Second acts for legendary quarterbacks have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. In the case of Brett Favre, it was a bit of both. Where will Peyton Manning’s next act rate among these Hall of Famers, rated from worst to best? 5. Johnny Unitas » At age 40 and long in decline, Unitas’ first game for the San Diego Chargers came at RFK Stadium. He was humiliated by the Redskins’ defense in a 38-0 loss, going 6-for-17 for 55 yards and three interceptions.
4. Joe Namath » On wobbly knees, he was 4-17 as a starter his last two years with the Jets. But the Rams gave him a shot in 1977. The final start of his career came in a memorable “Monday Night Football” appearance in Chicago. Namath threw four interceptions and had a QB rating of 17.0 in a 24-23 loss.
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3. Joe Montana » At age 37, Montana went to Kansas City. In two seasons, he went 17-8 as a starter, leading the Chiefs to the playoffs twice and the AFC title game in 1993. His QB ratings (87.4 and 83.6) were respectable but not up to his standards.
2. Y.A. Tittle » After several stellar seasons with the 49ers, Tittle lost his job to John Brodie. At age 35, he came to the Giants and quarterbacked them to three straight NFL title games, all losses. Tittle had a league-best 104.3 rating at age 37.
1. Norm Van Brocklin » At age 32, Van Brocklin went from the once-powerful Rams to the struggling Eagles and oversaw steady improvement — from 2-9-1 (1958) to 7-5 (1959) and then to 10-2 and an NFL championship, after which he retired.
– Kevin Dunleavy
