The latest Clash of the Titans
Spent the morning digging up some statistical stuff on Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, who bump facemasks again Sunday in Foxborough. There sure is plenty of stuff to dig up. Combined, these guys have...
View ArticleFrom one Hall of Famer to another
Would it surprise you to learn that not one of Dan Marino’s 420 touchdown passes — he held the career record for a while, you may recall — was caught by a fellow Hall of Famer? (Guess I never thought...
View ArticleBackup QBs to the rescue
In an eye blink Sunday, Cardinals fans went from dreaming about winning a Super Bowl on their home field to wondering whether there might be room for them on the Arizona State bandwagon. That’s the...
View ArticleThe name’s the same
Spent the better part of the morning trying to put together sets of Triplets — quarterback, running back, receiver — who share the same last name (even if they didn’t play on the same club or in the...
View ArticleA touchdown a quarter
Everybody’s in love with the Jonas Gray story this week, and who can blame them? Few things are more fun than seeing a guy who’s worked his way up from the practice squad — in his case, multiple...
View ArticleThe Jonas Gray Chart of the Day
First off, I’d like to thank NFL statisticians for making this post possible. On Monday morning it wasn’t – because, at that point, the Patriots’ Jonas Gray was credited with 38 carries for 199 yards...
View ArticleTrading draft picks for coaches
There were more reports over the weekend that the 49ers might trade Jim Harbaugh after the season — perhaps to the Raiders, perhaps to some other desperate team. If it happens, it’ll be fascinating to...
View ArticleSlingin’ Antonio Brown
The Steelers’ Antonio Brown has done something this season that hasn’t been done in a decade — and has been accomplished by only 10 receivers in NFL history. Care to guess what it is? Answer: He’s...
View Article“Stump the Football Stars”
Sportscaster Dick Enberg was in the news recently as the winner of baseball’s Ford Frick Award. He’s also done some fine football work, of course, calling eight Super Bowls and serving as the radio...
View ArticleRoad warriors
After Saturday’s 30-17 crunching of the Steelers, John Harbaugh’s Ravens are once again taking bows for their road exploits in the playoffs. They’re now 7-4 in such games under Harbaugh, which would be...
View ArticleMarvin Lewis and the perils of January
The Bengals have made the playoffs in six of Marvin Lewis 12 seasons. You’d think congratulations would be in order — first for surviving a dozen years in any coaching job, and second for steering his...
View ArticlePlayer safety in the 1960s
My Internet wanderings recently led me, as they often do, to an unexpected place: a classic 1967 photo of Chiefs cornerback Fred “The Hammer” Williamson. It shows Williamson, famous for bludgeoning...
View ArticleIn the days before diplomacy
Before players became so well behaved — in terms of their public pronouncements, I mean — Super Bowl Week was a lot more entertaining. I was reminded of this the other day when I came across a story...
View ArticleThe myth of Super Bowl distractions?
Tom Brady wasn’t in a very good place when he began his Super Bowl preparations. Deflategate — and its attendant tempest — blindsided him worse than any Terrell Suggs sack. Some people thought the...
View ArticleStatistical curiosities of 2014 (Part 1)
Every NFL season has its statistical curiosities. In fact, if I can find a publisher, my next book might be Statistical Curiosities and the Fans Who Love Them (like me). Anyway, I just noticed one...
View Article2014 receivers: plus/minus
Same drill as yesterday. This time, though, I wanted to look at receivers — tight ends and wideouts only — and determine whose production had vacillated the most from 2013 to 2014. The leader in the...
View ArticleDeMarco Murray’s odometer
Football folks have begun to worry about rushing attempts the way baseball people fret about pitch counts. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying these things aren’t important. It’s more a question of: How...
View ArticleThe eternal life of a quarterback
At any other position — except maybe punter and kicker — when an NFL player hits 30, you start wondering how much longer he’s got left (or how many Pro Bowl seasons he might still have in him). But...
View ArticleThe passing record Lou Groza once held
When you think of Lou Groza, you think of this big guy – 6-3, 240, with a bit of a belly — booting field goals forever for the Browns. Groza happened to be a fine offensive tackle, too, protecting the...
View ArticleOne-for-one trades
LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso. Trades don’t get any more stripped-down than that, do they? My guy for your guy — period. No draft picks. No throw-in players to balance the scales. No contingencies of...
View ArticleAnybody want a 500-catch receiver?
It’s been an interesting offseason so far for name-brand NFL wide receivers. Seven of the Top 14 in career receptions – among active wideouts, that is — have either been released (3), traded (1) or...
View ArticleNFLers in the NCAA Tournament
More than a few NFLers have played college basketball — especially in the two- and three-sport eras – but only a handful have made much of a mark in the NCAA Tournament. Here are the five most notable...
View ArticleThe draft and the Canton Factor
It’s great to have the first pick in the NFL draft — as the Bucs have on five occasions, including this year. But it’s almost as great to have the sixth pick, believe it or not. And you’d be amazed at...
View ArticleSuper Bowl IV lives!
With the draft in the books and the Slow Season officially upon us, let’s have a little fun today and revisit one of the more underappreciated games in pro football history: Super Bowl IV — the last...
View ArticleLester Hayes’ incomparable 1980
We’re coming up on the 35th anniversary of one of the greatest seasons ever by an NFL player. Was it as great as Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 rushing yards in 1984, Peyton Manning’s 55 touchdown passes in...
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