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Which Penn State QB had / has the best arm ever?

kgilbert: You are so right. I can't think of another circumstance in Penn State football history where a player was beat out by another player and then went on elsewhere to have an even better career than this example. Some think that Pat Devlin was shafted, but he really just ended up being a good QB for Delaware, not an NFL QB though! Both the Hostetler and Devlin families had lineage with Penn State!

Franco, maybe?
 
Hufnagel also was the starter in 1973. I know, because that was my junior year. BTW, we lost to Navy that year in a dreary cold Beaver Stadium rain, 7 -6. Perhaps the worse game I ever was at!

I'm sorry, Jerademan, but your memory is playing with you. Hufnagel played 3 years at PSU, 1970-71-72. In 1973, Tom Shuman took over at QB. That Navy upset of the Lions 7-6 in a torrential downpour occurred in 1974, when PSU fumbled about 4 or 5 times inside Navy's 10-yard-line and missed 4 FGs. On the PSU touchdown, Joe went for 2 instead of kicking the tying EP ... it failed.
 
I'm sorry, Jerademan, but your memory is playing with you. Hufnagel played 3 years at PSU, 1970-71-72. In 1973, Tom Shuman took over at QB. That Navy upset of the Lions 7-6 in a torrential downpour occurred in 1974, when PSU fumbled about 4 or 5 times inside Navy's 10-yard-line and missed 4 FGs. On the PSU touchdown, Joe went for 2 instead of kicking the tying EP ... it failed.

Yep. I was there
 
I'm sorry, Jerademan, but your memory is playing with you. Hufnagel played 3 years at PSU, 1970-71-72. In 1973, Tom Shuman took over at QB. That Navy upset of the Lions 7-6 in a torrential downpour occurred in 1974, when PSU fumbled about 4 or 5 times inside Navy's 10-yard-line and missed 4 FGs. On the PSU touchdown, Joe went for 2 instead of kicking the tying EP ... it failed.
Optio Bob: You are right. I graduated in May or June 1974, but forgot that the actual football season was in 1973. That game against Navy was in the beginning of the football season of 1972, so I had my years messed up by 1 year. It still doesn't change my memory of the worst game I ever attended! My most positive memories were watching John Cappellettti from high above Beaver Stadium. That season, I never sat in the student sections, I always bought regular tickets and sat at the highest point I could find an empty seat near the 50 yard line. It was amazing to watch Cappy find holes and bust through them with shear determination and power!
 
I know he isn't a QB of course, but TOS has a video of Anthony Zettel inside of Holuba recently throwing the ball 80 yards. That kid really has some gifts. Can drive a golf ball 400 yards, slam a basketball off a rebound one handed (weighing 285#) and uproot trees by tackling them! Oh, yeah, he's a pretty good football player too! ;)
 
I know Hack's arm is extremely strong, but can he throw the ball further than any past PSU QB's? Who do you think could, and accurately as well?
Kerry Collins and I don't even think it is close. I have had season tickets in the north end zone (great for watching plays develop) and I never saw any QB for PSU or the other team throw deep passes better than Collins in 1994. I realize his OL was so good that year that he could have ordered and ate a ham sandwich and still had time to throw, but he repeatedly hit guys right in stride 40 or more yards up field.
 
I always remember comparing Dan Marino's 33 yard TD pass to John Brown? in the 1981 Sugar Bowl to beat UGA against Blackledge's 47 yard TD pass to Garrity to beat them (and win MNC) the next year. Both passes were thrown from near midfield. Blackledge's was a 55 yard dart whereas Marino's was a 50 yard lob, touch pass. I think Blackledge had a cannon. Of course, Hoss was a better pro than Todd and Marino was the best passer ever in the NFL. Think about the talent we were watching in those days!


My favorite Marino TD pass was the one that was caught by Mark Robinson in the 48-14 game in 1981.....

Mark ran it right back up the middle past Danny Boy..... right to the house.....
 
Optio Bob: You are right. I graduated in May or June 1974, but forgot that the actual football season was in 1973. That game against Navy was in the beginning of the football season of 1972, so I had my years messed up by 1 year. It still doesn't change my memory of the worst game I ever attended! My most positive memories were watching John Cappellettti from high above Beaver Stadium. That season, I never sat in the student sections, I always bought regular tickets and sat at the highest point I could find an empty seat near the 50 yard line. It was amazing to watch Cappy find holes and bust through them with shear determination and power!

Yes, my freshman year...... Were you at the BB game right after the Heisman was announced where Cappy came out a halftime and took a bow?
 
Yes, my freshman year...... Were you at the BB game right after the Heisman was announced where Cappy came out a halftime and took a bow?
GreginPitt: Yes I was, but remember Cappy's bow a standing ovation more than the actual BB game! It was extremely moving and powerful!
 
kgilbert: You are so right. I can't think of another circumstance in Penn State football history where a player was beat out by another player and then went on elsewhere to have an even better career than this example. Some think that Pat Devlin was shafted, but he really just ended up being a good QB for Delaware, not an NFL QB though! Both the Hostetler and Devlin families had lineage with Penn State!

Devlin, was that the kid from out East somewhere? what happened with him?
 
Morelli, Sacca, Collins and Rashard Casey, probably in that order.


Good call on Rashard Casey. He was born about 15 years too early. Would love to see him play in the offenses of today. Would have also loved to seen what would have become of Tony Sacca if he had not been forced into action in his freshman year. He had a nice career but it would have been nice to see that 1992 team with Tony Sacca as a senior Quarterback. That was a very talented but underperforming team, especially after they lost to Miami.
 
Hostetler went on and played several years in the NFL. I don't think he suffered from being beat out by Blackledge at Penn State :)


I am of the opinion that wether or not you make it as a Quarterback in the NFL has a lot to do with who drafts you. Would Tom Brady be what he is without the "Hoodie"?Aaron Rodgers is amazing, but what happens if he doesn't slide to the Packers and is forced to play right away for some crappy team? There are a lot of NFL people who still believe that David Carr could have been great if he had not been pummeled while playing for a lousy team in Houston. What would have happened if Archie Manning had played for the Steelers and Terry Bradshaw played for the Saints? I realize these are all questions we can never truly know the answers to, but I just think there is a lot of luck involved in determining who makes it in the NFL.
 
My favorite Marino TD pass was the one that was caught by Mark Robinson in the 48-14 game in 1981.....

Mark ran it right back up the middle past Danny Boy..... right to the house.....
While wearing only one shoe!
 
Collins gets my vote for best arm, as in strength + accuracy.

For just pure strength, Tony Sacca. Tony was one of the few QB's I've ever seen that actually knew how and was willing to block when needed.
 
If you lined up all the mentioned QB's in their prime and everyone threw from their own goal line, who do you think would throw the ball the furthest, regardless of accuracy? I think it might be Hackenberg or Kerry Collins. Morelli could be up there too. I would pay to watch such an event :)
 
I know Hack's arm is extremely strong, but can he throw the ball further than any past PSU QB's? Who do you think could, and accurately as well?
Anthony Morelli had the strongest arm in the history of the Elite 11 when he went there. He could throw the football over 80 yds. I didn't believe it till I saw it with my own eyes. Kerry Collins also had a very strong and accurate arm.
 
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