Archive for the ‘NFL History’ Category
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1
May
2013
Watch Barry Sanders’ high school highlights (VIDEO)
Barry Sanders – the newest cover boy for Madden ’25 – shared this awesome video to his official YouTube page yesterday, showing highlights from his playing days back at Wichita North High School in Kansas. It contains a lot of grainy, mid-80′s quality video, but you can still get a sense of just how special Sanders – wearing number 3 – was, even at a young age.
Now for comparison, take a look at Barry Sanders Jr’s high school highlight reel from 2009 … including a bonus highlight reel of Sanders’ pro career. Seems the ol’ apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
20
Apr
2013
Watch this 30 for 30 short on “The Irrelevant Giant”, John Tuggle (VIDEO)
The folks over at ESPN’s always-awesome 30 for 30 documentary series have delivered yet again, this time with their newest short, “The Irrelevant Giant”, documenting the short but memorable career of Giants Fullback/Special Teams maven John Tuggle.
(via snygiants.com)
As the final pick of the 1983 draft out of California, Tuggle was dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant”, and naturally wasn’t expected to make much of an impact in the NFL. But rookie head coach Bill Parcells saw something special in Tuggle, who not only earned a spot on the team, but was names Special Teams player of the year for the Giants in his first year.
“For all the players that I’ve ever coached in my lifetime, there have been a few – John being among them – that had some attributes that you couldn’t see,” recalled Parcells in the documentary. “You had to gain an understanding of this guy’s determination, his will, those kinds of things. Just walking around you don’t gain an appreciation for anything like that. It has to be gained under duress, during times of pain, during times where we all have to go to those dark places and respond.”
Sadly, Tuggle was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 1984, ultimately leading to his death in 1986. But even though his time was cut short, the impact Tuggle had on his teammates, fans – and particularly on hall-of-famer Parcells – can still be felt today.
WATCH VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
13
Sep
2012
Packers-Bears rivalry is NFL’s oldest, and probably the best (VIDEO)
(via cnbc.com)
In anticipation for tonight’s Packers-Bears game – the 185th meeting in the NFL’s oldest rivalry – we give you this video, which was created by NBC for last December’s match-up between the bitter adversaries.
Watch it and get up-to-speed on the depth and intensity of the Bears-Packers rivalry. It provides all the context you need to understand why these two teams (and to a degree, these two cities) don’t like each other very much:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
28
Apr
2012
The NFL draft sure was different back in 1981 (VIDEO)
As we resume with day three of the 2012 NFL Draft, it’s worth looking back on the humble beginnings of the event, to get some perspective on just how far things have come.
This awesome video of ESPN’s 1981 draft coverage does just that, showing us a loosely organized get together inside a hotel ballroom, struggling with technical difficulties … as opposed to the multi-million dollar Radio City Music Hall spectacle it is today.
Watch as Pete Rozelle kicks things off with the selection of George Rogers and Lawrence Taylor, while a young Dr. Z (SI’s Paul Zimmerman) provides the pre-Kiper-era draft analysis:
Watch Part 2 after the jump:
20
Apr
2012
Look how cute Bill Belichick was as a 6-year-old (PHOTO)
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick celebrated his 60th birthday this week, but this photo from Belichick family archives shows the dark overlord of NFL coaches during gentler times, as a six-year-old child:
(Photo via Reddit.com/r/nfl)
Basic math tells us the picture was taken in approximately 1958, and in it we find young William, pre-hoodie, sitting and smiling in the front of the stands at what was likely the U.S. Naval Acadamy, where his father was an assistant football coach.
If you look closely in his eyes, behind that innocent grin, you can tell little Bill is already putting together defensive schemes in his head.
[H/T Reddit.com/r/nfl]
6
Mar
2012
Remember the 1989 “Bounty Bowl”? It seems things haven’t changed all that much in the NFL (VIDEO)
Mike Golic might have a unique perspective on all this bounty talk
Here’s a fun little trip down memory lane! Back in 1989, the Buddy Ryan-led Philadelphia Eagles played their rival Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, in a nationally televised game that would forever come to be known as the “Bounty Bowl“.
In it, Ryan was accused by Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson of placing a $200 bounty on kicker Luis Zendejas, and a $500 bounty on quarterback Troy Aikman. On the Cowboys’ only kickoff of the game, which Philadelphia won 27-0, Eagles linebacker Jesse Small sprinted straight at Zendejas (who had previously played for Ryan and the Eagles) in an obvious attempt to take him out. Zendejas dove to avoid the hit, but took a knee to the head resulting in a concussion, and setting off a firestorm of controversy.
Despite Johnson’s attempts to challenge Ryan to a fight in an alley, it was all fun and games in the media as Johnson made fun of Ryan’s “big, fat rear end”, who in turn deflected the controversy by making light of his own weight. Ryan also claimed that Zendejas was the one trying to injure Smalls, and wondered aloud “Why would we want to knock out that kicker? He wasn’t making any kicks at the time. We wanted him out there.”
On Monday, Mike Golic – who played for the Eagles in both games - said on ESPN that “there were bounties in that game”. But at the time, commissioner Paul Tagliabue turned the other cheek and exonerated Ryan of any wrongdoing - a claim that Ryan still clings to this day - and pretty much everyone got a big kick out the idea of bounties in football. Two weeks later, the league even promoted the re-match for ratings as “Bounty Bowl II”, which was marketed by CBS with wanted signs and became memorable for the snow/ice balls lobbed onto the field (and at announcers) by the Philadelphia fans.
BOUNTY BOWL VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
23
Feb
2012
Watch Eli Manning cheat at pick-up football as a kid (VIDEO)
An early version of the now-classic Eli Manning face
This Manning home video - in all its 80′s VHS glory – has been on YouTube since 2009, but we hadn’t seen it until recently, and it’s a pretty fantastic slice of football history.
Watch young Eli Manning playing a game of pick-up football at his home in New Orleans, with his family looking on. It appears to be a birthday party of some sort, with Eli and his friends participating in one of the least-organized games you’ll ever see. Father Archie is the cameraman, brother Peyton is the ref, and mother Olivia is barely paying attention as Eli refuses to play two-hand touch, and cheats his way around the football field.
But it’s worth noting the two-time Super Bowl MVP’s preternatural leadership qualities on display at an early age (he’s clearly the one in charge out there), as well as the play where Eli goes down on the concrete part of the driveway, and simply brushes himself off as he gets back up and resumes playing. And then there’s the now-infamous Eli Manning face, as seen in the banner pic above. Some things never change.
Eventually, Archie steps in at all-time QB to bring some sanity to the proceedings (with Peyton taking over camera duties), delivering a touchdown strike to Eli before the video cuts out. But not before we get a small taste of what life growing up in the Manning household was like.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
20
Feb
2012
Back in 1984, the Los Angeles Raiders were “Wild Boys” (MUSIC VIDEO)
The steroid-feuled Alzado was a nightmare for opponents
Wow … this one really brings us back.
It was 1984, and a young MTV was sweeping the nation. In an attempt to tap-in to the up-and-coming music video market, NBC put together a series of sports highlights set to some of the day’s hottest hits for an end-of-year special. To give you an idea of how old I am, our high school football coach actually used to play these videos to get us fired up before games … and believe it or not, it worked. You’ve got to understand, at the time, most sports highlights were set to the old-school, classical, NFL Films-style music. So to see the game set to our favorite music – stuff that we actually listened to – was a revelation. Hell, “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits is a great song, but I remember watching the music video for it over and over and over again, simply because it was set to sports highlights.
One of the more memorable clips from the special was this video about the bad boy-era Los Angeles Raiders, set to Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys”. As the defending Super Bowl champions, the 1984 Raiders were on top of the world, and they weren’t afraid to let people know it. With colorful personalities like Lyle Alzado, Todd Christiensen, Matt Millen and Marcus Allen, these Raiders mirrored to personality of their owner Al Davis and played with a chip on their shoulder. That same year, the US Supreme Court also upheld the Raiders victory in Davis’ antitrust case against the NFL, making the franchise the very definition of rebellion in professional sports. Unfortunately, they also seem to have gotten caught up in some of the LA hype, as evidenced by this video’s fashion show, and their wild card round exit from that year’s playoffs.
But this video still remains a treasured piece of NFL & pop culture history, and we’ll do our best to try and track down some of the other clips from that NBC special …
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
14
Feb
2012
Read Ernie Accorsi’s 2002 scouting report of Eli Manning, in its entirety
(Photo: Getty Images via SI.com)
The run that Eli Manning and the New York Giants put together this post-season was nothing short of remarkable, and after earning his second Super Bowl MVP, Manning has officially entered the pantheon of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks. For Giants fans, Manning’s success is vindication for the now-legendary 2004 draft day trade that brought Eli to New York instead of guys like Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers … it’s like we’ve watched him grow up before our very eyes and finally become the franchise quarterback we always hoped he could be.
But even the most pro-Eli fans in the world would admit to periods of doubt while watching Manning struggle through his early growing pains. The most memorable example was after his fourth NFL start as a rookie against the fearsome Baltimore Ravens, when Ray Lewis and Ed Reed turned young Eli into a quivering mess on the field, going 4 of 18 for 27 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions: a 0.0 passer rating. Many people thought it would be the end of little brother, but he ended up bouncing back the following week in a showdown against Big Ben, earning is teammates respect, and leading the Giants on what would become the first of many 4th quarter comebacks in the final game of the season against Dallas. There was something about this kid, after all.
Former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi – the man who pulled the trigger on that fateful draft day trade – saw something special in Eli all the way back in 2002, when he was just a junior at Ole Miss. That November, Accorsi went to Oxford, Missisippi to watch Manning take on Jason Campbell and the heavily favored Auburn Tigers … and what he saw on that day changed Giants franchise history forever.
From Accorsi’s summary:
Throws the ball, takes the hit, gets right back up… Has courage and poise. In my opinion, most of all, he has that quality you can’t define. Call it magic. As [former Baltimore Colts defensive back] Bobby Boyd told me once about Unitas, “Two things set him apart: his left testicle and his right testicle.”…
Read Accorsi’s entire scouting report from the game below, as re-printed from Tom Callahan’s book The GM: The Inside Story of a Dream Job and the Nightmares That Go With It.
Manning's poise under fire helped lift NY past the 49ers for the NFC Championship (Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images via NBCSports.com)
With the benefit of hindsight, and after watching Eli pull out comeback after comeback for his team as a pro, Accorsi’s assessment of Manning from almost ten years ago is insanely accurate and prescient. The traits he identified during one college game – courage, poise, toughness and that indefinable “magic” – are exactly what have allowed Eli to succeed in the NFL, almost down to the play (like the streaking pass down the left sideline, dropped perfectly over the shoulder of his receiver … sound familiar?).
It’s a report that will go down in Giants lore as a treasured historical document, to be marveled at by generations of football fans to come. And it makes Accorsi look like a freakin’ genius.
READ THE FULL SCOUTING REPORT AFTER THE JUMP
29
Jan
2012
Did you know the New York Giants made a music video back in 1986? (VIDEO)
Paula Abdul reportedly did the choreography for this video (Image via Youtube.com)
Wow. I’ve been a Giants fan for as long as I can remember, but I don’t ever recall seeing this video before yesterday … and it’s absolutely, awesomely & hilariously awful.
Back in the ’80s – fresh on the heels of the Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle” sensation – getting sports teams to sing terrible songs and make even worse music videos became the cool thing to do. And during their own run toward Super Bowl XXI in 1986, some members of the New York Giants apparently couldn’t resist the seductive allure of the music biz either.
This video for the creatively titled “We’re the New York Giants” was shot in the old Giants Stadium on a budget of approximately $42, featuring a random collection of just eight Giants players with stars in their eyes, dancing (awkwardly) and lip synching in street clothes to a super-sweet electro/pop synth beat. And holding a deflated football.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
