It never ceases to amaze me how exciting the National Football League can be week in and week out. Virtually every week, there’s some remarkable milestone that is established.
For instance, let’s look at Sunday. The Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs really didn’t look all that appealing when you consider the slate of games in Week 15. Yet, it may very well have been the most exciting game of the weekend in the NFL.
For nearly a half century, the legendary Jim Brown held the Browns team record for yards rushing in a game with 237. That was until Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead. Running back Jerome Harrison, who had just one 100-yard game to his name and had a four-year total of 749 rushing yards suddenly became a household name around the NFL. He burned the Chiefs defense for 286 yards and scored three TDs in the Browns win. It marked the third highest single-game rushing total ever in the NFL.
Speaking of “ever in the NFL,” is it just me or do you feel it’s simply incredible that in 89 seasons of the NFL, not one player ever returned two kickoffs for 100 or more yards in the same game. Not Gale Sayers. Not Billy “White Shoes” Johnson. Not Carl Roaches. Not Mel Gray. Not Brian Mitchell. Not Devin Hester. Yet, in an eight-week span of the 2009 season, two players have accomplished the feat.
Ted Ginn did in Week 8 and Josh Cribbs matched it Sunday against the Chiefs when he returned a kickoff 100 yards in the first quarter followed by a 103-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. His first return made him the NFL’s all-time leader in kickoff returns for touchdowns
The great moments just keep coming and the records keep falling. It sure makes it fun to follow the NFL every week!
Brown, Jim
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