By: Tayyib Abu

It is easy to forget the past in an era of non-stop 24-hour sports coverage, memes, GIFs, and instant hot-takes. Sports fans inhibit a bubble surrounded by recency bias. Everything we see on a Sunday gets labelled as ‘the greatest thing we’ve ever seen’; fans are too quick at forgetting history.

That is why it is time to jump in the DeLorean and examine why former Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre was such a special player.

The Ultimate Entertainer

Favre came into the league after he got drafted by the Falcons. Favre didn’t feature in Atlanta’s plans, and the team traded him to Green Bay. Favre’s career would come alive in Titletown. Favre came into the league after he got drafted by the Falcons. Favre didn’t feature in Atlanta’s plans, and the team traded him to Green Bay. Favre’s career would come alive in Titletown.

Favre entered the league with a reputation as one of the hardest throwers of a ball. Favre’s baseball background developed his incredible ability to throw with astonishing velocity and from different angles. Before Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes, there was Brett Favre.

Favre started life as a backup in Green Bay; he entered his debut game as an injury substitution. His first completed pass was to himself. That was the first sign of things to come in Favre’s career. Favre entered games in the early phase of his career with one aim, hit home runs.

Favre possessed the talent to make any throw from any platform wherever he was on the field. That made him the ultimate entertainer. Favre would drive Mike Holmgren insane with his ill-discipline and willingness to play out of the structure.

While Favre drove his coaches mad, he wowed and entertained fans all over the NFL. Some professionals play the game far too seriously. Favre played like he was in his backyard with his friends;

he enjoyed playing in the NFL and wanted to have fun. Favre desired to entertain fans and his friends. Despite his accolades, records and successes, Favre’s x-factor and willingness to engage fans are what made him so special.

There have been better quarterbacks than Favre, but none of them thrilled with Favre’s unique blend of talent, courage and chaos. As the years fade by, the yardage numbers, turnovers etc., get forgotten; we only remember the style. And Favre’s style of play was unforgettable.

The Ironman

The other thing that underlined Favre’s special qualities was his Iron Man streak. Favre started in 297 consecutive games. Despite the concussions, injuries and various niggles, Favre continued to trot out onto the field to lead his team. Peyton Manning was the NFL’s Sherrif, Tom Brady was the Golden Boy, and Brett Favre was the unbreakable, unbendable Iron Man.

Even after his father’s death, Favre took the field on a Monday night and turned up for his teammates and fans. His dedication and love for the game marked him out from his contemporaries.

Watching Favre get back up after taking big hits, his jersey stained with grass, and the pads uneven was a sight to see. To start 297 games straight in the NFL is one of the most extraordinary achievements in history.

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When a football fan is asked to think of Terrell Owens, a few many thoughts come to mind. Owens, well known as T.O., is not only a Hall of Fame player but also quite an eccentric character.

T.O. can be memorized well as a football figure that likes to go against the status quo. He’s celebrated on opposing team’s logos, inhaled popcorn from fans in the stands, and there’s the infamous “that’s my quarterback” of Owens backing up QB Tony Romo in a post-game press conference. He’s not only entertained spectators with his ability on Sundays but he’s also given fans moments of bliss after the duration of games.

Owens played a whopping 14 seasons at the WR position, as he started his impressive career in 1996 and finished it in 2010. He has five All-Pro honors to his name, seven seasons of 13+ touchdowns, seven seasons of 1,100+ yards, and six seasons of 80+ receptions. T.O. started his career as a teammate of the great Jerry Rice, then played his last season in a Bengals uniform, alongside tight end Jermaine Gresham, who was just a rookie.

Owens was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. His accomplishments that stand out, are as followed:

• second-most career receiving yards of all time: 15,934
• second-most receptions in a game: 20
• NFL all-decade team of the 2000s

Owens played for the 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals in his career. Despite playing for a few very competitive franchises, the superstar wideout has never won a Super Bowl. However, he has played in a Super Bowl.

Owens dueled it out in Super Bowl XXXIX, but his Eagles came out in a 24-21 loss against the New England Patriots. The WR may have not garnered a Super Bowl ring after the defeat, but he gave one of the most passionate performances ever by a player in a Super Bowl. Owens played with “a broken leg and a torn ligament” in the February showdown. The broken leg didn’t hold Owens back from knocking out nine catches and 122 yards.

It doesn’t matter if Owens is playing in 1996, 2010, with a quality QB, or on one leg, he showed that he can dominate his competiton in-between the white lines. Owens was a true gift to the football world with his relentless heart and grand talent.

The post Terrell Owens: tribute and reflection of the polarizing wideout appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Chris Johnson, the legendary Tennessee Titans running back that broke the 40-yard dash record at the NFL combine (4.24) in 2008, hung up his cleats in 2017 as an Arizona Cardinal. The RB referred to as CJ2K put together one of the best RB careers in NFL history.

Johnson may not have tried to keep a career pace with Tom Brady, unlike Frank Gore, but he put together some of the most electric single-season performances in NFL history. Johnson shocked the football world with 2006 rushing yards in 2009 while registering 503 receiving yards in the season. Johnson became one of seven RBs ever to eclipse 2k rushing yards in a single season. His total yard count of 2,509 yards was also a record for most total yards in a season.

CJ2K wasn’t just a ball carrier with blazing speed, but he was very reliable & durable. Johnson didn’t miss one game from 2009-2013. That’s very impressive for a player that averaged 1,374 rushing yards and roughly eight rushing touchdowns a season during that span.

The elite RBs in today’s league has struggled more to maintain excellence and the ability to stay on the football field. Alvin Kamara has missed four games in four seasons, Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey are coming off season-ending injuries, and Adrian Peterson has never had a three-year span without missing a game. The King himself, Derrick Henry, who became the seventh RB to run for 2,000+ yards in a single season last year (also for TENN), missed a game last year.

Johnson didn’t quite hold his reputation as a home run hitter at RB and lead bell cow after leaving the Titans. The monster Titan RB signed with the New York Jets in 2014 and didn’t find continued career success. For the first time in his career, he didn’t have a 1,000 yard rushing season (663 yards). He also notched a mere one touchdown on the ground. It wouldn’t be the first time that a Hall of Fame-caliber RB hits a wall in MetLife stadium. Ladainian Tomlinson played his last season in the league as a Jet, where he unveiled 280 rushing yards. The Big Apple just might be where elite RBs allow their elite production to come to an end.

CJ2K and the legendary dual-threat QB, Michael Vick held down the Jets huddle in 2014. The aging duo led the Jets to a disappointing 4-12 record. If the future HOF QB-RB duo performed together a couple of years prior, they would undoubtedly go down as the most efficient rushing offense in NFL history.

After his one-year stint in New York, Johnson played two more years in an Arizona Cardinals uniform. His production took a bump from 2014 to 2015, where he clocked 814 rushing yards. The legendary RB then struggled to get involved, as he surfaced in four games in 2016 and four matchups in 2017. On April 24th, 2019, Chris Johnson announced his retirement as a Tennessee Titan. It was a quiet finish to a career for a player that holds a nickname for prolific magic done in one season: CJ2K

The post CJ2K “the fastest RB ever”: tribute and reflection appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Daniel Racz @Danny___Dimes

Introduction

The debate for the title of the Greatest of all time, or GOAT for short,  always causes division within the sports fandom community. In the National Football League, there is less discourse than in other sports because Tom Brady has distanced himself from the pack in the eyes of the crowd. His seven super bowl rings, more than any individual franchise has on its own, give him a clear case for the GOAT title, or at least the greatest quarterback to step on the gridiron. However, other positions impact the game too, perhaps none more than the pass rusher position. 

The undisputed king of the edge rush group is Lawrence Taylor. The New York Giants drafted University of North Carolina edge rusher Lawrence Taylor in the 1981 draft and he played his entire 13-year career for Big Blue. Though the NFL did not record sacks as an official stat until Taylor’s second season, he retired with 132.5 sacks to his name. Taylor’s dominance contributed to two super bowl victories for the Giants and earned him a place in Canton.

The Case for Taylor

Taylor played in a much more physical brand of football than Brady. The 1980s were a decade chalked full of hard-nosed coaches who were focused on establishing a dominant running game. Taylor had to play the run more often than contemporary edge rushers. Taylor was not only a force against the run, but he also terrorized opposing quarterbacks. For his entire career, Taylor wreaked havoc on offenses. In his best season, he even won Most Valuable Player. In that season, Taylor posted 20.5 sacks, 105 tackles, and even defended 5 passes. Taylor was arguably in the prime of his career during every season he played. At a position where it is difficult to remain elite for more than half a decade, Taylor’s 13-year stretch of elite play is a marvel. 

A significant part of the case for Taylor rests on the idea that Brady’s success was a product of his environment, thus making him unworthy of the GOAT title. Tom Brady played under the greatest coach of all time and had an outstanding roster for most of his New England tenure. In addition, Brady’s Patriots cheated during the deflate-gate saga.  

The Case for Brady

Tom Brady’s career screams excellence. Part of what makes Brady’s career so special is the lack of expectations that he came in with. An unathletic sixth-round pick, pick 199 to be exact, has no business leading a franchise to the playoffs. Brady is second all-time in passing yards, but he will lead Drew Brees this season. Brady is only ten passing touchdowns behind Brees as well, meaning he will be the leader in both categories when he retires. After the 2020 season, Tom Brady has 79,204 passing yards, 581 passing touchdowns, and five Super Bowl MVPs. Counting statistics do not do Brady’s career justice. His consistent excellence (16 division titles in the past 18 years) and late-career resurgence in Tampa Bay have elevated him into the conversation of the greatest athlete of all time in a team sport. And, the craziest part of Brady’s career is that he has shown no signs of slowing down. Since 2014, Brady’s PFF grade has yet to dip below 80. In 2020, Brady posted an elite grade of 93.3, good for second at the position behind Aaron Rodgers. With at least two more years in Tampa on a star-studded roster, it wouldn’t be shocking for Brady to win an eighth or ninth super bowl. 

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