According To NFL.com: Lions Have The 26th Best QB Franchise In NFL History
By: Mike Sullivan
@mikesullivan
NFL.com ranked the NFL top quarterback franchises from 1-32.
They composed this list by identifying the top 3 signal callers in each team's history, and then ranking each trio weakest to strongest.
Everything was considered from stats to Super Bowls. Even tenures were considered, meaning some legends like Joe Montana and Peyton Manning are listed on multiple team's trios.
Admittedly, I was concerned the Lions would be ranked 32nd when I first saw the headline of this ranking. However, after thinking about it closer, I realized they wouldn't be quite 32nd due to the Texans (newest expansion team), but I expected a rank in the 30s.
However, the Lions checked in at #26. Their trio is Bobby Layne, Matthew Stafford, and Greg Landry. Here's what NFL.com had to say about them:
Contrary to popular belief, Layne -- not Johnny Unitas -- was the original two-minute quarterback. Layne won back-to-back NFL titles in 1952 and '53, and was the starter for most of Detroit's championship season of 1957. Stafford seems to have regressed somewhat from his brilliant campaign of 2011, but still is in the top-11-to-15 range of NFL quarterbacks. Landry was the last Pro Bowl QB (1971) in Detroit before Stafford made the cut 40 years later.
The teams who ranked out worse than Detroit are:
27. Atlanta Falcons
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29. Carolina Panthers
30. Baltimore Ravens
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
32. Houston Texans
The top 5 quarterback franchises are:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Washington Redskins
Do you think the Lions 26th overall ranking is too high, too low, or just right?
