Detroit Lions all-time Mount Rushmore

Detroit Lions Mount Rushmore: QB Bobby Layne

The numbers don’t do him justice and quite the opposite from current field general Matthew Stafford. And it’s worth pointing out that rough-and-tumble quarterback Bobby Layne played in the All-America Football Conference for two seasons before joining the Detroit Lions in 1950. He would spend nine consecutive years in the Motor City and over that span, the franchise would win three league titles.

Now keep in mind that Layne was not around for the 1957 NFL Championship Game after breaking his ankle during the season. But his tenure with the Lions was one of excellence.

Now some would argue that the Lions won a pair of titles despite their gritty signal-caller. In four career postseason games, the Pro Football Hall of Famer combined for one touchdown pass and a dozen interceptions. But Layne was a larger-than-life figure that elevated the team to back-to-back victories over the Cleveland Browns in the 1952 and ’53 NFL title clashes.

That aforementioned ninth season saw Layne dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he would play for the next four-plus years. His days with the Lions as well as his final career numbers shows more interceptions than TD passes, much of that a sign of those teams. But there was a lot of moxie when it came to Layne.