Sports Then and Now

Every team in the NFL has its own collection of heroes. Players who played key roles in helping that franchise reach their greatest heights. Some of these players have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and are forever immortalized. However, many players who endeared themselves to the home fans, but were not quite Hall of Fame worthy, have been forgotten as time passes and new players take their place.

This fall we are going team-by-team across the NFL featuring some of the “Forgotten Stars” whose greatness was valuable to their team, but who have been largely forgotten over time. We are not simply highlighting the best players from a franchise who are not in the Hall of Fame, but instead featuring some of the players who were important contributors and helped define the team during their era.

Some of these players probably should be in the Hall of Fame and were well known stars, while others were simply solid players and are remembered primarily only by true fans.

This week we look at the Atlanta Falcons, a franchise that despite having some great players during their 45 years in the NFL, just celebrated the first Falcon with at least five years of service with the team to enter the Hall of Fame with the recent induction of Deion Sanders.

Many of the players we are featuring probably would already be in the Hall of Fame had they played in New York, Dallas or for some other consistently successful team. Instead, they toiled in obscurity in Atlanta for a franchise that took more than 40 years to register their first back-to-back winning seasons.

William Andrews – Had it not been for an injury suffered during the 1984 preseason, it is very likely that William Andrews would have a bust in Canton and be on the short list of NFL all-time great running backs. Read the rest of this entry →

Recent "scandals" have brought up the topic of paying Collegiate Athletes.

This offseason has been by far the worst offseason in the history of College Football. USC and Ohio State have broken NCAA regulations and the allegations surrounding Miami (though not yet proven) are even worse. These situations, along with many others in recent years, beg the question as to whether college athletes should be paid.

Here’s the answer:

This a tough question, because everyone wants to see their favorite team out on the field and winning games, not being inspected and searched by the NCAA, but college athletes should NOT be paid or rewarded beyond what they already receive. Read the rest of this entry →

Every team in the NFL has its own collection of heroes. Players who played key roles in helping that franchise reach their greatest heights. Some of these players have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and are forever immortalized. However, many players who endeared themselves to the home fans, but were not quite Hall of Fame worthy, have been forgotten as time passes and new players take their place.

Over the next few months, we will be going team-by-team and featuring some of the “Forgotten Stars” whose greatness was valuable to their team, but who have been largely forgotten over time. We are not simply highlighting the best players from a franchise who are not in the Hall of Fame, but instead featuring some of the players who were important contributors and helped define the team during their era.

Some of these players probably should be in the Hall of Fame and were well known stars, while others were simply solid players and are remembered primarily only by true fans.

With only a few exceptions, we will be focusing primarily on players whose careers ended prior to 2000 to shine the spotlight on players from past generations.

We start with the Arizona Cardinals, a franchise that has been around since the beginning of the NFL, but has bounced between three different locations.

Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals

One of the original NFL teams, the Cardinals have enjoyed only intermittent success over the last 90+ years. They are also a franchise that has struggled to maintain a strong fan base as they originally played in Chicago before spending 28 years in St. Louis and now more than two decades in Arizona.

During that time, the Cardinals have won only two championships, the last in 1947 and appeared in one Super Bowl. However, there have been many great players who have worn the cardinal red, including 16 Hall of Fame players, 10 of which played a significant portion of their career with the Cardinals.

In addition to those Hall of Famers, many other great players have become fan favorites in Chicago, St. Louis or Arizona. Below are features on six players who all were valuable players during their time with the Cardinals. Read the rest of this entry →

The NFL Preseason Brings Highly Anticipated Games.

As the NFL Preseason is starting tomorrow, here is my insight on which games to watch:

1. Baltimore @ Philadelphia- Thursday at 7:30pm:

The opener of the preseason schedule starts the season off with a bang. The reason this game is a must watch, is because of a very intriguing story line. Delaware Alum, and Ravens QB Joe Flacco will return to Philadelphia for the first time in his NFL career, and will surely hear the boos. Philadelphia, who recently went Christmas shopping, will give the fans their first taste of CB’s Nnamdi Asomaugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, along with DE Jason Babin, and others. With star QB Michael Vick probably only playing one series, the world will get to see backup QB Vince Young for most of the night. Other rookies to watch are 6th round draft pick, Kicker Alex Henery a and Punter Chas Henry. The Ravens will show backup RB Ricky Williams and 1st Round Draft Pick CB Jimmy Smith out of Colorado. An amazing scene will take place on Thursday night, at the Linc.

2. Tampa Bay @ Kansas City- Friday at 8:00pm (FOX):

This game is nationally televised for a reason, as the Bucs’ battle the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, an always hostile environment. For Kansas City, they’ll give their Rookie QB Ricky Stanzi his first NFL appearance and show Chief fans what a stellar pick he was. Along with Stanzi, the Chiefs have WR Dwayne Bowe and QB Matt Cassel  ready to disrupt Tampa’s D. For the Buccaneers, they have alot to show. Coach Raheem Morris will likely only put rising stars, QB Josh Freeman and RB LeGarrette Blount for a series or two. Also note WR Mike Williams only playing briefly. It’ll be mostly rookies, but a solid game to watch on a Friday night.

3. San Diego @ Dallas- Sunday, August 21st at 8:00pm (NBC)

With Cowboys Stadium packed, Dallas will be on their A Game. QB Tony Romo will look to start healthy. It’s hard to tell how many series Romo will get, but Cowboys fans will be psyched to see him playing again. The Running Back position has question marks all around it, so RB Felix Jones will look to solve those against the Chargers. Football fans will love to see WR’s Miles Austin and Dez Bryant on Primetime. For San Diego, Coach Norv Turner may be entering his last season, as the Chargers have not been pleased with the lack of success. QB Phillip Rivers will play rarely. TE Antonio Gates and WR Malcolm Floyd will also be brief. Great game, expect the Cowboys to come out at full charge. Read the rest of this entry →

The Big 10 Will Be Very Deep This Season.

As the 2011 College Football season is coming at us in full stride, here is my opinion on the top conferences this year:

1. Big 10: This is a tossup. The SEC looks stellar this year, but I have to go with the Big 10. With the Nebraska Cornhuskers entering the conference, there’s going to big dramatic changes. I like Michigan State to win the Legends Division. Look for Nebraska to make a splash and come up right behind the Spartans. I’m picking Michigan as the sleeper of the Legends, with Brady Hoke dramatically changing this program. For the Leaders Division, Wisconsin blows out the competition. Penn State falls short in 2nd, and Illinois and Ohio State will be in the pack. The Big 10 is a deep conference this year, that’s why i like them at #1.

2. SEC: Just behind the Big Ten, I like the Southeastern Conference. Alabama wins yet another SEC title, but they’re going to have to do it with teams like Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia right on their back. I don’t believe Auburn will contend this year, but Tiger fans, expect a bowl game. LSU will be there, as usual, along with Tennessee and Ole Miss being stuck in a unbelievable conference.

3. Big 12: The Big 12 won’t be deep. But, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will battle it out in Norman and Stillwater once again. Trailing Oklahoma will be Texas, who has rejuvenated their program, and may have a shot. I like Texas A+M as a sleeper, along with Missouri, but Baylor will have a hard year. Read the rest of this entry →