He is the reason I am a Jets fan. He is one of the most unique people in NFL history. As a Jets fan I am biased like probably most of you but staying as objective as possible, what would you say Namath means for NFL? P.S. Started this thread due to the Namath's "A Football Life" on NFL Network which is playing right now. I am watching him in awe. He truly is a legend.
Story of Joe's white shoes. Coach Ewbank tired of Namath's tape around his ankles and one day brings white cleats to the locker room for Namath to wear. He starts wearing it after that. Unique to Joe.
In 1965 Joe wins AFL Rookie of the Year award. In 1967 he becomes the first QB ever both at AFL and NFL to pass more than 4000 yards. This I believe is still Jets record.
Still the Face of the Franchise till Darnold wins a couple of SBs for us The 60s were a unique time in US History and Jets and Namath a part of that
More than any other AFL player, he's responsible for the merger. His impact on the game of football - helping turn the game from "3 yards and a cloud of dust" into an offensive-oriented game - is right up there with Babe Ruth's and Wilt Chamberlain. Yes, he is why I'm a Jets fan.
I suspect if Joe went to the St. Louis Cardinals where he was drafted he would have been a minor figure in NFL history. Joe was in the right city which happened to be the center of the universe at the right time. To his credit he loved NYC and NYC along with the sportswriters and media loved Joe. It was a beautiful moment in time that Joe fit to perfection. Sonny Werblin should never be forgotten he is forever part of the Joe Namath Legend. Without Sonny Werblin I really think we would barely know Joe Namath existed.
If only we had been able to keep Werblin, or at least his philosophical equal, over these past decades. Somehow we went from trailblazing owner to owners that couldn't find their ass with a GPS.
Two things happened in 1965 that forced the merger in 1966. The AFL got a national TV contract with NBC. Sonny Werblin bid for Namath made it clear the AFL owners were going to field quality football with NFL quality stars. Even with that there was an agreement between the two leagues that they wouldn't sign players from the other leagues teams. The Giants actually broke that silent agreement when the signed kicker Pete Gogolak off of the Bills roster. That was what really started the negotiations to merge. There was real fear of a bidding war that neither side wanted. The merger was done before the first SB. The Jets winning before the merger took place created a sense that the AFL teams belonged. Werblin knew that the TV contract with NBC needed a star in NY.
All true. But beyond those facts, there is a larger truth: Werblin was ahead of his time, he looked forward. He was succeeded by men who were small-minded and who other concerns besides the Jets. The Jets, to them, was merely a hobby, a way to stoke their egos as "team owners", without any plan to do anything more. That was the "curse" bestowed on the Jets, not some "deal with the devil" that Namath made. I should've ended my support for them the day Werblin sold the team.
IMHO he meant nothing to the NFL but meant everything to the AFL which was the league that the NYJs played in until merger between the 2 leagues. JWN & SB3 meant everything to the AFL since it proved that the AFL & NFL were equal which were proved again in SB4 when KC beat Minny
Which should have never happened -- Namath should have completed one of his three attempts from the Chief's 13 yard line in the 4th quarter, instead of whiffing twice and then throwing an INT. Just imagine, Champ, if the Jets had won it all in '69 and in '70: You could have had a whole different personality...
Me too. He did it to me. Joe Willie hooked me a long time ago. I haven’t been able to get the Jets out of my system since! I DVRed both parts of A Football Life to watch on the weekend.
Namath made the AFL legit and on par with the old standard NFL with their Lombardi and Paul Brown legends.
