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During his last interview – and it's really exaggerated, because "the interview" counted 23 brave and painful words, and it lasted more than an hour – Bart Starr tried to reach his goal while trying to to get lost. for the biggest touchdown in the history of Green Bay Packers at the Ice Bowl. Two strokes, a heart attack and a brain disease called aphasia can cause 23 words to be pronounced, such as climbing Kilimanjaro. I know. I saw it last August in the Starr office, south of Birmingham, Alaska.
The efforts made that day tell a lot about the Starr man. I had come to Birmingham to illustrate the level of the relationship between Rodgers, 34, and Starr, 84 years old. Although they were separated by half a century, they had a connection. When Rodgers took over the position of Packer QB in 2008, Starr wrote a letter to Rodgers, which Starr did not stop writing. Encouraging things. "It meant so much from a man who had been in my shoes with this team," Rodgers told me a few days later. "I was a big football fan and a big fan of Packer. Here is Bart Starr, writing to me. This has always been important to me because I knew I had the support of one of the greatest players of all time. "
Bart Starr died Sunday morning at 85 years old. He was a great player, a member of the Sports Hall of Fame, who had supported the Packers as an NFL champion in 1961, 1962 and 1965, and at the greatest Super Bowl championship of the 1966 and 1967 seasons. for the 200th pick in the NFL draft in 1956, exactly 44 years before Tom Brady was the 199th pick in the repechage.
You know what I really wanted to ask Starr this afternoon in Birmingham? You made 14 of the 24-under-46 cold-wind throws in the Ice Bowl, against that superb Dallas defense, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and a score over 110. How? How did you do it? But it was neither the place nor the time; the memory bank was just not there. But I wanted him to know how good he was if no one reminded him more – his career rankings of 104.8 in the NFL playoff games has never been surpassed in the last fifty years by the tallest of the quarter. But he did not care.
What interested him that day was to do something good for his friend. Those 23 words were his Bob Lilly, his big enemy.
A crew of NBC and I had come to Birmingham and were going to Green Bay a few days later to talk to Rodgers, for an NBC report on the warm relationship between the great Green Bay quarterback of the '60s and the big quarterback of Green Bay. Nowadays. Starr and his personal assistant, Leigh Ann Nelson, wrote a short note for this story. Starr would relate his relationship with Rodgers. Nelson knew the message had to be short because Starr simply did not have the ability to say much, no matter how loud, because of the blows.
When Starr came in, stabilized by Nelson, he sat down on a couch and I told him how much I appreciated that he was making this effort.
He watched me, opened his mouth. "Glad," he said, "then it took a few seconds for Aaron.
It was for Aaron. All for Aaron. Bart and Cherry Starr, his wife for 64 years, loved Aaron Rodgers.
Then Nelson and Starr started practicing the lines that he would say. That's what she and he agreed that he would try to say:
You are a strong leader
Cherry and I admire you
Because you are one of the most talented men we have ever met.
Say it now. How long does it take? I just said it. It took eight seconds.
Starr, after a couple of tries, just could not do it.
After 45 minutes of our session with Starr and Nelson, she said, "Let's take a break." The room is killed. Five to ten minutes. Nobody said a word. Starr looked at Nelson. She rubbed her wrists. Then we went for a walk in the office. She was so nice. He just wanted it to be correct, and he did not know how. When Nelson took one hand and I took the other and walked, I told him (I still do not know why, I guess just to be nice): "You know what I always admired about you? Your autograph Your autograph was perfect. Today, you can not read autographs of anyone. Why do you always make your autograph so perfect? "
For the first time that day, her eyes pierced a hole in mine.
"Why … would you like to do it … in any other way? … it's … the only way I know.
We want to go back to his office. He sat down. An hour now. We wanted 23 words, and it was maybe too cruel, asking too much.
I felt that aphasia was the enemy and that Bart Starr would not let him win.
"You are a strong leader," Starr told the camera. And a few minutes later:
"Cherry and I admire you …"
The Nelson patient practiced and practiced more. I swear I thought: What was more difficult to conquer: the Dallas defense in 1967 or those 23 words?
"One last line, Bart," said Leigh Ann Nelson. "You can do it, I know you can do that.
"Because you are one of the most talented men we have ever … MET."
He did it. He won.
The TV was down, there was 30 minutes of work in the room and I had to tell Bart Starr what a beautiful thing I thought he had done. It was awesome. I put my hand on his shoulder, at his desk, and say thank you.
"Good," he murmured with a big smile, "… for Aaron. Good for Aaron. "
Today, we appreciate and remember one of the great quarterbacks of a bygone era: a five-time world champion, a man we must not forget when we call the great quarterbacks of all time, a man who executed and the dictator Lombardi must have been executed for almost ten years. I say that we should also remember Bart Starr's grace, determination, and humanity.
On this memorial day, our best wishes and our sincere thanks to those who have served and sacrificed. And thank you to a member of the Idaho Army National Guard, recently deployed to Afghanistan as a Blackhawk helicopter crew leader, taking the wounded out of danger. Remember Daryn Colledge, the NFL's nine year old guard? Started for the Packers left guard in their Super Bowl 45 win over Pittsburgh? Colledge, an Alaskan who played college football at Boise State, told the US Army that he was "committed to helping and supporting the city and the state that supported me. all through my years at university … I would not have been able to pay for university studies by myself. and the chance to give back and serve that same community means the world to me. "
We salute you, Army Spc. Colledge.
The weekend in Oakland, I chatted with Jon Gruden about his players, his team, his work, his passion and this sinuous season of Oakland Raiders, which would include (allegedly) a match Manitoba, a regular season game in Europe, and 48 consecutive days without games in Oakland.
There was a lot to talk about.
We started with his favorite new favorite, Alabama rookie Josh Jacobs, and then headed for Antonio Brown's territory. We headed for Kyler Murray's territory. It was 33 minutes difficult. The strong points:
King: It's amazing how little Josh Jacobs was used in Alabama. He has run 20 times or more just once in his academic career.
Gruden: I know! It's amazing. It was really discovered late in the season when he had the opportunity to play. The way he played without the ball against Clemson is what really caught our attention. He can kick back. We really wanted it. It is exactly what I was looking for. He has the ability to catch it. He can run it indoors, on the outside. He is not afraid to take the blitz. He likes. There is a lot of untapped football there that nobody has seen yet. Honestly, we had the feeling that he was one of the best players in the repechage.
King: Have you ever seriously considered getting Kyler Murray to the front row or picking someone up?
Gruden: We all loved Murray. That's not to say we were going to take it. How do you not like his performance, his style of play, what did he accomplish? I had fun with him [when the Raiders worked him out pre-draft in Dallas]. We did not think of climbing to the front row. We watched [Nick] Bosa, [Quinnen] Williams, but do not go to one. We did our homework on the quarterbacks. You must know who enters the league at this post. There was a lot of speculation that we were going to take a quarterback. I was constantly watching a guy on the NFL saying we were going to get Murray. Then he says we are going to look for Haskins. Then he says we're going to get Lock. We exchange Carr. I do not understand.
King: How was it to be around Antonio Brown?
Gruden: I love guys like that. He's like … he just wants it. It reminds me that you're throwing the ball at a dog, he's just going to get it. He goes on, and goes, and goes, and goes. It's just not going to stop. Antonio's energy is contagious. To bring him here was interesting. I remember my wife and I in a car in Las Vegas in early March. Mark Davis had me and Mike [Mayock] go for a fundraising event. Mike's wife, Mandy, came and my wife, Cindy, came. And we drive, and I get a call from [Pittsburgh VP and cap guy] Omar Khan. He says, "Hey, what about a second-round pick for Antonio Brown?" The free agency-company is about to start and I think, "Man, all these slots receivers are going to cost $ 10 million, some of these players are going for $ 15 million." Why do not we give him "Call Antonio Brown!" I call Mike and say, "Why do not we give the Steelers a second and get it?" Mike says, "It's still a little rich. speak [Steelers GM] Kevin Colbert. "Now he's talking to Kevin Colbert and he says," I think we can have it for three and five minutes. "I told him," Get out of here! "
King: incredible. It arrived quickly.
Gruden: Mike says, "Now we have to call Antonio Brown and see if he will play for us." So my wife and I were in the Red Rock Mountains, just outside of Vegas. Looking around me, I wait for the event to begin that night. There is a bad cell phone service. I thought, "I can not even get that guy!" We will therefore go to a sports bar parking. I call Antonio Brown and he says he would like to play for us. Now Mike has to call Colbert to draw up the contract. We are at this beautiful event, I have my wife … They wear a beautiful makeup, beautiful dresses. But me and Mike are there at the event, we are working on an exchange for Antonio Brown. "What's wrong, man? We got it? It was great anyway.
King: The facelift is huge for this team in the low season.
Gruden: Last year was difficult. Honestly, it was heartbreaking. It was a necessary year. People have their opinions but we have added some rough drafts. We think we have added free agents and got two more first – round picks next year. I hope we have a competitive and fun training camp and that we improve a lot before the season. Because we have a difficult schedule, man. We have a busy schedule.
King: What do you say when you saw the schedule that prevented you from playing Oakland for 48 days?
Gruden: I do not think I've ever seen that. One of the games is in London, and we fly from anywhere, after a game, to get there.
King: Indy.
Gruden: Right. Indy. I just hope our families will not miss us. And we have yet to decide where we will play one of our home pre-season games. We can only have one home pre-game. Maybe go to Canada for a pre-season game.
The Raiders would face the Packers in Winnipeg in the third week of the pre-season.
King: You are like half-breeds, you are looking for a house.
Gruden: We are. Like a traditional rock band n roll. We are not playing anywhere!
King: Barnstormers.
Gruden: We just have to do good shows. We have to play well, no matter where we play, no matter how many weeks we are on the road. It does not matter The guys just have to be ready to leave, no matter where.
King: Parcells always said, "I want guys who are worried about whether the match is taking place in the Paramus shopping mall."
Gruden: Exactly. I remember being here the first time. I swore we had about 25 guys who, if I called them and said, we would play in this parking lot for nothing. I bet I could call Steve Wisniewski and Rich Gannon and they would. I think Clelin Ferrell too. He would play for nothing. I really think that [safety Johnathan] Abram, he was playing on the asphalt. Do you want to play a double program? He would play there. You must have guys who love football instead of liking some of the things that go with it. Forty-eight days in a row on the road, I hear the bitch. We are the sports sponsors now. We do not have a cafeteria here so the food is brought. You hear guys, they come first, "Will we have a new food day? Are we going to have a new weight room? Are we going to have more supplements? No matter it's a great place, man. Good opportunity. Gets tired though.
King: Are you still happy that you came?
Gruden: Yeah. I am happy. I like it, man. I do. I really do. I have no regrets to do it. It's a lot of work. I knew that there would be a lot of work coming here. But begins to see progress. Start feeling the momentum. I can … I'm sitting at a meeting with the fourth [Derek] Carr and [Mike] Glennon, and we had Landry Jones and Nate Peterman. You just feel a different mood. Antonio Brown runs his head over there, then Vontaze Burfict tells us sordid things in the hallway. Lamarcus Joyner arrives in the hallway and you see your sophomore, Kolton Miller. He weighs 20 pounds more. And you look, is it Brandon Parker, our good rookie striker? My god, he looks better. Maurice Hurst seems to grow a little. You start to feel that some roots are starting to grow here. We had so much turnover here. So many different coaches. So many different coordinators. So many different players. You just hope we can root and start growing a little bit.
King: Burfict and Antonio had a whole story. Burfict stunned Brown in a playoff game. They hated each other. And now?
Gruden: They are good. We played Family Feud one day in our team meeting. We had three guys from one team, three guys from the other. Our version of Family Feud. Money team and a black team. The Silver team was composed of Antonio Brown, Vontaze Burfict and I think we had Isaiah Crowell in the team. [2018 teams: Brown, Pittsburgh … Burfict, Cincinnati … Crowell, New York Jets.] You have to try to make sure these guys know each other. It's the only time you can really do that. April May June. It's almost like a church. Everybody get up. Shake hands, introduce yourself to your teammates. Otherwise, Peter never meets Jon and Jon never meets Joe …
King: What happened in Family Feud? How was it?
Gruden: It was a game of hell. One of the questions was, "Who were the 1,100-yard NFL riders last year?" They did very well, but they struggled [Chris] Carson from Seattle. Another question: "Who do the Raiders play on the other side of the Mississippi?" The last was the clothing or jewelry of major designer brands. These guys guessed Nike, Wrangler. They do not know anything about fashion. But they have very good. I have laughs. These days, you have to think outside the box.
Congratulations to Dick Ebersol, a long-time NBC Sports executive who, along with Denver owner Pat Bowlen, invented the Sunday night football package that has been the king of prime time television for eight years. ("Sunday Night Football" is the country's most-rated television show every year since 2011.) Ebersol must be moved to win the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the US Football Hall of Fame, which rewards exceptional contributions. on the radio and television in professional football – in Canton, the August enrichment weekend. Because he will take his place in Canton while Bowlen is inducted into the Hall of Fame for his long and distinguished career as the owner of the Broncos and one of the most influential owners in the league. Ebersol described this honor as "particularly useful to be recognized the same year my friend Pat Bowlen earned his rightful place in Canton".
Ebersol m engaged in 2006 for the preparatory show Football Night in America. I am not an impartial observer, but in my 29 years in the sports media industry, I have never worked for someone who was fingerprinted. He put in place all aspects of Ebersol's team – from researchers to pre-game reports to the broadcast of the game, to lobbying for the best game package in the league for everyone (and I mean everyone) feels precious and an important part of the overall product.
Fast story, leaving aside some details: Sunday night football TV shows were the first to be flexible, which means that teams can be moved according to the relative attractiveness of the matches. A year earlier, a coach who was supposed to have an afternoon time According to rumors, the game Sunday night on the road would have been played in the match of Sunday night, which would mean that his team would land at the home to Monday morning and compromise the preparation of his team. This coach asked me if I could send a message to Dick Ebersol. Of course, I said. He did not want his team to be flexible, and if he did, he could do something the network would not like. I told Ebersol. He laughs. And he assured me that no matter what a coach thought or the threat he was making. The league had the last word on the match that would be played Sunday night; Ebersol was able to give his opinion, which he always did, but the league made the final call. And the best match would win.
One more note on the harmony between Ebersol and Bowlen: Bowlen wanted NBC to receive the package, I always thought, because he knew that Ebersol could deliver Al Michaels and John Madden to the booth in 2006, as well as Bob Costas and Cris. Collinsworth in the studio. It took a lot of fights to make this quartet the key to the NBC talent pool, but Ebersol was successful.
I think moving the best game of the week to prime time of the week from Monday to Sunday will probably be what people will remember about Ebersol and the NFL. But I've always thought that the most important thing for television fans was the flexibility of the schedules. In 2005, at the time of the negotiations, the NFL had been invaded by a host of late-season games on Monday night, with at least one team having a mediocre record. Ebersol insisted that NBC and the league have the ability to change the game that looks like the evil into a more competitive or attractive affair. In fact, if the NFL had not adopted the concept of flexible hours (and why not, because that would certainly mean better average scores for the prime-time package), I do not think NBC would have aggressively bid for Sunday night.
A lot of examples, but I'll use one from 2018. The Niners lost Jimmy Garoppolo as a result of injuries during the third week, sat at 1-4 after five weeks and in the seventh week they had to face the Rams on Sunday night. Shanahan against McVay, Goff against Garoppolo. No more. The league was defeated by Rams-Niners (which turned into a 39-10 loss) and Cincinnati-Kansas City; At the flex, the Bengals were 4-1 and the leaders 5-0. But it was more of a flex of Patrick Mahomes, and Mahomes did not disappoint. After a 43-40 loss to the Patriots, Mahomes racked up 358 yards and four touchdowns and burned the Bengals. The game was not competitive. But the league must put its new megastar in prime time for the third time in four weeks. Even if the scores were better, they would have been much worse if the league had to use the Niners here. The flex was basically an insurance of the shit game through the guts of the NFL season. Other networks do not like it because it means they risk losing a big game against NBC on Sunday night. Crap Game Game Insurance has served the league well since 2006.
Some footballers, others not. The graduation speeches and their excerpts that caught my attention and my ears this month:
J.J. Watt
Houston defensive end
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wis.
May 11, 2019
"One day, a teacher told me that my dream of one day playing in the NFL was unrealistic. Hello hello The path that leads to your dreams often never goes as you imagine. When I dreamed of coming to Wisconsin, I dreamed of receiving a scholarship at the end of my high school years. I dreamed of starting early in my career to win the Rose Bowls. And that's my message for you. Even at this stage of your life, you may not have imagined how your academic career would go. But you are realizing one of your dreams. It will be difficult, it will not look like what you want, but in the end, if you stay focused, if you stay faithful, if you have the passion of your dream, you will get there. "
Viola Davis
Actor
Barnard College
New York, N.Y.
May 20, 2019
"Keep all your memories and experiences, even if they were traumatic. The world is broken because we are broken. Too many of us want to forget … I remember what it feels like to be a hungry child. I remember what it means to be traumatized. I remember poverty. I remember what it means to be a child who dreams and sees no physical manifestation of it. I can remember it because I lived it. I was there. This was my biggest gift. You can only understand people if you feel them in you …
"You can leave something for people, or you can leave something in people's homes."
Jeffrey Lurie
Eagles owner
Clark University
Worcester, Mass.
May 19, 2019
"Do you want an impressive leadership lesson in the workplace? When our excellent quarterback, Nick Foles, entered the group there was only two minutes left in the game to throw the disc we needed to win the Super Bowl, you know what he said? No, "Let's go do that." But simply, "I love you, guys." I like you. It may seem odd, but what's more liberating of what you have in you than knowing that you are loved, no matter what happens?
"… In Big Data, A.I. I can not emphasize enough that the qualities that make us human beings are more essential than ever. It means emotional intelligence, empathy and recognition for people not only of your own family, but also those with whom you choose to be in every facet of your life and work.
"We use data analysis as much as any professional sports team – and I would be the first to tell you that counting numbers can tell us a lot about performance. But in the end, you have to make a judgment on the human character that no algorithm can actually capture. When we decided to recruit Doug Pedersen as a new coach, we received a lot of criticism for what seemed to be a totally unconventional choice based on his career experience at that time. But what I saw at Doug was not just an expert in football strategy and tactics, but also a unique level of empathy for players as individuals, and a real understanding of how people work in teams. This kind of leadership and the success it generates do not concern the sport. Its a question of confidence. When it comes to solving problems, study after study, the most effective studies show that the most effective organizations do not rely on individual genius, but on diverse groups who trust and respect each other … So what Does it take to be one of those who trust problem solving to truly hear each other? I have found that to embrace what makes us fully alive and that our surroundings call you to keep the child within you, as you grow up, with a lasting sense of wonder and curiosity. Buddhism calls this "the beginner's mind". There is nothing child to keep this childish perspective, no matter how old you are.
Jeff Daniels
Actor
Kean University
Newark, N.J.
May 23, 2019
"Our country is not well placed. We are divided. We are angry. You can help change that. You can make a difference by bringing back good citizenship, decency, compassion, empathy, class, honesty, respect for others and truth. You must want it. If I can give you advice that has served me well, it's knowing what you want to do and spending the rest of your life improving. Be proud of what you do. Become the person you dream of being, the one who, with a little luck, can make a difference in the world. "
Scott Pioli
Former executive with New England, Kansas City and Atlanta
Central University of Connecticut
Hartford, Conn.
May 18, 2019
"At the age of 7, Elisa Cooper, my third grade teacher, was the first black teacher in our district of Washingtonville, New York. People were tough with her: people were mean and racist, most adults. However, Miss Cooper's grace in the face of racism and racism behind his back was extraordinary. At age 7, I saw a woman treating me and my classmates with nothing but love and grace. Not all adults were racist and hateful, but as Martin Luther King said: "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty of the wrong people, but the silence of those good people on the subject. "I saw Miss Cooper, who is now Mrs. Jackson – last fall for lunch one afternoon in Washington.It still has a standard of love and grace that I'm striving for. .
"Another tip: stay in touch or look for those educators who have loved you and taught you. They deserve to know that they made a difference. She taught me something about grace and forgiveness when I did not even know what the words meant. She modeled each day on the children she taught. Bryan Stephenson said these words in his book "Just Mercy" in 2014: "I came to understand and believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we have ever done. I think if someone says a lie, it's not just a liar. I think if someone takes something that does not belong to him, it's not just a thief. Elisa Cooper knew it in 1973 and taught it to a young boy who tried to see the world like her. She understood that good people could do bad and bad things. She knew people were broken …
"Be a servant. Be resilient. Be loving and graceful.
Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court of Justice
Manhattan College
New York, N.Y.
May 17, 2019
«L'éducation a une valeur plus importante que l'argent. C'est extrêmement important pour notre croissance en tant que personnes et en tant que communauté. On me demande souvent si j'avais déjà imaginé être enfant à la Cour suprême, la plus haute instance judiciaire des États-Unis. «Non, dis-je, quand j’étais enfant, ma famille était pauvre. Aucun avocat ni juge n'habitait dans mon quartier. Je ne savais rien de la Cour suprême. ’Vous ne pouvez pas rêver de devenir quelque chose que vous ne connaissez pas. Vous devez apprendre à rêver grand. L'éducation vous expose à ce que le monde a à offrir, aux possibilités qui s'offrent à vous. "
John Krasinski
Acteur
Université Brown
Providence, R.I.
May 25, 2019
Krasinski a raconté qu'il avait tenté sa chance et passé une audition pour la troupe de comédies sketches Providence, Out of Bounds, après avoir obtenu son diplôme de Brown en 2001.
«Quand j’ai obtenu mon diplôme, j’étais terrifié parce que tous ces gens sont venus me dire:« L’avenir vous appartient. »Whoa! Quoi? Je suis actuellement à la recherche d'un appartement et j'essaie de garder le nombre de colocataires à un chiffre. Littéralement, rien ne m'appartient. Je suis allé à l'audition et toute ma vie a changé. Non, pas parce que je suis entré, pas parce que j'ai commencé à agir. C'est à travers ce groupe que j'ai trouvé mon chemin dans cette communauté. C'est à travers ce groupe que j'ai rencontré mon peuple. Et tout à coup, j'étais entouré des pairs les plus inspirants. Je veux dire, chacun d'entre eux semblait beaucoup plus intelligent que moi, beaucoup plus cool que moi, beaucoup plus intéressant.
“Trouve plus de gens parmi toi. Penchez-vous à fond. Prenez des risques. Échec grand et prendre des risques à nouveau. Écouter de la musique. N'oubliez pas de croire en quelque chose. Tomber amoureux autant de fois que nécessaire. Et rappelez-vous, avant de faire quelque chose de spécial, faites quelque chose. "
Bill Nye
Le type scientifique
Collège Goucher
Towson, Md.
May 24, 2019
«Quand il s’agit de changer le monde, n’ayez pas peur. Ne panique pas. Lorsque vous devez exécuter quelque chose, vous pouvez être nerveux. Cette peur peut vous arrêter froid. Ne le laisse pas faire. Comme nous le disons au théâtre et à la télévision, "Prenez cette peur et transformez-la en excitation". Vous êtes diplômés de Goucher, vous vous en privez! Tu peux le faire. Tente ta chance! C’est ce que tout le monde veut que vous fassiez. Dans chaque défi que vous affrontez, transformez votre peur en excitation et changez le monde.
«Tout le monde que vous rencontrerez sait quelque chose que vous ne connaissez pas. Toutes les personnes! Les agriculteurs connaissent des plantes que la plupart d'entre nous, même les botanistes, ne connaîtront jamais. Les briqueteurs-maçons ont une connaissance intime de ce qu'il faut pour poser des briques. Respectez cette connaissance et apprenez des autres. Cela fera ressortir le meilleur d'eux-mêmes et le meilleur de vous.
“Juste pour commencer. Juste pour commencer. "
«Et votez. Vous devez voter. Le vote est la façon dont nous influençons les décideurs. C’est comme ça que nous faisons de grands changements. C’est comme ça que nous faisons les choses. Si vous ne voulez pas voter, s'il vous plait, taisez-vous s'il vous plaît … afin que nous puissions continuer à changer les choses pour le mieux. "
I
«Ces 100 années de football professionnel m'ont amené à réfléchir. Personne ne connaît mieux les 100 ans de football professionnel que Joe Horrigan. Ce n'est même pas proche. Je ne sais pas comment vous remplacez ce cerveau. Vous ne pouvez pas remplacer ce cerveau. Je ne sais pas ce que nous ferons sans Joe Horrigan. Vous avez des jeunes, des gens intelligents, des gens qui savent comment faire des recherches sur ordinateur, mais il y a une différence entre lire quelque chose et connaître les gens et connaître les époques. Joe est celui qui connaît le football et les gens plus que quiconque aujourd'hui. J'espère seulement que nous pourrons trouver un moyen de le transmettre. "
—John Madden, à l'occasion du départ à la retraite du directeur exécutif, archiviste et historien de Pro Football, Joe Horrigan, qui a organisé son dîner de retraite jeudi soir à Canton. À juste titre, le «Joe Horrigan Day» dans la ville de Canton.
II
"Il y aurait un langage qui dirait que le jeu n'est tout simplement pas sujet à un défi."
—Le président du Comité de la concurrence, Rich McKay, de la ligue exemptant Hail Mary des passes décisives que les entraîneurs peuvent contester pour voir s'il y a eu interférence.
"Nous ne voulons vraiment pas que nos jeux se terminent en revue", a déclaré McKay.
III
«Les entraîneurs et les membres, ainsi que le comité de la compétition, ont envie d'explorer certaines formes de la proposition. [to mandate both teams get at least one overtime possession] pour le jeu d'après-saison. "
– Vice-président exécutif des opérations football de la NFL, Troy Vincent.
Cela nous a échappé sous le radar lors de la réunion d’une journée de la NFL la semaine dernière.
IV
"J'aime cela. Le personnel de formation, je ne sais pas d’où il vient, mais c’est du titane ou quelque chose comme ça. C’est vraiment léger. Une fois que je me déplace, je ne le sens même plus. Shoutout au personnel de formation pour cela. "
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49 ans, porte sa genouillère légère lors de la première semaine de son entraînement au genou réparé chirurgicalement, près de huit mois après le jour de sa blessure du 23 septembre 2018 à Kansas City.
V
“That’s ridiculous.”
—Jets coach Adam Gase on the possibility of the Jets trading newly acquired running back Le’Veon Bell in 2019.
VI
“Better to let sleeping jerseys lie.”
—Rochester Democrat and Chronicle columnist Leo Roth, on the Bills giving out jersey number 32 (O.J. Simpson’s old number) for the first time since 1977, when Simpson last played for the team. Running back Sinorise Perry wore number 32 at offseason practice last week.
Intéressant. Very interesting.
I
Sammy Watkins evidently hears what’s said about him out in the Twittersphere and any other football spheres that talk football. His record after five years in the NFL shows that two teams (Buffalo, in the 2014 draft; Kansas City, in free agency in 2018) have significantly overpaid for him. The Bills traded two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to take him fourth overall in 2014, and then the Chiefs paid $16 million a year for him in 2018. Once he’s caught more than 60 passes in a season; never has he had 10 or more touchdowns in a season.
So last week Watkins tweeted:
Foot issues have plagued the speedy Watkins going back to his second season. He’s never been right for any of the three seasons since.
Sammy Watkins, average production per season in the last three years
Games: 11
Receptions: 35.7
Yards: 514
TD: 4.3
Offensive plays: 538
It was strange to see and hear, in the wake of Tyreek Hill’s questionable status for the 2019 season, that there was very little reliance on Watkins by the Chiefs to fill the void that could be left if Hill misses significant time. So it’s good to see Watkins’ determination to finally fulfill the great expectations that trailed him out of Clemson in 2014 and that he’s never been able to live up to.
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Yankees this year when Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge, or both, play: 10-10.
Yankees this year when Stanton and Judge are both out: 24-8.
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Gleyber Torres of the Yankees has 10 home runs against Baltimore this season (by Memorial Day, mind you).
The following players have fewer than 10 home runs this season: Bryce Harper, J.D. Martinez, Manny Machado, Nelson Cruz, Mookie Betts.
I was in the greatest movie in the history of Hollywood, the remake of “The Longest Yard.” I co-starred with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.
Well, I did say three sentences in the movie.
I am still getting royalty checks for my marquee role. Last week, a Foreign Royalty Statement came in the mail, accompanied by a check for $11.38. It included fees paid me for home viewing, cable transmissions and video rentals of “The Longest Yard” outside of the United States. The following countries have contributed these amounts to the retirement fund of the King family, courtesy of my work alongside Rock and Sandler:
Denmark: 27 cents.
Germany: 23 cents.
Spain: 88 cents, and a second disbursement for 2 cents.
Switzerland: 92 cents.
“No taxes have been withheld from this payment,” the Foreign Royalty Statement said. “Please consult your tax professional with respect to tax consequences.”
How does one pay taxes on a royalty payment of $0.02?
I drove from New York to Canton, Ohio, last week, with a family stop for two days in Pittsburgh. Much of the drive from Chambersburg, Pa., to Canton was on U.S. 30. (Missed the exit for the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Carlisle, and when I discovered where we were, I thought it would be fun to see a part of the region I don’t think I’ve ever seen, the very south of Pennsylvania.) It was so interesting that when I finished the drive to Canton a couple of days later, I went back on U.S. 30 toward Ohio … and had the surprise of a three-mile trip through the microscopic tip of West Virginia. A few of the things I saw:
• Electronic slot machines at a gas station just west of Chambersburg. I had no idea you could gamble in gas stations in Pennsylvania.
• This sign west of Chambersburg at a business selling home energy systems: “Solar System For Sale.” I wondered which one. Mars, perhaps?
• A road sign near Breezewood, Pa., after driving past a heavy construction zone that apparently included drilling through rock: “LEAVING BORING AREA.” Come on. It’s not that bad.
• A slew of signs for the Flight 93 National Memorial, driving past Shanksville, Pa. I vow to stop there when I’ve got some time—I’ve driven within a few miles a few times. This is the national memorial to United Flight 93 and the heroism of those aboard who, instead of allowing hijackers to divert the plane and fly it into the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, rushed the cockpit and caused the plane to nosedive into rural Shanksville. All 40 passengers and crew died.
• A big Confederate flag on a tall flagpole in West Virginia.
• The hometown of Lou Holtz: East Liverpool, Ohio, just over the Ohio River from West Virginia.
• The little town in Ohio where Larry Csonka has a farm and I believe lives part of the year. Lisbon, Ohio. I just missed one of the highlights of the year in Lisbon: the Dulci-More Festival, featuring the Appalachian dulcimer and other old-time musical instruments.
I’ve often thought how good it is to get off the interstates and see Americana America.
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Mail call. I’ll be away for a few weeks, and guest columnists will be filling this space until my return on July 15. So I won’t be answering any of your questions till I return. So this week, I’ll give you a few more pieces of correspondence than usual.
Hooray, Chris Long. From Mike, of Philadelphia: “Just wanted to say we’re lucky Chris Long the player and Chris Long the person were a part of the Eagles for two years. I loved reading about who he is and who he tried to be on and off the field. The 2017 Eagles will be remembered by everyone around here as a group of guys that formed more than just a football team. Thanks, Chris.”
Excellent point. As Long said last week, the Eagles proved a professional sports team could focus on its business as well as be a bright light in the community.
Football doesn’t need fixing. From commenter 90ragtop, at NBC Sports: “Here’s another idea instead: Let’s stop ‘fixing’ the NFL.”
Got a few of these, but they were wordier than this. Thanks for the economy of syllables.
Keep overtime the way it is. From Betty G.: “The two games cited most often when changing the OT rules are the Patriots-Falcons and Patriots-Chiefs. [The Falcons] blew a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl, while [Kansas City] blew home field and failed to use a timeout or make any adjustments. This would not be an issue if different teams won.”
Respectfully disagree. I believe it’s a matter of fairness. Why is it that 2 percent of the time that the team winning the toss to start overtime chooses to kick off?
Eric Winston’s proposal was good, but Conor has a suggestion. From Conor D.: “I thought Eric’s proposal on seeding playoffs by record was intriguing. In my opinion, I think you’d need to add an extra caveat in there, though. It might seem more technical and less smooth than just seeding by record, but I think you need to have strength of schedule as a consideration if you’re going to seed by record. Now, of course if someone is 11-5 and a wild-card team, they definitely played at least two tough games against their division winner, but what about the rest of their games? What if the other two teams in their division were 5-11 or worse? What if they played one or two weak divisions for their AFC/NFC full division slates? What if they finished last the season before so they’re playing all the last place teams in their conference? Now what if there is a 9-7 division winner that played in a really tough division?”
Hadn’t thought of that, Conor. It’s interesting. I guess I think it would be quite a rarity for a team that finished 12-4 to be worse than an 8-8 or 9-7 team. But it’s possible. And certainly possible that using strength of schedule, a 9-7 team could be statistically better than a 10-6 team.
On Donovan McNabb. From Chazz S.: “Donovan McNabb states he should be in the Hall of Fame. As a member of the selection committee, please make a case for or against his selection. I think he is in the hall of great, but not worthy of the Hall of Fame.”
At first blush, Chazz, I’d agree. One of the problems we have as a Hall of Fame selection committee is comparing players using statistics only. McNabb began his NFL career 10 years after Troy Aikman—who was the flashpoint for McNabb because McNabb said he has better numbers than Aikman—but their careers did intersect for two seasons, 1999 and 2000. I value numbers. But so many good quarterbacks have good numbers, and after a while, you’ve got to figure out what else is important in deciding a player’s Hall of Fame candidacy. McNabb was a decent playoff quarterback (9-7, including 0-1 in the Super Bowl). Aikman was a very good one (11-5, 3-0 in Super Bowls), and he was especially good in Dallas’ Super Bowl years. In the five seasons from 1992 to 1996, Aikman was 11-2 in the playoffs, registering a rating over better than 100 in nine of those 13 games in the postseason. With all of the mega-numbers quarterbacks from the last 20 years coming up for Hall of Fame consideration in the next 10 or so years (Brees, Manning, Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger, Rivers, Ryan, Rodgers), McNabb’s case will have formidable competition.
Taking issue with Chris Nowinski wanting to eliminate tackle football till high school. From Danny: “All well and good. But according to a Children’s Hospital Boston study: ‘Research suggests that female soccer players are second only to male football players in the number of concussions that they develop each year.’ Are we eliminating all girls youth soccer until high school as well?”
Certainly not. But perhaps heading the ball pre-high school, or wearing the type of headgear that some soccer authorities are experimenting with now, could alleviate some of those concussions.
Excellent counterpoint on tackling. From Mark I., of Marysville, Wash.: “There are two opposing views on youth tackle football: yours, that it should be banned; and that of the millions of parents and coaches that encourage and teach kids to play football the right way, while their bodies are less powerful and less likely to cause concussions. To my knowledge (and it’s something I’ve looked into quite a bit) no studies have been done to show which approach is/will be more effective at reducing the potential for CTE and other cognitive issues for former players. Lacking such a study, the anecdotal evidence I’ve seen indicates that kids who start playing tackle in high school are dangerous. My son has played tackle football for 6 years now, and looking forward to joining the varsity team as a sophomore. He has become an effective tackler, and to my knowledge has never caused an injury making a tackle. Full disclosure: My son has had two concussions playing football. One was during a game against a team that was so poorly coached (that old-school style of coaching that encourages kids to purposely hurt their opponents) that our coaches forfeited the game to protect our players. The other concussion? During a flag football game. We all want kids to be safe and healthy. We should be calling for good scientific studies to determine the best way to do these things. You may be right that the best way to protect kids and adults is to ban youth tackle football, and if so, if that can be supported by more than a feeling, I’ll advocate with you. But for now, my anecdotal evidence tells me that teaching kids to play properly from a young age is the better way to save football.”
What a smart email, Mark. Thanks so much for sending it. You make some good and compelling points. It sounds like your son has been well-coached and well-drilled in the art of form tackling. I do not have sons. I never researched this; I write from a position of what seems to be common sense—if kids are not running around with helmets, they’ll be less inclined to lower their heads and hit another player and expose a developing brain to damage. I have to admit the biggest proponent of this, and the person who swayed me that no tackling till high school is probably best for young children, is Drew Brees. This is what he told me on my podcast in 2016:
“I played flag football in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. I didn’t play tackle football till ninth grade … I think that the game is so much more fun and you learn so much more about just the fundamentals of throwing, catching, running, concepts and defense through flag football. I think that there aren’t enough coaches to coach proper technique with pads on with kids in elementary school. That’s just the truth and I think kids would have more fun playing flag football. In flag football everybody has a chance to run the ball, catch the ball, throw the ball, and that’s not the case in tackle football. You’re either a lineman or a skill guy. Whereas in flag football it’s a free-for-all. Everybody has that opportunity. I just think it’s a great way to teach the game in a very safe way that certainly parents feel comfortable about, and it still engages the kids and still gets them excited about it to where at some point they transition to pads. I think you will bring a lot more people to the sport by starting them off with flag football to that point – because you get them to fall in love with the sport, and then you gradually evolved to the physical nature of the game.”
But I have to admit, Mark: Your email has really made me think. Je vous remercie.
1. I think I hope you take some time later this week to listen to a podcast I’ve been working on for some time. “The Peter King Podcast” that drops Wednesday is about advances made to the football helmet, and how new technology and a new Seattle-based company, Vicis, are giving the NFL the best chance to reduce head trauma of any recent improvements to equipment—and spurring other helmet companies to get better faster. Listen on Cadence 13, or on iTunes. I learned a lot, and I hope you will too.
2. I think Nick Bosa added to the suspicions that he’ll have a hard time staying healthy when he suffered a grade-one hamstring strain in the Niners’ OTA practice last Tuesday. Bosa, the second pick in the draft, had two of his last four football seasons end prematurely with ACL and core-muscle injuries, respectively. Now he may not practice till training camp. Pass-rusher is an explosive-movement position. Not good at all that the hamstring gets hurt right away.
3. I think Tampa Bay “parting ways” with Gerald McCoy now means that, arguably, that three of the best four or five defensive players on the unit from last year (McCoy, Jason Pierre-Paul, Kwon Alexander) are gone—McCoy to a new team, Alexander to the 49ers in free agency, and Pierre-Paul out with a back injury possibly for the season. It just puts more pressure on the offense, and on under-the-microscope quarterback Jameis Winston, to be markedly better under Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich this fall. And I mean very markedly.
4. I think Ndamukong Suh, at one year and $9.25 million, instead of McCoy at $13 million, says to me McCoy wanted out (which he did; he wants to play for a winner) and the Bucs didn’t fight him because the team didn’t want to extend a 31-year-old tackle entering his 10th year, at a time when he’s coming off a good but not McCoy-like season.
5. I think I don’t quite get Baker Mayfield continuing his feud with talk-show guru Colin Cowherd. Mayfield said on Instagram the other day he’s selling anti-Cowherd T-shirts for $30. What’s next? Anti-Hue shirts? Cowherd has been critical of Mayfield the person, going too far too often, and it’s rankled Mayfield quite a bit. The problem is, the T-shirt sales make Mayfield seem like he’s got rabbit ears. And that he’s petty. Mayfield’s really good, and he’s got a chance to be the prince of the city in Cleveland. With greatness comes people taking potshots in a 24/7 football world. It makes zero sense to me for Mayfield to be saying, in effect, Colin Cowherd got under my skin. I’ll show him.
6. I think it looks more and more like something that could have been pure gold for the NFL, something that an imaginative and opportunistic league would have jumped on, will be a swinging strike. A missed chance. The Pro Football Hall of Fame was pushing hard for a regular-season game in Canton on Sept. 17, 2020—a Thursday night. The Hall wanted the Bears, one of the two remaining franchises from the 14-team league that was invented in 1920 in Canton, to play on the 100th anniversary day, Sept. 17, of the formation of the league. (The Decatur Staleys, with player-coach George Halas, became the Chicago Bears by 1922.) I’m told it’s not happening. Obviously playing in front of 25,000 in Canton instead of 61,500 at Soldier Field is going to kill the gate for the game, and I’m sure the Bears don’t want to lose a home game and don’t want to get on an airplane to play a “home” game. For a league that likes pomp, a real game in Canton would have been gold. With so many historical angles, that’s a huge chance missed.
7. I think I thought of a few things when I saw the news that Adam “Pacman” Jones retired. One: He had some big picks. He intercepted Ben Roethlisberger three times, Russell Wilson and Eli Manning twice, Tom Brady once. Two: He was the unwitting subject of a hilarious interview in Dallas Cowboys training camp in August 2008 (he was trying to rekindle his wayward career in Dallas; that lasted nine games), between a FOX Sports en Espanol reporter and wide receiver Terrell Owens. The reporter was interested in knowing if the Cowboys were going to call Jones, in his first camp with the team, by his first name or his nickname. Here is how the interview went:
Fox Sports en Espanol: “You call Pacman Pacman?”
Owens: “What’s that?”
Fox Sports en Espanol: “Pacman.”
Owens: “Who?”
Fox Sports en Espanol: “Adam.”
Owens: “What about it?”
Fox Sports en Espanol: “I thought he didn’t like to be called Pacman anymore. You said Pacman. Pacman Jones.”
Owens: “What about it?”
Fox Sports en Espanol: “I thought he didn’t want to be called Pacman anymore.”
Owens: “Did somebody call him Pacman?”
Fox Sports en Espanol: “You did, man.”
Owens, resignedly:“Dude, I don’t care.”
Fox Sports en Espanol: “Okay.”
In the history of Misunderstood and Bizarre Interviews, that one would win an Emmy.
8. I think my favorite story of the week comes from KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. Seems that Antonio Brown left town, and the home he is trying to sell, without making arrangements to have the lawn mowed. Well, in the spring, it rains, and the sun comes out, and the grass grows, and it’s May 27, and if the grass hasn’t been moved, you’ve got a hay field on hour hands. Brown’s former next-door neighbor asked Brown to cut the grass. Brown’s response, also on Twitter, began with this: “Can you be a Good Samaritan and do me a solid cut my grass” Only is America, on Twitter. Still waiting to see if the neighbor did him the solid or Brown did what people with lots of money do in cases like this: hire someone to do it.
9. I think the Patriots had better hope Ben Watson gives them a heck of a lot of production in the final 12 weeks of the season, after the presumptive New England starting tight end revealed Sunday he would be lost for the first four weeks of the season due to a positive PED test.
10. I think these are my other thoughts of the week:
a. Football Story of the Week: Jayson Jenks of The Athletic, on Doug Baldwin the changed man as he reaches the end of his career.
b. Baldwin the consistent overachiever: “When there’s not chaos, I don’t know how to handle that.” So perfect. So Baldwin. When Seattle GM John Schneider made the mega-trade for Percy Harvin a few years ago, it both pissed off Baldwin and supremely motivated him: “I looked at him as an object to conquer.”
c. Jenks got inside the real Baldwin, which is very hard to do. Kudos to him.
d. Story of the Week: A lesson of Sandy Hook: Err on the side of victims, by Elizabeth Williamson of the New York Times.
e. “The American people have an incredible charitable impulse. But nobody knows exactly what to do when the money comes in.”
F. Sports story of the week: The kid who earned 22 high school letters in four years, by Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
g. Think of this: Joe Bujdos, in three of his four years at Indiana (Pa.) High School, played cross country and golf in the fall, swimming and indoor track in the winter, and tennis and outdoor track in the spring.
h. Bujdos to White: “You’re only in high school once, so make the most of it.” Brilliant.
je. Real Estate Story of the Week (but strongly recommended if you’re not a property type): How San Francisco broke America’s heart, by Karen Heller of the Washington Post.
j. Really good writing by Heller about what has happened with all the Silicon Valley wealth changing the very fabric of a great city. “In a time of scarce consensus, everyone agrees that something has rotted in San Francisco. Conservatives have long loathed it as the axis of liberal politics and political correctness, but now progressives are carping, too. They mourn it for what has been lost, a city that long welcomed everyone and has been altered by an earthquake of wealth. Real estate is the nation’s costliest. Listings read like typos, a median $1.6 million for a single-family home and $3,700 monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment. ‘This is unregulated capitalism, unbridled capitalism, capitalism run amok. There are no guardrails,’ says Salesforce founder and chairman Marc Benioff, a fourth-generation San Franciscan who in a TV interview branded his city ‘a train wreck.’ You no longer leave your heart in San Francisco. The city breaks it.”
k. Yikes.
l. Thing I did not know about my 29-year-old nephew Luke Ranalli, who had two White Russians at dinner Wednesday: He has seen “The Big Lebowski” 50 times.
m. Congrats to the Raptors. Losing two to start a series, then winning four in a row to end it … quite a feat. I am no hoops guy, but I would love to have Kawhi Leonard signed to my team for a very long team. Leonard will be 28 and Kevin Durant 31 at the start of next season. Is it such a lock that you’d rather face the future with Durant over Leonard?
n. RIP, Gerry Fraley, one of the best baseball writers in America. He covered the Rangers for the Dallas Morning News, but he wrote about all baseball topics and was respected by the hard-core baseball people MLB-wide. Said Joe Maddon: “He always had a well thought-out question. He 24/7’d the game, constantly thinking about different items, whether statistics or matchup or the lineup. He worked from pure intentions .. just a really good reporter, loved baseball & was a good friend.”
o. Crazy stat of the week: With five more strikeouts, Justin Verlander will tie Cy Young on the all-time list.
p. Beernerdness: Had an excellent Belgian Wheat Beer the other day in Pittsburgh—East End Witte from the East End Brewing Company (Pittsburgh). I am a pushover for a light spring beer like the Witte, and this was worth a half-hour of my time: smooth, more of a hint of clove than most Witte or Hefeweizen. Different and nice.
q. I love the birthday tool on Pro Football Reference. Today, two birthdays for former players seem just right. Jackie Slater is 65, and Danny Wuerffel 45. Just what you’d have figured, correct? But on Tuesday, Rex Kern turns 70 and David Shula 60. Whoa! Where’d the time go?
r. Of course, if Jim Thorpe were still alive, he’d turn 132 Tuesday. That seems about right.
s. You’ll like the guest columnists coming in the next few Mondays. Please come back and see interesting people with valuable things to say, starting with Fred Gaudelli on June 3.
t. I always give some Father‘s Day book reviews—you know, so you don’t have to buy your dad/uncle/husband a tie. You’ll still get those, but please follow me on Twitter. On Friday, June 5, I’ll drop a thread with a few recommended books.
Hey Joe Horrigan!
Ace football historian.
Irreplaceable.
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