Highlighted Year: Bob Griese, 1970

Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

Age:  25

4^th season in pro football & with Dolphins

College: Purdue

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 190

Prelude:

A multi-talented player in college who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 1966, Griese was taken by the Dolphins in the first round of the 1967 AFL/NFL draft. When starting QB John Stofa was lost to a broken ankle, Griese took over and had a solid rookie season as he threw for 2005 yards and 15 TD passes for a second-year franchise. He earned selection to the AFL All-Star game in 1967 and ’68, but suffered along with a struggling team until Don Shula took over as head coach in 1970. Griese didn’t have the strongest arm, but it was accurate and he proved to be a good fit in Shula’s ball-control offense.

1970 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 245 [19]

Most attempts, game – 27 at Boston 9/20

Completions – 142 [16]

Most completions, game – 15 at Buffalo 10/18, vs. New Orleans 11/15

Yards – 2019 [13]

Most yards, game – 225 vs. New Orleans 11/15

Completion percentage – 58.0 [3, 1^st in AFC]

Yards per attempt – 8.2 [2, 1^st in AFC]

TD passes – 12 [15]

Most TD passes, game – 2 at Houston 9/27, vs. Oakland 10/3, at NY Jets 10/10, vs. Baltimore 11/22

Interceptions – 17 [7, tied with Bill Kilmer & Joe Kapp]

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Cleveland 10/25, at Philadelphia 11/8

Passer rating – 72.1 [10]

200-yard passing games – 2

Rushing

Attempts – 26

Most attempts, game – 3 (for 18 yds.) at Boston 9/20, (for 21 yds.) at Houston 9/27, (for 0 yds.) vs. NY Jets 12/13

Yards – 89

Most yards, game – 21 yards (on 3 carries) at Houston 9/27

Yards per attempt – 3.4

TDs – 2

Scoring

TDs – 2         

Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (AFC Divisional playoff at Oakland)

Pass attempts – 27

Pass completions – 13

Passing yardage – 155

TD passes – 2

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 1

Rushing yards – 2

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

1^st team All-AFC: Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Dolphins went 10-4 to finish second in the AFC East and qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card while leading the conference in rushing yards (2082). Lost AFC Divisional playoff to Oakland Raiders (21-14).

Aftermath:

Griese followed up in 1971 by passing for 2089 yards and 19 touchdowns as the Dolphins won the AFC Championship. He was a consensus first-team All-NFL as well as Pro Bowl selection, and also received MVP and Player of the Year recognition. Griese suffered a broken leg five games into the 1972 season but returned in the playoffs as the team went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. They won again in ’73 and Griese was again selected to the Pro Bowl even though the offense was ground-oriented and he passed sparingly, although to good effect. Injuries factored into a couple of lesser seasons in 1975 and ’76, with personnel factors also an issue, but Griese, now wearing glasses, came back strong in 1977 as he led the NFL in passing (87.8 rating), TD passes (22), and yards per attempt (7.2). He was again a consensus first-team All-Pro as well as Pro Bowl selection and MVP. Griese was selected to a sixth Pro Bowl in ’78 while leading the league in completion percentage (63.0) but injuries began to wear him down and ultimately ended his career in 1980. He ended up passing for 25,092 yards with 192 TD passes and the team went 92-56-3 with him behind center. The Dolphins retired Griese’s #12 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1990. His son Brian followed him into the NFL, also as a quarterback.

--

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.

--

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: Pat Haden, 1975

Quarterback, Southern California Sun

Age: 22

1^st season in pro football

College: Southern California

Height: 5’11” Weight: 180

Prelude:

Haden was a member of national championship teams at USC in 1972 and ’74 and appeared in three Rose Bowls. He was also an Academic All-American and received a Rhodes Scholarship following his graduation. Haden was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 1975 NFL draft but signed with the Sun of the WFL with the stipulation that he would need to cut his season short in order to begin his studies at Oxford. He took over the starting duties in the second week and played well until departing the club just a few weeks before the league folded.

1975 Season Summary

Appeared in 7of 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 163 [9]

Most attempts, game – 40 at San Antonio 8/9

Completions – 98 [6]

Most completions, game – 24 at San Antonio 8/9

Yards – 1404 [6]

Most yards, game – 313 at San Antonio 8/9

Completion percentage – 60.1 [1]

Yards per attempt – 8.6 [1]

TD passes – 11 [4, tied with Don Horn]

Most TD passes, game – 3 at San Antonio 8/9, vs. Philadelphia 8/29

Interceptions – 9 [8, tied with Tom Sherman & Sonny Sixkiller]

Most interceptions, game – 3 at San Antonio 8/9

300-yard passing games – 1

200-yard passing games – 3

Rushing

Attempts – 12

Most attempts, game – 4 (for 26 yds.) vs. Charlotte 9/14

Yards – 44

Most yards, game – 26 yards (on 4 carries) vs. Charlotte 9/14

Average gain – 3.7

TDs – 0

Sun went 7-5 and were first in the WFL Western Division when the league folded. They led the league in touchdowns (45, tied with San Antonio) and were second in rushing yards (2047), passing yards (2431), and scoring (354 points).

Aftermath:

With the WFL having folded, Haden joined the Rams in 1976. There were concerns about his lack of size and arm strength and he made the club as the third-string quarterback behind James Harris and Ron Jaworski but started seven games (amid some controversy when Harris was benched in his favor) and showed promise. Haden overcame the challenge of fading veteran QB Joe Namath in 1977 to pass for 1551 yards and 11 touchdowns and gained selection to the Pro Bowl. He had his biggest statistical season in ’78, starting all 16 games for the only time in his career and throwing for 2995 yards with 13 TDs, although also 19 interceptions. Haden started the first ten games in 1979 until going down with a broken finger and backup QB Vince Ferragamo led the club to the NFC Championship. Regaining the starting job in ’80, he again suffered a broken passing hand and threw only 41 passes and, following another injury-riddled year in 1981, Haden retired to practice law. Overall in the NFL, he threw for 9296 yards and 52 touchdowns. A smart and unselfish quarterback, if physically limited and best suited to a ball control offense, the club went 35-19-1 during Haden’s starts and he was named to one Pro Bowl.

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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: Bob Berry, 1971

Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons

Age:  29

7^th season in pro football, 4^th with Falcons

College: Oregon

Height: 5’11” Weight: 190

Prelude:

Berry passed for 4148 yards and 37 touchdowns in college and led Oregon to three consecutive winnings seasons and a Sun Bowl victory. He was a future draft pick of the NFL Eagles (11^th round) and AFL Broncos (26^th round) in 1964. The Minnesota Vikings traded for his rights and Berry joined them as a backup in 1965. He saw limited action behind Fran Tarkenton, Ron VanderKelen, and later Joe Kapp, over the course of three seasons. Berry threw a total of 46 passes and started one game in 1966 before being obtained by Atlanta in ‘68, where he was reunited with ex-Vikings Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin and given an opportunity to start in competition with Randy Johnson. Very competitive and a good leader, Berry was also undersized and prone to being sacked. He was an accurate passer at short range, typically rolling out and throwing to his backs and tight ends, and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1969.

1971 Season Summary

Appeared in 11 of 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 226 [17]

Most attempts, game – 27 vs. St. Louis 10/10, at New Orleans 12/19

Completions – 136 [14, tied with Greg Landry]

Most completions, game – 18 at New Orleans 12/19

Yards – 2005 [12]

Most yards, game – 309 at Detroit 10/3

Completion percentage – 60.2 [2, 1^st in NFC]

Yards per attempt – 8.9 [1]

TD passes – 11 [13, tied with Pete Liske, Fran Tarkenton & Dennis Shaw]

Most TD passes, game – 3 at Detroit 10/3

Interceptions – 16 [9, tied with Jim Plunkett & Daryle Lamonica]

Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. St. Louis 10/10

Passer rating – 75.9 [6]

300-yard passing games – 2

200-yard passing games – 4

Rushing

Attempts – 19

Most attempts, game – 5 (for 4 yds.) vs. Green Bay 11/22

Yards – 31

Most yards, game – 19 yards (on 3 carries) vs. St. Louis 10/10

Yards per attempt – 1.6

TDs – 0

Falcons went 7-6-1, the first winning record in franchise history, to finish third in the NFC West.

Aftermath:

Berry passed for a career-high 2158 yards in 1972 but, deemed too limited to continue to start, was dealt back to Minnesota. He spent the last three seasons of his career as a backup to Fran Tarkenton. Overall, Berry completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 9197 yards and 64 touchdowns, with an equal number of interceptions. 8489 yards and 57 TDs came with the Falcons.

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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: Mark Brunell, 1996

Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars

Age: 26 (Sept. 17)

4^th season in pro football (3^rd active), 2^nd with Jaguars

College: Washington

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 217

Prelude:

Brunell led the Univ. of Washington to a Rose Bowl triumph following the 1990 season but suffered a knee injury the next year that made teams wary of him during the ’93 NFL draft. He was picked by Green Bay in the fifth round and backed up durable QB Brett Favre for two seasons, seeing no action at all as a rookie. Nearly traded to the Eagles, he instead was dealt to the expansion Jaguars in 1995. The mobile lefthanded passer took over the starting job seven games into the season and passed for 2168 yards with 15 TDs against 7 interceptions while rushing for 480 yards with a per-carry average of 7.2.

1996 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 557 [2]

Most attempts, game – 52 at St. Louis 10/20

Completions – 353 [2]

Most completions, game – 37 at St. Louis 10/20

Yards – 4367 [1]

Most yards, game – 432 at New England 9/22

Completion percentage – 63.4 [3]

Yards per attempt – 7.8 [1]

TD passes – 19 [8]

Most TD passes, game – 3 at New England 9/22

Interceptions – 20 [2, tied with Dave Brown]

Most interceptions, game – 5 at St. Louis 10/20

Passer rating – 84.0 [8]

400-yard passing games – 2

300-yard passing games – 6

200-yard passing games – 15

Rushing

Attempts – 80

Most attempts, game - 10 (for 41 yds.) vs. Pittsburgh 9/1, (for 25 yds.) at Baltimore 11/24, (for 47 yds.) at Houston 12/8

Yards – 396

Most yards, game – 58 yards (on 7 carries) vs. Baltimore 11/10

Average gain – 5.0 [4]

TDs – 3

Scoring

TDs – 3

2-point PATs – 2 [2, tied with Michael Jackson, Edgar Bennett & Keenan McCardell]

Points – 22

Postseason: 3 G

Pass attempts – 100

Most pass attempts, game – 38 at New England, AFC Championship

Pass completions – 56

Most pass completions, game – 20 at New England, AFC Championship

Passing yardage – 674

Most passing yards, game – 245 at Denver, AFC Divisional playoff

TD passes – 3

Most TD passes, game – 2 at Denver, AFC Divisional playoff

Interceptions – 4

Most interceptions, game – 2 at Buffalo, AFC Wild Card playoff; at New England, AFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 16

Most rushing attempts, game – 7 at Denver, AFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – 87

Most rushing yards, game – 44 at Denver, AFC Divisional playoff

Average gain rushing – 5.4

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

Pro Bowl

Jaguars went 9-7 to finish second in the AFC Central and qualify for the postseason as a Wild Card entry while leading the NFL in passing yards (4110). Won AFC Wild Card playoff over Buffalo Bills (30-27) and AFC Divisional playoff over Denver Broncos (30-27). Lost AFC Championship to New England Patriots (20-6).

Aftermath:

Brunell followed up with another Pro Bowl season in 1997, although hindered by a knee injury that forced him to wear a knee brace, and the Jaguars again made it to the playoffs for the second of four consecutive years. He made the Pro Bowl for a third (and last) time in 1999 but the team came up short in the postseason and began to deteriorate thereafter. Tough and a good leader as well as effective passer, Brunell became less mobile and more battered over time and finally lost his starting job to rookie Byron Leftwich in 2003. He was traded to Washington in ’04 and had one last significant season in 2005, passing for 3050 yards and a career-high 23 TDs as the team reached the playoffs for the first time in six years. Brunell started nine games in ’06 and again yielded the starting job to a young quarterback, Jason Campbell. He finished his career with two years apiece as a backup with the Saints and Jets. Overall, he passed for 32,072 yards and 184 touchdowns, with 25,698 of those yards and 144 TDs coming with the Jaguars, who went 63-54 in the regular season and 4-4 in the playoffs with Brunell behind center. He also rushed for 2421 yards and 15 touchdowns.  

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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.

--

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).