Throwback Uniform Gallery # 6: 1990's Jacksonville Jaguars

In August 2013, before they had even taken to the field for a regular season game, ESPN ranked Nike's latest Jacksonville Jaguars uniforms as the worst in the NFL. They were also ranked at the bottom of the list of all 122 NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB uniforms.

Paul Lukas, of www.uni-watch.com, said:

“Worthy of the bottom spot simply by virtue of having what's bound to go down as the worst helmet in NFL history. Like, did they run out of spray paint or what? As for the rest of the design, it's risky to come up with a superhero outfit for a bad team, because superheroes don't look very superheroic when they're on the wrong end of a 37-10 score every week. Or, to put it another way, the Jags are about to learn the same hard lesson that Maryland has learned: If you dress like a clown and win, you look like a winner. But if you dress like a clown and lose, you just look like a clown.”

I don't necessarily agree that it is the worst ever (and hey, the new logo looks great), but if there has ever been a case of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it', this was it. The Jaguars' uniform change in 2009 was another unnecessary one, because the Jags should still be wearing the jersey, pants and helmet combination they wore in their inaugural season in 1995.

They were onto a modern classic, but as of 2001 started tweaking and watered down one of the most visually pleasing uniforms in the league at the time (I'll even go as far as saying one of the best ever). So, as usual, I will be cramming the rest of this article with glorious photos from around the web of this once-stunning uniform. Here's hoping they return to it one day.

NFL Monday Morning Review - Top Performers From Preseason Week One

Once the first players run out onto the field for the first regular season game in September, the preseason will become all but an afterthought - but for now we can all celebrate the return of competitive (ish) football.

Over the course of three days, NFL teams went head-to-head in a collection of games that were more glorified training sessions than actual meaningful match-ups, but they still provided a great opportunity for coaches to test new schemes and assess the performance of new signings, players returning from injury and rookies fighting for a starring role this season.
A few established names stood out (Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers to name two) but this weekly feature will take a look at the performances of players in new surroundings or those in a position to light up the league this season.

Michael Vick

Unfortunately for Michael Vick, it would seem that the Jets are set on naming Geno Smith as their starter this season, and any talk of a 'competition' is a lie. Of course, abandoning him would spell a second failed quarterback project in as many seasons. Smith flashed brilliance in college and showed plenty of the opposite last season, so Vick can keep up the pressure with a strong preseason. Neither quarterback had a stellar outing in week 1, but the 34-year-old Vick looked comfortable running the offense and broke off a spectacular 15 yard run to keep the drive alive and set the Jets up to score their only touchdown of the game.

Carlos Hyde

Already someone I had pegged to have a big 2014, Carlos Hyde was given ample opportunity on Thursday to show the 49ers coaches and fans exactly what he could do. The 6ft, 230 lbs running back displayed plenty of his uncanny speed and burst, and accumulated 39 yards on just five carries (7.3 yards per carry) against the Ravens' starting defence. Frank Gore has been resilient and largely injury-free throughout his career, but the older running backs get, the more likely they are to pick up injuries. The 49ers are now getting a glimpse at the future.

Jimmy Garappolo

It's still early days so we shouldn't crown Garappolo the heir apparent to Tom Brady's throne just yet, but he was undeniably impressive against the Redskins on Thursday. Garappolo outshone Ryan Mallett, showed good poise and decisiveness, looked comfortable throwing the deep ball and completed nine of 13 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. He has plenty to improve upon, and Mallett is likely to improve in future weeks, but for now the Patriots can be safe knowing that they have two solid options to turn to should Brady get hurt this season.

Brandin Cooks

Despite being the toast of Saints training camp, it could be argued that Friday night's match between the Saints and the Rams was the moment when Brandin Cooks caught the eye of fans around the league. NFC south opponents will be concerned by his prominence within the offense, as well as his production. He was held in check on special teams, but he caught five passes for 55 yards, including using his ferocious speed to turn a short pass into an impressive 25 yard touchdown.


John Brown

The Arizona Cardinals were an unlikely candidate to put up the most points this week, but they managed to put 32 on Houston with the help of a new offensive weapon - John Brown. Brown has been turning heads in training camp and managed to bring that calibre of performance to an actual game. Against the starting Texans defence, the third-round draft pick caught five passes for 87 yards, drew a 39-yard interference penalty and was a persistent thorn in Houston's side whenever he was on the field. It was an impressive individual performance that underlines the depth Arizona have at receiver, and the potential potency of their offense this season.

Throwback Thursday: 2014 Hall Of Famers

A little bit late, but this week's throwback photo post is centred around the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Last weekend saw Derrick Brooks, Ray Guy, Andre Reed, Walter Jones, Claude Humphrey, Aenas Williams and Michael Strahan enter the hall, so let's take a look at their careers using the best photos from around the internet.

Three Potential First-Ballot Hall of Fame Inductees For 2015

You could argue that the real 'fun' of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is predicting who will make the following year's class. On that note, we can safely put the 2014 class behind us, and begin analysing and forecasting future enshrinees to pro football's promised land.

There is always a backlog of hugely talented players waiting to be enshrined, and each year the lengthy queue gets longer and longer with the eligibility of players who have been retired for the required five year period.

In the 94-year history of the NFL, only 287 players have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Considering that, on average, the NFL sees around 2,000 players take to the field each season, you have to be something special to receive a golden jacket. To be a member of this exclusive group is to be someone held up as an integral figure when recounting the history of football, and the voting committee - despite their flaws - tend to place importance on areas such as Super Bowl wins, individual accolades, iconic moments and records.

The phrase 'First-Ballot Hall of Famer' is thrown around all-too often, but in 2015 there are three legitimate candidates who could enter the hall on their first attempt.

Kurt Warner

Teams: St Louis Rams (1998-2003), New York Giants (2004), Arizona Cardinals (2005-2009)

Why should he be in the Hall of Fame?

Very few NFL players can be described as having a 'unique' career, and Kurt Warner is one of the very few to whom the word applies. Everyone knows the story of how a Green Bay Packers reject turned to working a supermarket job to make ends meet, who enjoyed success in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe before unexpectedly emerging as the linchpin of the most potent offense in the history of football. He took a 4-12 St. Louis Rams team to a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl title in 1999, of which Warner was the MVP. In his first three seasons, Warner was named league MVP twice, led the NFL in completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns (twice), yards per attempt (three times) and passer rating (twice).
This period of dominance was followed by a dry spell of mediocrity, and a one-year stint in New York supporting Eli Manning, but it is his time with the Arizona Cardinals that makes him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Between 2005 and 2009, Warner was back to his early-career best.
It is rare for a quarterback to have a three-year stretch as good as Warner had in St. Louis. It is even rarer for someone to do it twice. He took another lifeless franchise to the Super Bowl, and it is a testament to Warner that neither franchise has scaled the same heights they did when he was under centre.
He retired a four-time pro bowler and two-time all-pro, the holder of the top three Super Bowl passing records, and the only NFL quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in a Super Bowl. He ticks all of the success-based and statistical boxes that Hall of Fame voters look for, and - seeing as he will be the first eligible quarterback in a decade - it is highly likely we'll see him get his gold jacket a year from now.

Junior Seau

Teams: San Diego Chargers (1990 - 2002), Miami Dolphins (2003 - 2005), New England Patriots (2006 - 2009)

Why should he be in the Hall of Fame?

It's a tragedy that we will never get to see Junior Seau stand atop the podium at Canton, surrounded by his peers and looking out over swathes of grateful fans of all teams. Because, of course, Seau possessed a talent that could be appreciated by more than the San Diego Chargers faithful. Seau spent thirteen of his twenty NFL seasons in San Diego - being named to the Pro Bowl in twelve - and in many ways was the franchise. He later enjoyed stints with the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, and remained the cerebral, passionate, relentless and hard-hitting linebacker he had been in San Diego.
A Super Bowl ring may have escaped him, but statistically there can be no doubting his place among the greats of the game; in 268 regular season games, Seau amassed 1,396 tackles, 45.5 sacks and 14 interceptions. He led the Chargers in tackles in eight seasons, was named on the All-Pro team eight times, the Pro Football Hall of Fame named him to the All-Decade 1990's team, and was commended multiple times for his generosity away from the football field. Seau tragically took his own life in 2012, placing the spotlight firmly on the debate surrounding concussions in football. But while that dark and murky chapter of NFL history continues, you can be assured that 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony will be a celebration of one of the league's brightest figures.

Orlando Pace

Teams: St. Louis Rams (1997-2008), Chicago Bears (2009)

Why should he be in the Hall of Fame?

If the Hall of Fame recognises Walter Jones and Jonathan Ogden as first-ballot Hall of Famers, then they must too recognise Orlando Pace. All three men enjoyed careers of similar length, and all three simultaneously dominated the competition as three of the greatest offensive linemen of both their generation and of all time.
Between 1968 and 1989, eight of twenty-two first overall draft picks ended up in the Hall of Fame. Between 1990 and 2000, only two top picks could be considered first-ballot Hall of Famers - one is Peyton Manning (1998), and the other is Orlando Pace.
Drafted in 1997, Pace quickly emerged as one of the key members of the Rams teams that dominated the late 1990's and early 2000's - his uncanny speed and frightening strength paved the way for Marshall Faulk's dominant stretch between 1999 and 2002, and allowed Kurt Warner time to make the big throws that enabled the Rams to bring home Super Bowl XXXIV. Not everyone from that team can make it on the first attempt, but if both Faulk and Warner (and potentially Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce) are to be enshrined, then arguably the biggest catalyst for their success should join them also.

Throwback Player Profile #6 - Michael Strahan

Seeing as Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities have begun in Canton, Ohio, I feel it only appropriate to make Michael Strahan - on a personal level, my favourite Giant of all time - the subject of this retrospective article.

It is also appropriate that, on Saturday night, Strahan will be inducted into the pro football hall of fame to stand alongside some of the giants of the game. His career saw him morph from a raw but talented second round draft pick in 1993, where he would be part of a defensive unit that also contained Lawrence Taylor, to a talismanic leader who walked away from the game with the Super Bowl ring that had eluded him for fifteen seasons.

Their careers may have only overlapped by one season, but in 1993 the Giants briefly had arguably their two greatest ever defensive players on the roster simultaneously. But of course, no one saw this at the time. Strahan experienced an unusual entry into the world of football; living on a US army base in Mannheim, Germany, Strahan didn't play football as a kid and wouldn't until he returned to Houston for his senior year of high school.

He may not have had the experience level of many college players, but he boasted raw physical talent, which was enough to see the unpolished defensive end taken by the Giants as the fortieth player selected in the 1993 NFL draft.
Jordan Ranaan of nj.com recently unearthed their scouting report on the Texas Southern defensive end:

"A tall good-looking athlete who needs bulk and additional strength for next level. He has plenty of quickness, agility, balance, speed and change of direction to be a very good pass rusher. No reason why he can't grow into a power rusher, neutralize and control line-of-scrimmage type. An upfield player for Texas Southern. Not a leverage player and runs himself out of too many plays. Michael is aggressive and works hard in pursuit. Potential to be a top player in NFL. A situational pass-rusher first year."

Despite his obvious talent, the organisation had concerns from the get-go; Strahan was considered difficult and moody and John Mara recently stated that "there were times you wondered, ‘Maybe we made a mistake'". After a one-sack rookie season as a 'situational pass-rusher', Strahan slowly but surely blossomed into a dominant power rusher, posting his first double-digit sack sack season in his fifth year.

Naturally, Strahan will be remembered most fondly as one of the NFL's finest pass-rushers. After a slow start, he rattled off a host of double-digit sack seasons (the most recent taking place in 2005, two years before his retirement), including the 2001 season in which he set the single-season sack record with 22.5. Despite the controversy surrounding it, Strahan still managed to accumulate his sack total for the season in the space of thirteen weeks.
His last sack came, poetically, at a pivotal moment of Super Bowl XLII. Tom Brady had driven the Patriots' offense to the Giants' 25 yard line, Strahan sacked Brady for a six-yard loss on third down and Bill Belichick opted to go for it on fourth down. The conversion attempt failed and the Patriots left three vital points on the field.

Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi recently had this to say regarding Strahan:

"I have never seen an elite pass rusher that played the run as well as he did, because it doesn’t happen. Now believe me, I understand the strategy that a lot of it was to negate his pass rush. But I know that [Vince] Lombardi used to run at Deacon Jones. You just didn’t run at Michael Strahan"

If possible, his run-stopping talents are arguably his most underrated and help set him apart from his contemporaries in the Hall of Fame. Strahan could never be accused of being one-dimensional, and the man himself takes great pride in his status as a feared run-stopping defensive end.

Strahan was on the 2000 Giants team that was humbled so badly by the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV, so it was no surprise that he finally called it a career following the team's win in Super Bowl XLII and the acquisition of a much-coveted championship ring. It is no great surprise that the charismatic gap-toothed defensive end made a seamless transition to television, where he can be found hosting Good Morning America on ABC, and during the season as a pundit on Fox's NFL coverage.

He left the Giants as their all-time leading sack artist, as the league's reigning leader in sacks, a seven-time pro bowler, a six-time all pro, and as one of the finest players (defensive or otherwise) to have laced up a pair of cleats for one of the league's most storied franchises. Strahan contributed hugely to New York Giants lore throughout his decade-and-a-half career - from his epic clashes with the Philadelphia Eagles' John Runyan and his 'stomp 'em out' sound bites to the familiar and now-iconic sight of him flexing his muscles following a sack or tackle for loss. Michael Strahan compiled a career that had 'first-ballot hall of famer' written all over it, and although he was denied this opportunity last year, he is more-than worthy of his place among the greatest players the game has ever seen.

Six Rookies You Need To Know About Before The 2014 Season

Around this time, every year, the NFL gets its first glimpses of the stars of tomorrow. In recent years, players like Victor Cruz, Andrew Luck, Julio Jones and Russell Wilson have emerged as some of the best in the league, and that journey begins in the preseason.

Impressive showings and good production are generally expected of top level draft picks, but in training camps around the league there will be some pleasant surprises as unheralded rookies forge unexpectedly prominent roles for their respective teams. They can also rack up monster fantasy football points for those in the know, but we'll save that for another time.

In this article, I'll be looking at the players who have been turning heads in training camp.

Terrance West, Running Back, Cleveland Browns

The Browns upgraded their offensive backfield this season with the addition of former Houston Texan Ben Tate, but the unit got a whole lot more explosive with the emergence of Terrance West. Drafted by the Browns out of FCS college Towson in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft, West has quickly made his presence felt at training camp, showcasing his explosive speed and pass-catching talents and earning chants from the fans in attendance. A competition could be brewing in Cleveland, but the likely outcome suggests Tate will handle the bulk of the workload, with West complementing him in the passing game.


David Fales, Quarterback, Chicago Bears

The San Jose State Spartans prospect was criminally overlooked - I still believe he's one of the strongest candidates from the class - heading into the 2014 draft, so it's nice to see him with a shot at seeing the field in his début NFL season. He may not possess prototypical arm strength or height (although I think we can say that Russell Wilson and Drew Brees have made a convincing case for 'short' NFL quarterbacks), but Fales can certainly make all the throws, is aggressive, accurate and anticipates his receivers. Marc Trestman's scheme is a great fit and - in spite of stiff competition from the less-talented Jordan Palmer and Jimmy Clausen - Fales could see the field should Jay Cutler pick up an injury, as he often does.

Devon Kennard, Linebacker, New York Giants

I wrote only last week about the initial success rookie linebacker Devon Kennard had experienced in the early stages of the New York Giants' training camp. His stock has only risen with the advent of training sessions in full pads, being moved from the middle linebacker spot (Jameel McClain's injury turned out to be a minor one) to the starting strong side linebacker spot. Camp rosters mean little, but it's a sign of faith in a rookie who has clearly impressed the coaching staff. Look for him to take a prominent role in the Giants' preseason games.

Carlos Hyde, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers

Thanks to a decimated running back corps, Carlos Hyde is staring at a golden opportunity to get his NFL career off to a fast start. The Ohio State alum has cruelly benefited from LaMichael James' dislocated elbow, Kendall Hunter's torn ACL, and Marcus Lattimore's slow progress healing from a horrific injury sustained in 2012. As a result, Hyde - who averaged an incredible 7.3 yards per carry in college - is the incumbent number two behind the ageing Frank Gore and should see work as a change-of-pace back or injury replacement should Gore go down injured himself.

Donte Moncrief, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts

Like Hyde and Kennard, Donte Moncrief has the fortune of being a naturally talented wideout in an unpredictable situation. The third round pick soon made an impression in minicamps, drawing the praise of offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and quarterback Andrew Luck after making a number of impressive catches and displaying good speed, awareness and his considerable size. Reggie Wayne partners with the newly-acquired (but injury-prone) Hakeem Nicks, with T.Y Hilton operating as the third receiver and Moncrief figuring to establish himself in the rotation as the fourth receiver.

Jon Halapio, Guard, New England Patriots

Faced with an ageing and depleted offensive line, the Patriots used a number of late-round draft picks on offensive linemen. Leading the charge is former Florida Gator Jon Halapio, who, even in the earliest offseason workouts, was taking a lion's share of reps with the starting offense. Tom Brady's completion percentage fell to 45.8% when pressured last season, so this injection of youth is vitally important at this stage of Brady's career. Halapio - despite being flagged before the draft for having less-than-ideal quickness and limitations as a pass blocker - has clearly earned the trust of his coaches for now, has clearly won over his coaches for now.