Randall Cunningham—"The Ultimate Weapon"

 By John Turney 

Randall Cunningham

Dual-threat quarterbacks who dazzle with their feet as well as incredible arm strength are everywhere in today's NFL. Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts are ready examples. So was Colin Kaepernick, at least for a while. And two decades ago, it was Michael Vick with his rare running ability and elite arm.

But they weren't the first with such a skill set -- at least to extreme levels.  No, that distinction belongs to Randall Cunningham the godfather of that kind of play for NFL quarterbacks.

Cunningham not only could run for big gains; he would get the ball down the field, too. Granted, there were other quarterbacks who could scramble and run successfully, but only one before Cunningham was a threat to gain 1,000 yards on the ground -- Bobby Douglass of the Bears -- and he was an extraordinarily inaccurate passer.

Cunningham was different. He could complete passes and complete them downfield. He brought something new to the modern NFL, something not seen since pocket passers first dominated the league -- a quarterback who could run for 1,000 yards, pass for well over 3,500 and throw 30 touchdown passes.

For some reason, however, that's not enough to win him support from Hall-of-Fame selectors Eligible since 2007, Cunningham has yet to be a modern-era semifinalist or finalist.

And time is running out. 

Per Hall rules, he only has two years left to have his case discussed as a modern finalist. Otherwise, he moves into a senior category stocked with so many Hall-of-Fame worthy candidates that over 50 all-decade choices reside there ... which means Hall-of-Fame voters must act immediately.

It's not simply that Cunningham was accomplished. It's that he was special. A cut above.

Chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft, Cunningham didn't excel immediately. It took him a couple of years, several spot starts and a lot of sacks (at a record rate, no less) before he became ... well, before he became Randall Cunningham. But by 1987, he opened the season as Philadelphia's starter and for the next four years played dynamite, elite football.

In 1988, he threw for 3,808 yards and 24 touchdowns. ran for another 624 yards and six TDs and was the first African-American quarterback to start a Pro Bowl. The passing yardage was third in the NFL and the touchdown passes were fourth best.

In addition to the Pro Bowl, he was second-team All-Pro and second in the AP MVP voting.

But that was the year when he unveiled one of his signature plays to a nationwide audience of millions, one that no one who saw it can forget. It was the 1988 "Monday Night Football" telecast, with the Eagles vs. the New York Giants where, on a third-and-goal, Cunningham rolled right to throw and was hit low by Giants' linebacker Carl Banks, driving Cunningham backward.

Most quarterbacks would have fallen. But Cunningham was not like most quarterbacks. Instead, he stuck out his left arm, regained his balance and popped up to throw a touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Giles.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said astonished ABC color commentator and Hall-of-Fame tackle Dan Dierdorf, "Randall Cunningham is a ready-for-prime-time player."

"This guy has not been seen by many national audiences before, but I think you’re starting to get the drift as to what kind of football player plays here in Philadelphia. Randall Cunningham … that is a big-time play."

The Eagles were 10-6 that season and reached the playoffs, but they lost to Chicago in a bizarre contest known as the "Fog Bowl where the second-half fog rolling in from Lake Michigan was so thick that no one could see beyond 10 yards -- at least not clearly.

Nevertheless, Cunningham threw for 407 yards.

In 1989, he was chosen to his second Pro Bowl when the Eagles were 11-5 and returned to the playoffs. But they failed to win a playoff game again, this time losing to the Los Angeles Rams. No problem. The following year, Cunningham had his best season ever, throwing for 30 touchdowns and running for 942 yards. Called "The Ultimate Weapon," he was the PFWA MVP and All-Pro quarterback.

It was also that year that he gave us another glimpse of his extraordinary talent, this time dodging Bills' defensive end Bruce Smith (among a couple of other Buffalo pass rushers) in a Houdini-like move to fire a bomb to wide receiver Fred Barnett, who took it to the house.

The play covered 95 yards. 

There were more, many more, highlight-reel plays. But they haven't been enough to get the attention of the Hall's board of selectors.

Comparing a player's peak year to his peers is sometimes a useful way to look at statistics. Due to severe injuries, Cunningham's peak was limited. But from the time he became the starter through 1990, his numbers were equal to ... or even surpassed ... plenty of Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks.

From 1987-90, for instance, only Joe Montana and Dan Marino threw for more touchdowns. Hall-of-Famers Warren Moon, Jim Kelly and John Elway trailed him. In fact, among quarterbacks now in the Hall, only Montana exceeded Cunningham in interception percentage, and, among all quarterbacks, only Montana and Marino completed more passes. Only Joe Montana led his team to more wins, too. And when you add rushing touchdowns to passing touchdowns, no one accounted for more. 

Not even Montana.

Then there's this: Cunningham called all his plays, something not done by all of his peers. But his coach, Buddy Ryan, trusted the young, 6-foot-4, 215-pounder, and the results speak for themselves.

Granted, his impact was limited for a considerable stretch because of injuries that forced a one-year retirement. But by 1998, he was back -- and in a big way. He teamed that season with rookie Randy Moss and veteran Cris Carter to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the NFL's best record (15-1) with the NFL's best offense. 

Cunningham threw a career-high 34 touchdowns, led the NFL with a 106.0 passer rating and was named All-Pro for the second time. He was also the NEA MVP for the third time, second in the AP MVP voting and the PFWA's Comeback Player of the Year for the second time (the first was in 1992).

It was a magical season that should have been punctuated by an exclamation point. Sadly it wasn't. The league's best team failed to reach the Super Bowl when a missed Gary Anderson field goal (his first of the season) in the NFC championship game kept them from beating Atlanta.

For his career, Cunningham threw for just under 30,000 yards and ran for just under 5,000. He had 207 touchdowns passing, 35 rushing and was 82-52-1 as a starter and 3-6 in the playoffs. While the postseason record could be considered a hindrance to Canton, it shouldn't. It's comparable to Hall-of-Famers Warren Moon and Dan Fouts. Moon was 3-7 and Fouts 3-4. Plus, Cunningham's .611 regular-season winning percentage was better than both.

Fouts and Moon were inducted as elite passers. Cunningham was an elite football player. And he deserves consideration on that basis.  It's unfortunate that he never played in offenses featuring a pistol formation or one that incorporated read-option concepts. With his freak-like athleticism, he'd be an annual MVP candidate.  

At his peak, Randall Cunningham was an elite player who re-pioneered his position, and that's how he should be weighed and measured by Hall voters. But that hasn't happened, and little time is left.