11. Ken Anderson

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11. Ken Anderson
Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense is very popular now, but despite the geographic name, it was actually executed first in Cincinnati by Ken Anderson.

Ken Anderson was a lifetime Bengal who set passing records for the franchise.  He was incredibly accurate and mastered the short yardage pass.  On four occasions he led the league in Quarterback Rating and in 1982 he set a season record (which he still holds) with a 70.6 highest completion percentage.  He did make it to the Super Bowl and though his Bengals lost he was still brilliant in defeat.

Anderson had the misfortune of playing at a time of flashy quarterbacks and despite his skills, he did not receive his due.  As he has only been a finalist twice this remains to be the case.  Considering that Anderson did not have the weapons that the bigger name QBs of his era had, his stats are actually more impressive than at first glance.

Should Ken Anderson be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! - 85.7%
Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 6.8%
Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 4.7%
No opinion. - 0.5%
No way! - 2.3%

The Bullet Points

  • Country of Origin: Batavia, Illinois, U.S.A.
  • Eligible Since: Monday, 01 January 1990
  • Position: Quarterback
  • Games Played: 192
  • Notable Statistics: 2,654 Pass Completions
    4,475 Pass Atempts
    32,838 Passing Yards
    59.3 Pass Completion Percentage
    197 Touchdown Passes
    160 Interceptions
    81.9 Passer Rating
    397 Rushing Attempts
    2,220 Rushing Yards
    20 Rushing Touchdowns
    160 Approximate Value

    6 Playoff Games
    110 Pass Completions
    166 Pass Atempts
    1,321 Passing Yards
    66.3 Pass Completion Percentage
    9 Touchdown Passes
    6 Interceptions
    93.5 Passer Rating
    19 Rushing Attempts
    112 Rushing Yards
    1 Rushing Touchdown
  • Played For: Cincinnati Bengals
  • College: Augustana
  • Drafted: 3rd Round, 67th Overall in 1971
  • Major Accolades and Awards: AP MVP (1) (1981)
    Bert Bell Award (1) (1981)
    PFWA MVP (1) (1981)
    NEA MVP (1) (1981)
    NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1) (1981)
    Walter Payton Man of the Year (1975)
    NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1) (1981)
    First Team All-Pro Selection (1) (1981)
    Second Team All-Pro Selection (2) (1974 & 1975)
    Pro Bowl Selections (4) (1975, 1976, 1981 &, 1982)
    Most Pass Completions (2) (1974 & 1982)
    Most Passing Yards (2) (1974 & 1975)
    Most Passing Yards per Game (1) (1974)
    Highest Passer Rating (4) (1974, 1975, 1981 & 1982)
    Highest Yards per Passing Attempt (2) (1974 & 1975)
    Most Completions per Game (1) (1982)
    Highest Pass Completion Percentage (3) (1974, 1982 & 1983)
    Super Bowl Rings (None)
  • Other Points of Note: Top Ten Finishes: Appoximate Value (4) (1974, 1975, 1981 & 1982)
    Top Ten Finishes: Passes Completed (8) (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981 & 1982)
    Top Ten Finishes: Passes Attempted (7) (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981 & 1982)
    Top Ten Finishes: Passing Yards (7) (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981 & 1982)
    Top Ten Finishes: Passing Touchdowns (5) (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 & 1981)
    Top Ten Finishes: Passer Rating (9) (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981 & 1982)
    Top Ten Finishes: Passing Yards per Game (7) (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981 & 1982)
    Top Ten Finishes: Yards per Pass Attempt (7) (1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983 & 1984)
    Top Ten Finishes: Yards per Pass Completion (3) (1973, 1975 & 1976)
    Top Ten Finishes: Pass Completions per Game (8) (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981 & 1982)
    Top Ten Finishes: Pass Completion Percentage (9) (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 & 1984)
  • Notable All Time Rankings: 42.  Passing Yards: 32,838
    44.  Passes Attempted: 4,475
    45.  Approximate Value: 161
    46.  Yards per Pass Attempt: 7.3
    47.  Passes Completed: 2,654
    50.  Touchdown Passes: 197
    66.  Passer Rating: 81.9
    72.  Pass Completion Percentage: 59.3
    73.  Yards per Pass Completion: 12.4
  • Years Nominated for the Hall of Fame: Finalist: 1996 & 1998

Should Ken Anderson be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! - 85.7%
Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 6.8%
Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 4.7%
No opinion. - 0.5%
No way! - 2.3%
Last modified on Monday, 07 March 2022 22:03
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Comments   

+3 #5 wolfram ajax 2019-06-19 16:20
Quoting jimmy26:
The way I look at ken Anderson is that he was a very good quarterback on very solid teams


Please share with me how many other probowl players were on any of his teams over his career. Ken had the least amount of help and had to play 2 times a year against the Steel Curtain at the height of their dominance and Ken did all of his work during the NFL's dead ball era. His numbers are amazing and unfortunatel y too many people are just casual observers that get to vote.
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0 #4 cka2nd . 2015-08-09 17:41
jimmy26, none of the quarterbacks that you named have a better case than Anderson to be in the Hall. Stabler and Anderson are about even (see my response to Mr. Vercelli). Simms and Theismann only made two Pro Bowls and Plunkett none. Super Bowl championship s only go so far and I don't think Simms, Theismann or Plunkett are even close to Hall status.
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+4 #3 cka2nd . 2015-08-09 17:37
Mr. Vercelli, no, Anderson wasn't the "only reason" the Bengals went to the playoffs four times. The 1975 and 1876 teams had Top 10 defenses, very good offensive lines and Isaac Curtis. The 1981 and 1982 teams had Pete Johnson, Chris Collinsworh, Dan Ross and very good OL's anchored by Anthony Munoz. To me, Anderson and Ken Stabler are both borderline cases. Four Pro Bowls and one First Team All-Star team apiece, Anderson with the longevity and overall better stats, Stabler with the playoff performances and Super Bowl ring. I will say that I think they were both better than Troy Aikman.
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+4 #2 Steve Vercelli 2015-06-15 22:54
A travesty that Anderson is not in the HOF. THE most underrated in history. Because he doesn't have a "ring" (like Tarkenton, Kelly, Fouts, Moon and others), he WAS the ONLY reason why the Bengals went to the playoffs 4 times. Griselda, Bradshaw, Montana, Aikman were surrounded by HOF members on both sides of the ball. Anderson had Anthony Munoz.
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-8 #1 jimmy26 -0001-11-30 00:00
The way I look at ken Anderson is that he was a very good quarterback on very solid teams that could not get over the hump. I think there are two or three more deserving quarterbacks (Stabler, Theisman, Simms n mayb even Plunkett) that deserve recogntion before he goes in. With that in mind I cannot put him this high on the list!
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