Tag Archives: NFL

SUPER BOWL XXXVI CHAMPION 2001 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

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One of the NFL’s greatest dynasties was stolen from a team set to become one in the St Louis Rams. New England’s 20-17 upset win was a carbon copy of Bill Belichick’s Super Bowl XXV gameplan when the NY Giants beat the Buffalo Bills.

Stolen? Well there had been claims the Patriots recorded the Rams walk through giving them an illegal and unfair advantage. In a game of simulated war you’d have to suspect there would be espionage at play. The Patriots were fined for this practice in 2007 and the taped evidence from the Super Bowl XXXVI incident were inadvertently destroyed. Which raised suspicion…

Super Bowl XXXVI Logo prior to 9/11

Espionage in the game of football?? Everyone is worried about it. Why do you think there are closed practices? Teams practicing wearing numbers different than what they play with on game day. Lombardi’s Packers did this in case they were spied on. In fact before the 1958 NFL Championship Carroll Rosenbloom had a Colts staffer spy on the New York Giants practice, promising him a job for life if caught.

This overshdowed the defensive brilliance of Bill Belichick’s carbon copy of his old Giants defenses. His secondary was physical with all his defensive backs 200 lbs or heavier. SS Lawyer Milloy (6’0 200 lbs) was the new Myron Guyton (6’1 205 lbs) & Tebucky Jones (6-2 218 lbs) were where the Rams receivers were funnelled to and were punished if they survived Patriots Linebackers clogging those lanes.

Super Bowl XXXVI Logo after 9/11 with the date pushed into February.

One of the most telling plays of the game was when NFL MVP Kurt Warner had Torry Holt open up the left sideline. The Rams were desperate to get their offense going and knowing Tebucky Jones was coming from a Cover 2 Safety alignment, came up alligator armed and dropped the pass. Jones hit him full force anyway and the camera NFL Films had on Holt, you saw him take his eye off the ball and look at Jones coming instead of securing the catch.

That drop where he didnt want the smoke is the reason Holt hasn’t made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in The Chancellor’s estimation. It was a lasting image on a huge stage.

Yet the 1st Super Bowl TD of the Patriots dynasty catapulted CB Ty Law on his way to Canton. Midway through the 2nd quarter a hurried Warner threw an out Law jumped and took to the house. Now down 7-3 The Greatest Show on Turf was completely in scramble mode.

Belichick’s bunch had Mike Martz right where they wanted him. An Offensive genius falls in to the trap believing his finesse x’s & o’s will trump fundamental football and arrogantly pass, pass, pass. Leaving NFL Offensive Player of the Year Marshall Faulk on the tarmac having abandoned the run.

This team had been constructed to be a newer version of Bill Parcells & Bill Belichick’s Giants and came to full fruition in February 2002. They were a surprise champion with a Cinderella season where Tom Brady won “The Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders in 1 playoff game. To original starter Drew Bledsoe replacing an injured Brady to lead the Patriots to  a win in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh.

For all the world this seemed like a one time champion as they fielded 7 defenders 30 years of age or older. CB Otis Smith (36), DE Willie McGinest (30), ILB Roman Phifer (33), LB Bryan Cox (33), DE Bobby Hamilton (30), DE Anthony Pleasant (33) and Nickle Corner Terrell Buckley (30). They would have to retool but this 1st championship Patriot team was built on defensive might.

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The New York Jets Should Trade for Jameis Winston

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When you begin an NFL season 0-7 with a 1st year coach many pundits are turning to the possibility of a 1 and done year for Head Coach Aaron Glenn. The one thing that’s evident is Justin Fields isn’t an NFL quarterback and it’s tragic watching him misread defenses every week. He is a shot fighter whose fight or flight mechanism has been ruined and he can’t throw his receivers open. IF the Jets trot him out there to underwhelm at quarterback Glenn might be gone.

Right now other teams are licking their chops about to pounce on the Jets expecting a fire sale of their proven players which would retard this organization further. The blueprint for what they need to do was provided by Cincinnati just two weeks ago, trade for the most viable quarterback who would benefit from a change of scenery. With teams ridiculing the Browns for trading within not only their conference but their own division, this isn’t an option. Trade with the Giants (NFC) for Jameis Winston who now sits at #3 on the Giants depth chart.

Jaxson Dart just had a game where he came of age and solidified himself as the unquestioned starter for the Giants which validates his selection as a 1st round pick. With Russell Wilson as the #2 and making upwards of $20 million, Winston for half of his $4 million salary won’t be an issue for a team that is $37 million under the cap. Not only does it make fiscal sense Winston and his family wouldn’t even have to move.

The Cincinnati Joe Flacco blueprint just showed us a team flat on its ass after losing Joe Burrow to injury. They watched backup Jake Browning, who knew the playbook, but didn’t have the confidence or arm talent to throw their top flight receivers Tee Higgins or Ja’Marr Chase the football. All we saw were misreads that turned into checkdowns. A close look at the stats show his completion percentage (64.5%) is less than 1% different than Joe Flacco’s (65.2%). However he threw 8 interceptions in 2 starts and left a lot of plays on the field too scared to throw the football.

We watched Joe Flacco steady that offense and infuse confidence in the Bengals huddle. He infused belief and willingness to let go of the football throwing receivers open downfield. Chase & Higgins caught a combined 22 receptions for 257 yds & 2 TDs Thursday Night vs 15 receptions & 157 yards combined the week before in Green Bay. Chase did better in the game against the Steelers by himself than the two had againt the Packers with Browning at the helm. He had 16 receptions for 161 yards and 1 TD. Why? Flacco let the ball go when it was time to go downfield.

Are you telling me the Jets can’t do that with Jameis Winston and Garrett Wilson? Winston would like his final glimpse of glory and has grown into one of the most respected teammates at his last two stops. Have you seen how players gravitate to him as a man / player?

@saints

Everybody couldnt wait to hug Jameis ❤️ #NFLGameday #wholesome #Hug #Saints #LOVE #Sportsmanship

♬ jeans – 2hollis

Keep in mind this is a man who has won a Heisman Trophy and has thrown for 5,000 yards in an NFL season. He also won a National Championship Rose Bowl in college. Now his detractors point to his famous stat of 33TDSs & 30 interceptions but I can assure you Tyrod Taylor nor Justin Fields will throw for 5,000 yards if you gave them 2 seasons to do it. Lets face it bad scramble, check down, check down and punt for an NFL series is why the Jets are 0-7 in the 1st place. All this safe quarterbacking has the Jets staring at the NFL’s first ever 0-17 season in history. Something drastic has to be done.

Well he won that Natty 10 years ago someone may scoff but wasn’t it 12 years ago Joe Flacco won Super Bowl XLVII?? 47 and we’re 4 months away from the 60th Super Bowl (LX). Do you know how long ago that was? Two of Flacco’s teammates have been enshrined in Canton and he has lost 2 others (Jacoby Jones & Arthur Jones) However it’s muscle memory to having performed in that type of arena before that is the lure.

 

To be a starting quarterback in the NFL you have to have the belief and talent to lead a football team. You don’t accidentally command respect in a huddle and have teammates rally to play hard for you. Without a course correction Coach Glenn, your team is facing disaster with the present QBs on the roster. Make a move to get Jameis and play with a few leads so your defense can show it’s fangs. You’re on the verge of losing everything and now you need the moxie and downfield daring of a Jameis Winston to unlock your offense. Time to infuse some juice!

His 2024:

Aaron Glenn, the trade deadline is November 4th, quit reading this article and go call the Giants!

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Broncos 33-32 Over Giants: Nix & Dart Come Of Age

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It was so frantic and we havent seen this before from Dart and only once before with Nix against the Eagles. Yet each score and we all felt “Hey __, you have to answer!” Each did and seriously Dart in his 2nd start on the road in Mile High of all places did not get overwhelmed. He threw on time and wasnt scared to take his shots.

Incredible Game

Nix matched him blow for blow and in an era of “scared check down quarterbacking” it felt like we were watching the 87 AFC Championship with Elway & Bernie Kosar all over again. Downfield second level throws. It ended on a high because neither made a mistake to cost his team the ballgame. Best game I have seen all year.

Each will grow from this as within each team’s psyche a sense of “we’re never out of a game with THIS quarterback” has to be coursing theough everyone’s minds. Its now muscle memory and these teams will recall in future moments when this confidence is required.

The Browns Should Fire Kevin Stefanski Immediately

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Somewhere midway through the 3rd quarter of the Bengals’ thrilling 33-31 victory over Pittsburgh, it became evident Joe Flacco’s performance wasn’t going to subside. What happened to the gun shy quarterback who was benched over in Cleveland leaving a rudderless ship with 2 rookies vying to be the starting quarterback? Moreover what does that say about the coaching prowess of Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski?

Flacco had been unceremoniously benched following a 1-3 start where he completed 93 of 160 (58.1%) for 815 yards 2TDs and a league leading 6 interceptions. He was traded to the Bengals on  October 7th and in just 9 days with his new team led the Bengals to season highs in points (33) and total yards with 470.

Bengals Coach Zac Taylor could coax this type of performance in just 4 practices with a QB new to his system? Again I ask what does this say about Kevin Stefanski as a Head Coach?? Flacco looked nothing like the player we saw on Thursday night. He looked inspired, energetic and in command of an NFL offense. The Bengals played with a belief we did not see in Cleveland through the first 4 weeks. All stemming from the quarterback position…

Isn’t this why Stefanski was hired in the first place?? He was the Minnesota Vikings QB Coach and Offensive Coordinator and he can’t develop any of his quarterbacks. Did he get the job on merit or just a product of the good ole boy network?? Look at the QBs he has run off from Cleveland in the last 5 years and ask yourself what is the common denominator:

Baker Mayfield – The people’s champ who has resurrected his career and is the front runner to be 2025 NFL MVP. In 6 games leads the NFL with 108.5 QBR, 1,539 yds 12 TDs with only 1 interception. Four come from behind victories in under 2 minutes. The year before threw for a career high 41TDs so this isn’t a fluke. Stefanski ran him off…

Jacoby Brissett & Case Keenum –  Both players have been part time starters and mainly 2nd string QBs but couldn’t be molded into a Daniel Jones type leaning on his running game and stout defense to win games?? You may chuckle but you forget Keenum went 11-3 and took the 2017 Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. Remember The Minneapolis Miracle to Stephon Diggs to beat the Saints in the NFC Divisonal Playoff??

Of course you have the strange odyssey of DeShaun Watson where his play has completely regressed since the Browns signed him to a $242 million dollar guaranteed contract. He hasn’t come close to the 3 time Pro Bowl performer he had been. He is “this close” to playing his way out of the league. After throwing for 26, 26, & 33 TDs in 2018-2020 he hasn’t thrown for more than 10 in any of the last 3 seasons.

All this before we talk about the awful treatment of Shedeur Sanders. I’d like to say Watson is playing for his career but we watched Joe Flacco with a new coach breathe life into his. Daniel Jones is on his way to 2025 Comeback Player of the Year now he is out of New York and underachieving Brian Daboll. Coaching matters and poor coaching undermines and derails careers and Stefanski is the worst coach at developing quarterbacks.

What’s worse is Joe Flacco saved Stefanski when he came in off the street to lead his underachieving 2023 team to the playoffs. He even seemed dispirited and disinterested until Thursday Night’s performance with the Bengals. He can’t develop his specialty of QB or platoon a  coordinated offense in Cleveland. He should be fired this Monday if they lose to the 1-5 Miami Dolphins. I see him being fired within the next three weeks and better sooner than later.

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Epilogue: I owe a tremendous apology to Baker Mayfield as I brought up the question of his coachability in the NFL. I was wrong and he is easily the NFL’s MVP if the season were to end today.

This picture was used by The Chancellor of Football to show where he had appeared to devolve to the point of Johnny Manziel. He has resurrected his career and is playing light’s out football and he has proven me wrong and pulling for him.

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Morning Musings 2025 Season Week 4: Young Guns

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Well the first domino to fall in the replacement of a starting quarterback happened in New York this weekend. Jaxson Dart was the exlixir the Giants needed for their 21-18 upset of the undefeated Chargers. He kept a few plays alive with his legs but lets face it the young players were excited and juiced to play with him. His energy along with fellow rookie Cam Scattebo & Malik Nabers had the whole team playing with a swagger missing since the preseason.

Dart was 13 of 20 for 111 yards 1TD while rushing 10 times for 54 yards and New York’s first touchdown. You saw his teammates around him celebrating and sharing in his enthusiasm and it propelled them this Sunday. They played with a confidence and spirit the rest of the game and played like they knew they were going to win.

There will be growing pains as Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka scaled back playcalling for #6. Its one of the reasons he did take 5 sacks in the game. However you could see clearly he was instructed to go short to his checkdowns once Nabers left injured. Yet this is who “checkdowns” are for… A young quarterback unsure of where to go with the football not a 14 year signal caller gun-shy to take hits who should have the moxie to audible to a better play.

Hopefully this new temperament won’t be quelled with the injury to Malik Nabers but is a clear reminder that players can be inspired to do great things based off emotion and camaraderie. Its a game that goes beyond “x’s & o’s”. Will players rally around their quarterback?? Does the team play together and want their teammates to ball out?  These questions were clearly on display in Gotham & this season now has some optimism for Coach Daboll.

By the way… how many Sundays are we going to keep watching the car wreck that is Cleveland’s offense under Joe Flacco?? Come on… 16, 17, 13, & 10 are the point totals through the 1st 4 games of the season. Averaging 14.75 points per game wouldn’t win you football games if we were back in the 1960’s unless you’re the NFL Champion 1963 Chicago Bears. Yet that team became legendary because of their #1 ranked defense.

Get this Cleveland’s defense is #1 against the run, 4th against the pass and #1 overall having allowed just 890 yards, well they’re 1-3 because Flacco has thrown for just 815 yards. Thats 18th in the league! Joe is 93 of 160 for 815 yards 2TDs and a whopping 6 interceptions. His 58.3% completion percentage ranks him at 31 while the Browns lead the league with 47 punts and have only scored 6TDs. Look Flacco was MVP of the 47th Super Bowl and we’re going to play the 60th edition in February.

He is a shot fighter and Father Time caught up to him 3 years ago and time to turn the reigns to Sheduer Sanders and see what he can do. Dillon Gabriel?? I watched him in the preseason and he is less athletic than “Tiny”Kyler Murray of the Cardinals & Bryce Young with the Carolina Panthers. Both of these guys won Heismans and have played poor enough their jobs are in jeopardy with the biggest reason…*drum roll* …they can’t see over the line with their short statures. Now at 5’11” and they’re being generous with that measurement, doesn’t engender confidence but they will go to him first.

Coach Kevin Stefanski you have an obligation to the other 52 players on the roster sacrificing for the team and you have a small window before you begin to lose that locker room. Especially with a defense that is playing up to a historic level. The team needs to see changes from you which show you’re trying to win now to keep them engaged. Not in your wildest dreams did you figure to have the same record as the loaded Baltimore Ravens but here you’re both 1-3 and your great defense is portable.

Knuckle up and called a scaled back offense like they’re doing in New York and give the ball to super rookie back Quinshon Judkins and play to your defense. You have a better defense and the Giants are the blueprint for what will work in Cleveland.  Time is ticking boss…

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Prime Pass Rushers Tilt The Field

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I forgot where we were having the conversation but I remember explaining to a football fan that nothing changes a team’s fortunes faster than a prime pass rusher. Not only does it improve your defense against the pass but it masks defensive deficiencies in the secondary. Its one of the reasons Taylor Blitz has Green Bay on its way to at least the NFC Championship Game this year with the acquisition of Micah Parsons.

This has been a lesson passed down from days gone by from two defensive terrorists The Chancellor has met that rushed the passer. Fred Dean & Cedrick Hardman. This especially holds true when a pass rusher in his prime is all of a sudden dropped on to a new team in a new division and I needed to elaborate further.

In 5th grade (1980) i remember the Raiders signing veteran Cedrick Hardman to rush the passer #86. He got 9.5 sacks as a designated pass rusher that helped Lester Hayes lead the NFL with 13 interceptions & they won Super Bowl XV.

The next year the idiotic move was San Diego sending a prime Fred Dean to San Francisco and they came out of nowhere to win Super Bowl XVI. It was Hardman, Dean and Lawrence Taylor that taught me the effects of great pass rushers.
To further the notion, the 1980 Chargers with Fred Dean was 6th in total defense & led the league with 60 sacks. Without Dean they gave up 1,500 more yards (4,691 to 6,136 yards allowed) and fell to a ranking of 27th and history misremembers them as Air Coryell & a terrible defense. They had finished 5th in ’79 & 6th in ’80 with Dean on the roster.
Other notables:
  • DE Charles Haley in ’92 – Cowboys were 16th in defense and rose to #1 and won Super Bowl XXVII
  • DE Jevon Kearse in ’99 – Titans had 30 sacks in ’98, they had 54 as Kearse’s Titans made Super Bowl XXXIV
  • OLB Von Miller in ’21 – Added to the #1 defense from ’20 & had 2 sacks in Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.
  • OLB Haason Reddick in ’22 – Improved from 10th to 3rd in defense & 39 sacks to 770 sacks. Went to Super Bowl LVII.

In Kearse’s case he set the NFL Rookie Record with 13.5 sacks and the Titans became one of the league’s most physical defenses. Reddick was Taylor Blitz Times Defensive Player of the Year with 16.5 sacks and spearheaded one of the NFL’s historic sack totals. We hadn’t seen a sack total like that since the ’89 Vikings with 71 sacks, just 1 off the league record of 72 by Chicago. Both the Bears & Vikings were #1 defensively and the Eagles would have been had they not been in so many blowout victories.

Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick forces a first quarter fumble on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia.

The NFL world is still buzzing with the idiotic trade of Dallas prime pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Moves like this completely tilt the field when a defense receives a weapon to bolster its lineup. Especially in this division. We all know of the seismic shift that took place when Green Bay signed the late Reggie White back in 1993, but remember the Bears bringing in PFHOF Julius Peppers to the division in 2010?

Chicago went from 17th in defense in 2009 to 4th and made it to the NFC Championship Game where they hosted Green Bay. Peppers was an All Pro for the 6th time in his career & 4th in NFL DPOY voting.

They did it again trading for future PFHoF Khalil Mack in 2018 leaping from 10th in defense to 3rd. They had been #1 for most of the season and Mack made his 5th straight Pro Bowl, 3rd All Pro selection, came in 2nd in voting for NFL DPOY (he won it in 2015) and led the Bears to a 12-4 record and first round bye. Mack was Taylor Blitz Defensive Player of the Year a 2nd time and The Chancellor predicted the carnage he would lay in Green Bay that first game on Monday Night. Why??

Well it was the 2nd coming of what happened when the San Francisco 49ers made the surprise move to pick up PFHoF DE Fred Dean at the start of 1981. Rivals within the division were unable to prepare for this terrorist to be dropped in their lap. They were unable to prepare via the draft or free agent personnel and here comes 4 time All Pro Micah Parsons. They were already the NFL’s 5th best defense in 2024. Yikes!

You could even bring up  PFHoF DeMarcus Ware when he joined Von Miller in Denver to win Super Bowl 50. Yet that was in his 2nd season in Denver and not the surprise element of tilting the field in the 1st.  Same can be said of fellow PFHoF DE Jared Allen. In his 2nd season in Minnesota (2009) he was among the league leaders in sacks (14.5) and led his Vikings to the NFC Championship Game featured here in a “Missing Rings” article.

Same can be said of the late Kevin Greene who tilted the field 3 times aiding 3 teams to either the conference championship or Super Bowl in 4 straight seasons. He led the league in sacks (14) in ’94 leading the Steelers to the AFC Championship then Super Bowl XXX the following season. He then joins the Carolina Panthers in ’96 leading the NFL in sacks again (14.5) and was the impetus in making the NFC Championship Game in their 2nd season of existence. He follows that up going to San Francisco as a designated pass rusher and accumulates another 10.5 sacks as they make the ’97 NFC Championship Game.
Fred Dean, Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, Julius Peppers, Jared Allen, and DeMarcus Ware are all enshrined in Canton. Von Miller will be there one day and with a few more All Pro selections Micah will be there as well. Just understand more than any other position, a prime pass rusher whether from a Defensive End or Outside Linebacker dramatically increases a team’s success more than any other position.
Starting in that 1981 season when I learned the lesson of the importance of the weak side pass rusher. All of a sudden drafting the Left Tackle became a focal point of the offense and many teams lead rebuilds around selecting one in the 1st round. It’s also when you started to see Left Tackle salaries soar. Do you realize in 2025, 23 of the NFL’s 32 teams have their LT in their top 5 highest paid players? If stopping prime pass rushers carries this type of weight what value do the pass rushers have themselves?
Nothing tilts the field for a team’s immediate fortunes like landing a prime pass rusher. Nothing… franchise QBs or all time great running backs don’t get dealt at their zenith.
Again the lessons learned have brought me as a defensive afecionado to writing about these exploits and spreading this with fellow fans. For me it started with Cedrick Hardman & Fred Dean, both of whom I had the chance to meet.
With Cedrick I used to run into him at The White House in Laguna Beach California early 2000s Talked football over many drinks. Same with Fred at the PFHoF hotel in Canton. We’re having a drink at the bar in Canton and I explained the both of them teaching me the lesson of pass rush terrorists and Dean said “Your ass is too young to remember all this zhit” I hit him back… “You know that’s the same muthaphukkin’ thing Cedrick’s ass said.” Great times ….great laughs. I had waited 37 years to shake Dean’s hand and thank him for that lesson.
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