TUESDAY TIDBITS: "A Stone Cold Killer"

By TJ Troup 

When you find a writer who entertains/educates you just might want to read what he has to say in the future. At ESPN.com Kevin Seifert's column on the Vikings being 4-0 was insightful. Watching Minnesota play defense under the guidance of Brian Flores is just damn entertaining, and so far very successful. Since this is the division I follow the most, I have a question for you folks—do the Vikings make the playoffs this year? 

Brian Flores

Seifert talks about how important the kicking game is, and will be for the Purple Gang, thus Will Reichard's role/performance the rest of the season. Quoting Harrison Smith, "a stone-cold killer. " Reichard has made 55 of his last 60 field goal attempts. 

Seifert stated the last team to start 4-0 with an offense that was not scoring was the 1923 Chicago Cardinals. No, youngsters did not see Paddy Driscoll and the Cardinals play in person that season. That Cardinal team finished 8-4, losing a key game to the Canton Bulldogs 7-3 later in the year. 

Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals
Colorization credit: PFJ

Those Cardinals played strong defense in the four losses (allowing only 34 points). This coming Sunday the 11th marks an anniversary of an achievement that must be appreciated. October 11th, 1998 Terrell Davis gained 208 yards rushing on 30 carries in the 21-16 victory over Seattle. 

Since the Broncos are defending SB champs the foremost question is will they join the select group of teams to repeat as champions, and possibly whether Davis rush for over 2,000 yards. When you watch the '98 Broncos "America's Game" chapter done by NFL Films, we hear from Davis, Sharpe, and Schlereth. While all of them do a commendable job, none of them talk about the offensive strategy designed by Coach Shanahan. 

Why did Shanahan use slightly wider offensive line splits than other teams? How often do we see McCaffrey in the slot to the short side of the field and have Davis run toss sweeps that way? Many, many times we see a runner break through the line behind crisp solid blocking, yet how many times do we see a runner advance so far into the secondary before facing an opponent attempting to tackle?

 Sharpe was a rock-solid blocker using his strength/athleticism, while Rod Smith was effective at staying on his block, but Ed McCaffrey was by far the best receiver of his era at downfield blocking. Watching film of the '98 Broncos is a joy for those folks who enjoy the running game. There is a reason that Denver began the year 13-0. 

What is that reason you ask? 

How many teams in NFL history scored 300 points in the 1st half during a campaign? Playing with the lead, then getting the ball back to run out the clock. The sound of the clock ticking while you have the lead and the ball is a joy. The best sound we all know is the gun signalling victory. NFL Films ranked this Denver team 12th best all-time; my ranking (was on the America's Game committee)was much higher.