When you woke up this morning and realized it was Valentine’s Day, hopefully you weren’t in a panic about getting that special gift for your significant other. And if you woke up this morning with the awareness that you’re going to have a baby today… well, depending on all kinds of circumstances, you might be unleashing a highly prolific NFL quarterback on the world in the next 20 years or so. Per Chase Stuart of Football Perspective, the odds favor you and your progeny.
Three of the best quarterbacks of all time from a statistical perspective — Jim Kelly, Steve McNair, and Drew Bledsoe — were all born on February 14, and former Jaguars quarterback David Garrard also shares the birthdate. As Stuart points out, Valentine’s day is the only date of birth for four different quarterbacks who have thrown for over 16,000 yards — Garrard brings up the rear at 16,003. No other date of birth has four quarterbacks with even 7,500 yards between them.
The totals for quarterbacks born on Valentine’s Day, when you pack in Patrick Ramsey and a handful of other guys (including Jared Lorenzen, the “Hefty Lefty,” and former Dolphins quarterback/halfback/punter Larry Seiple)?
How about 11,723 completions in 19,916 attempts for 137,342 yards, 808 touchdowns, and 615 interceptions? That’s a lot of numbers.
If there’s a Fredo Corleone on the Valentine’s Day list, it’s unquestionably Christian Hackenberg, the former Jets second-round pick who never threw a regular-season pass, washed out of the NFL completely, and was last seen swearing his way out of the Alliance of American Football, and trying to become a major league pitcher.
But hey…. it’s a day of love, so let’s accentuate the positive. Are there future February 14th birthday kids with bright NFL futures? Don’t bet against it.