Evolution of the Quarterback: History of Every Style From Scramblers to Cannon Arms! | NFL Explained 

Who ever came up with this video idea at NFL Throwback is a legend

Can't stop at QB's now... We need a piece on RB's, WR's.... you get my point

I have seen Mahomes and Elway make some crazy off angle passes, but that behind the back pass from Jurgenson was just crazy.

"That's not an arm that's a gun, you gotta have a permit to carry that thing." John Madden, you are missed sir.

It's crazy to think about QBs back in the early days playing multiple positions. Otto Graham legitimately played defense in the same games he played QB. Like imagine nowadays Lamar Jackson throwing a TD pass then getting right back on the field and covering Tyreek Hill. Lol

“You got any left handed footballs?” Dear lord, I did not expect that level of gold to come out of Favre’s mouth. 10/10.

Sammy Baughs 4 TDs (as QB) and 4 INTs (as DB) game is just unbelievable. Wow. Imagine any QB today breaking offensive and defensive records, let alone in one game...

Please do the other positions this video was so amazing to watch. As a young (22) fan of the nfl it means a lot to be able to see the history behind what made this sport so great. You hear names mentioned all the time but to actually see the film alongside makes it so much better.

NFL Throwback is back at it with new forms of history that we don’t know about

NFL THROWBACK will never let the history of football die off or be forgotten.. So many legends ... All of them great.. Love these videos...

Hurts to see how amazing Russ was and how much he has struggled this year

Two Things: I am so happy that y'all put Vick on the list, I was baffled when you didn't put him under 'scrambler' and was scared you were going to diss him by not including him. I was relieved when I saw he did come up later as 'dual threat'. I am also very happy you put Brady at the top, can't argue with that. I truly feel lucky to be alive during the same timeline to be able to see what he has done. Awesome video! Rarely do I find a video this long that I won't even look up from.

I swear, NFL Throwback is literally producing some of the most bingeable content on RU-vid. I'm not even from USA, but here I am, sitting through almost an hour of a sport I've never heard of. Hats off.

This concept needs to be done for every position, not only does it teach new people interested in the game, but it puts the leagues history/lore into a understandable order

I’m not even a huge NFL fan, I’m a premier league football / la liga football fan (soccer), but this video was wildly entertaining, super helpful, and very well organized and put together. Great job. Started liking football by seeing Brett Favre pass the baton to Aaron Rodgers, and how they always seemed to get out of a mess miraculously.

Amazing video. In my mind, one QB trailblazer was Doug Flutie, who paved the way for some of the shorter quarterbacks in this video. Flutie was on the shorter end for a quarterback, standing at 5 feet 10 inches. Flutie won the Heisman Trophy in 1984 and was a starter in the USFL for one year before the league folded. Went to the Bears and later the Patriots before getting cut (NE fell apart after his departure).

please do another video of this kind but with coaches and their innovations instead. that would be incredibly interesting to watch as well

Just for anyone that isn’t old enough to know, the Tecmo Bowl series on NES only had 8 plays; 4 passing, 4 running, Randall Cunningham was the only quarterback that had his own run play… 25% of the Eagles’ running game in that game was Cunningham.

Aaron Rodgers belongs in the precision passers category more so than the one he was put in. Sure he can scramble, but his accuracy is unmatched. Randall Cobb has 3 defenders on him? A-rod already sees an opening, and boom, touchdown.

Man this was absolutely amazing. And ended it absolutely perfectly. Jesus Christ that was great. Whoever produced and wrote this please do every sport. I’ll even watch a curling one lol

There's something so majestic and regal about a quarterback photographed during his pass attempt: the concentration in their eyes, the throwing motion, the sideway stance. It's all so distinct and unique.

mahomes is 100% gonna try that behind the back throw that jurgenson did this year

Incredible list and breakdown. As mentioned in the end, we don't all have to agree on every piece of it, or which categories certain guys belong to, but the attention to detail to show the entirety of the position from its inception was really outstanding. Keep providing great content NFL Throwback!!

I have never heard of Fritz Polllard before but he definitely is a worthy HOFer. This is such an interesting video, but I am so glad that it included the barrier buster section. And this kind of video elicits a lot of controversy and discussion - but in a good way. Michael Vick is not mentioned in the Scramblers category? EDIT: Nevermind, Mike Vick was mentioned in the LAST section for dual threats, which is slightly different than the scramblers.

You guys don't do long form stuff often but when you do...It's GOLD! I will watch this intently when I have a chance.

It's great to see a video that doesn't suffer recency bias but actually covers the entire history of the NFL. Some names I'm familiar with many I'm not, which is a good thing.

This was utterly fantastic. I was expecting this to drop the ball, but it was thorough and on point. Well done. Thank you.

This is easily one of the most awesome and informative and brilliant documentaries I have ever seen. A 'must-see' for any NFL fan -especially someone who has at least a 'passing' interest in the history of the game. Though I have been an NFL fan my entire life, I am constantly learning new things and always recognizing that the era I grew up in, though very special and memorable, isn't necessarily the best. So many predecessors were so innovative and ahead of their time in their own right. It's so difficult, if not impossible, to compare eras -- things that are done great now by athletes were done very well 60+ years ago... I'm unfamiliar with many athletes of bygone eras -though I've heard of such players as Sid Luckman, Sonny Jorgensen, etc.-however they were before my time. Watching film of Sonny Jorgensen throw perfect awesomely-accurate spirals and 'behind-his-back' accurate passes many many years ago is amazing; I haven't ever seen, that I can remember, a 'behind-the-back' pass attempted by modern quarterbacks... I have long-since known of Otto Graham, who was before my era -- many NFL historians consider him to be the greatest NFL quarterback ever. The categorizing of quarterbacks into various categories in this documentary -- and the various 'branches' that all great quarterbacks descend from is also brilliant and superbly-interesting...

I’ll admit it, I hadn’t watched a lot of Otto Graham highlights, but wow, those throws were clean. People that say old players wouldn’t be able to make it today are ignorant. With our modern training and nutrition, they would be every bit as elite as they were back then.

Sammy baugh was an animal. Led the league in passing, punting and interceptions(as a defender) in one year. An absolute Washington legend. Play for play, one of the GOATs

This is seriously underrated. So much historical information. Love it

Should make a video of how offenses and defenses have changed over the years as well if you haven’t already!

This was absolutely amazing! The best part is Randall Cunningham was given the respect he deserves! Growing up the Eagles were not my team, but Cunningham was by far my favorite player! I had posters, I had figures, I even had a shirt with his face on it. This video brought him up to legendary status where he belongs. Nice job!

Thank you NFL Films and Steve Sabol. This is the best video I've seen in awhile

AMAZING!!!! Thank You for Sharing. Cheers

i know the guy who caught Unitas' last touchdown pass as a Colt, wide receiver Eddie Hinton. It was a short dinker that Hinton turned into a long touchdown. Unitas was at the end of his career, and the Colts were soundly beating the Bills. The crowd chanted "We want Unitas!" and the Colts faked an injury on their starting QB to send old Unitas out and throw one last touchdown, to an otherwise average NFL receiver with barely 1800 career yards, immortalizing Eddie Hinton as part of Unitas' last touchdown pass. Who says you can't romanticize football?

"You dont throw the ball with your stomach, you throw it with your arm" -Sonny Jurgensen🤣🤣🤣🤣

Thanks vm & merry xmas! Very educational. One on the history of defenses would be fantastic as per the tree of passing offenses etd. Thanks again from London UK.

as a Rugby League Football die hard that's recently started to really get into American Football this video helps me appreciate this sport just that little bit more, great video

Imo each era of the NFL has had amazing QBs.

Dude I can't believed what i just watched. So good, learned so much. Thanks Benny Friedman for making football better😉

Thanks for this video. I really enjoyed it and felt it was well put together. I appreciate the nod to the older trendsetting QBs and the Barrier Busters branch was a nice touch. Narration was clean and quality too. Big thumbs up NFL production team.

The absolutely BEST football videos I've ever seen. I'm looking forward to seeing more about that about other positions. I know it's hard, but that's one brilliant idea, to make position like a tree. keep doing that, please

Great video overall, I think Joe Kapp was the only QB I thought deserved a mention that we didn’t hear about. Kapp was throwing jump passes decades before Mahomes and helped legitimize QB’s who transitioned from the CFL to the NFL (like Warren Moon).

Would love to see this with as many positions as possible. RBs or WRs for sure. Maybe a defensive position like Safety.

Excellent video! Really appreciated the love for the old guys that this generation doesn’t know about.

This might be the most interesting football video I’ve ever seen. Great work! Thank you to all involved.

I wouldn't be surprised to see multiple moblie QBs on the field regularly in a few decades. The wildcat receiver passes and philly special show that you can make massive gains by expirementing with who's throwing and preharps that's becomes the future of the game and the natural add-on to the spread and airraid offenses.

I've always wanted a video on the history or evolution of the quarterback. Amazing video once again.

This video was great to watch. Alot of QBs Im remembering that had their own unique talents in the game that make it so special to watch and play.

This was one of the greatest videos I've ever seen. Thank you

Calling Ben the “full package”… whoever wrote this either needs to watch their words, or deserves a raise 😂

The fact that Warren Moon is on here, I'm stoked as can be!!!

What a great video. I learned a lot and enjoyed some great memories.

Great video 👍🏾! Thank you for the Barrier Breaker part, I was wondering when we were going to see it and you didn't disappoint 👏🏾!

Ken “the snake” Stabler was unique in that his nickname and early career stems from his amazing scrambling ability. But later became an insane long distance passer as injuries took away his scrambling ability.

I love this. Especially when they forget to mention Warren Moon had to make a name for himself in the CFL for 5 years before the NFL ever looked at him lol.

Amazing video.. we absolutely need a running back and wr video like this please!!!

Exceptional video and concept and execution. Top shelf fellas. I agree with everything you said.

Love to see some Randall Cunningham love. Only one to lead the league in QB rushing yards one season and passing yards another season. Wild.

How is Peyton Manning not in Playbook Master? He literally has Playbooks in his head. Called plays at the line of scrimmage

Excellent presentation! Really great…

nice to see DT at 1:58 , RIP brother

As a Steelers fan I appreciate that Ben was included in the prototype category. He may have started off as a scrambler/backyard bomber but he developed so much throughout his career that he truly became a master of every aspect of the position. He went from a gunslinger to running the offense and releasing the ball quicker than anyone else. He doesn’t get enough credit for that from most fans

Probably the coolest, most detailed video I’ve seen about football. Can’t imagine the time put into this. Hundreds and hundreds of hours.

NFL Throwback is the king of showing nfl clips from back in the day

Great video great quality and great graphic. Good work

Had to wait a long time but I finally got the Cunningham mention I was waiting for. As someone living in a country with no real connection to the sport growing up Randall could have made me an Eagles or Vikings supporter, if some guy called Barry hadn't already stolen my heart. I also have a soft spot for Moon (and Flutie) who had to defy preconceptions and take the long long road to the NFL.

Great video- I was really expecting Favre to have his own category called "the gunslingers"

Damn, this video was amazing, and really well thought out. Make more please!

Love the video, and the structure of it.

I have loved football all my life but I fell in love with the NFL in 98 because of Randall Cunnigham. I was kicking the ground for 40 minutes until he showed up on this list. Kudos to creative team involved with the concept and layout of this piece. Add Ironman, toughman, longevity, backups, closers, the guys like Colt Mccoy, or Vinny Testaverde, the players who were around forever that pop up every 3 or 4 years on another team. The unexpected list. That would be noteworthy branch or root of the tree.

This is one of the most incredible videos I've seen. I'm a big nfl junkie and I wish my friend and fellow junkie could have watched this with me and have a huge discussion about each of the qbs and which other qbs should be added where. I need more of this!

I feel like the music was everything. That allowed me to stay longer.

This is one of the best sports videos in sports. I loved it that it does not really rank players. To rank is to insult. Rather this video shows why each player is exceptional based on their uniqueness. Wonderful!

Scrambling QB’s? Michael Vick. Randall Cunningham. Warren Moon. This is a superb video. Loaded with info & history. UPDATE: OK, I spoke too soon. You covered every base. What excellent content!!

Mannings brain, Montanas leadership, Elways arm, Marinos release, Moons spiral, Favres toughness, Bradys timing, Brees accuracy, Vicks speed, Mahomes play making.

A great video, entertaining and informative. That said, there is one glaring omission that I see, and that's leaving Bob Griese off of the "Playbook Masters" branch. As a Pro he went to 3 straight Super Bowls (winning 2), and made playoff appearances in 7 of his 13 seasons, with a record of 12-7 (back when there where only 4 playoff teams per conference), including 5 seasons in a row from 1970-1974. He was selected to 8 Pro Bowls, and led the AFC in QB rating in 1971. He established his reputation as the “Thinking Man's Quarterback,” by brilliantly calling his own plays throughout his career. This while leading a team that was primarily run oriented and in an era that was predominantly run oriented.

I just found about this channel, this will definitely take place of my history audiobooks and 9 hours of NFL pods

Great to see the OG QB's such as Otto Graham and Sid Luckman get their shine.

I could watch hours and hours of this kind of stuff about the history of the NFL and the evolution of the game and its players over the past 100 or so years now. Please keep releasing these about other positions in football!

Awesome video I love seeing the old highlights

Great video!

I miss these kind of videos.

Watched the entire thing from start to finish. Seriously awesome content!!

Great vid!

Good and entertaining content. Well done.

I think you nailed it. Fantastic. I’ve heard and watched videos of all these guys. But to have in all in a nicely done video is great.

I’ve learned so much football history thanks to NFL Throwback. 💯🔥

This vid should be called *History class*

Very cool series.

I absolutely LOVE this channel. Can y'all possibly do a breakdown or evolution of the split and TE positions? Really great and informative content, as always. I watch this channel most of my free time when I'm on RU-vid.

Fully enjoyed this. Like always NFL Throwback delivering quality content we didn't know we needed. Much Love, Keep it up!

Randall Cunningham was my sports idol growing up - even had the kids Hutch Kelly green 12 jersey, silver pants and shoulder pads. I felt like the man wearing that, like I could run through a brick wall haha. Randall is still probably my favorite QB of all time, he was so exciting to watch and the 90s Eagles had the best NFL jersey kit in history, facts! - from a Steelers fan

This is the best NFL documentary I've seen since old school NFL Films

Peyton said that Omaha wasn’t him calling an audible. It just meant that the play clock was low and they need to hurry up and hike the ball. I’m surprised nfl films didn’t do more research.

Just a great job giving a real comprehensive look at the history of one of the most complex jobs in sports. Outstanding.

This. Was. Great. Thanks!

Man. this video is a treat . Learned so much in just one video. Feel like a kid walking through a hall of greats.

You guy always deliver when it comes to the history and evolution of NFL. Hats off