.

If Foles  or keenum do it ..they qualify more as back ups than any of your list  above. 

Let' not just include winners.....Kaepernick :)

In short,no actual back up has one super bowl except  maybe twice.

An actual back up would be someone who hardly started before and was a liability  the whole way through...so maybe Dilfer comes closer lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brady was definitely a backup to Bledsoe.

EDIT: I see what you are saying, Brady was a backup early in the season (I think 5th game), so he doesn't really qualify because he was a main part of the reason for NE to go to the playoffs.

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I'll say what I've said before. This doesn't kill the season for the Eagles, it just puts a major hurdle and makes the road much more difficult. If you want a probability for us winning it all from my estimates-

With Wentz: 25-30% chance to win the Super Bowl
With Foles: 8-10% chance to win the Super Bowl


I know you all must think I'm optimistic, but we still do have a good team. I believe Nick is better than his time in St. Louis (and Jeff Fisher) would indicate. Is he actually that same guy who threw 27 TD and 2 INT? Hell no, but there's a very good chance he's the best back-up in the league at this time, and that's exactly why Howie Roseman brought him in. I want to see how he performs and I'll adjust my thinking accordingly. In part its a good thing the NFC is so good this year because it requires us to put Foles out there and play to win, we can test ourselves and learn from any bumps with this new crucial COG in the machine, even if it's a replacement we can adapt it to work to the best our abilities rather than just putting in last second.

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