MONDAY MUSINGS: "We're Going to Bite a Knee Cap Off"

By TJ Troup 

No Tuesday tidbits? 

The reason for my column today is to pay homage to my departed friend, the gifted, distinguished Mr. Steve Sabol, he would have turned 81 today. 

All of us who knew him, miss him. The forward of my first book was written by Steve, and has humbled and honored by what he wrote. He detailed how a story could be told with the use of statistics, and that was what I did. 

When I visited NFL Films one of the first questions he would always ask me was what was I working on? His support of my research even allowed me to be on his show in 1998. When he would contact me concerning some research or stat he needed he knew he would get accurate information from me. That last statement will take me to a bone of contention called "gremlins in the typewriter" or when some writer or so-called historian would get the facts or stats wrong, or even incomplete. 

Pro Football Reference has attempted to update the historical boxscores, but those boxscores are incomplete. Imagine walking out of a classroom with a paper you just worked on, and no grade—an INCOMPLETE? 

Need examples? 

Here we go....go to the box score for October 2nd, 1950 for the Colts vs. Cardinals....check the number of pass completions and the number of receptions. Oh, they are not the same? Incomplete. How about the Colts vs. Giants, much the same. How about the Colts vs. Steelers, much the same, you see a pattern developing? 

Finally the Colt vs. Yanks to end the season is not even close. Real research means you dig deep and exhaust every resource, and Sean Forman and his crew did not do that. As Rocky stated in his first movie, "am very available" so Mr. Foreman contact my agent, and the boxscores will become COMPLETE for not only the Colts in 1950 but every team every season of the decade. 

There just might be a few folks out there who want to see complete and accurate data. Steve Sabol did. One aspect of my research is about "lugging the leather" or simply stating what happens when one team has a 100-yard rusher, and their opponent does not? The team with the 100-yard rusher wins 77% of the time. 

Eight times this weekend a team had a 100-yard rusher, but only five of those teams won...wait a minute? Let me do some division here, oh, 62.5% in victory. One of the teams that had a 100-yard rusher and lost was the cuddly little Bears of Chicago. 

No, you are not going to hear about the damn Bears each week, but that game yesterday is a microcosm of when the achievements of a player or players do not lead to victory. Fields was 12 of 18 for 114 yards in the second half, rock solid performance, but in the first half 16 of 17 for 231...add this up and his efficiency for the game was 132.7.  

Very impressive Mr. Fields, but your team lost....what happened? 

Richie Petitbon if he was watching the game would probably remark something along the line of "me and Rosey Taylor would have never allowed all those completions down the field". After four games the defensive passer rating of the Chicago Bears is 115.9. 

There is bad, there is putrid, and there is run to the damn ball when it is in the air and deny the completion, oh you cannot get there. Result 0-4 with 137 points allowed ('63 Bears allowed 144 in fourteen games). Bill Petersen was put out of his misery in '73 by the Oilers front office, when will Eberflus get a pink slip? Shifting gears to a team that not only understands how to win, they make plays when needed let's go to Philadelphia. 

Saw a block by Landon Dickerson yesterday on a short-yardage play that was textbook when needed most. Not one comment by the announcers? The title of the column today comes from a man who has his players believing they can win—Mr. Dan Campbell. 

The Detroit Lions just might get some late afternoon air time based on what we have seen so far? John Turney and myself have a website about baseball, but will end today with the passing of two men that I enjoyed watching play the horsehide game. 

Brooks Robinson got some playing time with the Orioles at 18 years of age in 1955. Remember seeing him play against the White Sox in '59 as he improved his hitting, and became what we all saw a clutch player with the bat and of course with the glove. 

Was very fortunate to attend the '67 all-star game in person, and saw Mr. Robinson take my boy Fergie Jenkins deep for the only American League run. 

R.I.P. Brooksie—you were amazing, and a credit to the game. Though I played the horsehide game for a long time, and relished every minute of it, was never a pitcher, but when my brother's career in the minors ended we would go to the park and I would pitch to him. 

The knuckleball is truly a mystery, and spent many hours attempting to make that damn ball break over plate for a strike (was not always successful), and as such one of my favorite players to watch on the mound was Tim Wakefield. His long career, the ups and downs, and being honored with the Roberto Clemente Award speaks volumes. Mr. Wakefield left us way too soon. Could have spent hours with him on how he threw the "happy dancer" (my name for the knuckleball pitch). 

Next week will return to Tuesday. Enjoy the games.