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Top #9s in NFL History

Jergensen & McMahon dressed to the nines

In honor of 09.09.09, we figured we’d delve into the numerology of the NFL, and list the best players ever to don the fabled #9 jersey. From elsewhere in the sports world, we have names like Ted Williams, Roger Maris and Gordie Howe. But because of the NFL’s positional numbering rules, this means we’re looking at Quarterbacks, Kickers and Punters … so pretty much just QBs.

We’ll admit it, this started as a top 9 list, to go along with the theme of the day.  But we simply couldn’t come up with any more than seven (sorry, Matt Stafford doesn’t make the list yet). And when we started scouring the annals of NFL history for punter jersey #s, we just started to feel bad about ourselves.

Here’s our list … feel free to chime in with any we might have missed:

1. Sonny Jurgensen: During his 18 seasons in Philadelphia and Washington from 1957 to 1974 established himself as one of the best pure passers in league history.  Vince Lombardi once stated of Sonny: “Jurgensen is a great quarterback. He hangs in there under adverse conditions. He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have ever seen.”
2. Steve McNair: In 13 seasons with the Titans and Ravens, McNair threw for more than 31,000 yards and, perhaps more importantly, proved to be one of the toughest players in league history. RIP
3. Jim McMahon: The punky QB was also a pretty good passer who led the Bears to Super Bowl glory in 1985. An outstanding leader, McMahon became a cult hero during the 80s for his rebellious approach to the game and headbands.
4. Drew Brees: It’s hard to believe the Dolphins weren’t willing to take a chance on Brees, preferring to go with Daunte Culpepper instead. All Brees has done since is rack up huge yardage and heads into the 2009 season as the top-ranked QB in the NFL.
5. 

   The legendary Bill Wade

   Bill Wade: starting QB for the 1963 NFL champion Chicago Bears, Wade threw for over 18,000 yards in his twelve seasons in the AFL/NFL.

6. Carson Palmer: Has thrown for over 15,000 yards and 100 TDs in his 5 seasons as Bengals starter. Gets extra points for having to work with Ochocinco day in and day out.
7. Tony Romo: The Cowboys starter since 2006 has been a great regular season performer, who is perhaps more notorious for his taste in women than he is for his football accomplishments.  Simply cannot rank higher until he shows he can play solid football past November.