Exactly.
With all due apologies going out to Drew Bledsoe and Scott Mitchell, Steve DeBerg may be the perfect example of a mediocre quarterback. Like Bledsoe, DeBerg was never really great, but hung around the NFL long enough to put up some pretty impressive totals. For example, did you know that DeBerg ranks in the NFL top twenty in career attempts, completions and yards?
DeBerg was known as a journeyman in the NFL, but he is one of very few athletes to be a journeyman in college as well. DeBerg was enrolled at two different colleges before heading to the NFL. Sadly, DeBerg impressed almost no one except his family and friends while in college. In the 1977 NFL Draft the Cowboys took a shot on Steve in the 10th round, he never played a down for Dallas.
Steve somehow impressed the San Francisco 49ers and their Hall of Fame coach, Bill Walsh. The youngster DeBerg started 11 games in 1978, leading the 49ers to a record of 1-10. Somehow, after that god-awful performance, DeBerg kept his job the following season and improved GREATLY, helping the Niners go 2-13 in his starts. While he was a bit better the following year, DeBerg finally lost the starting job to Joe Montana. I think the Niners made the right call there.
DeBerg then moved on to Denver where he served as a starter and a backup before losing his job to John Elway. So, in a span of only a few seasons, Steve lost jobs to two Hall of Fame field generals. Tough break. He then made the move to the hapless Tampa Bay Bucs and did his usual caliber of work with that franchise, putting up a record of 8-29 while he was the starter down there. It really looked like things could be over for DeBerg at this point. He had been mediocre at best on some of the worst teams in the NFL, not exactly something a guy can hang his hat on.
Following his final season in Tampa, DeBerg turned 34 and didn’t look much like starting QB material. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs that offseason, a move that turned his career around. During his four years in KC, DeBerg led the Chiefs to a 31-20, including a record-setting campaign in 1990 at the age of 36. That season, DeBerg set the NFL single season record for the lowest percentage of passes to be intercepted in a single season. The aging DeBerg was finally on track.
In his later 30s, DeBerg made cameos in Miami and Tampa Bay and then retired following the 1993 season at the age of 39. He had a pretty good run. He stuck around in the NFL for about 15 years and started on a couple of decent teams. However, the call to the grid iron was too great, and in 1999, a 44-year-old DeBerg returned to the NFL to play for the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons. Steve served as the back up to Chris Chandler, another great mediocre quarterback.
DeBerg retired for good following the Falcons Super Bowl loss with 196 TDs and 204 picks, both among the league leaders in NFL history. He currently coaches football camps all around the country.
Outstanding post. This might be my favorite yet. Way to go, Blake!
On another note, Steve Deberg’s career long rushing-attempt was 15-yard scramble back in 1989.
What happened to John Kruks’ pic!!!
Steve d was the man in tecmo superbowl and john kruk’s pic was taken down BC the only thing mediocre about him is his one testicle.
Steve played on some horrible teams with Tampa Bay and the early 49er teams with no defense. Walsh did not coach him till 79. Had good season in 87 before Vinny took over. Also in Denver, Reeves wanted him because of the work they did in Dallas when he off coordinator. Better than mediocre.
I was always a big Steve DeBerg fan. The guy was tough and definetely durable over his career. As a Dolphins fan, I’ll always remember him filling in for Dan Marino and starting the “Thanksgiving Classic” game against the Dallas Cowboys on that rare snowy game in Texas Stadium. DeBerg drove the Dolphins down the field in the closing minutes of that game to set up the game winning field goal. Well actually the field goal before the game winning field goal. I bet Leon Lett and Cowboys fans would call that a day of infamy.
Don’t forget Steve played through half a Chiefs season with a PIN holding his finger together. Mediocre in the realm of NFL quarterbacks for sure, but still a Titan among mere mortal men!
Steve DeBerg was an excellent quarterback. Placing the blame on Steve for the woes of a pathetic 49er team is ridiculous. He was a magician with the play action fake, and you can bet that Joe Montana studied him closely at SF.
It used to crack me up how, time and time again, the tv cameras (and the defense) would follow the empty handed running back while DeBerg would be casually loitering in the backfield with the ball hidden behind his right hip. By the time they realized their mistake it was usually too late as the ball was en route to a waiting receiver.
Maybe the “fake” is when Deberg forgot to release the ball.
Steve DeBerg was the most screwed over Quarterback in NFL history turned out in favor of Montana the same year Montana won Mvp of the league at the 9 game mark Steve DEberg was superior in all quarterback catergories But was with Tampa bay No offensive line the worst owership ever in NFL Hugh Culverhouse, and still his numbers were better than Montana that had a great team around him. If Kansas city had protected him they might have made that return to the super bowl. Remember unlike cry baby quarterbacks Steve played in the playoffs with a surgically implanted splint in his finger taking snaps was painful to say the least and they lost in the playoffs because of the coach not opening it up.
“he is one of very few athletes to be a journeyman in college as well. DeBerg was enrolled at two different colleges before heading to the NFL.”
He attended junior college before playing at SJSU. That hardly makes him a “journeyman.”
I went to high school with Steve in Anaheim and I can say I have never met a more gifted natural athlete than him. Football, Basketball, Track he could do it all, I mean pick up a sport and excel without killing himself. He has some very impressive numbers and I’m, sure NFL history will be good to him.
Peyton Manning studied game film of DeBerg’s play-action technique, which Steve is known for. I’d like to see the overprotected, coddled QBs of today play through the injuries DeBerg did. He was intelligent, classy, and a leader who had his players’ respect. If that makes him “mediocre”, OK.
I am a huge DeBerg fan. I was there when Elway arrived. At training camp we had field passes and the Broncos were signing shirts. My then 5 year old daughter said “Mr Deberg you’re my favourite” Steve smiled at me and said “got her well trained”. I was in the stands when the fans stomped and demanded Elway. I cried. I felt so bad for DeBerg. Through it all he was a class act. I still remember his 21 passes without a miss streak it actually made the Guiness Book of Records, Deerg is a highly underrated QB. Frankly those of us who watched him play and actually understand fdootball have a far different view of him than you do. Thanks for the memories Steve!