Growing up in Washington, Jack Thompson likely never could have imagined this moment. Known as the "Throwin' Samoan," Thompson was an NFL rarity. When he'd gone to college at Washington State, teammates asked him what position he played.
Quarterback, he told them.
Quarterback? Nah, that can't be right.
Then Thompson went on the field, played his way to being the No. 3 overall pick in the 1979 NFL draft and appeared in 51 games for Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. At the time, Polynesian quarterbacks were rare. Back then, what could happen Saturday (8:15 p.m. ET, NFL Network) -- Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota facing off against one another -- would have been almost unthinkable.