William Fuller—The Fuller Rush Man

 By John Turney 

Former North Carolina defensive tackle William Fuller was a defensive lineman for the Tar Heels from 1980 to 1983. He was a consensus All-America as a senior and totaled 81 tackles and led the team with five sacks and 17 tackles for a loss. He also earned First-team All-America honors as a junior and is one of only seven Tar Heel players to be named First-team All-America twice. He is one of only three defensive linemen ever to make the All-ACC team three times. Tar Heels defensive MVP and received a Japan Bowl invitation.

Fuller had 22 tackles for losses in both 1981 and 1983. He still holds the UNC career record for tackles for losses with 57 and ranks sixth with 20 sacks. He also forced four fumbles and recovered three; broke up nine passes and made 157 career tackles.

He was voted to the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame class in 2016. He had been inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame twelve years earlier. Two years before that he was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference's 50th Anniversary Football Team. He had a boatload of honors.

Fuller was selected by the Philadelphia Stars in the 1984 USFL Territorial Draft and signed with the Stars for four years and $1.6 million. In the Summer he was also drafted in the NFL supplemental draft of players in other leagues (USFL and CFL) by the Los Angeles Rams.

Coming out of school he was 6-3, 250 or so pounds, and had a 4.8-4.9 forty time—good, but not elite. But he had a solid build and good quickness and strength. Had he not signed with the USFL he would have been a first-round pick for someone. 

With the Stars, he was part of two USFL championships and was a starter both years, but missed five games in 1984 with a broken foot. In 1985 he made the All-USFL team and had 8.5 sacks. 

With the USFL folding in after the 1985 season those drafted in that supplemental draft of 1984 had their NFL rights assigned to the club that drafted them meaning the Rams held Fuller's rights. Rams coach John Robinson expressed interest in Fuller and the feeling was mutual. Fuller was anxious to play football again "I've been out of football for a year" and said to the media "The Rams are a great team and if I had my way I'd have been in Los Angeles at the beginning of training camp.

In mid-August, there were reports that Fuller was going to sign with the Rams but the deal didn't happen but in mid-September Fuller signed a contract for about $300,000 for a two-year deal. He passes a physical, had his publicity photo taken, and was assigned number 95, and was set to be activated two weeks later. During workouts Robinson said he's "very quick and appears to be somewhat sophisticated in his pass-rushing techniques. He looks like he could help us as an outside rusher. He looks like he could be a fine player".

As it turned out Fuller was signed to give the Oilers an extra player for the Rams to offer in acquiring Jim Everett. Unbeknownst to John Robinson Rams team president John Shaw gave the Oilers permission to allow Fuller to workout with them. 

A few days after signing was traded to the Oilers as part of a package the acquired Jim Everett and he became an Oiler. The Oilers got Fuller, Kent Hill, two first-round picks, and a fifth-round pick for Everett—quite a haul. Fuller, all along was trade bait. 

His first two years as an Oiler Fuller (now around 275 pounds) played right end in nickel situations. The Oilers were a base 3-4 team but used a four-man line in pass-rush situations and that is what his role was—get after the passer. He showed flashes but he was not getting to the quarterback—warning track power (lots of deep flies but few homers).

In 1988 he was the starting right end in the 3-4 base but moved to left end in nickel. Left end Ray Childress moved inside, to tackle in those situations. He started to produce as an NFL player and did for the next eight seasons averaged 10 sacks a year from 1988 through 1996.

In 1989 Fuller began the year (2 starts) and ended the year (2 starts) and left end. Starting nose tackle Doug Smith missed the first few games so Ray Childress filled in there and Fuller took Childress' spot. Then at the end of the season, Childress was injured so Fuller stepped in again. Fuller also started five games at right end and in the other games was the designated rusher. 

The following season the Oilers switched to the 4-3 and Fuller moved to left end permanently and Childress played left tackle. This alignment and position likely led to Fuller's greatest success, From 1990 through 1997 he was a top-flight left end. There were some times when he sunk to defensive tackle when the Oilers employed the 46 defense, which nearly every team tinkered with after the Bears had such success with it and the Oilers were no exception. 

In 1991 Fuller had 15 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl and he was also named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week 16 of that season. He was also named the AFC Defensive Lineman of the Year and his sack total led the AFC and tied for second in the NFL. His number fell some in 1992 but his play didn't—it was not any kind of "off" year even though his sack total wasn't close to his 1991 production. 

In 1993 the Oilers got the architect of the 46 defense and the Oilers ran it a lot. The defensive staff got the boot after the Bills great comeback in the 1992 Playoffs so Buddy Ryan became the defensive coordinator and the defense surged.

The 1990-92 Oiler defenses were excellent, third-fewest points allowed, third-most sacks, fourth in rushing defense, fifth in interceptions, and fourth-best in total defense. They also tied for the fourth-best record in the NFL but the playoff fold in 1992 was too much for the Oilers brass to keep Jim Eddy and his staff around. So in came Buddy Ryan.

Ryan took the Oilers to first in run defense, first in picks, and fourth in points allowed, and first in sacks—Ryan certainly took the defense to the next level. 

When the Oilers were in the 46 played the weakside end—the Richard Dent position and in the 4-3 base and nickel he remained at left end. He finished with 10 sacks and he batted away nine passes. In Week 13 Fuller snagged his second AFC Defensive Player of the Week Award.

Fuller was perfectly set up for free agency. He had put together four excellent seasons and had a great season in his "contract" year. He would be getting a significant raise from his 1993 salary of $1.25 million.  The Oilers themselves, initially, him $2.5 million for 1994 alone. 

In 1994 he signed with the Eagles after a tour meeting with several NFL teams including Tampa Bay, Arizona, and Washington. He was Charlie Casserly said he was an excellent player, not "an angular player" but still an "effective rusher". Angular means tall and lean like maybe a Jevon Kearse. Fuller was shorter, stockier. Not sure was Casserly would call that. The media seemed to think Fuller would sign with Washington, being born in Norfolk, Virginia, and growing up in the Chesapeake area attending Indian River High School where he was a three-sport letterman, graduating in 1980. 

Near the end of his tour of teams, the Oilers upped their offer to a three-year $7.8 million dollar deal that Fuller considered but finally rejected for the Eagles three-year $8.5 million offer.

The Eagles were hoping to make a move in 1994 but it turned out to be a disappointment and head coach Rich Kotite lost his job after the season and was replaced by Ray Rhodes, who kept Emmitt Thomas as the defensive coordinator and kept the same up-the-field type 4-3 scheme that Fuller (now around 284 pounds) and his linemate Andy Harmon excelled in. 

The Eagles, under Rhodes, went to the playoffs in 1995 and 1996 and even won a Wildcard game against the Lions in 1995. It was a good defense, though not great and Fuller was the best player on the defense those three seasons. 

With the Eagles, Fuller played his best football in terms of the "numbers". Those three years he averaged 43 tackles, 6.5 stuffs, 12 sacks and four forced fumbles and he also made the Pro Bowl all three years. His 35.5 sacks over that three-year period led all NFL defensive ends despite having a nagging hamstring injury in the middle of the 1995 season. In Week 17 Fuller got his third Player of the Week award for his career, his only one in the NFC.

After his contract expired after the 1996 season Fuller and the Eagles tried to come to an agreement but it dragged on. The Eagles were also interested in Neil Smith who was also a free agent and making the rounds. Reportedly Smith was down to the Broncos (where he signed) and the Eagles. 

Ultimately, in early April, the Eagles offered Fuller a one-year deal for $3 million. Fuller wanted a two-year deal and took an offer from the Chargers that totaled $4.4 million over two seasons with $2 million upfront.

After the loss of Fuller,  Ray Rhodes said he wanted Fuller back, "I don't want to sit here and tell you I didn't want William on this football team because I did. he added, "I think it was a pride thing for him, he wanted a two-year deal ad we thought our offer was fair."

However, those final two seasons were not good ones for the Fuller Rush Man. He was still stout versus the run but in 1997 he was slowed by a quad injury and was not getting to the quarterback (3 sacks). He actually was replaced on passing downs the last half of that season (and the next season as well). He looked larger in San Diego, but we've not seen any actual weight listings, but he looks closer to 300 pounds than 285. 

Even he knew he was not up to par. Fuller said, "If I don't start playing better no one is going to take me next year".

He did get invited back to the Chargers and he again struggled through the season. He had a calf injury midseason and missed a few games and for the second straight year ended with 3 sacks. Those three took him to 100.5, so he made the "Century Club" for sacks.

The Chargers were excellent versus the run, being number one in the NFL in yards allowed rushing and lowest rushing average and as a unit recorded 41 sacks, up from the 27 (an NFL-Low) in 1997 so Fuller was a big part of that, again playing mostly run downs. 

Fuller would start, play in the base defense but in nickel right end Marco Coleman would move over to left end in place of Fuller and Raylee Johnson would play right end in Coleman's base position. 

So, he was Fuller Run-Stop Man while a Charger. 

Apparently, that was enough to interest the Baltimore Ravens because they offered him $3 million for a one-year deal in 1999. Fuller decided to retire instead citing that he was ready to spend more time with his family and that the Ravens were in rebuilding mode and he'd had enough losing with the Chargers. 

The Ravens won the Super Bowl a year later. The rebuilding was quicker, perhaps, than Fuller expected. 

At 6-3, 251-284 (depending on what year) today Fuller would be a solid player, in his prime he had good base, was able to stop the run with good leverage. His speed would be questioned (4.8-4.9 forty) but his get-off was good, had good quickness and excellent strength. 

Some coaches now might be tempted to play him at three-technique to take advantage of his squatter physique and short-area quickness to beat guards. His skill set would be a good fit, in our view.

In watching he was were a slap-and-rip-type rusher. He would slap the shoulder of a blocker, dip, and get under a tackle with a "rip" and could hold his rush arc while being pushed out by the blocker. As a counter to that, he'd use an inside club move. He'd also spin inside once in a whole. He had okay speed, but not enough to consistently get the corner.

He also was alert, got his hands up, and as a result blocked 57 passes which would be a good asset today with as many short passes are thrown in the modern game. 

In addition to end in a 40 scheme or a three-tech, he'd also make a fine 5-tech in a 30 scheme. He did that in Houston and did well in the base and today would be no different though the way 3-man fronts as changed, they no longer two-gap like they did back in the day and he'd need to play at his higher weights (285-290) but he'd be effective.  

After his career, he has been involved in all sorts of community work and has always been active in defeating juvenile diabetes most of his adult life and continuing what he began during his career in supporting Special Olympics, Ronald McDonald House, and the Boys' Clubs of America among other things.

Yes, he's another of the NFL's great guys with a very good career.

Career stats—

TNF: The Rams Blocked a Michael Dickson Punt, or Did They?

 By John Turney 

Jamir Jones blocks a Michael Dickson Punt

So, it looked like a blocked punt, it sounded like one. But it wasn't. Your eyes are not lying to you the official scoring is. 

This is how it reads in the official Gamebook—

It reads like a dry, normal, albeit long punt and it was anything but that.

What really happened is Jones blocked the punt and the ball was spinning like a top on one of its points, Dickson scooped it up and ran upfield and just before he reached the original line of scrimmage he punted 68 yards downfield.

Credit: Fox Sports

Many who saw it were sure it was going to be a penalty including Fox analysts Troy Aikman, "Well, that's coming back". 

But it wasn't. Even Fox's broadcast official Mike Pereira, said that the play was illegal but he seemed to be unaware of a new rule.

Here is how the rulebook reads—

The NFL's Officials Tweet said—

 "In #LARvsSEA, the punt was blocked and recovered by the kicking team. The punter kicks the ball again from behind the line of scrimmage. This is a legal kick and the result of the play was the ball was ruled down at the 11-yard line."

As can be seen from the above stills the ball meets the punter's foot right on the lone of scrimmage. And his body was behind the line of scrimmage.

In response to our question, Football Zebras tweeted this—

The line of scrimmage was the 21. 
Credit: Fox Sports

So, it was legal. We've seen it tried before, but this was the first time it was legal and a punter took a disaster of a play that often results in points, scooped up the ball and punted it again.

The "scoop" more impressive than the punt
Credit: Fox Sports

And to add insult to injury it was a 68-yard bomb of a pint that pinned the Rams at their own 11.

We feel bad for Jamir Jones who was just signed by the Rams ten days ago and he was active for the first time Thursday Night. 

Had it stood it would have been the Rams first punt blocked since Cory Littleton in 2018 (he blocked two that season). But it would have been special for the young man to block one in his first Rams game—especially where he actually did it.

The scoring is odd since it was a block, a free ball picked up and then punted but the scoring is one punt for 68 yards.

We get it, there can be only one "official" punt per play, just like there can only be one sack on a play. But we've seen a few situations where a defender forces a fumble, it bounced back to the QB and that quarterback runs it for a gain. That is scored as a run, not a sack, a forced fumble a fumble recovery and then fumble recovery yardage which is what it is. 

In this case, it seems like it should be a punt blocked, a recovery then another punt. But, alas, it is not.

It would be doubly odd if Jones blocks another one. That would have put him on the list for the most in a season by a Ram. But, officially, the next one will be his first.

Rams single-season blocked punt leaders

Another oddity we will bring up now is when a defender rushes a punter and he tackles him for a loss. Essentially it is the same as a blocked punt—the ball turns over behind the line of scrimmage but the player doing it gets credit for a tackle for a loss but no de facto punt block. 

In 1967 Tony Guillory blocked two punts and also forced a punter to flush but tackled him before he could punt it. So, he does not get credit for three punts blocked, but really, it was three impactful plays, not two. 

So, a new rule robbed Jones of his block but he will get his "points" by the special teams coach so his teammates will know he did the ob but the rules are the rules and once in a while guys get robbed of stats here than there.

It happened here. And it was esoteric, that is for sure.

TUESDAY TIDBITS: At The Quarter Pole.

By TJ Troup 

Though there will be 17 games played for each team this season; after four weeks still call this at the quarter pole. What have we learned so far? The Cardinals are for real, and Jacksonville is just not a very talented team. We have all seen teams win in this era by passing, yet this past Sunday that old adage of "lugging the leather" brought victory to two teams that desperately needed it. 

Montgomery of the Bears gained over 100 rushing, and historically when a Bear has a 100 yard rushing game against the Lions—Chicago has won 23 of 28! When the Bears don't have a 100 yard rusher against the Lions they have won 80 of 155. Once upon a time the Colts and Dolphins battled for supremacy in the AFC East, being in different divisions they don't face off near as often, but this past 

Sunday Taylor of the Colts kept plugging away and gained over 100 rushing in the Indianapolis victory. When the Colts don't have a 100 yard rusher against the Dolphins their record is a very poor 18-43, but Taylor's achievement gave Colts their 10th win out of the thirteen times they have had a 100 yard rusher.....what a difference!

Looking back historically for games played on October 3rd; there is a game that stands out for me. After losing to the the Giants opening day in 1969 the Vikings defense began to assert itself and become the legendary "Purple People Eaters". 

They allowed only 22 offensive touchdowns in their next twenty-nine games! Please read that stat again—22 in 29! We are not going to see that ever again with the way the game is played today. Somehow Minnesota lost four of those twenty-nine, and are 1-1 as the Buffalo Bills come to Metropolitan Stadium. 

There have been a handful of defenders that either could have or should have won league MVP, and in 1971 Alan Page of Minnesota was the NFL's best player. Though he recorded only 9 sacks, and did not lead the league, he was the catalyst for his team. Late in the first half leading 10-0 Page sacks Dennis Shaw for a six-yard loss, and then quickly shedding left guard O'Reilly's block Alan hits Shaw in the end zone forcing a fumble that is recovered by Buffalo for a safety, thus Page gets his second sack on the play that looses one yard. 

Marshall and Eller continue to pillage the pass pocket in the second half, and late in the 4th quarter Page records his third sack of the game in the 19-0 victory. Buffalo's 64 yards in total offense was their lowest ever in team history at this point in time, and also Minnesota's lowest total allowed at this point in time.  

This past Saturday would have been Steve Sabol's 79th birthday, and damn I miss my friend. If I was at NFL Films yesterday would have had my cup of coffee in hand, and Steve and myself would have discussed the games of the weekend, philosophized about the current NFL, and am sure we would have laughed at one of his entertaining and funny stories.

Aaron Rodgers at Home in Win Over Pittsburgh

 By Eric Goska

Fans celebrated long before Green Bay downed Pittsburgh
27-17 at Lambeau Field.

At what point in his illustrious 17-year career did Aaron Rodgers turn Lambeau Field into his home away from home?

Did that happen after his first victory there? Did it come about after he and his mates went unbeaten there in the regular season for the first time? When they finished without a loss for a second time?

Exactly when the future Hall of Fame quarterback from Chico, California transformed the 65-year-old stadium into his favorite playground may never be known. But he continued to excel there Sunday as he guided the Packers past the Steelers 27-17 before a partisan crowd that has come to expect victory whenever No. 12 lines up under center in the historic venue.

Rodgers has had better outings than he did against Pittsburgh. He completed 20 of 36 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 95.8, an efficiency mark he has exceeded 66 times at Lambeau Field.

Rodgers has made more splash plays. He completed five passes of 20 or more yards, a total he has bettered on a dozen occasions.

But, as Rodgers has done since opening day 2008, he again proved all-but-impossible to defeat at Cheesehead Central.

For Rodgers, this was his 100th regular-season game at Lambeau Field. He joins Brett Favre (118), Mason Crosby (114) and Donald Driver (102) as the only Packers to have played in 100 or more such games at the site.

For Rodgers, this was his 96th regular-season start at the Frozen Tundra. His winning percentage (.807) based on a starting record of 77-18-1 is a team record ahead of second-place Favre who went 89-28 (.761) from 1992 through 2007.

Just how important is Lambeau to Rodgers? He has 25 more wins there than he has on the road (52-46), and his winning percentage when out of town (.531) is markedly inferior.

Rodgers has thrown 420 touchdown passes. More than half (224) have come in front of the home crowd.

Rodgers has been picked 91 times. Fewer than half (37) have been waylaid when the mailing address reads 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

All this is reflected in Rodgers rating at home versus elsewhere. He’s nearly 10 points better in Green Bay (108.8) than when on the road (99.2).

Give him a lead at halftime, and he’s nearly invincible. Including Pittsburgh, where the Packers were up 17-10 after two quarters, Rodgers is 66-1-1 (.978) when Green Bay is out front at the break at Lambeau Field.

He’s not bad either when he avoids throwing an interception while tossing two or more touchdown passes. In firing a pair of scoring strikes to Randall Cobb against the Steelers, Rodgers improved to 43-3 (.935) under those circumstances.

Rodgers first win as a starter came against the Vikings (24-19) at home on opening day 2008. He went unbeaten there in 2011 (8-0) and again in 2014 (8-0).

Favre is the only Packers quarterback to go without a loss at Lambeau Field in three different seasons (1996, 1997 and 2002). Should Rodgers equal that accomplishment in 2021, Green Bay will likely be playoff-bound for the 11th time in his 14 seasons as a starter.

Reaching 100 at 1265
Packers players who participated in 100 or more regular-season games at Lambeau Field.
 
118*      Brett Favre          1992-2007
114        Mason Crosby     2007-2021
102       Donald Driver     1999-2012
100       Aaron Rodgers    2005-2021
 
Note:  Favre’s total does not include the two games he played at Lambeau Field as a Viking.

Tony "Big Play" Brackens

 By John Turney 

Tony Brackens didn't start in his first two NFL seasons but he was an impact player for them ust the same. He played in rotations, every third series at end and then he'd take a series from Lageman so we'd estimate he played around 40% of the snaps in the base but also was a nickel edge rusher with  Simmons 'sinking' to right tackle and Brackens would play right end. SOME of the time. Sometimes he'd be a "joker" as it is called now—a  linebacker/defensive lineman hybrid that stands up behind the defensive lineman and picks a gap to rush or can drop to a middle zone or to a hood/curl zone and play zone defense or even lock up on a running back.

Brackens usually rushed, but if you watch the games he did plenty of coverage and made an impact while doing it. We cannot prove it but we'd guess that he was the NFL defensive lineman the dropped the most in zone blitzes due to the fact he could make plays doing it. Sure, it means for those plays he as out of the pass rush but like his teammate, Gary Walker said late in Brackens' career, "You can see that talent, he can play the run, he can rush the passer, he can drop into coverage and cover running backs and tight ends. He's the complete package". Those things applied early in his career as well.

In those first two years in that role be averaged 50 tackles, 9 stuffs, 7 sacks, 8 pass deflections, 5 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered per season. There were a lot of starting defensive ends that didn't put up those kinds of numbers those two seasons. A lot. 

Presumably, Tom Coughlin wanted more experience in his starters which is why in 1996 the right end was Clyde Simmons at left end was generally Jeff Lageman and that relegated Brackens to the rotational/nickel role we outlined. 

Brackens forces a fumble, picks it up and celebrates before he scores  touchdown

Brackens attended the University of Texas where he was a three-time All-Conference selection and All-American at defensive end as a junior in 1995. He caused five fumbles in his final season, has 7 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 29 pressures. For his career, he was credited with 24 sacks, which ranked eighth among all Longhorn defenders at the time.

He was exceptionally strong (country strong if you will), bench pressing 440 pounds, and was timed in the forty in 4.71 seconds. He passed up his senior season to enter the NFL draft and predraft indicators told Team Brackends that he was going to be a high first-round pick. However, he fell to the top of round 2. Perhaps the broken leg he had early in his final season at Texas was part of the issue but it is still is a mystery to us why his stock dropped. 

Cedrick Jones who was a similar size and weight and speed went fifth overall and Regan Upshaw, again, similar physically, went 12th. Duane Clemens was a little taller went 16th but Brackens went 33rd.

After those first two stellar seasons, Simmons was gone and Brackens stepped into the right end position and promptly got hurt missing for games. When healthy he was godo when he played

He rebounded in 1999 making Second-team All-Pro (First-team on Paul Zimmerman and Gordon Forbes' teams, however) and was a playmaking machine—forcing eight fumbles, defending eight passes, recording 12 sacks picking off a pair of passes, taking one to the house, and totaling 69 tackles.

Brackens gets behind and in the middle of a counter play-not easy to do

 Brackens signed a six-year $40 contract (if all incentives were met) in August and though his numbers dipped in 2000 but in watching him he drew tons of attention from blockers and put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Sometimes a player hits the ball hard and they just don't drop in for hits. 

Brackens uses his strength to push a good tackle, Lomas Brown back

In 2001 he didn't play any better than in 2000 but he had better numbers but in our view he was the same player throughout.

2002, though, he had a serious injury—so serious that in the summer of 2003 there were rumors he might not ever play again. It took microfracture surgery to repair the joint—a complicated procedure that attempts to create scar tissue in the knee by drilling holes in it. The scar tissue acts as de fact cartilage. 

Then, he had an emergency appendectomy that slowed him but he did play in 2003 but was not up to snuff, to use a country term.  He had reworked his contract that Summer as well to help the team's cap situation. He did lead the team in sacks with six, but as mentioned he was not the Tony Brackens of 1996-01.

In the 2004 offseason, he was released for cap reasons but in July signed a one-year deal but was coming off of surgery on his right knee (the devastating injury was to his left knee). In August he was cut for good. He'd had suffered a strained back and missed significant time and his knees were "getting better" but still not 100%. of 90%.  Physically, he was done.

His coach Jack Del Rio said it was a "painful decision" to cut Brackens, knowing he'd been the heart and soul of the Jaguar defense for a long time.

Brackens hoped to have been signed by someone for the 2004 season but teams must have been wary of his wheels. 

In his career Brackens averaged 45 tackles per 16 games, 8 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries and 7 passes defensed. Remarkable, his plaoff averages were similar with his per 16 game averages as follows:  48 tackes, 9 sacks, 5 FF, and 7 FR. We are aware ust four playoff gamescan skew an average but it does show Brackens did make plays in big games. 

In watching him he used his strength to beat guys, he had good quickness off the ball and used a should slap and dip most. Sometimes the slap would get a little high and he's headslap a few guys.

He did have a tendency to deliver a blow to a tacker and not wrap up. Like Howie Long, he messed some tackles. Also, he'd sometimes give a "mush rush" not penetrating very far. We don't know if he was doing it by design, perhaps taking a breather or if he was sitting back and spying or waiting to deflect a pass, but a bit too often for our tastes he was on the line of scrimmage a bit too long. 

In today's game he could have a huge role in a Bill Belichick-type defense where a guy stands up, puts a hand down, rushes, covers, in the Chandler Jones category when he was with the Patriots or Matt Judon, or like a Za'Darius Smith with the Packers, maybe.

Or in a 4-3 scheme he would be just as successful now as he was then, maybe like a Nick Bosa or a Danielle Hunter maybe not as fast but stronger than both of those but his production would be in that same range in our view.

He was a big-play guy, a sack, a pressure, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, falling on a ball, picking off a pass, deflecting a pass at the line of scrimmage or in a zone drop. He has natural strength enhanced by weight-lifting, he has excellent speed and quickness. And a knack for—impact plays.

After his career Brackens returned to where he came from—a Texas ranch where he learned values from his parents and where he is passing those traits to his own children.

Brackens was a man with values and had great value as a football player because "blue" players make "blue" plays as the scouting saying goes. 

Career stats—

Michael McCrary—The First "High-Motor Guy"?

 By John Turney 

Michael McCrary—The First "High-Motor Guy"?

Okay, he wasn't the first, but he's the first guy we heard that term consistently applied to. In looking back that team first appeared in print, which we are aware of, was in 1992 applied to Michael Barrow. But in scouting arenas, it may have been around longer. But when Joel Buchsbaum used it concerning Barrow it was the first in the public arena we could find.

Less than a year later McCrary's Seahawk defensive line coach applied it to him and it stuck. It simply meant he worked hard, played hard—every snap, every rep. 

Later we've seen it applied to John Randle, Dwight Freeney, Chris Long, and scores of other players but and sure, before him there were tons of pass rushers that played every snap or as Hank Stram said "danced every dance" or were "100 percenters". But McCrary was the "high-motor guy". 

McCrary had to be. He was undersized coming out of Wake Forests (maybe 235) but did run a 4.59 forty which was fast but not freakish—remember Jevon Kearse ran a 4.43, Freeney was sub 4.5 so he was fast but not lightning-like. 

McCrary had to make the most of his speed and limited size (he did gain weight, he didn't stay under 240) with hustle and technique. And he did, and it cost him his knees. But more on that later in this post.

McCary was a three-year letterman at Wake Forest and as a senior was Second-team All-ACC setting the school's single-season record for sacks (15) and tackles for loss (23). McCrary remained the school's career leader in sacks and is still third in tackles for loss.

However, he was not selected until the 7th round, largely based on his speed. His was about 20-30 pounds too light to be a high-round pick. 

McCrary was a special teams standout and a nickel rusher for his first few years and always gave 100% on the field and in practice. Where he lacked was in the off-hours where he liked the Seattle nightlife (he liked to boogie—sorry, couldn't resist) so he didn't do film study like he could have and that likely held him back.

So, his first three years were not productive as a base or even nickel player, really just as a special teams player, though as a rookie he did have four sacks but then just had 2.5 the next two seasons.

In 1995 he played for $350,000 (after earning $126,000 and $134,000 in each of his first two seasons) and didn't make the kind of progress the Seahawks wanted (five missed games, had just nine tackles and one sack) and in August 1996 he was going to be cut, but the 'Hawks offered him a contract cut of $150,000, to stay. So, for $200,000 McCrary was going to be a backup for the fourth straight year. However, early in the season, the starter, Antonio Edwards, got hurt and McCrary took over and played well, never giving up the starting job and then late in the season recorded seven sacks in the last two games.

As timing would have it the $200,000 contract was a one-year deal so he was an unrestricted free agent. The Seahawks signed Chad Brown to a big-money deal and he was going to be a linebacker in base and a right defensive end in nickel so there was not going to be much of a role for McCrary. The Seahawks offered him $1 million which McCrary and his agent rejected.

After a fairly lengthy NFL tour that included Philly, Miami, and other cities, McCrary chose Baltimore and their four-year $8 million contract with a $1.8 million signing bonus.  

By then (call in 1996) he was working on his craft, doing unorthodox things like, as he once described, doing the same move three times in a row because no one would do that and a tackle would never expect it. He also had worked in martial arts since high school and continued training in it into the pros he felt it helped his hand-eye coordination was enhanced because of that.

McCrary said he always liked to keep tackles guessing. As was mentioned he would sometimes do the same move three times in a row because on that third rep the tackle would surely not be expecting it, but he'd also confuse matters by showing a different stance each time on all three reps. A slight chance of weight, lean or different hand down. 

His then-defensive coach Marvin Lewis said that McCrary has the ability to convert speed to power and power to speed, that even though he was a "speed" guy he was not a one-trick pony that would disappear in games. Lewis likened his abilities to a pitcher having not only a good fastball but a good curveball as well. When he has both it can be more unsettling for a batter, making him have to prepare for both, In addition, McCrary "has the strength of a much bigger man", said Marvin Lewis.   

This would help in his play versus the run. He would do that by using that leverage to his advantage. He'd built himself to about 267 pounds (maybe even a bit more early in seasons), but still giving up 50 or more pounds to left tackles. And he'd get lower and use his legs to stop run blocks and over time that will wear out joints and cause injury. He said that was his "only choice" since he was giving up so much in weight versus larger men. But the price was heavy—over his time with the Ravens he had five knee surgeries and then hurt the knee again in 2002.

In 1997 McCrary was a Pro Bowl alternate and made 69 tackles with 10 for losses plus 9 sacks and in 1998 he was even better. 

Of course, it is sacrilege to think that anyone but Reggie White should have been the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1998, but we will, and did, go there. Perhaps McCrary should not have been the guy, maybe Junior Seau or Ty Law would be better choices than McCrary but McCrary would be right there with them.

But considering Seau had 15.5 run/pass stuffs (tackles behind the line of scrimmage other than sacks), McCrary had 13.0. Reggie White had 16 sacks (second in the NFL) McCrary had 14.5. McCrary had 27.5 total plays behind the line of scrimmage—most in the NFL for a very good defense. 

However, back then tackles for loss in the run game were not much of a consideration, Reggie White had just three to go with his 16 sacks, so guys like McCrary would have gotten much notice because of them. It's just fun to look back and play "what if" with stats known now that were not known then and surmise what may have happened with awards with those newer-type stats.

Regardless, McCrary was an All-Pro in 1998 (not consensus) and a Pro Bowler. He also made some of the non-major All-Pro teams like Paul Zimmerman's Sports Illustrated  All-Pro Teaam and the one chosen by Fox Sports. Those "in the know" liked McCrary's game a lot.

He was a Pro Bowler again in 1999 and after a two-day walkout in early September the Ravens rewarded him a five-year extension worth between $38 million and $42 million with a $12.25 million signing bonus—of course, he never the money on the back end of the contract, falling two years short of fulfilling the length of it but it was a far cry from the $770,000 or so he made in his four seasons in Seattle.

In 2000 he won a ring on one of the best defenses ever. His personal numbers were down but teams threw so quickly it was hard for the Ravens to get to the quarterback (only 35 sacks) but they put a lot of pressure on passers and running the ball of them was next to impossible.

he was as good as any Raven defender in the 2000 playoffs, right up there with Ray Lewis recording 13 tackles and six sacks in the four postseason games that year. That includes the two sacks he had in Super Bowl XXXV—one was before and one was after he shattered a knuckle on his right index finger that required off-season surgery and had to be painful. It just sounds painful—a shattered knuckle.

But the knees began to have more and more problems. Over that span, McCrary was having them drained regularly and taking cortisone shots multiple times a year, especially in 1999 and 2000. He had a shot before the Super Bowl game in Tampa. 

He wishes that he's retired earlier, he was in the game just to play, because he loved it even though his production was waning. In 2001 he was off to a good start but another knee injury hit him that season and he got to play just 10 games. In 2002 he only played games, never practiced, and again, hurt a knee. 

In 2003 he finally hung them up but after that season but was left in tremendous pain. He was taking all sorts of pain pills, and at 36 was all but crippled. At that young age, he needed two knee replacements. In fact, the knees prevented him from coaching in 2010 when the Ravens offered him a chance to coach the linebackers.

There was just too much swelling and icing to make it possible to be on his feet the way an NFL coach has to be. He said, ""Maybe one day, when I get over 45, and have the surgery, I'll try it again."

Yes, we are aware that in 2010 his wife asked for, was granted, and then withdrew the request for a protective order against McCrary—a judge ordered that he stay away from the couple's home. Clearly, we know that these things happen far too often in professional sports but we also know that being in pain and CTE and other issues can sometimes be a contributing factor and as far as we know there have been no other incidents since. In fairness, these things happen outside sports too often as well. It is a societal problem as well.

McCrary, of course, did very well in his career. At his peak, we think he was at a Defensive Player of the Year-level. Certainly an All-Pro or "blue" (scout term for a top) player. An admitted slow start to his career and a hobbled ending prevents any kind of Hall of Fame talk but he's still a player worthy of being remembered fondly. 

Bill Cowher once shouted to him during the middle of the game, "Michael McCrary I LOVE the way you play!". We did, too.

"McCrary is a special player," Coach Brian Billick said in a statement, "and his effort on every single play is legendary around the NFL. Then Ravens linebackers coach Mike Smith (who later became the head coach for the Falcons) told the Baltimore Sun, "Coaches have grabbed a tape of McCrary whenever they need to remind young players "this is how you play hard. "Every single play, he was going 100 miles to get the football".

Had he come out in 1983, rather than 1993, he would have been an 3-4 base outside linebacker who played defensive end on passing downs, like an Andre Tippett or a Kevin Greene or a Pat Swilling—that type of hybrid edge player. Possibly the same today like a T.J. Watt, perhaps.

But he'd easily be a top player now as an edge player in a 4-3 scheme as well, like one of the Bosa brothers or Myles Garrett, players like that. He would not have been drafted as high as they were because he was still just 235 pounds coming out of school, but if you watch his peak tapes of 1996-2001 he was the kind of guy people like to talk about now as Pro Bowl edge rusher. 

Sure, he liked to get sacks "when I get one I celebrate for a few seconds then I get greedy and want more" but McCrary was also was a "pressure guy". He was always close to the quarterback, hitting him, hurrying him, forcing bad throws. 

He built himself into a 265-270 pounder with good body strength, great takeoff speed, and excellent hands and feet that could, as Marvis Lewis said, convert to power or covert power to speed. 

And he never quit. Not in a game, not in practice—He was the first high-motor guy. Only the knees could stop him. 

As Howard Cosell said, "The kn-ee. Al-ways th-e kn-ee".

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How Forgotten is Robert Porcher?

 By John Turney 

How forgotten is Robert Porcher?

A lot.

Not by various stat and college Halls of Fame but by general discussions we follow on Twitter and other Social Media. He just does not get much juice.

The Detroit Lions annual Man of the Year award is named after Robert Porcher in honor of his contributions to the community.  He was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2017, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2020 he was inducted into South Carolina Football Hall of Fame.

Robert Porcher was born in Wando, South Carolina, and first attended Tennessee State University (1988-89) and then finished at South Carolina State University (1990-91). As a senior, he had 86 tackles, 15 sacks and 24 of his tackles were behind the line of scrimmage. He was Division I-AA All-American, All-MEAC, and the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year

He was drafted in the first round of the 1992 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. He was 6-¾, 275 pounds but didn't have a great 40-time, around 5.0 or so, but he worked with a sprint coach pre-draft and that helped his stock because his 'get off" was very good—a quick starter. But he'd been productive in college and moved well in short areas he had good quickness and an excellent first step as well as great strength. 

It's good to see stories of guys who don't have the proverbial "great speed" have great success in the NFL. So with strength, technique and will, and determination, Porcher produced better than lots of players of similar size and with great speed.

In July he signed a four-year deal with the Lions are arrived weighing 287 pounds, having gained about 10 pounds since he was weighed in the pre-draft time frame. The terms of the deal were not disclosed but estimating it based on play defensive players around him signed for it was likely in the neighborhood of four years and $2.75 million.

In fairness, he was not a quick starter in his career. He didn't become a starter until year three and in his fourth year, Porcher was asked to move inside from the end and he was not happy about it. He agreed to it because he thought it would help the team but it left him "confused" and the team was not any better as a result of the change.

In 1996 he went back to left end came into the season at 285 pounds with a reduction of body fat and was in the "best shape of his career". He signed a one-year "prove-it" contract and his career took off— he prepared for games in a more organized way and took his game to a higher level than he had in his first few years, roughly doubling his production.

That 1995 season had ten sacks and four forced fumbles and it was, at that point, a career year. So rather than letting Porcher go the Lions signed him to a three-year $9 million contract. Under that contract, he averaged 13 sacks a year and was a Pro Bowler or Pro Bowl alternate all three seasons. He certainly gave them their money's worth. 

In 1997 Len Pasquarelli a columnist for Atlanta Journal-Constitution wisely pick him for his personal All-Pro team likely noticing Porcher's strong performance in pass rushing but also versus the run since Porcher had 13.5 stuffs (tackles for loss other than sack). Clearly, he was a top 5-8 defensive end in the NFL.

Porcher held out in 2000 since the Lions made him their franchise player but in late August he finally came into camp after signing a four-year $25 million deal—essentially making Porcher a Lion for life. He was, however approaching the end. His 2000 and 2001 seasons were good but his productivity dropped in his final two seasons. 

He just ran out of gas.

Porcher played for 13 seasons and played in 187 games which at the time of his retirement was the third-highest total in Lions history and as we mentioned he was selected to three Pro Bowls and named All-NFC those same seasons and was an alternate in 1998. 

Between 1996-2001, Porcher recorded 68 sacks, the second-highest total in the NFL during that span and that was playing the left end position in an era where run-stopping still mattered.

Porcher was one of those players that were out of their era. In our view, he'd have been an ideal 3-4 end in the 1980s or late 2000s. In the 1990s, his prime, 80-90% of NFL teams (depending on the year in the 90s) were playing 4-3 defense. And while, as we are now posting, Porcher was excellent, his skill set would have even been better in a 30 front and then playing either inside or outside in nickel defenses—a quasi Howie Long-type role. It is hard to think of someone who might have done that kind of thing better than Porcher. We think that because of his strength and technique and stamina. 

If Porcher played today we'd roughly equate him to Cameron Jordan except Jordan was a 4.7 forty guy. A 1980s comparison might be someone like Ray Childress, except again, Childress had more straight-line speed however we think Porcher would be every bit as effective now as he was in the late-1990s. 

However, he played when he played and he did an excellent job without having "top-end" speed and in a league obsessed with speed at almost every position, Porcher was quite remarkable in his accomplishments. 

Career stats—