Four Decades of Super Bowl Quarterback Stats

Posted by Sean Lind on Aug 2, 2011 in History | 11 comments

With the NFL and its players having finally come to an agreement, football fans can start getting stoked for the 92nd NFL season.

With the lockout officially over we’ve decided to celebrate by taking a look at the stats of the every quarterback to have ever played in a Super Bowl. We’ve tried to sort the data in the most informative and accurate way possible.

The main portion of data comes from combining the career stats of every Super Bowl quarterback by the decade in which they played. Players spanning multiple decades were put into the group where the majority of most crucial seasons lay.

Obviously the majority of the QB’s from the 2000’s are still active, so keep in mind that their numbers are for a partial career vs. the completed careers of the previous generations of players. Finally all players from 1960’s Super Bowls are included in the 70’s figures.

You can find a list of NFL rule changes and the complete stats for each quarterback in a table below the image (on this page).

Without further ado, the infographic (click on the teaser below for the full-sized infographic):

NFL Rule Changes

In addition to the evolution of talent, some of the changes in stats across the decades can be attributed to changes in the game, most notably rule changes. Below you’ll find all of the rule changes as pertaining to quarterbacks circa 1974. As you’ll see they are almost all designed to increase a player’s career length and open up the passing game.

1974: Sweeping rules changes were adopted to add action and tempo to games: one sudden-death overtime period was added for preseason and regular-season games.

Roll-blocking and cutting of wide receivers was eliminated; the extent of downfield contact a defender could have with an eligible receiver was restricted.

The penalties for offensive holding, illegal use of the hands, and tripping were reduced from 15 to 10 yards; wide receivers blocking back toward the ball within three yards of the line of scrimmage were prevented from blocking below the waist.

1977: Rule changes were adopted to open up the passing game and to cut down on injuries.

Defenders were permitted to make contact with eligible receivers only once; the head slap was outlawed; offensive linemen were prohibited from thrusting their hands to an opponent’s neck, face, or head; and wide receivers were prohibited from clipping, even in the legal clipping zone.

1978: The NFL continued a trend toward opening up the game. Rules changes permitted a defender to maintain contact with a receiver within five yards of the line of scrimmage, but restricted contact beyond that point. The pass-blocking rule was interpreted to permit the extending of arms and open hands.

1979: NFL rules changes emphasized additional player safety. The changes prohibited players on the receiving team from blocking below the waist during kickoffs, punts, and field-goal attempts; prohibited the wearing of torn or altered equipment and exposed pads that could be hazardous; extended the zone in which there could be no crackback blocks; and instructed officials to quickly whistle a play dead when a quarterback was clearly in the grasp of a tackler.

1980: Rules changes placed greater restrictions on contact in the area of the head, neck, and face.

Under the heading of “personal foul,” players were prohibited from directly striking, swinging, or clubbing on the head, neck, or face. Starting in 1980, a penalty could be called for such contact whether or not the initial contact was made below the neck area.

1988: At the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, a 45-second clock was also approved to replace the 30-second clock. For a normal sequence of plays, the interval between plays was changed to 45 seconds from the time the ball is signaled dead until it is snapped on the succeeding play.

1995: Quarterbacks may now receive communication from the bench via a small radio transmitter in their helmets. This proposal was originally run on a test basis last year during the preseason, but was scrapped.

1996: The five-yard contact rule will be enforced more stringently.

Hits with the helmet or to the head by the defender will be flagged as personal fouls and subject to fines. This is being done to protect the offense, particularly the quarterback.

1999: Instant replay returns with a challenge system.

2001: Protecting the passer will be emphasized even more.

2002: It is illegal to hit a quarterback helmet-to-helmet anytime after a change of possession.

2005: Unnecessary roughness would be called for blocks away from the play on punters or kickers, similar to the same protection quarterbacks have after interceptions.

2006: Defenders are prohibited from hitting a quarterback in the knee or below unless they are blocked into him. This rule was enacted in response to the previous season’s injuries to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Brian Griese.

2007: Roughing-the-passer penalties will not be called on a defender engaged with a quarterback who simply extends his arms and shoves the passer to the ground.

A completed catch is now when a receiver gets two feet down and has control of the ball. Previously, a receiver had to make “a football move” in addition to having control of the ball for a reception.

2009: The initial contact to the head of a defenseless receiver is also prohibited.

A defensive player on the ground may no longer lunge or dive at the quarterback’s lower legs.

Complete Super Bowl Quarterback Stats:

 

QB – Quarterback	DYR – Draft Year	DP – Draft Position	DTM – Draft Team
PTM – Primary Team	S – Seasons	PB – ProBowls	AP – All-Pro
G – Games	SW – Super Bowls Won	SL – Super Bowls Lost	YDS – Yards
TDP – Touchdown Passes	I – Interceptions	PA – Pass Attempts	PC – Pass Completions
YPA – Yards/Attempt	PCR – Pass Completion Rate	PR – Passer Rating

 

QB	DYR	DP	DTM	PTM	S	PB	AP	G	SW	SL	YDS	TDP	I	PA	PC	YPA	PCR	PR
Aaron Rodgers	2005	24	Green Bay	Green Bay	6	1	0	54	1	0	12723	87	32	1611	1038	7.90	64%	98.4
Bart Starr	1956	200	Green Bay	Green Bay	16	4	4	196	2	0	24718	152	138	3149	1808	7.85	57%	80.5
Ben Roethlisberger	2004	11	Pittsburgh	Pittsburg	7	1	0	99	2	1	22502	144	86	2800	1766	8.04	63%	92.5
Billy Kilmer	1961	11	S.Francisco	Washington	16	1	2	170	0	1	20495	152	146	2984	1585	6.87	53%	71.6
Bob Griese	1967	4	Miami	Miami	14	6	0	161	2	1	25092	192	172	3429	1926	7.32	56%	77.1
Boomer Esiason	1984	38	Cincinnati	Cincinnati	14	4	2	187	0	1	37920	247	184	5205	2969	7.29	57%	81.1
Brad Johnson	1992	227	Minnesota	Tampa Bay	15	2	0	177	1	0	29054	166	122	4326	2668	6.72	62%	82.5
Brett Favre	1991	33	Falcons	Green Bay	20	11	6	302	1	1	71838	508	336	10169	6300	7.06	62%	86
Chris Chandler	1988	76	Indianapolis	Atlanta	18	2	0	180	0	1	28484	170	146	4005	2328	7.11	58%	79.1
Craig Morton	1965	5	Dallas	Dallas	19	0	0	203	0	2	27908	183	187	3786	2053	7.37	54%	73.5
Dan Marino	1983	27	Miami	Miami	17	9	8	242	0	1	61361	420	252	8358	4967	7.34	59%	86.4
Daryle Lamonica	1963	168	Green Bay	Oakland	12	2	0	151	0	1	19154	164	138	2601	1288	7.36	50%	72.9
David Woodley	1980	214	Miami	Miami	6	0	0	58	0	1	8558	48	63	1300	687	6.58	53%	65.7
Donovan Mcnabb	1999	2	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	12	6	0	161	0	1	36250	230	115	5218	3076	6.95	59%	85.7
Doug Williams	1978	17	Tampa Bay	Washington	9	0	0	88	1	0	16998	100	93	2507	1240	6.78	49%	69.4
Drew Bledsoe	1993	1	New England	New England	14	4	0	194	0	1	44611	251	206	6717	3839	6.64	57%	77.1
Drew Brees	2001	32	San Diego	New Orleans	10	5	3	138	1	0	35266	235	132	4822	3145	7.31	65%	91.7
Earl Morrall	1956	2	S.Francisco	Baltimore	22	2	0	255	0	1	20809	161	148	2689	1379	7.74	51%	74.1
Eli Manning	2004	1	San Diego	N.Y.Giants	7	1	0	105	1	0	22646	156	113	3332	1932	6.80	58%	80.2
Fran Tarkenton	1961	29	Minnesota	Minnesota	18	9	3	246	0	3	47003	342	266	6467	3686	7.27	57%	80.4
Jake Delhomme	N/A			Carolina	10	1	0	102	0	1	20764	125	101	2904	1723	7.15	59%	81.2
Jeff Hostetler	1984	59	N.Y.Giants	N.Y.Giants	12	1	0	152	1	0	16430	94	71	2338	1357	7.03	58%	80.48
Jim Kelly	1983	14	Buffalo	Buffalo	11	5	3	160	0	4	35467	237	175	4779	2874	7.42	60%	72.3
Jim McMahon	1982	5	Chicago	Chicago	15	1	0	120	1	0	18148	100	90	2573	1492	7.05	58%	76.1
Jim Plunkett	1971	1	New England	Oakland	15	0	0	157	2	0	25882	164	198	3701	1943	6.99	52%	67.5
Joe Kapp	1959	209	Washington	Minnesota	4	1	0	51	0	1	5911	40	64	918	449	6.44	49%	55.1
Joe Montana	1979	82	S.Francisco	S.Francisco	15	8	6	192	4	0	40551	273	139	5391	3409	7.52	63%	92.3
Joe Namath	1965	12	St. Louis	N.Y.Jets	13	1	1	140	1	0	27663	173	220	3762	1886	7.35	50%	65.5
Joe Theismann	1971	99	Miami	Washington	12	2	1	167	1	1	25206	160	138	3602	2044	7.00	57%	77.4
John Elway	1983	1	Baltimore	Denver	16	9	3	234	2	3	51475	300	226	7250	4123	7.10	57%	79.9
Johnny Unitas	1955	102	Pittsburgh	Baltimore	18	10	7	211	1	0	40239	290	253	5186	2830	7.76	55%	81.2
Ken Stabler	1968	52	Oakland	Oakland	15	4	2	184	1	0	27938	194	222	3793	2270	7.37	60%	75.3
Kerry Collins	1995	5	Carolina	N.Y.Giants	17	2	0	194	0	1	40441	206	195	6163	3439	6.56	56%	73.9
Kurt Warner	N/A			St.Louis	12	4	2	125	1	2	32344	208	128	4070	2666	7.95	66%	93.7
Len Dawson	1957	5	Pittsburgh	Kansas	19	1	1	211	1	1	28711	239	183	3741	2136	7.67	57%	77.4
Mark Rypien	1986	146	Washington	Washington	11	2	0	104	1	0	18473	115	88	2613	1466	7.07	56%	78.9
Matt Hasselbeck	1998	187	Green Bay	Seattle	12	3	1	170	0	1	29579	176	128	4279	2572	6.91	60%	82.2
Neil O’Donnell	1990	70	Pittsburgh	Pittsburg	13	1	0	124	0	1	21690	120	68	3229	1865	6.72	58%	81.1
Peyton Manning	1998	1	Indianapolis	Indianapolis	13	11	8	208	1	1	54828	339	198	7210	4682	7.60	65%	94.9
Phil Simms	1979	7	N.Y.Giants	N.Y.Giants	14	2	1	164	1	0	33462	199	157	4647	2576	7.20	55%	78.5
Rex Grossman	2003	22	Chicago	Chicago	8	0	0	41	0	1	7081	40	40	1104	598	6.41	54%	70.9
Rich Gannon	1987	98	New England	Oakland	17	4	3	157	0	1	28743	180	104	4206	2533	6.83	60%	84.7
Roger Staubach	1964	129	Dallas	Dallas	11	6	0	114	2	2	22700	153	109	2958	1685	7.67	57%	83.4
Ron Jaworski	1973	37	Los Angeles	Philadelphia	15	1	0	188	0	1	28190	179	164	4117	2187	6.85	53%	72.8
Stan Humphries	1988	159	Washington	San Diego	8	0	0	88	0	1	17191	89	84	2516	1431	6.83	57%	75.8
Steve McNair	1995	3	Houston	Tennessee	13	3	1	161	0	1	31304	174	119	4544	2733	6.89	60%	82.8
Steve Young	1984	1	Tampa Bay	S.Francisco	15	7	6	169	1	0	33124	232	107	4149	2667	7.98	64%	96.8
Terry Bradshaw	1970	1	Pittsburgh	Pittsburg	14	3	2	168	4	0	27989	212	210	3901	2025	7.17	52%	70.9
Tom Brady	2000	199	New England	New England	11	6	3	145	3	1	34744	261	103	4710	2996	7.38	64%	95.2
Tony Eason	1983	15	New England	New England	9	0	0	90	0	1	11142	61	51	1564	911	7.12	58%	79.7
Trent Dilfer	1994	6	Tampa Bay	Baltimore	13	1	0	130	1	0	20518	113	129	3172	1759	6.47	55%	70.2
Troy Aikman	1989	1	Dallas	Dallas	12	6	3	165	3	0	32942	165	141	4715	2898	6.99	61%	81.6
Vince Ferragamo	1977	91	Los Angeles	Los Angeles	9	0	0	75	0	1	11336	76	91	1615	902	7.02	56%	70.1

*Note: Both Earl Morrall and Kurt Warner went to the Superbowl with two separate teams.

Shoutouts

Some quick shoutouts go to nfl.com, Wikipedia, Pro Football Reference, 49′ers Paradise and Silver and Blue Report.