Tag Archives: sports

Taylor Blitz Times Supports The Boycott of the SEC – Slavery East Conference

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Taylor Blitz Times definitely supports the boycott of the Slavery East Conference. The stories shared by former players of lack of post playing-coaching opportunities alone said what they think of you/ us. Now these southern states are gerrymandering to eliminate black representation in which you play, why grant them your athletic gifts to make money on?? I call for players to leave that conference for the HUNDREDS of other Universities elsewhere.

This is not to say every opportunity elsewhere is perfect but there is a much bigger picture for all of us where your visibility will strike a blow for what is right. If these states don’t want blacks to have a vote or representation in state legislature they have no value in you or me as equals.

Naysayers and gaslighters will try to tell you the SEC is your best chance to make the NFL when it isn’t true. LaDanian Tomlinson came from TCU before the BCS era, Jerry Rice came from Mississippi Valley State (HBCU) meaning the NFL will find you wherever you play.

Now is not the time to sit this one out and let your other brothers and sisters fight the fight. NIL will allow you to make money from your image and likeness at any of the 150 Universities in California alone. Your visibility is needed as much as Muhammad Ali’s was in the 1960s or the American Football League when their All Stars (1964) held a boycott in the south (again?) when they were to play a game in New Orleans. Remember that?

Even in the NFL during the 60’s they had an unwritten quota system of how many black players a team would have. It was understood by those players and the resentment percolated under the surface. Before older whites who will gaslight you into thinking this wasn’t the case and just a few “black rebel rousers” well… try this on from the voices of Pro Football Hall of Famers Lenny Moore, Deacon Jones, Alan Page & Jim Brown This perpetuates the attitude of the time and you’ll also hear from Professor Harry Edwards, long time Viking Jim Marshall, former Buffalo Bill QB and US House of Representative Jack Kemp, along with former Charger Ron Mix:

Understand all these things happened 4 years before the 1968 Olympic Boycott that eventually broke but led to John Carlos & Tommie Smith’s black power salute on the podium. It was a motion to be heard and your battle is on a different playing field but the meaning is identical for our dignity and respect. I just want to encourage to have the courage to do it and move on from that God awful conference in those racist states.

The reason our opposition wants to erase our black history is to keep you from knowing what came before you to learn from. Once I had a post hit 18,000 people on Facebook last week I had to include it here.

Keep in mind which coaches have opposed the NIL the most and what states these coaches were most vocal. The Dabo Swinneys (South Caorlina), Nick Sabans (Alabama)w if you will… Now they want to move to “save” college sports now the players are sharing in the revenue. Yet when these Universities funded all of their other sports off the backs of football & basketball players while coaches made millions, barely a peep. Yes water polo, tennis, lacrosse, golf…etc

Be brave and hit the transfer portal out of there… this boycott I’m referring to led to change and even the legislation to clear the way for the city of New Orleans to gain an NFL franchise. Be brave and move to where you’re truly respected. I hope this helps…

Dedicated to the memories of: Earl Faison, Abner Haynes, Cookie Gilchrist, Lenny Moore, Steve Sabol, Deacon Jones, Jim Brown, Jim Marshall, Jack Kemp, Muhammad Ali.

Special thanks to Lenny “Spats” Moore, who is still with us at 92 years of age.

Comments from original post below…

What Constitutes A 1st Round Selection?

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The 2026 NFL Draft is upon us and most of the speculation has faded as who will be the #1 overall pick. Dan Orlovsky is catching flack for his take on ESPN that Ty Simpson is a better pro prospect for Klint Kubiak’s system to be installed in Vegas.

Look at the fallout we have from last year watching Shedeur Sanders fall from the 1st round and hearing in white conservative circles he didn’t belong in the 1st round. When clearly most pundits had him being drafted there.

Truth of the matter is 1st round selections when it comes to quarterback is a crapshoot like any other position. For every Patrick Mahomes (2018), you have a Mitch Trubisky. Or last year with Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, and Shedeur. Or more famously 1998 Peyton Manning & Ryan Leaf. ’99 Donovan McNabb & Tim Couch. What about ’93 with Drew Bledsoe vs Rick Mirer. It came down to who you wanted to see behind center or the intangibles you felt a young signal caller would bring to your team.

Yet looking at the comparison above you’d think it would be a cake walk with Shedeur’s stats but the NFL game is a different beast. I championed his being given a fair chance to play. He has to beat out DeShaun Watson and impress a new coach to seal the starting position. With Mendoza he will have to come in and learn with Kirk Cousins how to play under center as well as the shotgun. He may not start in year 1 until late unless they come out struggling after the 1st 5 games.

One aspect is how fast will he be able to learn to play from center. Turning his back to the defense to fake the handoff to Ashton Jeanty then turn and fire on time. This was one of Orlovsky’s points and there have been several QBs who have struggled with this nuance in the NFL vs their college days. Its taken Justin Herbert & Trevor Lawrence time to really get the timing down on this and are still works in progress. Hell Shedeur is having to deal with it in Cleveland after an up & down year. Trust me a rookie with 5 pass plays under center.

Caleb Williams is still working on his footwork from Center in Chicago with HC Ben Johnson. So this claim isn’t without merit and a rookie Mendoza will have to make this transition to work in the NFL. Is he a clear can’t miss 1st rounder?? I answered that in my last article.

Las Vegas Raiders you’re on the clock…

How Sold Are You on Fernando Mendoza?

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Every year before the draft there are a handful of players pundits debate if their worth a 1st round pick. This year Fernando Mendoza has dominated conversation with fans and online communities in this aspect as the Raiders are set to take him 1st overall. College “feel good” stories come to die in the NFL and I don’t see him as a 1st overall selection.

That is rarified air where a team is hoping to land a future Hall of Famer not just a serviceable QB. You get those in the late 2nd or even the 3rd round which is what Mendoza’s play suggests. Yes he won the National Championship but so did Matt Lienart, Ken Dorsey, Stetson Bennett (who), Mac Jones, & JJ McCarthy. Bennett sits behind reigning MVP Matt Stafford with the Rams. Jones is on his 3rd team and 2nd string to Brock Purdy who just signed a $265 million deal, and McCarthy is a lame duck behind freshly signed Kyler Murray & Carson Wentz. He may not make the opening day roster in Minnesota.

I threw in Lineart & Dorsey as both were coming off back to back college championship visits and both had 34 consecutive wins just snapped in title games. So if you want to start with the he’s played so many college games as a defense… and lets face it: Did you know the Hoosiers won with 47 guys over the age of 23? He was on a well coached team that was 4 years older than many of the kids they faced in college. That won’t happen in the NFL. He ran an offense that was not sophisticated and his mechanics have to improve.

Its one of the reasons the Raiders signed Kirk Cousins who undoubtedly will be the opening day starter.

The Raiders had a tremendous offseason fortifying the defense and put themselves on a collision course where they have to take him #1 overall. If they fortify the line in the draft, Ashton Jeanty will break out and this is an 8 win team and drafting a QB next year #1 won’t be an option.

Mendoza does provide hope and he will be a serviceable starter. In the NFL Linebackers are 1 1/2 steps faster than their collegiate counterparts. The plodding runs you watched with Mendoza in college will lead to his getting hit and he has to be eased into the pro game. Hence the Cousins signing. His play projects to the NFL most reminiscent of Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. On a talented team he can make enough plays for a few playoff runs. Winning a Super Bowl? I don’t see that dynamic a QB.

Indiana and Mendoza caught lightning in a jug with a team old enough they should have been 2nd year NFL players. I’m sold on Mendoza being an average pro quarterback, nothing more.

 

 

Seattle Should Not Let Kenneth Walker III Leave For Free Agency

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The Seattle Seahawks defense of their Super Bowl crown will undoubtedly be undermined if Kenneth Walker leaves via free agency. A spirited debate has been going on my Facebook page where fans are passionate about believing in GM Schneider’s approach.

My thoughts were to transitional franchise him so the Seahawks would be allowed 1st right of refusal to any contract he signs. The Chancellor’s thoughts are they should have signed him to keep continuity for a championship team to see they will be rewarded once they perform from a team psyche standpoint. This harms this but lets take a quick look at things.

The fact of the matter is we know he was splitting time with Zach Charbonnet. Lets take a hard look:

Walker: 221 carries 1,027 yds 5 TDs /31 rec. 282 yds 0 TDs

Charbonnet: 184 carries 730 yds 12 TDs / 20 rec. 144 yds 0 TDs

A lazy look at this and you’d think Charbonnet had been Marshall Faulk when in fact he came in and ran for short yardage touchdown after the heavy lifting had been done. His touchdowns were from 1, 1, 5, 1, 2, 6, 5, 5, 4, 2, 1, & 27 yds on a run in the finale. Lets not forget Chabonnet tore his ACL in the playoff win over San Francisco and didnt have surgery to repair it until February 20th. Five weeks later after the Super Bowl.  Yet interestingly we had ACL injuries to Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons prompting this comment from Robert Griffin III passing out advice:

I’m sure RGIII has serious advice on looking back on the ACL injury he had in the 2012 NFC Divisional loss ironically to the Seattle Seahawks. But lets act like he doesn’t have history on knowing what a player should do as this injury sabotaged a promising career for him.

As for others? What about the 2000 Baltimore Ravens that bullied their way to the Super Bowl XXXV championship behind one of history’s best defenses and a superior running game. Remember? Rookie Jamal Lewis who ran for 1,351 yards and the final TD in the title game. He tore his ACL in training camp and the Ravens struggled to muster a running game in 2001 before being clobbered in the AFC Divisional Round in a 21-10 loss to the Steelers.

Their best rushers in his absence? They signed journeyman Terry Allen (658 yds) and rookie Jason Brookins (who? 551 yds) and they came up woefully short in defending their title.

Eventually Lewis came back after knee reconstruction and ran for 2,053 yards in 2003 which was 2 years after his injury not 9 months. Charbonnet is not the physical menace that Lewis was. So he’d be back to handle 30% of the load and run for maybe 800 yards 2 seasons from now. No he isn’t prime Adrian Peterson who came back and ran for 2,097 yards after his either and all were chronicled here in 2012 on Taylor Blitz Times.

How about the 1999 Denver Broncos coming off back to back Super Bowls winning XXXII & XXXIII? Terrell Davis had just run for 2,008 yards but in ’99 he tore his ACL and was never the same. As for the Broncos, they finished 6-10 with Olandis Gary as the leading rusher with only 1,159 yards. The 855 yd fewer runs translated to the 6-10 record where they missed the playoffs entirely… we could go further into it but you get the point.

Folks think this is an isolated incident when we have seen Super Bowl teams fail miserably after losing their best running back. Remember Super Bowl XXIX when the 49ers lost Rickey Watters after a record 3 TD performance in the big game? He was an often injured starter who came on during the ’94 playoffs. Without him they were anemic all year and their unproven runners Derek Loville & Adam Walker (1 lost fumble) doomed them in their ’95 27-17 NFC playoff loss that ended their season.

Yet tell me the blind loyalty to GM John Schneider as though he has won the last 7 Super Bowls or something. To think the defending champion Seahawks are $60 million under the cap, one side of the football cheering public think Walker III shouldn’t receive a raise based on the idiotic notion not to pay the bellcow runner. As though Saquon Barkley didn’t just run for 2,005 yards on the Super Bowl LIX champion Eagles. As though the Baltimore Ravens didn’t have Derek Henry bludgeoning opponents for 1,921 yards and 16 rushing TDs and should have faced the Eagles in LIX but they were undone by a bad 2 point conversion.

Seattle could begin the season with 2 different running backs now that Charbonnet could be out until late in the ’26 season or even miss football until ’27. If he is back is he going to be the bellcow for the team after an ACL tear??

Hopefully GM Schneider is just playing hard ball to bring Walker III in later. Even with a discount he allows the Seahawks a legitimate chance at defending their Super Bowl LX title. Without it they stand no chance.

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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.

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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