Tweet
What do Brett Favre, Bart Starr, and Terry Bradshaw have in common? Besides winning Super Bowls and being Hall of Fame quarterbacks, they all had awful rookie seasons in the league. It's hard to play QB in the NFL and most players really struggle at the position their first year. This is a list of guys who were different. They started quickly in their pro careers.
Each player on this list "got it". They came in as young kids, but by the close of their respective seasons, they were "the man" for their teams. If this doesn't start an argument, I don't what in the hell will.
1. Sammy Baugh If you lead the NFL in passing and you take your team to the NFL championship, that's strong. Slingin' Sam did just that on his way to the HOF. Sammy was a totally modern QB and played a great safety in the two way days. Sammy was clutch in the NFL championship game and the Skins rode on his back to a 28-21 comeback victory over the Chicago Bears to win the title in 1937. In the big game with his team trailing the Bears in the 3rd quarter, Sammy threw 3 touchdown passes to twice bring Washington back in the game. A rookie QB has to do that again to knock Sammy off the top spot.
2. Dan Marino has been cited as the best rookie quarterback of all time in many such all time listings. He had a very fast release and was a top flight NFL passer right out of the chute. Marino as a rookie made the Miami Dolphins instantly better. Dan started 9 and played in 11 games in 1983, his first season. Marino completed 173 of 296 attempts as a rookie quarterback. His 2,210 passing yards were ok but what set him apart was his touchdown pass to interception numbers. 20 passing touchdowns against 6 interceptions is amazing for a rookie quarterback.
3 Matt Ryan Simply an amazing rookie QB. Ryan came in with a bad team with the Atlanta Falcons, playing for a rookie coach and trying to replace Michael Vick. Completing 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards is a nice season for any QB, much less a first year guy. Matt Ryan has a 61.1 pass completion percentage and threw 16 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions. Leading the Falcons into the 2008 NFL Playoffs showed his great skill at the position Matt Ryan also set a rookie record with 20 completions in a post season game.
4. Peyton Manning set rookie passing records in attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. A high interception total and low number of team wins puts him 4th on this elite list.
5. Ben Roethlisberger managed the game better than any rookie quarterback. He led his team to a 13-0 record as a starter, including an upset victory over the Patriots, breaking their 21 game win streak. He led the Steelers to the AFC Championship game, before losing to New England.
6. Fran Tarkington. The son of a preacher man, "Tarky" threw 4 touchdown passes in his first NFL start and never looked back. Often controversial and criticized for his rambling, scrambling approach, Tarkington was solid in every season he played, including a stellar rookie year. Named to the HOF in '86.
7. Greg Cook A man totally forgotten by most fans, Cook remains the elusive star that never made it past his rookie year, but what a year it was. Cook played well before being injured, then returned later to keep playing well. Greg Cook completed 107 of 200 passes for 1,854 yards. In addition he threw 15 touchdown passes versus 11 interceptions on a weak Cincinnati Bengals team. It is a shame that he only played two seasons due to injury. Bill Walsh was his offensive coordinator and Walsh always maintained Cook was the best QB he'd coached and lamented the fact his only top season was his first.
8 Bob Waterfield When I was a young fan, the list of all-time great rookie QB's always started with two names, Baugh and Waterfield. Waterfield is rarely mentioned with the top guns anymore, but what he did in his first season cannot be ignored. Waterfield made the same accomplishment that Slingin' Sammy did, he lead his Cleveland Rams to the NFL Championship his first year. Waterfield lead the NFL in both TD passes and interceptions in his rookie year of 1945, but was named league MVP. He would do that throughout his career (lots of picks), but it didn't keep him from making the HOF in '65
9 Joe Namath (AFL) I didn't include AFL QB's in this list, there were a lot of them in the early AFL teams. But Joe was different (+ I love Joe Willie), he played under a lot of pressure after signing a huge contract with the New York Jets. "Broadway" Joe was the face of the AFL and he came through and had a great season. In 1965 Joe Namath completed 164 of 340 passing attempts. Passing for 2,220 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, Namath showed flashes of his great future at the quarterback position.
10. Joe Flacco. You could definitely put Flacco higher on this list. Most lists wouldn't include Cook, for instance, but Flacco does deserve mention in a "call of the roll" of great first year QB's. Flacco is only the 8th rookie to start a play-off game in post merger history (So not counting Waterfield and Baugh). Flacco is the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games in one year and wound up the year as the Ravens unquestioned maximum leader.
Each player on this list "got it". They came in as young kids, but by the close of their respective seasons, they were "the man" for their teams. If this doesn't start an argument, I don't what in the hell will.
1. Sammy Baugh If you lead the NFL in passing and you take your team to the NFL championship, that's strong. Slingin' Sam did just that on his way to the HOF. Sammy was a totally modern QB and played a great safety in the two way days. Sammy was clutch in the NFL championship game and the Skins rode on his back to a 28-21 comeback victory over the Chicago Bears to win the title in 1937. In the big game with his team trailing the Bears in the 3rd quarter, Sammy threw 3 touchdown passes to twice bring Washington back in the game. A rookie QB has to do that again to knock Sammy off the top spot.
2. Dan Marino has been cited as the best rookie quarterback of all time in many such all time listings. He had a very fast release and was a top flight NFL passer right out of the chute. Marino as a rookie made the Miami Dolphins instantly better. Dan started 9 and played in 11 games in 1983, his first season. Marino completed 173 of 296 attempts as a rookie quarterback. His 2,210 passing yards were ok but what set him apart was his touchdown pass to interception numbers. 20 passing touchdowns against 6 interceptions is amazing for a rookie quarterback.
3 Matt Ryan Simply an amazing rookie QB. Ryan came in with a bad team with the Atlanta Falcons, playing for a rookie coach and trying to replace Michael Vick. Completing 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards is a nice season for any QB, much less a first year guy. Matt Ryan has a 61.1 pass completion percentage and threw 16 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions. Leading the Falcons into the 2008 NFL Playoffs showed his great skill at the position Matt Ryan also set a rookie record with 20 completions in a post season game.
4. Peyton Manning set rookie passing records in attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. A high interception total and low number of team wins puts him 4th on this elite list.
5. Ben Roethlisberger managed the game better than any rookie quarterback. He led his team to a 13-0 record as a starter, including an upset victory over the Patriots, breaking their 21 game win streak. He led the Steelers to the AFC Championship game, before losing to New England.
6. Fran Tarkington. The son of a preacher man, "Tarky" threw 4 touchdown passes in his first NFL start and never looked back. Often controversial and criticized for his rambling, scrambling approach, Tarkington was solid in every season he played, including a stellar rookie year. Named to the HOF in '86.
7. Greg Cook A man totally forgotten by most fans, Cook remains the elusive star that never made it past his rookie year, but what a year it was. Cook played well before being injured, then returned later to keep playing well. Greg Cook completed 107 of 200 passes for 1,854 yards. In addition he threw 15 touchdown passes versus 11 interceptions on a weak Cincinnati Bengals team. It is a shame that he only played two seasons due to injury. Bill Walsh was his offensive coordinator and Walsh always maintained Cook was the best QB he'd coached and lamented the fact his only top season was his first.
8 Bob Waterfield When I was a young fan, the list of all-time great rookie QB's always started with two names, Baugh and Waterfield. Waterfield is rarely mentioned with the top guns anymore, but what he did in his first season cannot be ignored. Waterfield made the same accomplishment that Slingin' Sammy did, he lead his Cleveland Rams to the NFL Championship his first year. Waterfield lead the NFL in both TD passes and interceptions in his rookie year of 1945, but was named league MVP. He would do that throughout his career (lots of picks), but it didn't keep him from making the HOF in '65
9 Joe Namath (AFL) I didn't include AFL QB's in this list, there were a lot of them in the early AFL teams. But Joe was different (+ I love Joe Willie), he played under a lot of pressure after signing a huge contract with the New York Jets. "Broadway" Joe was the face of the AFL and he came through and had a great season. In 1965 Joe Namath completed 164 of 340 passing attempts. Passing for 2,220 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, Namath showed flashes of his great future at the quarterback position.
10. Joe Flacco. You could definitely put Flacco higher on this list. Most lists wouldn't include Cook, for instance, but Flacco does deserve mention in a "call of the roll" of great first year QB's. Flacco is only the 8th rookie to start a play-off game in post merger history (So not counting Waterfield and Baugh). Flacco is the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games in one year and wound up the year as the Ravens unquestioned maximum leader.
Comment