Namath is the victim of unwarranted criticism. I heard the same conclusion from many readers of Part 1. In Part 2, I provide more info to support my contention that Joe Namath is NOT overrated.
Namath in Super Bowl III (photo, AL.com)
Another argument against Namath is that he shouldn’t have won the MVP award in Super Bowl III. Some fans say that the ‘real MVP’ was Jets’ running back, Matt Snell.
It’s a valid argument, too. Snell carried the ball 30 times for 121 yards and scored the Jets only touchdown. He also caught four passes for another 40 yards, which gave him 161 total yards.
Namath’s detractors say that, while Namath played a good game, he did nothing out of the ordinary–completing 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards with no touchdowns. Why the MVP?
If you look at early Super Bowl history, you’ll see that the winning quarterback won the MVP award in five of the first six Super Bowls. It was almost a given that the MVP would go to the winning quarterback. Bart Starr won the first two, Namath the third, Len Dawson the fourth, and Roger Staubach the sixth. None of them did anything out of the ordinary to warrant winning the award.
The only reason the MVP did not go to the winning quarterback in Super Bowl V was that Earl Morrall only completed 7 of 15 passes for 147 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Morrall wasn’t the starting QB, either. He replaced an injured Johnny Unitas in the 2nd quarter.
There is also something else to remember about Namath’s performance in that Super Bowl game. Namath called his own plays. He saw early on that the Jets were having success running the ball, so he held his ego in check and called a conservative game. That’s not something you would expect from a player who has been accused of having an inflated ego, but Joe cared about winning more than about his stats. He was a team player.
There’s another thing some fans contend. If the Jets hadn’t won the Super Bowl, Namath would not be in the Hall of Fame. Maybe that’s true. But they DID win! And it was the biggest upset in Superbowl history!
Opinions are opinions. Facts are facts. Namath was great. Period (photo, Time)
Others say that Namath only had one good season or that he didn’t play much after the 1969 season. Neither of those statements is accurate.
Joe never missed a game from 1965-1969, and the Jets went 42-27-4 during those years. Namath was ROY in 1965. And, in 1967, he threw for over 4,000 yards, which was unheard of at the time. He was named MVP in 1968 and, again, in 1969.
In 1970, Namath broke his wrist, the first of multiple injuries that haunted him. He still played in 67 of 98 games from 1970-1976–most of them in considerable pain. Those were down years for the Jets, too. Five different coaches oversaw a dismal 34-64 record.
But Namath still showed that he could play! In a 1972 Monday Night Game, he threw for over 400 yards against the Raiders in a losing effort. A Jets’ away game, Raiders’ fans gave Namath a standing ovation as he limped off the field.
In another 1972 game against the Colts, Namath threw for 496 yards and six touchdowns in just 28 attempts. At season’s end, Namath made the Pro Bowl.
Then, in 1974, the Jets started the season 1-7 but finished the year 7-7. For that performance, Namath was voted Comeback Player of the Year.
Now, let’s compare Namath with another great player, the Bears’ Gale Sayers. Over his entire career, Sayers played in only 68 games. He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Why? When healthy, Sayers was the best around.
In all honesty, I’m not that interested in who gets into the HOF and who doesn’t. It’s a matter of opinion. And I know opinions vary. They always do, and that conclusion certainly applies to Namath, who has many fans and many detractors.
My take is that many criticisms of Namath are unwarranted. That’s what I heard from many readers of Part 1, and that’s why I decided to write Part 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILHNWjFOMgs
___________
For more of my articles, go to yesterdayssports.com.
