Leading into Super Bowl XXII, Doug Williams was asked how long he'd been a black quarterback. Right there, the NFL should have canceled Super Bowl Media Day and never brought it back. It's a circus and always has been. You have players from two teams preparing for the biggest game of their careers and they have to deal with this idiocy. The biggest problem with Media Day is that everyone's invited. There was a member of the Danish press dressed as Waldo at this year's edition of Media Day. Another member of the media was dressed as Mozart. They had a super hero. I'm not sure which one. It doesn't really matter. It's a circus and I can't imagine a team dealing with it and preparing for a Super Bowl. I can't imagine Bill Belichick dealing with it five times as a head coach. His having done so is newsworthy right there. No real news comes out of Media Day. With around the clock coverage of the NFL and social media, there no mysteries out there. Those truly interested in the Super Bowl have been learning about the players, coaches, and teams all season. There's nothing more to ask. Maybe that's why we get so many stupid questions. Here's a few from Tuesday:
"How many cavities do you think Marshawn Lynch has?"
"Who on the team has the hottest wife?"
"Do you go with the seven-layer dip or the salsa for the tailgate party?"
"Are you single?"
I would not miss a thing if I never heard the answer to any of those gems.
How about this one:
"Is this a must-win football game?"
And the NFL mandates that every player has to provide an hour of their time for this sort of harassment.
Marshawn Lynch, never a fan of the media, gave the gathered horde six minutes. That's all that he could handle. I don't blame him at all. He's been fined by the NFL for not making himself available to the media all season. Six minutes from Marshawn Lynch is like a couple of days with other players. He did allow an entertaining interview with Deion Sanders. The Pro Football Writers of America weren't pleased with Lynch's six minutes.
"The PFWA, the official voice of pro football writers fighting and promoting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public, is extremely disappointed in the lack of meaningful access to Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch at the Super Bowl XLVIII media day on Tuesday," the PFWA said in a statement issued by president D. Orlando Ledbetter.
I wouldn't feel any more informed if Lynch provided a total of zero minutes to the media. D. Orlando Ledbetter is out of his mind if he thinks that more than six minutes with Marshawn Lynch is truly serving the public. The PFWA is not the bridge to the public that think that they are. Even when he was at Cal, I always preferred watching Lynch play football than answer stupid questions from reporters. Media Day is a waste of time. I wish that we could go back to the days when the championship game mattered most.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Throwback Thursday: Vikings Super Bowl Stumbles
Here we are with Super Bowl XLVIII. There's been 37 of these things since the Minnesota Vikings were last in one of them. They've come close a few times. For some reason, they get, oh so, close every eleven years. In 1987, Darrin Nelson was inches from a touchdown pass that might have forced overtime against the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship game. 1998 was supposed to be the year. Rookie receiver Randy Moss ignited the highest scoring offense in NFL history. The Vikings were 15-1 on the season and everyone's favorite to cruise to the Super Bowl. Gary Anderson missed his only field goal of the entire season in the NFC Championship game. A field goal that would have clinched the Vikings return to the Super Bowl. The Atlanta Falcons won in overtime. 2009 should have been the year when Brett Favre jump-started the passing game and led the team to the NFC Championship game in New Orleans. The Vikings dominated the game but a mind-numbing penalty and an errant Favre pass left the game tied after four quarters. Another overtime. The Vikings never saw the ball in that overtime and the New Orleans Saints went to the Super Bowl. There were other NFC Championship games in the 37 years but they were mostly disasters. 37 years is a long time to wait for a Super Bowl return and it's fairly likely that the wait will stretch, at least, a year or two more.
When I discovered the Minnesota Vikings it was a pretty common occurrence to see them in the Super Bowl. Almost to the point of it maybe being tiresome to some people. It happened enough that quarterback Fran Tarkenton could go on Saturday Night Live, talk about the Vikings return to another Super Bowl, and joke about their inevitable defeat. The Minnesota Vikings have been to four Super Bowls. They went to three in a span of four years. They were the Buffalo Bills before some of the Bills even thought of playing football. Super Bowl IV, VIII, IX, XI. If not for a Roger Staubach "Hail Mary" touchdown pass, Super Bowl X might have been theirs as well. Just getting to a Super Bowl is a pretty awesome accomplishment. Some players never even see that. Some truly great never even see that. Some have said that losing a Super Bowl is worse than not getting there. I'm not so sure about that but then I haven't been on the field for one. I do know that you have to be in the Super Bowl in order to win the Super Bowl. Watching the Minnesota Vikings play in a Super Bowl is a wonderful thing. Losing four of them brings about some very different feelings and a whole lot of questions. Those questions start with, "what went wrong?" The Vikings were a dominant team from 1969-76. The defense was one of the best in NFL history. When Tarkenton returned to the team in 1971, the offense started to catch up with the defense. The first thing that went wrong with the Vikings in those Super Bowls was that they played four truly great teams. In Super Bowl IV they faced the Kansas City Chiefs. This team was loaded, especially on defense. Quarterback Len Dawson, defensive linemen Buck Buchanan and Curley Culp, linebackers Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell, corner Emmitt Thomas, kicker Jan Stenerud, and coach Hank Stram are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Receiver Otis Taylor, tackle Jim Tyrer, and safety Johnny Robinson should be. In Super Bowl VIII they faced the Miami Dolphins. The next year they got a Pittsburgh Steelers team that was about to take over the decade. Two years later, it was the Oakland Raiders. The Steelers and Dolphins of the 1970s are among the best teams in league history. The Raiders aren't far behind. The Vikings didn't lose four title games to a bunch of slappies.
Besides facing a very strong opponent, there was another common thread through all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances. They didn't look ready to play the game. They certainly didn't look like the team that stormed through the regular season and dominated opponents in the playoffs. The 1969 Vikings team led the NFL in scoring as well as defense. This was a terrific football team yet they were dismantled by the Chiefs. They even defeated the Chiefs 27-10 in the first game of the 1970 season. That was too little too late as the Super Bowl is the only one that truly counts. The Vikings lost to the Chiefs 23-7, the Dolphins 24-7, the Steelers 16-6, and the Oakland Raiders 32-14. Judging by the final scores, Super Bowl IX against the Steelers was the closest that the Vikings came to pulling out a win. The score was actually 9-6 in the fourth quarter. Score-wise, this was a close game. The Vikings defense played fairly well but the offense did nothing but get in their own way. The Steelers defense got in their way as well. The Vikings only score came on a blocked punt. In all four of these championship games, the Vikings played nothing like the team that earned the right to play in them. Why? I think that a couple of things played a significant role. Both involved coach Bud Grant. He was a fantastic football coach. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, led the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to four Grey Cup titles, led the Vikings to four Super Bowls, 158 wins in the NFL, 290 wins in professional football. Great stuff. He was a stickler for routine. The team arrived at games at a certain time. The pregame routine was always the same. The Vikings even practiced standing at attention for the National Anthem. Everything was scripted. Everything was done the same for every game. The schedule was so important. The Super Bowl is the one game in which control of the team is completely taken away from the coach. It's even worse in today's constant media shitstorm. The routine that guided the Vikings through a terrific regular season and postseason was tossed aside for the Super Bowl. This may not seem like much but everyone has a little "creature of habit" in them. When a routine is thrown off maybe everything comes off of the rails a bit. Over the years I've heard some former Vikings players mention this as something that might have thrown them off for the big game. Another reason for the Vikings Super Bowl stumbles is based more on speculation than fact. In the NFL Films 30 minute highlight show for Super Bowl VIII, Don Shula talked of several adjustments that he and his coaches made to deal with the Vikings ferocious defensive line. I've heard Raiders offensive linemen Gene Upshaw and Art Shell talk of adjustments that they made in Super Bowl XI to deal with those same ferocious players. In both games, Alan Page, Carl Eller, and Jim Marshall were handled fairly completely. Larry Csonka ran wild for the Dolphins. Clarence Davis did the same for the Raiders. I've never heard of the Vikings making similar adjustments for the teams that they were about to face. The Vikings basically approached all four games intent on using what got them there. That tactic can work. It always seemed to work for Vince Lombardi and his Green Bay Packers. If you're not going to throw anything new at an opponent, you still have to be able to adjust when that opponent isn't cooperating. The Minnesota Vikings never did adjust in any of their Super Bowl opportunities.
The most frustrating thing about each of the Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl losses is that the team that played in those games wasn't the team that got there. Something happened. When the Vikings finally get back to that big game, I hope that history doesn't repeat itself.
When I discovered the Minnesota Vikings it was a pretty common occurrence to see them in the Super Bowl. Almost to the point of it maybe being tiresome to some people. It happened enough that quarterback Fran Tarkenton could go on Saturday Night Live, talk about the Vikings return to another Super Bowl, and joke about their inevitable defeat. The Minnesota Vikings have been to four Super Bowls. They went to three in a span of four years. They were the Buffalo Bills before some of the Bills even thought of playing football. Super Bowl IV, VIII, IX, XI. If not for a Roger Staubach "Hail Mary" touchdown pass, Super Bowl X might have been theirs as well. Just getting to a Super Bowl is a pretty awesome accomplishment. Some players never even see that. Some truly great never even see that. Some have said that losing a Super Bowl is worse than not getting there. I'm not so sure about that but then I haven't been on the field for one. I do know that you have to be in the Super Bowl in order to win the Super Bowl. Watching the Minnesota Vikings play in a Super Bowl is a wonderful thing. Losing four of them brings about some very different feelings and a whole lot of questions. Those questions start with, "what went wrong?" The Vikings were a dominant team from 1969-76. The defense was one of the best in NFL history. When Tarkenton returned to the team in 1971, the offense started to catch up with the defense. The first thing that went wrong with the Vikings in those Super Bowls was that they played four truly great teams. In Super Bowl IV they faced the Kansas City Chiefs. This team was loaded, especially on defense. Quarterback Len Dawson, defensive linemen Buck Buchanan and Curley Culp, linebackers Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell, corner Emmitt Thomas, kicker Jan Stenerud, and coach Hank Stram are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Receiver Otis Taylor, tackle Jim Tyrer, and safety Johnny Robinson should be. In Super Bowl VIII they faced the Miami Dolphins. The next year they got a Pittsburgh Steelers team that was about to take over the decade. Two years later, it was the Oakland Raiders. The Steelers and Dolphins of the 1970s are among the best teams in league history. The Raiders aren't far behind. The Vikings didn't lose four title games to a bunch of slappies.
Besides facing a very strong opponent, there was another common thread through all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances. They didn't look ready to play the game. They certainly didn't look like the team that stormed through the regular season and dominated opponents in the playoffs. The 1969 Vikings team led the NFL in scoring as well as defense. This was a terrific football team yet they were dismantled by the Chiefs. They even defeated the Chiefs 27-10 in the first game of the 1970 season. That was too little too late as the Super Bowl is the only one that truly counts. The Vikings lost to the Chiefs 23-7, the Dolphins 24-7, the Steelers 16-6, and the Oakland Raiders 32-14. Judging by the final scores, Super Bowl IX against the Steelers was the closest that the Vikings came to pulling out a win. The score was actually 9-6 in the fourth quarter. Score-wise, this was a close game. The Vikings defense played fairly well but the offense did nothing but get in their own way. The Steelers defense got in their way as well. The Vikings only score came on a blocked punt. In all four of these championship games, the Vikings played nothing like the team that earned the right to play in them. Why? I think that a couple of things played a significant role. Both involved coach Bud Grant. He was a fantastic football coach. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, led the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to four Grey Cup titles, led the Vikings to four Super Bowls, 158 wins in the NFL, 290 wins in professional football. Great stuff. He was a stickler for routine. The team arrived at games at a certain time. The pregame routine was always the same. The Vikings even practiced standing at attention for the National Anthem. Everything was scripted. Everything was done the same for every game. The schedule was so important. The Super Bowl is the one game in which control of the team is completely taken away from the coach. It's even worse in today's constant media shitstorm. The routine that guided the Vikings through a terrific regular season and postseason was tossed aside for the Super Bowl. This may not seem like much but everyone has a little "creature of habit" in them. When a routine is thrown off maybe everything comes off of the rails a bit. Over the years I've heard some former Vikings players mention this as something that might have thrown them off for the big game. Another reason for the Vikings Super Bowl stumbles is based more on speculation than fact. In the NFL Films 30 minute highlight show for Super Bowl VIII, Don Shula talked of several adjustments that he and his coaches made to deal with the Vikings ferocious defensive line. I've heard Raiders offensive linemen Gene Upshaw and Art Shell talk of adjustments that they made in Super Bowl XI to deal with those same ferocious players. In both games, Alan Page, Carl Eller, and Jim Marshall were handled fairly completely. Larry Csonka ran wild for the Dolphins. Clarence Davis did the same for the Raiders. I've never heard of the Vikings making similar adjustments for the teams that they were about to face. The Vikings basically approached all four games intent on using what got them there. That tactic can work. It always seemed to work for Vince Lombardi and his Green Bay Packers. If you're not going to throw anything new at an opponent, you still have to be able to adjust when that opponent isn't cooperating. The Minnesota Vikings never did adjust in any of their Super Bowl opportunities.
The most frustrating thing about each of the Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl losses is that the team that played in those games wasn't the team that got there. Something happened. When the Vikings finally get back to that big game, I hope that history doesn't repeat itself.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Another Concussion Lawsuit
I guess that former Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best missed the big concussion lawsuit that was in the news recently. Over 1,200 former NFL players were part of that lawsuit. They even had a settlement. Then they didn't. Then they debated some more. It's generated quite a bit of attention. Best must have missed all of that. He's brought his concussion lawsuit against the NFL. Maybe being the lone wolf will get him noticed more.
Jahvid Best filed suit against the league in Wayne County, Michigan alleging that the NFL was aware of the risks of head injuries suffered by players but didn't do enough to protect players from getting them. Best also named helmet manufacturer Riddell as a defendant in the suit. He's seeking unspecified "economic and noneconomic damages." The Detroit Lions are not part of the suit because Best has a separate workman's compensation claim pending against the team.
Best's history of concussions started while he was playing football at Cal. The most significant of his two noted concussions at Cal involved diving for a touchdown against Oregon St., being spun into the air to a height of about ten feet, and landing on his head on the Memorial Stadium turf. It was a pretty scary sight. The resulting concussion ended his Cal football career. Next stop, Detroit and the NFL. Best entered the NFL with a pretty significant concussion history. He has to accept some of the responsibility for continuing to play football. Despite the dollars of a first round contract, no one forced Jahvid Best to take his chances with the violence of the NFL.
I think that the NFL has done a horrible job of taking care of their former players. These are the players that formed the game that is a runaway hit today. The NFL Players Association has shown even less love for these players. The NFLPA really turned their back to their older brothers. I agreed with the big lawsuit simply because it is forcing everyone that's getting rich now to do what they should have been doing all along. I've never understood how the league could honor all of the former greats at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions in August and then ignore them until the next photo shoot. It was a joke. The NFL should have felt obligated to share the wealth from the moment that they started getting wealthy.
I also think that the players have to accept some of the responsibility for the injuries that they suffer while playing football. Jahvid Best said that the NFL was aware of the risks of head injuries. No shit. Everyone has been aware of the risk of head injuries in football. That's why there's been some form of a helmet in football for about a century. A recent poll of 320 NFL players showed that 85% would play in the Super Bowl with a concussion. The football players have to accept some of the responsibility.
Jahvid Best filed suit against the league in Wayne County, Michigan alleging that the NFL was aware of the risks of head injuries suffered by players but didn't do enough to protect players from getting them. Best also named helmet manufacturer Riddell as a defendant in the suit. He's seeking unspecified "economic and noneconomic damages." The Detroit Lions are not part of the suit because Best has a separate workman's compensation claim pending against the team.
Best's history of concussions started while he was playing football at Cal. The most significant of his two noted concussions at Cal involved diving for a touchdown against Oregon St., being spun into the air to a height of about ten feet, and landing on his head on the Memorial Stadium turf. It was a pretty scary sight. The resulting concussion ended his Cal football career. Next stop, Detroit and the NFL. Best entered the NFL with a pretty significant concussion history. He has to accept some of the responsibility for continuing to play football. Despite the dollars of a first round contract, no one forced Jahvid Best to take his chances with the violence of the NFL.
I think that the NFL has done a horrible job of taking care of their former players. These are the players that formed the game that is a runaway hit today. The NFL Players Association has shown even less love for these players. The NFLPA really turned their back to their older brothers. I agreed with the big lawsuit simply because it is forcing everyone that's getting rich now to do what they should have been doing all along. I've never understood how the league could honor all of the former greats at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions in August and then ignore them until the next photo shoot. It was a joke. The NFL should have felt obligated to share the wealth from the moment that they started getting wealthy.
I also think that the players have to accept some of the responsibility for the injuries that they suffer while playing football. Jahvid Best said that the NFL was aware of the risks of head injuries. No shit. Everyone has been aware of the risk of head injuries in football. That's why there's been some form of a helmet in football for about a century. A recent poll of 320 NFL players showed that 85% would play in the Super Bowl with a concussion. The football players have to accept some of the responsibility.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Top Ten Super Bowls
With Super Bowl XLVIII rapidly approaching, NFL Network is showing it's "Top Ten Super Bowls." These "Top Ten" episodes are always entertaining and always triggers thoughts of my own top tens. This episode was no different. Here's the top ten Super Bowls as presented by NFL Network:
10. Super Bowl III Jets 16 Colts 7
9. Super Bowl XXXVI Patriots 20 Rams 17
8. Super Bowl XLIV Saints 31 Colts 17
7. Super Bowl XXIII 49ers 20 Bengals 16
6. Super Bowl XIII Steelers 35 Cowboys 31
5. Super Bowl XXXVIII Patriots 32 Panthers 29
4. Super Bowl XXV Giants 20 Bills 19
3. Super Bowl XXXII Broncos 31 Packers 24
2. Super Bowl XLII Giants 17 Patriots 14
1. Super Bowl XLIII Steelers 27 Cardinals 23
The only game that really surprises me is the #10 game. Super Bowl III was certainly an historically significant Super Bowl but it was a very sloppy game. The Colts couldn't get out of their own way. I can understand the presence of the other nine games in anyone's top ten Super Bowls. I can even understand the presence of Super Bowl III even though I don't necessarily agree with it.
Anyway, here's the Flea Flicker's current top ten:
10. Super Bowl XXXIII 49ers 20 Bengals 16
The ending of this game was fantastic. Among the best, if not the best. The rest of the game just seemed like neither team really wanted to win the game.
9. Super Bowl XXXIV Rams 23 Titans 16
This game was remarkable to me in that no one was supposed to be able to slow that Rams offense. The Titans did. Steve McNair was terrific. Kevin Dyson reaching for the end zone is one of those plays that will always be a picture in my football memories.
8. Super Bowl XXXII Broncos 31 Packers 24
John Elway finally wins a Super Bowl.
7. Super Bowl XVI 49ers 26 Bengals 21
I almost want to combine the two 49ers-Bengals Super Bowls and move both up the list. I thought that both were great games. The second game gets most of the attention because of the Joe Montana-led drive to win it but I thought this was the better game. The 49ers goal line stand that may have taken some of the life out of the Bengals might be the best series of defensive plays in Super Bowl history. As with the Mike Jones tackle of Kevin Dyson, Dan Bunz tackling Charles Alexander short of the goal line will live in my memories.
6. Super Bowl XIII Steelers 35 Cowboys 31
Despite the closeness of the final score, it felt like the Steelers were in control of this game throughout. If Jackie Smith catches that touchdown, maybe it's a different game. If he makes that catch, the game is tied. Maybe the Cowboys wrestle control of the game away from the Steelers.
5. Super Bowl XXXVIII Patriots 32 Panthers 29
The day after this game everyone was talking about Janet Jackson. I found that very depressing as this was one of the most entertaining Super Bowls ever. The back-and-forth at the end was awesome. Jake Delhomme? Who would have guessed?
4. Super Bowl X Steelers 21 Cowboys 17
As with the 49ers-Bengals Super Bowls, I want to combine the two Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowls in the 1970s. Both were great games. As with the 49ers-Bengals, the the second game gets more attention than the first. I like the first game in this series as well. I felt like this game could go either way throughout the game.
3. Super Bowl XXV Giants 20 Bills 19
The only real knock that I have with this game is that it was decided on a missed field goal. It certainly made for an exciting finish but I'd rather see a game decided by a team or player making a play rather than failing to make it. It's a minor complaint as this was a terrific game. I've always wondered if the next three Super Bowls would have been different for the Bills if Scott Norwood made that kick.
2. Super Bowl XLVIII Steelers 27 Cardinals 23
This was a very entertaining game from the opening kickoff to the final gun. Larry Fitzgerald was magnificent in the second half. James Harrison's 102-yard interception return at the end of the first half might have been the greatest play in Super Bowl history. 14 point swing just before the half. That's a tough blow. Most teams don't recover from something like that. The Cardinals did.
1. Super Bowl XLII Giants 17 Patriots 14
This game might be best remembered by Eli Manning's escape and David Tyree's catch. I remember it for the defense. As with the Titans against the Rams about a decade earlier, there was supposed to be no way that the Giants could slow the Patriots offense. This was a great game.
I might come up with a different ten tomorrow.
10. Super Bowl III Jets 16 Colts 7
9. Super Bowl XXXVI Patriots 20 Rams 17
8. Super Bowl XLIV Saints 31 Colts 17
7. Super Bowl XXIII 49ers 20 Bengals 16
6. Super Bowl XIII Steelers 35 Cowboys 31
5. Super Bowl XXXVIII Patriots 32 Panthers 29
4. Super Bowl XXV Giants 20 Bills 19
3. Super Bowl XXXII Broncos 31 Packers 24
2. Super Bowl XLII Giants 17 Patriots 14
1. Super Bowl XLIII Steelers 27 Cardinals 23
The only game that really surprises me is the #10 game. Super Bowl III was certainly an historically significant Super Bowl but it was a very sloppy game. The Colts couldn't get out of their own way. I can understand the presence of the other nine games in anyone's top ten Super Bowls. I can even understand the presence of Super Bowl III even though I don't necessarily agree with it.
Anyway, here's the Flea Flicker's current top ten:
10. Super Bowl XXXIII 49ers 20 Bengals 16
The ending of this game was fantastic. Among the best, if not the best. The rest of the game just seemed like neither team really wanted to win the game.
9. Super Bowl XXXIV Rams 23 Titans 16
This game was remarkable to me in that no one was supposed to be able to slow that Rams offense. The Titans did. Steve McNair was terrific. Kevin Dyson reaching for the end zone is one of those plays that will always be a picture in my football memories.
8. Super Bowl XXXII Broncos 31 Packers 24
John Elway finally wins a Super Bowl.
7. Super Bowl XVI 49ers 26 Bengals 21
I almost want to combine the two 49ers-Bengals Super Bowls and move both up the list. I thought that both were great games. The second game gets most of the attention because of the Joe Montana-led drive to win it but I thought this was the better game. The 49ers goal line stand that may have taken some of the life out of the Bengals might be the best series of defensive plays in Super Bowl history. As with the Mike Jones tackle of Kevin Dyson, Dan Bunz tackling Charles Alexander short of the goal line will live in my memories.
6. Super Bowl XIII Steelers 35 Cowboys 31
Despite the closeness of the final score, it felt like the Steelers were in control of this game throughout. If Jackie Smith catches that touchdown, maybe it's a different game. If he makes that catch, the game is tied. Maybe the Cowboys wrestle control of the game away from the Steelers.
5. Super Bowl XXXVIII Patriots 32 Panthers 29
The day after this game everyone was talking about Janet Jackson. I found that very depressing as this was one of the most entertaining Super Bowls ever. The back-and-forth at the end was awesome. Jake Delhomme? Who would have guessed?
4. Super Bowl X Steelers 21 Cowboys 17
As with the 49ers-Bengals Super Bowls, I want to combine the two Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowls in the 1970s. Both were great games. As with the 49ers-Bengals, the the second game gets more attention than the first. I like the first game in this series as well. I felt like this game could go either way throughout the game.
3. Super Bowl XXV Giants 20 Bills 19
The only real knock that I have with this game is that it was decided on a missed field goal. It certainly made for an exciting finish but I'd rather see a game decided by a team or player making a play rather than failing to make it. It's a minor complaint as this was a terrific game. I've always wondered if the next three Super Bowls would have been different for the Bills if Scott Norwood made that kick.
2. Super Bowl XLVIII Steelers 27 Cardinals 23
This was a very entertaining game from the opening kickoff to the final gun. Larry Fitzgerald was magnificent in the second half. James Harrison's 102-yard interception return at the end of the first half might have been the greatest play in Super Bowl history. 14 point swing just before the half. That's a tough blow. Most teams don't recover from something like that. The Cardinals did.
1. Super Bowl XLII Giants 17 Patriots 14
This game might be best remembered by Eli Manning's escape and David Tyree's catch. I remember it for the defense. As with the Titans against the Rams about a decade earlier, there was supposed to be no way that the Giants could slow the Patriots offense. This was a great game.
I might come up with a different ten tomorrow.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Pro Bowl Thoughts
I've never understood all of the complaints about the Pro Bowl. I've never understood the expectations that the game should be anything but a fun exhibition game. An all-star game will never have the intensity of a postseason game. It will never even have the intensity of a regular season game. For me, it's always been a fun way to say goodbye to the most recent NFL season. I hope that the game continues.
The NFL did it a little different this year. No AFC. No NFC. Unconferenced. All of the selected players went into a pile. Team captains Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders selected teams from the pile of players. We have Team Rice and Team Sanders. I was on the side of Team Sanders as a result of Minnesota Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson being on that team. He made the team as a kick returner and was the sole Vikings representative in Hawaii. Running back Adrian Peterson was selected to the Pro Bowl but he had groin surgery last week. He stayed home.
I'm usually slow to adjust to change so I was skeptical of the Pro Bowl changes. I was skeptical because I'm one of the few/foolish that thinks that the Pro Bowl is just peachy the way that it is. The player draft was held and televised last week. It was actually a pretty entertaining little twist. Maybe this unconferenced thing wasn't such a bad idea.
11 players from the Denver Broncos(5) and Seattle Seahawks(6) skipped the game for obvious reasons.
There were a couple of significant rule changes for this game. No kickoffs. Offensive teams started possessions at the 25-yard line instead of returning kicks. Seeing as Cordarrelle Patterson made the team as a kick returner I was a little disappointed with this change. The other significant rule change added some fun. There was a two-minute warning at the end of each quarter and possession alternated at the beginning of each quarter. I think that it might a good idea to give each team a fourth timeout for each half.
I liked that they had stars on the back of the player jerseys signifying the number of Pro Bowl appearances. The stars didn't show up as well on the white Team Rice jerseys.
As for the actual 2014 Pro Bowl, we had a real nice game. Team Rice wins 22-21 with a touchdown in the final minute and a 2-point conversion. DeMarco Murray scored the touchdown, catching a short pass from Alex Smith and taking it 20 yards. Mike Tolbert scored on the 2-point conversion.
This game was dominated by the defensive lines. J.J. Watt couldn't be blocked. A lot of offensive linemen tried. None did much to even slow him. Robert Quinn, Mario Williams, Gerald McCoy, Marcel Dareus. Most of the defensive linemen spent most of the game in the opposing backfields.
I would have given the Defensive MVP to Watt, but it went to Derrick Johnson. Johnson did play great and his team won.
No one really stood out on offense since the defenses dominated but Nick Foles took home the Offensive MVP. I think that his name was simply pulled from a hot. Foles did toss a nice touchdown to Jordan Cameron. I wonder if Cameron Jordan was on the field.
The first touchdown of the game was Stanford-to-Cal. Andrew Luck tossed a long touchdown to DeSean Jackson. Jackson had to steal the ball from UCLA's Alteraun Verner to secure the touchdown and prevent an interception.
The potential for players going against teammates was the most intriguing possibility of the unconferenced format. That did spice up the game. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson had a helmet-to-helmet collision with teammate Jamaal Charles in the hole. Cleveland Browns safety TJ Ward sent teammate Josh Gordon head over heels on a hit.
Cris Collinsworth said that this Pro Bowl was the most physical in years. He's right. It was good to see.
It looked like the playmakers from the Eagles thought that they were playing basketball. They kept putting the ball on the ground. DeSean Jackson did it twice. LeSean McCoy did it once.
I was skeptical of the changes to the Pro Bowl. I think that the changes were terrific. The game was entertaining. The effort was great. It was fun to see Sanders and Rice involved in the entire process.
I wish that Team Sanders had found a way to get Cordarrelle Patterson involved in the offense. He handled about three punts with no room to get loose. He was spotted on the punt coverage team doing next to nothing. He was around the ball but he looked more than a little lost. He'll be back in Hawaii.
The NFL did it a little different this year. No AFC. No NFC. Unconferenced. All of the selected players went into a pile. Team captains Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders selected teams from the pile of players. We have Team Rice and Team Sanders. I was on the side of Team Sanders as a result of Minnesota Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson being on that team. He made the team as a kick returner and was the sole Vikings representative in Hawaii. Running back Adrian Peterson was selected to the Pro Bowl but he had groin surgery last week. He stayed home.
I'm usually slow to adjust to change so I was skeptical of the Pro Bowl changes. I was skeptical because I'm one of the few/foolish that thinks that the Pro Bowl is just peachy the way that it is. The player draft was held and televised last week. It was actually a pretty entertaining little twist. Maybe this unconferenced thing wasn't such a bad idea.
11 players from the Denver Broncos(5) and Seattle Seahawks(6) skipped the game for obvious reasons.
There were a couple of significant rule changes for this game. No kickoffs. Offensive teams started possessions at the 25-yard line instead of returning kicks. Seeing as Cordarrelle Patterson made the team as a kick returner I was a little disappointed with this change. The other significant rule change added some fun. There was a two-minute warning at the end of each quarter and possession alternated at the beginning of each quarter. I think that it might a good idea to give each team a fourth timeout for each half.
I liked that they had stars on the back of the player jerseys signifying the number of Pro Bowl appearances. The stars didn't show up as well on the white Team Rice jerseys.
As for the actual 2014 Pro Bowl, we had a real nice game. Team Rice wins 22-21 with a touchdown in the final minute and a 2-point conversion. DeMarco Murray scored the touchdown, catching a short pass from Alex Smith and taking it 20 yards. Mike Tolbert scored on the 2-point conversion.
This game was dominated by the defensive lines. J.J. Watt couldn't be blocked. A lot of offensive linemen tried. None did much to even slow him. Robert Quinn, Mario Williams, Gerald McCoy, Marcel Dareus. Most of the defensive linemen spent most of the game in the opposing backfields.
I would have given the Defensive MVP to Watt, but it went to Derrick Johnson. Johnson did play great and his team won.
No one really stood out on offense since the defenses dominated but Nick Foles took home the Offensive MVP. I think that his name was simply pulled from a hot. Foles did toss a nice touchdown to Jordan Cameron. I wonder if Cameron Jordan was on the field.
The first touchdown of the game was Stanford-to-Cal. Andrew Luck tossed a long touchdown to DeSean Jackson. Jackson had to steal the ball from UCLA's Alteraun Verner to secure the touchdown and prevent an interception.
The potential for players going against teammates was the most intriguing possibility of the unconferenced format. That did spice up the game. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson had a helmet-to-helmet collision with teammate Jamaal Charles in the hole. Cleveland Browns safety TJ Ward sent teammate Josh Gordon head over heels on a hit.
Cris Collinsworth said that this Pro Bowl was the most physical in years. He's right. It was good to see.
It looked like the playmakers from the Eagles thought that they were playing basketball. They kept putting the ball on the ground. DeSean Jackson did it twice. LeSean McCoy did it once.
I was skeptical of the changes to the Pro Bowl. I think that the changes were terrific. The game was entertaining. The effort was great. It was fun to see Sanders and Rice involved in the entire process.
I wish that Team Sanders had found a way to get Cordarrelle Patterson involved in the offense. He handled about three punts with no room to get loose. He was spotted on the punt coverage team doing next to nothing. He was around the ball but he looked more than a little lost. He'll be back in Hawaii.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Senior Bowl Thoughts
The best known of the college all-star games was played yesterday. The Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The South won 20-10.
The South jumped out to a 20-0 lead. Neither offense really seemed to do much. The best player on the field was probably Auburn defensive end/linebacker Dee Ford. It was rare to see one of North offensive linemen or tight ends even slow him. He was named the MVP of the game.
My memory might be failing me but I don't remember a Senior Bowl with so many of the top seniors not in Mobile. Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews, UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, Buffalo linebacker Kahlil Mack, Michigan St. corner Darqueze Dennard, Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley, and Oklahoma St. corner Justin Gilbert skipped the game. All are potential top-10 picks. Notre Dame tackle Zack Martin, Fresno St. quarterback Derek Carr, Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald, BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy were the top rated of the players that decided to play. It's pretty sad that the others had better things to do. The Senior Bowl seems like a terrific way to end a college football career but the choice is theirs and only theirs to make.
I especially missed the linebackers that decided not to play. Anthony Barr, Khalil Mack, and C.J. Mosley are among my top choices for the first pick of the Minnesota Vikings. If not one of the linebackers, I like corners Darqueze Dennard and Justin Gilbert. They weren't in Mobile either.
Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald was voted the top player during the week of the Senior Bowl practices. He also won nearly every defensive award available for his position this season. He will be a very intriguing player in the 2014 NFL Draft. He's a fantastic defensive tackle. He's also 6' and about 285 lbs. Quick with excellent hands, Donald can play at the next level. He's just tiny compared to pretty much every NFL defensive tackle. He could be a lot like Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle. Unlike Randle, Donald will get drafted. A current comparison would be to Geno Atkins of the Cincinnati Bengals. I wouldn't mind seeing Aaron Donald playing in Minnesota next year. Maybe new head coach Mike Zimmer can find a way to effectively pair Sharrif Floyd and Donald in the middle of the Vikings defensive line.
Arizona St. defensive tackle Will Sutton also has the size knock on him. He's only 6'1" but he weighs about 305 lbs. He really is Geno Atkins-sized now. Donald might get to 300 unless it hinders his quickness. Sutton made plays for the Sun Devils all year. He was named the Pac-12 defensive player of the year. He made some plays yesterday. What really stood out with Sutton was the ridiculous Sun Devils helmet. It looks like someone threw up on it.
The Senior Bowl really does a disservice to geography. The North quarterbacks were Tajh Boyd of Clemson, Logan Thomas of Virginia Tech, and Stephen Morris of Miami. I know of no map of the United States that shows South Carolina in the north. Miami is about as south as you can get. Virginia may be one of the more northern of the southern states but pretty much everyone considers it a southern state. Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played for the South. Defensive tackle DeAndre Coleman was the only player from Cal. He played for the South. Defensive end/linebacker Trent Murphy and fullback Ryan Hewitt represented Stanford. They played for the North. Stanford has always been south of Berkeley. It would take quite an earthquake to shake that up.
If they are going to hack up the map like that, they should just drop the directional references. They should just use the color designations of Red and Blue.
It's the last part of January. The Super Bowl hasn't even been played. If I had to pick the top four picks of the Minnesota Vikings it might go something like this:
1. Kahlil Mack LB Buffalo
2. Jimmy Garoppolo QB Eastern Illinois
3a. Stanley Jean-Baptiste CB Nebraska
3b. DaQuan Jones DT Penn St.
The Vikings quarterback needs get all of the attention. Unless Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, or UCF's Blake Bortles dropping to the #8 pick of the first round, I don't see the Vikings reaching for a quarterback in the first round.
The South jumped out to a 20-0 lead. Neither offense really seemed to do much. The best player on the field was probably Auburn defensive end/linebacker Dee Ford. It was rare to see one of North offensive linemen or tight ends even slow him. He was named the MVP of the game.
My memory might be failing me but I don't remember a Senior Bowl with so many of the top seniors not in Mobile. Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews, UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, Buffalo linebacker Kahlil Mack, Michigan St. corner Darqueze Dennard, Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley, and Oklahoma St. corner Justin Gilbert skipped the game. All are potential top-10 picks. Notre Dame tackle Zack Martin, Fresno St. quarterback Derek Carr, Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald, BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy were the top rated of the players that decided to play. It's pretty sad that the others had better things to do. The Senior Bowl seems like a terrific way to end a college football career but the choice is theirs and only theirs to make.
I especially missed the linebackers that decided not to play. Anthony Barr, Khalil Mack, and C.J. Mosley are among my top choices for the first pick of the Minnesota Vikings. If not one of the linebackers, I like corners Darqueze Dennard and Justin Gilbert. They weren't in Mobile either.
Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald was voted the top player during the week of the Senior Bowl practices. He also won nearly every defensive award available for his position this season. He will be a very intriguing player in the 2014 NFL Draft. He's a fantastic defensive tackle. He's also 6' and about 285 lbs. Quick with excellent hands, Donald can play at the next level. He's just tiny compared to pretty much every NFL defensive tackle. He could be a lot like Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle. Unlike Randle, Donald will get drafted. A current comparison would be to Geno Atkins of the Cincinnati Bengals. I wouldn't mind seeing Aaron Donald playing in Minnesota next year. Maybe new head coach Mike Zimmer can find a way to effectively pair Sharrif Floyd and Donald in the middle of the Vikings defensive line.
Arizona St. defensive tackle Will Sutton also has the size knock on him. He's only 6'1" but he weighs about 305 lbs. He really is Geno Atkins-sized now. Donald might get to 300 unless it hinders his quickness. Sutton made plays for the Sun Devils all year. He was named the Pac-12 defensive player of the year. He made some plays yesterday. What really stood out with Sutton was the ridiculous Sun Devils helmet. It looks like someone threw up on it.
The Senior Bowl really does a disservice to geography. The North quarterbacks were Tajh Boyd of Clemson, Logan Thomas of Virginia Tech, and Stephen Morris of Miami. I know of no map of the United States that shows South Carolina in the north. Miami is about as south as you can get. Virginia may be one of the more northern of the southern states but pretty much everyone considers it a southern state. Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played for the South. Defensive tackle DeAndre Coleman was the only player from Cal. He played for the South. Defensive end/linebacker Trent Murphy and fullback Ryan Hewitt represented Stanford. They played for the North. Stanford has always been south of Berkeley. It would take quite an earthquake to shake that up.
If they are going to hack up the map like that, they should just drop the directional references. They should just use the color designations of Red and Blue.
It's the last part of January. The Super Bowl hasn't even been played. If I had to pick the top four picks of the Minnesota Vikings it might go something like this:
1. Kahlil Mack LB Buffalo
2. Jimmy Garoppolo QB Eastern Illinois
3a. Stanley Jean-Baptiste CB Nebraska
3b. DaQuan Jones DT Penn St.
The Vikings quarterback needs get all of the attention. Unless Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, or UCF's Blake Bortles dropping to the #8 pick of the first round, I don't see the Vikings reaching for a quarterback in the first round.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
More "Hard Knocks"
The NFL likes the HBO series "Hard Knocks" so much that they have taken it upon themselves to force teams to do the show. A rule was passed at the most recent NFL Fall Meeting that allowed the league to appoint a team for the series if no other teams volunteered. It is a fine program and I'd like to see it continue but I don't think that it's right to force a team to do the show. It's pretty invasive. I can't imagine coaches being to thrilled with that invasion.
It's being reported that all organizations will be eligible with the exception of those teams that have a first-year head coach; teams that have made the playoffs in at least one of the last two seasons; and teams that have participated in the series in the last ten seasons.
It's simple elimination to determine the teams that are eligible for selection for "Hard Knocks," if no team volunteers. Here they are:
Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
St. Louis Rams
First of all, it's hard to believe that the Steelers haven't been to the playoffs the last two seasons. That's not a bad group to choose from if the NFL gets no volunteers for "Hard Knocks." The Bears, Giants, and Steelers have strong national followings. The Bills and Jaguars might be the only teams of the group that might be something of a mystery to most of the viewers. I think that the Arizona Cardinals might be the most interesting of the group. They are a team on the rise in a brutal division. They have young talented players, especially on defense, like Patrick Peterson, Darryl Washington, and Tyrann Mathieu and a nice mix of veterans with Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and Calais Campbell.
When the NFL decided that the show was important enough to force teams to participate, I immediately thought of Bill Belichick if the New England Patriots were chosen. That would be a fun conversation.
It's being reported that all organizations will be eligible with the exception of those teams that have a first-year head coach; teams that have made the playoffs in at least one of the last two seasons; and teams that have participated in the series in the last ten seasons.
It's simple elimination to determine the teams that are eligible for selection for "Hard Knocks," if no team volunteers. Here they are:
Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
St. Louis Rams
First of all, it's hard to believe that the Steelers haven't been to the playoffs the last two seasons. That's not a bad group to choose from if the NFL gets no volunteers for "Hard Knocks." The Bears, Giants, and Steelers have strong national followings. The Bills and Jaguars might be the only teams of the group that might be something of a mystery to most of the viewers. I think that the Arizona Cardinals might be the most interesting of the group. They are a team on the rise in a brutal division. They have young talented players, especially on defense, like Patrick Peterson, Darryl Washington, and Tyrann Mathieu and a nice mix of veterans with Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and Calais Campbell.
When the NFL decided that the show was important enough to force teams to participate, I immediately thought of Bill Belichick if the New England Patriots were chosen. That would be a fun conversation.
Friday, January 24, 2014
The Curious Case of Richard Sherman
Despite being fairly tired of the Richard Sherman drama, I can't keep from touching on it. First of all, I've known of Sherman as a talented football player since his first season at Stanford. I've known of him as a bright young man with a less than ideal Compton childhood. As a Cal fan, I watched Sherman as a receiver with potential. I saw him get injured and lose an entire season. I saw him comeback as a cornerback with even greater potential. He was at Stanford for all of Jim Harbaugh's four years as head coach. Harbaugh had Sherman as a receiver and likely made the final decision on the football player's transition to the defensive side of the ball. I saw Sherman get torched in one of the college all-star games. He looked like a talented corner that was still learning the position. His two years playing corner in college, his rough all-star game, his modest 4.54 40-time likely meant a second day selection in the NFL Draft. His raw talent and 6'3" size was going to get him drafted. Richard Sherman, knowing that he's great, felt that he should be taken at the top of the draft. Certainly among the first corners selected. None of what Sherman clearly thought of himself was going to be evident to anyone making draft day decisions. The Seattle Seahawks selected Sherman in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. There's a real long line of football players that didn't get drafted as high as they thought that they should be drafted. Sherman is in that line. He made a quick impact with the Seahawks, starting 10 games and making the Pro Football Writers All-Rookie team. He only got better in his second season, earning All-Pro honors. This season did nothing but prove that his quick rise was no fluke. He's among the best corners in the game. It's pretty clear that he's as great as he always thought that he was. He's also an ass.
It's my understanding that Richard Sherman and Jim Harbaugh don't talk much. I couldn't possibly know the entirety of the relationship but it strikes me as odd that a player and his college coach aren't on speaking terms. It's especially odd when that coach has shown nothing but undying support for all of his football players at every coaching step. It was Harbaugh that was in charge when Sherman was switched to the position at which he now excels. He could have kept Sherman at receiver. Sherman's present would be a whole lot different right now. If Sherman blames Harbaugh for his fifth round selection, it seems misguided. The entire draft is a gamble but the first few rounds are still reserved for the players that have at least three years of college excellence on film and terrific measurables. Sherman had two years of learning cornerback on the job and, except for his size, modest measurables. A lot of teams passed on him through four rounds, including four times by the Seahawks. So, Richard Sherman plays football with a chip on his shoulder. A lot of football players do. I don't hear many of those football players rip other players every chance that they get. Sherman never shuts up. He was mic'd up against the Minnesota Vikings this season. He was an ass on pretty much every play shown except for one. Vikings receiver Jarius Wright completely turned him around on a deep pass. Touchdown. Sherman was strangely quiet on that one. Other than that one play Sherman was a non-stop, insult machine. Perhaps all that chatter gives him the juice to play like he does. Who knows? I can't imagine that it lines up friends across the league. He claims to be a different person off of the football field. Maybe he speaks with less rage off of the football field but he's still real quick to criticize opponents. When he talks of opponents, he rarely has anything positive to say. He recently mentioned how he and his teammates feed off the criticism of others. Well, he never stops giving opponents their own ammunition. Finally, I get the impression that Sherman believes that he's never committed pass interference in his three year career. He sure is shocked every single time that he's flagged. He plays the cornerback position more like Mel Blount than the rules of this era allow. Basically, he's highly critical of everyone not wearing a Seahawks uniform. That's a lot of people.
I admire the goal-driven path that took Richard Sherman from Compton to Stanford. I respect his great off-field work. I love watching him play football. I just wish that he didn't soil all of that with the extremely disrespectful words and actions that he brings to his game. The extra stuff. He claims that his success in Seattle's defensive backfield is made possible by the front seven. Yet he singles himself out when he pops off constantly. He was upset that San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree disrespected him. I was surprised that troubled Sherman as he has shown no restraint in disrespecting pretty much every receiver lined up opposite him. Well, except for Jarius Wright. I guess that Richard Sherman can dish it out but he just can't take it. I think that's what bothers me most about Richard Sherman.
It's my understanding that Richard Sherman and Jim Harbaugh don't talk much. I couldn't possibly know the entirety of the relationship but it strikes me as odd that a player and his college coach aren't on speaking terms. It's especially odd when that coach has shown nothing but undying support for all of his football players at every coaching step. It was Harbaugh that was in charge when Sherman was switched to the position at which he now excels. He could have kept Sherman at receiver. Sherman's present would be a whole lot different right now. If Sherman blames Harbaugh for his fifth round selection, it seems misguided. The entire draft is a gamble but the first few rounds are still reserved for the players that have at least three years of college excellence on film and terrific measurables. Sherman had two years of learning cornerback on the job and, except for his size, modest measurables. A lot of teams passed on him through four rounds, including four times by the Seahawks. So, Richard Sherman plays football with a chip on his shoulder. A lot of football players do. I don't hear many of those football players rip other players every chance that they get. Sherman never shuts up. He was mic'd up against the Minnesota Vikings this season. He was an ass on pretty much every play shown except for one. Vikings receiver Jarius Wright completely turned him around on a deep pass. Touchdown. Sherman was strangely quiet on that one. Other than that one play Sherman was a non-stop, insult machine. Perhaps all that chatter gives him the juice to play like he does. Who knows? I can't imagine that it lines up friends across the league. He claims to be a different person off of the football field. Maybe he speaks with less rage off of the football field but he's still real quick to criticize opponents. When he talks of opponents, he rarely has anything positive to say. He recently mentioned how he and his teammates feed off the criticism of others. Well, he never stops giving opponents their own ammunition. Finally, I get the impression that Sherman believes that he's never committed pass interference in his three year career. He sure is shocked every single time that he's flagged. He plays the cornerback position more like Mel Blount than the rules of this era allow. Basically, he's highly critical of everyone not wearing a Seahawks uniform. That's a lot of people.
I admire the goal-driven path that took Richard Sherman from Compton to Stanford. I respect his great off-field work. I love watching him play football. I just wish that he didn't soil all of that with the extremely disrespectful words and actions that he brings to his game. The extra stuff. He claims that his success in Seattle's defensive backfield is made possible by the front seven. Yet he singles himself out when he pops off constantly. He was upset that San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree disrespected him. I was surprised that troubled Sherman as he has shown no restraint in disrespecting pretty much every receiver lined up opposite him. Well, except for Jarius Wright. I guess that Richard Sherman can dish it out but he just can't take it. I think that's what bothers me most about Richard Sherman.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Throwback Thursday: 1951 USF Dons
The 1951 University of San Francisco Dons football team has always been of great interest to me. My father was a student at the small Jesuit college when they played their final season of intercollegiate football. The beginning of my passion for football history can be found in my father's stories of the USF Dons football team of 1951. Having just finished Kristine Setting Clark's Undefeated, Untied, and Uninvited, I visit that great team once again. Clark's title says a lot. The Dons won all nine of their games in 1951. Only Fordham tossed anything close to a scare into the Dons. That was a one score game, 32-26. Of the other eight games, only a tough College of Pacific team scored more than ten points against the Dons defense. That game was 47-14 and pushed USF to 13th in the AP top 20 poll. The national media was slow to give USF any props. Fullback Ollie Matson led the nation in rushing and scoring yet made the All-America team as an afterthought. At defensive back. The props fell to a trickle when it came time for bowl bids. There were nowhere near as many bowl games in 1951 as there are today. A handful really and pretty much all were located in the South. That proved to be a problem as two of USF's best players, Matson and Burl Toler, were black. The Orange Bowl wanted a west coast team to match up against Georgia Tech and there were early assumptions that USF would be that team. USF might have been that team if they would come to Miami without Matson and Toler. Real nice policy. That wasn't even a consideration for the very close-knit Dons football team. Halfback Joe Scudero even threw out the option of sending only Matson and Toler, seeing as those 2 could defeat any other team's best 22. The University of San Francisco Dons might have been one of the greatest college football teams to step on a college football field. They couldn't step on one final college football field to face one of the top teams in the nation because racist bowl selectors didn't want two of their players on that field. The undefeated, untied Dons were uninvited. Even the Pacific team that lost to USF by 33 points was invited to the Sun Bowl.
Clark's book, an NFL Films video, and a Clark-inspired push by Bay Area politicians to have the team honored at the White House has brought the team more attention in the last decade than the previous five decades. They'll probably never get the respect that they deserve. Despite that, there's no doubt about the talent on that roster. I can remember flipping through my father's yearbook in awe. The Dons were building a pretty terrific basketball team at the time with Bill Russell and K.C. Jones but I was mostly interested in that football team. It was incredible.
3 players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Fullback Ollie Matson
Lineman Gino Marchetti
End Bob St. Clair
Matson and Marchetti, both inducted in their first year of eligibility-1972, were the first college teammates inducted together. Matson also won a silver and bronze at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.
Pete Rozelle graduated from USF in 1950 and became the Dons Athletic Publicist in 1951. Rozelle puts the USF representation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at four.
No college team has ever had three college teammates, or four with Rozelle, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Many on the Dons football team, as well as my father, have said that linebacker Burl Toler was the best player on the team. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He never got a chance to play in the NFL. He injured his knee in the 1952 College All-Star Game. Toler did take part in NFL games for 25 years as an official. In 1965 he became the first African-American official in the NFL. He worked three Super Bowls, including Super Bowl I.
Six other 1951 Dons played in the NFL
Quarterback Ed Brown
Tackle Mike Mergen
End Merrill Peacock
Halfback Joe Scudero
Guard Lou "Red" Stephens
End Ralph Thomas
Brown and Scudero joined Matson, Marchetti, and St. Clair as Pro Bowl selections.
Two players from the 1950 Dons team had NFL careers.
Halfback Roy Barni
Guard Dick Stanfel
Stanfel earned five Pro Bowl selections and later earned significant Hall of Fame consideration.
If you had this kind of talent on Notre Dame or Oklahoma from that era of football, there would be no end to the attention.
Clark's book, an NFL Films video, and a Clark-inspired push by Bay Area politicians to have the team honored at the White House has brought the team more attention in the last decade than the previous five decades. They'll probably never get the respect that they deserve. Despite that, there's no doubt about the talent on that roster. I can remember flipping through my father's yearbook in awe. The Dons were building a pretty terrific basketball team at the time with Bill Russell and K.C. Jones but I was mostly interested in that football team. It was incredible.
3 players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Fullback Ollie Matson
Lineman Gino Marchetti
End Bob St. Clair
Matson and Marchetti, both inducted in their first year of eligibility-1972, were the first college teammates inducted together. Matson also won a silver and bronze at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.
Pete Rozelle graduated from USF in 1950 and became the Dons Athletic Publicist in 1951. Rozelle puts the USF representation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at four.
No college team has ever had three college teammates, or four with Rozelle, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Many on the Dons football team, as well as my father, have said that linebacker Burl Toler was the best player on the team. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He never got a chance to play in the NFL. He injured his knee in the 1952 College All-Star Game. Toler did take part in NFL games for 25 years as an official. In 1965 he became the first African-American official in the NFL. He worked three Super Bowls, including Super Bowl I.
Six other 1951 Dons played in the NFL
Quarterback Ed Brown
Tackle Mike Mergen
End Merrill Peacock
Halfback Joe Scudero
Guard Lou "Red" Stephens
End Ralph Thomas
Brown and Scudero joined Matson, Marchetti, and St. Clair as Pro Bowl selections.
Two players from the 1950 Dons team had NFL careers.
Halfback Roy Barni
Guard Dick Stanfel
Stanfel earned five Pro Bowl selections and later earned significant Hall of Fame consideration.
If you had this kind of talent on Notre Dame or Oklahoma from that era of football, there would be no end to the attention.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
More Zimmer
I didn't really need any more convincing that the Minnesota Vikings made the right choice when they hired Mike Zimmer to be their new head coach. I was sold on Zimmer as a football coach a long time ago. Everything I see or hear about the man just re-enforces that opinion. The week of Senior Bowl practices has long been a football coaching convention. Most are there to scout the college football players. It's also something of a football coaches job fair for those looking to hire and those looking to be hired. Basically, there are a lot of football coaches and scouts in Mobile, Alabama this week. Apparently there was a line of coaches and scouts congratulating Mike Zimmer on his first head coaching gig.
Zimmer's reputation in the coaching community is great. Much of the respect shown is due to things like this:
To Bengals Fans,
For the past six years I have made Cincinnati my home. I have come to love the area, the people and the city. It truly is a fantastic place with unbelievably caring people.
I was very fortunate to work with so many outstanding people at Paul Brown Stadium. Coaches, especially Marvin, and the defensive staff--Jay, David, Paul, and Mark--to ownership--Mike, Katie, Troy, and Paul--and everyone behind the scenes that does such an outstanding job to make the Bengals a winner. In the time I was there we have climbed to the top of the AFC North division. We have become one of the better defensive teams in the NFL and we hopefully have become a team that the fans are proud to watch. The fans have been unbelievable to me. They are passionate and respectful. You have made my time in Cincinnati very special. THANK YOU. I will never forget the respect that you gave myself and my family.
To the players, past and present, it was truly an honor to coach you. I tried to give you my very best each day. You should be proud of what the franchise has become. You have my ultimate respect and my goal was to make each one of you better than when you walked in. I hope I did. You are family to me. We proved a lot of people wrong, didn't we? I loved watching you play on Sundays, and we always fought through the tough times. I am so proud to have been your coach. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you will always be part of my life. All my best and thanks for everything.
Zim
Usually, a coach getting his first shot a leading team has other things on his mind than sending an open letter to the city that he's leaving. Seeing all the love shown to Mike Zimmer in the last week has been really something to behold. Bengals fans are saddened to lose their fantastic defensive coordinator yet they are happy that Zimmer is finally getting his shot. It sounds like some might even become distant Vikings fans. I have never seen this sort of emotion over an assistant football coach finally getting a head coaching shot. The Minnesota Vikings are truly lucky. I thank every team that has recently hired a head football coach other than Mike Zimmer.
Zimmer's reputation in the coaching community is great. Much of the respect shown is due to things like this:
To Bengals Fans,
For the past six years I have made Cincinnati my home. I have come to love the area, the people and the city. It truly is a fantastic place with unbelievably caring people.
I was very fortunate to work with so many outstanding people at Paul Brown Stadium. Coaches, especially Marvin, and the defensive staff--Jay, David, Paul, and Mark--to ownership--Mike, Katie, Troy, and Paul--and everyone behind the scenes that does such an outstanding job to make the Bengals a winner. In the time I was there we have climbed to the top of the AFC North division. We have become one of the better defensive teams in the NFL and we hopefully have become a team that the fans are proud to watch. The fans have been unbelievable to me. They are passionate and respectful. You have made my time in Cincinnati very special. THANK YOU. I will never forget the respect that you gave myself and my family.
To the players, past and present, it was truly an honor to coach you. I tried to give you my very best each day. You should be proud of what the franchise has become. You have my ultimate respect and my goal was to make each one of you better than when you walked in. I hope I did. You are family to me. We proved a lot of people wrong, didn't we? I loved watching you play on Sundays, and we always fought through the tough times. I am so proud to have been your coach. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you will always be part of my life. All my best and thanks for everything.
Zim
Usually, a coach getting his first shot a leading team has other things on his mind than sending an open letter to the city that he's leaving. Seeing all the love shown to Mike Zimmer in the last week has been really something to behold. Bengals fans are saddened to lose their fantastic defensive coordinator yet they are happy that Zimmer is finally getting his shot. It sounds like some might even become distant Vikings fans. I have never seen this sort of emotion over an assistant football coach finally getting a head coaching shot. The Minnesota Vikings are truly lucky. I thank every team that has recently hired a head football coach other than Mike Zimmer.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The Coach and the GM.
"You kind of go off your gut and your instinct," Rick Spielman said. "I don't want to compare it to, but it's like when I met my wife, not that I had a lot of options, but you just know."
-Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on his search for a coach.
I can sit from so far away and know that one of the most important relationships in all of professional football is that between the general manager and the head coach.
The Minnesota Vikings have a Hall of Fame general manager in their history. He's the only general manager in the Hall of Fame. They have a Hall of Fame coach in their history. Jim Finks is the general manager. Bud Grant is the coach. They worked together. They worked well together. They worked together to build a football team that would play in four Super Bowls. The fact that the Vikings didn't win any of those games shouldn't take away from the great teams that Finks and Grant built.
There might be no more important relationship for an NFL team than the relationship between coach and general manager. Even in today's passing-dominated league, the coach-general manager relationship might be more important than that between the coach and quarterback. The coach and general manager have to get along. They don't have to always agree but there has to be a mutual respect.
I'm not sure that it quite reaches Spielman's comparison to the more personal finding of a spouse but there might be some love at first site when a general manager finds the perfect coach. It does sound like Spielman and Minneosta Vikings new head coach Mike Zimmer immediately found a connection. They have a similar Midwest upbringing. Both are sons of football coaches. Both have obviously pursued a career in football. Sharing a connection is only the first step. They also have to share a vision of their football team. They have to always remember that they share the exact same goal. The Spielman-Zimmer relationship is already better than the relationship between Spielman and former head coach Leslie Frazier. If for no other reason, Spielman inherited Frazier as his head coach. Spielman chose Zimmer to be his head coach.
There are a lot of head coaches that have excelled in the dual role of coach and general manager. Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh, and Bill Belichick. Each is a full time job so it's a tough juggling act. Only a few coaches can keep all of the balls in the air. I also think that there should be something of a separation between the coach and management decisions. I think that it helps in the relationship between the head coach and the players.
The coach-general manager relationship has been on my mind a great deal lately. It's still too early to truly judge but I think that Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer will form a beautiful relationship. I hope that it is as successful as the Bud Grant-Jim Finks relationship of forty years ago. With Super Bowl wins rather than losses, of course.
-Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on his search for a coach.
I can sit from so far away and know that one of the most important relationships in all of professional football is that between the general manager and the head coach.
The Minnesota Vikings have a Hall of Fame general manager in their history. He's the only general manager in the Hall of Fame. They have a Hall of Fame coach in their history. Jim Finks is the general manager. Bud Grant is the coach. They worked together. They worked well together. They worked together to build a football team that would play in four Super Bowls. The fact that the Vikings didn't win any of those games shouldn't take away from the great teams that Finks and Grant built.
There might be no more important relationship for an NFL team than the relationship between coach and general manager. Even in today's passing-dominated league, the coach-general manager relationship might be more important than that between the coach and quarterback. The coach and general manager have to get along. They don't have to always agree but there has to be a mutual respect.
I'm not sure that it quite reaches Spielman's comparison to the more personal finding of a spouse but there might be some love at first site when a general manager finds the perfect coach. It does sound like Spielman and Minneosta Vikings new head coach Mike Zimmer immediately found a connection. They have a similar Midwest upbringing. Both are sons of football coaches. Both have obviously pursued a career in football. Sharing a connection is only the first step. They also have to share a vision of their football team. They have to always remember that they share the exact same goal. The Spielman-Zimmer relationship is already better than the relationship between Spielman and former head coach Leslie Frazier. If for no other reason, Spielman inherited Frazier as his head coach. Spielman chose Zimmer to be his head coach.
There are a lot of head coaches that have excelled in the dual role of coach and general manager. Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh, and Bill Belichick. Each is a full time job so it's a tough juggling act. Only a few coaches can keep all of the balls in the air. I also think that there should be something of a separation between the coach and management decisions. I think that it helps in the relationship between the head coach and the players.
The coach-general manager relationship has been on my mind a great deal lately. It's still too early to truly judge but I think that Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer will form a beautiful relationship. I hope that it is as successful as the Bud Grant-Jim Finks relationship of forty years ago. With Super Bowl wins rather than losses, of course.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Championship Sunday Thoughts
Congratulations to the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks on earning a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII.
There is no worse site in all of football than a happy Pete Carroll on the sideline.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady entered the game with 343 combined wins. It's the most combined wins by starting quarterbacks in a game in NFL history. It broke the record set when the Broncos and Patriots played earlier this season.
Manning took the latest game in this classic rivalry of great quarterbacks, 26-16 Broncos.
The Patriots run and the incredible, season-long coaching performance of Bill Belichick comes to an end.
Of the two conference championship games, the Broncos-Patriots game was supposed to be the higher scoring game. Explosive offenses. Sometimes suspect defenses. 42 combined points was probably lower than what was expected.
Manning was fantastic. 32 completions in 43 attempts for 400 yards and two touchdowns.
This was Manning's fourth 400-yard passing game tying Drew Brees for most in postseason history.
Peyton Manning has a lot of NFL records.
LeGarrette Blount had given the Patriots a terrific running game over the last few weeks. The Broncos bottled up Blount and the Patriots running game. 64 yards. Blount was no factor. Five attempts for six yards.
Broncos receiver Wes Welker knocked Patriots corner Aqib Talib out of the game with an illegal pick. That changed the game. Talib was the only Patriots corner that could handle Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas. Alfonzo Dennard replaced Talib in the lineup. Thomas lit up the smaller corner. 7 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrence Knighton made more big plays yesterday than I've seen him make all season. His 4th down sack of Tom Brady in the third quarter was huge.
There have been two 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback in the postseason before the arrival of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick now has two of his own.
Kaepernick has thrown eleven interceptions on the season. Six of them have come against the Seahawks.
The last interception sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
The officials of the 49ers-Seahawks game were directed to take control of the game early and keep control of the game. It certainly wasn't as chippy as the 49ers-Carolina Panthers game last week. The officials might have had control of the game but they seemed to have ignored the rule book on occasion. The worst was the running into the punter penalty called on the Seahawks. It was clearly the more serious roughing the punter penalty. The 49ers should have kept the ball. The Seahawks scored a touchdown on the possession that they never should have had.
The 49ers lost two of their best players during the game. They lost guard Mike Iupati in the first half. They lost Navorro Bowman in the fourth quarter to a brutal-looking knee injury.
Bowman clearly recovered a fumble on the play but for mind-numbing reasons the play could not be reviewed. At least the 49ers got the ball when the Seahawks went for it and failed on fourth down.
Richard Sherman is an ass.
It's being reported that the Cleveland Browns are willing to trade up in the 2014 NFL Draft to insure the selection of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. I guess it means that the Browns have wrapped up their preparations for the May draft. In January. Before the combine. Before Pro Days. Before they even hire a head coach. That's really something.
There is no worse site in all of football than a happy Pete Carroll on the sideline.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady entered the game with 343 combined wins. It's the most combined wins by starting quarterbacks in a game in NFL history. It broke the record set when the Broncos and Patriots played earlier this season.
Manning took the latest game in this classic rivalry of great quarterbacks, 26-16 Broncos.
The Patriots run and the incredible, season-long coaching performance of Bill Belichick comes to an end.
Of the two conference championship games, the Broncos-Patriots game was supposed to be the higher scoring game. Explosive offenses. Sometimes suspect defenses. 42 combined points was probably lower than what was expected.
Manning was fantastic. 32 completions in 43 attempts for 400 yards and two touchdowns.
This was Manning's fourth 400-yard passing game tying Drew Brees for most in postseason history.
Peyton Manning has a lot of NFL records.
LeGarrette Blount had given the Patriots a terrific running game over the last few weeks. The Broncos bottled up Blount and the Patriots running game. 64 yards. Blount was no factor. Five attempts for six yards.
Broncos receiver Wes Welker knocked Patriots corner Aqib Talib out of the game with an illegal pick. That changed the game. Talib was the only Patriots corner that could handle Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas. Alfonzo Dennard replaced Talib in the lineup. Thomas lit up the smaller corner. 7 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrence Knighton made more big plays yesterday than I've seen him make all season. His 4th down sack of Tom Brady in the third quarter was huge.
There have been two 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback in the postseason before the arrival of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick now has two of his own.
Kaepernick has thrown eleven interceptions on the season. Six of them have come against the Seahawks.
The last interception sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
The officials of the 49ers-Seahawks game were directed to take control of the game early and keep control of the game. It certainly wasn't as chippy as the 49ers-Carolina Panthers game last week. The officials might have had control of the game but they seemed to have ignored the rule book on occasion. The worst was the running into the punter penalty called on the Seahawks. It was clearly the more serious roughing the punter penalty. The 49ers should have kept the ball. The Seahawks scored a touchdown on the possession that they never should have had.
The 49ers lost two of their best players during the game. They lost guard Mike Iupati in the first half. They lost Navorro Bowman in the fourth quarter to a brutal-looking knee injury.
Bowman clearly recovered a fumble on the play but for mind-numbing reasons the play could not be reviewed. At least the 49ers got the ball when the Seahawks went for it and failed on fourth down.
Richard Sherman is an ass.
It's being reported that the Cleveland Browns are willing to trade up in the 2014 NFL Draft to insure the selection of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. I guess it means that the Browns have wrapped up their preparations for the May draft. In January. Before the combine. Before Pro Days. Before they even hire a head coach. That's really something.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Game Day Thoughts
Championship Sunday! A great day!
There was a time when the football played on Championship Sunday was a good deal better than the football played on Super Bowl Sunday. The first three decades of Super Bowls were mostly one-sided affairs. The last decade has seen a change in that pattern. That takes nothing away from the conference championship games. It just makes the whole postseason better.
As is too often the case, the four quarterbacks in today's games are getting most of the attention. We've got the "old" guys in the AFC and the "young guns" in the NFC. Brady vs Manning. Kaepernick vs Wilson.
Flea Flicker Predictions:
New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos
-Broncos win
I can't get over the tremendous coaching of Bill Belichick this season. The only performance that comes close to that of Belichick this season might be the passing performance of Peyton Manning. The Patriots might be the most difficult team to beat of the four teams still standing. A gut feeling has me thinking that Manning will find a way today.
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
-49ers win
I think that the 49ers winning is entirely dependent on being able to keep Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch in check. That's really no great insight as Lynch's importance to the Seahawks offense has never been in doubt. It's more in response to all the attention being paid to quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. I'd really like to see the Seahawks fan base really, really silent. I am so tired of this "12th Man" crap. The "12th Man" is at Texas A&M. It has been for about a century. Originality goes a long way with me and Seattle has none. They pilfered the "12th Man." There was some economic compensation so Texas A&M is cool with the Seahawks. It's still pathetic. I think that the 49ers are picking up steam at the best time. Now. They might not have been the best team during the season but they might be the best team right now. Go 49ers.
I can't get over the tremendous coaching of Bill Belichick this season. The only performance that comes close to that of Belichick this season might be the passing performance of Peyton Manning. The Patriots might be the most difficult team to beat of the four teams still standing. A gut feeling has me thinking that Manning will find a way today.
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
-49ers win
I think that the 49ers winning is entirely dependent on being able to keep Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch in check. That's really no great insight as Lynch's importance to the Seahawks offense has never been in doubt. It's more in response to all the attention being paid to quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. I'd really like to see the Seahawks fan base really, really silent. I am so tired of this "12th Man" crap. The "12th Man" is at Texas A&M. It has been for about a century. Originality goes a long way with me and Seattle has none. They pilfered the "12th Man." There was some economic compensation so Texas A&M is cool with the Seahawks. It's still pathetic. I think that the 49ers are picking up steam at the best time. Now. They might not have been the best team during the season but they might be the best team right now. Go 49ers.
We're getting a rematch of Super Bowl XXIV!
We're getting the San Francisco 49ers vs Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
I don't think that Broncos VP John Elway has too many fond memories of Super Bowl XXIV. The 49ers took apart his Broncos 55-10. I hope that we never see Super Bowls like that again. Unless, of course, the Minnesota Vikings are the team putting up the 55.
Speaking of the Vikings, the roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was deflated yesterday. The last time that the roof gave way was an accident. The Vikings were still playing under that roof. This time, the roof was deflated on purpose. 35 minutes. This time the roof was deflated for the last time. The whole building will follow. The new stadium will go up in it's place.
The Metrodome was a real dump but it was the Vikings home since 1982. A lot of fine football was played in that building. A lot of great football players played in that building. In 35 minutes, all those years were put in the ground. It may have been a dump but it was home. The building will soon be gone but the memories will last.
There was some talk that the Minnesota Vikings would have some difficulties in finding a coach because the team will be forced to play outside the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium for a couple of seasons.
Are you kidding me?
Mike Zimmer!
The Vikings have found themselves a football coach. Mike Zimmer was introduced to the media on Friday. I can not wait for September!
Zimmer may have been formally introduced on Friday but news of his hiring started spread on Wednesday. I've never seen so much respect and so many congratulations over the hiring of a head football coach by an NFL team. Zimmer waited a long time for this shot. Former players, coaching colleagues, coaching rivals. Everyone in the business seemed to have a love and respect for the man and the coach. I truly don't understand how some team didn't hire him before but I'm sure glad that they didn't.
I thank every team that decided that Mike Zimmer should not coach their football team.
There are a lot of idiots that are being paid a lot of money for really, really stupid decisions.
I can not wait for September!
When Bill Parcells was named the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2003, Mike Zimmer was the incumbent defensive coordinator. He'd been with the Cowboys for ten years. Parcells kept Zimmer as his defensive coordinator. As a result, Mike Zimmer will be neatly placed in the Bill Parcells coaching tree. Zimmer is quick to credit Parcells as a tremendous influence on his coaching career but I don't think that Zimmer falls into the coaching tree of any one coach. He was influenced by all of them. He's quick to credit his father, Mike Price, Barry Switzer, Parcells, and Marvin Lewis as influences. He spent 13 years with Price as a college coach at Weber St. and Washington St. Zimmer is a football coach that learned from every coach that coached with him. I don't think that he neatly falls into any one coaching tree.
The Vikings hired Norv Turner as their offensive coordinator. Zimmer and Turner have about fifty combined years of NFL coaching experience. I'm seriously crying now.
It was a "wasted roster spot" for the 2000 season. That's what Bill Belichick called the Patriots' decision to carry a fourth quarterback throughout that 2000 season. That fourth quarterback was Tom Brady.
It's college all-star game season. The East-West All-Star Game was up first yesterday. This is the oldest college all-star game.
The East won the game, 23-13.
There was a time when these college all-star games were an honor, an active trophy, for the college football players on a great season. There's probably still a little bit of that. Now, it's mostly part of the interview process for the NFL. Now, the week of practices leading up to the game is even more important than the game. College All-Star Games are the only games, that I know of, in which the practices for the game are more important than the game. Many, if not all, of the NFL scouts leave as soon as the last practice closes.
I've always watched these all-star games with the Minnesota Vikings in mind. This was never more true as when I watched the all-star games following the 1979 college football season. Texas Tech running back/fullback James Hadnot was the perfect back for the Vikings offense. Oh boy did I want the Vikings to draft Hadnot in 1980. Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Hadnot in the third round. I was so sad. But of course Willie Teal was a much better selection for the Vikings in the second round.
Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo looked great yesterday. He was a late addition to next week's Senior Bowl. He took the place of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron. For purely selfish reasons, I wish that Garoppolo had stayed in Illinois or anywhere else but Mobile, Alabama. The more that Garoppolo throws the more likely that people see that he might be the very best quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft.
His release and throwing efficiency is quite a bit like the release and throwing efficiency of Jeff George. George was a true tool but he threw a seriously beautiful ball. Garoppolo could be a quarterback that is truly special. As far as I'm concerned the less that people see of Garoppolo the better.
102 underclassmen declared for the 2014 NFL Draft in May. That is by far the most to ever do so.
The NFL's All-Star game is next week. The Pro Bowl! Exciting stuff. That exciting stuff is being done a little different this year. The league also tossed out a new word. Unconferenced. All of the selected players are going to be tossed into the same pile without regard to their conference. Unconferenced. The two teams will be "drafted" from that pile by team captains Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. That draft will be held on Wednesday. It's televised!
Let it rip......
I don't think that Broncos VP John Elway has too many fond memories of Super Bowl XXIV. The 49ers took apart his Broncos 55-10. I hope that we never see Super Bowls like that again. Unless, of course, the Minnesota Vikings are the team putting up the 55.
Speaking of the Vikings, the roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was deflated yesterday. The last time that the roof gave way was an accident. The Vikings were still playing under that roof. This time, the roof was deflated on purpose. 35 minutes. This time the roof was deflated for the last time. The whole building will follow. The new stadium will go up in it's place.
The Metrodome was a real dump but it was the Vikings home since 1982. A lot of fine football was played in that building. A lot of great football players played in that building. In 35 minutes, all those years were put in the ground. It may have been a dump but it was home. The building will soon be gone but the memories will last.
There was some talk that the Minnesota Vikings would have some difficulties in finding a coach because the team will be forced to play outside the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium for a couple of seasons.
Are you kidding me?
Mike Zimmer!
The Vikings have found themselves a football coach. Mike Zimmer was introduced to the media on Friday. I can not wait for September!
Zimmer may have been formally introduced on Friday but news of his hiring started spread on Wednesday. I've never seen so much respect and so many congratulations over the hiring of a head football coach by an NFL team. Zimmer waited a long time for this shot. Former players, coaching colleagues, coaching rivals. Everyone in the business seemed to have a love and respect for the man and the coach. I truly don't understand how some team didn't hire him before but I'm sure glad that they didn't.
I thank every team that decided that Mike Zimmer should not coach their football team.
There are a lot of idiots that are being paid a lot of money for really, really stupid decisions.
I can not wait for September!
When Bill Parcells was named the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2003, Mike Zimmer was the incumbent defensive coordinator. He'd been with the Cowboys for ten years. Parcells kept Zimmer as his defensive coordinator. As a result, Mike Zimmer will be neatly placed in the Bill Parcells coaching tree. Zimmer is quick to credit Parcells as a tremendous influence on his coaching career but I don't think that Zimmer falls into the coaching tree of any one coach. He was influenced by all of them. He's quick to credit his father, Mike Price, Barry Switzer, Parcells, and Marvin Lewis as influences. He spent 13 years with Price as a college coach at Weber St. and Washington St. Zimmer is a football coach that learned from every coach that coached with him. I don't think that he neatly falls into any one coaching tree.
The Vikings hired Norv Turner as their offensive coordinator. Zimmer and Turner have about fifty combined years of NFL coaching experience. I'm seriously crying now.
It was a "wasted roster spot" for the 2000 season. That's what Bill Belichick called the Patriots' decision to carry a fourth quarterback throughout that 2000 season. That fourth quarterback was Tom Brady.
It's college all-star game season. The East-West All-Star Game was up first yesterday. This is the oldest college all-star game.
The East won the game, 23-13.
There was a time when these college all-star games were an honor, an active trophy, for the college football players on a great season. There's probably still a little bit of that. Now, it's mostly part of the interview process for the NFL. Now, the week of practices leading up to the game is even more important than the game. College All-Star Games are the only games, that I know of, in which the practices for the game are more important than the game. Many, if not all, of the NFL scouts leave as soon as the last practice closes.
I've always watched these all-star games with the Minnesota Vikings in mind. This was never more true as when I watched the all-star games following the 1979 college football season. Texas Tech running back/fullback James Hadnot was the perfect back for the Vikings offense. Oh boy did I want the Vikings to draft Hadnot in 1980. Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Hadnot in the third round. I was so sad. But of course Willie Teal was a much better selection for the Vikings in the second round.
Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo looked great yesterday. He was a late addition to next week's Senior Bowl. He took the place of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron. For purely selfish reasons, I wish that Garoppolo had stayed in Illinois or anywhere else but Mobile, Alabama. The more that Garoppolo throws the more likely that people see that he might be the very best quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft.
His release and throwing efficiency is quite a bit like the release and throwing efficiency of Jeff George. George was a true tool but he threw a seriously beautiful ball. Garoppolo could be a quarterback that is truly special. As far as I'm concerned the less that people see of Garoppolo the better.
102 underclassmen declared for the 2014 NFL Draft in May. That is by far the most to ever do so.
The NFL's All-Star game is next week. The Pro Bowl! Exciting stuff. That exciting stuff is being done a little different this year. The league also tossed out a new word. Unconferenced. All of the selected players are going to be tossed into the same pile without regard to their conference. Unconferenced. The two teams will be "drafted" from that pile by team captains Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. That draft will be held on Wednesday. It's televised!
Let it rip......
Saturday, January 18, 2014
East-West Shrine Game
The East-West Shrine Game is the longest running college all-star game in the country. The 89th East-West Shrine Game will be played today. The Senior Bowl might get more attention. It certainly gets more attention from NFL scouts. The East-West Shrine Game has about 25 years on the Senior Bowl. Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Game has been played to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Strong Legs Run That Weak Legs may Walk
This has been the slogan and the reason for the East-West Shrine Game since that first game in San Francisco in 1925. The game was played in the San Francisco Bay area from 1925-2005. Due to war restrictions on west coast travel, the 1943 game was played in New Orleans. Most of the games were played in San Francisco but I grew up with the game as a Stanford Stadium fixture. It seemed that every year I had access to tickets. For reasons that I can't even fathom now, I attended only one game. That one game seemed fitting as my all-time favorite Minnesota Vikings player, and childhood hero, Alan Page was honored at half time. What a thrill! The game has moved around quite a bit since it was last played in San Francisco. San Antonio in 2006 and on to Houston from 2007-09. Orlando in 2010 and 2011. And St. Petersburg ever since. It doesn't feel right to see the game played anywhere other than Stanford but I'm starting to get used to it.
71 East-West Shrine Game alumni have been honored with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and more than 200 into the College Football Hall of Fame. More than 100 players from last year's game signed with professional football teams in 2013. On average, more than 275 East-West Shrine Game alumni are on NFL rosters each year. There will be a lot of football talent at Tropicana Field. I'm going in with my eyes on three players in particular. Quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo of Eastern Illinois and Jeff Matthews of Cornell and defensive tackle Beau Allen of Wisconsin. I'm sure that other players will catch my attention. Maybe, Dakota Dozier.
The 89th East-West Shrine Game will be a nice appetizer for the Conference Championship games tomorrow.
Strong Legs Run That Weak Legs may Walk
This has been the slogan and the reason for the East-West Shrine Game since that first game in San Francisco in 1925. The game was played in the San Francisco Bay area from 1925-2005. Due to war restrictions on west coast travel, the 1943 game was played in New Orleans. Most of the games were played in San Francisco but I grew up with the game as a Stanford Stadium fixture. It seemed that every year I had access to tickets. For reasons that I can't even fathom now, I attended only one game. That one game seemed fitting as my all-time favorite Minnesota Vikings player, and childhood hero, Alan Page was honored at half time. What a thrill! The game has moved around quite a bit since it was last played in San Francisco. San Antonio in 2006 and on to Houston from 2007-09. Orlando in 2010 and 2011. And St. Petersburg ever since. It doesn't feel right to see the game played anywhere other than Stanford but I'm starting to get used to it.
71 East-West Shrine Game alumni have been honored with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and more than 200 into the College Football Hall of Fame. More than 100 players from last year's game signed with professional football teams in 2013. On average, more than 275 East-West Shrine Game alumni are on NFL rosters each year. There will be a lot of football talent at Tropicana Field. I'm going in with my eyes on three players in particular. Quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo of Eastern Illinois and Jeff Matthews of Cornell and defensive tackle Beau Allen of Wisconsin. I'm sure that other players will catch my attention. Maybe, Dakota Dozier.
The 89th East-West Shrine Game will be a nice appetizer for the Conference Championship games tomorrow.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Just Talking About Omaha
Peyton Manning has been barking out signals since he first approached a center's butt. His shouts and theatrics are really nothing new. So, I'm a little confused over the great interest in his shouts of "Omaha" during the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the San Diego Chargers. It wasn't even the first game in which he's used the word "Omaha." Other quarterbacks have shouted "Omaha." Tom Brady shouts "Omaha." Even non-Canton bound quarterbacks shout "Omaha." Even non-quarterbacks shout "Omaha." "Omaha" was shouted by a lineman during a football action sequence in "Remember the Titans." Rev got hurt on the play. Now that Manning shouts "Omaha" a few hundred (44!) times in a single game everyone wants to know the meaning of "Omaha." When asked about the meaning of "Omaha," Manning had this to say:
"I'm not sure how to answer that, but I've had a lot of people ask what 'Omaha' means," Manning told reporters. "'Omaha' is a run play, but it could be a pass play or a play-action pass depending on a couple of things-the wind, which way we're going, the quarter and the jerseys that we're wearing. It varies really play to play. There's your answer to that one."
On and off the football field, Peyton Manning is a beauty. The gathered reporters probably think that Manning is messing with them. Well, he might be messing with then a little but everything that he said can be true. "Omaha" can mean anything. "Omaha" can even mean nothing. "Omaha" might have a different meaning in the first quarter than it does in the third quarter. All that really matters is that Manning's ten Broncos teammates on the field know the meaning, or non-meaning, of "Omaha." As important is that the eleven opponents on the other side of the line of scrimmage don't know the meaning, or non-meaning, of "Omaha." Using "Omaha" to mean a variety of adjustments can be more confusing to a defense than using different words. It certainly confuses the media but that's not too difficult to do. The most confusing part, for me, of "Omaha-gate" is the idea that Manning will actually explain the meaning of "Omaha" to the media. The reporters might as well ask Manning for the Broncos gameplan against the New England Patriots.
Some good has come from this "Omaha" business. According to the Associated Press, five Nebraska businesses have combined to donate $500 to Manning's foundation for at-risk youth every time he says "Omaha" during Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Patriots. Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce president and CEO David Brown announced the donation to Manning's Peyback Foundation, in conjunction with ConAgra Foods, First National Bank of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha, Omaha Steaks, and Union Pacific Railroad. Nice Work.
"I'm not sure how to answer that, but I've had a lot of people ask what 'Omaha' means," Manning told reporters. "'Omaha' is a run play, but it could be a pass play or a play-action pass depending on a couple of things-the wind, which way we're going, the quarter and the jerseys that we're wearing. It varies really play to play. There's your answer to that one."
On and off the football field, Peyton Manning is a beauty. The gathered reporters probably think that Manning is messing with them. Well, he might be messing with then a little but everything that he said can be true. "Omaha" can mean anything. "Omaha" can even mean nothing. "Omaha" might have a different meaning in the first quarter than it does in the third quarter. All that really matters is that Manning's ten Broncos teammates on the field know the meaning, or non-meaning, of "Omaha." As important is that the eleven opponents on the other side of the line of scrimmage don't know the meaning, or non-meaning, of "Omaha." Using "Omaha" to mean a variety of adjustments can be more confusing to a defense than using different words. It certainly confuses the media but that's not too difficult to do. The most confusing part, for me, of "Omaha-gate" is the idea that Manning will actually explain the meaning of "Omaha" to the media. The reporters might as well ask Manning for the Broncos gameplan against the New England Patriots.
Some good has come from this "Omaha" business. According to the Associated Press, five Nebraska businesses have combined to donate $500 to Manning's foundation for at-risk youth every time he says "Omaha" during Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Patriots. Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce president and CEO David Brown announced the donation to Manning's Peyback Foundation, in conjunction with ConAgra Foods, First National Bank of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha, Omaha Steaks, and Union Pacific Railroad. Nice Work.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Throwback Thursday: It's Zimmer Time!
The Minnesota Vikings hired Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to be their ninth head coach yesterday. This is the most excited that I've been about a Vikings head coaching hire since Bud Grant came out of retirement following the disastrous 1984 season with Les Steckel in charge. Grant came back for only one season to right a sinking ship. The hope here is that Zimmer is starting a long and very successful career as the Minnesota Vikings head coach.
I grew up with Bud Grant as the Vikings head coach. He seemed to be as much a fixture on the sideline as the horn on the purple helmet of the players. I was reading his new biography I Did It My Way as I waited and hoped for a positive decision on Zimmer. The book brought back all these wonderful Vikings memories. The '70s were such a great decade despite all the Super Bowl losses. Grant was such a fixture that I took him for granted. I could never imagine a Vikings team without him as their coach. It was a shock when he retired following the 1983 season. It was a thrill when he came back a year later. I was more prepared for him to retire after the 1985 season. Passing the torch on to long-time offensive coordinator Jerry Burns was also an easier transition than the harsh switch to Steckel. Grant was such an icon in Minnesota. He was also a terrific football coach. Despite losses in four Super Bowls, Bud Grant was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He's still the coaching standard in Minnesota. He still has an office at the Vikings facilities. If Mike Zimmer needs a coaching ear, Bud Grant is sometimes around the building.
It's not that I haven't liked the Vikings choices of coaches since Bud Grant retired for good. I thought that Jerry Burns deserved a shot. When he retired, I liked the choice of Stanford head coach Dennis Green. More than anything, I liked that the Vikings were taking a successful coach from Stanford. That helped Cal. That's always a good thing. When Green was fired about a decade later, I liked that interim coach Mike Tice got his shot without the interim. When Tice was fired, I was on board with the hiring of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress. The Eagles had an excellent offense going in Philadelphia. They had great success going to four conference championship games and a Super Bowl. I just didn't know much about Childress. Reid called the plays so it was hard to truly judge their offensive coordinator. When Childress was fired, like Tice a few years earlier, Leslie Frazier went from interim coach to head coach. I felt that Frazier deserved a shot. I liked that decision. So, I've liked all the Vikings head coach choices. I just haven't been thrilled with any of them. I'm thrilled with the choice of Mike Zimmer. His defenses have thrived everywhere that he's coached. He has a tremendous reputation throughout the league. If it wasn't for his gruff approach, he likely would have had a head coaching job long ago. Personally, I love his gruff and/or abrasive personality. I love that he's a football coach, first and only. I love that the media may not enjoy him too much. I love that those that appreciate Mike Zimmer the most are his players and seemingly everyone in the coaching community.
It's taken nearly thirty years but I'm once again extremely excited about the Vikings new head coach.
Welcome to Minnesota, Mike Zimmer!
I grew up with Bud Grant as the Vikings head coach. He seemed to be as much a fixture on the sideline as the horn on the purple helmet of the players. I was reading his new biography I Did It My Way as I waited and hoped for a positive decision on Zimmer. The book brought back all these wonderful Vikings memories. The '70s were such a great decade despite all the Super Bowl losses. Grant was such a fixture that I took him for granted. I could never imagine a Vikings team without him as their coach. It was a shock when he retired following the 1983 season. It was a thrill when he came back a year later. I was more prepared for him to retire after the 1985 season. Passing the torch on to long-time offensive coordinator Jerry Burns was also an easier transition than the harsh switch to Steckel. Grant was such an icon in Minnesota. He was also a terrific football coach. Despite losses in four Super Bowls, Bud Grant was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He's still the coaching standard in Minnesota. He still has an office at the Vikings facilities. If Mike Zimmer needs a coaching ear, Bud Grant is sometimes around the building.
It's not that I haven't liked the Vikings choices of coaches since Bud Grant retired for good. I thought that Jerry Burns deserved a shot. When he retired, I liked the choice of Stanford head coach Dennis Green. More than anything, I liked that the Vikings were taking a successful coach from Stanford. That helped Cal. That's always a good thing. When Green was fired about a decade later, I liked that interim coach Mike Tice got his shot without the interim. When Tice was fired, I was on board with the hiring of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress. The Eagles had an excellent offense going in Philadelphia. They had great success going to four conference championship games and a Super Bowl. I just didn't know much about Childress. Reid called the plays so it was hard to truly judge their offensive coordinator. When Childress was fired, like Tice a few years earlier, Leslie Frazier went from interim coach to head coach. I felt that Frazier deserved a shot. I liked that decision. So, I've liked all the Vikings head coach choices. I just haven't been thrilled with any of them. I'm thrilled with the choice of Mike Zimmer. His defenses have thrived everywhere that he's coached. He has a tremendous reputation throughout the league. If it wasn't for his gruff approach, he likely would have had a head coaching job long ago. Personally, I love his gruff and/or abrasive personality. I love that he's a football coach, first and only. I love that the media may not enjoy him too much. I love that those that appreciate Mike Zimmer the most are his players and seemingly everyone in the coaching community.
It's taken nearly thirty years but I'm once again extremely excited about the Vikings new head coach.
Welcome to Minnesota, Mike Zimmer!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Zimmer Watch
It looks like the local media was camped out at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, MN. Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was at the the Minnesota Vikings facilities for his second interview to be the team's next head coach. This interview involved a meet-and-greet with the Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf. Zimmer-Watch was in full swing most of yesterday. Pretty much everyone assumes that Zimmer will be the Vikings next head coach. I hope that those assumptions prove to be accurate. He's been my top choice since it looked like Leslie Frazier wasn't going to survive his second losing season. Zimmer was most definitely my top choice after Frazier was fired a day after the Vikings 5-10-1 season ended. As of last night, there was no news that Mike Zimmer had been hired. There was also no news that Mike Zimmer had not been hired. The lack of news means little as Zimmer is still in Minnesota.
A large portion of the Minnesota Vikings fan base is on the verge of losing it's collective mind. They do not understand the wait. They see the Tennessee Titans hire Ken Whisenhut mere hours after he becomes available to be hired. They see seven teams enter the offseason without a head coach. They see five of those teams find their new head coach while Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is sitting way too still. I can't say that I'm entirely comfortable with the Minnesota Vikings being without a head coach. It just doesn't feel right but I see no reason to rush into a decision this important. Spielman's Vikings future is surely tied to the decision that he makes. He's not going to rush it. Mike Zimmer certainly doesn't want to gamble with his long overdue first shot to lead his own team. It's a big decision. If the Vikings and Zimmer are comfortable with this situation, this will happen. If they aren't comfortable, this won't happen. Both will move on. Until that happens, Zimmer-Watch moves on to day two.
I think that we hear today that Mike Zimmer will be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
A large portion of the Minnesota Vikings fan base is on the verge of losing it's collective mind. They do not understand the wait. They see the Tennessee Titans hire Ken Whisenhut mere hours after he becomes available to be hired. They see seven teams enter the offseason without a head coach. They see five of those teams find their new head coach while Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is sitting way too still. I can't say that I'm entirely comfortable with the Minnesota Vikings being without a head coach. It just doesn't feel right but I see no reason to rush into a decision this important. Spielman's Vikings future is surely tied to the decision that he makes. He's not going to rush it. Mike Zimmer certainly doesn't want to gamble with his long overdue first shot to lead his own team. It's a big decision. If the Vikings and Zimmer are comfortable with this situation, this will happen. If they aren't comfortable, this won't happen. Both will move on. Until that happens, Zimmer-Watch moves on to day two.
I think that we hear today that Mike Zimmer will be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
A Step Closer to Canton
Last Thursday, the fifteen finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 were announced. Unlike the last six years, I'm pretty relaxed with this selection process. Former Minnesota Vikings receiver Cris Carter was deserving of induction in each of those six years. He finally made in the sixth, last year. That prompted my first trip to Canton and the incredible Pro Football Hall of Fame. The town, the Hall, the Induction, the festivities. It was, and is, a beautiful thing.
Last Thursday, the following fifteen took the next step to Canton:
Morten Andersen
Jerome Bettis
Derrick Brooks
Tim Brown
Edward DeBartolo
Tony Dungy
Kevin Greene
Charles Haley
Marvin Harrison
Walter Jones
John Lynch
Andre Reed
Will Shields
Michael Strahan
Aeneas Williams
If I had a vote, and I should, Derrick Brooks and Walter Jones are first ballot locks. Some consider Marvin Harrison a lock. If Cris Carter had to wait, Harrison has to wait in the receiver line as well. Andre Reed has been waiting long enough. I'd vote for Micahel Strahan. I think that one of Kevin Greene and Charles Haley makes it this year. Jerome Bettis could keep them out but Greene and Haley have been waiting for quite a while. A fistful of Super Bowl rings gets Haley in first. I cringe at the thought of his induction speech.
I think that both Senior Committee nominees Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey make it to Canton.
So, if I had a vote, and I should, the Pro Football Hall Class of 2014 would be:
Derrick Brooks
Walter Jones
Michael Strahan
Andre Reed
Charles Haley
Ray Guy
Claude Humphrey
Since my votes never count, they should, and I'm often wrong, as seen in Carter's ridiculous wait, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014 will probably look more like this:
Derrick Brooks
Walter Jones
Jerome Bettis
Will Shields
Marvin Harrison
Claude Humphrey
We'll find out on Super Bowl Eve.
Last Thursday, the following fifteen took the next step to Canton:
Morten Andersen
Jerome Bettis
Derrick Brooks
Tim Brown
Edward DeBartolo
Tony Dungy
Kevin Greene
Charles Haley
Marvin Harrison
Walter Jones
John Lynch
Andre Reed
Will Shields
Michael Strahan
Aeneas Williams
If I had a vote, and I should, Derrick Brooks and Walter Jones are first ballot locks. Some consider Marvin Harrison a lock. If Cris Carter had to wait, Harrison has to wait in the receiver line as well. Andre Reed has been waiting long enough. I'd vote for Micahel Strahan. I think that one of Kevin Greene and Charles Haley makes it this year. Jerome Bettis could keep them out but Greene and Haley have been waiting for quite a while. A fistful of Super Bowl rings gets Haley in first. I cringe at the thought of his induction speech.
I think that both Senior Committee nominees Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey make it to Canton.
So, if I had a vote, and I should, the Pro Football Hall Class of 2014 would be:
Derrick Brooks
Walter Jones
Michael Strahan
Andre Reed
Charles Haley
Ray Guy
Claude Humphrey
Since my votes never count, they should, and I'm often wrong, as seen in Carter's ridiculous wait, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014 will probably look more like this:
Derrick Brooks
Walter Jones
Jerome Bettis
Will Shields
Marvin Harrison
Claude Humphrey
We'll find out on Super Bowl Eve.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Divisional Playoff Thoughts
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks for the NFC Championship.
New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos for the AFC Championship.
Congratulations to the 49ers on their divisional playoff victory over the Carolina Panthers and a third straight shot at the conference title.
The Patriots are playing in a third straight AFC Championship game.
Penalties had an unfortunately strong impact on the 49ers-Panthers game. Some that were called and many that weren't.
The officials missed an obvious 12-men in the huddle penalty on the 49ers at the end of the first half. That missed call was a big assist on Colin Kaepernick's touchdown pass to Vernon Davis to close the first half. I take this particular penalty very seriously. If the officials had missed an obvious 12-men in the huddle penalty in the 2009 NFC Championship game, the Minnesota Vikings would likely have been playing the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. Instead, the Saints won and defeated the Colts. Note to the officials. If you see a player leave a huddle and no one replaces that player in the huddle, there's a real good chance that 12 players were in that huddle.
The Panthers defense came out very, very chippy. There was a lot of stupid shit going on after the whistle. Those extracurriculars helped the 49ers first possession end in three points.
49ers linebacker Dan Skuta had a very unfortunate roughing the quarterback penalty called on him late in the game. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton spun right into Skuta. Skuta's shoulder hit Newton right in the head. If anything, Newton initiated all of the contact. Unfortunately, with the rules as they are, that will be called every time. It didn't matter much as the 49ers intercepted Newton a play or two later to seal the game.
Vernon Davis has been dynamite in the postseason. Every postseason. His touchdown at the end of the first half was his seventh in the postseason. Tying a postseason record for tight ends. That wasn't much of a surprise. Davis' playoff impact has been profound. The announcers mentioned that each of the seven touchdowns gave the 49ers the lead. Now, that makes those seven postseason touchdowns even more impressive.
49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks finally joined fellow linebackers Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis in the Pro Bowl this season. Whenever I see Brooks or hear mention of Brooks, I think of him early in his college career at Virginia. I was stunned to see this big linebacker returning kicks for his college football team. Usually you see fast, agile little guys returning kicks. Ahmad Brooks had the quickness and agility to return kicks despite being a big guy. It's taken him a while to become an impact player in the NFL but he surely has.
The 49ers linebackers are truly amazing. Bowman, Willis, and Brooks made the Pro Bowl this year. If it weren't for his rocky off-the-field season, Aldon Smith would probably be there as well. Great bunch of backers.
The Divisional Playoff games didn't have the thrills of the Wild Card games. That was a real shame. The San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos might have been the most entertaining of the four games. That's a real shame. It would have been a tremendous game if the Chargers had played the first three quarters like they played the fourth quarter. Their offense only generated 79 yards through three quarters. The Chargers defense did a fine job of limiting an explosive Broncos offense. If the offense had done anything through three quarters, we might have seen a different ending.
Chargers rookie receiver Keenan Allen wasn't drafted until the third round. He was a first round talent. I didn't understand his fall in the draft. I don't understand the surprise of many at his terrific play on the football field the last few months. If anyone had taken the time to watch Allen during his three years at Cal, they would have seen a great football player. I don't care what that stopwatch says.
I still think that the Broncos are the team to beat this year but I do think that they have to play better than they did yesterday to win it all. Maybe they were just playing as well as they needed to play.
Peyton Manning's 21-yard pass to Julius Thomas on 3rd-and-17 with just over three minutes to play may have saved the Broncos season. The Chargers were starting to roll and the Broncos seemed to be going through the motions, assuming that the game was theirs. That pass and catch seemed to wake up the Broncos. Manning and Thomas converted another 3rd down attempt but the first one was the big one.
Brady vs. Manning. Kaepernick vs. Wilson. The next one will be the "old guy vs. the new guy."
New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos for the AFC Championship.
Congratulations to the 49ers on their divisional playoff victory over the Carolina Panthers and a third straight shot at the conference title.
The Patriots are playing in a third straight AFC Championship game.
Penalties had an unfortunately strong impact on the 49ers-Panthers game. Some that were called and many that weren't.
The officials missed an obvious 12-men in the huddle penalty on the 49ers at the end of the first half. That missed call was a big assist on Colin Kaepernick's touchdown pass to Vernon Davis to close the first half. I take this particular penalty very seriously. If the officials had missed an obvious 12-men in the huddle penalty in the 2009 NFC Championship game, the Minnesota Vikings would likely have been playing the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. Instead, the Saints won and defeated the Colts. Note to the officials. If you see a player leave a huddle and no one replaces that player in the huddle, there's a real good chance that 12 players were in that huddle.
The Panthers defense came out very, very chippy. There was a lot of stupid shit going on after the whistle. Those extracurriculars helped the 49ers first possession end in three points.
49ers linebacker Dan Skuta had a very unfortunate roughing the quarterback penalty called on him late in the game. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton spun right into Skuta. Skuta's shoulder hit Newton right in the head. If anything, Newton initiated all of the contact. Unfortunately, with the rules as they are, that will be called every time. It didn't matter much as the 49ers intercepted Newton a play or two later to seal the game.
Vernon Davis has been dynamite in the postseason. Every postseason. His touchdown at the end of the first half was his seventh in the postseason. Tying a postseason record for tight ends. That wasn't much of a surprise. Davis' playoff impact has been profound. The announcers mentioned that each of the seven touchdowns gave the 49ers the lead. Now, that makes those seven postseason touchdowns even more impressive.
49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks finally joined fellow linebackers Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis in the Pro Bowl this season. Whenever I see Brooks or hear mention of Brooks, I think of him early in his college career at Virginia. I was stunned to see this big linebacker returning kicks for his college football team. Usually you see fast, agile little guys returning kicks. Ahmad Brooks had the quickness and agility to return kicks despite being a big guy. It's taken him a while to become an impact player in the NFL but he surely has.
The 49ers linebackers are truly amazing. Bowman, Willis, and Brooks made the Pro Bowl this year. If it weren't for his rocky off-the-field season, Aldon Smith would probably be there as well. Great bunch of backers.
The Divisional Playoff games didn't have the thrills of the Wild Card games. That was a real shame. The San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos might have been the most entertaining of the four games. That's a real shame. It would have been a tremendous game if the Chargers had played the first three quarters like they played the fourth quarter. Their offense only generated 79 yards through three quarters. The Chargers defense did a fine job of limiting an explosive Broncos offense. If the offense had done anything through three quarters, we might have seen a different ending.
Chargers rookie receiver Keenan Allen wasn't drafted until the third round. He was a first round talent. I didn't understand his fall in the draft. I don't understand the surprise of many at his terrific play on the football field the last few months. If anyone had taken the time to watch Allen during his three years at Cal, they would have seen a great football player. I don't care what that stopwatch says.
I still think that the Broncos are the team to beat this year but I do think that they have to play better than they did yesterday to win it all. Maybe they were just playing as well as they needed to play.
Peyton Manning's 21-yard pass to Julius Thomas on 3rd-and-17 with just over three minutes to play may have saved the Broncos season. The Chargers were starting to roll and the Broncos seemed to be going through the motions, assuming that the game was theirs. That pass and catch seemed to wake up the Broncos. Manning and Thomas converted another 3rd down attempt but the first one was the big one.
Brady vs. Manning. Kaepernick vs. Wilson. The next one will be the "old guy vs. the new guy."
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Game Day Thoughts
Seattle Seahawks vs. ? in the NFC Championship.
New England Patriots vs. ? in the AFC Championship.
The guess here is that the 49ers will be in Seattle next week. The Patriots will be in Denver. But, it's just a guess. There's a couple of big game today. Great games.
Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin can't stay on the field.
New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston made two of the most idiotic decisions that I've ever seen in the playoffs. On the same play! If he just steps out of bounds, Drew Brees has at least one shot to the end zone from inside the 40-yard line. Maybe, even a second shot from a little closer.
The Seattle Seahawks game plan against the Seahawks looked a lot like a game plan from another era. Russell Wilson only threw from 103 yards on 9 of 18 attempts. It was a little bit of passing and a lot of Marshawn Lynch. With a real nice defense, Lynch, and a distinct home-field-advantage, the Seahawks don't really need much from Wilson.
The Patriots ran the ball 46 times for 234 yards. It's probably been about a decade since Tom Brady's passing took a backseat to the run game. LeGarrette Blount led the way with 166 yards and 4 touchdowns. I think that Bill Belichick went to the ground to limit the possessions of the Colts and Andrew Luck.
Luck's four interceptions did just as much to limit the Colts time of possession.
Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton was terrific as a rookie in 2012. He's been better than that the last two weeks. His injury yesterday was a real blow to the Colts. Hilton isn't just a terrific young receiver. He's become a big play, dominant receiver. Luck to Hilton will be nightmare combination for a long time.
The Patriots lost punter Ryan Allen to an apparent shoulder injury in the first half. That led to some shuffling of the specialists. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was forced to punt. Brady was forced to hold for place kicks. I don't think that I've seen a quarterback of Brady's caliber hold since the 1970s. Both did pretty well with their extra playing time.
If Blount wasn't the player of the game for the Patriots, it was rookie linebacker Jamie Collins. Great in coverage all night, he also had a sack and an interception. I was curious about Collins in last April's draft. He was an impact player against the Colts.
With the Patriots win, Bill Belichick tied Don Shula for the second most postseason wins in NFL history with 19. Tom Landry leads with 20.
#6 are 5-2 vs. #1 seeds since 2005.
2010 season, 2011 playoffs:
#6 New York Jets 28-21 over #1 New England Patriots
#6 Green Bay Packers 48-21 over #1 Atlanta Falcons
2009 season, 2010 playoffs:
#1 Indianapolis Colts 20-3 over #6 Baltimore Ravens
2008 season, 2009 playoffs
#6 Baltimore Ravens 13-10 over Tennessee Titans
#6 Philadelphia Eagles 23-11 over #1 New York Giants
2005 season, 2006 playoffs
#1 Seattle Seahawks 20-10 over #6 Washington Redskins
#6 Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18 over #1 Indianapolis Colts
At first glance, I couldn't possibly understand the thinking of Alabama coach Nick Saban when he hire fired Oakland Raiders and USC coach Lane Kiffin as his offensive coordinator. I couldn't imagine Saban choosing to deal with a pain-in-the-ass like Kiffin. At second glance, I thought about Kiffin having his greatest, perhaps only, success as Pete Carroll's offensive coordinator at USC. Maybe, offensive coordinator for a strong head coach is the best place for Kiffin.
The Minnesota Vikings interviewed 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula in Charlotte, NC for their still vacant head coach position. I really can't imagine that two coaches preparing for a big playoff game the next day have the time to sit down for an interview. Most of the preparation is already done but it still seems to be a tough time for an interview. All reports seem to indicate that one or both of the 49ers assistants may join Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and Arizona Cardinals defensive Todd Bowles as finalists for the Vikings top coaching job. Zimmer has been and continues to be my top choice to lead the Vikings into the future.
The Washington Redskins decided that they didn't have to cancel their scheduled interviews with 49ers coordinators Greg Roman and Vic Fangio after they had hired Jay Gruden. Very classy lil Danny Snyder.
Last year, 73 college underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft. There will be a lot more than that this year. The declarations are coming so fast that it's hard to keep to track of them all. At least 100 have declared and there's still a few days for some more.
New England Patriots vs. ? in the AFC Championship.
The guess here is that the 49ers will be in Seattle next week. The Patriots will be in Denver. But, it's just a guess. There's a couple of big game today. Great games.
Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin can't stay on the field.
New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston made two of the most idiotic decisions that I've ever seen in the playoffs. On the same play! If he just steps out of bounds, Drew Brees has at least one shot to the end zone from inside the 40-yard line. Maybe, even a second shot from a little closer.
The Seattle Seahawks game plan against the Seahawks looked a lot like a game plan from another era. Russell Wilson only threw from 103 yards on 9 of 18 attempts. It was a little bit of passing and a lot of Marshawn Lynch. With a real nice defense, Lynch, and a distinct home-field-advantage, the Seahawks don't really need much from Wilson.
The Patriots ran the ball 46 times for 234 yards. It's probably been about a decade since Tom Brady's passing took a backseat to the run game. LeGarrette Blount led the way with 166 yards and 4 touchdowns. I think that Bill Belichick went to the ground to limit the possessions of the Colts and Andrew Luck.
Luck's four interceptions did just as much to limit the Colts time of possession.
Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton was terrific as a rookie in 2012. He's been better than that the last two weeks. His injury yesterday was a real blow to the Colts. Hilton isn't just a terrific young receiver. He's become a big play, dominant receiver. Luck to Hilton will be nightmare combination for a long time.
The Patriots lost punter Ryan Allen to an apparent shoulder injury in the first half. That led to some shuffling of the specialists. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was forced to punt. Brady was forced to hold for place kicks. I don't think that I've seen a quarterback of Brady's caliber hold since the 1970s. Both did pretty well with their extra playing time.
If Blount wasn't the player of the game for the Patriots, it was rookie linebacker Jamie Collins. Great in coverage all night, he also had a sack and an interception. I was curious about Collins in last April's draft. He was an impact player against the Colts.
With the Patriots win, Bill Belichick tied Don Shula for the second most postseason wins in NFL history with 19. Tom Landry leads with 20.
#6 are 5-2 vs. #1 seeds since 2005.
2010 season, 2011 playoffs:
#6 New York Jets 28-21 over #1 New England Patriots
#6 Green Bay Packers 48-21 over #1 Atlanta Falcons
2009 season, 2010 playoffs:
#1 Indianapolis Colts 20-3 over #6 Baltimore Ravens
2008 season, 2009 playoffs
#6 Baltimore Ravens 13-10 over Tennessee Titans
#6 Philadelphia Eagles 23-11 over #1 New York Giants
2005 season, 2006 playoffs
#1 Seattle Seahawks 20-10 over #6 Washington Redskins
#6 Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18 over #1 Indianapolis Colts
At first glance, I couldn't possibly understand the thinking of Alabama coach Nick Saban when he hire fired Oakland Raiders and USC coach Lane Kiffin as his offensive coordinator. I couldn't imagine Saban choosing to deal with a pain-in-the-ass like Kiffin. At second glance, I thought about Kiffin having his greatest, perhaps only, success as Pete Carroll's offensive coordinator at USC. Maybe, offensive coordinator for a strong head coach is the best place for Kiffin.
The Minnesota Vikings interviewed 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula in Charlotte, NC for their still vacant head coach position. I really can't imagine that two coaches preparing for a big playoff game the next day have the time to sit down for an interview. Most of the preparation is already done but it still seems to be a tough time for an interview. All reports seem to indicate that one or both of the 49ers assistants may join Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and Arizona Cardinals defensive Todd Bowles as finalists for the Vikings top coaching job. Zimmer has been and continues to be my top choice to lead the Vikings into the future.
The Washington Redskins decided that they didn't have to cancel their scheduled interviews with 49ers coordinators Greg Roman and Vic Fangio after they had hired Jay Gruden. Very classy lil Danny Snyder.
Last year, 73 college underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft. There will be a lot more than that this year. The declarations are coming so fast that it's hard to keep to track of them all. At least 100 have declared and there's still a few days for some more.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Flea Flicker Divisional Playoff Predictions
Again, none of this should ever be used for gambling purposes.
This is a terrific group off eight teams. Even though I expected the Cincinnati Bengals to be among the top eight teams (I thought that Andy Dalton would break out of his postseason funk), there really isn't a team that doesn't belong. The Philadelphia Eagles (Jason Peters certainly) and the Kansas City Chiefs might speak differently but they had their chance. On paper, the New England Patriots might be the weakest but they could win the whole thing. Bill Belichick's coaching has been amazing this year. I think that most still expect a Denver Broncos-Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl. I'm thinking that one of those teams won't even make it to their conference championship game.
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
-Saints win
I can't see Drew Brees repeating the mistakes that he made in the Monday Night game against the Seahawks. It'll be interesting to see how much of an impact Percy Harvin will have. The Saints kept him in check the last time that they faced him in a big game. Even forced a fumble. But, Harvin was a rookie then. He's coming off an injured hip this time with only a couple dozen plays with the Seahawks under his belt. Plus, I want to see Richard Sherman quiet for a while. That would be sweet.
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
-Patriots win
Belichick's magic continues for another week. No Vince Wilfork. No Jerod Mayo. No Rob Gronkowski. It's simply amazing that the Patriots keep finding a way to win.
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers
-49ers win
This is the toughest game for me to pick. If there's a better defensive front seven than the 49ers in football, it might be in Carolina. Both teams have excellent defenses. The 49ers have more and better offensive weapons. Unless Cam Newton plays out of his mind, I see the 49ers having one more game at Candlestick.
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
-Broncos win
The Chargers have been a lot of fun to watch over the past few weeks. Philip Rivers has been terrific all season. The Broncos simply have too much juice on offense for the Chargers.
This is going to be an excellent weekend of football.
This is a terrific group off eight teams. Even though I expected the Cincinnati Bengals to be among the top eight teams (I thought that Andy Dalton would break out of his postseason funk), there really isn't a team that doesn't belong. The Philadelphia Eagles (Jason Peters certainly) and the Kansas City Chiefs might speak differently but they had their chance. On paper, the New England Patriots might be the weakest but they could win the whole thing. Bill Belichick's coaching has been amazing this year. I think that most still expect a Denver Broncos-Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl. I'm thinking that one of those teams won't even make it to their conference championship game.
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
-Saints win
I can't see Drew Brees repeating the mistakes that he made in the Monday Night game against the Seahawks. It'll be interesting to see how much of an impact Percy Harvin will have. The Saints kept him in check the last time that they faced him in a big game. Even forced a fumble. But, Harvin was a rookie then. He's coming off an injured hip this time with only a couple dozen plays with the Seahawks under his belt. Plus, I want to see Richard Sherman quiet for a while. That would be sweet.
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
-Patriots win
Belichick's magic continues for another week. No Vince Wilfork. No Jerod Mayo. No Rob Gronkowski. It's simply amazing that the Patriots keep finding a way to win.
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers
-49ers win
This is the toughest game for me to pick. If there's a better defensive front seven than the 49ers in football, it might be in Carolina. Both teams have excellent defenses. The 49ers have more and better offensive weapons. Unless Cam Newton plays out of his mind, I see the 49ers having one more game at Candlestick.
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
-Broncos win
The Chargers have been a lot of fun to watch over the past few weeks. Philip Rivers has been terrific all season. The Broncos simply have too much juice on offense for the Chargers.
This is going to be an excellent weekend of football.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Oooh, Fearsome
I was really hoping to report that the Minnesota Vikings had hired Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator as their new head coach. Maybe later.
"Who is the most feared player in the NFL?" It's no surprise that ESPN is the one that conducted this poll. They tend to lean more towards the curious than the useful. Here's what ESPN found in their survey of more than 320 players to find the most feared player in the league:
Ndamukong Suh DT Detroit Lions 61 votes
Calvin Johnson WR Detroit Lions 58
J.J. Watt DE Houston Texans 24
Patrick Willis LB San Francisco 49ers 23
Peyton Manning QB Denver Broncos 21
James Harrison LB Cincinnati Bengals 18
Adrian Peterson RB Minnesota Vikings 16
So, there's still 99 votes out there. I wonder who got 'em.
Since the Lions weren't too feared this year it's a little surprising that two of their players were the most feared. I think that Suh and Johnson are feared for entirely different reasons. Suh is feared because he's a maniac. No one is ever too sure that he's not going to just snap and do something "fearful." He's most fearsome after the whistle is blown and the play is over. Johnson is feared for all of the right reasons. There's really no defense against him. He's such a physical freak that he's matchup nightmare on every snap. I was a little surprised to see Harrison on the list. He makes it for much of the same reasons as Suh. He's also a maniac. I just didn't think that he posed the same threat that he did in his Steelers days.
Nice work, ESPN.
"Who is the most feared player in the NFL?" It's no surprise that ESPN is the one that conducted this poll. They tend to lean more towards the curious than the useful. Here's what ESPN found in their survey of more than 320 players to find the most feared player in the league:
Ndamukong Suh DT Detroit Lions 61 votes
Calvin Johnson WR Detroit Lions 58
J.J. Watt DE Houston Texans 24
Patrick Willis LB San Francisco 49ers 23
Peyton Manning QB Denver Broncos 21
James Harrison LB Cincinnati Bengals 18
Adrian Peterson RB Minnesota Vikings 16
So, there's still 99 votes out there. I wonder who got 'em.
Since the Lions weren't too feared this year it's a little surprising that two of their players were the most feared. I think that Suh and Johnson are feared for entirely different reasons. Suh is feared because he's a maniac. No one is ever too sure that he's not going to just snap and do something "fearful." He's most fearsome after the whistle is blown and the play is over. Johnson is feared for all of the right reasons. There's really no defense against him. He's such a physical freak that he's matchup nightmare on every snap. I was a little surprised to see Harrison on the list. He makes it for much of the same reasons as Suh. He's also a maniac. I just didn't think that he posed the same threat that he did in his Steelers days.
Nice work, ESPN.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Throwback Thursday: Active Player Limits
Since the ball was first passed between the legs of the center, the number of football players on the field for a game has never swayed from eleven. The number of players that make up an active game day roster for an NFL team has swayed a lot. Roster limits were never detailed in an NFL rule book. The limits were only noted in league bylaws. It took six years before the league even thought to limit the size of the roster. It's just a guess here but I think that it was because Chicago Bears owner/coach/player George Halas was trying to horde talented football players. 1925 was the first year that a limit was put on the size of an NFL team. That limit was set at 16 football players. After that, it changed pretty much as a matter of routine.
1925 16
1926-29 18
1930-34 20
1935 24
1936-37 25
1938-39 30
1940-42 33
1943-44 28
1945-46 33
1947 35-for the first 3 games and then dropped to 34
1948 35
1949-50 32
1951-56 33
1957-58 35
1959 36
1960 38
1961-62 36
1963 37
1964-73 40
1974 47
1975-77 43
1978-81 45
1982 45-for the first 2 games and then increased to 49
1983-84 49
1985-90 45
1991-2010 45-plus a third quarterback
2011- 46
With the roster limits holding pretty much steady for all of my football life I find the nearly yearly bouncing around of the roster size for most of the league's history a little odd. It wasn't until the roster increase of 1964 to 40 players that the size remained steady for more than six seasons. Some of the adjustments are interesting. There were slight increases when the NFL was challenged by a rival league. The AAFC in 1947. The AFL in 1960. The WFL in 1974. The USFL in 1983. The in-season increase in 1982 was probably due to the players strike. One thing that strikes me as fairly interesting is that the switch to two-platoon football in the early 1950s didn't result in an increase of the roster size. The increase through that decade was more gradual than I would have expected.
It's amazing that the game day roster limit for an NFL team has increased from 16 players in 1925 to 46 players today. It's still 11 players on the field but there's a lot more on the sideline.
1925 16
1926-29 18
1930-34 20
1935 24
1936-37 25
1938-39 30
1940-42 33
1943-44 28
1945-46 33
1947 35-for the first 3 games and then dropped to 34
1948 35
1949-50 32
1951-56 33
1957-58 35
1959 36
1960 38
1961-62 36
1963 37
1964-73 40
1974 47
1975-77 43
1978-81 45
1982 45-for the first 2 games and then increased to 49
1983-84 49
1985-90 45
1991-2010 45-plus a third quarterback
2011- 46
With the roster limits holding pretty much steady for all of my football life I find the nearly yearly bouncing around of the roster size for most of the league's history a little odd. It wasn't until the roster increase of 1964 to 40 players that the size remained steady for more than six seasons. Some of the adjustments are interesting. There were slight increases when the NFL was challenged by a rival league. The AAFC in 1947. The AFL in 1960. The WFL in 1974. The USFL in 1983. The in-season increase in 1982 was probably due to the players strike. One thing that strikes me as fairly interesting is that the switch to two-platoon football in the early 1950s didn't result in an increase of the roster size. The increase through that decade was more gradual than I would have expected.
It's amazing that the game day roster limit for an NFL team has increased from 16 players in 1925 to 46 players today. It's still 11 players on the field but there's a lot more on the sideline.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Flea Flicker All-Pro Team
The All-Pro Team that everyone's been waiting for:
Offense
QB Peyton Manning Denver Broncos
RB LeSean McCoy Philadelphia Eagles
RB Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings
WR Calvin Johnson Detroit Lions
Josh Gordon Cleveland Browns
TE Jimmy Graham New Orleans
T Joe Thomas Cleveland Browns
Joe Staley San Francisco 49ers
G Evan Mathis Philadelphia Eagles
Louis Vasquez Denver Broncos
C Jason Kelce Philadelphia Eagles
Defense
DE Robert Quinn St. Louis Rams
Greg Hardy Carolina Panthers
DT Gerald McCoy Tampa Bay Buccaneers
J.J. Watt Houston Texans
LB Lavonte David Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Luke Kuechly Carolina Panthers
Patrick Willis San Francisco 49ers
CB Patrick Peterson Arizona Cardinals
Richard Sherman Seattle Seahawks
S Earl Thomas Seattle Seahawks
Eric Berry Kansas City Chiefs
Special Teams
K Matt Prater Denver Broncos
P Johnny Hekker St. Louis Rams
KR Cordarrelle Patterson Minnesota Vikings
PR Dexter McCluster Kansas City Chiefs
ST Justin Bethel Arizona Cardinals
Some explanations:
I cheated. I dropped the fullback position so that I could place a second running back on the team. In this case, Adrian Peterson. He's very deserving.
J.J. Watt is listed as a DE but he plays more of an interior line position. So, I put him at DT.
I've left some pass rushing linebackers out in the cold (Robert Mathis, Justin Houston, and Tamba Hali in particular). They deserve mention for the terrific seasons that they had but I'm going with a more traditional 4-3. 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis will play on the outside of that more traditional 4-3.
Offense
QB Peyton Manning Denver Broncos
RB LeSean McCoy Philadelphia Eagles
RB Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings
WR Calvin Johnson Detroit Lions
Josh Gordon Cleveland Browns
TE Jimmy Graham New Orleans
T Joe Thomas Cleveland Browns
Joe Staley San Francisco 49ers
G Evan Mathis Philadelphia Eagles
Louis Vasquez Denver Broncos
C Jason Kelce Philadelphia Eagles
Defense
DE Robert Quinn St. Louis Rams
Greg Hardy Carolina Panthers
DT Gerald McCoy Tampa Bay Buccaneers
J.J. Watt Houston Texans
LB Lavonte David Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Luke Kuechly Carolina Panthers
Patrick Willis San Francisco 49ers
CB Patrick Peterson Arizona Cardinals
Richard Sherman Seattle Seahawks
S Earl Thomas Seattle Seahawks
Eric Berry Kansas City Chiefs
Special Teams
K Matt Prater Denver Broncos
P Johnny Hekker St. Louis Rams
KR Cordarrelle Patterson Minnesota Vikings
PR Dexter McCluster Kansas City Chiefs
ST Justin Bethel Arizona Cardinals
Some explanations:
I cheated. I dropped the fullback position so that I could place a second running back on the team. In this case, Adrian Peterson. He's very deserving.
J.J. Watt is listed as a DE but he plays more of an interior line position. So, I put him at DT.
I've left some pass rushing linebackers out in the cold (Robert Mathis, Justin Houston, and Tamba Hali in particular). They deserve mention for the terrific seasons that they had but I'm going with a more traditional 4-3. 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis will play on the outside of that more traditional 4-3.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Playoff TV
The NFL is a monster.
The San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers game was the most watched Wild Card game ever. It averaged 47.1 million viewers. It's never really a surprise anymore when the NFL dominates American television viewing. When regular season football games started trumping World Series games it was clear that the sporting public had made it's choice. Television viewers want their football and they want a lot of it. Each year, more people are watching football. That's not really too surprising but that rate at which more people are watching is truly something.
NBC announced that it's Wild Card Saturday ratings were up nine percent from last year. FOX announced that their Sunday Wild Card ratings were up 17 percent from last year. It was also it's best ever rating for a Wild Card game. CBS announced that it's Sunday Wild Card ratings were up three percent from last year. It was the best for an AFC Wild Card game in 19 years. The NFL announced that the average of 34.7 million viewers per game made it the most-watched Wild Card weekend ever.
It's clear that the teams involved play a huge role in the viewing. The 49ers-Packers game was of much greater interest across the nation than the San Diego Chargers-Cincinnati Bengals game. Still, all the games are getting a ton of interest. The NFL, already by far the most popular sport, is getting more viewers every single year. It's that annual growth that is so astonishing. There's nothing gradual about it. Roger Goodell and all the suits at 280 Park Avenue are smiling. I'm smiling as long as Roger Goodell and all the suits at 280 Park Avenue don't get greedy and muck up a great thing.
The San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers game was the most watched Wild Card game ever. It averaged 47.1 million viewers. It's never really a surprise anymore when the NFL dominates American television viewing. When regular season football games started trumping World Series games it was clear that the sporting public had made it's choice. Television viewers want their football and they want a lot of it. Each year, more people are watching football. That's not really too surprising but that rate at which more people are watching is truly something.
NBC announced that it's Wild Card Saturday ratings were up nine percent from last year. FOX announced that their Sunday Wild Card ratings were up 17 percent from last year. It was also it's best ever rating for a Wild Card game. CBS announced that it's Sunday Wild Card ratings were up three percent from last year. It was the best for an AFC Wild Card game in 19 years. The NFL announced that the average of 34.7 million viewers per game made it the most-watched Wild Card weekend ever.
It's clear that the teams involved play a huge role in the viewing. The 49ers-Packers game was of much greater interest across the nation than the San Diego Chargers-Cincinnati Bengals game. Still, all the games are getting a ton of interest. The NFL, already by far the most popular sport, is getting more viewers every single year. It's that annual growth that is so astonishing. There's nothing gradual about it. Roger Goodell and all the suits at 280 Park Avenue are smiling. I'm smiling as long as Roger Goodell and all the suits at 280 Park Avenue don't get greedy and muck up a great thing.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Sunday Wild Card Thoughts
Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers on their Wild Card playoff wins.
Three of the four games were, at least, great. The 49ers-Packers game was fantastic.
The Chargers-Bengals was lacking due to the very un-playoff like play of the Bengals.
Very bold move by the 49ers to go for it on 4th-and-6 from the Packers 35 on their first possession. A 31-yard Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree throw made the call brilliant. A great defensive 4-yard line stand by the Packers kept the damage to a field goal.
Kaepernick may have gained about twice as many yards on the ground against the Packers in last year's playoff game but his 98 yards yesterday were twice as important. His last, clutch run was a dagger to the Packers hopes and set up a chip-shot, game-winning field goal by Phil Dawson.
Packers cornerback Davon House was oh-so-close to blocking that field goal. I actually thought that he was going to get that ball. It went right through his arms.
On further review, it looks like House might have been called for being offsides.
The 49ers used a timeout before they even ran a play to start the 2nd half. You don't see that very often. It didn't matter. They used their last timeout to set up the game-winning field goal.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Randall Cobb really work well together when things start to break down. It's amazing that both were sidelined by injuries for most of the season.
Packers rookie running back Eddie Lacy is a keeper. Rodgers and a talented back. Oh my.
Rodgers had 177 yards passing in the game. It was his lowest total for a playoff game. I think that was more the game plan than an indication of an off game by Rodgers. Lacy, Starks, the cold, and the fact that Rodgers is only weeks removed from a broken collarbone had a lot to do with the passing totals.
Ah, the weather.
5 degrees/-10 wind chill in Green Bay was absolutely balmy compared to the forecast.
Losing corner Sam Shields to a knee injury early in the first quarter was a significant blow to the Packers defense.
After the game, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said that receiver Michael Crabtree has the best hands in football history. It's great that he's propping up his own player but Harbaugh is out of his mind. Everyone knows that recently inducted Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter has the greatest hands of all time.
If I was told that quarterback Philip Rivers would throw for 128 yards in a playoff game, I'd say that there was no way that the San Diego Chargers would win that game. Rivers did throw for 128 yards and the Chargers knocked the Cincinnati Bengals out of the playoffs.
Three Chargers running backs each gained over fifty yards. The Chargers gained 196 yards on the ground.
The Bengals are one of the most talented football teams in the league. They've been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three years. I wonder how long owner Mike Brown stays patient with coach Marvin Lewis. Lewis is 0-5 in the postseason overall. That looks like a Dennis Green postseason record.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton struggled. Two interceptions. He could have had a few more. One fumble. He threw for over 300 yards but he never looked comfortable. He didn't get a lot of help. All-Pro receiver A.J. Green dropped a deep throw in the fourth quarter that he simply has to catch. Running back Giovani Bernard had a couple of drops. He also fumbled the ball as he was approaching a touchdown in the second quarter. If he keeps the ball and the Bengals punch in that touchdown, the Bengals have a 10-point lead and it's a different game.
In three playoff games, Dalton has one touchdown and six interceptions.
One Bengals offensive player that did help Dalton was former Cal receiver Marvin Jones.
Former Cal receivers are actually doing quite well in the NFL. DeSean Jackson has been one of the more explosive offensive players in the league for a few years. Jones has become a terrific compliment to A.J. Green for the Bengals in his second season. Keenan Allen of the San Diego Chargers might take home this year's rookie of the year award.
That rookie of the year award is likely a tossup between Allen and Lacy. I'd give it to Minnesota Vikings returner/receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. But, that's just me.
Danny Woodhead looks more like your paperboy than an NFL running back. I can't believe that Bill Belichick let him get out of New England. The Chargers were smart to grab him in free agency. Woodhead is a terrific football player.
I hope that Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is on the first plane to Minnesota. He's my top choice to be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
I think that it's ridiculous that the NFL fined Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch $50,000 for failing to make himself available to the media throughout the season. If the NFL is going to demand that the players be available to the media, the NFL should demand that the media not be idiots.
Congratulations to North Dakota St. on their third straight FCS national title. That's tough to do at any level and they have to go through a real playoffs.
In lieu of a real playoff, we have Florida St.-Auburn tonight in the last championship of the idiotic BCS.
Three of the four games were, at least, great. The 49ers-Packers game was fantastic.
The Chargers-Bengals was lacking due to the very un-playoff like play of the Bengals.
Very bold move by the 49ers to go for it on 4th-and-6 from the Packers 35 on their first possession. A 31-yard Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree throw made the call brilliant. A great defensive 4-yard line stand by the Packers kept the damage to a field goal.
Kaepernick may have gained about twice as many yards on the ground against the Packers in last year's playoff game but his 98 yards yesterday were twice as important. His last, clutch run was a dagger to the Packers hopes and set up a chip-shot, game-winning field goal by Phil Dawson.
Packers cornerback Davon House was oh-so-close to blocking that field goal. I actually thought that he was going to get that ball. It went right through his arms.
On further review, it looks like House might have been called for being offsides.
The 49ers used a timeout before they even ran a play to start the 2nd half. You don't see that very often. It didn't matter. They used their last timeout to set up the game-winning field goal.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Randall Cobb really work well together when things start to break down. It's amazing that both were sidelined by injuries for most of the season.
Packers rookie running back Eddie Lacy is a keeper. Rodgers and a talented back. Oh my.
Rodgers had 177 yards passing in the game. It was his lowest total for a playoff game. I think that was more the game plan than an indication of an off game by Rodgers. Lacy, Starks, the cold, and the fact that Rodgers is only weeks removed from a broken collarbone had a lot to do with the passing totals.
Ah, the weather.
5 degrees/-10 wind chill in Green Bay was absolutely balmy compared to the forecast.
Losing corner Sam Shields to a knee injury early in the first quarter was a significant blow to the Packers defense.
After the game, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said that receiver Michael Crabtree has the best hands in football history. It's great that he's propping up his own player but Harbaugh is out of his mind. Everyone knows that recently inducted Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter has the greatest hands of all time.
If I was told that quarterback Philip Rivers would throw for 128 yards in a playoff game, I'd say that there was no way that the San Diego Chargers would win that game. Rivers did throw for 128 yards and the Chargers knocked the Cincinnati Bengals out of the playoffs.
Three Chargers running backs each gained over fifty yards. The Chargers gained 196 yards on the ground.
The Bengals are one of the most talented football teams in the league. They've been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three years. I wonder how long owner Mike Brown stays patient with coach Marvin Lewis. Lewis is 0-5 in the postseason overall. That looks like a Dennis Green postseason record.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton struggled. Two interceptions. He could have had a few more. One fumble. He threw for over 300 yards but he never looked comfortable. He didn't get a lot of help. All-Pro receiver A.J. Green dropped a deep throw in the fourth quarter that he simply has to catch. Running back Giovani Bernard had a couple of drops. He also fumbled the ball as he was approaching a touchdown in the second quarter. If he keeps the ball and the Bengals punch in that touchdown, the Bengals have a 10-point lead and it's a different game.
In three playoff games, Dalton has one touchdown and six interceptions.
One Bengals offensive player that did help Dalton was former Cal receiver Marvin Jones.
Former Cal receivers are actually doing quite well in the NFL. DeSean Jackson has been one of the more explosive offensive players in the league for a few years. Jones has become a terrific compliment to A.J. Green for the Bengals in his second season. Keenan Allen of the San Diego Chargers might take home this year's rookie of the year award.
That rookie of the year award is likely a tossup between Allen and Lacy. I'd give it to Minnesota Vikings returner/receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. But, that's just me.
Danny Woodhead looks more like your paperboy than an NFL running back. I can't believe that Bill Belichick let him get out of New England. The Chargers were smart to grab him in free agency. Woodhead is a terrific football player.
I hope that Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is on the first plane to Minnesota. He's my top choice to be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
I think that it's ridiculous that the NFL fined Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch $50,000 for failing to make himself available to the media throughout the season. If the NFL is going to demand that the players be available to the media, the NFL should demand that the media not be idiots.
Congratulations to North Dakota St. on their third straight FCS national title. That's tough to do at any level and they have to go through a real playoffs.
In lieu of a real playoff, we have Florida St.-Auburn tonight in the last championship of the idiotic BCS.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Game Day Thoughts
The Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts sure kicked off the playoffs in fine fashion.
The Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints played a competitive game in the nightcap.
I expected the score of the first game to be more like the score of the second game and the score of the second game to be more like the score of the first game. Something like that.
The Colts made pretty quick work of a 28 point 3rd quarter deficit. It was pretty remarkable that the Chiefs had a 28 point 3rd quarter deficit after losing Jamaal Charles to a concussion after only three carries.
I've long been puzzled by Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe. He has all-world talent but he's never come close to playing at that level. He had a real nice game yesterday until the Chiefs last offensive snap. He could have kept his team's season alive if he could get both feet down on that field. It's an awareness that great receivers have. He caught the ball but just ran off of the field without a thought to his feet. Great receivers make that catch.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck didn't play his best game. Three interceptions is never a great game for a quarterback. Like all great quarterbacks, he plays the game without a thought to earlier mistakes.
Luck did it Stanford. He's done it in the NFL. I love the way he brushes away contact from pass rushers. He never seems bothered by the movement around him.
How many true franchise quarterbacks are there?
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees. No doubt. Philip Rivers. Maybe. I'm ready to put Andrew Luck in that group. Russell Wilson is hovering over that group. I'm more comfortable putting Luck and Wilson in that group than I am putting Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, and Matt Ryan in it. Now, Eli Manning turns into a whole other beast in the playoffs but he's so inconsistent in the regular season. Those games are important too. Yesterday, it was amazing to watch Luck and Brees play football. Luck wasn't at his best the whole game but he was sure something in bringing his team back from a huge hole. Brees was just so calm at the end. Sometimes, it's the calm in leading your team to a win that makes a franchise quarterback.
The Colts going straight from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck should be illegal.
As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I want one of those franchise quarterbacks. It's been so long.
Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters said that the Saints got lucky. It was likely a knee-jerk comment following a difficult loss but Peters might like to think about his own team rather than the supposed luck of his opponent. The Eagles converted only three of twelve third down attempts. Converting both fourth down attempts improves that some but that's not efficient offensive football. Peters and his unlucky offensive pals had four three-and-outs. That's terrible for a team that brags of an explosive offense. The Eagles gave up a game-winning, five minute drive that closed the Eagles season. None of this is luck. It's the Eagles failing to win a playoff game.
Pretty Chilly
Today's San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers Wildcard game at Lambeau Field could join the coldest games in NFL history. Here's the ten coldest recorded games:
10. Dec. 22, 1990 Lambeau Field
Packers vs Lions 2 degrees
9. Jan. 15, 1994 Ralph Wilson Stadium
AFC PLayoffs Bills vs Raiders 0/-32 wind chill
8. Dec. 26, 1993 Lambeau Field
Packers vs Raiders 0
7. Dec. 10, 1972 Metropolitan Stadium
Vikings vs Packers 0/-18
6. Dec. 3, 1972 Metropolitan Stadium
Vikings vs Bears -2/-26
5. Jan. 20, 2008 Lambeau Field
NFC Championship Packers vs Giants -4/-24
4. Jan. 4, 1981 Cleveland Municipal Stadium
AFC Playoffs Browns vs Raiders -5
3. Jan. 7, 1996 Arrowhead Stadium
AFC Playoff Chiefs vs Colts -6
2. Jan. 10, 1982 Riverfront Stadium
AFC Championship Bengals vs Chargers -9/-59
1. Dec. 31, 1967 Lambeau Field
NFL Championship Packers vs Cowboys -13/-48
Chilly Game thoughts:
It's a little funny to see the Raiders presence in three of these game. That must be something of a shock to the system.
I remember #2 well. The week before, the Chargers played one of the most incredible football games that I've ever seen against the Miami Dolphins. It was a draining, overtime game played in 76 degree Miami. Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow played out of his mind and had to be helped off the field due to exhaustion and dehydration. It simply amazing that the Chargers had to play in 76 degree weather one week -9/-59 degree weather the next. It's no surprise that the Bengals defeated the Chargers, one of the most explosive offensive teams in league history, and moved on to the Super Bowl.
It should be noted that these are the coldest recorded games. It's entirely possible that the first forty years of the NFL might have included games that were played in temperatures that dipped below 0. Before the Super Bowl era the league usually completed it's season before Christmas but all of the games were played in cold climates because all of the teams played in cold climates.
While the forecast for today's Packers-49ers seems to get warmer as we get closer to the game, this game is going to be cold.
The most unfortunate result of this cold game will be the uproar over the potential for a very cold Super Bowl played in New Jersey next month. Gimmeeabreak!!! It's football!
According to various reports from those that supposedly hear things, the Minnesota Vikings have/had four interviews scheduled for their vacant head coaching position. Here they are:
Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn interviewed yesterday.
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was/will be interviewed.
Seahawks coaches were available for interviews through today as they had first round byes in the playoffs. I never saw a date for Bevell's interview but it had to be done either yesterday or today. These interviews are pretty long (at least 6-8 hours) so I doubt that the Vikings could have interviewed both Quinn and Bevell yesterday. Considering the fact that Bevell was the Vikings offensive coordinator while general manager Rick Spielman was in the building maybe the Bevell interview wouldn't take long. Anyway, the Seahawks coordinators kickoff the Vikings head coach interviews. It sounds like the Vikings brass are taking these interviews on the road. Seattle was obviously their first stop. They're next stop is Arizona.
Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will interview tomorrow.
Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton will interview Tuesday.
There have been reports that the Vikings are interested in Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. Neither can be interviewed until the Bengals finish their playoff days. Zimmer is my top choice. He has been since it looked like Leslie Frazier's job was in jeopardy. I doubt that tips the Vikings scales any but Zimmer is the coach that I most want leading the Vikings into the future. I actually like all but one of the coaches that the Vikings are interviewing. For some reason, Bevell worries me. I like the idea of a defensive-minded coach head coach as long as that defensive-minded head coach brings in a strong, innovative offensive coordinator. Is that asking too much? No!
Speaking of coaching vacancies. We have another one. A day after the 2013 regular season, there were six teams without a head football coach. Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Redskins. The Tennessee Titans joined the group when they fired Mike Munchak yesterday. This must have been a difficult decision. Munchak was a Hall of Fame player for the team for 12 years, an assistant coach for 17 years, and the head coach for three years. 32 years with one team.
I was amused to see that New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has put his name on a product that simply makes sense:
Jerod's All-Pro Mayo
It comes in three flavors: Kickin' Buffalo, Bruisin' Bacon, and Crushin Chipotle
Mayo plans to donate a portion of his proceeds from his mayo to the Boston Medical Center.
A recent issue of Sports Illustrated had a terrific article on Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. I got a kick out of some of the comments from Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame receiver Raymond Berry.
Berry on Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame receiver and Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Bob Hayes:
"I have every move known to man," recalls Berry of his arsenal of fakes and feints to shake defenders."Do you know what Bob Hayes had to do to get open?" Pause. "He left the line of scrimmage."
Berry on Calvin Johnson:
"Good grief!"
"I've watched a lot of great receivers over the years. That guy is off the charts, an absolute physical phenomenon."
Congratulations to Vikings rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson on his selection as the All-Pro kick returner. The kid is dynamite.
All-Pro honors are far more selective than Pro Bowl honors. Pro Bowl gets more attention due to there being an actual game and a trip to Hawaii. Despite the attention, game, and trip, All-Pro is the greater honor.
The greatest flaw of the Pro Bowl selections is revealed in instances like last year. Seahawks corner Richard Sherman failed to get any Pro Bowl appreciation but was selected 1st team All-Pro. This mess happened again this year. Tampa Bay Buccaneers terrific linebacker Lavonte David was left off of the Pro Bowl roster. He was selected 1st team All-Pro. The same was true for Philadelphia Eagles guard Evan Mathis.
All three coaches in Houton Texans history, Dom Capers, Gary Kubiak, and now Bill O'Brien, started their Houston tenure with the top pick in the draft. David Carr and Mario Williams came before. Who will it be this time?
The Vikings fired Leslie Frazier last Monday. He wasn't without a job for very long. New Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith hired Frazier as his defensive coordinator. Cal fired Jeff Tedford last year. Smith hired Tedford as his offensive coordinator.
I'm hoping that the playoff thrills of yesterday carry over to today. That would be grand.
The Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints played a competitive game in the nightcap.
I expected the score of the first game to be more like the score of the second game and the score of the second game to be more like the score of the first game. Something like that.
The Colts made pretty quick work of a 28 point 3rd quarter deficit. It was pretty remarkable that the Chiefs had a 28 point 3rd quarter deficit after losing Jamaal Charles to a concussion after only three carries.
I've long been puzzled by Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe. He has all-world talent but he's never come close to playing at that level. He had a real nice game yesterday until the Chiefs last offensive snap. He could have kept his team's season alive if he could get both feet down on that field. It's an awareness that great receivers have. He caught the ball but just ran off of the field without a thought to his feet. Great receivers make that catch.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck didn't play his best game. Three interceptions is never a great game for a quarterback. Like all great quarterbacks, he plays the game without a thought to earlier mistakes.
Luck did it Stanford. He's done it in the NFL. I love the way he brushes away contact from pass rushers. He never seems bothered by the movement around him.
How many true franchise quarterbacks are there?
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees. No doubt. Philip Rivers. Maybe. I'm ready to put Andrew Luck in that group. Russell Wilson is hovering over that group. I'm more comfortable putting Luck and Wilson in that group than I am putting Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, and Matt Ryan in it. Now, Eli Manning turns into a whole other beast in the playoffs but he's so inconsistent in the regular season. Those games are important too. Yesterday, it was amazing to watch Luck and Brees play football. Luck wasn't at his best the whole game but he was sure something in bringing his team back from a huge hole. Brees was just so calm at the end. Sometimes, it's the calm in leading your team to a win that makes a franchise quarterback.
The Colts going straight from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck should be illegal.
As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I want one of those franchise quarterbacks. It's been so long.
Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters said that the Saints got lucky. It was likely a knee-jerk comment following a difficult loss but Peters might like to think about his own team rather than the supposed luck of his opponent. The Eagles converted only three of twelve third down attempts. Converting both fourth down attempts improves that some but that's not efficient offensive football. Peters and his unlucky offensive pals had four three-and-outs. That's terrible for a team that brags of an explosive offense. The Eagles gave up a game-winning, five minute drive that closed the Eagles season. None of this is luck. It's the Eagles failing to win a playoff game.
Pretty Chilly
Today's San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers Wildcard game at Lambeau Field could join the coldest games in NFL history. Here's the ten coldest recorded games:
10. Dec. 22, 1990 Lambeau Field
Packers vs Lions 2 degrees
9. Jan. 15, 1994 Ralph Wilson Stadium
AFC PLayoffs Bills vs Raiders 0/-32 wind chill
8. Dec. 26, 1993 Lambeau Field
Packers vs Raiders 0
7. Dec. 10, 1972 Metropolitan Stadium
Vikings vs Packers 0/-18
6. Dec. 3, 1972 Metropolitan Stadium
Vikings vs Bears -2/-26
5. Jan. 20, 2008 Lambeau Field
NFC Championship Packers vs Giants -4/-24
4. Jan. 4, 1981 Cleveland Municipal Stadium
AFC Playoffs Browns vs Raiders -5
3. Jan. 7, 1996 Arrowhead Stadium
AFC Playoff Chiefs vs Colts -6
2. Jan. 10, 1982 Riverfront Stadium
AFC Championship Bengals vs Chargers -9/-59
1. Dec. 31, 1967 Lambeau Field
NFL Championship Packers vs Cowboys -13/-48
Chilly Game thoughts:
It's a little funny to see the Raiders presence in three of these game. That must be something of a shock to the system.
I remember #2 well. The week before, the Chargers played one of the most incredible football games that I've ever seen against the Miami Dolphins. It was a draining, overtime game played in 76 degree Miami. Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow played out of his mind and had to be helped off the field due to exhaustion and dehydration. It simply amazing that the Chargers had to play in 76 degree weather one week -9/-59 degree weather the next. It's no surprise that the Bengals defeated the Chargers, one of the most explosive offensive teams in league history, and moved on to the Super Bowl.
It should be noted that these are the coldest recorded games. It's entirely possible that the first forty years of the NFL might have included games that were played in temperatures that dipped below 0. Before the Super Bowl era the league usually completed it's season before Christmas but all of the games were played in cold climates because all of the teams played in cold climates.
While the forecast for today's Packers-49ers seems to get warmer as we get closer to the game, this game is going to be cold.
The most unfortunate result of this cold game will be the uproar over the potential for a very cold Super Bowl played in New Jersey next month. Gimmeeabreak!!! It's football!
According to various reports from those that supposedly hear things, the Minnesota Vikings have/had four interviews scheduled for their vacant head coaching position. Here they are:
Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn interviewed yesterday.
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was/will be interviewed.
Seahawks coaches were available for interviews through today as they had first round byes in the playoffs. I never saw a date for Bevell's interview but it had to be done either yesterday or today. These interviews are pretty long (at least 6-8 hours) so I doubt that the Vikings could have interviewed both Quinn and Bevell yesterday. Considering the fact that Bevell was the Vikings offensive coordinator while general manager Rick Spielman was in the building maybe the Bevell interview wouldn't take long. Anyway, the Seahawks coordinators kickoff the Vikings head coach interviews. It sounds like the Vikings brass are taking these interviews on the road. Seattle was obviously their first stop. They're next stop is Arizona.
Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will interview tomorrow.
Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton will interview Tuesday.
There have been reports that the Vikings are interested in Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. Neither can be interviewed until the Bengals finish their playoff days. Zimmer is my top choice. He has been since it looked like Leslie Frazier's job was in jeopardy. I doubt that tips the Vikings scales any but Zimmer is the coach that I most want leading the Vikings into the future. I actually like all but one of the coaches that the Vikings are interviewing. For some reason, Bevell worries me. I like the idea of a defensive-minded coach head coach as long as that defensive-minded head coach brings in a strong, innovative offensive coordinator. Is that asking too much? No!
Speaking of coaching vacancies. We have another one. A day after the 2013 regular season, there were six teams without a head football coach. Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Redskins. The Tennessee Titans joined the group when they fired Mike Munchak yesterday. This must have been a difficult decision. Munchak was a Hall of Fame player for the team for 12 years, an assistant coach for 17 years, and the head coach for three years. 32 years with one team.
I was amused to see that New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has put his name on a product that simply makes sense:
Jerod's All-Pro Mayo
It comes in three flavors: Kickin' Buffalo, Bruisin' Bacon, and Crushin Chipotle
Mayo plans to donate a portion of his proceeds from his mayo to the Boston Medical Center.
A recent issue of Sports Illustrated had a terrific article on Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. I got a kick out of some of the comments from Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame receiver Raymond Berry.
Berry on Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame receiver and Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Bob Hayes:
"I have every move known to man," recalls Berry of his arsenal of fakes and feints to shake defenders."Do you know what Bob Hayes had to do to get open?" Pause. "He left the line of scrimmage."
Berry on Calvin Johnson:
"Good grief!"
"I've watched a lot of great receivers over the years. That guy is off the charts, an absolute physical phenomenon."
Congratulations to Vikings rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson on his selection as the All-Pro kick returner. The kid is dynamite.
All-Pro honors are far more selective than Pro Bowl honors. Pro Bowl gets more attention due to there being an actual game and a trip to Hawaii. Despite the attention, game, and trip, All-Pro is the greater honor.
The greatest flaw of the Pro Bowl selections is revealed in instances like last year. Seahawks corner Richard Sherman failed to get any Pro Bowl appreciation but was selected 1st team All-Pro. This mess happened again this year. Tampa Bay Buccaneers terrific linebacker Lavonte David was left off of the Pro Bowl roster. He was selected 1st team All-Pro. The same was true for Philadelphia Eagles guard Evan Mathis.
All three coaches in Houton Texans history, Dom Capers, Gary Kubiak, and now Bill O'Brien, started their Houston tenure with the top pick in the draft. David Carr and Mario Williams came before. Who will it be this time?
The Vikings fired Leslie Frazier last Monday. He wasn't without a job for very long. New Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith hired Frazier as his defensive coordinator. Cal fired Jeff Tedford last year. Smith hired Tedford as his offensive coordinator.
I'm hoping that the playoff thrills of yesterday carry over to today. That would be grand.
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