Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

On FS1's First Things First today, Nick Wright commented on how this will be the first AFC Title Game without Big Ben, Brady, or Peyton since 2002. That got me thinking about certain eras for certain groups of QB's.

For example, in the AFC, you could classify 1971-79 as the Bradshaw-Griese-Stabler era. At least one of those players was in the AFC Title Game every year in that span. Then, after a transitional phase from 1980-83 (where Fouts and Plunkett appeared in two AFC title games each), 1984-98 was the Class of 1983 era (at least one member of the Class of 83 was in an AFC Title Game every year during that time except for 1994-96).

7DnBrnc53 wrote:On FS1's First Things First today, Nick Wright commented on how this will be the first AFC Title Game without Big Ben, Brady, or Peyton since 2002. That got me thinking about certain eras for certain groups of QB's.

For example, in the AFC, you could classify 1971-79 as the Bradshaw-Griese-Stabler era. At least one of those players was in the AFC Title Game every year in that span. Then, after a transitional phase from 1980-83 (where Fouts and Plunkett appeared in two AFC title games each), 1984-98 was the Class of 1983 era (at least one member of the Class of 83 was in an AFC Title Game every year during that time except for 1994-96).

Staubach or Tarkenton was in every NFC championship game 1971-78. And every AFC-NFC SB matchup happened except for Stabler-Staubach.

Jay Z wrote:

7DnBrnc53 wrote:On FS1's First Things First today, Nick Wright commented on how this will be the first AFC Title Game without Big Ben, Brady, or Peyton since 2002. That got me thinking about certain eras for certain groups of QB's.

For example, in the AFC, you could classify 1971-79 as the Bradshaw-Griese-Stabler era. At least one of those players was in the AFC Title Game every year in that span. Then, after a transitional phase from 1980-83 (where Fouts and Plunkett appeared in two AFC title games each), 1984-98 was the Class of 1983 era (at least one member of the Class of 83 was in an AFC Title Game every year during that time except for 1994-96).

Staubach or Tarkenton was in every NFC championship game 1971-78. And every AFC-NFC SB matchup happened except for Stabler-Staubach.

Then, in the NFC, you had a two-year in between period (1979-80. Doug Williams, Vince Ferragamo, and Ron Jaworski appeared in one NFC Championship game apiece) before what I call the 49er era (1981-97). In that period, you had either Montana or Young in an NFC Title Game ten times in seventeen seasons.

If this counts, Otto Graham appeared in ten straight championship games with the Browns (1946-1949 AAFC; 1950-1955 NFL) before he retired after winning the 1955 title.

sluggermatt15 wrote:If this counts, Otto Graham appeared in ten straight championship games with the Browns (1946-1949 AAFC; 1950-1955 NFL) before he retired after winning the 1955 title.

It was before the Super Bowl, so it doesn't count.


Just kidding. That is a very good example.

7DnBrnc53 wrote:

sluggermatt15 wrote:If this counts, Otto Graham appeared in ten straight championship games with the Browns (1946-1949 AAFC; 1950-1955 NFL) before he retired after winning the 1955 title.

It was before the Super Bowl, so it doesn't count.


Just kidding. That is a very good example.

Obviously, there were fewer teams then, but Herber, Baugh, and/or Luckman played in every championship game from 1936-1946.

conace21 wrote:Obviously, there were fewer teams then, but Herber, Baugh, and/or Luckman played in every championship game from 1936-1946.

If you add Ed Danowski to the group, one or more of the four were in every championship game from 1934-46. Of course Danowski's not in the Hall of Fame like the others, but he led the league in passing twice and played in FOUR title games, so he wasn't chopped liver either.

This thread leads me to wonder if another triumvirate is about to take shape. Mahomes-Jackson-Garoppolo????