Denver Broncos Bunk: Dispelling Myths About Josh McDaniels

The Denver Broncos offseason has been painted in the press as everything from minor disaster to major apocalypse.

A lot of the analysis, though, has been based on abysmally poor reporting. Sadly, the local Denver media has exacerbated this by sensationalizing events in a very misleading way.

Here are a few of the myths and an account of how they’ve been misreported.

 

Josh McDaniels alienated Jay Cutler by seeking a trade for Matt Cassel

This is probably the most egregious example of poor reporting during this whole affair.  The funny part about this is that just reading the Rocky Mountain News’ and Denver Post’s own articles from the time of Mike Shanahan’s firing is enough to debunk this myth.

When Shanahan was fired at the end of the 2008-09 season, Jay Cutler told the Rocky Mountain News, “I’m disappointed, I’m shocked, I’m not happy about it, I’m not pleased with it at all.”  Cutler went on to state that he would leave if Denver’s offensive coaches were not retained, particularly Jeremy Bates.

The article also mentioned that after hearing about the firing Cutler consulted Shanahan about the offense.

Not long after that Josh McDaniels was named as head coach, McDaniels was brought in to pull Denver out of some of the ruts it had worked its way into.

The dilemma McDaniels faced is that in keeping Shanahan’s offensive staff, he would be keeping the same staff under which Denver’s offense had become stagnant. When the new head coach began replacing the offensive coaching staff, including Bates, Cutler stayed silent.

Cutler knew that if he tried to leave then he would rightly be perceived as unprofessional and his stock would go down.

Things stayed quiet for over a month until, on Feb. 26, a spokesman for the Patriots organization mentioned that the Broncos had considered a trade for Matt Cassel. The statement from the Patriots made no mention of who initiated the talks. Bill Belichick later issued a statement that the Patriots had shopped Cassel around prior to the trade with Denver, meaning that they probably initiated the call.

Cutler’s initial reaction was a little absurd, but got truly ridiculous when he claimed that he wanted a trade because McDaniels “wasn’t sorry” about considering a trade. 

Clearly the real reason for Cutler’s wanting out of Denver was the Shanahan firing and his fear of having to work in a new offense. McDaniels acted professionally by not kowtowing to a pampered player who wanted to control the offense. It’s doubtful that McDaniels ever seriously considered a trade for Cassel.

 

The Broncos gave up a franchise quarterback for a mediocre quarterback

First of all Cutler, by his actions, had shown he was clearly not mature enough to entrust with leading a football team. His first reaction in learning of Mike Shanahan’s firing was to try a power play, and when that failed he pouted until he forced a trade.

While Cutler has a world class arm that could compare with Elway or Favre, he has an attitude toward the game that compares more with Jeff George. A big part of Denver’s decline was Cutler’s poor decision making and predictability. 

Defenses could count on Cutler forcing the ball into Brandon Marshall in key situations.  The result was a slew of interceptions at key moments in key games.

Kyle Orton started as a rookie in 2005 after the Bears starting QB and backup QB had both been injured. Despite playing behind a weak offensive line and having poor receivers, Orton performed in that emergency role for 15 games until the starter was able to return. 

In 2008 Orton won the starting job and performed well again, despite being surrounded by a weak offensive team. In fact, Orton performed under such poor conditions and attained stats comparable to Cutler’s—even though Cutler was surrounded by much better talent.

At best, neither quarterback is a proven commodity. Orton is a better game manager and more disciplined player, while Cutler has a stronger arm but is prone to gambling.

 

The Broncos needed to replace their defensive line

The reason for this myth is the misconception that because Denver’s defense was poor in 2008-2009 and it’s line performed so poorly that all of Denver’s defensive linemen had to be replaced. Denver’s defense was poor, and its line did play badly, but the reason for that is under-reported mainly because most sports-writers only look at stats.

Denver’s defensive guru throughout the glory years of the 70’s and 80’s was a coach named Joe Collier. Collier was the architect of the “Orange Crush Defense” and easily the greatest defensive coach in Denver history. Collier is also regarded as the first man to ever use the 3-4 defense in the pros while an assistant coach with the Bills in 1964.

From Collier, Shanahan learned the notion of using defensive linemen as blockers to keep offensive linemen off of your linebackers. In Shanahan’s system, the defensive lineman’s first job was to keep the offensive linemen on the line and only rush after they determined it was a pass play. 

Where Collier still used penetration to get that control of the line Shanahan’s approach was more passive. Only the ends were expected to rush in Shanahan’s defense, making them easy to block. 

Because of the way Shanahan used his defensive linemen, there were rarely more than two pass rushers on any pass play unless they were blitzing. This resulted in poor stats for the defensive linemen. That was part of the system.

Added to all that was Shanahan’s poor management skill when it came to working with defensive coordinators—they had four defensive coordinators in eight years with two of them (Rhodes and Slowik) lasting less than a season each.

Denver’s defense was constantly changing schemes and players often were simply confused by it all.

 

McDaniels screwed up the draft

A lot of this myth comes from the perception that the defensive line had to be replaced. McDaniels smartly realized that focusing on the line would prevent him from making more urgent upgrades to the team. 

McDaniels used the draft to give the Broncos more athleticism in the defensive backfield and to get a player that could be an offensive focus along with acquiring a potential outside linebacker to rush the passer in the 3-4.

 

McDaniels alienated Brandon Marshall

Frankly this one puzzles me. Marshall claims that his beef is because the Bronco medical staff gave him poor advice last season. This doesn’t even have anything to do with McDaniels if we are to believe Marshall.

The reason blame is attributed to McDaniels is that no one actually believes Marshall’s stated complaint. 

The obvious situation here is that Brandon Marshall is in a contract year, coming off of hip surgery and might possibly be suspended for his plethora of legal problems.  McDaniels’ detractors are so desperate that they somehow gloss over all of this to sympathize with Marshall

 

Prediction

McDaniels has very smartly kept the best parts of the Shanahan era Broncos while letting a lot of questionable pieces go. The likelihood is that the 2009-2010 Broncos will be at least as good as last year’s version.

The trade of Cutler will prove to be a good one as Orton will be a better fit in McDaniels system and will be fairly efficient. The Broncos’ offense will be more diverse than in 2008-2009 and, while no one player will have a dominant year, they will post similar numbers in passing yardage and better numbers rushing.

The defense will be solid with strong secondary play and good, though unspectacular line play. They’ll finish with a defensive rating in the middle of the NFL pack.

Realistically they will win between 7-to-10 games and finish second in the division.

Who Pays $6.50 for a Beer?

I’ve had the honor of being able to go to home games in Denver since 2003.  Let me say, there is nothing more exciting than seeing the Orange and Blue “open up a can” on visiting teams. 

However, I have a bone to pick with Mr. Bowlen and Investco Field’s pricing atrocities.

I’ve never been much for buying food during a football game, but I am a huge fan of sipping on some suds while screaming at the “refs”. 

Lately, I’ve had to boycott my favorite drink of choice, because of principles.

The beer at Investco Field used to only cost $4.50 for a 16 oz cup, which was a super deal!  This was especially great when the Broncos were winning, courtesy of my second favorite quarterback in Broncos history: Jake “The Snake” Plummer. 

The last two to three years the Broncos have been sub-par.  9-7. 8-8. these are not good records. 

It’s especially demoralizing to see them lose at home when they used to be such a dominant force at the Mile High city.

So, what has Mr. Bowlen done to increase the watching “enjoyment” of his sub-par franchise at home?  He raised the price of the most popular beverage of all time: BEER! 

Beers are now $6.50 at Investco.  Not to mention I believe that the beers are smaller than they used to be. 

Don’t give me all of this junk about football “being a business” or “it’s a recession, everybody has to tighten their belts.”  The Bronco’s brass should be thanking its fan base for showing up through the bad times. 

Here’s my suggestion.  If the Broncos win the Super Bowl or even have a winning season for once, then you can raise prices.  If the Broncos have a season like they did last year, then prices should be lowered.

Think of it this way. If I owned a Subway sandwich business and my sandwiches only tasted good 50 percent of the time, would this be considered a successfully business? 

Then, even though my good friends were loyal customers and kept coming back, would it be considered “good business” to raise the prices of my sandwiches? NO! So why is this acceptable at Investco?

I want a little more corporate responsibility from the Broncos franchise.  They should be taking better care of it’s fans rather than price gouging them.

I will not buy a beer with my own money at Investco Field until the prices go down. 

Go Broncos!

Denver Broncos 2009 Preview

Inside The Denver Broncos’ Roster: The Left Guards

Where in the world is Chris Kuper?

Thankfully for the Broncos, the fourth year guard missing from the photo is not the subject of this article.

However, this article will reveal a statistic that could possibly surprise even the most die-hard of all Bronco fans.

Quickly glancing over the Denver Broncos’ current roster, there is not a single player who has a longer tenure with the team than left guard Ben Hamilton.

Hamilton was drafted out of Minnesota in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and has started every game he has participated in at this level, which including the playoffs is a whopping 100 contests.

From 2002-2006 Hamilton did not even miss a single snap, participating in 5,407 consecutive plays in that time frame.  Due to concussion symptoms early in the 2007 offseason, Hamilton was held out of that entire campaign, and his streak was broken.

The former NCAA First Team All-American came back to form in 2008, starting all 16 games and helping lead the Broncos to the second ranked offense in the NFL in terms of yardage.

He also helped the Broncos rank fifth in the NFL in rushing to the left side of the field, where Hamilton and rookie Ryan Clady were arguably the best duo in the league last year in terms of pass protection and run blocking.

Hamilton heads into the 2009 season as the unquestioned starter at left guard, and the Broncos have little depth behind him in terms of players with significant experience at left guard.

Last off-season, the team picked up Mitch Erickson out of South Dakota State as an undrafted free agent, and he ended up making the practice squad. 

There is little information about Erickson, other than the fact that he was completely dominant in his college days at SDSU.  He played both tackle and guard in college, but his best chance to play at this level is to earn a spot at guard.

The Broncos also have third year veteran Matt McChesney competing at guard, but he also appears to be a longshot to make the final roster. 

McChesney got his start in the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent with the St. Louis Rams, then bounced around to the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.  He is a former defensive tackle from Colorado who could be a practice squad addition.

The Broncos have some young players who are primarily right guards who could fill in at left guard if needed, but that is a different story for a different day.

Stay tuned for more Broncos fans.

 

 

The Brian Dawkins Story: A Class Act

Once upon a time there was a young couple in the city of Jacksonville, Fla. who gave birth to a son, on October 13, 1973. At first glance, he looked no different then any other baby.

Nobody was to know that this little baby was destined for greatness.

Born was Brian Patrick Dawkins.

From the day that Brian Dawkins started playing Pop Warner football in Jacksonville, FL (in which he also donated over $50,000 to Forest View Pop Warner for footballs and equipment) his family knew he was going to be something special.

Brian went to William M. Raines High School in Jacksonville, Fla. He began to make his mark by becoming an All-State selection and helping to lead his team to 30 consecutive victories.

While in high school, he met a young girl named Connie. Like a fairy book story, he married her. He went to college and had two children, Brian Jr. and Brionni.

Brian went to college at Clemson University and played the strong safety position as a three-year starter. He had 247 tackles and 11 interceptions. He was a Second Team All American selection when his team-high six interceptions tied him for the conference lead. He was named the first-team strong safety on Clemson’s all-centennial team in 1995 and was selected to their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

In 1996, Brian was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round. As a rookie in 1996 he started 13 of the 14 games he played in, recording 75 tackles, a sack, and three interceptions. During his career Dawkins has been elected to seven Pro Bowls (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008).

In 2002 in a game versus the Houston Texans, he became the first player in NFL history to record a sack, an interception, forced fumble, and touchdown reception in a single game.

If any are curious as to why Brian missed the Pro Bowl in 2007, maybe this will help to explain this man’s remarkable journey and struggle.

When Brian Jr. was 11 and his sister Brionni was 8, they were greeted with twin sisters, Chionni and Cionni on April 26, 2007. This was a difficult and risky pregnancy for Brian’s wife, Connie.

The twins were born two months premature and one was thought to run the risk of having Down’s syndrome when she was still in the womb. Doctors wanted to perform a procedure to verify it, but there was a risk of losing one of the babies. Brian and Connie said no.

The babies turned out not to have Down’s, thank God for that.

However, the pregnancy was not without trouble. Connie suffered from bleeding much of the time.

Brian had to stay at home to care for and watch after his brave and loving wife. Not an easy thing to do if you are a football player in the NFL. She almost delivered three months early, but the doctors stopped the early pregnancy.

During the pregnancy, Brian didn’t get to work out as he normally did during the offseason and this inactivity began to show by way of injuries on the field.

Many thought he was “over the hill” because of the injuries, but nobody bothered to take into consideration the fact of what he and his family went through. He wasn’t in peak shape.

Brian couldn’t spend the time doing his 12-hour-a-week workout to get ready for the upcoming season. No, he was a father and husband first and a football player second.

“I’d drop the kids off at school, go see her, then take an hour to try to work out, then come right back to the hospital to be with her, then go pick the kids up from school, then get dinner ready,” Dawkins said. “I got a chance to walk in her shoes. I told her after all this was done how much I really appreciate her.”

When the babies were born they weighed only three pounds. Cionni, the younger twin, was suffering from relative bradycardia: for her age, her heart rate was too slow. Intermittent episodes of bradycardia are common among premature babies. Periods of apnea, the suspension of normal breathing, are often connected to it. 

It is said that each condition contributes to the other. If a premature baby is not taking in enough oxygen, the heart will slow down. As the heartbeat slows, the baby has fewer opportunities to take a breath.

Chionni and Cionni spent 17 days in the hospital. They came home on Sunday, May 13, Mothers Day. Brian and Connie bought an electronic monitor to track Cionni’s breathing, and in those frightful moments when Cionni seemed to forget to breathe, Brian would have to stimulate her somehow; shake her gently, wiggle her foot until she’d let out a tiny noise, half-grunt, half-gasp.

“It was very terrifying,” Dawkins said.

Brian had a routine. He would stay up all night to feed, change, and care for the twins. Then he would go to bed at 6 a.m., wake up at noon, work out at 1:30, pick up Brian Jr. and Brionni from school, help Connie with dinner, take a nap until 10 p.m., then he would start all over.

He said he was a “walking zombie.”

“But you’ve got to have a positive outlook on things. My wife is going through what she’s going through. The kids are still going to school. Brian still needs to go to basketball practice. Brionni still needs help with homework. So I still have to be able to do all those things—and not with an angry attitude. It was taxing, very taxing.”

Give credit where credit is due. He was a fantastic father and husband. The children, we are happy to say, are now healthy and doing great.

When Brian hit the field in 2007, his injuries mounted and his stats fell. Many didn’t know what he went through, even those who claimed to be fans. I think he deserved a pass, don’t you?

In 2008, Brian turned it around and became the player on the field that everyone remembered. It was a good enough season to deserve another trip to the Pro Bowl.  

During the 2008 season he became the 10th member of the 20/20 Club and broke the Eagles record for games played, surpassing Harold Carmichael who had 180. He finished his career with the Eagles starting 182 of 183 games, recording 898 tackles, 34 interceptions, and 21 sacks.

Now you have some insight as to what this great man, this great human being, went through. You also now know how strong and equally great his wife Connie is.

After the 2008 season, Brian became a free agent. It was time to move on from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Denver Broncos, here I come.

Denver signed Brian to a contract on February 28, 2009. It is for five years and $17 million ($7.2 million guaranteed). There is a termination clause that says that if he is released after two seasons, he will receive an additional $1.8 million.

Brian will bring to the Broncos something that has been sorely missed since the days of Al Wilson. Leadership.

If you look in his locker, you will see a Wolverine figurine that the fans of Philly gave him. It represents ferocity. The killer instinct on the field should you cross his path. Another “silent assassin” in the safety position.

He brings heart and future glory to the organization. He brings professionalism. He shows that he is not only a great player, but a great family man, as his “Father of the Year” award that he has won shows.

Brian Dawkins, like Wolverine, is a superhero. Maybe not in the literal sense, but rather in the way that he carries himself. The way that he shows his love for his family, God and the game.

He is without a doubt, a brave and great human being. He is a class act.

 

Inside the Denver Broncos’ Roster: Left Tackles

Heading into the 2008 offseason, the left tackle position was a huge question mark for the Denver Broncos.

After a dismal 7-9 effort in 2007, they found themselves holding the 12th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. At the time, they were expected to go after one of three players:  Boise State tackle Ryan Clady, Virginia tackle Branden Albert, or Vanderbilt tackle Chris Williams.

Clady was considered by many to be a top-five talent, and some scouts even projected him to go as high as fifth overall to the Kansas City Chiefs.

When he fell to the 12th overall pick, there was no way the Broncos would pass him up.

Professional and collegiate scouts alike raved about Clady’s athleticism and quick feet, thanks largely to the fact that the 6’6″ 325-pound behemoth is a former tight end.

Little did the Broncos or their fans know what kind of player Clady would become and how great an impact he would have in such a short time in the NFL.

After being dubbed the starting left tackle almost immediately after being selected by former head coach Mike Shanahan, Clady went on to have one of the greatest seasons one will ever see from a rookie at any position.

The Boise State product was one of 11 rookies in 2008 to start all 16 games at his position, and one of only three offensive tackles.

Not impressed?

Clady was the only left tackle in the entire NFL to participate in all 16 games and not allow a full sack.

Still not impressed?

The Broncos finished the season second in the NFL in pass attempts with 620, meaning Clady allowed a sack roughly 0.08 percent of the time—best in the NFL. He also participated in 1,019 snaps in all.

If you are not impressed by that, then here are some miscellaneous facts about Clady’s 2008 campaign that will blow your mind.

The rookie allowed only half of a sack, while only committing one holding penalty, and three penalties overall in the 2008 season. He was named Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his performance against Kansas City in Week 14, and he was rewarded for his stellar season by being selected as a second-team All-Pro.

Clady was the only rookie on either side of the ball to be selected to either All-Pro team, and was still snubbed of a Pro Bowl appearance.  Jason Peters, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, started the Pro Bowl for the AFC after a season in which he allowed 11.5 sacks.

Why is this significant?

The entire Denver Broncos offensive line allowed 11.5 sacks in 2008. 

Clady also helped pave the way for the NFL’s 12th ranked rushing offense despite going through a total of nine different running backs throughout the course of the season.  The Broncos ranked fifth in the NFL rushing to the left side, where Clady sets up camp.

Clady is a dominant force in this league, and after the statistics provided, there is no question he is the best offensive tackle in the game today. The Broncos have a gem, and he should be a dominant force for the next decade plus, barring injury.

Still, an elite offensive line is only as good as its depth, and the Broncos are hoping they can count on second-year player Tyler Polumbus if any injuries do occur at the left tackle spot. 

Polumbus was acquired shortly after the 2008 NFL Draft as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Colorado, and he ended up making the Broncos’ final roster.

When Clady suffered a minor injury during last season, Polumbus was scheduled to start before Clady decided to play through the pain.

The Broncos’ offensive line will be coached by former offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, a man who has coached Denver’s offensive line for much of this decade.

I fully expect the Broncos to keep Polumbus on their final roster along with Clady, occupying two roster spots from the left tackle position.

The Best Pro Football Players in Mississippi History, Pt. Two: Running Backs

In part one of this series, I detailed some of the best quarterbacks from Mississippi universities to play pro football.

From Charlie Conerly to Brett Favre, the state of Mississippi has produced some of the best quarterbacks to play pro football. The magnolia state has had plenty of success at other positions as well.

We will look at running backs from Mississippi in this installment. While Mississippi has not produced very many great running backs from the college ranks. The state has produced one of the best ever to run the ball.

Once again there is no particular order and the team they are best known for listed.

 

Dulymus Jenod “Deuce” McAllister: New Orleans Saints via Ole Miss Rebels

Deuce McAllister could be the best running back to come out of Ole Miss. In his four years with the Rebels, Deuce put his name all over the Ole Miss record books.

At the end of his career at Ole Miss McAllister was the all time leader in rushing yards with 3,060, carries with 616. Deuce also led the Rebels with most rushing touch downs with 36 and total touchdowns with 41, and most 100 yard games with 13.

His senior year at Ole Miss, Deuce won the Conerly Trophy as best college football player and was drafted by the Saints in the first round with the 13th pick in 2001.

In his time in New Orleans McAllister has become a fan favorite.  Deuce has spent his entire eight year career with the Saints.

Due to injuries and salary cap implications the Saints had to cut McAllister after the 2008 season.

After spending his whole NFL career In New Orleans Deuce became the Saints all time leader in rushing with 5,586 yards, carries with 1,298 and touchdowns with 49. When McAllister’s career is over he will be honored as one of the Saints all time best players.

 

Sammy Winder: Denver Broncos via Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

Sammy Winder was a walk-on at Southern Mississippi who went on to greatness a running back for the Golden Eagles. To this day he still is in the USM record books more than 25 years after his college career ended.

Winder is first in career touchdowns with 20, second in rushing attempts with 736 and third in rushing yards with 3,114 in school history. USM fans will forever know Winder for “the leap” in 1980 against Ole Miss.

With USM tied 14-14 with the Rebels Winder drive and determination to get in to the end zone will be remembered always by Golden Eagle fans.

Winder’s 11 yard scoring run is so great because of the effort he made to score. Winder looking to avoid a would be tackler dove from five yards outside the end zone to score the go ahead touchdown in an 28-22 USM win.

After his career at USM was over the Denver Broncos drafted Winder in the fifth round with the 131st pick in 1982. Winder would go on to play nine year for the Broncos.

Winder was on a team that went to three Super Bowls (XXI, XXII, and XXIV) but lost each time. Winder was named to the Pro Bowl twice in 1984 and 1986.

Winder is still third all time in Denver history in rushing yards with 5,427, rushing attempts with 1,495 and in touchdowns with 39. Winder was also known to Bronco fans for his touchdown celebration dance the ‘Mississippi Mud Walk.’

 

Walter Payton: Chicago Bears via Jackson State Tigers

One of the greatest and most beloved players to ever come out of Mississippi was Walter Payton. Payton decide to follow in his brothers footsteps and go to Jackson State to play college football.

During his time at Jackson State Payton became well known national and put his stamp on the JSU record books. To this day Payton is still first with 66 touchdowns scored, and third in rushing yards with 3,563.

Payton’s 66 touchdowns was a NCAA record and in 1973-74 also named an All-American and Black College Player of the Year. Payton’s nickname at JSU was “Sweetness” and in 1975 he graduated from Jackson State.

Payton was drafted in 1975 by the Chicago Bears in the first round with the fourth pick. Payton’s first game as a Bear was not stellar rushing the ball eight times for zero yards.

Over the years that changed as Payton when on to break every rushing record in his 13 seasons in the NFL. Payton rushed for 16,726 yards on 3,838 attempts to go along with 110 rushing touchdowns.

As of 2006, he was the NFL’s second all-time rusher, and he ranked third in rushing touchdowns scored.

Payton would win Super Bowl (XX) in 1985 as the Bears went 15-1 and had the whole country doing the “Super Bowl Shuffle”.

Payton played in nine Pro Bowls (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1986), was named first team All-Pro Six times (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, and 1985), and was the NFL MVP in 1977 and the Pro Bowl MVP in 1978.

The Chicago Bears retired Payton’s number 34 and he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Payton was elected in to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 as well.

In 1999 Payton lost his battle with a rare liver disease but will be remember for the two awards given in his honor each year.

The best college offensive player in Division I-AA receives the “Walter Payton Award” and the NFL gives the “Walter Payton Man of the Year” Award for player achievements in community service during a particular season. These awards will make sure all of us remember “Sweetness.”

From the last two installments we see the Magnolia State has produced what could be the best quarterback ever in Brett Favre and the best running back ever in Walter Payton.

Next in this series in are great wide receivers and offensive line men and tight ends from the state of Mississippi.

 

See Part One

See Part Three: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/211472-the-best-pro-football-players-in-mississippi-history-pt-3-wide-outs

 

The Best Pro Football Players in Mississippi History, Pt. Two: Running Backs

In part one of this series, I detailed some of the best quarterbacks from Mississippi universities to play pro football.

From Charlie Conerly to Brett Favre, the state of Mississippi has produced some of the best quarterbacks to play pro football. The magnolia state has had plenty of success at other positions as well.

We will look at running backs from Mississippi in this installment. While Mississippi has not produced very many great running backs from the college ranks. The state has produced one of the best ever to run the ball.

Once again there is no particular order and the team they are best known for listed.

 

Dulymus Jenod “Deuce” McAllister: New Orleans Saints via Ole Miss Rebels

Deuce McAllister could be the best running back to come out of Ole Miss. In his four years with the Rebels, Deuce put his name all over the Ole Miss record books.

At the end of his career at Ole Miss McAllister was the all time leader in rushing yards with 3,060, carries with 616. Deuce also led the Rebels with most rushing touch downs with 36 and total touchdowns with 41, and most 100 yard games with 13.

His senior year at Ole Miss, Deuce won the Conerly Trophy as best college football player and was drafted by the Saints in the first round with the 13th pick in 2001.

In his time in New Orleans McAllister has become a fan favorite.  Deuce has spent his entire eight year career with the Saints.

Due to injuries and salary cap implications the Saints had to cut McAllister after the 2008 season.

After spending his whole NFL career In New Orleans Deuce became the Saints all time leader in rushing with 5,586 yards, carries with 1,298 and touchdowns with 49. When McAllister’s career is over he will be honored as one of the Saints all time best players.

 

Sammy Winder: Denver Broncos via Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

Sammy Winder was a walk-on at Southern Mississippi who went on to greatness a running back for the Golden Eagles. To this day he still is in the USM record books more than 25 years after his college career ended.

Winder is first in career touchdowns with 20, second in rushing attempts with 736 and third in rushing yards with 3,114 in school history. USM fans will forever know Winder for “the leap” in 1980 against Ole Miss.

With USM tied 14-14 with the Rebels Winder drive and determination to get in to the end zone will be remembered always by Golden Eagle fans.

Winder’s 11 yard scoring run is so great because of the effort he made to score. Winder looking to avoid a would be tackler dove from five yards outside the end zone to score the go ahead touchdown in an 28-22 USM win.

After his career at USM was over the Denver Broncos drafted Winder in the fifth round with the 131st pick in 1982. Winder would go on to play nine year for the Broncos.

Winder was on a team that went to three Super Bowls (XXI, XXII, and XXIV) but lost each time. Winder was named to the Pro Bowl twice in 1984 and 1986.

Winder is still third all time in Denver history in rushing yards with 5,427, rushing attempts with 1,495 and in touchdowns with 39. Winder was also known to Bronco fans for his touchdown celebration dance the ‘Mississippi Mud Walk.’

 

Walter Payton: Chicago Bears via Jackson State Tigers

One of the greatest and most beloved players to ever come out of Mississippi was Walter Payton. Payton decide to follow in his brothers footsteps and go to Jackson State to play college football.

During his time at Jackson State Payton became well known national and put his stamp on the JSU record books. To this day Payton is still first with 66 touchdowns scored, and third in rushing yards with 3,563.

Payton’s 66 touchdowns was a NCAA record and in 1973-74 also named an All-American and Black College Player of the Year. Payton’s nickname at JSU was “Sweetness” and in 1975 he graduated from Jackson State.

Payton was drafted in 1975 by the Chicago Bears in the first round with the fourth pick. Payton’s first game as a Bear was not stellar rushing the ball eight times for zero yards.

Over the years that changed as Payton when on to break every rushing record in his 13 seasons in the NFL. Payton rushed for 16,726 yards on 3,838 attempts to go along with 110 rushing touchdowns.

As of 2006, he was the NFL’s second all-time rusher, and he ranked third in rushing touchdowns scored.

Payton would win Super Bowl (XX) in 1985 as the Bears went 15-1 and had the whole country doing the “Super Bowl Shuffle”.

Payton played in nine Pro Bowls (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1986), was named first team All-Pro Six times (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, and 1985), and was the NFL MVP in 1977 and the Pro Bowl MVP in 1978.

The Chicago Bears retired Payton’s number 34 and he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Payton was elected in to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 as well.

In 1999 Payton lost his battle with a rare liver disease but will be remember for the two awards given in his honor each year.

The best college offensive player in Division I-AA receives the “Walter Payton Award” and the NFL gives the “Walter Payton Man of the Year” Award for player achievements in community service during a particular season. These awards will make sure all of us remember “Sweetness.”

From the last two installments we see the Magnolia State has produced what could be the best quarterback ever in Brett Favre and the best running back ever in Walter Payton.

Next in this series in are great wide receivers and offensive line men and tight ends from the state of Mississippi.

 

See Part One

See Part Three: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/211472-the-best-pro-football-players-in-mississippi-history-pt-3-wide-outs

 

The Asterisk: More Teams Than the New England Patriots Deserve It!

I recently wrote an article stating the the New England Patriots should have an asterisk next to their Super Bowl championships. I say this because of spygate, and the fact that the Patriots cheated during the duration of their dynasty.

In the comment discussion I had with many people—but two especially—I told them that if they showed me other championship teams that were caught cheating, that I would write about them as well.

I am doing this because it is my belief that cheating is wrong in every way, shape, and form. To me, every team that cheats needs to be punished, and I believe that taking Lombardi trophies away is appropriate.

Since I have written an article exclusively about the Patriots, I am going to start with the most recent since.

 

1996-1998 Denver Broncos

In December 2001, the Denver Broncos were fined near $1 million dollars, and stripped of a third round pick due to salary infractions from the 1996-98 seasons.

In talking to some people about this prior to reading the report, I heard it was an accounting error by someone in the accounting department.

After reading this post, I realized that this was not simply an accounting error.

The Broncos deferred payments to both John Elway and Terrell Davis to the tune of $29 million dollars.

That is a complete slap in the face to the entire league. Denver won two Super Bowls while violating the salary cap.

Today in the NFL, above average starters make in the $7-8 million dollars per year. Back then, they made considerably less.

The difference is an additional five to six starters making top dollar on a team that was already good enough to make the playoffs.

This is a disgrace to the game and to every team in the NFL that follows the rules.  Since the NFL will not strip people of Lombardis, this is one that needs to have the * next to it.

 

Jimmy Johnson’s Dallas Cowboys

In the wake of the whole Spygate incident with the New England Patriots, Jimmy Johnson from FOX sports reported that when he was with the Dallas Cowboys, they did the same practice that the Patriots did.

As I said with the Patriots, hold true to all teams. If the Cowboys videotaped signals from where they were not supposed to, regardless of how much it helped the team, this is still cheating.

Why there was no rebellion to this really surprises me. Two of the best teams of the 90’s, including the one everyone knows as the team of the decade, admit to cheating.

 

The 1970’s Raiders

The motto of the Oakland Raiders is “Commitment to Excellence”. It should be “win at all costs”.

In an article published on ESPN, Lester Hayes speaks how when he first came to the Raiders, Fred Biletnikoff showed him how to use stickum.

Stickum is an illegal sports substance that helps you hold on to the ball, a players jersey, or to else you touch.

I tried it one day in high school practice to see what it was like, and it was like super glue on your hands.

The cheating practice did not end there.

From 1971 to 1973, Bob Brown convinced the NFL to allow him to wear braces on his wrists.

What he did not tell them was that the braces were made out of leather that would slide over his hands, so when he hit a defensive player rushing the QB, he could hit them with these leather gloves.

It was reported the John Madden would even sneak into the opposition’s locker rooms before games so that he could spy on them, and try to get any advantage he could.

 

Papa Bear Halas

In an interview with Steve Sabol on lyflines, he speaks of Papa Bear dating to the 1961 or 1962 team that obviously cheated.

Back then, there were no TV contracts, so teams would tape their own games. Each week, you would give a copy of your previous game to your next opponent, so that you could study each other—just like it is done today.

Halas decided that he was going to record every game with two different cameras. The one for him was recorded so he could grade his team. The second recording was done out of focus, so the other team couldn’t.

Again, this is something that is just poor sportsmanship. It is cheating to gain an unfair advantage.

I have an eight year old daughter. Most of the time when Cydni and I play a game, I let her win. Every once in a while, I will win, and before the game is over, she will get mad and storm off.

So, I guess I can say that these men, that are grown adults, act just like my eight year old daughter. It is more important to win than to be fair.

Every one of these men, and every one of these teams should be ashamed of themselves. And every one of these teams need to have the * placed next to their name, on every record and Super Bowl.

Rocky Mountain Blues: The Ultimate Denver Is Doomed Article (Satire)

Given all of the drama surrounding the Denver Broncos this off-season, it comes as no surprise that there have been a flurry of articles predicting a disastrous season for that team.  There have, in fact, been so many articles that it has started to become obvious that the writers of these pieces are having trouble thinking up new material. Fortunately I am here to help with a few suggestions.

 

Josh McDaniels has destroyed the team.

Before this offseason, Denver was a football paradise.  Under Mike Shanahan, the Broncos were so dominant that they lost games just to encourage their opponents.  Their opponents needed increasing amounts of encouragement.

Pat Bowlen became so bored with the everyday perfection of the Bronco team that he snuck up behind Coach Mike Shanahan while he was watching a play at Ford Theater and shot him in the head.  Later it was proved that Bowlen had been hypnotized by Bill Belichick.

Then Bill Belichick secretly infiltrated the crafty Josh McDaniels into the situation to further destroy the most amazing team ever. Bowlen, who was still under hypnosis, was made to hire McDaniels and act like a chicken whenever he saw John Madden. This explains why you never see Bowlen and Madden together.

McDaniels’ first step was to call the Bronco star quarterback, Jay Cutler, and tell him that he would be required to do musical theater in Boise, ID during the offseason. He then leaked a story about what a wonderful singer and actor Matt Cassel was.

After Cutler left in tears, McDaniels called Brandon Marshall and told him the police were looking for him. Marshall fled to Florida and hid under his mother’s bed.

As the final part of McDaniels’ master plan, he brought in a bunch of proven veterans and promising young players and made them compete for jobs.

 

Jay Cutler was replaced by Kyle Orton

After the hiring of Josh McDaniels, Jay Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler was the only player on the Denver Broncos roster. A little known fact is that Denver was actually built by Jay Cutler while he was attending Pro Bowl games as a fetus.

It is a well known fact that John Elway only won his Super Bowls because he was actually Jay Cutler. Cutler was such a good quarterback that he often completed passes for both teams. 

When Cutler was traded to Chicago, everyone in Denver tried to shoot each other but they all missed because Jay Cutler was the only guy in Denver that could hit anything.

Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears for an armless, legless man named Kyle Orton who used to ring the church bells at Purdue. His scouting report said, “We don’t know who this guy is but his face sure rings a bell.”

 

Brandon Marshall holds out

Brandon Marshall, the only other player for the Denver Broncos, decided that while he was hiding under his mother’s bed, he should ask for more money. Everybody laughed.

 

Predictions

Kyle Orton will be mistaken for a tackling dummy and killed by his own team. Orton’s brother, who patterned his life after Kyle, will, upon hearing the news, throw himself from the church tower at Purdue. The obituary will read, “…he was a dead ringer for his brother.”

His backup, Chris Simms, will gradually lose all his internal organs during the season.

Brandon Marshall’s apparent longest touchdown of the season will be called back when referees realize that he didn’t catch the ball but instead caught Chris Simms left kidney.

The Raiders will still finish last in the division.

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