SB Nation User Blog: rzor

WFL flames out

rzor — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:57:10 -0000

Many NFL teams have been celebrating the anniversary of the original AFL with throwback uniforms. Prior to the NFL-AFL merger, the American Football League was a legitimate threat to NFL dominance; however, this was not the last time the NFL would face a true rival league. Thirty-five years ago the World Football League started play, only to shut their doors after a second aborted season on October 22, 1975.

The WFL made an early splash by signing three players from the two-time Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins. Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield all signed with the Toronto Northmen. Imagine if Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and Rashard Mendenhall had all left the Steelers for a non-NFL team. The Toronto Northmen later changed to the Memphis Southmen due to the threat of anti-competition legislation in Canada. This early relocation was a sign of trouble to come. Other NFL players that changed leagues included Ken Stabler, Daryle Lamonica, Calvin Hill, Craig Morton, and L.C. Greenwood.

Besides competing for players, the WFL schedule opened season slightly earlier than the NFL with an astounding 20 games packed into 19 weeks, running from July until November. Attendance seemed to confirm the dawning of a real contender when stadium figures of over 40,000 were common in the first few weeks.

All this success turned out to be smoke and mirrors. Many of the tickets for games were actually free giveaways. Two more franchises relocated by September. Players salaries went unpaid as teams wallowed in debt. Following the inaugural World Bowl the champion's uniforms were confiscated by the sheriff's deputies. The disaster came to a head before the 1975 season could be completed and the league championship was awarded to the team with the best record, the 9 - 3 Birmingham Vulcans.

The lasting effects of the WFL could be debated. For example, would the Miami Dolphins have been the NFL dynasty of the 70s with Csonka, Kiick, and Warfield on their roster? It could also be argued the NFL was too slow to respond to this competition, resolving to wait out their eventual fiscal demise instead of evolving the product and the way players were treated. The result in the 80s brought more competition in the USFL, anti-trust lawsuits, players unhappy with salaries, and an eventual player strike.

Before Herschel Walker did MMA...

rzor — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:55:00 -0000

Image from cdn1.ioffer.com

On this date 20 years ago one of the biggest trades took place in the National Football League. The Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings traded 18 players and/or draft picks. This trade was most infamously remembered as a one-sided deal that sent a productive Herschel Walker for the pieces that helped Jimmy Johnson construct the Cowboys dynasty of the mid 1990's.

As with any legendary moment, there are a few misconceptions about the trade. For example, Herschel Walker was not the only player the Minnesota Vikings received via this trade. The Dallas Cowboys sent four draft picks along with him, one of which was used to draft wide receiver Jake Reed. The Cowboys didn't actually receive much in the way of ready-to-go players, as the deal included such forgettable names as Jesse Solomon, David Howard, Issiac Holt, Alex Stewart, and Darrin Nelson (who actually was traded again because he refused to report to Dallas).

The value in this trade for Dallas came in the form of draft picks. Dallas received three 1st round picks, three 2nd round picks, one third round pick, and one 6th round pick. Through drafting and various other deals, these picks resulted in such notable players as Alvin Harper, Dixon Edwards, Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland.

Why would Minnesota agree to such a deal? One year earlier, the Vikings completed a season where they finished with an 11 - 5 record, winning six of their last seven games. Unfortuantely, they lost in San Francisco 34 - 9. It appeared to the ownership this team was ready to win now and may only need one or two pieces to get over that hump. They started the 1989 season 3 - 2, and so the deal for Walker was a hope that the season would get back on track and bring the team some much needed post season success. After adding Walker, the team finished 10 - 6, which was good enough to win the division; however, the Vikings were again eliminated by the 49ers dynasty by the score of 41 - 13.

Herschel Walker played two and a half years for the Vikings, but never cracked 1,000 rushing yards in a single season while on their roster. Ironically, Walker would finish his career with the team that initially traded him, playing out his final two years in the NFL for Dallas.

Art Shell Makes History

rzor — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:52:50 -0000

Picture via www.sfgate.com

October 9, 1989 - This date marks the first National Football League game coached by an African-American. Replacing then head coach Mike Shanahan, Art Shell directed the Los Angeles Raiders to a 14 - 7 win over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. The game itself was marked by a game-winning 87 yard interception return for a touchdown by Raiders safety Eddie Anderson.

That same year, Art Shell was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player for the Raiders. The Raiders finished 1989 with a record of 8 - 8 on the season, with seven wins coming after Shell took over. The next season the Raiders finished a 12 - 4 campaign by playing in the AFC Championship game. Art Shell won the AFC coach of the year award for 1990. With Al Davis' emphasis on winning the division and playoff games, Shell was fired following the 1994 season when the Raiders finished with a 9 - 4 record and out of the playoffs.

Since then, of course, diversity has become more widespread throughout the NFL, with two African-American head coaches meeting in Super Bowl XLI; however, many believe the NFL has a long way to go before true diversity as a goal is realized. Art Shell has been given little credit as a trailblazer in this field.

Omaha World Herald coverage of local MMA scene

rzor — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:15:53 -0000

via www.omaha.com

The Omaha World Herald, which is the only statewide newspaper in Nebraska, recently published on online article covering a local MMA organization called Victory Fighting Championship. What made this somewhat unusual is the article was featured in the Living section, rather than the Sport section.

The article is pretty well written, though makes occasional references to the event as "ultimate fighting." The rest of the article is a moment-by-moment breakdown of two fighters preparing for their event, from the pre-fight rituals down to the emotions of losing.

I wrote the author and he responded by email saying "Doing it was great fun, but the opportunity to do that kind of story on it is extremely rare. I don't think the paper can avoid covering it. It's too huge."

You can view the article here.

Story by Rick Ruggles and Photo by Jon Lemons

Tiki Barber - Hall of Fame?

rzor — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:56:20 -0000

This discussion has been brought up before in other forums, but I'm not sure if it's hit here at BBV. There's obviously a little bad blood and hurt feelings between some Giants fans and players regarding Tiki Barber, but looking back at his career I think it's valid question to wonder whether Tiki Barber is worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This might even seem like a crazy premise, until you consider Eric Dickerson has already been enshrined, so really anything could happen.

In full disclosure, I was and still am a huge Tiki Barber fan. I was rooting for him while he was a Virginia Cavalier, and I was thrilled when he was picked by my hometown NFL team. So, you already know which side of the fence I stand on.

I think the first hurdle to clear is what the player meant to his team. Tiki Barber owns a bevy of team records, from career rushing touchdowns (55) to Most 1,000 yard seasons (6). Tiki Barber is also only the third player in NFL history to be the career leader in both rushing yards and receptions with their respective NFL franchises. To me one of the most impressive stats to discover was he actually led the Giants in rushing for every game from the beginning of the 2002 season until end of the 2006 season. That was an NFL record 80 consecutive games.

The next item to note is how he stacked up against his contemporaries. It might surprise you to know for more than half a decade he was one of the most prolific backs in the league. From 2000 through 2006 Tiki Barber gained the most yards from scrimmage by any NFL running back in that seven year stretch. He also led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Tiki named to the pro bowl and all pro roster three times as well.

Now lets get into the serious number and stat crunching:

Tiki Barber is one of only ten running backs to have over 400 receptions and 10,000 yards rushing. Tiki is the fourth player in NFL history to have four 2,000 total yard seasons. Not exclusive enough for you? He joined Marchall Faulk and Marcus Allen as the third player in NFL history to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. He is also one of three players ever to have at least three 200+ yard rushing games in a single season, adding to his total of five for his career. Tiki Barber is the first player in NFL history with 1,800 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in one season. There's more, of course, but that all puts him in some pretty rarefied air.

There are some things that hold him back. Tiki Barber earned a reputation for fumbling early in his career. During a rough four year stretch (2000-2003) he averaged 8.75 fumbles per year (losing 4.25 on average). He played in only one Super Bowl, but never managed to be part of a world championship. Tiki was never league MVP. His trophy room is just pretty bare in general.

That's all I've got for now. I'd love to hear what you think.