Oakland Raiders legend Jim Plunkett still not getting the respect he deserves

Oakland Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett is a legend within the organization — but outside the organization, he struggles to garner the respect he deserves.

Oakland Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett is a legend within the organization. He’s got a list of accomplishments longer than most of the quarterbacks who’ve ever played the game.

Most of the guys who have played quarterback in the NFL through the years can’t claim half of Plunkett’s achievements.

And yet, even despite the fact that he’s a two-time Super-Bowl-winning quarterback, a Super Bowl MVP, and a Heisman Trophy winner, Plunkett continues to struggle to get the respect he deserves.

Hall of Fame snubs aside, the latest lack of respect/indignity Plunkett must endure is a recent graphic put out by Bleacher Report that rattles off their list of the Top 25 Quarterbacks in NFL history — at least, as they see it.

This is obviously only one person’s opinion of course, but what makes this list so appalling is not necessarily Plunkett’s exclusion — though that is tremendously appalling in and of itself — but some of the names included on that list.

Some of the names on that list have put up decent career numbers of course, but they still remain far less accomplished than Plunkett. It’s always difficult, if not impossible, to fairly compare quarterbacks from one era stacked up against quarterbacks from another.

There’s no denying that with rule changes — an increased focus on offensive production and all of the protections given to quarterbacks — the NFL that Tom Brady plays in today is not the same league Plunkett and his contemporaries played in.

It has genuinely become apples and oranges which makes any and all comparisons fall short from the outset.

But okay, we can only work with what we have and in this case, it’s a list that is strikingly — odd. What’s more, it’s a list that perpetuates the disrespect Plunkett continues to receive despite his accomplishments.

Highlighting just how odd the composition of this list is the inclusion of Alex Smith in the twenty-fifth spot. Let that sink in for a moment — someone is actually propping up Alex Smith as the twenty-fifth best quarterback in the entire history of the NFL.

The immediate question that springs to mind is — what exactly has Smith accomplished to warrant a spot among the top-25 quarterbacks in league history? He’s had some good seasons and has put up some good numbers but what are his actual accomplishments?

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The more fundamental question that should be asked here is — what is it that marks a quarterback as one of the all-time greats?

Many of us still labor under the belief that winning when it matters most counts for a lot. Good quarterbacks win games and put together a pile of impressive statistics. Great quarterbacks win championships.

Now obviously there are exceptions to the rule. Dan Marino is considered by most to be one of the all-time greats despite not having a title to his name. Joe Flacco, on the other hand, isn’t widely considered an all-time great and yet he’s the owner of a championship ring — mostly thanks to an all-time great Baltimore defense.

However, when you look at this current list, while some of their picks for the all-time greats list are spot on, others couldn’t be further off the mark if they tried.

What is clear is that they value big statistics over titles given that they’ve got a number of quarterbacks who haven’t even played in a Super Bowl, let alone won a title. And there sits Jim Plunkett, a two-time Super Bowl champion, with a Super Bowl MVP award to boot, on the outside looking in.

The argument against inclusion, of course, is that his career statistics are less than sterling (72-72 record as a starter, 53 percent career completion percentage, 25,882 yards, and 164 career touchdowns against 198 interceptions).

The flip side of that though, is an impressive 8-2 mark in the postseason, the pair of aforementioned Super Bowl titles and MVP award. That’s more playoff wins than seven of the quarterbacks on this list.

His two rings are also equal to — or more than — 20 of the 25 players on the list. In fact, seven of the “greatest quarterbacks of all time” don’t have a ring at all.

While it’s understandable that guys like Brady, Manning, Montana, and Bradshaw are on that list, what isn’t understandable are guys like Warren Moon, Carson Palmer, and Alex Smith being on it while Plunkett remains on the outside looking in.

Seriously — Carson Palmer and Alex Smith, with all of three playoff wins and zero rings combined, are considered all-time greats?

Once upon a time, there was much discussion about whether Marino could be considered one of the all-time greats because he didn’t win a ring.

Another passionate discussion in many circles was whether or not Manning could be considered an all-time great if he never got his team over the hump to win a ring — the same discussion was had about John Elway.

The point, of course, is that once upon a time, championships were heralded as the hallmark of success. If you couldn’t get your team a ring, you were considered a good quarterback but not a great one.

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With the advent of the fantasy football era though, it seems that everything has changed and suddenly, it’s guys who have thrown for tens of thousands of yards — regardless of whether or not they won a championship — who are apparently considered the all-time greats.

Though respected by competitors, Plunkett was never widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And yet, he had that undeniable ability to play his best when the stakes were the highest.

He had a will to win and those intangibles that help him get the best of those around him.

And those intangibles Plunkett possessed allowed him to lead his team to two of the Raiders’ three Super Bowl titles. Sure, maybe he didn’t throw for 70,000 yards in his career and never dominated the league with his arm.

However, he was able to step up and will his team to a championship — something so many others have failed to do and yet, are apparently still considered an all-time great.

The inclusion of some of the names on this all-time greatest list are as laughable as the disrespect Plunkett continues to receive is mind-boggling. The man won when it mattered most — give the man his due.