Fansided

15 biggest NFL quarterback busts of all-time

By John Buhler

368299 Todd Marinovich of the Los Angeles Raiders against the Rams in 1991/92 season. On APRIL 25, 2000 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Former gridiron goldenboy Todd Marinovich was arrested on suspicion of rape today by deputies from the sheriff''s Marina del Rey station, authorities said. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell/Allsport/Online USA
368299 Todd Marinovich of the Los Angeles Raiders against the Rams in 1991/92 season. On APRIL 25, 2000 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Former gridiron goldenboy Todd Marinovich was arrested on suspicion of rape today by deputies from the sheriff''s Marina del Rey station, authorities said. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell/Allsport/Online USA /
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2 Dec 1989: Quarterback Andre Ware #11 of the Houston Cougars looks on during a game against the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. The Houston Cougars won the game 64-0.
2 Dec 1989: Quarterback Andre Ware #11 of the Houston Cougars looks on during a game against the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. The Houston Cougars won the game 64-0. /

Andre Ware. 5. player. 50. . Quarterback. Houston Cougars

Andre Ware is the only Heisman Trophy winner to make this list of all-time quarterback busts. Ware won the 1989 Heisman Trophy and the Davey O’Brien award while magnificently running the Run-and-Shoot Offense with the Houston Cougars.

In his junior season at Houston, Ware threw for 4,699 yards, 44 touchdowns, and ended up setting 26 NCAA records. While he was clearly a system quarterback, that didn’t stop the Lions from using their No. 7 overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft on the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.

Ware would spend four bad years with the Lions from 1990 to 1993 before bouncing around on some NFL practice squads, playing in the CFL, and later NFL Europe. Looking back on Ware’s NFL career, it seems very apparent that then Lions head coach Wayne Fontes had any interest in playing Ware at quarterback unless the Lions were either up big or in blowout situations.

Fontes would prefer to use Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer over Ware in his four forgettable seasons in Detroit. Ware would play in only 14 NFL games, start in just six, throwing for 1,112 yards, five touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a career quarterback rating of 63.5.

While Ware has carved out a great color commentary career since, it may have been in his best interest to return to Houston for his senior season in 1990 instead of entering the NFL Draft? If Fontes wasn’t going to play him, why did the Lions draft Ware No. 7 overall in 1990 in the first place?

Next: 4. Kelly Stouffer

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