In an age of smash-mouth football,
Norm Van Brocklin passed for 554 yards in one game in 1951 - a record that has stood for 58 years and counting. The record is an historical anomaly that simply has no equal. To put the record into proper historical perspective, consider that only ONE team averaged 200 yards per game passing in 1951 - the Browns at 213 yards per game. Over the years, it has withstood the aerial assaults of Unitas, Tarkenton, Fouts, Marino, Manning, Brady, Brees and others. Likewise, it has held its own despite numerous passing innovations - the advent of the shotgun formation in 1960, the move to three WR sets, the original West Coast offense, the "Walsh" west coast offense, the run and shoot, the spread, etc.
While this record may indeed get broken one day, the fact it was recorded before the advent of the modern passing game and STILL survived all these years is a testament to the greatness of Van Brocklin's feat.
I'll disagree.For starters, those Rams teams were so much more advanced offensively than any other team besides Brown's Browns; I don't think NVB was at a disadvantage in the era. The year before, they set the record (still standing) for points per game in a season. The Rams were also freakishly loaded with talent; Elroy Hirsch, Tom Fears, Dan Towler, Tank Younger and **** Hoerner were all playing in their relative primes.
More importantly, they were playing the historically awful New York Yanks. No defense today compares to that talent-depleted squad.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=1669
Interesting read, thanks.Chase, keep in mind that HOFer Bob Waterfield played in the same offense and never sniffed those sorts of single game stats. So you cant make really make an argument that Van Brocklin's stats are overblown, or alternatively, that anyone could have put up such lofty numbers for those Rams teams against a poor opponent - because the Rams actually had TWO HOF QB's on that very squad!
All total, only nine QBs have thrown for 500 yards in a game in the last 90 years - Van Brocklin and YA Tittle were the only QB's pre-1980 to reach that mark.
9/28/1951 Norm Van Brocklin STL 54 NYY 14 - 554 yards
10/28/1962 Y.A. Tittle NYG 49 WSH 34 - 505 yards
12/26/1982 Vince Ferragamo STL 26 CHI 34 - 509 yards
10/13/1985 Phil Simms NYG 30 CIN 35 - 513 yards
10/23/1988 Dan Marino MIA 30 NYJ 44 - 521 yards
12/16/1990 Warren Moon TEN 27 KCC 10 527 yards
11/10/1996 Boomer Esiason ARZ 37 WSH 34 - 522 yards
11/5/2000 Elvis Grbac KCC 31 OAK 49 - 504 yards
11/19/2006 Drew Brees NOS 16 CIN 31 - 510 yards