Players with Broken Legs Are 0-4 in Super Bowls

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

The brace on Mack's lower left leg

Alex Mack
According to ESPN, Alex Mack was the fifth player who played in a Super Bowl with a broken or recently repaired fibula to play in the Super Bowl:  Jack Youngblood (Super Bowl XIV), Charles Woodson, Tory James (both Super Bowl XXXVII), and Terrell Owens (Super Bowl XXXIX).

ESPN reported that Mack suffered the fracture during the NFC Game against the Packers.  ESPN describes it as "chip fracture'' above the plate Mack had inserted in his leg when he first broke the fibula in Week 5 of the 2014 season. He had a plate inserted to protect the leg at that time. He played in all the offensive snaps in Sunday's Super Bowl after receiving a pain-killing injection pre-game.

Terrell Owens
ESPN.Com reports this about Owens:
"Owens played 62 of 72 snaps in Super Bowl XXXIX, catching nine passes for 122 yards (six for 76 yards in the second half). This was despite him being seven weeks removed from a fractured fibula in his right leg and tearing a critical ligament in his right ankle, which required surgery. He also wasn't cleared to play by his surgeon, who inserted two screws in his ankle in that procedure."

Owens sustained the injury on December 19, 2004, versus the Cowboys. The surgery was performed on December 22, 2004, by Dr. Mark Myerson at Baltimore's Mercy Hospital. Myerson stated that two ankle ligaments were torn and that Owens also has a fracture a few inches below his knee that will heal on its own.

Says Owens, "It was an invasive type of surgery, so it’s not a good thing. [Two screws and a metal plate were inserted in the ankle.]"  Owens played in the Super Bowl 46 days after the operation and said after the game he took a pain-killing injection.

Charles Woodson and Tory James
BlackReign.Net chronicles the broken legs of James and Woodson:

Tory James, CB
Broken Right Fibula
45-minute surgery on December 12, 2002
Returned to practice on December 26, 2002
Returned to starting lineup December 28, 2002 (16 days after surgery)

- Break was a fracture
- Operation involved a titanium plate to stabilize and protect the bone from contact
- Titanium plates allow the bones to carry more weight
- Titanium plates can only be used on fractures that are stable and treated with a cast/boot

Charles Woodson, CB
Broken Right Fibula
45-minute surgery on December 24, 2002
Returned to starting lineup January 13, 2003 (20 days after surgery)

- Break was a fracture
- Operation involved a titanium plate to stabilize and protect the bone from contact
- Titanium plates allow the bones to carry more weight
- Titanium plates can only be used on fractures that are stable and treated with a cast/boot

It has never been reported if either James or Woodson took injections prior to the games they played with the fractured legs, but Woodson said, in 2015, that "He took painkilling injections every week to ease the severe pain of a turf toe injury during 2001 season".

Woodson's right lower leg

Jack Youngblood
Youngblood fractured his fibula on December 30, 1979 versus the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of that playoff game.

Fair use claim, for education and criticism

He missed snaps in the first half, had it taped up at halftime and played all the snaps in the second half, even recording a coverage sack in the fourth quarter.

Fair use claim, for education and criticism

Stills from the 1979 NFC Playoff game and the play that snapped Youngblood's leg.

Few even know that on the play that fractured his fibula, Youngblood was chipped by Billy Joe Dupree, the tight end, then blocked by right tackle Rayfield Wright, who was beaten to the inside by Youngblood on an inside swim more. 

Then, with Wright on the ground, right guard Tom Rafferty bit Youngblood high while Youngblood's left leg was pinned against Wright's body (which was then on the ground) which is when the leag broke. As Youngblood was falling (he would have been free had the leg not snapped) the fullback Robert Newhouse hit Youngblood. 

That makes four blockers who engaged Youngblood on that play.  Four. 

He then played in the NFC Championship a week later, and two weeks after that played in Super Bowl XIV, and a week after that played in the Pro Bowl.

The break was sometimes misreported as a hairline fracture. Even in the NFL Films production "Top Ten Gutsiest Performances" writers John McClain and Norm Hitzges got it wrong. Said McClain, "What he had was a hairline fracture where the bone was cracked" and Hitzges said, "You can tape that and play with that".

It wasn't a hairline fracture. It was a clean break. "It snapped like a pencil", said Youngblood. Dr. Clarence Shields and trainer Jim Anderson confirm this. "Somewhere there is an X-Ray and you could see the break. It wasn't a compound fracture by any means, but it wasn't like the hairline fracture Denny (Dennis Harrah) played with during the '79 season".

[Harrah had a hairline fracture that bothered him but when it was X-rayed, nothing showed up. After a few weeks, the hairline fracture did finally appear and that's when Harrah missed a few games and came back and played with an ankle support.]

Technically, according to the medical reports, it was an "oblique fracture".Here are a couple of notes from the medical records. By April there was 70% recovery and in May the break was filling in even more. There was even the possibility of surgery if it didn't heal properly, something that would not need to be done with a hairline fracture.

Youngblood played those games with a plastic support and took no pain-killing injections, but did take non-narcotic pain relievers.

The brace on Youngblood's left leg

Heroics aside, none of these players emerged from their Super Bowls with a ring, though Woodson won one with the Packers in 2010. They were a collective 0-4 in the games they fought through pain and injury.

Update: Terrell Owens and the Hall of Fame

PERSPECTIVE

By John Turney

Terrell Owens, by Dan Tearle

To augment this post I am adding a YouTube clip and a transcript of a common theme among those who feel slighted that Terrell Owens was "snubbed" by not yet being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While it does not cover everything, it shows, in my view how sometimes the numbers are not always presented fairly or completely when presenting T.O.'s case.

This is a clip from the Colin Cowherd show with Nick Wright making the case for T.O.

Nick Wright:  "Here is the reality. The relatability is the reason Brett Favre is in the Hall of Fame and Terrell Owens is not.

"They had the same career. And everyone (said) it was a foregone conclusion that Brett Favre was walking into the Hall of Fame and a foregone conclusion that T.O. is going to have to wait and it’s an embarrassment.

"You look at it. T.O. had more First-team All-Pros, they were both on an All-Decade team, they are both top two or three for touchdowns and for yards for their positions. They are the SAME GUY. And ‘oh, by the way’ T.O. was this disaster off-the-field. Brett Favre had pain pill problem, which I don’t begrudge him an addiction, but that happened. Brett Favre sexually harassed a team employee by sending the ‘Dramon Green’ photos. Brett Favre held the Packers hostage three straight years"

Colin Cowherd, “He did”.

Wright:  "He refused to mentor Aaron Rodgers. So this idea that T.O. doing situps in the driveway and making fun of Donovan McNabb keeps him out of the Hall of Fame when Brett Favre gets to walk in is absurd.

"I think they are both Hall of Famers but let me ask you one thing Colin, If you’re ranking quarterbacks how many names do you list before you get to Favre?"

Cowherd: “A lot”

Wright: “At least five, a minimum of five."

Cowherd: “Right … ten”

Wright: “But a minimum of five, right?. You’re ranking wide receivers how many names do you mention before you get to T.O.? The answer is two. Rice and Moss"

Cowherd: "That’s it."

Wright: "That’s it. So T.O. is, in the wide receiver hierarchy, much higher than Favre is in the quarterback hierarchy. They both have jaw-dropping numbers. They both had off-the-field issues. On guy, if Favre didn’t get into the Hall of Fame, Peter King might have burnt the building down."

Cowherd: laughs

Wright “But no one expected T.O. to get in first ballot. That rubs me the wrong way."

____________________________________________________
Okay, so Wright says that are the "same guy". He is basing that on statistics, All-Pro selections and All-Decade teams. All those are a good start.

I would ask Wright, "Are you forgetting anything?"  He seems to know the subject well, so I can only assume he knows there are more than All-Pros and statistics. He would know about other awards like, maybe the Most Valuable Player award.

Did Terrell Owens win any MVPs? Did Favre? We all know Favre won three and he was an NFC Player of the Year in 2007.

Wright said, "So T.O. is, in the wide receiver hierarchy, much higher than Favre is in the quarterback hierarchy."

Well, that's pretty subjective, but it is a fact that the NFL Alumni used to poll former players for awards and did so from 1982 through 2010. Three times Favre was voted the NFL's top quarterback and never was Owens voted the top receiver.

Favre has a ring. Owens does not.

In overall statistics, Owens led the NFL in various categories six times called "black ink" or bold type and two of them were for longest reception in the NFL that season.

Favre has fifteen in black ink (and three more that are a negative). Owens led NFL in drops once, and was in the top four in drops seven other times and that may be a fair comparable to Favre leading NFL in interceptions.

So, my point to Wright and Cowherd would be that they are NOT the "same guy". And as far as the "hierarchy of wide receivers" I would guess if there were a poll taken of knowledgeable people with some experience (not fantasy football types) Owens might not rank as high as Wright suggests.

The NFL is coming up on its 100th anniversary and there are names out there, when put into context would likely outpoll Owens. Players like a Don Hutson, a Lance Alworth or a Paul Warfield. Maybe even a Larry Fitzgerald or Marvin Harrison or others.

When the NFL's 100th Anniversary Team comes out in a few years we will see if Owens is on it.

So, the point of this follow-up post is not to explain what happens in the Hall of Fame Committee meeting because I am not privy to what goes on in there. From media reports, Owen's off-the-field character is playing a major role. However, last year it was written that the drops were an issue and other things as well.

Owens is certainly qualified for the Hall of Fame but his waiting is not a travesty nor an embarrassment. Maybe it does rub some people the wrong way and that's fine. There have been other great players who waited longer and that is what needs to be understood.

When making the case for Owens, though, be complete and accurate. It's not right to say Favre and Owens were the "same guy" when MVP awards and Super Bowls and "black ink" are omitted. That smacks of either laziness or an agenda or worse.

Terrell Owens Will Be Elected to the Hall of Fame. Eventually.

PERSPECTIVE
By John Turney

Terrell Owens was again "snubbed" by the Hall of Fame selection committee. It was his second year of eligibility. Next year he's up for the third time and will be looked at with Randy Moss and, likely, Isaac Bruce and possibly others.

Moss had some of the same issues as Owens, the reputation for sometimes dogging it and other off-field things. My guess is that with the standard Jerry Rice set for a first-ballot Hall of Famer Moss will not get in on the first try. In fact, Owens may get in as soon as next year.

His numbers are too strong to deny for too long. The question was always this:  Were his numbers strong enough to be in the rarified air with Rice? Many think there is something special about getting in the Hall of Fame in the first year of eligibility, that it carries an extra distinction. While there are maybe a few who got in right away who does measure up to that, with a clear example of a Hutson or Rice, there is a great gauge of what is required for that extra cachet.

It seems reasonable to believe Owens does not have that perfect of a "resume" in you will. being second in this or third in that is not being first in this and first in that.

And since the Hall of Fame is not just about numbers, Owens lacks the Super Bowl rings, and the intangibles and even some of the testimonials. What are testimonials? It's the quotes that voters find from opposing players, some on the record, some off. Sometimes, especially for older candidates, they can be found in the literature of the day. Once in a while, one can find recent examples. 

Here is one: " Steve Smith, who suffered a torn Achilles earlier this season, said Bailey was the best cornerback he had faced in his long career.

During an appearance Tuesday on the nationally-syndicated Talk of Fame Network radio broadcast, Smith had this to say about Bailey:  “The one guy who’s always jumped out at me was Champ Bailey".

Those who support Owens should collect this kind of thing from defensive backs on the era, and do it in a way they are getting honest answers. Frankly, it is our understanding that the HOF selection committee did this (and they do it routinely for almost all candidates) and there were not as many glowing reviews as you might expect.

Couple that with his reputation for dropped passes and even leading the NFL in that category twice, according to Stats, LLC, which has been tracking that statistic since 1993, then you have a good case for not being a first-ballot player.

The numbers are his strongest case, but it seems like many need to be reminded that this is a live ball era in passing statistics. Just as one cannot compare MLB pitching stats from 1968 to 1998. Or hitting stats from those eras.

The NFL had it's own dead-ball era, from 1970-77. The passing stats were way down from even the 1960s because defenses had become more dominant. The reasons why are a discussion for another day. In 1978 the passing game opened up. In 1994 there was yet another leap.

Here are two charts, one for Terrell Owens, the other for Harold Jackson, whose career spanned from 1969-83, though in 1982 he played only one game after joining the Vikings to fill in during their playoff run due to injuries to other wide receivers. But, to make both charts 15 years, we counted 1982, which hurts Jackson in this comparison.

With a hat tip to Pro Football Reference here is where they ranked in their respective eras.

From 1969 through 1982

From 1997 through 2010

We are not comparing the skills of Owens versus Jackson, this illustrates that there are players, Jackson being one of them, who were dominant in their era that the current critics of the Hall of Fame process never mention.

If Owens's case is based on numbers and there is another player with numbers, relatively speaking, are just as good and that player is not in, then in fairness, speak out for both. Otherwise, it undercuts the case that somehow, by having to wait for a few years it is a personal vendetta against Owens by a cabal of writers.

Owens is deserving of the Hall of Fame, but no more than Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Michael Irvin, Andre Reed, Charlie Joiner, Art Monk and others. All of them, in our view, didn't meet the Rice standard or even the Warfield, Alworth or Hutson standard in terms of first-ballot. 

We don't claim to be all-knowing, and obviously reasonable people can disagree with us and we won't be offended. It just seems like this is a good case for those who are posting as though a two-year wait is the same as not thinking a player is not a Hall of Famer to respect the view of those who put in a lot of time researching these things and not insult them at will.

We contend, after years of study, that the Hall of Fame is about numbers, honors, testimonials, rings and intangibles—all those things and perhaps more. It's not about just one of those things, either, i.e. solo numero or solo honoribus (honors alone).  Those who get in on the first try really should have high scores in most, if not all, of those things. It's what separates Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, which no slight intended against Kelly.

The Five Modern-Era Hall of Famers for the Class of 2017

NEWS
By John Turney

Kurt Warner, LaDainian Tomlinson Jason Taylor, Morten Andersen, and Terrell Davis are the 5 modern era Hall of Fame inductees. This information in gleaned from Tweets and post from the PFRA and other sources. No list was leaked to us or anyone. However, by the process of elimination, we feel this is an accurate list.

Reports are that Paul Tagliabue is out of the running and there is no word on Jerry Jones and Ken Easley, though we suspect both the latter two are in.

Update: 5:04 PM Pacific time:  Jones and Easley are in.

Update II: 5:24 PM Pacific time:
Did Not Make Final 10
Isaac Bruce
Don Coryell
Alan Fanaca
Joe Jacoby
Terrell Owens.

Made the Final 10, but not the Final 5
Tony Boselli
Brian Dawkins
John Lynch
Ty Law
Kevin Mawae

The First Elite Eight: Receiving Production Before the Merger

LOOKING BACK
By T.J. Troup

The evolution of the passing game is the key element in the game today. Since today is Don Hutson's birthday; let's go back a take a look at production from receivers before the merger.

The criteria is as follows; over a three-game span the receiver must have a minimum of 24 catches for at least 400 yards.

There are many outstanding receivers who did not make the list; men such as Elroy Hirsch, Lance Alworth, Dave Parks, and Charley Taylor had prolific stats for a three-game span, but could not meet the minimum requirements.

Hutson, in 1942, starting with his game against the Cardinals caught 24 for 420 yards. He is joined by Tom Fears who closed the 1950 season and opened the 1951 campaign with 35 receptions for 437 yards.

The Detroit Lions finally returned to the championship game in 1952, and Cloyce Box was a key part of that team. Box caught 24 for 529 yards.

Next up is Raymond Berry, who in 1960, latched onto 25 passes for 436 yards.

That same year in the rival AFL former Chicago Bear bench-sitter Lionel Taylor for Denver grabbed 29 passes for 465 yards.

During the famous stretch run by the Oilers, in 1961, their passing game led by Charley Hennigan established new records. Hennigan caught 26 for a whopping 612 yards.

Joe Namath relished throwing the ball all over the field, and ending 1967 and into 1968 Don Maynard caught 28 for 503 yards.

These seven men are all well known, yet it is the 8th man on the list that is a special part of this saga. Ralph Heywood was an All-American receiver at USC and after serving in WWII he began his career first in the AAFC, and then with the Lions. Ralph joined the Boston Yanks in 1948 and though he caught a few passes; his main accomplishment during that year was to return two opponent fumbles for touchdowns.

Ted Collins moved the Yanks to New York for 1949 and renamed them the Bulldogs. The weekly struggles showed up in the loss column, but through all the difficulties it was obvious that newcomer Bobby Layne could pitch that pigskin. His 155 completions during the year was the sixth most in league history. Someone has to get open and catch the ball?

Bill Chipley ranked among the league leaders all season. Down the stretch Layne still looked for him, but the other end Ralph Heywood would join our list. Heywood tied Hutson's record of 14 catches in a game on December the 4th in Briggs Stadium. Studying the film of this interesting battle between teams that entered the game with 2-8 and 1-8-1 records you would think that quality football was not in the offing for this day.

You would be wrong, as the Bulldogs battled all day with the symmetry receivers (Chipley wore #38 & Heywood #83) getting open and keeping New York in the game. Chipley in the final year when the league kept stats in the category of lateral passing led the league. Twice in this game on receptions he tossed to ball to Heywood for additional gains of 13 and 10 yards (this is not listed in the passing stats).

Chipley usually aligned at left end, and Heywood at right end . . . today though they would play both. Flexed, split, or tight these two men found open areas on a variety of routes, and grabbed 22 passes. New York eventually took the lead on Heywood's second touchdown catch of the game on a delay route over the middle.

Scollard's extra point attempt is blocked, and Detroit will drive down the field and win the game 28-27 on--you guessed it; a pass. Ralph Heywood finished the year with another strong performance against the Steelers in his last game as a pro. He would serve America as a Marine in both Korea and Viet Nam finishing his military career as a combat Colonel. No doubt Don Hutson and the rest of us would salute Ralph Heywood for his accomplishments.

NFL Sack Leaders and the Super Bowl

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

The NFL began team sacks, as an official statistic in 1963 and in 1982 they recognized individual sacks. Since 1982 there have been three NFL sack leaders (now awarded the Deacon Jones trophy) to reach the Super Bowl.

Those three are:
1985 Richard Dent 17 sacks
1986 Lawrence Taylor 20.5 sacks
1999 Kevin Carter 17 sacks

All of them were on the winning side of those Super Bowls.

However, in the Super Bowl era there were thre two unofficial sack champions that reached the Super Bowl.

Those three are:
1979 Jack Youngblood 18 sacks
1977 Harvey Martin  20 sacks
1973 Bill Stanfill  18½ sacks

Two of those three on the winning side of the Super Bowls they were in that season.

And if you throw in the 1968 AFL leader (not overall leader) Gerry Philbin, who had 14½ sacks in 1968 it's six-for-seven, though it is an asterisk since Deacon Jones had more sacks in 1968, but in a different league.

This season Vic Beasley of the Falcons won the Deacon Jones Trophy with 15.5 sacks. Will this year make it six-for-seven or seven-for-eight, whoever you count it?

Formations: Coryell, Walsh, and Earhardt-Perkins Offense Terminology

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

We showed last week the personnel groupings in a three of the offensive systems that were used in the NFL. Many of the same elements are used today in terms of verbiage, even though most, if not all offenses are hybrids now.

In this post we show the words used for the formations by the Coryell offense, West Coast Offense and the Earhardt-Perkins system and we are sticking to the basics, the 2-back formations.

As you can see the Coryell system uses words, the WCO uses colors and the Earhardt-Perkins uses single digits for those formations.

For example, the Coryell system uses "I-right" for the halfback to be behind the fullback and the tight end on the right side. The WCO uses "Green right" for the same formation and the  Earhardt-Perkins simply calls that "0" (Zero).

For the formation some call "Pro" with the backs split, the tight end side and the fullback in his usual spot to the tight end side, it would be "Split right" in Coryell's book, "Red right" would be in the WCO and in the Earhardt-Perkins system it would be called "6".

Coryell and WCO use "left" and "right" to place the tight end while the Earhard-Perkins uses even numbers for "right" and odd numbers for "left". Below are the pages from the various books that illustrate the formations.

Here is the Coryell system (from a Mike Martz playbook):

Here are the formations for the WCO, from a Mike Holmgren playbook:

These are from the Earhardt-Perkins terminology (from a Charlie Weiss playbook)