Bob Gill wrote:I often say Luckman and Starr are the most underappreciated of the top quarterbacks.
People who evaluate Starr’s place in history generally fall into two camps: those who think he’s underappreciated, slighted by historians and media, and those who view him as a game manager or caretaker of Lombardi’s system.
He’s probably both, but evidence weighs in favor of the latter.
Any QB with a 5-1 record in championship games over eight years probably deserves to be on the short list of all-time greats. Starr also has a W-L record of 77-23-4 and bested the league average for Yards Per Pass Attempt from 1959-1967 (YPPA might not be the best way to measure a QB but it’s probably the most consistent over time). Tough to top those numbers.
But he also had a losing record before and after Lombardi and shouldered less of the load than other championship quarterbacks of his era. If a running game and a defense are a quarterback’s best friend, Starr was better positioned for success than his championship peers.
Some modern analysts have tried to reposition the 60s Packers as a passing team because they passed efficiently, pointing out how three Packers championship teams (1965, 1966, 1967) averaged less than (or equal to) 4 yards per carry on the ground. But almost all championship teams pass efficiently, so it’s no surprise the 60s Packers would share that trait. And yards per carry isn’t necessarily the best way to judge success on the ground.
How often and when did a team run—what is their identity?—might be a better approach. The Packers were a dominant ball control team that ran more often and racked up more first downs on the ground than almost any team of their era.
Since rush attempts usually favor the winning team (teams with a lead run out the clock on the ground), comparing Lombardi’s Packers to the other championship teams of the era makes sense. Like the Packers, these teams had halftime leads in most of the games they played. With rare exception the Packers passed less, ran more, and achieved more first downs on the ground than the others.
Team/Percent Running Plays
1962 Packers 62%
1961 Packers 61%
1966 Packers 60%
1962 Texans 60%
1967 Packers 59%
1965 Packers 59%
1964 Browns 56%
1964 Bills 55%
1963 Bears 55%
1966 Chiefs 54%
1959 Colts 54%
1963 Chargers 53%
1960 Eagles 51%
1960 Oilers 50%
1967 Raiders 50%
1961 Oilers 48%
1965 Bills 46%
Team/Percent 1st Downs Rushing
1961 Packers 55%
1962 Packers 55%
1967 Packers 51%
1964 Browns 50%
1962 Texans 49%
1963 Bears 48%
1963 Chargers 47%
1964 Bills 47%
1966 Packers 46%
1965 Packers 45%
1966 Chiefs 43%
1959 Colts 39%
1965 Bills 37%
1960 Oilers 35%
1961 Oilers 35%
1967 Raiders 34%
1960 Eagles 31%
Turning to defense, Lombardi’s Packers allowed 15.4 points per game from 1959-1967, easily topping Baltimore’s 18.8. And using the same comparison as above, the Packers were superior on defense to all their championship peers except the 1963 Chicago Bears.
Team/Def PPG
1963 Bears 10.3
1962 Packers 10.6
1966 Packers 11.6
1967 Packers 14.9
1961 Packers 15.9
1965 Packers 16.0
1965 Bills 16.1
1962 Texans 16.6
1967 Raiders 16.6
1964 Bills 17.3
1961 Oilers 17.3
1963 Chargers 18.2
1966 Chiefs 19.7
1960 Oilers 20.4
1960 Eagles 20.5
1964 Browns 20.9
1959 Colts 20.9
Team/Def Passer Rating
1963 Bears 34.8
1967 Packers 41.5
1961 Oilers 42.1
1962 Packers 43.4
1959 Colts 45.1
1966 Packers 46.1
1967 Raiders 47.9
1965 Packers 48.2
1966 Chiefs 48.8
1960 Eagles 49.1
1962 Texans 51.8
1961 Packers 53.7
1965 Bills 54.2
1963 Chargers 55.5
1964 Bills 60.9
1960 Oilers 69.7
1964 Browns 75.6
Then there’s the Lombardi factor. Starr has a winning record under Lombardi, but lost under Blackburn, McClean, Bengston, and Devine. But other quarterbacks often mentioned as the greatest ever won under more than one coach. Unitas won under Ewbank, Shula, and McCafferty. Elway won under Reeves, Shanahan, and Phillips. Montana won under Walsh, Seifert, and Schottenheimer.
Teams change. Talent moves on or gets old. Comparing W-L records to other quarterbacks might be unfair because the factors aren’t the same. And does the quarterback make the coach or vice versa? Wherever you stand on these points, Starr struggled to win on the field outside the Lombardi years.
Starr is one of the greatest winners of all time, but he had more help than most. Many fail when opportunity calls. When Starr got his opportunity he delivered. But supported by a defense and running attack that controlled the game at a level superior to other championship teams of his era, he was in a situation tailor-made for quarterback success.