Modern-era list of 126 Hall of Fame candidates announced

by | Sep 12, 2013 | Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Network teamed up Wednesday night to unveil the complete list of modern-era PFHOF Logo-mcandidates for the Hall’s class of 2014.

The list consists of 126 candidates, including 16 who are in their first year of eligibility. Players must have been out of the game for five years before they are eligible, so this year’s group played their last games in 2008.

The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will trim this list to 25 candidates who will be named semifinalists. They will be announced in November. The semifinalist list will be reduced to 15 finalists via mail ballot. That will be announced in January.

The finalists and two senior candidates, Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey, will be considered by the committee during Super Bowl week in New York City.

We made our predictions on who will be inducted here.

Can Fitz or Megatron challenge Rice’s records?

by | Sep 10, 2013 | Hall of Fame, NFL Random Thoughts

One of the things I wrote I would be watching last weekend was the level to which playing with Carson Palmer can get the career of Larry Fitzgerald back on track. No, no, I’m not saying Fitz has been terrible, by any stretch. But through largely no fault of his own, he hasn’t had anyone throwing him the ball who could help him achieve what he had been early in his career. If game one is any indication, expect the Cardinals’ number one wideout’s numbers to fall back in line with what they looked like during the first six years of his career.

Fitz caught eight passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns, including a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder job heading into halftime. Fitzgerald gave way in the second half a bit, as Palmer spread the ball around to Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts, but it was an encouraging sight for those who took a flyer on #11 during fantasy football drafts.

My curiosity with Fitzgerald was piqued when I compared the stats he put up during his first half-dozen years to those put up by Calvin Johnson during that same period of his career – which culminated with Megatron’s record-setting season in 2012.

Last year when Johnson was chasing down Jerry Rice’s single-season yardage record, we took a look at how the young Lions receiver was trending compared with Rice’s career marks, since the Hall of Famer holds almost all of them. (more…)

NFL Picks 2013: Week 2

by | Sep 10, 2013 | 2013 season, NFL Picks

The football season got off to an exciting start last weekend. Chip Kelly’s Eagles gave us a glimpse of what his offense is going to look like. Larry Fitzgerald caught eight passes from a quarterback who was able to actually get the ball within his zip code once in awhile. And Anthony Maggio kept fantasy footballers informed with updated rankings right through Sunday’s kickoffs. It was a good start to the season.

Our pick segment didn’t go so well, at least for me. Two of our other three pickers beat me this week, with Tony and Anthony both nailing the Eagles upset over Washington on Monday night. Maggio also stood alone in taking Chicago to beat Cincinnati and New Orleans to beat Atlanta. So that duo tied at 11-5. I did hit 10 while contributing writer Rich Larson struggled to a 7-9 mark in week one. So the standings go like this:

Week one Total
Tony 11-5 11-5
Anthony 11-5 11-5
Andy 10-6 10-6
Rich 7-9 7-9

(more…)

ZB Notebook 9-10-2013

by | Sep 10, 2013 | 2013 season, NFL Random Thoughts

Wow. Went to bed after the Chargers took a 28-7 lead over the Texans. Thought the game was over and I was tired from a long day of work. Woke up this morning to find that Houston came back to win in the last second.

Gotta love the NFL.

It’s a familiar refrain for Chargers fans too. Last season was destroyed for San Diego by last minute comeback losses – with one of the 2012 defeats coming at the hands of then-Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy – who last night experienced the other side of the result in his first game as Chargers head coach.

The continuation of the last minute woes wasn’t lost on Bolt Beat editor Ernie Padaon, who posted on the topic last night in the height of exhaustion. McCoy was one of five coaches whose debuts ended in defeat during week one.

Still – even with the disappointing conclusion, the Chargers looked like they have at least the potential to be more than I thought they would this season. There is talent there. They just have to figure out how to avoid the last minute meltdowns. Easier said than done, I guess, even with a new coach.

Rough day for newby coaches

It’s only natural for teams with new coaches to come into a season with renewed optimism. Fully one-quarter of the league’s head men this last week were new to their teams with seven getting their first shots at the top job. (more…)

Here’s what I’m watching heading into the season

by | Sep 8, 2013 | 2013 season

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this excited for football. It’s been at least since … last year.

There are a number of huge storylines out there as the season starts for real. Here are seven I’m watching.

  1. Just how good is Tom Brady? – Almost 90 percent of his completions in 2012 went to players who will not be active in week one. Zach Sudfeld and Kenbrell Thompkins are next in line. So is Danny Amendola. But Tom Brady is advancing in age. Can he still take a collection of relative newcomers to the Promised Land? Here’s guessing this team starts transitioning toward a more balanced attack, as Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen are among the best and most proven talents on offense. (more…)