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

Greg Landry

Retired 15 Years In The NFL
🏆 NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1976)
Greg's
HAIR
31.7
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Greg Landry or the Lions?

Greg Landry Legacy

HEYTC AI
Greg Landry was the ultimate gunslinger-scrambler, a Nashua kid turned UMass record-setter who became the Lions' top pick in '68—the highest-drafted QB that year—then terrorized defenses with his legs as much as his arm. All-Pro in '71, he lit up the Pro Bowl as NFC starter, but his signature shine came in '76: roaring back from the bench to snag Comeback Player of the Year, proving grit trumps glamour in Motown. From USFL grit to Bears coaching stints, Landry embodied football's blue-collar heartbeat. He passed in October 2024 at 77, leaving a legacy of relentless fire.
Greg Landry passed away on October 4, 2024 at the age of 77.

Greg Landry Rating Breakdown

Season
Average
Fantasy
Average
Playoffs
Subpar
Overall
Delulu
11 years with the Lions

Greg Landry Career Stats via Wikipedia

16,052 Pass Yards
98 Touchdowns
103 INTs
55.5% Comp %
31.7 HAIR
44-51 Record

Frequently Asked Questions About Greg Landry

How does Jared Goff compare to Greg Landry?

Jared Goff's got the arm and poise to eclipse Greg Landry's Lions tenure—16,052 yards and 98 TDs over 15 years—already sniffing playoffs while Landry's crew mostly grinded in the NFC mud. Landry ran like a deer (2,747 rushing yards), but Goff's precision in today's spread game feels like Landry with better protection and rules tilted his way.

Is Greg Landry in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nah, Greg Landry never made the cut for Canton, despite that gritty 1971 Pro Bowl nod and '76 Comeback Player award after bouncing back from injury hell. Solid Lions workhorse with 16,052 yards, but the Hall's gold jacket stays packed away—no bust for the Nashua kid.

How would Greg Landry perform in today's NFL?

Landry's legs—2,747 rushing yards—and live-arm quickness would've feasted under no-roughing rules and nickel defenses; think a poor man's young Lamar with 60% completion in the USFL late-career. But pocket time? His 127 picks scream turnover bait in this pass-happy era.

How does Greg Landry compare to Bobby Layne?

Bobby Layne outshines Landry as Detroit's gunslinger king—38.72 passer rating to Landry's 31.73, plus three titles in the '50s with that cigar-chomping swagger. Landry scrapped harder (16k yards, dual-threat), but Layne's magic in mud bowls cements him as the bigger Lions myth.