Teams
- New England Patriots (1983-1989)
- New York Jets (1989-1990)
“Champaign Tony” Eason, out of the University of Illinois, was the fourth signal caller taken (#15 overall) in the immortal Quarterback Class of 1983. Taken by the New England Patriots, he started the final four games of his rookie year, then took over the full-time job one year later. In ’84, he had the NFL’s best INT rate and finished third in passer rating, trailing only league MVP Dan Marino and eventual Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana. The Pats finished at 9-7. After a slow start to the 1985 season, Eason suffered a shoulder injury. Back-up Steve Grogan came in and New England got hot, winning six in a row to get back into playoff contention. Then Grogan went down with a broken tibia in Week 12 and Eason was thrust back into the starting role. The Patriots won three of their last four and earned the final Wild Card spot.
In the postseason, it was Eason’s turn to get hot. In three consecutive road games, New England defeated the Jets, Raiders, and defending AFC Champion Dolphins in successive order. For his part, Tony Eason threw for five touchdowns, without a turnover, and posted passer ratings above 100.0 in each contest. Then came Super Bowl XX, in New Orleans, where the Patriots ran into the Chicago Bears and arguably the greatest defense in NFL history. Harassed nearly every snap, Eason’s passes were dropped twice, he was sacked three times, and he lost a fumble. After completing none of his six pass attempts, he was pulled by head coach Raymond Berry late in the second quarter. Steve Grogan fared little better in Eason’s stead, and by the end of the contest it was the biggest Super Bowl blow-out of its time, with Chicago winning 46-10 and completing an 18-1 season.
Football lore has it that Tony Eason disappeared after his disastrous Super Bowl performance. In actuality he had a terrific 1986 season, finishing in the Top 5 among quarterbacks in completion percentage, INT rate, and passer rating. The Patriots went 10-4 in his starts and won the AFC East at 11-5. In the first round of the playoffs Eason played well, totaling 217 yards and two touchdowns, but fell to John Elway and the Broncos (who reached the Super Bowl), 22-17. After that, Tony Eason’s career went on a downward spiral. Between a contract dispute, then a players’ strike, and another round of injuries, he started just three games for New England in ’87. Between the Patriots and New York Jets, Tony Eason would only start seven more games over the next three years before retiring after the 1990 season.
Sadly, Tony Eason is remembered mostly for negative reasons. He was drafted ahead of Dan Marino. He got hurt too frequently. He had the worst Super Bowl showing of any starting quarterback. He was loathed by his Hall of Fame offensive lineman. And yet he won more than 57% of his starts for New England. He twice finished in the Top 5 in QB rating, and even got an MVP vote in ’86. He led the Patriots to three playoff road wins (including one over Dan Marino), and has a career postseason passer rating of 115.6, even with the mauling at the hands of the ’85 Bears. Patriots fans seem to have a grudge against the guy. They shouldn’t.
Note: Tony Eason did not serve as his respective teams’ primary starter for at least five seasons, therefore he does not qualify for an index score.
The Quarterback Project 