Who else thinks Fran Tarkenton is underrated?

[lwiedy]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Yeah definitely. Not unlike Jim Kelly. It's what happens when you lose 4 Super Bowls.

Seems like that whole Vikings team was a bit underrated, even their coach Bud Grant. Although, considering the lack of free agency and salary cap (not to mention fewer teams) I suppose it was considerably easier in that era to get to the Super Bowl. Weren't there fewer rounds even in the playoffs?

Actually for all the years the Vikings made the Super Bowl, they played two playoff games as either the 1 or 2 seed, which would be the same today. There were other years he missed out because it was tougher to make the playoffs then.

He started his career with an expansion club (pre-free agency, so no quick fixes) and then went to the Giants and they went from 1-12-1 to 7-7 in his first season, so that would dispel the notion that “he didn’t make his teams better”. He went back to Minnesota and they were without question best team in the NFC from 1973-1976. Only a missed called against Dallas in 1975 kept them from four straight Super Bowls.

I do believe he deserves a better place in history, but the stigma of the SB losses was just as damaging (if not worse, they were the first) as the Denver and Buffalo runs.