Cam Newton and the 10 Most Impressive Rookie QB Campaigns in NFL History

Having quarterbacks step in and start as rookies doesn’t happen all that often, although the 2011 season may be changing the way things are done in the NFL.

Cam Newton is starting for the Panthers, Andy Dalton leads the Bengals, Blaine Gabbert has stepped in for the Jaguars and Christian Ponder moved ahead of Donovan McNabb for the Vikings.

Newton in particular is having a standout rookie season. On Sunday he set the all-time record with 13 rushing touchdowns for the season; not bad considering he also came in today with a dozen TDs through the air.

He clearly is having one of the best seasons ever for a rookie quarterback, and he will fit in anyone’s list of the top 10 rookie quarterbacks.

Here’s our list of the nine guys Newton will be joining.

9. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (2008)

The Atlanta quarterback in 2008 was supposed to be Michael Vick, but his legal troubles took him out of the equation and gave Ryan, a Boston College product, a chance.

Ryan got 16 starts, and the Falcons won 11 of those. He completed 61.1 percent of his passes, threw for 3,440 yards and 16 touchdowns.

His quarterback rating of 87.7 just scratches the surface of the kind of debut Ryan had.

8. Bob Griese, Miami Dolphins (1967)

The Dolphins were just a year out of expansion when Griese, a Purdue product, arrived and took over the reins.

Miami was still a troubled team, as evidenced by the Dolphins' 3-7 record in Griese’s 10 starts in the 12-game season. But Griese threw for 2,005 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.

That was good enough to get him a Pro Bowl selection.

7. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (1998)

Former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning took every snap from scrimmage for the Indianapolis offense as a rookie, although early in the year it seemed like that wasn't in the cards.

Manning threw 11 interceptions in his first four games, and he seemed a little overmatched.

He wasn’t.

Manning grew into the job and wound up as a throwing machine, leading the league in pass attempts (575) and completions (326)—not to mention yards (3,739).

6. Joe Namath, New York Jets (1965)

One of the most highly paid rookies in sports history to that point thanks to the AFL-NFL war, Namath came out of Alabama with the reputation of being a gunslinger, and he did nothing to dim expectations.

Namath went on to win a couple of AFL Rookie of the Year yards and was named to the AFL All-Star team.

To earn those accolades, he moved into the Jets' starting lineup the third game of the season, and went on to throw for 2,220 yards with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

5. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams (2010)

The Rams were coming off a 1-15 season when they put all their hopes on Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.

To say he didn’t disappoint would be a monster understatement.

Bradford was supposed to begin the season as a backup, but he wound up starting all 16 games for St. Louis, as the Rams went 7-9 and were in contention for the NFL West title going into the final weekend of the season.

For his part, Bradford threw for 3,512 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, also completing 60 percent of his passes.

4. Rick Mirer, Seattle Seahawks (1993)

His career didn’t pan out the way he’d hoped, but the former Notre Dame quarterback turned a hopeless Seattle team from a joke to a threat.

The 1992 Seahawks averaged less than one touchdown per game as easily the worst offense in the NFL.

With Mirer starting all 16 games, the Seahawks improved from 2-14 to 6-10.

Mirer, a strong runner who carried the ball for 344 yards, set rookie passing records with 274 completions, 486 attempts and 2,833 yards. He threw for a dozen touchdowns and ran for three more.

3. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (2004)

You could make a case that Roethlisberger, who came out of Miami University, had the biggest impact on his team as a rookie as any quarterback on this list.

The Steelers won six games in 2003.

In the three games Roethlisberger didn't start, the Steelers were 2-1; in the games he did start, Pittsburgh went 13-0.

Roethlisberger quickly became a fan favorite by throwing for 2,621 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 8.9 yards per attempt.

2. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins (1983)

It took Marino, Miami’s top pick out of Pittsburgh, almost half a season to get a start. He was on the bench until Week 6, but when he moved into the lineup, he dominated.

Marino started with 322 yards and three touchdowns in his first start, and wound up throwing for 2,210 yards and 20 touchdowns against just six interceptions.

Not only did he lead the Dolphins to seven wins in nine starts and a spot in the playoffs but Marino became the first rookie to lead an NFL conference in passing.

Along the way, he set a rookie record with a 96 passer rating and got a start in the Pro Bowl.

1. Greg Cook, Cincinnati Bengals (1969)

It's quite possible that no quarterback has ever debuted with more going for him than Greg Cook.

He was already beloved locally when the Bengals took him with their first pick, having played his college ball for the University of Cincinnati.

And he had Bill Walsh as his coach, who would go on to create offenses that would make quarterbacks stars.

With Cook starting the Bengals went 3-0, but he missed three starts (all losses) with a shoulder injury, then came back while still hurting and threw for 1,854 yards and 15 touchdowns. He led the league in completion percentage (53.8), yards per completion (17.5) and still holds the rookie record for average yards per attempt at 9.41.

Cook's QB rating of 88 is second among rookies only to Dan Marino's, and he was the AFL Rookie of the Year.