I think this was the most impressive performance by a defense in the history of the Super Bowl.
Other defenses in other Super Bowls have been more dominating, but the caveat is that none of those great defenses had the opportunity to play against a great offense on the NFL's biggest stage.
The Seahawks' defense was matched against statistically, the best offense in the history of the NFL--the Broncos set all-time season records for most points scored, most TDs scored, and most yards gained from scrimmage. Plus the game was played in an era in which rules heavily favor the offense thereby limiting what defenses can do.
So, for those two reasons, the performance of the Seahawks defense in this Super Bowl stands in a class by itself.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 3:34 am Post subject:
shin2 wrote:
I think this was the most impressive performance by a defense in the history of the Super Bowl.
I think so too. After the first couple series I was thinking, "The Broncos will adjust, figure it out and get going." But about half way thru the 3rd quarter that changed to "These guys are going to get shutout." They were that good.
Joined: 19 Jun 2006 Posts: 11363 Location: �I�[�X�g�����A Country:
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:03 am Post subject:
You can say what you like about Pete Carroll - and no doubt some of it is justified - but the guy is a hell of a coach. What he and John Schneider have done with a bunch of late-rounders, offcasts and free agents is just amazing. And they will likely only get better.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:18 am Post subject:
shin2 wrote:
So, for those two reasons, the performance of the Seahawks defense in this Super Bowl stands in a class by itself.
I doubt anyone will disagree with your statement.
The Seahawks defense outscored the Broncos' offense. Considering how prolific the Denver offense was this season that is quite the accomplishment to put it mildly.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:58 am Post subject:
Probably the only quarterback to twice be Player of the Year, play on 3 Super Bowl champions that nobody remembers.
Earl Morrall passes away at 79
MIAMI -- Earl Morrall, an NFL quarterback for 21 years who started nine games during the Miami Dolphins' perfect season in 1972, has died. He was 79.
The Dolphins confirmed Morrall's death Friday. Former teammate Charlie Babb said Morrall had been in failing health for some time.
Earl Morrall started nine games in place of Bob Griese during the Dolphins' unbeaten season in 1972.
When Bob Griese broke his ankle in 1972, Morrall came off the bench and started the final nine games of the regular season for the Dolphins. Morrall won praise from coach Don Shula for his willingness to step aside when Griese returned for the AFC Championship Game.
Griese started in the Super Bowl and helped Miami finish 17-0. That remains the only unbeaten season in NFL history.
Morrall also played for the Baltimore Colts, coming off the bench to replace an injured John Unitas and help the Colts to Super Bowl III, where they lost to the New York Jets. He was also the backup to Griese on the Dolphins team that won Super Bowl VII.
"I was very saddened to learn about Earl's passing," Shula said Friday in a statement released by the Dolphins. "All Earl ever did was win games for me, whether it was as a starter or coming off the bench. What I remember the most, of course, is what he did in 1972 when he replaced Bob Griese after Bob's injury and kept our perfect season going until Bob returned in the playoffs.
"But Earl won a lot of games for me in Baltimore as well. And he did it in such a humble way -- he was a great team player who would do whatever was asked of him. And he was an outstanding leader who inspired confidence in his teammates."
Morrall also played for the 49ers, Steelers, Lions and Giants.
Probably the only quarterback to twice be Player of the Year, play on 3 Super Bowl champions that nobody remembers.
Earl Morrall passes away at 79
Well, I certainly remember him. I think he's the greatest back-up QB in NFL history.
That said, he had his share of starts ('68 Colts and '72 Dolphins come immediately to mind) and made the most of them. In Super Bowl V he came off the bench and led Baltimore to victory. He was a very good QB.
Why then, was he mostly a back-up? Well, here's a list of the QB's he played behind: Y.A. Tittle, Len Dawson, Bobby Layne, Fran Tarkenton, Johnny Unitas, Bob Griese. What do they all have in common? They're all in the Hall of Fame.
Um, Bum Phillips was referring to Don Shula when he said that. (He may have also said that earlier in reference to Bear Bryant)
Chuck Noll is the only head coach to have won four Super Bowls. He had a lot of help: a very patient Rooney family who owned the team; a terrific scouting department that had amazing success identifying players; excellent assistant coaches who knew how to best utilize the personnel they were given; and of course, an incredibly talented group of players. But Noll, as head coach, set the tone, established the environment, developed the philosophy, and created the template that led to overwhelming success.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 3:51 am Post subject:
Well, I knew he said it about SOMEBODY.
Btw, there's a book by Roy Blount Jr., "About Three Bricks Shy of a Load" that covers the Steelers the year after the Immaculate Reception and before their first Super Bowl win. Pretty good read.
Btw, there's a book by Roy Blount Jr., "About Three Bricks Shy of a Load" that covers the Steelers the year after the Immaculate Reception and before their first Super Bowl win. Pretty good read.
Read it when it first came out. One of the best sports books I've ever read. Roy Blount, Jr. did a terrific job capturing the entire Steelers organization as well as the city of Pittsburgh. Full of colorful characters. About 15 years after it was first published, it was reissued with an addendum, consisting of chapters in which Blount went back and caught up with various people to see what impact winning four Super Bowls had on them. That book was entitled About Three Bricks Shy of a Load . . . and The Load Filled Up.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:24 am Post subject:
They've been showing reruns of "Wagon Train" and I looked up Ward Bond's bio and found this interesting bit of information:
At 6'2" and 195 pounds, Bond was a starting lineman on USC's first national championship team in 1928.
If somebody showed up with those dimensions now the coach would probably say, "We already got a kicker."
Edit: Here's another one. Galen Cisco pitched in the majors for the Red Sox and the Mets, but he also played football at Ohio State. Here's what it says about his football career:
The 6' 0'' 200 lb. Cisco earned All-America and All-Big Ten honors and was a captain on the 1957 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, which won the national championship with a 9-1 record, playing both fullback and linebacker.
Edit: Here's another one. Galen Cisco pitched in the majors for the Red Sox and the Mets, but he also played football at Ohio State. Here's what it says about his football career:
The 6' 0'' 200 lb. Cisco earned All-America and All-Big Ten honors and was a captain on the 1957 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, which won the national championship with a 9-1 record, playing both fullback and linebacker.
.
I knew about Galen Cisco being a really good college football player. I had his baseball card when I was a kid.
I think most knowledgeable baseball fans know that Kirk Gibson was an All-American wide receiver at Michigan State before becoming an all-star MLBer.
But how many know about Jake Gibbs? At Ole Miss he was an All-American QB who led his team to undefeated season his senior year (He was also named SEC Player of the Year that season). Eventually he would enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. But he spent his professional athletic career as a catcher for the Yankees, mostly as a backup, but he did spend a couple of years as their starting catcher. The man he replaced--Elston Howard; the man who replaced Gibbs--Thurman Munson.
Watched most of the Texas A&M/South Carolina game. Thought the Aggies were capable of putting up 28 points against the Gamecocks--boy, was I off. To score 52 points (and it could have been more) with a brand new QB at Columbia where SC had an 18-game home win streak . . . not even the most fervent A&M fan would have predicted that. Since Spurrier arrived at South Carolina, it's been defense that has marked that program; it was nowhere in sight last night.
And forget about Johnny Football; all hail Kenny Football (QB Kenny Hill).
Also saw some of the Ole Miss/Boise State game. Great disparity in athletic talent, but the Rebels struggled, and only a few big plays kept the score from being closer. Don't know if Ole Miss makes those same big plays against SEC teams that are equal or greater than they are in terms of athletic ability.
ESPN has also been televising high school football games for a couple of weeks now. They're fun to watch. Tonight they will broadcast a game featuring one of the most storied high school football programs around: Northern California's Concord De La Salle, the subject of a movie currently playing.
Terrific opening weekend of college football. A whole slew of big match-up games that were very competitive and entertaining.
If Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, and Hawaii had QBs who could be just average passers, they would have scored big upsets.
Baylor's new stadium is impressive, and the football team ain't bad either.
UCLA came in with a lot of hype and looked very mediocre against a very mediocre football team.
USC was plagued by distractions during the week, but that didn't affect them at all against an outmatched opponent.
I was really rooting for Navy to beat Ohio St. The Midshipmen led at halftime, but the Buckeyes superior talent and some questionable decisions on the part of Navy's coaching staff avoided what would have been a huge upset. The game was a lot closer than the final score would indicate, and it was a lot of fun listening to Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson call the game.
The NFL begins this Thursday. Green Bay at Seattle. Aaron Rodgers against the Legion of Boom. I'm sure they'll be measuring the decibel levels generated by the 12th Man.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum