Still Digging On Joe Namath

It is satisfying to me to still be able to dig on Joe Namath even now, at the ripe old age of 70.

Him, not me.

I cannot believe Joe Namath is 70. I can not believe it.

I worshipped this man. I worshipped his mink coat, his white shoes, his Fu Manchu mustache, his bar hopping I will do what I want attitude, his bar owning bravado, his defiance of the NFL as the face of the upstart AFL, his sly grin-about-the-girls--that-says-it-all attitude, his sense of humor, his willingness to challenge the definition of masculinity in panty hose attitude.

I worshipped him as a quarterback. The man could fire a pass like nobody you have ever seen. ZIP. Completion. I worshipped his ability to take a beating and keep getting up and keep delivering and keep smiling and spreading around that unique mannerism of speaking that still distinguishes him today.

I cannot tell you how many times I saw him get pounded, and watched him get up slowly while my heart beat in my mouth. You want to see a definition of tough? Go back and watch some film of Joe Namath getting blasted in the pocket. It broke my heart every single time.

I still worship him.

He came into the NFL hurt, for Christ sake and never looked back. His knees are uglier than Mom's Mabley's face. He kept on keeping on. He won a Super Bowl. He beat the Colts in a game nobody gave his team a chance. He predicted it and backed it up.

New school defeats old school. It was the perfect script for the times and he was the perfect man for the script.

His stats suck. He threw 173 TD's in his career and 220 interceptions. He only led the league in touchdown passes once; he led the league in interceptions four times. He played thirteen years and only twice did his TD passes outnumber interceptions.

The operations they performed on his knees were medieval by today's standards; barbaric. Probably shortened his career.

Still, he is in the Hall of Fame. Exactly where he belongs. Shining the light of uniqueness as brightly as a spotlight.

Still, he doesn't make excuses.

The standard question for retired quarterbacks, especially those who go back a ways like Joe Willie White Shoes, is how do you think you would do in the league today with the revised rules for quarterbacks and receivers?

By way of comparison, consider the claim by Johnny Unitas that he would have been the highest paid player in the game if he had played in the modern era.

Namath's answer: "I learned from the great general manager Don Klosterman that you can always say, 'Woulda, coulda, shoulda" and even " Yeah, but.' But none of that means crap. I never had to defend myself when I was playing and I'm not going to now. I wasn't ever as good as I wanted to be and using injuries as an excuse is ridiculous. My injuries were so minor compared to what so many people really have to deal with, like ALS, heart problems, liver problems or kidney problems."

"Easy has nothing to do with playing quarterback, whether it was then or now. It's grueling no matter what because the goal of the game is still to hit the quarterback and hit him as hard as you can. Sure, we didn't have the same protections back then, but it doesn't mean that the goal isn't the same.

Sure it's easier for receivers to get open and for quarterbacks to get the ball down the field, but it doesn't change the goal of what the opposition is trying to do. They're trying to hit you as hard as they can. It's like my old teammate Don Maynard once said, "MVP stands for Most Valuable Position and that's team doctor.' The name of the game is to kill the quarterback. It was then and it still is today."

An intelligent rebel is infinitely more valuable than a blindly passionate one. And eternally more valuable than an old school, close minded dinosaur who is incapable of learning; of evolving.

Joe Namath is still a rebel. Every single time I see him, I smile. I smile a smile that comes from my soul, a smile that has its origins in my teen years.

Because of the look in his eyes. Because of that smile. Because of the way he talks.

He rebelled, he succeeded enormously, he has gained wisdom.

He is a contributor. A contributor to history, to life, to humanity. He made a mark and he continues to back it up.

I still worship Joe Namath.