NFL Draft: The Greatest 1st Overall Picks Ever

player. 30. Sometimes it isn’t the stats that assure a man his place in history. It’s his impact on the game. Now Joe Namath does deserve some credit as the first quarterback in history to throw for over 4,000 yards. That accomplishment took place in an era where 3,000 was considered tops in the league. However, the big arm and aggressive, attacking style weren’t the only reasons Namath was great. It was the attitude and the personality. He made the game fun in an era that was uptight and rigid. <p> </p> <p>He also became the man who helped the game grow into the grand spectacle it is today. By 1968 the Super Bowl was considered a sideshow. The AFL was a second class league, the Washington Generals to the NFL Harlem Globetrotters. So it was considered insanity when Namath guaranteed that his New York Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, a team that had lost one game all year. Instead of getting drilled like other participants had, the Jets pulled off the upset and Namath took his place in history.</p>. QB. Alabama. Joe Namath . 15