By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

Sean Payton is one of the best play-callers in NFL history for his effectiveness, creativity, and adaptability. His sustained success and many examples of designing an effective offense put him right in the mix with some of the legendary offensive minds like Bill Walsh and Air Coryell. Payton has been revolutionary with his schemes and has consistently had one of the top offenses in the NFL for his entire 15-year career as the head coach and play caller for the New Orleans Saints. His genius offensive mind is a big reason why he has an extremely impressive .631 career winning percentage.

Sustained Success

Payton has been the head coach of the New Orleans Saints since 2006 and has been the offensive play caller the entire time. His innovative designs and schemes have been the main reason why the Saints offense has consistently ranked towards the top of the NFL every season. In order from 2006 through 2020 their offense has ranked 1st, 4th, 1st, 1st, 6th, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, and 12th. That is an insanely consistent and impressive run that really speaks for itself. Besides being ranked 1st overall in offense for 6 of the 15 seasons, they have also never been outside of the top half including being in the top 10 in 14 seasons and the top 5 in 11 of them.

Maximizing Potential

One of the signatures to the success of Payton has been his ability to get the most out of the weapons that he has available to him. What makes him such an offensive genius is the fact that he can design an offense around the strengths of his roster rather than trying to get his players to fit his scheme. This is where he has been able to show off his creativity by designing a new offense not just from year to year, but sometimes even from week to week when necessary.

One of the many gifts Payton has been getting the most out of his players. He has been great at maximizing the potential out of the players available to him. The most recent example of this has been the unique ways that he has been able to utilize Taysom Hill. He has lined him up everywhere including quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, and even special teams. Over the last three seasons, Hill has accumulated 22 touchdowns including 4 passing, 11 rushing, and 7 receiving.

Hill is an extremely unique talent and the type of player that can’t just be plugged into any offense and be effective. Payton has masterfully unlocked his potential into a solid contributor by specifically designing plays to fit his skillset. It’s highly unlikely that many other coaches, if any, would have been able to do that considering Hill was mostly viewed as a bust until Payton transformed him into what he is today. There have been other examples of this concept as well.

Darren Sproles is another player who Payton made into the best version of himself. Sproles spent 14 solid years in the NFL spread out between the Chargers, Saints, and Eagles but his 3 seasons with Payton in New Orleans was by far the best stretch of his career. His 3 best receiving seasons of his career were the 3 years he spent with the Saints from 2011 to 2013 when he recorded receiving yard totals of 710, 667, and 604 respectively. His career high in rushing yards of 603 also came in 2011 and 21 of his 55 career offensive touchdowns came during that 3 year stay in New Orleans. Payton is a master of maximizing potential and Sproles is an excellent example of that.

New Opportunity

Now that Drew Brees has retired, for the first time in his head coaching career Payton will enter the 2021 NFL season with a new starting quarterback. Those big shoes will be filled by either Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston. Brees is of course a legend of the NFL and will easily be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, so it is going to be very interesting to see the brand new offensive design by Payton without him. He does have strong weapons to work with, such as superstars Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, so this is a new opportunity for his creativity to shine once again. If Payton was to lose one of the best quarterbacks of all time this season, but still come up with one of the best offense in the league as he always has, it would just further solidify the fact that he is one of the greatest offensive minds in NFL history.

The post Why Sean Payton is One of the Best Play Callers in NFL History appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

Dick LeBeau is one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of the NFL. He had an excellent career as both a player and a coach but is definitely most known for his success as the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is one of the best of all time in this role for his contributions, innovations, and longevity. He was active in the NFL for 59 consecutive years as either a player or a coach and as of 2010 he is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Career as a Player

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about LeBeau is his incredible success as a defensive coach, but before that he was actually a very good NFL defensive player first. After being drafted in 1959 out of The Ohio State University, he would eventually sign with Detroit Lions where he would spend his entire 14 year career as a player.

He contributed solid production, including 62 interceptions and four touchdowns, on his way to be selected to three Pro Bowls and three second-team All Pros in three consecutive seasons from 1964 to 1967. He is clearly one of the best defensive backs in the history of the Lions organization and still has the franchise record for most career interceptions.

Career as a Coach

After retiring from his playing career in 1972, he immediately took a coaching job as the special team’s coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973. He would then go on from there to be the defensive backs coach for the Green Bay Packers and then for the Cincinnati Bengals as well. In 1984 he was promoted by the Bengals to be the defensive coordinator before eventually accepting a job with the Pittsburgh Steelers to again be a defensive backs coach. In 1995 he would become the defensive coordinator for the Steelers until 1997 when he would go back to the Bengals to be their defensive coordinator as well as an assistant head coach.

In the year 2000 the Bengals promoted LeBeau to his first and only head coaching job. He would spend three years in this position where he would struggle to a disappointing 12-33 record before being fired. Not all great coordinators make good head coaches, and unfortunately LeBeau is an example of this concept. From there he was hired by the Buffalo Bills to be an assistant head coach the following season for one year before returning back to the Steelers in 2004 to once again be their defensive coordinator.

During his time in this position, which would last until 2014, is where he would find the most success. That’s not to say that his entire defensive coaching career was not filled success, but this long stretch would be the highlight of his career. This is where he would really solidify himself as one of the greatest defensive coaches in NFL history. The feared Steelers defense were consistently one of the best in the league for just about every year during this run, and the schemes and designs of Lebeau were a big part of the reason why. During this time, the Steelers appeared in three Super Bowls and won two of them with their defense being the biggest strength of the team.

He would make one more stop before retiring in 2017, serving as the defensive coordinator and an assistant head coach for the Tennessee Titans. This would end a legendary run of 45 consecutive seasons as a coach in the NFL without any breaks at all. This is a clear indicator of not just how good of a coach he was, but the massive level of respect he had around the league.

Innovations to the Game

Lebeau is widely accepted as an absolute genius when it comes to defensive schemes. He was well known for running a very creative and complex version of the 3-4 defense. He is credited with being the inventor, and the master, of the zone blitz. In this scheme, the pass rushers attack the quarterback from a wide variety of positions and angles while completely disguising the coverage format with an unconventional mix of zones and man, all within the same play. The goal was to create havoc while confusing the opposing offense and it was highly effective. This concept that he created is used across the entire league today in different forms, but nobody did it better than the great Dick LeBeau. His legacy will live on forever in NFL history.

The post The Legendary Career of Steelers Dick LeBeau appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

Jerry Rice is an absolute legend of the NFL. He is clearly the best wide receiver to ever play the game. His production paired with his longevity are unmatched and his numbers are a class above the rest. When debating who is the GOAT at each position in the NFL, it is a matter of opinion with more than one “right” answer. The exception to this is at wide receiver because it is not an opinion that Rice is the GOAT WR, it’s a straight fact. He is clearly better than anyone else to ever do it without any question when everything is factored in. Let’s take a look back at the legendary career of Jerry Rice.

Statistics

The list of impressive stats is endless for Rice. His career 1549 receptions for 22,895 receiving yards and 197 receiving touchdowns are all the most of all time by a wide margin. He is ahead of second place by 117 receptions, 5403 yards, and 41 touchdowns. He was the receiving yards and touchdowns leader in the NFL in six separate seasons and was in the top five in 11 seasons. He was also in the top five in receptions in nine seasons.

His career bests are just as impressive as the cumulative totals. His 1848 receiving yards in one season is the third-most in NFL history, and his 22 receiving touchdowns rank second-best ever. It’s also important to remember that the majority of his work came in the late 1980s and the 1990s, so it was in an era before the high-flying passing attacks took over the game. It’s crazy to think that his numbers realistically could have been even higher if he played in the modern style of football. Regardless, his numbers are still off the charts and stand high above the rest.

Awards

In his 20 seasons in the NFL, Rice made the Pro Bowl 13 times, was selected as a First-Team All-Pro 10 times, and was a member of the All-Rookie Team in his first season in 1985. He was awarded the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award twice and is listed on the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade teams for both the 1980s and the 1990s. He helped the San Francisco 49ers win three Super Bowls and was selected as the MVP of the game for one of them. Rice put together one of the most decorated careers in the history of the NFL.

Longevity

One of the things that make the career of Jerry Rice so special is how long he was able to perform at such a high level. For example, in his 18th season in the league and at 40 years old he put up a quite impressive stat line of 92 receptions for 1211 yards and 7 touchdowns. For almost any other player in history, this would be considered a career year or at least one in the middle of their prime. For Rice, in comparison to his own peak, this is when he was past his prime and nearing the final days of his long career.

The total package of the career of Jerry Rice is one that is unmatched to this point and won’t be surpassed any time in the near future, if ever. His dominance of the league compared to the style of the era he played in will probably never be replicated. Add in the fact that he played at an extremely high level that spanned three different decades and it is made clear that this is a truly one-of-a-kind player. Rice is the GOAT WR by a very wide margin and that is not going to change any time soon.

The post Reflection on the career of Jerry Rice appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

The annual Super Bowl is the greatest game in sports. A do-or-die game to determine the champion of the NFL season. There are no second chances and one bad decision can be the difference between who wins and loses. It’s so pure in its win-or-go-home philosophy. The anticipation and excitement surrounding this game every year are unmatched and that is why it is the most viewed event, and not just for sports, pretty much every year. Even people who don’t particularly care about football still tune in for the game.

Over the years there have been many epic Super Bowls. From wild comebacks to legendary performances, it’s demonstrated the entire spectrum of possibilities. This article will look at the last decade only and rank the top 3 Super Bowls from that time frame. Competitiveness and epic moments, among many other factors, were considered when making these rankings. Let’s start at third and count down to first.

3. Super Bowl LIV

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 but the final score does not at all tell the story of this game. With less than ten minutes remaining, the 49ers were up by ten points with the ball and a chance to all but end it. After some missed opportunities, they were forced to punt and everything changed from there. Over the final six minutes plus of game time, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs would put together three quick drives that resulted in touchdowns. They not only quickly erased a double-digit deficit but would end up winning the game by double digits themselves. This victory was fitting for the spectacular postseason run put together by the Chiefs, coming from behind by double digits to win all three of their games.

2. Super Bowl XLIX

In what was a tightly contested game from start to finish, the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28-24. This game is really defined by the epic fourth quarter that went back and forth. The Patriots entered the final quarter trailing by ten points but after two touchdown passes by Tom Brady they would take a four-point lead with just two minutes remaining. Russell Wilson would get an opportunity to put together a game-winning drive for the Seahawks and would march them all the way down the field to the goal line. It looked like Wilson was going to be the hero, but the tables turned when Malcolm Butler jumped a slant route and snagged a game-winning interception for the Patriots. It was a wild fourth quarter with a jaw-dropping ending, capped off by one of the most iconic plays in NFL history.

1. Super Bowl LI

After the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime by a score of 34-28. With less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Falcons lead 28-3 and looked like they were on their way to a victory. Instead, Tom Brady lead the Patriots to score 25 straight points in regulation to force overtime, where they would score another touchdown and end the game. It was not only the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history but also the only time the game ever went to overtime to decide a winner. All things considered, this is the best Super Bowl in the last decade and one of the best individual games in the history of the NFL.

The post Ranking the Top 3 Super Bowls of the last decade appeared first on Pro Football Mania.