Another interesting question came in from Dana in Missouri. Dana comments that the longest pass thrown by a quarterback last year was a 91 yard pass thrown by Jon Kitna. She would like to know who threw the shortest pass that ended up being the longest pass of the year.

The simple answer is George Corbett who threw a 36 yard pass in 1932 that ended up being the longest pass thrown that year. Corbett only started one game that year for the Chicago Bears but evidently made the most of it. We all know that during those early days of the NFL there wasn’t much emphasis put on passing, so we’ll explore it a little deeper.

The shortest pass that ended up being the longest pass of the year since 1950 was thrown 79 yards by Babe Parilli in 1967 for the Boston Patriots.

The shortest pass that ended up being the longest pass of the year since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 was thrown 84 yard by Greg Landry of the Detroit Lions in 1973.

Thanks Dana!

Here is an interesting one that came in via email. Jake in Texas asked who the most successful quarterback of all the players that were taken as the last quarterback in the NFL draft. That is a tough one, and one that we haven’t really looked into before. But, here we go.

There isn’t much to choose from among the quarterbacks that were the last selected at their position through the years. Few even measure up to the likes of Moses Moreno and Ken Dorsey, the last quarterbacks taken in the 1998 and 2003 NFL Drafts respectively. But two players stand out above all the others:

Runner Up:
Drafted out of the University of Northern Colorado in 1978 with the 333rd pick in the 12th round, he even made the Pro Bowl one year (1983). Originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins, he only set foot on the field for one team during his whole career: the Kansas City Chiefs. We are talking about longtime Chiefs’ favorite, Bill Kenney.

The Best:
Most people don’t think of the Indiana University as a training ground for NFL quarterbacks, in fact most don’t think of it as a training ground for NFL players, but the best NFL quarterback ever that was selected as the last player at his position in the NFL Draft was in fact a Hoosier. He is a two-time Pro Bowler and still playing as of the end of the 2007 season. He’s played for five teams during his career, but was drafted in the 1993 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers who used their 8th round selection (the 222nd overall) on quarterback Trent Green.

Thanks again for the great question, Jake!

We can’t answer every question we get, but “John” sent us a good one:

“Question, What did McMahon and Payton write on their white headbands? I know that Rozelle was one and Pluto was on another. Were there any other ones?”

It all started when Bears quarterback Jim McMahon was shown on television while on the sidelines wearing his Adidas headband. Commissioner Pete Rozelle immediately fined McMahon and issued a written statement reminding him that NFL players were not allowed to wear anything on the field or sidelines displaying a non-approved corporate logo. McMahon responded by wearing the famous white headband with the word “Rozelle” lettered on it. Rozelle was immensely entertained by this, but let McMahon know that his fine would stand. McMahon would then go on later in the year to wear a headband stating “JDF Cure” (for Juvenile Diabetes Fund), then one saying “POW-MIA”, and finally one with the word “Pluto” on it (the nickname of a friend’s child who suffered from Juvenile Diabetes. This was McMahon’s way of daring the NFL to fine him for wearing a charitable organization’s slogan, which of course they didn’t do as it would’ve been a publicity nightmare.

Great question, John!