Kenny Stabler's Still the Greatest Raiders' Quarterback of All-Time

Today, Derek Carr passed Kenny Stabler as the Raiders' all-time passing leader. In the second quarter of today's game against the Chiefs, he completed a pass for a 16-yard gain, which gave him 19,079 career passing yards, putting him past Raiders' legend Kenny Stabler. That's great for Carr, but does anyone seriously believe that he's accomplished more than Kenny Stabler? I hope not. Stabler played for the Raiders from 1971-1979, winning a Super Bowl along the way (1976/77). Carr hasn't come close (not yet, at least). Carr, in fact, has only played 5 full seasons for the Raiders, but somehow he's already surpassed Stabler in total passing yards. What's up?

What's up is how much the game has changed over the years. Rule changes in recent years have helped open up the passing game. For example, in 1978 the NFL freed up receivers by restricting contact beyond 5 yards downfield. At the same time, it permitted offensive linemen to extend their arms and open their hands on pass plays. To give a sense of the impact of the changes, consider that in 1977 the average number of passing yards per game equaled approximately 284 yards per game. By 1980, it climbed to 392! And more changes were implemented in 1994 that helped the passing game (Hail Mary: How 1994’s pass-friendly rule changes saved a moribund league and created the modern NFL).

All of this simply highlights why, in my opinion, it's hard, if not impossible, to compare players across eras. Derek Carr's been good. I'm a fan. But he's not as great as Kenny Stabler (at least not yet).