TUPATALK: A closer look
So, who’s your favorite pro quarterback of all time?
An important factor of the answer obviously has to do with the age of the questioned.
Those of us that have watched football for decades remember watching Johnny Unitas’ uncanny calm passing strikes and workmanlike grace of throwing and directing an offense.
We recall the seeming magical touch of Joe Montana who could shred an opposing defense with precision passes that ripped like razor-tipped lion’s claws.
Steve Young brought a physical headiness and confidence that seemed to intimidate defenses with his running and passing.
Roger Staubach was the savvy one, the gladiator who could see through the smoke and fire to deliver throws right on the mark. Whether it was in a foxhole or in the Super Bowl you knew you wanted Staubach on your side.
There were others barely mentioned now — Sunny Jurgensen, the stout Washington Redskins passer with one of the smoothest, efficient and quick throws in the history of quarterbackery; there was Joe Namath, far under-rated today as a competitor and thrower; Roman Gabriel, the statuesque Rams’ flinger who looked like a model for a Michelangelo statue; John Brodie the dart thrower for the 49ers that could deliver the ball through a knothole and not scrape the sides — and so many others, such as the mad genius scrambler Fran Tarkenton, the fiercely determined skillster Joe Theisman, the commanding presence of Doug Williams, the nimble footed and strong-armed Lenny Dawson, the charismatic Boomer Easiason, the unconquerable spirit of Terry Bradshaw, the gladiatorial Warren Moon, the unbreakable Greg Landry, the conjurer Gary Cuozzo — and so many, many others.
My favorite?
Hands down, Joe Kapp. I wouldn’t recommend him for the Sunday School Teacher Hall of Fame, bot when it came to the religion of pure, unadulterated, smash-mouth, no holds barred physical football, he was a high priest. I recall the 1969 NFL championship game when he wrestled through the defense for about eight yards to score after a muffed handoff exchange, and when, in the same game, he collided violently with a 240-pound linebacker, jumped up and ran to the huddle while the linebacker had to leave the game.
He put everything he had into everything he did on the field. I wish he had been a little less money-centric in 1970 and had come back to the Vikings.
But, hey, we all have the right to make decisions on on the right to life, liberty and happiness — that’s what those bloody footprints at Valley Forge were all about.
One of my great career thrills has been to spend an hour alone with Kapp in an interview in northern California.
As I reflect on the pro quarterback tradition, I can’t help but believe too many fans under-value the contributions of Sammy Baugh to the art of passing.
I believe what he did for the aerial game almost rises to the level of what Babe Ruth did for the homer.
Baugh put up some imposing numbers for the era (1930s through early 1950s).
His final career states included 187 touchdowns and he finished with a career completion percentage of 56.5, both significant numbers for the time.
In 1945, he put together a quarterback rating of 109.9 while completing 70 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.
He threw for 2,938 yards and 25 touchdowns in 1947 while almost completing 60 percent of his passes. He threw for 2,599 yards and 22 touchdowns in 1948.
And, remember, this was back when teams played only 12 games in a season.
As was characteristic of the time, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns, in an era where the passing game was much more predictable and quarterbacks threw more long passes up for grabs.
But, he also was known for his accuracy. As a youth he practiced countless hours throwing a football through the middle of a swinging automobile tire.
The legend goes one coach asked him to hit a receiver in the eye and Baugh answered, “Which eye?”
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: TupaTalk column
