The NFL’s Biggest Fraud Revealed! You’ll Want To Write This Down!

As those of you who read this site may have figured out I’m a Giants’ fan.  When you’re a Giants’ fan in the tri-state area, you usually don’t hate the Jets.  Giants-Jets isn’t some big sports rivalry.  For most Giants’ fans, the Jets are a team they wouldn’t mind seeing doing well so long as it didn’t come at Big Blue’s expense.

The good news for the Jets’ organization and their fan base, is that Giants’ fans aren’t feeling so charitable anymore.   The Jets have become flat out annoying.  Have they taken over the market yet?  No, not really.  After all, they still last won a Super Bowl over 40 years ago.  But, the Jets are drawing notice.  Due to a combination of their participation in HBO’s Hard Knocks, Rex Ryan’s take no prisoners persona and their on the field achievements, things are looking up for the Jets.

Unfortunately, they’re also the NFL’s biggest fraud.

It’s absolutely amazing to me how many people think they’re Super Bowl bound.  Please write this down so you remember you read it here.  THE JETS ARE NOT MAKING THE SUPER BOWL.

For those “experts” who disagree, let’s point out a few problems with the idea of the Jets being good enough to win the whole thing this year.  First, they barely even made the playoffs last year.  If not for a few playoff clinched teams laying down to avoid injuries, the Jets probably wouldn’t have made last year’s post season.  Now, granted, they did a nice job when they got there, but not enough to have me over-value their Super Bowl potential this year.

Why?  We’ll that’s reason number two.  Mark Sanchez.   Does anyone remember that he wasn’t super last year?  Does anyone believe he’ll be that much better in year two?   With rare exceptions, quarterbacks struggle during their development.  Sanchez will be no different.

I hear some of you out there now.  You’re thinking (yes, I can read your minds) that the Super Bowl Champ doesn’t need a quarterback to be much more than a good game manager if he’s got a great supporting cast around him.  After all, Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl.

True, but don’t forget that Dilfer tasted victory about 30 years ago (ok, if just feels that way, but it’s still a long time ago).  Take a look at who’s QB-ed Super Bowl Champs over the last decade.  There’s an awful lot of great quarterbacks up there.  Not too many stiffs.  Wherever Sanchez ends up on the quarterback scale, it’s a lot of pressure to put on a second year player.

So, if the quarterback is suspect, then at least they’ll be able to run the ball right?  Well, not so fast there.  They let Thomas Jones leave and have gotten some critism for it, but I think that will ultimately be proven to be the right call.  Jones had a nice Jets career, but he’s a senior citizen in running back terms and was coming off of heavy usage these last few years.  Frankly, he was already showing signs of retirement being not so far away by the end of last season.

So, the Super Bowl Bound Jets are now depending on Shonn Greene to be the kind of consistent runner Thomas Jones was.  Maybe he’ll be just that, but there’s a very small body of evidence to go off of, so that’s no given.

Should Greene falter who do you depend on?  LaDainian Tomlinson?  Maybe five years ago.  I’m an LT fan despite feeling that there’s only one true LT (Lawrence Taylor, of course, even with his current legal troubles!).  Tomlinson seems like a decent guy who’s come in with the right attitude.  So, personally, I’m hoping he has a nice bounce back year.  That’s the emotional side of my fandom coming out, but the reality is that Tomlinson like Jones is pretty old for a running back  and also come with the damage that a whole lot of NFL carries will do to a man.  He’s simply not going to be the season long answer at running back.

So, give the Jets credit for upping their profile and for putting together a terrific defense.  These days though, offense has a lot to say about who wins the Super Bowl.  When your quarterback and running backs are question marks, there’s a lot that needs to go right for you to win a Lombardi Trophy.

THE JETS WILL NOT BEAT THOSE ODDS.  Again, please write it down and remember you read it here first.

PS – Didn’t even mention they play in a seriously tough division.  That’s not going to help the march to glory.

PPS – I’d like bonus points for not going with the very tempting but ultimately lame argument that “after all they’re still the Jets”.

Troy Polamalu Celebrates Super Bowl Victory With Stage Dive! (Video)

Don’t know if this is really the Steelers’ defensive back or not as I just found it on youtube.  But either way, it’s nice crowd dive!

This Just In… The Giants Won’t Defend Their Super Bowl Title!

If the New York Giants prove me wrong and become two time Super Bowl Champs, that will be a way bigger upset than the one they pulled over New England last February.  Know what?  I won’t be losing any sleep. It’s just not gonna happen.

Winning two Super Bowls in a row is a truly difficult thing.  It was difficult back when Pittsburgh seemed to be doing it every few years.  It’s a lot tougher now.  Free agency, the salary cap and bigger money have all made it less likely for a Super Bowl Winner to go back to back.

The Giants are finding out how difficult defending your title is right now.  They’ve got a superstar (pain in the buttocks) tight end in Jeremy Shockey who wasn’t part of their title run but still feels entitled to keep making waves.  If you’re The Giants and want to repeat, then Shockey can’t be traded soon enough. For some reason Big Blue is hesitating. 

Not hesitating at all is the team’s great wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is refusing to practice until his contract is torn up and replaced with a better one.  Keep in mind this is despite the fact that he’s got three years left on his current deal.  Call me crazy, but so far the Giants’ air attack isn’t looking very focused…

Of course, the Defense is solid.  Oh, except for the fact that future Hall of Famer Michael Strahan has called it quits after 15 years.  While you’ve got to admire him for going out on top, you have to believe that even with their good depth on the D-line, Strahan’s departure has to end up hurting the Giants’ defense.

Another year.  Another Super Bowl Champ.  That’s how life is now in Roger Goodell’s league. 

The NFL wouldn’t have it any other way…

If Gale Sayers Is In The Hall of Fame, Why Isn’t Terrell Davis?

I love Gale Sayers as much as the next guy.  I’ve seen the movie.  I admire what he did for Brian Piccolo.  While I’m wayyyyy too young to have actually seen Sayers play during his brief but wondrous career, I have seen the highlights over and over thanks to cable television.  Sayers is a top notch act on and off the field.  Gale Sayers, Mr. Sayers to me, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Question is…  If Sayers is in, how can you keep Terrell Davis out?

There are so many parallels between the two.  Both were brilliant running backs.  Both played only seven season in the NFL. Of their seven seasons, both were really factors in only four and half NFL campaigns. Both fought injury problems, which ended their careers prematurely and tied them together forever.  Spooky, right?

So with such short careers, how do we evaluate their hall worthiness?

Let’s start with Sayers, who was elected to the NFL’s Hall of Fame in 1977.  Given his career accomplishments, the highlight film, Brian’s Song, his legacy is clear.  There’s no serious debate Gale Sayers doesn’t belong in the Hall. 

In Sayer’s all too brief career, he made countless highlight plays.  He was a game changer out of the backfield or returning kicks.  He led the NFL three times in total yards.  His career rushing average clocks in at a gaudy 5.0 yards per attempt.  He was a four time Pro Bowl pick and made First Team All Pro five times.  He was a star in every sense of the word.

As for Terrell Davis, he was a Pro Bowl and All Pro pick three times.  His rushing average was a healthy 4.6 yards per attempt.  He led the entire NFL in rushing yards once while breaking the exclusive 2000 yard barrier in 1998.  He was second in rushing twice and went over 1,500 yards in three straight seasons.  Finally, Davis led the league in rushing touchdowns twice and in overall touchdowns once.  The man could flat out play.  He wasn’t nicknamed TD due to his initials…

Give Sayers the edge in yards per carry, breakaway ability and his return skills.  However, there’s a big category that Sayers trails TD in.  Sayers never played in a championship game.  Unfortunately, his Bear teams never even got close.  So, we never got to see what highlights Gale Sayers would have come up on the biggest stage of all.

As for TD, we know all about him and championships.  Remember that Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway?  You know, the guy who won back to back Super Bowls and then rode off into retirement?  Well, Elway won exactly ZERO championships before Terrell Davis showed up in the Broncos’ backfield.  Elway and the Broncos had done nothing but get killed in Super Bowls prior to TD’s time.

It’s clear that come crunch time Terrell was money.  He was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXII scoring three TDs, which no RB had ever done before.  Throughout the playoffs that year, he railed off four straight 100 yard games in a row helping Denver go from wild card entrants to Super Bowl Champs.

The following year, come playoff time, Davis was once again on top of his game.  In his second straight championship game, TD ran for over 100 yards while gaining another 50 or so through the air.  Along the way, Davis set the playoff record with seven straight games with 100 or more rushing yards. 

John Elway still sends TD thank you cards for giving him the story book ending to his great career.

As time has gone by, we’ve forgotten how big a factor Terrell Davis was.  His brief career leaves us asking how we judge him.  Should we go on what was or what could have been had he not been forced out of the game way too soon?  Looking back at his record of achievement during the regular season and playoffs, it’s clear Terrell Davis belongs in the Hall of Fame.

No slight intended at Mr. Sayers, but Terrell Davis would belong in the Hall of Fame even if Sayers hadn’t already gotten in.

He was that good.

 

 

My Favorite NFL Draft Pick Happened In The Second Round!

I’m no Mel Kiper Jr.  For one, my hair is better.  But, more importantly, Mel knows college football.  I know about college football what Mel Kiper Jr. says or writes about college football.

So, that’s my disclaimer.  If you’re brave read on…

I LOVE Green Bay’s pick up of Louisville’s Brian Brohm in the second round today.  I’m thrilled with it and I’m not even a Packer fan.

Replacing a legend is never an easy thing.  Replacing a legend with a guy who’s never started an NFL football game or played much more than a couple of quarters is a huge gamble. 

Don’t get me wrong.  Aaron Rogers looked great against the Cowboys last season, but he’s given you little else to make you feel like he’s capable of steping into #4’s shoes.  Not saying he can’t, but if I’m running things for The Pack and the future of the franchise (let alone my mortgage) is on the line, I’m looking for some fall back options.

When Brian Brohm was still available in the second round.  Packer fans and the team’s executives and coaches must have been besides themselves with joy.  Even I, who as mentioned at the top knows little about college ball, knows that Brohm was the top rated quarterback at the beginning of the college season.  There was talk he was coming out after his junior season too.  So, people have been high on Brohm for a while.  Unfortunately, a less than stellar senior season dropped Brohm to the second round.

Some day, other teams may regret letting Brohm drop so far. 

Today, Pack fans all across America have to be rejoicing.  They’ve got two young quarterbacks set to compete to take over for the guy who let Michael Strahan break the single season sack record.  If I’m a Green Bay fan, I’m liking the odds that one of them will at least turn out to be competent.

Competent isn’t sexy.  Competent isn’t hall of fame.  But, competency at quarterback can help a team with strengths at other positions win a super bowl.

Don’t believe me?  Consider this.  In the new millennium, the NFL has played nine super bowls.  In about half of those, the guy at the switches was mearly solid.  Sure you’ve got the 2000 version of Kurt Warner, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning quarterbacking their teams to glory.  On the flip side, the rest of the field includes Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton’s little brother.

The verdict???

Green Bay’s got a shot at a winning season with either Aaron Rogers or Brian Brohm at QB.  All one of them has to be is solid.

Rams Finally Win Super Bowl XXXVI Six Years Later!

Over six years after their shocking loss to the upstart New England Patriots, the St. Louis Rams may yet win Super Bowl XXXVI.  Rumors of the existence of a New England produced tape of the Rams’ Super Bowl walk through persist.  Now, there are rumors that if that tape does indeed exist, the Rams will sue to try to re-claim their Super Bowl loss.

As far as I’m concerned, good for St. Louis.  If the tape exists and if Team Belichick ordered it and/or had access to it, than New England deserves whatever they get.  Gamesmanship has always been around.  But, New England seems to be trying to take it to the next level.  I’m no NFL head coach, but I’ve heard from NFL head coaches who say a walk through tape would be a pretty valuable thing. 

Let’s for a moment say it exists, this opens up a couple of questions:

1 – Can you really overturn a Super Bowl?  Based on recent experience with track athletes losing their medals because a relay teammate cheated and colleges voiding conference championships, the mind blowing answer may be yes!

2 – What do we end up thinking about the Pats?  While no one can deny the talent of Tom Brady and the heart of many of his teammates, it’s obvious that if the taping story proves true ALL of their accomplishments will be doubted.  When the Jets story broke last year, I remember one Philadelphia Eagle commenting that it was odd that New England seemed to always know when the Eagles where throwing a screen pass.  Odd or incredible coaching and preparation?  If the tape is real, few will believe the later.

3 – What do we end up saying about the Rams? First off, I think we all have to get over the shock that it would make Mike Martz a Super Bowl winning head coach.  After all, Brian Billick can claim that too.  I think it says more about the “greatest show on turf”.  Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and all those great receivers.  It is kind of mind boggling to think how amazing they were on offense and how quickly it all came apart.

With one Super Bowl win on their resume, Warner and crew come off like one hit wonders.  They were truly amazing and fun to watch, but ultimately don’t rank among the top football teams of all time.  Now think of them as two time champions.  Two victories in three years.  It may not be the 70s Steelers, but not many teams can claim to have won two out of three Super Bowls.

Somewhere Dick Vermeil must be crying tears of joy.

Eli Manning Rocks! And I told you first!

I realize this is coming out late and is blatantly obvious at this point, but Eli Manning is a heck of a quarterback.  Being a Giants fan, I hope you’ll forgive my getting to the Eli after-party late.  I’ve just spent the last 24 hours in a state of shock and bliss.Still, if you are among the handful of loyal readers of Full Contact, then you know I was telling everybody about this weeks ago.  Here’s the proof:

https://fullcontactsports.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/more-eli-manning-evidence-of-decentness/

You’ll notice I didn’t call the Super Bowl,but Eli had clearly begun to win me over. 

 Scrambling out of the Patriots’ clutches to hit Tyree on that miracle helmet catch was the final straw.  I’m a full fledged Eli supporter and room’s getting pretty scare in this club…

Patrick Ewing Is Ruining My Super Bowl!

As a Giants fan, you’d think I’d be loving life lately.  Big Blue’s overachievers have found themselves in the big game up against what might turn out to be the best team ever.  I should be thrilled and counting the seconds until game time.

Well, I am thrilled that my team is in the final two.  But, I’ve barely paid attention to the Super Bowl coverage.  Why?  It’s flat out boring.  How many times can I hear the same generic keys to the game that will allow the Giants or any football team to compete and win the big game? Sure, if they pressure Brady, cause turnovers and play steady offense, they’ve got a chance.  If you’re any kind of football fan, you don’t need anyone telling you that.

And what’s the big fuss over guys predicting their team is going to win?  What should Plaxico Burress be saying “I think we’re gonna get smoked.  All hail New England.”?  Sure, “no comment” might have made more sense.  But let’s face it the day of the dramatic guarantee, the day of Ruth pointing for the fences, Joe Willie guaranteeing an upset of the Colts or even Messier promising victory over the New Jersey Devils is gone.

The guarantee was killed by too many people getting in on the action.  Guarantees should be left to the legends.  Those athletes on whom the game hinges.  Those athletes who have an undying confidence in themselves and the cockiness and skill to pull it all off.

I blame Patrick Ewing.  No doubt the big fella is a tenacious competitor and a true Hall of Famer.  But it was Ewing’s unending stream of unfulfilled promises of victory that doomed Knicks fans everywhere to disappointing off-season after off-season. If you followed the Knicks in the 90s, you KNOW what I’m talking about.

And once the scrubs saw that a true talent like Ewing wasn’t embarrassed to fail to come through on his guarantees, they thought why not me?  It all culminated this year with that no name Pittsburgh Steelers DB who guaranteed victory over New England only to be very personally burned by the Patriots air attack.  Thank you, Tom Brady.

Still, that guy lived to play another day, so I guess we’ll get more guarantees in the future.  All I ask for is only one week between the NFL conference championships and the Super Bowl. 

I guarantee we’d get less hype…

Eli Manning – Not Too Shabby

So Eli Manning and the road warrior Giants managed to beat the legendary Brett Favre and his Pack in Lambeau Field, where the weather was somewhere below zero.  And in do so, Eli has clearly shown his detractors that he’s taken the next step in his fulfilling his potential. 

Eli still isn’t Peyton.  Heck, he never will be.  But, young Eli has the Giants back in the Super Bowl in just his fourth season in the NFL.  By comparison, Peyton took nine long years to get the Colts to the biggest game of them all.  Think back to the kind of talent that surrounded Peyton in Indy during all those non-Super years and little bro’s achievement becomes even more impressive.

In taking out Brett Favre and company, Eli outplayed the future hall of famer.  He threw for more yards and most importantly despite playing in enemy territory never turned the ball over while Favre was picked twice.  Take away that one 90 yard pass play, which frankly was kind of a fluke, and Favre’s numbers look even worse.

Week after week, Eli Manning is playing in the biggest game of his life on the road against better teams than his.  Yet, week after week, the Giants are advancing and Eli is growing into a really good starting quarterback.

Next, he’ll get to prove he’s the kind of quarterback that can win a Super Bowl.  I’m not betting against him or the Giants.