I saw him live throwing to Homer Jones at Yankee Stadium. Highly over rated wouldn't make my top 20. I don't believe he could play in todays game unlike several other big time QB's of his era. Against the best in 3 SB he was awful. 17 for 35 205 1TD 2INT 11 for 26 102 0TD 3INT 18 for 28 182 0TD 1INT Pop gun arm who was a big time scrambler who when contained against good defenses was dead meat. His playoff stats overall was substantially worse than his regular season stats a sign of a compiler.
He was questioned because he agreed to go on the radio. To comment on the Vikings for the first time in decades. Coincidentally, I'm sure, just before his new book comes out. This isn't me speaking so much as me channeling the local press in Minny. Go read some of their articles online. They are mocking him mercilessly for suddenly claiming he gives a damn about the Vikings all of a sudden.
I will respectfully defer to my elders. I only saw him towards the latter part of his career when he was much more of a conventional pocket passer. The SBs were truly awful, but he put up enormous numbers for a six or seven year period that any contemporary Jet fan could only drool over. As you well know. Anyway, I always liked him for sentimental reasons. My older brother had a beat up old paperback called "Greatest Pro Quarterbacks" with short 5 or 6 page blurbs on Sid Luckman, Otto Graham, Van Brocklin, Bart Starr, Unitas, etc. Other than Namath, who was practically crippled by then, Tarkenton was the only one in the book who I got to see play. Sonny Jurgenson may have still been around, but I don't think I ever saw him.
I liked Fran also, he was a lot of fun to watch, but relistically if you watched him and watched a Sonny Jergunson or a Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, Bradshaw, etc. he wasn't in their class as a QB going against the top competition.
My mom used to throw snowballs at him at Yankee Stadium and called him "France-asss". Even though he played before my time, I'd stack him up in his prime against just about any modern QB. It's interesting to think what a mobile, good-throwing QB like Tarkenton could have done in one of these modern offenses, after they relaxed the rules for holding, etc.
He never had the offensive talent around him that they had either with the possible exception of 76. Especially on the line. Farve would have been one and done on most of those viking teams.
With the exception of Chuck Foreman in the backfield, and I really started watching football in '72, all I remember is the defense... the Purple People Eaters (Page and Eller are who I remember.)
The Vikings had a top 5 O every year they went to the SB. Ron Yary is a HOF Right Tackle who played on those Viking teams. John Gilliam went to the pro bowl at WR 4 straight years. Foreman went to the pro bowl 5 straight years and Ed Marinaro was an excellent FB both blocking and in short yardage situations. Tarkenton got his ass wiped in the big games. Nice player fun to watch a second tier QB as far as the greats in the HOF. I don't consider Favre in the same league as Bradshaw, Staubach, Montana, Young, Marino, Brady, Manning, Elway, Jurgenson or even Namath for a couple of years. However he certainly would hold up well against Tarkenton who would back up guys like Rivers, Palmer, and Eli today.
