Joe Namath: A Football Life

Green Jets & Ham · Apr 3, 2015

Earlier I watched it on the NFL Network and it was terrific, one of the best sports documentaries I have ever seen.

jetfandreamer · Apr 4, 2015

Green Jets & Ham said:
Earlier I watched it on the NFL Network and it was terrific, one of the best sports documentaries I have ever seen.

If you haven't see it and you read this post in time, the NFLN is replaying it starting at 12 midnight.

Joe Namath was the reason I became a Jet fan (along with John Riggens mohawk) the show really shows just how iconic he was. He started his career with a lot of players resenting him for the money he got, especially teammates, but they finally accepted him, and he was a very likeable guy. He deserves to be in HOF not for stats, but what he meant to the entire development of football the way it is now..he is the first player to ever really use an agent (Mike Bite a lawyer) who got him a deal TWICE as much as the Giants had offered him along with jobs for his 2 brothers (basically no show jobs) and a house for his mother, he singlehandedly brought women to the game, got the AFL..then NFL big money deals for TV, and it was amazing how much respect the other players gave him, especially at the end of his playing days, when he was injured. They would put him down softly for a sack or help him up, because they knew exactly what he had done for the game.

EVERY JET FAN SHOULD WATCH THE SHOW...most guys shows are 1 hour..but he was 2 hours.

This man for 6 years was BIGGER than the Beatles, the players said he was like Mick Jagger getting off the road airplane.

I love the story about him being out till 4 in the morning and a NYC cop saw him leave a bar the morning of a game and him and buddies bet against him and he started off bad, but then played better than ever and won...

jetfandreamer · Apr 4, 2015

The show also shows how much of a showman and business man Sonny Werblin was....he was friends with Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Gleason etc and was not a football man, but said he was in the "entertainment" business, and he knew by paying Joe more, it would reap the benefits 10 fold...

ucrenegade · Apr 4, 2015

Green Jets & Ham said:
Earlier I watched it on the NFL Network and it was terrific, one of the best sports documentaries I have ever seen.

If you haven't see it and you read this post in time, the NFLN is replaying it starting at 12 midnight.

I think he was the only player to throw for over 4000 yds in a 14 game season. Add to that Wr were mauled back then. Can you imagine him throwing these days with the Wr protection and longer season. I bet he would throw for 6000 yds in today's NFL.

sg3 · Apr 4, 2015

ucrenegade said:
I think he was the only player to throw for over 4000 yds in a 14 game season. Add to that Wr were mauled back then. Can you imagine him throwing these days with the Wr protection and longer season. I bet he would throw for 6000 yds in today's NFL.

Great QB and would be greater today with the various Brady rules barring contact of any kind with receivers or patriot QBs .

Hopefully Mariota is there at six so we can finally have another franchise QB in Green and White

jetfandreamer · Apr 4, 2015

One other thing about Joe. He is known for being a carousing drinking woman chasing guy (doesnt make him a bad guy) but he was a student of the game.

He was basically the team's offensive coordinator. He studied film all the time and the reason he promised, so to speak and guaranteed a victory in SB was because he had watched ALL the game film of the Colts. He knew they were VERY good, but very basic and automatic in their thinking. Audibles werent very prevalent at that time. He used what the call "Check with ME" at the line where he audibled into or out of pass or runs depending on defense. He knew the way they would play down and distance and what shifts they would move into for a formation. He ran Snell AWAY from the shifts, using an unbalanced line to the opposite side and they never saw it coming. He also threw to his guys in man coverage over the top, and if they had a decent read on a play he would quickly dump off to Mathis and Snell (they combined for 7 catches 70 yards) in flat

Maynard was basically a decoy..they doubled him mainly and that set up Sauer for 8 catches for 133 yards.

Namath was MVP but he did not complete a pass in the 4th quarter..he ended up 17 for 28 for 206 yards...

Snell was 30 for 121 and Sauer 8 for 133 they both could have been MVP, but Joe's studying put them in position

jets82 · Apr 4, 2015

Joe was a beast and ahead of his time. His knees, additions and partying life killed his career. If he could have just focused on football, his overall stats would have been much much better and he would no doubt be considered one of the best QBs to ever play the game. I saw the special and learned alot about him I didn't know. Great 30 for 30.

jetfandreamer · Apr 4, 2015

jets82 said:
Joe was a beast and ahead of his time. His knees, additions and partying life killed his career. If he could have just focused on football, his overall stats would have been much much better and he would no doubt be considered one of the best QBs to ever play the game. I saw the special and learned alot about him I didn't know. Great 30 for 30.

Unfortunately for Joe, he was dealt a tough hand from college , where he suffered his first major knee injury and was behind the 8 ball, to start off with Jets....another fascinating thing about Joe was the scope and magnitude of how good his college career was, which I never fully appreciated/knew/understood He was Johnny Football, but smarter, bigger with a better arm, and a much more respectful guy.

ucrenegade · Apr 4, 2015

what is that 30/30 called i will have to save it to netflix

jetfandreamer · Apr 4, 2015

ucrenegade said:
what is that 30/30 called i will have to save it to netflix

No it was NFL network "A Football Life"

ucrenegade · Apr 4, 2015

jetfandreamer said:
No it was NFL network "A Football Life"

well crap hopefully they put it on dvd.

jetfandreamer · Apr 4, 2015

ucrenegade said:
well crap hopefully they put it on dvd.

Here is a part of show...only 6 minutes..great watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2tIauxSD2o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

it is actually draft from65 show..but this part was in Joe Namath show...interesting..Jets almost had Dick Butkus

Jets drafted 4 QBs that year..HA

Green Jets & Ham · Apr 4, 2015

jetfandreamer said:
he is the first player to ever really use an agent (Mike Bite a lawyer) who got him a deal TWICE as much as the Giants had offered him along with jobs for his 2 brothers (basically no show jobs) and a house for his mother, he singlehandedly brought women to the game, got the AFL..then NFL big money deals for TV, and it was amazing how much respect the other players gave him, especially at the end of his playing days, when he was injured. They would put him down softly for a sack or help him up, because they knew exactly what he had done for the game.

I have to admit I had to fight back the tears on that segment, especially when Fred Dryer, with such reverence in his voice, said "that guy meant so much to the game of football", and it occurred to me that there are so many young people who will never understand just how much, though this documentary did an awful lot to explain it.

I also liked the part where one of his teammates at Alabama, whose first impression upon seeing this wiseguy yankee with sunglasses and a toothpick was that he wouldn't last two weeks with Bear Bryant (Namath subsequently became like a son to the Bear and is the only player in Bama' history who he called to join him in his tower overlooking practice), said; "One of the saddest things in professional sports is that nobody ever got to see how great Namath really was at the pro level, because he already ravaged his knee at Alabama and was never the same incredible athlete. I promise if people had seen that Joe Namath, they would never forget it."

It also showed Dave Anderson quoting Lombardi, who called Joe Namath "the perfect passer"

Texjet · Apr 4, 2015

Joe Namath is football to me - the reason I have been a Jets fan since I was 9 years old. Any Jets fan should know the history and importance of Namath to this organization and the NFL in general. It's incredibly annoying to read some of the posts from younger Jets fans that know nothing about Namath and, therefore, have no reverence for the man or his accomplishments. If you are one of those young fans, watch the NFL Network segment, it will begin to enlighten you.

jetfandreamer · Apr 4, 2015

Texjet said:
Joe Namath is football to me - the reason I have been a Jets fan since I was 9 years old. Any Jets fan should know the history and importance of Namath to this organization and the NFL in general. It's incredibly annoying to read some of the posts from younger Jets fans that know nothing about Namath and, therefore, have no reverence for the man or his accomplishments. If you are one of those young fans, watch the NFL Network segment, it will begin to enlighten you.

Totally agree you CANNOT be a Jet fan without knowing this part of their history

ucrenegade · Apr 4, 2015

jetfandreamer said:
Totally agree you CANNOT be a Jet fan without knowing this part of their history

if anyone ever finds out if it is out on dvd let me know please..........maybe someone will put it on youtube

Fudbutter · Apr 4, 2015

ucrenegade said:
I think he was the only player to throw for over 4000 yds in a 14 game season. Add to that Wr were mauled back then. Can you imagine him throwing these days with the Wr protection and longer season. I bet he would throw for 6000 yds in today's NFL.

1967: Still one my favorite Jets seasons. Snell and Boozer got hurt early and Namath threw over 2600yds to Maynard and Sauer alone, over 3000 if you include Lammons. He did this while being immobile and getting clobbered after most pass plays.

IIRC (which haven't been doing much these days), this is the only season that the Jets led the league in offensive yardage

Green Jets & Ham · Apr 5, 2015

ucrenegade said:
if anyone ever finds out if it is out on dvd let me know please..........maybe someone will put it on youtube

Bigmoe · Apr 5, 2015

ucrenegade said:
if anyone ever finds out if it is out on dvd let me know please..........maybe someone will put it on youtube

I did record it on DVD. I think I have parts 1&2
Let me know if you want it, I have to find it
Pm me and I'll mail it to you

ucrenegade · Apr 5, 2015

PM sent Moe

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