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For those of us who were not alive to see it, how did the class of '83 look out of the gate?


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I remember Elway really stumbling in his first year.  But I also remember him throwing INCREDIBLY hard, fast passes.  He was known for breaking fingers.

 

Marino went to a Super Bowl in his second year, and everyone thought it would be the first of many.  The kid was amazing.  Very, very quick release.

 

Eason went in 1985 and got so shell-shocked that he never recovered.

 

Allen reminds me of Elway.  I don't know why.

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Will take years to know and will take a hell of an effort to beat 85, or even the year of Big Ben, Eli and Rivers.

 

I assume everyone here has watched the 30 for 30 show 'Elway to Marino'. If you haven't, do it right now. Fantastic documentary. That entire first round was special. So many great players like Dickerson and  Matthews etc. and so many great stories behind the scenes. Fascinating that the Cowboys were desperately trying to get Elway, and for a time Bill Walsh considered trading Montana so he could go after Elway.

 

Even Tony Eason got his team to a Super Bowl despite having a poor career. Ken o Brien was no slouch (25,000 yards over an 11 year career).

 

 

Edited by RobbRiddick
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There is just no possible way to know. 

 

Just because all 4 QBs takes in the top 10 will be starting by week 4 doesn’t mean it’s a great QB class. 

 

I mean, who knows, they could all flame out in 5 years time... 

 

We have a LONg way to go before we can even say that it’s better than many QB draft classes over the years that have produced good starters. 

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Josh Allen reminds me of a hybrid John Elway/Ben Roethlisberger kind of QB.  You know, like a Ben Elway without John's horse teeth and Roethlisberger's raper face.

Edited by Peace Frog
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33 minutes ago, BillsEnthusiast said:

This thread stems from the thread asking if this was already the greatest QB class ever. I was not alive in 1983, and I was wondering how some of the quarterbacks looked right out of the gate. I won't count Kelly because of the whole Houston Gamblers thing. But, how did guys like Ken O'Brien or Todd Blackledge look? Did Elway and Marino look like world-beaters from the start? I know Marino sat for a few games, but Elway started immediately. 

Kelly was in the USFL for 3 years and lit it up.

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1 minute ago, matter2003 said:

Kelly was in the USFL for 3 years and lit it up.

Right. Kelly was great out of the box, but ... USFL.

Marino was one of those guys who obviously "had it" right from his first game.

Elway? That was rough. He looked kind of like Josh Allen in his first game ...

Todd Blackledge hardly played. When he did the following year, it wasn't good.

Tony Eason played a little and was awful, then pretty o.k. the next year. Ditto Ken O'Brien.

So what can we tell from this?  Well, I guess that the guys who looked ready right away actually were pretty damn good. Other than that, nothing really.

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Blackledge never amounted to much. Kelly was in the USFL and off everyone's radar. Elway had some tough early games.  Marino was the one that looked great right from the start. Ultimately, they had 10 super bowl appearances between the big three with only two wins.Those QBs dominated their era. You would have thought there would be more wins in the super bowl, though. 

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1 minute ago, SF Bills Fan said:

Blackledge never amounted to much. Kelly was in the USFL and off everyone's radar. Elway had some tough early games.  Marino was the one that looked great right from the start. Ultimately, they had 10 super bowl appearances between the big three with only two wins.Those QBs dominated their era. You would have thought there would be more wins in the super bowl, though. 

Almost more interesting is how people assessed these guys after their SECOND year in pro ball. (And yes, I am old enough to remember)

- Marino and Elway: both recognized as obvious franchise QBs and guys with HOF talent. Elway went 12-2 in his second year as a starter.

- Kelly: I think everyone who was paying attention believed he would make it in the NFL. But of course that hadn't happened yet, so he couldn't be ranked up there with Elway and Marino yet.

- Eason/O'Brien: I wasn't alone in thinking that the Pats and Jets had found themselves really good QBs. No, I wasn't fooled into thinking they were in the Elway/Marino class. Think Andy Dalton of 1984.

- Blackledge: he just always looked like a bust.

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40 minutes ago, Whites Bay said:

I remember Elway really stumbling in his first year.  But I also remember him throwing INCREDIBLY hard, fast passes.  He was known for breaking fingers.

 

Marino went to a Super Bowl in his second year, and everyone thought it would be the first of many.  The kid was amazing.  Very, very quick release.

 

Eason went in 1985 and got so shell-shocked that he never recovered.

 

Allen reminds me of Elway.  I don't know why.

 

Marino in '84 is the best season by any QB, ever.

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48 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

Elway's first few starts were NOT good but then he turned it around. He famously lined up under the guard instead of the center, IIRC.

Blackledge was arguably the best coming out based on his college performance (as Mofo brought up).

 

Tyrod also once lined up behind a guard, tho perhaps less famously.

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