According to 17to85, there's a discussion on CFL Reddit about top 5 QBs for each franchise, and this has led to discussion in our group chat about the Bombers Top 5 QBs all time.... And it's a tougher decision than you realize. 

How do you rank sustained success vs short term? A guy like Collaros hasn't been here long but has had a lot of success. Khari and Dunigan had a ton of success but no cups. Glenn was a MOP until Eiben. Etc etc etc. 

I think, for us, its:

Ploen

Jacobs

 Brock

Khari 

Collaros 

(Clements, Burgess, Dunigan, Glenn all right there, too....) 

2 minutes ago, Noeller said:

According to 17to85, there's a discussion on CFL Reddit about top 5 QBs for each franchise, and this has led to discussion in our group chat about the Bombers Top 5 QBs all time.... And it's a tougher decision than you realize. 

How do you rank sustained success vs short term? A guy like Collaros hasn't been here long but has had a lot of success. Khari and Dunigan had a ton of success but no cups. Glenn was a MOP until Eiben. Etc etc etc. 

I think, for us, its:

Ploen

Jacobs

 Brock

Khari 

Collaros 

(Clements, Burgess, Dunigan, Glenn all right there, too....) 

No complaints from me. 

I care about one thing and one thing only.

1. Ploen obvs for winning 4 Grey Cups in 5 years.
2. Collaros for winning 2 Grey Cups in 2 years.
3. Tom Clements for winning the 1984 Grey Cup
4. Sean Salisbury for winning the 1988 Grey Cup
5. Tom Burgess for winning the 1990 Grey Cup
6. Bobby Fritz for winning the 1939 Grey Cup
7. I can't find who our quarterback was in the 1935 Grey Cup, but that guy.
8. Wayne Sheley won the 1941 Grey Cup

6 through 8 are up for debate because I don't know who tf any of those people are.

Disagree with me and I'll fight you. 

 

Edited April 13, 20223 yr by Dr Zaius

3 minutes ago, Dr Zaius said:

I care about one thing and one thing only.

1. Ploen obvs for winning 4 Grey Cups in 5 years.
2. Collaros for winning 2 Grey Cups in 2 years.
3. Tom Clements for winning the 1984 Grey Cup
4. Sean Salisbury for winning the 1988 Grey Cup
5. Tom Burgess for winning the 1990 Grey Cup
6. Bobby Fritz for winning the 1939 Grey Cup
7. I can't find who our quarterback was in the 1939 Grey Cup, but that guy.
8. Wayne Sheley won the 1941 Grey Cup

6 through 8 are up for debate because I don't know who tf any of those people are.

Disagree with me and I'll fight you. 

 

I'll disagree with you but you got to promise not to hit me with your purse

48 minutes ago, Dr Zaius said:

I care about one thing and one thing only.

1. Ploen obvs for winning 4 Grey Cups in 5 years.
2. Collaros for winning 2 Grey Cups in 2 years.
3. Tom Clements for winning the 1984 Grey Cup
4. Sean Salisbury for winning the 1988 Grey Cup
5. Tom Burgess for winning the 1990 Grey Cup
6. Bobby Fritz for winning the 1939 Grey Cup
7. I can't find who our quarterback was in the 1939 Grey Cup, but that guy.
8. Wayne Sheley won the 1941 Grey Cup

6 through 8 are up for debate because I don't know who tf any of those people are.

Disagree with me and I'll fight you. 

 

The fact that this list doesn't include Jack Jacobs renders it invalid. Please delete and re-do. 

It's hard because, despite being around for 80+ years, we haven't had many have sustained success as the position.

 

Brock and Ploen are the 1 and 1a. Rank them how you want based on how you feel about numbers versus championships. 

Khari is my all time fav and #3. He's a Calvillio away from being the best QB in the league during his brief (but glorious) run with us.

Jack Jacobs could be anywhere from 1 through 4 depending on what your criteria is.

I think you can write Clements in pen at #5.

None of the rest played enough time with us. I'll gladly put Collaros on the list if he plays two more lights out years (He's currently at 14 career games in Blue and Gold).

31 minutes ago, Jesse said:

It's hard because, despite being around for 80+ years, we haven't had many have sustained success as the position.

 

Brock and Ploen are the 1 and 1a. Rank them how you want based on how you feel about numbers versus championships. 

Khari is my all time fav and #3. He's a Calvillio away from being the best QB in the league during his brief (but glorious) run with us.

Jack Jacobs could be anywhere from 1 through 4 depending on what your criteria is.

I think you can write Clements in pen at #5.

None of the rest played enough time with us. I'll gladly put Collaros on the list if he plays two more lights out years (He's currently at 14 career games in Blue and Gold).

Ploen has 4 GCs in 5 appearances. He is the unquestioned #1 and Dieter Brock is not right there with him.... 

2 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Ploen has 4 GCs in 5 appearances. He is the unquestioned #1 and Dieter Brock is not right there with him.... 

I understand that, but QB was also a very different position at the time.

Ploen did his thing very well in his era - Brock did his thing very well in the modern era.

It's a QB debate - not a team one.

Edited April 12, 20223 yr by Jesse
typo

Clements took Brocks team to the GC and won it, something Brock was never able to do. I'd put Clements @ #2  behind Ploen.

Clements is in the top 5 for me.

Collaros is tricky without the longevity but just winning.  Similar to Clements in putting a very good team over the top to great.

Jones took a team that had no hope and made it a contender, arguably saved the franchise, ridiculous numbers for a 3 year period where he just got demolished behind a patchwork OL.

Jacobs and Ploen are a given.  Dunigan a little too mercurial, belongs to the league or maybe Edmonton more than anyone.

Glenn doesn't rate on the great scale for me aside from longevity, one borderline great season here but nothing spectacular in terms of his own performance or winning.

 

If I boiled it down to the best season of each player as a Bomber and had to rank them in order of who I'd pick in a draft:

Jacobs (insane passing stats for his era, like Flutie-esque)

Ploen

Collaros

Clements

Jones

 

Brock would be 6th, just a little less efficient than Khari.   Dunigan would be 7th but never played a full season for us without significant injury (the one he played most he tore his achilles in the second last game).

Ploen

Clements 

Collaros

Brock

Jacobs

Edited April 13, 20223 yr by SpeedFlex27

15 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

The fact that this list doesn't include Jack Jacobs renders it invalid. Please delete and re-do. 

Agreed. Theres a reason why Winnipeg Stadium is referred to as the house that Jack built. These are his passing stats from 1951!

 

 

GP

Att

Com

%

Yds

TD

Int

14

355

204

57.5

3248

33

10

 

Insane. That would be a pretty great season in todays game! First professional QB to throw for over 3000 yards and 30 TD's. Oh and he was also the teams punter and had a 41.1 yard average over 95 punts.

Edited April 13, 20223 yr by Bubba Zanetti

Yeah, it's way before my time, but just based on all the reading I've done over the years, Jack Jacobs gets overlooked way too often. He revolutionized the passing game not just in Winnipeg, but in the CFL....

5 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Yeah, it's way before my time, but just based on all the reading I've done over the years, Jack Jacobs gets overlooked way too often. He revolutionized the passing game not just in Winnipeg, but in the CFL....

Not just in the CFL but the game of American football globally. Truly one of the early pioneers of the forward pass.

Edited April 13, 20223 yr by Bubba Zanetti

2 hours ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Agreed. Theres a reason why Winnipeg Stadium is referred to as the house that Jack built. These are his passing stats from 1951!

 

 

GP

Att

Com

%

Yds

TD

Int

14

355

204

57.5

3248

33

10

 

Insane. That would be a pretty great season in todays game! First professional QB to throw for over 3000 yards and 30 TD's. Oh and he was also the teams punter and had a 41.1 yard average over 95 punts.

Over an 18 game season that 4176 yards, 42-43 TDs and 12-13 picks... other than the slightly high int totals... that's a borderline MOP season in today's era. 

Very surprised that no one has Sam Canadian on the list.

I'd go

1. Ploen

2. Jacobs

3. Brock

4. Clements

5. Jones 

That said, Collaros is moving up fast.

Agree on Jacobs. His numbers would look good now but given the era he was in, they are amazing.

Love the Jack Jacobs info. I need to know more about this guy. 

4 hours ago, Letsgobomberspodcast said:

Love the Jack Jacobs info. I need to know more about this guy. 

My Dad always called CanadInns the House that Jack built. 

3 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

My Dad always called CanadInns the House that Jack built. 

That's exactly what it was known by.....They called him 'Indian Jack Jacobs' in those days....Don't think he cared one bit about that handle and embraced it ...Was one of the best qb's along with Ploen to ever get behind centre for the Bombers

Edited April 14, 20223 yr by Stickem

If I remember (from reading books about that era) correctly, Jacobs was a DB who really wanted to play QB and they wouldn't let him in the NFL, so he came to Winnipeg with the promise that he could play QB. He also played some DB and kicked (which was often the case back then....wasn't a specialty position as now). Everything I've read is that he's one of the very best to ever do it.

On 2022-04-12 at 5:21 PM, Jesse said:

I understand that, but QB was also a very different position at the time.

Ploen did his thing very well in his era - Brock did his thing very well in the modern era.

It's a QB debate - not a team one.

Ploen also (according to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame) holds the record for fewest interceptions thrown in a single season (1962 - 4).

They're both well-respected, but there's absolutely no Brock is even comparable. Obviously the team around them has something to do with it, but really good players just have that "it" factor that rallies the team pushes them over the hump. Ploen had "it", Brock, well, not so much.

Also Brock dumped on our city so he can go fly a kite in my book.

5 hours ago, Noeller said:

If I remember (from reading books about that era) correctly, Jacobs was a DB who really wanted to play QB and they wouldn't let him in the NFL, so he came to Winnipeg with the promise that he could play QB. He also played some DB and kicked (which was often the case back then....wasn't a specialty position as now). Everything I've read is that he's one of the very best to ever do it.

And apparently was great at QB for Vince Lombardi but coach didn’t like how Jacobs wanted to call his own plays. 

15 minutes ago, Letsgobomberspodcast said:

And apparently was great at QB for Vince Lombardi but coach didn’t like how Jacobs wanted to call his own plays. 

Curley Lambeau not Lombardi

I think Don Jonas should be in there as he had one 4,000 yard season & Schenley MOP in 71. Then a 3800 yard season in 72. Took a team that missed the playoffs for 4 straight seasons (1967-70) & was a league laughing stock with just 2 wins in 1970.

In 1970, the Bombers averaged maybe 12000 fans a game while the team kept losing & losing. They stunk no matter who played qb. When Jonas arrived, the air was filled with footballs & excitement with high scoring games.  Tickets were hard to come by in 1971 with sell outs a common thing. With Mack Herron running & Jonas chucking the ball & Thorpe, Larose, Markle, Ribbins & Kraemer catching the Bombers became a hot ticket. The Bombers made the playoffs & finished third in the West at 7-8-1. 

This led to expansion of the West Side of Winnipeg Stadium from 21000 to 25,000 in the off season.  In 1972, the team went 10-6 & was just one stupid flukey play away from going to the Grey Cup losing the Western Final to the Riders. The team was in dire financial straights until Jonas et al showed up in 71. But it was Jonas who poured the drink & stirred the contents. The Bombers would have been nothing without him. He literally saved the team frrom folding. 

I grew up in that era. I remember the two biggest high profile athletes in Winnipeg at that time were Bobby Hull of the Jets & Don Jonas of the Blue Bombers. The City loved them both. 

It's hard to argue with the list of QBs offered up. Although he is on no one's top 5 list and most of you won't remember him, here's a good read on Ken Ploen's competition in the late 1950s. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Van_Pelt

But for an injury and the US draft, it could have been Kenny Who?