This is obviously highly subjective. But perhaps a worthy topic during the Spring lull
Favorites, in order
1. Montana: Perhaps the best 2nd half (esp. 4th quarter) QB I've ever seen. Any team, any level
2. Theismann. Electric. Interestingly though, my first ever ND game in person was the one where he lost the Heisman I believe. ND 3 LSU 0. The win against Texas in the Cotton is in my top 5 all time favorite ND games
3. Tony Rice. Going into the Coliseum and destroying USC is also a top 5 game. Surprised he didn't get a shot in the NFL, maybe not as a QB but as a safety or something, Great athlete.
4. Brady Quinn: I still don't understand why he had so much trouble in the NFL. Great arm, mobile, smart. His draft day freefall was painful to watch, but great ND career.
5. Jarius Jackson: Really liked this guy and if he had a decent OC could have been even better.
Least favorites. This is not a personal thing; all seem to have been high quality people
1. Tommy Rees: Sorry, but I disliked everything about the way he played. Slowed the offense down to a crawl with his incessant audibling and in my opinion it was a total myth about how smart he was. Made terrible decisions. Great against bottom feeders though. Sometimes.
2. Blair Kiel: Never understood why he played so early and often in his career. Can't remember who the competition was and he probably suffered a bit playing Devine's moribund offense, but he was poor.
3. Powlus: Again, high quality guy, good ND man. But he seemed to get progressively worse every year. By senior season year he actually lost his job to (I think) Carlyle Holiday (sp?) who's a candidate for this list. Was not helped by Holtz thinking he was an option QB.
4. Hendrix: I never thought he was worth a crap. Early on it was apparent he was extremely high strung and had zero poise. Good athlete though, and probably should have stayed with baseball where he threw it in the 90s in HS. The 2nd half against USC was possibly the worst QB performance I've ever seen. I'd hate to go into the ER on a stretcher and see Dr. Hendrix be the one to save my life.
5. Golson: Unfathomable I'd have him on this list based on how much hope there was for him early on. His 2012 season remains his best where Kelly had him under wraps. After that, he seemed to do everything wrong at ND on and off the field. Like Powlus, got a little worse very year. I think he's a good person, don't in any way dislike him. But based on the amount of hype and hope when he came in and what his career descended into, he just makes it here
I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two on both lists. But that's my list off the cuff.
Favorites, in order
1. Montana: Perhaps the best 2nd half (esp. 4th quarter) QB I've ever seen. Any team, any level
2. Theismann. Electric. Interestingly though, my first ever ND game in person was the one where he lost the Heisman I believe. ND 3 LSU 0. The win against Texas in the Cotton is in my top 5 all time favorite ND games
3. Tony Rice. Going into the Coliseum and destroying USC is also a top 5 game. Surprised he didn't get a shot in the NFL, maybe not as a QB but as a safety or something, Great athlete.
4. Brady Quinn: I still don't understand why he had so much trouble in the NFL. Great arm, mobile, smart. His draft day freefall was painful to watch, but great ND career.
5. Jarius Jackson: Really liked this guy and if he had a decent OC could have been even better.
Least favorites. This is not a personal thing; all seem to have been high quality people
1. Tommy Rees: Sorry, but I disliked everything about the way he played. Slowed the offense down to a crawl with his incessant audibling and in my opinion it was a total myth about how smart he was. Made terrible decisions. Great against bottom feeders though. Sometimes.
2. Blair Kiel: Never understood why he played so early and often in his career. Can't remember who the competition was and he probably suffered a bit playing Devine's moribund offense, but he was poor.
3. Powlus: Again, high quality guy, good ND man. But he seemed to get progressively worse every year. By senior season year he actually lost his job to (I think) Carlyle Holiday (sp?) who's a candidate for this list. Was not helped by Holtz thinking he was an option QB.
4. Hendrix: I never thought he was worth a crap. Early on it was apparent he was extremely high strung and had zero poise. Good athlete though, and probably should have stayed with baseball where he threw it in the 90s in HS. The 2nd half against USC was possibly the worst QB performance I've ever seen. I'd hate to go into the ER on a stretcher and see Dr. Hendrix be the one to save my life.
5. Golson: Unfathomable I'd have him on this list based on how much hope there was for him early on. His 2012 season remains his best where Kelly had him under wraps. After that, he seemed to do everything wrong at ND on and off the field. Like Powlus, got a little worse very year. I think he's a good person, don't in any way dislike him. But based on the amount of hype and hope when he came in and what his career descended into, he just makes it here
I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two on both lists. But that's my list off the cuff.
