I get that you think you are not comparing them. But you are referencing Joe Namath in the same sentences, the same thread with Tim Tebow, Geno Smith and Jeff George. It's ridiculous. _
I challenge you to articulate a case for Namath not being Hall of Fame worthy without using a single statistic.
I became a Jet fan in 1971 so I never got to see a healthy Joe Namath play the game. A kid is very impressionable and so everything the announcers said was kind of like absolute truth for awhile. The thing that sticks with me from those years is how often the announcers thought Namath had a chance to bring the Jets back from a real deficit. It wasn't just the local guys either, the Monday Night Football crew were true believers. ABC was a believer. The Jets were one of the worst football teams of the 70's and yet Joe Namath was such a big draw that the Jets were on Monday Night Football every season he was with the team in the 70's. When he left the team the Jets failed to appear on Monday Night Football for the first two seasons he was gone. Same crappy team but the drawing card, the guy football viewers would tune in to see throw the ball, was no longer part of the picture. Right up until the end Namath was a larger-than-life figure that even the professional broadcasters couldn't bring back to reality.
Matt- I loved when he went to this facemask. I don't think I ever thought about facemasks before he went to it. _
The Jets were on MNF pretty much every season until the 1990s. while he was a draw in the first ever game and one of the reasons we played in it the later years were more about NY than Namath as he was a shell oif the player he once was in the 60s. Namath is in the Hall b/c of the great draw he was though, he helped make the game America's #1 sport. that can never be disputed. Injuries robbed him of having a great career, he had great seasons and great moments but not a great career. as far as comebacks and never being out of it. I assume these #s are correct: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/comeback.cgi?player=NamaJo00 according to this the largest 4th qtr deficit he led a team to a win in was a 8 pt deficit entering the 4th qtr against NO in 1972. I know he led some great comebacks that fell short but as far as winning this was it so perception may not have been reality. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197212030nyj.htm
the difference between statistics and impact. the super bowl was a ratings dud and so were ticket sales before joe got there. (fyi: as part of the merger agreement, the dallas cowboys insisted on the jets playing 3 preseason games in dallas. what does that tell you? ) along with the chiefs the next year, who debunked the fallacy that the jets victory was a fluke, namath turned the super bowl into the financial and ratings spectacle it is today. an undeclared national holiday.
Did you guys read any of the comments at the bottom of those articles. One doofus actually tried to claim that Namath had a "noodle" arm. ROFLMAO. It's amazing how stupid some people are!
Interesting he's got his 6-10 rankings up there and he's got Brady at 7, behind Fran Tarkington. His 1-5 rankings come out next week I'm guessing and from his Brady summary he says he's got Peyton in his top 5. _
