AFC East: Michael Strahan
Parcells, Bledsoe and the Hall of Fame
Then again, Donahoe used to say a lot of things.
I was reminded of this when taking a glance at players who will make their first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2012.
Buffalo News reporter Mark Gaughan, who's on the Hall of Fame selection committee and last weekend was elected president of the Pro Football Writers Association, blogged the top newcomers to consider the next few years.
AP Photo/Ed ZurgaBill Parcells and his former quarterback Drew Bledsoe will be on the Hall of Fame ballot next year.Perhaps that development was fitting for Martin because his coach with the New England Patriots and New York Jets will be on the ballot again. They could get in together in 2012.
Bill Parcells has been a finalist twice, but not since 2002 because rules for coaches changed. They now must wait five years from their last game to be eligible for induction, and Parcells returned to the sidelines with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003.
Is Parcells a Hall of Famer? I know Miami Dolphins fans aren't too thrilled with him these days, but he did add to an already remarkable legacy -- two championships, different teams to the Super Bowl, a few organizational turnarounds -- by guiding the Dolphins from 1-15 to the AFC East title as their football operations boss.
Also on the ballot next year will be Bledsoe, running backs Corey Dillon and Tiki Barber, fullback Mike Alstott, guard Will Shields and coaches Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer.
Bledsoe had a fine career with the Patriots, Bills and Cowboys and ranks eighth all-time in passing yards. But he was a Pro Bowler only four times and never was first-team All-Pro. Bledsoe was helpful in getting the Patriots their first championship, so he does have a ring. But that was Tom Brady's team.
Dillon also was a four-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots. He ranks 17th in rushing yards and never led the league in a major rushing category.
Schottenheimer played for the Bills and Patriots before winning 61 percent of his regular-season games as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers. His 200 victories rank sixth all-time, but his 5-23 playoff record will hurt.
That group of first-time candidates -- plus the newcomers for 2013 -- bodes well for Reed. There won't be any new receivers for him to box out. He already has jockeyed ahead of contemporaries Cris Carter and Tim Brown by making the cut from 15 to 10 in the selection process the past two years. Carter and Brown haven't.
Gaughan highlighted first-year players for next few classes.
2013: Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, defensive end Michael Strahan.
2014: Running back Shaun Alexander, receiver Marvin Harrison, linebacker Derrick Brooks, safety Rodney Harrison and coaches Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Mike Holmgren -- if they don't return to sideline work.
2015: Quarterback Kurt Warner, receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, tackles Orlando Pace and Walter Jones and linebacker Junior Seau.
Revisiting Cam Wake and the DPOY debate
In the comments section underneath, the discussion was entertaining and the opinions passionate on both sides. I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the issue and share some of the thoughts that were hashed out.
As I posted there, one of my chief concerns about debating Wake's season was that readers were quoting all sorts of inaccurately inflated stats. Some claimed Wake led the league in combined sacks and tackles for losses and insisted he notched double digits in both categories.
That's difficult to declare. While sacks are an official NFL stat, tackles are not. They are open to interpretation and charted by each coaching staff while reviewing game film. Teams apply different criteria to TFLs. Must they be solo tackles only? Are assists counted? Is a half-sack worth a full TFL?
For the record, the Dolphins credited Wake with 21 tackles for losses. That includes his 14 sacks. But the Dolphins also count a half-sack as one TFL, and Wake had two half-sacks in his total.
That means Wake had six TFLs not related to sacks. The math: 13 full sacks plus two half-sacks equal 15 TFLs directly from sacks. Subtract that from his 21 TFLs.
Now for the assertion Wake led the league in combined sacks and TFLs ... Wake finished third in sacks behind Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali.
The Cowboys credited Ware with nine TFLs. The Chiefs pegged Hali with 6.5 TFLs, showing they don't subscribe to the Dolphins' policy of counting a half-sack as a full TFL. Either way, both finished with a higher combo of tackles behind the line of scrimmage than Wake.
And neither Ware nor Hali received any defensive player of the year votes either.
Now that we've cleared that up, what about the general idea that Ware deserved to finish among the seven who received a vote? A reminder:
- Troy Polamalu, Steelers safety, 17
- Clay Matthews, Packers linebacker, 15
- James Harrison, Steelers linebacker, 8
- Julius Peppers, Bears defensive end, 6
- Brian Urlacher, Bears linebacker, 2
- Ed Reed, Ravens safety, 1
- Haloti Ngata, Ravens defensive tackle, 1
Most criticism from Wake supporters focused not on Polamalu, but on Matthews. Some readers contended Wake was more dominant than Matthews.
Wake did have a half-sack more than Matthews, who played one fewer game and battled hamstring and shin injuries for a portion of the season. We can't say for sure how many TFLs Matthews recorded because the Packers don't believe in them. But he did have an interception return for a touchdown and two forced fumbles. Wake had no interceptions and three forced fumbles.
So it's an interesting discussion, I suppose. Wake is an elite pass-rusher. He dominated backfields at times. But I think the Associated Press panel simply valued defenders who were more forceful all over the field.
Plus, Wake steadily compiled sacks throughout the season and didn't hold his brief NFL lead until the Dolphins were out of the playoff hunt. By then, nobody was paying attention to the Dolphins anymore, including their fans based on all those empty Sun Life Stadium seats in November and December.
Matthews, meanwhile, generated a lot of buzz with his torrid start.
Longtime AFC East blog follower Lori Chase (aka LCHASE2249), maybe the most astute reader-analyst out there, also pointed out the following about sacks leaders:
Fourteen sacks -- which ties [Wake] for 96th on the all-time single-season list -- and Finfans are miffed that none of the AP voters thought their guy was the greatest defensive player in the league in 2010? Take off those aqua-and-orange-colored glasses, folks. Even if he had led the league (which he didn't), do you know how many times the NFL sacks leader has won that season's DPOY award? Five. Five times in the 29 years since the sack became an official statistic in 1982.
The five were Lawrence Taylor with 20.5 sacks in 1986, Reggie White with 21 in 1987, Pat Swilling with 17 in 1991, Bryce Paup with 17.5 in 1995 and Michael Strahan with 22.5 in 2001.
Chase pointed out all were first-team All-Pros (Wake wasn't). Three played on division champions, with the two exceptions White and Strahan. White registered his 21 sacks in 12 games. Strahan broke the single-season sacks record.
In summary, Wake had a brilliant season. He established himself as a pass-rushing fiend, one of the NFL's best and certainly worthy of his Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro selections.
All in all, I found the discussion in the comments section to be insightful and a great example of why I like to exchange ideas with readers there as much as possible.
Be sure to check the comments sections under my blogs and feel free to get involved. I try to visit as often as I can, and now that all four AFC East teams are done playing, you can expect to see me there quite a bit.
Taylor: Crunch time for Revis is Week 1
So you better believe he would prefer to have Darrelle Revis in camp.
Taylor also is a member of the NFL Players Association.
So you better believe Taylor would like to see Revis get paid.
But Taylor isn't upset he hasn't laid eyes on Revis since June. Revis' holdout is closing in on its third week. He's under contract, but he wants a new one with a salary commensurate with being the NFL's best cover cornerback.
"I wouldn't say it's a different set of rules for everybody, but there's a different set of gloves you use for everybody," Taylor told me Saturday at Jets training camp. "At the end of the day, you're one of the 53. God forbid somebody got hurt -- like Tom Brady did a couple years ago -- but the game doesn't end. You don't close the doors, lock up and say 'We lost him. Let's go home.' You can never make yourself bigger the team."
Jets secondary coach Dennis Thurman recently said if Revis were to miss the entire preseason, then the All-Pro wouldn't get up to snuff until about halfway into the regular season.
Taylor, entering his 14th NFL season, doesn't see it that way.
"I think he could come in that first week, honestly," Taylor said. "I know coaches and administration don't want to hear people say that. But he can come in that first week of the regular season. He knows the defense. He knows what he's doing. Get a couple polishing looks and get going.
"Michael Strahan did it a few years ago, had a great year and won a Super Bowl. Brett Favre does it."
That's why some Jets players aren't griping much about Revis' absence yet.
"Whether or not Reeve is here right now means nothing to my preparation," Taylor said. "It means more work for the guys on the back end that wouldn't be getting those reps if he was here, but for most of us it's business as usual.
"There will come a time where it's increasingly important that he's here. That time is probably in September, whenever we're kicking off."
Joey Porter on pace to break NFL sacks record
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
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| Joel Auerbach/US Presswire | |
| Miami's Joey Porter is on pace to break Michael Strahan's single-season sack record. |
MIAMI -- Maybe Brett Favre can lie down for Joey Porter this year.
Porter, with an NFL-leading 10.5 sacks, is on pace to break Michael Strahan's record for most in a season. If Porter maintains his pace, he will finish with 24.
Strahan finished 2001 with 22.5 sacks for the New York Giants, a half more than Mark Gastineau had with the New York Jets in 1984. Strahan broke the record when Favre infamously fell down in the season finale.
The Dolphins visit Favre and the New York Jets in the season finale.
Porter had a mammoth performance Sunday to help the Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills, 25-16. He registered two sacks (one that led to a safety), forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble.
The season so far has been vindicating for Porter, who faced criticism after signing a five-year, $32 million contract last year and then finished with only 5.5 sacks. Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Dom Capers couldn't figure out how to use Porter, but new coordinator Paul Pasqualoni hasn't had much trouble.
"I told you, 'If you really watch football and know football you would understand it,' " Porter said Sunday. "But y'all just pen pushers. So all y'all see is 'Joey, 5 1/2 [sacks], that's not good enough.' Now you're understanding the defense and what we're doing out there.
"I told you, you get me in a 3-4 defense, 10 sacks is a given for a good outside linebacker. If you want to consider yourself good, nine or 10 is just what you're supposed to get. It's not even a big deal."
Porter's 10.5 sacks match his career-high set in 2000 and equaled in 2005 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been to three Pro Bowls and named All Pro once, but you wouldn't have known it by watching him last year.
"I've never really been in a system to where a lot of the defense I'm featured," Porter said. "They put me in position to make some plays. They put me in position to make plays a lot, and I put that on myself to go out and make the plays.
"It's a player-friendly defense, puts me in a lot of opportunities to have one-on-one with the back, one-on-one with the tackle. I'm isolated in a lot of situations. It's on me to win those matchups."
The Dolphins' record for sacks is 18.5 by Bill Stanfill in 1973 and Jason Taylor in 2002.
Porter lined up against Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters on Sunday. Porter beat Peters with an inside move on the sack that forced Trent Edwards to fumble, leading to a crucial fourth-quarter safety.
"He's still a good tackle," Porter said. "Take nothing way from him. He's still in the top three tackles in this game. Today, he was just put in some situations where I had the chance to make some plays on him."
Favre thinks Giants should go after Strahan
Brett Favre laid down so Michael Strahan could break the season sack record in 2001.
On Monday, Favre stood up for him.
The New York Jets quarterback said Strahan should join him in un-retirement. The New York Giants are desperate for a pass rusher now that Osi Umenyiora is out for the season with a knee injury.
Strahan retired after the Giants won the Super Bowl and took a job with Fox Sports as a studio analyst.
"If I was a Giant, I'd do whatever I could to get him out and have him back on my team," Favre said. "The guy still looks great; hell of a player. I would have done whatever to try to get him back initially, but now, how could you not want him back?
"Wouldn't that be something? He comes back and we start a trend."
PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell doesn't want to hear about how good their defense can be.
"Potential," Mitchell said, "is like a cuss word to me."
The concept of making colossal strides, however, must not be too vile for Mitchell. After all, he won the Super Bowl with the New York Giants last season and then signed a free-agent contract with the Bills, owners of the AFC's worst defense a year ago.
Unless he's the type to chase a paycheck, he wouldn't have dared to join a team without the potential to be great, right?
"I knew it was a young group," Mitchell said as he unwound his hand wraps after Monday night's soggy practice at St. John Fisher College. "Things are moving along pretty well. We're coming together.
"We've got to have more people emerge as leaders. We've got to see how we face adversity."
The Bills gave up an average of 362.9 yards a game. Only the Detroit Lions yielded more.
A renovation was in order. The Bills made signing Mitchell a high priority. They also landed defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson.
The return of middle linebacker Paul Posluszny from a broken forearm in Week 3 is almost like an offseason acquisition. The defensive backfield is young but possesses gobs of that word Mitchell hates.
Mitchell sees similarities in the Bills' defense and the one he won a ring with in February.
"We had some tried veterans on that team last year with Michael Strahan and Antonio Pierce and myself. We have them here, too," Mitchell said. "We have [Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron] Schobel. We have [defensive end Chris] Kelsay. We have [linebacker Angelo] Crowell. We have Stroud and myself.
"We do have a lot of good depth, but we've got to see how we handle that adversity. There's going to be tough times."
Another similarity? Mitchell senses Buffalo's defense is being taken lightly.
"I like it that way," he said. "Nobody gave us respect last year, so I prefer nobody even mention our name. If we can sneak up on everybody every single time we play them, that'd be fine with me."
ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the NFL and NBA for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. He's a Temple graduate and Hyattsville, Md. native who lives in Miami.
