Before Tom Brady came along, the history of New England Patriots quarterbacks and the Super Bowl was a story best forgotten.
Tony Eason was at the helm with the Pats were embarrassed 46-10 by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. Drew Bledsoe, Brady’s predecessor, lost 35-21 to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.
Brady’s record six Super Bowl wins and nine appearances will forever make him a legend in Foxborough. However, even if Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defy the Super Bowl betting odds and defeat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, he’ll still have some work to do in order to be the most successful ex-Pats QB in Super Bowl history.
That’s because Jim Plunkett quarterbacked two Super Bowl-winning teams after leaving New England.
Different Beginnings
Plunkett and Brady were both California high school quarterbacks who went to prominent colleges. Plunkett stayed in the state and went to Stanford, while Brady headed for the midwest and Michigan. And that’s where their paths diverged.
After a so-so freshman campaign, Plunkett became a star for the Cardinal, rewriting the PAC-8 passing record book, culminating in his 1970 Heisman Trophy win.
“The best college football player I’ve ever seen,” Washington State coach Jim Sweeney said of Plunkett.
“He’s the best pro quarterback prospect I’ve ever seen,” added UCLA coach Tommy Prothro.
Brady ended up sharing time under center at Michigan with Drew Henson.
The Patriots selected Plunkett first overall in the 1971 NFL Draft. The Patriots selected Brady 199th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. Plunkett started as a rookie and was named AFC Rookie of the Year. Brady began his rookie season fourth on the New England QB depth chart behind Bledsoe, John Friesz and Michael Bishop.
“Jim Plunkett” by emipg is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Patriots were a terrible team when Plunkett arrived. They won six games in his first season with the team. The Patriots were a terrible team when Brady arrived. They won five games in his first season with the team.
Again, this was where their paths diverged. Brady replaced an injured Bledsoe as starting QB in Week 2 of the 2001 season and instantly turned the Patriots into contenders for the next two decades. Riddled with injuries while playing behind a weak offensive line, Plunkett could never lead the Patriots to a winning campaign. The best performance was a 7-7 mark in 1974, a season that saw the team squander a 6-1 start.
Taking His Talents to San Fran
Prior to the 1976 NFL Draft, the Patriots sent Plunkett home, trading him to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for quarterback Tom Owen, two 1976 first round picks, and first and second-round picks in 1977.
The 49ers experience started with promise. Plunkett led them to a 6–1 start in 1976 before faltering and finishing with an 8–6 record. A 5–9 campaign followed in 1977. During the 1978 preseason, Plunkett was released by the 49ers. It looked as though his NFL days might be done.
Raiders Renaissance
Plunkett signed with the Oakland Raiders. Al Davis, managing partner of the Raiders, was notorious for his many NFL reclamation projects. But there was nothing in the early returns that indicated Plunkett was on the comeback trail.
He didn’t throw a single pass during the 1978 season. Plunkett attempted a mere 15 passes in 1979. However, in Week 5 of the 1980 season, Raiders starting QB Dan Pastorini suffered a broken leg in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. In relief, Plunkett was picked off five times during a 31-17 loss.
The Raiders stuck with him and he took them to nine victories in 11 games and a playoff berth. Plunkett led the Raiders to four victories as they became the first Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV. He passed for three TDs and 261 yards to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
“I’m proud of that game,” Plunkett told ESPN. “Many people felt I was washed up, and I wasn’t sure they were wrong.”
By 1983, the Raiders had relocated to Los Angeles, and Plunkett was once again a backup, this time to Marc Wilson. When Wilson was injured, Plunkett took over and led the Raiders to a 38-9 victory over Washington in Super Bowl XVIII.
“He has to be one of the great comeback stories of our time,” Davis said.
So there you have it. Even if Brady beats the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, he’s still got plenty of work to do to unseat Plunkett as the greatest ex-Pats Super Bowl story.
