Good Rex or Bad Rex: Which Rex will show up for Super Bowl XLI in Miami? (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)

Super Bowl week always brings storylines real and manufactured. This year, some wags are wondering if Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman is the worst Super Bowl quarterback ever.

While the pivot didn't help his cause this season with four or five particularly brain-addled performances that overshadowed a 23-touchdown campaign, the talk seems premature at best.

This was Grossman's first full season and he doesn't seem destined to have a career any worse than the likes of Vince Ferragamo, David Woodley and Tony Eason.

More importantly, Grossman will have to serve up a mighty big turkey on Sunday to compete with the worst of the worst QB performances in the Super Bowl history. As well, history has shown that star quarterbacks like Peyton Manning aren't immune.

Here are 10, in chronological order:

Earl Morrall, Baltimore, Super Bowl III

Inconsistent in the regular season over the course of a career that predated the AFL, Morrall was consistently awful in Super Bowl III.

Coming off a regular season in which he was voted league NFL most valuable player, Morrall's three interceptions as Colt quarterback helped guarantee Joe Namath's victory for the New York Jets. Replacement Johnny Unitas, 37, and with a banged-up elbow, threw for more yards than Morrall despite playing just the final quarter.

The quarterback tandem was still in place when the Colts beat Dallas two years later in the Super Bowl, though it was Unitas who threw the only touchdown pass. Morrall was a pedestrian 7-of-15 with an interception.

Billy Kilmer, Washington, Super Bowl VII

Super Bowl revisionism has treated Kilmer kindly, with the quarterback now usually remembered for his often wobbly passes and colourful exploits off the football field.

Miami's 14-7 victory over Washington is now cited as the crowning touch on Miami's unbeaten season and for Dolphin kicker Garo Yepremian's comical pass attempt.

Washington, meanwhile, became the first team to not get any points from their offence in a Super Bowl. Kilmer went 14-of-28 for 104 yards and three interceptions, one of which Miami quickly capitalized on for one of their touchdowns.

Craig Morton, Denver, Super Bowl XII

Morton went from bad to worse in his second Super Bowl appearance. Eight years earlier, he'd tossed three interceptions in the Dallas loss to Baltimore, including a pivotal one in the fourth quarter.

As a Bronco, Morton repays Cowboy fans by going 4-of-15 for just 39 yards, with his four interceptions – half of his regular season total, and a record that would last exactly a quarter-century. It gets so bad, the incredibly mediocre Norris Weese replaces him and guides the Broncos to their only touchdown.

David Woodley, Miami, Super Bowl XVII

On Miami's first possession in a 27-17 loss to Washington, Woodley hooked up with Jimmy Cefalo for a 76-yard touchdown.

Woodley's stat line the rest of the day: 3-for-13 for 21 yards and an interception, with no completed passes in the second half. Born a year too late for Dolphin fans in a winnable game, and drafted months later: Dan Marino.

Even Super Bowl greats like Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins slip up occasionally. (Getty Images)

Joe Theismann, Washington, Super Bowl XVIII

Along with Morrall, several one-time league MVPs have laid an egg in the Super Bowl.

Fran Tarkenton couldn't get anything going in a 16-6 loss to Pittsburgh in the ninth Super Bowl, but it was a largely defensive battle (opposing QB Terry Bradshaw wasn't a big factor in the game, either).

John Elway was indeed poor in the most lopsided championship, a 55-10 San Francisco win over Denver in 1990. But the story centred largely on the other side of the ball; Elway's first of two interceptions came with the score already 27-3.

More egregious was Theismann's performance against the Los Angeles Raiders.

Even the Super Bowl greats occasionally fall, and perhaps no one play in Super Bowl history was as irrevocable as the one hatched by three-time winning coach Joe Gibbs and botched by Theismann, the game's winning quarterback the previous year.

With the ball on their own 12-yard line and with as many seconds left in the first half, the Redskins can kneel with the ball and go into their locker room trailing by a manageable 14-3 score.

But Gibbs decides on a screen pass in the flat to running back Joe Washington and Theismann lobs it into the waiting hands of scrub Raider linebacker Jack Squirek, who can just about fall forward into the end zone. Squirek had precisely one other interception in a five-year career.

The Redskins would score on their first drive of the second half, but the QB would toss another interception in a 38-9 drubbing.

Tony Eason, New England, Super Bowl XX

There were certainly very few articles leading up to the championship wondering how the Bears defence would deal with Eason. Chicago's unit was one of the most vaunted of all time, while Eason was coming off a mediocre 12-touchdown, 17-interception season.

Still, Eason exceeded even the lowest of expectations. Appearing shell-shocked soon after the first play, he went 0-for-6, was sacked three times and fumbled before giving way to long-time Pat Steve Grogan in the second quarter.

Will the real Jim Kelly please show up? Usually a cool operator, Kelly never looked himself in the big game. (Rusty Kennedy/Associated Press)

Jim Kelly, Buffalo, Super Bowl XXVI

While even some of the game's best quarterbacks froze under the glare of the Super Bowl spotlight, Kelly rarely seemed outwardly rattled in his four appearances. His frequent misthrows and turnovers either suggested someone trying too hard or an impostor, as the contrast to his regular season performances was so stark.

Kelly actually threw his only Super Bowl touchdown passes in what was probably his worst performance, the team's 37-24 loss to Washington. Both touchdowns came very late in the game, after he'd already had four balls picked, lost a fumble and been sacked five times.

Neil O'Donnell, Pittsburgh, Super Bowl XXX

Steeler fans can't help but wonder if their fifth Super Bowl win, which occurred in 2006 against Seattle, wouldn't have occurred a decade earlier were it not for two people: Larry Brown, and O'Donnell.

With the score 13-7 Dallas in the third and Pittsburgh driving in Cowboy territory, O'Donnell throws to Brown with nary a Steeler in sight. The Cowboys score on the subsequent drive.

Later, with the score 20-17 Dallas, it's déjà vu all over again. A head-scratching throw by O'Donnell, an easy interception for Brown, and a score by the Cowboys to secure a victory.

Kerry Collins, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXXV

Like Eason against the Bears, a quarterback going against a defence like the Ray Lewis-led Baltimore Ravens has the deck stacked against him.

But Collins was much better than Eason and had enjoyed his best season as a pro.

With Baltimore up just 10-0 and the Giants enjoying their best field position, Collins throws one of his record-tying four INT's. His next would be more devastating, as it was returned by Chris McAllister for a touchdown.

New York's only points would come from a kickoff return.

Rich Gannon was no match for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' pass rush in Super Bowl XXXVII. (Rusty Kennedy/Associated Press)

Rich Gannon, Oakland, Super Bowl XXXVII

Gannon's arm and smarts helped guide the Raiders to the championship game and earn him league MVP, but his reputation as a taskmaster earned him the nickname "Red-Ass Rich" from teammates and local media.

Come Super Bowl Sunday, Tampa Bay would score only one more touchdown than Oakland but manage to win by 27 points.

Gannon set a new record with five interceptions, with three returned for touchdowns. While two of them came in the dying minutes and the game essentially over, Gannon was rattled most of the game and didn't live up to the standards he set.