by Andy | Jan 31, 2015 | Hall of Fame
The late Junior Seau highlights the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Charger and Patriots great is the lone first-year eligible enshrinee. He’ll be joined by seven others, including senior candidate Mick Tingelhoff and two contributors in the first year that category has existed: Ron Wolf and Bill Polian, both of whom built multi championship teams.
Other enshrinees will include: Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Will Shields and Charles Haley.
The selections mean that despite having four semifinalists, the Greatest Show on Turf – including first timers Kurt Warner and Orlando Pace – were left out of the final selection. Three coaches – Jimmy Johnson, Tony Dungy and Don Coryell – were also not selected.
Marvin Harrison was another notable candidate not selected. Harrison, Pace, Warner, Tony Dungy and Kevin Greene were the final five modern era candidates eliminated from consideration by Hall voters. (more…)
by Andy | Jan 31, 2015 | Where are they now
The Buffalo Bills led off the 1969 draft selecting OJ Simpson. A couple picks later, the Steelers grabbed “Mean” Joe
Photo courtesy of Ed White
Greene. Roger Wehrli went to St. Louis Cardinals at 19. Ted Hendricks was a second rounder, going 33rd to the Baltimore Colts.
Ed White, drafted by the Minnesota Vikings at 39, lasted longer in the NFL than all of them. The four-time Pro Bowl guard was actually drafted as a defensive lineman out of California and he wasn’t immediately thrilled at the prospect of switching to the line. But he adapted, taking his attacking demeanor to the offensive line, where he spent 17 years playing for Minnesota and San Diego.
From that draft, only Jeff Van Note and Charlie Joiner (whom White played with in San Diego) had longer careers, both by a single year. And during those 17 seasons he played in four Super Bowls and a handful more conference championship games with countless Hall of Fame teammates and coaches on both teams – actually breaking the games played mark set by long-time teammate and Hall of Fame nominee Mick Tingelhoff at the end of his career.
White, in a late-August phone call, walked us through some of his memories of playing with Tingelhoff, Dan Fouts, Fran Tarkenton and for Bud Grant and Don Coryell. He also caught us up on what’s keeping him busy these days – including painting in his studio and watching his son coach the local football team.
Here’s what he had to say:
Zoneblitz: Let’s lead off with your friend and teammate Mick Tingelhoff, who is up for the Hall of Fame this year – what are your recollections of him as a teammate? (more…)
by Andy | Jan 31, 2015 | Hall of Fame
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings
We’re mere hours from learning who will make the cut for Hall of Fame enshrinement in 2015. At a minimum, this year’s senior candidate has plenty of support.
Shortly after learning in mid-2014 that Mick Tingelhoff had been by the Hall of Fame’s senior committee as its lone candidate, long-time Packers defensive end Willie Davis indicated that he was surprised.
But he did not mean that as a slight in any way against the 17-year Vikings great.
“I thought he was already in and couldn’t believe that he wasn’t.” Davis says. (more…)
by Andy | Jan 26, 2015 | 2014 season
Well, it didn’t look exactly how we expected it to, but all four of us nailed the match-up: Seattle and New England.
It took an amazing comeback for the NFC result to come true. The AFC game was a mismatch – there’s been more drama with the weight of the footballs than there was during the game. Andrew Luck will have to wait at least another season to unseat Tom Brady as the King of the AFC.
Here are the standings for the post-season: (more…)
by Andy | Jan 25, 2015 | 2014 season, Postseason awards
We’re winding down to the last week of the NFL season. I often find the Super Bowl a bit depressing because it means no more football for the next six months. But now we start the process of figuring out why things went the way they did in 2014 and what teams have to change heading into the next campaign.
With that, we’ll re-live some of the great moments of the current season with our first ever Zoneblitz NFL Awards. The winners are up here at the top. And our individual ballots (all three of them) are published with some explanations below. Enjoy – and tell us where you agree and where you think we’re nuts.
Most Valuable Player: JJ Watt, Texans
Offensive Player of the Year: DeMarco Murray, Cowboys
Defensive Player of the Year: JJ Watt, Texans
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Odell Beckham, Giants
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aaron Donald, Rams
Comeback Player of the Year: Rolando McClain, Cowboys
Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians, Cardinals
Executive of the Year: (Tie) Stephen Jones, Cowboys and Steve Keim, Cardinals
Douchebag of the Year: (Tie) Roger Goodell, Commissioner and Ray Rice, unemployed
Offensive Douchebag of the Year: (Tie) Dominic Raiola, Lions and Johnny Manziel, Browns
Defensive Douchebag of the Year: (Tie) Ndamukong Suh, Lions and Vontaze Burfict, Bengals
Douchebag Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh, 49ers
Play of the Year: Odell Beckham’s catch
Wasted Draft Pick of the Year: Johnny Manziel, Browns
Steal of the Draft: Seantrel Henderson, Bills
Fantasy Player of the Year: DeMarco Murray, Cowboys
Incompetent Survivor Pool Participant: Tony
Hottest Coaching Seat of 2015: Jay Gruden (more…)
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