Bert Jones - NFL

NFL

In 1973, Jones was chosen in the first round (2nd overall) of the NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts to be the Colts' heir apparent to Johnny Unitas, who was later traded to San Diego. His debut came on September 16, 1973 in a loss to the Cleveland Browns. During his eight-year tenure as the Colts' starting QB, Jones and his teammates enjoyed three consecutive AFC East division titles (1975–77). But in each of those years, the Colts lost in the first round of the playoffs. The 1977 playoff game (known as Ghost to the Post) is famous as the 4th longest game in NFL history; the Colts fell to the Oakland Raiders, 37-31. The Colts' fortunes seemed to rise and fall with Jones; he missed most of 1978 and 1979 with a shoulder injury, and the Colts fell to last place in the AFC East those two seasons.

The 1976 regular season was Bert Jones's finest as a professional: he threw for 3,104 yards and a career-high 24 touchdowns, compiling a passer rating of 102.5. He was one of only three quarterbacks to achieve a 100+ passer rating during the entire decade of the 1970s, joining Dallas' Roger Staubach (1971) and Oakland's Ken Stabler (1976). Jones was thus honored by the Associated Press as 1976's NFL Most Valuable Player and NFL Offensive Player of the Year, selected All-Pro and named to the Pro Bowl team. He was also selected 2nd Team All-Pro following the 1977 season. During an October 26, 1980 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Jones made NFL history when he was sacked a record 12 times. This broke the record at the time held by many quarterbacks, including Jones' then back-up, Greg Landry, who had been sacked 11 times while he was a member of the Detroit Lions in a game against the Dallas Cowboys on October 6, 1975.

In 1982, his final season, he played in only four games for the Los Angeles Rams before a neck injury (OPLL) forced him to retire.

In 1990, Jones participated in the first NFL QB challenge. He finished first in the retiree category and third in the regular competition. (The regular competition taking the top three finishers from the alumni competition and adding them to the regular field of current QBs.) Given his strong performance, Bobby Beathard, then the GM of the Chargers, wanted Jones to come out of retirement, but Bert was 39 at the time and chose not to try a comeback.

The widely respected scout Ernie Accorsi is quoted as saying that if Bert Jones had played under different circumstances, he probably would have been the greatest player ever. John Riggins has been quoted as saying Bert was the toughest competitor he has ever witnessed. On the eve of Super Bowl XLII New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, in discussing his choices for the greatest quarterbacks of all time, described Jones as the best "pure passer" he ever saw.