Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell aced his midterm with a 100.5 pass rating. But, does that make him a standout passer?
The century mark was once the benchmark of greatness. Only three quarterbacks won Super Bowls following triple-digit season. Yet, Campbell is tied for fifth among NFL quarterbacks this season.
Have pass ratings inflated over the years like SAT scores? (One prominent college athletic director says SATs have grown 150 points over the last 30 years, which made me feel better about my score.)
High-percentage passes of the West Coast Offense over the last 20 years changed the sport and boosted the ratings. Teams a generation ago ran the ball more often, creating lower scores. Bart Starr won his second Super Bowl at Green Bay in 1967 with a 64.4 rating. Then again, he won the previous year with a 105.0.
“It’s an accomplishment to play at that [100] level,” said Redskins coach Jim Zorn, whose 67.28 rating is 127th overall among passers with more than 1,500 attempts. “It’s just when you see five or six guys play at that level those are the guys who are disciplined in the pocket, not creating major flaws in their game and rewarded by a great pass rating.
“If you do see a guy with a 78 rating [nowadays], he has been behind in a lot of games and trying a lot of things. If he’s in the Super Bowl, it means you’ve won somewhere else. You can win with a guy with that rating, I really believe that, but you’re not winning because of him, you’re winning with him.”
Terry Bradshaw donned the first of four rings despite a 55.2 in 1974. His other three varied between 77 and 88. Johnny Unitas, one of the best ever, went 65.1 during the 1970 championship. Joe Namath managed only a 72.1 during his 1968 title. Eli Manning was 73.9 last year. Trent Dilfer, considered the worst passer ever to win a Super Bowl, was 76.6 with Baltimore in 2000.
Of course, there were standout seasons, too. Kurt Warner was 109.2 in 1999. Roger Staubach posted a 104.8 during his 1971 title. Joe Montana’s second of three championships was 102.9 in 1984. Peyton Manning went 98.0 in 2006 after three straight 100-plus seasons.
Campbell is dismissive of his 100.5 just like current team-record streak of 252 passes without an interception.
“It’s a great accomplishment, but for me it’s more about the team,” Campbell said. “Quarterbacks still have a lot to do with the advance of teams in the playoffs, but it’s still about the whole unit.”
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
