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Pro Sports Wrap - by Sam Ruesler

Bo Harris Player Profile

December 10th 2011 15:25
Bo Harris was a left outside linebacker who played with the Cincinnati Bengals for eight seasons from 1975-1982. A third rounder out of LSU, Harris would wear the No. 53 and would be worth 44 AV during his entire career. Pro-Football Reference's similarity score says that Harris's career was similar to current linebackers Karlos Dansby and D.J. Williams.


After a poor rookie year in which Harris didn't really have much of a chance to play, he had the best season of his career as a sophomore in the NFL. He was worth 10 AV and picked off two passes while also recovering two fumbles and fumbling once on his own. The net return yardage on those four turnovers was -5, and he had 13 fumble return yards on five fumble recoveries in his career (2.6 yards per fumble return).

A season later, Bo Harris also played in 14 games and picked off two passes. Although he did nothing else, he still had a decent season. 1978 was a year to forget for Harris, as he played in only half of the team's games, was worth just 1 AV (tied for his career low as a rookie in 1975), and the only thing he did was recover a fumble.

In 1979, Harris got back on track and played in 15 games, setting a career high at the time. He didn't do much that year and was mediocre overall, and the same can be said about his 1980 season. However, Harris did get on the stat sheet that year with two fumble recoveries for a career-high 15 yards.In 1981, Harris played in 16 games; the most in his career. He started in all of them, picked off two more passes, and he had 92 total interception return yardage due to a 49 yard return. He was worth 8 AV, after being worth 5 or less for the previous three seasons.


1982 was the last season of Bo Harris's career, but it was a solid one in the nine games he played and started in. Harris had one interception, but the important thing is that he returned it 62 yards for the only touchdown of his career. He also had two sacks in the first year that this statistic was recorded, so it was a solid 29-year-old, final-season campaign for Harris.

Bo Harris finished off his career with 103 total games appeared in to go with seven picks for 168 total yards returned on those INTs. He was a slightly above-average LOLB who had a key interception in a Wild Card game in 1982 against the Buffalo Bills. Harris would return it for 16 yards in a narrow 28-21 victory at the age of 28 (his second-to-last season).
Bo Harris
8-year LB with Bengals
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Larry Brooks was a little-known 14th round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1972 NFL Draft. Brooks was a Little All-American in 1971, but his impact on sports in Virginia wasn't; he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. Coming out of a small school didn't help Brooks much, but he was starting for the Rams in the second half of his rookie season. He started with legends Merlin Olsen, Jack Youngblood, and Coy Bacon.

In 1973, he was firmly entrenched as a starter after being moved from right defensive tackle to left defensive tackle. Brooks had nine sacks in '73 and had the most tackles of any defensive lineman on the team with 76. He really broke out in his first full season, and the Rams defense wasn't to be messed with. They were a force to be reckoned with against the run, and they never allowed 300 yards during any game that season.

A year later, the Rams were unquestionably the best defensive team and were easily the best team in run defense. The Rams also led the NFC with 44 sacks, and a quarter of those were provided by Larry Brooks. He also recorded 73 tackles, and the trio of Brooks, Youngblood, and Fred Dryer were unstoppable.

Although his season was cut short by a knee injury, Brooks still managed to put down the QB five times in 1975. The Rams almost set the NFL record for least points allowed, and they were still stout against the run. However, Brooks presence would have helped when they got drubbed 37-7 by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship.

Jack Youngblood and Larry Brooks both recorded 14.5 sacks to lead the Rams in 1976, and Brooks started a streak of five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. They were the only years in which the fans voted him in, but five is a nice string of appearances. Brooks managed to lead all Rams defensive linemen with 74 tackles, and he actually had 13 tackles for loss as well. The menacing Rams run defense was once again the best in the NFC, and Brooks had a lot to do with that.

In 1977, Brooks only had 6.5 sacks but still led all of the D-Linemen with healthy 71 tackles. The Los Angeles Rams Alumni even named him the team's best defensive lineman. The first time that the Associated Press named Brooks to an All-Pro team was in 1978 when he was a Second-team All-Pro. Although he missed a couple of games and the NFC Championship with a knee injury (again), Brooks still led the Rams with eight sacks and had a nasty 80 tackles. The Rams led the league in total defense but had a "down" year as they were "only" second in the NFC in sacks.

The L.A. Rams led the NFC with a hefty 52 sacks in 1979, and Larry Brooks accounted for six of those quarterback take-downs. However, his 99 tackles were even more impressive and he also tipped four passes. The AP gave him his first appearance as a First-team All-Pro that season, and he played through Super Bowl XIV with an injured ankle. This was obviously overshadowed (for good reason) by Jack Youngblood playing through a broken leg. The Rams did end up losing to the Steelers 31-19, but the game was closer than the score indicates.

1980 was the last year in which Brooks was a Pro Bowler, and it was also his last full season before a third knee injury in the middle of 1981 which ruined his career. In 1980, the Rams started using a rotation, so Brooks's 54 tackles were good enough to lead the team. He also had 8.5 sacks and the team had 56 total to lead the NFC. Brooks retired after playing in 131 games and starting in 122 of them during 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. No. 90 was named to 19 end of season award teams during his career, and the Virginia native is ranked as one of the top 500 players in NFL history in Pro-Football Reference's Fan EloRater (which you should check out if you like voting on NFL players and are a history buff).

From 1983-1990, Larry Brooks was the Rams defensive line coach. He then worked as a line coach for the Packers, Seahawks, Bears, Lions, and Cardinals.

Brooks was a player who is overshadowed right now because he played with legends. He was a great defensive tackle who deserves more recognition when one looks back and talks about some of the greatest defensive players in Rams history. He's no Hall of Famer, but you don't have to be a legend to be a star football player. And let's not forget, these numbers aren't official, but they are still amazing for a defensive tackle.
Played with Bacon in his rookie year
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I continue my recent string of Jaguars-themed Historical Player Profiles with their former star quarterback; Mark Brunell. The now-bankrupt backup Jets quarterback is probably shaking his head at the team's most recent loss. The lefty has lost most of his former glory, so I'm just going to focus on his notable seasons with the Jags and Washington Redskins.

Brunell is currently in his 17th season, and the three time Pro Bowler was a 5th round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. The Seahawks made a mistake in taking highly-regarded Notre Dame product Rick Mirer instead of waiting for Brunell to tumble. The Packers already had their answer in Brett Favre, and Brunell and the Jaguars struck gold when he was traded for a 3rd and fifth rounder.

The greatest quarterback in team history, Brunell would be named to the '96,'97, and '99 Pro Bowls. He was simply sensational in 1996, as he led the league in passing yards (4,367) and also led the NFL with 7.8 yards per attempt. This was made all the more impressive when you consider he was sacked a league-leading 50 times. It was the best season of his career, and he even had a league-leading three fourth quarter comebacks to show for it. Despite the 63.4 completion percentage, Brunell did throw 20 picks that year.

A season later, Mark Brunell still made the Pro Bowl- and was the game's MVP- on the strength of just seven interceptions. He also averaged 7.6 air yards per attempt and had a 91.2 QB Rating.

A devout Christian who is known as one of the nicest players and best mentors in the league, Mark Brunell threw for under 3,000 yards in 1998 but came back in 1999 with 3,060 yards and another Pro Bowl appearance (the last one of his career). Only two percent of his passes were picked off, and Brunell had another solid season.

Two interesting statistical streaks emerge when looking at Brunell's career, and these are his six straight seasons of at least 200 passing yards per game (1996-2001) and his streak of eight consecutive seasons with a QB Rating of at least 82.0 (1995-2002). Brunell has a career AV of 120, a QB Rating of 84.0, 6.9 yards per attempt, and 22 game-winning drives. Pro-Football Reference's Fan EloRater has him as the 374th best player in NFL history as of November 9th.

Known as a good scrambler, Mark Brunell was dealt to the Washington Redskins after the 2003 season when Byron Leftwich was named the Jaguars new starting quarterback.

However, Brunell got off to an awful start with his new team in 2004. In 2005, he turned up the heat to the tune of an 85.9 QB Rating and was third in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award voting. He came up big with two key touchdown passes in an MNF game against the 'Skins most hated rivals; the Dallas Cowboys. His two bombs to the elite Santana Moss in the final four minutes gave them an incredible 14-13 victory. Although they were knocked out in the playoffs, they were able to take down the Tampa Bay Bucs in the Wild Card game.

Brunell set the record for the most consecutive complete passes in a game (22) in a game against the Houston Texans in 2006. However, eight weeks later, David Carr tied that record. What makes this all the more interesting is the fact that those 22 passes were his first attempts of the game.

That game was the only high point of a poor season for Brunell, as he was surprisingly benched in favor of first round pick Jason Campbell. Although Campbell would go on to have a decent career- up until his unfortunate injury this season- many people believed that this was an imprudent move and that the usually classless Redskins made Mark Brunell their scapegoat.

The Whataburger owner and Madoff/Dykstra investor signed on with the New Orleans Saints to back up superstar QB and franchise savior Drew Brees. This turned out to be a great move for the holder, as he won a Super Bowl ring thanks to the prolific play of Brees under center in 2009. The former Ed Block Courage Award winner and "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year did play a role as one of the main advisers to Drew Brees that season.

Mark Brunell signed a two-year deal with the New York Jets in 2010 to back up and mentor Mark Sanchez. Although a solid backup, Brunell was released after the 2010 season and was forced to take a reduced pay cut. He did, and Brunell has filed for bankruptcy since; mainly thanks to some ill-advised investments. It is a somewhat sad story, but at least he has that ring and those 11 Whataburgers won't be closing either.

Although Mark Brunell wasn't a great quarterback by any measure, he was a solid player and is a great person. Everybody will tell you that he is one of the best mentors around, and he is a very religious person whose attitude made him an ideal leader. The problem is that his life has been ridden with bad-luck, and it has costed him what would have certainly been a better career. However, Brunell was able to win a Super Bowl with the Saints and has had a nice 17-year career thus far.
108 AY/A-plus for his career



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To continue my NFL historical player profiles that take a look at some noteworthy former players, I take a stop to the Chicago Bears teams of the 80's to write about their quarterback; Jim McMahon.

The fifth overall pick by the Bears in the 1982 NFL Draft out of BYU, McMahon began slinging passes the year Mike Ditka became head coach of the Chicago Bears. In fact, the coach and injury-prone QB were known to have clashes. We all know the whole headband story when he wore a headband under his helmet that said "Rozelle" to irk then-commissioner Pete Rozelle.

One of the best play-action passers in history, McMahon threw exactly 100 touchdown passes in his career and is 100th on the all-time passing touchdowns list. He made only one Pro Bowl, and that was in the famous 1985 season. When we look at his career in general, he was merely an average quarterback who was famous because of his personality and the defense behind him. I don't think anybody refutes that at all either, but he is an interesting player to look at from a historical perspective.

Not many people know that McMahon wore contact lenses while playing, because he is legally blind in one eye after an accident from his childhood. A dynamic rookie in the '82 season, McMahon soon became one of the best passers while rolling out thanks to his unique form in squaring up his shoulders.

Jim McMahon had a 15 year career, and he spent the first seven of those seasons with the Bears. In 1988, he had four rushing touchdowns, as the Bears wanted to use the quarterback sneak during McMahon's reign as their QB. His on-field awarness and instincts made up for some rather poor accuracy. At the time, McMahon was one of the most clutch quarterbacks, and he led the NFL in 1987 with three fourth quarter comebacks.

The injury prone "Mad Mac" was the 1991 Comeback Player of the Year, after recording a career-high 60.1 completion percentage and a respectable 80.3 QB Rating coming off of a serious injury that derailed his first season as an Eagle. So while McMahon wasn't really a special player talent-wise, pretty much every football fan knows him for the "Super Bowl Shuffle" and all the other crazy stuff he did while with the Bears.
Known as "Darth Vader
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The brother of the second greatest tight end in NFL history- who was also recently inducted into the Hall of Fame, Sterling Sharpe was a talented NFL player in his own right. The wide receiver who was a first rounder out of South Carolina led the league in receptions three times during his brief career. Had he not suffered that neck/spinal injury, Sharpe would undoubtely be a Hall of Famer. As far as talent goes, Sterling Sharpe is one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history.

Over a seven year career, the Packers lifer was a four time Pro Bowler and three time 1st Team All-Pro. In '92, his 108 receptions broke the previous record for a single-season receptions total set by Art Monk. However, a year later, Sharpe bested that by recording 112 catches. In '92, Sharpe's career-high 1,461 receiving yards led the NFL (first time in his career). In fact, Sharpe won the Triple Crown of Receiving in 1992 as he also led the league with 13 touchdown receptions. The only player since then to accomplish this defeat was Steve Smith in his legendary 2005 season. Smith is like Sharpe, in that he is one of the most talented receivers of all-time; but he may never make it to the Hall of Fame


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The Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers were two wonders to behold in the 90's. The Jags made four straight playoff appearances after their first ever season in 1996, and the Panthers were in the conference championship in just their second season. For the Jaguars, cornerback Aaron Beasley was a key contributor having been their 3rd rounder in the team's first draft. Beasley spent six seasons with the team and picked off 15 passes.

I want to get rid of the ugly air first and mention that Aaron Beasley was convicted of battery, but the charges were dropped. Another interesting note is that he co-founded the energy drink company Fever. One of the best players in WVU's history, Beasley certainly lived up to his All-American and WVU Hall of Fame billing


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10/2011 Player Profile: Sedrick Ellis

October 26th 2011 13:52
The New Orleans Saints have the luxury of being four-deep at defensive tackle with Aubrayo Franklin, Shaun Rogers, Sedrick Ellis, and Tom Johnson. The problem for the Saints is that for as good as the interior of their defensive line is, the team struggles on a whole against the run due to the utter incompetence from the linebackers (most namely the overrated Johnathan Vilma).

While Ellis is a pretty good defensive tackle, he is inconsistent and can get blown off of plays in run defense. He also isn't good at pressuring the quarterback, and thus he is the most overrated of the team's defensive tackles. So while he was a solid (but nothing more) contributor against the run, Sedrick Ellis has not been an effective pass rusher since his insane and unattainable (for him) rookie season. He still has a chance to be a productive interior pass-rushing presence instead of a very poor one, but that really doesn't seem very likely at this point. He does show flashes in that department at times, but he earns his starting keep on reputation and his rookie year


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Ah, it's finally October and the sporting world is buzzing. The players and owners are still talking instead of balling over in the NBA, the MLB playoffs are here, the Canadians are worrying about the Canucks and Leafs, and the NFL season is as crazy and messed up as ever. To keep this constant amid all this turnover, I'd like to take a breather and briefly look at a former Steelers' career.

The Detroit Lions took Tom Tracy in the 5th round (50th overall), and that just goes to show how many teams there were in 1956. The running back did nothing in his first two seasons, and "The Bomb" signed on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the next 5 and 1/4 seasons, Tracy would play Pro Bowl football in the city of Pittsburgh


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And on I march with these historical player profiles, while listening to Nirvana of course. Is Dave Grohl not the best rock personality in recent history? While that would be a very entertaining topic to discuss, my "job" here is sports analysis. It's an equally fruitless activity in the eyes of the equally ignorant public, but why listen to the ignorant who have not reaped the rewards of sports? I mean, every diehard sports fan admits that they have learned a lot about life with sports as a medium. Life is like Shawn and sports are like Gus, Gus translates the incoherent nonsense Shawn says. Likewise, sports help translate the craziness and seeming randomness of everyday life. Alright, I'm gonna stop being philosophical- and not get religious- and hit up this HPP.

Before I start this post, I want to go off on another monologue (an aside would be if I was talking to myself, but I'm not Jack White). Why is Dwight Howard's nickname D12? Like, how does that make sense at all? I hate it when people make basketball player's nicknames out of their initial and jersey number. AK47 is cool, but D12 is as ludicrous as the rapper. The guys who made up this nickname are popping too many purple pills and seeing too many purple hills


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The feedback I have received about the Historical Player Profiles has definitely been positive, and I am going to continue with my analysis of former NFL players. I don't really have much information to go on, but I always try to do my best to put forth something meaningful. These posts shouldn't be taken too seriously, because they are really meant as a fun look back at a player in history. I feel that it is important to revisit the players (both good and bad) who were on the playing field. And who knows? You might just learn something along the way. I definitely gained a ton of new football knowledge while researching these guys.

As of right now, Tony Brackens has the most sacks in Jacksonville Jaguars history and has the 7th most solo tackles (301). The defensive lineman spent his entire eight year career with the Jags and accumulated 55 sacks. Brackens was the first pick in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. His 27 career fumbles forced are easily the highest in franchise history, and he forced five fumbles in four seasons in his career


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2011 NFL Kick-off preview

September 7th 2011 16:40
As I sit here in my comfortable abode on an all too crappy netbook typing this post out while blaring Tool, my mind is busy contemplating the rigorous ahead of us (NFL fans). The parity in the NFL makes predicting a difficult task, but I do know one thing for sure; this is going to be one hell of a season. Don't believe me? Well, why don't you just take a look at the season's first game between the Packers and Saints? I don't need to tell you how great these two teams are, and just how great these two teams will be in February. Oh wait...this is the NFL, where crazy happens.

The Eagles, Falcons, Saints, and Packers are the NFC's undisputed Big Four heading into the season. They have very little questions surrounding their teams, and these are the guys who you put your sports' dignity on the line when you make your predictions. But with a full season looming ahead, injuries, poor execution, and the usual unexpected twists and turns that happen during 16 weeks of football will make the guessing game an even more difficult affair. For now, I'll just stick to one game and break down how I think things will end up between the Packers and Saints
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I am continuing my Historical Player Profiles with wide receiver Morris Owens. He was a 5th round pick in the 1975 draft out of Arizona State, but he never received playing time as a rookie with the Dolphins. However, he would make a name for himself in the city of Tampa the following season.

The Buccaneers inaugural season was in 1976, and Owens was a huge part of their team. He scored the team's first touchdown pass in franchise history; a one yard pass from Louis Carter. He finished off his first full season with six touchdown receptions on 30 total catches for 390 receiving yards overall


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I have decided to start a new blog segment where I talk a little bit about a now retired athlete who is most likely not a well-known player. There will usually be very little information regarding the player in question, but I will try and do my best to talk a little bit about him. The inaugural historical player profile will be Dean Hamel's.

Dean Hamel was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 1, 1961 and played his college ball at Tulsa. Hamel is currently working for a company speed and agility training company called "3 Up, 3 Down" after spending six seasons in the NFL for two rival franchises


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2002 Darryl Kile is found dead in his hotel room before a Route 66 rivalry game. The Cardinals pitcher's tragic death still brings a tear to my eyes today.

1926 Grover Cleveland Alexander was picked off of waivers by the Cardinals from the Cubs. The pitcher was 39 at the time


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There is an eighty percent chance that Cedric Benson remains with the Cincinnati Bengals for another season. He showed up at player workouts, he likes Andy Dalton, and he is happy that the playbook contains more running plays than last year. The Bengals passed it way too much last season, and that just doesn't make sense for a team with a running back who is easily better than the quarterback.

"I've been very passive the last three years, almost because I've had to," Benson said to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I'm not saying I'm a totally different person or I'd be crazy vocal or anything like that. I would be a little bit more expressive. I work hard and am passionate about it. I want the guys I'm playing with to be the same way


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6/19 Daily Rundown: Crawford on DL

June 19th 2011 05:53
1. Hamstring Sends Crawford to DL

Carl Crawford was put on the 15-day DL for a minor hamstring injury. The injury happened in a 10-4 win over the Brewers, and the hamstring was viewed as a Grade 1 strain. The medical staff thought it would be best for him to rest up his hamstring. Crawford was injured after beating it out for an infield single


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