Akeem Jordan Promoted, Steve Van Buren Remembered

Posted: August 27th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 29 Comments »

The Eagles shook up the LB depth chart on Sunday by promoting Akeem Jordan to starting WLB and moving Brian Rolle to the backup spot.  There is no secret that I’m a big fan of Rolle’s.  I’ve loved him (so to speak) since his days at Ohio State.  He then came here and had a good rookie season.  He showed a lot of promise.

The problem is that Rolle hasn’t shown the kind of progress this year that the Eagles expected to see.  He doesn’t look bad.  He still runs around at 100mph and plays his butt off.  He’s intense.  He’s tough.  That stuff was good enough in his rookie year.  In Year 2, the team wanted a more polished, more consistent player.  While Rolle was good in the mini-camps and maybe even at Lehigh, he has been sloppy in the preseason games.

Rolle made several mistakes in the Browns game.  None were huge.  None were all that costly.  The mistakes were due to lack of talent or effort.  They were dumb mistakes.  There was an offside call.  There was a blown coverage where Rolle got picked by a receiver (should have seen that coming).  There were a couple of plays where he was in the wrong gap vs run plays.

While Rolle was sloppy over the last 3 weeks, he wasn’t such a problem that the Eagles felt he had to be replaced.  They weren’t thrilled with his play, but weren’t about to bench him without a better option.  The initial hope was that Jamar Chaney would steal the job.  The coaches still like his talent a lot.  The problem is that he’s been hurt and has only played a handful of preseason snaps.

Enter Akeem Jordan.

Jordan has quietly had a terrific summer.  He was very good at Lehigh.  He has played very well in the PS games.  Jordan has been the backup SAM and has played on the #2 Nickel unit.  Here are my notes from the first couple of PS games:

PIT – #2 SAM. Did a good job of working his way to ball on GL run and helping to stuff the play. PIT ran a draw to his side. Shed block and stopped RB for short gain. Tackled RB on mis-direction play that came his way. Minimal gain. Played in the #3 Nickel. Tackled RB on draw for little gain. TFL on draw play late in the game.

NE – Good game. Played as #2 SAM and in the #2 Nickel. Good in coverage. Good vs run. Blitzed off the edge and batted a pass back at the QB. Wasn’t officially credited with a tackle, but was around the ball several times. Chaney’s injury has allowed Jordan to play his way into the #4 LB spot. Looks good.

The downside with Jordan is that there’s no upside.  He is what he is, a solid player.  He’s not going to become an impact starter.  He’s not going to be special.  In the current situation, that’s okay.  Think about it.  Mychal Kendricks is the star OLB.  DeMeco Ryans is the MLB and veteran/leader.  The other LB can be a complementary piece and that’s just fine.

Some have asked how I know Jordan can’t still emerge as a good player.  Theoretically it is possible, but the guy has been a starter off and on since 2008 hasn’t ever shown anything special.  He’s got 27 starts, 2 INTs, 1 sack.  I’d love him to prove me wrong and to break out and become a terrific LB.  Major long shot.  I’ll be happy if he’s solid and consistent.

As for my son…Brian Rolle…he needs to have the right attitude here.  He must see this as a challenge.  He can win the job back if he eliminates the sloppy mistakes and makes more plays.  Rolle can do it.  He’s got to play more under control.  He’s got to show more of a feel for things. Going 100mph isn’t always the right answer.  Be smart, then attack.

Jamar Chaney isn’t out of this yet, but he’s got the biggest challenge.  He must stay healthy and play well.

* * * * *

Cliff Harris got cut on Sunday.  This did surprise me.  He showed really good potential early on at Lehigh.  He then got hurt and never seemed to get all the way back.  He did pick off a tipped pass vs CLE.  Cliff has NFL talent.  He got caught in a tough situation.  Injury + numbers crunch just got the best of him.  Not sure if there were any off the field issues.  That stuff kept him from being drafted, but I never heard any complaints about him in Philly.

This cut also has a lot to do with the emergence of Trevard Lindley.  He’s quietly had a real good showing in camp and the PS games.  It won’t shock me if he earns a roster spot.  As for Harris, it will be interesting to see if he’s claimed or the Eagles can put him on the practice squad next week.

* * * * *

AC Viking, our Eagles history expert, did us the great favor to share his thoughts on Eagles legend Steve Van Buren, who died last week.  Must read material.  Great stuff.  

“The Big Moving Van”

by AC Viking

DISCLOSURE: Steve Van Buren was before my time. By almost 20 years. And his college career by even more. Though, from living in the south, I’d learned that down in the bayou at LSU, way back in 1943, he was called “The Big Moving Van”.

Van Buren has 4 of the top 25 rushing seasons for the Eagles – accomplished in 10 and 12 game seasons. No other Eagles had more than three, though I expect McCoy will pass SVB in this respect. If Van Buren’s best years are converted to 16 game seasons, Van Buren would have 4 of the top 6 rushing seasons. (Yes, I know, if Shady McCoy played in 1949, he’d have kicked ass, too. Nevertheless, I think if Van Buren played today, he’d be a starter for someone and very, very good.)

Van Buren and with Concrete Charlie Bednarik were the only names you’d hear at Franklin Field in the mid- to late-1960s not followed by “boooooooo.” The most notorious name you’d hear was HC/GM Joe Kuharich, whose hiring still remains mystifying. Kuharich couldn’t coach very well. But he made up for it by being a terrible GM. (H/T John McKay.)

During the ‘70s, Van Buren had begun to fade into the kind of obscurity that surrounds great athletes whose careers were 25 years in the past and who—unlike Bednarik—don’t seek attention.

___________________

When Dick Vermeil came to the Eagles and turned Wilbert Montgomery into an All Pro, Van Buren’s name seemed to get unearthed again. And the sweetest reference I remember to Steve Van Buren came on January 11, 1981. That was the day the Eagles whipped the ‘Boys in the 1980 NFC title game—it really was the Eagles’ Super Bowl that year.

Montgomery had a huge day on the ground despite a bad quad. Near the game’s end, with the Eagles up by 13 and grinding the clock, Wilbert had maybe his greatest broken-field run . . . a 55-yarder which took him straight, then right, then left . . . then southwest . . . until he finally ran out of gas.

With that carry, the announcers — CBS’s great tandem of Pat Summerall and the late Tom Brookshier, a member of the Eagles last championship team in 1960—said that Montgomery had gone over 200 yards and broken the NFL playoff-rushing record of 202 yards set by the Rams Lawrence McCutcheon in 1975 against the Cardinals. (Ron Jaworski was the Rams QB that day—just months away from being an Eagle—and threw a 66 yard TD to former Eagles WR Harold Jackson to put the Rams up 28-6 in the 2nd Q against “Air Coryell”. From that point on, the Rams gave the Cards a steady diet of McCutcheon, who finished the game with 37 carries—setting a playoff record that lasted just 4 years . . . when Tampa Bay’s Ricky Bell pummeled the Eagles in the most heartbreaking of many heartbreaking playoff losses for 38 carries for 142 yards in the Bucs’ 1979 divisional playoff win.)

But Summerall’s initial report of a new record wasn’t correct. A few minutes later, he said that Montgomery had 196 yards, tying the Eagles’ great Steve Van Buren’s incredible championship performance in the 1949 NFL Championship game at the LA Coliseum in a torrential downpour (Whoever says, “It never rains in Southern California” must have been from England, right? Oh, that’s right, he was.). A few minutes later, Summerall correctly said that Montgomery actually had 194 yards.

______________________

At that point, 33 years after he retired, Steve Van Buren still owned the record for most rushing yards in an NFL title game and in an Eagles game. While the new benchmark had become the Super Bowl, Van Buren’s records stood for another 6 years.

Brilliant SB games by Dolphin Larry Csonka in 1974, Steeler Franco Harris in 1975, Redskin John Riggins in 1983 (S Lyle Blackwood is still trying to hold on!), and Raider Marcus Allen in 1984 couldn’t top Steve Van Buren’s 196 yards in the LA downpour. It took the ‘Skins 1-game wonder, Tim Smith with 204 yards, against an absolutely awful Broncos defense in the 1988 SB to finally move Van Buren from No. 1 spot.

______________________

Van Buren and the rest of the Eagles ’49 team were among the greatest NFL teams ever—with three NFL HOFers: Van Buren, Concrete Charlie Bednarik, and TE Pete Pihos—and several other great players. The Eagles played the “full house T” with Van Buren usually as the LHB, though sometimes at FB right behind the QB, and the RHB was the under-appreciated WWII vet Bosh Pritchard—who led the NFL in YPA rushing at 6.0 in 1949. The QB was Tommy Thompson, who in 1948 had a QB rating of 94.8—nothing to sneeze at, especially with the shape of the ball and the way the game was played back then. There was Bucko Kilroy at OG and DT, who became a perennial All Pro and played like Ndamukong Suh.

In 1949, after winning the title game against the Rams, the Eagles finished at 12-1.

The Eagles’ offense finished 1st in total offense and 1st in rushing.

The Eagles’ defense finished 1st in total defense, 1st in pass defense, and 2nd vs the run – by just 21 yards—to the Chicago Bears . . . the only team to beat the Eagles in 1949 by a score of 38-21. (The Bears held the Eagles to less than 25 yards rushing while running for 200 yards and passing for another 257 yards behind All Pro QB and Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack. Backing up Lujack and kicking extra points and FGs was the not-yet ageless rookie George Blanda, who went on to play another 24 years.)

The 1949 Eagles defense, for its time, was as great as the 1991 Eagles. In fact, the ’49 Eagles outscored their opponents 364 to 134, giving up just 11 points per game. (If you toss out the Bears game—a team in the old West Division that may have had the Eagles’ number back then—the Birds’ defense gave up just 8.7 pt/game.)

_____________________

What I found most interesting in looking back at Van Buren’s career the business side of his career.  He joined the NFL in 1944. The next year, in 1945, an upstart professional league called the All America Football Conference was starting—just as the AFL would do 14 years later. (The Cleveland Browns, one of the original 8 teams, won the championship every year until 1949, after which the league disbanded and the NFL added the Browns, LA Rams, and SF 49ers.)

In 1945, Van Buren led the NFL in rushing with 852 yards, KO returns with a 28.7 average and 1 TD, and scored 18 TDs in just 10 games (the record McCoy broke last year)—and he even picked up 1 interception. Van Buren, like all pro athletes of the era, played on year-to-year contracts. And he was no fool.

Before the ’46 season, rumors persisted that Van Buren might jump to the AAFC. He’d been an All Pro his first two years. The AAFC was—like the AFL later—creating leverage for NFL players.

Van Buren’s career ended in 1952 because of an injury. In 1953 he became an Eagles’ assistant coach. And in 1963, he became head coach of the Newark Bears of the Atlantic Coast pro football league—where he won the 1963 title against the Springfield Acorns and, the following season, lost the title game to the Boston Sweepers.

In 1965, with Van Buren as their Head Coach, the Newark Bears applied for admission to the fledgling AFL. With the Jets and Giants already nearby, the AFL rejected the Bears’ application. The team then moved south to Orlando, with Van Buren staying behind in the Northeast. In 1967, Van Buren surfaced as the head coach of the Middletown franchise in the new North American Football League.

____________________

A couple years ago, Ray Diddy did a bit for NFL Films, re-introducing us to Steve Van Buren as the 58th greatest player in NFL history. It’s worth a peek. He was truly dominant. The misdirection plays he ran are great to watch. And the downfield blocking was, well, exactly what you’d expect to see from Jeremy Maclin.

RIP, SVB.

* * * * *

The game review on the Eagles/Browns will be posted later.

If you want to hear Jimmy Bama and I talk about it, check out our newest podcast.  Things started off normal, then the show went all over the place.  We had a lengthy discussion on the 1998 Eagles.  I showed off my useless knowledge of the statistics from that season.  And my math skills.  Jimmy liked the math skills more.  The show went just over an hour, but the discussion was so entertaining that we didn’t want to arbitrarily end it.  Take a listen and let us know what you think.

The levels still are off.  I moved my mic back a couple of extra inches, but that didn’t help as much as I’d hoped.  We’ll figure this out eventually.

_


29 Comments on “Akeem Jordan Promoted, Steve Van Buren Remembered”

  1. 1 iskar36 said at 1:56 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Do you make anything of the timing for the Eagles cutting Harris? To me, it seems like he was basically singularly called out by being cut a day after they made 10 cuts and before they made their final 4 moves today. It seems to me that wasn’t completely random/coincidence, especially considering he does seem to have talent.

  2. 2 TommyLawlor said at 2:47 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Very possible. Might have done something that pissed off the coaches. This cut did feel like a message.

    Or maybe the Eagles are messing with the other 31 teams. By cutting Harris like this, could scare them away, thinking something was wrong. Eagles can be sneaky at times. Not likely here, but fun to speculate.

  3. 3 Arby1 said at 2:52 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Here’s a theory: what if they like him enough to PS him, but don’t want to make him a final cut thereby calling more attention to him. Cut him earlier and the morning after the other cuts, singling him out while denying any problem. It raises questions for teams that might have interest in him. Either that or he got totally wasted celebrating that interception the other night….

  4. 4 Joe Taylor said at 2:54 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Tommy, I got some questions for you…lol.

    Could Chase Ford play fullback? Or would that be automatic no-no because of his height? He’s a solid blocker and has talent at TE. But FB’s need to get low so would that be bad for his 6’6 frame?

    With this years roster having so much depth at different positions, would it be a stupid idea to just keep 2 QB’s (Vick and Foles) and use that 3rd QB spot for another DL, Chris Polk, Keenan Clayton, or even P. Thomas? Let’s be real…If we lose Vick and Foles for the season, there’s virtually no chance that we could reach the playoffs with the #3 QB. So this year specifically, should we use that spot for another talented player at a different position?

    Do you think Nnamdi’s in for a big bounce back season? He doesn’t seem like the shut down corner he once was…

    Could Damaris Johnson take some snaps away from Avant this year in 3WR sets?

    Do you think we’re going to keep 5 or 6 CBs? If we keep 6 CBs, do we keep Hughes or Lindley?

    I know he’s been injured but does Casey Matthews have a shot to compete at WILL this year or is only going to be BU MLB?

    Assuming Brian Rolle never get’s his starting job back, who’s a more valuable back-up? Undersized Rolle or Cover LB Clayton? What LB has the best chance at shutting down Jimmy Graham, J. Finley, Vernon Davis, etc? Don’t we NEED to keep Clayton?

    For the DLine. Ideally you want to have 5 DTs and 5 DEs.
    Mike Patterson is a factor but you gotta look at it this way. Who has played better, Thornton or Dixon? Thornton…
    Who has played better at their position? Dixon or Tapp? Tapp…
    Dixon hasn’t earned a spot and the only reason why will stay if he does stay is the possible loss of Mike Patterson for the season…
    Jenkins, Cox UTs…Landri, Thornton NTs. (4)
    Cole, Babin, Tapp, Hunt, Graham, Curry. (6)
    10 total and if a UT get’s hurt in the middle of a game, Graham can play there.
    If a NT goes down in the middle of the game, put Jenkins at NT rotation and move Graham to finish out the game in UT rotation.
    I think they should factor in that Graham could play DT if needed.

    And lastly, is it even worth saving a spot for Colt Anderson? Just because he’s a special teams ace? If he never had the ACL tear, I’d say heck yes…But since he’s a non factor in the Safety role and had an ACL tear late in the season last year, I don’t think we should have a spot for him this year. It usually takes a full year and a half for a player to return to his form…And that’s if they ever do recover 100%…Even if he checks out medically, what are the chances that we see him play close to the player he was last year?

    I think the Eagles should take in a lot of these situations/factors.

  5. 5 iskar36 said at 3:01 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    For me, I definitely agree with you on the Dixon vs. Tapp comment. Unless they trade Tapp, I think he has played too well to just cut while Dixon has not earned a spot on the team. 4 DTs is not ideal, but I’d rather keep the player who is playing well than the player who is playing poorly, despite what that means in terms of active roster vs. inactive on game day.

  6. 6 TommyLawlor said at 4:18 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    I’ll address most of these questions in a post. Some are topics that many would like to hear.

    As for Chase Ford at FB…no. Way too tall, upright.

    Damaris could steal snaps from Avant. Definite possibility.

  7. 7 Arby1 said at 3:05 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    AC – thanks for the SVB post! He was an Eagles hero to yours and my father’s generation. It is curious, as Tommy pointed out, that football old timers do not get the props that old baseball greats get. I guess that’s because the game of baseball has stayed more consistent while football has been so totally transformed by the increasing importance of the pass.

    I posted this the other day – a 2 page obit from the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/sports/football/steve-van-buren-hall-of-fame-running-back-dies-at-91.html?ref=obituaries

  8. 8 Joe Taylor said at 3:31 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Lol, I was bored and had nothing better to do so here’s my version of what I would do with the 53 man roster.

    Vick – Foles (2)
    McCoy – Lewis – Brown (3)
    Havili (1)
    Jackson – Maclin – Avant – Cooper – Johnson (5)
    Celek – Harbor (2)
    Dunlap – Bell – Mathis – Vandervelde – Kelce – Steve Vallos – Watkins – Herremans – Kelly (9)
    Offense (22)

    Cole – Babin – Graham – Hunt – Tapp – Curry (6)
    Jenkins – Landri – Cox – Thornton – Dixon (5)
    Jordan – Ryans – Kendricks – Matthews – Chaney – Clayton – Rolle (7)
    Asomugha – Rodgers-Cromartie – Boykin – Hanson – Marsh – Hughes (6)
    Allen – Coleman – Jarrett – Atogwe (4)
    Defense (28)

    Henry
    McBriar Special Team Players (3)
    Dorenbos

    Notable cuts would be…Kafka, Edwards, McNutt, Hall, Brackett, , P. Thomas, , C. Henry.

    Notable players that were on bubble that make it…Tapp, Dixon, Jarrett, Hughes, Hanson, & Clayton.

    I would like Ollie Ogbu make it over Dixon but I doubt that would happen.
    I would also like to see P. Thomas make the team but I think he will go on the Practice Squad and stay there.
    Mid-Season if injuries occur and you need to cut and sign someone else I think Hughes and Clayton would be the first and second choices. Maybe even Dixon.

    I know this 53 man roster that I put together won’t be close to what the Eagles actually do but this is what I would go with.

  9. 9 Matthew Verhoog said at 1:16 AM on August 28th, 2012:

    Well, you could put together a wicked special teams with that roster, on the other hand you are two QB injuries away from the wildcat

  10. 10 T_S_O_P said at 4:47 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    In these first cuts all the DL have survived. I can’t see us keeping more than 10 yet equally I can’t see us going as short as 4 DTs yet I can’t see Dixon making this team. Is it possible that our 5th (inactive) DT is Trotter or Ogbu? Alternatively, they could be on someone else roster. Favorite could be a favorite… around here at least.

  11. 11 Arby1 said at 8:37 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    I could see Favorite lining up outside the DE and just do that flying move parallel to the line of scrimmage every play. I’m sure he’d get more than his share of tackles just doing that.

  12. 12 austinfan said at 4:56 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Jordan – he’s a solid two down LB, why they benched him for Ernie Sims, well, there are worse DCs than Juan. He’s got decent speed, can blitz, is adequate as a cover LB, has improved. A guy you can get by with, but will always look to replace (and then he’s a great reserve LB).

    Harris – he has good coverage skills, but he’s skinny and lacks deep speed. So where do you play him down the road? Lindley has played well but unless he’s PS eligible, I don’t see him beating out Hughes, who has played better (and you can see the impact of Bowles on all the young CBs). They have Boykin and Hughes behind Hanson inside, and Harris lacks the strength for press or the speed to recover outside.

  13. 13 T_S_O_P said at 5:00 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    They grounded him the year before too. He got injured and found himself out if a job to Witherspoon when he returned to health. Also, he was cut at the start of last year under this DC. You got to figure that Jordan was responsible for some of that. Kudos to him for doing more a getting back.

  14. 14 Arby1 said at 5:48 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Agreed that Hughes has Lindley beat out.

  15. 15 Mac said at 12:49 PM on August 28th, 2012:

    I’m not so sure that Lindley doesn’t make the team. He is further removed from his injury, the Eagles liked him enough to draft him, older and probably more mature… and is learning from a more polished DBs coach this year.

    I certainly don’t think Lindley is a lock to make the 53… but I think he is making his case on the field.

  16. 16 P_P_K said at 5:02 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Off topic: The Bills have released Vince Young. Could be the end of his line. This reminds me, Donovan remains a free agent. I’m surprised no one has called him to hold a clipboard. Maybe he still believes he can be a starting qb.

  17. 17 Mac said at 12:45 PM on August 28th, 2012:

    I wouldn’t doubt that you have your finger on the problem. If McNabb could come back down to earth, he would be able to cash in on his value as a veteran QB who is still healthy (but not in any way likely to lead a team to the playoffs).

  18. 18 ACViking said at 5:16 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Re: Cutting Harris

    When asked why Harris wasn’t in Friday’s batch of 10, Andy Reid replied:

    “We couldn’t reach him.”

    That may be Reid-speak for “Harris didn’t do what he promised he’d do off the field.” I mean, how many guys does Harris know with a 215 area code?

    Reid’s remark may say it all about a guy I absolutely was rooting to make the team and give the Birds cap-flexibility at CB w/ Nnamdi and DRC.
    __________________

    ON THE OTHER HAND . . . I’d love to believe AR’s comment and decision to cut Harris early to send a signal to the rest of the NFL that Harris is “damaged goods.”

  19. 19 ICDogg said at 5:58 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Who knows. I don’t think I would read that much into it.

  20. 20 Matt Williams said at 7:57 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Regarding the signal . . . time will tell. I don’t rule it out, but I think it is a long shot. Lots of good PS candidates

    McNutt, Marvin – WR
    Ford, Chase – TE
    Jones, D.J. – T
    Washington, Brandon – G
    Taylor, Monte – DE
    Trotter, Frank – DT
    Ogbu, Ollie – DT
    Rau, Ryan – MLB
    Thomas, Phillip – FS

  21. 21 ACViking said at 5:52 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Re: QB Russell Wilson in Seattle

    T-Law:

    Very curious to hear you thoughts on Wilson as a No. 1 in the NFL (not Carroll’s decision, because Wilson may have outplayed a bad group).

    As much as Wilson may, by all accounts, be a great leader, he’s still a hair below 6 feet tall with a penchant for being a young-McNabb-like scrambler.

    In terms of his height, sure Drew Brees is just a bit taller. And Brees and former Vike/Giant HOFer Fran Tarkenton are the only short QBs to have great success in the playoffs.

    Maybe most important, Brees is a great pocket passer, with a good arm . . . and very accurate.

    Wilson is not a pocket passer. Outside the pocket, he’s Mike Vick-sized.

    And I don’t believe he’s nearly as accurate as Brees or Tarkenton. Arm-strength aside.

    Wilson’s a great kid. Reid liked him. (As T-Law recounted here, Wilson was the guy Reid targeted for Rd 3 and, once gone, he grabbed Foles.)

    But I really like the idea of the Eagles having, in Nick Foles, their first true, good sized “Pocket Passer” with — as he showed with some great small-window preseason throws — a pretty strong and very accurate arm as the heir apparent since Sonny Jurgensen. That’s more than 50 years ago.

    (Not saying Foles is Jurgensen, just that Foles looks like he’s shown the promise of being very good. If he’s to be a Jurgensen, Foles’ll need WRs of the quality of Tommy McDonald, Pete Retzlaff, Charlie Taylor, and Bobby Mitchell — 3 of 4 who are enshrined in Canton.)

    Bottom line, the question for me isn’t whether Wilson — and this goes for RG-III, also — accumulate exotic regular season passing-and-rushing numbers. The question is how will they do in the post-season when defenses are much better.

    Scramblin’ Fran Tarkenton led the Vikings to 3 SB appearances in 4 years in the mid-70s. But the Vikings never came close to winning. It happened that he also ran into the greatest teams of their era in ’73 Dolphins, the ’74 Steelers (who were about to become the ’74-’75, ’78-’79 SB Champ Steelers), and the ’76 Raiders — who played in the AFL/AFC title game 8 times in 10 years. (Remarkably, out of those 8 games, the Raiders reached the SB 2 times and lost the eventual SB champion 5 times: Chiefs (’69), Colts (’70), Dolphins (’73), Steelers (’74-’75).)

    Anyway, besides Tarkenton, is there another undersized *scrambling* QB who took their team to the SB and won? I can’t think of a single one.

  22. 22 Steven Dileo said at 6:49 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Are you concerned with the fact that Nnamdi has been beaten so many times in limited snaps. Against CLE it seemed as though the Browns were targeting him.

  23. 23 Anders said at 7:19 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    How many times have NA been beaten? like 3 times, that would mean over the course of a whole season mean something like 30 completed passes including short ones.

  24. 24 Neil said at 8:02 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Also, in most cases he’s being beaten by really good throws rather than the wide receiver, same thing as last year.

  25. 25 Anders said at 8:12 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    yea, im not faulting him for that.

  26. 26 ICDogg said at 8:51 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    I never worry about established veterans’ play in preseason. Because they aren’t worried about it either. 🙂

  27. 27 ian_no_2 said at 7:10 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Asomugha said that when he met Obama, he was asked “can you see about the Eagles putting Mike Gibson on Injured Reserve? That was good luck for me in 2008.”

  28. 28 Alex Karklins said at 9:47 PM on August 27th, 2012:

    Great post about Steve Van Buren, AC Viking! I always appreciate your historically themed posts.

  29. 29 Mac said at 12:49 PM on August 28th, 2012:

    100% agree