02-07-2023, 03:23 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-16-2023, 03:42 AM by dude_man. Edited 3 times in total.)
When you think of Boston College Quarterbacks, three names come to mind. Those are Doug Flutie, Matt Ryan, and Mike Boss. While all three were excellent at Boston College, they are all primarily known for spending their careers playing in three different leagues. Flutie in the CFL, Ryan in the NFL, and Boss in the ISFL.
We will have to adjust how we look at these quarterbacks careers a bit due to differences in the three leagues. Flutie only played eight years, but the length of the season was 18 games. Boss played nine seasons, but the length of the season was only 14 games. Matt Ryan played a staggering 15 seasons, with most having 16 games. Flutie and Boss end up at around the same number of games, with Boss playing in 123 and Flutie playing in 135, of which he only started 126. Since Matt Ryan had a much longer career, having started and played in 234, we will use his prime eight seasons for counting stats, in which he played 127 games. We will take into account any awards won by Ryan outside of this span to reward his longevity, but lets be honest, he only lasted so long due to the relative ease of his era. Flutie played the hard-nosed football of the 1990's and Boss played in the cutthroat ISFL of the late 2010's and early 2020's, while Ryan played in the softer, more pass happy NFL of the late 2000's and early 2020's.
First up is Doug Flutie. Flutie is considered by many to be the greatest player, let alone quarterback, to ever step foot on CFL turf. To even further emphasize his greatness, Flutie did not even enter the CFL until he was 28 years old, missing quite a few prime years. This late start is due to him failing to get a chance in the NFL due to his short stature, standing at only 5'10". However, despite all these setbacks, Flutie let neither his age nor his height tarnish his CFL career. Flutie's only losing season was his first, in which he only started eight games. After that, Flutie would not post another losing record, along with not starting only 8 more games. Flutie won three CFL Grey Cups over the course of his career. One with the Calgary Stampeders in 1992 along back to back titles with the Toronto Argonauts in 1996 and 1997. He was the MVP of all three games, having gone 3-1 in the big game overall.
In addition to team success, Flutie reached unprecedented levels of individual achievement. In only his first year starting all eighteen games Flutie passed for 6,619 yards, still a record to this day. In this season, Flutie won his first of a record six CFL Most Outstanding Player Awards. Over this run of greatness, Flutie won four MOP's in a row from 1991 to 1994 along with two more back to back in Toronto in 1996 and 1997. He was a CFL All Star in these six seasons as well. In his 1994 MOP season Flutie set the still standing record of 48 passing touchdowns in a season. Flutie remains the only CFL quarterback to have thrown for over 6,000 yards twice in a career.
Overall, Flutie threw for 41,355 yards, had a touchdown to interception ratio of 270-155, and had a career completion percentage rate of 61.4, leading to a career passer rating of 94.1 Additionally, he tacked on 4,660 rushing yards and 66 rushing touchdowns. Flutie posted an immaculate 306.3 passing yards per game over his entire career. Flutie was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Additionally, he was the first non-Canadian to be inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Next is Matt Ryan. While not the greatest quarterback of the NFL, Ryan is undoubtedly the best signal caller to ever play for the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan was drafted by the Falcons with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, being the first quarterback off the board. Ryan immediately brought success and stable quarterback play to the a franchise that had long been lacking in both. He threw a 62 yard touchdown on his first ever throw in the NFL. He managed to keep the success rolling and was the 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year. The brakes on the train didn't stop, with Ryan not having a losing record in any season over his first five years in the league.
The last year of that stretch of winning was the start of Matt Ryan's statistical peak, having led the Falcons to the best record in the league and led the league in completion percentage. Unfortunately for Ryan the Falcons failed to take advantage of his individual success, trotting out below average defenses for the next three years. This led to the team only going 18-30 over that span. The next year the Falcons were a team of destiny, helmed by Ryan having his best year as a pro. Ryan threw for 4,944 yards to go along with a touchdown to interception ratio of 38 to 7. He had a completion percentage of 69.9, leading to a passer rating of 117.1. Each of those numbers are the best Ryan ever posted over a single season and helped him win both NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. Unfortunately for Ryan, the destiny of that Falcon team was to lose to NFL GOAT Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the most infamous Super Bowl collapse of all time. Ryan would never make it back to the big game or win another MVP.
Over the course of his eight peak seasons Ryan threw for 36,948 yards at a completion percentage of 67.3. He had a touchdown to interception ratio of 226 to 101, leading to a passer rating of 97.22 over that time span. For his career, Ryan was a four time Pro Bowler and a one time First Team All-Pro. While he is not a Hall of Famer yet, that is only due to his not being retired for long enough and he will almost assuredly get in due to his statistical success and MVP win.
Lastly we have Mike Boss, the quarterback considered by many to be the greatest ISFL player of all time. Not highly rated entering the draft, Boss was chosen by the Orange County Otters with the 48th overall pick of the inaugural ISFL Draft. He was only the second quarterback selected in the draft. He managed to lead the team to a 9-5 record and an appearance in the ASFC Championship Game. Boss improved his play the next season, making his first Pro Bowl. Despite his growth, the Otters once again lost in the ASFC Championship Game. The next season Boss would lead the league in passing yards and be named Offensive Player of the Year, but would lose in the Conference Championship for the third year in a row.
Boss's fourth season was the turning point of his career. He would pass for 5,318 yards and 36 touchdowns, earning himself league MVP in the process. The Otters once again made it to the title game against their hated rivals, the Arizona Outlaws, but this time things would be different. The Otters finally kept the Outlaws from winning it all by trouncing them 27-9. The Otters would take this momentum and win their first championship in Ultimus Bowl IV. Boss would keep on replicating this success, winning the next two league MVP's along with the next two Ultimus Bowls. Boss and the Otters would make it four trips to the Ultimus in a row, but would lose to the Philadelphia Liberty in an exciting and competitive game. Boss never made another Ultimus.
Boss had a remarkable individual and team career, winning three Ultimus Bowls, three league Most Valuable Player awards, three league Offensive Players of the Year awards, and five Quarterback of the Year awards in a nine year career in which he made eight straight Pro Bowls and never posted a losing record.
Statistically, he was a marvel as well. Boss posted 42,278 yards at a completion percentage of 60.21. He had a touchdown to interception ratio of 292-131, leading to a career passer rating of 92.8. Boss is still the record holder for both passing yards and touchdowns, along with being number one in postseason yards and number three in postseason touchdowns. Mike Boss was elected into the ISFL Hall of Fame in the second class of Hall of Famers. He was the first Quarterback to make it in.
Now comes time to decide who had the best career. Just looking at it statistically makes it quite the hard decision. Boss through for the most passing yards and touchdowns despite playing the fewest games, but had the lowest passer rating. Ryan had the highest passer rating but the lowest counting stats when you look at his peak eight year span. Flutie is in the middle when it comes to passer rating, and falls just short of Boss when it comes to yards and touchdowns. However, as you can remember from earlier, Flutie tacked on 4,660 rushing yards and 66 rushing touchdowns giving him the edge when it comes to total yards. Statistically, I am going to take the career of Flutie. He had the most total yards and touchdowns along with the passer rating in the middle.
Now, some people might find it unfair to discount Matt Ryan's counting stats so heavily. While he had a great career in his own right and should be lauded for his longevity and consistency, he is no where close to the other two when it comes to team achievement and awards. There is a reason that both Boss and Flutie are considered the greatest of all time in their respective leagues. Despite putting up a good fight and lapping the others in counting stats, this is where Matt Ryan drops out of the race.
And then there were two. First up is Pro Bowls. Boss made eight while Flutie only made six; edge goes to Boss. Next up is rings. They both made four championship games and won three of them, so titles are a moot point. Finally we have league wide individual awards. While I hate to take away from Boss, the CFL does not have either the Quarterback of the Year or the Offensive Player of the Year awards so we will exclusively be counting MVP/MOP awards. Boss had three while Flutie had six, so this one goes to Flutie.
So, Flutie has the advantage when it comes to MVP/MOPs and Boss has the Pro Bowls. No disrespect to the Pro Bowl, but only one person wins Most Valuable Player so I am going to give the edge to Flutie having three more Most Outstanding Player awards versus Boss having two more Pro Bowl nods.
And there you have it folks, Doug Flutie outlasts both Mike Boss and Matt Ryan to take home the title of most successful pro-career from a Boston College quarterback.
We will have to adjust how we look at these quarterbacks careers a bit due to differences in the three leagues. Flutie only played eight years, but the length of the season was 18 games. Boss played nine seasons, but the length of the season was only 14 games. Matt Ryan played a staggering 15 seasons, with most having 16 games. Flutie and Boss end up at around the same number of games, with Boss playing in 123 and Flutie playing in 135, of which he only started 126. Since Matt Ryan had a much longer career, having started and played in 234, we will use his prime eight seasons for counting stats, in which he played 127 games. We will take into account any awards won by Ryan outside of this span to reward his longevity, but lets be honest, he only lasted so long due to the relative ease of his era. Flutie played the hard-nosed football of the 1990's and Boss played in the cutthroat ISFL of the late 2010's and early 2020's, while Ryan played in the softer, more pass happy NFL of the late 2000's and early 2020's.
First up is Doug Flutie. Flutie is considered by many to be the greatest player, let alone quarterback, to ever step foot on CFL turf. To even further emphasize his greatness, Flutie did not even enter the CFL until he was 28 years old, missing quite a few prime years. This late start is due to him failing to get a chance in the NFL due to his short stature, standing at only 5'10". However, despite all these setbacks, Flutie let neither his age nor his height tarnish his CFL career. Flutie's only losing season was his first, in which he only started eight games. After that, Flutie would not post another losing record, along with not starting only 8 more games. Flutie won three CFL Grey Cups over the course of his career. One with the Calgary Stampeders in 1992 along back to back titles with the Toronto Argonauts in 1996 and 1997. He was the MVP of all three games, having gone 3-1 in the big game overall.
In addition to team success, Flutie reached unprecedented levels of individual achievement. In only his first year starting all eighteen games Flutie passed for 6,619 yards, still a record to this day. In this season, Flutie won his first of a record six CFL Most Outstanding Player Awards. Over this run of greatness, Flutie won four MOP's in a row from 1991 to 1994 along with two more back to back in Toronto in 1996 and 1997. He was a CFL All Star in these six seasons as well. In his 1994 MOP season Flutie set the still standing record of 48 passing touchdowns in a season. Flutie remains the only CFL quarterback to have thrown for over 6,000 yards twice in a career.
Overall, Flutie threw for 41,355 yards, had a touchdown to interception ratio of 270-155, and had a career completion percentage rate of 61.4, leading to a career passer rating of 94.1 Additionally, he tacked on 4,660 rushing yards and 66 rushing touchdowns. Flutie posted an immaculate 306.3 passing yards per game over his entire career. Flutie was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Additionally, he was the first non-Canadian to be inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Next is Matt Ryan. While not the greatest quarterback of the NFL, Ryan is undoubtedly the best signal caller to ever play for the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan was drafted by the Falcons with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, being the first quarterback off the board. Ryan immediately brought success and stable quarterback play to the a franchise that had long been lacking in both. He threw a 62 yard touchdown on his first ever throw in the NFL. He managed to keep the success rolling and was the 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year. The brakes on the train didn't stop, with Ryan not having a losing record in any season over his first five years in the league.
The last year of that stretch of winning was the start of Matt Ryan's statistical peak, having led the Falcons to the best record in the league and led the league in completion percentage. Unfortunately for Ryan the Falcons failed to take advantage of his individual success, trotting out below average defenses for the next three years. This led to the team only going 18-30 over that span. The next year the Falcons were a team of destiny, helmed by Ryan having his best year as a pro. Ryan threw for 4,944 yards to go along with a touchdown to interception ratio of 38 to 7. He had a completion percentage of 69.9, leading to a passer rating of 117.1. Each of those numbers are the best Ryan ever posted over a single season and helped him win both NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. Unfortunately for Ryan, the destiny of that Falcon team was to lose to NFL GOAT Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the most infamous Super Bowl collapse of all time. Ryan would never make it back to the big game or win another MVP.
Over the course of his eight peak seasons Ryan threw for 36,948 yards at a completion percentage of 67.3. He had a touchdown to interception ratio of 226 to 101, leading to a passer rating of 97.22 over that time span. For his career, Ryan was a four time Pro Bowler and a one time First Team All-Pro. While he is not a Hall of Famer yet, that is only due to his not being retired for long enough and he will almost assuredly get in due to his statistical success and MVP win.
Lastly we have Mike Boss, the quarterback considered by many to be the greatest ISFL player of all time. Not highly rated entering the draft, Boss was chosen by the Orange County Otters with the 48th overall pick of the inaugural ISFL Draft. He was only the second quarterback selected in the draft. He managed to lead the team to a 9-5 record and an appearance in the ASFC Championship Game. Boss improved his play the next season, making his first Pro Bowl. Despite his growth, the Otters once again lost in the ASFC Championship Game. The next season Boss would lead the league in passing yards and be named Offensive Player of the Year, but would lose in the Conference Championship for the third year in a row.
Boss's fourth season was the turning point of his career. He would pass for 5,318 yards and 36 touchdowns, earning himself league MVP in the process. The Otters once again made it to the title game against their hated rivals, the Arizona Outlaws, but this time things would be different. The Otters finally kept the Outlaws from winning it all by trouncing them 27-9. The Otters would take this momentum and win their first championship in Ultimus Bowl IV. Boss would keep on replicating this success, winning the next two league MVP's along with the next two Ultimus Bowls. Boss and the Otters would make it four trips to the Ultimus in a row, but would lose to the Philadelphia Liberty in an exciting and competitive game. Boss never made another Ultimus.
Boss had a remarkable individual and team career, winning three Ultimus Bowls, three league Most Valuable Player awards, three league Offensive Players of the Year awards, and five Quarterback of the Year awards in a nine year career in which he made eight straight Pro Bowls and never posted a losing record.
Statistically, he was a marvel as well. Boss posted 42,278 yards at a completion percentage of 60.21. He had a touchdown to interception ratio of 292-131, leading to a career passer rating of 92.8. Boss is still the record holder for both passing yards and touchdowns, along with being number one in postseason yards and number three in postseason touchdowns. Mike Boss was elected into the ISFL Hall of Fame in the second class of Hall of Famers. He was the first Quarterback to make it in.
Now comes time to decide who had the best career. Just looking at it statistically makes it quite the hard decision. Boss through for the most passing yards and touchdowns despite playing the fewest games, but had the lowest passer rating. Ryan had the highest passer rating but the lowest counting stats when you look at his peak eight year span. Flutie is in the middle when it comes to passer rating, and falls just short of Boss when it comes to yards and touchdowns. However, as you can remember from earlier, Flutie tacked on 4,660 rushing yards and 66 rushing touchdowns giving him the edge when it comes to total yards. Statistically, I am going to take the career of Flutie. He had the most total yards and touchdowns along with the passer rating in the middle.
Now, some people might find it unfair to discount Matt Ryan's counting stats so heavily. While he had a great career in his own right and should be lauded for his longevity and consistency, he is no where close to the other two when it comes to team achievement and awards. There is a reason that both Boss and Flutie are considered the greatest of all time in their respective leagues. Despite putting up a good fight and lapping the others in counting stats, this is where Matt Ryan drops out of the race.
And then there were two. First up is Pro Bowls. Boss made eight while Flutie only made six; edge goes to Boss. Next up is rings. They both made four championship games and won three of them, so titles are a moot point. Finally we have league wide individual awards. While I hate to take away from Boss, the CFL does not have either the Quarterback of the Year or the Offensive Player of the Year awards so we will exclusively be counting MVP/MOP awards. Boss had three while Flutie had six, so this one goes to Flutie.
So, Flutie has the advantage when it comes to MVP/MOPs and Boss has the Pro Bowls. No disrespect to the Pro Bowl, but only one person wins Most Valuable Player so I am going to give the edge to Flutie having three more Most Outstanding Player awards versus Boss having two more Pro Bowl nods.
And there you have it folks, Doug Flutie outlasts both Mike Boss and Matt Ryan to take home the title of most successful pro-career from a Boston College quarterback.
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