Season Record 16-16
Week 2: 8-8
Week 1: 8-8
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
NFL Week 3 Picks
Season Record 16-16
Week 2: 8-8
Week 1: 8-8
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time: Nos. 20-18
In selecting the 25 greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, I took into account QB stats, accolades (Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, Offensive Player of the Year honors, MVP's, etc.), as well as regular season and postseason success--making note of the era each signal caller played in and how the game operated at that time. In this post, I rank QB's Nos. 20-18 in league history.
20. Fran Tarkenton
Minnesota Vikings, 1961-1966; New York Giants, 1967-1971; Minnesota Vikings 1972-1978
20. Fran Tarkenton
Minnesota Vikings, 1961-1966; New York Giants, 1967-1971; Minnesota Vikings 1972-1978
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| AP Photo |
Tarkenton was drafted twice—first selected by the Boston Patriots in the fifth round of
the 1961 AFL Draft—then picked a month later by the Minnesota Vikings, an
expansion team, in the third round of the 1961 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old
Tarkenton signed with the Vikings and saw game action in the franchise’s first
ever contest, replacing ineffective veteran starter George Shaw. Despite coming
off the bench, Tarkenton accounted for five touchdowns—four passing TDs in a
250-yard debut and one rushing TD as the Vikings upset the Chicago
Bears in commanding fashion, 37-13. Tarkenton remains the only player in NFL
history to pass for four touchdowns in his first NFL game. He played for the
Vikings for the next six years, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1964 and 1966.
However, he butted heads with head coach Norm Van Brocklin, who disparaged the
idea of a mobile QB. Brocklin wanted a traditional pocket passer, making an
eventual divorce between the coach and QB inevitable.
The
Vikings traded Tarkenton and his uncanny scrambling abilities to the New York
Giants in 1967 for a pair of first-round and second-round picks. The swift
“Frantic Fran” brought the cellar-dwelling Giants (who went 1-12-1 in previous
year) back to respectability in his five-year tenure in New York. In his first
game as a member of the Giants, he threw two fourth quarter TDs to complete a
comeback victory over his former team, 24-23. The Giants finished the season at
the .500 mark, a year after posting the league’s worst record. Tarkenton made
the Pro Bowl with the Giants in his first four seasons with the Giants (1967-1970),
but was unable to lead the franchise to any postseason action (the team fell
just shy of reaching the playoffs in 1970 with a 9-5 record).
With Brocklin long gone, the Vikings traded back for Tarkenton in 1972 via another blockbuster
deal that cost Minnesota their All-Pro receiver Bob Grim, three-time Pro Bowl
QB Norm Snead, rookie Vince Clements and a
1st-round choice in ‘72 and ‘73. In his second stint with the Vikings, he made
three Pro Bowls (1974-1976) and won the MVP award in 1975, a year in which he
registered 2,994 passing yards and 25 TDs versus 13 interceptions in a 12-2
campaign for Minnesota.
In his final seven years with the Vikings
(1972-1978), “The Mad Scrambler” led Minnesota to six NFC Central Division
titles and three Super Bowl appearances. He lost all three Super Bowls he
played in, failing to attain the coveted NFL title that eluded him throughout
his entire career.
Over the 18 seasons he spent in the NFL,
Tarkenton threw for 47,003 yards (8th all-time) and 342 touchdowns
(6th most in NFL history). On the ground, he amassed 3,674 rushing
yards and 32 touchdowns.
19. Bob Griese
Miami Dolphins,
1967-1980
 |
| Via NFL.com |
Selected No.1 overall by the AFL’s Miami Dolphins in 1967, Griese enjoyed a brilliant
rookie season in which he threw for over 2,000 yards with 15 touchdown passes.
He was named to the AFL All-Star team in each of his first two years in the
league. The Dolphins—an expansion franchise established in 1966—struggled in
all three of the years Griese spent in the AFL, posting a dismal 12-28-2
record.
The Dolphins’ fortunes changed with the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The club hired Don
Shula, who netted three NFL Coach of the Year honors and an NFL championship in
his tenure with the Baltimore Colts. Shula continued his legacy in Miami,
developing Griese into an elite signal caller. The Dolphins reached the
playoffs for the first time in their short history in Shula’s inaugural year
with the club, winning 10 of their 14 contests in 1970 as Griese made the Pro
Bowl.
In
the 1971 NFL season, Griese—a Pro Bowler and AP First-Team All-Pro—led the
Dolphins to Super Bowl VI, but fell flat 24-3 at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.
The
Dolphins completed the only perfect season in NFL history in 1972 under the helm of Griese and
Shula. Griese was sidelined for much of the team’s immortalized season. He broke
his leg in Week 5 against San Diego, but miraculously returned for the AFC
Championship game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the man under center
for the Super Bowl VII victory, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7.
Repeating
as champions in 1973, Griese and CO. cruised to a 12-2 record in the regular
season, before throttling all three opponents they faced in the playoffs. The
Dolphins won the AFC Divisional Round 34-16 over the visiting Bengals, before
dispatching the Oakland Raiders 27-10, en route to the Dolphins’ 24-7 win over
the Vikings in Super Bowl VIII.
The
Dolphins reached the postseason three times in the final seven years of Griese’s career from 1974-1980, failing to return to the Super Bowl or even the AFC
Championship again.
By career's end, Griese tallied two AFL All-Star appearances, six trips to the Pro Bowl and got the nod from the Associated Press for First-All Team twice (1971,
1977). The two-time Super Bowl Champion compiled 25,092 yards and
192 TDs through the air and 994 yards and seven TDs on the ground.
18. Kurt Warner
St. Louis Rams, 1998-2003; New York Giants, 2004;
Arizona Cardinals, 2005-2009
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| Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images |
Kurt
Warner’s rise to greatness is a tale of perseverance. After being released from
the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad in 1994, Warner opted to work at a
grocery store. Following a year of bagging groceries, the indomitable QB took
his talents to the Arena Football League to play for the Iowa Barnstormers.
Warner, an unstoppable force for the Barnstormers from 1995-1997, transitioned
to “NFL’s Europe” to play for the Amsterdam Admirals. There, he caught the eye of
various league scouts, particularly the St. Louis Rams, who signed the
27-year-old QB.
Finally inked to an NFL deal,
Warner knew he needed to make the most of this precious opportunity. He was
buried in the depth chart as the third-string QB for his rookie season in 1998,
but an injury to starting QB Trent Green in 1999 provided Warner the desired
opening to showcase his talents. Warner threw TDs in each of his first three
starts, a feat that no other QB in NFL history has accomplished. Warner was far
from finished after three stellar outings. He orchestrated one of the most
prolific seasons by a QB in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41
touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. Warner won the 1999 NFL MVP, and was also named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV as St. Louis defeated the
Tennessee Titans, 23-16, to secure the franchise’s first title since the Los
Angeles Rams were crowned champions in 1951.
The Rams high-octane offense—deemed “The
Greatest Show on Turf”—mustered three consecutive 500-point seasons (1999-2001),
an NFL record. Fresh of a Super Bowl victory, Warner had an electrifying start
to his 2000 season, registering 300 or
more passing yards in each of his first 6 games—tying Steve Young's record—throwing
for 19 touchdown passes in the process. A hand injury stifled Warner’s stretch
of triumph, sidelining him for five games that season.
After losing in the Wild-Card Round
the previous year, Warner directed the Rams back to the Super Bowl in the 2001
NFL season. Crowned MVP for a second time, Warner accumulated 4,830 passing yards and 38 TDs
as the Rams claimed the NFL’s top record at 14-2. Warner came up just
short in his pursuit of a second championship ring, losing to the underdog New
England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Nagging hand injuries shelved Warner
from 23 out of a possible 32 games from 2002-2003. Fearful that Warner’s best
days were behind him, the Rams cut their Super Bowl winning QB in the onset of
the 2004 offseason in favor of Marc Bulger.
That same offseason the New York Giants signed Warner—just
months after trading for the top pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to select Eli
Manning. Warner was given the job to start the season, but was yanked by head
coach Tom Coughlin after two consecutive losses in the middle of the year that brought the team to a
pedestrian 5-4 record. Under Manning, the Giants won just one of their final
seven contests.
Signed by the Cardinals the ensuing
offseason, Warner achieved decent success in his first two years with the club.
However, it was not until the 2007 season—the year Warner bypassed first-round
pick Matt Leinart for the starting gig—that the two-time MVP returned to
stardom. Warner had 27 TD passes in 2007, one shy of the Cardinals franchise
record.
A Pro Bowl campaign came next for
Warner, who recorded a 96.9 passer rating with 30 touchdowns versus just 14
interceptions in 2008. Warner led the Cardinals to the franchise’s first
playoff appearance since 1998, also securing the team’s first division title in 33
years.
Despite losing in heartbreaking
fashion in Super Bowl XLIII to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Warner was able to again demonstrate why he is one of the most clutch QBs in league history.
In the 27-23 defeat, Warner threw for 377 yards (the 2nd-highest total in Super
Bowl history), completed 72.1% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of
112.3.
In his final season in the NFL,
Warner helped the Cardinals earn consecutive trips to the playoffs for the
first time since 1974-1975. Facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, Warner broke
the NFL’s single-game record for completion percentage in a regular season game
with a 92.3 mark, completing 24 of 26 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns
as he topped the previous league record set by Vinny Testaverde in 1993. A Week
16 win over the Rams witnessed Warner become only the second
quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two different
teams—joining Tarkenton in that regard.
In his final home playoff game, Warner dazzled the Cardinals’ fans with a remarkable outing, throwing more TDs
(5) than incompletions (4) in the club’s thrilling 51-45 victory over the Green
Bay Packers in the Wild-Card Round. Warner finished the game with the second-highest quarterback rating (154.1) in NFL playoff history. With the win, Warner finished his career with a 7-0 career
home playoff record. Warner and the Cardinals were forced to travel to the
SuperDome the following weekend, losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New
Orleans Saints in his final NFL game.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
NFL Week 2 Picks
New England Patriots (0-1) at Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Washington Redskins (0-1)
Week 1 Record: 8-8
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
NFL Week 1 Predictions
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
The Super Bowl champions host the Packers in a rematch of the infamous "Fail Mary" contest at CenturyLink Field. A classic matchup featuring a lethal offense (Green Bay) pinned against a stellar defense (Seattle) kicks the 2014 NFL season off in style. The Seahawks—looking to become the first NFL team to repeat as champions since the Patriots won consecutive Super Bowls in the 2003-2004 seasons—start their title defense off in victorious fashion.
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Washington Redskins at Houston Texans
Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears
Oakland Raiders at New York Jets
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
New York Giants at Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals
The Bengals have not won in Baltimore since 2009, and furthermore, Andy Dalton is 1-2 in regular season openers with three interceptions and just two touchdown passes. On the opposite site, the Ravens boast a revamped offense with the additions of WR Steve Smith and TE Owen Daniels. New targets could be deadly for Joe Flacco, who is 5-1 in regular season openers. Flacco is a perfect 4-0 in season openers at M&T Bank Stadium with a 100.8 passer rating, throwing eight touchdowns and one interception.
The Saints have owned this NFC South rivalry of late, winning 13 of 16 against the Falcons since coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees arrived in 2006. Under Mike Smith, the Falcons have posted a grim 3-9 record against New Orleans. The Falcons did little to improve their pass coverage in the offseason, which could come back to haunt them versus the Saints. Jimmy Graham, who recorded TD receptions in both contests against the Falcons last year, could go off for a monster day in what will likely be a high scoring affair.
Both clubs enter 2014 with hopes of erasing the agonizing memories of last season. The Redskins won just three games last year, a season after grabbing the NFC East title in Robert Griffin III's rookie campaign in 2012. The Texans, a popular preseason Super Bowl pick a year ago, lost their final 14 contests in 2013 to finish with the league's worst record. Both clubs are spearheaded by rookie head coaches, likely making this a highly competitive, nail-biting contest.
The Mike Zimmer era opens against the Rams, who feature one of the most talented front seven's in the NFL. Adrian Peterson should thrive in Norv Turner's system, which has produced the league's leading rusher five times. Yet, I envision the Vikings' Matt Cassel-led offense to struggle against the Rams' ferocious defensive unit.
This is the best roster the Patriots have assembled since their perfect regular season in 2007. The Patriots will avenge their Week 15 loss at Miami from a season ago, defeating the Dolphins to commence their annual dominance of the AFC East.
The Jaguars have steadily bolstered their defense over the past two years, and the play of rookie QB Blake Bortles in the preseason gives the franchise hope moving forward. However, Chad Henne will start for the Jaguars on Sunday against an Eagles' squad expected to grasp the NFC East crown for a second straight year.
The Browns defense is playoff-ready, but their anemic offense will make it hard for the team to win close games. The loss of Josh Gordon is devastating for the Browns, who will start Brian Hoyer as Johnny Manziel awaits in the wings. Ben Roethlisberger posts a whopping 16-1 record against Cleveland, giving little reason to believe the Browns can pull off the road upset.
Losing Kiko Alonso—the 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year—to a season-ending ACL tear was a devastating blow for the Bills, who could be in store for another long season. The Bears, one of the most talented offenses in football, should win this contest easily.
Rookie Derek Carr gets the nod at QB for the Raiders, who look for their first winning season since 2002. Carr could be the answer for the Raiders under center long term, but it may be asking too much for a QB making his NFL debut to take down Rex Ryan's vaunted defense.
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs endured a rough offseason, losing many of their core pieces (via free agency) from a team that grabbed a wild-card spot a season ago. Nonetheless, Kansas City plays substantially better at rowdy Arrowhead Stadium.
Last year's cellar-dwelling Tampa Bay Bucs could surprise this season under Lovie Smith if their offense is up to par. The Panthers, heavily scrutinized this offseason for failing to retain a single wideout from their receiving corps from a season ago (cutting the franchise's all-time greatest player in Steve Smith), could have their hands full against an underrated Bucs' defense.
Expect a shootout in this NFC clash. The 49ers are gutted at defense at the moment. NaVorro Bowman is out for at least the first half of the season recovering from his ACL and MCL tear in his left knee that occurred in last season's NFC Championship game. Nose tackle Glenn Dorsey was placed on the Injured Reserve/Designated to Return list on Monday as he rehabs from his torn left biceps.The 49ers are also without Aldon Smith, who will begin serving his nine game suspension on Sunday. The Cowboys, meanwhile, likely possess the league's worst defense. They ranked 30th in the league in passing and 27th against the run a year ago. With DeMarcus Ware defecting to Denver and Sean Lee gone for the season after tearing his ACL in May, the Cowboys will struggle stopping opponents all year.
Peyton Manning lost his first matchup against his former team last season. Don't expect him to drop another to the Colts, even with Indianapolis creeping towards AFC supremacy.
Eli Manning suffered his worst season of his career last year, forcing the Giants to shake up their personnel on offense. The Giants' preseason woes under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo suggest the team will endure immense growing pains on offense this year. The Lions' faithful will be rewarded on "Monday Night Football" as the Jim Caldwell era in Detroit begins on a winning note.
Arguably the most intriguing matchup of Week 1, the Cardinals and Chargers clash in the second game of the special opening week "Monday Night Football" doubleheader. The Cardinals ranked No. 1 in rushing yards allowed in 2013, but the departure of Karlos Dansby to Cleveland and the season-ending injury to Darnell Dockett makes the defensive line a tad vulnerable. Still, the Cardinals' tenacious secondary consisting of Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie and Tyrann Mathieu should give their opponents fits in the passing game. The Chargers appear primed for a second straight trip to the postseason, but the playoff-hopeful Cardinals grab a tight win in this contest.
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