Warren Moon Says Titles Not as Important in His Era: That’s All You’re Judged on Now

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVMarch 8, 2024

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NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon believes the emphasis on titles when evaluating players has gotten a bit out of hand.

“Back when I played it didn’t seem like championships were as important,” he told The Athletic’s Tim Graham while discussing Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, a contender that has perpetually come up short in recent years. “Now, it seems that’s all you’re judged on now.”

Dan Marino might argue otherwise, given that it was often the case made against him when the top quarterbacks were discussed. He put up legendary passing numbers for his time, but like Moon never got a ring.

Moon also noted that an opposing dynasty—in Allen’s case, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs—can play a huge role in preventing an otherwise worthy player and team from reaching their full potential.

“I understand the predicament Josh is in because there are a lot of similarities between us two,” he said. “He just happens to be losing to really, really good quarterbacks, and he doesn’t play defense. I played on two teams I thought had a chance to win championships. The others were competitive, playoff teams, but I ended up losing to Joe Montana and the big comeback game, which was an aberration as far as I’m concerned.”

The comeback game happened to be at the hands of the Bills and backup quarterback Frank Reich in the 1992 playoffs, when Buffalo overcame a 35-3 deficit to Moon’s Houston Oilers in the postseason and won the game.

It’s not easy to win a Super Bowl title. Legacy conversations aside, there’s no doubt that Allen would look back on his career in disappointment if he doesn’t eventually get over the hump, even if he’s undoubtedly one of the top quarterbacks of his generation.