1-25-2024 4:20am

EARL & LAMAR: MVP

Lamar Jackson is on the short list of MVP and best offenses the same year, which includes John Unitas(also from Louisville, like Lamar) fill-in Earl Morrall. He is also a 3-time Super Bowl champion (V, VII, VIII) and played 21 seasons, both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as one of the greatest backup quarterbacks in NFL history, having served in the capacity for two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Johnny Unitas and Bob Griese.

He is most known for helping the Baltimore Colts win Super Bowl V and the Miami Dolphins complete the only perfect season in NFL history, having come off the bench when Griese became injured early in the year.

During the 1968 Baltimore Colts season, Morrall turned in the best performance of his career. As the replacement for an injured Johnny Unitas (who had won league MVP the previous season), the veteran quarterback guided the Colts to 13-1 record, passed for 2,909 yards and a NFL-high 26 touchdown passes, all of which earned him league Most Valuable Player honors.

The team won the NFL Championship in a shutout victory but were upset in Super Bowl III against the New York Jets, where Morrall was taken out late for Unitas. Morrall had a chance to redeem his past woes with Super Bowl V. With the Colts trailing 13–6 in the second quarter, he was tasked to step in for Unitas, who was knocked out of the game on a rib injury.

He would go 7-of-15 while throwing an interception with 147 yards. However, a series of turnovers and luck (Craig Morton, his counterpart, went 12-of-26 with 127 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, with the last two resulting in eventual Colt points) resulted in the Colts managing to keep themselves in the game, and Jim O'Brien would kick a field goal from 32 yards out to give the Colts a 16–13 victory.

His next chance at regular season starts was in 1971, as he started the first nine games of the 1971 season for the Colts (while appearing in one further game). He threw for 1,210 yards with seven touchdowns and twelve interceptions as the Colts went on to a 10–4 record with Unitas handling the duties for the playoffs.