A Very Bad Day

Yesterday was a difficult day for everyone associated with the Minnesota Vikings.

Statement from Vikings Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman on Teddy Bridgewater:

Teddy Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury today at practice. The injury was quickly identified as a dislocated knee. The injury was stabilized, and he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and evaluation. After undergoing an MRI, it was determined that Teddy suffered a complete tear to his ACL and other structural damage. Fortunately, there appears to be no nerve or arterial damage. Surgical repair will be scheduled within the next few days. Although the recovery time will be significant, we expect Teddy to make a full recovery. I would like to thank all of the medical professionals and our athletic training staff for all of their help today. Teddy has already displayed the attitude needed to overcome this injury and attack his rehab.

As bad as this injury is it could have been much worse. Some of the early reports actually had it much worse. Social media can be a nightmare at times. How anyone can make up b.s. reports and report them as fact is beyond me but that nonsense is for another day. Bridgewater can and will recover from this injury. From Chad Greenway to Adrian Peterson, the Vikings have had tremendous success in getting players with serious knee injuries back on the field. And stay on the field. No surgery is routine but ACL surgeries are no longer the gamble that they once were. Players routinely come back from them. The Vikings training staff led by Eric Sugarman are rehab-maestros. All Bridgewater has to do is follow the path and example set by Peterson in 2012. Perhaps he'll even have a return season similar to that of Peterson when he ran 2,097 yards and took home the NFL's MVP award. 

As for the Minnesota Vikings in 2016. It's tough to think about that now. Personally, Teddy Bridgewater is such a great young man that I just feel bad for him. He's all class on and off the field. People loved him at the University of Louisville. So much so, that many of those Cardinals fans are Vikings fans now. People are drawn to him because he's just a good person. He's "Teddy" to just about everyone. That affection can be seen in the flood of thoughts and prayers from players and media from around the league. On the field, Bridgewater had worked so hard to put himself in this position. The starting quarterback and leader of a Vikings team that's talented enough to make a Super Bowl run. A beautiful new stadium. A fantastic head coach in Mike Zimmer. A young, talented football team. As Bridgewater said only a couple of days ago, "it's a great time to a Viking." Minnesota's 2016 season didn't end with this injury but a Super Bowl run got so much harder. But, it's not supposed to be easy. 

"Everyone can count us out if they want, but I don't think that's the smart thing to do."                                       -Mike Zimmer

Early Vikings Cuts

Today is the deadline for all NFL teams to trim their rosters to 75 players. Some have already done so. With their third preseason game on Sunday, yesterday was the first of the always difficult cutdown days for the Minnesota Vikings. They had 89 players on the roster. Now, they have 81. They released the following eight players.

LB  Terrance Plummer
OL  Sean Hickey
DE  Thieren Cockran
OL  Austin Shepherd
DT  Claudell Louis
QB  Brad Sorensen
WR Marken Michel
TE  Brian Leonhardt

Austin Shepherd is probably the biggest surprise of the eight. He was a seventh round pick last year but beat the odds and made the team. He even contributed during the season. Mostly as an extra lineman in short-yardage situation. He has NFL talent but ended up on the wrong side of the numbers game with the Vikings.

The Vikings have to trim another six players from the roster today. There could be a surprise among those six. It was reported yesterday that the Vikings are shopping center John Sullivan. A sixth-round pick in 2008, Sullivan had been the Vikings starting center since 2009. A back injury and the resulting surgery kept him on the sideline all of last season. Joe Berger started in his place. Healthy now, Sullivan has been battling Berger for the starting center job throughout training camp. If the shopping of Sullivan proves to be true it appears that Berger has won the battle.

Another 22 players have to be trimmed from NFL rosters by Saturday. Tough days.

Vikings-Chargers Preseason Game #3 Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings hosted the San Diego Chargers in the first football game played at sparkling, new US Bank Stadium.

From a seat on a sofa in California the stadium looks like a beauty. With only about half the roof being glass/clear I've been a little worried about odd shadows playing across the surface of the field. I figured that the architects had thought about this potential issue but I still had to see for myself. It wasn't an issue at all. The stadium had all the qualities of an outdoor game. When they have those giant doors open it probably feels like an outdoor game as well. It's looks like a brilliant stadium. For all of their 55 years the Vikings have had one of the worst stadiums in the league. Now, they have one of the best.

Oh, the Vikings won the game 23-10.

With this being the first game there were a lot of stadium firsts.

First sellout and a Vikings preseason attendance record: 66,143

First points: Blair Walsh 23-yard field goal.

First touchdown: Unfortunately this went to the Chargers. A 39-yard run by Melvin Gordon

First run: 35-yard run by Jerick McKinnon

First catch: 10-yard catch by Stefon Diggs

First penalty: offsides on Changers defensive end Corey Luiget

First Vikings touchdown: 27-yard reception by Kyle Rudolph

First interception: Harrison Smith

First fumble recovery: Forced by Justin Trattou. Recovered by Stephen Weatherly

There will be another slew of firsts when the Vikings host the Green Bay Packers on September 18. A game that actually counts.

The Vikings are now 3-0 in the 2016 preseason. This was their best game. The Vikings may have defeated the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks in the first two games of the preseason but they neither ran the ball well nor defended the run well in those wins. Both of those opponents sustained too many drives with the run. At least they managed to make a few stops at the end of those drives to limit the scoring. The Vikings were effective running the ball and much better at stopping the run against the Chargers. If it wasn't for the scoring burst by Gordon their run defense would have been close to very good.

The biggest problem in their win over the Chargers was settling for field goals rather than touchdowns. This was a big problem last year. It looks like it could still be a problem. The Vikings opened the game with two terrific scoring opportunities. They opened the game with a 68-yard drive to the Chargers 5-yard line. They had to settle for a short Blair Walsh field goal. They ran three plays from inside the 6-yard line. Couldn't score. A Harrison Smith interception gave the Vikings offense excellent field position on the Chargers 44-yard line for the second possession. They got to the 15-yard line and settled for another short field goal. The Vikings offense has to score touchdowns on these prime opportunities. Having Adrian Peterson in the regular season will help. His running the ball and providing the threat of running the ball should boost effectiveness of the offense in the red zone. It has to.

The Vikings defensive backups were impressive in the second half. They were going against the Chargers backups but they didn't let those backups do much. They even forced three turnovers. A fumble recovery by rookie defensive end Stephen Weatherly and interceptions by the Clemson rookies, safety Jayron Kearse and Mackensie Alexander. This was the second time this preseason that the Clemson rookies had interceptions. Each got hold of a pass against the Bengals.

"He's going to be a handful until we get things squared away."
     Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer on Mackensie Alexander

This was actually a compliment. Alexander is an excitable, aggressive, competitive football player. He has the talent and potential to be great. His aggressiveness is going to come with some bumps along the way. He was hit with a taunting penalty after his interception. He apologized to Zimmer.

Jarius Wright has been one of the Vikings top three receivers for most of the last couple of seasons. He's made a habit of making big, chain-moving plays. He's made enough of them in his career to earn a nice second contract. He's missed some time with injuries in recent weeks. It looks like other receivers might have passed him on the depth chart. Stefon Diggs and Charles are established as the starters. First round pick Laquon Treadwell is going to get more reps as they enter and proceed through the season. He made some plays yesterday, including a scoring catch on a 2-point conversion, after a rough outing last week against the Seahawks. Adam Thielen has firmly established himself in the receiving rotation. Maybe he's simply being eased back into the lineup but Wright seems to have been passed by those four receivers. His playing time yesterday came in the second half with third-string quarterback Joel Stave leading the offense. Stave did connect with Wright on a 26-yard catch.

Mike Zimmer boosted his preseason record to 10-1.

The Vikings have had success against the Chargers in the preseason. 11-3-1.

The Vikings host the Los Angeles on Thursday in the preseason finale.

Tough days coming. Teams have to trim rosters to 75 players by Tuesday. Some have already done that trimming. Teams have to get down to 53 players by this Saturday.

My Fantasy Football Team

Fantasy football is in the air. It's everywhere. Fantasy football has been a thing for me since the early 1980's. It's been a consistent thing since the late 1980s. I've always enjoyed it as a real fun side to the real thing. I really can't imagine bouncing through an NFL season without fantasy football out there on the side. It's just part of the football fun for me. I'm serious about fantasy football. But I don't take it seriously. I'm a Minnesota Vikings homer in reality. And fantasy. Some times I win. More often, I don't. But, it's always fun.

My fantasy football league had our draft last night. Here's what I got.

QB
Andrew Luck
Blake Bortles
Teddy Bridgewater

RB
Adrian Peterson
Todd Gurley
Arian Foster
Christine Michael

WR
Allen Robinson
Josh Gordon
Tyler Lockett
Stefon Diggs
Tyler Boyd

K
Roberto Aguayo
Ryan Succop

Defense
Vikings
Lions

Our league is different from most in that we don't have a tight end position. We start three receivers and tight ends are welcome there. It's a traditional matter. We started the league at a time when tight ends were more blocker than receiver. We simply haven't changed with the times.

Todd Gurley was a keeper which made a backfield with Adrian Peterson and Gurley possible. Looks sound. I figure that the wildcard on my team is Josh Gordon. If he can come off his suspension and be the dynamite pass-catcher that he has the talent to be, I might be ok. Fantasy football is a fickle beast. It's fun. It's a real nice side to the real thing. We'll see how it goes.

A Minnesota Vikings 53-Man Roster Projection

The 2016 NFL Preseason schedule will be over by this time next week. The Minnesota Vikings play their final two games in the next five days. They host the San Diego Chargers tomorrow and Hard Knocks darlings Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. Then it's on to the Tennessee Titans and the 2016 NFL season. To pass all that time now here's a projected look at the Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster.

Quarterbacks
Teddy Bridgewater
Shaun Hill

Running backs
Adrian Peterson
Jerick McKinnon
Matt Asiata
Zach Line-fullback

Receivers
Stefon Diggs
Charles Johnson
Adam Thielen
Laquon Treadwell
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson

Tight ends
Kyle Rudolph
MyCole Pruitt
Rhett Ellison
David Morgan


Offensive line
Matt Kalil
Alex Boone
John Sullivan
Brandon Fusco
Andre Smith
Joe Berger
T.J. Clemmings
Nick Easton
Willie Beavers


Defensive line
Everson Griffen
Shariff Floyd
Linval Joseph
Brian Robison
Danielle Hunter
Tom Johnson
Shamar Stephen
Stephen Weatherly

Linebackers
Anthony Barr
Eric Kendricks
Chad Greenway
Emmanuel Lamur
Audie Cole
Kentrell Brothers
Edmond Robinson

Cornerbacks
Xavier Rhodes
Trae Waynes
Captain Munnerlyn
Terence Newman
Mackensie Alexander
Marcus Sherels

Safeties
Harrison Smith
Andrew Sendejo
Anthony Harris
Jayron Kearse

Kicker
Blair Walsh

Punter
Jeff Locke

Long snapper
Kevin McDermott

Carrying only two quarterbacks is always a bit of a gamble in the NFL but there have to be cuts somewhere if a team wants to carry four tight ends or seven (4-3) linebackers. Besides, if the Vikings were down to a QB3 they could always put Jerick McKinnon back there and go option football.

The Vikings have really boosted the talent level on the team. Having seven first round picks from 2012-14 can do that. All seven of those players have contributed. Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith, Shariff Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, Cordarrelle Patterson, Anthony Barr, and Teddy Bridgewater. Smith, Floyd(he has to stay healthy), Rhodes, Barr, and Bridgewater are cornerstone players. Kalil and Patterson, while starters/producers are still trying to join their fellow first round pals at that level. The increase in talent across the roster has resulted in competitive training battles for starting positions and roster spots. There will be players released over the next week that probably would have started for the Vikings in other years.

This one's for fun. Although cutting a football player, even if it's done in a fan's vision, isn't very fun. The real Minnesota Vikings comes in a week. 

Re-visiting Minnesota Vikings 89-Man Roster

The Minnesota Vikings have made a couple of changes in recent days to their 90-man roster. The most significant move didn't impact the 90 players on the roster at all. Tight end Rhett Ellison was activated from the Psychically Unable to Perform list. He was rehabbing the torn patellar tendon that he suffered at the end of last season. If his knee is sound and stays that way the Vikings have a very interesting group of tight ends. So interesting that they might have to find a way to keep four of them. Running back Kevin Monangai was signed at the beginning of the month. He had about fourteen cups of coffee and was released last weekend when the Vikings felt that they needed another quarterback. Brad Sorensen is that quarterback. Perhaps to get a jump on next week's mandatory roster-trimming, cornerback Melvin White was waived on Thursday. That put the Vikings current roster at 89 players.

The Vikings, as well as the other 31 NFL teams, have to shave 15 players from their roster by next Tuesday, August 30. They have to reduce the roster to the final 53 players by September 3. Teams can start putting together their 10-man practice squad the next day, September 4.

Until then, here's the Minnesota Vikings 89-man roster.

Quarterbacks
  5 Teddy Bridgewater
13  Shaun Hill
  2  Joel Stave
  4  Brad Sorensen

Running backs
28 Adrian Peterson
21 Jerick McKinnon
44 Matt Asiata
30 C.J. Ham
42 Jhurrell Pressley

Fullbacks
48 Zach Line
49 Blake Renaud

Receivers
14 Stefon Diggs
12 Charles Johnson
17 Jarius Wright
11 Laquon Treadwell
84 Cordarrelle Patterson
19 Adam Thielen
15 Isaac Fruechte
81 Moritz Boehringer
16 Terrell Sinkfield
  9 Marken Michel
  1 Troy Stoudermire

Tight ends
82 Kyle Rudolph
83 MyCole Pruitt
85 Rhett Ellison
89 David Morgan
87 Brian Leonhardt
86 Kyle Carter

Tackles
75 Matt Kalil
71 Andre Smith
68 T.J. Clemmings
78 Jeremiah Sirles
60 Carter Bykowski
74 Austin Shepherd

Guards
76 Alex Boone
63 Brandon Fusco
61 Joe Berger
64 Willie Beavers
69 Isame Faciane
66 Sean Hickey

Centers
65 John Sullivan
62 Nick Easton
67 Zac Kerin

Defensive ends
97 Everson Griffen
96 Brian Robison
99 Danielle Hunter
64 Stephen Weatherly
94 Justin Trattou
91 Zach Moore
62 Denzell Perine

Defensive tackles
98 Linval Joseph
73 Sharrif Floyd
92 Tom Johnson
93 Shamar Stephen
72 Kenrick Ellis
95 Scott Crichton
69 Toby Johnson
60 Travis Raciti
67 Theiren Cockran
74 Claudell Louis

Linebackers
55 Anthony Barr
54 Eric Kendricks
52 Chad Greenway
59 Emmanuel Lamur
57 Audie Cole
40 Kentrell Brothers
51 Edmond Robinson
58 Brandon Watts
56 Jake Ganus
50 Terrance Plummer

Cornerbacks
29 Xavier Rhodes
26 Trae Waynes
24 Captain Munnerlyn
23 Terence Newman
20 Mackensie Alexander
35 Marcus Sherels
25 Jabari Price
36 Tre Roberson

Safeties
22 Harrison Smith
34 Andrew Sendejo
33 Michael Griffin
41 Anthony Harris
32 Antone Exum Jr.
27 Jayron Kearse

Kicker
  3 Blair Walsh

Punter
18 Jeff Locke

Long snapper
47 Kevin McDermott

***

Active/Non-Football Illness
79 Mike Harris

Active/Non-Football Injury

6 Taylor Heinicke

Reserve/Injured

90  B.J. DuBose

Throwback Thursday: One That Got Away

The football glory days at the University of California were the early 1920s. Head coach Andy Smith knew that the future was bright in Berkeley when the Golden Bears freshman team went 11-1 in 1919. Those players made up the core of the varsity team that posted a record of 27-0-1 from 1920-22, two Rose Bowl appearances (1 win, 1 tie), and three national titles (awarded after the fact). Those football teams were known as Cal's "Wonder Teams." In 1960, the Helms Athletic Foundation named the 1920 "Wonder Team" the best college football team in American sports history. The football success didn't end in 1922. They didn't lose a game until 1925.  From 1920-24, Cal posted a record of 44-0-4. Those teams at the end of that run could have been even better if a certain football legend hadn't found his way to that farm a little further south. From Jim Scott's Ernie Nevers, Football Hero.

In the summer of 1922, most all the Western universities had heard of Ernie Nevers through his heroics at Santa Rosa High.

It was assumed that he would go to Stanford for Attorney Finlaw Geary, the persistent Stanford recruiter of Santa Rosa, seldom let Ernie get out of his sight.

But the University of California, whose unbelievable Wonder Team had become a national rage, wasn't giving up easily.

In August of 1922, four of Cal's players invaded Santa Rosa for a selling job on Ernie. Finally, he agreed to take a tour with them of the Berkeley campus. 

While they were showing Ernie about Berkeley, they were spotted by Jimmy Lawson, Stanford football star. He phoned his Berkeley brother, who had a car. They managed to make contact with Ernie by phone and, by arrangement, Jimmy's brother sped Ernie back to Attorney Finlaw.

They had told Ernie that Finlaw was having a big barbecue that night, and that Ernie simply had to be there. Once back in Santa Rosa, they received a call from Jimmy that the Cal men were on their way back to Santa Rosa to rescue Nevers. 

It was then that Geary remembered "Madge," an attractive widow who had helped him before in his recruiting activities. 

Madge, entranced by football heroes, loaded Ernie into her car, and they sped on to the resort area up the California Coast. By the time they had returned to Santa Rosa, the Cal boys had departed.

The impressionable youth considered Madge to be "the most sophisticated, beautiful woman I ever met."

The NCAA was only about two decades old at this point so they were still working out some kinks. Actually, they still are but that's a whole other story. The young NCAA should have had a field day with these shenanigans. A booster doing some shady recruiting, kidnapping, and manipulating an impressionable young football hero with a beautiful widow named "Madge." Stanford's rarely up to any good.

Imagine Cal's later "Wonder Teams" with Ernie Nevers. It's beautiful if you try.

Cal Football Recruits

College football recruiting is a year-round thing. It has been for a while. As soon as one class of high school recruits is filled colleges start filling the next. Cal hasn't always played that game. At least it never appeared that they did. Jeff Tedford had some terrific recruiting classes in his 11 years (2002-12) as head coach in Berkeley but he never seemed to start collecting commits until the fall. Many of the commits didn't come until the final month before signing day in early February. That's started to change since Sonny Dykes replaced Tedford following the 2012 season. Dykes and his coaching staff had to scramble to keep what they could of Tedford's 2013 recruits (Jared Goff being one of them) and then do their best to fill out the class. Since then, Cal has been collecting recruits in early-spring, mid-spring, late-spring, and throughout the summer. They are year-round commit-collectors. Their numbers are quite modest compared to the powerhouse recruiters like Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU. Those schools just throw their name at a promising high school football player and they usually have a commit. Cal's coaches often have to work a bit harder to get that commit but they are a plucky bunch. With their first game of the 2016 season this Saturday, here's how the Golden Bears recruiting class of 2017 looks.

Gabe Cherry, DT, Centennial-Bakersfield, CA

Taariq Johnson, TE, Buena Park-Buena Park, CA

Jeremiah Hawkins, WR, Buena Park-Buena Park, CA

Michael Onyemaobi, WR, Chaparral-Temecula, CA

Je'Quari Godfrey, CB, Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland, CA

Da'Quan Patton, Trinity Valley CC-Athens, TX

Chase Garbers, QB, Corona Del Mar-Newport Beach, CA

Alex Funches, DT, Trinity Valley CC-Athens, TX

Biaggio Ali-Walsh, RB, Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas, NV

Gabe Cherry was the first to commit Cal. He did so on February 13, 2016. Biaggio Ali-Walsh was the most most recent commit. He did so just over a week ago. See, Cal recruiting is a year round thing now. 

Cal's nine commits pales in comparison to the approximately 20 commits that colleges like Alabama have collected so far but it's a start. 

As for Cal's nine, Buena Park pass-catchers Taariq Johnson and Jeremiah Hawkins and quarterback Chase Garbers highlight the class. Cal had one of the best receiver groups in the country the past few years. Most of those receivers are on NFL rosters right now. It still has to be seen on the field, but on paper it looks like that position has been restocked. A couple true freshmen (Melquise Stovall and Demetris Robinson) could start this year and the position is littered with talented freshmen and sophomores. Johnson, Hawkins and Michael Onyemaobi are set to join them next year. 

One interesting little bit of trivia with this growing 2017 recruiting class is that Biaggio Ali-Walsh is the grandson of Muhammad Ali. 

Cal announced their football captains for the 2017 season. 

QB  Davis Webb

RT   Steven Moore

DT  James Looney

LB   Ray Davison

CB  Darius Allensworth

As voted on by their teammates.

The Golden Bears will spend this week in Australia in advance of Saturday's game there against Hawaii. 

Preseason Power Rankings

Since every NFL season is so different and teams can get on a roll it seems silly to do a preseason power ranking. But, what the hell. It's the preseason. Maybe this will take someone's mind off of Dak Prescott for a moment or two.

1.   Carolina Panthers
2.   New England Patriots
3.   Arizona Cardinals
4.   Minnesota Vikings
5.   Green Bay Packers
6.   Seattle Seahawks
7.   Pittsburgh Steelers
8.   Denver Broncos
9.   Cincinnati Bengals
10. Oakland Raiders
11. Kansas City Chiefs
12. New York Giants
13. Washington Redskins
14. New York Jets
15. San Diego Chargers
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Indianapolis Colts
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Houston Texans
20. Dallas Cowboys
21. New Orleans Saints
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Buffalo Bills
24. Atlanta Falcons
25. Miami Dolphins
26. Philadelphia Eagles
27. Tennessee Titans
28. Chicago Bears
29. Detroit Lions
30. Los Angeles Rams
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Cleveland Browns

There it is. For now. Nearly all of that could be reshuffled into an entirely different order before the season even starts.

What Tha What?

"Why is there an injury report in pro football? Nobody else has one, only pro football does."

        -Jimmy Dix from The Last Boy Scout

That quote was the first thing that crossed my mind when I heard that the NFL is monkeying with the terminology of their weekly injury reports. As a young football fan in the 1970s I always found it a bit odd that there was even an injury report in the newspaper. As Jimmy Dix stated, pro football is the only sport that seems to find it necessary to do so. Let alone make it public. I found it even more odd that these injury reports were often conveniently located near the betting lines in the newspaper. That location was curious because the distance between sports and betting is supposed to be as great as possible.

The NFL has required teams to report injuries in the following categories.

Probable
Questionable
Doubtful
Out

Those are pretty self-explanatory without putting numbers to the terms. But, the NFL has to have numbers. Probable meant that a player had a better than 75% chance of playing in a game. Questionable was 50%. Doubtful was less than 75%. Out meant out. There isn't anything earth-shattering about any of these terms or numbers. The terms are words that are easily understood. The numbers are easily associated with the terms. Apparently, the NFL had an issue with the "probable" category. Careful study(!) revealed that 95% of the players listed as "probable" actually played in the game. 95% is great than 75%. Imagine that. Since the difference between 95 and 75 is so great that they find the "probable" designation misleading, the NFL is simply dropping the term from their lexicon.

I always figured that a player listed as "probable" was probably going to play in the game because that's exactly the meaning of the word. It's absolutely mind-numbing that the NFL took the time to study this let alone decide that it was necessary to change things. Not only has the NFL dropped the "probable" designation, they also changed the meaning of "questionable" and "doubtful." I didn't know that they could do that! Now, we have this.

questionable=it is uncertain as to whether the player will play in the game

doubtful=it is unlikely as to whether the player will play in the game

What tha what? That's exactly what those two words mean. Is this whole thing just a joke to perk up the time between preseason weeks two and three?

No. It's not a joke. There's a real memo. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport even tweeted it. Straight from the Competition Committee.

There must be a lot of idle time at 345 Park Avenue.

The NFL scours the weekly injury reports for inconsistencies and inaccuracies. They punish teams for infractions. Now, they are adjusting terminology. Unless gambling and fantasy football are the priorities, the NFL is spending way too much time on injury reports. Considering the incredibly toxic relationship between the players and management, this is time that can be much better spent. Instead of changing things that don't need to be changed maybe they should work on things that do.

Ranking the Playoff Prospects of 1st-year Coaches

CBS.com's Will Brinson recently ranked the playoff prospects of the six NFL head coaches in their first year with their teams. That, of course, got me thinking about how I would rank them. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this ranking says as much about the team that these coaches inherited as it does their respective coaching talents.

Here's how Brinson stacked up the playoff prospects of these coaches.

6. Chip Kelly, San Francisco 49ers

5. Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns

4. Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles

3. Ben McAdoo, New York Giants

2. Adam Gase, Miami Dolphins

1. Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It's interesting, and expected, that the biggest difference between the top-3 and the bottom-3 is the respective quarterback situations with each team. The top-3 have their quarterback in place. The bottom-3 don't. At least the Eagles and Doug Pederson believe that they have their future franchise quarterback on the roster or they wouldn't have traded up to draft Carson Wentz with the second overall pick. Chip Kelly and Hue Jackson might go on and have brilliant coaching careers with their current teams but their immediate prospects are pretty bleak. Everything would have to unfold perfectly, perhaps miraculously, for either the Browns or the 49ers to make the playoffs this year. But, you never really know until the games are played. While the Eagles quarterback situation might be a bit up in the air right now there's enough talent on the team, especially on defense, for them to makw a run at the playoffs. I agree with Brinson on his top three coaches and teams but I have them in a different order.

6. Chip Kelly, San Francisco 49ers

5. Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns

4. Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles

3. Adam Gase, Miami Dolphins

2. Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1. Ben McAdoo, New York Giants

The Giants offense could be one of the most explosive in the league. Ben McAdoo is the architect of that offense and is probably the reason that two-time Super Bowl champ Tom Coughlin was given the boot. They didn't want to lose McAdoo to another team just to keep Coughlin around for another year or two. The Giants defense was an issue last year and they spent a ton of money on big-time free agents this offseason to fix it. If those players can play well with the others and improve the defense McAdoo's first season as head coach could be a very good one. He stepped into the top coaching spot of a team that can win now. 

Dirk Koetter got the Buccaneers head coaching job in much the same manner that McAdoo got his. Tampa Bay didn't want to lose Koetter to another team just because they had solid and dependable Lovie Smith as their head coach. Koetter was critical to rookie quarterback Jameis Winston's promising play last season. The team's future is tied to Winston's development and in turn Winston's development is tied to Koetter. At least the Buccaneers management feel that way and that's all that really matters. Koetter inherits a very promising young team. Winston appears to have the talent and leadership skills to be an elite NFL quarterback. When a team has that they will always have a shot. 

Adam Gase also inherited a team that has the talent to win now. If he can bring the best out of quarterback Ryan Tannehill the playoffs aren't out of the question. Playing in the same division as the New England Patriots doesn't help their playoff hopes but it doesn't end them either. Tannehill has been very up and down since the Dolphins selected him with the eighth pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. Gase worked well with Peyton Manning in Denver and with Jay Cutler in their one year together in Chicago. The Dolphins hope that he can bring out the best in Tannehill. 

It seems pretty clear to me that the playoff prospects of all six coaches rests on the quarterbacks that each inherited and not just the overall talent on those teams. That's hardly a surprise as the NFL becomes more and more quarterback-driven each year. I would rank the six quarterback situations in the same order that I ranked the playoff prospects of the first-year coaches. 

Vikings-Seahawks Preseason Game Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings held on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 18-11 in the second preseason game for both teams. The game didn't carry anything near the importance of the frigid game that these two teams played in January. It's only a preseason game but a win is always nice. It's fun to beat the Seahawks. And it's really great to see Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll sad. That gum-chomping little elf can be so annoying.

Leave it to the Vikings beat writers to fixate on something other than the game. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was a surprise scratch right before the game. Backup Shaun Hill got the start. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer simply said that it was a coach's decision. Fine. It's a preseason game. Who really cares? I was looking forward to seeing Bridgewater face the Seahawks defense but the coach makes those decisions. If Zimmer wants to check out his backup quarterback in preseason game #2 why does anyone need to hassle him about it. He was asked about it before the game, at halftime, and repeatedly after the game. How many times does a coach have to say that it was simply his decision? By the postgame press conference Zimmer was clearly agitated by the questions about his decision. It was revealed yesterday that Bridgewater had a sore shoulder. It wouldn't have kept him out of a regular season game but it was enough to keep him out of a preseason game. It was a coach's decision. A decision made just before the start of the game. Just like the coach said. And he had to say it about a dozen more times than he should. Beat writers always claim that they are simply doing their jobs. That they are asking the questions that the fans want answered. Well, the Minneapolis Star Tribune is running the following poll on the matter.

Are you satisfied with Mike Zimmer's answer about why Teddy Bridgewater didn't play?

As of last night:

Yes: 68%
No:  32%

That's pretty decisive. In this case, the reporters aren't just doing their jobs. They aren't asking the questions that the fans want answered. They are just pissing off the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. I was more concerned about cornerback Xavier Rhodes hamstring injury. That's the question that this fan wanted asked. Enough of this. A preseason game was actually played Thursday night.

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Seattle Seahawks 18-11.

Just like that frigid playoff game in January, this was a defensive battle. Neither offense could do much. At least in the first half while most of the starters were on the field. The game was scoreless until Shaun Hill led a couple of scoring drives in the final 6:30 of the second quarter. An 8-play, 77-yard touchdown drive and a 9-play, 69-yard field goal drive in the final minute. Vikings led 11-0 at the half.

The Seahawks didn't score until the fourth quarter. Their 11 points in the final quarter tied the score. Vikings cornerback Marcus Sherels returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown with just over a minute to play for the deciding points. It felt like that play should have been the end of it but it wasn't. Thanks mostly to a 51-yard pass interference penalty, theVikings defense was forced to make some game-saving plays in the final seconds to preserve the win.

The Vikings defense was mostly great in the first half. The starters held the Seahawks offensive starters scoreless. They gave up a few too many rushing yards but the pass rush had Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on his heels or on his back throughout his time in the game. He only completed 5 of 11 passes for 77 yards and was sacked four times. Seahawks backup quarterback Trevone Boykin had some success against the Vikings backups. The Seahawks runners were successful, too successful, throughout the game. It didn't matter who was carrying the ball. Each Seahawks ball-carrier found running room nearly every time they carried the ball. That can't continue.

The Vikings offense was able to pass the football far more effectively than they were able to run it. To be more precise, they couldn't run the ball at all but Shaun Hill had a nice game passing. 10 of 17 for 129 yards. The Vikings backup quarterback took advantage of his surprise start. He floated a couple passes but he had nice touch on a few more.

Improving the offensive line was offseason priority #1 for the Vikings. The pass protection was much improved on Thursday. Hill had time to throw as did third-stringer Joel Stave in the second half. The Seahawks managed a single sack. The run blocking is another story. It has to improve.

This game was televised live on NFL Network. Those that watched the game were treated to some of the most biased announcing that I've ever heard. Former Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard and Curt Menefee were the incredibly biased announcing team. It was really difficult to listen to them. They cover Seahawks preseason games. That's what they do this time of the year. I've heard a lot of local teams cover a lot of games. They all favor the home team but I've never heard a more one-sided broadcast. One would think that they'd tone it down for a game that is being nationally televised. They spent damn near an entire minute raving about a hit put on Shaun Hill by a Seahawks defender. It was a play in which Hill completed an 18-yard pass. It wasn't even a successful play by the defense yet Huard and Menefee spoke of this defensive player, a player that had arrived at the quarterback a tick too late, as if he'd saved the world. At one point they threw it down to fellow Seahawks-honk David Wyman on the sideline for some football wisdom. Wyman spoke of the Seattle offensive and defensive lines mauling Minnesota's respective lines. I don't think that giving up eight sacks a mauling by the Seahawks offensive line. Who would?

The Vikings next preseason game will be against the San Diego Chargers on August 28. This will be their first game in Minnesota's spiffy, new US Bank Stadium.

Best Divisions Based On The Quarterbacks

Here's a Flea Flicker look at the best divisions in the NFL based on the four quarterbacks that play in them.

8. NFC West
    Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson
    Arizona Cardinals: Carson Palmer
    Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff
    San Francisco 49ers: Colin Kaepernnick/Blaine Gabbert
If it was solely up to the top two quarterbacks the NFC West would be one of the best. The quarterback uncertainty in Los Angeles and San Francisco put this division on the bottom. For now.

7. AFC West
    San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers
    Kansas City Chiefs: Alex Smith
    Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr
    Denver Broncos: Paxton Lynch/Mark Sanchez/Trevor Siemian
 The order of the bottom two divisions is a tossup. Both are top heavy but Derek Carr has already shown enough to separate this West division from the other. I really like the potential of Paxton Lynch so the AFC South shouldn't be this low for long.

6. AFC South
    Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck
    Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles
    Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota
    Houston Texans: Brock Osweiler
No other division has as much exciting potential at the quarterback position as the AFC South. For now, it's just exciting potential.

5. AFC East
    New England Patriots: Tom Brady
    Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill
    New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick
    Buffalo Bills: Tyrod Taylor
Some might have this division a but higher. Tom Brady is the only proven quarterback. The other three have so many question marks surrounding them.

4. NFC East
    New York Giants: Eli Manning
    Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo
    Washington Redskins: Kirk Cousins
    Philadelphia Eagles: Sam Bradford
Personally, I'd rather see the Eagles wing it with rookie Carson Wentz. If Tony Romo can stay healthy and Kirk Cousins can play at least as well he did last year this ranking might be a little low.

3. NFC North
    Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers
    Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater
    Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler
    Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford
Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the league. I have fewer concerns about Teddy Bridgewater than most. Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford at their best can move this division of quarterback a spot or two higher. They are among the most talented throwers in the league. Unfortunately, they can be wildly inconsistent.

2. AFC North
    Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger
    Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco
    Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton
    Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III
Ben Roethlisberger is one of the best. Joe Flacco is in the top third and one of the best playoff quarterbacks. Andy Dalton is terrific in the regular season. If he could lead his team to a playoff win or two he might move to the elite level. Robert Griffin III is the only quarterback question mark in this division. Maybe Browns head coach Hue Jackson can bring out all of that natural talent.

1. NFC South
    Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton
    New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees
    Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston
It's strange to think that Drew Brees might be the weak link in this division. He's in the twilight of his career but he can still fling the football with the best for another season or two. Cam Newton is the reigning league MVP. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have had a couple rough seasons but he's still one of the better quarterback in the league. Especially in the final minutes with the game on the line. Jameis Winston showed that he's more than ready for the league in his rookie season.

Throwback Thursday: All-Time Minnesota Vikings Team

I've seen some All-Time Minnesota Vikings Teams popping up on social media. That's fun. Here's mine.

Quarterback

Fran Tarkenton

Halfback

Adrian Peterson

Fullback

Bill Brown

I've often gone with two halfbacks in previous editions. I usually have Chuck Foreman next to Peterson in my dream Vikings backfield. I decided to go with a fullback this time and Brown was a great one.

Receiver

Cris Carter
Randy Moss

Tight end

Steve Jordan

Tackles

Ron Yary
Gary Zimmerman

Guards

Randall McDaniel

Steve Hutchinson

Center

Mick Tingelhoff 

Defensive ends

Carl Eller

Chris Doleman

Defensive tackles

Alan Page

John Randle

Linebackers

Matt Blair
Jeff Siemon
Chad Greenway

It's so early but I have a feeling that Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks might be a part of the linebacker trio soon. With Barr, real soon.

Cornerbacks

Bobby Bryant
Antoine Winfield

Safeties

Paul Krause
Joey Browner

Harrison Smith is going to make this a tough decision perhaps as soon as this year.

Kicker

Fred Cox

And he invented the Nerf football.

Punter

Chris Kluwe

Now For The Contributors

Former Seattle Seahawks safety Kenny Easley was named the senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017 on Monday. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue were selected as contributor finalists yesterday.

Easley, Jones, and Tagliabue aren't in the Hall of Fame just yet. Their ultimate Canton fate won't be decided until the voters meet on Super Bowl Eve. As with the rest of the yet-to-be-named finalists, the senior and contributor finalists have to gain 80% of the votes. The guess here is that Easley, Jones, and Tagliabue will skate into the Class of 2017.

When Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was inducted I figured that Jerry Jones wouldn't be far behind. Albert Breer, of Monday Morning Quarterback, referred to Jones as the Al Davis of the 1990s. While Jones does seem like he can be a bit abrasive I doubt that he touches Davis' abrasive ways but Breer is right. Like Davis, Jones did things his way and both his team and the league were better for it. Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989 and he changed the team and the league soon after. The Cowboys won Super Bowls. The NFL made money. A lot of money. Jones played a critical role in the jump in TV revenues in the early 1990s. He also showed new and tremendously profitable ways to market a team's brand through sponsors, naming rights, and merchandising. More recently, he played a key role in getting the Rams back in Los Angeles.

Paul Tagliabue has made a few runs at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He couldn't make it past the final cuts. Previous NFL leaders Joe Carr, Bert Bell, and Pete Rozelle were Hall of Fame automatics. Carr and Bell were part of the the inaugural Class of 1963. Rozelle was inducted while he was still in office. The Hall of Fame voters haven't treated Tagliabue as well but his prospects improved greatly with the introduction of the contributor category in 2015. Now, he has his best shot.

Tagliabue was commissioner from 1989-2006 but he impacted the league before he took office. He was part of the league's legal team in the NFL vs USFL court battles that stirred up the late 1980s. As commissioner he achieved what Rozelle never could. Labor peace. The only peaceful years since the NFL reluctantly recognized the NFL Players Association in 1968 were the Tagliabue years. Considering the incredibly toxic current labor relationship that alone should merit Hall of Fame recognition. That's not all that Tagliabue accomplished. Revenues hit new heights. The league expanded in the 1990s, adding four teams. And, he played a key role in keeping the Saints in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He's already a Hall of Famer to many Saints fans.

Congratulations to Paul Tagliabue and Jerry Jones on being named finalists and good luck on the next step.

Congratulations Kenny Easley

Former Seattle Seahawks safety Kenny Easley is the senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017. It's an honor that's long overdue. He should have been inducted long before he had to take the senior route. He wasn't only one of the best defensive players of the 1980s. He was one of the best players.

Personally, I've always linked Kenny Easley and Ronnie Lott. Both spent their college days in Los Angeles. Easley at UCLA. Lott at USC. Both were top-10 picks in the 1981 NFL Draft. Easley was the fourth pick by the Seahawks. Lott was the eighth pick by the San Francisco 49ers. Both were tremendously talented defensive backs with the ability to play corner or safety. Lott did play both. I always felt that Easley was the better player but the margin was slight. That opinion might also have a little something to do with Lott's college choice. As a Cal it's only natural that I despise everything USC. Lott spoke highly of Easley in an interview with ESPN.com's Mike Sando in 2002.

Kenny could do what Jack Tatum could do, but he also could do what Mike Haynes could do. He was not only a great hitter and intimidator on the field, but he was a great athlete. Kenny, Lawrence Taylor and those guys changed the game of football on the defensive side because they were not just big hitters. Now, all of the sudden, you were seeing guys who were big hitters, but also as athletic as anyone on defense.

Easley would have been in Canton long ago if his NFL career hadn't been limited to only seven seasons (1981-87). He should have made it on the merit of those seven seasons but the shortness of his career has been a hindrance. A severely damaged kidney ended his career after the 1987 season. His seven seasons were filled with honors.

4x First-Team All-Pro (1982-85)
Second Team All-Pro (1987)
5x Pro Bowl (1982-85, 1987)
-he missed most of the 1986 season to knee and ankle injuries

AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year (1981)
AFC Defensive Player of the Year (1983)
NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1984)
-not many safeties have taken home Defensive Player of the Year honors

NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
Seahawks Ring of Honor
Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team

It shouldn't take much discussion on Super Bowl Eve to make Easley a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

Congratulations Kenny Easley on a much deserved honor.

High School Football Rankings

It's the Monday following the first week of exciting NFL preseason action. How about a look at some preseason 2016 High School Football Rankings?

USA Today's 2016 National Super 25 Computer Rankings

1.   St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA)
2.   De La Salle (Concord, CA)
3.   Centennial (Corona, CA)
4.   Katy (Katy, TX)
5.   Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
6.   Colerian (Cincinnati, OH)
7.   St. Edward (Lakewood, OH)
8.   Mater Dei (Santa Anna, CA)
9.   Bishop Amat (LaPuente, CA)
10. DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD)
11. Wayne (Huber Heights, OH)
12. La Salle (Cincinnati, OH)
13. Gilman (Blatimore, MD)
14. IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
15. Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA)
16. Trinity (Louisville, KY)
17. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ)
18. Center Grove (Greenwood, IN)
19. Grayson (Loganville, GA)
20. Lake Travis (Austin, TX)
21. Loyola Academy (Wilmette, IL)
22. Colquitt County (Moultrie, GA)
23. Male (Louisville, KY)
24. St. Joseph (Montvale, NJ)
25. Central (Miami, FL)

The computer sure is fond of the California high schools. Ohio too.

***

For over 30 years plodding humans have been ranking high school football teams for USA Today. Here's their non-computer 2016 preseason ranking.

USA Today's 2016 Super 25 Preseason Football Teams

1.   St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
2.   Grayson (Loganville, GA)
3.   Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
4.   IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
5.   Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, TX)
6.   American Heritage (Plantation, FL)
7.   Colerian (Cincinnati, OH)
8.   Booker T. Washinton (Miami, FL)
9.   DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD)
10. Lake Travis (Austin, TX)
11. McGill-Toolen (Mobile, AL)
12. Katy (Katy, TX)
13. Mallard Creek (Charlotte, NC)
14. Mater Dei (Santa Anna, CA)
15. DeSoto (DeSoto, TX)
16. John Curtis (River Ridge, LA)
17. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, PA)
18. Allen (Allen, TX)
19. Trinity (Louisville, KY)
20. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA)
21. Warren Central (Indianapolis, IN)
22. Petal (Petal, MS)
23. Chandler (Chandler, AZ)
24. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ)
25. Fort Dorchester (North Charleston, SC)

Petal, MS sure sounds like a pretty place.

Bishop Gorman is shooting for a third straight USA Today national title.

***

MaxPreps also puts up high school football rankings. Computer and human rankings.

MaxPreps Xcellent 25

1.   St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
2.   Grayson (Loganville, GA)
3.   Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
4.   IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
5.   Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, TX)
6.   Mater Dei (Santa Anna, CA)
7.   Roswell (Roswell, GA)
8.   DeSoto (DeSoto, TX)
9.   St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA)
10. Mallard Creek (Charlotte, NC)
11. American Heritage (Plantation, FL)
12. Steele (Cibolo, TX)
13. Katy (Katy, TX)
14. Colerian (Cincinnati, OH)
15. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, PA)
16. Central (Miami, FL)
17. Northwestern (Rock Hill, SC)
18. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, FL)
19. DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD)
20. Lake Travis (Austin, TX)
21. Centennial (Corona, CA)
22. Cass Tech (Detroit, MI)
23. Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, AZ)
24. Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, CO)
25. Saguaro (Scottsdale, AZ)

This top five matches that of USA Today.

***

Here's MaxPreps rankings based on a computer model developed by Ned Freeman.

MaxPreps Freeman Rankings

1.   IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
2.   Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
3.   St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
4.   Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, FL)
5.   Mater Dei (Santa Anna, CA)
6.   American Heritage (Plantation, FL)
7.   Armwood (Seffner, FL)
8.   Lake Travis (Austin, TX)
9.   Colerian (Cincinnati, OH)
10. Northwestern (Rock Hill, SC)
11. DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD)
12. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA)
13. Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, TX)
14. Cass Tech (Detroit, MI)
15. Katy (Katy, TX)
16. Westlake (Austin, TX)
17. St. Edward (Lakewood, OH)
18. Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA)
19. Archbishop Hoban (Akron, OH)
20. Grayson (Loganville, GA)
21. St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ)
22. Booker T. Washinton (Miami, FL)
23. Ryan (Denton, TX)
24. Wayne (Huber Heights, OH)
25. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ)

There's quite a bit of variety in the four rankings but other than USA Today's computer placing Concord's De La Salle at #2 each has mostly the same cast of schools.

Comparing and contrasting the thousands of high school football teams seem to be an impossible task. The level of play and competition is just so different from region to region. The best teams probably separate themselves fairly easily but the ranking of the best is a guess. Any of the top teams could probably win a mythical "national tournament."

That Was Then

The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the best teams in the NFL in recent years. They've reached the playoffs the last four years, won the Super Bowl in 2013, and were a play away from repeating that feat in 2014. They have a combination of youth and talent to sustain that success for a while. They have a terrific defense. They have a unique and talented franchise quarterback. They are building a stable of versatile pass catchers. They have to replace a brilliant runner but like the receiver position they have a stable of talented backs. One might emerge (a healthy Thomas Rawls) or they could produce as a group. They also have a strong front office and coaching staff. The Seahawks have just about everything. The one thing that they don't have is consistency on the offensive line. Appearances can often be deceiving but it appears that the Seahawks have sacrificed the offensive line for the sake of consistency everywhere else. If that is in fact the case the most important person on the team might be offensive line coach, and assistant head coach, Tom Cable. He's charged with the incredible task of piecing together a new starting five on the offensive line just about every year.

Super Bowl XLVIII starting offensive line

LT  Russell Okung
LG James Carpenter
 C   Max Unger
RG J.R. Sweezy
RT  Breno Giacomini

Super Bowl XLIX starting offensive line

LT  Russell Okung
LG James Carpenter
 C   Max Unger
RG J.R. Sweezy
RT  Justin Britt

The consistency on the Seahawks offensive line ended when Malcolm Butler intercepted that Russell Wilson pass in the end zone. It's a common trend in the NFL to see players from successful teams poached by other teams in free agency. The Seahawks have done a tremendous job of keeping their talented core players but they've done it at the expense of keeping their offensive line together. There just isn't enough money under the salary cap to keep everyone. The Seahawks have made their priorities quite clear. Russell Okung now plays for the Denver Broncos. James Carpenter plays for the New York Jets. As does Breno Giacomini. J.R. Sweezy plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Max Unger was the best player on both Super Bowl lines. He was starting to collect annual Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. The Seahawks thought so highly of Unger that they traded him a few weeks after Butler's interception for a superstar tight end, Jimmy Graham, that has yet to prove that he even fits into the offense. Unger was a young, talented, cornerstone player but the Seahawks clearly saw him as replaceable. The poaching and the trading that started after the 2014 season left Tom Cable scrambling to piece together a new starting line.

2015 Seahawks offensive line

LT  Russell Okung
LG Justin Britt
 C   Patrick Lewis
RG J.R. Sweezy
RT  Gary Gilliam

Drew Nowak received the first shot at replacing Unger. He started seven games but was replaced by Lewis. If Russell Wilson was less Russell Wilson and more Tom Brady he might have been killed last season. Wilson is the perfect quarterback to play behind a line that doesn't provide a lot of time. Perhaps Wilson's unique abilities is the reason that the Seahawks appear to place such a low priority on the offensive line. It's either brilliant or it's going to get their unique quarterback killed.

In their preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs the Seahawks trotted out this starting offensive line.

LT   Bradley Sowell
LG  Mark Glowinski
 C   Justin Britt
RG Germain Ifedi
RT  Garry Gilliam

The turnover from the Seahawks last Super Bowl appearance is now complete. Only Britt remains and he's at an entirely new position. J'Marcus Webb has been starting at right tackle in training camp but he's dealing with a knee injury and couldn't play against the Chiefs. Webb has been with six teams since the Chicago Bears selected him in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Sowell has had a similar NFL career. He's been with four teams since he was undrafted in 2012. Glowinski was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. Britt was a second round pick in 2014. Ifedi was their first round pick last spring. Gilliam was undrafted in 2014. It's not like the Seahawks have avoided the offensive line in the draft. Okung, Carpenter, and Ifedi were all first round picks. Unger and Britt were second round picks. They've selected an offensive linemen in the fourth round or earlier ten times in the last ten years. They just haven't hit on all of those picks. At least not at the same rate that they have hit on just about every other position. The Seahawks overall drafting has been excellent. Their recent success is evident of that. They just haven't had the same success picking linemen that they have picking other positions. It happens. Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green had a shaky eye when it came to judging defensive talent but he was dynamite when it came to the offensive side of the ball. You just do what you can and make it work. And the Seahawks have made it work.

Every NFL team sees turnover on their roster. Even the good teams. There just isn't enough money to pay everyone these days. The proper blend of well-paid stars and talented players on rookie contracts is a must for success. The Seattle Seahawks are unique in that their turnover is concentrated in one position group. They are forced to field a new corner opposite Richard Sherman nearly every year but the rest of the secondary is so good that no one notices. And, coaches Kris Richard and Peter Carroll always have that corner newbie ready to play. The offensive line is such an important position group that it's truly remarkable that the Seahawks can make this unusual strategy work. They have the right quarterback for this strategy and the overall talent on the roster seems to counter it. The good news is that their interior offensive linemen (Glowinski, Britt, and Ifedi) are a real nice start to building a line that comes close to matching the rest of the team in talent. That would be scary.

Vikings-Bengals Preseason Game #1

The Minnesota Vikings edged the Cincinnati Bengals in the first preseason game for both teams last night. The score was 17-16. If not for Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis's decision to go for two points and the win rather than one point and the tie, the two teams might still be playing.

Football's back! In a preseason sort of way. It's still football. Football's fun.

The Vikings scratched 11 players before the game even started.

Adrian Peterson
Brandon Fusco
Jarius Wright
Shariff Floyd
Eric Kendricks
Terence Newman
Edmond Robinson
Brandon Watts
Scott Crichton
Marcus Sherels
Melvin White

Ten of those players, all but Peterson, didn't even make the trip to Cincinnati.

Those scratches resulted in the following starter changes

Defense:
DT Shamar Stephen for Shariff Floyd
LB Audie Cole for Eric Kendricks
CB Trae Waynes for Terence Newman

Offense:
RB Jerick McKinnon for Adrian Peterson
  G Joe Berger for Brandon Fusco

It's hardly unusual for players to be scratched. It's the preseason.

As for the game, it was all Bengals in the first quarter. They broke out a no-huddle offense for the first few plays of the game. Whether that put the Vikings defenders on their heels or not the Vikings defenders were on their heels. The Bengals first possession ended in a missed a field goal. Their second possession ended with a failed fourth down attempt from the Vikings three-yard line. That drive covered 90 yards on 22 plays. 90 yards on 22 plays. 90 yards on 22 plays. The Bengals converted four 3rd-and-1's and five third downs in all. The only good thing about that drive from the Vikings point of view was that the Bengals didn't score. That's pretty good. Despite the positive end to that mind-numbing Bengals drive, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer can't be happy.

In between the Bengals fine non-scoring drives, the Vikings offense had a real quick three-and-out. If you weren't paying real close attention you might think that the Viking didn't possess the ball at all in the first quarter. Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins and the rest of his linemates were all over Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Improving the offensive line was offseason priority #1 for the Vikings. Based on that first possession they aren't even close to fixing it. Thankfully, it's preseason game #1, it can be chalked up to a poor start, and the Bengals do have a dynamite defensive front.

The Vikings second possession was much better. They started on their own four-yard line and ended in the Bengals end zone. Bridgewater threw a beauty to Charles Johnson for a 49-yard touchdoqn. It was the sort of deep pass that the critics have been wanting to see from Bridgewater since he became the Vikings starter in 2014.

The Bengals tied it up two possessions later when backup quarterback A.J. McCarron hit Alex Erickson for a three-yard score. That touchdown was set up by a beautiful 40-yard throw and catch from McCarron to rookie receiver Tyler Boyd.

The Bengals lost receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency this offseason. As much as I like Jones from his Cal days to his Bengals days I really think that Tyler Boyd will offset those losses. He's going to be a nice compliment to silky smooth A.J. Green. Boyd was one of my favorite receivers in the 2016 NFL Draft. He might not have game-breaking speed but he's so sound in everything that he does.

The Bengals left Vikings backup quarterback Shaun Hill 47 seconds to do something. And he did. He put the Vikings in position to end the first half with a 51-yard Blair Walsh field goal and a 10-7 halftime lead.

The play that set up Walsh's field goal was an 18-yard reception by rookie receiver Laquon Treadwell. His first NFL catch was the sort of chain-moving catch that the Vikings envisioned when they selected him in the first round. He has the size and skill to be a difference-maker.

Hill's two possessions only resulted in three points but it might have been his best play in this stint as the Vikings backup. No NFL team can afford to lose their starting quarterback but the Vikings quarterback situation is more precarious than most. The drop from Bridgewater to Hill is huge. This performance, despite being against the second- and third-string Bengals defenders was promising.

Speaking of backup quarterbacks, the Bengals might have the best starter-backup combo in the league. Andy Dalton and A.J. McCarron. The Bengals can win with either.

More backup quarterbacks, Vikings rookie quarterback Joel Stave entered half way through the third quarter. He led a 10-play 74-yard touchdown-scoring drive. The final three plays of the drive were the best offensive sequence of the game for the Vikings. Stave hit Treadwell with a six-yard toss on 4th-and-3. Stave hit rookie tight end David Morgan on a 22-yard pass to the Bengals 10-yard line. Undrafted rookie running back C.J. Ham had a nice 10-yard run for the score. It was a nice sequence from four rookies.

Another rookie made a big play about a minute later. Cornerback Mackensie Alexander corralled his first NFL interception. He didn't get a single interception in his three years at Clemson. He got his first NFL interception in his first game.

Unfortunately, Stave gave it right back to the Bengals on the first play. He threw behind Isaac Fruechte and it ended up in the hands of Bengals safety Jimmy Wilson.

The final four minutes of the game was a perfect script on how not to close a game. The Vikings offense had the ball twice and took about a minute off the clock. The first punt was returned for a touchdown. An 80-yard return that never should have happened. About ten Vikings players had a shot at tackling Alex Erickson. All of them failed. Some miserably. It's the sort of return that causes heart attacks and lost jobs for special teams coaches. Mike Priefer's job isn't in jeopardy but he isn't happy right now. The effort/execution on the return was simply pathetic.

Fortunately for everyone involved, Marvin Lewis chose to go for the win rather than a tie. The attempt failed and the Vikings kept their lead of 17-16.

The Bengals final possession ended with a desperation fourth-down throw and an interception by rookie safety Jayron Kearse.

This was an entertaining game for a preseason game. The Vikings had some nice moments but they had more moments that weren't so nice. The offense started slow and didn't run the ball well. The defense gave up far too many yards but they didn't give up many points. It looked like a typical preseason game. A first preseason game.

25!

On Monday, Robert Griffin III was named the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. If he stays healthy and maintains that status for the Week One game in Philadelphia, Griffin will be the Browns' 25th starting quarterback since the franchise returned as an expansion team in 1999. Here are those 25 quarterbacks.

Tim Couch
Ty Detmer
Doug Pederson
Spergon Wynn
Kelly Holcomb
Jeff Garcia
Luke McCown
Trent Dilfer
Charlie Frye
Derek Anderson
Ken Dorsey
Brady Quinn
Bruce Gradkowski
Colt McCoy
Jake Delhomme
Seneca Wallace
Brandon Weedon
Thaddeus Lewis
Jason Campbell
Brian Hoyer
Johnny Manziel
Connor Shaw
Josh McCown
Austin Davis
Robert Griffin III

That's an impressive list.

It's sort of interesting that the third quarterback on the list, Doug Pederson, will be the opposing head coach in the Week One game.

Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weedon, and Johnny Manziel were selected in the first round to be the Browns' long-term answer at the position.

Derek Anderson made the Pro Bowl in 2007. That's something.

Both McCown brothers gave the job a shot. Josh is still with the team.

Unless you're the Green Bay Packers or Indianapolis Colts it's tough to find a franchise quarterback. There certainly aren't 32 of them at any one time. The Browns have made too many mistakes at the position. They had a few shots at Tom Brady in 2000. Every team had a few shots at Brady in 2000. They could have had Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Russell Wilson, Andy Dalton, and Derek Carr more recently. All their data and research called for Teddy Bridgewater in 2013. They selected Johnny Manziel. In only two years that has already proven to be a huge mistake. One of many since 1999. It's way too early to be sure but hiring Hue Jackson as head coach in January was a move in the right direction. Maybe he can bring out Griffin's tremendous talents and close this revolving door at quarterback.

Throwback Thursday: Non-Canton All-Time NFL Team

Here's an All-Time NFL team made up of players that have not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Many of these players really should be in Canton. Some should have been there long ago.

Quarterback

Ken Anderson

Running backs

Spec Sanders
Chuck Foreman
Spec Sanders is one of the backs simply for his incredible 1947 season. 1432 yards and 18 TDs. He also passed for 1432 yards and 14 TDs. Returned a kick for another score. And he punted. An incredible, versatile season. One of the best ever. 

Receiver

Mac Speedie
Otis Taylor
Lavvie Dilweg
Lavvie Dilweg's end position of the late 1920s and early 1930s was a little different from the one played today. He was one of the best in the game then, if not the best, and should be in the Hall of Fame now. 

Tight end

Jerry Smith

Tackles

Al Wistert
Duke Slater

Guards

Bruno Banducci

Jerry Kramer

Center

Ox Emerson

Defensive ends

Gene Brito
Rich Jackson

Defensive tackles

Alex Karras
Tom Sestak

Linebackers

Robert Brazile
Tommy Nobis
Randy Gradishar

Tommy Nobis or Chuck Howley. It's a tossup.

Cornerbacks

Lester Hayes
Ken Riley

Safeties

Ken Easley
Cliff Harris 

Kicker
Morten Andersen

Punter

Tommy Davis

Vikings 90 Man Roster

The Minnesota Vikings finished the Mankato portion of training camp yesterday. They are on to Cincinnati. The Vikings will be holding joint practices with the Bengals in Cincinnati today and tomorrow. The two teams will be sick of each other by the time play their preseason opener on Friday.

The Vikings made a few roster moves over the course of the first week of training camp. It sure would be nice if they would stop doing that and let one of these 90-man rosters stick for more than a handful of days. Linebacker Josh Wittingham was signed, had a cup of coffee, and was released. All in that first week. Terrance Plummer was re-signed to replace him. Plummer was on and off and on the Vikings practcice squad last season. Cornerback Keith Baxter never made it to the field last week and was replaced on the roster by running back Kevin Monangai. The addition of another running back likely had more to do with Adrian Peterson and Jerick McKinnon missing practice time than a real need at the position.

There was also some uniform roulette in recent days. Tackle Andre Smith grabbed #71 after long-time #71 Phil Loadholt retired. Defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis grabbed the #72 that came available when Smith grabbed #71. That meant that newbie offensive lineman Sean Hickey had to change his number again. He's now wearing the #66 that Ellis was wearing.

Quarterbacks
  5 Teddy Bridgewater
13 Shaun Hill
  2  Joel Stave

Running backs
28 Adrian Peterson
21 Jerick McKinnon
44 Matt Asiata
30 C.J. Ham
42 Jhurrell Pressley
39 Kevin Monangai

Fullbacks
48 Zach Line
49 Blake Renaud

Receivers
14 Stefon Diggs
12 Charles Johnson
17 Jarius Wright
11 Laquon Treadwell
84 Cordarrelle Patterson
19 Adam Thielen
15 Isaac Fruechte
81 Moritz Boehringer
16 Terrell Sinkfield
  9 Marken Michel
  1 Troy Stoudermire

Tight ends
82 Kyle Rudolph
83 MyCole Pruitt
89 David Morgan
87 Brian Leonhardt
86 Kyle Carter

Tackles
75 Matt Kalil
71 Andre Smith
68 T.J. Clemmings
78 Jeremiah Sirles
60 Carter Bykowski
74 Austin Shepherd

Guards
76 Alex Boone
63 Brandon Fusco
61 Joe Berger
64 Willie Beavers
69 Isame Faciane
66 Sean Hickey

Centers
65 John Sullivan
62 Nick Easton
67 Zac Kerin

Defensive ends
97 Everson Griffen
96 Brian Robison
99 Danielle Hunter
95 Scott Crichton
64 Stephen Weatherly
94 Justin Trattou
91 Zach Moore
62 Denzell Perine

Defensive tackles
98 Linval Joseph
73 Sharrif Floyd
92 Tom Johnson
93 Shamar Stephen
72 Kenrick Ellis
69 Toby Johnson
60 Travis Raciti
67 Theiren Cockran
74 Claudell Louis

Linebackers
55 Anthony Barr
54 Eric Kendricks
52 Chad Greenway
59 Emmanuel Lamur
57 Audie Cole
40 Kentrell Brothers
51 Edmond Robinson
58 Brandon Watts
56 Jake Ganus
50 Terrance Plummer

Cornerbacks
29 Xavier Rhodes
26 Trae Waynes
24 Captain Munnerlyn
23 Terence Newman
20 Mackensie Alexander
35 Marcus Sherels
25 Jabari Price
31 Melvin White
36 Tre Roberson

Safeties
22 Harrison Smith
34 Andrew Sendejo
33 Michael Griffin
41 Anthony Harris
32 Antone Exum Jr.
27 Jayron Kearse

Kicker
  3 Blair Walsh

Punter
18 Jeff Locke

Long snapper
47 Kevin McDermott

***

Active/Non-Football Illness
79 Mike Harris

Active/Non-Football Injury

6 Taylor Heinicke

Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP)

85 Rhett Ellison

Reserve/Injured

90  B.J. DuBose

Vikings First Depth Chart

The Minnesota Vikings released their first depth chart of 2016. Here is that much-anticipated depth chart.

Quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater
Shaun Hill
Joel Stave

Halfback
Adrian Peterson
Jerick McKinnon
Matt Asiata
Jhurrell Pressley
C.J. Ham
Kevin Monangai

Fullback
Zach Line
Blake Renaud

Wide Receiver
Stefon Diggs
Cordarrelle Patterson/Adam Thielen
Jarius Wright
Moritz Boehringer
Marken Michel

Wide Receiver
Charles Johnson
Laquon Treadwell
Isaac Fruechte
Terrell Sinkfield
Troy Stoudermire

Tight End
Kyle Rudolph
MyCole Pruitt
David Morgan
Brian Leonhardt
Kyle Carter

Left Tackle
Matt Kalil
Jeremiah Sirles
Carter Bykowski

Left Guard
Alex Boone
Zac Kerin
Willie Beavers

Center
John Sullivan
Joe Berger
Nick Easton

Right Guard
Brandon Fusco
Isame Faciane
Sean Hickey

Right Tackle
Andre Smith
T.J. Clemmings
Austin Shepherd

Left End
Brian Robison
Dannielle Hunter
Zach Moore
Theiren Cockran

Defensive Tackle
Sharrif Floyd
Tom Johnson
Scott Crichton
Travis Raciti
Claudell Louis

Nose Tackle
Linval Joseph
Shamar Stephen
Kenrick Ellis
Toby Johnson

Right End
Everson Griffen
Justin Trattou
Stephen Weatherly
Denzell Perine

Weak-side Linebacker
Chad Greenway
Emmanuel Lamur
Brandon Watts

Middle Linebacker
Eric Kendricks
Audie Cole
Kentrell Brothers

Strong-side Linebacker
Anthony Barr
Edmond Robinson
Jake Ganus
Terrance Plummer

Left Cornerback
Terence Newman
Trae Waynes
Jabari Price
Tre Roberson

Right Cornerback
Xavier Rhodes
Captain Munerlyn
Mackensie Alexander
Marcus Sherels
Melvin White

Strong Safety
Andrew Sendejo
Michael Griffin
Jayron Kearse

Free Safety
Harrison Smith
Anthony Harris
Antone Exum Jr.

Punter
Jeff Locke

Kicker
Blair Walsh

Long Snapper
Kevin McDermott

Holder
Jeff Locke

Kick Returner
Cordarrelle Patterson
Marcus Sherels
Troy Stoudemire

Punt Returner
Marcus Sherels
Adam Thielen
Troy Stoudemire

There really aren't too many surprises here.

Some talking heads and fans paused a bit when they saw that receiver Jarius Wright was listed behind the Cordarrelle Patterson/Adam Thielen combo at one outside receiver spot. The dependable Wright isn't buried on the depth chart. He's probably still the first on the field at slot receiver in three-wide sets. Offensive line was supposed to have some of the most competitive position battles of training camp. Right tackle Phil Loadholt's retirement and right guard Mike Harris' injury/illness pretty much ended two of those competitions before they started. Andre Smith and Brandon Fusco should form the right side of the Vikings offensive line when the season starts. Johns Sullivan and Joe Berger are battling at center.

On defense, 2015 starters Terence Newman and Andrew Sendejo are still starters at left corner and strong safety. Trae Waynes is making a serious run at Newman's job. I expect it to be a successful run. Michael Griffin, Anthony Harris, Jayron Kearse, and Antone Exum Jr. all have a legitimate shot at Sendejo's starting spot.

The Vikings travel to Cincinnati tonight for two days of practices with the Bengals in advance of their preseason game on Friday. Fun times.

Football Books That Really Should Be Written

I noticed that someone finally decided to write a book about Bill Dudley. "Bullet Bill" might have been an inaugural Pro Football Hall of Famer in 1963 if World War II hadn't hacked up his football career. Instead he went into Canton in 1966. He was great. One of football's best. A stroke took Dudley from his mortal days in 2010. A book about those days is coming out this month. Steve Stinson is the author and I'm looking forward to it.

It's often been said that there aren't enough football books out there. I agree and disagree. There are a lot of great football books. There's just a lot more that need to be written.

In 2012 I had the opportunity to visit NFL Films as a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association. Our meeting was held there that year and it was an unbelievable opportunity. The NFL Films facilities are more incredible than you can possibly imagine. Ed and Steve Sabol created something truly great. Their work continues with the people that remain. During this visit I met NFL Films employee and author Chris Willis. I had already read his excellent books on the Columbus Panhandles and Joe Carr. I was thrilled to learn that weekend that he had written a book about Dutch Clark. After having read his passionate interest in Carr, the Nessler family, Columbus, and the early NFL I couldn't wait to read his look into the life of Clark. It's an arguable title but Clark might have been the most decent man to have ever played in the NFL. Great guy. Great football player. Dutch Clark was a member of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame Class in 1963. 17 men were part of that class. 11 made it on their football-playing ability. The other six Hall of Famers were NFL backbone people. Commissioners, presidents and coaches. Men like George Halas, Curly Lambeau, Joe Carr, Bert Bell, George Preston Marshall, and Tim Mara. Great books have been written about Thorpe, Halas, Grange, Nagurski, Bell, Carr, and now Clark. It's stunning that Mel Hein and Ernie Nevers don't have in-depth biographies about their football deeds. Don Hutson? Are you kidding me? Where's that Hutson book?

I'm thrilled that Bill Dudley is the subject of a big-time book. I can't wait to read it. I just can't believe that no one has found the time to write about Joe Guyon or Guy Chamberlin. George Trafton? That would be a fun read. Ace Parker, Marion Motley, Clarke Hinkle, Shorty Ray, Steve Van Buren, Bill Willis, Charley Trippi, Ollie Matson. My goodness, the life of Jimmy Conzelman would be a fantastic read. I would love to read a book about the football collisions between Nagurski and Hinkle. The way that those two played the game has always been my image of the first two decades of professional football.

There are so many football stories that have been told. There are a lot of great football books out there. There are so many more that aren't.

Some Hall of Fame Thoughts

Congratulations to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016.

Marvin Harrison
Orlando Pace
Dick Stanfel
Kevin Greene
Ken Stabler
Eddie DeBartolo Jr.
Tony Dungy
Brett Favre

That pushes that Hall of Fame total to 303 football greats honored in Canton.

When the Class of 2016 was announced on the eve of Super Bowl L, I was a little unsure of Eddie BeBartolo being a part of it. All of the team owners that have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are either team founders or owners that helped guide their league through the rough early days. DeBartolo was neither. He just owned a team that won a lot. There's nothing wrong with that. 49ers fans tell me that often. He's the owner that hired Bill Walsh. I just didn't think that simply owning a successful team was Hall of Fame worthy. I've softened a bit in recent days. Reading Michael Silver's NFL.com column on DeBartolo helped. Actually thinking about how DeBartolo cared about his team helped even more. His humble Hall of Fame speech was illuminating and it sealed my change of opinion. I now feel that Eddie DeBartolo Jr. deserves the Hall of Fame honor that he just received. I'm sure that he's relieved. Throughout his speech he spoke of family. His players as family. His coaches and staff as family. Every single person involved in the 49ers organization as family. In the late 1980s I purchased some San Francisco Giants tickets at Candlestick Park. I was more than a little surprised that the person on the other side of that window was sporting a 49ers Super Bowl ring. Everyone in the 49ers organization really was family. From riding in the ambulance with injured players to rewarding longtime team employees with Super Bowl rings, DeBartolo did things a little differently. He might not have been a team founder or helped guide his league through the rough early days but he did Hall of Fame-worthy stuff with the 49ers. I hope that his call for the NFL and NFLPA to treat each other like family was heard.

There were some terrific Hall of Fame speeches this year. Kevin Greene's was one of the most entertaining I've heard. That was hardly a surprise as he played all of his 15 years a bit crazed. His salute of those in service in and outside this country was excellent and timely. Orlando Pace was his solid, well-spoken self. I loved that he recognized Korey Stringer. Marvin Harrison spoke more than I've ever heard him speak. It was really good to finally hear from him. Tony Dungy was outstanding. His mention of each of the ten African-American assistant coaches that populated the NFL in 1977 was chilling. DeBartolo was humbling and illuminating. He changed my mind. And Brett Favre was his great, improvising self. Funny and emotional. Often at the same time.

I'd sure like to have heard the speeches that Dick Stanfel and Ken Stabler would  have given. Both should have been inducted while they were still alive. The Senior Committee has to do a much better job of getting these players in the Hall of Fame in a timely manner. While they are still alive. Benny Friedman and Fritz Pollard were inducted in 2005. Both should have been inducted before the 1960s closed. Les Richter passed away the summer before he was inducted in 2011. These players are more oversights than marginal players.

Ken Stabler was one of the best quarterbacks in the league during my early days as a football fan. Being a northern California kid I saw a lot of him. He and his Oakland Raiders team were a lot of fun. Except for a particular January Sunday in 1977 for this Vikings fan. In a decade of terrific quarterback play, I always thought that Stabler and Roger Staubach were the best. Outside of Fran Tarkenton, of course. It's so great that Ken Stabler has finally reached his rightful place. I just wish that it had reached it at least two years earlier. As he should have.

My father attended the University of San Francisco in the early 1950s. The Dons fielded a wildly talented football team in those years. As a kid I leafed through his yearbook damn near daily. So much football talent. Basketball too. Four football players from those teams have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ollie Matson, Gino Marchetti, Bob St. Clair, and now Dick Stanfel. Pete Rozelle makes five total Hall of Famers from USF. Working in the sports information department, he brought national attention to the Dons. The sort of work that would take him to the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL commissioner's office. Stanfel should have joined his Dons classmates in Canton at least two years earlier.

One thing I'd like to see changed are some of the lingering camera shots on the families of the Hall of Famers. The lengths of some of these shots approached creepy. It's great to see their reactions and some of their emotions but things change when they become visibly uncomfortable.

The videos to present the inductees are great. I didn't like them at first as I'm something of a traditionalist but I love them now.

This weekend is for the new Hall of Famers but it's so great to see the football immortals that return to welcome the newbies.

This weekend is also the kickoff of the new season. Football's back. The 2016 NFL season is here. Sort of.

Top Hall of Fame Candidate for Each AFC Team

In an NFL.com column, NFL Media Analyst Elliot Harrison picked the top Hall of Fame candidate for each team. Yesterday, I looked at his NFC picks. Today, it's the AFC's turn.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Harrison: Alan Faneca, G

Harrison mentions Donnie Shell and L.C. Greenwood as contenders for this spot. I tend to favor players that have waited decades longer than they should have waited. Faneca deserves induction and will make it soon.
Flea Flicker: L.C. Greenwood, DE

Cleveland Browns
Harrison: Mac Speedie, WR

Absolutely agree. Speedie's Hall of Fame absence is one of the most ridiculous. Besides, how can you not love a receiver named Speedie.
Flea Flicker: Mac Speedie, WR

Cincinnati Bengals
Harrison: Ken Riley, CB

It's a tossup between Riley and Ken Anderson. Both deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Harrison went with Riley. I'll go with Anderson.
Flea Flicker: Ken Anderson, QB
One of the great NFL "what if's" of the 1970s is "what if Paul Brown had tapped Bill Walsh to replace him as Bengals head coach instead of Bill Johnson following the 1975 season." We might speak and think of Ken Anderson like we do of Joe Montana.

Baltimore Ravens
Harrison: Chris McAlister, CB

Agreed. McAlister was a terrific corner on a dominating defense.
Flea Flicker: Chris McAlister, CB

New England Patriots
Harrison: Ty Law, CB

Absolutely. I have a feeling that Law's Hall of Fame candidacy is going to start gaining momentum. He was a defensive difference-maker on three Super Bowl-winning teams.
Flea Flicker: Ty Law, CB

New York Jets
Harrison: Joe Klecko, DL

An excellent choice. I always liked Klecko. I'll pick a player from the Jets only title team. It's a tossup between Winston Hill and Larry Grantham. I'll go with Grantham. That Jets defense deserves some respect.
Flea Flicker: Larry Grantham, LB

Miami Dolphins
Harrison: Jason Taylor, DE

Taylor will get in soon. Perhaps when he's eligible next year. I'll go with a deserving player from the Dolphins Super Bowl days.
Flea Flicker: Bob Kuechenberg, G

Buffalo Bills
Harrison: Kent Hull, C

Hull was an excellent center and leader of an explosive offense that reached four Super Bowls. The Bills had some great teams with dominant defenses in the 1960s. I'll go there.
Flea Flicker: Tom Sestak, DT

Indianapolis Colts
Harrison: Edgerrin James, RB

James is a fine choice. Again, I'll pick a player that's waited a while.
Flea Flicker: George Kunz, T
Kunz was a very good player for the Atlanta Falcons. He was one of the best tackles in the game after being traded to the Colts in 1975.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Harrison: Tony Boselli, T

An easy choice. He should be in the Hall of Fame.
Flea Flicker: Tony Boselli, T

Tennessee Titans
Harrison: Robert Brazile, LB

Brazile's absence from the Hall of Fame is puzzling. He was doing some of the things that Lawrence Taylor did before Taylor did them. Brazile was a complete, dominant linebacker.
Flea Flicker: Robert Brazile, LB

Houston Texans
Harrison: Andre Johnson, WR

I'll go along with Johnson. He's still active bu the Texans are too young to have a pool of deserving Hall of Fame candidates.
Flea Flicker: Andre Johnson, WR

Denver Broncos
Terrell Davis, RB

Davis should be in the Hall of Fame. So should a couple of Broncos defenders that have been waiting for a while. Defensive end Rich Jackson and linebacker Randy Gradishar.
Flea Flicker: Randy Gradishar, LB
Listening to players speak of having to deal with "Tombstone" Jackson is illuminating. He was a pass rushing nightmare. I went with Gradishar simply because he had more great years than Jackson.

Oakland Raiders
Harrison: Cliff Branch, WR

Branch's career is very underrated.
Flea Flicker: Lester Hayes, CB
Maybe Hayes was overshadowed by Hall of Famer Mike Haynes. Hayes was a fantastic player in his own right. The Haynes-Hayes corner combo was one of the best I've ever seen.

San Diego Chargers
Harrison: LaDanian Tomlinson, RB

Tomlinson is in the Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible. Don Coryell has been deserving for too long.
Flea Flicker: Don Coryell, coach

Kansas City Chiefs
Harrison: Deron Cherry, S

The 1960s Chiefs have a couple of players that deserve Hall of Fame attention. Safety Johnny Robinson and receiver Otis Taylor. There have been times in which I was so sure that Taylor was in Canton that I had to check. He'd be a superstar in today's pass-happy NFL. The Chiefs late-1960s offense was very good. The defense was even better. Robinson was a big reason for that.
Flea Flicker: Johnny Robinson, S