The following article will be published in the June issue ofCampus Talk, a magazine local to Tampa, Orlando, Gainesville and Tallahassee. If you're a local, pick one up and increase their circulation. They also have lots of pictures of pretty girls for extra motivation. Please excuse the brevity, fellow draftheads... had to recap the first round in 1200 words or less.
Every June, fans line up outside Radio City Music Hall for one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year: the NFL Draft. While players like Eli and Peyton Manning have changed the course of their franchises, so have Michael Vick and Ryan Leaf. Drafts traditionally feature early round busts (Tim Couch # 1 in 1999) and late round bargains (Tom Brady # 199 in 2000)
The following is a recount of the 2008 NFL Draft which will surely introduce the superstars and busts of tomorrow.
1 – Dolphins – Jake Long, OT, Michigan. After a 1-15 season, Bill Parcells expects Long to help rebuild. At 6’7”, 315 lbs., Long will solidify Miami’s offensive line. All they need is a quarterback for him to protect. Miami also drafted Michigan quarterback Chad Henne.
2 – Rams – Chris Long, DE, Virginia. Son of Hall of Famer Howie Long, Chris comes from championship pedigree. Although St Louis will need more than Long to keep opponents from scoring, he is a step in the right direction.
3 – Falcons – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College. After a turbulent 2007, Falcons fans are eager to embrace their future. Although it’s rare for a quarterback to make an immediate impact, the Falcons expect Ryan to eventually become the face of the franchise.
4 – Raiders – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. With JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders have their future quarterback/running tandem back in place. A two-time Heisman runner-up, McFadden’s game should translate nicely to the NFL.
5 – Chiefs – Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU. In a draft loaded with talent at the top, Dorsey is another player that could have been selected number one. At 6’2”, 316 lbs., Dorsey was the cornerstone of LSU’s national championship team.
6 – Jets – Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State. In June, Jets fans outnumber Rockettes in Radio City Music Hall. This year was no exception. Gholston played in two national championship games at Ohio State. The Jets also drafted Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge in the fifth round.
7 – Saints – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC. Unable to land Glenn Dorsey, New Orleans opted for Ellis. In the wide open NFC South, the Saints will look to Ellis and newly acquired Jonathan Vilma to keep opposing offenses off the field and Reggie Bush on it.
8 – Jaguars – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida. With only two players drafted, Harvey was the pick of the litter for Florida. The Jaguars love their Gators as they also feature Reggie Nelson, Fred Taylor, Mike Peterson and Jeremy Mincey. Playing in the same division as the Colts, the Jags expect Harvey to bolster their pass rush.
9 – Bengals – Keith Rivers, LB, USC. We’re not sure what’s more amazing? That USC can lose so much talent and still contend or that Chad Johnson is still a Bengal. While Rivers is far from the missing ingredient for an underachieving Bengals team, he should still contribute to a defense that can’t opponents out of the end zone. The Bengals also selected Gator Andre Caldwell to join their dysfunctional cast of characters.
10 – Patriots – Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee. An aging Patriots team sees Mayo as an eventual replacement for Teddy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau. He could do worse than to learn from these Hall of Famers. We’re still wondering how the Pats went undefeated and drafted tenth.
11 - Bills - Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy. Drafted as a corner, the Bills will look to McKelvin to return kicks and punts, which could bring some well-needed excitement and offense.
12 – Broncos, Ryan Crady, OT, Boise State. Denver continues to assemble an offensive line to create space for its running game and protect Jay Cutler. Crady became the first Boise State player ever selected in the first round.
13 – Panthers - Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon. Stewart was one of the most dynamic players in the nation last year. Carolina also nabbed LB Dan Connor from Penn State in the third round.
14 – Bears - Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt. A draft loaded with offensive linemen, Williams should fill a pressing need for a team needing to protect its rotating quarterbacks.
15 – Chiefs - Branden Albert, OG, Virginia. With the retirement of Willie Roaf, KC needs to shore up its line. At 6’6”, 315 lbs., Albert’s a step in the right direction.
16 – Cardinals - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State. Always seemingly one step away from the playoffs, Cromartie adds to Arizona’s youth movement that might one day live up to its potential.
17 – Lions - Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College. After selecting wide receivers first in four of their last five drafts, Detroit finally went with a lineman. The Lions also stole UCF running back, Kevin Smith, in the third round.
18 – Ravens - Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware. The retirement of Steve McNair leaves a gaping hole for Baltimore. While Kyle Boller should start next year, Flacco’s early selection means he’ll ultimately be the one taking the snaps.
19 – Panthers - Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh. Carolina had Otah high on their draft board, which is why they traded up with Philadelphia to get him. Although 6’6”, 339 lbs., many questioned Otah’s commitment.
20 – Buccaneers - Aqib Talib, DB, Kansas. Offensive minded Coach Jon Gruden went defense to add youth to his aging secondary. Talib will also see time on special teams.
21 – Falcons - Sam Baker, OT, USC. Baker can play either guard or tackle for Atlanta. Expect him to protect Matt Ryan for the next decade.
22 – Cowboys - Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas. With lightning quick speed, the undersized Jones could provide a few highlight reel moments in Dallas’ backfield.
23 – Steelers - Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois. Pittsburgh could not believe Mendenhall was still around when they selected him at 23. He was sixth in the nation in rushing and should fit nicely into the Pittsburgh backfield.
24 – Titans - Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina. Tennessee has more pressing issues since they already feature Lendale White, Chris Brown and Vince Young. It’s unlikely this pick will be as problematic as their 2005 selection, Pacman Jones.
25 – Cowboys - Mike Jenkins, DB, South Florida. Jerry Jones was so high on Jenkins, he traded Seattle two later round draft picks to get him.
26 – Texans - Duane Brown, OT, Virginia Tech. The Texans liked Chris Williams, drafted by the Bears, but went with Brown who played both tackle and tight end in college.
27 – Chargers - Antoine Cason, DB, Arizona. A solid late first round pick for San Diego, Cason could also see time on special teams. Cason’s father and three of his cousins have played in the NFL.
28 – Seahawks – Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC. One of four Trojans selected in the first round. USC led all schools with twelve players drafted.
29 – 49ers – Kentwan Ballmer, DT, UNC. Another versatile player, Ballmer can play either tackle or end for San Francisco who have recently had a porous defense.
30 – Jets – Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue. This pick may have been more a way of keeping him away from the Giants. The Jets only question is who will be throwing Keller the ball.
31 – Giants – Kenny Phillips, FS, Miami. Still celebrating their Super Bowl championship, the G-Men expect Phillips to fill in at both corner and safety.
Recently, the four-letter sports network came up with yet another ‘Greatest of All-Time’ list in an attempt to fill air time…. err, entertain its viewers. The flavor of the month this time around is ‘The Greatest Highlight’ of all-time, hosted by Chris Berman. Months ago, the website listed 100 of the most famous moments in sports history and allowed contributors to vote on what they thought were the most memorable. They narrowed it down to sixteen and are currently having an elimination bracket to determine the greatest highlight of all time.
Now, I don’t necessarily have a problem with that, and it’s hard to argue against any of the highlights they’ve included, i.e., Willie Mays’ catch, Doug Flutie’s pass, ‘the band is on the field,’ Bill Buckner’s error, Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception, Kirk Gibson’s, Babe Ruth’s, Carlton Fisk’s and Hank Aaron’s landmark home runs. I think as sports fans, we all could view, and review, these moments over and over again.
What I DO have a problem with is Chris Berman RE-ANNOUNCING THOSE HIGHLIGHTS!!! Listen, very often, much of what makes a highlight memorable is Marv Albert shouting “A spectacular move by Michael Jordan!!” or Al Michaels screaming “Do you believe in miracles?!?” or Vin Scully’s “I don't believe what I just saw!!!” Instead, the four-letter opted to have Chris Berman, who by judging from the blogosphere, most of us are well tired of, announce the highlights as we're viewing them. Do we really need to hear Chris Berman shout “He… could… go… all… the… way!” when Franco Harris catches the deflection and runs it into the end zone? Harris caught that ball in 1972 before there even WAS an ESPN!!! Can’t they just pipe in the regular audio and let the fan relive the moment without imposing their influence? Had Havlicek’s steal made the top 16, would we be forced to listen to Berman’s blathering over Johnny Most’s historical recount?
When ESPN replayed Hank Aaron's 755th home run, I was forced to hear Berman shout a totally contrived “GONE!!!” at the top of his lungs. Isn’t that defacing and defaming history? While you’re at it why don’t you just take a can of spray paint and initial the side of the Lincoln monument? Or better yet, have Berman re-announce the “I Have a Dream” speech. “Here comes Dr. King… stepping up to the podium… back back back back back.” Didn’t ESPN think this through? Didn’t some exec suggest this might be a bad idea?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for celebrating the finer moments in sports history. It helps take our minds away from what’s wrong with sports today. But let’s do it properly and with taste, shall we?
Apparently, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree as, Hank Steinbrenner, the newly appointed leader of one of the Big Apple’s most famous institutions is following in his father’s footsteps. In the midst of baseball’s current baseball steroids scandal, which prominently figures two of New York’s most famous pitchers, Steinbrenner has publicly questioned why his sport is being singled out by these investigations and why more attention isn’t being paid to the NFL.
Steinbrenner recently got off this ingenius quote. "I don't like baseball being singled out…. Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs. I don't know how they managed to skate by. It irritates me. Don't tell me it's not more prevalent. The number in football is at least twice as many. Look at the speed and size of those players." An NFL spokesperson quickly responded that the NFL began random testing for steroids in 1990.
Twice as many?? Does that mean if 75% of major league baseball players were on the juice in the 1990s, that 150% of the NFL was also? Hank, it wasn’t the NFL that turned a blind eye to its rampant, drug problem for the sake of self-promotion. Anyone that knows sports knows THAT!
Now with all this slander love that’s floating around between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, can’t the NFL get a little action on this? One would think with allegations like that, the NFL could soon OWN the Yankee franchise. Perhaps Baby Steinbrenner isn’t aware that the National Football League has consistently had one of professional sports’ most strenuous drug-testing policies around. The league is also far more consistent in penalizing its players for such violations, which is more that can be said for major league baseball. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are currently being persecuted and having their legacies tarnished while others mentioned in a thoroughly incomplete Mitchell report are not being penalized at all??? How’s that for consistency and self-regulation.
Yes, the NFL’s players are generally larger in stature than those who play major league baseball; the sport calls for it. Perhaps if these mammoths of men sported pot-bellies instead of bulging biceps, they could have tried out for their college baseball teams. Instead these athletes opted for the NFL because… it’s a better league and a far more, exciting product.
So Hank, perhaps you should take a lesson from your father, who has mellowed out considerably over the years. Growing up a Red Sox fan, as much as I hated King George, the respect he demands in baseball is undeniable. At least we now have a new Steinbrenner to hate. In the future, try thinking before you speak. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you soon hear back from those ‘juiced up’ football players who you unwisely accused of wrongdoing. I hope that works out for ya’.
At first glance, you’re attracted to the beautiful red and white stripes of the American flag. You sense an immediate rush of patriotism. You can probably even hear the jet fighters flying overhead (unless, of course, you’re in a dome). Or perhaps the first thing you first notice is the guy’s shaved head at the bottom right of the photo.
Now take another look.
Ah yes, Giants players in uniform. My friend took this picture during the national anthem of the Giants-Buccaneers game back in January, a game which the Bucs dominated for fifteen minutes until the eventual Super Bowl champions lit up the vaunted Bucs defense for 24 points in three quarters before going on their storybook run.
Looking again at the picture…
Oh, cool, I see Eli Manning, Super Bowl MVP, and a couple other Giants players. Wait, who’s that standing to his right. Wait, that…. that’s David Tyree.
Very nice! You mean the duo that hooked up for what can arguably be considered the greatest play in Super Bowl history? Funny how pictures work sometimes, huh? Do you think these two had ANY indication at this point in time what they were destined to combine for only 28 days later?
Like I said, my die-hard Giants fan friend, who snapped this photo and who has been compulsively watching Sportscenter, Around the Horn and PTI reruns since Sunday night, spotted this eerie picture, then immediately called me to let me know that he and I were among the first to witness Super Bowl greatness one month before it happened.
Crystal ball time. For my next trick, I will now predict this year’s college basketball national champions. I just need to rummage through my photo album first.
Invariably, if you attend any Buccaneers home game, you’ll encounter pewter-clad fans donning jerseys of their favorite, hometown heroes, just as you would in any NFL stadium on any given Sunday around the county. In Tampa, without question, the most common jersey you’ll run into is that of Mike Alstott, who for some reason appears to have become a sort of cult hero in the Bay Area. In fact, at a game I attended earlier this season, the Bucs had the ball first-and-goal, about to score, and an ornery fan behind me shouted out “PUT IN ALSTOTT!!!” Never mind that Alstott sat out the entire 2007 season with a neck injury. Maybe he hadn’t gotten that memo. The “Put In Alstott” line at Raymond James has become akin to someone requesting that a band play “Free Bird” at your local dive bar.
But I digress.
Recently, Mike Alstott announced his retirement from the game of football due to the aforementioned, debilitating neck injury. And I wish him well. His off-the-field accomplishments in the Tampa Bay area are worthy of mention as the Michael Alstott Family Foundation has been extremely active in helping out local children in need. The A-Train was also significant part of the Buccaneers 2002-03 Super Bowl season, but let’s please keep things in perspective… so was Joe Jurevicious.
As a Buccaneers fan, I’m intrigued by the city’s love affair with Mike Alstott. Do they not remember the countless, timely fumbles or how they aptly christened him Mike “All-Drop?” Alstott boasts 23 career fumbles on 1359 career carries. That totals to a fumble every 59 attempts, not exactly Hall of Fame material. In comparison, Warrick Dunn who ran alongside Alstott for five years fumbled the ball every 124 carries. Yes, Dunn is a more elusive runner and yes, Alstott ran between the tackles more. But so did Jerome Bettis, a sure-fire HOFer, who by comparison only fumbled the ball once every 160 carries. Yet I get this sneaky su####ion, Raymond James Stadium will hang Alstott’s numbers in its rafters. The Bucs have retired only one number in their history, Lee Roy Selmon’s # 63. Does Alstott’s career warrant the same merit as 1979’s all-defensive player of the year? Does Alstott’s career even compare to what Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barder have contributed to the team over the years?
Yes, Mike Alstott is the leading all-time touchdown scorer for Tampa Bay, mainly because Dunn or other running backs would run the length of the field only to have the coaches then give the ball to the A-Train for the score (and the fantasy points). But does that justify Alstott’s near god-like status in Florida’s city by the bay? Derrick Brooks has been the foundation of what has consistently been among the top defenses in the league for over a decade and Alstott jerseys outnumber Brooks jerseys ten-to-one.
I’m not playing the race card, I promise. Or at least I think I’m not. Fans like who they like for whatever reasons, right or wrong, but I think we’re witnessing a little revisionist history with Mike Alstott. Can someone kindly explain Tampa Bay’s fascination with All Things Dropped? This is not a hate blog. I, for one, congratulate Mike Alstott for being a mainstay in the Tampa Bay community and for having a prosperous career with the Buccaneers. That doesn’t mean he needs to have his number retired.
There’s something to be said for sportsmanship…. just not at a Buccaneers game.
This past Sunday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the New York GEEEEEEE-Men in the new sombrero. To much of Tampa’s dismay, the Giants came out victorious in this match-up to advance in the NFL playoffs, leaving Buccaneer management with some difficult off-season decisions about their future.
On paper, the Giants were, and are, the better team. That translated onto the field. The Giants were underdogs going into that game, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who took the Bucs and laid the points. If they played that game again, the Giants would win it again.
Anyway, I had the pleasure of attending this game with a life-long friend, who happens to be a Giants fan born and bred. We had talked about him flying down for weeks, hadn’t seen each other in a while and landed some great tickets from the same person who scored those Police concert tickets not long ago. Much thanks! My friend, Jason, was appropriately decked out in full Giants regalia, rockin’ the Strahan jersey with more Giants gear layered underneath.
Since we’re like brothers, and by kick-off quite whiskey-infused, he and I were going at it ALL day. When the Bucs got off to a fast start and the Giants failed to move the ball in the first quarter, I heckled him, and Eli, mercilessly. But as the Bucs’ hopes started to fade later in the game, the Giants fans in the stadium became progressively louder.
Now sure, we were being a touch rowdy (this was an NFL playoff game, wasn’t it?), but trust me, my friend is from New Jersey and I have seen him WAY more obnoxious…. which brings me to my point.
After the Giants won, Jason went down to the front rows to celebrate with other Giants fans. The guy seated to his left, who sported a John #### jersey (no longer on the Bucs, mind you), looked at me and said in total seriousness “I can’t believe you! You call yourself a Bucs fan?”
I looked at him in amazement, wondering what he was talking about. I hadn’t even spoken a word to this guy all game. He then asked how I could bring a Giants fan to a Buccaneers playoff game. As if the Bucs' inadequate offense was a direct correlation to my friend's seat assignment. Huh? Did I miss something? I asked him what he was talking about, telling him that J and I grew up together.
“Yeah, but your boy was obnoxious,” he went on, by that point, almost bowing up to me. Now I was about a pint and a half of whiskey in and was hardly about to back down to this putz. I told him to look around as there were at least 10,000 other obnoxious Giant fans around. They’re Giants fans… that’s what they do.
“Yeah, but you encouraged him.” I told that bonehead that J’s my best friend and I was merely congratulating him on his victory. I’ll be darned if I’m going to let some stranger mess with my family, or my character.
I mean, you’ve got to me kidding me. We’re all avid sports fans but…. this is a game we’re talking about here, right? Is there something wrong with congratulating a friend, an opponent, or someone you don’t even know who roots for the opposing team on a hard-fought victory?? Do you hear Gambit insulting Pete_Nice improperly? Or Marty Walker and Bayoudog talking about each other’s families?
The guy continued on, but I kept my senses and wasn’t about to stoop to his level. When I met my friend in the aisle later on, he couldn’t believe it, laughing and telling me “Are you kidding me?? That guy was from Jersey!!"
So there you have it, friends. Another episode of how fan-hood can go horribly wrong. Remember, Bucs fans, to the Geeeee-Men faithful, we’re still an expansion team. And it showed on Sunday… on the field and in the stands. While Giants fans proudly sported Harry Carson jerseys, the best we could come up with was Mike Alstott.
Folks, let’s keep things in perspective here. Players shake hands with one another post-game to celebrate competition and fair play. Sport exists to remind us what truly matters… sportsmanship and courtesy, not resentment, anger or bitterness.
So the next time your team loses and you’re among strangers, try elevating YOUR game and recognize that you’re among fellow human beings with family and friends. You might just turn your loss into a well-earned victory.
Even the longest streaks of futility eventually come to an end. I refer not to the Dolphins beating Baltimore to end their winless season, but rather an NFL drought that lasted over thirty years.
This Sunday, when Michael Spurlock returned an Atlanta Falcon kick all the way to pay dirt, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ceremoniously put an end to their ineffective kick-off return streak.
Never before in franchise history had a Buccaneer player returned a kick-off for a touchdown. The stretch lasted 512 games and over 1800 attempts. 141 opposing players had run back kicks against the Bucs in the same time frame. It hung over the franchise like a dirty secret. Local radio broadcasters would announce it prior to every kickoff, almost laughingly assuming it could never happened. They can now remove that spiel from their radio format. Spurlock will go down in the local history books, as should his special teams coaches, who if you look carefully, were sprinting along the sidelines ecstatically at nearly the same pace.
Every single fan among the 65,000+ at Raymond James (including myself) knew it was about to happen when Spurlock broke an early tackle mid-field, then found a hole along the right sideline. The return was nearly as exciting as, and set the precedent for, the Buccaneer’s third division title under head coach John Gruden.
So sleep easy tonight, Cubs fans, for all bad things must come to an end.
In this day and age of arbitration and escalating salaries, free agency and hold outs, it’s rare and refreshing to find an athlete who commits himself with everything he has to a city, a franchise, a fan base. Tony Gonzalez is one such player. And his resume speaks for itself.
Last Sunday in Kansas City where he started, and will likely finish his career, Tony Gonzalez became the all-time NFL leader in touchdowns for tight ends, breaking Shannon Sharpe’s record, by catching his 63rd career score to defeat the favored Cincinnati Bengals. Gonzalez, who is already considered arguably the greatest tight end of all time, now owns the touchdown record all by his lonesome with few active players in his rear view mirror. By the way, he’s only 31 years old.
Tony Gonzalez does not call in sick. This is his 11th year in the league and Gonzalez has missed a total of two, count ‘em, TWO games. He has been an integral part of the Chiefs offense over the years and has shown remarkable consistency in a game that’s known for chewing players up and spitting them out. Gonzalez is a mainstay in Hawaii, becoming the only tight end to play in eight consecutive Pro Bowls. He is the only tight end to amass 900 yards in six different seasons. By the way, he’s on pace for another this year. He holds virtually every Kansas City Chief receiving record including most career pass receptions, most seasons with 50+ receptions, most pass receptions in a single season, most pass receptions in consecutive seasons, most receiving yards gained and most pass receptions in a game.
We all have our off days, but not Tony. Tony has not gone a game without catching a pass since 2000. That adds up to over one hundred consecutive games. Only Ozzie Newsome has more consecutive games with at least one catch.
Gonzalez is a remarkably gifted athlete. In 1997, he led his California Golden Bears to the Sweet Sixteen, finally losing to a North Carolina team that featured Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison. How many tight ends can say that?
But what you don’t know about Tony might be his most impressive statistic. The Tony Gonzalez Foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide support for ill and disabled children. He was the NFL spokesperson for the Cure for Breast Cancer in 1999 and 2000. And he was voted Role Model of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kansas City. He resembles essentially everything a fan can ask of a professional athlete.
No whining, no trade demands, no off the field issues… only character, charisma and dedication. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy watching Tony Gonzalez play the game. We may not see too many others like him.
Football is a fickle sport. It’s a game of inches. Just ask Kevin Dyson. Games can be won or lost by a missed tackle, an errant pass, or a poor coaching decision. Entire seasons can be deflated by a botched snap or hold. Just ask Tony Romo. In the NFL, the difference between 8-8 and 9-7 can mean someone’s job and toy with the emotions of avid fans nationwide. Often 14-2 isn’t good enough. Just ask Marty Schottenheimer. This year 4-1 and 5-0 separates a Super Bowl contender from a team that still has weaknesses. We were all witness to this Monday night in what has become an instant classic as the Cowboys eked out a victory over Buffalo with history stacked against them.
This past Monday night’s game featured everything… interceptions, fumbles, game winning field goals, runbacks, recovered onside kicks…. everything except for a Bills victory. In a game that featured six Dallas turnovers, for all of which QB Tony Romo was accountable, the Cowboys miraculously completed a (second) field goal from 53 yards as the game clock struck zero. This was the type of game that can catapult the Cowboys into continued success this season. It’s also the type of game that can destroy morale for the losing team. The Bills, who have now lost their second game of the season to a last second field goal, if not careful, can easily head in that direction.
In every quarter except the one that mattered most, Buffalo was able to put points on the board after Dallas miscues. In the first quarter, George Wilson stepped in front of a Tony Romo pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Romo was intercepted yet again, this time by defensive end Chris Kelsay, who almost effortlessly ran the ball in for another score. Dallas seemed cooked, well-done even, if you count the 103-yard kick-off runback by Terrence McGee. The Bills were up by 11 points going into the fourth quarter and clearly had momentum, and Romo’s errant arm, on their side. Then the Bills remembered they’re the Bills.
Lesson to NFL coaches who haven’t already learned this the hard way… don’t stop playing until the clock reads 0:00. Dallas narrowed the lead to eight early in the fourth quarter then scored again with twenty seconds left on the clock. Patrick Clayton caught the touchdown pass, but Big D still needed a two-point conversion to tie… which they failed to convert. Dallas recovered the onside kick attempt and proceeded to chew up enough yards to get into field goal range.
Then Nick Folk broke Buffalo’s hearts… twice. After splitting the uprights with a booming 53-yard field goal, the referees revealed Coach Jauron had called time out in time. Well, the second time was a charm for Nick Folk as he put his next attempt in nearly exactly through the uprights, like a dagger through Buffalo’s heart.
This game served as a reminder to just how little it takes to lose a game that you’ve already inked in the win column, and how easily a team on a roll can steal victory from the arms of defeat. The undefeated Cowboys now take on arguably the best team in the league, while the Bills are left to salvage their season and wonder what could have been.
After a short hiatus, He Said She Said returns with a request from one of our fellow bloggers. Hoit suggested Bluegrass and I tackle the age-old question of who was the better overall, NFL running back, Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith.
This month marks the fifth anniversary of the breaking of one of the NFL’s most hallowed records. On October 27, 2002, Emmitt Smith surpassed Walter Payton as the league’s leading rusher. His record of 18,355 career yards stands to this day and is in no danger of being broken any time soon. Yet despite holding this and several other league records, many often claim Barry Sanders was a better, overall running back. Proponents of Sanders claim Smith had the good fortune of playing with a better team and behind a better offensive line and was thus granted more of an opportunity to thrive. A closer look at Emmitt’s numbers, however, tells an astonishing story of consistency, durability and unrivaled post-season accolades that give him the nod as the better career back.
After leaving the University of Florida as their leading rusher at the time, Smith was drafted in 1990 by the Dallas Cowboys. Emmitt was an integral part of Dallas’ turnaround. The year prior to his arrival, Dallas was 1-15. Within years they were Super Bowl Champions. His presence and consistency in the backfield fueled the Cowboys’ success. Beginning his second year in the league, Emmitt ran off a string of eleven consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons, becoming the first back to ever do so. Emmitt Smith tied Jim Brown’s record by starting his career with seven consecutive ten-touchdown seasons. He was Dallas’ workhorse. Accordingly, he is also the league leader in career rushing attempts.
But it was Emmitt Smith’s ability to find the end zone and his post-season play that defined him and solidified his legacy in NFL history. While Sanders racked up rushing yards at a robotic pace, his ability to score lagged well behind Emmitt’s. Within the 1992-95 seasons, Barry Sanders had 30 rushing touchdowns; Emmitt had 74. Within that same period, he also led his team to three Super Bowls, while the Lions lost three consecutive playoff games. Smith ended his career with 175 touchdowns compared to Sanders’ 109. Smith is second in career touchdowns only to the immortal Jerry Rice.
Emmitt’s most impressive season was undoubtedly 1993. Although his numbers that season were not as gaudy as in others, that year Smith became the only back to win a Super Bowl, the NFL MVP, the rushing title and the Super Bowl MVP. The beginning of that season was a contract year for Emmitt. He held out the first two games, both of which Dallas lost, until eventually signing a four-year, $13.6 million deal, making him the highest-paid back in the league at the time. That turned out to be money well spent as the Dallas franchise, with Emmitt back in their lineup, rallied to win 15 of their next 17 games on their way to consecutive Super Bowl victories. While Emmitt was an essential part of Dallas’ success over the years, Detroit may very likely have been just as mediocre without Barry Sanders.
For all his flash and dazzle, Barry Sanders’ post-season career was A-Rodesque at best. In six career playoff games, his Lions were 1-5. Sanders rushed for 386 yards and scored only one post-season touchdown in those six games. Conversely, Emmitt Smith played in 19 post-season games, going 14-5, while scoring 21 touchdowns. Emmitt has scored more Super Bowl touchdowns (5) than any other player in history. Barry also only had one 100-yard rushing game in his post-season career, while Emmitt had seven. Consider that between 1991 and 1996, Emmitt essentially played a whole extra season, by playing in fifteen post-season games, and amassing nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards. Within that time frame, he only missed four games, two of them due to the aforementioned holdout. He was a model of consistency and the driving force behind the 1990s Dallas dynasty.
While Sanders is unquestionably one of the best running backs of all-time, his numbers simply do not live up to those of Emmitt Smith. Sanders was famous for chewing up huge tracks of yardage, but his scoring numbers clearly pale in comparison. While many argue that Emmitt Smith had better players surrounding him, one can also argue that Sanders’ career rushing numbers are inflated as the Lions had no other offensive outlet. What cannot be debated, however, is the difference between these two backs when it mattered most. Year after year, Smith rose to the occasion after the regular season, while Sanders post-season career fluttered. Any such comparison between these two Hall of Fame backs must take those numbers into perspective when determining the better overall back.
In this week's edition of He Said/She Said, Bluegrass Lady and I argue whether we would send our kids to play basketball under Bobby Knight. As always, your comments and opinions are welcome.
Bobby Knight’s coaching legacy is undeniable. Last year, he became the winningest coach in college basketball history. He has led three University of Indiana teams to national titles. In 1975-76, he coached the last team to go undefeated for an entire season, an effort that seems more and more unattainable with time. Dating back to his first years coaching at Army in the 1960s, Knight has won an astonishing 71% of the games he has coached. In his over forty years of coaching at the highly competitive college level, the man known as ‘The General’ has won nearly 900 contests and his graduation rate is as high as anyone’s in the NCAA. He is a three-time national coach of the year and at a six-time Big Ten coach of the year. Needless to say, his resume speaks for itself.
Despite these accomplishments, in 2000, Bobby Knight was released from duty at the University of Indiana for his lengthy record of insubordination and physical altercation. The controversy surrounding Knight’s career is as noteworthy as his on-court success. Dating back nearly forty years, Knight has repeatedly been involved in acts of physical violence with police officers, students, players and fans. His tirades are as legendary as his coaching record.
He is probably most famous for his 1985 outburst where he tossed a chair clear across the court during a conference game against in-state rival Purdue. That incident, however, was only the tip of the iceberg. There was his famous 1988 interview with Connie Chung where he stated on-air that if rape were inevitable, why not lay back and enjoy it. In 1993, Knight kicked his son who played on the team. Later that season, he head butted another player during a timeout. In 1999, he was investigated for allegedly choking a man outside a local restaurant. In 2000, the University investigated Knight for choking a former player, Neil Reed. The list of Knight’s indiscretions presents a colorful rap sheet. After former I.U. President Myles Brand imposed a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against Knight, he was ultimately fired for grabbing a student that failed to “show him respect” by addressing him simply as “Knight.”
Knight’s disciplinarian mindset failed to attract local Indiana high school phenoms such as Shawn Kemp and Zach Randolph in a state where playing in Assembly Hall is a childhood dream. Top athletes simply refused to play for a madman and submit themselves to four years of brutality.
In the modern basketball landscape, players do not have to put up with that sort of physical or psychological abuse. Despite his coaching legacy, there are countless other coaches these days that can teach today’s youth the game without leaving strangle marks around their necks. Although Knight has more career victories than any other coach, Tubby Smith, Lute Olson, Bob Huggins, Jim Beoheim, John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Mark Few, Bruce Pearl, Mike Krzyzewski and Thad Matta are all active coaches with higher winning percentages. Billy Donovan and Roy Williams have successfully taught discipline and respect while winning the last three national championships without putting their hands on players or wearing them down mentally. Knight is unquestionably a basketball genius, but he doesn’t hold a monopoly on the wisdom required to reach the sport.
Despite not having coached there for seven years, Bob Knight is still a hero in Indiana. His name is legendary and synonymous with success. It is also, however, synonymous with rage. With the wide range of excellence in the coaching ranks today, it would be awfully hard to justify sending a child to play for a loose cannon like Knight. While the General has preached discipline over his forty years of coaching, it is actually his own lack of restraint that has tarnished his coaching legacy.
In this, the 8th installment of He Said/She Said, my colleague and I debate whether the sports media has become too politically correct.
April 6, 1987 is a day that lives on in sports infamy, but not for any specific athletic achievement on the field. In a live, late-night interview in front of millions of viewers, Ted Koppel, the host of Nightline, asked then Dodger General Manager, Al Campanis, why there were we so few African-Americans managing in major league baseball. Campanis boldly replied that African-Americans didn’t have the “necessities” to become successful field managers or general managers. In that same interview, Campanis also stated blacks are poor swimmers because they lack ‘buoyancy.” Campanis was summarily dismissed from his position as Dodger G.M.
Only a few months afterwards, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, who had worked as a commentator for CBS’ NFL Today for twelve years, was fired from the network for stating in an interview that ‘blacks were better athletes because they were bred that way.”
More than any other two incidents, these two foolish statements, and the subsequent firings of the men who uttered them, were the driving forces behind our modern obsession with political correctness in the sports world and the medium that reports it.
But the pearls of wisdom don’t stop there. More recently, in October 2003, Rush Limbaugh resigned from his post as contributor to ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown after stating that the liberal sports media wants “black quarterbacks (to) excel and do very well so that their claims that blacks are being denied opportunity can be validated."
This year, Michael Irvin was released from his ESPN post after implying that Tony Romo’s athletic ability must be the result of an African-American heritage. And most recently, Don Imus was fired from MSNBC after referring to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as a bunch of “nappy-headed hoes.”
Some might argue that the sports world has become too politically correct. However, in light of such comments, there appears to be justification for this continuing trend and for the subsequent ramifications for those who violate its code of conduct. Despite being a nation of immigrants, boasting more cultures than any other country in the world, and sporting an increasingly modern and technological society, the majority of Americans are still unfortunately unable to cope with differences in race, gender, culture and sexual orientation. While we have made great strides in the last several decades, racism, both overt and covert, and a misunderstanding, lack of appreciation and often outright hatred for other cultures still plague our society as a whole. Our trend towards political correctness is a direct effort to rectify this malady. Obviously, it’s still not working.
In 2007, we still have athletes like Gary Sheffield openly stating that major league baseball features more L
