Author Archives: The Chancellor of Football

Week 15 Monday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Francisco 49ers

by

0

"Did you hear?? Baltimore lost to San Diego last night!"

Well doesn’t this have a good ring to it?? These teams are coming in with a ton of NFL playoff implications tied to this football game. The first is the San Francisco 49ers are trying to catch the Green Bay Packers, for homefield advantage on the NFC side of the ledger. Although they have won their division, they have been caught by the New Orleans Saints who are 1/2 a game up on the 49ers for the #2 seed. In other words, the 49ers need this game in more ways than one. They need it for playoff positioning and also to prove they can stand up to the best AFC teams. They were handled in Balitmore Thanksgiving Night 16-6, and being new to the league’s elite they need to prove to themselves they can beat an established team. The Niners come into this game 10-3 and face the 10-3 Steelers.

The Steelers come into this game without their enforcer in linebacker James Harrison who is serving a one game suspension. However this team had to deal with his missing four games from an orbital bone fracture earlier in the year. With Lawrence Timmons & Larry Foote, the Steelers are able to rotate linebackers to continue playing the same defense and rush the passer along with stopping the run. This year’s edition hasn’t forced the turnovers of previous editions yet comes in with the #1 defense. Thanks to early injuries to this defense, which is one of the eldest in all of football, they are healthy on defense at the right time and they’re rested.

Unsung versatile linebacker Larry Foote

They also have to rally around an injured Ben Roethlisberger who has a high ankle sprain but this is the type of rock ’em sock ’em game the  Steelers thrive in. It may be hard for Roethlisberger to move around and make plays but he plays with grit and has to will his offense down the field. For the season he’s completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,526 yards 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s on pace for another 4,000 yard season and people have to get over the illusion that the Steelers are a running team. Sure they are a running team first, but Ben is what makes this offense go. They say it’s a game time decision but Big Ben, sitting out this game?? Stop, he’ll be under center tonight bank on it. Especially with Baltimore stumbling last night in San Diego, now the Steelers are in control of the AFC North, the second seed in the AFC playoffs or possibly home field throughout.

Yet coming in with the league’s #4 defense is the San Francisco 49ers. Did you know they haven’t given up a rushing touchdown all year?? They are trying to become the first team in league history not to give up a rushing touchdown for the season. Now that is a record. Furthermore did you know that in the Super Bowl era, for every team that didn’t give up a rushing touchdown in the first 10 games, all of which made it to at least the conference championship?? So take a guess who is #1 against the run in the NFL?? Getting the picture??

Underappreciated as the #1 rushing defense in football. Folks will learn of Justin Smith and the rest of the defense. It's more than Patrick Willis.

Frank Gore and Rashard Mendenhall better have on their big boy pads tonight.  Frank Gore “Didn’t he ask to be traded?? Oh that was pre-season!” has 1,054 yards and 6 touchdowns and has to be at his best for San Francisco to win. He currently ranks 6th but should end tonight as the league’s #3 rusher.  Suprisingly Rashard Mendenhall is 24th in the league in rushing with 710 yards yet he has 8 touchdowns. Can Mendenhall and company break the rushing touchdown drought of the Niners?? Well they better get their pad lower than they did on the goal line at home versus Cleveland.

In the end, Big Ben is going to win this game with a few plays out of the pocket. Alex Smith is enjoying a good season but will see ghosts of that Thanksgiving Game as Lamarr Woodley will come off the corner as Terrell Suggs did in that one. The difference is going to be the quarterback… Big Ben will win it where Alex Smith will try to manage it.  You don’t manage against Blitzburgh. Yet the 49ers aren’t battle tested enough to knock off Pittsburgh.

OUR PICK: STEELERS 20-13 OVER 49ERS

Armchair General Manager: Cleveland Browns

by

1

In the NFL, Monday and Thursday night games are opportunities to showcase your top players and units. Two weeks ago was no exceptions as the Cleveland Browns lethal defense stood toe to toe with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Heinz Field. Anyone that watched that goal line stand, where the Steelers took four shots from the two, had to come away impressed.  They ran away from leading tackler D’Qwell Jackson then Chris Gocong and the rest of the Browns slammed Rashard Mendenhall violently to the turf. If the thought didn’t hit you “How good would the Browns be if they had some offense?” You had to be a Steelers fan. So with a 4-10 record, where do they go from here??

They need an immediate offensive boost at the quarterbacking position. So at first glance you have to ask if Colt McCoy is the future. We don’t think so and you have to make moves now to take advantage of their immediate defensive excellence.  So what would we do??

Exhibit A: Make a move for Peyton Manning. Would offer our 2012 first rounder and a 1st rounder in 2013, and secure the future Hall of Famer knowing we had a two year window with him on the field. With him in tow there would be the selling point as to why we’d be able to secure a free agent RB and first rate WR to produce some immediate offense. Convincing of the Indianapolis Colts that they have to rebuild now that Manning won’t be there is why we’d offer the two #1s.  If they bit, it would be a coup to possibly challenge for the Super Bowl in the next two years. Isn’t that worth the risk for a team that has only made the playoffs one time since 1999?? Think about it…

Exhibit B: Trade their number 1 pick in 2013, if they have to, to secure Robert Griffin III, along with getting a mid range receiver. They can lean on Griffin III’s ability to run and stretch the defense with half rolls and shotgun rolls to open running lanes for Peyton Hillis or a total dual threat Josh Cribbs in the backfield with him. The attention on the short game will open up the passing lanes 15 yards downfield.  What free agent running backs and receivers can they attract after drafting the Heisman trophy winner??

D'Qwell Jackson leads a new pack of Dawgs in Cleveland.

Remember this team has given up only the 7th most points thus far this season with 274. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/2011.htm Right now they have the most unsung star in football in D’Qwell Jackson who has outplayed Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis this year at Middle Linebacker. He is second in total tackles to London Fletcher (146) with 138 yet has 17 more solo tackles than Fletcher. Of all the top ten tacklers, he’s the only one with at least 3.5 sacks along with an interception, a forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries. The Browns have slipped to 14th in defense but for most of the year they were a top five defense. This could be the start of the rebirth of the Cleveland Browns. What could they have been had they had a little offense this year?? Doesn’t matter. This can be the turn around team of 2012. We thought we’d volunteer who we thought would be catalytic acquisitions to turn around a moribund offense.

Thanks for reading and share the article.

NFL Week 16 AFC West: Interesting Turn of Events

by

2

Lost in all the Tebow talk is the play of the defense led by Von Miller's 11.5 sacks and 50 total tackles.

Everyone is still trying to wrap their heads around the topsy turvy AFC West or mainly the Tim Tebow led Denver Broncos. We, at Taylor Blitz Times figured out the Oakland Raiders are a season away from full potential with Carson Palmer. With a full offseason to work the kinks out and get him a grade A receiver, they look to be the division front runner for 2012. We forwarned you the San Diego Chargers would underachieve with that talented roster and are waiting for the Chargers to dismiss Norv Turner to get a jump on 2012 now that Kansas City has made the switch. Huh, oh Tebow Magic?? We’ll be getting to that but first…

Haley's offense scored 10 or fewer points in 8 of 13 games leading to his dismissal after a 4-9 record.

In an effort to get a jump on the 2012 season, the Chiefs dismissed Todd Haley. Did he deserve it?? His team has tanked this year from the very outset and the offensive performance of his Chiefs has been, well, offensive. Remember they lost their first two games 41-7 and 48-3 respectively… This from the offensive mastermind that got the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII just 3 years back?? Chiefs brass drafted WR Jonathon Baldwin in the first round and signed his former receiver with Arizona in Steve Breaston to join Pro Bowl WR DeWayne Bowe. We know they lost Charlie Weiss as co-ordinator but should this offense have slipped THIS far??  How in the hell did Matt Cassel regress from 27 TDs /7 int’s to 10 TDs/9 int’s before Tyler Palko’s 2TDs/7 ints since Cassel’s injury?? Sure they lost Jamaal Charles to a season ending injury but they still had Thomas Jones in house who ran for almost 1,000 yards last year. Then couple that with his reported inability to get along with Scott Pioli, he had to go. You can’t say the front office didn’t get him the pieces he needed for even moderate success and they ranked 31st in offense. Yes it was a just firing. Here let’s take a look at the standings…

AFC WEST W L T PCT HOME ROAD DIV CONF PF PA DIFF STRK
Denver 8 5 0 .615 3-3-0 5-2-0 3-2-0 6-3-0 269 302 -33 Won 6
Oakland 7 6 0 .538 3-3-0 4-3-0 2-2-0 5-5-0 290 354 -64 Lost 2
San Diego 6 7 0 .462 4-3-0 2-4-0 2-3-0 5-5-0 324 299 +25 Won 2
Kansas City 5 8 0 .385 2-4-0 3-4-0 2-2-0 3-7-0 173 305 -132 Lost 1

Marching toward the playoffs are the Denver Broncos who just vanquished the Chicago Bears 13-10 in overtime. “Tebow Magic” strikes again and much like “Mile High Magic” in the 1980’s, teams play those last few minutes in total fear and make mistakes. However it’s the stellar play of the defense that is being totally overlooked that is giving Tebow the chance to win it in the end. Although they’re ranked 19th overall they have kept 4 of their last 5 opponents to 13 or fewer points.  Von Miller is one of 4 bloodthirsty linebackers who are making plays all over the field. Wesley Woodward leads the way with 78 tackles followed by DJ Williams (74),  Joe Mays (64), and Miller with 63. They’re making timely plays when they need it more than anything else. With their top 4 tacklers being their linebackers , they are executing their defensive play calls to perfection.

Right now there is no way to quantify what is taking place in Denver outside they are doing just enough to win. During the 7-1 record that Tebow has engineered, the Broncos are dead even in the turnover ratio. Tebow has not been efficient at the beginning of games when the full playbook is being used. It’s when the Broncos are running from spread formations and the hurry up offense that he can see the openings. It might be time for Denver to open with this in the first half. Especially with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots coming to town. Prepare for some exotic looks and delayed blitzes on the part of the Patriots if the Broncos try to line up traditionally.  If they don’t counter what New England game plans for the Broncos are headed for a loss. They will not slow the Patriots offense down like Chicago’s or the Chargers. Don’t forget this coming week, the Patriots are eyeing a first round bye and need this win.

Still in the hunt are the Oakland Raiders who have have one of the most tumultuous season in their history. They have seen better days than last week’s 46-16 drubbing from the Super Bowl champion Packers. Yet the defense couldn’t sustain the load over the course of this season and that’s before the injuries to Jason Campbell and Darren McFadden. Do you realize the Raiders have allowed 20 or more in 11 of 13 games including 30 or more points allowed in 3 of their previous 6?? Right now the Raiders are 29th in the NFL against the run so we’re not talking about the loss of Namedi Asougmha either. Somewhere this team lost it’s defensive focus yet will come out of 2011 with a real quarterback in Carson Palmer and can focus on a true number one receiver and solidify their defense. They may have enough gas to catch the Broncos in the waning weeks due to schedule (Lions, Chiefs, Chargers) but that would take a monumental collapse on Denver’s part (Patriots, Bills, Chiefs) in remaining games.

The Broncos and Raiders are works in progress. Although the Broncos are in the midst of Tebow hysteria, it’s the Raiders who have made some strides and are in place to really challenge for the AFC championship next year. From an X’s and O’s standpoint a book is being established against Tebow and you’ll see it in the up coming weeks in the form of delayed blitzes.  Teams are going to rush hard outside, get him to where he commits to dart up in the pocket to run through holes, then send delayed blitzers there. Keep your eyes on this… The book on how to stop Tebow was written over 25 years ago. Its the same one that was designed to stop young John Elway. Yet a team had better have willing hitters when they arrive.

Thanks for reading and share the article.

 

Baylor’s Robert Griffin III Takes Home the Heisman Trophy

by

1

Robert Griffin III outruns Andrew Luck for the 2011 Heisman Trophy

Congratulations to the 77th Heisman Trophy winner in Baylor’s Robert Griffin III. He was easily the most electrifying player this year, a Cam Newton-lite if you will. It may have been a benefit Newton didn’t win it last year. Although he was swirled amidst off field allegations, had he won it last year the voters may have looked to give the award to another type of player this year or position. However if you look at Griffin III’s season in a vacuum, he deserved it hands down.

All he did was lead perennial doormat Baylor into the National spotlight completing 267 of 369, for 3,998 yards, 36TDs to only 6 interceptions. He was also a threat on the ground where he ran for 649 yards and another 9 touchdowns. He’s just 353 yards away from a 5,000 yard season against stellar competition and still has an Alamo Bowl showdown with Washington to pad his stats further.

Statistics don’t tell half the story. It was this electrifying talent that led his teammates to believe they could play with anyone. It started with his destruction of #14 TCU’s highly ranked defense, to the tune of 359 yards passing and 5 touchdowns in building a 47-21 lead. After the Bears offense grew cold, Griffin proved his mettle driving the Bears to the winning field goal 50-48 and a collegiate star was born. This was the first great early game of the season and talk of Griffin III’s exploits were showcased on national television.

Then really grew steam when he performed the coup de gras against Oklahoma. His Baylor Bears were ranked 22nd and were taking on media darling Bob Stoops and his #5 ranked Sooners. You have to understand the Bears were 3 weeks removed from losing badly to ranked #4 Oklahoma St. (59-24) and #23 Texas A & M (55-28). Their confidence was shaken as a team going into this game and it was do or die to find out if they were for real.  Griffin, who passed and ran his team to a 38-24 fourth quarter lead in one of the game’s of the year, dazzled early. Once their momentum crested, the high powered Sooners sprang to life and rallied to tie the score 38-38, with 2:38 to go.

With Oklahoma holding all three time outs, the Bears came out conservative and ran a dive showing they were content to go to overtime. Stoops called the first of his timeouts, which showed the Sooners wanted to force the Bears to punt the ball back and give the Sooners a chance to win it in regulation. Baylor’s body english looked defeated and Waco was completely silent. Armed with the knowledge of what Oklahoma intended to do, it was Griffin III who charged back to the huddle to breathe life in his team. He completed two strikes in the heart of the Sooner’s zone to put Baylor in field goal range reversing the momentum. Instead of waiting to kick the winning field goal, on first down he scrambled to his left and fired a 34 yard touchdown to Terrance Williams with :08 left. BALLGAME!!

By the time he engineered a 48-24 trouncing of the 22nd ranked Texas Longhorns, it was obvious this was the best player in all of college football. He led the Bears to a 4-2 record over top 25 teams. In the aforementioned games with Oklahoma and Texas how’d he do?? Against Oklahoma Griffin III ran for 98 yards while throwing for 479 yards and 4 touchdowns. Then you had him toast up the Longhorns rushing for 36 yards and 2 TDs, while throwing for 320 yards and 2 more scores.

Buoyed by these three signature games, it was impossible to hand the Heisman to another player. He carried his team into national prominence and backed up the press clippings with performance. The Baylor Bears went 9-3 with him at the helm and had their best record since 1986. Now further that distinction with bringing the school it’s first ever Heisman winner. So what does he do as an encore?? We suspect a 500 yard performance (rushing and passing) and a high draft status in April.  With the Colts eyeing a pure drop back passer in Andrew Luck, it looks like many teams would vie for his services. Right now, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock.

For if he’s Cam Newton-lite, he may be just as deadly in his rookie year. We’ll have time for that later. As for right now, congratulations Robert Griffin III. You deserved your Heisman with a performance for the ages.

Thanks for reading and share the article.

 

Special Teams: Can they win you an important football game??

by

3

All Pro safety in 1986, Derron Cherry was a regular on Frank Gansz special teams.

How often do you hear NFL, collegiate, or even high school football coaches say that “Special teams is a third of the game”?? Then rarely use their special teams as more than a field position element of the game. Aside from the Chicago Bears of recent years with Devin Hester, very few use their special teams as a weapon. Nor do most teams use their superstars on this third unit. Well in 1986, the Kansas City Chiefs fielded the best special teams and they were powered by the “Million Dollar Secondary” which was one of the best in NFL history. Safeties Derron Cherry and Lloyd Burruss coupled with the great cornerback tandem of Kevin “Rock” Ross and Albert Lewis manned the last line of defense.

You have to remember these were dark times for a once proud franchise. Not since the Christmas Day 1971 game of Ed Podolak in the longest game ever played vs the Dolphins, had the Chiefs participated in postseason play. Nothing was really expected of the ’86 version as well. There was an impasse at quarterback where the team went back and forth between quarterback’s Bill Kenney and Todd Blackledge with moderate success. They ran the football by committee between ex Browns Boyce Green and Mike Pruitt and as the season was concluding was down to KR Jeff Smith running the football. Smith’s real claim to fame was the National Championship upset where the Miami Hurricanes upset Nebraska, 31-30 in the ’84 Orange Bowl. It was Smith (Mike Rozier’s backup) who scored the final touchdown before the fateful two point attempt. Aside from Stephone Paige who once held the NFL record with 309 receiving yards in a game, none of these players were of distinction or Pro Bowl performers.

However there was hope in the #4 rated defense in the NFL that kept games close and special teams coach Frank Gansz utilized the best players on the team. This included Pro Bowlers Cherry, Burruss, and NT Bill Maas. Albert Lewis was a master at blocking punts as well. Cherry was All Pro at safety, having picked off 9 passes, to share that distinction with Ronnie Lott. Strong safety Lloyd Burruss (5int.s) enjoyed his best season in 1986 leading the NFL in both int. return yards 193 and touchdowns with 3. In fact it was Burruss with 2 interception returns for touchdowns against eventual AFC Champion Denver in week 14, that put the Chiefs in position to make the playoffs. It was this 37-10 victory that allowed the Chiefs to control their destiny with an 8-6 record. A win the following week against the Los Angeles Raiders set the Chiefs up for a do or die game in Pittsburgh to make the playoffs.

As was Four time Pro Bowl Cornerback Albert Lewis

What took place was one of the oddest games in NFL history in one regard, and one where a team taught everyone what it meant to use their special teams as a weapon. The Chiefs defense actually had one of it’s worse games of the year as they allowed 515 yards to Mark Malone and the Steeler offense. It was actually the Chiefs special teams fault they gave up so many yards. However they kept the Steelers out of the endzone for much of the day.  Of course the Chiefs offense disappointed only gaining 171 yards with the football. So what happened??

They took control in the 1st quarter when they had the Steelers backed up near their own goal line. Where most teams set up for a midfield return, Gansz and the Chiefs attacked. Cornerback Albert Lewis flew in from the wing to block the punt which was recovered by Derron Cherry in the endzone to take a 7-0 lead, silencing Three Rivers Stadium. Funny thing was had Lewis not blocked the punt, Burruss would have as they crisscrossed right in front of the punter. After trading field goals in the 2nd quarter, Boyce Green returned the subsequent kickoff 97 yards to extend the Chief lead to 17-3. A team with less than 100 yards of total offense had nearly a two touchdown lead in a game they needed to make the playoffs. Go figure…yet before the Steelers could get to halftime and make adjustments their offense raced downfield to narrow the score following another field goal.

 

The Steelers were in position for a Gary Anderson field goal to bring Pittsburgh to within a touchdown. The crowd would be back in the game and with the Steelers defense totally stifling the Chiefs offense, the game would turn in the second half right?? Well not quite. Pro Bowl Nose Guard Bill Maas charged through two Steeler linemen and blocked the kick. Lloyd Burruss snatched the loose ball and sailed 78 yards to an insurmountable halftime lead of 24-6. The Steelers made it close but with a chance to win it late in the 4th quarter, LB Tim Cofield forced an errant throw by Malone that was intercepted by Lewis to preserve a 24-19 win.

This great secondary who rarely got their due outside of Kansas City had performed a game for the ages on defense and special teams. They kept scoring and putting themselves on the field yet only allowed 1 Steelers touchdown. If I were to wake you and tell you that you missed a game where a team won the game without scoring an offensive touchdown and were outgained 515-171 on the road, would you believe me?? http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198612210pit.htm Folks it happened.

For 1986, this group led the NFL in interceptions and blocked kicks with 5. Burruss, Cherry, Lewis, and Ross intercepted 18 passes themselves. This team lost the AFC Wild Card to the New York Jets 35-15 to end their season, yet before they went away quietly Albert Lewis scored one of the Chiefs touchdowns with another blocked punt.  After this teams more and more started putting some of their best players on their special teams. It was this special unit in 1986 that showed how lethal your special teams can be utilizing your best talent.

Cris Carter Belongs In The Hall of Fame

by

6

Cris Carter graces the cover of The Sporting News

Has there been a better set of hands in the history of Pro Football?? How many ridiculous one handed catches did Cris Carter make during his great career with the Philadelphia Eagles and mainly with the Minnesota Vikings?? At first glance, the numbers stand out with 1,101 receptions for 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns. Good for 2nd most in NFL history for receptions and receiving touchdowns at the time of his retirement. One of the greatest attributes is that he honed his skill amidst a myriad of pedestrian NFL quarterbacks.

Amazingly he came within inches of washing out after a few seasons in Philadelphia. After leaving THE Ohio State University, he was drafted by Buddy Ryan and the Eagles in 1987. In his three years there he played well but was undisciplined off the field. He was a young player who enjoyed the perks of stardom and indulged off the field in alcohol and partying and was wasting his talent away. He helped the Eagles and a growing Randall Cunningham to a 12-4 record and a 1988 NFC East Championship where he caught 39 receptions for 761 yards and 6 TDs for the season.

However it was the 1989 season where he didn’t show signs of maturity off the field. Despite the fact that he caught 45 passes, his play had regressed to where his effectiveness was relegated to catching passes in the redzone. He caught 11TDs but only gained 605 yards. Head Coach Buddy Ryan had lost faith in his receiver growing as a player and released him and drafted less talented receivers Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams in the 1990 draft. When asked why he released Carter he scoffed “All he does is catch touchdowns.” a line mimicked by Chris Berman and Tom Jackson on ESPN highlight shows for years to come.

The Vikings claimed Carter from the waiver wire for $100!! They nabbed a Hall of Fame wide receiver for half the price of a smartphone. Think about that for a second. With the humbling experience he rededicated himself and gave up his tempestuous ways and became a polished receiver with the Vikings. So polished that he thrived with moderate quarterbacking in Minnesota in the ensuing years. Do you realize that in just 12 years for the Norsemen he caught 1,004 receptions for 12,383 yards and 110 touchdowns?? Do you also realize he did most of this while catching passes from the likes of a moderately successful Sean Salisbury, a decade away from developing Rich Gannon, an eroding (with his fourth team) Jim McMahon, a developing Brad Johnson, and an on the downside late 30’s Warren Moon?? Now why didn’t we place an out of retirement Comeback Player of the Year Randall Cunningham with this group?? Because his three best years came before the famous 1998 Vikings everyone remembers with Cunningham & Randy Moss.

Carter making one of his patented sideline catches against the Rams in the ’99 playoffs.

With the aforementioned quarterbacks in tow, Carter, along with Jerry Rice became the first receivers not named Sterling Sharpe to have 100 receptions in back to back seasons for 1994 & 1995. Carter caught 122 in ’94 then 122 in ’95 as compared to Rice’s 112 and 122 respectively. It was 1994-1996 where Carter did his best work. In 1994 his stat-line was 122 rec. for 1,256 yards and 7 TDs. He followed that up with 122 receptions for 1,371 yards and a career high 17 touchdowns in 1995. Lets compare these numbers with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and should be Hall of Famer Sterling Sharpe over their best 3 year periods. Where Sharpe’s numbers are 1992-1994, Rice and Carter’s are both from 1994-1996.

  • Cris Carter (1994-1996) 340 receptions, 3,790 yards & 34TDs
  • Jerry Rice (1994-1996) 342 receptions, 4,601 yards & 36TDs
  • Sterling Sharpe (1992-1994) 314 receptions, 3,854yards & 42 TDs

See?? You forgot how great he was. The difference between the three is Carter was not catching passes from a Hall of Fame quarterback in his prime. Carter was in the midst of writing his Hall of Fame credentials with 8 straight 1,000 yard seasons and 5 straight with 10 or more touchdowns. Where Sterling Sharpe was a big receiver who muscled smaller defensive backs, Carter got by on guile. He wasn’t a deep threat, he caught everything thrown his way with many one handed circus catches and was a sideline technician. He always got his feet in and could perform in a phone booth.

What’s forgotten is how he stepped in and mentored a young Randy Moss for Coach Denny Green before the 1998 season. That season the Minnesota Vikings became the highest scoring team in league history with 556 points besting the ’83 Redskins with 541. In that year where he acquiesced a ton of catches for the betterment of a 15-1 team that should have won the Super Bowl. Carter still went on to catch 78 receptions for 1,011 yards and 12 TDs. At the same time Randy Moss was in the midst of catching 69 rec. for 1,313 yds and 17TDs. The Vikings made the NFC Championship game twice in 1998 and 2000 yet fell short of winning it all.

Cris Carter finished his career in 2001, as one of the most respected players in the NFL and in 2000 won the NFL’s Man of the Year Award. He has gone on to speak at the Rookie Symposium every year to keep rookies from falling into the pits that can derail a young man’s career. His leadership was one he grew into and now works for ESPN covering the game he played so well for so long. When you think of a Hall of Famer, you think about an ambassador of the game along with one who was among the best to ever play. Isn’t this what Cris Carter is/ was?? One who made the game great while he played and was a mentor to players who play the game today.  If that isn’t the mettle of what a Hall of Famer is, I don’t know what one looks like.

For induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I present to you “From THE Ohio St University” Cris Carter!