Some Other Things 05.22.2006..

[Angry Pope]

Here is an opinion of the top twenty draft steals of all time...our Raiders mentioned...take it for what it is worth...from last year I believe...


Top 20 all-time late-round steals...

Even with modern, sophisticated scouting systems, national media scrutiny, and events like the Combine, great players often slip through the cracks of the NFL draft. Some, like Terrell Davis, were injured frequently as college players and never accumulated the stats and reputation to become top selections. Others, like Zach Thomas, were productive players in college who were deemed too slow or small by NFL scouts. A few, like Shannon Sharpe, attended tiny institutions and played against inferior competition, scaring away some pro scouts and GMs. As a result, there's a long history of late-round steals: guys picked near the bottom of the draft who succeeded far beyond expectations...

20 Earnest Byner (Browns, 280th overall in 1984)

An underrated runner who compiled nearly 13,000 yards from scrimmage in his career, Byner was the last player selected in that 10th round. He won a Super Bowl with the Redskins in 1992 and posted three 1,000-yard seasons, but is best remembered for a devastating fumble against the Broncos in the AFC title game in 1988 (he also had 187 total yards and two TDs in that game). Without Byner, the 1984 class of running backs is very poor, with Greg Bell at the forefront but bit players like Stanford Jennings (a 3rd round pick and career special teamer) and Herman Heard (another 3rd rounder and career backup) making up most of the class.

19 Keenan McCardell (Redskins, 326th overall in 1991)

McCardell makes this last thanks to his Super Bowl win two years ago and his four 1,000-yard seasons as a complementary receiver to Jimmy Smith and later Keyshawn Johnson. He was the 45th receiver taken in 1991, behind guys with names like Millard Hamilton and Johnny Walker. Everybody had a crack at him: the Redskins held him on injured reserve for a year then released him, the Browns moved him on and off their practice squad about 20 times in three years, and the Bears briefly acquired him. It wasn't until he reached the expansion Jaguars, though, that he became more than a fringe player. He may be the best wideout in league history to be a #2 guy for his entire career.

18 Joe Klecko (Jets, 144th overall in 1977)

Klecko was a charter member of the New York Sack Exchange and, when healthy, was the best defensive lineman in football from 1981-1985. Injuries kept him from reaching Hall of Fame status. That 1977 draft also brought the Jets an All Pro tackle in Marvin Powell, as well as Wesley Walker, one of the best receivers in franchise history, and the immortal Scott "Coke Machine" Dierking (there's a nickname you'll never hear again). Klecko's son Dan is a Temple lineman and may turn out to be a steal in this year's draft.

T-16 Hardy Nickerson (Steelers, 122nd overall in 1987) and Marvcus Patton (Bills, 208th overall in 1990)

Two fine linebackers who played forever and are still kicking around. Nickerson was a Pro Bowler for a decade and seemed to be in the playoffs every year with the Steelers and Buccaneers. Patton played on four AFC championship teams in Buffalo and was a productive starter for years in Washington and Kansas City. Among the linebackers drafted in the first rounds of the 1987 and 1990 draft: Junior Seau (1990, turned out pretty darn good), Cornelius Bennett (1997, another good one), Tony Bennett and Lamar Lathon (1990, not bad), Shane Conlan (1987, above average player), Mike Junkin, Tony Woods, James Francis, Percy Snow, Keith McCants, and Chris Singleton.

15 Jamal Anderson (Falcons, 201st overall, in 1994)

The 1994 draft produced two steals at running back; Dorsey Levens was selected in the 5th round that year. Anderson gets ranked because he was a later pick and a more dominant player in his best years. Still, we may be overrating him a bit. In a few years, his career record may be remembered like those of Craig James (7th round, 1987) and Wilbert Montgomery (6th round, 1977), smart picks and fine players whose careers were cut short by injuries.

14 Jeff Van Note (Falcons, 262nd overall in 1967)

Drafted as a linebacker, Van Note switched to center and starter for Atlanta until 1986. A durable and reliable player, in his best years (1978-82) Van Note was considered the second best center in the league behind Mike Webster.

13 Leon Lett, (Cowboys, 173rd overall in 1991)

Jimmie Johnson took DT Russell Maryland first overall in 1991 and Lett at the end of the draft, and the Cowboys had a stone wall in the middle of their defense for years. Somewhat overrated by analysts of the 1990s, Lett was a gifted run stuffer when personal problems didn't take him off the field.

12 Karl Mecklenburg, (Broncos 310th overall in 1983)

The Albino Rhino helped the Broncos to three AFC titles and was an All Pro from 1985 to 1989. He finished his career with 79 sacks. A total of 38 linebackers were taken ahead of Mecklenburg, including Billy Ray Smith, the fifth pick overall. Only Bills' second rounder Daryl Talley had a noteworthy career, though Trey Junkin (another Bills pick in the fourth round) hung around forever as a deep snapper.

11 Jay Novacek, (Cardinals, 168th overall in 1985)

The Cardinals never knew what they had in Novacek and let him get away after four unproductive, injury-marred seasons. The Cowboys signed him and he caught at least 40 passes in each of the next six seasons, providing Troy Aikman with a reliable target over the middle during three Super Bowl runs.

10 Zach Thomas, (Dolphins, 154th overall in 1996)

Thomas is one of the selections who affirmed Jimmy Johnson's reputation as a draft genius. Thomas flunked every scout's test but plays the game with outstanding intelligence and determination. The 1996 draft produced a bumper crop of fifth rounders, in addition to Thomas: Joe Horn, LaRoi Glover, and Titans tackle Fred Miller were all taken in that round.

9 Dexter Manley, (Redskins, 119th overall in 1981)

Manley finished with over 10 sacks in four straight seasons, including 18.5 in 1986. He finished his career with 97.5 sacks and two Super Bowl rings. It was quite a draft for the Skins in 1981: in addition to Manley, they picked up two Hogs (Mark May in the first round, C Russ Grimm in the third), a Smurf (Charlie Brown in the 8th round) and future starting TE Clint Didier in the 12th.

T-8 Harold Carmichael, (Eagles, 176th overall in 1971)

A 6-foot-8 giant who won every jump ball, Carmichael was one of the best receivers of the 1970s and led the Eagles from the basement at the start of the decade to the Super Bowl at the end. He ended his career with 590 catches and 79 TDs. Also a steal at wideout in 1971: Mel Gray, drafted in the 6th round by the Cardinals, would catch 351 balls in 11 years with the club.

T-8 Richard Dent, (Bears, 203rd overall in 1983)

One of only five players drafted out of Tennessee State that year, defensive end Richard Dent quickly elevated himself among the best in the NFL at his position. One of the anchors of a great defense in Chicago, he was one of the most feared pass-rushers thanks to his quickness and speed despite a 6-5, 265-pound frame. A four-time Pro Bowler, he was Super Bowl XX's Most Valuable Player in the Bears' 46-10 rout of the Patriots. He finally retired in 1997 with 137.5 sacks (tied for fifth on the all-time list at the end of the 2003 season) in 203 career games, including 151 as a starter. Aptly so, Dent is among the preliminary nominees for the Hall-of-Fame class of 2005.

cont'd...

[Angry Pope]

cont'd....

7 Shannon Sharpe, (Broncos, 192nd overall in 1990)

He left college as an oversized wide receiver, but Sharpe went on to become the most prolific pass catching tight end in history and a key performer on three Super Bowl winners. Not bad, considering the careers of some of the tight ends taken before him. While Eric Green (a first round pick by Pittsburgh) had some good years before a weight problem ended his career and Jackie Harris (4th round, Green Bay) was a decent player for a decade, when was the last time you thought about Mike Jones (3rd round, Vikings) or Jesse Anderson (fourth round, Buccaneers)?.

6 Mark Clayton, (Dolphins, 223rd overall in 1983)

You would think that getting Dan Marino with the 27th pick in the draft was enough of a steal, but the Dolphins did it again in 1983, picking one of Marino's favorite targets in the sixth round. Clayton and Marino hooked up for 18 touchdowns in 1984, and Clayton would finish his career with five 1,000-yard receiving seasons and a total of 84 touchdowns, 79 of them from Marino.

5 Herschel Walker, (Cowboys, 114th overall in 1985)

Walker only slipped into the later rounds because he was playing for the New Jersey Generals in the USFL. Tex Schramm alertly gobbled up his NFL rights with this pick, and Herschel would easily surpass the careers of the #1 selections at RB that year (George Adams, Ethan Horton, Steve Sewell, and Lorenzo Hampton). Walker is docked one place in our countdown for not being a "true" late round pick. Of course, his greatest contribution to the Cowboys came in getting traded to Minnesota for the draft picks that would become Emmitt Smith and others. Fun fact: the Cowboys drafted RB Robert Lavette one round before Herschel. Lavette would carry the football 23 times in his career..

4 Lester Hayes, (Raiders, 126th overall all in 1977)

Hayes is best known for his marvelous 1979 and 1980 seasons. He picked off 13 passes in 1980 and tended to ride on his reputation after that, but Hayes was a valuable starter on two Super Bowl winners. The Raiders picked up another bargain in 1977 when they drafted LB Rod Martin in the 12th round. Martin would also start in two Super Bowls and recorded 11 sacks in 1984.

3 Dwight Clark, (49ers, 249th overall in 1979)

He was a big target at 6-goot-4. He was a smart player who worked the middle of the field and made plays in traffic. Long before the term "West Coast Offense" saturated the league, Clark was creating the mold of the perfect receiver for the system. Best known for "The Catch" against Dallas in the 1981 NFC Championship game, Clark caught 506 passes in his career, led the league in receptions in strike-shortened 1982 (60) and was Joe Montana's favorite target until a fellow named Rice came along.

2 Terrell Davis, (Broncos, 196th overall in 1995)

Davis was on his way to the top of this list before injuries cut short his career prematurely. To put his two Super Bowls and his 2,000-yard season in perspective, take a look at the running backs drafted in the first round in 1995. Ki-Jana Carter went third overall. Tyrone Wheatley, Napoleon Kaufman, and James Stewart went back-to-back-to-back at 17 through 19. And Rashaan Salaam, who looked like the best of the bunch in his rookie year, went 21st. While Stewart has had some fine years and Wheatley and Kaufman were good role players, it's amazing to think that Davis and Curtis Martin were still on the board after those guys were taken. Davis was an oft-injured collegian who didn't post phenomenal workout numbers, so he was forgotten until late in the draft.

1 Mike Webster, (Steelers, 125th overall in 1974)

The Steelers drafted some guys named Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, and John Stallworth in the early rounds of that 1974 draft before selecting the center who would anchor their line for over a decade. Webster would play in 177 consecutive games for the Steelers and make every offensive snap for six straight seasons. Of course, he was part of four Super Bowl winning teams, starting in two of them (Super Bowl XIII and XIV). Webster was unanimously considered the best center in football from 1978 to 1982 and was a Pro Bowler in several other seasons.

Honorable Mentions

Some players fall through the system and are never drafted at all. Jim Langer, the Dolphins center of the 1970s who entered the Hall of Fame in 1987, was a walk-on in camp. Ditto for Kurt Warner and John Randle, two of the best players in recent history to rise from rookie free agency to stardom.

Lots of players deserve mention who didn't quite make the list. Gary Fencik (10th round, 1976) and Dwight Hicks (6th round, 1978) were two of the best safeties in the league in the early 1980s. Quarterbacks Brian Sipe (13th round, 1972) and Steve Grogan (5th round, 1975) were quality starters for a decade. Another QB, Mark Rypien (6th round, 1986), won a Super Bowl. Linemen rarely get their due, so guys like Doug Dieken (6th round, 1971), Joe Fields (14th round, 1975), Dave Szott (7th round, 1990) and Tom Nalen (7th round, 1994) deserve mention, as each was a successful starter for many years. Ben Coates (5th round, 1991) and Brent Jones (5th round, 1986) were very good tight ends who finished just off the list; the same can be said of Frank Wycheck (6th round, 1993). Recent players are sometimes overrated on lists like these, so we had to make tough decisions and leave off the likes of Terance Mathis (6th round, 1990), Troy Brown (8th round, 1993) and Jessie Armstead (8th round, 1993). There are others - Tim Krumrie (10th round, 1983), Seth Joyner (8th round, 1986) - but you get the picture.

Finally, Bo Jackson's seventh-round selection in 1987 was ignored, as he had been selected in the first round of an earlier draft.

CRITERIA: To qualify, a player must have been drafted since 1967 (the first combined NFL-AFL draft). He must have been drafted in the fifth round or later, ensuring that the player was a real long shot to make the team. Because kickers are often drafted in the later rounds, they would dominate the list and are therefore excluded, with all apologies to Gary Anderson and others. Finally, no player drafted after 1998 was considered, although Tom Brady, the 199th overall-pick out of Michigan in 2000 -- and a three-time Super Bowl winner -- will be added straight to that list in a very near future.

[Rupert]

WHAT! No Sebastian Janikowski! That list is CRAP! ;)

Oh, no kickers.

[Angry Pope]

Here is Kenny Stabler fishing with two buddies and talking about the reason John Madden will not travel by airplane.....

Hit it here... (http://woodsandwateroutdoorshow.com/video/stabler.wmv)

[Angry Pope]

WHAT! No Sebastian Janikowski! That list is CRAP! ;)

Oh, no kickers.

LOL...Seabass won't know what hit him this year...maybe Art's foot.

[Angel]

LOL...Seabass won't know what hit him this year...maybe Art's foot.
Most likely.....Art's foot ;)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a profile for John Paul Foschi...

John paul Foschi, TE, Georgia Tech

Height: 6:04.1 Weight: 268

Overview: Physical blocker whose ability to pick up the blitz allowed the team to line him up at fullback in short yardage situations...Effective short area receiver with large, soft hands, showing a fearless nature going for the ball in a crowd...In 44 games, he started 21 times, turning four of his 39 receptions for 360 yards (9.2 avg) into touchdowns.

Analysis: Positives...Has a tall, thick frame with a wide upper body and torso...Very responsible athlete who pushes himself very hard in practices and in the weight room...Gives total effort as a blocker, staying low in his pads with a wide leg base, driving off the snap with good power to gain leverage...Effective short area route runner who does a nice job of shielding the ball from defenders...Runs with good ease-of-movement agility and has the leaping skills to get to the ball at its high point...Does a good job in his route execution, compensating for a lack of burst after the catch with good leg drive...Has enough functional strength to lock on vs. double teams and shows a smooth kick slide setting up in pass protection...A big target underneath, he will make the tough body adjustments to get to the ball in traffic.

Negatives...Needs to improve his foot speed, as he has only marginal separation getting off the line of scrimmage...At his best when blocking in space, as he needs to develop more strength and use his hands better to lock on to the defender and sustain blocks...Does not have the acceleration to consistently separate after the catch, relying on his leg drive to gain extra yardage...Struggles to keep track of the ball in flight on deep routes (needs to do a better job of catching over his shoulders).

Agility tests: 4.98 in the 40-yard dash...Bench presses 225 pounds 20 times...370-pound bench press... 550-pound squat...350-pound power clean...33-inch vertical jump...32 -inch arm length... 10 -inch hands...Right-handed...Wears contacts...20/33 Wonderlic score.

High school: Attended Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.) High, playing football for coach Bill Basil...Super Prep All-American who was rated the No. 14 tight end in the nation and the fourth-best prospect in New York by the magazine...Ranked No. 21 nationally among tight ends and No. 145 overall by Tom Lemming' Prep Football Report...All-American pick by PrepStar...Caught 18 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns as a senior...Also made 45 tackles and 12 sacks on defense...Added 22 receptions for 330 yards and three scores as a junior...Selected to the Governor's Bowl all-star team (New York vs. New Jersey)...Led his team to the New York Catholic High School Championship his junior year...Lettered four times in football and four in basketball...Also earned first-team All-Catholic League honors in basketball...Member of the National Honor Society.

Personal: Building Construction major...Son of Margaret and Robert Foschi...Sisters, Pam (Boston College) and Jessica (Stanford) swam collegiately...Born John Paul Marino Foschi (pronounced FAH-shee) on 5/19/82...Resides in Glen Head, New York.

[Angry Pope]

An article from late last year on JP...

Foschi constructing career as Raiders' FB

- David Bush, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, November 3, 2005


John Paul Foschi used to spend his summers doing construction work.

This year, he was helping rebuild an offense.

Foschi, who was a tight end on the Raiders' practice squad last season, began making a transition to fullback during the offseason and now is Oakland's top man at that position.

There was some precedent. "I had done it before in college (Georgia Tech),'' Foschi said. "My junior and senior years, I played primarily tight end, but I played H back and fullback in some formations.''

In the Raiders' scheme, assignments given the tight end have little difference from those given the fullback. The primary distinction is where they line up.

"There are similar blocking schemes,'' Foschi said. "It's just that it's a different read blocking a guy who's 5 yards away (when the play starts) as opposed to blocking a guy who's right in front of you. So that is an adjustment I had to make.''

Foschi is making it well enough to become a factor in the Raiders' increase in rushing yardage.

"He's a big, physical guy,'' coach Norv Turner said. "He had a really good game against Buffalo. In the end, when we were running the ball, he had some great blocks in that drive.''

Turner said when Foschi sat out three games with a knee problem, his absence was felt.

"That's fine now,'' Foschi said. "It doesn't give me any problem.''

Neither does the finger on his right hand that was surgically repaired Monday. "It's nothing too serious,'' Foschi said, proving it by catching a pass in practice Wednesday.

A native of Long Island, Foschi sculpted his 6-foot-4, 270-pound physique working as a laborer in his family's construction company in Queens. After graduating from Georgia Tech, he signed with the Jets as a free agent in 2004 but was cut after training camp.

Whenever his career ends, Foschi plans to make use of his degree in construction management by succeeding his father in running the family enterprise.

Foschi knows that the locale, nature of the business and family surname create a certain stigma. Think Tony Soprano of the HBO series.

"The stereotype has followed me a long time,'' he said. "My family is nowhere near the stereotype people assume about Italian Americans who are from New York and work in construction.

"They are the furthest thing from a Soprano-type that you could possibly imagine.''

[Angry Pope]

An interview with Hoss...don't know the date...

Jeff Hostetler


QB Jeff Hostetler ranks 7th on the Raiders all-time passing yardage list with 11,122 yards. He also connected for 69 touchdown passes during his time with the Silver and Black.

Jeff Hostetler played four years in the Silver and Black. In that time he passed for 3,000 yards in a season twice and threw for 300 yards in a game six times. He still holds two Raider records: most passing yards in a game (424 yards v. SD 10/18/1993) and longest post-season passing play (86-yard pass to Tim Brown at Buffalo 01/15/1994). In 1994, Hostetler established career highs in completions, attempts, and yards, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Raiders.com: When did you start playing football?

Jeff Hostetler: I started playing football in the 7th grade. I think it was the early 70's, back in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania, and I was on the school team.

Raiders.com: How did you become a Raider?

Jeff Hostetler: I was signed as a free agent after the 1992 season.

Raiders.com: What did it mean for you to wear the Silver and Black?

Jeff Hostetler: I absolutely loved it. It was, without a doubt, a great group of guys; disciplined on the field and terrific off the field.

Raiders.com: What is your greatest memory from playing with the Raiders?

Jeff Hostetler: Beating Denver in 1993. We beat them three times that year. We beat them mid-season at Denver but needed to win the regular season finale at home to make the playoffs. With no time left on the clock, I hit Alexander Wright (1992-94) for a 4-yard touchdown. (Jeff) Jaeger (1989-95) hit a long field goal in OT to win it for us. We were down 17 points early in the 3 rd quarter and came back to win. Our reward: another game against those Broncos. This time we killed them. I threw for 3 TDs as we beat them 42-24.

Raiders.com: Is there any one moment or play that stands out from your career?

Jeff Hostetler: I would have to say my last play as a Raider. We were playing Denver. I had a concussion but we needed a score. I ran the 2:00 offense and I couldn't tell you what plays I called. It was awesome. At one point, I called a play and we broke the huddle. As the linemen were walking up to the line of scrimmage they questioned the play. They didn't even think we had this play in our playbook. So they asked Timmy (Brown) (1988-03). He gave everyone an assignment, including the receivers, but never told me. I still don't remember all of the plays I called in that drive. My last play as an Oakland Raider was a touchdown pass to Daryl Hobbs (1993-96). It was a bittersweet ending because we got the TD but it wasn't enough to win the game.

Raiders.com: Which team did you enjoy playing against the most?

Jeff Hostetler: Denver. We had Denver's number for a number of years (Hostetler was 4-4 against the Broncos). They just brought out the intensity in us.

Raiders.com: Do you keep in contact with any of your former teammates?

Jeff Hostetler: I still talk to my O-line all the time, especially Steve Wisniewski (1989-01). The relationship between a quarterback and his offensive line is special. You can't really describe it but you know when you have it. I remember a pre-season practice against Dallas one year. It was supposed to be non-contact but Leon Lett took a cheap shot at me and broke my hand. I knew my O-line had my back, so I went after him. I got one good shot in and he got one good shot in, and then it was over. My O-line came charging in and made him disappear.

Raiders.com: Do you still attend any Raider games?

Jeff Hostetler: When I get a chance. I came to the Raider game this year at Pittsburgh. I'm pretty busy but the game was in my backyard, I had to go.

Raiders.com: What are you doing now?

Jeff Hostetler: I played one more season of football after I left the Raiders. Since then, I moved back Morgantown, West Virginia. I'm very familiar with the area because I went to college at West Virginia University. I'm big into real estate, developing property and building homes, and I own a construction company. I also coach at the high school level. I have three boys: the oldest is a freshman at WVU, the middle one is a junior in high school, and the youngest is a freshman in high school. They keep me pretty busy.

Raiders.com: Are there any messages you would like to pass along to the Raider fans?

Jeff Hostetler: I loved my time out there. You're the greatest. Thanks.

[Angry Pope]

Randy made some money last year....

Even though Randy Moss didn't set any receiving marks last year with the Oakland Raiders, the sales of jerseys for Moss and fellow receiver Terrell Owens earned those players more than $1 million each. Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, on a jersey sold for $150, the NFLPA gets 7.5 percent of the sale, or $11.25, and $9 of that is given to the player.

[Angry Pope]

Greatest living legends...

Our greatest living legends

Elliott Kalb


The 2006 EDS Byron Nelson Championship was played in mid-May, and the very best part was seeing 94-year old Lord Byron himself.

Although he's showed down, he's thankfully still with us, having long ago survived his golfing contemporaries. Too many of the great athletic champions of the 1940s and 50s, however, have passed away, some in the last 18 months.

The world of boxing mourns the recent death of Floyd Patterson, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1952 and became the heavyweight champion of the world four years later in an elimination tournament to determine the retired Rocky Marciano's successor. In 2005, we saw the passing of former heavyweight champ Max Schmeling, who died at the age of 99. Schmeling knocked out a young, undefeated Joe Louis in 1936.

The first great NBA star, George Mikan, died last year at the age of 80. He was the same age as college football great Glenn "Mr. Outside" Davis. Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers won five NBA championships in a six-year span. Davis's Army teams were 27-0-1 in the mid-40s.

On May 16, Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden were elected to the College Football Hall of Fame after the National Football Foundation changed its rules and decided to allow any coach over the age of 75 eligibility (instead of going on retirement status). This was one excellent move. It's about time we recognize the legends that are still with us, like the following.

1. John Wooden: born 1910

"The Wizard of Westwood" was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1961. He was enshrined again as a head coach (in 1973). In over 40 years of coaching, he won more than 80 percent of his games, and won a record 10 national championships. He didn't scout other teams. He didn't focus on opponents' tendencies.

He worked on controlling everything he and his team could control. Hall of Fame player Bill Walton tells a story of team meeting at the beginning of Walton's freshman season. The incoming players were taught the correct way to put on their socks and shoes. Many years later, Walton took his four sons to coach Wooden for them to get the same lesson. Coach Wooden has a pyramid for success, with faith and patience. Of course, the values and lessons that Wooden taught in the 1960s works today. We just need the faith and patience that so many of us lack.


2. Byron Nelson: born 1912

Nelson couldn't make it to the Masters this year, turning over the host role of the Champions Dinner to Ben Crenshaw. Crenshaw, now 54, and a regular on the Champions Tour, has a rare appreciation for golf history, and Nelson in particular. Crenshaw — who revered his golf coach at the University of Texas (the late Harvey Penick) in much the same way Walton respects Wooden — realizes that once men like Nelson are gone, they are irreplaceable.

Although Byron won the Masters for the first time in 1937, his greatest year — maybe the greatest year any golfer ever had — came in 1945. In that year, he set records with 18 victories, including 11 in a row at one point, and a stroke average of 68.34. In 1958, the Masters tournament dedicated a bridge to Nelson, a bridge that takes the golfers to the 13th tee. The Nelson Bridge commemorates Byron's play at the 1937 Masters, when he made up six shots on the final day thanks to his play on the 12th and 13th holes. Nelson is the living bridge that connects the eras in golf, from Hogan to Crenshaw to today's top shotmakers.


3. Phil Rizzuto: born 1916

"Holy Cow," the Scooter is baseball's oldest living Hall of Famer. He began his major league career with the Yankees in 1941, and was MVP of the American League in 1950. He's been a lifelong Yankee, spending decades in the broadcast booth, lasting long enough in the booth to witness a rookie shortstop destined to become the greatest Yankee shortstop of all-time (Derek Jeter).

4. Patty Berg: born 1918

One of the LPGA's 13 founding members in 1950, Berg was one of the three great women golfers in the 1940s and 50s (along with Babe Didrickson Zaharias and Louise Suggs). Berg won an LPGA record 15 major championship titles in her career, the first of which was in 1937 as an amateur. She won 44 professional titles after the age of 30. She remembers when Bobby Jones won the U.S. Open in 1930 at her home course in 1930. She remembers playing football with Bud Wilkinson, a childhood neighbor from Minneapolis who would become a legendary football coach at the University of Oklahoma. She was the very first winner of the U.S. Women's Open, in 1946.

5. Stan Musial: born 1920

Just as Nelson outlasted his two greatest competitors (Ben Hogan died in 1997, and Sam Snead passed in 2002), Musial has survived his contemporaries. Joe DiMaggio passed away in 1999. Ted Williams died in 2002. The 86-year old Musial retired from baseball 43-summers ago. He's seen it all, from the integration of major league baseball all the way to the steroid era. Albert Pujols might break many of Musial's team records before he is through, but Musial set the bar high.

6. Louise Suggs: born 1923

Suggs is one of the greatest female golfers of all time. After a great Amateur career, Suggs became a founder and Charter Member of the LPGA. She was the winner of 50 LPGA events, eight of which were major championship titles. In 1949, she won the U.S. Women's Open by 14-strokes, a record that stood for nearly four decades. She turns 83 in September.

7. Yogi Berra: born 1925

No one will ever accumulate the number of championship rings that Berra earned as a player, coach, and manager of the Yankees. He was the MVP of the American League in 1951, 1954, and 1955, and finished second to teammate Mickey Mantle in 1956. He's simply beloved, and has been for more than a half century. We should revere all our elders, because to paraphrase Yogi, "It gets late early out there."


8. George Blanda: born 1927

It is hard to believe that Blanda turns 79 in September. He was the oldest player in the NFL in 1970, a 43-year old kicker and backup quarterback. During one unbelievable five-week stretch, he passed and kicked the Oakland Raiders to a 4-0-1 record, leading them to first place in the AFC West. Here's my favorite factoid on Blanda, who played from 1949 to 1975: In 1975, Topps put out two George Blanda cards because his record was too long to fit on one.

9. Gordie Howe: born 1928

"Mr. Hockey" began his pro career at the age of 18 in 1946. I saw him play in the spring of 1980 for the Hartford Whalers, when he was 51. In 1997, he signed and played one shift for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL. He thus became the only player to play professionally in six decades (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). Only the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, has score more NHL goals. In a nice bit of symmetry, Howe's last NHL season was Gretzky's rookie year.

10. Bob Cousy: born 1928

He won six NBA championships, and was one of the most dominating players in the history of the game. He revolutionized the game with his ball handling and razzle dazzle. He led the NBA in assists eight straight years. His parents, by the way, were poor French immigrants. What do you think, that Tony Parker is the greatest-ever French point guard?


Honorable (if slightly younger) National Treasures:


11. Richard Petty: born 1937

He is "The King of NASCAR," and won 200 times beginning in 1958. Petty won the Daytona 500 seven times and he won the Winston Cup championship seven times. He took NASCAR from its southern roots to worldwide popularity. He turns 69 on July 2. Reaching his age is a huge upset, considering the constant danger involved in his sport. He survived three incredible crashes, once even driving with a broken neck.

12. Muhammad Ali: born 1942

He's 64 years old, and no longer floats like a butterfly or stings like a bee. He remains, however, one of boxing's greatest champions. He's been one of the world's most recognizable figures for over 40 years. He was controversial when he refused induction into the Army because his Muslim beliefs would not allow him to go to war.

[Angry Pope]

Our Michael Quarshie had eight tackles for a loss in one game when playing in college for Columbia against Fordham in 2004....

Finn-ished product

Columbia's Quarshie an unlikely star

By WAYNE COFFEY
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER


Eight days ago in upper Manhattan, on the first Saturday of his last year of college football, a Columbia defensive tackle with a No. 73 jersey and a background unlike anyone else spent almost as much time in the Fordham backfield as the Ram quarterback.

He bulldozed the line of scrimmage. He chased down screens. He threw ballcarriers around as if they were ragdolls. Fordham won the game, but that had nothing to do with Michael Quarshie, a Columbia Lion by way of Finland, Ghana, Jersey City and the sport of flag football. He got his start playing flag football. Don't remind him. "I didn't like it. I like to ram into people," Quarshie says.


Michael Quarshie is 24, a veteran of the Finnish Army, and the rarest of athletic pedigrees: a black, football-playing Finn. By game's end last week, the 6-3, 287-pound Quarshie, a senior captain, had an NCAA record-tying total of eight tackles for a loss.


Sami Porkka and Matti Lindholm are the biggest names in the microscopic orbit of the National Finnish Football League (NFFL). Sami and Matti may have to move over.


"There will be (top) guys in our league who will have eight tackles for a loss for the whole season," says Bob Shoop, Columbia's coach, who called it "one of the most dominant performances I've seen at any level."


Says Fordham coach Ed Foley, "Michael Quarshie is an outstanding defensive lineman."


Quarshie grew up singing in a renowned boys' choir in Helsinki, and looking for a sport to play. He wasn't much good in hockey, soccer, skiing, and let's not even get into ski-jumping, a Finnish passion.


"I've never tried ski-jumping, and I never would," Quarshie says, smiling. "Gravity wouldn't agree with me."


He is standing at the edge of Baker Field, the Lions' practice over, the sun setting over the Harlem River. His thickly muscled body is drenched in sweat. More than half the teams in the NFL - not the NFFL - have been in touch with Shoop about Quarshie, as well as the Lions' highly regarded tight end, Wade Fletcher. Sometimes it's still hard for Quarshie, or his parents, to fathom how fast things have gone.


"Football is very seldom even mentioned here," says Tuula Quarshie, Michael's mother, by phone from Finland.


Tuula Quarshie, a psychiatrist, met her husband, Emmanuel, a dentist, when both were studying in Germany. Emmanuel is from Ghana, Tuula from Finland. Michael was born in Germany, lived briefly in Africa and was raised in Helsinki. His family's worldly ways helped considerably as he began his own odyssey.


After a year of flag football, Quarshie, then 15, hooked on with a club team that played American football. He was a safety at first, but kept growing and lifting weights and soon moved up to the Helsinki Roosters, one of the top teams in the country. He met Porkka, who played for the University of Northern Colorado.


Impressed by Quarshie's dedication and burgeoning talent, Porkka urged him to check out American colleges, and helped him make a highlight tape to market himself.


Quarshie sent the tapes out to some 10 schools, scoured for leads, networking relentlessly with the smattering of American players who compete in Finland. For a year he heard nothing. As the 2000 season approached, Quarshie met Jeff Skinner, a former Wagner quarterback. Skinner brought his tape back to his alma mater, but there was no interest. He tried Monmouth, but there was no interest there, either, and then he went to St. Peter's, coached by Rob Stern, who liked what he saw.


By the fall of 2000, Quarshie was in uniform and didn't take long to become a stellar performer, no matter that the speed of the American game was a jolt at first, and so was all the terminology. When his coach told him one day he needed to watch out for a bootleg, Quarshie replied, "What's a bootleg?"


Quarshie, a quick study, helped the team to a 10-1 finish as a sophomore, making a number of All-American teams, and then decided he wanted an Ivy League education, and a higher level of football. He made another tape, sent it around. He hand-delivered one to Columbia, walking unannounced into the football office.


"I'm Michael Quarshie of St. Peter's College," he began. The coaching staff liked what they saw, and soon he had an academic scholarship to Columbia.


Quarshie sat out 2002, per NCAA transfer rules, and was second-team All-Ivy last year. A 3.6 student in political science, he has fit in seamlessly in Morningside Heights, in all ways. The Finnish word for sacks is sakki, and for tackles it's taklaus. He has made a lot of both.


"He's one of the smartest people I've ever met," Shoop says. "You talk to him and after five minutes you realize whatever he chooses to do in life he's going to be successful at."


The goal, for now, is to become the first Finn in the NFL. With a 375-pound power clean, a 530-pound squat and a 33-inch vertical leap, Quarshie is getting a lot of looks, and Shoop, for one, believes if he gets into the postseason all-star games, he will get even more.


Columbia took on Bucknell in its second game yesterday, and will play Princeton this Saturday on Homecoming Day. Quarshie's parents are flying in and will see Michael play in college for the first time. They will likely be impressed with what they see.


With practice complete, Quarshie yanks off his practice jersey and shoulder pads, and walks toward the Baker Field locker room. His next locker-room stop might even make him a bigger name than Sami Porkka or Matti Lindholm.


"I really love to play football," Michael Quarshie says.

[Angry Pope]

Here is a nice video interview and bio of Quarshie...I like this kid....

Hit it here.... (http://mfile.akamai.com/9192/rm/cstv.download.akamai.com/9192/cstv_videos/Features/columbia-quarshie-100704.ram)

[Angry Pope]

More on Quarshie....

Michael Quarshie's Determination
Week One: vs. Fordham

Sean Leahy


The setting for the opening game was perfect -- the first crisp, cool night of late summer. The Lions were embarking on a season that many expected would build upon the 4-6 record in 2003. Shoop had told people since he took the job in early 2003 that he wanted expectations for Columbia football raised. And with returning starters at quarterback and running back, a returning all-Ivy second team tight end and a season of experience under a new regime, the expectations were greater than usual.

While Columbia was able to rally from an early 17-0 deficit, the Lions missed a late field goal that would have tied the game, and they could not connect all phases of their game in losing 17-14. The game foreshadowed a theme that would be repeated too many times during the season: close but not enough.
There were encouraging aspects, however, like the paltry 33 yards of rushing allowed and the scoreless second half produced by the Lions’ defense that allowed Columbia to climb back into the game.

And anchoring that defensive line was Columbia’s senior captain, defensive lineman Michael Quarshie. His eight tackles for a loss -- a feat Shoop described as a good season for many people -- earned him Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Long before there were football accolades for Quarshie, there was just a football dream hatched when he was growing up in Finland and struggling to find an identity. In those years, he was not successful at the popular local sports -- hockey, soccer and skiing. He also was not like the local kids. He was black -- his father from Ghana, and his mother from Finland.

When he saw American football on television, Quarshie wanted to try it as an outlet for his considerable energy. “Football was a huge, huge thing for me personally,” he said. “Because suddenly I did something I was very good at. I got recognized for it. Made a lot of friends through it. It did wonders for my self-esteem.”

He liked it so much that when he was about 16 he made it a goal to play college football in America. There were considerable challenges, but the determination that would later appear in his leadership of the Lions helped him get to Morningside Heights. His parents only begrudgingly approved of his playing football, and made certain that it would not conflict with school. And at school there was no football team. He played on club teams to which he sometimes traveled by bus for an hour to reach practice. Experiences like that fed his desire to compete.

In order to play college football, Quarshie had to be noticed. He made tapes of his game performances and sent them out to schools. He made friends with American players who were on Finnish teams, and asked them to show the tapes to contacts in the U.S. The process was long and at times discouraging, but Quarshie remained determined that he would succeed.

“Just waiting every single day, waiting for somebody to give you a call or something,” he said, “and then you get these bullshit letters, it was really frustrating. I thought sometimes that I wouldn’t make it, but I kept doing it though. Even though I did get depressed and frustrated, in the back of my head I knew it was going to happen somehow. Had I not gotten a scholarship, I would have taken a loan out and spent all the money I had and went to junior college for a year and hoped that through another year I’d be able to earn a scholarship somewhere. That’s what I was determined to do.”

Finally St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J. offered him a scholarship and a chance to play football close to New York City, where he expected he could pursue career opportunities outside of football. After arriving there he realized that while he still wanted to play football, including taking a shot at the NFL if his talent would allow, he also wanted to prepare his mind to succeed after his physical skills deteriorated.

“I realized there are a lot of things that are out of your control when you’re a college athlete,” he said. “You do control your destiny to some degree, but there are things that you just can’t influence. You can’t control whether you get hurt or not. And there are other things. You might have run-ins with the coach or stuff like that. And so I realized that I wanted to make sure I got something more than just four years of football out of it.”

He identified the Ivy League as an ideal destination since it was an upgrade academically and athletically over St. Peter’s. But he didn’t want his game tape to sit in a box or to be forgotten among hundreds of others. So he decided to walk into the football office at Columbia and give the coaches an impression of his size, his desire to play football and his game tape.

After transferring and losing a year of eligibility, Quarshie’s first game for Columbia coincided with Shoop’s debut. The coach embraced his new defensive tackle not only for his ability but also for his maturity. “He’s like talking to a peer almost rather than talking to one of the student-athletes,” Shoop said of him.

It was his maturity, his life experience (he served six months mandatory service in the Finnish army before enrolling at St. Peter’s), and his age (at 25, he was the oldest player by 23 months) that set Quarshie apart from his teammates.

The players elected Quarshie one of three captains for 2004 not because he gave rah-rah speeches in the locker room but because of the example he set with his daily preparation and performance. He regularly led groups of players to the pool for extra training and therapy on their sore bodies, and he offered advice to younger players on matters ranging from improving their nutrition to surviving the grind of the long and arduous season.

Quarshie did not impose his thoughts on teammates, but gladly recommended to those who asked that maintaining their bodies was the most important part of their preparation. “I will do anything I can to keep myself in shape throughout the season,” he said, “because I want to perform every single game.”

Quarshie was similar to his teammates in that he pursued long-term career plans in fields like international relations and finance, but he was rare among Columbia players because he had a chance to move on to the NFL in 2005. Quarshie attended an NFL combine for international students in late February, and was hopeful that the roster exemptions the league gives teams to sign international players would help him catch on with a club.

“My ability to play football is not always going to be there,” he said. “And it’s not my only way of surviving. It’s not like I’m doing it because it’s my only shot of doing something significant. I mean I think I can do a lot of things besides play football. But I want to find out whether or not I can play [in the NFL].” Part of the reason he conditioned his 6-foot, 3-inch, 285 pound frame so carefully was because he knew he had a limited number of opportunities to showcase himself for NFL scouts.

While his individual audition may have been positive on that September opening night against Fordham, the team’s performance was not, and Quarshie was not happy. “It sucks having a good game and losing,” he said. “You can’t celebrate that.”

[Angry Pope]

Here is his profile...

Michael Quarshie

Class:
Senior

Hometown:
Helsinki, Finland

High School:
Simokyla Upper Secondary

Height / Weight:
6-3 / 285

Position:
DT


At Columbia: Impressive football player, with good size and speed ... made immediate impression on team by being elected captain after one season in Light Blue uniform ... was not eligible to play in 2002 following transfer from St. Peter's College due to NCAA regulations ... dominant player both in Finland, where he played football, and at St. Peter's on the college level. 2003: Second-team All-Ivy ... fourth on the team in tackles with 57 ... 12 tackles for a loss led team and was 11th in the conference ... two fumble recoveries was tied for fourth in Ivies ... had a sack vs. Yale ... Academic All-Ivy. At St. Peter's College: Two-time letterwinner ... second on team with 49 tackles as a freshman, 11 for 63 lost yards ... also had a team- and conference-best 9.5 sacks in 2001 ... two forced fumbles ... fourth in second year with 52 stops, 21 for a loss of 55 yards ... added 5.5 sacks ... helped Peacocks to 10-1 record as sophomore, good for second place in the conference ... named Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week in first season ... also made second-team all-league ...made NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major All-American second team ... The Sports Network Division I-AA Mid-Major All-American ... Dan Hansen's Football Gazette I-AA Mid-Major All-American second team ... All-MAAC first team as sophomore ... Academic all-conference. At Simonkyla Upper S.S.: No high school football in Finland, but played on club and military teams ... played for the Helsinki Roosters in the Finnish National League, captaining the squad in 1997, 1999 and 2000 ... led the squad to a top-three league finish each year from 1997 to 2000, taking first in 1997 and 2000 ... advanced to Eurobowl semi-finals in 1997 and 1999 ... Roosters' defensive MVP in 1997 ... Maple League All-Star in 1999 ... led league with 11 sacks. Personal: Political science major ... enjoys music and fishing ... served in Finland's Army ... runner-up finish in the military-wrestling event at the Annual National Military Combat Tournament ... Michael Odei Quarshie, b. 11/13/79 in Erlangen, Germany.

[Angel]

Jeff Hostetler: I still talk to my O-line all the time, especially Steve Wisniewski (1989-01). The relationship between a quarterback and his offensive line is special. You can't really describe it but you know when you have it. I remember a pre-season practice against Dallas one year. It was supposed to be non-contact but Leon Lett took a cheap shot at me and broke my hand. I knew my O-line had my back, so I went after him. I got one good shot in and he got one good shot in, and then it was over. My O-line came charging in and made him disappear.

You gotta love that.....too bad Kerry Collins didn't seem to have that bond with the O-Line!! :p

[Rupert]

You know, my real question is: What value is Michael Quarshie? I like the kid. I want to see him succeed, but when will he be able to cntribute at the NFL level, and what will that contribution be? I have no NFL-level action to draw a conclusion from.

Maybe he played in the pre-season last year, but some dumbass scheduled my vacation to Germany during all of August.

[Angry Pope]

Here is what Tim Brown was thinking when deciding on retirement....

03/12/05

Retire, of course. I know there are alot of people out there who are wondering whether or not I will retire. Honestly, right now I can't say. I seem to be leaning more towards retiring than playing. But my heart won't let me say that. I will hopefully make my decision around draft time, if not then, it won't be until the end of training camp before I decide. There are many issues to consider in pondering retirement. The biggest being whether to pick my wife and 4 kids and moved them to a new city. Being a family man, that's a very difficult decision to make. There are other factors, will a coach be upfront and honest, that obviously wasn't the case for me last year in Tampa. Stay tuned. What ever happens, it promises to be an exciting year for me and my fans.

[Angry Pope]

Some info on Tim....

What is your favorite movie?

The Color Purple


My hobbies and leisure activities include:

My hobbies and leisure activities include golf, bowling and racquetball.


My favorite quotation is:

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills which cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord", Psalms 121:1


What is your favorite food?

Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, hot water, cornbread and grits


Few people know that:

Few people know that I'm probably going to end up being a preacher.


When I finish playing football, I would like to:

When I finish playing football, I would like to continue my business venture with my own company, Pro Moves.


The best advice I have ever received (and from whom) is:

The best advice I have ever been given was You don't have to do the crime to be charged with it - in other words, be careful who you're hanging out with, my father.

[Angry Pope]

Here is a video of Charlie Garner making a nice run in college....

Hit it here... (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96781308/K="charlie+garner"/v=2/OID=ba0f5a015fbd2d9c/SID=w/l=VDP/;_ylt=A9FJqGPqW3NEumEAQif8w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NDgyNW N0BHNlYwNwcm9m/SIG=11kocui76/EXP=1148497258/*-http://www.thevib.com/Dzl7363.rm)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a highlight video of Bo Jackson....some of his runs...

Hit it here... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NooANnr23e8&search=bo%20jackson)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a video of Auburn running backs...Bo Jackson is in it...


Hit it here... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxafdyKO-Dc&search=bo%20jackson)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a short video of Marcus Allen....

Hit it here... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45w2hjnVWRk&search=raiders)

[Angry Pope]

Here is the story that goes with this very short video clip...

Hit it here.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmlAfz3K9CI&search=raiders)

Raiders were first to survive wild ride
'80 team went from wild cards to champions

By Jim Jenkins -- Bee Staff Writer

Published 2:15 am PST Monday, January 30, 2006

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have more than their own fans pulling for them in Super Bowl XL.

They're the alumni from seven other wild-card teams that made it to the Super Bowl.


Of those seven, three teams won, all from the AFC. Pittsburgh is favored to become the fourth.

The 1980 Oakland Raiders were the first.

A wild-card team's path to the NFL championship is filled with peril. It takes a combination of skill and luck to succeed, and the Raiders were the pioneers.

The Steelers already have experienced that. If not for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's unlikely, touchdown-saving tackle late in the fourth quarter and a missed field goal, Pittsburgh's dream may well have ended in Indianapolis, shy of the conference-title game in Denver.

A quarter-century ago, Oakland's Super Bowl quest nearly vanished on a bitterly cold, windy Jan. 4, 1981, at old Cleveland Stadium. A week earlier, in their first and lone home playoff game that season, the Raiders manhandled Houston 27-7. Now, here they were, with less than a minute to go, against the Browns, staring defeat in the face.

Oakland was ahead 14-12, but Browns quarterback Brian Sipe had led a drive to the Raiders' 13-yard line. It was second down. The anticipation from 79,473 screaming fans that day was for a game-winning field goal by Don Cockroft, nothing new in the grand scheme of things.

This had been part of the Browns' script all season, earning the label of "The Kardiac Kids" for comeback victories.

On the Oakland sideline, receiver Morris Bradshaw, now a team administrator, recalled thinking the worst.

"As I was standing there, waiting for the field goal," said Bradshaw, who had caught a key pass from Jim Plunkett that game, "I was thinking we'd had a great run but weren't going to get there. Then disappointment turned to disbelief. Someone on the bench yelled the Browns weren't kicking."

Nor would they.

On a play that will live in Cleveland football infamy - "Red Right 88" - Browns coach Sam Rutigliano, fretting over poor footing for Cockroft, who missed two field goals earlier, ordered Sipe to take a shot at the end zone. And he did, lofting a pass that he thought would land in the arms of tight end Ozzie Newsome but instead was picked off by Raiders safety Mike Davis.

"We had good man-to-man coverage on the play," recalled Tom Flores, then the Raiders' coach and now part of their radio broadcast crew. "The best place for that pass was Lake Erie. And of all the guys to make the interception! It was by a guy who had the reputation of having the worst hands on our team.

"Thinking back on it, though," said a chuckling Flores, "maybe it was better that the weather was freezing. If it had been any warmer and Mike had felt he was catching the ball, who knows? He might have dropped it."

"You'd have to say what happened was surreal," said Bradshaw. "I couldn't believe it."

It was equally shocking to the Browns. To this day, Reggie Rucker, a top Cleveland receiver at the time, tells interviewers how stunned he and his teammates were over the sudden reversal of emotions. Says Rucker: "Wouldn't you like your chances of the 1980 MVP of the league throwing to a (future) Hall of Famer?"

Immediately, Davis was mobbed by teammates, the Raiders ran out the clock and moved on to San Diego for a rubber match with the high-powered Chargers for the AFC title.

And it was the kind of battle they'd anticipated before prevailing 34-27.

"A comment that I'll always remember from that game," said Flores, "was linebacker Ted Hendricks coming up to me while I was talking to Plunkett on the sideline, saying, 'You'd better keep the ball these last six or seven minutes because if they get it back, our defense might not be able to stop them.' Not what you wanted to hear. As it turned out, we were able to control the ball."

It was now on to Super Bowl XV in New Orleans against the Philadelphia Eagles for a Raiders team that started the season 2-3 and then had to change starting quarterbacks when backup Plunkett, a No. 1 overall draft choice discarded by two teams, replaced starter Dan Pastorini, who had fractured a leg in the fifth game.

"Of all the games we had played to that point," said Flores, "our confidence was very high going into that Super Bowl. We had peaked, our defense was playing well, and we had a good mix of youth and veterans who had played on our previous championship team (1976 season) that John (Madden) coached."

Meanwhile, at NFL headquarters in New York, Commissioner Pete Rozelle was preparing himself for a nightmare. For some time, he and Raiders owner Al Davis had been at odds over a variety of issues, leading to some harsh words. Could it be that Rozelle now was faced with the possibility of having to present the championship Vince Lombardi Trophy to his adversary?

"In all that buildup and commotion about what would happen between Al Davis' Raiders and the commissioner, I don't think anybody really knew who I was," Flores said. "So, at one of the first press conferences, I decided to introduce myself as the coach."

The game itself was a breeze.

The Raiders remained loose all week, flirting with the curfew, while the Eagles, who had beaten Oakland 10-7 in a November regular-season game, were decidedly uptight under their intense coach, Dick Vermeil.

"Actually our players were very focused," said Flores, who was to lead the Raiders to their third Super Bowl title three years later. "Judging from what we were hearing in the press, everybody was out running around all night when it was only (defensive lineman) John Matuszak and maybe a couple others who had stayed out late. But it was our team captains who actually insisted on setting a curfew. When it was time for the game, we were ready. We had come too far. We knew we were going to to win."

The Eagles won the coin toss. After that, everything went downhill for them. Ron Jaworski's first pass was intercepted by linebacker Rod Martin, setting up a Plunkett touchdown toss to Cliff Branch. Later in the first quarter, a scrambling Plunkett, named the game's Most Valuable Player, spotted running back Kenny King near the sideline for an 80-yard scoring play, then the longest in Super Bowl history. The rout was on, a 27-10 victory.

Now Rozelle, as he'd dreaded, would have to hand the championship trophy to Davis in the Oakland locker room before a worldwide television audience. Tensions mounted, but the presentation went surprisingly smooth.

"The Raiders deserve to be world champions," Vermeil said. "They dominated us."

[CrossBones]

Here is a short video of Marcus Allen....

Hit it here... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45w2hjnVWRk&search=raiders)Oh I loved that guy!

[Angry Pope]

When I saw Marcus get open, my heart almost exploded. I am with you, Bones, that guy was great.

[CrossBones]

When I saw Marcus get open, my heart almost exploded. I am with you, Bones, that guy was great.As I mentioned somehere I was amazed that the Raiders didn't try and exploit the fact that LBers were trying to cover Marcus out of the back field. You'd have thoght they would throw the ball to him more in those situations.

[Angel]

Oh I loved that guy!
So did I Bones...I almost cried when he retired....Marcus Allen was great!! :)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a profile for Jarrod Cooper....

JARROD COOPER

School: Kansas State University Wildcats. Height: 6:00.2. Weight: 210. Hometown: Pearland, Texas

ANALYSIS

Positives…Emotional leader of the team...Tough, physical athlete with impressive raw power... Built and plays like a linebacker, taking a “search and destroy” attitude as he simply crashes into blockers and hurls himself at the pile to make the tackles...Very quick and active in run support...Always around the ball, consistently delivering crunching hits to jolt the ball carriers back...Meets the opponent head-on when covering in the short-range passing area, daring the receiver to try and run with the ball...Very suited to play “the box” in an eight-man front...Fills the holes with great aggression and has the speed to cover runners coming out of the backfield...Very decisive in recognizing the plays and is rarely caught out of position...Maintains position in man coverage, often keeping a hand on his assignment to prevent separation upfield...Excels at covering the underneath passes while playing in the zone...Has explosiveness when changing directions, flying to the line of scrimmage to stuff the run...Plays off blocks with force and strikes low at the legs going for the tackle...Has the hip snap needed to strike instantly...One of the more colorful characters you will ever meet, keeping teammates loose on the field in pressure situations.


Negatives…Not very smooth in his backpedal and seems to want to play the run, rather than dropping back in man coverage...Too upright coming out of his backpedal, shuffling his feet rather than gliding smoothly...Needs to play in better control, as he tends to want to knock out his opponent with his hits, causing for missed tackles...Hands are very stiff, lacking that natural ability to intercept the ball.


CAREER NOTES

The unquestioned leader of the secondary ever since forcing the coaching staff to insert him into the starting lineup as a freshman...Well-respected by teammates, coaches and opponents alike, his “take no prisoners” approach to the game is quickly taken up by his teammates...Few players display a “love for the game” like Jarrod does...In four years as a starter, he has compiled 310 tackles (197 solos) in 43 games (started 40 contests)...A force against the run, he has 28 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 118 yards to his credit...Equally effective against the pass, he deflected 27 passes during his Kansas State career...Showing a nose for the football, all five of his fumble recoveries have led to KSU scoring drives.


2000 SEASON

All-American Dream Team selection by The NFL Draft Report...All-Big Twelve Conference honorable mention...Named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List...Team captain...Missed four games due to injuries, but still managed to rank fifth on the team with 68 tackles (45 solos), including five stops for losses of 8 yards...Credited with four quarterback pressures and a pair of pass deflections.

Iowa...Opened the season with 6 tackles (3 solos), but suffered a partial pectoral muscle tear that would sideline him for several weeks.

Louisiana Tech, Ball State and North Texas...Did not play (chest).

Colorado and Kansas...Returned to action, making 4 hits in both games.

Oklahoma...Deflected a pass near the goal line and posted 7 tackles.

Texas Tech...Followed with an 8-tackle (7 solos) performance.

Texas A&M...Added 10 tackles (7 solos) before leaving late in the game with an ankle sprain.

Iowa State...Did not play (ankle).

Nebraska...Stopped tailback Dan Alexander twice for losses of 5 yards and delivered 8 tackles (6 solos).

Missouri...Registered a season-high 12 tackles (7 solos) and deflected a pass.

Oklahoma (Big Twelve Championship)...Was in on 9 hits (6 solos).

Tennessee (Cotton Bowl)...Closed out his career with 3 tackles as the defense was on the field for only twenty minutes.


1999 SEASON

All-Big Twelve Conference second-team choice by the league’s coaches...Started all year at strong safety, finishing second on the team with 77 tackles (49 solos), including one for a 9-yard loss...Led the team with 12 pass deflections and had four quarterback pressures...Recovered and caused a fumble.

Preseason...Sat out most of fall drills with a left hip irritation, the result from a car accident in July.

Texas-El Paso...Collected 11 tackles (7 solos) and batted the ball out of tight end Brian Natkin’s hands on a third-down play near the goal line.

Iowa State...Deflected 2 passes and was in on 8 hits (4 solos).

Utah State...Added a pair of pass break-ups and 4 tackles (3 solos).

Oklahoma State...Registered 11 tackles with 2 stops for minus 3 yards.

Baylor...Followed with a 6-tackle performance.

Colorado...Stopped tailback Dwayne Cherrington for a 9-yard loss and deflected a pass near the goal line.

Nebraska...Crashed into tailback Dan Alexander, causing a fumble which he recovered and posted 11 tackles (7 solos) with a pass deflection.

Washington (Holiday Bowl)...Delivered 5 tackles, including one for a 2-yard loss.


1998 SEASON

All-American second-team pick by The Sporting News...Consensus All-Big Twelve Conference first-team choice...Ranked third on the team with 86 tackles (56 solos) and third in the conference with three fumble recoveries...Credited with 1.5 sacks for minus 12 yards and 13 stops for losses of 45 yards...Deflected eight passes and intercepted another.

Indiana State...Made 4 solo hits, including one behind the line of scrimmage.

Texas...Registered 10 tackles (5 solos) and stopped tailback Ricky Williams for a 2-yard loss on a third-down play.

Northeast Louisiana...Posted 6 tackles (5 solos) with a pass break-up and returned a fumble recovery 27 yards.

Colorado...Followed with a 9-tackle (7 solos) performance.

Oklahoma State...Assisted in sacking QB Tony Lindsay for a 7-yard loss, made 3 stops for minus 14 yards, collected 10 tackles (5 solos) and returned an interception 15 yards.

Iowa State...Had a stop for a 4-yard loss and a fumble recovery.

Kansas...Made 7 tackles (4 solos), including 4 stops for losses of 13 yards.

Baylor...Had a stop for a 4-yard loss and delivered 9 hits.

Nebraska...Recovered a fumble by QB Eric Crouch, deflected a pass and made 8 tackles (5 solos). Missouri...Came up with 6 tackles (5 solos) and a pass deflection.

Texas A&M (Big Twelve Championship)...Was in on 11 tackles (9 solos) as he sacked QB Branndon Stewart for a 5-yard loss and made 2 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Purdue (Alamo Bowl)...Had 6 solo tackles, including one that stopped tailback Tim Crabtree for a 3-yard loss, deflected a pass and intercepted another for a 3-yard return.


1997 SEASON

Freshman All-American second-team selection by The Sporting News...First-team All-Big Twelve Conference choice by the Kansas City Star, earning second-team honors from the Waco Tribune...Named Big Twelve Player of the Week vs. Kansas...Finished third on the team with 79 tackles (47 solos)...Had a pair of sacks for minus 21 yards and nine stops for losses of 56 yards... Deflected four passes and recovered a fumble.

Kansas...Registered a season-high 14 tackles (9 solos) with an 11-yard sack, a pass deflection and a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Colorado...Collected 5 hits and recovered a kickoff return to set up a touchdown drive.

Iowa State...Was in on 12 tackles, including 3 for losses of 13 yards.

Missouri...Added a 10-yard sack, 2 stops for minus 17 yards, a pair of pass deflections and 10 tackles.

Syracuse (Fiesta Bowl)...Batted away a pass and posted 5 tackles.


AGILITY TESTS

4.55 in the 40-yard dash...40-inch vertical jump...331-pound bench press...818-pound safe squat... 332-power clean...7.1% body fat...31-inch arm length...9 7/8-inch hands.


HIGH SCHOOL

All-Southwest pick by The National Recruiting Advisor and listed as the 60th-best player in the Southwest region (includes all of Texas) by Super Prep as a senior at Pearland (Tex.) High... Listed as the 16th-best defensive back by Blue Chip Illustrated in the Southwest Region... Second-team All-State selection...Four-year track letter-winner who has triple jumped over 47 feet and long jumped over 23...Ran the 110 and 300-meter hurdles and clocked at 10.5 in the 100- meter dash.


PERSONAL

Social Science major...Son of Carol Cooper...Born 3/31/78...Resides in Pearland, Texas.

[Angry Pope]

Some info on Jarrod...

When I finish playing football, I would like to:

go home and clean the house


My craziest ambition is:

be a model and live outside the US


My hobbies and leisure activities include:

gardening, fishing, artwork, music, travel


My autobiography would be titled:

"CO-OP? With Who?"


Who is your favorite musician or musical group?

Dj's


What is your favorite food?

all


My greatest achievement is:

being in the NFL


My motto is:

"It's not about me."


The best advice I have ever received (and from whom) is:

"Listen!"


What is your favorite movie?

"The Matrix"


Few people know that:

I want to be a model


Nickname

Juice


My pre-game superstitions/rituals are:

none

[Angry Pope]

A couple of quotes from college....

On being a nice guy off the field: "Coach calls me Superman and Clark Kent because I'm so intense on the field and laid back off it. Not that I play like Superman or anything."

On his draft prospects: "If I even get drafted, it doesn't matter what team. Each team has its own chemistry and even if you have the same guys one year and not the next it's about the bond you make."


Other info...

Did You Know?: Cooper keeps a tape of his greatest hits on what he calls his "nasty film." He said there are so many hits on the tape that it’s a double volume. "I love to hit. I love to entertain people while I’m enjoying the game," he said

[Angry Pope]

Here is a video of Stuart Schweigert's top plays from 2005....

Hit it here.... (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gqr3SNYIiiA)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a video of our game against the Seahawks when Woodson was a rookie, our fifth win in a row, Hollis our quarterback, an interception by 38 year old Albert Lewis. There is an interview with Darrell Russell...

Hit it here... (http://msxml.webcrawler.com/info.wbcrwl/clickit/search?r_aid=2EE1E7261FF549EF9E677FC6FA11F1D0&r_eop=1&r_sacop=1&r_spf=0&r_cop=main-title&r_snpp=1&r_spp=0&qqn=xAIhV4%27q&r_coid=372673&rawto=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ramhurl.cgi?file=sports/raiders/1998/11/02-sportsfinalraiders_kronv.rm)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a video of our AFC Championship game against the Titans....

Hit it here... (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Jo1N57xc1Vo)

[Angry Pope]

Here is some info on Zack Crockett...

What is your favorite movie?

Pulp Fiction


When I finish playing football, I would like to:

When I finish playing football, I would like to live on a tropical island.


My hobbies and leisure activities include:

My hobbies and leisure activities include watching movies.


The best advice I have ever received (and from whom) is:

The best advice I have ever been given was: One day you will be on top if you keep working hard, my mom


My motto is:

Never give up


My favorite quotation is:

Keep pressin' on.


What is your favorite food?

tuna casserole melt


My craziest ambition is:

My craziest ambition is to ride a bull.


My autobiography would be titled:

The Train That Could

[Angry Pope]

Here is what Zack has been up to...

03/14/06

I have a foundation with my brother, and we’re really doing some great things with kids. We’re trying to show these kids that may not have much that they can still be successful in life. They can become doctors or lawyers, but we also work a lot with kids in sports. We support a kid that’s one of the top track stars in the state.

I’m also excited because my brother just signed with the Raiders, so we’ll be together again.

[Angry Pope]

Here is Rod Coleman from 2004...

Hard Work Paid Off

03/11/04

I’m very happy to be here in Atlanta with the Falcons. I’m happy because all of my hard work and my passion on the field, it paid off and the Falcons showed a dedication and showed that they really wanted me here. I’m ready to go out there and help win some games because this is a great organization. Mr. Blank is a great owner. From the dinner we had, I felt comfortable being here. If you’ve got a great owner like that, then he’s going to have great players around you, great players on the field and a great coaching staff. I’m a versatile player; I like to move around and do whatever is asked of me. I can play end and I’ve played end. I’ve played a little linebacker, which I didn’t like because I’m away from everything and I like to be right there; as soon as the ball is snapped, I want to go. I can play inside, outside...wherever, but I like banging heads inside. We've got a great offense, a crazy, wild quarterback – an exciting guy – and we've got a great d-line so it’s more than just one guy out there. There are three other guys who are going to be out there on the field making plays. That’s like a competition, seeing who’s going to make the most plays and it’s going to be a great competition. I added everything into the equation. If we go out there as a d-line and a defense and we just get turnovers, then I’m quite sure number seven is going to make something happen with the ball.

[Angry Pope]

Some info on Coleman....

When I finish playing football, I would like to:

retire and get fat!


My favorite NFL team as a child was:

New York Giants


My autobiography would be titled:

"The Whole Rod"


Who is your favorite musician or musical group?

The Roots


My favorite quotation is:

"It wasn't me."


The living person I most admire is:

my grandmother


What is your favorite food?

steak


My greatest achievement is:

Reaching age 21


My motto is:

"Live and let live"


What is your dream car?

Bentley


The best advice I have ever received (and from whom) is:

"Do unto others as you want other to do unto you."


What is your favorite movie?

all comedies


My pre-game superstitions/rituals are:

take my right shoe off first

[Angry Pope]

Willie Brown...

Willie Brown

Q: Can you describe the Bump-and-Run style of playing?

Willie Brown: I came out of Grambling University and signed as a free agent with the Houston Oilers. I never played defensive back until then. I decided to play bump-and-run and tight coverage, because I knew a receiver couldn’t get away from me. I didn’t have to back peddle nor did I have to turn and run due to my size and speed. The bump-and-run was something I could experiment with.

Q: How does it feel to be in the Hall of Fame?

Willie Brown: Being in the Pro-Football Hall of Fame is really great as far as awards are concerned. However, you don’t get to be in the Hall of Fame just by your own playing. You receive this honor due to the other players around you who played good, being with the right organization, and being with the right team. No question, you do have to be a good player. But I had some good players around me: Jack Tatum, Skip Thomas, George Atkinson. They helped me a lot. I just played as hard as I could. Being in the Hall of Fame probably means more to your family than to yourself, because you expect to be good – you want to be good – you know your good. It’s the family who can brag about the accomplishment. But I have always been the mellow guy who doesn’t put a lot of value in terms of how good I was.

Q: Just recently, you were awarded the Bay Area Hall of Fame. Can you describe that?

Willie Brown: The Bay Area Hall of Fame is not just awarded to football players. This Hall of Fame chooses players of all sports in the Bay Area.

Q: What was the most memorable game for you while playing with the Raiders?

Willie Brown: The one game that stands out the most is Super Bowl XI against the Minnesota Vikings. I intercepted a pass in that game and ran it back 75 yards for a touchdown. But there are other games that I played well: intercepting balls, shutting out guys. However, Super Bowl XI stands out the most.

Q: Who were some of your favorite teammates?

Willie Brown: The defensive back players were those I spent the most time with. Also Jack Tatum, Skip Thomas, George Atkinson. There is also Upshaw, Shell, Lamonica, Biletnikoff. During my time we were all pretty close. We all sort of hung out together. There wasn’t a big separation between the team.

Q: What are the keys to being successful in the NFL?

Willie Brown: I contributed my success to working hard, knowing what I wanted and knowing I could do things better than the average person. The most important ingredient I had was really wanting to be good. You didn’t have to tell me that I was good. I never wanted to be embarrassed on the field. I had a commitment not only to myself but also to my team. And this is what I worked towards.

Q: What are the similarities and differences of winning a Super Bowl both as a player and as a coach?

Willie Brown: I played in two Super Bowls and coached in two Super Bowls. Three of the Super Bowls were won by us. The satisfaction as a coach was just as strong as they were as a player. I coached the position that I played, and I love those ball players that I coached. When I saw them do things, I see myself doing them. So the gratification and all of those things as a player, I enjoyed just as much as a coach.

Q: Can you explain the relationship that you have presently with the players?

Willie Brown: I have a good relationship with not only the defensive back players but with the whole team. I respect them and they respect me on and off the field. I try to show and tell them possibilities on and off the field.

Q: What are your impressions of the Raider fans both past and present?

Willie Brown: The fans are great fans both past and present. The players love the fans today just as they did in the 60’s and 70’s. We always enjoyed the handclaps, loud cheering and things back then as they do now. Many people complain about our fans. But as long as the game is left on the field, it’s OK.

Q: Do you feel there are many differences in the way the game is played now than during your game-playing days?

Willie Brown: There is some difference in the game in the last 15-20 years particularly in the offense. Administratively, they want to see more points in the offense. The rules have changed quite a bit. For example the bump-and-run route, the quarterback route – you can’t hit the quarterback a certain way, you can be fined, players today are somewhat cautious due to fines. Players work out harder today. They also have better equipment than during my time of playing. However, you now see far more concussions and far more players missing games due to injuries. Perhaps it’s what we were eating and how we trained or didn’t train that gave us the strength we had back then.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a Raider?

Willie Brown: It’s the only thing I know. It means winning, it means losing, but winning and losing together. All I know and all I want to know is Raider football. Every person in football should have the experience of playing Raider football. We are so different mainly because of the owner, Al Davis. Al Davis just wants you to play football, and he’s not caught up in so many ventures outside of football. Football is his life, just as it is my life. It’s the passion and the people behind it that gives Raider football it meaning.

Q: What are you doing today?

Willie Brown: My job is not only Assistant Coach but also Director of Player Development. As director, I assist the players with all factors of their life on and off the field. I provide counseling, friendship, and assistance in any way to make their life better. I try to guide them to be a better human being while they’re playing and after their playing is over. I try to set up educational plans to pursue their degree; set up financial plans for them as well.

I have two daughters and one son. My oldest daughter is the marketing director for the History Channel. My youngest daughter does computer technology for Motorola. My son is a representative for Avis. My wife is a manager for a big department store.

[Angry Pope]

Here is a video talking about Curry's basketball and football skills in college....

Hit it here.... (http://www.carolinaweek.org/ram/01_24_01/Ronald_Curry_Profile.ram)

[Angry Pope]

Some info on Huff...

When I finish playing football, I would like to:

Coach youth football


My hobbies and leisure activities include:

Bowling and playing video games


My favorite NFL team as a child was:

Raiders


Who is your favorite musician or musical group?

Young Geezy


The living person I most admire is:

My Dad


What is your favorite food?

Shrimp & Pancakes


Growing up, my football hero was:

Charles Woodson


My greatest achievement is:

Winning the National Championship


What is your favorite movie?

Scarface


Nickname

Huff Daddy


My pre-game superstitions/rituals are:

To pray

[Angry Pope]

No Super Bowl in Kansas City....

Never mind

Chiefs withdraw request to host 2015 Super Bowl

Posted: Thursday May 25, 2006 7:23PM; Updated: Thursday May 25, 2006 7:23PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday withdrew their request for Arrowhead Stadium to host the 2015 Super Bowl, after yet another setback in plans for a rolling roof at the Truman Sports Complex.

Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt said in a statemnt Arrowhead Stadium renovations would move forward without a roof to make it and the adjacent Kauffman Stadium climate-controlled, a condition for hosting the Super Bowl.

"We tried our very best," Hunt said, "but found that the combination of a lack of consensus from the various political interests, the business community and the Royals, as well as the need for promptness on the beginning of construction at Arrowhead would not permit us to pursue the rolling roof at this time."

The latest push to bring a rolling roof to the sports complex ended Monday, when county officials withdrew a resolution to put the project on the Aug. 8 ballot.

Hunt said renovations at Arrowhead would be designed to accommodate a roof in case local leaders eventually decide to add one. He urged the Royals to do the same at Kauffman.

[Angry Pope]

Here is a Randy Moss highlight video....

Hit it here... (http://youtube.com/watch?v=E6_ogKnV7hU&search=raiders)

[RaiderIVlife]

Nice Moss link. Considering the injuries, poor offensive line, inconsistent QB and inconsistent Jerry Porter, I'm suprised his numbers were as good as they were. Moss should be outstanding for the team this year. Outstanding....

[CrossBones]

Nice Moss link. Considering the injuries, poor offensive line, inconsistent QB and inconsistent Jerry Porter, I'm suprised his numbers were as good as they were. Moss should be outstanding for the team this year. Outstanding....Yeah I think we're not giving Moss enough credit. He played through the pain, didn't complain about the shitty coaching and the lousy QB play and still put pretty good numbers. Let's hope he stays healthy and the Raiders use him properly this coming season.

[Angry Pope]

Shanahan recalls...the highlighted part....

Taking the high road
Shanahan: Plummer must be careful in road-rage case

Thursday May 25, 2006

DENVER (AP) -- Mike Shanahan is backing up his quarterback's version in his alleged road rage incident but says Jake Plummer still needs to take the high road when he finds his blood starting to boil.

"It's anybody in this organization, including myself," the Denver Broncos coach said Thursday. "But we also know that the quarterback, the head coach and the owner are usually the guys that people are keeping their eyes on the most. And that's just the nature of the job.

"And regardless of what city you are in, especially in Denver, when you're considered a leader, you know that you're going to be scrutinized very closely."

Police issued Plummer a summons for allegedly kicking the headlight of a pickup and then backing his SUV into the pickup.

Plummer acknowledged cutting off the pickup, driven by 47-year-old Douglas Stone of Denver, but said he waved and apologized. Plummer said he got out of his SUV only after Stone blared his horn and then tapped the bumper of Plummer's SUV with his pickup.

Plummer, who said he was in a hurry because he was on his way to give a check to charity, denied cursing at Stone, kicking his bumper or backing into him.

"There's two different stories," Shanahan said. "So we are going to have to let the process take care of it."

Shanahan said he would be upset if someone honked and bumped his car at a traffic light.

"But you've got to take the high road. And you're in a position that even though it's tough to do sometimes and you're very competitive you've got to handle yourself the right way," he said.

Shanahan said he has no reason to doubt Plummer..

"One thing about Jake is he is one of the most honest guys I've ever been around," Shanahan said.

"Like all players, like all competitors, there are going to be situations that happen that you wish you kept your poise a little more," he said.

Plummer's behavior has drawn the spotlight before in his three years as Denver's quarterback. He flashed an obscene gesture at a heckler in 2004; he called a columnist and criticized Denver fans last year after the columnist identified his girlfriend. He later apologized.

On Wednesday, Plummer said he's not a hothead with an anger management problem.

Shanahan agreed that the incidents involving Plummer are isolated and don't present a pattern that overly concerns the organization.

Shanahan said he's had to learn to control his own temper, so he has some experience to draw from.

"It was a learning experience for me as a young coach coming in because you're very competitive. You want to fight and you want to fight. And you want to compete," he said. "Somebody is calling you names and all of a sudden, you can't do it. You can't flip somebody off even though you'd like to."

He said he told his quarterback that he's had to bite his tongue on many occasions in public.

"I've been called a few things in a few different restaurants. I know it's tough sometimes. Especially in California. More so than Denver. In that Oakland area, we won't get into detail," Shanahan said.
While Shanahan would like to see Plummer have a longer fuse off the field, he doesn't mind his quarterback getting his hackles up on the field.

"Take a look at John Elway and the way he handled himself on the field. He would yank a few face masks if guys weren't stepping up. The same thing with Steve Young, Joe Montana," Shanahan said. "Everybody has a little different personality off the field. I like the way Jake has handled himself in a lot of situations."

[CrossBones]

Well Shanny, there is only one thing to say to you --- http://football-junkies.net/images/smiles/madfu.gif

[Angry Pope]

LOL...I love those smileys.

[Angel]

No Super Bowl in Kansas City....
I knew those voters in KC would be hard to sway......dammit :mad:

[Angry Pope]

Here is a very short video of Eric Allen making an interception...

Click it here.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKpWMw70tA8&search=raiders)

[CrossBones]

Here is a very short video of Eric Allen making an interception...

Click it here.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKpWMw70tA8&search=raiders)SWEET!!!

I'd like to see a lot more of that this coming season. Our interception rate has been horrible the last 3-4 years.

[Angry Pope]

Here is Fabian making an interception in college...

Hit it here... (http://www.chuskers.com/pictures/cornhuskers2003/video/neb2003-05washingtonint.wmv)

[Angry Pope]

Here is a short highlight video....

Hit it here... (http://youtube.com/watch?v=KLNmARQnTw0)

[Angry Pope]

Poking fun....

Hit it here.... (http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/drew/archives/drew0526toon.gif)

[Angry Pope]

Here is Randy Moss playing basketball against Jason Williams' team...

Hit it here... (http://youtube.com/watch?v=EATHAZyArjw&search=randy%20moss)

[Angry Pope]

Tui's other brother...

Sunday, May 28, 2006
Last modified Saturday, May 27, 2006 11:02 PM PDT


Tuiasosopo chooses baseball over football

By: ED WEHDE - Staff Writer

Matt Tuiasosopo can be excused if he brings a little bit of a football mentality to the baseball diamond. The Inland Empire shortstop played quarterback in high school, his father is former NFL defensive lineman Manu Tuiasosopo, and his brother plays quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.

"You do see (a football mentality)," 66ers manager Gary Thurman said. "He's a leader out here. He hustles. He's intense. He does everything 100 percent. In football, you have to do it 100 percent."

Tuiasosopo might be bringing those traits to the gridiron every week, but he decided to listen to what his heart told him.

He was set to follow in his older brother's footsteps and play quarterback at the University of Washington, but decided to sign with the Seattle Mariners, who drafted him in the third round of the 2004 draft and offered him a $2.29 million signing bonus.

"In my heart I wanted to play baseball," Tuiasosopo said. "My senior year was pretty hectic with all the football recruiting, and then right after football, basketball, then all the baseball scouting process.

"It came down to the morning I made my decision, the first thing on my mind was baseball. It definitely was what was in my heart."

So far, the decision seems to be the right one. Tuiasosopo is ranked the fifth-best prospect in the Mariners organization by Baseball America and has progressed steadily through the system.

The 20-year-old hit .412 with 11 extra-base hits in 20 games in the Arizona Rookie League and was promptly promoted to the Short-season Class-A Northwestern League, where he hit .248, drove in 14 runs and scored 18 in 29 games.

Last year, Tuiasosopo hit .276 with 45 RBIs and 72 runs in the Low Class-A Midwest League.

"I just want to continue to improve ---- come here every day with a good attitude and work on the things I need to work on," Tuiasosopo said.

Though his background in football still shows through at times, Tuiasosopo has managed to adapt to the more relaxed atmosphere of baseball, a sport in which the very nature of the game requires a more steady temperament.

"He's surprised me that as a young player, he's not in the peaks and valleys," Thurman said. "I talked to him about the season being 140 games. Not every day is going to go your way.

"In the course of a long season, you have to stay positive, because the game is a lot of negatives. You go 3-for-10 and you're one of the best hitters in the game, but you still fail seven out of 10 times. You have to stay on an even keel throughout the season. He's been able to do that."

Thurman added, "His athleticism and his drive are going to make him a very good ball player. He's a great kid. It's nice to have him on the ballclub."

Smith's near no-no

Lancaster pitcher Greg Smith came within two outs of throwing a no-hitter against the Storm on Friday night, but he didn't get that close without some controversy.

In the second inning, Storm third baseman Chase Headley ripped a ball that hit the third base bag, causing JetHawks third baseman Rusty Ryal to adjust to make the grab. Ryal then threw wide of first, allowing Headley to reach safely.

The play was originally ruled a hit, but five innings later was changed to an error to the dismay of some.

JetHawks manager Brett Butler, however, praised the change.

"It was questionable, and they gave him a hit. When they go that long and go back, that's a credit to (the Storm) organization to recognize something that good," Butler said, referring to Smith's performance.

Around the minors

Smith's gem wasn't the only near no-hitter in the minors Friday night. Jim Crowell of the Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre (Pa.) Red Barons threw five hitless innings against the Indianapolis Indians before a rain delay forced him from the ballgame. Dan Giese followed with two perfect innings, and Ryan Cameron struck out two in the eighth before walking the bases loaded and forcing another pitching change. Brain Sanches came in and gave up an RBI single to Taber Lee. ... Padres C Rob Bowen played six innings for the Storm in a rehabilitation assignment Friday, going 0-3 with two strikeouts and picking a runner off first base. The backstop was scheduled to complete his stay in Lake Elsinore by playing seven innings Saturday night. ... Dodgers closer Eric Gagne began his rehab assignment Friday with a scoreless ninth inning for Triple-A Las Vegas. Gagne, who has missed most of the last two seasons with injuries, struck out two batters.

Ed Wehde covers minor league baseball for The Californian. His minor-league notebooks appear Sundays. He can be reached at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2633 or ewehde@californian.com.

[Angry Pope]

Here is Kenny Stabler's website...

Hit it here... (www.kenstabler.com)

[Angry Pope]

Gannon Urges Simms To Run

By ROY CUMMINGS The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 29, 2006

TAMPA - Come some third-and-5 play next year, Bucs coach Jon Gruden may find himself regretting his decision to invite former Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon to One Buc Place to speak to the Bucs quarterbacks.

During a recent two-day stay here Gannon encouraged projected starting quarterback Chris Simms to make better use of his athleticism, and Simms is ready to take up Gannon on the idea.

"The one thing that Rich said to me that really made me feel good and really stuck in my mind was this thing about me being a lot more athletic than people give me credit for," Simms said.

"He said that I should think about running for first downs more when it's third-and-3, third-and-4 and third-and-5, and that's something I think I'm going to try to do.

"With the way the league is now, there are opportunities for me to run there. I'm not saying I'm going to break it around the edge and go for 80 yards or anything, but if it's third-and-3, 4 or 5, I'll think about it.

"If I go through my progressions and the first, second and third options aren't open, I just might tuck the ball under my arm and try to get upfield and get the first down myself. I think I can do that."

The increased risk for injury is the primary reason coaches tend to cringe when their quarterbacks decide to run. But Gruden may actually welcome such a decision by Simms.

Gruden has long bemoaned the fact that the Bucs get little or no rushing yards from their quarterbacks. A year ago, for instance, the Bucs got just 43 rushing yards from Simms and Brian Griese.

Only one team (Carolina) had less, but even the Panthers quarterbacks ran more often than the Bucs quarterbacks. Now, thanks to Gannon, that trend may finally change.

[Rupert]

Yes, Run Forest, RUN! It worked well for Gannon, up to a point.

[CrossBones]

Here is Kenny Stabler's website...

Hit it here... (www.kenstabler.com)Is this a "Father / Son" photo? :eek:

[Angry Pope]

LOL...I wonder what the conversation they had was like.