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  • Guillaume 2:03 pm on February 18, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , Jerry Rice,   

    It’s been a long time without a post here, but the truth is: we are so engrossed into the NFL season that it is hard to find a minute to write about it. Now that the season is over, and the Super Bowl was just a few days ago, here we are already starving for NFL discussions that will keep us going through Easter & summer…all the way down to Thursday September 9th when the Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints (am I really writing this right now??) will take the field to kickoff the 2010 season.

    Well, no questions we will have plenty to talk about in the coming weeks: the Combine, Free-Agency (or what will remain of it), the Draft of course, mini-camps etc.

    In the meantime, and as we are set to kickoff the off-season, I thought it would be appropriate to post a few lines on the one player that helped make two Quarterbacks, future Hall of Famers, I am talking of course of the G.O.A.T (Greatest Off All Time), the incomparable, the one and only, Jerry Rice. 

    Legendary number 80 was drafted by San Francisco in April 1985 ; The 49ers were coming off an outstanding season in ‘84, finishing with a then league-record 15-1 record and winning Super Bowl XIX beating the Dan Marino led Miami Dolphins, thanks to 3 TDs by star running back Roger Craig and another MVP performance by Montana. The Niners were hot. They were also choosing 28th & dead last in the NFL draft.

    But Bill Walsh was in control and all he did on Draft day was trade the 49ers’ first two picks for New England’s 1st round choice (#16 overall, the teams also swapped 3rd round picks as part of the deal), and selected Rice…just ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, who were thinking hard about picking him too.

    You can bet Gil Brandt, then Dallas’ general manager, was sick when he saw this happen in front of his very eyes. Rice would never be a Cowboy, and yours truly is quite pleased about that or else he probably wouldn’t be writing this post about Mister Rice, today!

    Well, no need to go through all the insane numbers that Jerry Rice posted in his career: basically all you have to remember is that he is the all time leader in every major statistical category for wide receivers (most TDs, most catches, most yards, most bla, most bla bla, and also most bla bla bla), you name it: Rice will always be #1 anyway. Did I mention he is also the all-time NFL leader in touchdowns scored with 208? And don’t think any of the current Wide Receiver greats such as Terrell Owens or Randy Moss can ever catch up on his records one day…it won’t happen.

    Also what separates Jerry from these guys is that, aside from the gaudy numbers, Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13x times and named All-Pro 11 times in his 20 seasons. Maybe even more impressive, he has won 3x Super Bowl rings and he was the MVP of Super Bowl XXIII back in 1988.

    So, here you have the records that will never be matched, you also have the Pro Bowl selections and the Super Bowl championships, and you have something very rare: a WR who has been the Most Valuable Player of a Super Bowl (for the record, after Jerry Rice and in the 20+ years that followed, only Hynes Ward and Santonio Holmes of the Pittsburgh Steelers have been Wide Receivers who earned Super Bowl MVP honors).

    Rice was a legend during his playing days, and he is a legend 5 years after his retirement. He was a shoe-in for induction into the Hall of Fame and is now the newest member of the 49ers’ Super Bowl era in Canton.

    What else to say. Seriously, you could write & talk for ages about the great Jerry Rice.

    But when I think of him, I think of the ultimate professional player, so talented and dedicated, that everything he touched, transformed into gold.

    That is fitting for a team that plays in Scarlet & Gold uniforms. He made Joe Montana and Steve Young look even better, probably (but it works both ways and there is no questions they both made him look super too…), all in all this was a match made in heaven for the San Francisco 49ers. 

    And so before I shut up, one last bit of your precious time to just say “Congratulations Jerry”, you are the greatest WR to ever play in the NFL.

     

  • Seb 4:01 am on July 5, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: Houston Oilers, Steve McNair, Tennessee Oilers, Tennessee Titans   

    Remembering a Titan 

    Yesterday was a sad day for the NFL world: former Titans quarterback Steve McNair was found dead from several gunshot wounds at age 36. A 20-year old girlfriend of his, Sahel Kazemi, was also shot dead in the head. The two bodies were lying on the sofa and floor of McNair’s condo in Nashville, where he had just opened his restaurant, “Gridiron9″. His wife, Mechelle McNair, had not heard from him in a few days. While the dramatic circumstance surrounding McNair’s death are still unclear, I leave it to the police and media to shed the light on this case. I would much rather write a few words about the player and the man he was.

    Born and raised in Mississippi, McNair attended college at Alcorn State, where he quickly made a case for himself. Despite playing in a tiny Division I-AA college, his performance earned him All-American honors and the Walter Payton award as the best I-AA football player in the country, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting. “Air McNair” was drafted third overall by the Houston Oilers in 1995, and became their starting quarterback in 1997. Under the coaching of Jeff Fisher, McNair stood up the pressure of his 1st round Draft status and improved the Oilers/Titans’ record every year, culminating in their first ever Super Bowl appearance in 1999, a feat not even Warren Moon was able to accomplish in his illustrious career.

    Steve McNair, quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, during Super Bowl XXXIV

    Steve McNair, quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, during Super Bowl XXXIV

    Against Kurt Warner’s Rams, what initially began as a defensive struggle turned into a formidable offensive battle between what will end up as two of the best quarterbacks of their time, whose winner would not be determined until the very last second of the game: St. Louis had just scored a touchdown to take on a 23-16 lead and the Titans got the ball back at their 10-yard line with 1:48 left in the game. In a career-defining drive, McNair accounted for 62 yards, including a critical 1st down completion to Kevin Dyson on 3rd and 5 with 22 seconds left on the clock, while being hit by Rams DEs Kevin Carter and Jay Williams. With only :06 left, the following completion from McNair gave 9 additional yards to the Titans… but that ended up 1 yard shy of the goal line as time expired, thus giving the win to the Rams. Many – including myself – consider Super Bowl XXXIV as one of the all-time best Super Bowl games, and its last play, known as “The Tackle”, remains in every football fans’ mind.

    Beyond the loss, Steve McNair’s performance during the Super Bowl confirmed him as one of the decade’s rising stars and, as NBC’s Tom Curran puts it, “paved the way for teams to build around black QBs. It probably isn’t a coincidence that, once it became clear McNair was the real deal, quarterbacks like Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith, Michael Vick and Vince Young were suddenly top five selections.” McNair kept on improving his game. He made the Pro Bowl in 2000, 2003 and 2005. In 2003, fighting injuries, he concluded a 14-game season with 3,215 yards, 24 TDs, 7 interceptions (100.4 QB rating) and a remarkable 8.0 yard per play average that earned him Co-MVP honors with Colts QB Peyton Manning. As he matured through the years, he also played through several injuries that diminished some of his athletic abilities, but never hurt his mental game, competitiveness or toughness, leading him to become more of a field general in his final years with the Baltimore Ravens.

    While his career stats woud rank him among the 30 best quarterbacks of all time, already a huge accomplishment in itself, he should be best remembered for the type of player he was. Certainly one of the toughest quarterbacks to ever play, he was always respected by his peers and was often referred to as a true professional with a real passion for the game. Selfless on the field, he carried his generosity off the field, acting as a role model and getting involved in charitable activities for the youth in the Nashville community. McNair’s teammate and close friend Derrick Mason used to call him Smile and the “happiest and friendliest person I have known.”

    Yesterday was a sad day, and not just for the NFL world. We lost a good man, but should always remember the Titan he was.

     

  • Guillaume 1:04 pm on May 19, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: Detroit Lions, JaMarcus Russell, Jeff Garcia, Julian Peterson, NFL Network, Oakland Raiders, Peyton Manning, Schedule, Seattle Seahawks   

    Random Tuesday thoughts from the NFL world 

    - In a move that may not seem like very important at first glance, I think it is still worth noting that NFL Network will now be available to an increased audience of 10 millions more people in the US through the deal it has just signed with communication tycoon Comcast.

    - LB Julian Peterson will start next fall for the third team of his career, after beeing traded to the league’s worst team, the Detroit Lions (0-16 in 2008). Peterson was a standout linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers (who drafted him 1-16 in 2000) and played well for the Seattle Seahawks as his next stop. After refusing to take a pay cut, Seattle then shipped him to Detroit. I believe this will turn out to be a really good deal for the Lions who, in their current rebuilding process, have now added one of league’s best LB that posseses pass rushing abilities. This move has gone under the radar in the media but something tells me that a year from now, we will look back on this deal thinking the Lions’ front office made a bold move with JP!

    - For the first time in his 12-year NFL career, Peyton Manning will have someone other than Tom Moore as his offensive coordinator…let’s see how things go but here too, something tells me a year from now, the Colts will regret not having Mr Moore around.

    - You read it here first: Jeff Garcia will start for the Raiders no later than week 3 or 4 of the regular season. Actually, I would not be surprised at all if Garcia is the starter for the Raiders’ opener instead of disapointing former #1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell.

    - My friend Peter King (well, technically he does not know I actually consider him a friend but truth is: since I have been reading his great MMQB column for ages now, I do consider him a bit of friend somehow. ok I shut up) did put a very interesting stat in this week’s MMQB: if the NFL moves on to a 17 or an 18-game regular season schedule (which it undoubtedly will, sooner rather than later), than a RB will have to average just 55,6 yards a game to reach the milestone of 1000 years for the season…Something has to be done here.

     

  • Seb 11:58 pm on May 10, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: , ,   

    …or the money that goes away 

    It is hard to dispute that awarding a 21 year old, junior college quarterback with no professional experience a 6-year $78M contract with $41.7M in guaranteed money is a little disproportionate. At $13M/year, this tops all current NFL quarterbacks with the exception of Super Bowl champion Ben Roethslisberger.

    But I just cannot agree with you that rebuilding teams need to draft a quarterback with their #1 pick: while starting with the QB position is always a good thing -after all, he is the centerpiece of the offense and, more often than not, the marketing face of the franchise-, quarterback is also the most unpredictable of all positions. So why should teams invest Pro Bowl-type money when they really have no idea what the kid is going to be, no matter how good their college scouting was? If 2005 #1 pick Alex Smith were to hit the free agent market today, I doubt teams would be willing to pay as much for his services. And yet, would you say he does not compare favorably to Matthew Stafford or has less potential? The truth is, if you combine the unpredictability with the astronomic salary, the deal looks like an investment not even Bernard Madoff would dare consider. The Lions have a solid veteran in Daunte Culpepper, whom coaches and teammates have praised for being in the best shape since he’s out of college himself. Guys like Grossman or Leftwich could have brought some value as a back-up (Rex Grossman is still available by the way). And this would still leave room for a late-round rookie to groom, like the Niners decided to do with Nate Davis. Such approach could have allowed Detroit to pick OT Jason Smith, DE Tyson Jackson or LB Aaron Curry instead, thus minimizing both the risk and the contract value but maximizing the immediate impact.

    It has also been an easy and popular topic, lately, to ask for some form of rookie salary scale. But trend is not always the way to go. The problem here is that you, along with the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and every NFL owners (not that bad of a group to be associated with, mind you), are blatantly ignoring the “long tail” of the 260-or-so draftees by opposing veterans vs. rookies, when the real issue affects all players regardless. The NFL Draft is the opposite of a free agency: rookies don’t get to chose, their Draft position does it for them. And even though the top picks end up making millions, most rookies come up as real bargains to all NFL teams. Think about what they could command if they were all free agents right out of college, free to secure the best deals for themselves with any team interested in their service and for shorter terms than the usual 5- or 6-year deals they have today. When journeymen manage to sign multi-million contracts, you bet young talented rookies would be able to do the same. Of course, if that were the case, Stafford’s contract would also go off-charts. And because the money that goes to one player does not go to others -neither veterans nor rookies- I do agree that a reasonable ceiling should be enforced, but only if it were to come with a higher floor, both increasing at the same rate the salary cap increases. Owners will always find creative ways to spend less. The rookie salary scale should not serve that purpose but rather aim at fair distribution, not just for veterans but for all players.

     

  • Seb 10:36 pm on May 6, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: Brad Childress, ,   

    A wedding waiting to happen 

    There are now reports that Favre and Minnesota head coach Brad Childress may meet later this week. The rumors are certainly not pleasing many people but they can hardly be considered a surprise: this is a wedding waiting to happen.

    The Vikings have all the weapons in place except at the QB spot, which they still haven’t figured out. More importantly, Childress knows he is in a critical year and must win now or he may be pushed out of town. So when a 3-time MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl QB who happens to lead all major career passing stats (including interceptions) has second thoughts about his second retirement, you listen. Brett Favre still “has it”, you have to admire that as he’ll turn 40 in October, but the ex-Falcon/Packer/Jet also knows Minnesota is his best, only and last chance to win a second Super Bowl. The prospect of facing Green Bay twice only makes it sweeter.

    So despite your reluctance to admit it, Brett, we still remember what you did last summer, and therefore we won’t trust you. Let’s just hope your future teammates will. Because last year’s Broadway musical, and a 1-4 finish with 2 TDs and 9 interceptions, left much to be desired.

     

  • Guillaume 4:56 pm on May 6, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: , ,   

    is Favre coming back..back ? 

    You got to be kidding right? several reports including one from Peter King’s MMQB on CNNSI this week mention that the future Hall of Famer may be thinking about returning to the league..once again. And to make Sebastien cringe a little bit, his buddy Favre has in mind to play for the Minnesota Vikings so that he could face the Packers twice a year. This is as ridiculous as it can be right? But as King says “Favre is a man of emotions, not a man of words” and you better believe he is right with this statement. We all appreciate what Favre did for the NFL, the man is a sure fire 1st ballot Hall of Famer and has been nothing short of extraordinary throughout his 15+ years in the league…coming back from retirement last year to play for the Jets was a stunner but still turned out to be quite fun for us all ultimately (at least speaking of the first 8 games of the season, then Favre clearly showed his age) but this time, this is just plainfully pathetic and, for me, would just ruin my respect for Favre -the player- for good.

     

    • Guillaume 5:36 am on May 6, 2009 Permalink

      that makes me think that, as we just started the blog, it will be just about time to discuss the always entertaining “All-Time Top 10 QBs” list.

      Let’s put that on the agenda for someday soon. With current signal callers Manning and Brady now sure to be Hall of Famers eventually, what it does to it is it crowds the Top 10 even more so (IF, these two are indeed to be considered locks for the Top 10…). We’ll see that.

    • Tode 6:23 am on May 6, 2009 Permalink

      Favre @ Vikings….???

    • Guillaume 8:37 am on May 6, 2009 Permalink

      just a “rumor” for now…well, they say it is just a rumor. The reality is Favre will MEET with the Vikings coaches next week to discuss “stuff”….let’s wait & see but knowing Favre, you better believe if there is smoke, than there is likely a fire somewhere.. ;-)

    • Guillaume 3:20 am on May 8, 2009 Permalink

      Favre has just informed Childress that he is staying retired…stay tuned though, he’ll probable change his mind once more before July…

    • Paul Gassee 4:31 am on May 8, 2009 Permalink

      I can’t quite understand why people are so upset at Favre indecision. The man is one of the greatest players of all-time at the quarterbacking position. Like a great artist or musician, the more I see the man perform, the more sheer brilliance I get to witness. What’s wrong with that? Yoyoma, Pavarotti, The Rolling Stones, BB King….and Brett Favre. Thanks for enriching my life with your excellence. And please keep in going…

  • Seb 1:50 am on May 6, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: ,   

    The tree hiding the forest 

    If you think Mike Crabtree was a no-brainer at #10… think again.

    Let’s face it, the talented WR was widely considered the best at his position. But it is and remains a quarterback’s league, as evidenced by the rush on two not-so-exceptional signal callers and 3 OTs before the Niners were even on the clock. Then came the annual Al Davis gamble on speed, when the Raiders opted to select WR Darrius Heyward-Bey at#7. And that was all it took for the 49ers to disregard more pressing needs and grab the best player available.

    The problem is, San Francisco is loaded at the WR position (see Guillaume’s list below), but has yet to determine who will throw them the ball in September. There are major question marks on both defensive and offensive lines and the depth-chart is dangerously thin at LB, CB and RB. And how did the Niners decide to address those? By bringing in “high character” players. The kind of character that got them suspended: 4 games for RB Glenn Coffee involved in a textbook scandal at Alabama, 12 months for DT Ricky Jean-Francois after he was caught for academic cheating, two arrests for free agent OT Alex Boone who was allegedly three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit (!)

    So think again, isn’t Michael Crabtree only the tree hiding the forest? Isn’t this whole Draft – and not just Crabtree – a complete crapshoot?

     

  • Guillaume 11:09 am on May 5, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: Michael Crabtree, , wide receivers   

    Crabtree a crapshoot? 

    In the wake of the selection of Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree with the #10 pick in the draft, the San Francisco 49ers find themselves this morning thinking “did we get the next Jerry Rice or the next Rashaun Woods?”. This is the perenial problem with wideouts: you can never tell what they’ll become. That beeing said, and after a brilliant career at Texas Tech (2-time Biletnikov award winner, given annualy to the nation’s best receiver), I tend to think that Crabtree should eventually find himself more in the Jerry half  of things than in the Rashaun half of it. Still, it is of couse way to early to tell and Crabtree won’t even be fully recovered until August training camp where he will fight with 6th round rookie gem from last year Josh Morgan for a starting spot at split end. By the way, this is silly when you consider it: why have Crabtree AND Morgan fight for the same spot while these two young men are said to be the next star Wide Receivers in San Francisco? with Crabtree, Morgan, Isaac Bruce, Jason Hill, Brandon Jones, Dominique Zeigler and Arnaz Battle…for the first time in years, the Niners receiving corp is quite something. Seems to me Zeigler & Battle will have a hard time making the roster though…

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aJZsjImymc&feature=related]

     

    • Guillaume 5:10 am on May 6, 2009 Permalink

      For the record, Michael Crabtree is currently third among NFL rookies in jersey sales on NFLshop.com. Crabtree’s #15, Mark Sanchez’s #6 and Matthew Stafford’s #9 round out the top three.

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