Bob Berry

[Saban1]

I never realized how good Berry's passing stats were when he played for Atlanta (1968-72). His yards per passing attempts was very impressive and his passer rating wasn't bad either. I guess that he was an underrated passer. Trouble is, he played at Minnesota twice and he had to play behind Fran Tarkenton both early in his career (before Atlanta) and later (after the Falcons) and Joe Kapp in 1967.

I have seen tapes of Berry in Atlanta and I was impressed, for whatever that is worth. Atlanta wasn't a very good team for the most part when Berry played for them, but his passing stats still looked pretty good to me.

I wonder what others here think of Bob Berry, if anything?

[JohnH19]

I liked Berry. He was a short guy who didn’t have a strong arm but he was smart, accurate and mobile. It was unfortunate for him to be stuck behind Sir Francis in Minnesota and that NVB didn’t stick with him in Atlanta.
The Falcons’ trade of Berry for Bob Lee in 1973 looked pretty good for one season but it turned out to be a disaster when Lee lost whatever short term magic he had in the ‘74 season. Berry was a far better QB than Lee and he should have had a longer, more productive career.

[Bryan]

I liked Berry. He was a short guy who didn’t have a strong arm but he was smart, accurate and mobile. It was unfortunate for him to be stuck behind Sir Francis in Minnesota and that NVB didn’t stick with him in Atlanta.
The Falcons’ trade of Berry for Bob Lee in 1973 looked pretty good for one season but it turned out to be a disaster when Lee lost whatever short term magic he had in the ‘74 season. Berry was a far better QB than Lee and he should have had a longer, more productive career.

NVB had a reputation as an offensive coaching genius, although I'm not sure that was deserved. I don't know what prompted the trade of Berry/1st round pick for Lee/Warwick, but judging from the cost of the trade it looks like NVB really wanted Lee for whatever reason. Its remarkable to compare the Falcons of 73 and the Falcons of 74. With Bob Lee at QB and basically the same offensive personnel, the team went from 7th in points in 1973 to 26th (last) in points by a significant margin in 1974. Ick.

[Brian wolf]

According to what I read from John Maxymuk, Berry got sacked too often with Atlanta, though his line needed time to develop, even with Kunz at tackle. He seemed competitive, who even Van Brocklin admired, from films I saw ... did his frequent sacks hurt the offense though?

[Saban1]

Could be that Berry would sometimes take the sack rather than risk an interception by throwing into coverage. Also, the Coastal Division was a tough division to play in for interceptions playing the Rams (Deacon Jones, Merlin Olson) twice a year and Baltimore as well. They also had to play the Vikings once a year. Not the greatest offensive line either for the Falcons.

[LeonardRachiele]

In 1968, The Pittsburgh Steelers went to Atlanta to play the Falcons. Both teams were 1-6. Behind the passing of Dick Shiner and Kent Nix, Pittsburgh led 34 to 0 with two minutes left in the third quarter. The real turning point was in the first quarter. After the Steelers scored on a Shiner to Jefferson touchdown pass, the Falcons moved downfield to the Falcons' three. Bob Berry threw a sharp but misdirected pass that Clendon Thomas intercepted in the End Zone.

Very late in the third quarter, Pittsburgh began a Prevent Defense and Bob Berry took what the Steelers gave them. Pittsburgh coasted to a 41 to 21 victory. For the day, Berry completed 15 of 26 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Pittsburgh intercepted four passes and sacked BB four times for 25 yards in losses. Had the Steelers tightens their pass coverage and left Dick Shiner in the game, I have no doubt that they would have scored over 50 points.

[Saban1]

Could be that Berry would sometimes take the sack rather than risk an interception by throwing into coverage. Also, the Coastal Division was a tough division to play in for interceptions playing the Rams (Deacon Jones, Merlin Olson) twice a year and Baltimore as well. They also had to play the Vikings once a year. Not the greatest offensive line either for the Falcons.

I meant that the Falcons played in a bad division for sacks with tough pass rushing teams like the Rams, Colts, and 49ers. They also had to play a game with west rivals Vikings (Eller, Page, and Marshal), Detroit, Green Bay, and the Bears.