40+ TD Club

It is still a very good list, very representative of the better passing QBs in the last 2 decades.

One can only imagine though what guys like.............

Namath, Larmonica, Unitas, Jurgensen, and yes even John Hadl (throwing to Alworth) would have done with a 16 game schedule and today's rules.

quote:

Originally posted by oldnavy:
It is still a very good list, very representative of the better passing QBs in the last 2 decades.

Rong.

I think it is mostly the result of the trend toward the 5 wide, empty backfield, shotgun formation inside the 5 yard line that teams have been doing in recent years.

What it really shows is how good Marino was.

I'd like to see a stat of TD's minus INT's to see who are best all time. That is a better team stat.

I think Brady has that right now, +40 in 2007 (50 TD/10 INT) . Rodgers is +39, he might get enough time in the game Sunday to break that one.

In regards to rule changes that favor the passing game, was there a bigger change from the 1930s/40s to the 1980s/90s when some of Don Hutson's receiving records finally fell, or from the 1980s to the 2010s when Marino's yardage record finally fell?

quote:

Originally posted by Point Brewmaster:
In regards to rule changes that favor the passing game, was there a bigger change from the 1930s/40s to the 1980s/90s when some of Don Hutson's receiving records finally fell, or from the 1980s to the 2010s when Marino's yardage record finally fell?

The bigger change for the oldtimers is number of games in a season. Hutson never played during a time when season length flucuated between 10 and 12 games. One also might want to consider wear and tear on the players of those days, most played on both sides of the ball.

The 14 game season did not come around till 1961, meaning a guy like Raymond Berry early years were 12 game seasons. The old AFL also played 14 game season. The NFL did not go 16 game seasons till 1978 where they have remained since (except for strike seasons.)

One other thing to remember is that those who played before 1974 never played in an overtime game (unless it was the playoffs.)

quote:

Something should also be said, though, about the better opportunity for injury, playing 16 games versus 12. I have no stats to prove this, but it seems like there are more injuries at the end of the season. Perhaps the accumulation of hits, overuse, etc. Different challenges.

Yes, there is a greater chance in a longer season. But opportunity for injury is not a NFL stat, a stat that decides whether or not a guy gets in the HOF.

Your point also becomes realtively useless when consideration is given to those guys who played both ways. Their opportunity for injury was still greater than the player today playing 16 games.

Additionally, medicine is light years beyond what it was prior to the 80s. I regularly saw good players career"s end in the blink of an eye from a torn achilles or blown out knee. With today's medicine those guys can be palying again the next season. The Jennings injury would have put him out for a year at least, now the Pack is hopeful he will be back in less than a month.