Remembering George Blanda

I heard on a Sporting News Flash segment that NFL Hall of Fame quarterback/place kicker George Blanda passed away Monday at age 83.

Blanda was a legendary player from 1949 through 1975 playing for the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers, and Oakland Raiders. In those 26 seasons, the longest playing career in pro football history, Blanda threw 236 touchdown passes and scored 2002 points, a pro football record at the time.

George's best season as a quarterback came in 1961 playing for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL) throwing 36 TD passes and named AFL Player of the Year.

But what I remember about Blanda was he was clutch as both the place kicker and backup quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. I also remember a stretch of games in the early 1970's in which he either threw game tying or winning touchdown passes and some winning field goals along the way.

I honestly didn't remember what season it was or the exact way these games were decided, so I did some research to get the information that I will present to you.

The season was 1970 and the streak of games that Blanda either led Oakland to victory, or in one game a tie, was five.

The first game was a three-touchdown passing and a field goal to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. On the heels of defeating Pittsburgh, Blanda kicked a game tying field goal versus arch rival Kansas City Chiefs followed by throwing a touchdown pass and kicking a 52-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining to beat the Cleveland Browns. The streak reached four games as Blanda beat the Denver Broncos with a late TD pass and culminated with George kicking a late game winning field goal against the San Diego Chargers.

That is one amazing run for a player who was age 43 at the time!

Blanda retired just prior to then 1976 season after being waived by Oakland a month short of his 49th birthday and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

Truly an amazing career from an amazing athlete. With that may we pay homage to a man that truly loved what he did --- play football for a living.

May George Blanda rest in peace.

Dick

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PGA Tour FedEx Cup To Be Decided This Weekend

The chase for the FedEx Cup, the holy grail of the PGA Tour, culminates this weekend with the playing of The Tour Championship at the demanding East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The top thirty of the 2010 FedEx point standings have qualified for the prestigious title of FedEx Cup champion and the top five are in position to win it all by way of victory in The Tour Championship.

Here's a quick rundown of the top five in FedEx Cup points in reverse order.

5th – Paul Casey

Casey has played the fewest events of the top five (16) and has yet to record a victory this season. However, he has finished in the top 10 six times including a runner-up finish at The Open Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland. Paul hits it a long way but recently has been somewhat wild off the tee. He'll need to be accurate to conquer East Lake.

4th – Steve Stricker

Stricker has had a very good season in 2010 which includes two victories amongst his nine top 10 results. Not the longest off the tee, Stricker is known for his ball striking abilities and is always one the best putters on tour. East Lake Golf Club should suit him well.

3rd – Charley Hoffman

The short, stout Hoffman with the long blond hair and Popeye arms vaulted himself into the top five by winning The Deutsche Bank Open, the 2nd leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Charley is a bomber off the tee, but he'll need accuracy if he wants to be FedEx champ.

2nd – Dustin Johnson

The unbelievably long Johnson has had an...well, unbelievable season. He has won twice this season including the BMW title just 2 weeks ago, the 3rd leg of the playoffs. We know of his meltdown during the final round of the U.S. Open and was penalized 2 strokes for grounding his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole during the PGA Championship, costing him a spot in the playoff. Johnson is not only long, but has a delicate touch around the greens. He must keep his wits about him this weekend.

1st – Matt Kuchar

Easily the most consistent player on tour in 2010, Kuchar has eleven top 10 finishes with a lone victory to his credit in 24 events. This season, there has been no glaring weaknesses in Matt's game and he is poised to win his first FedEx Cup title. He definitely has the game and mindset to win at Atlanta.

There you have it in a nutshell. Of course, there are other players of note that can win The Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup championship should the top five stumble. Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, and defending champion Phil Mickelson are all ready to pounce and steal the FedEx Cup.

This should be a great weekend of golf.

Dick

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Michael Vick To Lead Eagles

It appears that Michael Vick will be at the helm for the Philadelphia Eagles in their quest to make the NFL playoffs in 2010. This news comes on the heels of long tenured head coach Andy Reid emphatically stating on Monday that Kevin Kolb was the Philly quarterback of the present and future.

Why the change of heart? There are several possibilities for the change...let's explore them.

Vick is endorsed by the team.

It's no secret in the NFL that the other 52 players are behind the quarterback if he plays well and the team wins. Number 7 was fantastic in the 2nd half versus Green Bay and was brilliant in a 35-32 win over Detroit. The Eagles are confident knowing that Vick has the potential to make a big play on every down.

Kevin Kolb isn't ready.

When coach Andy Reid unloaded long time quarterback Donovan McNabb to Washington, he proclaimed that Kolb was ready to lead the Eagles west coast offense to new heights. It became evident in the pre season and the season opener against the Packers that Kolb was not ready to be the offensive leader before he was concussed near the end of the 1st half.

Vick is simply a better quarterback.

If there is one thing we know about Michael Vick, he can play football at a very high level while Kevin Kolb inexperienced. Vick is a 3 time Pro Bowler and has lead the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs on a few occasions. We know he is a great runner as a quarterback and seemingly has improved as a pocket passer, albeit with a very small sample. In essence, Michael Vick is a proven commodity.

Andy Reid is on the hot seat.

While I personally don't subscribe to this theory, it is within the realm of possibility that Eagle head coach Andy Reid's job may be in jeopardy. While he has had tremendous success coaching Philadelphia, Reid has led the Eagles to just one Super Bowl appearance, losing to the New England Patriots. There is a golden opportunity to win the NFC East this season as no team has gotten off to a great start and Eagles ownership has told Reid to insert Vick as the quarterback to lead the team.


These are the possible scenarios as to why Andy Reid has decided to go with Michael Vick as the Eagles quarterback for this season. I personally believe that Kevin Kolb can be an effective leader and win football games but I also know that Michael Vick is a proven leader of offense and has the Philly locker room in his corner.

Now it's time to find out if Vick can lead the Eagles to winning football games or if he makes Andy seem like a fool. Only time will tell.

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Quarterback Changes and Controversies --- Already

Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season has just been completed and there are a plethora of quarterback changes and controversies. I realize there have been changes so early in the season in the past, but this many after just 2 games? I can't remember anything like this happening.

Let's check out what's up with teams changing quarterbacks and those teams with controversies.

The teams with quarterback changes:

Buffalo Bills

It's taken Head Coach Chan Gailey just 2 weeks to figure out what everyone else already knew. Trent Edwards is not an NFL starting quarterback. Edwards has been given more than ample opportunity the last 3 seasons to establish himself as a serviceable NFL starting quarterback and at each turn he has either failed miserably or been injured.

With Edwards now riding the pine, career backup Ryan Fitzpatrick takes the reins of the floundering Buffalo offense.

Carolina Panthers

Quarterback Matt Moore played very well in the stead of now departed Jake Delhomme late last season and earned himself the starting nod heading into 2010. After playing poorly in the first 2 games this season (pulled both games),highly touted rookie signal caller Jimmy Clausen takes the helm for the Panthers.

While Clausen struggled in both relief appearances, Carolina boss John Fox will give him every opportunity to succeed. Carolina's strong running game should help Clausen settle into the job.

Teams with quarterback controversies:

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders brought in Jason Campbell, a former 1st Round pick of the Washington Redskins, to fill the quarterback position when it was finally realized that Jamarcus Russell was deemed a bust. Campbell, while not playing awful, was unable to move the Raider offense consistently. In Week 2, Campbell was benched in favor of veteran Bruce Gradkowski, who lead Oakland to a touchdown in a win over the St. Louis Rams.

As of this post, both Campbell and Gradkowski have split time with the 1st team in practice. Stay tuned.

Tennessee Titans

Vince Young was pulled from Sunday's game against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers' defense for throwing 2 interceptions, one killing a drive at the Pittsburgh goal line.

Kerry Collins did manage a scoring drive late in the game to pull the Titans close, but otherwise was not much more effective than Young.

Longtime Tennessee Head Coach Jeff Fisher maintains that Young is the starter for the Titans but the question is has VY's confidence been shattered permanently? We'll have to see next week.

My opinion is that Young should not have been yanked by Fisher. Pittsburgh's defense will make any quarterback look bad on any Sunday. I truly believe that Vince Young gives the Titans the best chance at winning football games...he has proven that in the past. I'm rooting for Vince.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles shuffled longtime starter Donovan McNabb to Washington in favor of youngster Kevin Kolb to run the potent Eagle attack. Kolb did not play well in pre-season nor did he fare well in the Eagles opener, throwing for only 25 first half yards before being concussed and replaced by Michael Vick.

Vick moved the team effectively and efficiently in the 2nd half against the Green Bay Packers in a loss and was brilliant in the defeat of the Detroit Lions.

Long tenured Philly coach Andy Reid has named Kolb the starter for this coming Sunday, although he has stated that the Eagles have a great situation to have 2 quarterbacks that can win games.

How long a leash will Kolb have? I think Reid will allow Kolb at least 2 weeks to show that he has the game to lead the Eagles to victory. Should Kolb fail, Vick will lead the way for the remainder of the season.

Injuries have forced teams to change gears at quarterback. Detroit Lions young gun Matthew Stafford injured a shoulder in the season opener to open the door for journeyman Shawn Hill while the Cleveland Browns have had to replace veteran starter Jake Delhomme with Seneca Wallace due to a foot injury.

Then there's the saga of Ben Roethlisberger, and his 4 game suspension. Dennis Dixon started the first 2 games, became injured and was replaced by retread Charlie Batch. In the interim, The Steelers re-signed Byron Leftwich for insurance until “Big Ben” returns.

* NEWS FLASH* --- Michael Vick has been named the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Dick

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University of Michigan Quarterback Denard Robinson --- Is He For Real?

As a college football fanatic, I love watching young men play a game that has more weekly twists and turns than a Formula-1 auto race. I see more big plays per game in college football than the NFL by a long shot and many are just jaw dropping.

But how often do you see a relative unknown player make play after play from the quarterback position that either make you exclaim “Wow!” or leave you speechless? I'll bet not often, but after 2 weekends of play, there has been one such player that has gone from anonymity to household name to potential Heisman Trophy candidate.

Let's meet Denard Robinson, University of Michigan quarterback.

According to Bleacher Report, Robinson was highly recruited out of Florida high school football by such schools as Florida, Georgia, Kansas State, and Michigan. The sophomore signal caller was the backup to incumbent Tate Forcier last season before wresting the job this season.

Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez recruited Robinson because he believed he could run the spread option offense much like his former star quarterback Pat White when he was the head man at the University of West Virginia.

Why have coaches, opponents, teammates, and fans alike gone gaga over this young man? Let's look at the first 2 weeks.

In the Wolverines season opener at home versus Connecticut, Denard completed 19 of 22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 197 yards on 29 carries for a total of 383 yards of total offense. Michigan defeated Uconn 30-10.

Last week at Notre Dame, Robinson broke the single game total offense record by toting the ball another 29 times for 258 yards and completing 24 of 40 passes for 244 yards. That's 502 yards of total offense...Five hundred and two! That's also believed to be a single game record in FBS history.

In a USA Today article written by Nicole Auerbach, Florida head coach Urban Meyer proclaimed Robinson as the best player in the country, or one of them. Said Meyer, "I haven't seen everybody play, but I watched that one. That was ridiculous. We recruited him hard, too. We knew he was a dynamic player and a good person."

After Connecticut's loss to Michigan, Huskies' boss Randy Edsall quipped, "Denard Robinson is going to make people look bad."

Wolverine coach Rich Rodriguez was asked about Robinson's heavy workload. His response was, "Everybody says you can't run your quarterback 20-something times a game." Then Rodriguez fired, "Well, do they say that when you hand it off to Barry Sanders? 'You can't run Barry Sanders 20-something times a game.' If you can handle it, you can handle it."

What do I think of Denard Robinson? I believe that he is a dynamic runner and a good field general. Like many spread option quarterbacks, he could improve his passing accuracy, although his numbers tell a different story. My greatest concern is that he could wear down under the rigors of such Big Ten defenses, particularly Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and arch rival Ohio State.

As far as the Heisman Trophy? I would think not this season, but in 2011, he will definitely be a top candidate
for the award.

Enjoy!

Dick

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The NFL Is On!

What time is it?!?!

It's time for the NFL regular season! We've seen the defending Super Bowl champions New Orleans Saints begin their campaign by beating the Minnesota Vikings 14-9 in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. While the game wasn't terribly exciting, There was the drama of Viking quarterback Brett Favre starting his 286th consecutive game and Drew Brees again attempting to assault the record books.

This is an important season for the NFL as there the threat of no competition for next season with the current contract expiring and differences between management and the players union seems to be as wide as the Grand Canyon.

But for now, do we care? I think, probably not.

As a full slate of Sunday games approach,there are some intriguing matchups including, Cincinnati at New England, Atlanta traveling to Pittsburgh as Dennis Dixon gets the call at quarterback for suspended Ben Roethlisberger and Philadelphia playing host to Green Bay with Kevin Kolb now calling signals for the Eagles.

The Sunday night game features NFC east rivals Dallas going to our nation's capital to face Washington and new quarterback Donovan McNabb, while on Monday night, New York Jets boss man Rex Ryan plays host the Baltimore Ravens, the team that “Sexy Rexy” was once defensive coordinator.

I think this a decent way to start the 2010 NFL regular season. As the season progresses, I will give opinions and occasionally some facts about teams and players alike. I am also not much of a prognosticator because...well frankly, I stink. Oh well.

Let's just enjoy every Sunday from now to February with a cold beverage of our choice and whatever we want to eat. We're ready for some football are we not?

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