Category Archives: Stats/Charts

Here’s the kicker

In fact, here are two of them. The first is Stephen Gostkowski, who went over 100 points for the season in the Patriots’ ninth game. He’s only the second pure kicker in NFL/AFL history to get to 100 points — 101, actually — that fast. The other is Lawrence Tynes with the Giants two years ago (102).

But . . .  three running backs and four multitaskers — guys who played an offensive position and doubled as kickers — also have accomplished the feat. Two of the seven did it twice. The details:

NFL/AFL PLAYERS WHO HAVE SCORED 100 POINTS IN THE FIRST NINE GAMES

[table]

Year,Player\, Team,TD,FG,PAT,Pts (Final Total*)

2014,K Stephen Gostkowski\, Patriots,0,34,29,101 (TBD)

2012,K Lawrence Tynes\, Giants,0,26,24,102 (145)

2006,RB LaDainian Tomlinson\, Chargers,18,0,0,108 (186*)

2005,RB Shaun Alexander\, Seahawks,17,0,0,102 (168*)

1962,WR-K Gino Cappelletti\, Patriots (AFL),4,16,28,100 (128)

1962,RB-K Gene Mingo\, Broncos (AFL),4,18,23,101 (137*)

1961,RB-K Paul Hornung\, Packers,10,12,34,130 (146*)

1961,WR-K Gino Cappelletti\, Patriots (AFL),7,12,32,110 (147*)

1960,RB-K Paul Hornung\, Packers,11,11,30,129 (176*)

1958,RB Jim Brown\, Browns,17,0,0,102 (108*)

1942,WR-K Don Hutson\, Packers,15,0,29,119 (138*)

[/table]

*led league

Notes: Hornung reached 100 in just seven games in 1960 (100 exactly) and again in 1961 (101). Cappelletti had 100 through eight games in ’61, and Hutson had 104 through eight in ’42. . . . Hornung missed two games in ‘61 because of a military commitment.

Anyway, that’s a pretty impressive bunch. Hornung, Brown and Hutson are in the Hall of Fame, and Tomlinson figures to join them soon enough.

The second kicker I wanted to call to your attention is Shayne Graham, currently with the Saints. I say “currently” because Graham has certainly been making the rounds lately. Since he left the Bengals as a free agent in 2010, he’s been with 10 different teams and played at least one regular season game with five of them.

A brief summary of his travels:

● 2010 – Ravens (cut before season), Giants (1 game), Patriots (8).

● 2011 – Redskins (cut in camp), Cowboys (cut before season), Dolphins (2 games), Ravens (1).

● 2012 – Texans (16 games).

● 2013 – Browns (cut in camp), Steelers (on their roster for a game but wasn’t active), Saints (2).

● 2014 – Saints (9 games and counting).

How do ya like them frequent-flyer miles? But here’s the thing: Despite his job tenuousness, Graham has kicked the ball very well. In fact, in these five seasons — or parts thereof — he hasn’t missed a field goal try under 40 yards. The breakdown:

SHAYNE GRAHAM’S FIELD GOAL KICKING BY DISTANCE, 2010-14

[table]

0-19,20-29,30-39,40-49,50+,Made,Missed,%

2-2,22-22,22-22,18-14,10-5,65,9,87.2

[/table]

(Numbers below distances are field goals attempted and made.)

To live out of a suitcase — well, practically — for five years and still perform at this level is . . . the definition of a pro. A guy like that deserves to kick in a dome at this stage of his career. He’s earned it.

Source: pro-football-reference.com

Much-traveled Shayne Graham has made 14 of 15 field goal tries for the Saints this season.

Much-traveled Shayne Graham has made 14 of 15 field goal tries for the Saints this season.

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Runnin’ Russell Wilson

For a while Sunday, as the fourth quarter wound down, the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson was sitting with 100 rushing yards in 10 carries. And I’m thinking: Oh, great. He’s going to kneel down on the last play or two and lose his 100-yard game.

You have to understand: This wasn’t just any 100-yard rushing game. It was his third 100-yard rushing game of the season, which is as many as any NFL quarterback has ever had in one year.

My fears, as it turned out were unfounded. Wilson kept going (mostly) forward and finished with 107 in 14 attempts in Seattle’s 38-17 win. This enabled him to join Michael Vick atop the following list:

MOST 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES BY A QUARTERBACK IN A SEASON

[table]

Year,Quarterback\, Team,Rushing Yards (Opponent),No.

2014,Russell Wilson\, Seahawks,122 (Redskins)\, 106 (Rams)\, 107 (Giants),3

2006,Michael Vick\, Falcons,127 (Bucs)\, 101 (Cardinals)\, 166 (Saints),3

2004,Michael Vick\, Falcons,109 (Rams)\, 115 (Broncos)\, 104 (Giants),3

2013,Terrelle Pryor\, Raiders,112 (Colts)\, 106 (Steelers),2

2010,Michael Vick\, Eagles,103 (Packers)\, 130 (Giants),2

2002,Donovan McNabb\, Eagles,100 (Jaguars)\, 107 (Giants),2

1972,Bobby Douglass\, Bears,117 (Browns)\, 127 (Raiders),2

1951,Tobin Rote\, Packers,150 (Bears)\, 131 (Lions),2

[/table]

And, of course, Wilson still has seven games left, so he’s got a real shot at the record.

Only one of these quarterbacks, by the way, had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. Any guesses? Answer: Rote. He did it, moreover, in the space of five days — against the Bears on Sunday and against the Lions on Thanksgiving. (Don’t count on another quarterback rushing for 281 yards in five days again. It’s one of those quirky marks that just might last forever.)

According to reports, Packers coach Gene Ronzani had Rote run out of a spread offense that was probably similar to what teams use today. An excerpt from the Milwaukee Journal story on the Bears game:

Rote vs. Bears Milw Journal 11-19

Rote had an even better game on Turkey Day. This is from the Journal again:

Rote's stats vs. LionsSo Rote rushed for 131 yards against Detroit and threw for three touchdowns. Only two other quarterbacks have done that in the 63 years since: Vick in this game and the Eagles’ Randall

Tobin Rote demonstrates the stiff arm.

Tobin Rote demonstrates the stiff arm.

Cunningham in this game.

Rote might not have been a great quarterback, but he’s a fascinating one. In 1956, for instance, his first Pro Bowl season, he threw for 18 touchdowns (most in the league by six) and ran for 11 (second only to Bears fullback Rick Casares, who had 12). In all, he accounted for 29 of Green Bay’s 34 offensive TDs. That’s outrageous.

So what did the Packers do? They traded him to the Lions, one of their conference rivals, for three offensive linemen and a running back. “He is a great competitor — a great football player,” coach Lisle Blackbourn said, “but we need linemen if we are to have a chance.”

When Bobby Layne broke his ankle in the next-to-last game of ’57, Rote, who had been sharing the position with him, took over and led the Lions to an improbable NFL title. Six years later, he quarterbacked the Chargers to the AFL championship. Total points scored by his team in those two games: 110 (59 vs. the Browns and 51 vs. the Patriots).

Anyway, that’s the ghost Russell Wilson is chasing as he tries to become the second quarterback to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games in a season. The other QB in his sites, Vick, is — at last report — still up and running with the Jets.

Source: pro-football-reference.com

Photo of Rote vs. Bears Milw Journal 11-19

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Ryan Fitzpatrick is no “Little General”

Came across an interesting passage in Bill Simmons’ longer-than-your-small-intestine column Friday for Grantland. Wrote Bill:

By the way, I think we should put a bow on Ryan Fitzpatrick’s career as a starting QB.

Record as a starter: 31-54-1
Number of NFL teams that started him: 5
Number of winning seasons: 0
Most wins in one season: 6
Career: 117 touchdown passes, 101 picks, 28 lost fumbles, 185 sacks, 78.4 rating

Here’s why I brought this up. . . . Has anyone started 85 NFL games and won less than Fitzpatrick? We know Joey Harrington finished 26-50 and David Carr finished 23-56 . . . but did anyone win a lower percentage of 85 or more games than Fitzpatrick’s minus-23?

Fortunately, Grantland has one of the best editorial assistants/competitive eaters in the world: the one and only Danny Chau. Here’s what Danny found out: Only one player in football since 1920 has won less than Fitzpatrick after starting at least 85 games, a 5-foot-9 quarterback named Eddie “The Little General” LeBaron, who had a 26-52-3 record from 1952 to 1963.

Actually, if you study the information provided by The Competitive Eater (courtesy of pro-football-reference.com), you’ll see this isn’t true. Two other quarterbacks besides LeBaron started “at least 85 games” and had “a lower winning percentage” than Fitzpatrick — and two more had percentages that were nearly as bad. The list should read like this:

[table]

Years,Quarterback,Teams,W,L,T,Pct

1971-84,Archie Manning,Saints\, Oilers\, Vikings,35,101,3,.263

1952-63,Eddie LeBaron,Redskins\, Cowboys,26,52,3,.340

1961-76,Norm Snead,Redskins\, Eagles\, Vikings\, Giants\, 49ers,52,99,7,.351

2005-14,Ryan Fitzpatrick,Rams\, Bengals\, Bills\, Titans\, Texans,31,54,1,.366

1987-99,Chris Miller,Falcons\, Rams\, Broncos,34,58,0,.370

1990-2001,Jeff George,Colts\, Falcons\, Raiders\, Vikings\, Redskins,46,78,0,.371

[/table]

Note: The data lists LeBaron as having 85 starts but credits him with only 81 decisions.

Another way of looking at it, of course, is:

George (1990) was the first pick in the draft.

Manning (1971) and Snead (1961) were the second.

Miller (1987) was the 13th.

And LeBaron (123rd, 1950) and Fitzpatrick (250th, 2005), the two outliers, have the least explaining to do.

And another way of looking at it is to say: For goodness sakes, whatever happened to context? Eddie “The Little General” LeBaron and Ryan Fitzpatrick have almost nothing in common except

Two Redskins lineman hoist Eddie LeBaron.

Two Redskins lineman hoist Eddie LeBaron.

their position. LeBaron was one of the better quarterbacks of his era, a four-time Pro Bowler who was a magician as a ball-faker and even did some punting (averaging 40.9 yards on 171 kicks). He just had the misfortune of spending his first seven seasons with the Redskins (whose bigoted owner, George Preston Marshall, wouldn’t sign black players) and his last four with the expansion Cowboys.

Pro-football-reference.com lists LeBaron at 5-foot-9, but the Cowboys media guide in 1963, his final season, puts him at 5-7. When he retired, he was 13th in NFL/AFL history in both passing yards (13,399) and touchdown passes (104). Those totals may not seem like much today, but the ’50s and early ’60s were a much different time.

Some of LeBaron’s individual seasons were outstanding. In 1957 (86.1) and ’58 (83.3) he finished second to Colts Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas in passer rating. In ’62 he led the league (95.4). That was the year he might have played his most amazing game. In a 42-27 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh, he threw for five touchdowns in a mere 15 attempts while rotating at QB with Don Meredith. Repeat: He threw for five TDs despite playing only about half the game. Here’s Pat Livingston writing about it in The Pittsburgh Press:

Livingston's Press lead

Can you imagine anybody calling Ryan Fitzpatrick “a brilliant old pro who happens to be one of the most underrated performers in pro football”? So again, a little context, please. Fitzpatrick and LeBaron in the same sentence? They’re not even in the same universe. Going into this season, Fitzpatrick had never had a year when his passer rating was higher than the league average.

Yup, The Little General could play. And Fitzpatrick, the Harvard grad, will appreciate this: While Eddie was with the Redskins, he got his law degree at George Washington and practiced law in Dallas — that is, when he wasn’t busy throwing five touchdown passes in half a game.

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Tashaun Gipson’s six picks

How often are interceptions — the defensive kind — a topic of discussion in the NFL? Oh, every once in a while a DB will go wild, pick off three or four passes in a game, and you’ll think: How’d that happen? Did the Hot Tub Time Machine transport DeAngelo Hall back to 1962? Anything less than that, though, and . . .

So allow me to point out that, eight games into the season, Browns free safety Tashaun Gipson has six INTs. And while you’re stifling a yawn, let me also point out that six is halfway to 12, and nobody has had that many since Lester Hayes had 13 for the Super Bowl-winning Raiders in 1980. In fact, since ’81, when Everson Walls had 11 as an undrafted Cowboys rookie, nobody has had more than 10.

Here are the seven sneak thieves who’ve reached that total in the last two decades:

DBS WITH THE MOST INTERCEPTIONS IN A SEASON (LAST 20 YEARS)

[table width=”400px”]

Year,Defensive back\, Team,Int,Yds,TD

2007,Antonio Cromartie\, Chargers,10,144,1

2006,Champ Bailey\, Broncos,10,162,1

2006,Asante Samuel\, Patriots,10,120,0

2005,Ty Law\, Jets,10,195,1

2005,Deltha O’Neal\, Bengals,10,103,0

2001,Ronde Barber\, Bucs,10,    86,1

2001,Anthony Henry\, Browns,10,177,1

[/table]

For those of you scoring at home, there are 31 Pro Bowls in that group – Bailey 12, Law and Barber 5, Samuel 4, Cromartie 3 and O’Neal 2. Three of them, moreover, had more than 50 career picks (Law 53, Bailey 52, Samuel 51) and another had 47 (Barber). That puts them in the Top 20 since 1978, the year the league started legislating against defense. So if Gipson reaches double digits, he’ll be in good company.

Hey, just trying to work up some enthusiasm for The Other Side of the Ball. It ain’t easy these days. After all, Night Train Lane’s record of 14 interceptions in a season has stood since 1952, when they played only 12 games, and hasn’t been seriously challenged in ages. Look at it this way: Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have thrown a combined six picks this year. That’s how many Gipson has. Impressed yet?

Source: pro-football-reference.com

Gipson at the start of his 62-yard pick-six vs. Drew Brees and the Saints.

Gipson at the start of his 62-yard pick-six vs. Drew Brees and the Saints.

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Former NFL quarterbacks as head coaches

The rumblings are getting louder that Jim Harbaugh is on the way out in San Francisco. Jerry Rice is the most recent member of the Niners Family to pipe up. “I have heard some complaints from some players that he likes to try to coach with the collegiate mentality,” the Hall of Fame wideout told Newsday’s Bob Glauber, “and that’s just not going to work in the NFL.”

Boy, that’s a tough crowd in the Bay Area. Harbaugh takes over a team that has missed the playoffs eight years running, guides it to three straight NFC title games and one Super Bowl, and folks are starting to dump on him because (a.) the 49ers are off to a 4-4 start, and (b.) his coaching style is unorthodox by NFL standards.

His “collegiate mentality” has worked just fine up to now — unless you’re going to argue that it was his “collegiate mentality” that caused Kyle Williams to mishandle punts in the 2011

Jim Harbaugh in full throat.

Jim Harbaugh in full throat.

conference championship game, or that it was his “collegiate mentality” that kept his offense from putting the ball in the end zone late in Super Bowl 47, or that it was his “collegiate mentality” that prevented the Niners from winning a fourth consecutive game on the road at the end of last season (formidable Arizona to finish the regular season, then Green Bay, Carolina and Seattle in the playoffs).

Yeah, that “collegiate mentality” is just a killer.

But that’s not the subject of this post. It’s just my way of beginning this post. The subject of this post is: former NFL quarterbacks who become head coaches in the league — and how Harbaugh is one of the few who have experienced much success. Going into Sunday’s game, he’s 45-18-1, postseason included. That’s a .711 winning percentage, far better than most ex-QBs have done.

If there’s anything we’ve learned over the years, it’s that former NFL QBs — despite their inherent genius, sixth sense, Pattonesque leadership ability and whatever other bouquets were tossed their way during their playing days — have no Special Insight into the game. They’re just as capable of turning out losing teams as the next guy, maybe more so.

Check out the regular-season records of the five modern Hall of Fame quarterbacks who have become head coaches in the league:

HALL OF FAME NFL QUARTERBACKS AS HEAD COACHES

[table]

Quarterback\, Played For*,Coached,W-L-T, Pct

Sammy Baugh\, Redskins,1960-61 N.Y Titans\, ’64 Oilers,18-24-0,.429

Bob Waterfield\, Rams,1960-62 Rams,9-24-1,.279

Norm Van Brocklin\, Rams,1961-66 Vikings\, ’68-74 Falcons,66-100-7,.402

Otto Graham\, Browns,1966-68 Redskins,17-22-3,.440

Bart Starr\, Packers,1975-83 Packers,52-76-3,.408

[/table]

*Team he played for longest.

I’ll say it for you: Yikes. Of these five, only Starr coached a club to the playoffs – in the nine-game ’82 strike season.

Lesser-known quarterbacks, it turns out, have done a lot better on the sideline — though, again, none has been Vince Lombardi. Their regular-season records look like this:

HOW OTHER FORMER NFL QUARTERBACKS HAVE FARED AS HEAD COACHES

[table]

Quarterback\, Played For*,Coached,W-L-T, Pct

Jim Harbaugh\, Bears,2011-14 49ers,40-15-1,.723

John Rauch\, N.Y. Bulldogs,1966-68 Raiders\, ’69-70 Bills,40-28-2,.586

Frankie Albert\, 49ers,1956-58 49ers,19-16-1,.542

Jason Garrett\, Cowboys,2010-14 Cowboys,35-30-0,.538

Tom Flores\, Raiders,1979-87 Raiders\, ’92-94 Seahawks,97-87-0,.527

Allie Sherman\, Eagles,1961-68 Giants,57-51-4,.527

Ted Marchibroda\, Steelers,1975-79/’92-95 Colts\,’96-98 Ravens,87-98-1,.470

Gary Kubiak\, Broncos,2006-13 Texans,61-64-0,.488

Sam Wyche\, Bengals,1984-91 Bengals\, ’92-95 Bucs,84-107-0,.440

Harry Gilmer\, Redskins,1965-66 Lions,10-16-2,.393

June Jones\, Falcons,1994-96 Falcons\, ’98 Chargers,22-36-0,.379

Steve Spurrier\, 49ers,2002-03 Redskins,12-20-0,.375

Jim Zorn\, Seahawks,2008-09 Redskins,12-20-0,.375

Kay Stephenson\, Bills,1983-85 Bills,10-26-0,.278

Frank Filchock\, Redskins,1960-61 Broncos,7-20-1,.268

[/table]

*Team he played for longest.

If you want to add the Saints’ Sean Payton (77-43, .642), a replacement quarterback during the ’87 strike, to this list, be my guest. To me, he was a pseudo-NFL QB, but . . . whatever.

Anyway, this group at least has had its moments. Flores won two Super Bowls (1980/’83), Rauch (’67) and Wyche (’88) led teams to the Super Bowl, Sherman’s Giants went to three straight NFL title games (1961-63) and Marchibroda came within a Hail Mary of getting to the Super Bowl with the ’95 Colts (with — you’ve gotta love this — Harbaugh throwing the pass).

Obviously, this is a small sample size. Most former NFL quarterbacks, after all, don’t become coaches, don’t want to deal with the aggravation. They’d much rather pontificate about the game from a broadcast booth or TV studio — or cash in on their celebrity in the business world. And who’s to say that doesn’t make them smarter than the ones who so willingly hurl themselves back into the arena?

Still, Harbaugh, “collegiate mentality” and all, might be the best the league has seen. Does anybody really think, if he leaves the 49ers after this season to coach at his alma mater, Michigan, that pro football will be better for it?

Source: pro-football-reference.com

Harbaugh gets ready to uncork one for the Colts.

Harbaugh gets ready to uncork one for the Colts.

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Streak-struck

There are two kinds of streaks in sports: the real kind, which go on without interruption, and the regular-season kind, which are suspended for the playoffs and resume — the player hopes — the next year. In Sunday’s 43-21 loss to the Patriots, the Broncos’ Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes for the 14th straight regular-season game to set an NFL record.

“Going into the game,” The Associated Press reported, “Manning had two 13-game streaks with at least two touchdown passes, and Tom Brady of the Patriots and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers each had one.”

Of course, if postseason games were included, then that paragraph would have read differently. Brady (2010-11) and Rodgers (the same two seasons) have both had 14-game streaks counting the playoffs – and Manning’s current run of 14 games would only be eight games (since he threw for just one TD in the Super Bowl against the Broncos).

I’m not trying to bust anybody’s chops here. I totally get why the NFL separates the regular season from the postseason for record-keeping purposes. In the playoffs, after all, you’re going up against the best teams every week. They’re not Typical Games.

But I do wish the league paid as much attention to Real Streaks as it does Regular-Season Streaks. I mean, what’s the harm? All it would cost is a few extra pages in the record book. And the benefit is obvious: You’d be acknowledging some performances that might otherwise be overlooked. Better still, you’d be letting the fans decide for themselves whether one streak is better than another.

My reason for bringing this up is that Johnny Unitas threw two touchdown passes or more in 13 consecutive games in 1959 — the Colts’ 12 regular-season games, plus the title game against the Giants. That’s as long as any Real Streak Manning has had. (Peyton had a 13-gamer to start 2004, when he tossed 49 TD passes.)

You know who else had a 13-gamer? Dandy Don Meredith with the Cowboys in 1965 (the last nine games) and ’66 (the first four). I’m still not sure why Meredith was left out of AP’s story. His was strictly a regular-season streak, unlike Johnny U.’s.

Here are the game-by-game breakdowns for Unitas’ and Meredith’s streaks. Given the times — and the less-passer-friendly rules — who’s to say their runs weren’t greater those of Manning, Brady and Rodgers?

UNITAS’ 13-GAME STREAK (1959)

[table width=”125px”]

Opponent,TD

Lions,2

Bears,3

Lions,3

Bears,2

Packers,3

Browns,4

Redskins,2

Packers,3

49ers,2

Rams,2

49ers,3

Rams,3

Giants*,2

Total,34

[/table]

*championship game

MEREDITH’S 13-GAME STREAK (1965-66)

[table width=”125px”]

Opponent,TD

Browns,2

Steelers,2

49ers,2

Steelers,2

Browns,2

Redskins,2

Eagles,2

Cardinals,3

Giants,3

Giants,5

Vikings,2

Falcons,2

Eagles,5

Total,34

[/table]

Note that each threw for exactly 34 scores during the streak. Unitas’ 32 TD passes in the regular season broke the NFL record of 28 set by the Bears’ Sid Luckman in 1943. Johnny U.’s Colts, by the way, won the title that year, and Meredith quarterbacked the Cowboys to the championship game in ’66.

There’s little chance the NFL and its record-keepers will ever come around on this issue, but that won’t stop me from bugging them about it from time to time. That said, something tells me Unitas, were he alive today, probably wouldn’t care much about such a record, being an old schooler and all. In fact, if you ever brought the matter up to him, he’d probably give you a look like this:

Johnny U football card

Source: pro-football-reference.com

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The shelf life of a QB

Tom Brady broached the subject a few days before the Patriots’ season opener. Asked when he planned to retire, he told a Boston radio station, WEEI: “When I suck. . . . But I don’t plan on sucking for a long time.”

And make no mistake, when Brady starts to suck, he’ll be the first to admit it — like he did after his no-touchdown, two-pick performance in the 2011 AFC title game:

Brady’s remark resonated with Peyton Manning. “That’s a pretty good line,” he said. “I’m kind of the same feel. I don’t have a set number. . . . Yeah, right until you suck — I think that’s a pretty good rule right there.”

With the Patriots and Broncos meeting in Foxboro on Sunday — Brady and Manning’s 16th get-together — it might be a good time to explore the idea of, well, quarterbacks sucking. Bill Simmons touched on it toward the end of his column the other day for Grantland.

“Could a quarterback really play at an All-Pro level at 40 and beyond?” he wrote. “Seems insane. Absolutely insane.

“But with the current rules, why not? Why couldn’t Manning AND Brady knock down that 40-and-over door?”

Actually, the 40-and-over door has already been knocked down. Five years ago, Brett Favre turned 40 in Week 5 and went on to lead the Vikings to the NFC championship game. In fact, he went on to lead them to overtime of the NFC championship game. That’s how close he came to the Super Bowl. It was arguably his greatest season, one that saw him throw 33 touchdown passes, a career-low seven interceptions and post a career-high 107.2 passer rating. And Favre, I’ll just remind you, was the most high-mileage 40-year-old quarterback in history. He’d never missed a start.

So for Manning, 38, and Brady, 37, the bar has already been set. And good luck to both of them trying to match those numbers, should they still be ambulatory at that age. Here’s the short list of quarterbacks who’ve had 30 TD passes, fewer than 10 picks and a 100 rating in a season.

Before Favre there was Warren Moon. In 1997 with the Seahawks, at the ages of 40/41, Moon threw for 25 touchdowns — fifth in the league — in 15 starts and was voted MVP of the Pro Bowl. He was four years older than anybody else in the game.

And let’s not forget the Geezer To End All Geezers. George Blanda was 43 when he put the Raiders on his back for five weeks in 1970 and carried them to four wins and tie — yes, ties

George Blanda, armed and dangerous.

George Blanda, armed and dangerous.

mattered in those days — with his passing and kicking. Granted, he wasn’t the regular quarterback, but three times he came off the bench and threw for crucial TDs. His heroics earned him the Bert Bell Award as the NFL’s Player of the Year.

(When he won POY award, by the way, George said he planned to continue playing “as long as I can contribute to the Raiders’ success and meet with the approval of coaches.” That was the ’70s version, I guess, of “until I suck.”)

Anyway, there you have it: Blanda, Moon, Favre. The “40-and-over door” has already ripped off its hinges. The only question is whether Brady and Manning can outperform these ageless wonders. (And even if they do, George can always say, “Yeah, but did either of them boot a 52-yard field goal with three seconds left to give his team the victory?”)

It is true, though, that, up to now, very few NFL quarterbacks have thrown a pass in their 40s — a mere 17. And just six of them have thrown as many as 100 (Favre, Moon, Vinny Testaverde, Vince Evans, Sonny Jurgensen and Len Dawson). So if Brady and/or Manning manage to have several productive seasons in their 40s, they’ll be breaking new ground.

Indeed, only 10 QBs have thrown as many as 100 passes at the age of 39. Here’s that list. (Note I said “at the age of 39,” not the year “the year they turned 39.” For some guys, “the age of 39” straddles two seasons.)

MOST PASSES THROWN AT THE AGE OF 39

[table]

Year(s),Quarterback\, Team(s),Att,Comp,Pct,Yds,TD,Int,Rating

2008-09,Brett Favre\, Jets/Vikings,523,341,65.2,3\,374,18,19,79.6

1995-96,Warren Moon\, Vikings,469,277,59.1,3\,389,23,14,85.3

2001,Doug Flutie\, Chargers,345,191,55.4,2\,155,9,15,64.8

1974,Len Dawson\, Chiefs,235,138,58.7,1\,573,7,13,65.8

1993,Steve DeBerg\, Bucs/Dolphins,227,136,59.9,1\,707,7,10,75.3

1966-67,George Blanda\, Oilers/Raiders,219,95,43.4,1\,463,13,19,49.7

2002-03,Vinny Testaverde\, Jets,199,124,62.3,1\,399,7,2,90.8

1972,Johnny Unitas\, Colts,157,88,56.1,1\,111,4,6,70.8

1960-61,Charlie Conerly\, Giants,155,75,48.4,1\,029,8,9,63.1

1973,Sonny Jurgensen\, Redskins,145,87,60.0,904,6,5,77.5

[/table]

Manning, of course, will be 39 next season. Brady is two years away. It’s hard to believe, the way they’ve been playing, that they’ll suck by then. It’s more an issue of: Will they still be upright? In the NFL, even with all the safety measures in place, there are no guarantees.

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Inventing “records”

The World of Statistics — or is it Statsland? — has no rules. At least, it seems that way at times. Like today, when ESPN Stats & Info tweeted this out:

Screen Shot 2014-10-28 at 3.34.02 PM

Maybe we should blame it on Twitter and its hard cap of 140 characters. Because what the numbers gnomes at ESPN neglected to add was “(minimum: 30 attempts).”

On second thought, scratch that. I just added “(minimum: 30 attempts)” myself and still had 25 characters to spare.

Look, McCoy had a very nice game in the Redskins’ 20-17 upset win, hitting 25 of 30 passes (17 of them, as you can see in the graphic, within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage). This isn’t about him. It’s about the mindless need to create “records” where none really exist — all, of course, at the expense of the past (even the recent past).

I say this because there have been three Redskins quarterbacks in the 2000s alone — and a couple of others before that — who started a game, went the distance and completed a higher percentage of their passes than McCoy did. But their performances have been conveniently “disappeared” because they didn’t throw 30 passes. The specifics:

REDSKINS QBS WITH A HIGHER COMPLETION % THAN McCOY HAD VS. COWBOYS

[table]

Date,Quarterback,Opponent,Att,Comp,Pct,Yds,TD,Int,Rating,Result

11-18-12,Robert Griffin III,Eagles,15,14,93.3,200,4,0,158.3,W\, 31-6

9-24-06,Mark Brunell,Texans,27,24,88.9,261,1,0,119.3,W\, 31-15

12-5-04,Patrick Ramsey,Giants,22,19,86.4,174,3,0,139.2,W\, 31-7

10-24-65,Sonny Jurgensen,Cardinals,14,12,85.7,195,3,0,158.3,W\, 24-20

10-7-84,Joe Theismann,Colts,20,17,85.0,267,4,1,137.5,W\, 35-7

10-27-14,Colt McCoy,Cowboys,30,25,83.3,299,0,1,94.3,W\, 20-17

[/table]

Actually, Theismann yielded in the late going to Jim Hart, but he essentially went the route. Anyway, looking at these figures, can you think of any reason why we should be genuflecting in front of McCoy’s 83.3 percent? Griffin and Jurgensen, for instance, both posted ratings of 158.3. That’s as high as the scale goes. And Brunell set a real NFL record that day by completing 22 passes in a row (most of them shorties like Colt’s).

These quarterbacks just happened to be in games where they didn’t need to put the ball in the air 30 times. Besides, it might be harder to hit a high percentage when you only throw 14 or 15 or 20 times, as some of them did, than when you throw 30. It’s just harder to stay in rhythm.

OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now. But riddle me this: When did it stop being acceptable simply to say, “Colt McCoy had a fine game, one of the best in Redskins history in terms of passing accuracy”?

As my foster uncle, Howard Beale, might say . . .

Source: pro-football-reference.com

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Downtown DeSean Jackson

Yards-per-catch averages in the NFL have been going down, down, down for decades — from 14.5 yards in 1950 to 13.2 in 1970 to 12.5 in 1990 to 11.6 this season. You can blame it on everything from zone defenses to the West Coast offense to the rise of the tight end. So when a receiver averages 20 yards a reception, as the Redskins’ DeSean Jackson has done in the first eight games, it’s worthy of mention.

Thanks to a league-leading seven catches of 40 yards or more, Jackson is averaging 20.8 yards on 32 grabs. If he sustains that pace the rest of the way — 64 catches (a nice, round four a game), 20-plus yards a reception — he’ll be just the 10th receiver in NFL-AFL history to reach those levels. Here are the first nine, many of whom should be familiar to you:

RECEIVERS WITH 64 CATCHES, 20-YARDS-PER-CATCH AVERAGE IN A SEASON

[table width=”500px”]

Year    Receiver\, Team,Rec,Yds,Avg

1998    Eric Moulds\, Bills,67,1\,368,20.4

1988    Jerry Rice*\, 49ers,64,1\,306,20.4

1983    Mike Quick\, Eagles,69,1\,409,20.4

1967    Don Maynard*\, Jets,71,1\,434,20.2

1965    Lance Alworth*\, Chargers,69,1\,602,23.2

1963    Bobby Mitchell*\, Redskins,69,1\,436,20.8

1961    Charley Hennigan\, Oilers,82,1\,746,21.3

1960    Bill Groman\, Oilers,72,1\,473,20.5

1951    Crazylegs Hirsch*\, Rams,66,1\,495,22.7

[/table]

*Hall of Famer

Five of the nine are in Canton, so it’s not just anybody who has accomplished this feat. Note, too that Groman and Hennigan did it in the first two years of the AFL, when the league wasn’t nearly as strong as it would be later. If you eliminate them, you’re down to seven receivers — an awfully small group. And Jackson might join them.

(FYI: If you want to lower the bar to 60 receptions, you get four more names, including James Lofton.)

It’s hard for a high-volume receiver to average 20 yards a catch. He simply runs too many underneath routes. The most a 100-reception guy has averaged is 16.1 (the Lions’ Calvin Johnson on 122 grabs in 2012). The most a 75-reception guy has averaged ––since Hennigan, at least — is 19.9 (the Rams’ Torry Holt in 2000 and Cardinals’ Roy Green in 1984). Jackson, though, has only once caught more than 62 balls in a season, so a 20-yard average is more conceivable for him. Indeed, he averaged 22.5 in 2010 (but on 47 receptions).

Yards per catch certainly isn’t the most celebrated statistic, but it reflects an ability to make big plays. Every offense needs a receiver like that, one who can stretch the defense and create space for his teammates.

Jackson, by the way, has four 100-yard games through Week 8. Only one receiver in Redskins history has had more: Mitchell, who had five in 1962, the year he helped integrate the franchise. The others, besides DeSean, with four: Santana Moss in 2005, Henry Ellard in 1994 and Mitchell again in ’63. Interesting: Mitchell (’62), Moss and Ellard were, like D-Jax, in their first year with the club.

Source: pro-football-reference.com

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The Patriots and 50-point games

Scoring 50 points in an NFL game isn’t as big a deal as it once was, not with all these offense-friendly rule changes, but it’s still notable. The Patriots’ 51-23 win over the Bears today, for instance, was the seventh time they’ve reached 50 in the 2000s (since 2007, really). No other club has done it more than three times.

The Pats also have scored 50 in a game three years running. Only two other teams have managed that since the 1970 merger (one of whom did it four straight years). The exclusive club:

TEAMS THAT HAVE SCORED 50 POINTS IN A GAME 3 YEARS IN A ROW (SINCE 1970)

[table]

Years   Team,Quarterback(s),Opponents (Score)

1991-94   49ers,Steve Young,Bears (52-14)\, Falcons (56-17)\, Lions (55-17)\, Falcons (50-14)

2012-14   Patriots,Tom Brady,Bills (52-28)\, Colts (59-24)\, Steelers (55-31)\, Bears (51-23)

1984-86   Bengals,Anderson/Esiason,Bills (52-21)\, Cowboys (50-24)\, Jets (52-21)

[/table]

As you can see, all three teams had an outstanding quarterback, not just one who got hot every now and then. Young is in the Hall of Fame, Brady is headed there, and Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason were among the best of their eras.

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