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Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Tony Romo

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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11/2011 Football Talk: The Detroit Lions

November 26th 2011 17:33
To me, the Lions as a team are really just like their quarterback; average and overrated. Matthew Stafford is about a league-average quarterback, and he makes a ton of mistakes because he forces throws and trusts in his ability too much. That's not to say he is a bad player, but he gets bailed out a ton by Calvin Johnson. Megatron is so talented that he is basically carrying an offense with help from Stafford. The rest of the skill position players aren't that good, although Brandon Pettigrew and Kevin Smith are about average for their positions. Nate Burleson doesn't scare anybody, but he is about an average receiver as well.

The biggest problem on offense for the Lions is their offensive line. Their line doesn't stink, but it is too inconsistent and gets manhandled when facing a dominant player. The reason being is that they don't have a top 15 player at any position on the line and can't take on the elite players on the other side of the ball and win those respective one-on-one matchups. Their blocking is subpar for the most part, and they really don't get it done as a run blocking unit. However, they are actually an average bunch in pass protection.

The defensive line is amazing and is about seven-deep. I think that's all I need to say about that unit. Stephen Tulloch and Justin Durant have provided major upgrades at linebacker; a position of immense weakness last season. Tulloch and Durant are two of the best linebackers in the league against the run, but Durant is a classic two-down linebacker who is absolutely awful in pass coverage. Tulloch was almost as bad in coverage in 2010, but he has made an unprecedented 180 in coverage this season.

The biggest area of weakness on this roster lies within arguably the most important unit for a team; the secondary. Aside from the much-improved Chris Houston, nobody else in the secondary can cover. Guys like Eric Wright and Chris Harris are excellent in run-support, but only Houston can legitimately claim to be above-average in coverage. While he isn't the greatest corner in the world and was poor last year, he can now hold is own in coverage and is really just a good No. 2 corner. The Lions need some help in the secondary.

Really, the Lions are an average team who are about 7-9 or 8-8 talent wise. They have a decent passing offense, a subpar running game, a great pass rush, solid run defense, but poor coverage.

I was looking at some of the receiving statistics at Advanced NFL Stats, and there are a couple of players who have stat-lines that caught my eye for reasons still unclear. Steve Smith goes deep on 41.8% of his passes and has been thrown at 91 times, yet he has a 61.5% catch rate and averages 10.9 yards per target. Only one other player with at least 80 targets has a Deep% of over 40, and that's Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson (who is considerably taller). V-Jax (46.3 Deep%) averages 10.0 yards per target, but he only catches 52.5% of the balls thrown his way. Greg Jennings catches an astounding 70.7% of the passes thrown his way, averages 10.2 yards per target (82 targets), and has gone deep on 32.9% of his passes.
Fine then, call me a hater
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After the Thanksgiving games have been played, it is now appropriate to start conjuring up early end of season award musings. With the MVP award all but given to Aaron Rodgers, I want to talk about the Rookie of the Year award. So far this season, there have been a handful of rookies playing at a high level, and this draft yielded some studs in the making. However, one of those guys is already a stud and stands out above the rest.

This special rookie's name isn't Cam Newton. The Panthers' quarterback does have a lot of hype surrounding him, but he takes a back seat to the less-heralded Von Miller. The Broncos outside linebacker was No. 2 to Newton's No. 1 in the draft, but that order should be reversed when talking about who is the better player. Newton may be a very mobile quarterback with a cannon of an arm, but he doesn't quite measure up to Von Miller.

Coming out of college, Miller was known as a gifted pass rusher who would translate seamlessly to the NFL level. That has all been proven true, but many people thought that he was just a pass rusher. Those people were proven wrong, as Miller has been lighting it up in run defense. He has already blossomed into one of the best pass rushers in the game, but his stout work in run defense has been overlooked but equally as important. Miller has been one of the best players this season- not just rookies- and has been one of the best ten outside linebackers this season. Newton has been great and all, but he's starting to come back to earth with some rather poor decision making. Right now, Miller has simply dominated the guys he has faced, just ask helpless Jets tackle Wayne Hunter what went down last week on Thursday.

Everybody now knows that Ndamukong Suh pulled a Wayne Rooney and literally stomped an offensive lineman on the Green Bay Packers in yesterday's loss. Suh gave strange explanation about his side of what transpired, and he will almost certainly be suspended because of his actions. I am more interested in talking about Suh as a player, his flaws, and the obvious strengths.

Ndamukong Suh is one of the strongest players in the NFL, and he has the uncanny ability to just bulldoze offensive lineman. Suh is also explosive and can blow by lineman from the snap. However, this aggression backfires more often than not in run defense, and this makes him an extremely inconsistent player against the run. He can make huge stops, but he mostly ends up nowhere near the play or causing a huge hole where he once was. Therefore, Suh is actually a subpar player against the run.

However, the strength/explosiveness of Suh also makes him a dangerous pass rusher who murders quarterbacks. He's one of those guys who can turn pressures into sacks, and he has the ability to take over the game against a poor interior (the Panthers game).

Because Suh is poor against the run, he is a "good" but not "great" player. With more experience and development, Suh will certainly improve his run-stopping ability and become great; bank on it. But for now, he is just a "good" defensive tackle. Suh is overrated, while some of his teammates on the line are very underrated because of his hype.

Cliff Avril is one of the better pass rushers in the NFL and is one of the more athletic ends in the league. Backup Willie Young has emerged as a solid player in limited snaps this season, and rookie Nick Fairley has been explosive when he has played. Defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill is a force in the interior, but it is best if he receives a limited amount of snaps in a rotational role due to his lack of endurance. Veteran tackle Corey Williams is underrated and is one of the best in the game. You really should watch what he did in Week 5 against the 49ers, it was incredible and showed Williams at his pass-rushing best. And hey, he blows up running lanes pretty well too. In fact, he is just as good- maybe even a hair better- than Suh. Aging defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch is overrated and on his last legs, but he is still about an average player on the best defensive line in the NFL.
Formerly known as "The Joker"

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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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11/2011 Cornerback Rankings

November 12th 2011 15:43
1. Darrelle Revis- Revis is easily the best cornerback in the NFL right now, and he breaks up almost as many passes as receptions allowed.

2. Nnamdi Asomugha- Despite a poor 2011, I still believe in his ability as a pure cover guy. However, Nnamdi is awful in run support and can't tackle


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In the last Football Talk column, I spent the majority of the article defending Tony Romo. Before I get into this piece, I want to say that the song "Innocence" by Disturbed is a great one to listen to if you are angered by the men who did nothing at Penn State. I can't believe six grown men completely ignored what happened, but I'll leave it at that without going on to a rant. As a PSU fan, I just don't want to talk about it. I also have a rap-related question for you all, and it concerns Big L's "Put It On". Is the dude with the Jamaican accent really Kid Capri? Thanks in advanced to those of you who will attempt to answer this baffling- to an idiot like me- question.

Eli Manning doesn't have Steve Smith anymore and has been playing with inexperienced receivers who are talented, but they aren't very good route-runners. Manning has been an MVP candidate thus far, because he has basically led his team to the top in the NFC East and led an amazing comeback to take down the Pats. Deja vu aside, Manning has the second highest air yards per attempt, and this is a testament to his elite play and downfield proficiency. In fact, Aaron Rodgers- perhaps the greatest quarterback of all-time by the end of his career- is the only player higher in AY/A with an insane 8.3. Yeah, you read that right; 8.3


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11/2011 Inside Linebacker Rankings

November 11th 2011 08:14
I have compiled a list of the top 15 3-4 inside linebackers in the NFL.

1. Patrick Willis- The dude can do everything at a high-level and is one of the best players against the run. Willis also more than holds his own in coverage, and he can even bring the heat up the middle; easily the best linebacker in football


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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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10/2011 RB Rankings

October 25th 2011 14:59
1. Adrian Peterson- And you thought I was going to put DeMarco Murray here. Seriously though, there is no back out there better than Peterson. He's everything you want in a pure rusher with his versatility in that he can blow by you, juke you out, and run you down 'till you fall flat on your face (the song is Madden 2003's "Suck It Up").

2. Jamaal Charles- The ACL tear sucks, and Charles is a monster who averaged only about six yards per carry last year


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10/2011 WR Rankings

October 21st 2011 15:20
1. Larry Fitzgerald- When will this guy get a quarterback again? Is uncoverable when he actually has good receivers around him as well. This is how Steve Smith used to feel before Cam Newton came around, except Smith still doesn't have all that good wideouts around him quite yet.

2. Andre Johnson- Statistically the best, but the game goes beyond stats. He isn't quite at Fitzgerald's level, but the distance between them is almost negligible


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9/2011 QB Rankings

September 29th 2011 18:27
1. Aaron Rodgers- The NFL's version of The Machine
2. Tom Brady- Look past the four picks; he owned the Bills
3. Drew Brees- He rips up secondaries


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9/2011 WR Rankings

September 24th 2011 13:50
1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Andre Johnson
3. Calvin Johnson


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9/2011 Player Profile: James Harrison

September 23rd 2011 15:17
I really don't want to address any of the off-the-field stuff in these profiles, because they are strictly about the game. James Harrison is one of those guys who says things that are filled with controversy. We all know that Harrison is one of the best five pass rushers in the game, but his ability on the field goes far beyond pressuring the quarterback and mauling tackles league-wide.

As far as 3-4 outside linebackers go, James Harrison is the best of the bunch. While it can be argued that DeMarcus Ware and Clay Matthews are better pass rushers, neither of those guys bring Harrison's run defense to the table. He's also pretty good in coverage for a guy who is mostly asked to rush the passer. For as prolific of a pass rusher as Clay Matthews is, he is very mediocre at stopping the run. Last season showcased his tremendous ability to get to the quarterback, but he was a huge disappointment in run defense


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I like to try to come up with questions that I don't currently have an answer for, and then I just start investigating and trying to come up with an answer. With all the great passing performances going on right now, you could argue that having a shutdown corner like Revis makes all the difference in the world. You, in a sense, take out the opposing quarterback's best weapon and are able to handcuff about 70 yards or so from an offense.

There is actually another question that I need to tackle first: who is the best shutdown corner in the game? Although quarterbacks are less likely to throw it at Nnamdi Asomugha, Revis is younger and is a slightly better corner overall. And oh by the way, he offers far more than Nnamdi in run support. It actually doesn't matter as to which corner you prefer, because either way, Nnamdi or Revis could be the best player in the league


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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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8/2011 QB Rankings

August 24th 2011 14:50
1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Peyton Manning
3. Tom Brady


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2011 NFL Draft Rankings

May 7th 2011 11:25
This post overviews all of the five parts and ranks which teams did the best and worst in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Great


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Philadelphia Eagles B plus- The Eagles usually do a solid job in the draft, and they did a good job this year. Danny Watkins is definitely going to start at guard, and he's a huge upgrade on the line. The Eagles' linebackers were poor last year, so the addition of Casey Matthews in the fourth round was a huge one for Philly. He was a nice deal there, and he will start. Dion Lewis can be a solid running back in the draft, and he was a nice pick in the fifth round.

Pittsburgh Steelers D plus- I really didn't like the draft the Steelers turned in this year. I love the Cameron Heyward pick a lot, but there was really nothing of note besides him for Pittsburgh


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Detroit Lions B minus- Nick Fairley slipped, and the Lions knew that his value at the 13th pick was too good to pass up on. While he doesn't fill a need- the Lions are already beastly at D-Tackle with Suh, Corey Williams, and Sammie Lee Hill- Fairley was far too talented to not pick. Titus Young will definitely help out Matthew Stafford because Detroit's third receiver last year- Bryant Johnson- was horrendous. Mikel LeShoure will spell the end of Kevin Smith in Detroit.

Green Bay Packers B minus- Derek Sherrod was needed to bulk up the tackles, and Randall Cobb was a nice selection at the end of the second round. He's a playmaking receiver that will most likely replace James Jones. Cobb will probably handle returns, and he will also make an impact in the passing game because the Packers love their four receiver sets.To me, Davon House was the best pick the Packers made. Although they are already stocked at corner, House was a steal as a compensatory pick in the fourth round. House fits what Dom Capers does defensively, and he is another one of those really good press corners. D.J. Williams was a solid 5th round choice at tight end


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2011 Pre-Draft Team Needs List

April 28th 2011 14:18
Patriots- O-Line Depth, Pass Rusher, Vertical Wide Receiver, depth RB, Safety
Jets- Pass rusher, offensive line
Dolphins- RB, Guard, QB


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