Jump to content

I Love Joe Namath But . . . . . .


JoeC36

Recommended Posts

Joe Namath called every play from scrimmage. He was the one to decide a run-heavy attack was best vs. the Colts D. and he was the one who handed the rock instead of throwing it for his own glory. Add to the the "guarantee" and the fact that his celebrity singel-handedly put professional football under a huge spotlight forcing network television bids to skyrocket, was responsible for the first real sold-out championship game, and gave the AFL validity in an era when most fans thought of the AFL as the equivlent of Arena-league ball, Facilitated the the merger, and likely doubled the sports' popularity and marketablity. Namath hung out with superstars. He was, in fact, more popular than the Beatles (who incidentally arranged to meet with him because they, like everyone else, were starstruck). Elvis Presley went out of his way to meet Joe. Every hot actress clamored to get into his bed. The Federal Government followed him and the Mafia hung around his bar.

Thats why when some little kid comes around and says "Joe Namath doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame...his stats are mediocre" I get embarrassed for them. The Hall of Fame couldn't legitimately exist without Joe. He was fame. He was the NFL. He was the face, the brand, the star, the reason for the TV rights and the popularity of the Superbowl. So I say he gets MVP. HAll of Fame. and even deserves a french kiss and a handjob from Suzy Kolber.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joe Namath called every play from scrimmage. He was the one to decide a run-heavy attack was best vs. the Colts D. and he was the one who handed the rock instead of throwing it for his own glory. Add to the the "guarantee" and the fact that his celebrity singel-handedly put professional football under a huge spotlight forcing network television bids to skyrocket, was responsible for the first real sold-out championship game, and gave the AFL validity in an era when most fans thought of the AFL as the equivlent of Arena-league ball, Facilitated the the merger, and likely doubled the sports' popularity and marketablity. Namath hung out with superstars. He was, in fact, more popular than the Beatles (who incidentally arranged to meet with him because they, like everyone else, were starstruck). Elvis Presley went out of his way to meet Joe. Every hot actress clamored to get into his bed. The Federal Government followed him and the Mafia hung around his bar.

Thats why when some little kid comes around and says "Joe Namath doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame...his stats are mediocre" I get embarrassed for them. The Hall of Fame couldn't legitimately exist without Joe. He was fame. He was the NFL. He was the face, the brand, the star, the reason for the TV rights and the popularity of the Superbowl. So I say he gets MVP. HAll of Fame. and even deserves a french kiss and a handjob from Suzy Kolber.

Well said friend.....A healthy Broadway Joe today, playing in today's NFL.....he would have thrown for 6000 yards

Link to comment
Share on other sites

while there are nice things to say about Joe Namath, he had nothing to do with the merger of the AFL and NFL. That sh!t had been in the works since 1966.

No one said he did. I said he "facilitated" the merger. Meaning he made it more palatable and acceptable and thereby more "facil" which means easy in Spanish. He facilitated the merger. Because most NFL fans did not want the merger. They thought the AFL was a joke and couldn't compete. Until the Jets pounded the snot out of the great and mighty Colts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one said he did. I said he "facilitated" the merger. Meaning he made it more palatable and acceptable and thereby more "facil" which means easy in Spanish. He facilitated the merger. Because most NFL fans did not want the merger. They thought the AFL was a joke and couldn't compete. Until the Jets pounded the snot out of the great and mighty Colts.

Whether the Jets won or not, whether the fans wanted it or not, the merger was happening. Its all post-merger bullcrap that gives Joe credit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

while there are nice things to say about Joe Namath, he had nothing to do with the merger of the AFL and NFL. That sh!t had been in the works since 1966.

While you're right about the merger being in the works since 1966, you're wrong about Namath not having anything to do with it.

It was the bidding war for his services between the two leagues in 1965 that made the NFL realize the best thing to do was merge.

Namath had everything to do with the evolution of the league as we know it today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's astonishing to me that guys who are considered football "geniuses" by most people ... men like Lombardi, Madden, Shula, Summerall, Al Davis, Sid Gilman, Bill Walsh, Willie Davis, Bear Bryant, Fred Dryer, Merlin Olsen, the list goes on and on ... former players, coaches, front office guys who have forgotten more about football than the average fan will ever know, can call Namath one of the top 5 or 10 quarterbacks the game has ever seen ... yet the young fan who never saw Namath play will essentially ignore the experiences, insights, and opinions of these football experts, believing that they can better assess a player they never saw play by evaluating statistics and comparing them to players who play a vastly different game 40 years later.

It's just the epitome of ignorance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's astonishing to me that guys who are considered football "geniuses" by most people ... men like Lombardi, Madden, Shula, Summerall, Al Davis, Sid Gilman, Bill Walsh, Willie Davis, Bear Bryant, Fred Dryer, Merlin Olsen, the list goes on and on ... former players, coaches, front office guys who have forgotten more about football than the average fan will ever know, can call Namath one of the top 5 or 10 quarterbacks the game has ever seen ... yet the young fan who never saw Namath play will essentially ignore the experiences, insights, and opinions of these football experts, believing that they can better assess a player they never saw play by evaluating statistics and comparing them to players who play a vastly different game 40 years later.

It's just the epitome of ignorance.

Its astonishing that the old people glorify the old days and cant come to terms that newer things are sometimes better than the old.

Namath was a good player for his time. To try and rank any player from different eras is retarded and a waste of time and breath. Its not a fair thing to say he is a top 5 or top 10 ever.. or not a top 5 or top 10. there is no real way to evaluate him vs modern QBs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ya know whats most amazing about this? he almost effortlessly flicked the football 45 yards right on the ****ing money

Other than maybe Dan Marino nobody has ever ahd a release as quick and fluid as Namath. He got very beat up from injuries and it dragged down his productivity. And frankly he partied a lot and didn;t take care of himself. But he was surrounded by weak teams in the 1970s. The Jets basically gave away Riggins in a salary dispute.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

While you're right about the merger being in the works since 1966, you're wrong about Namath not having anything to do with it.

It was the bidding war for his services between the two leagues in 1965 that made the NFL realize the best thing to do was merge.

Namath had everything to do with the evolution of the league as we know it today.

You give him way too much credit. Its fun to glorify him. But there is a lot more than Joe Namath that changed the game through the 60's and 70's.

But when your username is Joe Willie, I wouldnt expect any less. :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Other than maybe Dan Marino nobody has ever ahd a release as quick and fluid as Namath. He got very beat up from injuries and it dragged down his productivity. And frankly he partied a lot and didn;t take care of himself. But he was surrounded by weak teams in the 1970s. The Jets basically gave away Riggins in a salary dispute.

WAIT!!! The Jets have always been retarded!!!!!!!!!!! :rl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its astonishing that the old people glorify the old days and cant come to terms that newer things are sometimes better than the old.

Namath was a good player for his time. To try and rank any player from different eras is retarded and a waste of time and breath. Its not a fair thing to say he is a top 5 or top 10 ever.. or not a top 5 or top 10. there is no real way to evaluate him vs modern QBs

Ths game and especially to rules have changed. But also consider size, speed, training, equipment , nutrition. Consider OL and DL guys played then at tops 250/275, which is now the size of some safeties.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ths game and especially to rules have changed. Vut also consider size, speed, training, equipment , nutrition. Consider OL and DL guys played thena t tops 250/275, which is now the size of some safeties.

Everything is different. Thats why its an impossible task to compare a QB or pretty much any player from the 50/60/70's to a modern QB. Heck, watch film from the 80's and 90's... different game then than it is now. The sport has evolved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its astonishing that the old people glorify the old days and cant come to terms that newer things are sometimes better than the old.

Namath was a good player for his time. To try and rank any player from different eras is retarded and a waste of time and breath. Its not a fair thing to say he is a top 5 or top 10 ever.. or not a top 5 or top 10. there is no real way to evaluate him vs modern QBs

He wasn't a good player for his time ... he is widely considered by some of the greatest football minds ever (not mine) as the BEST player of his time at his position. That's exactly the point. Yet people who never saw him play disregard him as just a popular cult figure, and not what he was ... the best QB in the NFL for about a 5 or 6 year period.

As far as your second statement about evaluating players of different eras ... again that's exactly my point ... you can't. But young fans continue to compare players now statistically to players like Namath or other eras and swear that contemporary players are "better" than players they never even saw play, which is just ridiculous. It's a different game now than it was 40 years ago and some, like myself, don't necessarily think it's "evolved" for the better.

The NFL has turned into a 7 on 7 passing league. Much easier to throw the ball now than it was then. That's the reality.

I don't think Namath was the greatest QB I ever saw ... but to dismiss him as just a "good" player even for his era is just plain ignorance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whether the Jets won or not, whether the fans wanted it or not, the merger was happening. Its all post-merger bullcrap that gives Joe credit.

right. who are you arguing with? No one said he caused the merger.

Let's try again.

Jets beating an NFL team considered far superior to any AFL team legitimized the AFL and made the merger more acceptable to fans who did not see the leagues as equals. Which part of this isn't true?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...