NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders

NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders: 4. Tommy Maddox

Tommy Maddox had quite a career as a quarterback around football leagues. He started off in the Arena Football league, where he was a starter for the New Jersey Red Dogs. He came to the Pittsburgh Steelers after winning the XFL MVP award in its one and only full season. The Vince McMahon-led effort was a mess from the start, but there were some awesome players to come out of the league. By far the best was Maddox, who would take the starting job in Pittsburgh.

Did you know before his stints in the lesser professional leagues, Maddox played for the Broncos, Rams, and Giants? Maddox was a former first-round pick that really came into the league with some issues, number one being that John Elway wasn’t happy he was drafted. Elway said the Packers had bigger needs, and he was still trying to establish himself as a star under center. (This sounds familiar to what’s happening in Green Bay.)

Maddox was eventually out of the league and trying to save his career, and he did just that. After his XFL adventure, he signed to be the backup to Kordell Stewart. Maddox eventually took over as starter in 2002, and he was really good. He led the Steelers to a 7-3-1 record while throwing for 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He was officially the starter all of the 2003 season, but he failed to replicate the success. The Steelers were 6-10 and they drafted Ben Roethlisberger in the first round of next year’s draft. Roethlisberger would take over for an injured Maddox in the first game of the season, and he led the Steelers to a 15-1 record. Maddox would never be starter again, but at least he was able to redeem himself one final time after a flop of a career.