Quarterback, New York
Age: 22
College: Alabama
Height: 6’2” Weight: 194
Prelude:
Despite
appearing in just three full games as a senior due to torn ligaments in his
right knee that required surgery, Namath was a highly-sought player coming out
of college. He passed for 2713 yards and 24 touchdowns under Head Coach Paul
“Bear” Bryant at Alabama and was chosen by both the NFL Cardinals and AFL Jets
in the first round of their respective 1965 drafts. Namath signed a then-huge $427,000
contract with New York. Head Coach Weeb Ewbank announced that lightly-experienced
veteran Mike Taliaferro would start the season at quarterback, but Namath saw
his first action in Week 2 and, for the most part, moved into the lineup
thereafter.
1965 Season Summary
Appeared in 13
of 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 340
[5]
Most
attempts, game – 44 vs. Buffalo 12/19
Completions –
164 [5]
Most
completions, game – 19 at Buffalo 9/26, at Oakland 12/12
Yards – 2220
[6]
Most yards,
game – 287 at Buffalo 9/26
Completion
percentage – 48.2 [4]
Yards per
attempt – 6.5 [3]
TD passes – 18
[4, tied with Babe Parilli]
Most TD
passes, game – 4 vs. Houston 11/21
Interceptions
– 15 [5]
Most
interceptions, game – 3 at San Diego 12/4, at Oakland 12/12
Passer rating
– 68.7 [3]
200-yard
passing games – 5
Rushing
Attempts – 8
Most
attempts, game – 3 (for -3 yds.) at Boston 11/14
Yards – 19
Most yards,
game – 15 yards (on 2 carries) vs. Oakland 10/16
Yards per
attempt – 2.4
TDs – 0
Awards & Honors:
AFL Rookie of
the Year: UPI
AFL All-Star
Game
Jets went 5-8-1
to finish second in the AFL Eastern Division.
Aftermath:
Knee and
mobility issues would be significant throughout Namath’s career, but he had a
quick release and strong arm. He was also charismatic (he quickly became a
celebrity off the field) and a good leader. Namath led the league in pass
attempts and completions, yards, and TD passes in 1966 and ’67 – in the latter
season, he became the first 4000-yard passer in NFL/AFL history (4007). Prone
to trying to force passes into coverage, however, he also led the AFL in passes
intercepted in both years. In 1968, Namath had lesser numbers but more success
and received Player of the Year honors as the Jets won not only the AFL Championship
but defeated the NFL Champion Colts in a huge Super Bowl upset. He passed for
2734 yards and 19 TDs as the Jets again topped the Eastern Division in 1969,
but a broken wrist that sidelined him five games into the ’70 season became the
first of a series of injuries that dogged the remainder of his career. After
appearing in just nine games in 1970 and ’71, he came back in 1972 to lead the
NFL in passing yards (2816), TD passes (19), and yards per attempt (8.7) and
was named to the Pro Bowl. However, a separated shoulder limited him to six
games in 1973 and, with the team deteriorating around him, he had only sporadic
success while leading the league in interceptions in 1974 and ’75. Namath
finished his career with the Rams in 1977 and ended up throwing for 27,663
yards with 173 TDs and 220 interceptions. His #12 was retired by the Jets and
he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1985.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise
Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league
itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
Many consider Joe Namath one of the most overrated QBs in NFL history. While it is difficult to deny the success he had early in his career, particularly getting to and winning SBIII (more on his game management than passing stats) that level of success was never to return as he struggled with injuries and deteriorating talent on his teams the rest of his career. Much like Bret Favre, his rocket arm allowed him to force the ball in places many QB's couldn't, but also resulted in a lot of interceptions, sometimes at critical times.
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