Riddell Presents the Gridiron's Greatest Quarterbacks

Book excerpt: NFL coaches love to say that quarterbacks always get too much credit for winning or too much blame for losing. Football fans know better. The great quarterbacks are difference makers. They make the split-second decisions that produce big plays, elevate their teammates, and lead the way to Super Bowl glory. The great quarterback is, in short, the most irreplaceable player on the field. The San Francisco 49ers could not have won their first four Super Bowls without Joe Montana, a genius at picking apart defenses and pulling out last-minute victories. The Pittsburgh Steelers would not have won four Super Bowls in six years without the powerful arm and irrepressible leadership of Terry Bradshaw. The New York Jets could never have pulled off the most famous NFL upset of all time, a Super Bowl III win over the Baltimore Colts, without the swagger and skill of Broadway Joe Namath. He guaranteed a victory, then made good on his guarantee. In Riddell Presents The Gridiron's Greatest Quarterbacks, fans will meet the legendary field generals who grace the annals of professional football. Author Jonathan Rand ranks the top 25 quarterbacks of all time and recalls the greatest triumphs, extraordinary talents, and powerful personalities that made them and their teams winners. From Sammy Baugh and Sid Luckman, who put the quarterback position on the map, to Bart Starr, John Unitas, Bradshaw. Montana, John Elway, Dan Marino and Brett Favre, these are players of diverse skills, sizes, and temperaments who each arrived at the destination of greatness. Rand also details the rise of the African-American quarterbacks, who overcame decades of racism and cynicism to make their mark, the trade secrets of thegreat comeback quarterbacks, and how it feels to get buried under enormous defensive players and be the most marked man on the field. Through the words of these great quarterbacks and their teammates, coaches and opponents, readers will gain an understanding as to why the gridiron's greatest quarterbacks and the gridiron's greatest players are so often the same people.