Joe Theismann as a Quarterback

[BD Sullivan]

...kind of weird that Theismann lasted to round 4. He had started 2 years at QB for Notre Dame, and probably would have won the Heisman had the voting taken place after the bowl games, because ND defeated a Texas team that no one could beat for about 3 years.

As I noted, his size worked against him.

I'm sure it did. But Pat Sullivan was taken in the 2nd round the following year. Surprised that guys like Leo Hart and Karl Douglas got picked before Theismann in 1971.

The size factor again kicks in with Hart (6-3) and Douglas (6-2), who both put up impressive passing numbers in college, though Douglas' were at the NAIA level. Hart was from Duke, which made him more of a "hometown" pick for the Falcons.

With Douglas, he joined the Super Bowl champion Colts, who had Unitas and Morrall, which put him on the taxi squad in '71. The next year, it likely didn't help that Joe Thomas had taken over as GM, but any chance Douglas had of backing up Johnny U (after Morrall went to Miami) ended when they traded for Marty Domres in early August. That deal came right after Douglas had a brutal 2-for-15 performance in an exhibition game. He was cut and signed later that year with the CFL. One unspoken factor in the rush to make that trade could have been the fact that Douglas was black.

[JohnH19]

His toughness may be underrated as well.,,. Chipped a tooth and kept on playing.

I'm sorry.
I know the incident of which you speak and it was (slightly) more than a chipped tooth but...

...those sentences really cracked me up.

(still laughing)

Don't blame you. Was at the end of break at work and rushed the comment but it's no excuse (no explanantion). Yes, now I know it was 'slightly' more than that (two front teeth). Glad to entertain just the same, lol.

No doubt it was the time Joe spent around hockey players, during his three years in Toronto, which motivated him to keep on playing with his boo boo.

[BD Sullivan]

Theismann was actually drafted by the Minnesota Twins (late) as a shortstop and though he hinted at considering a career in baseball, it was likely as serious as Elway's "decision" to play baseball full-time after the Colts drafted him. It was pointed out in that case that no scout outside the Yankees organization thought Elway would be a standout baseball player.

[Evan]

Couple things I remember about Theismann:

I remember him rolling out a lot, with sort of short, choppy steps, not an especially fluid stride.

He had that three-quarter throwing motion that generated perfect spirals, especially during the height of his career in the early 1980s.

He "wrote" the most premature book on quarterbacking ever, a paperback titled "Quarterbacking" by Joe Theismann - "Techniques, Tactics and Tips on how to play the most important position on the field." Introduction by Ara Parseghian. When was this published? You won't believe this. It was 1975!! The photo on the cover showed Theismann in an insignificant year-end game against Chicago in 1974. This guy had been quarterbacking for a few minutes and published a book? Sure, it was a thin paperback, but come on, was Marty Domres too busy so Theismann was the next choice?

An oft-repeated quote by Theismann's teammates about his personality was "We hated him six days a week, but loved him on Sunday."

Theismann had one of my favorite quotes, which members of the Forum provided more specifics on in a previous post many years ago. I believe it was in 1983 before the Rams playoff game (please correct me if needed), and it went something like "I don't know if they'll be the strongest team we'll face this year. But I KNOW we'll be the strongest team they play this year."

[BD Sullivan]

He "wrote" the most premature book on quarterbacking ever, a paperback titled "Quarterbacking" by Joe Theismann - "Techniques, Tactics and Tips on how to play the most important position on the field." Introduction by Ara Parseghian. When was this published? You won't believe this. It was 1975!! The photo on the cover showed Theismann in an insignificant year-end game against Chicago in 1974. This guy had been quarterbacking for a few minutes and published a book? Sure, it was a thin paperback, but come on, was Marty Domres too busy so Theismann was the next choice?

Theismann could never be accused of being too humble.

[Bob Gill]

Theismann had one of my favorite quotes, which members of the Forum provided more specifics on in a previous post many years ago. I believe it was in 1983 before the Rams playoff game (please correct me if needed), and it went something like "I don't know if they'll be the strongest team we'll face this year. But I KNOW we'll be the strongest team they play this year."

I remember that one well. It was before their regular-season game against the Rams, not the playoff game, and it came up on The Joe Theismann Show, which was co-hosted by George Michaels. For some reason -- even though the Redskins had already played that great game against the Raiders, and lost a one-point game to Dallas, Michaels kept asking Theismann throughout the show if this would be the Redskins' toughest test of the season. That was the phrase: "toughest test." Finally, in the final minute before they went off the air, Michaels asked him one more time if the Rams would be their toughest test. I guess Theismann was a little fed up with this by that point, and he replied, just about exactly as you remembered, "Well, I don't know if they'll be our toughest test or not, but I know we'll be THEIR toughest test." Or something very close to that; I don't remember it word for word any more.

Anyway, I loved that too.

[JohnH19]

He "wrote" the most premature book on quarterbacking ever, a paperback titled "Quarterbacking" by Joe Theismann - "Techniques, Tactics and Tips on how to play the most important position on the field." Introduction by Ara Parseghian. When was this published? You won't believe this. It was 1975!! The photo on the cover showed Theismann in an insignificant year-end game against Chicago in 1974. This guy had been quarterbacking for a few minutes and published a book? Sure, it was a thin paperback, but come on, was Marty Domres too busy so Theismann was the next choice?

Theismann could never be accused of being too humble.

Well, he did have those three years of pro experience with the Argos.