The Best NFL Player You’ve NEVER Heard Of 

Based on recent comments I felt it was appropriate to respond to a few points: 1) I’m not claiming Ken Anderson is better than Montana, of course. The thumbnail is hyperbole based on the opening clip in the video. I should have been clear within the video or just had a different thumbnail all together, so apologies for that. 2) It was also clear to me that Ken Anderson was well known when I was researching. I even mentioned how his name kept coming up. The title is not to be taken too seriously. 3) Now, this will apply to all of my videos. I don’t want to ever give the impression I am some kind of expert on the sport. Many of you grew up watching the game. I am from the UK, so I didn’t. I only discovered the sport in 2012/2013. I’m sorry if it bothers some of you that I’m young. What can I say. I understand the game has changed a lot, but it’s all I really know. I’m not a historian. These players never get mentioned when I watch games. Only the obvious ones do (Montana, Rice, Elway, etc), so I learn about this stuff through researching myself. I want to stress I’m no expert. I get things wrong all the time. But I enjoy the game, I like researching, and I hope to provide a unique spin in my videos. I will continue to strive and improve every video. Feedback and criticism is always noted. It helps me. Based on some of your comments I thought a proper response was warranted and I’ve got stuff to improve on for future videos. Can’t change my age though. Sorry for the lengthy comment. Thank you for your time and God bless.

Ken Anderson was every bit as good as Bradshaw, Stabler and Staubach. He never had epic defenses, but did come close to winning it all in 81'. He belongs in the HOF.

If you’ve never heard of Ken Anderson, you must be one of these newbies who thinks today’s NFL is really good.

When the Bengals were in the AFL (the league's last team to join in 1968) they had a quarterback named Greg Cook. He was the 1969 AFL rookie of the year. Sadly, injuries cut his career short, and is considered the greatest player you've never heard of. In 2012 he died in poverty and obscurity

When Bill Walsh was an assistant coach in San Diego in 1976, he turned Dan Fouts into one of the better QBs in the NFL (Fouts became a Hall of Famer under Don Coryell, but always gave Bill Walsh credit for turning his career around) by showing him footage of Ken Anderson. When Walsh was head coach in San Francisco, he did the same with Steve DeBerg and Joe Montana: using film of Ken Anderson to show the proper form and techniques of playing quarterback. Anderson was the prototype of the modern era quarterback. Unfortunately, he played for the Bengals: the Rodney Dangerfield of NFL teams. Even when they were good, they got very little respect or even attention from the press, and being sandwiched between storied franchises like Pittsburgh and Cleveland meant the team was always an afterthought.

Steelers fan here. Kenny Anderson was an elite QB, a tough competitor. It is a crime he is not in the NFL HOF.

I remember a time when i didn't know anything but Kenny Anderson

Played in a small market. He probably would have been remembered by more if he retired after his neck injury in 1983 instead of fading away for the next 3-4 years. Also, the transition from a Bill Walsh offense to older offenses then to a Lindy Infante offense in 80-82 took time. He won the passing rating title two times w/ Walsh and then two times with Infante. That was two totally different offenses. Infante had much more of a power run game and more vertical passing.

I have an autographed football by Kenny Anderson !!! 😁

Never heard of him?? Ken Anderson was mentally, physically tough man and seemed to never give in to the pressure.

Ken Anderson won league MVP in 1981. Lead Cincy to the SiperBowl. Absolutely underrated. Should be in the HOF

I remember him well. Him and Dan Fouts were two of the elite QBs in the 70s that could hold there own against the talent today. I agree with you that he should be in the HOF. Could have won a couple of SBs with the right mix around him. Remember that he played at a time when, due to the lack of free agency, bad franchises stayed bad franchises.

It was only called the "West Coast Offense" when Walsh went to SF. And Walsh had to come up with the offense at the direction of Paul Brown, after they lost their stud QB with the rocket arm.

Ken Anderson was well known and well thought of playing for the 1970s Bengals. I thought at first this video might have been about Greg Cook, who I saw play twice. Before his terrible injury, I saw him pick the Chargers apart with well over 300 yards passing and 3 passing TDs. After his rotator cuff injury, I saw him come back injured and still lead the Bengals in pinning the only regular season loss on the Raiders. Cook is the greatest QB that was only healthy for 2 1/2 games of his short career. He might have been in the same class with Johnny Unitas and Tom Brady. Coach Paul Brown compared him to Otto Graham, who many believe to be the best QB ever when compared to the peers in his era.

Kenny Anderson is the GREATEST bengals QB until Joe Burrow. He should be in Canton.

As a Steelers fan, I’ll never forget Anderson. He torched the Steelers many times, especially in the early 80s when the Bengals became a real threat. And then they gave the 49ers a good run in their first SB meeting. It’s safe to say that Anderson was underrated.

I’ve always advocated that he should be in the HOF ever since I found out that he wasn’t in.

Selectors of the HoF often don't know what they're talking about. Ken Anderson belongs in the HoF.

KEN Anderson had the misfortune of being in a Super toufht AFC Central division.

From Wikipedia... He has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame several times, and on two occasions was among the 15 finalists for enshrinement (1996 and 1998). he was a finalist a third time for the senior committee in 2023 but missed out on being one of the final three. In 2011, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Anderson to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2011.[3 .

Love Ken Andersen. I am a Bengals fan but he was not better than Joe Montana not even close.

I knew him my dad when I was friends with Forest Greg. He was nice and deserved better than he got. He was snubbed because they lost all the superbowl they were in. He currently plays r used to live on Hilton Head island.

I'm not, let me reiterate, I am not a Cincinnati Bengals fan, BUT I have to admit, Ken Anderson was indeed a technician. He was beautiful to watch. Even Terry Bradshaw had to admit that he had to be on his P's and Q's when he played against Ken Anderson.

Wow, I've lived a lie all this time and thought he had only been a Brown! Thanks.

I remember he was a backup & the trainer for Boomer Esiason & filled in a couple of games back in the late 1980's & even as a much older Anderson; he was moving the Bengal offense upfield with ease & the Bengals would score touchdowns & he looked like a hall of famer back then & that was well after his prime! & not to forget he barley lost that 1981 Superbowl as the Bengals came back & scored up to 26 unanswered points & I think the game was like 28- 26 with Montana winning his first Superbowl debut but Ken was clearly one of the best QB's that played against Joe Montana then Dan Marino! Both missed their chance to get a ring but Joe Montana always played with like an above 100+ QBR rating one time he had like a 120+ QBR against John Elway & the Denver Broncos!

I remeber he was older player that won nfl mvp 1981 and took Cincinnati Bengals too first super bowl by beating chargers freezer bowl -59 degrees 27-7 came up short to 49ers 26-21 at Detroit Pontiac Silverdome.

Ken Anderson was a well known QB of his time anyone following football in 70s and 80s were well aware of his abilities.

Who hasn't heard of Ken Anderson ? When a 300 yd game was like 'holy shit' !

Ya def should in hall fame grow up in 80s ... got chance to see him play on Sunday's he was nice would love him to get in !

The sad thing about Hall of Fames, especially NFL, is that elections are a lot like choosing a class president in High School; it's more about flash than substance and it's not even the flash of the player himself, it's more about the team or the city in which he played. The HOF is not legitimate when players as good as Kenny are left out because they played for the Bengals.

I've totally heard of him.

Criminally underrated. I always go with the conceit of imagining him on another HOF'er's team and vice versa. For example, swap Terry Bradshaw and Ken Anderson. Does Anderson win a bunch of Super Bowls, or does Bradshaw still rise to the top and bring those Bengals teams to four Super Bowls? I'd put my money on Anderson. Same thing with Stabler and Anderson (and Stabler was my first QB hero before Montana!) As much as I believe Roger Craig should be in the HOF, Anderson is probably in line just ahead of him.

Those of us who started watching the NFL in the early 1970s certainly heard of and remember Kenny Anderson. As for the Hall of Fame, he probably would have made it if the Bengals had won the Super Bowl in 1981. I'm not sure that the small market argument is convincing: the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s appeared in three World Series, winning two back-to-back, many of those players are in the Hall of Fame and the one excluded should be in. On the other hand, one could argue that baseball and football are not directly comparable, that Phil Simms, who had one stellar Super Bowl performance, has not made it (yet), and the jury is still out on Eli Manning who won two Super Bowls.

How is he not in the HOF.

If he were better than Joe, he’d have been brought to SF with Walsh. He wasn’t. However he’s DEFINITELY underrated and should be in the HOF

Yes, I remember Anderson and a slew of other really good quarterbacks you young ones never heard of from the 70s. These guys played QB in the man’s version of the NFL. No “in the grass”, no slide rule, you could knock the QB down even after he threw the ball or had just stepped out of bounds, many called their own plays ( imagine that), they took head shots, you could hit them low and at the knees. Brady, Mahomes are good, yes, BUT their careers would be substantially shorter if they played in that era. Look at videos on how Joe Namath walked at the end of his career and that gives you young ones an idea what happened to a QB who got hit too much in the 70s. You’ll realize the NFL today is a cupcake league compared to what it once was.

nex vid? the baddest nfl player you've never heard of : only person that long jumped 27 feet and 23 second 200m :

70's was real man football

I like this video. I have created a formula that allows us to compare quarterbacks from all eras equally. First you compare them to the average quarterback of their own era and then to each other. I do this using 16 different statistical categories. I have done 2,000 hours of research and written a book. Anderson is the first quarterback to have a chapter in my book so I can make his career an example of what analysts do wrong when evaluating quarterbacks. I have ranked all of the Hall of Fame quarterbacks that started careers after 1947 and Ken Anderson ranks as the 15th greatest of all time. Montana ranks 13th and Steve Young is 9th. Ken is ahead of many quarterbacks already inducted in the Hall of Fame. However he is not the most underrated player not in the Hall of Fame. That honor goes to Jim Marshall. Pro Football Reference ranks Marshall as having the 5th greatest career of any defensive lineman to start a career after 1959 and still he waits for induction.

Warner led the cards to an NFC Championship WIN!

It's the Hall of FAME, not the hall of statistics, or the best of anyone else not in the HOF. Football is a game of inches. It's not a matter of making a logical argument based on "statistics", and here's a stat to make my point: QBs who throw for 300+ yards in a game win

Anderson was MVP of the NFL the yr the Niners beat them for their 1st SB He's not even the best Bengals QB. Greg Cook was amazing

I watched him in the 1981 AFC championship game. He was so much better than Fouts

Greg Cook (1969) might have been the Bengals best QB ever; if not for injuries. Cannon for an arm and big and mobile.

I HAVE heard of him.

Ken Anderson may be the best QB in Bengals history

I remember kenny very well great passer

Hall of famer.

He's definitely better than Terry Bradshaw, who won four Super Bowls. And Dan Fouts, who never reached a Super Bowl, thanks to the "Freezer Bowl" against Anderson's Bengals- but is a Hall of Famer.

Those metal helmets look like something made by Tonka in that era.

I enjoyed your video, this far. One stat I would like to touch on in regards to the QB position. There is a current top 100 pick 6 list. Patrick Mahomes is on it! Brett Favre is definitely in the top tier! Brady, both Manning's, Elway, Marino, Young, Montana, Moon, Warner, 2 time MVP Jackson.... Etc, etc, ....Not Josh Allen! Just saying! Punt picks are a thing!

He was awesome! I am a Steelers fan and Ioved his play! It was not a QB league then! Good teams lost to the Steelers because of the Steelers Defense!! They were punishing!!

He was a damn good quarterback. he lost head-to-head versus Joe montana tho

indeed .

Nice Video! Keep it up

Go Augie

Joe Namath is the greatest of all time.

Ken Anderson was a good quarterback but no he was not better than Joe Montana.

Great player, on a bum organization. 1981 was his shot, but interceptions matter in January. Great stats, but not sure if it puts him in. Helluva QB.

Had he won a Super Bowl, there’s no doubt he would’ve been elected to the hof. His stats are light years better than Namath’s.

Chargers beat th dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the orange bowl in Miami in a hot humid day with Kellen Winslow big day 13 catches for 166 yes and a score with blocked field goal and Dan Fouts passing record 434 yards 2 or 3 scoring passes.

3:33 meet in the Super Bowl in 1991?

Yeah if hed a beat montana in the sb

Kurt Warner woulda been back to the Iowa Barnstormers had Trent Green not blew out his ACL during the final preseason game for St Louis.. Want proof?? Who was Dick Vermeil's handpicked QB to run his record setting offense in Kansas City?? It damn sure wasnt Kurt Warner lol

0:06 For us to say that Ken Anderson is better then Joe Montana you are also Saying that Ken Anderson is better The Dan Marino Bernie Kosar Joe Namath and Peyton Manning and Johnny Unitas and we all know that ain’t true.

Dan Pastorini>Ken Anderson lol

He wasn't better than Joe Montana but he was better than a lot of other QB's from that era that are in the HOF. Better than Bob Griese, Terry Bradshaw, Ken Stabler, Joe Namath, Len Dawson. Those QB's all won Super Bowls so that is probably why he hasn't been enshrined.

I liked Anderson very much, great player, but nowhere near Montana. Joe Montana was the best QB ever.

Best player we've never head of? You must be a Millennial, or worse yet from one of those end-of-the-alphabet generations. Literally anyone that follows football and was watching the game back in the day not only knows who Ken Anderson is, we remember him well and are well aware of his greatness.

Great QB on a usually bad to mediocre team. NOT close to Joe Montana.

I'm rolling with Ken O'Brien and maybe even Bobby Hebert over Ken Anderson....

Better than Joe Montana?? So he won 5 super bowls. Stupid video.

Ken Anderson was the 1st West Coast Offensive QB. Walsh was his OC. Anderson was the trailblazer for the future. But, it's the Bengals, not unlike the Bears. The owners hate their QB's there. Treat every great QB like dirt in Cincinnati. Burrow the 1st QB the Bengal ownership treated decent.