30 worst quarterbacks who actually made the Pro Bowl, and what went wrong after
By Nick Villano
23. Greg Landry - Detroit Lions
1971 Season
This one is going way back, as Greg Landry was the starting quarterback for some early 70s Detroit Lions teams. He fought to be the full-time starter, and he finally got it in 1971. It appeared like he was worth the wait because he was immediately a Pro Bowler.
Landry threw for 2,200 yards and 16 touchdowns that season. These are not eye-popping numbers, but this is what 1970s football was. Not only that but he was named first-team All-Pro for his performance. He was a player who could lead his team to wins, and the Lions kept him on board for it.
See, but here’s the problem: the Lions weren’t winning. They were losing a lot. Landry played exactly one playoff game in his career, and it was in 1970, the year before he became the full-time starter. He did win the 1976 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, but that was literally his only accomplishment after 1971.
Despite this pure mediocrity, the Lions kept him as the starter for the next nine seasons. This isn’t even like what the Cincinnati Bengals did with Andy Dalton where they accepted a playoff ceiling. Landry wasn’t even doing that. His stats are fine, and there are 53 men on a roster, but Landry did not get the Lions beyond some regular season stats.