When the T formation became the standard offense in the NFL in the 1940s, one man was elevated to a greater position of importance than any other on the field: the quarterback. A few years later in 1950, two-platoon football was made permanent, allowing the quarterback to focus solely on offense without also having to play defensive back on the other side of the ball. Since then, 338 men have started at least 10 NFL games. Quarterback Abstract brings them all together along with 27 other significant pre-1950 passers to answer three questions about each quarterback: Who was he? What was his playing style? How good was he? Each quarterback is rated from one-half to 5 stars, with five given only to the greatest Hall of Fame–caliber players. Each player's basic statistical career totals are supplied both for the regular season and the postseason, along with each quarterback's won-lost record, and his fourth-quarter comebacks. A relative passer rating is provided to accurately compare the players across the game's history. An appendix lists the records of those quarterbacks who started fewer than 10 games as well as several forgotten early quarterbacks from the 1940s.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 28, 2012 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781617497827
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PDF ebook
- ISBN: 9781617497827
- File size: 201113 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from February 1, 2010
Football expert Maxymuk (Rutgers Univ. Libs.; "Uniform Numbers of the NFL") has created another winner. In this ambitious work, he rates more than 300 NFL quarterbacks with a system he devised that compares them "across time." Fairness is achieved by evaluating them against averages in their respective seasons. He also attempts to measure the heart of a quarterback's accomplishments by incorporating "comebacks" and championship games into their scores. The result is a comprehensive view, with historical perspective, of the players in this important position. Fans will love seeing how their favorite current QBs match up with legends from the past. All entries include passing and rushing stats, records set, and brief biographies. Those scoring the top rank of 10 have four page spreads with photographs. VERDICT Maxymuk, who obviously loves his topic and knows it well, has succeeded in devising a new, useful and distinct rating system. This book is essential for all NFL fans and for all libraries that support them. [The author is a longtime reviewer of sports books for "LJ".Ed.]Kimberley Smith, California State Univ. Lib., FresnoCopyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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