A new "For Pete's Sake" blog appears each Thursday on Profootballhof.com.
I don’t regard myself as a draftnik but I do recognize the NFL’s annual player draft as somewhat of a national holiday. You can be assured that I’ll be armed and ready on April 26 (and again on the 27th and 28th) with any combination of my television, iPhone, and laptop as I follow the pick-by-pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Draft experts have for the most part told us all that the top two picks of this year’s draft will be Andrew Luck going to the Indianapolis Colts and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III landing with the Washington Redskins.
Assuming that plays out as planned, it would mark just the fifth time since in modern draft history (since 1967) that quarterbacks have been the top two selections of the draft. The last time this occurred came in 1999. Here’s a look at the four drafts in which a passer has gone 1 and 2. I think you’ll agree that the crop from 1971 combined for the finest collective careers.
1999
1. Cleveland Browns – Tim Couch, Kentucky
2. Philadelphia Eagles – Donovan McNabb, Syracuse
3. Cincinnati Bengals – Akili Smith, QB, Oregon
1998
1. Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning, Tennessee
2. San Diego Chargers – Ryan Leaf, Washington State
1993
1. New England Patriots – Drew Bledsoe, Washington State
2. Seattle Seahawks – Rick Mirer, Notre Dame
1971
1. Boston Patriots – Jim Plunkett, Stanford
2. New Orleans Saints – Archie Manning, Mississippi
3. Houston Oilers – Dan Pastorini, Santa Clara
And, of course, I have to put a Hall of Fame angle to this blog. There are 23 modern-era quarterbacks enshrined in Canton. Eleven of those passers were selected in the first round (not including Steve Young who went first overall in the 1984 supplemental draft). Only three (Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, and Troy Aikman) of the 11 were picked among the top two slots of the draft. In fact, the three were among the select group of just 13 enshrinees who were first overall picks.
But, before we talk about a Hall of Fame career, I suppose we should wait and let Luck and Griffin get drafted into the NFL first. Enjoy the “holiday” season.
Comment (0)
A new "For Pete's Sake" blog appears each Thursday on Profootballhof.com. Look for his next blog on April 5.
Last week’s blockbuster trade of draft picks by the
Washington Redskins, which was officially finalized yesterday, was reminiscent of the team’s dealings in the 1970s. It appears that current team GM Bruce Allen shared his Hall of Fame father’s ideals of trading away draft picks to get what he thought was best for the team. Bruce’s Redskins will get the No. 2 overall pick and presumably their quarterback of the future in Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.
Bruce’s father
George Allen (photo below) lived by the motto of “the future is now” during his tenure with the Redskins. George arrived in Washington in 1971 and immediately sent shockwaves. First he sent a mid-round pick to New Orleans to get quarterback Billy Kilmer to bolster a position that already included future Hall of Famer
Sonny Jurgensen. Then, days later he engaged in a blockbuster trade with his former team, the Los Angeles Rams. Washington dealt linebacker Marlin McKeever and seven draft picks to the Rams in exchange for veteran linebackers Maxie Baughan, Jack Pardee and Myron Pottios plus defensive tackle Diron Talbert, guard John Wilburer, running back Jeff Jordan, and a fifth-round pick.
Allen joked that he had hoped the trade would meet the approval of President Richard Nixon, an ardent Redskins fan, who had engaged in a discussion with Allen during a dinner that week. Allen had nothing to worry about as the President sent a telegram the next day calling it a “great trade.”
That deal was just the start. Interestingly, the Redskins went the entire 1970s, the majority of which was under Allen’s guidance (through ‘77) without ever using their first-round pick. The Redskins not only traded away every first-round pick they owned during the 1970s decade but never drafted higher than the fourth round from 1971 through the end of the ‘70s.
And, while Washington ridded themselves of draft picks George Allen did so not to get higher picks but veteran players. The philosophy landed established players like the group listed above and others such as Verlon Biggs, Coy Bacon, Duane Thomas, and Lemar Parish onto the Redskins roster. Meanwhile, the number one picks that were dealt away by Washington produced, for the most part, average players such as defensive backs Bruce Taylor (49ers), linebacker Larry Gordon (Dolphins) and running back Charles Alexander (Bengals). The most marquee player from the crop of draft picks was six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Isiah Robertson (photo below) who the Los Angeles Rams landed with the No. 1 pick obtained in the 15-player deal mentioned above.
In 1980, the Redskins opted to hang on to their first pick and used it on a wide receiver out of Syracuse by the name of
Art Monk. Of course, as you know he went on to be the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions and was enshrined in Canton.
Looking back, George Allen's philosophy produced a consistently winning team and quickly earned the franchise its first Super Bowl berth. Time will only tell how last week’s trade will work out.
Comment (0)
A new "For Pete's Sake" blog appears each Thursday on Profootballhof.com.
Today’s blog is about preserving the game’s great moments with a sprinkle of a grammar lesson. Throughout the year on a fairly regular basis we receive new mementos, not momentos, to add to our collection, the world’s largest such assortment of pro football memorabilia.
Last week we were pleased to receive the complete uniform worn by Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens during the 2011 season. Suggs won the AP’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award after a spectacular season.
We posted a story on our website (here it is) and also pushed it out through our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and forwarded to the Ravens to use. The story was picked up by various media outlets, one in particular caught my eye.
In honor of my late mother I carry on her tradition of paying astute attention to grammar. So, much to the dismay of my teenagers, their friends, and even a few co-workers, I’m never hesitant to correct one’s misuse of our language.
I call it a bit of a “sickness” but generally I find myself proofreading rather than just reading when I am scanning any item with the written word. That stated a story that reported on the Suggs donation popped out at me right away. In the article, the reporter used a quote from our curator Jason Aikens. First of all, I always thought a quote is a quote and must be used as is without changing it. But, this particular writer took it upon himself (or maybe it was his editor) to correct what he thought was a typo. The word, “mementos” was changed to “momentos.”
Well, the quick grammar lesson is that the correct and preferred spelling is how we had it, “mementos.” The purpose of this blog is to emphasize why the word is spelled that way. After all, we have a spectacular gallery that utilizes the word. Our Moments, Memories, & Mementos Gallery features artifacts from our Hall of Fame members.
Well, now to the point of this week’s blog. If you love football, then you definitely need to plan a visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here’s a quick link to help you plan that trip. It is our mission to help preserve the history of this great game. We do so by freezing moments in time with mementos. Obviously, the spelling of the word suggests that these physical objects are more about the memory one has of the moment than the moment itself.
me·men·to
[muh-men-toh]
noun, plural -tos, -toes.
1. an object or item that serves to remind one of a person,past event, etc.; keepsake; souvenir.
It is misused as “momento” frequently enough that it’s almost become accepted as an alternative spelling. But, not by me; I’m throwing the penalty flag on this one!
One of the great thrills for us here in Canton is when we see visitors have an emotional experience when they tour our museum. There’s little doubt that an item on display is intricately connected to a great player, game, and/or play in NFL history that becomes most meaningful only after it sparks a fan’s memory of that moment.
So, if you haven’t been to the Hall of Fame lately, then now is a great time to plan your visit. Keep in mind, even if you’ve been to the Hall of Fame before, we’re always adding to our exhibits like when we place Terrell Suggs mementos to a display in the next few days.
Comment (2)
A new "For Pete's Sake" blog appears each Thursday on Profootballhof.com.
Last week Jack Butler visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame to prepare for his enshrinement in August. The former great cornerback from the 1950s Pittsburgh Steelers took time to visit our archives. We sat around with Jack and listened to some great stories from his days in the NFL.
One particular one, I had him share when I sat down to interview him. It was about the day that the Steelers honored him during the 1959 season. As part of the pomp and circumstance, he was not only featured on the game program cover but was “given” a car. Funny thing, as he recalls, he’s still wondering what happened to the vehicle awarded to him some six decades ago!
Here’s the game program cover.
Here is Jack’s interview with me as he tells the story about the car.
It got me thinking that we have several images in our photo collection of players from that era who were honored in a similar fashion. There are great shots of these stars standing next to a brand new car. It was always my assumption that the players drove home in the car. That was until last week when Butler told us his story.
Here’s another car story for you. The famed Slingin’ Sammy Baugh revolutionized the NFL’s passing game during his career with the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952. So, it came as no surprise that he would be the focal point of one of these celebrations. His time came on Nov. 23, 1947 when the Redskins hosted the Chicago Cardinals.
Before the game, Baugh stood at the center of Griffith Stadium next to a brand new wood-paneled Packard station wagon, reportedly worth $3,000. The car, presented to him by the Washington Touchdown Club, had the inscription “Slingin’ Sam” on one side and a big “33” on the other side.
Obviously, Baugh was affected by the tribute. All he did was go out and have one of the finest days of his entire 15-year career. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 355 yards and tossed six TD passes to lead Washington to a stunning 45-21 upset of that season’s eventual league champion Cardinals.
Now, back to the car. Unlike Butler’s experience, Sammy actually received the car and drove it home. But by midweek his prized new vehicle was the subject of headlines. The Washington Post’s big headline read “Baugh’s Station Wagon Thrown for Loss.”
Baugh, just days after getting the keys, was hurrying back from Philadelphia to take part in a Thanksgiving Day high school game in Alexandria, Va. in which he was to crown the queen. While traveling through Maryland an oncoming car swerved into Baugh’s lane forcing him to drive the Packard into a ditch on the side of the road. The driver of the other vehicle never stopped.
Fortunately for Baugh, and the Redskins, he suffered minor injuries and was able to play the following weekend. As for his ride, that took the hardest hit with its passenger side doors and rear fender badly damaged. But, just hours after the accident, Sammy was contacted by a fan who offered to cover the hundreds of dollars in repairs.
Maybe Butler should be happy he never got his car!
Baugh, Sammy
Comment (0)