Atlanta Falcons Set to Release Kirk Cousins

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Never has a quarterback been paid so much to deliver so little. Two measly playoff appearances in 14 years for a quarterback to be paid $331 million? You’d have thought I was talking Joe Montana type performance when you see scratch like that. His last playoff appearance was facing off against then Giant QB Daniel Jones and lost at home 31-24 in the ’22 NFC Wildcard. Seriously??

That Giant team has imploded with Head Coach Daboll disgraced & fired by New York. He jettisoned QB Daniel Jones and drafted another QB while Saquon Barkley went on to a 2,000 yard season and a Super Bowl LIX championship in Philadelphia. Cousins hasn’t even returned to the playoffs or even played at a Pro Bowl level. Yet he secured a guaranteed $100 million from the Atlanta Falcons & gave 2 8-9 seasons and Coach Raheem Morris fired.

Everyone wants to talk about the disastrous contract of DeShaun Watson and rightfully so but Kirk Cousins never showed promise to reach a Super Bowl as Watson did early on. See 2019 playoffs..

No one has stolen this much money since Sam Bradford. Sam is the poster boy for the capped rookie deals we see now for 1st round QBs. Owners scoffed at having to spend $50 million (in 2010} for a rookie who didn’t deliver, injury or otherwise.

In the next bargaining agreement between the NFL & players Kirk Cousins will stand as the poster boy for what they will want to avoid as contracts have escalated out of control for “C” level journeymen quarterbacks.

Greatest Single Season Defenses: 2013 Seahawks “Legion of Boom” v 2015 Broncos “No Fly Zone”

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A decade or so back I had completed a journey to find the greatest single season defense in NFL history and had a childhood friend Gerald “Honeybun”Johnson claim “Hey you have to redo that study and include the 2015 Broncos.” To which I said they were a great defense but they weren’t good enough. Now everyone has their criteria but I know my method had been pretty fool proof. Take every Super Bowl champion, every #1 defense, every record setting defense, every trend setting defense. Now lets see how they fared against Pro Bowl QBs and Top Ten offenses and held opponents to 10 points or less in their season of dominance to knock out all biases.

In recent years you’ve had people inventing their own unofficial stats to make a team seem better than they were. Official defensive rankings have always gone by yardage per game, not points allowed. Now looking at points allowed after yardage, then add in yardage rankings passing, rushing, sacks, and interceptions, then you have methodology to begin a study. My study had over 200 defenses and included all 48 and now 60 Super Bowl champion defenses. So no one can flippantly say “They won the Super Bowl” when every one of them are here.

My online arguments with “Honeybun” (childhoood nickname sincehe always ate ’em lol) had long since ended and then former Bronco Aqib Talib revived it on The Arena Gridiron’s Podcast. Both argued the ’15 Broncos were better than the Legion of Boom from 2013:

Time for The chancellor of Football to break this down and the Seahawks wound up #3 all time on my list

2013 Seahawks – Super Bowl XLVIII champions /2015 Broncos – Super Bowl 50 champions

  • ’13 Seahawks -#1 overall/273.6yds allowed /231 pts given up/44 sacks/ 28 ints.
  • ’15 Broncos -#1 overall/283.1 ypg allowed / 296 pts given up/52 sacks/ 14 ints.

Keep in mind in ’15 it was the 2nd ranked Seahawks (291.5 ypg) who actually led the league in fewest points allowed with 277 in the Broncos dominant season. The Broncos were ranked #1 by giving up 138 yds less for the season than #2 ranked Seattle (4,668 to 4,530) but in Seattle’s 2013 season?? *sucks teeth* A much wider chasm between #1 Seattle and #2 Carolina Panthers (4,378 yds to 4,820 yds)

This group was #1 overall (273.6 ypg. v #2 301.25 ypg) while finishing #1 against the pass allowing 172 yards per game. Those stats were 28 and 22 ypg. better than the Panthers ranked 2nd.

Now that the games are big for everyone, Seattle can apply pressure to opponents.

The Legion of Boom held 7 regular season opponents to 10 points or fewer where The No Fly Zone had 3. The Broncos were 3-1 v top ten offenses which includes the Panthers in the Super Bowl where Seattle only beat 2.

The ’13 Seahawks were 4-1 v Pro Bowl QBs where DC Wade Phillip’s Broncos were 3-2. In those 2 losses they allowed Andrew Luck’s Colts 27 points and Big Ben’s Steelers 34 points and these weren’t top ten offenses in 2015. Yet the Broncos were stronger against the run in ’15 ranking 3rd where Seattle was only 8th in their season. Sooooo Seattle wins this but…

What makes the Broncos so memerable is their front 7 had more flash and substance with Super Bowl 50 MVP LB Von Miller (11 sacks) and PFHof DeMarcus Ware (7.5 sacks) crashing the pocket. We see his sacks on Cam Newton all the time but folks forget his 3 sacks and an interception of Tom Bardy in the AFC Championship to get them there:

Miller, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr, TJ Ward and DeMarcus Ware all made the Pro Bowl back when it meant something. Teh No Fly Zone was #1 against the pass and # 3 against the run with DEs Malik Jackson (45 tack/5.5 sacks) Derek Wolfe (49 tack/ 5.5 sacks) & NT Sylvester Williams bearing the brunt up front. Then think about this…. Shaq Barrett who would be Taylor Blitz Times Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 (in Tampa Bay) was a backup linebacker on this squad where he had 5.5 sacks in relief of Ware. Yes the same Barrett that chased Patrick Mahomes out of the stadium in Super Bowl LV. he tied Miller in ’15 for the team lead with 4 forced fumbles.

Danny Trevathan (109 tackles/ 6 pbu / 2 ints 1TD) & Brandon Marshall (102 tackles/4 pbu/ 2ff) were rangier than most Inside Linebackers and cleaned up everything between the hashmarks under 15 yards.

The strength of The No Fly Zone was blanket coverage where as a unit they had 83 pass break ups over the season. Talib led the unit with 3 Ints returning 2 for touchdowns and Harris and Stewart finished with 1 each. Against other statistical defenses the lack of interceptions (14) hurt in comparison. Even against The Legion of Boom with 28 in their 2013 year. Yet they were in man to man knocking down passes rather than being in a zone and breaking on throws.

Like many in this group the Broncos incredible defensive run in ’15 came while dragging an anemic offense to a title. Did you know the Broncos had the lowest ranked offense in the Super Bowl era to win it all?? They were ranked 19th beating out the 2000 Ravens where Trent Dilfer led the 16th best offense. Yet you had the feeling had they played Super Bowl 50 another 10 quarters the Panthers weren’t going to score.

Seriously in this day and age Peyton Manning (9TDs/ 17 ints) & Brock Osweiler (10TDs/6 ints) threw for less than 4,000 yards and completed just 60.7% of their passes. This ranks as low as the ’71 Colts with 2 aging QBs and the ’91 Eagles who had 5 QBs on the season. Their 6.55 yards per attempt might be the worst of any champion as well.

Are they a best ever defense?? They’re the 2nd best of the decade and 3rd best defense dating back to 2000. The short answer for The Chancellor of Football is yes, they were phenomenal. They would definitely be in the honorable mention category of this list. Remember every Super Bowl champion and every #1 ranked defense for over 60 years is included. See for yourself. Don’t just look at the names…the total arguments are in each article. Ohhh… and by the way “It was a different era” is an agument that doesn’t fly here. I love Talib’s takes on The Arena and I wouldnt watch it without him on there but here is where I brought conjecture and complete historical data to support.

  1. 1985 Chicago Bears
  2. 2000 Baltimore Ravens
  3. 2013 Seattle Seahawks
  4. 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers
  5. 1991 Philadelphia Eagles
  6. 1971 Baltimore Colts
  7. 1977 Dallas Cowboys
  8. 1975 Minnesota Vikings
  9. 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers
  10. 1986 Chicago Bears
  11. Honorable Mention Units

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The Soul Of The Game: Pat Fischer

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Article Reissue

In the long history of the NFL there have been players who defined their positions because of their physicality. Men like Dick Butkus, Dick “Night Train” Lane, and Lawrence Taylor were freaks at their position. They were bigger than what other teams were geared to deal with normally. Yet there are those that stand out as hitters first although their size would suggest something different. Enter Pat Fischer.

Standing only 5’9, and 170 lbs (that can’t be right) Smith played in an era where the NFL was a running league. Unlike today’s game where he could play out in space chasing an X, Z, or slot receiver, Fischer had to come up and tackle in an era where everyone was emulating Green Bay’s power sweep. He had to take on pulling guards,  some fullbacks along with his coverage responsibilities. Yet he only missed 10 games in his first 16 years.

His physical play belied his diminutive size as he played as a pint sized intimidator. Lionel “Train” James loves to say “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Never was this more true than of Pat Fisher. Even in the Super Bowl VII highlight, NFL Films had John Facenda narrate how much a nemesis he was against the run and the pass. Let’s face it, a cornerback his size now is primarily a special team guy who is platooned only against multiple receiver sets. They rarely tackle players other than small slot receivers. Take a look at how Fisher played…

In the NFL of the 1960’s there was a concentration of talent that stayed with the same teams and systems for many years. Fischer was caught in this vice where Hall of Fame cornerbacks Dick “Night Train” Lane, Herb Adderley, Jimmy Johnson, and Lem Barney were playing. He was an overlooked player for awhile and some of it could have been other players not leaving behind on-field animosity when voting for fellow players.

There has to be some truth to it or Fischer wouldn’t have had one of his 3 Pro Bowl seasons in 1969 when he had just 2 interceptions. Now his first, in 1964, where he picked off 10 returning them for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns couldn’t be ignored. That was 1 TD short of the all time record. Yet other years he was overshadowed by these other players.

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Pat Fischer played well into the 70’s and here he is going against Mel Gray in the mid ’70s.

One could also make the argument Fischer’s 1969 Pro Bowl and All Pro season came because of the higher visibility Vince Lombardi brought to the team in his only year coaching there.

Whatever the reason, Fischer played from 1961-1977 and retired having played in more games at cornerback in NFL history. If you think about that time frame, he came in 9 years before the AFL / NFL merger and played through the 12th Super Bowl. This is before the modern athlete could have arthroscopic surgery between seasons to prolong their careers.

The question is does he belong in the Hall of Fame with former Cardinal teammate Larry Wilson??

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Legends of The Fall: Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson

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Article Reissue

When I came up with  The Legends of The Fall, my thoughts were to remember Hall of Fame players of yesteryear, and those whose “what if” legacies due to injuries or circumstances that kept them from becoming all time greats. Yet we still talk about them because they were supernovas that burned bright in our collective mind when we think of their transcendent play. One of those players was Thomas Henderson.

Now everyone remembers Henderson as one of the most flamboyant players of the 1970’s and he was. However lost in why he was so acclaimed were the distinctions he brought to pro football many observers obscure. Not this historian…and we’re going to take you through a few today.

One of those was his becoming one of the social icons of his times as a man of the 1970’s. A black cultural icon of transcendent play, outspoken black identity, and a reach that went beyond the football field.

In 1974 the NFL instituted several rule changes, the most visible had been the goal post moved to the back of the endzone. A more subtle change was the narrowing of the hashmarks which eliminated the short side of the field as you still see in college football. This called for Outside Linebackers with greater lateral speed and range play after play to either side.

Artwork by Clarence Pointer signed by Hollywood Henderson available.

Another subtle NFL rule change in 1974 made it illegal for all but the outside players on the punt team to leave before the ball was kicked. Enter Thomas Henderson. The Cowboys second #1 draft pick in 1975 who had been discovered out of Langston by Red Hickey. It was his speed and athleticism that led to his being used to help revolutionize the game from a tactical standpoint. This gave birth to the modern gunner where Henderson was also used. His size allowed him to bull through the two DBs as he came off the ball in pursuit of the punt returner

He was a special teams standout on a veteran laden ball club that had to get him on the field. He flashed downfield to make tackles and was used on reverses. A Linebacker on reverses?? Do you remember his reverse on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl X??

It was one of the first glimpses into what he was doing down in Texas. By 1977 Henderson had become the starting OLB where his speed was on display to match with some of the NFL’s best athletes covering backs out of the backfield and covering TEs out in space. The NFL was speeding up as a sport on astroturf and Henderson was among the new breed of athletes being moved to defense.

What most pundits don’t realize is how 1 penalty altered the perception of Hollywood Henderson.

Over the next four years Henderson’s Cowboys were the best team in the NFC as they became Super Bowl champions in 1977 and repeated as NFC Champions in 1978. In those two seasons the Flex defense was ranked #1 and #2 in the NFL and going into Super Bowl XIII were ranked higher than the #3 ranked Steel Curtain. If they win they become a dynasty as back to back champions and Henderson, who had made his 1st Pro Bowl, would have been lionized instead of the team being scrutinized because of the loss.

We all remember Super Bowl media day when Henderson claimed Terry Bradshaw was so dumb he couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the “c” and the “a”. Well think back to the game. Henderson made a huge play when he sacked Bradshaw and Mike Hegman stole the ball to give the Cowboys a 14-7 lead. Their only lead of the game.

In what became known as a seesaw game it really was one the Cowboys defense had taken over. They dominated the 2nd half as Pittsburgh couldn’t move the ball. It was the bogus pass interference penalty on Benny Barnes that changed the field position and put the Steelers in scoring position at the 22 late in the 4th quarter. Then a fumbled kickoff, two quick scores and they were up 35-17 en route to a 35-31 win.

That pass interference, which is now called incidental contact and no penalty, caused Henderson and the Cowboys to be scrutinized because of the loss. He had played a tremendous game but now pundits pointed to the press conference and even an on field altercation with Franco before his 4th quarter touchdown as turning points. Great story telling but very…very inaccurate accounting of the facts.

The history books don’t tell you Dallas had set a record holding the winning team to just 75 second half yards. Nor the fact Henderson is the only person in the 51 year history of the Super Bowl to be involved in scoring plays in both the conference championship and subsequent Super Bowl on defense. In the video above when he scored against the Rams, it was the finishing touch on a 28-0 win out in Los Angeles.

That Benny Barnes pass interference penalty made the Steelers the Team of the Decade and sent 10 Steelers to the Hall of Fame and only 4 of the Cowboys from that era.

Henderson smashes into Denver QB Norris Weese in Super Bowl XII.

We know of the pressures and build up to his release in Dallas but where would he have been had they become back to back champion?? Greatest defense in history?? No one has been #1 on offense and #1 on defense and champion since his ’77 Cowboys. How much did the fallout from Super Bowl XIII lead to his dismissal in Dallas??

Keep in mind Tom Landry in his A Football Life episode said on stage had he handled the situation with Henderson differently we could have won 6 or 7 Super Bowls. Dallas went on to lose the ’80, ’81, & ’82 NFC Championships without him. When you look back at those losses Dallas didn’t have a defensive playmaker on the field. Not like they had in 1977 and 1978. In fact he would have been in his prime going into his 6th, 7th, and 8th seasons. Lawrence Taylor & Bruce Smith recorded defensive player of the year honors in that 6th season.

Would Joe Montana have all that time to scramble to the sideline and find Dwight Clark with The Catch in the 81 NFC Championship had Hollywood been chasing him??

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I’m still mad at him for this…he ruined 2nd grade for a kid in Denver.

Henderson was still in the NFL…just not in Dallas where they would have featured him. What could have been?

Epilogue: Last Saturday on February 10, 2018, Thomas Henderson was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame. An incredible honor. If you think I was waxing hyperbole when I opined he would have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame had his career stayed on the same arc…guess where the BCFHOF is moving to?? Try Canton, Ohio inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Congratulations on your induction Thomas Henderson!! A supernova! A Hall of Famer!

 

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