5 greatest left-handed quarterbacks: NFL includes Mark Brunell on list

The left-handed quarterback is a dying breed in the NFL. In fact, Kellen Moore of the Dallas Cowboys is the only active quarterback in the league who is a lefty. Moore’s teammate, Dez Bryant, was actually the only player in the entire league to throw a left-handed touchdown pass in 2016.

This is not unsurprising, as only about 10 percent of the human population is estimated to be a left-handed. But August 13th was National Left-Handers Day, so the small population was given a chance to celebrate their uniqueness, and the NFL — always sure to be trendy — got in on the action.

NFL Network released a video on social media, showcasing who it believes to be the top-five left-throwing quarterbacks of all-time. Mark Brunell, the greatest signal-caller to ever suit up for Jacksonville Jaguars made the list, of course.

Brunell was ranked fifth, right behind some very accomplished quarterbacks — Mike Vick, Boomer Esiason, Ken Stabler, and Steve Young.

Brunell finished his career with 32,072 passing yards, 184 touchdowns, 78 career regular season wins, a QB rating of 84.0 and three Pro Bowls.

He actually had more career passing yards, wins and touchdowns, and a higher career rating, than Vick. Brunell had more passing yards and a higher rating than Stabler as well. But Vick was a dynamic player as both a passer and a runner, and Stabler won a Super Bowl and played in a different era, which likely gave them a boost on the list.

Esiason was the 1988 NFL MVP and threw for 247 touchdowns and nearly 38,000 career passing yards en route to four Pro Bowl selections. Young is without a doubt the best lefty to throw a pass in the NFL. He won three Super Bowls as a member of the San Francisco 49ers (starting and winning Super Bowl XXIX MVP honors) and was a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first team All-Pro.

Brunell’s other accolades include winning the passing yards title in 1996, winning a Super Bowl as a member of 2009-2010 New Orleans Saints and being inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars.

While Brunell ranked fifth on the list overall, he ranks fourth all-time in wins by a left-handed quarterback. The same five mentioned above make up this list as well.

Brunell played for five teams throughout his career, but spent the majority of it in Jacksonville. He won 63 regular season games and five playoff games in nine seasons as a Jaguars player. Additionally, No. 8 led a very young franchise to two AFC Championship games in 1996 and 1999.

He holds nearly all of Jacksonville’s major career passing records, including yards, touchdowns, completions and attempts. Brunell also is by far Jacksonville’s winningest quarterback, with David Garrard in second place, 24 games behind.

We just don’t see successful left-handed quarterbacks like Mark Brunell or the others mentioned anymore. Well, they aren’t abundant at all in today’s NFL.

Let’s be honest, there is a significant drop off after these five players in terms of left-handed quarterbacks, but these players were all phenomenal.

So my question is, did the NFL do Brunell justice? Vote in the poll or let us know in the comments.