There Can Be Only One
By author
Source: Yardbarker.com
Last Monday night as I often do, I watched an abysmal game played by two teams that are underachieving yet inexplicably still fawned by the national sports media. I of course am talking about the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. During this horrid game and the round-robin of “who’s turn is it to grab the next beer?” the conversation turned towards the NFL’s memo to all teams about their strengthened enforcement of the defenseless receiver/helmet to helmet contact rules.
Don’t stop reading. This article has nothing to do with that tired subject.
So as the conversation always does, it evolved into a Chiefs debate. The reason I bring up the NFL memo is that it got us to talking about Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, and his contribution to the NFL rule system. That contribution being that a player can no longer karate chop his opponent on the top of the head while tackling them in an attempt to knock them unconsciousness. Oh the times they are a changing…
Thanks to the modern marvels of cell phone technology, wireless internet, and alcohol producing yeast fermentation I soon found myself in the midst of Chiefs Wikipedia heaven. After perusing the hilarious quotes of Fred the Hammer I stumbled upon the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback page and it raised a question that I now put to all the Addicts out there:
Who is your favorite Chiefs quarterback of all time?
Mine is after the jump.
Now let me be clear. I do mean favorite here and not who you think is the best. Anyone can go through the stats and figure out that drafted quarterback Doug Hudson’s one NFL stat for a sack fumble in the end zone puts him at the top of the list, right? But seriously, Lenny the Cool has the ring, Trent has every other significant statistic, and JoMo took us to the AFC Championship. Yet as a writer of opinions, to me none of that is de facto when thinking of my favorite Chiefs QB.
My favorite Chiefs QB of all time is Steve DeBerg
*Dodge venom from screen and pretend not to hear laughter and ridicule*
Hear me out, I know there are some of you out there with a soft spot in your heart for DeBerg, and a lot of others that look at the journeyman’s 21 year career without a pro-bowl appearance or super bowl ring as a joke. I could go on about his season with a 101 rating where he threw 23 touchdowns vs. only 4 picks, or that he broke the Chiefs playoff drought after sitting as backup to Joe Montana and John Elway (really I could). But this is not about the stats or the facts, and there is a very specific reason I have so much respect for a rather pedestrian quarterback.
Alas, I was only in first grade when I watched Deberg take us to the playoffs in 1990, so I don’t have the clearest memories of the plays or the scores. Again, this is not about stats. I do; however, remember Deberg breaking his pinky finger and to my entire family’s surprise he just had it taped it up and went back to business even though the bone had come through the skin. Granted there are lots of other players that have played with worse injuries (Brett Favre will probably play in a wheel chair this weekend), but for whatever reason that Deberg performance has always stuck in my mind as a standard for tough. It is one of the reasons that despite growing up in Bronco and Cowboy territory away from my original home in KC I was always proud to be a Chiefs fan, and why if I have to pick just one I pick DeBerg.
Time to open the floodgates and bring in the comments! My brother already told me I was crazy so bring it haha! I didn’t go with the easiest choice, and I didn’t go with the hardest. I just went with my honest favorite.