To declare Tom Brady the GOAT is to ignore the career of Sammy Baugh.
No doubt Brady is the winningest quarterback of all time with his seven Super Bowl rings. He was voted to 15 Pro Bowls and was a three-time NFL MVP. But did he ever lead the NFL in punting? Did he ever lead the NFL in interceptions on defense?
Sammy Baugh did. Which is why he was named to the NFL’s 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary teams.
Baugh played 16 seasons and was a four-time first-team all-pro. Brady was a three-time first-team all-pro. Baugh won four NFL passing titles. Brady won three. Baugh went to six Pro Bowls…but the NFL did not stage the Pro Bowl for seven seasons of his career because of World War II. In 1945, Baugh became the first NFL quarterback to complete 70 percent of his passes in a single season. He also won two NFL championships, including his first as a rookie in 1937.
Now go over to defense. Baugh intercepted 11 passes in 1943 to lead the league. He played defense just the first six seasons of his career but intercepted 31 passes. Now go over to special teams. Baugh led the NFL in punting five times and set a single-season record with a 51.4-yard average in 1940. Eight-two years later, that record still stands.
Maybe Brady is the GOAT. But it would be a disservice to leave Sammy Baugh out of the discussion. He’s one of three Hall of Famers on TCU’s all-time NFL team.
Here is that team:
QB—Sammy Baugh, Hall of Fame
HB—LaDainian Tomlinson, Hall of Fame
FB—Norm Bulaich, Pro Bowl, 10 seasons, 3,362 rushing yards, 35 TDs
WR—Mike Renfro, 10 season, 323 receptions, 28 touchdowns
WR—Don Looney, Pro Bowl, 1940 NFL receiving champion
TE—Matt Schobel, 7 seasons, 117 receptions, 12 touchdowns
T—Norm Evans, 2 Pro Bowls, 14 seasons, 166 starts, 2 Super Bowl rings
T—Ryan Tucker, 12 seasons, 102 starts
G—Marshall Newhouse, 10 seasons, 81 starts
G—Phil Handler, 7 seasons, 28 starts (1930s)
C—Guy Morriss, Pro Bowl, 15 seasons, 173 starts
DE—Greg Townsend, 2 Pro Bowls, 13 seasons, 110 sacks
DE—Aaron Schobel, 2 Pro Bowls, 9 seasons, 78 sacks
DT—Bob Lilly, Hall of Fame
DT—Derrel Palmer, 8 seasons, 58 starts
OLB—Sherrill Headrick, 4 Pro Bowls, 9 seasons, 15 interceptions, 2 AFL title rings
MLB—Kyle Clifton, 13 seasons, 1,484 career tackles
OLB—Daryl Washington, Pro Bowl, 4 seasons, 18 sacks, 6 interceptions
CB—Jim Shofner, 6 seasons, 20 interceptions
CB—Larry Brown, 1996 Super Bowl MVP
S—Lyle Blackwood, 14 seasons, 35 interceptions, Member of Miami’s Killer B’s defense
S—Sammy Baugh, NFL-leading 11 interceptions in 1943
K—Bruce Alford, 3 seasons, 31 field goals, 134 points
P—Sammy Baugh, NFL-record 51.4-yard punting average in 1940
KR—Kenneth Davis, 16.8-yard career kickoff return average
ST—Colin Jones, 9 seasons, Carolina special-teams captain
“Hi Rich”…Looking forward to your next post. Sending you web site to my 16 y.o. Grandson, who aspires to someday becoming a Pro FB General Manager! He’s well on his way…perfect 4.0 at Kalamazoo Central H.S. and ‘Three Sport Letterman’ as a Freshman!! Hope he follows your posts…I’ll bet that he does!! BTW…He runs his own “Fantasy Football League” and is the ‘GM’ of the ‘Kazoo Whiffle Ball League’…he has a ‘You-Tube’ and ‘Instagram’ following! Check it out!! Hope all is well and maybe run into you someday! Looking forward to your ‘interviews with Gary “Fish Cronicles” Fisher!! 😎
Joe,
Get your grandson to start watching game film and hone his skills at evaluating players. The best GMs have a knack for finding players.it’s all about the talent you find and can bring into your building.
Rick