AFL's Silver Anniversary Committee in need of history and math lessons
Andy Lopusnak
Monday May 14, 2012
Apparently, math was the worst subject in school for members of the Arena Football League's Silver Anniversary Committee (they didn't do much better in history either). This select group was tasked with compiling top 25 lists of all sorts of things relating to the league's 25th anniversary season. As evident in the committee's lists of the top 25 quarterbacks and players all-time, a refresher in math and a touch-up class in history are in great need. The teacher is in.
Last month, the league announced the top 25 quarterbacks in league history. For the most part, the list is pretty spot on. The top five QBs listed are indeed the top five in league annuals; just the order was a bit funky when you look at the careers of the top three. Their list went as such: (Sherdrick Bonner, Jay Gruden, Mark Grieb, Aaron Garcia and Clint Dolezel). More on this later, but first the math lesson.
Two weeks ago, the league announced that Mark Grieb was the 18th greatest player in league history and this week Kurt Warner was number 16. However, on the top QBs list, Warner was number six and Grieb was number three. To make your head explode even more, Ben Bennett, who is listed as the 23rd greatest player ranks as the eighth best QB (looks like #7 Mike Pawlawski's going to be screwed in the process). Something isn't adding up. How can you be the sixth greatest QB, but be a greater player than the #3 greatest QB?
Warner never won an ArenaBowl. Yes, post AFL he was the posterboy for the league and in a few years will have his bust in Canton. Nevertheless, as an AFL player he was nothing close to Mark Grieb, who is a two-time ArenaBowl MVP and holds league career marks in passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt for anyone with at least 2,000 pass attempts (for the slow, that means NO ONE is better than him in those categories). I'm sure the committee will invalidate the 25 QB list again since four of the top five QBs haven't been announced in the 25 greatest players. Knowing this league and this committee, there's bound to be more inconsistencies.
Now back to the top quarterbacks.
Bonner was a great QB in this league no doubt. However, to put him above Jay Gruden is ridiculous. Gruden was under center for four ArenaBowls and won all of them. Bonner also played in four ArenaBowls but came out victorious just once. When it all comes down to it, the bling is the most important thing and Gruden was by far the best. The AFL's press release mentions that Bonner led the Rattlers to two ArenaBowl titles and five ArenaBowl appearances, but in 1997 he broke his leg late in the fourth quarter of the semifinals against Tampa Bay. Donnie Davis led the Rattlers to victory over the Storm and then was ArenaBowl MVP nine days later. It's funny how the league also stated in the same release about Gruden, "few men have more accolades in Arena Football." I guess being the greatest QB apparently isn't one of them.
The NFL figured that out in its 100 greatest players list and had Joe Montana number one (among QBs). If you only looked at the regular season, Montana might not make the top ten all-time, but when it mattered most (in the Super Bowl), there was no one better. Same goes for Gruden. I'm just so disappointed in the Silver Anniversary Committee. There must be a lot of former/current Arizona Rattlers personnel on it to put Bonner ahead of him or they just don't know the history of this league.
In fact, if you look side-by-side against #3 Mark Grieb, Bonner shouldn't be ahead of him. As mentioned earlier, Grieb is the BEST in league history in passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt. In fewer games played and passes attempted, Grieb has more yards, more touchdowns and more wins than Bonner. If the league kept better game-by-game records, I'm pretty sure that Grieb would have the best win percentage of any QB in league history. Oh, and he's won more ArenaBowls than Bonner, including a head-to-head matchup in ArenaBowl XVIII where Bonner had a chance to win it at the end but threw an incompletion.
Here's a look at Grieb and Bonner side-by-side. Grieb's thrown for over 2,650 more yards with nearly 300 more completions and 13 more touchdowns in eight fewer pass attempts than Bonner.
|
BONNER
|
REGULAR SEASON
|
GRIEB
|
|
3,350
|
Completions
|
3,634
|
|
5,432
|
Attempts
|
5,424
|
|
61.7
|
Completion Pct
|
67.0
|
|
7.8
|
Yards Per Attempt
|
8.3
|
|
42,246
|
Yards
|
44,905
|
|
855
|
Touchdowns
|
868
|
|
124
|
Interceptions
|
129
|
|
115.7
|
Passer Rating
|
122.1
|
When you look at the numbers in the ArenaBowl, it's night and day. Grieb won his two ArenaBowls by an average of 14.5 and lost his lone title game by three points. Bonner won his only ArenaBowl by five points and lost the other three games by an average of 19.7.
|
BONNER
|
ARENABOWL
|
GRIEB
|
|
4
|
Games Played
|
3
|
|
1
|
Won
|
2
|
|
81
|
Completions
|
78
|
|
143
|
Attempts
|
106
|
|
56.7
|
Completion Pct
|
73.6
|
|
6.8
|
Yards Per Attempt
|
8.0
|
|
970
|
Yards
|
845
|
|
13
|
Touchdowns
|
20
|
|
9.1
|
TD Pct
|
18.9
|
|
4
|
Interceptions
|
1
|
|
88.62
|
Passer Rating
|
132.27
|
Now let's take a look at Bonner's greatest season statistically. In 2003, he posted career bests in completion percentage (67.1), touchdown passes (89) and passer rating (126.51). His 3,696 yards were his fourth most in his 15-year career. Grieb's career completion percentage is 67.0 and he's been over Bonner's best six times. He's posted three seasons with over 90 touchdown passes and is on pace to extend his AFL record with his seventh straight 4,000-yard passing season (no one's ever had seven overall 4K season let alone doing it seven straight seasons). Grieb topped 126.51 twice and has more seasons with a rating over 120 than anyone in league history.
This takes nothing away from a brilliant career by Bonner, who will easily be elected into the AFL's Hall of Fame this year (his first year of eligibility). He just needs to sit at #3 on the list not at the top. Or second for that matter.
Class dismissed (for now).
Andy Lopusnak is an 11-year AFL front office veteran, spending time with the Tampa Bay Storm, San Diego Riptide and Grand Rapids Rampage. He works as a statistician for NFL and college sports for CBS Sports and is a freelance photographer. Lopusnak received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of South Florida and has been a fan of ArenaBall since its inception.
