All-Time Bengals QBs Ranked: Anderson #1, Esiason #2

Greg Cook

#12 · Cincinnati Bengals
Retired 2 Years In The NFL
🏆 AFL Rookie of the Year (1969)
Greg's
HAIR
16.5
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Greg Cook or the Bengals?

Greg Cook Legacy

HEYTC AI
Greg Cook was the towering Cincinnati kid—6-4, 220 pounds of prototype arm talent—who lit up the AFL like a meteor in 1969, Paul Brown's fifth-overall savior for the expansion Bengals. A Bearcats legend with a cannon for deep bombs, he stunned Kansas City and Oakland, owning rookie records for yards per attempt that whisper "what if" decades later. But a hidden rotator cuff tear after that Chiefs win derailed it all, cortisone masking the pain through one electric season. The Bengals' franchise dream, cut short by '60s medicine. Greg Cook passed in 2012, his legacy a poignant reminder of football's cruel fragility.
Greg Cook passed away on January 27, 2012 at the age of 65.

Greg Cook Rating Breakdown

Season
Subpar
Fantasy
Average
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
NPC
2 years with the Bengals

Greg Cook Career Stats via Wikipedia

1,895 Pass Yards
15 Touchdowns
11 INTs
0.0% Comp %
16.5 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Greg Cook

How does Joe Burrow compare to Greg Cook?

Joe Burrow's lapped Greg Cook's brief Bengals flash like a Ferrari passing a hot rod with a busted axle—Burrow's got 25,000+ yards and two Super Bowl runs already, while Cook's 1,895 yards and 15 TDs in '69 screamed supernova potential before shoulder woes sidelined him. Legacy-wise, Cook's the what-if ghost; Burrow's the franchise anchor.

Is Greg Cook in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nah, Greg Cook never made it to Canton—his Bengals flameout after a monster rookie year left too slim a resume at 1,895 yards, 15 TDs, and a 16.45 rating over two partial seasons. Hall voters love volume and rings, not tantalizing might-have-beens who faded fast to injury.

How would Greg Cook perform in today's NFL?

Cook's cannon arm and mobility—think 9.4 yards per attempt and 148 rushing yards as a '69 rookie—would feast under today's pass-happy rules with better protection and quick releases. Imagine him slinging to Chase and Higgins instead of clunky AFL receivers; he'd post 4,000-yard seasons, easy, if that shoulder held up.

How does Greg Cook compare to Ken Anderson?

Ken Anderson owned the Bengals QB throne with a 39.41 rating, 32,838 yards, and that '80 MVP crown, turning mediocrity into playoffs—Cook's 16.45 mark over 200 throws was a shooting star by comparison, all sizzle from his UC days and '69 debut before the arm gave out. Anderson was the workhorse; Cook the heartbreaker.