The Top 100 QBs Since the Merger (80-61)

Cutler'd make that face no matter where I put him

Who were the top quarterbacks in the NFL since the merger?  Our series marches on with No. 61-80.  To see who we ranked in the 81-100 slots, click here.

80. Jon Kitna (1997-2011, Seahawks, Bengals, Lions, Cowboys)
Not everyone can say they were an undrafted quarterback that supplanted a future Hall of Famer and captured a division title in their second year, at age 26. Sometimes small school players like Donald Driver or Jason Taylor break through into NFL’s upper echelon, but it was far more startling when a Central Washington grad like Kitna managed to hit the ground running.

Kitna was necessitated to do lots of Brett Favre ‘gun slinging’ for some truly inept offenses throughout his fifteen year career, particularly in Detroit, where he topped 8000 yards over two seasons, but threw more picks than touchdowns. Indeed, Kitna’s arm was relied upon to save the day, throwing more than 400 passes in six seasons, and over 500 in four of those.

At his best, Kitna was go-getter who helped lead the likes of Seattle and Cincinnati (and almost Detroit in 2007) out of their cellars. His victory over the Seahawks as a Bengal in 2003, over coach Mike Holmgren who released him, might have been the sweetest victory of his long career.

To read the rest of this entry at Football Nation, click here