Closing the Gap: Willie Davis talks about football, life

by | Feb 2, 2013 | Hall of Fame, Where are they now

Willie Davis is probably best known for his NFL playing career, perhaps rightfully so. After all, it did span 12 years and six league championships, including 1966 and 1967, when Green Bay won the first two Super Bowls.

Davis, who is unofficially the all-time Packers’ sack leader, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

But as good as he was on the field, Davis has led just as successful a life in his post-football days. He’s been a television commentator. He was president of All-Pro Broadcasting, which operates several radio stations. He was a successful executive in the beer industry. And he has served on the boards of nearly a dozen companies.

Davis grew up in Lisbon, La., where his mother hesitated to even let him play football. When he did get on the field, he parlayed the opportunity into a degree from Grambling State (where he played for the legendary Eddie Robinson) and a trip to the National Football League (where he played for the legendary Paul Brown and Vince Lombardi). He starred in the NFL, but he also nearly always had his eye on what he would do next.Willie Davis signing books

With the help of co-authors Jim Martyka and Andrea Erickson Davis, Willie Davis wrote recently published a book, Closing the Gap, that covers the journey that is his life. He also recently joined Zoneblitz.com to share some of those thoughts.

Zoneblitz: What made you want to write Closing the Gap? (more…)

NFL Playoffs: Zoneblitz picks the Super Bowl

by | Feb 1, 2013 | 2012 season, NFL Gambling, NFL Picks, Super Bowl

The Harbaugh Brothers, Ray Lewis and his alleged use of deer antler spray and idiot reporters asking players how ticklish they are – all the hype ends Saturday. Finally we get down to the intrigue of the game itself … and this year it’s a hugely intriguing game.

I am extremely curious to see if the Ravens, with several of their most important players aging, can keep up with the more youthful 49ers. I am curious to see whether Baltimore’s coaching staff can come up with a way to neutralize phenom quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

While the storylines off the field have been many, this year’s game on the field also is as intriguing a matchup as we’ve had in a few years. Here is how we see it playing out: (more…)

Zoneblitz Hall of Fame selection contest

by | Feb 1, 2013 | Hall of Fame

 

With Selection Saturday just a couple days off we’re again putting out the opportunity for the Zoneblitz faithful to officially guess who will earn induction to the Hall of Fame.

Put your picks in the comments section and we’ll add them to the table. We’re not sure at the moment if your prize will just be bragging rights or if there actually will be some Zoneblitz swag available for the person who gets the most correct. We’ll try to figure something out.

We made picks several months ago right after last year’s class was announced. Andy’s already lost at least one of his picks (John Lynch), so he’s going in at a disadvantage – meaning maybe Tony will finally be able to beat him in one of our prediction segments for the season.

If you want to get some background, feel free to check out our posts that came out when the senior candidates were named and when the committee announced its semifinalists and finalists. You also can see who we picked for 2013 going back to last year’s announcement.

Good luck everyone. And tune in Saturday, as we’ll have a post up shortly after the announcement is made. Thanks for reading. (more…)

Fantasy football expert Boser shares early 2013 wisdom

by | Jan 14, 2013 | 2013 season, Fantasy Football, NFL Random Thoughts

There are playoff fantasy leagues taking place across the country, but the bulk of players have shut ‘er down for the season. Thus we’ve started turning our attention toward next year as well.

What sleepers are going to take off in 2013? What stars from 2012 look like they might be on the downside?

Ryan Boser is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and he contributes to both LeagueSafePost.com and FantasyVictory.com. He’s also joined Zoneblitz.com on occasion to share his thoughts on fantasy football. We thank him again for sharing some time.

Zoneblitz: Who surprised you in a good way in 2012?

Boser: Alfred Morris’ top-three finish in carries, yards and touchdowns was probably the shocker of the year, especially considering that he did it for notorious running back shuffler Mike Shanahan.

I (and many others) really thought Frank Gore’s best days were behind him, and that San Francisco would be moving into a running back by committee situation this season. His borderline top-10 year was a pleasant surprise for anyone who snagged him in the middle rounds.

Recently buried on Denver’s depth chart, Knowshon Moreno’s late-season surge won many a title, and who knew Danario Alexander’s knees would miraculously hold up and that he’d become the best fantasy option in San Diego?

James Jones ranked 37th in yardage, which is probably about what we expected, but he led the league with 14 receiving touchdowns.

At tight end, Heath Miller’s career year could not have been predicted. (more…)

ZB Notebook 1-13-2013

by | Jan 13, 2013 | 2012 season, NFL Random Thoughts

The Divisional playoff round is one of my favorite weekends of sport all year round and this year exemplified why. The Denver/Baltimore game and the Atlanta/Seattle contest provided extreme drama. The San Francisco/Green Bay game, which is the one I was not able to watch, introduced Colin Kaepernick as perhaps the league’s next great quarterback. And the Patriots/Texans game … well, nothing is perfect.

I was pretty surprised only by the results of the Ravens’ double overtime win over the Broncos. I had started to feel, like many, that Denver was the best team in the NFL. But the result, I think, does lend some credence to the possibility that the one downside to Peyton Manning’s selection of Denver as his later-career home is the potential for cold playoff games. No matter what anyone says, that could play havoc with his neck issues.

Nonetheless, the Ray Lewis retirement party carries on for one more week and I think the AFC Championship game rematch between his Ravens and the Patriots should be a fascinating game.

The NFC game also presents plenty of intrigue, with a rough, physical defense from San Francisco going up against the 2010s’ version of the 49ers of yesteryear, the Falcons. I’m already looking forward to it.

Can we hold off on Tebow talk?: I was tuning in Saturday morning to NFL Network for pregame information and before I got any information at all about the games coming up in mere hours, I was subjected to two segments on Tim Tebow’s future as an NFL quarterback. (more…)