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: Benny Friedman, 1927

Tailback/Defensive Back, Cleveland Bulldogs

Age: 22

1^st season in pro football

College: Michigan

Height: 5’10” Weight: 183

Prelude:

Friedman established himself as an outstanding passer in college and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1925 and ’26. Turning pro, he proved to be extremely accurate, if not possessed of an exceptionally strong arm, and was innovative in his willingness to pass on any down despite the less-streamlined ball in use at the time and rules that discouraged reliance on throwing the ball. Friedman was also a capable runner and fair kicker.

1927 Season Summary

Appeared in all 13 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

TD Passes – 11 [1]

Scoring

Rushing TDs – 2 [14, tied with twelve others]

Receiving TDs – 0

Other TDs – 0

Total TDs – 2

Field Goals – 0

Extra Points – 11 [2]

Points – 23 [19]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: Chicago Tribune, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Bulldogs went 8-4-1 to finish fourth in the NFL while leading the league in touchdowns (30) and scoring (209 points).

Aftermath:

Friedman moved on to the Detroit Panthers in 1928 and again led the NFL with 9 TD passes as well as rushing touchdowns (6, tied with two others). The franchise was bought out by Tim Mara of the Giants and Friedman went to New York and continued to lead the league in touchdown passes for the next two years, including a remarkable 20 in 1929 (the runner-up threw 6). Friedman received consensus first team All-NFL honors in each of his first four NFL seasons, but a leg injury reduced his effectiveness in 1931 and he moved on to the Brooklyn Dodgers in ’32. He finished up with one game for the Dodgers in 1934, having already moved into assistant coaching at the college level that reduced his playing time. While passing statistics are incomplete for that era, Friedman was certainly far ahead of the rest of the field in passing yards (7650) and TD passes (68), and his single-season record of 20 lasted until 1942. Friedman went on to become a college head coach at City College of New York and Brandeis University, where he also served as athletic director. His brashness might have been off-putting, but he was a keen student of the game and one of its early innovators and notable performers. Friedman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2005.

--

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: Dan Fouts, 1980

Quarterback, San Diego Chargers

Age:  29

8^th season in pro football & with Chargers

College: Oregon

Height: 6’3”   Weight: 210

Prelude:

A third-round draft choice by the Chargers in 1973, Fouts gradually took over the starting job as a rookie while an over-the-hill Johnny Unitas faded from the scene in his last season. He struggled for the next two years but benefited from the presence of Bill Walsh as offensive coordinator in 1976. Fouts missed the first 10 games in ’77 due to a lawsuit against the NFL, although he performed well upon his return. Head Coach Tommy Prothro was replaced by the pass-oriented Don Coryell during the 1978 season, and the sturdy drop-back passer’s career benefited greatly. After leading the NFL in yards per attempt in ’78 (7.9), he set a new passing yardage record in 1979 with 4082, led the league in completion percentage (62.6), and was a consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl selection.  

1980 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 589 [1]

Most attempts, game – 45 vs. Denver 11/9

Completions – 348 [1]

Most completions, game – 29 vs. Oakland 9/14, vs. Denver 11/9

Yards – 4715 [1]

Most yards, game – 444 vs. NY Giants 10/19

Completion percentage – 59.1 [10]

Yards per attempt – 8.0 [2]

TD passes – 30 [2, tied with Vince Ferragamo & Brian Sipe, 1^st in AFC]

Most TD passes, game – 4 at Seattle 9/7

Interceptions – 24 [5]

Most interceptions, game – 5 vs. Oakland 9/14

Passer rating – 84.7 [6]

400-yard passing games – 1

300-yard passing games – 8

200-yard passing games – 15

Rushing

Attempts – 23

Most attempts, game – 5 (for -5 yds.) vs. Philadelphia 11/30

Yards – 15

Most yards, game – 12 yards (on 2 carries) at Miami 11/20

Yards per attempt – 0.7

TDs – 2

Scoring

TDs – 2

Points – 12

Postseason: 2 G

Pass attempts – 82

Most pass attempts, game – 45 vs. Oakland, AFC Championship

Pass completions – 44

Most pass completions, game – 22 vs. Buffalo, AFC Divisional playoff; vs. Oakland, AFC Championship

Passing yardage – 650

Most passing yards, game – 336 vs. Oakland, AFC Championship

TD passes – 4

Most TD passes, game – 2 vs. Buffalo, AFC Divisional playoff; vs. Oakland, AFC Championship

Interceptions – 3

Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Oakland, AFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 3

Most rushing attempts, game – 2 vs. Buffalo, AFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – -4

Most rushing yards, game – 2 vs. Oakland, AFC Championship

Average gain rushing – -1.3

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFL: AP

2^nd team All-AFC: UPI

Pro Bowl

Chargers went 11-5 to finish first in the AFC West while leading the NFL in total yards (6410) and passing yards (4531). Won AFC Divisional playoff over Buffalo Bills (20-14). Lost AFC Championship to Oakland Raiders (34-27).

Aftermath:

With an outstanding group of receivers to throw to in the Air Coryell passing game, Fouts broke his passing yardage record once again with 4802 yards in 1981 while leading the NFL in attempts (609) and completions (360) as well as TD passes (33). He was a Pro Bowl selection for a third straight year, although the Chargers once again came up short in the playoffs. In the strike-shortened ’82 season Fouts led the NFL in passing yards (2883), TD passes (17), and yards per attempt (8.7) and received MVP honors from the PFWA and NEA as well as Offensive Player of the Year recognition from AP. Playing in just 10 games in 1983, Fouts again achieved Pro Bowl recognition. While he never again passed for 4000 yards in the remaining five years of his career, he did throw for over 3000 three more times, led the league in yards per attempt (8.5) and TD percentage (6.3) in 1985, and was twice more selected to the Pro Bowl (for a total of six). At the time of his retirement, he ranked second all-time in NFL career pass attempts (5604), completions (3297), and yards (43,040) and had a passer rating of 80.2. The Chargers retired his #14 and Fouts was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1993.

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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: Daunte Culpepper, 2000

Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings

Age: 23

2^nd season in pro football & with Vikings

College: Central Florida

Height: 6’4”   Weight: 250

Prelude:

Culpepper had an outstanding collegiate career, capped by completing 73.6 percent of his passes for 3690 yards and 28 touchdowns while averaging 9.2 yards-per-attempt as a senior in 1998. He also rushed for 463 yards and 12 TDs and was chosen by the Vikings in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft (11^th overall). Culpepper saw no action as a rookie, but with the departure of veterans Jeff George and Randall Cunningham after the season, he moved into the starting lineup in 2000.

2000 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 474 [12]

Most attempts, game – 53 at Tampa Bay 10/29

Completions – 297 [11]

Most completions, game – 29 at Tampa Bay 10/29

Yards – 3937 [4]

Most yards, game – 357 vs. Carolina 11/19

Completion percentage – 62.7 [5]

Yards per attempt – 8.3 [3]

TD passes – 33 [1, tied with Peyton Manning]

Most TD passes, game – 3 on seven occasions

Interceptions – 16 [7, tied with Brett Favre]

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Miami 9/10, at Green Bay 11/6

Passer rating – 98.0 [4]

300-yard passing games – 5

200-yard passing games – 11

Rushing

Attempts – 89

Most attempts, game – 13 (for 73 yds.) vs. Chicago 9/3

Yards – 470

Most yards, game – 73 yards (on 13 carries) vs. Chicago 9/3

Average gain – 5.3 [5]

TDs – 7 [17, tied with seven others]

Scoring

TDs – 7

Points – 42

Postseason: 2 G

Pass attempts – 59

Most pass attempts, game – 31 vs. New Orleans, NFC Divisional playoff

Pass completions – 30

Most pass completions, game – 17 vs. New Orleans, NFC Divisional playoff

Passing yardage – 380

Most passing yards, game – 302 vs. New Orleans, NFC Divisional playoff

TD passes – 3

Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. New Orleans, NFC Divisional playoff

Interceptions – 3

Most interceptions, game – 3 at NY Giants, NFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 6

Most rushing attempts, game – 4 vs. New Orleans, NFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – 61

Most rushing yards, game – 51 vs. New Orleans, NFC Divisional playoff

Average gain rushing – 10.2

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Vikings went 11-5 to finish first in the NFC Central. Won NFC Divisional playoff over New Orleans Saints (34-16). Lost NFC Championship to New York Giants (41-0).

Aftermath:

Culpepper had a lesser season in 2001, missing the last five games of the year due to injury and drawing criticism for lack of preparation. He came back to throw for 3853 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2002, but also led the league with 23 interceptions, although his 609 rushing yards and 10 TDs were career highs. Culpepper improved in 2003, passing for 3479 yards and 25 TDs with just 11 interceptions, and in 2004 led the NFL with 379 completions and 4717 yards while tossing 39 TD passes and accumulating a 110.9 passer rating. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after both seasons and was a first-team All-NFC choice by Pro Football Weekly in ’04. But after achieving that peak, Culpepper had a poor season in 2005 before going down with a knee injury and, with a coaching change taking place, he was traded to Miami, where he started four games and was hampered by limited mobility before having to undergo a second knee operation. Culpepper had stints with Oakland and Detroit over the remaining three seasons of his NFL career, never appearing in more than seven games and with reduced production. He finished up with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League in 2010, where he passed for 1910 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final pro season. Overall in the NFL, Culpepper threw for 24,153 yards and 149 TDs, and also rushed for 2652 yards and 34 touchdowns. He twice received first-team All-NFC recognition and was selected to three Pro Bowls.

--

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: Paddy Driscoll, 1926

Back, Chicago Bears

Age: 31

8^th season in pro football, 7^th in APFA/NFL & 1^st with Bears

College: Northwestern

Height: 5’11” Weight: 160

Prelude:

Driscoll played football and baseball in college, briefly spending time with the Chicago Cubs in 1917. While in the military during World War I, he was with the Great Lakes Naval Station team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl. Driscoll joined the Hammond Pros in 1919 and moved on to the Chicago Cardinals of the new American Professional Football Association (later renamed NFL) in ’20. Deceptively mild-mannered and small in stature, he was an outstanding all-around player who was an elusive halfback and kick returner, precision punter, and outstanding drop-kicker. In six seasons with the Cardinals (three of which he was also the coach), Driscoll scored 17 touchdowns and kicked 37 field goals, leading the league three times, and 31 PATs for a total of 244 points, topping the NFL with 78 in 1923. He received first-team All-NFL recognition after four of those seasons. Following the 1925 season, in which the team won the NFL title, the financially-strapped Cardinals sold Driscoll’s contract to the Bears.

1926 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

TDs – 6 [1, tied with Eddie Scharer]

Scoring

Rushing TDs – 4 [8, tied with Hap Moran, Tony Latone & Cully Lidberg]

Receiving TDs – 1 [12, tied with many others]

Other TDs – 1

Total TDs – 6 [7, tied with Hinkey Haines]

Field Goals – 12 [1]

Extra Points – 14 [3, tied with Pid Purdy]

Points – 86 [1]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: Collyers Eye, Chicago Tribune, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Bears went 12-1-3 to finish second in the NFL while leading the league in rushing touchdowns (17, tied with Frankford Yellow Jackets), pass receiving TDs (8, tied with Green Bay Packers), and scoring (216 points).

Aftermath:

Driscoll spent three more seasons with the Bears, scoring 43 points and again receiving consensus first-team All-NFL honors in 1927. Overall for his career, he scored 31 touchdowns and kicked 63 extra points and 51 field goals for a total of 402 points. Driscoll’s scoring total was the NFL record until 1942 and his field goal total the league standard until 1952, with his single-season record of 12 in 1926 not exceeded until 1950. Driscoll received at least some first-team All-NFL recognition after seven seasons and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1965. He later became a long-time assistant coach for the Bears and was head coach in 1956 and ’57.

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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: Joe Ferguson, 1975

Quarterback, Buffalo Bills

Age: 25

3^rd season in pro football & with Bills

College: Arkansas

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 184

Prelude:

Ferguson passed for 4431 yards and 24 touchdowns in college and was chosen by the Bills in the third round of the 1973 NFL draft. He beat out veteran Dennis Shaw and started every game as a rookie, rarely throwing in a conservative offense that was geared around the running of record-setting HB O.J. Simpson. Ferguson went to the air only 164 times, completing 44.5 percent for 939 yards and four touchdowns against 10 interceptions. The team went 9-5 and did so again in ’74 as Ferguson showed much improvement, passing for 1588 yards and 12 touchdowns with as many interceptions.

1975 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 321 [12]

Most attempts, game – 41 at Miami 12/7

Completions – 169 [10]

Most completions, game – 20 vs. Miami 10/26, at Miami 12/7

Yards – 2426 [7]

Most yards, game – 296 at NY Jets 11/2

Completion percentage – 52.6 [16]

Yards per attempt – 7.6 [6]

TD passes – 25 [1, tied with Fran Tarkenton]

Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. New England 11/23

Interceptions – 17 [8]

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Minnesota 12/20

Passer rating – 81.3 [7]

200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing

Attempts – 23

Most attempts, game – 3 (for 6 yds.) vs. Denver 10/5, (for 5 yds.) vs. Miami 10/26

Yards – 82

Most yards, game – 19 yards (on 2 carries) at St. Louis 11/27

Average gain – 3.6

TDs – 1

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Bills went 8-6 to finish third in the AFC East while leading the NFL in rushing yards (2974), total yards (5467), touchdowns (57), and scoring (420 points).

Aftermath:

Ferguson missed half of the 1976 season due to injury but returned to pass for a league-leading 2803 yards in ’77, although also topping the NFL with 24 interceptions with a 3-11 team. He went on to display impressive durability thereafter despite a smallish build and didn’t miss another game until 1984, his last year with Buffalo. Ferguson guided the offense during playoff seasons in 1980 and ’81, completing 57.2 percent of his passes for 2805 yards and 20 TDs in ’80 and a career-high 3652 yards with 24 touchdowns in 1981. With the team in the doldrums, he was traded to Detroit following the ’84 season and ended his career with stints as a backup with the Lions, Buccaneers, and Colts. Overall, Ferguson threw for 29,817 yards and 196 touchdowns, and held many Buffalo career passing records at the time of his departure (and which to date still rank second only to Jim Kelly), including completions (2188), yards (27,590), and TD passes (181).

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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: Vinny Testaverde, 1996

Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens

Age: 33 (Nov. 13)

10^th season in pro football, 4^th with Browns/Ravens

College: Miami (FL)

Height: 6’5”   Weight: 227

Prelude:

In college, Testaverde passed for 6058 yards and 48 touchdowns while averaging 9.0 yards-per-attempt and won the 1986 Heisman Trophy. Highly regarded and chosen first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in ’87, he moved into the starting lineup late in his rookie season. A big quarterback with a strong arm and fair mobility, Testaverde suffered with a poor team and was prone to poor decisions under pressure. He led the NFL in interceptions thrown with 35 in 1988 and 22 in ’89 and never had more TD passes than pickoffs in his six years with the Bucs. Testaverde signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent in 1993 to back up QB Bernie Kosar, his former college teammate who he understudied at Miami, but when Kosar was let go in a surprise midseason move, he took over as the starter with promising results, tossing 14 TD passes with just 9 interceptions. In 1994 he threw for 2575 yards and 16 TDs, although with 18 interceptions, and the Browns reached the playoffs. However, the club fell off badly in ’95, its last year in Cleveland, and Testaverde was benched for three games, although he achieved a new high by completing 61.5 percent of his passes and had a TD to interception ratio of 17 to 10. He moved on to Baltimore as part of the franchise reborn as the Ravens in 1996.

1996 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 549 [3, tied with Jeff Blake]

Most attempts, game – 51 vs. St. Louis 10/27

Completions – 325 [3, tied with Brett Favre]

Most completions, game – 31 vs. St. Louis 10/27, vs. Jacksonville 11/24

Yards – 4177 [2]

Most yards, game – 429 vs. St. Louis 10/27

Completion percentage – 59.2 [13]

Yards per attempt – 7.6 [3]

TD passes – 33 [2, 1^st in AFC]

Most TD passes, game – 4 at Denver 10/20

Interceptions – 19 [4, tied with Jim Kelly & Trent Dilfer]

Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. Cincinnati 11/3

Passer rating – 88.7 [5]

400-yard passing games – 1

300-yard passing games – 5

200-yard passing games – 13

Rushing

Attempts – 34

Most attempts, game – 8 (for 42 yds.) vs. Oakland 9/1

Yards – 188

Most yards, game – 42 yards (on 8 carries) vs. Oakland 9/1

Average gain – 5.5

TDs – 2

Scoring

TDs – 2

2-pt conversions – 1 [6, tied with many others]

Points – 14

Awards & Honors:

Pro Bowl

Ravens went 4-12 to finish fifth in the AFC Central while ranking second in the NFL in passing yards (3978) and third in total yards (5723).

Aftermath:

Testaverde had a lesser season in 1997 and was waived, signing with the New York Jets in ’98 where it was anticipated that he would return to being a backup. However, he took over the starting job for 13 games, 12 of which were wins, and passed for 3256 yards and 29 touchdowns while giving up just 7 interceptions and compiling an AFC-leading passer rating of 101.6. The Jets reached the AFC Championship game and Testaverde was selected to the Pro Bowl. His 1999 season ended in the opening game with a ruptured Achilles tendon and, while he regained the starting job in 2000, it was with lessened mobility and a return to old patterns as he led the NFL by being intercepted 25 times. Testaverde cut his interceptions down to 14 while operating in a West Coast-style offense in 2001 and foregoing the long ball but lost his starting job to Chad Pennington in ’02 and, after one more year with the Jets in which he saw action when Pennington was injured, Testaverde moved on to Dallas in 2004 where he was a stopgap starting quarterback and led the NFL once more with 20 interceptions. He returned to the Jets as a backup in 2005, spent ’06 behind Tom Brady in New England, and finished up at age 44 with the Carolina Panthers in 2007. Over the course of a long and uneven career, Testaverde passed for 46,233 yards and 275 TDs with 267 interceptions. He was a first-team All-AFC selection once and was chosen to two Pro Bowls.

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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