Left-Handed Quarterbacks Trivia Quiz

Answer: Boomer

Boomer Esiason was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984 as the 38th pick and became the starter for the Bengals in 1985. In 1989 he captained the Bengals all the way to the Super Bowl and his team held a 16-13 lead with under two minutes remaining and the opposition on their own 8-yard line. Unfortunately, their rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, were led 92 yards by Joe Montana who capped the drive with a pass to John Taylor.

Boomer stayed with the Bengals until 1992 and was then traded to the New York Jets for three seasons, the Arizona Cardinals for one season, and, finally, back to the Bengals for the 1997 season in what would eventually be his final season in the NFL.

Answer: Villanova

Though Terry Baker didn't make that much of an impact in his three years in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, nor later in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos, Baker was an NCAA sensation. In the 1962 Liberty Bowl in a 0-0 game, Baker ran for the game's only score 99 yards and the NCAA record, one that cannot be broken due to NCAA rules regulating that the runs are measured from the line of scrimmage.

Not only did he win the Heisman Trophy that year, but, he also made it with the Oregon State basketball team all the way to the Final Four in the March Madness tournament.

Answer: Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders was a rushing sensation from the moment he started his rookie season and up until his sudden retirement after the 1998 season. In the 1997 season, Sanders had an exceptional year, rushing for 2053 yards and winning co-MVP (along with Brett Favre) for the league.

On the other hand, Scott Mitchell threw in his career nearly as many interceptions as he did touchdowns (95-81) and never did stand out much as an individual achiever. His best season came in 1995 when he set the record for touchdown passes and passing yards in a season for the team, records which were broken by Matt Stafford. Despite playing in the playoffs twice, Mitchell was never able to lead his team past the first round.

Answer: He went to jail

Michael Vick was the first African-American quarterback selected #1 overall in the NFL draft. The left-handed passer was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001 and played six seasons for them. His career was abruptly halted when he was and plead guilty to charges laid against him in a dog-fighting scandal that rocked the sporting world. He served 21 months in prison and two more confined to his residence as a result of the plea. The Falcons were receiving negative publicity over having Vick on their roster (for examples, jerseys were released with the lettering "Atlanta Felons" across the front) and released Vick.

Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and resumed his role as a starter in 2010. In 2011 he led the Eagles to the playoffs bettering any numbers he ever had with the Falcons. He is well-known for his rushing abilities as well as for a powerful arm.

Answer: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers were admitted into the AAFC (All-America Football Conference) in 1946 and joined the NFL when the AAFC merged into the NFL after the end of the 1949. Their very first starting quarterback for both of these events was Frankie Albert. Quite mobile, it was Albert who is credited as the inventor of the bootleg play (a play where the quarterback fakes a handoff to one of the backs and then rolls out to the opposite side with the ball partly hidden, whether to run or to pass). Frankie Albert was with the 49ers from 1946 to 1952 and also coached the team for the three seasons from 1956 to 1958.

In between, Albert also played one year in the Canadian Football League where a three-down variant of the game is played.

Answer: Steve Young

When Steve Young retired in 1999, he held too many NFL records to name them all. He had the highest career passer rating at the time, the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, the most league passing titles, and, who can forget, the most passing touchdowns in a Super Bowl, the memorable Super Bowl XXIX, where Steve Young was named MVP beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Young started his NFL career as a part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was traded to the 49ers to be the backup for the great Joe Montana. As a replacement, Young always had moments to shine, but it's hard to shine on your own when you're second to the greatest quarterback to ever play the game*. Nevertheless, when Montana was injured, Young was given the opportunity to start, and he ran with it.

Despite being prone to injuries, especially concussions, Steve Young was an amazing quarterback for an amazing team. He was part of some fierce rivalries against the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys in an era that these three teams dominated pro football, and, through it all, he never stepped off of the gas pedal en route to a Hall-of-Fame career. He was inducted in 2005 (the very first left-handed quarterback to receive this honour) and his #8 jersey was retired by the 49ers in 2008.

* My opinion only, but, shared by many.

Answer: Jacksonville Jaguars

Mark Brunell was great in college, leading the University of Washington as the Rose Bowl starter twice while playing in a third as well. As a pro, Brunell was selected in the draft by the Green Bay Packers, however, they already had Brett Favre as their quarterback. After two seasons, Brunell was traded to the Jaguars where he had amazing years. He threw for the most yards in 1996, eclipsed by Steve Young because Young had the higher rating, and was named to the Pro Bowl three times.

Byron Leftwich won the starter role from Brunell after a disappointing start to the 2003 season and a bad 2002 season. Brunell would go on to play for the Washington Redskins, then the New Orleans Saints (with whom he earned his only Super Bowl ring) and finally with the New York Jets.

Answer: Seattle Seahawks

The Dallas Cowboys had their "dirty dozen" draft year in 1975, and, if Jim Zorn hadn't been cut, they might have had to rethink the name... He was waived by the Cowboys but then was claimed by the expansion Seattle Seahawks where Zorn found a home. In the 1976 season, Zorn was named the offensive rookie-of-the-year. He continued to lead the Seahawks to varying degrees of success, but, ironically, the team's first playoff appearance occurred in the same season that Zorn lost his starting job, 1983.

Jim Zorn played as a backup for one season with the Green Bay Packers, one more with the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and one final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After retirement, Zorn was a coach and finally, the head coach for the Washington Redskins for two seasons, 2008 and 2009.

Answer: John Madden

Ken "The Snake" Stabler was the southpaw quarterback who led the Oakland Raiders to their first Super Bowl win. In a team stacked with future Hall-of-Famers like tight end Dave Casper, wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, left guard Gene Upshaw, left tackle Art Shell, linebacker Ted Hendricks, and, of course, head coach John Madden, it was very hard to fail.

Stabler posted very good numbers in the rest of his career, but none so good as his 1976 year. He was with the Raiders from 1970 to 1979, played two more seasons with the Houston Oilers, and three seasons with the New Orleans Saints, retiring after the 1984 season. Initially very mobile, injuries kept him in the pocket later in his career and he became a very accurate passer who was known for his come-from-behind rallies.

An interesting bit of trivia about Ken Stabler: While playing in Houston, there was a soft drink named after the quarterback - Snake Venom. It apparently wasn't very good, similar to Stabler's numbers for the team.

Answer: Peyton Manning

Tim Tebow was an instant fan favourite when he was drafted by the Denver Broncos. Considered a dual threat because of him powerful ability to run and his strong arm, Tebow was used in his rookie year in many wildcat plays bud did get to start in two games. After Kyle Orton started the 2011 season 1-3, Tebow was called into the fifth game of the season and brought the Broncos back from a large deficit against the San Diego Chargers and the Broncos rallied to nearly win the game. From then on, Tebow was the starter for the Broncos.

However, after the season concluded (with a resounding loss in the second round of the playoffs to the New England Patriots), John Elway, the vice president for the team, acquired Peyton Manning who was a free agent at the time. This, ironically, came after he declared that Tebow would be the starting quarterback for the Broncos going into training camp.

Immediately after, Tim Tebow and his hefty contract were traded to the New York Jets where Tebow would platoon with Mark Sanchez in quarterback duties. He was later cut by the Jets, tried out for the Patriots, but did not make the team.