Len Dawson
Kansas City Chiefs
Pressure is something Lenny Dawson thrives on. He is, as much as anybody
in professional football, Mr. Cool. He doesn't rattle. He keeps his
head. And the greatest thing he has going for him is his poise.
"There are quarterbacks with stronger arms," notes the scouting report.
"There are quarterbacks who are taller. There are quarterbacks that have
more quickness. But there are no quarterbacks that display more
leadership, more poise or more competitiveness than he does. He makes
things happen."
Dawson is not a leader by talk, not a holler guy. He is a leader who is
firm and leads by example. Extremely smart, he calls most of the shots
in Hank Stram's very complicated offensive pattern.
At 6-0, 190, Dawson is not big for a quarterback and his arm is not
especially strong but it is extremely accurate. Over ten years, he will
hit 56 percent of his passes and, perhaps, only Sonny Jurgensen is more
accurate, if anybody is.
A
great asset to Lenny is that he knows what he can do. "He is aware of
his shortcomings," said the report. "And he minimizes doing anything
that he doesn't know he can do. He stays within his capabilities as well
as anybody in the game."
Dawson has great faith in his accuracy for obvious reasons. He will not
throw long often and does not have the arm to throw long often but when
he does he's usually on target.
"He's the most accurate passer in pro football," said his coach, Hank
Stram.
"He will not throw unless he thinks he can get a completion," said rival
quarterback Daryle Lamonica.
Blessed with good surroundings, excellent offensive line and excellent
receivers. Throws mostly from a "moving pocket" where linemen roll out
to block as he rolls out to throw.
"In my opinion," said one observer, "the moving pocket is used because
he has to roll right to throw because he doesn't have a strong enough
arm. He can't drop straight back and throw a 25-30 yard sideline cut."
Dawson understands his multiple formation offense and uses it to the
ultimate. He will "definitely" establish the running game and he mixes
in his passing very well.
Very often Dawson will repeat a play whether it is successful or not.
Say, he might lose three yards on a draw but he'll come right back with
the same play. He apparently figures his team will execute the play
better or that it'll be against a different defense. The same is true of
pass patterns. He might be intercepted on a certain pattern but the next
time Kansas City gets the ball he'll come right back with the identical
pattern.
Dawson definitely is a winner. He worked for years to get on top. He got
there because he deserved it with his poise and dedication.
