I don’t blame Canton, Ohio for the field condition boondoggle that led to the cancellation of the HOF season-opening exhibition between the Packers and the Colts. The Hall folks did the best they could with a field that is basically still under construction. Paint can congeal—who knew?
Maybe more significant is the fact that the Big Boy Bloggers at Sports Illustrated have officially recognized the new defense of the Philadelphia Eagles as something worth noticing.
Here’s Don Banks of SI.com:
“I know all eyes are on the offense and the intriguing three-headed quarterback situation in Eagles camp, but my sense is Philadelphia will only go as far in the NFC East as its Jim Schwartz-coordinated defense takes it this season. In part because the offense is such an unknown quantity, there’s an expectation this will be a defensively led team, and Schwartz is making early strides in instilling the attacking mentality that his defenses have been known for.
“It’s kind of nice that no one’s really talking about the defense, and we’re kind of building something that nobody knows about yet,’’ said veteran defensive end Connor Barwin, after Saturday morning’s workout at the team’s NovaCare Complex. “There are still some mistakes being made, but you’re seeing moments where where it’s like, ‘Oh, man, when this all comes together, this is how it’s supposed to look and this is how good it can be.’ I really like our group, and I do think the way he wants us to play, the people in Philadelphia will enjoy that type of aggressive mentality.’’
“Schwartz gave me about 20 minutes or so Saturday and he’s clearly relishing the challenge of molding his Eagles defense into a unit that takes on his never-back-down style. He’s living just three miles (and “29 lights, straight down Broad Street’’) from the team complex, and after a year spent away from NFL coaching in 2015, the former Lions head coach has essentially been tossed the keys to the Eagles defense by new head coach Doug Pederson and told to get it done.”
Don Banks’ main point is the depth at defensive line is the strength of the unit, with the talent shortages at cornerback and linebacker being more pronounced. The safety tandem is very solid with ex-Ram Rodney McLeod and veteran Malcolm Jenkins, but the tone will be set by the guys up front, where players like Barwin, Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham are going to love getting after the quarterback in Schwartz’s 4-3 alignment, rather than the 3-4 employed by ex-Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis.
“We’ve got good pass rushers,’’ Schwartz said. “And some of the guys I think we’ve put in a little better fit than they were in the previous defense. If you’re a defensive lineman, you’d rather attack and be asked to rush the quarterback than to two-gap and hold blocks and things like that. You go back to Graham, Curry, Fletch, they were all drafted with (a 4-3) in mind, but they didn’t get to play in that defense, and it was a tough match and just a little bit of a different fit for some of those guys.’’
None of this is news to we Eagles diehards… but it’s kinda nice to see the international media’s starting to get it.
Maybe Don Banks’ most telling revelation: Chances are, the identity of this Eagles team is defined by its defense and Schwartz’s fiery temperament.
“Philly fans are savvy enough football fans that they know what a good product is,’’ Schwartz said. “That’s part of the fun of this. If you work hard, if you play tough, they’ll love you. This is an old-school town. There’s probably not a lot of fantasy football played here. They want their Eagles to win, they want their Eagles to do well. And that’s cool.’’
Meanwhile, I feel badly that the 2016 HOF Class kinda got short-changed on their acceptance-speech highlights because the HOF Game got cancelled.
Normally you would have gotten video/audio slices of the acceptance speeches during the flow of the TV broadcast of the HOF Game.
Welp, to the cause of cauterizing the bleeding of the game’s cancellation, here are some HOF speech highlights:
Brett Favre
“Go Pack Go!” The chant echoed throughout the bowels of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Throngs of Green Bay Packers fans had waited all night to greet their football legend, Brett Favre.
The ol’ gunslinger didn’t disappoint.
Favre spent the first 22-plus minutes speaking emotionally about his family. He dove deep on the motivation he received from his father, who passed away in 2003. He spent the rest reliving his time on the football field.
The three-time MVP credited formerPackers GM Ron Wolf for remaking thePackers into its modern dynasty. “Ron Wolf is the single most important person to the Packers‘ rebirth than any other person out there — player, coach, GM,” Favre said, noting he wouldn’t have been in Green Bay without Wolf’s bold move to trade for him. “…The single biggest free-agent acquisition in NFL history is Reggie White. Ron Wolf made it cool to come to Green Bay.”
Favre acknowledged his time with the Falcons, Jets and Vikings (the last of which brought on boos from the Green Bay faithful). But added: “Make no mistake about it: I will be remembered as a Packer.” He also marveled at his own feats. “Whoever thought a kid from Kiln, Miss., whose father ran the wishbone, would hold every NFL passing record at one time,” he said. He ended noting that the thing he was proudest of was not the records, it’s that he left everything he had on the football field. “Did we win every game? No. Did I make mistakes? More than I can count. But there was never one time I didn’t give it all I had,” he said.
Kevin Greene
Kevin Greene spoke with the intensity he brought to the football field. After compiling the third-most sacks in NFL history, the former Rams, Steelers, Panthers and 49ers linebacker relished that his bust would sit next to Brett Favre’s in the Hall of Fame.
“I’m next to Brett Favre for eternity, right where a linebacker needs to be,” he quipped. The son of Col. T.R Greene discussed his life as the son of a military man, the importance that discipline brought to his life and the character it formed within. Greene spoke charismaticaly about the players he faced.
A walk-on at Auburn, Greene talked about facing Bo Jackson in practice. “He ran my ass over,” Greene said of Jackson. “I’ve got a peace about it because he ran a lot of asses over.” And about going up against offensive tackle Jackie Slater with the Rams: “That man would carry a bible in one hand and a switchblade in the other.”
Of Greene’s 160 career sacks, 97.5 came after age 30. He joyed in remembering the slobber-knocker Steelers defenses he played in during his tenure in Pittsburgh, calling it the “pinnacle of my football life.” Greene’s speech echoed the fierceness with which he played that football life.
“If you think about it, that’s the best a football player can do, is to exhaust his passion and go out on his own terms, and along the way, have fun, kicking people’s asses with your brothers — that’s always fun — entertain some folks, develop some life-long relationships and enough health to play some football with your son and daughter in the front yard. So that was good.”
Edward DeBartolo Jr.
“When Eddie DeBartolo took over the 49ers, they were horrible,” Chris Berman began his introduction of the former San Francisco owner. They weren’t bad for long.
During his ownership, the 49ers had the best winning percentage in the NFL in the 1980s and 1990s, won five Super Bowls, had 16 playoff appearances, went to 10 NFC Championship Games and averaged 13 wins per season from 1981-1998 (including playoffs; but not including the strike-shortened 1982 season).
DeBartolo’s speech signified his ownership: Family and football. “For me, one of the biggest honors today is joining my guys Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley, Freddy Dean, Steve Young and of course the great Bill Walsh. It’s no secret what a big part they played in me being here today,” he said.
It was obvious why DeBartolo was one of the most well-loved owners in NFL history. He gave credit to all his players, coaches, training staff, grounds keepers, accountants and everyone who worked for his team. “We did not see players as simply players, we saw them as men,” he said. “We saw them as sons, husbands, fathers, brothers with families and responsibilities.”
He even got in playful jabs at his former players, like telling the world teammates once called Jerry Rice “Fifi” and the greatest receiver in NFL history would change jerseys during the game if he was wet.
DeBartolo said he wished the NFL today would have more of that family feel. “I think we could use more of that sense of family in the NFL today,” he said. “…and when the uniform comes off, too.”
Ken Stabler
“The Snake” led Oakland to a winning record in each of his nine seasons as a starter, including five straight division titles. Sadly, Stabler died last year, having waited 27 years without getting the Hall of Fame call.
In his memory, a video tribute displayed Stabler’s lasting football impression. He led the NFL in TD passes in 1974 and 1976 and wonSuper Bowl XI with the Raiders
John Madden, after Stabler’s death, said: “I’ve always said, if I had one quarterback to make a drive the length of the field, at the end of the game, to win that game, that guy would be Ken Stabler, No. 12.”
Dick Stanfel
The former Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins guard was one of the greatest blockers of his era. He made first-team All-Pro five times in seven seasons. Stanfel was one of the best offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL. He died in June 2015. He was posthumously inducted after waiting 54 years. Stanfel was also known as one of the best offensive line coaches in football.
Marv Levy, who introduced Stanfel on Saturday, hired the blocker as a college assistant in 1963. “Once I hired him as the coach at the University of California, sometimes he would demonstrate to our players without a helmet, without shoulder pads, how to trap an outside linebacker. And he not only blew them away, he blew me away watching. It was fantastic,” Levy said in a video tribute. Stanfel went on to coach as an assistant in the NFL for more than 30 years. “I think he was the guard of the century,” Levy said. “He was a credit to the game. His bust belongs here in Canton.”
Orlando Pace
Orlando Pace became just the 15th No. 1 overall selection to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The theme of Pace’s speech was simple. He had one goal: Make the Hall of Fame.
“When you set your goal to be the very best, there is no other path,” he said. Pace, a Sandusky, Ohio, native, said he never spoke of his goal, but “unleashed the fire” on the field. Boy did he ever. As one of the greatest left tackles ever, Pace was the anchor for the Greatest Show on Turf. He blocked for three straight NFL MVPs (QB Kurt Warner — 1999, 2001; RB Marshall Faulk — 2000) and seven 1,000-yard rushers. The Rams‘ offense also threw for more than 3,000 yards in each of his 12 seasons with the team.
Pace thanked his high school, college and Rams coaches for challenging him “to be great every day.” He also thanked St. Louis fans, saying: “We brought a championship to that city. Nobody can take that away.”
Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy spoke as he coached: A family-first man who won. He began with a theme of disappointment, which he always overcame. Dungy wasn’t drafted as a quarterback out of college, despite there being 12 rounds in the draft at the time. But he made the Pittsburgh Steelers as a cornerback. After two seasons, he was traded to San Francisco. His pro career ended a year later.
His career as a coach was just beginning. Dungy credited all the coaches he worked under as an assistant, but gave special praise for the leadership the late Dennis Green taught him. “(He) taught me about things on and off the field,” Dungy said, noting that Green always made sure his staff spent time with their families.
Dungy took over a Buccaneers team in 1996 that had suffered 12 double-digit loss seasons in the previous 13 years. He finished at or above .500 in five of six seasons with Buccaneers. After being fired, he then led the Indianapolis Colts to 12-plus wins in six of his seven seasons, including aSuper Bowl championship.
“The reason I’m here, is the people I’m able to work with,” Dungy said, acknowledging his former players in attendance. As the first African American head coach ever to win a Super Bowl, Dungy ended by acknowledging all the minority coaches who came before.
“And finally I’d like to say thank you to 10 men (who were assistants when he entered the NFL in 1977),” he said. “It was a small group of men, just 10 of them if you can believe that. Ten African American assistant coaches in the entire NFL. Many of them never got the chance to move up the coaching ladder like I did. But they were so important to the progress of this league. Those men were like my dad. They didn’t complain about the lack of opportunities. They found ways to make the situation better. They’re role models and mentors to me and my generation to young African American players like Ray Rhodes, Terry Robiskie and Herm Edwards, (who) in the ’80s were trying to decide whether we could make coaching a career or not. Without those 10 coaches laying the ground work, the league would not have the 200-plus minority assistant coaches it does today. And we would not have had Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy coaching against each other in Super Bowl41.”
“So tonight, as I join Fritz Pollard as the second African American coach in the Hall of Fame, I feel like I’m representing those 10 men and all the African American coaches who came before me and paved the way. I thank them very, very much.”
Marvin Harrison
The soft-spoken Marvin Harrison marveled at the highlight reel shown during his introduction. The former Indianapolis Colts receiver ranks third in the NFL history in receptions (1,102), seventh in receiving yards (14,580), and fifth in receiving touchdowns (128). He earned 1,000-plus yards and 10-plus touchdowns in eight straight seasons from 1999-2006 and set an NFL record with 143 receptions in 2002.
“I’ve broken a lot of records, I’ve held a lot of records, but records were made to be broken,” he said, quipping that he wouldn’t have the shortest speech in Hall of Fame history. Many of those catches were of the spectacular variety. “They may look tough to me, but they were routine,” he said.
Harrison credited former Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore with helping him set the all-time receiving record. “Any time you come off a record-breaking season, you have 143 catches and the first day of training camp your coach comes over to you, he’s upset, he’s sad,” Harrison said. “… He said ‘I’m a little upset with you.’ (I said) ‘Why would you be upset, I just had 143 catches?’ ‘Because you should have had 150. I’m a little upset at that.’ … Tom played an extremely big role in me being here today. He would always tell me, ‘I’m going to throw you the ball whether it’s double coverage. I don’t care who is guarding you so you better get over it because I’m going to keep throwing you the ball.'”…And Harrison caught most of those balls.
Chris Mortensen
Chris Mortensen is battling throat cancer, but that wouldn’t keep him away from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The long-time ESPN NFL Insider was on hand Saturday night to accept the Dick McCann Award, given by the Professional Football Writers of America for long and distinguished reporting on pro football.
NFL Media’s Steve Wyche noted that during the HOF induction ceremony, Hall of Famers Anthony Munoz, Bill Polian, Marcus Allen, Jim Kelly and others lined up backstage to speak and take pictures with Mortensen.
Everyone in the football world is praying for Mort.
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