It took a long time before Rich Gannon really had his chance in the NFL and/or found his groove, but once he did, he had a stretch where he was amongst the best Quarterbacks in the National Football League.

From the University of Delaware, the New England Patriots drafted Gannon in 1987 and wanted to convert him to a Running Back.   That never transpired, and he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, where he was a backup for three years until winning the starting job in 1990.  Gannon did okay for a few years but lost the starting job and was traded to the Washington Redskins, where a similar pattern would happen.  It would all change in 1999 when he signed as a Free Agent with the Oakland Raiders.

Under Jon Gruden's West Coast Offense, Gannon became a star.  He would be named to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons (1999-02) and was a First Team All-Pro in 2000 & 2002.  In those two All-Pro campaigns, Gannon won the Bert Bell Award and was the AP MVP in the latter year, where he led the NFL in Passing Yards (4,689).  In all of those four years, he was in the top five in Touchdown passes.  He would be injured early in 2003 from a helmet-to-helmet collision and was out of football for two years.

What kills Gannon’s chances is that when he did make it to the Super Bowl, he was picked off five times, though it can be argued that it did not help that Gruden was now coaching the opposing Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Had that gone differently, we expect that Raiders fans would be championing his cause as opposed to (or in addition to Jim Plunkett.

If only!

Drafted 3^rd Overall in 1984 from Michigan State, the New York Giants would have a longtime fixture in their Linebacking corps in Carl Banks.  Banks was an All-Rookie Selection, and he later earned Pro Bowl honors and First Team All-Pro honors in 1987, the year after he played a major role in their Super Bowl XXI win.  Banks would again hoist the Lombardi Trophy high four years later in Super Bowl XXV.

Banks may have been only chosen for one Pro Bowl, but he was easily in contention for many others.  A master at closing in on Tight Ends and eliminating them from plays, he was named to the 1980s All-Decade Second Team.  Banks finished his career with Washington and later the Cleveland Browns.

A First Round Pick from Washington State in 1984, Keith Millard made the team that drafted him (Minnesota) wait a year, as he went into the USFL for one season with the Jacksonville Bulls. 

A member of the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, Keith Lincoln, was drafted in the 2^nd Round by San Diego in 1961 (he was also a 5^th Round Pick by the Chicago Bears of the NFL).  It was an excellent choice for both parties, as it did not take long for Keith Lincoln to establish himself as one of the better running backs in the AFL. 

Lincoln would become a four-time All-Star with the Chargers and was a two-time First Team All-Pro for the team and would accumulate 4,387 Yards From Scrimmage.  In 1963, Lincoln helped the Chargers win the AFL Championship. 

After his run with the Chargers ended, he would have a comeback of sorts with the Buffalo Bills in 1967, where he would earn his fifth and final AFL All-Star Selection.  Lincoln would retire in 1968 after accumulating 6,993 All-Purpose Yards.