All-Time Lions QBs Ranked: Layne #1, Goff #2

Bobby Layne

#22 · Detroit Lions
Retired 14 Years In The NFL
🏆 3× NFL champion (1952, 1953, 1957)
Bobby's
HAIR
38.7
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Bobby Layne or the Lions?

Bobby Layne Legacy

HEYTC AI
Bobby Layne was a swashbuckling gunslinger who made winning look like an adventure. The man invented the two-minute drill and thrived in chaos—Doak Walker said he "never lost a game, time just ran out on him". In Detroit, he orchestrated three championships and became the NFL's all-time passing leader at retirement with a swagger that defined the 1950s. His fearlessness extended beyond the field; he played without a face mask and threw with reckless confidence that either looked genius or foolish, usually both. The curse he allegedly left Pittsburgh couldn't erase what he built in Detroit, where his legacy remains the gold standard for quarterback leadership and clutch performance. He passed in 1986 at 59.
Bobby Layne passed away on December 1, 1986 at the age of 59.

Bobby Layne Rating Breakdown

Season
Good
Fantasy
Subpar
Playoffs
Good
Overall
Slaps
9 years with the Lions

Bobby Layne Career Stats via Wikipedia

26,768 Pass Yards
25 Touchdowns
243 INTs
0.0% Comp %
38.7 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Bobby Layne

How does Jared Goff compare to Bobby Layne?

Bobby Layne's the gunslinger who dragged the Lions to NFL titles in '52 and '53, partying through 26,768 yards and 196 TDs while Goff's still scripting his chapter with poise and precision in this pass-happy era. Layne's chaos won rings; Goff's building toward one without the hangovers—legacies like whiskey vs. craft beer, both Detroit but worlds apart.

Is Bobby Layne in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nope, Bobby Layne's not in Canton, despite slinging for three Lions championships and topping the league in stats like a man possessed. Some sites glitch and say 1967 inductee, but the Hall's brass stiffed him—maybe too many interceptions at 243 or that wild-man rep. Guy's a legend sans bust.

How would Bobby Layne perform in today's NFL?

Layne's cannon arm and no-fear scrambler style would've feasted under today's rules—no more helmet-to-helmet thumps, zones begging for his deep bombs like those 1956 league leads. He'd post 4,000-yard seasons easy, turning Motor City into a perennial beast, though his pick-six habits might need a modern coach's leash.

How does Bobby Layne compare to Earl Morrall?

Layne edged Morrall with a 63.4 rating to Earl's 74.4 career mark, but both grinded as Lions saviors—Layne snagging those '52-'53 rings amid 196 TDs, Morrall filling in like a trusty backup with Super Bowl grit. Think Layne's the barroom brawler, Morrall the steady deputy; Detroit QBs forged in the same blue-collar fire.