Football
Football
As much as football changes, there are some statistics that will always remain critical to the game. One such stat is the Interception, which is one of the biggest game-changers regardless of era. In the ’60s, Bobby Boyd was one of the masters of the pick.
Very few players could be viewed as the total athletic package. Neil Smith may have been one of those rare exceptions as scouts felt with his skills there was little he couldn’t do on the football field. Those scouts would be right.Neil Smith was a multi-faceted Defensive End who was equally adept at stuffing the run as defending against the…
You never had to wonder what was on Ricky Watters's mind. He would tell you whether it was good or bad, and that brashness made him a very polarizing figure in the NFL. It is also possible that this is why the Hall of Fame has yet to look his way in a serious capacity. Ricky Watters was one of…
James Harrison's journey to becoming an NFL star was not an easy one. Despite his impressive performances at Kent State, he was not selected in the 2002 draft. His height and weight, 6'0" and 240 lbs respectively, were the main reasons why NFL scouts overlooked him. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to give him a chance, but it was not…
Richmond Webb proved his merit immediately as the 9th overall Draft Pick in 1990 as the Left Tackle was a Pro Bowl, All-Rookie Selection, and UPI even went as far as naming him the Rookie of the Year. That year was no flash in the pan as Webb would go on to be named to six more Pro Bowls (all…
In the early 2010’s, Marshawn Lynch could make the claim that he was the best Running Back in the NFL, and if you didn’t believe that you would have to agree that he was one of the best known. Lynch had over 1,000 Rushing Yards in his first two seasons in football where he was offensive cog of the Buffalo Bills. He…
In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens made an excellent selection by grabbing Haloti Ngata with the 12th pick. Ngata was a former All-American defensive tackle from the University of Oregon, and the Ravens were looking for someone to stuff up the middle of their defence. Ngata proved to be the answer to their prayers. As soon as he…
Before the Dallas Cowboys truly became “America’s Team”, they had to establish themselves as a true force in the National Football League. A big part of that emergence was their defense, of which Linebacker; Lee Roy Jordan played a key role.
The all-time leader in Receiving, Receiving Yards, and Receiving Touchdowns in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, Hines Ward brings the accumulative statistical resume that you would expect from a Wide Receiver in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ward amassed over 12,000 Yards Receiving, an even 1,000 Receptions, and most importantly was a large part of the Pittsburgh…
When you think of great San Francisco quarterbacks, you automatically think of Joe Montana and Steve Young. Before them, there was a very good one named John Brodie who put up great numbers without the supporting cast that Montana and Young had. John Brodie was one of the game's early gunslingers, and most of the time he had to be.…
Harold Jackson had two great seasons in Philadelphia leading the league in receiving yards in 1969 and 1973. It is too bad that Jackson was the only one playing well for those dreadful Eagles teams.
Many entries on this list discuss the difficulty of comparing offensive statistics from the 1960s and 1970s to today's inflated numbers. This is even more accurate when looking at the stars of the 1950s. Charlie Conerly, the Quarterback of the New York Giants during the 1950s, was on the final ballot multiple times but dropped off seemingly for good after…
Along with his twin brother Mike, Maurkice Pouncey was a star Offensive Lineman, who helped the Florida Gators win the National Championship in 2009. Pouncey, who was an All-American, would be taken 18th Overall in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he was their Center for 11 years. Pouncey proved to be one of the top Centers of the 2010s, winning All-Decade…
You would think that the one-time All-Time Leader in NFL receptions would have been at least been a finalist for the Hall of Fame. Of course, Billy Howton was the all-time leader when he retired in 1963. He has dropped considerably since then.Billy Howton was one of the top receivers for the Green Bay Packers throughout the 1950s. He was…
Jake Scott played the first six seasons of his NFL career playing for the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1975, and as you can imagine, since he was a Dolphin in that era, he was accustomed to winning.
From the football factory of SMU, Jerry Mays elected to stay in his home state with the Dallas Texans, who drafted him in the 5th Round of the 1961 Draft. The Minnesota Vikings of the NFL chose him in the 11th Round.
In the upstart American Football League, the San Diego Chargers possessed one of the most dominating Offensive Lines in football. A big part of that was Walt Sweeney, who patrolled the Right Guard position.
Although Quarterback sacks have always taken place in football, it was not an official statistic in the NFL until 1982. The first labelled “sackmaster” of American football would have to be the flamboyant and somewhat controversial Mark Gastineau who terrorized Quarterbacks; and not because he had sex with Brigitte Neilsen.
Len Dawson was one of the great Quarterbacks of the American Football League, but a big reason he was able to do what he did was that Ed Budde helped him stay upright.