Throwback Thursday: Van Brocklin's Thoughts On Some QBs

I always enjoy reading/hearing football players' opinions of their peers. I especially enjoy the opinions of players that played before my time as an observer of the NFL. In reading Norm Van Brocklin's book on football appropriately titled Norm Van Brocklin's Football Book: Passing, Punting, Quarterbacking the Hall of Fame quarterback wrote of his passing peers. Here are his thoughts on the best quarterbacks during his time in the game, the 1950s.

Otto Graham
Otto Graham used an overhand grip and a three-quarter motion. The peerless passer of the Cleveland Browns generally threw a soft, floating type of ball. While watching Graham's ball in flight, the observer would wonder if the ball was ever coming down, but it always did, and invariably in the arms of a Browns receiver.
Apparently, contact between Otto and his receivers was the ultimate in timing. Also, Graham had been throwing constantly ever since he entered pro football to the same distinguished targets, Dante Lavelli, Mac Speedie, and Dub Jones. If other passers threw as soft a ball as Otto did, the chances are that the interceptions would far outnumber the receptions.

Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne, the rough, tough competitor of the Detroit Lions and then the Pittsburgh Steelers used the overhand grip, sometimes throwing with the three-quarter motion and sometimes from behind the ear. In contrast to Graham, Layne fires a sharp, hard, heavy ball that gets to its target quickly but sometimes is hard to handle.
Strangely, these two types of deliveries typified the individual using them: Graham, the suave, gracious type was all finesse; and Layne, the Texas toughie, who demands, with strident emphasis, the maximum effort from his teammates as well as from himself.

Bob Waterfield
Bob Waterfield was a thumb-over-laces expert. The former great of the Rams and then the head coach of the same team, threw from behind the ear and had such tremendous follow-through motion in his arm that he could throw a perfect spiral at all times. In the four years I played with Bob, I don't recall him ever throwing a wobbly ball, even under the most extreme pressure.
As to personality, Waterfield was the introvert type of field general who kept himself aloof from the squad. He was a stickler for perfection and commanded respect from his teammates for his tremendous all-round performance, all around the clock.

Y.A. Tittle
Y.A. Tittle, the bald-headed indestructible of the San Francisco 49ers, can best be described as the scrambling type of quarterback. In other words, he seems to be more effective when faced with adversity, like a golfer landing in the rough and ending up cracking par. Tittle shows best when under pressure, or when forced to improvise. For instance, his famed Alley-Oop pass is certainly an improvisation. He uses the hands-on-laces grip, a three-quarter delivery, and throws especially well on the run.

Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas, the sandlot Cinderella of the Baltimore Colts, wraps his fingers on the laces and uses the behind-the-ear delivery. One of the factors that makes him the hottest young passer is his artful use of the protective pocket. He throws a razor sharp ball with complete arm and body follow-through. Therefore, the ball does not hang in the air, and he suffers a minimum of interceptions. He throws all types of passes well, but does better with sort to medium throws than with the long pass. One of his greatest assets is that he is never caught off-balance.

Charley Conerly
Charley Conerly, the venerable giant-killer of the New York Giants, subscribes to the gnarled hands on the laces grip with a three-quarter motion. He is exceptionally accurate when he sets up the throw with both feet on the ground and gets good blocking. All other things being equal, Conerly will go down as one of the most accurate passers of all time. His forte is a sharp, medium-heavy ball.

To sum up these comments, the outstanding quality of all these top quarterbacks is that they possess magnificent arms and the poise to go with the arm. But, they are not of a mold. They are outstanding generals-individuals to the nth degree and possessed of the brains, flexibility, and talent to meet every kind of situation.

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Great football stuff from Norm Van Brocklin.

It was good to see him include Charley Conerly among the best quarterbacks in the game. I think that history has forgotten Conerly. He's the only one of the above quarterbacks that isn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He led the Giants to the 1956 NFL title and to two other title game appearances that didn't end as well. He was named MVP in 1959. He was one of the best quarterbacks and leaders of his era.

It's fun seeing Unitas referred to as "the hottest young passer."