[OldBill]

in my thread i started for NFL trivia i tried finding new questions and couldnt find 1 RB that never played in a SB

but found 10 greatest players never to play in any SB

10. Jeff Blake (1992-2005)

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 2000. The one time Blake did link up with an above-average defense was 2000, when he joined the Saints. Blake started 7-4, only to break his foot and miss the remainder of the season. Aaron Brooks took over and led the Saints into the postseason, where they upset the defending champion Rams before losing to the Vikings in the divisional round. This was Blake's only trip to the playoffs.
9. Randall Cunningham (1985-2001)


Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 1998. The following season, Cunningham took over as the Vikings' starter. Buoyed by the addition of first-round pick Randy Moss, Cunningham went 13-1 and led one of the most devastating offenses in league history to the NFC Championship Game. The Vikings led Atlanta 27-20 with 2 minutes, 11 seconds left and were about to seal the game with a 38-yard field goal by Gary Anderson, who had made 122 consecutive kicks over two years. He pushed his attempt wide. The Falcons subsequently tied the score in regulation and won it in overtime.

8. Jay Cutler (2006-17)

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 2010. After comfortably handling the Beast Quake Seahawks at home, Cutler was one home victory against the Packers away from a trip to the Super Bowl. It didn't go well. He suffered a knee injury during the first half and struggled, going 6-of-14 for 80 yards with an interception.

7. Jeff Garcia (1999-2009)

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 2006. The 49ers were blown out by the eventual Super Bowl champion Bucs the following week in 2002.
6. Jim Everett (1986-97)

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 1989. Everett started playoff games in three seasons, but after losing the opener in 1986 and 1988, his defense finally showed up in 1989. The Rams won on road trips east against the Eagles and Giants in games in which the defense allowed a total of 20 points. In the NFC Championship Game, though, the defense finally gave out in a 30-3 blowout against the 49ers.

5. Jim Hart (1966-84) holy crap thats 18 years

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: None. Hart's Cardinals never really came close to Super Bowl contention, even if they were one of the league's best regular-season teams for several seasons under Coryell.

[OldBill]

4. Tony Romo (2003-16)


Closest trip to Super Bowl: 2014. Romo's final playoff run was likely his best chance at glory. Supported by a devastating running game, he went 12-3 during the regular season. The Cowboys beat the Lions in the wild-card round after the referees controversially reversed a pass interference call on Anthony Hitchens without explanation.
The following week saw the Cowboys dispatched by another controversial call when a fourth-and-2 touchdown catch by Dez Bryant was ruled incomplete on review. The score would have given the Cowboys a 27-26 lead over the Packers with the conversion pending. While Green Bay would have had four minutes to take the lead, a Cowboys victory would have set them up for a rematch against a Seattle team they had beaten at home earlier in the season.
I'm not sure the Cowboys would have made it to the Super Bowl if the referees had ruled Bryant caught the ball, but that replay review was as close as Romo

3. Dan Fouts (1973-87)

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 1980. The closest Fouts ever came to a Super Bowl, then, is his one remaining playoff trip. After throwing for 314 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback win over the Bills, Fouts and the Chargers were four-point favorites in the AFC Championship Game at home against the Raiders. On the third play of the game, the Raiders saw a pass bounce off of one receiver and into the arms of tight end Raymond Chester, who took it to the house for a 65-yard touchdown. Oakland got up 28-7 in the second quarter, and while Fouts was able to lead a comeback to get within one touchdown at 34-27 with 6:43 to go, the Raiders were able to hold the ball for the remainder of the game without needing to punt.
2. Warren Moon (1984-2000)

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 1993. The best team Moon quarterbacked was this 12-4 Oilers team, which finished fourth in the league in both points scored and points allowed. The Oilers got a first-round bye and then started with a home game against the Chiefs, whom Moon & Co. had beaten 30-0 in Week 2. The big difference, of course, was that Dave Krieg was starting in September and Joe Montana was back in the lineup by the time January rolled around. A 37-year-old Montana threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, and while Montana was picked off twice, Moon was sacked nine times and responsible for five of Houston's seven fumbles. The Oilers broke up their team as a result of the league's new salary cap after the season, with Moon leaving for the Vikings.

1. Philip Rivers (2004-)

Closest trip to the Super Bowl: 2007. I wrote about this postseason several times in my Brees alternate history from 2018, so this might be familiar. Everyone remembers that the Giants eventually slayed the beast and upset the 18-0 Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, but along the way, the Patriots slipped. The Chargers should have been able to take advantage, but they were prevented by a bevy of injuries.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Hi, Billy. This one is always an opinion. Hard to come to a sound conclusion...BUT:

...it's crazy to NOT list Barry Sanders on that top 10. Realistically top 3 AT WORST.

9) Cunningham was close but the missed FG vs ATL.

3) Fouts. Chargers had a great team in 1980, almost. Freezer Bowl next year in Cincinnati.

1) Rivers will go down as a great player. In the 2007 game at New Eng, Rivers hobbled around, was supposedly playing on TWO blown-out ACLs.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Billy, I'll go one step further: *What hack wrote that article?

Really, THE key name on the list should be Dick Butkus. Butkus/Sayers joined the Bears after the Bears had won in 1963. Butkus was a menace, the team just wasn't that good.

[Ian]

Good calls by Chucky on Butkus and Barry Sanders.

I definitely agree with Dan Fouts being high on the list. Air Coryell was revolutionary and Fouts had the chops to make it work in an era where passing was much more difficult than it is today. The problem was the Chargers defense was almost as epically bad as the offense was epically good.

[OldBill]

yup your right guys barry sanders should be up there and Dick butkis

[ChuckyTheGoat]

yup your right guys barry sanders should be up there and Dick butkis

Yes, Bill. It's a pretty lame list. Surely the author is < 35 yrs old.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Got one for you, Billy. No peaking:

*1985 Super Bowl Bears vs Patriots. What Hall of Fame player played his last game in that Super Bowl and then retired?

[ChuckyTheGoat]

I'd have to give this some more thought. It's a long list. I'll work on it this weekend:

*Another guy who jumps off the page at me = Def End Leroy Selmon.

Almost made it in 1979 with the Bucs. Most of his Buc teams weren't so good.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Another EZ one: LaDainian Tomlinson.

What hack wrote that list?

[OldBill]

brb with auathors name

lol now im fnding more list showing differnt players

[OldBill]

The Greatest Football Players To Never Appear In A Super Bowl
By Brian Boone/Updated: Feb. 14, 2023 4:24 pm EST

Steve Largent (wide receiver) Sehawks
Tony Gonzalez (tight end) CHIEFS
Dick Butkus (linebacker) DA BEARS
O.J. Simpson (running back)
Barry Sanders (running back)
Warren Moon (quarterback) OILERS Titans
Deacon Jones (defensive end) RAMS
Merlin Olsen (defensive tackle) RAMS
LaDainian Tomlinson (running back) Chargers
Eric Dickerson (running back) RAMS
Gale Sayers (halfback) BEARS
Earl Campbell (running back) OILERS

[Da Manster!]

Good thread William! Here's a good one for ya...Who are the only 4 QB's in NFL History to start a Super Bowl wearing a #11 jersey? Two are easy, two are very hard (almost impossible unless you cheat)...This was my final question on the Kevin Sheehan show (local sports radio personality in the DMV area). I got the two easy ones, whiffed on the hard ones! almost won $500! It should be noted I only had like 15 seconds to come up with the answers so I had to deal with time constraints.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

The Greatest Football Players To Never Appear In A Super Bowl
By Brian Boone/Updated: Feb. 14, 2023 4:24 pm EST

Steve Largent (wide receiver) Sehawks
Tony Gonzalez (tight end) CHIEFS
Dick Butkus (linebacker) DA BEARS
O.J. Simpson (running back)
Barry Sanders (running back)
Warren Moon (quarterback) OILERS Titans
Deacon Jones (defensive end) RAMS
Merlin Olsen (defensive tackle) RAMS
LaDainian Tomlinson (running back) Chargers
Eric Dickerson (running back) RAMS
Gale Sayers (halfback) BEARS
Earl Campbell (running back) OILERS

Exactly. That list was terrible.

If we're talking players who played MOST of their career in the Super Bowl era, that's a much better list.

1) The Rams with Olsen/DeaconJ/Gabriel got close. If they got a little luckier, they could have broken thru.
2) Campbell Oilers had to get past the Steelers. And the Renfro catch was a TD that they didn't credit.

[Ian]

Got one for you, Billy. No peaking:

*1985 Super Bowl Bears vs Patriots. What Hall of Fame player played his last game in that Super Bowl and then retired?

The 2nd best player in Patriots history: John Hannah.

[OldBill]

Good thread William! Here's a good one for ya...Who are the only 4 QB's in NFL History to start a Super Bowl wearing a #11 jersey? Two are easy, two are very hard (almost impossible unless you cheat)...This was my final question on the Kevin Sheehan show (local sports radio personality in the DMV area). I got the two easy ones, whiffed on the hard ones! almost won $500! It should be noted I only had like 15 seconds to come up with the answers so I had to deal with time constraints.

of course i have no time restraints hmmmmmm # 11 thinking blahhhhhhhhhhhh drawing blanks

ok drew bledsoe of patriots phill simms of nyg Earl Morrall QB number 4 Mark Rypien: QB Washington Redskins

[OldBill]

Got one for you, Billy. No peaking:

*1985 Super Bowl Bears vs Patriots. What Hall of Fame player played his last game in that Super Bowl and then retired?

ummmm guessing here walter peyton

[Da Manster!]

of course i have no time restraints hmmmmmm # 11 thinking blahhhhhhhhhhhh drawing blanks

ok drew bledsoe of patriots phill simms of nyg Earl Morrall QB number 4 Mark Rypien: QB Washington Redskins

good job! you got three!...I actually screwed up on the question....there were 5 QB's who wore #11 and started a Super Bowl...I got the same exact three you did...(Rypien, Simms, Bledsoe)...Morrall was incorrect...Here are the other two QB's that are almost impossible to guess: Tony Eason (1985 Pats) and Joe Kapp (1969 Vikings)!

[Snowball]

Not counting pre-SB era players.

Not repeating any mentioned yet.

Dan Marino (quarterback)
Vinny Testaverde (quarterback)
Philip Rivers (quarterback)
Mark Gastineau (defensive end)
Joe Klecko (defensive lineman)
Larry Fitzgerald (wide receiver)
Tony Gonzalez (tight end)

[Da Manster!]

Not counting pre-SB era players.

Not repeating any mentioned yet.

Dan Marino (quarterback)
Vinny Testaverde (quarterback)
Philip Rivers (quarterback)
Mark Gastineau (defensive end)
Joe Klecko (defensive lineman)
Larry Fitzgerald (wide receiver)
Tony Gonzalez (tight end)

Fitzgerald and Marino both played in Super Bowls.

[OldBill]

Not counting pre-SB era players.

Not repeating any mentioned yet.

Dan Marino (quarterback)
Vinny Testaverde (quarterback)
Philip Rivers (quarterback)
Mark Gastineau (defensive end)
Joe Klecko (defensive lineman)
Larry Fitzgerald (wide receiver)
Tony Gonzalez (tight end)

question was for quaterbacks only that strated in superbowls who wore #11

[ChuckyTheGoat]

The 2nd best player in Patriots history: John Hannah.

Yes, great call, Ian.

Ask that questions to 3 of your friends. I feel confident that more than half would answer Walter Payton. But Payton played a few years after that.