Let’s play a game: I am going to give you two quarterbacks from the mid 60s to the late 70s and I want you to guess which one is the Hall of Fame QB.
Player A. Career Stats: 19 Seasons, 145 Starts, 183 TD, 187 INT, 27,908 Passing Yards, 81-62-1 Career Record, 54.2 Completion Percentage, 73.5 QB Rating, Lost 2 Super Bowls,
Player B. Career Stats: 13 Seasons, 130 Starts, 173 TD, 220 INT, 27,663 Passing Yards, 62-63-4 Career Record, 50.1 Completion Percentage, 65.5 QB Rating, Won 1 Super Bowl,
Neither is probably jumping out at you. In fact, neither of the QB’s probably seem like Hall of Fame material, but I promise one is.
If I had to guess just by looking at the info above, I would have to go with Player A. More wins, better TD/INT ratio, better completion percentage, and better QB ranking. The only down side is he lost two Super Bowls whereas Player B won a Super Bowl.
I think any reasonable football fan would agree that Player A seems like a more deserving Hall choice.
Now let’s find out if we’re right.
- Player A. Craig Morton
- Player B. Joe Namath
Wow.
It’s true: Joe Namath’s stats sucked that bad. From the stats above he just looks like another run-of-the-mill quarterback. Craig Morton had better stats then him, and he definitively hasn’t received Hall of Fame consideration.
From the praise Namath has received over the years (not much from Suzy Kolber though), you would think he had better stats then he does.
The reality of those stats is a huge reason why Joe Namath is the most overrated quarterback in the history of the NFL.
Yeah I said it New York; what are you going to do about it?
The truth is that Namath wasn’t a very good quarterback, he was just in the right place at the right time. That place being New York City of course. If Namath played in Chicago, Houston, or Buffalo he would of been just another QB that didn’t reach his full potential.
The New York media loved his charisma and playboy lifestyle, so they hyped him up to a player he never was.
I will say that Broadway Joe did guarantee to win one of the biggest games in NFL history and put the AFL on the map; but Super Bowls aren’t always won just by quarterbacks.
Plenty of other okay/mediocre quarterbacks have won Super Bowls too: Jim Plunkett, Jim McMahon, Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypien, and Trent Dilfer all won at least one.
Plus Joe didn’t win that game by himself; Matt Snell and the Jets defense won that Super Bowl. Snell had 121 yards and 1 TD while the Jets D caused 5 turnovers and only allowed 7 points. Joe did have a solid game completing 17 out of 28 passes and throwing for 206 yards, but nothing spectacular.
For his career, Namath’s QB rating was a pathetic 65.5 even while spending 5 years in the pass happy AFL. Some other quarterbacks from that era had far more respectable numbers: Roger Staubach 83.4, Len Dawson 82.6, Sonny Jurgensen 82.6.
The 173 TDs to 220 INT ratio is terrible. Namath led the league in INTs 4 times and there were only two seasons during which he threw more touchdowns then interceptions.
He has a 50.1 career competition percentage, which is way too low for a “Hall of Fame” quarterback. His best season was in 1967 which he threw for 4,007 yards, completed 52% of his passes, and threw for 26 TDs and 28 INTs. That’s not a very impressive year, even for back then.
Also it’s not like Joe Willie had bad players around him. Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer were both quality running backs. George Sauer went to 4-Pro Bowls and Don Maynard is a Hall of Famer.
The stat that hurts Joe the most is his career record. 62-63-4 is a mediocre record for a quarterback. Add in that he only has two playoff appearances and it shows that Joe did not do the most important thing a quarterback can do. win consistently.
I think that there is enough evidence here to prove that Joe Namath was one of – if not the – most overrated quarterbacks ever; the evidence also proves that Namath never belonged in the Hall of Fame either.
"It’s true: Joe Namath’s stats sucked that bad. From the stats above he just looks like another run-of-the-mill quarterback. Craig Morton had better stats then him, and he definitively hasn’t received Hall of Fame consideration."
What are you, 12? You must be, or you'd know the difference between "then" and "than." You'd also know Namath made the "guarantee" quote tongue-in-cheek. And you'd know the respect he had from his opponents for what he did to bring the ALF and NFL together as one league, making a lot of guys a LOT of money.
Dago, I'd like to say that I appreciate your visit…and in a sense I do, because every pageview helps…but seeing as how you've done nothing but insult two writers who are not professionals and who write simply because they love sports, well feel free to take your pageviews elsewhere.
Oh, and you must be 11, because you apparently don't know the difference between "AFL" and "ALF". This is ALF, in case you need the reminder.
Now please, ride your high horse to another more perfect blog that lives up to your standards.
What are you 11? What the fuck is the ALF
For better or worse Namath changed the game, changed the position, and most significantly he changed the business.
You analyze the game through fantasy football stats, which is bad enough, but Namath's game was 60s and 70s, probably before you were born.
Just because you are uninformed doesn't mean you have to stay uninformed. Read 'Namath' by Mark Krigel, one of the better sports books out there.
You have a point TWC that the reputation which ultimately landed Namath in the Hall was built on elements that were non-stats based (leadership, persona, clutch performances, etc.)
What I think Brandon's article does is highlight the difficulty that contemporary NFL fans who weren't alive in the 60s and 70s have in placing past greats into a current context. All we really have to go on are numbers, and Namath's numbers clearly are not that good. What Namath did was take a signature moment and carve out a legendary stature from it. Without Super Bowl 3, Namath is barely a footnote in NFL history. He just wasn't consistent enough, either personally or in terms of team success, to go down as a great.
But that one Super Bowl trumped all of the negatives or arguments against Namath. I don't really have a problem with that because ultimately sports are about moments, and Namath created one of the NFL's most memorable. Still, Brandon has a point, it all just depends on your perspective.
Brandon,
Thanks for coming by the site to check it out. I just wanted to point out what I think (I am a Jets fan) in a manner that suggests another thought. I wouldn't mind debating you on other topics in the future if you are interested. Thanks again for stopping by.
Matt
Yeah I totally understand your position on the subject. I am a Browns fan and I can be more anti-New York because I am from a smaller market. I also wouldn't mind debating on other topics too.
I agree 100% with the post. Honestly I think Morton should be in the Hall.
Now days Namath might easily be facing the commisioner and a real nice suspension for his lifestyle that was so popular in his early playing days…….his stats are not HOF worthy…..not by a long shot.
Lets not forget the wisdom of the original post:
Craig Morton Career Stats: 19 Seasons, 145 Starts, 183 TD, 187 INT, 27,908 Passing Yards, 81-62-1 Career Record, 54.2 Completion Percentage, 73.5 QB Rating, Lost 2 Super Bowls,
Joe Namath Career Stats: 13 Seasons, 130 Starts, 173 TD, 220 INT, 27,663 Passing Yards, 62-63-4 Career Record, 50.1 Completion Percentage, 65.5 QB Rating, Won 1 Super Bowl,
Granted the game when they started their careers was hardly QB friendly. QB's got beat up week in and week out……but the stats of these guys as they moved through the 70's also vary greatly. Check them out……Morton regularly rated out among the league leaders in passing in his latter years,,,,Namath tanked as his career progressed.
i for one would vote him out of the hall, by the way you forgot to mention that brad johnson was another terrible quarterback who won a super bowl. if you want to talk era's, tarkenton posted amazing numbers and set every record (now broken of course). joe namath sucks, pull him out of the hall.
If you didnt recognize joe namath made one of the greatest predictions of all time when they were the biggest underdog to ever win a super bowl. Half the the time he was on the jets he through the ball 50-60 times a game. I'm sorry but your gonna make some mistakes if you throw that many passes.
So predictions give you tickets to the Hall Of Fame now? You sound like an idiot.
1. "Half the the time he was on the jets he through the ball 50-60 times a game" YOU MUST BE KIDDING…do you even look at the stats before you post crap like this? His career average is 26 attempts per game! Just stop it.
2. "And you'd know the respect he had from his opponents for what he did to bring the ALF and NFL together as one league". Funny how everyone forgets merger talks started in 1966 and it was pretty much a done deal by SB III. Just the fact that the SBs happened indicates a merger was imminent. The Jets victory created popular support for the idea, but it had no real affect on the merger.
Take away Namath's "impact" on the game and he's the 1960's Trent Dilfer….except Dilfer actually threw a TD in his SB win and wasn't wrongly awarded the SB MVP!
I totally agree with you. Never understood how Namath got in the HOF. His being there cheapens every deserving QB's accomplishments.
first real superstar…bad knees before his prime still played thru it still won when he had to win… he was nyc clutch…he is forever broadway joe.
His numbers obviously aren’t all that strong. BUT: you wrote “his best season was in 1967 which he threw for 4,007 yards, completed
52% of his passes, and threw for 26 TDs and 28 INTs. That’s not a very
impressive year, even for back then.” That’s not true, it was actually kind of a big deal as nobody EVER threw for as many yards in the 14 game season era. You should try not talking about “back then” until you have any idea about the era you’re referring to. And you never so much as mentioned September 24, 1972.
Your a fucking idiot. If it wasn’t for Joe Namath the NFL would not be nearly as big today. By the way his knees were fucked up from the moment he got into the leauge. Let’s see you do what he did with those knees. You would probobly not be able to walk. Btw he played in the era where db’s could mug recievers up and down the field. You my good sir are an idiot for calling him overrated.