Greatest Rbs ever, #17, #16, #15...
So now we are moving up the ladder and as we go forth, there are likely to be some names you know quite well, and some that you may not remember…depending on your age.
But if anything, what I hoped to have proven by now is that the top running backs of the NFL are not all within the last 10 years. I think any bar room debate on this would usually favor the current players or those who have retired in the last 5 years or so, but when you REALLY sit down to think about it, the history of the NFL has produced a lot of very, very good running backs.
Already we have identified great running backs from today on back to the 40’s and all in between. At first I figured that only those in the last 20 years would dominate the list but I have slowly found that there is so much history to this game, that I have only touched part of it. Believe me, I am finding a new respect for guys like Bronco Nagurski, Steve Van Buren and Lenny Moore.
Now, to make a correction, I mentioned in the previous blog on the greatest ever identified #20, #19 and #18. I accidentally mentioned #18 twice, those being Lenny Moore and Bronco Nagurski. Even though they were tied with 37 points, I gave the nod slightly to Bronco because of team accomplishments.
Now, let’s continue with the countdown….
#17 Larry Csonka 38 points
Well…how many running backs do YOU know that played on a perfect team? Any guy that can win two Superbowls, get Superbowl MVP and play on a perfect team, well, he’s GOTTA be on this list. Larry Csonka was one of those tough nosed players that was an incredible piece to the Miami Dolphins and their Superbowl runs. A lot of stats may have changed since Larry Csonka has left the game in 1979, but his greatness still remains. Quite worth of this list.
Why not higher? If this poll was done about 10 years ago or so, Larry would certainly be higher. The strong case for Larry Csonka is his championship rings. Few running backs get the chance to win a Superbowl, let alone win two. As great as Larry Csonka was, the weak point in the formula for him was the individual stats. Larry was not on the top 30 in rushing yards or touchdowns, but was barely on the list with the yards per carry.
Why on the list? Superbowl champs should always be on the list, and two-time Superbowl champs should be up here as well. Larry Csonka is legendary for being on the perfect team, and although some teams have had a perfect regular season record (Patriots), no one has a perfect season…except the Dolphins, thanks in part to Larry Csonka.
#16 Tony Dorsett 39 points
If you run a short list of Superbowl Champion Running Backs, how can you NOT add this name. Anybody who calls themselves a Cowboys fan knows this cat, and he OUGHT to get a free pass to any Dallas Cowboy game. Tony Dorsett was (is) one of the most decorated running backs of football history. You’re not going to get a lot of arguments from die-hard football fans about this one, Tony is one of the best. It’s ironic that his season ended with the team he helped Dallas beat in the Superbowl…the Denver Broncos.
Why not higher? Within 3 points up or down of my list, there are 6 other guys who are great. Tony Dorsett ranks about half of them because not only does he have Superbowl Championship experience, he also has individual stats that still stand today. He’s on the high end of rushing yards, he ranks high on touchdowns and is on the top 30 for yards per carry. He also has individual awards as well. While he does not have as many individual awards like OJ Simpson or Larry Csonka, he has much more post season experience than the Juice and many more individual stat points than Csonka.
Why on the list? Well, if you gotta ask, you don’t know football. In fact, Tony Dorsett is on the list because of his greatness, but at the same time, he is in a tie with the next guy. You don’t have to win 5 Superbowls or be MVP every year to be great… but he is on the list because he has been one of the best ever.
#15 Paul Hornung: 39 points
A tie yes, but I give the nod to Paul. Even four decades later, there is such greatness dripping from this legend that he MUST be on this list. Before there was a Superbowl, Paul Hornung was winning championships. He was there in the pre-Superbowl era, as well as being there at the very first Superbowl. Before there were great legends in Green Bay like Brett Farve and Reggie White, there was, and apparently will ALWAYS be, Paul Hornung.
Why not higher? I mentioned that Paul Hornung and Tony Dorsett were even at 39 points. Technically that is a tie, but I give the nod to Paul because of his team accomplishments. He scores incredibly high in this element because he has a Superbowl rings and NFC championships…remember, this was before there WAS a Superbowl. But for all his team accomplishments, the era adjustment takes off from his greatness and his individual stats are very low.
Why on the list? You don’t get two Superbowl rings and Conference Championships AND become a legend in Green Bay Packer history and NOT make this list. He edges out Tony Dorsett because of his team accomplishments, but there are other running backs that are even greater than Paul Hornung. He’s great, no doubt about that, but not quite THE greatest.
So this takes us inside the top 15 of all time, now we start edging closer as we continue the countdown. Before I go, I wanted to share another very good running back that did not make the greatest short list and why.
Gale Sayers: 13 points
This one actually hurts my feelings. A couple of days ago I was watching Monday Night Football and Gale Sayers was in the stands. When I first started reading about football, this was perhaps the GREATEST running back I never saw play. He was before my time, but he was one of two backs that I never saw play, but greatly admired.
But why is he not on the list? Surely he is one of the greatest backs of all time? This is what bothers me, because I had to leave my favorites behind and run each player through my formula the same way.
When I did, I first had to award points for team accomplishments…that was the first problem. As great as Gale Sayers was, his teams never really accomplished much when it mattered. Remember, a great running back makes his team great. I could not award any points for the team accomplishment element.
When it came to individual stats, there was a slight problem too. Remember, Gale Sayers played for only 6 years, and had just under 5000 yards in his career. That alone puts him near the bottom of all 60+ running backs I tested. So he was not on the top 30 for touchdowns or yards all time, but had the best yards per carry of them all, so he got out of a possible 30 points in the individual stats department, a total of 10.
In the Individual awards element, he got 6 points total for his pro-bowls and Rookie of the Year, but lost 3 points because of era adjustment (retired 1971). In the end, he just didn’t have enough points to put him on my list.
I gotta tell you, I was half tempted to change the formula, but to do that would not be fair to what I set out to do. Gale Sayers in on my short list of FAVORITE running backs ever, but I am trying to share the GREATEST running backs ever. And unfortunately on my list, he was not up there.
Don’t take that as an insult to his or anyone else’s greatness, it was just that I had to narrow the field down to 25, and he was not up there. He’s still a legend to me, as well as everybody in Chicago who knows the Bears history.
Oh well, we’ll pick it up next time, hope you will continue to follow along….
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
And then there were...EIGHTEEN???
And then there were…EIGHTEEN???
Before I really took a look at the standings, I thought there might be like 4 or 5 teams left undefeated in Division I (yeah that’s right I said Division I). But on further review, I found that there were a dozen and a half undefeated teams remaining out of 119 Division I schools. That is pretty amazing after 3 or 4 games, but we know it can’t possibly continue…right?
Well of course it can’t continue. Some of these teams have to play one another, so there will be a lot of teams getting their first loss very soon. I personally will be surprised if there are more than 6 teams undefeated after the next two weeks.
So if you don’t mind, allow me to share with you those (temporarily) lucky undefeated teams, and what their possible fates may be:
Well, we can’t start in the ACC because there ARE no undefeated teams, so we have to bounce to the Big 12. There are currently 5 teams that are undefeated, so this is going to get really interesting. This means that at BEST, only one team can walk out undefeated. That team will very likely be playing for the BCS Championship…but only if they go undefeated.
Right now it might appear that Missouri is in the driver’s seat in the North Division. They are the only undefeated team in that division, and are highly ranked on the polls. They won their biggest game of they year (thus far) against then ranked #20 Illinois, and then feasted on a few teams that we cannot utter in this paragraph….
Are they for real?
Well, this is a very quality team, and I actually liked watching them last year. But you have to ask, can they run the tables in their division? Consider that Oklahoma is NOT in their division…nor on the regular season schedule. Consider that their two losses came from this very team…and you gotta wonder… I mean, if you take out Oklahoma, this team mopped up the rest of the conference that they played by an AVERAGE of three touchdowns…that smells like dominance.
Unless Missouri gets too caught up in their own press clippings, I can see them going undefeated until they get to the Big 12 Championship…and well, where does the second place team of the Big 12 go in the bowls…Cotton? Or maybe they will be slotted as one of the at large BCS bowl bids….
That means that I am implying that the winner of the South Division is going to take the Big 12 Championship. But I might argue that this division is harder than the other, because of Oklahoma and Texas. Yes I know that Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are both undefeated as well, but let’s look at that…
Oklahoma State has 4 wins against teams that won’t really factor into the BCS, but a couple of those teams were quality wins. To make the nation see what these Cowboys are about, they have set up the gauntlet of doom, with games against 4 of the current top 10 teams…I am sorry, but a team that won 7 games last year cannot possibly survive this…this is just too brutal.
Texas Tech was one of those teams that delivered points like Dominoes Pizza. Hot and fresh…and frequent. I used to look for Texas Tech on the schedule to see if our area would show them. If you ever need to find a high scoring team, this is your best bet. Heck they even beat Oklahoma last year, so they got some punch in them. Problem was they lost 4 games, to Oklahoma State, Missouri, Colorado and Texas A&M
This division is too strong, and as much as I like these guys, they can’t sweep.
So that leaves the two heavyweights, Texas and Oklahoma. And OH what a time it will be in two weeks when they meet up, Sooner to Longhorn. Could we be looking at the winner taking their place as one half of the BCS Championship? If they go undefeated, that is guaranteed. But one may wonder if Texas is slipping a bit. I mean, last year they lost 2 home games. You can’t be a National Champion with home losses…especially 2 of them.
Oklahoma lost 3 games last year, one to West Virginia, one to Texas Tech and one to Colorado…proving that the Big 12 is pretty tough top to bottom. But what have we really seen of these two powerhouses? Well, we know that whatever the score is with Texas, they are likely going to score 52 points…well, they did 3 of the 4 games this year. And we know that Oklahoma has a quality win over TCU. It’s possible that barring injuries, the home team may have the slightest of advantages…very slight.
But can any team in the Big 12 go undefeated? If you go by last year, that answer is simple…NO.
The Big East currently has 2 undefeated teams, Connecticut and South Florida. When was the last time a Big East team competed seriously for the National Title? Been awhile, hasn’t it?
I will certainly give credit to those Huskies, they have brought a football program from almost nowhere to one that you better pay attention to. I even wondered if their early win streaks were kinda…soft. But a brawling battle vs. Louisville showed that this team is indeed worthy to be mentioned amongst the top 25, and at 5-0, you better listen.
But this came at a terrible cost. With the starting QB and Tight End with Broken bones, this team will certainly limp to the finish, and to win it all, you cannot limp. And with 4 of the next 6 games on the road, this is not going to be easy. Granted the Big East isn’t gonna scare anybody in the top 15, but they will likely beat each other up. Can Connecticut go undefeated? Even healthy that answer is no, so the answer after major injuries does not change.
So surely South Florida is in the driver’s seat, right? An impressive win over ranked Kansas and a win vs. an NC State team at home who just came off a huge upset over ECU. South Florida was ALMOST the darlings of the NCAA, rising as high as #2...but could not handle the pressure.
But the Big East has a lot of question marks this year, and it seems that the healthiest team can get through this almost unscathed. Louisville isn’t showing much so far, Rutgers seems to be on a down year, Uconn has major injuries and people still wondering about Pittsburgh, this South Florida team just MIGHT be a team that can go undefeated…but are they ready to do that? Hard to say.
In the Big 10, who woulda thought that Northwestern would be undefeated? I know one of the guys on PTI (one of my favorite shows on television) is a Northwestern alum and is probably clicking his heels. But don’t dance too long, this ride will end soon.
Of all of the current undefeated teams, Northwestern is the greatest pick to NOT finish undefeated. It is going to be VERY hard for this team to go undefeated considering their past and the competition of the Big 10. I think this balloon will deflate quickly once the hole is punched.
It’s odd that Northwestern won’t be playing the other undefeated team in Penn State. And to me, this is a feel-good story. Only a couple of years ago the idiots that work in the media was running stories that Joe Paterno should retire. What gives these idiots the right to tell a man who is an institution to retire? I for one am very glad to see that Penn State is doing so well. If a man can coach, let him coach, stop being so prejudiced with his age!
But having said that, can this Penn State team go undefeated? No games are guaranteed in the Big 10, so these guys will have to “bring it” every weekend. I just think the competition is just too tough for anybody to clear out the conference. And they also have to play Ohio State, which may be a huge game for both sides. It’s gonna be tough for either of these two teams AND Ohio State to claw through this. We could be looking at the Rose Bowl contender, rather than BCS contender.
Conference USA once thought they had their best chance at the BCS with ECU, but those hopes came crashing down very quickly when ECU lost not one, but two games in a row. But the real deal in the conference is Tulsa. This team has scored 219 points in 4 games!!!!!
What is going on over there??
The sad fact for ECU is that they don’t have Tulsa on the schedule, so the only way they can try to avenge those two losses is to meet Tulsa in the Conference Championship. But by then it might not matter, Tulsa will have lost a game by then. Yes this team was very good last year, winning 10 games, but to be GREAT you have to clean up the conference AND win the conference championship, something this team did not do. I am not saying they are doomed to fail, they seem to be the best team in Conference USA, but they slipped to two foes last year, I expect it to happen again, at least once. Undefeated, not likely, but they’ve got one heck of a shot at it….
Few people talk about the Mid-American Conference because these teams don’t make any kinda noise when it comes to BCS crashing. But there is still an undefeated team there in Ball State. Nobody’s gonna put this team in the top 5, and the strength of schedule is going to cripple any chances of this team getting a BCS bowl, but IF this team can go undefeated, it might make enough waves for somebody to strongly consider putting them in a high profile bowl…I mean, everybody likes winners….
Nobody talked about the Mountain West Conference early this year, but you cannot ignore it now. Up until last week there were 3 undefeated teams, and TCU losing to Oklahoma dropped it to two. But you still have Utah and BYU both undefeated… and ranked.
Utah’s quality wins over Michigan and Air Force makes them legit, and they will meet BYU at the end of they year…the stakes could be monumental, but can they stay undefeated until then? It’s gonna be tough, but any team that can beat Michigan in their own home turf can certainly play well on the road…maybe they CAN go undefeated until…
Until BYU.
BYU is also undefeated because they beat up on two Pac 10 teams. They are now the new darlings of the NCAA, but I wonder if they can beat the other three teams of the conference. TCU was recently ranked, Air Force is not an easy game at all, and then there is Utah. I gotta tell ya, if I had to bet on EITHER Utah or BYU being undefeated by the time they meet…I might lean to Utah…
But BYU is most people’s bet to sweep and possibly get that invite to the BCS bowl. The Championship Bowl…not quite sure yet…
I’d talk about the undefeated teams in the Pac 10, but then…there are none…
But the SEC has several. But if you told me that on this date, that the two undefeated teams in the SEC East were Vanderbilt and Kentucky, instead of Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina OR Georgia, I would say my final prayers…the world would be coming to an end.
(he said, crossing fingers)
But yet this is the case in the SEC. After Georgia’s embarrassing defeat, only Vandy and Kentucky are undefeated in the conference. But with the competition there so tough, there is no way either of these teams are going to sweep. It is already a credit that they have perfect records thus far, but I think by the end of the season, these two teams might be back near the bottom…this division is just too strong.
In the West, you have Alabama and LSU… well, we KNOW they gotta play each other, so one will lose. But I just kinda wonder if Alabama has been given too much credit. I mean, they beat then #9 Clemson…and where are those Tigers now? They beat Georgia, and I won’t take anything away from that, yet you still wonder how people can say they are the best team in the nation other than Oklahoma? I don’t see it. A 7-6 team flipping to an undefeated team in one year…I don’t see it. They might finish well, but undefeated, no.
Can the same be said of LSU? This is tough because we all know the SEC is extremely tough. And with a very hard game vs. Florida, we will see who is really the force to be reckoned with. It’s just too hard to come out undefeated in the SEC, but if there is any team with a chance, I have to nod to LSU. If so, look for them in the BCS Championship.
And then, there’s the Smurfs….
In the WAC Conference, Boise State is undefeated and possibly poised to make another run at the BCS bowls. Beating then ranked #17 Oregon was proof that this is no average team. Boise State has shook the world before, and they are in a position to do it again. If Hawaii was the power of last year, it would actually help Boise State because they need every quality win they can get. But the WAC is very weak, and the strength of schedule will rip them apart when it matters. But an undefeated team cannot be ignored, and they WILL be in the BCS bowls. But one loss, no matter to whom, will destroy any hopes of that.
So, my picks for the National Championship? Easy.
Syracuse vs. Duke
WHAT???
Oh, sorry about that, just had a brain fart… I better go take a nap…
Before I really took a look at the standings, I thought there might be like 4 or 5 teams left undefeated in Division I (yeah that’s right I said Division I). But on further review, I found that there were a dozen and a half undefeated teams remaining out of 119 Division I schools. That is pretty amazing after 3 or 4 games, but we know it can’t possibly continue…right?
Well of course it can’t continue. Some of these teams have to play one another, so there will be a lot of teams getting their first loss very soon. I personally will be surprised if there are more than 6 teams undefeated after the next two weeks.
So if you don’t mind, allow me to share with you those (temporarily) lucky undefeated teams, and what their possible fates may be:
Well, we can’t start in the ACC because there ARE no undefeated teams, so we have to bounce to the Big 12. There are currently 5 teams that are undefeated, so this is going to get really interesting. This means that at BEST, only one team can walk out undefeated. That team will very likely be playing for the BCS Championship…but only if they go undefeated.
Right now it might appear that Missouri is in the driver’s seat in the North Division. They are the only undefeated team in that division, and are highly ranked on the polls. They won their biggest game of they year (thus far) against then ranked #20 Illinois, and then feasted on a few teams that we cannot utter in this paragraph….
Are they for real?
Well, this is a very quality team, and I actually liked watching them last year. But you have to ask, can they run the tables in their division? Consider that Oklahoma is NOT in their division…nor on the regular season schedule. Consider that their two losses came from this very team…and you gotta wonder… I mean, if you take out Oklahoma, this team mopped up the rest of the conference that they played by an AVERAGE of three touchdowns…that smells like dominance.
Unless Missouri gets too caught up in their own press clippings, I can see them going undefeated until they get to the Big 12 Championship…and well, where does the second place team of the Big 12 go in the bowls…Cotton? Or maybe they will be slotted as one of the at large BCS bowl bids….
That means that I am implying that the winner of the South Division is going to take the Big 12 Championship. But I might argue that this division is harder than the other, because of Oklahoma and Texas. Yes I know that Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are both undefeated as well, but let’s look at that…
Oklahoma State has 4 wins against teams that won’t really factor into the BCS, but a couple of those teams were quality wins. To make the nation see what these Cowboys are about, they have set up the gauntlet of doom, with games against 4 of the current top 10 teams…I am sorry, but a team that won 7 games last year cannot possibly survive this…this is just too brutal.
Texas Tech was one of those teams that delivered points like Dominoes Pizza. Hot and fresh…and frequent. I used to look for Texas Tech on the schedule to see if our area would show them. If you ever need to find a high scoring team, this is your best bet. Heck they even beat Oklahoma last year, so they got some punch in them. Problem was they lost 4 games, to Oklahoma State, Missouri, Colorado and Texas A&M
This division is too strong, and as much as I like these guys, they can’t sweep.
So that leaves the two heavyweights, Texas and Oklahoma. And OH what a time it will be in two weeks when they meet up, Sooner to Longhorn. Could we be looking at the winner taking their place as one half of the BCS Championship? If they go undefeated, that is guaranteed. But one may wonder if Texas is slipping a bit. I mean, last year they lost 2 home games. You can’t be a National Champion with home losses…especially 2 of them.
Oklahoma lost 3 games last year, one to West Virginia, one to Texas Tech and one to Colorado…proving that the Big 12 is pretty tough top to bottom. But what have we really seen of these two powerhouses? Well, we know that whatever the score is with Texas, they are likely going to score 52 points…well, they did 3 of the 4 games this year. And we know that Oklahoma has a quality win over TCU. It’s possible that barring injuries, the home team may have the slightest of advantages…very slight.
But can any team in the Big 12 go undefeated? If you go by last year, that answer is simple…NO.
The Big East currently has 2 undefeated teams, Connecticut and South Florida. When was the last time a Big East team competed seriously for the National Title? Been awhile, hasn’t it?
I will certainly give credit to those Huskies, they have brought a football program from almost nowhere to one that you better pay attention to. I even wondered if their early win streaks were kinda…soft. But a brawling battle vs. Louisville showed that this team is indeed worthy to be mentioned amongst the top 25, and at 5-0, you better listen.
But this came at a terrible cost. With the starting QB and Tight End with Broken bones, this team will certainly limp to the finish, and to win it all, you cannot limp. And with 4 of the next 6 games on the road, this is not going to be easy. Granted the Big East isn’t gonna scare anybody in the top 15, but they will likely beat each other up. Can Connecticut go undefeated? Even healthy that answer is no, so the answer after major injuries does not change.
So surely South Florida is in the driver’s seat, right? An impressive win over ranked Kansas and a win vs. an NC State team at home who just came off a huge upset over ECU. South Florida was ALMOST the darlings of the NCAA, rising as high as #2...but could not handle the pressure.
But the Big East has a lot of question marks this year, and it seems that the healthiest team can get through this almost unscathed. Louisville isn’t showing much so far, Rutgers seems to be on a down year, Uconn has major injuries and people still wondering about Pittsburgh, this South Florida team just MIGHT be a team that can go undefeated…but are they ready to do that? Hard to say.
In the Big 10, who woulda thought that Northwestern would be undefeated? I know one of the guys on PTI (one of my favorite shows on television) is a Northwestern alum and is probably clicking his heels. But don’t dance too long, this ride will end soon.
Of all of the current undefeated teams, Northwestern is the greatest pick to NOT finish undefeated. It is going to be VERY hard for this team to go undefeated considering their past and the competition of the Big 10. I think this balloon will deflate quickly once the hole is punched.
It’s odd that Northwestern won’t be playing the other undefeated team in Penn State. And to me, this is a feel-good story. Only a couple of years ago the idiots that work in the media was running stories that Joe Paterno should retire. What gives these idiots the right to tell a man who is an institution to retire? I for one am very glad to see that Penn State is doing so well. If a man can coach, let him coach, stop being so prejudiced with his age!
But having said that, can this Penn State team go undefeated? No games are guaranteed in the Big 10, so these guys will have to “bring it” every weekend. I just think the competition is just too tough for anybody to clear out the conference. And they also have to play Ohio State, which may be a huge game for both sides. It’s gonna be tough for either of these two teams AND Ohio State to claw through this. We could be looking at the Rose Bowl contender, rather than BCS contender.
Conference USA once thought they had their best chance at the BCS with ECU, but those hopes came crashing down very quickly when ECU lost not one, but two games in a row. But the real deal in the conference is Tulsa. This team has scored 219 points in 4 games!!!!!
What is going on over there??
The sad fact for ECU is that they don’t have Tulsa on the schedule, so the only way they can try to avenge those two losses is to meet Tulsa in the Conference Championship. But by then it might not matter, Tulsa will have lost a game by then. Yes this team was very good last year, winning 10 games, but to be GREAT you have to clean up the conference AND win the conference championship, something this team did not do. I am not saying they are doomed to fail, they seem to be the best team in Conference USA, but they slipped to two foes last year, I expect it to happen again, at least once. Undefeated, not likely, but they’ve got one heck of a shot at it….
Few people talk about the Mid-American Conference because these teams don’t make any kinda noise when it comes to BCS crashing. But there is still an undefeated team there in Ball State. Nobody’s gonna put this team in the top 5, and the strength of schedule is going to cripple any chances of this team getting a BCS bowl, but IF this team can go undefeated, it might make enough waves for somebody to strongly consider putting them in a high profile bowl…I mean, everybody likes winners….
Nobody talked about the Mountain West Conference early this year, but you cannot ignore it now. Up until last week there were 3 undefeated teams, and TCU losing to Oklahoma dropped it to two. But you still have Utah and BYU both undefeated… and ranked.
Utah’s quality wins over Michigan and Air Force makes them legit, and they will meet BYU at the end of they year…the stakes could be monumental, but can they stay undefeated until then? It’s gonna be tough, but any team that can beat Michigan in their own home turf can certainly play well on the road…maybe they CAN go undefeated until…
Until BYU.
BYU is also undefeated because they beat up on two Pac 10 teams. They are now the new darlings of the NCAA, but I wonder if they can beat the other three teams of the conference. TCU was recently ranked, Air Force is not an easy game at all, and then there is Utah. I gotta tell ya, if I had to bet on EITHER Utah or BYU being undefeated by the time they meet…I might lean to Utah…
But BYU is most people’s bet to sweep and possibly get that invite to the BCS bowl. The Championship Bowl…not quite sure yet…
I’d talk about the undefeated teams in the Pac 10, but then…there are none…
But the SEC has several. But if you told me that on this date, that the two undefeated teams in the SEC East were Vanderbilt and Kentucky, instead of Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina OR Georgia, I would say my final prayers…the world would be coming to an end.
(he said, crossing fingers)
But yet this is the case in the SEC. After Georgia’s embarrassing defeat, only Vandy and Kentucky are undefeated in the conference. But with the competition there so tough, there is no way either of these teams are going to sweep. It is already a credit that they have perfect records thus far, but I think by the end of the season, these two teams might be back near the bottom…this division is just too strong.
In the West, you have Alabama and LSU… well, we KNOW they gotta play each other, so one will lose. But I just kinda wonder if Alabama has been given too much credit. I mean, they beat then #9 Clemson…and where are those Tigers now? They beat Georgia, and I won’t take anything away from that, yet you still wonder how people can say they are the best team in the nation other than Oklahoma? I don’t see it. A 7-6 team flipping to an undefeated team in one year…I don’t see it. They might finish well, but undefeated, no.
Can the same be said of LSU? This is tough because we all know the SEC is extremely tough. And with a very hard game vs. Florida, we will see who is really the force to be reckoned with. It’s just too hard to come out undefeated in the SEC, but if there is any team with a chance, I have to nod to LSU. If so, look for them in the BCS Championship.
And then, there’s the Smurfs….
In the WAC Conference, Boise State is undefeated and possibly poised to make another run at the BCS bowls. Beating then ranked #17 Oregon was proof that this is no average team. Boise State has shook the world before, and they are in a position to do it again. If Hawaii was the power of last year, it would actually help Boise State because they need every quality win they can get. But the WAC is very weak, and the strength of schedule will rip them apart when it matters. But an undefeated team cannot be ignored, and they WILL be in the BCS bowls. But one loss, no matter to whom, will destroy any hopes of that.
So, my picks for the National Championship? Easy.
Syracuse vs. Duke
WHAT???
Oh, sorry about that, just had a brain fart… I better go take a nap…
Monday, September 29, 2008
Greatest RBs ever...#20, #19, #18...
Greatest Rbs ever…#20, #19, #18...
Ok, so now we are starting to get some speed going here.
I am counting down my top Running Backs in the history of the NFL, working my way from #25 on up to the best EVER. I am using a formula that rewards points to a great back in three major elements; Team Accomplishments, Individual Stats and Individual Awards. Each of those elements have certain characteristics that determine how great a running back really is. And each is, in my opinion, quite legit.
As I said before, great running backs make their teams great. This would show in the success of the team. Remember, this is a team sport. But there is also great credibility in individual stats. If a guy is great, he should be somewhere in the top 30 in either yards, touchdowns or yards per carry amongst his running back peers. And greatness is always rewarded by individual awards, which further prove how superior an athlete this player is. These three elements can determine the greatness of a running back…and also determine the GREATEST.
But I also added in an adjustment. I call it “era adjustment” which actually subtracts one point for every decade the back has been away from the game. I subtract one point for every decade after 2000. So if a back retires in 2003, he loses no points. If he retired in 1996, he loses one point, if he retired in 1988, he loses 2 points, and so on. I do this because there must be a control that says that NFL players today are better than those of the past. I know many have their favorites, but as time goes along, even our favorite players can be surpassed.
So, let’s continue with the countdown, ok?
#20 O.J. Simpson: 33 points
When I was a kid, and had no interest in football (yet) I had heard of “The Juice”. I remember when I started getting fascinated in football stats, and read about how this guy, O.J Simpson, was so great and was nearly unstoppable with the Buffalo Bills. For a lot of people, including some of the great players today, this man was an icon to the sport. Never mind what has happened more recently with him, when Simpson played in the NFL, there was very little doubt who was the better player. He gave hope to a team that could not get him to the promised land, but even some of the best defenses of the day feared playing against this man. Anybody that can rush for over 2000 yards in ONE season has GOT to be good.
Why not higher? The one thing that separates O.J. Simpson from being higher on the list is the team accomplishments. The Buffalo Bills never got to the Superbowl in his career, and Simpson ended up going to the 49ers to finish his career. Ironically, not too long after that, both teams met in the Superbowl. I remember that because O.J. Simpson was one of the guys that came to flip the coin, and wore a special jacket that has the Bills on one side, and the 49ers on the other…very cool. But Simpson also lost points due to era adjustment. According to my list, even if he had not lost points in era adjustment, it would not have changed his position. If the Bills had made a better run at the Superbowl, it certainly would have made him greater.
Why on the list? Because O.J. Simpson was great when he played, and some of his greatness still lingers. This is a testament when a player can be out of football as long as he was, and still this high on the all time list. Most of his points came from his individual awards, and he is still ranked high in yards per carry and total yards. In comparison, I know John Riggins at #21 had better team accomplishments, and both he and O.J. Simpson were even in my individual stats element, but Simpson scored more than twice as many points in the individual awards as Riggins. By the narrowest of margins, Simpson is better.
#19 Lenny Moore: 37 points
As a number of you are scratching your heads, wondering who this Lenny cat is, I can feel your confusion. When I looked at a list of running backs, and saw this one, I wasn’t too sure either. But for the sake of being fair, I ran it through my formula. Surely some dude who played in the 50’s and 60’s can’t be on the top 25 list right? Wrong! If the great Johnny U liked him, there had to be a reason. Lenny Moore was a champion with the Baltimore Colts and STILL has one of the best rushing averages today, after all these years. It’s funny that he is tied with 37 points with another “old timer” (said with respect).
Why not higher? If I did not have the era adjustment, Lenny Moore would very well be higher in the rankings…several spaces higher. But since he left the game in 1967, he lost 4 points in era adjustment…one for each decade. He’s not on the top 30 in total yards or rushing touchdowns, but his yards per carry is incredible. It is very amazing to see greatness in a player that was so long ago, before I was even born, but it is certainly a credit to his skill.
Why on the list? Lenny Moore is one of those guys that proves that a great player makes his team great. We know this because he helped the Colts win the NFL Championship twice. I mentioned already that he has a very high yards per average, and his individual awards include a 7 time Pro-Bowl player. He’s on this list because he deserves to be on this list.
#19 Bronco Nagurski: 37 points
This was perhaps the first “big man” of the running backs. A 6 foot 2 inch man at 235 pounds playing back in the 30’s and 40’s was like a Sherman tank plowing through a field of wheat. Bronco Nagurski was one of THE best players in the game. Long before there was a Superbowl, he was helping the Chicago Bears win NFL Championships and Division titles. If you ever dare to speak about legendary running backs, don’t ever forget to mention this name….Bronco Nagurski.
Why not higher? I actually almost FORGOT to add him to my list, and near the end of my rankings I decided to find some of the older players and see how they would fare. I am embarrassed to have forgotten (for a moment) this guy. But you also see that he has the same number of points as Lenny Moore. But I put Bronco Nagurski a shade higher because his team accomplishment points is way up there at 40. He clearly made his team great, and that cannot be ignored. But he also loses 6 points for era adjustment, since he retired in 1943. There weren’t a lot of awards given back in his day either, but if there were, he would certainly be higher.
Why on the list? Champions make this list and multiple champions should be almost guaranteed to be amongst the greatest if they were a solid foundation to the success of the team. Bronco Nagurski was that force for the Bears and was almost a freak of nature at that time. He was bigger than most of the defensive players and could swat them like annoying flies. When you’re that great, you deserve to be on this list.
Ok, that updates you a few more spots up, so I hope you guys can keep checking in to see how this turns out. As I said before, this ranking is very relative, and will easily change with time. This is my rankings as of 2008, between September and October of this year. But if done at any other time, this would have been different.
You see, when we make polls of “all time” we say that as if what was said today will ALWAYS be that way. This isn’t true at all. Case in point, if I had done this “Greatest Running Back EVER” back in 1978, in stead of 2008, this poll would be MUCH different.
If so, then Red Grange, whom I gave 18 points to, would technically have at least 21 points. And there are at LEAST 13 guys on my rankings that would not even be on this list…they’d be either unborn or crawling around in diapers or in grade school. Of the guys already mentioned on my list, Ladainain Tomlinson would not be there, neither would Shaun Alexander, and Ottis Anderson. Larry Csonka and O.J. Simpson would be near the ends of their careers and John Riggins would be in his prime. The top 25 would be VERY different in 1978 than it is now.
And in the same way, I can imagine that by 2018 this list would be very different. Some of these guys that are very low on my rankings are a point or two from being bumped off the top 25. Some of the current running backs in the NFL are a Superbowl or conference championship away from vaulting many points. As I said before, if LT was to win a Superbowl this year, or before he retires, he’d likely jump 8 spaces at least.
So this certainly isn’t the end all of the debate, I just enjoy the sport enough to spend time talking about it. So until the next blog on this debate, keep thinking of who is really the best running back EVER.
Ok, so now we are starting to get some speed going here.
I am counting down my top Running Backs in the history of the NFL, working my way from #25 on up to the best EVER. I am using a formula that rewards points to a great back in three major elements; Team Accomplishments, Individual Stats and Individual Awards. Each of those elements have certain characteristics that determine how great a running back really is. And each is, in my opinion, quite legit.
As I said before, great running backs make their teams great. This would show in the success of the team. Remember, this is a team sport. But there is also great credibility in individual stats. If a guy is great, he should be somewhere in the top 30 in either yards, touchdowns or yards per carry amongst his running back peers. And greatness is always rewarded by individual awards, which further prove how superior an athlete this player is. These three elements can determine the greatness of a running back…and also determine the GREATEST.
But I also added in an adjustment. I call it “era adjustment” which actually subtracts one point for every decade the back has been away from the game. I subtract one point for every decade after 2000. So if a back retires in 2003, he loses no points. If he retired in 1996, he loses one point, if he retired in 1988, he loses 2 points, and so on. I do this because there must be a control that says that NFL players today are better than those of the past. I know many have their favorites, but as time goes along, even our favorite players can be surpassed.
So, let’s continue with the countdown, ok?
#20 O.J. Simpson: 33 points
When I was a kid, and had no interest in football (yet) I had heard of “The Juice”. I remember when I started getting fascinated in football stats, and read about how this guy, O.J Simpson, was so great and was nearly unstoppable with the Buffalo Bills. For a lot of people, including some of the great players today, this man was an icon to the sport. Never mind what has happened more recently with him, when Simpson played in the NFL, there was very little doubt who was the better player. He gave hope to a team that could not get him to the promised land, but even some of the best defenses of the day feared playing against this man. Anybody that can rush for over 2000 yards in ONE season has GOT to be good.
Why not higher? The one thing that separates O.J. Simpson from being higher on the list is the team accomplishments. The Buffalo Bills never got to the Superbowl in his career, and Simpson ended up going to the 49ers to finish his career. Ironically, not too long after that, both teams met in the Superbowl. I remember that because O.J. Simpson was one of the guys that came to flip the coin, and wore a special jacket that has the Bills on one side, and the 49ers on the other…very cool. But Simpson also lost points due to era adjustment. According to my list, even if he had not lost points in era adjustment, it would not have changed his position. If the Bills had made a better run at the Superbowl, it certainly would have made him greater.
Why on the list? Because O.J. Simpson was great when he played, and some of his greatness still lingers. This is a testament when a player can be out of football as long as he was, and still this high on the all time list. Most of his points came from his individual awards, and he is still ranked high in yards per carry and total yards. In comparison, I know John Riggins at #21 had better team accomplishments, and both he and O.J. Simpson were even in my individual stats element, but Simpson scored more than twice as many points in the individual awards as Riggins. By the narrowest of margins, Simpson is better.
#19 Lenny Moore: 37 points
As a number of you are scratching your heads, wondering who this Lenny cat is, I can feel your confusion. When I looked at a list of running backs, and saw this one, I wasn’t too sure either. But for the sake of being fair, I ran it through my formula. Surely some dude who played in the 50’s and 60’s can’t be on the top 25 list right? Wrong! If the great Johnny U liked him, there had to be a reason. Lenny Moore was a champion with the Baltimore Colts and STILL has one of the best rushing averages today, after all these years. It’s funny that he is tied with 37 points with another “old timer” (said with respect).
Why not higher? If I did not have the era adjustment, Lenny Moore would very well be higher in the rankings…several spaces higher. But since he left the game in 1967, he lost 4 points in era adjustment…one for each decade. He’s not on the top 30 in total yards or rushing touchdowns, but his yards per carry is incredible. It is very amazing to see greatness in a player that was so long ago, before I was even born, but it is certainly a credit to his skill.
Why on the list? Lenny Moore is one of those guys that proves that a great player makes his team great. We know this because he helped the Colts win the NFL Championship twice. I mentioned already that he has a very high yards per average, and his individual awards include a 7 time Pro-Bowl player. He’s on this list because he deserves to be on this list.
#19 Bronco Nagurski: 37 points
This was perhaps the first “big man” of the running backs. A 6 foot 2 inch man at 235 pounds playing back in the 30’s and 40’s was like a Sherman tank plowing through a field of wheat. Bronco Nagurski was one of THE best players in the game. Long before there was a Superbowl, he was helping the Chicago Bears win NFL Championships and Division titles. If you ever dare to speak about legendary running backs, don’t ever forget to mention this name….Bronco Nagurski.
Why not higher? I actually almost FORGOT to add him to my list, and near the end of my rankings I decided to find some of the older players and see how they would fare. I am embarrassed to have forgotten (for a moment) this guy. But you also see that he has the same number of points as Lenny Moore. But I put Bronco Nagurski a shade higher because his team accomplishment points is way up there at 40. He clearly made his team great, and that cannot be ignored. But he also loses 6 points for era adjustment, since he retired in 1943. There weren’t a lot of awards given back in his day either, but if there were, he would certainly be higher.
Why on the list? Champions make this list and multiple champions should be almost guaranteed to be amongst the greatest if they were a solid foundation to the success of the team. Bronco Nagurski was that force for the Bears and was almost a freak of nature at that time. He was bigger than most of the defensive players and could swat them like annoying flies. When you’re that great, you deserve to be on this list.
Ok, that updates you a few more spots up, so I hope you guys can keep checking in to see how this turns out. As I said before, this ranking is very relative, and will easily change with time. This is my rankings as of 2008, between September and October of this year. But if done at any other time, this would have been different.
You see, when we make polls of “all time” we say that as if what was said today will ALWAYS be that way. This isn’t true at all. Case in point, if I had done this “Greatest Running Back EVER” back in 1978, in stead of 2008, this poll would be MUCH different.
If so, then Red Grange, whom I gave 18 points to, would technically have at least 21 points. And there are at LEAST 13 guys on my rankings that would not even be on this list…they’d be either unborn or crawling around in diapers or in grade school. Of the guys already mentioned on my list, Ladainain Tomlinson would not be there, neither would Shaun Alexander, and Ottis Anderson. Larry Csonka and O.J. Simpson would be near the ends of their careers and John Riggins would be in his prime. The top 25 would be VERY different in 1978 than it is now.
And in the same way, I can imagine that by 2018 this list would be very different. Some of these guys that are very low on my rankings are a point or two from being bumped off the top 25. Some of the current running backs in the NFL are a Superbowl or conference championship away from vaulting many points. As I said before, if LT was to win a Superbowl this year, or before he retires, he’d likely jump 8 spaces at least.
So this certainly isn’t the end all of the debate, I just enjoy the sport enough to spend time talking about it. So until the next blog on this debate, keep thinking of who is really the best running back EVER.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
College Football Touchdown Celebrations
The Celebration Penalties in College Football
I have been talking about this on a few blogs, now I get to rip up on this.
Saturday I was watching Virginia vs. Duke (and WOW, how bad is Virginia this year..) and was watching a play where a Duke player intercepts the ball and runs in for the touchdown.
As he’s headed to the end zone, the jumps like Superman (or a lame duck) and flies into the end zone. He is happy and is celebrating the touchdown, while the fans are going nuts and cheering. Everything looks celebratory…until he gets to the sideline.
As he flew in the end zone, the refs threw a flag for “celebration” and when the player from Duke got to the sidelines, he was met by a FURIOUS coach who ripped into him about what he did. No sooner than he finished, another coach lit up into him like a gas balloon in a forest fire. I watched as I swore that guy shrunk to about one foot high.
This has been an issue that the NCAA has been fighting for years…and personally I think these old farts are as blind as a bat when it comes to the issue of celebrations.
Personally speaking, I think the NCAA has done a horrible job trying to force these young kids to act like “solders” when they are playing a game. I think it really stinks that the NCAA feels that showing emotion and celebrating success is wrong to do.
But let’s not fool ourselves…it goes MUCH deeper than that. There is an absolute hypocrisy in how the NCAA lords over these kids…and let’s not lose sight of that. These are kids only 1-4 years removed from high school. I just find is a terrible injustice that the NCAA is on this crusade to “tame” these young men when they let BEER commercials run virtually every game they do. Think about that….college education and alcohol…..and the NCAA doesn’t seem to “get it”.
Anyway, here’s my argument about celebrations:
I base my argument on how sports are seen now in 2008...not in 1968 when your daddy was in school or gramps was strutting around in a suit and tie talking about some fraternity. We’re talking about 2008, and yet those in charge of the NCAA apparently don’t feel that young men who work their butts off in athletics deserve to celebrate every now and then.
There are a lot of comparisons here. First, let’s talk about college basketball. Of all the commentators that do basketball, WHO is the most exciting….
Dick Vitale!
Who is one of the most BORING…
Billy Packer.
I didn’t say Billy Packer was wrong, or bad at what he does, because he is quite informative, but there is a clear difference in the excitement he adds to a game, and what Gus Johnson adds to a game. I swear, Gus will sell you a game and have you on the edge of your seat if it is close. I actually LOOK for games that he is doing.
But that’s because college sports is about excitement, and you can’t have that without emotion.
In football it goes the same way. One of the better announcers I hear on television is Mark Jones because he understands the idea of celebrations, and I can fully appreciate that. This guy knows that those student athletes work their butt off every day in the extremities of the season, and fight and claw and do everything they can to help their team and university win. I have heard Mark Jones defend some celebration calls, and I agree with him 100%.
But one of the other commentators I have tried to avoid listening to is Mike Patrick. I really got turned off on him in how he seems to really degrade players that get flagged for “celebrations”. It just really seems in his mind that doing anything like that is, as he has been heard to say more than once, “just plain stupid”.
See, people like that are the same ones that believe that people ought to act like Barry Sanders, and just “act like you’ve been there”. These stuck up people want you to believe that there is no need or desire to celebrate or show emotion, because that is what you were “bred” to do.
And sure, using Barry Sanders is a nice comparison…but Emmitt Smith was a great running back too…and he showed emotion MANY times. So check and mate!
It really takes the fun out of college sports when some stuffy commentator feels like he has the right to sit on a soapbox and tell everybody that celebrating (in moderation) is wrong and NOBODY should do it.
Why does it just feel like the NCAA has a chain around the necks of these athletes and want to keep them in check? To me, the situation with Duke was disappointing…not for the player, but for the team. I don’t blame the kid, I blame the coaches who apparently don’t know what it’s like to see success…
But that makes perfect sense…it IS Duke football….
It’s like what one of the commentators said during that incident. He said that the coaches may be upset with that kid because he should have acted like they’ve been there before…problem was, that kid (and Duke) have NOT been there before.
And there is a great hypocrisy in the “celebrations”. The NCAA and the old stuffy refs like to throw those flags when players do it, but when the television stations put their promo package of the next upcoming game….what do you see?
The celebrations! Why? Because that is part of the pageantry of college sports. In fact, I recently bought a used game of NCAA 06 for the Playstation 2 (yeah, old yes, but it was 99 cents!). Can you guess who is on the COVER of that game?
Desmond Howard…doing the Heisman pose!
It is so ironic that the NCAA condemns any acts of celebration, but are very quick to profit off of it. If a player from Alabama did a dive into the end zone during that Georgia game, he would be flagged and penalized for it…but I promise you that move will be shown 100,000,000 times on ESPN, Fox Sports and every sports show in the nation. And the NCAA won’t condemn it one bit.
Hypocrisy.
But I do understand that there has to be some limitations. For example, we can’t have anybody out there doing a Thriller video in the end zone. That’s too much. But how do you cage in the emotions of a growing young man in a very aggressive sport? How do you tell a guy to “turn it off” when coaches teach them to always keep it on?
And what makes me sick is that many times you see these old refs who like to get in the face of the players the second they score. That makes me sick. A guy catches a 50 yard pass and runs into the end zone and almost as soon as he turns around to greet his teammates the ref is all in his grill (literally) trying to discourage this guy from doing anything.
That really ticks me off how these old-timers just ASSUME that when a player gets into the end zone, it’s time to do the Electric Slide! But you see, the problem with this goes a lot deeper than just “rules”, it goes into culture.
You may not like the culture of pop/hip hop/rap or other genres of music out now, but that does not mean you have to have a prejudice against it. And I think that is the problem. A lot of the refs are Caucasian and most of the players in college football are African American. What we are looking at is a chasm of differences and a huge lack of understanding.
I am a HUGE college football fan, and I watch almost any college game I can get on television. I have seen a lot of Historically Black College games and you almost NEVER see flags for celebration. I didn’t say they NEVER throw them, because that implies that athletes never go overboard. They do, but sometimes refs need to keep their yellow snot-rags in their pocket.
Are we saying that this has something to do with race…sure. But I may imply that it is more about the NCAA and refs who have no idea what true celebration is about in football, and can’t tell the difference between that and EXCESSIVE. See, that is where the problem is. An old 50 year old ref had no clue to what excessive is when you consider what a young athlete has to go through in day, week, season or a few years of extensive training in a highly competitive sport.
Most people may not argue that the “Flintstones” are a “safe” cartoon about a family that anybody can watch. But some might argue that there is too much violence in it. There is a difference of excessiveness. Some of the same people that like the “Flintstones” might think “The Simpsons” are too excessive. Others may not. Further still, those that might like “The Simpsons” might think “Family Guy” is too excessive. But all are cartoons about families. We just have different views of what we accept.
Isn’t it possible that a lot of these celebration penalties are based on the personal beliefs of the refs? Heaven forbid I’m playing in a big time college football game and find out that the refs calling the game hate hip hop. They’re likely to flag me just for bobbing my head!
And I guess the reason why this goes on like this is because generally speaking, the people in charge feel like these young men need chains around their necks. I mean, after all, football is a savage sport, and savage sports demand savage individuals. They need “taming” and they need to understand that their “way” of celebrating is wrong and not what the NCAA is about…
While CBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, FOX and all the other networks and media use every celebration shot they can find to promote the next game…and put money into NCAA’s pockets.
The celebration penalty has already cost at least one team a possible victory in Washington, it is a terrible injustice that is purely based on culture acceptance. If I hated everything about hip hop or rap, that prejudice is going to carry over to how I see young men react to celebratory situations. So to me, if I hated rap or hip hop, an African American scoring a touchdown is a red flag for me to either get in his face IMMEDIATELY and tell him to leave the field or get my yellow snot-rag ready to throw the second he does anything I don’t approve of.
So…what if a ref is an Atheist… would he flag a person who gets on his knees to give thanks? I mean, it IS a celebration, isn’t it? A guy who drops to his knees to give thanks to the Lord for the strength and agility to get to the end zone is no different from a guy who does the “raise the roof” when he scores. But guess who gets flagged?
The NFL once tried to put an end to these celebrations, which lead to a lot of people complaining about the No Fun League, and since then they have relaxed those rules a bit. I don’t mind throwing a flag when TO goes to get a Sharpie, or if Joe Horn slips a cell phone under the goal post, that is WAAAAAY too much and clearly excessive. But what happened to the Billy White Shoes Johnson dance? What’s up with that?
Celebrations in the end zone is as much a part of the emotion of sports as the guys that play them. And when you’re talking about college football, you’re talking about emotions on a huge scale. Hey, I’ve been there. I used to be a DJ at our campus radio station and I played dance music on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight. I went to some of those frat parties, heck I Djed some of them!
I know what it’s like to enjoy life and enjoy college, they say those are the best days of your life. But I also know how hard those guys work to make the team, and to stay on that team. I knew a lot of football players that worked so hard that their grades were a problem. These guys sacrifice a lot more than the average Joe could ever imagine.
These guys go through grueling practices that the average person would not DARE attempt, while also trying to keep his grades up so he does not fall into Academic Suspension. While I’m running around on campus writing for the school newspaper and working at the campus radio station, they are beating their brains out in practice. Teams have to keep a very, very tight grip on these young men, to “discipline” them and get them to focus. Days, weeks and months of this, to get these athletes to compete at their very best. So much emotion, desire, hope are locked in each heart of those football players, unleashed on that day when they play ball.
Everything they have been taught and drilled comes into play and in ONE shining moment, they get their chance to help the team, and they get into the end zone. But in the excitement of scoring, they may or may not have gone a little too far…and get penalized…
And then somebody like Mike Patrick has the nerve to say “that was just plain stupid”. You know the problem is that a lot of the commentators of sports never truly understood the true emotions of celebration, and how there is such a release of joy and success in that split second. It really takes the taste out of an otherwise enjoyable game.
Am I saying to allow ALL celebrations? Of course not. Some guys go too far, but there needs to be a very clear understanding of what is allowed. If a player scores and puts up a “B-Boy stance” they would throw the flag at him. I can see if he flipped off the fans or even spiked the ball, but what if he tossed the ball to the side…is THAT a penalty?
We know a few years ago guys used to take off their helmets when they scored, and the NCAA did away with that quickly, as did the NFL. You cannot remove your helmet while on the field of play. Ok, I get that. You established clearly what NOT to do, and the rule is clear. But the penalties today are often based on what the referee believes your intention was.
I don’t suppose the NCAA will ever truly look into this, because to me, as long as the chain is around the athlete’s necks, they can control them…it’s about controlling emotions, which really is against everything about college sports. You can’t eliminate it because it’s part of human nature. No, not every receiver who runs in the end zone is going to “act like a fool”. Some guys are easy going, like Barry Sanders. But others that are JUST AS TALENTED grew up with emotion and will display it from time to time, like Emmitt Smith.
College football is a game of emotions, just look at the fans that come to see it. It excites the young kids to the college students to the fans and alumni of those teams. From the young to the old, there is high emotion…how do you expect these players to NOT be able to enjoy the moment?
I personally think one of the best celebrations I ever seen to date was what Georgia did last year, when they ran out on the field after a touchdown. I think that was pure GENIOUS and that’s the kinda coach I would give my last breath for in a game. That kinda coach understand what emotions can do to help a team, and you don’t cage it like a wild animal.
Yeah, I know they lost to Alabama, but I still like what Georgia did.
Anyway, this could go a lot longer, but I better cut is short for now. I just think the NCAA is fooling themselves and live in a complete hypocrisy when they set out to punish young men who work hard and get a moment to enjoy their work. It’s so ironic that the NCAA will forbid those acts, but IF those same acts are done, they have no problem using that to promote the next game. I guarantee you, if there is any promotion packages with Duke Football, I BETCHA that dive in the end zone will be used…why? Because it is about emotion, which is what college football is all about.
So I’ll just keep watching college football and avoiding guys who are so out of touch that they still listen to Pat Boone, but will get all stuck up of somebody like Pat White of West Virginia did anything that even resembles “something stupid”.
They can’t possibly love football as much as I do…I love ALL of the college pageantry which includes the emotions of the game. They’re just there to get one of those big pay checks…not that I would refuse that myself, but that’s neither here nor there….
(as he looks around for coins to buy a soda)
Anyway, that’s my vent for today…there is a lot more I could say, but I’ll let it stand there for now….
I have been talking about this on a few blogs, now I get to rip up on this.
Saturday I was watching Virginia vs. Duke (and WOW, how bad is Virginia this year..) and was watching a play where a Duke player intercepts the ball and runs in for the touchdown.
As he’s headed to the end zone, the jumps like Superman (or a lame duck) and flies into the end zone. He is happy and is celebrating the touchdown, while the fans are going nuts and cheering. Everything looks celebratory…until he gets to the sideline.
As he flew in the end zone, the refs threw a flag for “celebration” and when the player from Duke got to the sidelines, he was met by a FURIOUS coach who ripped into him about what he did. No sooner than he finished, another coach lit up into him like a gas balloon in a forest fire. I watched as I swore that guy shrunk to about one foot high.
This has been an issue that the NCAA has been fighting for years…and personally I think these old farts are as blind as a bat when it comes to the issue of celebrations.
Personally speaking, I think the NCAA has done a horrible job trying to force these young kids to act like “solders” when they are playing a game. I think it really stinks that the NCAA feels that showing emotion and celebrating success is wrong to do.
But let’s not fool ourselves…it goes MUCH deeper than that. There is an absolute hypocrisy in how the NCAA lords over these kids…and let’s not lose sight of that. These are kids only 1-4 years removed from high school. I just find is a terrible injustice that the NCAA is on this crusade to “tame” these young men when they let BEER commercials run virtually every game they do. Think about that….college education and alcohol…..and the NCAA doesn’t seem to “get it”.
Anyway, here’s my argument about celebrations:
I base my argument on how sports are seen now in 2008...not in 1968 when your daddy was in school or gramps was strutting around in a suit and tie talking about some fraternity. We’re talking about 2008, and yet those in charge of the NCAA apparently don’t feel that young men who work their butts off in athletics deserve to celebrate every now and then.
There are a lot of comparisons here. First, let’s talk about college basketball. Of all the commentators that do basketball, WHO is the most exciting….
Dick Vitale!
Who is one of the most BORING…
Billy Packer.
I didn’t say Billy Packer was wrong, or bad at what he does, because he is quite informative, but there is a clear difference in the excitement he adds to a game, and what Gus Johnson adds to a game. I swear, Gus will sell you a game and have you on the edge of your seat if it is close. I actually LOOK for games that he is doing.
But that’s because college sports is about excitement, and you can’t have that without emotion.
In football it goes the same way. One of the better announcers I hear on television is Mark Jones because he understands the idea of celebrations, and I can fully appreciate that. This guy knows that those student athletes work their butt off every day in the extremities of the season, and fight and claw and do everything they can to help their team and university win. I have heard Mark Jones defend some celebration calls, and I agree with him 100%.
But one of the other commentators I have tried to avoid listening to is Mike Patrick. I really got turned off on him in how he seems to really degrade players that get flagged for “celebrations”. It just really seems in his mind that doing anything like that is, as he has been heard to say more than once, “just plain stupid”.
See, people like that are the same ones that believe that people ought to act like Barry Sanders, and just “act like you’ve been there”. These stuck up people want you to believe that there is no need or desire to celebrate or show emotion, because that is what you were “bred” to do.
And sure, using Barry Sanders is a nice comparison…but Emmitt Smith was a great running back too…and he showed emotion MANY times. So check and mate!
It really takes the fun out of college sports when some stuffy commentator feels like he has the right to sit on a soapbox and tell everybody that celebrating (in moderation) is wrong and NOBODY should do it.
Why does it just feel like the NCAA has a chain around the necks of these athletes and want to keep them in check? To me, the situation with Duke was disappointing…not for the player, but for the team. I don’t blame the kid, I blame the coaches who apparently don’t know what it’s like to see success…
But that makes perfect sense…it IS Duke football….
It’s like what one of the commentators said during that incident. He said that the coaches may be upset with that kid because he should have acted like they’ve been there before…problem was, that kid (and Duke) have NOT been there before.
And there is a great hypocrisy in the “celebrations”. The NCAA and the old stuffy refs like to throw those flags when players do it, but when the television stations put their promo package of the next upcoming game….what do you see?
The celebrations! Why? Because that is part of the pageantry of college sports. In fact, I recently bought a used game of NCAA 06 for the Playstation 2 (yeah, old yes, but it was 99 cents!). Can you guess who is on the COVER of that game?
Desmond Howard…doing the Heisman pose!
It is so ironic that the NCAA condemns any acts of celebration, but are very quick to profit off of it. If a player from Alabama did a dive into the end zone during that Georgia game, he would be flagged and penalized for it…but I promise you that move will be shown 100,000,000 times on ESPN, Fox Sports and every sports show in the nation. And the NCAA won’t condemn it one bit.
Hypocrisy.
But I do understand that there has to be some limitations. For example, we can’t have anybody out there doing a Thriller video in the end zone. That’s too much. But how do you cage in the emotions of a growing young man in a very aggressive sport? How do you tell a guy to “turn it off” when coaches teach them to always keep it on?
And what makes me sick is that many times you see these old refs who like to get in the face of the players the second they score. That makes me sick. A guy catches a 50 yard pass and runs into the end zone and almost as soon as he turns around to greet his teammates the ref is all in his grill (literally) trying to discourage this guy from doing anything.
That really ticks me off how these old-timers just ASSUME that when a player gets into the end zone, it’s time to do the Electric Slide! But you see, the problem with this goes a lot deeper than just “rules”, it goes into culture.
You may not like the culture of pop/hip hop/rap or other genres of music out now, but that does not mean you have to have a prejudice against it. And I think that is the problem. A lot of the refs are Caucasian and most of the players in college football are African American. What we are looking at is a chasm of differences and a huge lack of understanding.
I am a HUGE college football fan, and I watch almost any college game I can get on television. I have seen a lot of Historically Black College games and you almost NEVER see flags for celebration. I didn’t say they NEVER throw them, because that implies that athletes never go overboard. They do, but sometimes refs need to keep their yellow snot-rags in their pocket.
Are we saying that this has something to do with race…sure. But I may imply that it is more about the NCAA and refs who have no idea what true celebration is about in football, and can’t tell the difference between that and EXCESSIVE. See, that is where the problem is. An old 50 year old ref had no clue to what excessive is when you consider what a young athlete has to go through in day, week, season or a few years of extensive training in a highly competitive sport.
Most people may not argue that the “Flintstones” are a “safe” cartoon about a family that anybody can watch. But some might argue that there is too much violence in it. There is a difference of excessiveness. Some of the same people that like the “Flintstones” might think “The Simpsons” are too excessive. Others may not. Further still, those that might like “The Simpsons” might think “Family Guy” is too excessive. But all are cartoons about families. We just have different views of what we accept.
Isn’t it possible that a lot of these celebration penalties are based on the personal beliefs of the refs? Heaven forbid I’m playing in a big time college football game and find out that the refs calling the game hate hip hop. They’re likely to flag me just for bobbing my head!
And I guess the reason why this goes on like this is because generally speaking, the people in charge feel like these young men need chains around their necks. I mean, after all, football is a savage sport, and savage sports demand savage individuals. They need “taming” and they need to understand that their “way” of celebrating is wrong and not what the NCAA is about…
While CBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, FOX and all the other networks and media use every celebration shot they can find to promote the next game…and put money into NCAA’s pockets.
The celebration penalty has already cost at least one team a possible victory in Washington, it is a terrible injustice that is purely based on culture acceptance. If I hated everything about hip hop or rap, that prejudice is going to carry over to how I see young men react to celebratory situations. So to me, if I hated rap or hip hop, an African American scoring a touchdown is a red flag for me to either get in his face IMMEDIATELY and tell him to leave the field or get my yellow snot-rag ready to throw the second he does anything I don’t approve of.
So…what if a ref is an Atheist… would he flag a person who gets on his knees to give thanks? I mean, it IS a celebration, isn’t it? A guy who drops to his knees to give thanks to the Lord for the strength and agility to get to the end zone is no different from a guy who does the “raise the roof” when he scores. But guess who gets flagged?
The NFL once tried to put an end to these celebrations, which lead to a lot of people complaining about the No Fun League, and since then they have relaxed those rules a bit. I don’t mind throwing a flag when TO goes to get a Sharpie, or if Joe Horn slips a cell phone under the goal post, that is WAAAAAY too much and clearly excessive. But what happened to the Billy White Shoes Johnson dance? What’s up with that?
Celebrations in the end zone is as much a part of the emotion of sports as the guys that play them. And when you’re talking about college football, you’re talking about emotions on a huge scale. Hey, I’ve been there. I used to be a DJ at our campus radio station and I played dance music on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight. I went to some of those frat parties, heck I Djed some of them!
I know what it’s like to enjoy life and enjoy college, they say those are the best days of your life. But I also know how hard those guys work to make the team, and to stay on that team. I knew a lot of football players that worked so hard that their grades were a problem. These guys sacrifice a lot more than the average Joe could ever imagine.
These guys go through grueling practices that the average person would not DARE attempt, while also trying to keep his grades up so he does not fall into Academic Suspension. While I’m running around on campus writing for the school newspaper and working at the campus radio station, they are beating their brains out in practice. Teams have to keep a very, very tight grip on these young men, to “discipline” them and get them to focus. Days, weeks and months of this, to get these athletes to compete at their very best. So much emotion, desire, hope are locked in each heart of those football players, unleashed on that day when they play ball.
Everything they have been taught and drilled comes into play and in ONE shining moment, they get their chance to help the team, and they get into the end zone. But in the excitement of scoring, they may or may not have gone a little too far…and get penalized…
And then somebody like Mike Patrick has the nerve to say “that was just plain stupid”. You know the problem is that a lot of the commentators of sports never truly understood the true emotions of celebration, and how there is such a release of joy and success in that split second. It really takes the taste out of an otherwise enjoyable game.
Am I saying to allow ALL celebrations? Of course not. Some guys go too far, but there needs to be a very clear understanding of what is allowed. If a player scores and puts up a “B-Boy stance” they would throw the flag at him. I can see if he flipped off the fans or even spiked the ball, but what if he tossed the ball to the side…is THAT a penalty?
We know a few years ago guys used to take off their helmets when they scored, and the NCAA did away with that quickly, as did the NFL. You cannot remove your helmet while on the field of play. Ok, I get that. You established clearly what NOT to do, and the rule is clear. But the penalties today are often based on what the referee believes your intention was.
I don’t suppose the NCAA will ever truly look into this, because to me, as long as the chain is around the athlete’s necks, they can control them…it’s about controlling emotions, which really is against everything about college sports. You can’t eliminate it because it’s part of human nature. No, not every receiver who runs in the end zone is going to “act like a fool”. Some guys are easy going, like Barry Sanders. But others that are JUST AS TALENTED grew up with emotion and will display it from time to time, like Emmitt Smith.
College football is a game of emotions, just look at the fans that come to see it. It excites the young kids to the college students to the fans and alumni of those teams. From the young to the old, there is high emotion…how do you expect these players to NOT be able to enjoy the moment?
I personally think one of the best celebrations I ever seen to date was what Georgia did last year, when they ran out on the field after a touchdown. I think that was pure GENIOUS and that’s the kinda coach I would give my last breath for in a game. That kinda coach understand what emotions can do to help a team, and you don’t cage it like a wild animal.
Yeah, I know they lost to Alabama, but I still like what Georgia did.
Anyway, this could go a lot longer, but I better cut is short for now. I just think the NCAA is fooling themselves and live in a complete hypocrisy when they set out to punish young men who work hard and get a moment to enjoy their work. It’s so ironic that the NCAA will forbid those acts, but IF those same acts are done, they have no problem using that to promote the next game. I guarantee you, if there is any promotion packages with Duke Football, I BETCHA that dive in the end zone will be used…why? Because it is about emotion, which is what college football is all about.
So I’ll just keep watching college football and avoiding guys who are so out of touch that they still listen to Pat Boone, but will get all stuck up of somebody like Pat White of West Virginia did anything that even resembles “something stupid”.
They can’t possibly love football as much as I do…I love ALL of the college pageantry which includes the emotions of the game. They’re just there to get one of those big pay checks…not that I would refuse that myself, but that’s neither here nor there….
(as he looks around for coins to buy a soda)
Anyway, that’s my vent for today…there is a lot more I could say, but I’ll let it stand there for now….
How the mighty have fallen
How the mighty have fallen…
Did I tell you guys how much I LOVE football??
Today after watching all those great college football games, I had to take some time to talk about it. I hope some of you read some my blogs on the “greatest running backs ever”, I will update that as the days go on.
And I say this to many readers, I love sports but I try to be kind in what I say sometimes. If I get out of line, I apologize because sometimes sports can bring out great emotions. There are lots of things I can get ticked off about, but in general I love sports enough to talk about it. I mean, just like you, I have my favorite teams and players, and then there are those I don’t care for. I hope you understand.
Anyway, we were talking about the college football upsets.
It makes sense to share a biblical quote since today is Sunday (as I write this) and the title is “how the mighty have fallen”. This is actually a scripture quote from David when King Saul was seeking to kill him. But King Saul’s son, Jonathan, did not want to kill David, but at the same time did not want to disobey his father.
As the scriptures go, the Philistines fought against Saul and his army and eventually killed them all. This once mighty army had fallen in complete defeat to an enemy that should have NEVER beaten them, but because there was unrighteousness and disagreement, the army of Saul was divided on the king’s commandment to kill David. It was one of the elements to their down fall.
Fast forward to the upsets of 2008 (as of Sept 27th).
It appeared the sign was on the wall when Southern Cal lost to Oregon State. The signs were there even then. USC had lost there 2 of the last 3 times, and USC had lost to Stanford in a game they should not have lost. Whereas a lot of folks might have thought the Trojans “untouchable”, they indeed were…especially away from home.
And then on Saturday, many armies fell….
Florida losing to Ole Miss…who saw THAT happening. I sure didn’t. Everybody was talking about how Florida might be in the top 2 or three, but they also said that every SEC game was going to be a war. I see the SEC as a candy shop…every game looks soooo good to watch. But nevertheless, the Gators fall flat on their face…
Better than on the sword, as King Saul voluntarily did….
And let’s not forget Georgia, who had aspirations of being the number one team in the nation, with a HOME game against Alabama. We knew that would be a big fight, but Georgia never seemed to get it out of gear until it was too late to catch up. Could it be that they were more impressed by the fans and the “blackout” than the job they needed to do on the field? Sometimes the mark of a true champion is those that can stay the course when things go off to the left OR the right. Some teams can’t handle success too well, and get caught up in the moment. It cost Georgia that number one spot.
How the Wisconsin Badgers have fallen…what happened there?
I watched this game and noticed how long that 6-0 score sat there, thinking that if Wisconsin does not play more aggressively, they will give Michigan hope. When you play an away game vs. a big opponent, you MUST control them or they will get hope. When the score was 19-0, I remember saying that if Wisconsin scores one more touchdown, they would win the game because Michigan would have their hearts broken and could not possibly amount an attack.
But Wisconsin failed to do that. In fact, it almost seemed like they were playing not to lose. They gave Michigan hope, and once the “on” button was flipped, they kept moving forward. Apparently Wisconsin turned the switch off, and could not get it started again. It turned out to be a most embarrassing loss for this team, and they will pay for it when they see the next number beside their name.
Oh Wake Forest, what happened to you?
The best team in the ACC may fall out of the top 25 entirely, reducing the entire conference to a much lesser power than already believed. I watched this game thinking that if Wake could just get ahead by a touchdown or two, then they could almost mail it in because the option is a failure when a team is behind by more than two scores. But it also works this way: if the option works, then the team controls the clock much more than the opponents (in this case, Wake Forest) would like.
Beaten at home, in celebration of this new BB&T structure (of which I am NOT a fan of…I have personal and moral issues against BB&T), but I was a fan of Wake Forest and their style of play. But offense has been a major issue with this team the last few weeks. We even saw this when they beat Florida State. When I saw that their QB had 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, that kinda was problematic…it surfaced when the interception party started. So Wake Forest, the best team of the ACC, has fallen.
And so has Clemson.
It is quite possible that there may be no ACC team on the top 25 poll, a most embarrassing situation for the conference (although I think Virginia Tech or Maryland might get up there). Wasn’t Clemson supposed to be the best team in the ACC? Weren’t they as high as #8 in the nation? What a tumble! Even if Maryland turns out to be better than we thought, Clemson still has to take this one on the chin because this is a very crippling loss to the program.
But who has fallen harder than ECU?
This team started out knocking out Virginia Tech, and making all kinds of noise. Remember they beat Boise State in a bowl last year, so they are on big roll. Then the next week they knock off West Virginia, and now the entire nation is singing praises of the Pirates possibly in the BCS.
Then they barely win in Tulane, and the signs were there…ECU could not handle fame.
Their loss to NC State proved this, and then a loss at home to Houston sealed the deal. In two weeks, they have gone from possible BCS busters to hopefuls to the Liberty Bowl.
How indeed has the mighty fallen.
And somewhere in the midst of the fallen warriors, the Badgers, the Gators, the Trojans, the Pirates, the Tigers, the Bulldogs and the Demon Deacons, there is a previously fallen warrior who seems to have a grin on their lips….
A Buckeye……
Did I tell you guys how much I LOVE football??
Today after watching all those great college football games, I had to take some time to talk about it. I hope some of you read some my blogs on the “greatest running backs ever”, I will update that as the days go on.
And I say this to many readers, I love sports but I try to be kind in what I say sometimes. If I get out of line, I apologize because sometimes sports can bring out great emotions. There are lots of things I can get ticked off about, but in general I love sports enough to talk about it. I mean, just like you, I have my favorite teams and players, and then there are those I don’t care for. I hope you understand.
Anyway, we were talking about the college football upsets.
It makes sense to share a biblical quote since today is Sunday (as I write this) and the title is “how the mighty have fallen”. This is actually a scripture quote from David when King Saul was seeking to kill him. But King Saul’s son, Jonathan, did not want to kill David, but at the same time did not want to disobey his father.
As the scriptures go, the Philistines fought against Saul and his army and eventually killed them all. This once mighty army had fallen in complete defeat to an enemy that should have NEVER beaten them, but because there was unrighteousness and disagreement, the army of Saul was divided on the king’s commandment to kill David. It was one of the elements to their down fall.
Fast forward to the upsets of 2008 (as of Sept 27th).
It appeared the sign was on the wall when Southern Cal lost to Oregon State. The signs were there even then. USC had lost there 2 of the last 3 times, and USC had lost to Stanford in a game they should not have lost. Whereas a lot of folks might have thought the Trojans “untouchable”, they indeed were…especially away from home.
And then on Saturday, many armies fell….
Florida losing to Ole Miss…who saw THAT happening. I sure didn’t. Everybody was talking about how Florida might be in the top 2 or three, but they also said that every SEC game was going to be a war. I see the SEC as a candy shop…every game looks soooo good to watch. But nevertheless, the Gators fall flat on their face…
Better than on the sword, as King Saul voluntarily did….
And let’s not forget Georgia, who had aspirations of being the number one team in the nation, with a HOME game against Alabama. We knew that would be a big fight, but Georgia never seemed to get it out of gear until it was too late to catch up. Could it be that they were more impressed by the fans and the “blackout” than the job they needed to do on the field? Sometimes the mark of a true champion is those that can stay the course when things go off to the left OR the right. Some teams can’t handle success too well, and get caught up in the moment. It cost Georgia that number one spot.
How the Wisconsin Badgers have fallen…what happened there?
I watched this game and noticed how long that 6-0 score sat there, thinking that if Wisconsin does not play more aggressively, they will give Michigan hope. When you play an away game vs. a big opponent, you MUST control them or they will get hope. When the score was 19-0, I remember saying that if Wisconsin scores one more touchdown, they would win the game because Michigan would have their hearts broken and could not possibly amount an attack.
But Wisconsin failed to do that. In fact, it almost seemed like they were playing not to lose. They gave Michigan hope, and once the “on” button was flipped, they kept moving forward. Apparently Wisconsin turned the switch off, and could not get it started again. It turned out to be a most embarrassing loss for this team, and they will pay for it when they see the next number beside their name.
Oh Wake Forest, what happened to you?
The best team in the ACC may fall out of the top 25 entirely, reducing the entire conference to a much lesser power than already believed. I watched this game thinking that if Wake could just get ahead by a touchdown or two, then they could almost mail it in because the option is a failure when a team is behind by more than two scores. But it also works this way: if the option works, then the team controls the clock much more than the opponents (in this case, Wake Forest) would like.
Beaten at home, in celebration of this new BB&T structure (of which I am NOT a fan of…I have personal and moral issues against BB&T), but I was a fan of Wake Forest and their style of play. But offense has been a major issue with this team the last few weeks. We even saw this when they beat Florida State. When I saw that their QB had 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, that kinda was problematic…it surfaced when the interception party started. So Wake Forest, the best team of the ACC, has fallen.
And so has Clemson.
It is quite possible that there may be no ACC team on the top 25 poll, a most embarrassing situation for the conference (although I think Virginia Tech or Maryland might get up there). Wasn’t Clemson supposed to be the best team in the ACC? Weren’t they as high as #8 in the nation? What a tumble! Even if Maryland turns out to be better than we thought, Clemson still has to take this one on the chin because this is a very crippling loss to the program.
But who has fallen harder than ECU?
This team started out knocking out Virginia Tech, and making all kinds of noise. Remember they beat Boise State in a bowl last year, so they are on big roll. Then the next week they knock off West Virginia, and now the entire nation is singing praises of the Pirates possibly in the BCS.
Then they barely win in Tulane, and the signs were there…ECU could not handle fame.
Their loss to NC State proved this, and then a loss at home to Houston sealed the deal. In two weeks, they have gone from possible BCS busters to hopefuls to the Liberty Bowl.
How indeed has the mighty fallen.
And somewhere in the midst of the fallen warriors, the Badgers, the Gators, the Trojans, the Pirates, the Tigers, the Bulldogs and the Demon Deacons, there is a previously fallen warrior who seems to have a grin on their lips….
A Buckeye……
Greatest NFL backs #23, #22, #21...
Greatest Rbs ever…#23, #22, #21...
Shall we continue with the list?
We are counting down the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL, from the beginning to now…as in RIGHT now. That has to be made clear because as time goes on, these rankings are certainly subject to change.
If you have not read the first few blogs on this, you might want to bounce back and check them out. It will give you a better idea of how I came up with this ranking, and why.
Keep in mind as we move along, I am using a formula based on 4 major elements on what makes a running back “great”. They are the team accomplishments, individual stats, individual awards and era adjustment. I believe these factors establish a good player from a great player, and a great player from the greatest player.
So, with that in mind, let’s continue the countdown…
#23 Ottis Anderson: 30 points
Yes, technically Ottis Anderson is tied with Shaun Alexander, but in the event of a tie, I looked at the team accomplishments, and Anderson was much better than Shaun. Whereas Shaun WENT to a Superbowl, Ottis WON two of them, and captured a MVP in one of those Superbowls. He was one of those “old school” running backs that got the job done, and helped the Cardinals get to the playoffs. He rushed for 1000 yards 5 of the first 6 years of his career, the exception being that strike year. I have no problem placing this guy on my all time greatest rushing list.
Why not higher? As time goes on, Anderson may slip because of the era adjustment. He lost one point because he retired in the 90s and you’ll see that some of the scores are pretty close. Keep in mind there are some current players that still have time to catch him. And what may also hurt his ranking later is that he is in the bottom 30 of the list of yards and rushing touchdowns…he didn’t get a whole lot of individual stat points to begin with.
Why on the list? A running back that wins a Superbowl has an excellent chance of getting on this list. After all, by my formula that is 10 points. So Ottis Anderson winning 2 Superbowls is 20 points right off the bat! Add on the fact that he got Superbowl MVP and his other points makes Anderson a very credible back, and worthy of being one of the greatest of all time as of September 2008.
#22 Steve Van Buren: 31 points
So you’re wondering, how in the world is this old cat on the all time greatest list?
Simple…because he is great.
I had to go back and do a little research on Steve Van Buren and using my formula, I saw that he is clearly worthy of this list. You will notice that he finished only one point above a couple of other guys, and it quite deserving of this ranking. Those who know anything about the Philadelphia Eagles will probably send some “amens” this way because this was a very good back. Most of his points came from the fact that he won a couple of NFL Championship games. Years before there was a Superbowl, this guy was out there winning championships, and even after 5 decades, is STILL on the top 30 list of touchdowns by a running back. A great talent.
Why not higher? The biggest strike against Steve Van Buren being higher is simply the era adjustment. Because he retired in 1951, he loses 5 points for era adjustment. Remember folks, I have to deduct points for time because we all know that athletes are better than the decade before them. An athlete that played in the 50s, even if he was great, can hardly compare to the athletes of today, who are in much better physical condition. Were it not for that, Steve Van Buren could easily be higher.
Why on the list? Champions should always make the list, and Steve Van Buren is a champion. He got 25 points in the team accomplishment element, but got only 4 points in the individual stats section. He got points for being a 7 time all-bowl (before there was a pro-bowl). A great running back that wins championships is almost assured of being on this list…but as time goes on, he may slip further down. Steve Van Buren is proof that there can be great players from “long ago”.
#21 John Riggins: 32 points
Take it from a guy what is not a Redskins fan, this one was difficult but I could not ignore what this man has done. This was one TOUGH cat, and for him to have done all he did, even with injuries throughout his career is quite amazing. If there are personal Washington Redskins shrines out there, I am quite sure John Riggins will have some place in it for his toughness and power. Even after being gone from the NFL for over 20 years, he still ranks near the top as most touchdowns by a running back. Awesome! And to think, he originally played for the Jets and racked up numbers with Emerson Boozer.
Why not higher? This one is odd because John Riggins scored decently across the board. He is a champion because he won a Superbowl, and also lost one too, but I still give points to Superbowl losers. He scored well in the individual stats because he is still on the top 20 list of yards, and is even higher on touchdowns. He scores well on the individual awards as well, but loses 2 points because of era adjustment, as well as the fact that with all his great accomplishments, he only went to one pro-bowl. In fact, he scored one point less than the number 20 running back on my list.
Why on the list? A guy that rushes for over 11.000 yards and has over 100 touchdowns is GOING to be on the list. Add on a Superbowl MVP and other credits and you have the makings of a GREAT running back. John Riggins seems to embody all that a great running back is about. He is a proven winner, he enhances the team to make them better and he stands the test of time. I might not have been a Redskins fan, but as a true fan of the sport, I cannot ignore the greatness of this guy. He was (and by my list, still IS) a great running back.
So there’s your next 3 of the greatest running backs ever, we start moving further up the list as we go on. Before I go let’s share another name that didn’t make the list, and why:
Robert Smith: 13 points
What could have been for this guy….
Robert Smith played only 8 years, but in that period of time actually did some good work. It’s kinda ironic or symbolic that he retired to prevent himself from getting more injuries, because he focus of study was medicine. He was one of those guys that was wise enough to walk away from the game before being carted out.
But Robert Smith’s score shows that he can’t be put on the all time greatest list because of several factors. His yards per carry is very high and he got 7 points for that, and the fact that he went to two Pro-Bowls gives him two more points. His other 4 points came from his team accomplishment points. I award 10 points for every Superbowl a back wins, 5 points for every Superbowl lost, and 2 points for every conference championship a back loses.
Robert Smith helped the Vikings to the NFC Championship twice, losing to the Atlanta Falcons in 1998 (30-27) and the New York Giants in 2000 (41-0). Who is to say how much greater he would have been if he played just a couple more years?
Anyway, that’s my list so far, keep it tuned here for more as we climb up to number one on the greatest running backs of ALL time..
(wow, that sounded soooo corny, like I’m doing a musical countdown…)
Shall we continue with the list?
We are counting down the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL, from the beginning to now…as in RIGHT now. That has to be made clear because as time goes on, these rankings are certainly subject to change.
If you have not read the first few blogs on this, you might want to bounce back and check them out. It will give you a better idea of how I came up with this ranking, and why.
Keep in mind as we move along, I am using a formula based on 4 major elements on what makes a running back “great”. They are the team accomplishments, individual stats, individual awards and era adjustment. I believe these factors establish a good player from a great player, and a great player from the greatest player.
So, with that in mind, let’s continue the countdown…
#23 Ottis Anderson: 30 points
Yes, technically Ottis Anderson is tied with Shaun Alexander, but in the event of a tie, I looked at the team accomplishments, and Anderson was much better than Shaun. Whereas Shaun WENT to a Superbowl, Ottis WON two of them, and captured a MVP in one of those Superbowls. He was one of those “old school” running backs that got the job done, and helped the Cardinals get to the playoffs. He rushed for 1000 yards 5 of the first 6 years of his career, the exception being that strike year. I have no problem placing this guy on my all time greatest rushing list.
Why not higher? As time goes on, Anderson may slip because of the era adjustment. He lost one point because he retired in the 90s and you’ll see that some of the scores are pretty close. Keep in mind there are some current players that still have time to catch him. And what may also hurt his ranking later is that he is in the bottom 30 of the list of yards and rushing touchdowns…he didn’t get a whole lot of individual stat points to begin with.
Why on the list? A running back that wins a Superbowl has an excellent chance of getting on this list. After all, by my formula that is 10 points. So Ottis Anderson winning 2 Superbowls is 20 points right off the bat! Add on the fact that he got Superbowl MVP and his other points makes Anderson a very credible back, and worthy of being one of the greatest of all time as of September 2008.
#22 Steve Van Buren: 31 points
So you’re wondering, how in the world is this old cat on the all time greatest list?
Simple…because he is great.
I had to go back and do a little research on Steve Van Buren and using my formula, I saw that he is clearly worthy of this list. You will notice that he finished only one point above a couple of other guys, and it quite deserving of this ranking. Those who know anything about the Philadelphia Eagles will probably send some “amens” this way because this was a very good back. Most of his points came from the fact that he won a couple of NFL Championship games. Years before there was a Superbowl, this guy was out there winning championships, and even after 5 decades, is STILL on the top 30 list of touchdowns by a running back. A great talent.
Why not higher? The biggest strike against Steve Van Buren being higher is simply the era adjustment. Because he retired in 1951, he loses 5 points for era adjustment. Remember folks, I have to deduct points for time because we all know that athletes are better than the decade before them. An athlete that played in the 50s, even if he was great, can hardly compare to the athletes of today, who are in much better physical condition. Were it not for that, Steve Van Buren could easily be higher.
Why on the list? Champions should always make the list, and Steve Van Buren is a champion. He got 25 points in the team accomplishment element, but got only 4 points in the individual stats section. He got points for being a 7 time all-bowl (before there was a pro-bowl). A great running back that wins championships is almost assured of being on this list…but as time goes on, he may slip further down. Steve Van Buren is proof that there can be great players from “long ago”.
#21 John Riggins: 32 points
Take it from a guy what is not a Redskins fan, this one was difficult but I could not ignore what this man has done. This was one TOUGH cat, and for him to have done all he did, even with injuries throughout his career is quite amazing. If there are personal Washington Redskins shrines out there, I am quite sure John Riggins will have some place in it for his toughness and power. Even after being gone from the NFL for over 20 years, he still ranks near the top as most touchdowns by a running back. Awesome! And to think, he originally played for the Jets and racked up numbers with Emerson Boozer.
Why not higher? This one is odd because John Riggins scored decently across the board. He is a champion because he won a Superbowl, and also lost one too, but I still give points to Superbowl losers. He scored well in the individual stats because he is still on the top 20 list of yards, and is even higher on touchdowns. He scores well on the individual awards as well, but loses 2 points because of era adjustment, as well as the fact that with all his great accomplishments, he only went to one pro-bowl. In fact, he scored one point less than the number 20 running back on my list.
Why on the list? A guy that rushes for over 11.000 yards and has over 100 touchdowns is GOING to be on the list. Add on a Superbowl MVP and other credits and you have the makings of a GREAT running back. John Riggins seems to embody all that a great running back is about. He is a proven winner, he enhances the team to make them better and he stands the test of time. I might not have been a Redskins fan, but as a true fan of the sport, I cannot ignore the greatness of this guy. He was (and by my list, still IS) a great running back.
So there’s your next 3 of the greatest running backs ever, we start moving further up the list as we go on. Before I go let’s share another name that didn’t make the list, and why:
Robert Smith: 13 points
What could have been for this guy….
Robert Smith played only 8 years, but in that period of time actually did some good work. It’s kinda ironic or symbolic that he retired to prevent himself from getting more injuries, because he focus of study was medicine. He was one of those guys that was wise enough to walk away from the game before being carted out.
But Robert Smith’s score shows that he can’t be put on the all time greatest list because of several factors. His yards per carry is very high and he got 7 points for that, and the fact that he went to two Pro-Bowls gives him two more points. His other 4 points came from his team accomplishment points. I award 10 points for every Superbowl a back wins, 5 points for every Superbowl lost, and 2 points for every conference championship a back loses.
Robert Smith helped the Vikings to the NFC Championship twice, losing to the Atlanta Falcons in 1998 (30-27) and the New York Giants in 2000 (41-0). Who is to say how much greater he would have been if he played just a couple more years?
Anyway, that’s my list so far, keep it tuned here for more as we climb up to number one on the greatest running backs of ALL time..
(wow, that sounded soooo corny, like I’m doing a musical countdown…)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Before the college games begin today....
Before Today’s College Games Begin…
I blog on this less than an hour before the day begins with wonderful college football, and I have to go back and mention the Connecticut vs. Louisville game. I had predicted Louisville to win, but who could have seen all the injuries on both sides. Louisville had their chance but a wounded quarterback in any backfield can spell trouble when pressed to throw. Louisville played well, but Connecticut did what it took to win and walk out 5-0...
But it cost them, something that might show down the road.
Anyway, with today’s games there are lots of storylines. With the king (USC) dethroned (maybe temporarily) there will now be a mad dash for the top two spots. Ohio State can still lay claim if they sweep the Big 10, as they play Minnesota. The Buckeyes are going to have to find their face after getting it smacked off by USC a few weeks ago. I think Ohio State, at home, should take this one…but it may not be easy.
Clemson also needs to find face after being humiliated at the beginning of the year. They were predicted to be the best team in the ACC…yeah, right. Right now that belongs to Wake Forest, but there is a whole season to play. For that reason, Clemson can get back in the race with a win at home vs. Maryland. Seems like an easy win, I mean, didn’t Maryland get spanked by Middle Tennessee? But isn’t this the same Maryland team that seems to be increasing their points every week. They lost to Middle Tennessee scoring only 14 points…then scored 35 in a win over then ranked California, then 51 against Eastern Michigan…be careful Clemson. None of your wins were really that impressive, and we can forgive that loss to Alabama. But beating South Carolina State and Citadel isn’t impressive, and the win over NC State is just a gentle nod. Let’s see if you are worthy of that ranking.
The Virgina vs. Duke game will be interesting too, I mean, both teams figure to be in the basement this year, but lots of people are swearing that Duke will scare some folks this year. You lost to Northwestern, and beat a Navy team that may not make a bowl this year…you are better than last year…but still Duke.
But Virginia, what is the deal? Outside of the Richmond game you won (and not impressively) you have been outscored 97-17. Southern Cal murderfied you, and Connecticut took you to the woodshed…where’s the points? Your last 5 games of they year may be impossible to win, so any chance of a bowl game will rest directly on your ability to beat the teams you are SUPPOSED to beat…meaning Duke.
But this year…I really don’t know if that is a guarantee.
Wisconsin and Michigan…oh boy……
What’s up with Michigan…it sure isn’t the wins. I used to be a big fan of Michigan until they got their new head coach. I am not hating on the move, I just got kinda disappointed in how Rich Rodriguez has been acting. I remember during the Miami OH game on tv he refused to talk to the media during the halftime. That kinda stuck up attitude is not the way you coach a team. It’s so ironic that this cat ducks out of West Virginia, comes to Michigan and “lays down the law” on how he expects his athletes to act by not celebrating and all that kinda jazz, but when it comes to HIM acting like a professional, he balks out on it.
I was really, REALLY pulling for them when they played Notre Dame, but this team just does not have anything in them. Even though they are home against Wisconsin, I don’t see them winning. It is possible that Michigan may finish one of the two worst teams in the conference. Can they win more than 3 games????
The Oklahoma vs. TCU seems like a tempting match, because if Oklahoma wins, they should be guaranteed a number 1 spot, but let’s hold on there a second. Averaging 50 points a game is fine and swell, but nobody of caliber was on the schedule. This is not saying that they are superior because after all, didn’t we say the same of USC? I think this team has not been truly tested, and TCU could be that team to do it. Yeah, I know TCU hasn’t had a lot of quality wins either, but they score a lot too. This could be a very exciting game to watch. I still think the Sooners will take the win though.
The Alabama vs. Georgia is one of a bunch of big time SEC matchups this year, and this one is for a heck of a lot of marbles. Even if you say that the Clemson win was impressive, time will tell if they really beat a quality team or an over rated team. Outside of that, the other wins were so-so. Georgia has a decent record too, but they had the task of going TO South Carolina and Arizona to earn their wins. That is worth something.
Alabama had to go to Arkansas to earn their win, but there is a phrase in wrestling that applies to Arkansas….midcard for life. Alabama beat an average team at best in Arkansas, but a win is a win.
At home Georgia is favored…but I can’t help but wonder if Georgia is really ready for the most difficult schedule that is SEC. I personally LOVE what Georgia did last year, when the team ran out on the field after that touchdown, even though it brought them 2 penalties stacked on one another. I think the referees of the NCAA are some of the most stiff-necked, out of touch old farts in the world…but that leads me to another blog about celebrations…for another time.
Finally, there is the Big 10 matchup in Illinois vs. Penn State. Two top 25 ranked teams in a huge matchup. I am personally rooting for old Joe Paterno because several years ago I sent him a letter and he actually answered it. Any person that cares that much about a fan or a person who writes is ok in my book…GO PENN STATE!
Now, can they win? Even though they are one of 4 undefeated teams in the conference, some might suggest their schedule has been a little…light. Coastal Carolina, Syracuse and Temple are light muffins in the oven, but what of Oregon State? It will be very interesting to see if Penn State can knock off the first real test of the year at home. Like I said before, I am personally pulling for Penn State, but that does not guarantee a win.
Illinois could scare some folks this year because they had a high scoring affair with Missouri earlier this year in a 52-42 loss, but then whipped up on two lesser teams in Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Lafayette. Now comes their second big test in a conference war at Happy Valley. Good luck fellas, you’ll need it.
And so begins a glorious day of football….I am sooooooooooo ready!
PS: Don’t forget to check out my “Greatest Running Backs EVER” blogs.
I blog on this less than an hour before the day begins with wonderful college football, and I have to go back and mention the Connecticut vs. Louisville game. I had predicted Louisville to win, but who could have seen all the injuries on both sides. Louisville had their chance but a wounded quarterback in any backfield can spell trouble when pressed to throw. Louisville played well, but Connecticut did what it took to win and walk out 5-0...
But it cost them, something that might show down the road.
Anyway, with today’s games there are lots of storylines. With the king (USC) dethroned (maybe temporarily) there will now be a mad dash for the top two spots. Ohio State can still lay claim if they sweep the Big 10, as they play Minnesota. The Buckeyes are going to have to find their face after getting it smacked off by USC a few weeks ago. I think Ohio State, at home, should take this one…but it may not be easy.
Clemson also needs to find face after being humiliated at the beginning of the year. They were predicted to be the best team in the ACC…yeah, right. Right now that belongs to Wake Forest, but there is a whole season to play. For that reason, Clemson can get back in the race with a win at home vs. Maryland. Seems like an easy win, I mean, didn’t Maryland get spanked by Middle Tennessee? But isn’t this the same Maryland team that seems to be increasing their points every week. They lost to Middle Tennessee scoring only 14 points…then scored 35 in a win over then ranked California, then 51 against Eastern Michigan…be careful Clemson. None of your wins were really that impressive, and we can forgive that loss to Alabama. But beating South Carolina State and Citadel isn’t impressive, and the win over NC State is just a gentle nod. Let’s see if you are worthy of that ranking.
The Virgina vs. Duke game will be interesting too, I mean, both teams figure to be in the basement this year, but lots of people are swearing that Duke will scare some folks this year. You lost to Northwestern, and beat a Navy team that may not make a bowl this year…you are better than last year…but still Duke.
But Virginia, what is the deal? Outside of the Richmond game you won (and not impressively) you have been outscored 97-17. Southern Cal murderfied you, and Connecticut took you to the woodshed…where’s the points? Your last 5 games of they year may be impossible to win, so any chance of a bowl game will rest directly on your ability to beat the teams you are SUPPOSED to beat…meaning Duke.
But this year…I really don’t know if that is a guarantee.
Wisconsin and Michigan…oh boy……
What’s up with Michigan…it sure isn’t the wins. I used to be a big fan of Michigan until they got their new head coach. I am not hating on the move, I just got kinda disappointed in how Rich Rodriguez has been acting. I remember during the Miami OH game on tv he refused to talk to the media during the halftime. That kinda stuck up attitude is not the way you coach a team. It’s so ironic that this cat ducks out of West Virginia, comes to Michigan and “lays down the law” on how he expects his athletes to act by not celebrating and all that kinda jazz, but when it comes to HIM acting like a professional, he balks out on it.
I was really, REALLY pulling for them when they played Notre Dame, but this team just does not have anything in them. Even though they are home against Wisconsin, I don’t see them winning. It is possible that Michigan may finish one of the two worst teams in the conference. Can they win more than 3 games????
The Oklahoma vs. TCU seems like a tempting match, because if Oklahoma wins, they should be guaranteed a number 1 spot, but let’s hold on there a second. Averaging 50 points a game is fine and swell, but nobody of caliber was on the schedule. This is not saying that they are superior because after all, didn’t we say the same of USC? I think this team has not been truly tested, and TCU could be that team to do it. Yeah, I know TCU hasn’t had a lot of quality wins either, but they score a lot too. This could be a very exciting game to watch. I still think the Sooners will take the win though.
The Alabama vs. Georgia is one of a bunch of big time SEC matchups this year, and this one is for a heck of a lot of marbles. Even if you say that the Clemson win was impressive, time will tell if they really beat a quality team or an over rated team. Outside of that, the other wins were so-so. Georgia has a decent record too, but they had the task of going TO South Carolina and Arizona to earn their wins. That is worth something.
Alabama had to go to Arkansas to earn their win, but there is a phrase in wrestling that applies to Arkansas….midcard for life. Alabama beat an average team at best in Arkansas, but a win is a win.
At home Georgia is favored…but I can’t help but wonder if Georgia is really ready for the most difficult schedule that is SEC. I personally LOVE what Georgia did last year, when the team ran out on the field after that touchdown, even though it brought them 2 penalties stacked on one another. I think the referees of the NCAA are some of the most stiff-necked, out of touch old farts in the world…but that leads me to another blog about celebrations…for another time.
Finally, there is the Big 10 matchup in Illinois vs. Penn State. Two top 25 ranked teams in a huge matchup. I am personally rooting for old Joe Paterno because several years ago I sent him a letter and he actually answered it. Any person that cares that much about a fan or a person who writes is ok in my book…GO PENN STATE!
Now, can they win? Even though they are one of 4 undefeated teams in the conference, some might suggest their schedule has been a little…light. Coastal Carolina, Syracuse and Temple are light muffins in the oven, but what of Oregon State? It will be very interesting to see if Penn State can knock off the first real test of the year at home. Like I said before, I am personally pulling for Penn State, but that does not guarantee a win.
Illinois could scare some folks this year because they had a high scoring affair with Missouri earlier this year in a 52-42 loss, but then whipped up on two lesser teams in Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Lafayette. Now comes their second big test in a conference war at Happy Valley. Good luck fellas, you’ll need it.
And so begins a glorious day of football….I am sooooooooooo ready!
PS: Don’t forget to check out my “Greatest Running Backs EVER” blogs.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Connecticut vs Louisville
Big East Title Decided Tonight?
Before I get started, let me get this out…
USC LOST???
I watched that game while bouncing back and forth from it and the Mississippi Valley State vs. Alabama State U on ESPNU. And I keep wondering why EPSN never talks about the BLACK college games on the other EPSN stations.
I mean, if you interrupt the MVS/ASU game to update everybody about the big Pac 10 game, that’s cool, but why is it that the game on EPSN never even mentioned that there WAS in fact another game on their family of networks.
It’s like the SWAC and MEAC teams are the proverbial “red head step child”.
Don’t get me wrong, the USC vs. Oregon State game was very entertaining, and on the scope of National Championship Title hopes, quite immense. But do you totally ignore even an UPDATE of the game on your other network? Come on ESPN, that sounds pretty….well…bigoted to me.
But that USC game was AWESOME, and it shakes everything up…even for the Big East. And there are two undefeated teams there, one is South Florida, who will play NC State, and then there is Uconn.
Tonight Uconn travels TO Louisville to determine if that 4-0 record is for real, or just “smoke and mirrors”. I have actually been to Louisville and it is a great city (is the Gault House still there?) and the last few years Louisville has been an explosive offensive team…problem is, their defensive is IMPLOSIVE.
So let’s size it up. Connecticut has scored about 123 points this year, and allowed 50. Sounds nice, but the Hofstra game was not impressive, and the Temple game may have shown some weakness in the Huskies with that overtime win.
Overtime…against TEMPLE?
The beat down against Virginia seems legit, unless we find out that Virginia finishes like 3-8, but I will give Connecticut credit for a good win. The Baylor game was good too, but it seems that the Huskies can handle their business at home pretty well. That overtime win against Temple was on the road…maybe a flaw…..
Now with Louisville, this team seems to have fallen a bit since they had Michael Bush (and the broken leg game that broke my heart). This was supposed to be the team that scares the BCS big boys. This was the team that started making noise a few years ago with that game vs. Florida State in the pouring rain. They need that…I hate to say this word…SWAGGER…back.
And they can get it with a win against Connecticut.
I’m not gonna count the Kentucky loss too much against them, the SEC is very tough and when it comes to state rivals, throw everything out the window….ask ECU about that when they played NC State.
Still, it was an embarrassing loss, losing 27-2. Still, they picked it up with a win against Tennessee Tech 51-10, although I can’t say it was very impressive. The game against Kansas State however, was pretty good. A 38-29 win against a Big 12 team is not bad. So is this team ready to take on the Huskies and win?
The Huskies has this cat (Brown) that looks like he can get 2000 yards this year. Connecticut is number 6 in the nation in rushing and Louisville is 26th. We’re talking about a difference of 80 yards per game so it’s a little closer than you think. But when it comes to passing…ugh!
Louisville is in the 70’s in the nation, and Connecticut is in the 90’s. I can see why Uconn is so low since they focus much more on running, but you’d think Louisville would be much higher.
A lot of stats are pretty even for these teams, from passing yards to penalty yards, so you might toss a coin to decide who can win this. But there is a flaw with Connecticut. Last year they lost 4 games, and during the regular season, all 3 were AWAY games, losing by a margin of 110-40.
But Louisville went 6-6 last year and lost some key games. Losing to Utah is ok because those guys are pretty good, but losing to Syracuse….yikes! And those losses INCLUDE one to Connecticut by a score of 21-17.
This game is huge because on a national spotlight, the Big East needs to show that it is worth of the BCS chat, especially with Southern Cal falling down hard. It’s up for grabs now, with the SEC likely to beat each other up. Can Oklahoma run the tables? Whether they can or not, Uconn is in a perfect position to go undefeated…but not unless they get by the Cardinals of Louisville.
This is gonna be good! But in the end, I think home field advantage helps Louisville and they win a much needed boost by a touchdown. We’ll see, and oh, don’t forget to check out my “Greatest Running Backs EVER” blogs.
Before I get started, let me get this out…
USC LOST???
I watched that game while bouncing back and forth from it and the Mississippi Valley State vs. Alabama State U on ESPNU. And I keep wondering why EPSN never talks about the BLACK college games on the other EPSN stations.
I mean, if you interrupt the MVS/ASU game to update everybody about the big Pac 10 game, that’s cool, but why is it that the game on EPSN never even mentioned that there WAS in fact another game on their family of networks.
It’s like the SWAC and MEAC teams are the proverbial “red head step child”.
Don’t get me wrong, the USC vs. Oregon State game was very entertaining, and on the scope of National Championship Title hopes, quite immense. But do you totally ignore even an UPDATE of the game on your other network? Come on ESPN, that sounds pretty….well…bigoted to me.
But that USC game was AWESOME, and it shakes everything up…even for the Big East. And there are two undefeated teams there, one is South Florida, who will play NC State, and then there is Uconn.
Tonight Uconn travels TO Louisville to determine if that 4-0 record is for real, or just “smoke and mirrors”. I have actually been to Louisville and it is a great city (is the Gault House still there?) and the last few years Louisville has been an explosive offensive team…problem is, their defensive is IMPLOSIVE.
So let’s size it up. Connecticut has scored about 123 points this year, and allowed 50. Sounds nice, but the Hofstra game was not impressive, and the Temple game may have shown some weakness in the Huskies with that overtime win.
Overtime…against TEMPLE?
The beat down against Virginia seems legit, unless we find out that Virginia finishes like 3-8, but I will give Connecticut credit for a good win. The Baylor game was good too, but it seems that the Huskies can handle their business at home pretty well. That overtime win against Temple was on the road…maybe a flaw…..
Now with Louisville, this team seems to have fallen a bit since they had Michael Bush (and the broken leg game that broke my heart). This was supposed to be the team that scares the BCS big boys. This was the team that started making noise a few years ago with that game vs. Florida State in the pouring rain. They need that…I hate to say this word…SWAGGER…back.
And they can get it with a win against Connecticut.
I’m not gonna count the Kentucky loss too much against them, the SEC is very tough and when it comes to state rivals, throw everything out the window….ask ECU about that when they played NC State.
Still, it was an embarrassing loss, losing 27-2. Still, they picked it up with a win against Tennessee Tech 51-10, although I can’t say it was very impressive. The game against Kansas State however, was pretty good. A 38-29 win against a Big 12 team is not bad. So is this team ready to take on the Huskies and win?
The Huskies has this cat (Brown) that looks like he can get 2000 yards this year. Connecticut is number 6 in the nation in rushing and Louisville is 26th. We’re talking about a difference of 80 yards per game so it’s a little closer than you think. But when it comes to passing…ugh!
Louisville is in the 70’s in the nation, and Connecticut is in the 90’s. I can see why Uconn is so low since they focus much more on running, but you’d think Louisville would be much higher.
A lot of stats are pretty even for these teams, from passing yards to penalty yards, so you might toss a coin to decide who can win this. But there is a flaw with Connecticut. Last year they lost 4 games, and during the regular season, all 3 were AWAY games, losing by a margin of 110-40.
But Louisville went 6-6 last year and lost some key games. Losing to Utah is ok because those guys are pretty good, but losing to Syracuse….yikes! And those losses INCLUDE one to Connecticut by a score of 21-17.
This game is huge because on a national spotlight, the Big East needs to show that it is worth of the BCS chat, especially with Southern Cal falling down hard. It’s up for grabs now, with the SEC likely to beat each other up. Can Oklahoma run the tables? Whether they can or not, Uconn is in a perfect position to go undefeated…but not unless they get by the Cardinals of Louisville.
This is gonna be good! But in the end, I think home field advantage helps Louisville and they win a much needed boost by a touchdown. We’ll see, and oh, don’t forget to check out my “Greatest Running Backs EVER” blogs.
Greatest NFL RBs ever...#25 and #24
Greatest Running Backs #25 & #24...
So finally we can get to the meat of the debate of who is the greatest NFL running back ever…or as far as 2008. These records can change year to year, so certainly what I am sharing is not the carving in stone gospel.
If you’re not hip to this subject on my blog, bounce back a few and check them out. My top 25 all time is a result of a formula that rewards running backs that played on championship teams, has great individual stats, has individual awards, and can survive the test of time.
Before I get into those top 25, let me share with you another name that didn’t make my list, and why:
Red Grange: 18 points
One of the more legendary names of American football, and certainly a great player, but not on my list of top 25 all time. ESPN had their college countdown of greatest college players ever, and Red Grange made the list as #1.
I am not really in agreement of that.
Grange is not on my list because even without the era adjustment, he still would not be on my top 25 list. He loses 7 points because he played so long ago. Remember folks, the reason I have this era adjustment is to prove that players that played back in the 30s and 40s are not the same athletes who play today. These guys are stronger, faster, and smarter than those before them.
But Red Grange does get points for being on a championship team. Yes this was way before the Superbowl, but I adjusted the points to give 10 points to a running back that played and won a championship. Remember there WERE championships “back in the day”. I credited him with 10 points for every championship he helped his team win, and 5 for every championship game he loss. His total originally came out to be 25 points, but he lost 7 due to era adjustment…thus 18 points…and NOT on my greatest 25 list.
So, having said that, let’s begin with the #25 Best Running Back EVER:
#25 Ladainain Tomlinson: 28 points
There is little doubt that he is one of the best of all time, and I tell you now, if he wins a Superbowl before his career ends, he will jump up at least 10 spots alone! He has been a superb player for the Chargers and is one of the few bright spots on a team that keeps having a tough time surviving the AFC. If they were an NFC team, it is quite possible that he might have had a better chance at a Superbowl, but right now with the way things are in the AFC this year (after 3 weeks) this could be as good a chance as any for him to make his mark in history as one of the greatest running backs ever.
Why not higher? Great LT may be, but with virtually no championship experience, he does not meet the first element of being the GREATEST ever. Nobody is going to question that he is very good, but as I said on another blog, great players make their team great. He has no team accomplishment points because he has been to no Superbowls or AFC Championship games. If he can do that, he can certainly rise up, especially since he is still active.
Why on the list? LT ranks very high in career yards, career touchdowns and yards per carry. Out of a max of 30 points in the individual stats element, he gets 15, which is very good. And remember, he’s still active. He also scores well on individual awards as well. In fact, his score of 28 is just one point above both Chuck Foreman and Joe Perry, who both had 27 points. Yeah, I know both of those guys had a better team accomplishment score, but overall they were just short, and the era adjustment hurt both of them.
#24 Shaun Alexander: 30 points
How can a guy that has only been to ONE Superbowl be considered one of the top 25 running backs EVER? I know that sounds insane but hear me out. As I share this, we are not sure if he has truly retired or not. After giving his heart and soul to the Seahawks, and getting them to their only Superbowl, he has been missing in action because many fear his best days are gone. But when he was there, he was one of the very few things Seattle had to cheer for. There is no doubt the reason they got to the Superbowl was on his now tired shoulders and legs. Say what you will about him, but Shaun was a warrior, even if many never saw it…in years to come, they will.
Why not higher? The easiest answer is similar to LT…not enough team accomplishment points. He did get 5 points for the Superbowl loss, but you’re likely going to find out that a GREAT running back has to make his team great. It’s a team sport, not golf. And as great as he was, his individual stats are barely on the top 30 list. Out of a possible 30, he got 7. Most of his points came from individual awards throughout his career. But he still has time, if he comes back…who knows?
Why on the list? In comparing him to other running backs, he seemed to have more in the body of work than others. He edges out LT because of his championship experience, but if LT can get the Chargers to an AFC Championship or even a Superbowl, that changes the list a bit. Still, Shaun Alexander stacks up points mainly through is body of work and awards. To give you an example, Corey Dillon is not on my list and has 23 points. Yes Dillon has championship experience and his individual stats number is fair, but he has very few individual award points. It’s the whole body of work that makes a running back great. That’s why Shaun Alexander is here.
Ok, so you see how I am working this. I know this isn’t the best list ever, but I wanted to take a stab at this debate and use some intellect on it. Remember guys, just because a guy does not make the list does not mean they “suck”. These are without a doubt some of the greatest running backs in history, and I am trying to isolate the top 25 as of late September 2008. Next year it could change…certainly 5 years from now it may change and what happens 10 years from now?
Some of my favorites didn’t make my own list, but I had to go by the elements that I felt made a player great. So if you’ll tune in next time, we’ll go over the next few players as we count down the top running backs EVER….
Later dudes.
So finally we can get to the meat of the debate of who is the greatest NFL running back ever…or as far as 2008. These records can change year to year, so certainly what I am sharing is not the carving in stone gospel.
If you’re not hip to this subject on my blog, bounce back a few and check them out. My top 25 all time is a result of a formula that rewards running backs that played on championship teams, has great individual stats, has individual awards, and can survive the test of time.
Before I get into those top 25, let me share with you another name that didn’t make my list, and why:
Red Grange: 18 points
One of the more legendary names of American football, and certainly a great player, but not on my list of top 25 all time. ESPN had their college countdown of greatest college players ever, and Red Grange made the list as #1.
I am not really in agreement of that.
Grange is not on my list because even without the era adjustment, he still would not be on my top 25 list. He loses 7 points because he played so long ago. Remember folks, the reason I have this era adjustment is to prove that players that played back in the 30s and 40s are not the same athletes who play today. These guys are stronger, faster, and smarter than those before them.
But Red Grange does get points for being on a championship team. Yes this was way before the Superbowl, but I adjusted the points to give 10 points to a running back that played and won a championship. Remember there WERE championships “back in the day”. I credited him with 10 points for every championship he helped his team win, and 5 for every championship game he loss. His total originally came out to be 25 points, but he lost 7 due to era adjustment…thus 18 points…and NOT on my greatest 25 list.
So, having said that, let’s begin with the #25 Best Running Back EVER:
#25 Ladainain Tomlinson: 28 points
There is little doubt that he is one of the best of all time, and I tell you now, if he wins a Superbowl before his career ends, he will jump up at least 10 spots alone! He has been a superb player for the Chargers and is one of the few bright spots on a team that keeps having a tough time surviving the AFC. If they were an NFC team, it is quite possible that he might have had a better chance at a Superbowl, but right now with the way things are in the AFC this year (after 3 weeks) this could be as good a chance as any for him to make his mark in history as one of the greatest running backs ever.
Why not higher? Great LT may be, but with virtually no championship experience, he does not meet the first element of being the GREATEST ever. Nobody is going to question that he is very good, but as I said on another blog, great players make their team great. He has no team accomplishment points because he has been to no Superbowls or AFC Championship games. If he can do that, he can certainly rise up, especially since he is still active.
Why on the list? LT ranks very high in career yards, career touchdowns and yards per carry. Out of a max of 30 points in the individual stats element, he gets 15, which is very good. And remember, he’s still active. He also scores well on individual awards as well. In fact, his score of 28 is just one point above both Chuck Foreman and Joe Perry, who both had 27 points. Yeah, I know both of those guys had a better team accomplishment score, but overall they were just short, and the era adjustment hurt both of them.
#24 Shaun Alexander: 30 points
How can a guy that has only been to ONE Superbowl be considered one of the top 25 running backs EVER? I know that sounds insane but hear me out. As I share this, we are not sure if he has truly retired or not. After giving his heart and soul to the Seahawks, and getting them to their only Superbowl, he has been missing in action because many fear his best days are gone. But when he was there, he was one of the very few things Seattle had to cheer for. There is no doubt the reason they got to the Superbowl was on his now tired shoulders and legs. Say what you will about him, but Shaun was a warrior, even if many never saw it…in years to come, they will.
Why not higher? The easiest answer is similar to LT…not enough team accomplishment points. He did get 5 points for the Superbowl loss, but you’re likely going to find out that a GREAT running back has to make his team great. It’s a team sport, not golf. And as great as he was, his individual stats are barely on the top 30 list. Out of a possible 30, he got 7. Most of his points came from individual awards throughout his career. But he still has time, if he comes back…who knows?
Why on the list? In comparing him to other running backs, he seemed to have more in the body of work than others. He edges out LT because of his championship experience, but if LT can get the Chargers to an AFC Championship or even a Superbowl, that changes the list a bit. Still, Shaun Alexander stacks up points mainly through is body of work and awards. To give you an example, Corey Dillon is not on my list and has 23 points. Yes Dillon has championship experience and his individual stats number is fair, but he has very few individual award points. It’s the whole body of work that makes a running back great. That’s why Shaun Alexander is here.
Ok, so you see how I am working this. I know this isn’t the best list ever, but I wanted to take a stab at this debate and use some intellect on it. Remember guys, just because a guy does not make the list does not mean they “suck”. These are without a doubt some of the greatest running backs in history, and I am trying to isolate the top 25 as of late September 2008. Next year it could change…certainly 5 years from now it may change and what happens 10 years from now?
Some of my favorites didn’t make my own list, but I had to go by the elements that I felt made a player great. So if you’ll tune in next time, we’ll go over the next few players as we count down the top running backs EVER….
Later dudes.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Greatest Running Backs EVER....PREPARE!
Best Running Backs EVER: PREPARE!
A few days back I wrote a blog promising the BEST running backs EVER in the NFL. Well, I now have my list and I am ready to reveal to the universe (or whomever cares to read my blogs) the best running back to ever play in the NFL.
I will count them down from 25 to number one…hey, it helps build the suspense!
I mentioned to you about my “formula”; I will explain that as we go along. When I first thought about doing this, I realized that I have my favorites but I didn’t want to try to favor them. So what I did was come up with some characteristics that establish a GREAT running back.
See, we all have our own ideas on what makes the greatest running back ever, so you know that what I share certainly won’t be the “end all” of debates. But what I am going to do is share with you HOW I got my ranking and why each of these legendary backs are where they are.
But to start, I had to justify a formula. I had to come up with 4 basic elements that make a great back. If you read my earlier blog, you already know, but I will go over them again:
The first major element is TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS. I mean, what good are you if your team never makes it to a championship or finds some level of success. Guys, football is a TEAM sport, and a great player makes his team great. This is very critical when you want to talk about the best running back ever.
So I broke this element into 3 particular values. I gave 10 points for every Superbowl the back ever won, 5 points for every Superbowl they lost, and 2 points for every Conference Championship they lost. I am rewarding the absolute best a team can achieve, but I also reward those that got there but lost, as well as those who were the elite of their conference.
“But that’s not fair to guys who played BEFORE the Superbowl!”
Don’t worry, I did something for that, I’ll tell you about it when we get there.
The second element is INDIVIDUAL STATS. It makes sense that the greatest have to put up some legendary numbers, right? Even though football is a team game, it is the individuals that make it great. We cannot ignore the greatness of a player, even on an average team.
I broke down this element into 3 sections: Yards gained, touchdowns scored and average yards per carry. Any player that finished #1 gets 10 points for each category, for a total of 30 points. Any player that finishes in the top 5 gets 7 points each. Any running back that finishes in the top 10 gets 5 points each, and any back that finishes in the top 20 gets 3 points each. I also award 1 point for any running back that finishes in the top 30 all time for each of those categories. So the max a running back can get is 30 points here, but only if they are #1 in Yards career, touchdowns career AND average yards per carry.
I also adjusted the average yards per carry to separate the competition a bit. Most guys average about 4 yards, so I decided to award 10 points for any back that averages 5 yards or more per carry, 7 points for any back that averages 4.8 yards per carry, 5 points for any back with 4.6 yards per carry and 3 points for any running back that averages 4.4 yards per carry. I also awarded 1 point for any back that averages 4.2 yard or better per carry.
Theoretically, the values for team accomplishments is still better than this element, but it can add quite a bit to any player’s numbers.
The third element in my formula is INDIVIDUAL AWARDS. I mean, if you are so GREAT, then there should be awards given to you, right? Now I know today they come up with all kinds of silly awards, and if I went purely on what was awarded today, then there would just be too many points given out. So I decided to break this element into 6 parts, banking it off the most prestigious awards given to an NFL player.
To me, the most important award a player can receive is the MVP, whether by the league or as the Superbowl MVP, so I am awarding 10 points for every MVP a running back gets. I also decided to award 5 points for every Offensive MVP, NFC Player of the Year and AFC Player of the Year a player gets. Yeah, I think they stopped doing the conference POY thing, but it still proves superiority, so I awarded that.
I also gave 2 points for Rookie of the Year, and that includes Offensive Rookie of the Year. So a player could get 4 points for being the Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the overall ROY.
In addition, I also awarded 1 point for every Pro-Bowl that running back was selected for. Note I did not say ALL PRO, just Pro-Bowl.
A great running back should be able to rack up here, picking up a ton of points…if they are GREAT.
Finally, I added in what I call, ERA ADJUSTMENT. Some people may not like this, but I think greatness has to be penalized based on the fact that the players that are out now are generally better in every way than players of old. That does not mean that every running back that is in the NFL now is BETTER than those of the 1970’s, but it does mean that the game has gotten much better. For that reason, I have to deduct points from the “old school”.
What I decided to do was subtract 1 point for every decade of that player from the time he retired. If a running back retired in 2000 or later, I take off NO points. If he retired anywhere between 1990 to 1999, he loses 1 point off his total. If he retired anywhere from 1980 to 1989, he loses 2 points…and so on.
Why is this necessary? Because there has to be a tempering to indicate that the running backs of the NFL have progressed, otherwise someone who played back in 1950 is equal in every way to an athlete who plays now…and we KNOW that isn’t true.
So everything is in place, and now I can begin right?
Special note; don’t get bent out of shape with the results folks, I’m not an MIT or Yale grad, just a sports fan.
Ok, in my research, I wrote down over 60 of some of the most well-known backs in NFL history. I ran my formula for each and tabulated the results. But before I begin, let me give you a couple of names that did not make my top 25 list, and my justification for it.
Christian Okoye: 8 points.
If I did a top 40, he would not be up there because the points are just too low. But why, might you say? I personally LIKED Christian Okoye, I remember how well he played for the Chiefs. I even have some of his football cards. But the formula shows some very obvious flaws as to why he cannot be the greatest of all time, or even on the list of best 25.
First off, there are NO points for team success. Okoye’s team never made the Superbowl or even AFC Championships. If you are great, there has to be some indication in the success of the teams. Second, there are NO individual stat points. He is not on the top 30 in yards, or touchdowns and he averages under 4.2 yards per carry. He actually got 9 points because he went to 2 Pro-bowls and got a couple of awards, but he lost a point because of era adjustment. It’s really a shame because as I understood it, he got out of the sport because he was not enjoying it, in fact, he didn’t like football at first. If he had played a little longer, maybe the Chiefs would have done some things. I still like him though.
Herschel Walker: 2 points
“WHAT??”
I know, I was kinda disappointed myself, Hershel Walker was one of my favorite running backs, but my formula says he is not anywhere near the best in the NFL. Why? Well, like Christian Okoye, he has no real post season experience. No Superbowl or conference championships. Second, he does not rank high on yards or touchdowns, but does average over 4.2 yards, so he gets one point for that. He does not get but 2 points on the Individual awards element, but then loses one point to era adjustment. So 2 points is all he gets.
What this kinda tells me is that sometimes we have ideas of what great is, because we have certain feelings for certain players, but sometimes you have to look at the whole scope of his work in the NFL. This does not mean these two guys are not good, it just means they are not in the realm of the GREATEST. It takes a player that makes his team great, has legendary stats, and wins awards and can survive the tests of time. Only can these guys make my list of the top 25 of ALL TIME.
So, roll out the carpet, it’s time to count them down…..
A few days back I wrote a blog promising the BEST running backs EVER in the NFL. Well, I now have my list and I am ready to reveal to the universe (or whomever cares to read my blogs) the best running back to ever play in the NFL.
I will count them down from 25 to number one…hey, it helps build the suspense!
I mentioned to you about my “formula”; I will explain that as we go along. When I first thought about doing this, I realized that I have my favorites but I didn’t want to try to favor them. So what I did was come up with some characteristics that establish a GREAT running back.
See, we all have our own ideas on what makes the greatest running back ever, so you know that what I share certainly won’t be the “end all” of debates. But what I am going to do is share with you HOW I got my ranking and why each of these legendary backs are where they are.
But to start, I had to justify a formula. I had to come up with 4 basic elements that make a great back. If you read my earlier blog, you already know, but I will go over them again:
The first major element is TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS. I mean, what good are you if your team never makes it to a championship or finds some level of success. Guys, football is a TEAM sport, and a great player makes his team great. This is very critical when you want to talk about the best running back ever.
So I broke this element into 3 particular values. I gave 10 points for every Superbowl the back ever won, 5 points for every Superbowl they lost, and 2 points for every Conference Championship they lost. I am rewarding the absolute best a team can achieve, but I also reward those that got there but lost, as well as those who were the elite of their conference.
“But that’s not fair to guys who played BEFORE the Superbowl!”
Don’t worry, I did something for that, I’ll tell you about it when we get there.
The second element is INDIVIDUAL STATS. It makes sense that the greatest have to put up some legendary numbers, right? Even though football is a team game, it is the individuals that make it great. We cannot ignore the greatness of a player, even on an average team.
I broke down this element into 3 sections: Yards gained, touchdowns scored and average yards per carry. Any player that finished #1 gets 10 points for each category, for a total of 30 points. Any player that finishes in the top 5 gets 7 points each. Any running back that finishes in the top 10 gets 5 points each, and any back that finishes in the top 20 gets 3 points each. I also award 1 point for any running back that finishes in the top 30 all time for each of those categories. So the max a running back can get is 30 points here, but only if they are #1 in Yards career, touchdowns career AND average yards per carry.
I also adjusted the average yards per carry to separate the competition a bit. Most guys average about 4 yards, so I decided to award 10 points for any back that averages 5 yards or more per carry, 7 points for any back that averages 4.8 yards per carry, 5 points for any back with 4.6 yards per carry and 3 points for any running back that averages 4.4 yards per carry. I also awarded 1 point for any back that averages 4.2 yard or better per carry.
Theoretically, the values for team accomplishments is still better than this element, but it can add quite a bit to any player’s numbers.
The third element in my formula is INDIVIDUAL AWARDS. I mean, if you are so GREAT, then there should be awards given to you, right? Now I know today they come up with all kinds of silly awards, and if I went purely on what was awarded today, then there would just be too many points given out. So I decided to break this element into 6 parts, banking it off the most prestigious awards given to an NFL player.
To me, the most important award a player can receive is the MVP, whether by the league or as the Superbowl MVP, so I am awarding 10 points for every MVP a running back gets. I also decided to award 5 points for every Offensive MVP, NFC Player of the Year and AFC Player of the Year a player gets. Yeah, I think they stopped doing the conference POY thing, but it still proves superiority, so I awarded that.
I also gave 2 points for Rookie of the Year, and that includes Offensive Rookie of the Year. So a player could get 4 points for being the Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the overall ROY.
In addition, I also awarded 1 point for every Pro-Bowl that running back was selected for. Note I did not say ALL PRO, just Pro-Bowl.
A great running back should be able to rack up here, picking up a ton of points…if they are GREAT.
Finally, I added in what I call, ERA ADJUSTMENT. Some people may not like this, but I think greatness has to be penalized based on the fact that the players that are out now are generally better in every way than players of old. That does not mean that every running back that is in the NFL now is BETTER than those of the 1970’s, but it does mean that the game has gotten much better. For that reason, I have to deduct points from the “old school”.
What I decided to do was subtract 1 point for every decade of that player from the time he retired. If a running back retired in 2000 or later, I take off NO points. If he retired anywhere between 1990 to 1999, he loses 1 point off his total. If he retired anywhere from 1980 to 1989, he loses 2 points…and so on.
Why is this necessary? Because there has to be a tempering to indicate that the running backs of the NFL have progressed, otherwise someone who played back in 1950 is equal in every way to an athlete who plays now…and we KNOW that isn’t true.
So everything is in place, and now I can begin right?
Special note; don’t get bent out of shape with the results folks, I’m not an MIT or Yale grad, just a sports fan.
Ok, in my research, I wrote down over 60 of some of the most well-known backs in NFL history. I ran my formula for each and tabulated the results. But before I begin, let me give you a couple of names that did not make my top 25 list, and my justification for it.
Christian Okoye: 8 points.
If I did a top 40, he would not be up there because the points are just too low. But why, might you say? I personally LIKED Christian Okoye, I remember how well he played for the Chiefs. I even have some of his football cards. But the formula shows some very obvious flaws as to why he cannot be the greatest of all time, or even on the list of best 25.
First off, there are NO points for team success. Okoye’s team never made the Superbowl or even AFC Championships. If you are great, there has to be some indication in the success of the teams. Second, there are NO individual stat points. He is not on the top 30 in yards, or touchdowns and he averages under 4.2 yards per carry. He actually got 9 points because he went to 2 Pro-bowls and got a couple of awards, but he lost a point because of era adjustment. It’s really a shame because as I understood it, he got out of the sport because he was not enjoying it, in fact, he didn’t like football at first. If he had played a little longer, maybe the Chiefs would have done some things. I still like him though.
Herschel Walker: 2 points
“WHAT??”
I know, I was kinda disappointed myself, Hershel Walker was one of my favorite running backs, but my formula says he is not anywhere near the best in the NFL. Why? Well, like Christian Okoye, he has no real post season experience. No Superbowl or conference championships. Second, he does not rank high on yards or touchdowns, but does average over 4.2 yards, so he gets one point for that. He does not get but 2 points on the Individual awards element, but then loses one point to era adjustment. So 2 points is all he gets.
What this kinda tells me is that sometimes we have ideas of what great is, because we have certain feelings for certain players, but sometimes you have to look at the whole scope of his work in the NFL. This does not mean these two guys are not good, it just means they are not in the realm of the GREATEST. It takes a player that makes his team great, has legendary stats, and wins awards and can survive the tests of time. Only can these guys make my list of the top 25 of ALL TIME.
So, roll out the carpet, it’s time to count them down…..
DANGER college football games
DANGER College Games To Watch
DANGER! DANGER!
Every week there are some very important college football games that will end up being the “make or break” games of the season for certain teams. Let’s chew on that for a bit…
Before I continue, first off, a big thumbs up to Toledo. Yeah, I know they lost to Fresno State, but it really takes some guts to go for the win at home against a top 25 team. I say to any fan of Toledo, you made a fan here. But ups to you guys!
Oh, and some have asked about the “Greatest Running Backs EVER” list…I just recently finished it and will start sharing that very soon, stay tuned for that.
Now, what are the danger games for this weekend?
Well, as I write this, there is a game later tonight between #1 ranked USC and Oregon State…
Nope, not a danger game… next…..
But Friday when Uconn goes to Lousiville, THAT can be a danger game.
Beware oh ye of a questionable 4-0 mark….you have yet to really be tested. This is a very important game for the conference that seems as weak as the ACC. Uconn has to make a solid point by proving that it is worthy of a top 25 spot by becoming 5-0 and beating a quality team in Louisville.
It’s quite likely that we’re looking at one of these two teams to make a strong case for that BCS bowl…not the Championship because nobody in the Big East is gonna qualify for that.
These two teams, and South Florida, will decide who will play for the BCS bid, or settle for a lesser bowl. Beware Huskies…
Beware ECU, you are in danger vs. Houston….
Yeah, I know ECU took a hard shot by NC State, and in one poll they are not even in the top 25 anymore, but they are home against Houston, and things SHOULD be fine for them. The problem is that ECU has had a few injuries, and the fizzling sound is that of a swollen ego deflating. One week you’re the darling of the NCAA, next week you’re midcard.
Right now there is only the slimmest chance that ECU could play in a BCS bowl, even if they should win every game from now on. Conference USA just isn’t strong enough to support a good strength of schedule, so ECU will have a hard time the rest of the year. But they still have that target on their heads, and will get every team’s best effort. One more loss will destroy ANY hopes of a BCS. They can’t overlook Houston, who were 8-5 last year.
Beware ECU, one more loss and you’ll be back in pack with the rest of the average teams in the NCAA…
Gird thy loins Florida State….beware!
Last week’s loss to Wake Forest proved that you should have NEVER been ranked in the first place, and shame on you for scheduling two Southern Conference teams to beat on (one being my beloved Cats). Scoring over 100 points gave you a false sense of confidence, and Wake Forest proved that it was only smoke and mirrors. But this game vs. Colorado will determine your success or failure before you even get halfway through.
Should FSU lose this game, it will spell the end of the season. Florida State simply cannot go 0-2 in Division I games and still carry any sense of confidence into the remaining games. Granted the ACC isn’t gonna scare anybody, but with Clemson and Virginia Tech still out there with Wake Forest, it may be a mountain FSU can’t climb if they lose this game vs. Colorado.
You season is on the line…NOW.
Beware West Virginia…your postseason life hangs by fingernails….
Oh how the mighty have fallen, once #8 in the nation, now thrown out of the top 25 with the bum’s rush. I really thought this team was destined for greatness, but after the ECU loss and the loss to Colorado, you now have to wonder if this team is even going to get 6 wins. In less than 2 weeks, they’ve gone from potential National Championship contender to POSSIBLE bowl game.
With no Division I games, WVA needs 6 wins quick, fast and in a hurry. It starts with Marshall. And to be honest, I still think they should win this game, but the key is by how much. They need to stop the Thundering Herd big, winning by at LEAST 3 touchdowns if they are to try to lay claim to any Big East title. With Auburn on the schedule, I cannot give WVA every win. It is quite possible they can win 9 games, and salvage a pretty decent season. But I don’t see them winning every game in the Big East, they have not proven that they can win at all. If they do not beat Marshall by at least 21 points, I think the engine of winning will be gone…and so will a 6 win season.
Danger be unto thee, BOTH Purdue AND Notre Dame…
Notre Dame was exposed for the soft schedule they set before them, and paid for it. So much for Lou Holtz’s prediction of a perfect season. Any sane person could have predicted that. But now Notre Dame has to “man up” in a critical home game. If they lose this game, it may expose the underbelly of this wanna-be BCS team, enough to encourage their next four opponents to step it up. Understand this, regardless of what Notre Dame’s record is, every opponent will see it a great feather to hand them a loss.
A loss to Purdue COULD throw red flags about the true strength of the Irish.
But what of the Boilermakers?
The Big 10 is hard enough as it is just to survive, but Purdue has Penn State, Ohio State and currently undefeated Northwestern back-to-back-to-back. And oh by the way, their next game after that is against currently undefeated Minnesota. The road looks very difficult for Purdue, and to get to the promised land of 6 Division I wins, they MUST beat Notre Dame. Their 3-5 conference record may mean trouble, so the sooner they can get wins, the better. A loss to Notre Dame could spell a disappointing season.
And finally, danger signals to Virginia Tech as they play Nebraska…for BOTH teams.
ECU ripped Vtech’s season apart with that loss in Charlotte, and to be honest, this isn’t the Virginia Tech team of old. It’s not right to see Virginia Tech not ranked, but the entire ACC seems to be on a off year. Granted they did beat Georgia Tech, and believe me that will mean something down the road, but a win here could possibly put them back on track to a top 10 ranking by the end of they year. They don’t play Wake Forest in the regular season, but if Virginia Tech plays in the ACC Championship, it may well be with ONLY one loss…you’re gonna be sick to your stomach when you think of that ECU loss…
But for Nebraska, this is a game they MUST win. Beating Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State is fine and all, but last year those teams finished 14-21 combined…all losing records. But they count as far as Division I wins, so congrats to setting up a cupcake path to a bowl.
Now EARN it.
Nebraska won only 2 conference games last year, but got their anatomy rearranged by Kansas. The Big 12 is tough, and they’ve got to see Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas. While these are tough teams, the bottom half of the Big 12 won’t intimate too many teams, so it is possible that Nebraska could be 5-5 before their last 2 games of the year…but I say that assuming that they will lose to Virginia Tech.
So this game vs. the Hokies means a heck of a lot more than they know. Lose this game, and your post season dreams (albeit on several cupcakes) will be in doubt. Win this game, and you stand a good chance of going bowling…
So take caution ye teams of Division I (yeah, I know that’s not what they call it, but I don’t work for any big time media). For some, the entire season hangs in the balance on this weekend’s games. For others, the chance to make a BCS will be decided. Beware ye teams…
Beware….
DANGER! DANGER!
Every week there are some very important college football games that will end up being the “make or break” games of the season for certain teams. Let’s chew on that for a bit…
Before I continue, first off, a big thumbs up to Toledo. Yeah, I know they lost to Fresno State, but it really takes some guts to go for the win at home against a top 25 team. I say to any fan of Toledo, you made a fan here. But ups to you guys!
Oh, and some have asked about the “Greatest Running Backs EVER” list…I just recently finished it and will start sharing that very soon, stay tuned for that.
Now, what are the danger games for this weekend?
Well, as I write this, there is a game later tonight between #1 ranked USC and Oregon State…
Nope, not a danger game… next…..
But Friday when Uconn goes to Lousiville, THAT can be a danger game.
Beware oh ye of a questionable 4-0 mark….you have yet to really be tested. This is a very important game for the conference that seems as weak as the ACC. Uconn has to make a solid point by proving that it is worthy of a top 25 spot by becoming 5-0 and beating a quality team in Louisville.
It’s quite likely that we’re looking at one of these two teams to make a strong case for that BCS bowl…not the Championship because nobody in the Big East is gonna qualify for that.
These two teams, and South Florida, will decide who will play for the BCS bid, or settle for a lesser bowl. Beware Huskies…
Beware ECU, you are in danger vs. Houston….
Yeah, I know ECU took a hard shot by NC State, and in one poll they are not even in the top 25 anymore, but they are home against Houston, and things SHOULD be fine for them. The problem is that ECU has had a few injuries, and the fizzling sound is that of a swollen ego deflating. One week you’re the darling of the NCAA, next week you’re midcard.
Right now there is only the slimmest chance that ECU could play in a BCS bowl, even if they should win every game from now on. Conference USA just isn’t strong enough to support a good strength of schedule, so ECU will have a hard time the rest of the year. But they still have that target on their heads, and will get every team’s best effort. One more loss will destroy ANY hopes of a BCS. They can’t overlook Houston, who were 8-5 last year.
Beware ECU, one more loss and you’ll be back in pack with the rest of the average teams in the NCAA…
Gird thy loins Florida State….beware!
Last week’s loss to Wake Forest proved that you should have NEVER been ranked in the first place, and shame on you for scheduling two Southern Conference teams to beat on (one being my beloved Cats). Scoring over 100 points gave you a false sense of confidence, and Wake Forest proved that it was only smoke and mirrors. But this game vs. Colorado will determine your success or failure before you even get halfway through.
Should FSU lose this game, it will spell the end of the season. Florida State simply cannot go 0-2 in Division I games and still carry any sense of confidence into the remaining games. Granted the ACC isn’t gonna scare anybody, but with Clemson and Virginia Tech still out there with Wake Forest, it may be a mountain FSU can’t climb if they lose this game vs. Colorado.
You season is on the line…NOW.
Beware West Virginia…your postseason life hangs by fingernails….
Oh how the mighty have fallen, once #8 in the nation, now thrown out of the top 25 with the bum’s rush. I really thought this team was destined for greatness, but after the ECU loss and the loss to Colorado, you now have to wonder if this team is even going to get 6 wins. In less than 2 weeks, they’ve gone from potential National Championship contender to POSSIBLE bowl game.
With no Division I games, WVA needs 6 wins quick, fast and in a hurry. It starts with Marshall. And to be honest, I still think they should win this game, but the key is by how much. They need to stop the Thundering Herd big, winning by at LEAST 3 touchdowns if they are to try to lay claim to any Big East title. With Auburn on the schedule, I cannot give WVA every win. It is quite possible they can win 9 games, and salvage a pretty decent season. But I don’t see them winning every game in the Big East, they have not proven that they can win at all. If they do not beat Marshall by at least 21 points, I think the engine of winning will be gone…and so will a 6 win season.
Danger be unto thee, BOTH Purdue AND Notre Dame…
Notre Dame was exposed for the soft schedule they set before them, and paid for it. So much for Lou Holtz’s prediction of a perfect season. Any sane person could have predicted that. But now Notre Dame has to “man up” in a critical home game. If they lose this game, it may expose the underbelly of this wanna-be BCS team, enough to encourage their next four opponents to step it up. Understand this, regardless of what Notre Dame’s record is, every opponent will see it a great feather to hand them a loss.
A loss to Purdue COULD throw red flags about the true strength of the Irish.
But what of the Boilermakers?
The Big 10 is hard enough as it is just to survive, but Purdue has Penn State, Ohio State and currently undefeated Northwestern back-to-back-to-back. And oh by the way, their next game after that is against currently undefeated Minnesota. The road looks very difficult for Purdue, and to get to the promised land of 6 Division I wins, they MUST beat Notre Dame. Their 3-5 conference record may mean trouble, so the sooner they can get wins, the better. A loss to Notre Dame could spell a disappointing season.
And finally, danger signals to Virginia Tech as they play Nebraska…for BOTH teams.
ECU ripped Vtech’s season apart with that loss in Charlotte, and to be honest, this isn’t the Virginia Tech team of old. It’s not right to see Virginia Tech not ranked, but the entire ACC seems to be on a off year. Granted they did beat Georgia Tech, and believe me that will mean something down the road, but a win here could possibly put them back on track to a top 10 ranking by the end of they year. They don’t play Wake Forest in the regular season, but if Virginia Tech plays in the ACC Championship, it may well be with ONLY one loss…you’re gonna be sick to your stomach when you think of that ECU loss…
But for Nebraska, this is a game they MUST win. Beating Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State is fine and all, but last year those teams finished 14-21 combined…all losing records. But they count as far as Division I wins, so congrats to setting up a cupcake path to a bowl.
Now EARN it.
Nebraska won only 2 conference games last year, but got their anatomy rearranged by Kansas. The Big 12 is tough, and they’ve got to see Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas. While these are tough teams, the bottom half of the Big 12 won’t intimate too many teams, so it is possible that Nebraska could be 5-5 before their last 2 games of the year…but I say that assuming that they will lose to Virginia Tech.
So this game vs. the Hokies means a heck of a lot more than they know. Lose this game, and your post season dreams (albeit on several cupcakes) will be in doubt. Win this game, and you stand a good chance of going bowling…
So take caution ye teams of Division I (yeah, I know that’s not what they call it, but I don’t work for any big time media). For some, the entire season hangs in the balance on this weekend’s games. For others, the chance to make a BCS will be decided. Beware ye teams…
Beware….
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
College Football's Basement Teams
College Football’s Basement Teams
I know it is still very early to say this, but after a few weeks of the 2008 college football season, it is worth noting that at this very moment, Wednesday, September 24th, 2008, there are 8 winless teams in Division 1A. Now that is to be expected so early in the season, but some of the names are kinda head-scratching.
There are, if I am correct, 27 teams that are perfect, with no losses, and there are 8 winless teams. Even the most die-hard fans don’t want anybody to finish 0-11, right? So which teams have a chance of turning their season around, and which ones will struggle just to get out of the basement? Let’s take a look:
The Sun Belt has 2 teams that are 0-3; Florida International and North Texas. We all know that this isn’t one of the power conferences, but we all remember Troy in how they tested an angry Ohio State.
The Golden Panthers of Florida International won ONLY one game last year, against North Texas, the last game of the year. It was a convincing win too, maybe something they can build on. The problem is that the other losses were big, meaning they have a lot of work to do. Their closest loss was against Arkansas State by only 3 points, but many of their games were, as the saying goes…beat downs.
It may be difficult for them to win more than 3 games, but consider that their first few games were very tough, it is possible that it will prepare them for the Sun Belt conference…but you know what they say about pressure…it makes diamonds… and burst pipes…diamonds and Golden Panthers seem to go together…but somehow I think they may be in for a two win season.
Their nemesis, North Texas, is also 0-3, and they are coming off 2 wins last year. The odd thing about North Texas is that they seem to be able to score a heck of a lot of points. Problem is, they give up more than they get. If they can fine-tune the defense just a bit, that could make the difference in a couple of games. Most of their losses were by more than 10 points, so there clearly is work to do, but in conference play, there is always a chance for North Texas to steal a couple of wins…not much more than that though.
In the Mid-American, Ohio sits alone in the basement at 0-4. This was a team that went 6-6 last year. Lots of times when you look at lesser conferences (no offense to those outside the power conferences), you have to look at the first 3 or 4 games, because for many of these teams, they are the “cupcake” games for the better schools. Ohio last year played Virginia Tech and lost 28-7. This year they played Ohio State and Northwestern, and as of this moment, Northwestern is undefeated. So you have to apply a little grace with their current 0-4 record.
But that grace is melting with every loss they get. I actually pull for this team because Frank Solich is there, and I remember how terrible Nebraska treated him when they could not get to the National Championship every year (as if there are only 2 teams in Division I). To be sure, this team will not go 0-11 and I think they have a good shot at winning at least 4 or 5 games. They’d have to sweep to get a bowl, which I think might be a stretch, but they are just as good as most teams in the conference.
San Diego State is currently 0-3 in the Mountain West, trying to build off that 4-8 record last year. The problem is they lost to some VERY suspect teams, and there are currently 3 undefeated teams in their conference (Utah, BYU, TCU) as well as the 3-1 Air Force. You can almost count 4 more losses to the Aztecs.
They are probably assured of NO chance of a bowl, because winning 6 games will be close to impossible, and you have to wonder if they can match their wins from last year. Nobody wants to slide backwards, but San Diego State could be headed for that mark. I don’t see them losing every game, but their three wins was by an average of about 4 points. It’s going to be a long season….for a 3 win team.
In Conference USA, the only winless team is UTEP at 0-3. This in a conference where 9 of the 12 teams do not have a winning record at the moment. So there obviously is hope. UTEP won 4 games last year, but they lost the last 6 games…meaning they are on a 9 game losing streak. Not good.
I guess the signs were there when they won 3 of their 4 games by 8 total points. Close wins are nice, but there were not many convincing wins unless you count Texas Southern (52-12). UTEP can score, at least they did last year, but defense is like swiss cheese. It might be hard for the Miners to match their wins from last year, but in this conference, there is a chance they could…but not much better.
Of the Independents, Army is 0-3, and I have watched a few of their games. To me it just seems like the only teams they are going to beat are those who can’t stop the run or those who run options like they do. The problem with the option is that you are almost throwing away any plays that involve passing. A team that lives by the option will have an early death when the score gets to more than 2 or 3 touchdowns. I’ve seen Army play behind, knowing they there was no way they were going to catch up. This style of play, without some serious passing, just does not seem to work.
Now, they did get 3 wins last year, and it is possible they can match that. But one of their wins last year was to Temple, and they didn’t get the win this year. But all of their losses were big, meaning by at least 8 points or more. When you’re down by more than a touchdown, especially in the 4th quarter, running the option is NOT an option.
It’s gonna be tough for Army this year, maybe they can find 2 wins…I wish they could get more…
What’s up with Rutgers? Wasn’t this the darling of the Big East last year? Going to a bowl and a regular season of 8-5 seemed to promise a big jump in 2008, but was it a one-trick pony? With their star back gone (Rice) things seem to be different. Either Rutgers was just a “midcard” team or maybe they had too much swagger. Four of their losses are from conference foes, so they have to see them again this year and hope to return the favor.
Rutgers is in a crisis now, because there are many people that are expecting big things from the Scarlet Knights, but with an 0-3 start, things look very shaky. They need to get to that 6-win plateau to at least qualify for a bowl, meaning they need to get on a big winning streak. Normally I might say this is impossible, but the Big East has been showing signs of weakness this year, something Rutgers needs to take advantage of. West Virginia has fallen hard, Louisville has problems, Pittsburgh is stumbling and Uconn is still untested. If ever there is a chance to salvage a season, that time is now.
But will Rutgers go to a bowl? I think they will slip this year to 5 wins, maybe six, but that may be stretching it.
And then we come to Washington.
And DON’T get me started on the celebration call…I can write 10 pages on the stupidity of the NCAA to punish emotion.
Yet it does not change the fact that Washington has 3 losses. Never mind that they came to Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma, they are still three losses. If you are going to lose 3 games, there is no honor lost in losing to these foes, right?
Wrong.
Unfortunately Washington is in the basement. However, I have no problem believing that Washington will rebound, after going through a very tough 3 games. BYU could go undefeated, as well as Oklahoma, and Oregon isn’t half bad. So hopefully Washington has put themselves in a position to win 5 games or more. They won 4 last year, and it is possible to win 5 or 6. Remember, this is the same team that lost by only 3 points to USC and by 7 points to Hawaii. Of all the basement teams, this seems like the one with the MOST promise…and maybe the only one with a real chance of getting to a 6 win season.
It’s gonna be tough, and I actually think they will get 5 wins, but there is certainly great promise here.
Anyway, those are the basement teams for now. Hopefully nobody goes 0-11, but these 8 teams need to focus on getting off that egg, and picking up some wins. Let’s see if they do.
I know it is still very early to say this, but after a few weeks of the 2008 college football season, it is worth noting that at this very moment, Wednesday, September 24th, 2008, there are 8 winless teams in Division 1A. Now that is to be expected so early in the season, but some of the names are kinda head-scratching.
There are, if I am correct, 27 teams that are perfect, with no losses, and there are 8 winless teams. Even the most die-hard fans don’t want anybody to finish 0-11, right? So which teams have a chance of turning their season around, and which ones will struggle just to get out of the basement? Let’s take a look:
The Sun Belt has 2 teams that are 0-3; Florida International and North Texas. We all know that this isn’t one of the power conferences, but we all remember Troy in how they tested an angry Ohio State.
The Golden Panthers of Florida International won ONLY one game last year, against North Texas, the last game of the year. It was a convincing win too, maybe something they can build on. The problem is that the other losses were big, meaning they have a lot of work to do. Their closest loss was against Arkansas State by only 3 points, but many of their games were, as the saying goes…beat downs.
It may be difficult for them to win more than 3 games, but consider that their first few games were very tough, it is possible that it will prepare them for the Sun Belt conference…but you know what they say about pressure…it makes diamonds… and burst pipes…diamonds and Golden Panthers seem to go together…but somehow I think they may be in for a two win season.
Their nemesis, North Texas, is also 0-3, and they are coming off 2 wins last year. The odd thing about North Texas is that they seem to be able to score a heck of a lot of points. Problem is, they give up more than they get. If they can fine-tune the defense just a bit, that could make the difference in a couple of games. Most of their losses were by more than 10 points, so there clearly is work to do, but in conference play, there is always a chance for North Texas to steal a couple of wins…not much more than that though.
In the Mid-American, Ohio sits alone in the basement at 0-4. This was a team that went 6-6 last year. Lots of times when you look at lesser conferences (no offense to those outside the power conferences), you have to look at the first 3 or 4 games, because for many of these teams, they are the “cupcake” games for the better schools. Ohio last year played Virginia Tech and lost 28-7. This year they played Ohio State and Northwestern, and as of this moment, Northwestern is undefeated. So you have to apply a little grace with their current 0-4 record.
But that grace is melting with every loss they get. I actually pull for this team because Frank Solich is there, and I remember how terrible Nebraska treated him when they could not get to the National Championship every year (as if there are only 2 teams in Division I). To be sure, this team will not go 0-11 and I think they have a good shot at winning at least 4 or 5 games. They’d have to sweep to get a bowl, which I think might be a stretch, but they are just as good as most teams in the conference.
San Diego State is currently 0-3 in the Mountain West, trying to build off that 4-8 record last year. The problem is they lost to some VERY suspect teams, and there are currently 3 undefeated teams in their conference (Utah, BYU, TCU) as well as the 3-1 Air Force. You can almost count 4 more losses to the Aztecs.
They are probably assured of NO chance of a bowl, because winning 6 games will be close to impossible, and you have to wonder if they can match their wins from last year. Nobody wants to slide backwards, but San Diego State could be headed for that mark. I don’t see them losing every game, but their three wins was by an average of about 4 points. It’s going to be a long season….for a 3 win team.
In Conference USA, the only winless team is UTEP at 0-3. This in a conference where 9 of the 12 teams do not have a winning record at the moment. So there obviously is hope. UTEP won 4 games last year, but they lost the last 6 games…meaning they are on a 9 game losing streak. Not good.
I guess the signs were there when they won 3 of their 4 games by 8 total points. Close wins are nice, but there were not many convincing wins unless you count Texas Southern (52-12). UTEP can score, at least they did last year, but defense is like swiss cheese. It might be hard for the Miners to match their wins from last year, but in this conference, there is a chance they could…but not much better.
Of the Independents, Army is 0-3, and I have watched a few of their games. To me it just seems like the only teams they are going to beat are those who can’t stop the run or those who run options like they do. The problem with the option is that you are almost throwing away any plays that involve passing. A team that lives by the option will have an early death when the score gets to more than 2 or 3 touchdowns. I’ve seen Army play behind, knowing they there was no way they were going to catch up. This style of play, without some serious passing, just does not seem to work.
Now, they did get 3 wins last year, and it is possible they can match that. But one of their wins last year was to Temple, and they didn’t get the win this year. But all of their losses were big, meaning by at least 8 points or more. When you’re down by more than a touchdown, especially in the 4th quarter, running the option is NOT an option.
It’s gonna be tough for Army this year, maybe they can find 2 wins…I wish they could get more…
What’s up with Rutgers? Wasn’t this the darling of the Big East last year? Going to a bowl and a regular season of 8-5 seemed to promise a big jump in 2008, but was it a one-trick pony? With their star back gone (Rice) things seem to be different. Either Rutgers was just a “midcard” team or maybe they had too much swagger. Four of their losses are from conference foes, so they have to see them again this year and hope to return the favor.
Rutgers is in a crisis now, because there are many people that are expecting big things from the Scarlet Knights, but with an 0-3 start, things look very shaky. They need to get to that 6-win plateau to at least qualify for a bowl, meaning they need to get on a big winning streak. Normally I might say this is impossible, but the Big East has been showing signs of weakness this year, something Rutgers needs to take advantage of. West Virginia has fallen hard, Louisville has problems, Pittsburgh is stumbling and Uconn is still untested. If ever there is a chance to salvage a season, that time is now.
But will Rutgers go to a bowl? I think they will slip this year to 5 wins, maybe six, but that may be stretching it.
And then we come to Washington.
And DON’T get me started on the celebration call…I can write 10 pages on the stupidity of the NCAA to punish emotion.
Yet it does not change the fact that Washington has 3 losses. Never mind that they came to Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma, they are still three losses. If you are going to lose 3 games, there is no honor lost in losing to these foes, right?
Wrong.
Unfortunately Washington is in the basement. However, I have no problem believing that Washington will rebound, after going through a very tough 3 games. BYU could go undefeated, as well as Oklahoma, and Oregon isn’t half bad. So hopefully Washington has put themselves in a position to win 5 games or more. They won 4 last year, and it is possible to win 5 or 6. Remember, this is the same team that lost by only 3 points to USC and by 7 points to Hawaii. Of all the basement teams, this seems like the one with the MOST promise…and maybe the only one with a real chance of getting to a 6 win season.
It’s gonna be tough, and I actually think they will get 5 wins, but there is certainly great promise here.
Anyway, those are the basement teams for now. Hopefully nobody goes 0-11, but these 8 teams need to focus on getting off that egg, and picking up some wins. Let’s see if they do.
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