Highlighted Year: Ed Danowski, 1935

Tailback/Defensive Back, New York Giants

Age:  24 (Sept. 30)

2^nd season in pro football & with Giants

College: Fordham

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 198

Prelude:

Following a fine college career at Fordham, Danowski signed with the Giants in 1934.After an injury to starting tailback Harry Newman during his rookie season, Danowski led the Giants to the NFL Championship with a stunning win over the Bears in the so-called “Sneaker Game". A precision passer and effective runner and punter who also played well on defense, he continued to direct New York’s single-wing offense in 1935.

1935 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 113 [1]

Completions – 57 [1]

Yards – 794 [1]

Completion percentage – 50.4 [-no qualifiers]

Yards per attempt – 7.0 [-no qualifiers]

TD passes – 10 [1]

Most TD passes, game – 2 at Pittsburgh 9/22, at Boston 10/6, at Brooklyn 11/28

Interceptions – 9 [8]

Passer rating – 69.7 [1]

Rushing

Attempts – 130 [4]

Yards – 335 [8]

Yards per attempt – 2.6

TDs – 2 [11, tied with five others]

Scoring

TDs – 2 [20, tied with sixteen others]

Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship at Detroit)

Pass attempts – 7

Pass completions – 4

Passing yardage – 88

TD passes – 1

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 7

Rushing yards – 14

Average gain rushing – 2.0

Rushing TDs – 0

Kickoff returns – 1

Kickoff return yards – 30

Kickoff return TDs – 0

Punt returns – 2

Punt return yards – 21

Average per return – 10.5

Punt return TDs – 0

Punts – 2

Punting yards – 122

Punting average – 61.0

Longest punt – 76 yards

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: League, UPI, Chicago Daily News, Collyers Eye, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Giants went 9-3 to finish first in th NFL Eastern Division. Lost NFL Championship to Detroit Lions (26-7).

Aftermath:

Danowski spent another five seasons with the Giants. He led the NFL in passing one more time and led New York to another league title in 1938. Danowski left the Giants in 1940 and played for the Jersey City Giants of the minor league American Football Association, leading the circuit in passing as he threw for 732 yards and 7 TDs. He saw limited action in a return to the NFL Giants in 1941, his last pro season. Overall in the NFL Danowski passed for 3817 yards  and 37 touchdowns. He received consensus first-team All-NFL honors twice. Danowski served in the Navy during World War II. He returned to become Fordham’s head coach from 1946-54.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Otto Graham, 1946

Quarterback/Defensive Back, Cleveland Browns

Age:  25 (Dec. 6)

1^st season in pro football

College: Northwestern

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 190

Prelude:

A single-wing tailback in college, Graham chose to sign with the Browns of the new AAFC rather than the NFL Detroit Lions, who had drafted him in the first round in 1944, after coming out of the Navy. An outstanding athlete, he first played pro basketball before joining the Browns for the 1946 season. Mobile and an accurate passer, Graham quickly adapted to the T-formation.

1946 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 174 [5]

Completions – 95 [4, tied with Bob Hoernschemeyer]

Yards – 1834 [2]

Completion percentage – 54.6 [2]

Yards per attempt – 10.5 [1]

TD passes – 17 [1]

Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. Chicago 11/17

Interceptions – 5 [11, tied with Kay Eakin, Cotton Price & Walt Williams]

Passer rating – 112.1 [1]

Rushing

Attempts – 30

Yards – -125

Yards per attempt – -4.2

TDs – 1

Interceptions

Interceptions – 5 [5, tied with Steve Juzwik & Cliff Lewis]

Return yards – 102 [5]

TDs – 1 [1, tied with seven others]

Punt Returns

Returns – 12 [9]

Yards – 129 [15]

Average per return – 10.8

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 2         

Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (AAFC Championship vs. NY Yankees)

Pass attempts – 27

Pass completions – 16

Passing yardage – 213

TD passes – 1

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 3

Rushing yards – -19

Average gain rushing – -6.3

Rushing TDs – 0

Interceptions – 1

Int. return yards – 4

TDs – 0

Punt returns – 5

Punt return yards – 20

Average per return – 4.0

Punt return TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-AAFC: League, UPI

2^nd team All-AAFC: NY Daily News

Browns went 12-2 to finish first in the AAFC Western Division while leading the league in passing yards (2266), total yards (4244), touchdowns (55), and scoring (423 points). Won AAFC Championship over New York Yankees (14-9).

Aftermath:

The Browns won all four AAFC titles with Graham behind center. He was the league MVP in 1947 as he led the AAFC in completion percentage (60.6), passing yards (2753), TD passes (25), and yards per attempt (10.2), and co-MVP with San Francisco’s Frankie Albert in ’48, a season in which he once more led the AAFC in passing yards (2713) while tossing another 25 TD passes and Cleveland went undefeated. Graham led the league in passing yards (2785) once again in 1949, and while no MVP was awarded by the league, he was a consensus first-team All-AAFC selection. The Browns moved to the NFL in 1950 and kept up their winning ways by achieving another championship. Graham was selected to the Pro Bowl that year and was also named league MVP by UPI in 1951, although Cleveland lost the title game. In ’52, he led the NFL in pass attempts (364), completions (181), yards (2816), and TD passes (20) as well as interceptions (24). Cleveland again lost the title game but won the championship games following the 1954 and ’55 seasons (the latter after Graham was coaxed out of retirement to play one more year) and he led the league in completion percentage in each of his last three years as well as yards (2722) and yards per attempt (10.6) in 1953, and TD percentage (8.1) and yards per attempt (9.3) in ’55. Altogether, over 10 seasons (four in the AAFC, 6 in the NFL) Graham averaged 9.0 yards per attempt (a record 8.6 in the NFL alone) while throwing for 23,584 yards (10,085 in AAFC, 13,499 in NFL) with 174 TDs (86 in AAFC, 88 in NFL). He also ran for 882 yards and scored 44 TDs, with a high of 8 in 1954. Graham was a league MVP twice and first-team All-league honoree three times in the AAFC as well as three-time MVP with four first-team All-league selections in the NFL and was chosen for the first five Pro Bowls. Perhaps most significantly of all, he quarterbacked Cleveland to a championship game in all ten years, winning seven of them. The Browns retired his #14 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1965.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Matt Hasselbeck, 2005

Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks

Age: 30 (Sept. 25)

8^th season in pro football (7^th active), 5^th with Seahawks

College: Boston College

Height: 6’4”   Weight: 223

Prelude:

The son of Don Hasselbeck, who played tight end in the NFL, Hasselbeck passed for 4548 yards and 22 touchdowns in college and was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL draft. He spent that year on the practice squad and then saw scant action behind QB Brett Favre in 1999 and 2000. Hasselbeck was traded to the Seahawks in 2001 and was mentored by veteran QB Trent Dilfer while also training under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, formerly of the Packers. With good size and arm strength, if not mobility, he developed into a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2003 when he threw for 3841 yards and 26 TDs and the team improved to 10-6 and reached the postseason. Hasselbeck followed up with a somewhat lesser year in 2004, passing for 3382 yards and 22 touchdowns while playing through injuries, but performed well down the stretch after an inconsistent start and earned a contract extension.

2005 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 449 [14]

Most attempts, game – 42 vs. Dallas 10/23

Completions – 294 [9, tied with Eli Manning]

Most completions, game – 27 at St. Louis 10/9

Yards – 3459 [10]

Most yards, game – 316 at St. Louis 10/9

Completion percentage – 65.5 [6]

Yards per attempt – 7.7 [4]

TD passes – 24 [4, tied with Jake Delhomme, Drew Brees & Eli Manning, 1^st in NFC]

Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. San Francisco 12/11

Interceptions – 9

Most interceptions, game – 2 at Jacksonville 9/11, vs. Dallas 10/23, vs. St. Louis 11/13

Passer rating – 98.2 [4, 1^st in NFC]

300-yard passing games – 1

200-yard passing games – 11

Rushing

Attempts – 36

Most attempts, game – 6 (for 7 yds.) at San Francisco 11/20

Yards – 124

Most yards, game – 40 yards (on 4 carries) vs. Houston 10/16

Average gain – 3.4

TDs – 1

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Postseason: 3 G

Pass attempts – 103

Most pass attempts, game – 49 vs. Pittsburgh, Super Bowl

Pass completions – 62

Most pass completions, game – 26 vs. Pittsburgh, Super Bowl

Passing yardage – 707

Most passing yards, game – 273 vs. Pittsburgh, Super Bowl

TD passes – 4

Most TD passes, game – 2 vs. Carolina, NFC Championship

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 15

Most rushing attempts, game – 6 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – 83

Most rushing yards, game – 35 vs. Pittsburgh, Super Bowl

Average gain rushing – 5.5

Rushing TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Seahawks went 13-3 to finish first in the NFC West while leading the NFL in touchdowns (57) and scoring (452 points) and the conference in total yards (5915). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Washington Redskins (20-10) & NFC Championship over Carolina Panthers (34-14). Lost Super Bowl to Pittsburgh Steelers (21-10).

Aftermath:

Hasselbeck suffered through a rough year in 2006, missing four games due to a knee injury. He bounced back in ’07 in achieving career highs with 562 pass attempts, 352 completions, 3966 yards, and 28 touchdowns and returned to the Pro Bowl. However, he appeared in only seven games in 2008 due to injury and endured lesser years in 2009 and ’10 before moving on to the Tennessee Titans and briefly resurrecting his career as he passed for 3571 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2011. Hasselbeck moved into a backup role in 2012 but started five games when second-year QB Jake Locker was injured. Released following the season, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts to provide a veteran backup to QB Andrew Luck and saw little action during the next two years until 2015, when Luck was injured and Hasselbeck started eight games, throwing for 1690 yards and 9 TDs in what proved to be his last season at age 40. Overall, Hasselbeck completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 36,638 yards and 212 touchdowns while giving up 153 interceptions. Of those totals, a team-record 29,434 yards along with 174 TDs and 128 interceptions came with the Seahawks. He added another 2741 yards and 18 touchdowns, with 9 interceptions, in 11 playoff games, all with Seattle. Hasselbeck was a first-team All-NFC selection once and was chosen to three Pro Bowls. His brother Tim also played quarterback in the NFL.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Adrian Burk, 1954

Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles

Age: 27 (Dec. 14)

5^th season in pro football, 4^th with Eagles

College: Baylor

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 190

Prelude:

Burk was an All-Southwest Conference selection in 1949, noted for both his play at quarterback and as a punter. He was chosen in the first round of the 1950 NFL draft (second overall) by the Baltimore Colts. Backing up QB Y.A. Tittle with a poor team, he completed just 36.1 percent of his passes and also handled the punting, averaging 40.0 yards on a league-leading 81 punts. Upon the dissolution of the franchise, he moved on to the Eagles in ’51 and stepped into the starting job vacated by the retired Tommy Thompson, throwing 14 TD passes but also giving up a NFL-high 23 interceptions. Burk had a good arm but tended to throw into traffic and was a low-key leader. With the arrival of QB Bobby Thomason in 1952, the two shared the starting job, an arrangement that lasted for the next five years. Burk started a total of seven games in 1952 and ’53, passing for 1349 yards and eight TDs with 14 interceptions. He continued to handle the punting and averaged 41.1 yards on 124 punts during that period.

1954 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 231 [9]
Most attempts, game - 35 at Detroit 12/5

Completions – 123 [8]
Most completions, game - 19 at Washington 10/17

Yards – 1740 [8]

Most yards, game – 345 vs. Washington 11/28

Completion percentage – 53.2 [8]

Yards per attempt – 7.5 [5]

TD passes – 23 [1]

Most TD passes, game – 7 at Washington 10/17 (tied NFL record)

Interceptions – 17 [5, tied with four others]

Passer rating – 80.4 [1]

Rushing

Attempts – 15

Yards – 18

Yards per attempt – 1.2

TDs – 0

Punting

Punts – 73 [1]

Yards – 2918 [2]

Average – 40.0 [9]

Punts blocked – 0

Longest punt – 58 yards

Awards & Honors:

Pro Bowl

Eagles went 7-4-1 to finish second in the NFL Eastern Conference while leading the league in touchdown passes (33).

Aftermath:

Burk’s numbers dropped to 9 TD passes and 17 interceptions in 1955 while he averaged 42.9 yards on 61 punts and he was again selected for the Pro Bowl. He saw significantly less action in ’56 after which he retired to pursue a legal career. Overall, Burk passed for 7001 yards and 61 touchdowns with 89 interceptions and punted 474 times for a 40.9-yard average. He was twice selected for the Pro Bowl. Burk became an assistant to owner Bud Adams upon the formation of the AFL’s Houston Oilers franchise in 1960. He later went on to become a NFL game official and worked the 1969 contest in which Minnesota QB Joe Kapp tied the single-game record that Burk shared with three others (prior to that point) with seven TD passes. Burk also was the back judge who made the call on the “Immaculate Reception” for the Steelers against the Raiders in the AFC Divisional playoff game following the 1972 season.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

[Updated 2/21/17]

Highlighted Year: Drew Brees, 2006

Quarterback, New Orleans Saints

Age:  27

6^th season in pro football, 1^st with Saints

College: Purdue

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 209

Prelude:

Chosen by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft, Brees spent a year as backup to veteran Doug Flutie before taking over as starting quarterback in ’02. A good first year as starter was followed by a season in which he had difficulties, and the Chargers swung the deal that brought rookie Philip Rivers to San Diego in 2004. Brees bounced back that year with a Pro Bowl season in which his passer rating was 104.8, but he badly injured his shoulder in the last game of the ’05 season, the final year of his contract, and with the team committing to Rivers, he signed with the New Orleans Saints.

2006 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 554 [5]

Most attempts, game – 52 vs. Cincinnati 11/19

Completions – 356 [4]

Most completions, game – 37 vs. Cincinnati 11/19

Yards – 4418 [1]

Most yards, game – 510 vs. Cincinnati 11/19

Completion percentage – 64.3 [5]

Yards per attempt – 8.0 [4]

TD passes – 26 [3, 1^st in NFC]

Most TD passes, game – 5 at Dallas 12/10

Interceptions – 11

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Baltimore 10/29, vs. Cincinnati 11/19
Passer rating – 96.2 [3, 1^st in NFC]

500-yard passing games – 1

300-yard passing games – 8

200-yard passing games – 10

Rushing

Attempts – 42

Most attempts, game – 6 (for 9 yds.) at Tampa Bay 11/5

Yards – 32

Most yards, game – 14 yards (on 4 carries) at Pittsburgh 11/12, (on 3 carries) vs. San Francisco 12/3

Yards per attempt – 0.8

TDs – 0

Postseason: 2 G

Pass attempts – 81

Most attempts, game – 49 at Chicago, NFC Championship

Pass completions – 47

Most completions, game – 27 at Chicago, NFC Championship

Passing yardage – 597

Most yards, game – 354 at Chicago, NFC Championship

TD passes – 3

Most TD passes, game – 2 at Chicago, NFC Championship

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 4

Most rushing attempts, game – 3 (for -2 yds.) vs. Philadelphia, NFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – 6

Most rushing yards, game – 8 at Chicago, NFC Championship

Average gain rushing – 1.5

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Saints went 10-6 to finish first in the NFC South while leading the NFL in total yards (6264) and passing yards (4503). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Philadelphia Eagles (27-24). Lost NFC Championship to Chicago Bears (39-14).

Aftermath:

Brees started poorly and the team didn’t do as well in 2007, but he recovered to lead the league in pass attempts (652) and completions (440) while throwing for another 4423 yards. He had another Pro Bowl year in ’08 in which he led the NFL in passing yards (5069), TD passes (34), pass attempts (635) and completions (413). Brees went to the Pro Bowl for the third straight year, and fifth overall, in 2010 after throwing for 4620 yards and 33 touchdowns and leading the NFL in completion percentage (68.1). However, he also threw a career-high 22 interceptions and, while the team qualified for the postseason as a wild card with an 11-5 record, the Saints were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Seattle. Brees set a new NFL record with 5476 passing yards in 2011 and topped the league in completions (468), completion percentage (71.2), and TD passes (46). He broke the record long held by Johnny Unitas for consecutive games with a touchdown pass in 2012, which finally ended with 54 straight, on his way to recording a third 5000-yard passing season (5177) and again topping the NFL in TD passes (43) although also in interceptions (19) in a difficult year for the club both on and off the field. New Orleans rebounded in 2013 and Brees led the NFC with 5162 passing yards and 39 TD passes. He topped the NFL in passing yards for the fifth time in 2014 (4952) and tossed over 30 TD passes for the seventh consecutive year (33). Overall through 2014, Brees has completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 57,337 yards and 402 touchdowns and has been selected to nine Pro Bowls, including a string of seven straight.   

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Ken Anderson, 1974

Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

Age: 25

4^th season in pro football & with Bengals

College: Augustana (IL)

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 211

Prelude:

Anderson, who was well-regarded despite coming from a small college, was chosen by the Bengals in the third round of the 1971 NFL draft, and took over as starting quarterback in his second season. Mobile, intelligent, and with a good arm, he also adapted well to QB coach Bill Walsh’s early version of the West Coast passing attack with short timing passes. He broke out in 1973, throwing for 2428 yards and 18 touchdowns with a passer rating of 81.2 while the Bengals went 10-4 and won the AFC Central title.

1974 Season Summary

Appeared and started in 13 of 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 328 [7]

Most attempts, game – 44 vs. Houston 10/27

Completions – 213 [1]

Most completions, game – 30 vs. Houston 10/27

Yards – 2667 [1]

Most yards, game – 352 vs. Houston 10/27

Completion percentage – 64.9 [1]

Yards per attempt – 8.1 [1]

TD passes – 18 [5]

Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. Kansas City 11/24

Interceptions – 10 [20, tied with Dan Pastorini, Mike Livingston & Jerry Tagge]

Most interceptions, game – 2 at San Francisco 9/29, at Oakland 10/20, at Houston 11/17

Passer rating – 95.7 [1]

300-yard passing games – 1

200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing

Attempts – 43

Most attempts, game – 7 (for 70 yds.) vs. Washington 10/6

Yards – 314

Most yards, game – 70 yards (on 7 carries) vs. Washington 10/6

Average gain – 7.3

TDs – 2

Scoring

TDs – 2

Points – 12

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

2^nd team All-AFC: UPI

Bengals went 7-7 to finish third in the AFC Central while leading the conference in passing yards (2511).

Aftermath:

Anderson again led the NFL in passing (93.9 rating), passing yards (3169), and yards per attempt (8.4) in 1975 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in ‘75 and ’76. The team regularly contended during that period, but through coaching changes and attrition, the Bengals slumped later in the decade and Anderson, who also battled injuries, even briefly lost his starting job during the 1980 season. He came back with a MVP performance in 1981 in which he led the NFL with a career-high 98.4 passer rating and Cincinnati won the AFC Championship. Anderson again led the NFL in passing during the strike-shortened 1982 season (95.3) and completed a then-record 70.6 % of his passes. He led the league once more in completion percentage in ’83 (66.7) but after one last year as the starting quarterback, he backed up Boomer Esiason in 1985 and ’86, his last two seasons, all spent with the Bengals. Overall, he passed for 32,838 yards and 197 TDs, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt. He also rushed for 2220 yards and 20 touchdowns. Anderson was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection once, received second-team honors twice more, and was chosen to the Pro Bowl four times.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Ed Brown, 1956

Quarterback, Chicago Bears

Age:  28 (Oct. 26)

3^rd season in pro football & with Bears

College: San Francisco

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 205

Prelude:

Brown was the starting quarterback for the undefeated 1951 Univ. of San Francisco team and then went into the Marines for two years. He was chosen by the Bears in the sixth round of the ’52 NFL draft and joined them in 1954 as backup to George Blanda and Zeke Bratkowski. With Bratkowski leaving for military duty, Brown took over the starting job in 1955 as well as handling the punting. He threw for 1307 yards and nine touchdowns and was chosen to the Pro Bowl. With a strong arm, he quickly established himself as the best deep passer in the league.

1956 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 168 [8]
Most attempts, game - 19 vs. LA Rams 11/18

Completions – 96 [6]
Most completions, game - 13 vs. LA Rams 11/18

Yards – 1667 [3]
Most yards, game - 271 vs. LA Rams 11/18

Completion percentage – 57.1 [1]

Yards per attempt – 9.9 [1]

TD passes – 11 [3]

Most TD passes, game – 2 at Baltimore 9/30, at Green Bay 10/7, vs. Baltimore 10/21

Interceptions – 12 [6, tied with Norm Van Brocklin & Y.A. Tittle]

Passer rating – 83.1 [1]
200-yard  passing games - 1

Rushing

Attempts – 40

Yards – 164

Yards per attempt – 4.1

TDs – 1

Punting

Punts – 42 [7, tied with Yale Lary]

Yards – 1644 [8]

Average – 39.1 [9]

Punts blocked – 1

Longest punt – 53 yards

Scoring

TDs – 2

Points - 12

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship at NY Giants)

Pass attempts – 20

Pass completions – 8

Passing yardage – 97

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 5

Rushing yards – -3

Average gain rushing – -0.6

Rushing TDs – 0

Punts – 6

Punt yards – 255

Punt avg. – 42.5

Awards & Honors:

Pro Bowl

Bears went 9-2-1 to finish first in the NFL Western Conference while leading the league in total yards (4537), rushing yards (2468), touchdowns (47), and scoring (363 points). Lost NFL Championship to New York Giants (47-7).

Aftermath:

Brown split time, primarily with Bratkowski, over the next few years and his performance suffered. He achieved highs for his career with the Bears with 1881 yards and 13 TD passes in 1959, and completed 50.6 percent of his passes, the only time he completed more than half of his passes between 1956 and ‘62. Brown lost the starting job to newcomer Bill Wade in 1961 and was traded to Pittsburgh, where he backed up Bobby Layne for a year before taking over the starting job in ’63. The Steelers contended and Brown passed for 2982 yards and 21 TDs but came up short in the climactic battle for the Eastern Conference crown against the Giants. He lasted two more seasons, with diminishing returns, finishing up with the Colts in 1965 who obtained him after injuries depleted the quarterback corps and HB Tom Matte was pressed into service behind center. Overall, Brown passed for 15,600 yards and 102 TDs, and while he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt and 16.4 yards per catch, he also completed just 47.8 percent of his passes and gave up 138 interceptions. He rushed for 960 yards, mostly early in his career with the Bears before his mobility diminished. As a punter, he averaged 40.6 yards on 493 kicks. Brown was named to the Pro Bowl twice.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

[Updated 2/21/17]

MVP Profile: Earl Morrall, 1972

Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

Age:  38

17^th season in pro football, 1^st with Dolphins

College: Michigan State

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 206

Prelude:

After leading Michigan State to a win in the Rose Bowl, Morrall was taken in the first round of the 1956 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Following a mediocre rookie season in which he backed up Y.A. Tittle, he was dealt to Pittsburgh where he became the starter and had a fair year in ’57. Two games into 1958, he was traded to Detroit in the deal that brought Bobby Layne to the Steelers and for the next seven years he shared the job with, first, Jim Ninowski and then Milt Plum. His best season with the Lions was in 1963, when he passed for 2621 yards and 24 TDs. But when new Head Coach Harry Gilmer committed to Plum for ’65, Morrall was dealt to the New York Giants. He started in 1965 and had a good year for a 7-7 team, but missed half of ’66 due to injury and was on the bench behind Fran Tarkenton in 1967. Frustrated at once again being a backup, he was traded to the Colts during the 1968 preseason to provide insurance as number two to Johnny Unitas. When Unitas suffered a major arm injury, Morrall took over as the starting quarterback and had a MVP season, most notably leading the NFL in passing, TD passes (26), and yards per attempt (9.2). The Colts went 13-1 and won the league title, although the dream year came to a sour end in an upset loss to the AFL Champion Jets in the Super Bowl. Morrall returned to a backup role with Unitas reclaiming the starting job in 1969 and helped rally the Colts in relief in the Super Bowl win over the Cowboys following the ’70 season. He saw considerable action in place of the increasingly-brittle Unitas in 1971, but with the team undergoing a youth movement in ’72 he was traded once more, this time to the Miami Dolphins where he was reunited with his first coach in Baltimore, Don Shula. A broken ankle suffered by starting QB Bob Griese in Week 5 put Morrall in the starting lineup.

1972 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 150

Most attempts, game – 19 vs. St. Louis 11/27

Completions – 83

Most completions, game – 12 vs. St. Louis 11/27

Yards – 1360

Most yards, game – 210 vs. St. Louis 11/27

Completion percentage – 55.3 [8]

Yards per attempt – 9.1 [1]

TD passes – 11 [18, tied with Marty Domres]

Most TD passes, game – 2 vs. San Diego 10/15, vs. St. Louis 11/27, at New England 12/3

Interceptions – 7

Most interceptions, game – 1 on seven occasions

Passer rating – 91.0 [1]

200-yard passing games – 2

Rushing

Attempts – 17

Most attempts, game – 4 (for 7 yds.) vs. Buffalo 10/22

Yards – 67

Most yards, game – 29 yards (on 3 carries) vs. NY Jets 11/19

Yards per attempt – 3.9

TDs – 1

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points - 6

Postseason: 2 G

Pass attempts – 24

Most attempts, game - 13 vs. Cleveland, AFC Divisional playoff

Pass completions – 13

Most completions, game - 7 at Pittsburgh, AFC Championship

Passing yardage – 139

Most yards, game - 88 vs. Cleveland, AFC Divisional playoff

TD passes – 1

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 4

Most rushing attempts, game - 4 vs. Cleveland, AFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – 3

Most rushing yards, game - 3 vs. Cleveland, AFC Divisional playoff

Average gain rushing – 0.8

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

AFC Player of the Year: Sporting News

NFL Comeback Player of the Year: AP

1^st team All-NFL: AP

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

1^st team All-AFC: AP

Dolphins went 14-0 to finish first in the AFC East as they led the NFL in total yards (5036), rushing yards (2960), scoring (385 points), and touchdowns (45, tied with the Oakland Raiders). Won AFC Divisional playoff over Cleveland Browns (20-14), AFC Championship over Pittsburgh Steelers (21-17), and Super Bowl over Washington Redskins (14-7).

Aftermath:

Morrall gave way to Griese in the playoffs in 1972 and stayed on another four years as a backup, finally retiring following the 1976 season at age 42 and after 21 seasons in the NFL. Often regarded as the greatest backup quarterback in league history, he twice was selected to the Pro Bowl and ended up passing for 20,809 yards and 161 TDs.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).