I must be crazy! You're probably asking yourselves, "why on earth would Chi-town0023 make a list of the top 10 Bears quarterbacks?"
Well, why not? There is a mystique about Bears quarterbacks. Most people ask, "how can a franchise have only one Hall of Fame quarterback in its near 90 year existence?" Or, "how can they keep failing to find a franchise quarterback?" Well, believe it or not, some of these quarterbacks they've had were actually quite serviceable.
In fact, the Bears once had a knack for picking quarterbacks. For one season, their roster was comprised of three Hall of Fame quarterbacks and another one that was an all-pro every year he played. I won't name names, but one of them was a veteran, the other had one year under his belt, and the other two were rookies. The following season, one retired and the other one was traded. The third quarterback struggled to find his mark with the Bears and was eventually cut. That guy would go onto the AFL and become an NFL ironman. The last quarterback, the one who was always an all-pro, retired after an injury in his fourth season.
As you read these, put some things into persepective. Remember, most of these guys played in an era where foward-passing was used at a bare minimum. So, low passer ratings, low completion percentage, and touchdown to interception ratios that mostly favor more interceptions are common.
Top Ten QBs in Bears History (in reverse order):
10. Jim Miller (1999-2002)
Best season: 2001 (2,299 p.yds, 13 TD 10 INT, 57.7% comp., 74.9 passer rating)
9. Bob Avellini (1975-1984)
Best season: 1977 (2,004 p.yds, 11 TD, 18 INT, 52.6% comp., 61.3 passer rating
8. Jack Concannon (1967-1971)
Best season: 1970 (2,130 p.yds, 16 TD, 18 INT, 50.4% comp., 61.5 passer rating)
7. George Blanda (1949-1958)
Best season: 1953 (2,164 p.yds, 14 TD, 23 INT, 46.7% comp., 52.3 passer rating)
6. Ed Brown (1954-1961; 2-time pro bowler)
Best season: 1956 (1,167 p.yds, 11 TD, 12INT, 57% comp., 83.1 passer rating)
5 (tie). Johnny Lujack (1948-1951; 2-time pro bowler, 4-time all-pro)
Best season: 1949 (2,658 p.yds, 23 TD, 22 INT, 51.9% comp., 76 passer rating)
5 (tie). Jim Harbaugh (1987-1993)
Best season: 1991 (3,121 p.yds, 15 TD, 16 INT, 57.5% comp. 73.7 passer rating)
4. Billy Wade (1961-1966; 2-time pro bowler and all-pro...1-time each with Bears, 1963 NFL Championship)
Best season: 1961 (2,258 p.yds, 22 TD, 13 INT, 55.6% comp., 93.7 passer rating)
3. Erik Kramer (1994-1998; Bears single-season records for TD passes and passing yards)
Best season: 1995 (3,838 p.yds, 29 TD, 10 INT, 60.3% comp., 93.5 passer rating)
2. Jim McMahon (1982-1988; 1-time pro bowler and all-pro in 1985, Super Bowl XX)
Best season: 1985 (2,392 p.yds, 15 TD, 11 INT, 56.9% comp., 82.6 passer rating)
1. Sid Luckman (1939-1950; 3-time pro bowler, 9-time all-pro, 4 NFL Championships, Hall of Famer)
Best season: 1943 (2,194 p.yds, 28 TD, 12 INT, 54.5% comp., 107.5 passer rating)
