Best NFL Players of All Time: Bart Starr. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.
Best NFL Players of All Time: Bart Starr
Possibly the most underappreciated player in NFL history is Bart Starr. For those who aren’t old enough to have witnessed him play, his stats show that he has thrown 295 touchdown passes in a season, the most ever, and 16 touchdown passes in a year. Average stats for an average quarterback.
There is nothing that is more false than this. To begin with, within a seven-year span, Starr won five NFL championships, three of which were consecutive. Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana both took home four championships. From 1960 onwards, no one ever won more.
Examine the data within the figures. More than anyone else, Starr may have been the primary force behind the NFL’s transformation into a passing league. This is the reason why:
With Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung, the Green Bay Packers possessed an unstoppable ground game. Later on, Jim Grabowski, Donny Anderson, and Chuck Mercein all played significant roles. The Packers were considered a running team while Vince Lombardi was their coach. However, the data contradicts the impression.
In 1965, the Packers had the 11th-best average of 3.4 yards per run in the NFL. They did, however, upset Jim Brown and the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game thanks to their 8.2 yards per pass average, which was second in the league.
The Packers were 14th in the league in 1966 with an average of 3.5 yards per carry, but they were first in the league with 8.9 yards per attempt through the air, and they went on to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship Game.
4.0 yards per carry helped the Packers rank fourth in 1967, a significant improvement over the previous two seasons. However, they once again achieved league leadership with an average of 8.3 yards per pass. Starr’s yardage per pass average was 8.7. (The team’s total is lower because he allowed backup Zeke Bratkowski to take his place in a few games.) After defeating the Dallas Cowboys in the “Ice Bowl” to win the NFL title, the Packers defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II.
Throughout his career, Starr averaged 7.8 yards per attempt—better than Terry Bradshaw, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, or Peyton Manning. He won MVP in the first two Super Bowls and guided the Packers to a 9-1 record in playoff play. He was accurate in every significant game he participated in.
In the terrible conditions of the Ice Bowl, he also produced his most unforgettable performance. Neither Starr nor underappreciated Dallas Cowboy quarterback Don Meredith would let the brutally cold game to end in a two-yard taffy pull through a cloud of dust. With the temperature dropping to minus-18, the game came down to a last-minute drive that Starr led. The play that sealed the game was guard Jerry Kramer’s block of Jethro Pugh, which was better remembered for Starr’s stealthy entry into the end zone during the drive. Though Starr finished the game with a run, he defined leadership by leading the drive and went 5 of 5 for 59 yards.
His recollection of that last play is still vivid.
Starr informed Kerry Byrne of the website Cold, Hard, Football Facts, “The play call was that Chuck Mercein would get the ball.” “In that particular scenario of the game, that was our lead play. We were aware that the Cowboys had a very sound strategy when it came to short yardage. I’m not sure what name they gave it, but we termed it the submarine method. You couldn’t knock their defensive guys back because they submerged down so good. However, Jethro Pugh, the defensive tackle for the Cowboys, was too tall to get as low as the other players. We therefore believed we could get past him. We knew it would work since we had ran that play twice already in the game and gained at least two yards each time. However, by the end of the game, the ice on the ground had grown so thick that it was dangerous to do a running play.
“I asked the linemen to get their footing for a play, and after that, I told the coach on the sidelines that the play was fine.” I responded, “I can slide in by shuffling my feet.” I had the impression that I was in control and not slipping. “Let’s run it and get the hell out of here,” was all he said to me.
The Packers’ third consecutive title is Starr’s favorite memory of his football career.
It’s quite possible that Starr’s career never got underway. The 1956 draft had him as a pick out of Alabama in the 17th round. He was considered to have an ordinary arm and ordinary athletic abilities. Upon joining the Packers before the 1959 campaign, Lombardi devoted a significant portion of his offseason to watching Packers tapes and saw that Starr possessed all the qualities he sought in a quarterback. He possessed good arm strength and could pass the ball accurately. He read defenses well, handled the ball expertly, had terrific mechanics, and made wise selections. The crucial decision that led to Green Bay’s championship run was Lombardi’s evaluation of Starr’s otherwise uneventful first three years in the NFL.
The quarterback had a similar opinion of Lombardi as the coach did of Starr as the perfect quarterback to guide his squad. From his perspective, he had nothing negative. Starr remarked, “The man was so essentially strong and committed his life to the right priorities.” God, family, and the others came first, and we were among them. That was the way he wanted us to live as well. I had a great time working with him. He was extraordinarily intelligent, deeply dedicated, and exceptionally well-organized.
“I was simply one of the QBs there until he arrived. They were moving us around and rotating us. After our thrilling victory, I took over as the starting quarterback. I believe that he was trying to figure out who would take the lead. What he may have witnessed is unknown to me. However, I had a strong desire to keep becoming better and to give him a chance to see. We were able to take advantage of the opportunity he handed us. It is a great blessing that he has entered my life. He fulfilled every wish I could have had. An absolutely amazing coach, leader, and teacher. Therefore, having someone like that is really motivating.
In NFL history, this quarterback-coach duo is arguably the greatest; Bill Walsh and Joe Montana are a close second.
Best NFL Players of All Time: Bart Starr Stats
Regular Season
Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | TD% | Int | Int% | Lng | Y/A | AY/A | Y/C | Y/G | Rate | Sk | Yds | Sk% | NY/A | ANY/A | 4QC | GWD | AV |
1956 | 22 | GNB | QB | 15 | 9 | 1 | 0-1-0 | 24 | 44 | 54.5 | 325 | 2 | 4.5 | 3 | 6.8 | 39 | 7.4 | 5.2 | 13.5 | 36.1 | 65.1 | 16 | |||||||
1957 | 23 | GNB | QB | 15 | 12 | 11 | 3/8/2000 | 117 | 215 | 54.4 | 1489 | 8 | 3.7 | 10 | 4.7 | 77 | 6.9 | 5.6 | 12.7 | 124.1 | 69.3 | 231 | 0 | 0 | |||||
1958 | 24 | GNB | QB | 15 | 12 | 7 | 0-6-1 | 78 | 157 | 49.7 | 875 | 3 | 1.9 | 12 | 7.6 | 55 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 11.2 | 72.9 | 41.2 | 147 | |||||||
1959 | 25 | GNB | QB | 15 | 12 | 5 | 4/1/2000 | 70 | 134 | 52.2 | 972 | 6 | 4.5 | 7 | 5.2 | 44 | 7.3 | 5.8 | 13.9 | 81 | 69 | 30 | |||||||
1960* | 26 | GNB | QB | 15 | 12 | 8 | 4/4/2000 | 98 | 172 | 57 | 1358 | 4 | 2.3 | 8 | 4.7 | 91 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 13.9 | 113.2 | 70.8 | 7 | 78 | 3.9 | 7.15 | 5.59 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
1961* | 27 | GNB | QB | 15 | 14 | 14 | 11/3/2000 | 172 | 295 | 58.3 | 2418 | 16 | 5.4 | 16 | 5.4 | 78 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 14.1 | 172.7 | 80.3 | 15 | 138 | 4.8 | 7.35 | 6.06 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
1962* | 28 | GNB | QB | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13-1-0 | 178 | 285 | 62.5 | 2438 | 12 | 4.2 | 9 | 3.2 | 83 | 8.6 | 8 | 13.7 | 174.1 | 90.7 | 30 | 286 | 9.5 | 6.83 | 6.31 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
1963 | 29 | GNB | QB | 15 | 13 | 10 | 8/1/2001 | 132 | 244 | 54.1 | 1855 | 15 | 6.1 | 10 | 4.1 | 53 | 7.6 | 7 | 14.1 | 142.7 | 82.3 | 11 | 109 | 4.3 | 6.85 | 6.26 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
1964 | 30 | GNB | QB | 15 | 14 | 14 | 8/5/2001 | 163 | 272 | 59.9 | 2144 | 15 | 5.5 | 4 | 1.5 | 73 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 13.2 | 153.1 | 97.1 | 42 | 323 | 13.4 | 5.8 | 6.18 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
1965 | 31 | GNB | QB | 15 | 14 | 14 | 10/3/2001 | 140 | 251 | 55.8 | 2055 | 16 | 6.4 | 9 | 3.6 | 77 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 14.7 | 146.8 | 89 | 34 | 303 | 11.9 | 6.15 | 5.85 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
1966*+ | 32 | GNB | QB | 15 | 14 | 13 | 11/2/2000 | 156 | 251 | 62.2 | 2257 | 14 | 5.6 | 3 | 1.2 | 83 | 9 | 9.6 | 14.5 | 161.2 | 105 | 26 | 183 | 9.4 | 7.49 | 8.01 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
1967 | 33 | GNB | QB | 15 | 14 | 12 | 8/3/2001 | 115 | 210 | 54.8 | 1823 | 9 | 4.3 | 17 | 8.1 | 84 | 8.7 | 5.9 | 15.9 | 130.2 | 64.4 | 34 | 322 | 13.9 | 6.15 | 3.75 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
1968 | 34 | GNB | QB | 15 | 12 | 9 | 4/5/2000 | 109 | 171 | 63.7 | 1617 | 15 | 8.8 | 8 | 4.7 | 63 | 9.5 | 9.1 | 14.8 | 134.8 | 104.3 | 29 | 261 | 14.5 | 6.78 | 6.48 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
1969 | 35 | GNB | QB | 15 | 12 | 9 | 4/5/2000 | 92 | 148 | 62.2 | 1161 | 9 | 6.1 | 6 | 4.1 | 51 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 12.6 | 96.8 | 89.9 | 24 | 217 | 14 | 5.49 | 4.97 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
1970 | 36 | GNB | QB | 15 | 14 | 13 | 6/7/2000 | 140 | 255 | 54.9 | 1645 | 8 | 3.1 | 13 | 5.1 | 65 | 6.5 | 4.8 | 11.8 | 117.5 | 63.9 | 29 | 252 | 10.2 | 4.9 | 3.41 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
1971 | 37 | GNB | QB | 15 | 4 | 3 | 0-2-1 | 24 | 45 | 53.3 | 286 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6.7 | 31 | 6.4 | 3.4 | 11.9 | 71.5 | 45.2 | 6 | 64 | 11.8 | 4.35 | 1.71 | 2 | ||
Career | 196 | 157 | 94-57-6 | 1808 | 3149 | 57.4 | 24718 | 152 | 4.8 | 138 | 4.4 | 91 | 7.8 | 6.8 | 13.7 | 126.1 | 80.5 | 287 | 2960 | 8.4 | 6.33 | 5.41 | 18 | 17 | 115 |
Playoffs
Year | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | TD% | Int | Int% | Lng | Y/A | AY/A | Y/C | Y/G | Rate | Sk | Yds | Sk% | NY/A | ANY/A | 4QC | GWD |
1960* | 26 | GNB | QB | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 21 | 34 | 61.8 | 178 | 1 | 2.9 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 8.5 | 178 | 85.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.24 | 5.82 | ||
1961* | 27 | GNB | QB | 1 | 1 | Jan-00 | 10 | 17 | 58.8 | 164 | 3 | 17.6 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9.6 | 13.2 | 16.4 | 164 | 130.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.65 | 13.18 | ||
1962* | 28 | GNB | QB | 1 | 1 | Jan-00 | 9 | 21 | 42.9 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9.4 | 85 | 54.7 | 1 | 10 | 4.5 | 3.41 | 3.41 | ||
1965 | 31 | GNB | QB | 2 | 2 | Feb-00 | 11 | 19 | 57.9 | 157 | 1 | 5.3 | 1 | 5.3 | 47 | 8.3 | 6.9 | 14.3 | 78.5 | 80.4 | 3 | 19 | 13.6 | 6.27 | 5.14 | ||
1966*+ | 32 | GNB | QB | 2 | 2 | Feb-00 | 35 | 51 | 68.6 | 554 | 6 | 11.8 | 1 | 2 | 51 | 10.9 | 12.3 | 15.8 | 277 | 135.6 | 8 | 61 | 13.6 | 8.36 | 9.63 | ||
1967 | 33 | GNB | QB | 3 | 3 | Mar-00 | 44 | 71 | 62 | 615 | 4 | 5.6 | 1 | 1.4 | 62 | 8.7 | 9.2 | 14 | 205 | 102.7 | 12 | 117 | 14.5 | 6 | 6.42 | 1 | 1 |
Career | 10 | 10 | 1-Sep | 130 | 213 | 61 | 1753 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1.4 | 62 | 8.2 | 9 | 13.5 | 175.3 | 104.8 | 24 | 207 | 10.1 | 6.52 | 7.22 | 1 |
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