This season has seen a myriad of starting quarterbacks go down with injuries, prompting several backups to be reluctantly hurled into action.
The most recent of those backups to get a starting nod was Tim Boyle, who’s claim to fame is being Aaron Rodgers’ friend who threw one college touchdown, and is somehow on an NFL roster.
You’d be forgiven if you knew nothing about the UConn product, as it would also be understood if you didn’t remember anything about the following five quarterbacks.
Scott Tolzien
The Colts have gone through a stretch of having a different Week 1 starter every year since 2017- Tolzien was the one to start said streak, filling in for the injured Andrew Luck. How did it go? As well as you think it did. The former Wisconsin Badger went 9-of-18 for 128 yards and two interceptions in a 46-9 loss against the Los Angeles Rams. Tolzien had three previous starts with the Green Bay Packers, but this was his final career start, finishing with an 0-3-1 record.
Brooks Bollinger
Bollinger was a sixth-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2003 NFL Draft, and like Tolzien, he played at Wisconsin- sorry, Badgers fans. He had a five-year career with three different teams as a journeyman backup. He started nine games in 2005 in relief of the injured Chad Pennington, going 2-7 in that span. While he would appear in an additional nine contests, he would start just one more game for the remainder of his career in 2007 with the Vikings.
Brian St. Pierre
St. Pierre was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Boston College. Across a seven-season career, St. Pierre only appeared in three games, and started just one. He threw one pass with the Steelers in 2004. He didn’t see the field again until 2009 with the Arizona Cardinals, and finally got his first start in 2010 with the God forsaken pre-Cam Newton Panthers. He went 13-of-28 for 173 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in his lone career start.
Andrew Walter
Walter was taken in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders after a very nice career at Arizona State where he threw 85 career touchdown passes.
He started eight games in 2006 while the Raiders were in the midst of one of many searches for a quarterback. He went 2-6 that season throwing three touchdowns to 13 interceptions. He started one more game in 2008 for the Raiders, and finished that season with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Overall, Walter went 2-7 over a three-year career with a 3-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Connor Shaw
You didn’t think we were going to finish this list without a Browns quarterback, did you? Connor Shaw had one career start in 2014, and it was also the only game he ever appeared in. Shaw started in the Browns’ Week 17 game against the Ravens, going 14-of-28 for 177 yards and an interception in Cleveland’s 20-10 loss.
