9
Sep
2009
Top #9s in NFL History
Jergensen & McMahon dressed to the nines
In honor of 09.09.09, we figured we’d delve into the numerology of the NFL, and list the best players ever to don the fabled #9 jersey. From elsewhere in the sports world, we have names like Ted Williams, Roger Maris and Gordie Howe. But because of the NFL’s positional numbering rules, this means we’re looking at Quarterbacks, Kickers and Punters … so pretty much just QBs.
We’ll admit it, this started as a top 9 list, to go along with the theme of the day. But we simply couldn’t come up with any more than seven (sorry, Matt Stafford doesn’t make the list yet). And when we started scouring the annals of NFL history for punter jersey #s, we just started to feel bad about ourselves.
Here’s our list … feel free to chime in with any we might have missed:
- Sonny Jurgensen: During his 18 seasons in Philadelphia and Washington from 1957 to 1974 established himself as one of the best pure passers in league history. Vince Lombardi once stated of Sonny: “Jurgensen is a great quarterback. He hangs in there under adverse conditions. He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have ever seen.”
- Steve McNair: In 13 seasons with the Titans and Ravens, McNair threw for more than 31,000 yards and, perhaps more importantly, proved to be one of the toughest players in league history. RIP
- Jim McMahon: The punky QB was also a pretty good passer who led the Bears to Super Bowl glory in 1985. An outstanding leader, McMahon became a cult hero during the 80s for his rebellious approach to the game and headbands.
- Drew Brees: It’s hard to believe the Dolphins weren’t willing to take a chance on Brees, preferring to go with Daunte Culpepper instead. All Brees has done since is rack up huge yardage and heads into the 2009 season as the top-ranked QB in the NFL.
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The legendary Bill Wade
Bill Wade: starting QB for the 1963 NFL champion Chicago Bears, Wade threw for over 18,000 yards in his twelve seasons in the AFL/NFL.
- Carson Palmer: Has thrown for over 15,000 yards and 100 TDs in his 5 seasons as Bengals starter. Gets extra points for having to work with Ochocinco day in and day out.
- Tony Romo: The Cowboys starter since 2006 has been a great regular season performer, who is perhaps more notorious for his taste in women than he is for his football accomplishments. Simply cannot rank higher until he shows he can play solid football past November.
6
Jul
2009
Steve McNair shooting: the girlfriend did it
Here’s the latest from ESPN on the bizarre and tragic shooting death of former NFL QB Steve McNair. It’s becoming clear at this point that the younger Kazemi was enamored with the rich, famous, and married McNair, and killed both of them in a fit of passionate rage … perhaps after being told by McNair that he wasn’t going to leave his wife and family for her (pure speculation on our part, but it seems fairly obvious).
And with the new revelation that Kazemi recently purchased a gun, I’d say that even Tennesse cops should be able to figure this one out.
5
Jul
2009
Steve McNair, 36, and Sahel Kazemi, 20, found shot to death in Nashville
Developing…
According to the story from the Tennessean.com, “Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was killed in an apparent murder-suicide with a young woman who worked at an Opry Mills restaurant and had been dating him for months.”
The Tennessean’s report continues: “McNair] was found on the sofa of a Second Avenue condominium that he rented, police said. Sahel Kazemi, 20, was found on the floor near him with a single gunshot wound to her head. A pistol was found near her body.
Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi
Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said investigators were not actively looking for suspects Saturday night but had not ruled out any scenarios. He stopped short of calling the deaths a murder-suicide, but said the police should be able to classify the deaths today after autopsies and forensic work… Though much of the attention was on the Second Avenue crime scene, police also swarmed Kazemi’s apartment at the Cherry Creek complex in Hermitage on Saturday. They questioned neighbors who said they often saw McNair visiting Kazemi. Sometimes, neighbors said, she would arrive home in a limousine in the early morning. They also heard arguments between her and her boyfriend.
Most recently, she had a new black car she said was a gift from her boyfriend.
She was arrested in that car, a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade registered to her and McNair, early Thursday at Broadway and Ninth Avenue, just two days before the deaths. She was charged with driving under the influence and refusing to take a breath test. She told police she was not drunk, but high.
McNair was in the car, a fact that was not in the police affidavit but was confirmed by police Saturday night. Police allowed McNair to take a cab home. He later bailed Kazemi out of jail, according to bail bondsmen.
Keith Norfleet, who said he dated Kazemi for four years before they broke up five months ago, was worried about her dating McNair, a married man. She met McNair while she was a waitress at Dave & Buster’s Grand Sports Cafe, he said.
Norfleet said he moved here with Kazemi from Jacksonville, Fla., where her family lives. She was raised by a sister. Her mother, a native of Iran, was murdered when Kazemi was 9, Norfleet said.
“She is the sweetest girl, and she did not deserve this,” Norfleet said upon learning of her death. “He was making her believe they were going to be together and everything would be perfect.”
Norfleet said they’d been speaking a lot recently and she planned to break it off with McNair. He said she banged on his apartment door early Saturday morning, but she left before he could get to the door. He spent much of Saturday afternoon looking for her and trying to find out if she was the woman who died with McNair.
The rest of The Tennessean’s story, written by Kate Howard, Jaime Sarrio and Chris Echegaray, can be read here.
UPDATE: (4:44 a.m. EST)
This may turn out to be nonsensical, but readers of the above article tracked down a MySpace page that was, apparently, most recently updated two days before the shooting (7/2/09) by its owner “The Caucasian Persuasian.” It states: “The Caucasian Persuasion riden with keith. f*ck a quarterback. who is Mcnair in 09? rip sahel kazemi.”
Clearly, we make no claim of knowing what this means. One reader claimed that he “called the Nashville police to report the myspace page and they are already looking into it. “
These are rumored to be photos of the deceased Sahel Kazemi from her Facebook and MySpace accounts:
According to this report: “McNair’s wife Mechelle said she had not heard from her husband in a couple of days. She was at the couple’s home Saturday on Bear Road in Green Hills.”
Definitely one of the most tragic stories to come out of the National Football League in a long time.
McNair leaves behind his wife and four children.
* * *
UPDATE (5:11 a.m. EST):
The following story from Ken Whitehouse at the Nashville Post suggests that there may be another strange angle to this story: “While Metro Police has reported that details are sketchy, NashvillePost.com sources say that at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday morning, McNair was celebrating the holidays at the Blue Moon Restaurant near the John C. Tune Airport… According to the same NashvillePost.com sources, a white woman in her early 20s, around 5-foot-4, approached McNair at the restaurant and accused him of slipping her a “roofie” a year ago…
The woman then told McNair, according to sources, that her boyfriend was going to kill him… Multiple sources have confirmed that this information has been shared with the Metro Police Department. Metro Police has yet to identify the dead woman, but is it unknown if the woman at the restaurant is the same woman found in the condo.”
