Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Who were the first four QBs to throw for over 10,000 yards in their first four seasons?

I think I have four, but I'll give just one.

Otto Graham

sluggermatt15 wrote:I think I have four, but I'll give just one.

Otto Graham

I'm not counting AAFC seasons...Graham would have had over 10,000 in his first four AAFC seasons, but fell short of 10,000 in his first four NFL seasons (AAFC had 14-game schedule most years, NFL had 12). So Graham is not counted among the first four, justly or unjustly.

Bryan wrote:

sluggermatt15 wrote:I think I have four, but I'll give just one.

Otto Graham

I'm not counting AAFC seasons...Graham would have had over 10,000 in his first four AAFC seasons, but fell short of 10,000 in his first four NFL seasons (AAFC had 14-game schedule most years, NFL had 12). So Graham is not counted among the first four, justly or unjustly.

Thank you for the clarification.

Joe Namath

sluggermatt15 wrote:

Bryan wrote:

sluggermatt15 wrote:I think I have four, but I'll give just one.

Otto Graham

I'm not counting AAFC seasons...Graham would have had over 10,000 in his first four AAFC seasons, but fell short of 10,000 in his first four NFL seasons (AAFC had 14-game schedule most years, NFL had 12). So Graham is not counted among the first four, justly or unjustly.

Thank you for the clarification.

Joe Namath

Namath is one...I guarantee it. Three more to go.

Jim Kelly
John Elway
Probably both wrong, but don't think Daryle Lamonica would be one. Jurgenson probably not either.

Marino fits the criteria (10,000 yards in first four seasons) but was he early enough?
(It's not Unitas, Layne, Van Brocklin, Tittle or Fouts...)

How about... Norm Snead???
PFR has him at 10,212 yards for his first four seasons (1961-64)!

I just cheated and looked up the answer. It's Namath and 3 other guys I never would have thought. One of whom has already been mentioned. Marino is not one of them but he was probably the 5th to accomplish this.

ChrisBabcock wrote:I just cheated and looked up the answer. It's Namath and 3 other guys I never would have thought. One of whom has already been mentioned. Marino is not one of them but he was probably the 5th to accomplish this.

Both Elway (first four seasons 1983-'86) and Kelly ('86-'89) seemed to have accomplished this (10,000 yards in their first 4 seasons).
Marino also and his years were identical to Elway's, so he couldn't have been "5th" (unless he "tied" with Elway for positions 5 & 6). Or, I'm missing something (more likely)...
But, assuming that's correct we have Namath and Snead and 2 other guys whose careers started before 1983...

It's not Blanda, Plum, Ryan, Kemp, Hadl, Gabriel, Hart, Morton or Meredith, Dawson... I'm running out of guys to check...
Tarkenton just missed with 9,409 ('61-'64)...

Jim Zorn had 11,202 yards in 1976-'79!
And Doug Williams had 10,577 yards from 1978-'81.

So those guys made the cut but were they early enough?

Ahhh, I see, Chris.
It took Elway four seasons to get to 10,000 yards (so he reached that milestone in 1986) whereas Marino did so in 3 seasons (1985). Therefore, he would've been fifth.

So, is this correct?
Namath
Snead
Zorn
Williams