Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time: No. 16: Sammy Baugh

In selecting the 25 greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, I took into account QB stats, accolades (Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, Offensive Player of the Year honors, MVP's, etc.), as well as regular season and postseason success--making note of the era each signal caller played in and how the game operated at that time. 

In this post, I depict the career of Sammy Baugh, the 16th greatest quarterback in NFL history.
16. Sammy Baugh

Washington Redskins, 1937-1952

AP Photo

A three-sport athlete at Texas Christian University, Sammy Baugh was selected by the Washington Redskins with the sixth overall pick in the 1937 NFL Draft. Before Baugh had even graduated from TCU, Washington showed immense interest in the versatile athlete. Redskins’ owner George Marshall offered the senior QB $4,000 to sign with the club. Baugh—unsure if he wanted to pursue a professional career in football, baseball or basketball—turned down Marshall’s request. Marshall held no rancor towards Baugh, though, as the owner knew the talent Baugh possessed and wisely chose him with a first-round draft pick in the ensuing draft.

            The rookie QB earned $8,000 in the 1937 season, making him the highest paid player on the team. The multifaceted first-year pro was worth every penny, playing quarterback, punter and defensive back for the Redskins.

            Baugh was the forefather of the passing game in the NFL. In the league’s first 17 years of existence (1920-1936), NFL teams relied heavily on the running game for offense. Passing the ball was not banal—plays designed to air the ball out were taken with strong precaution. “Slingin’ Sammy” made the forward pass a primary offensive option by the time his career had ended.

            In his rookie season, Baugh set an NFL record for completions, throwing for a league-high in passing yards in the process. Behind Baugh, the Redskins won the 1937 NFL Championship over the Chicago Bears. In the title-clinching victory, Baugh threw for three TDs and 335 yards—the second-most passing yards thrown by a rookie QB in a postseason contest in NFL history, trailing just Russell Wilson’s 385-yard performance in the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round of the 2012 NFL Playoffs.

            The Redskins returned to the NFL Championship game in 1940, only to be humiliated by the Bears, 73-0, the most lopsided playoff contest in league history. Washington redeemed itself two years later. The Baugh-led Redskins upset the previously undefeated Bears to win the 1942 NFL title.

            The best season of Baugh’s career followed in 1943. He led the NFL in passing yards and punting, netting 45.9 yards per punt. Baugh also registered a league-high 11 interceptions at cornerback. The most notable game of Baugh’s Hall of Fame career came in 1943 in a victory over the Detroit Lions. In a blowout win, Baugh threw for four TDs and intercepted four passes on the defensive end.

Baugh led the Redskins to the NFL Championship contest in 1943 and 1945, but came up short in the title game in each year.

            The two-time NFL champion won six NFL passing titles—tied for the most in league history with Steve Young. A 16-year pro, Baugh recorded the league-low in interception percentage five times—the most seasons by a QB in NFL history.  His 70.33 completion percentage in 1945 ranks second highest by a QB in a single-season in NFL history, trailing only Ken Anderson, who completed 70.55% of his pass with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982.

            Baugh led the NFL in completions five times. Only Steve Young had more seasons (6) leading the league in completions. Baugh also led the league in completion percentage in seven seasons, second all-time behind Len Dawson (8). 

NFL Week 4 Picks

New York Giants (1-2) at Washington Redskins (1-2)

Green Bay Packers (1-2) at Chicago Bears (2-1)

Buffalo Bills (2-1) at Houston Texans (2-1)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)

Carolina Panthers (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

Detroit Lions (2-1) at New York Jets (1-2)

Miami Dolphins (1-2) VS Oakland Raiders (0-3)***

Tennessee Titans (1-2) at Indianapolis Colts (1-2)

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) at San Diego Chargers (2-1)

Atlanta Falcons (2-1) at Minnesota Vikings (1-2)

Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) at San Francisco 49ers (1-2)

New Orleans Saints (1-2) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

New England Patriots (2-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)

***Game played in London

Byes: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Denver, St. Louis, Arizona, Seattle

Week 1: 8-8
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 11-5
Season Record: 27-21

NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Bengals on Top; Eagles, Cardinals & Seahawks Flying High

 1.       Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)

The Bengals—averaging 26.7 points per game—have yielded just 33 points in three contests this season.

 2.       Arizona Cardinals (3-0)

The Cardinals remain undefeated, despite Carson Palmer’s absence from the starting lineup the past two games. Backup Drew Stanton has done a commendable job in two spot starts (73.5 QBR, 2 TD, 0 interceptions), while the defense has given up just 45 points in the young season.

3.       Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)

The Eagles are living on the edge this season, recording back-to-back three-point victories after overcoming a 17-point deficit to win their opener…Nick Foles leads the NFL in passing yards with 978.

4.       San Diego Chargers (2-1)

Philip Rivers is the early favorite for MVP as the Chargers are rolling. Injuries at running back (Ryan Matthews out 3-5 weeks, Danny Woodhead out for season) are the lone concern.

5.       Seattle Seahawks (2-1)

Russell Wilson posts a 7-0 career record against the modern-day Mount Rushmore QB's (Manning, Brady, Rodgers, and Brees).

6.       Denver Broncos (2-1)

An overtime loss at Seattle is nothing to be too disappointed about, though the Broncos wanted some sort of semblance of revenge against the Seahawks after last year’s debacle in the Super Bowl.

7.       Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

The Falcons’ offense has found their groove under the tutelage of Matt Ryan, who ranks second in the NFL with an 85.5 QBR.

8.       New England Patriots (2-1)

The Patriots’ offensive line has underperformed and Tom Brady is struggling to find his rhythm with any of his targets outside of "Every-Play Edelman" and Gronkowski inside the red-zone. Brady has completed 84.1 percent of his passes to Edelman, but posts a 54.6 passing percentage when firing to other WRs/TEs. It’s still early, but the Pats have yet to live up to their Super Bowl contender status.

9.       Detroit Lions (2-1)

The Lions rank No. 1 in total defense.

10.   Buffalo Bills (2-1)

The Bills lost a tough home contest to the surging Chargers, but a road victory against the Texans would inch Buffalo closer to cementing its status as a true contender.

11.   Chicago Bears (2-1)

The Bears’ defense showed major strides in their victory over the Jets, forcing three sacks and two-interceptions (one pick-six). Meanwhile, Jay Cutler and Martellus Bennett have already connected for four TDs (two on Monday night) this year.

12.   Indianapolis Colts (1-2)

Andrew Luck had a career-day against Jacksonville, passing for 370 yards and four TDs in the Colts’ 44-17 thrashing of the Jaguars.

13.   Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

The Ravens stole a win from the Browns at the DawgPound thanks to Joe Flacco’s clutch 37-yard pass connection to Steve Smith, setting up the reliable Justin Tucker for a game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired. This week, Smith faces his former team, hoping to make them pay for releasing him this summer.

14.   Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)

The Steelers ground-and-pound offense leads the league in rushing yards.

15.   San Francisco 49ers (1-2)

The 49ers look lost on offense and now face a “put up or shut up” contest versus the undefeated Eagles. A loss could be devastating to the 49ers—who reportedly are losing faith in Jim Harbaugh—amid the head coach’s quarrels with owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke.

16.   Carolina Panthers (2-1)

Carolina surrendered 264 yards on the ground versus the Steelers—the most rushing yards the Panthers have allowed since 2008.

17.   New Orleans Saints (1-2)

Brees was fired up after the Vikings’ Captain Munnerlyn decked him on an unnecessary roughness penalty. Brees torched Minnesota for 293 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Can Brees carry this ferocity and help build momentum for New Orleans moving forward?

18.   Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

The Cowboys matched their biggest comeback in franchise history behind two touchdown passes from Tony Romo and 100 yards on the ground with one score from the NFL’s leader in rushing yards, DeMarco Murray.

19.   Green Bay Packers (1-2)

The Packers have scored a combined 23 points in their two losses in 2014.

20.   Houston Texans (2-1)

Ryan Fitzpatrick will determine the Texans’ fate in 2014. In the two wins to start the season, he threw three TDs without an interception. In Sunday’s loss, he threw one TD (and ran for another) with three costly interceptions.

21.   New York Jets (1-2)

The Jets are going nowhere this season if Geno Smith continues his porous QB play. He threw a pick-six less than a minute into the game and tossed away another in the Jets’ loss on “Monday Night Football.”  Smith’s Total QBR for the game was 20.5, dropping his season rating to 33.2.

22.   Cleveland Browns (1-2)

The Browns’ Brian Hoyer-led offense has far exceeded expectations, but what is wrong their supposed revamped defense? Cleveland has relinquished a ghastly 153.7 yards per game on the ground…All three of Cleveland's contests have been decided by a game-winning field goal (Loss at Steelers, Win vs. Saints, Loss vs. Ravens).

23.   Washington Redskins (1-2)

Kirk Cousins displayed poise in the Redskins’ near-upset over the undefeated Eagles on Sunday. A victory over the Giants on “Thursday Night Football” could go a long way towards instilling confidence in the developing QB.

24.   Tennessee Titans (1-2)

A road win against Kansas City in Week 1 had many Titans fans excited about this season. Two blowout losses later and it’s hard not to believe Tennessee is headed towards its fourth consecutive losing season.  

25.   Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)

Sans star running back Jamaal Charles, the visiting Chiefs pounded the Dolphins as K.C. saved their season.

26.   Minnesota Vikings (1-2)

Matt Cassel’s foot injury has opened the door for incumbent rookie starter Teddy Bridgewater.

27.   New York Giants (1-2)

Eli Manning finally played an interception-free game and the Giants’ defense picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick three times in New York’s first win of 2014.

28.   Miami Dolphins (1-2)

Head coach Joe Philbin neglected to confirm that Ryan Tannehill—who posts a subpar 56.5-percent completion rate and a passer rating of 74.1—will be their starter in their Week 4 tilt in London against the Raiders.

29.   St. Louis Rams (1-2)

Jared Cook made a fool of himself by dropping a TD pass and then shoving QB Austin Davis on the sidelines. Blowing a 21-0 lead versus the visiting Cowboys capped off a rough day for the Rams.

30.   Oakland Raiders (0-3)

The Raiders’ defeat Sunday at New England was their 15th straight loss in the Eastern Time zone. 

31.   Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)

Blake Bortles time in Jacksonville, though the major concern for the Jags has to be how their offensive line has been manhandled all season long.

32.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)

The Bucs lost to a backup QB at home in Week 1. They then lost to third-string QB at home in Week 2. And in their prime-time matchup against the Falcons on “Thursday Night Football,” the Bucs were pulverized 56-14. 

Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time: No. 17: Len Dawson

In selecting the 25 greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, I took into account QB stats, accolades (Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, Offensive Player of the Year honors, MVP's, etc.), as well as regular season and postseason success--making note of the era each signal caller played in and how the game operated at that time. Quarterbacks In this post, I depict the career of Len Dawson, the 17th greatest quarterback in NFL history.
17. Len Dawson

Pittsburgh Steelers, 1957-1959; Cleveland Browns, 1960-1961; Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs, 1962-1975

Note: The AFL’s Dallas Texans (1960-1962) moved their franchise to Kansas City following the 1962 season, where they became the Chiefs. The Chiefs joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger that occurred prior to the 1970 NFL season.

Also Note: The AFL (1960-1969) and NFL each had their own respective championships from 1960-1965. However, for the 1966-1969 seasons—and their subsequent playoffs the following January—the AFL conference champion battled the NFL conference champion in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game. This was created so that there would only be one champion per year as the two leagues prepared for their agreed-upon merger beginning in 1970. These four AFL-NFL World Championships eventually became known as the first four Super Bowls—Super Bowl I, Super Bowl II, Super Bowl III, and Super Bowl IV.

A first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1957 NFL Draft, Len Dawson never managed to make an impact in any of his first five seasons. He started one game in his rookie year with the Steelers, before riding the pine the next two years behind Hall of Famer Bobby Lane—who the Pittsburgh acquired before the start of the 1958 season. Dawson was traded to the Cleveland Browns prior to the 1960 season. He started just one game in two seasons with the Browns. Dawson was released by Cleveland following the 1961 season, having completed only 21 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns in his five seasons of NFL play.

            Dawson’s career turned around after signing with the AFL’s Dallas Texans. In his first year with the team, Dawson steered the Texans to 11 wins, firing 29 TD’s versus 17 interceptions with a league-best 61 percent completion rate and 98.3 passer rating. Crowned the AFL’s 1962 MVP, Dawson spearheaded the Texans to their first AFL title in an exhilarating double-overtime victory over the Houston Oilers.

            Despite winning the championship, the franchise moved to Kansas City, where they became known as the Chiefs. The inaugural season (1963) in K.C. was a disappointment—the Chiefs went 5-7-2 and missed the playoffs.

            The Chiefs went .500 in the ensuing season as Dawson led the AFL in passing for the second time in three years, posting another potent touchdown-interception ratio (30-18). 

            Kansas City missed the playoffs again in 1965, even with Dawson leading the league in completion percentage, TD passes and passer rating.

            The Chiefs rebounded in 1966. The team finished 11-2-1 as Dawson was named to the AP First Team All-AFL for the first time in four years. After defeating the Buffalo Bills in the AFL conference championship game, the Chiefs went on to play in the first-ever AFL-NFL World Championship—later known as Super Bowl I. The Chiefs fell short in their title quest as the Green Bay Packers claimed the first Super Bowl victory, 35-10.

            Dawson earned AFL All-Star honors in each of the next three years. His most memorable season of the three came in 1969. Despite missing five games to what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury, Dawson and the Chiefs went 11-3 in the regular season and defeated the Oakland Raiders in the last-ever AFL Championship game. This time, the Chiefs were able to finish the job in the AFL-NFL Championship contest. In the fourth and final AFL-NFL Championship (Super Bowl IV), the Chiefs secured a 23-7 win over the heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings. The Chiefs' victory squared the AFL-NFL Championship/Super Bowl series between the AFL and NFL at two games apiece. Dawson was named MVP of Super Bowl IV.

            The AFL-NFL merger transpired the next season. After a year absence from the postseason, Dawson led the Chiefs back into the playoffs in 1971. The veteran QB guided the Chiefs to a 10-3-1 record in the regular season, the second-best mark in the AFC. The Chiefs, however, were upset by the Miami Dolphins, 27-24, in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

           Dawson retired following the 1975 NFL season, capping off a 19-year career. The six-time AFL All-Star and 1971 NFL Pro Bowler completed a total of 2,136 passes for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns. Dawson also rushed for 1,293 yards in his lengthy career.

NFL Week 3 Picks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) at Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)

San Diego Chargers (1-1) at Buffalo Bills (2-0)

Oakland Raiders (0-2) at New England Patriots (1-1)

Dallas Cowboys (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-1)

Washington Redskins (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)

Houston Texans (2-0) at New York Giants (0-2)

Minnesota Vikings (1-1) at New Orleans Saints (0-2)

Tennessee Titans (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-0)

Green Bay Packers (1-1) at Detroit Lions (1-1)

Indianapolis Colts (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at Arizona Cardinals (2-0)

Denver Broncos (2-0) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1)

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at Miami Dolphins (1-1)

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-0)

Chicago Bears (1-1) at New York Jets (1-1)

Season Record 16-16
Week 2: 8-8
Week 1: 8-8