Strongest Arms in NFL History (Josh Allen and Jim Kelly both featured)

[MJS]

4 hours ago, Klaista2k said:

Yes I did.

 

How many deep throws did he connect on?

Do you have statistics that show? 

I do. According to next gen stats Allen was 26-of-64, 771 yards, 9:3 TD-to-INT ratio, 106.2 passer rating on deep passes (pass attempts of 20 plus air yards). This ranks him 10th in the NFL in 2020.

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/next-gen-stats-top-10-deep-passers-of-2020-aaron-rodgers-lands-at-no-4

 

This site ranks him 7th, using a different methodology:

 

https://brickwallblitz.com/2021/02/16/the-2020-21-deep-ball-project-part-3-3/

[Seasons1992]

13 hours ago, mikemac2001 said:

Man 

 

moon had moon shots it’s so crazy how high he threw them but wow perfect 

 

The best deep ball I've ever seen.

[Kwai San]

8 hours ago, MJS said:

If you press play on the video there should be a button that says "watch on YouTube" or something like that. Clicking that should take you directly to the video, so you shouldn't need to do a search for it.

 

The NFL likes to restrict their videos for some reason. They want them to be only viewed on YouTube. Not quite sure why.

 

Has to be money.....always the $$$

[Buftex]

11 hours ago, MJS said:

Did you not watch the 2020 season? Allen was very good on deep throws.

It takes some people a few years to realize what has been going on right in front of their eyes!  

[Niagara Dude]

18 hours ago, transient said:

Just started to watch, but had to comment. It's a shame Vick wasn't a better QB... or human being for that matter... because it was always fun to watch him zing a football 60 yds on a rope with the flick of his wrist.

Allen has strongest arm in NFL history period.  

[Utah John]

14 hours ago, Klaista2k said:

Allen has a strong arm but rarely takes advantage of it.

 

Very disappointing. 

Looks to me he's been listening to his coaches.  

 

13-3 last year, 15-4 counting the playoffs.  If you want to see a circus performer check out other teams.

3 hours ago, MJS said:

I do. According to next gen stats Allen was 26-of-64, 771 yards, 9:3 TD-to-INT ratio, 106.2 passer rating on deep passes (pass attempts of 20 plus air yards). This ranks him 10th in the NFL in 2020.

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/next-gen-stats-top-10-deep-passers-of-2020-aaron-rodgers-lands-at-no-4

 

This site ranks him 7th, using a different methodology:

 

https://brickwallblitz.com/2021/02/16/the-2020-21-deep-ball-project-part-3-3/

For what we're talking about, 20 yards is like a screen pass.  The stats ought to be on throws of 40+ yards.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

13 hours ago, Klaista2k said:

I recall him using it a few times on the intermediate throws but I wouldn't say quite often.

 

And he almost never connects on the deep ball so he can't take full advantage of his arm strength. 

 

Arm strength is more important for tight window throws than deep balls.  Other than hail mary's, you aren't going to have enough time to throw the ball 60 yards down the field anyway.  

[MJS]

11 minutes ago, Utah John said:

For what we're talking about, 20 yards is like a screen pass.  The stats ought to be on throws of 40+ yards.

I disagree completely. It doesn't take arm strength to throw the ball 50 yards. Where Allen's arm strength really shines is on those 20 to 30 yard throws where he guns it in there.

[SMAKCruiser]

Didn't Steve Tasker say Gale Gilbert had the strongest arm in the league?

[MJS]

3 hours ago, dneveu said:

Arm strength is more important for tight window throws than deep balls.  Other than hail mary's, you aren't going to have enough time to throw the ball 60 yards down the field anyway.  

Anything of 40+ air yards is fairly uncommon for the reason you listed, and also just because it's not usually prudent because those plays are low percentage completions. So yeah, you can take a shot play here or there to keep a defense honest and hope you hit one, but there's a reason offenses don't call those plays that often, regardless of who you have at QB.

 

So statistics of plays of 40+ air yards should always be taken with a grain of salt because it's usually a very small sample size of throws.

 

All of the QB's in the top 10 in deep throwing averaged less than 1 attempt a game of 40+ air yards. Allen actually attempted 13, which was high.

Edited May 28, 2021 by MJS

[Dr.Sack]

On 5/27/2021 at 11:02 PM, MJS said:

Marino sure had a quick release and a nice throwing motion. I actually think Brady's throwing motion is really nice, although he doesn't have as big of an arm as the others in the video. Peyton Manning had a nice high release that got the ball over the linemen. Steve Young also had a nice throwing motion.

 

Maybe 10 years from now it will be commonly accepted that Allen has the biggest arm ever. He certainly has the tools...

Lefties just look better at throwing a ball.

 

Rogers just looks effortless and accurate is bomb.

 

I honestly don’t think arm strength makes a QB. The improvisational skill and ability to see a window and get the ball into it makes a QB. 

[Buffalo716]

14 hours ago, Utah John said:

Looks to me he's been listening to his coaches.  

 

13-3 last year, 15-4 counting the playoffs.  If you want to see a circus performer check out other teams.

For what we're talking about, 20 yards is like a screen pass.  The stats ought to be on throws of 40+ yards.

The NFL Has always considered a deep pass over 20 yards

 

You can watch an entire NFL game and not even see a ball travel 40 yards in air 

 

Fans always think the deep ball is some 50-60 yard bomb all the time.. 

 

But the deep ball is still a timing route and most are in the air within 20 30 yards

 

And Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers are like the only two quarterbacks I've ever seen that throw 20 to 25 yard square in routes routinely, like it's a part of their route tree 

 

You could watch a hundred NFL games and maybe see that throw completed 5-7 other times.. and they're all on third or fourth and 18th

 

Josh made that throw 7 -8 times last year.. and a lot of them were on first and 20 or 2nd and 20

 

That's pure arm strength and accuracy. The zip uncanny

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Buffalo716

[eball]

Never thought of Culpepper as having a “big arm” — his long throws were balloons, he just had Randy Moss to catch them.

 

A little surprised Lamonica didn’t make this list.  I mean, a guy with the nickname “The Mad Bomber” should have been there, right?

[Victory Formation]

Allen may not have the best deep ball in terms of air underneath it but: a) You can’t really build an offense around that style of football anyways and b) Allen can rifle a ball within that 40-50 yard range on a rope regardless so long there is a throwing lane.

 

Where the strength of Allen’s arm comes into play is within that short to intermediate passing windows. He throws the ball so hard that defenders can’t really react and there’s no way they can jump the ball for an interception. 

[Hebert19]

From my perspective in 30+ years watching...using just the eyeball test (no combine data or anything) here is what my list would be.  Eyeball test includes those that could flick their wrist and throw it 65 yards as well as those that could sling it into tight spots like Josh.  

 

Allen

Vick

Mahomes 

George

Marino

Moon

Rodgers

 

If I had to pick one it would be between Vick and Allen. 

 

For the guy that says Allen doesn't use it.   I'd say 3 or 4 times a game he makes throws veey few others can make.   It's not about just deep balls it's about the 30 yard rockets he throws on the run as well.  

[Rico]

Thanks, great vid. Needed more Josh.

[MJS]

7 hours ago, Dr.Sack said:

Lefties just look better at throwing a ball.

 

Rogers just looks effortless and accurate is bomb.

 

I honestly don’t think arm strength makes a QB. The improvisational skill and ability to see a window and get the ball into it makes a QB. 

Arm strength is what allows you to get the ball in those windows, though. Obviously it isn't the most important thing for a QB, but when you have it, it helps.

[Mr. WEO]

On 5/27/2021 at 8:08 PM, BuffaloBill said:

After I watched Matthew Stanford I had to think what a waste of talent. The guy never had a real team around him.

 

He played on several top Offenses.  Had a tp 3 D once.  Lots his D's ere middle of the pack.

 

He' a 9-7 guy.  Overrated.

 

For arm strength, there was Vick...and then there was everyone else.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

On 5/27/2021 at 5:08 PM, BuffaloBill said:

After I watched Matthew Stanford I had to think what a waste of talent. The guy never had a real team around him.

He had Calvin Johnson, one of the greatest WR to ever play. 

My top 5 pure arm strength

Vick

Allen

Mahommes

Elway

Rodgers

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

For a TE, Ertz seems to have respectable 'pipes'.  Thread title doesn't specify position...😇😁

*
And yet another sneaky Ertz thread weasels its way into existence...

Edited May 29, 2021 by Ridgewaycynic2013

[Doc]

Vick may have had better arm strength than Josh, and that’s debatable (and even if true would have been marginally better),but without accuracy it means little.  Kind of like how it’s good to have height as a QB, but being the tallest (Dan McGwire?) ever doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Doc

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

On 5/27/2021 at 5:50 PM, MJS said:

Wow, this was a treat to watch. Some great QB's with big arms. Josh Allen is featured at the 3:10 mark and Jim Kelly is featured at the 9:26 mark.

 

(You will likely need to click through to Youtube)

 

 

 

NFL Throwback is definitely one of my favorite YouTube channels. They have a lot of cool older games like the Kelly vs Marino Winter Wonderland duel, Comeback Game, and loads of other great games of that era. The thing I like is they edit them down just to the 15 minutes or so of action so you don't have to devote a whole afternoon to watching one game. The NFL Network used to do something similar so you could catch up on the non-Bills games that you missed that week. IDK why they stopped.

 

Anyways, I think Josh Allen has the best arm in the NFL. People will say Mahomes, but I don't think so. Unless he's lying, Josh has said he's thrown it 87 yards before. My favorite play ever is the game against the Jaguars where he launched the ball to hit Foster in stride for the 75 yard TD w/ 2 defenders draped on him. No offense to Mahomes, but I can't see him making that throw. 

 

FYI I had a question about the 90s Bills (I won't pretend to be knowledgeable about that era like some younger fans.) How strong was Jim Kelly's arm in comparison to the rest of the league? Where would you rank him? 

[MJS]

28 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

 

 

NFL Throwback is definitely one of my favorite YouTube channels. They have a lot of cool older games like the Kelly vs Marino Winter Wonderland duel, Comeback Game, and loads of other great games of that era. The thing I like is they edit them down just to the 15 minutes or so of action so you don't have to devote a whole afternoon to watching one game. The NFL Network used to do something similar so you could catch up on the non-Bills games that you missed that week. IDK why they stopped.

 

Anyways, I think Josh Allen has the best arm in the NFL. People will say Mahomes, but I don't think so. Unless he's lying, Josh has said he's thrown it 87 yards before. My favorite play ever is the game against the Jaguars where he launched the ball to hit Foster in stride for the 75 yard TD w/ 2 defenders draped on him. No offense to Mahomes, but I can't see him making that throw. 

 

FYI I had a question about the 90s Bills (I won't pretend to be knowledgeable about that era like some younger fans.) How strong was Jim Kelly's arm in comparison to the rest of the league? Where would you rank him? 

I'm a younger fan too and didn't grow up watching Jim Kelly, but I've watched a lot of highlights and old games from that era. Kelly threw a really pretty ball and he had some nice deep passes, and I think something has to be said about his production in the winter wonderland that is Buffalo. That requires a stronger arm.

 

That being said, I never came away thinking Kelly had some amazing, strong arm. I'd bet he was above average at least, but I would not have assumed that he would be among the strongest in NFL history. But, I could be wrong.

[Southern_Bills]

On 5/27/2021 at 5:03 PM, transient said:

Just started to watch, but had to comment. It's a shame Vick wasn't a better QB... or human being for that matter... because it was always fun to watch him zing a football 60 yds on a rope with the flick of his wrist.

 

I still attest if you can make pro bowls in the NFL without opening a playback you could have been the best ever. You just sucked at being a decent human and employee. 

[MJS]

3 hours ago, Southern_Bills said:

I still attest if you can make pro bowls in the NFL without opening a playback you could have been the best ever. You just sucked at being a decent human and employee. 

Hall of famers are usually supremely gifted athletically and physically AND are super hard working. There are plenty of physical and athletic freaks who could be great but don't put in the work, as well as those players who work extremely hard but don't have the physical gifts.

[1ManRaid]

Brady doesn't belong anywhere near a strongest arms in history list.  He looked like he had to put every ounce of strength he had into his deep throws.

 

From an objective standpoint, the list needs JaMarcus Russell and Jay Cutler.

[Don Otreply]

On 5/27/2021 at 10:44 PM, Klaista2k said:

Allen has a strong arm but rarely takes advantage of it.

 

Very disappointing. 

This post right here is yelling out a high level of confusion,

 

Go Bills!!!

Edited May 30, 2021 by Don Otreply

[Klaista2k]

29 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

This post right here is yelling out a high level of confusion,

 

Go Bills!!!

Allen doesn't take advantage of his arm strength so not sure what you mean? 

[Ya Digg?]

1 hour ago, Klaista2k said:

Allen doesn't take advantage of his arm strength so not sure what you mean? 

There have been plenty of times the only reason a ball was completed was because of Allen’s arm strength. The touchdowns to Davis in both the Pittsburgh and Miami games. The lasers he throws into spaces that best cover 2 that shouldn’t ever beat a cover 2. The Jacksonville touchdown his first year. The touchdown to Yeldon in the Titans game.
 

The problem isn’t he doesn’t try to use his arm strength, his problem was he had no touch in his passes before last season 

[Dr.Sack]

11 hours ago, MJS said:

Arm strength is what allows you to get the ball in those windows, though. Obviously it isn't the most important thing for a QB, but when you have it, it helps.

Arm strength imho = speed of the ball. Fitzpatrick can throw the ball decent speed. Tyrod too. I think the ability to grip the ball and sling it from multiple angles helps. 

[Chicken Boo]

On 5/27/2021 at 8:08 PM, BuffaloBill said:

After I watched Matthew Stanford I had to think what a waste of talent. The guy never had a real team around him.

 

The 2014 Lions team was a good one.

[DCofNC]

On 5/27/2021 at 6:23 PM, MJS said:

Vick had a heck of an arm. He really should be in the conversation for strongest arms in NFL history. He just wasn't accurate enough, and my guess is he wasn't great at reading defenses. He obviously bailed the pocket a lot to run. He also lacked touch. Great athlete with a big arm, though.

Later in his career, with Philly, he really developed.  If he had been that good of a QB with Atlanta, instead of just being an athlete, he would have gone down as an all time great, instead, he is what he is.

[blacklabel]

Yeah, Josh Allen has a strong arm but did you know his arm is also arrogant?! The horror! The unmitigated gall! Dumbest GD poop I've ever read. 

[MJS]

1 hour ago, blacklabel said:

Yeah, Josh Allen has a strong arm but did you know his arm is also arrogant?! The horror! The unmitigated gall! Dumbest GD poop I've ever read. 

Oh man, they need to make a video of the most arrogant arms in NFL history. Allen would be right on top of that list.

Edited June 2, 2021 by MJS

[TheFunPolice]

A strong arm isn't just about those long throws, although they are fun to watch.

 

Velocity is also about getting the ball from your hand to the WR as close to immediately as possible once you make the decision to throw. Windows close fast in the NFL. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Josh number one/thread