What does everyone see in Jonny Unitus.?

Question

i hear people saying he is the best ever and he is such a great QB but i just don't see why. sure he won a superbowl but so have 42 other QBs. so why do so many people say he was so great?

i know 42 other QBs didn't win im just to lazy to look up exactly how many :P

Answer 1

Most likely you haven't seen a lot of film on Unitas to understand, which is understandable. Unitas was the standard for which the likes of Elway, Marino, and Montana were judged by the time they entered the league. In Unitas' era, he was one of the most winningest and and gifted quarterbacks ever. Sure a lot of his records will be overlooked because of the newcomers, but the biggest stat you can measure a QB by is his wins, and Unitas always kept his team in games and won very many of them. You can read up on his accomplishments by searching "Johnny Unitas" in ProFootballHOF.com and search Youtube.com for game footage.

Answer 2

Like other great QBs he was a winner and a field general. His football instincts were amazing. Consider this story against the NY Giants in what helped bring american football to what it is today. All stars and hall of famers on both sides of the field. With less than 30 seconds left and trailing by 3 in the 4th quarter. Unitas calls for a run play off tackle away from the middle of the field. No big deal right? Well that means that the kicker would have had to kick the ball from the right hashmark and not the center of the field. His gamble pays of as the G-men were prepped for a run up the center and the colts RB falls into the endzone nearly untouched. Guy was amazing. That is just one game, but it has been called the greatest game ever played.

Answer 3

Johnny Unitas isn't only a class act, but he is just like everyone else. The Steelers didn't want him as their QB so he went out and worked and played in a local league on Saturdays. He was asked to go to the Baltimore Colts training camp a year later with another person and they borrowed money from family just to make it to Baltimore. Two years later in 1958 Unitas led the Colts to the NFL Championship and led the Colts to Superbowl V. He threw a touchdown in 47 consecutive games, this record still stands today and he was the first QB to throw for over 40,000 yards despite having a 12-14 game season. He continued to live in Baltimore and when the Irsay family moved the Colts to Indy, he cut off all ties with the Colts, even though they still have his number retired. The people of Baltimore liked Unitas so much because he was a class act. If he was out eating dinner or with his family he would sign autographs for anyone that asked. He probably signed more autographs than taking 5 all-star players have all together.

Answer 4

First Stat that is funny is he was passed over by Notre Dame; therefore, he went to Louisville.

He was the first quarterback to throw for more than 40,000 yards, despite playing during an era when NFL teams played shorter seasons of 12 or 14 games (as opposed to today's 16-game seasons). He also threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960, a record that still stands and is considered by many the Mount Everest-like football equivalent to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game baseball hitting streak.

Unitas holds the record for most Pro Bowl appearances (10) by a quarterback.

In 1999, he was ranked No. 5 on "The Sporting News'" list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Basically, He was a gunslinger of his time. He was the best quarterback in his generation.

Answer 5

If you have cable, the NFL Network or ESPN Classic should be able to answer your question quite nicely. Johnny Unitas was before my time, but it's clear that if he wasn't the greatest QB ever, he's certainly among the all-time greats.

BTW, 42 other QBs did not win a Super Bowl, some, like Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw won multiple titles.

Answer 6

The 1958 championship game that the Colts won against the NY Giants was considered the greatest football game ever played. Back then championship games unlike the superbowl wasn't played on a neutral site, it was one of the team's home turf.

This game was in NY at Yankees Stadium (Yeah you read me right, Yankees Stadium). From what I've been told growing up in a family of Baltimore Colts fans, this game went into sudden death OT, The Giants won the coin toss and obviously elected to recieve, they were stopped short of feild goal range, so they had to punt the ball away.

So here is a QB in enemy territory in NY in a game situation where NOBODY has any experience being in, Unitas gets ice water in his vains, and demonstrates what it means to be a "general on the field" in football QB terms. He leads the Colts downfeild down the throats of the Giants. This game was not won on a feild goal, it was won on a 1 yard rushing TD by hall of fame fullback Alan Ameche.

I'm told that this was an extremely tense and exciting game, basically it put football on the map. Consider that back then football wasn't nearly as popular as it is today. And here was a guy who absolutely shined in the game leading his team to victory in a back and forth game. And then went on to have a hall of fame career, which included leading the Colts to another victory over the Giants in next year's championship game.

And just for the record, it's JoHnny UnitAs. :)

Answer 7

technically, 42 other quarterbacks have not won superbowls, and Johnny U. won THREE superbowls, or actually 2 championships games, and 1 superbowl, and people see things in him because

John Constantine Unitas. . .Cut by 1955 Steelers, free agent with 1956 Colts, soon became legendary hero. . .Exceptional field leader, thrived on pressure. . .Led Colts to 1958, 1959 NFL crowns, Super Bowl V victory. . .All-NFL six seasons, Player of Year three times . . .MVP three times in 10 Pro Bowls. . . Completed 2,830 passes for 40,239 yards, 290 TDs. . .Threw at least one TD pass in 47 straight games. . .Had 26 games over 300 yards passing.

he was simply the best QB of his time, therefore he is entered into the talk of best QB ever

Answer 8

He was the best QB in his time every era the game changes in the 80's it was Marino, Elway, and Montana 90's Young, Aikman, Elway now Manning and Brady. I wouldn't say he's the best ever but who knows how well he would play now or how well Brady would be in the sixties Different Offensive and Defensive schemes but the guy could flat out play

Answer 9

You need to watch some old films of him and you will see he was before his time. Truly a great competitor and QB. Maybe not the best ever, but definitely in the top 10.

Answer 10

Either you have never seen films of his games or you can't appreciate what he did for pro football. He was the first superstar in a time when television was new and thus so were broadcasts. His win over the Giants in what has been called the greatest game ever played was thrilling. If you had seen it I don't believe you would have asked this question.