Missouri football: Ranking the Mizzou NFL careers
Continuing our series of ranking the NFL careers of alums from a variety of schools, today’s let’s do Missouri. Remember, we’re using profootball-reference.com’s career approximate value method. A 100 score is a really good player. Likely Hall of Famer. A 120 is an epic player. An 80 is still really good.
Here are the ex-Tigers:
1. Russ Washington 99: 15-year pro started out at defensive tackle for the 1968 and 1969 Chargers, then moved to the offensive line and started 13 more years. Made 196 NFL starts, a phenomenal number.
2. Roger Wehrli 98: Hall of Fame cornerback with the St. Louis Cardinals, played 14 years and made 40 interceptions. Three-time first-team all pro.
3. Andy Russell 88: Great Steeler linebacker (1963-76) played long enough to enjoy Pittsburgh success in Super Bowls 9 and 10.
4. Kellen Winslow 80: Hall of Fame tight end with San Diego (1979-87) who made 541 catches and twice led the NFL in receptions. Three-time first-team all pro.
5. Justin Smith 65: Excellent pass rusher just completed his 10th NFL season. Defensive end has 65 career sacks with the Bengals and 49ers.
6. James Wilder 64: Ten-year tailback (1981-90) rushed for 6,008 yards, including two seasons of at least 1,300 yards with Tampa Bay.
7. Mel Gray 63: Big-play receiver in 12 seasons with the Cardinals (1971-82), averaged 18.9 yards per catch, tied for 20th-best in NFL history. All pro once.
8. Tony Galbreath 57: 12-year running back (1976-87) who rushed for more than 4,000 career yards with the Saints, Vikings and Giants.
9. Eric Wright 55: Cornerback cornerstone on Bill Walsh’s 49er dynasty; drafted in 1981 and started 16 games as a rookie as San Francisco won the Super Bowl. Made all-pro in 1985 and played 10 years in the NFL.
10. Henry Marshall 53: 12-year Kansas City Chief receiver (1976-87), made 416 catches and scored 35 touchdowns.
11. Jeff Cross 49: Eight-year Dolphin defensive end (1988-95), made 107 starts and had 59.5 sacks.
12. Otis Smith 49: 13-year NFL cornerback (1991-03) who had 29 career interceptions, including seven returned for touchdowns.
13. Mike Jones 46: 12-year linebacker was hero of Super Bowl 34, with his last-play tackle of Tennessee’s Kevin Dyson giving the Rams the title.
14. Gus Otto 46: Eight-year linebacker on great Raider teams (1965-72), made 95 career starts.
15. Gerry Ellis 43: Packer fullback from 1980-86, with 81 career starts and 3,826 career yards rushing.
Thunder: Seattle wants its retired numbers back
All kinds of Seattle NBA fans got fired up over my Saturday blog about the retired numbers. Kendrick Perkins, newly acquired from Boston, can’t wear the No. 43 he had with the Celtics, because 43 was retired by the Seattle SuperSonics, in honor of Jack Sikma.
Seattle radio station KJR had me on today to talk about the situation. Here’s the interview:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Big 12 basketball: Standings now clear
Big 12 basketball is down to its final week, so the rankings based on home/road scheduling success have played out. Every school has one road game and one home game left, so the standings are what they are. Our final rankings will be based on expected finish:
1. Texas 12-2, 24-5: The Longhorns have the tiebreaker over Kansas. KU has the most difficult game — at Missouri — but UT has the next two toughest games. Home against K-State, then at Baylor.
2. Kansas 12-2, 27-2: KU has won six straight Big 12 titles and will claim seven even if it ties the Longhorns.
Oklahoma's Steven Pledger (2) is fouled on his way to the basket by Kansas guard Brady Morningstar (12) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011. Kansas won 82-70. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
3. Texas A&M 9-5, 22-6: Aggies figure to go 1-1 — at Kansas, home against Tech.
4. Missouri 8-6, 22-7: Mizzou could go either way, with games at Nebraska and home against Kansas. An MU-KSU first-round game at Kansas City should be fun.
5. Kansas State 8-6, 20-9: Wildcats have righted themselves. After UT tonight, KSU hosts Iowa State.
6. Colorado 7-7, 18-11: Tad Boyle for Big 12 coach of the year. The Buffs finish the year at Iowa State, then home against Nebraska. CU could conceivably get a first-round bye in KC.
7. Baylor 7-7, 18-10: Scott Drew for whatever is the opposite of Big 12 coach of the year. The Bears play at Stillwater on Tuesday, then host Texas. Go 9-7, and Baylor is OK. Go 7-9, and it’s a disastrous season.
8. Nebraska 6-8, 18-10: Huskers’ loss at Iowa State was a killer. NU finishes the year at home against Missouri, then goes to Colorado.
9. Oklahoma State 5-9, 17-11: A what-might-have-been season staggers to a close, but beating Baylor in Stillwater and OU in Norman would at least make everyone feel better.
10. Texas Tech 4-10, 12-17: Funny team. Tech is 2-5 in Big 12 road games. Only Texas, KU and A&M have won more.
11. Oklahoma 4-10, 12-16: Hard to stomach a season this bad that actually has gone much better than anyone thought.
12. Iowa State 2-12, 15-14: If the Cyclones could somehow beat Colorado in Ames, they could avoid a losing season. There’s something to be said for that.
Texas A&M football: Ranking the NFL Aggies
OU has only two Pro Football Hall of Famers, if you don’t count Troy Aikman, which you shouldn’t. That seems a very low number, considering Notre Dame and Southern Cal have 11 each, Pitt and Alabama seven each, and Oregon, Michigan and Ohio State six each. Heck, Minnesota and Illinois have five each.
But Texas A&M has just one. Let’s continue our list of various schools’ best NFL careers, using profootball-reference.com’s career value ranking. Here are the top 15 Aggies:
1. Yale Lary 109: The only A&M Hall of Famer, and he was inducted in 1979. An epic defensive back with the Detroit Lions (1952-64), Lary had 50 career interceptions.
2. Richmond Webb 100: Great offensive tackle twice was first-team all-pro. Played 13 years (1990-02), mostly with the Dolphins.
3. Ray Childress 93: Great pass-rushing defensive end, with 76.5 sacks in 12 years (1985-96), mostly with Houston Oilers.
4. Jack Pardee 83: 15-year linebacker (1957-72) with the Rams and Redskins. Made all-pro once and later coached the Bears, Redskins and Oilers.
5. Jacob Green 80: Another Wrecking Crew veteran. Defensive end who spent 13 years in the NFL (1980-92), 12 with the Seahawks, and had 97.5 sacks.
6. Charlie Krueger 79: Great old defensive tackle who was one of Bear Bryant’s famous Junction Boys, who helped turn around the Aggie program in the 1950s. Krueger played 15 years on the 49er defensive line and made 168 career starts.
7. Sam Adams 78: 14-year defensive lineman (1994-07) who made three Pro Bowls and made 177 starts for six teams total.
8. Pat Williams 74: Northeastern A&M Junior College transfer who just finished his 14th NFL season and is yet another great Aggie d-lineman. Started just four games his first four pro seasons but has started 153 since.
9. Dave Elmendorf 72: Nine-year Ram safety (1971-79) who started every game of his career and had 27 interceptions.
10. Lester Hayes 72: Great Raider defensive back (1977-86) has been a Hall of Fame finalist. Seems a little low in this rating.
11. Aaron Glenn 71: 15-year cornerback (1994-08) who had 41 career interceptions. Played mostly with the Jets.
12. William Thomas 67: Linebacker who played 11 years (1991-01), mostly with Philadelphia, and made two Pro Bowls.
13. Lee Roy Caffey 66: Linebacker on Vince Lombardi’s great Packer teams of the ’60s. Made all-pro once.
14. Cody Risien 64: Offensive lineman for the Browns (1979-89) made 140 starts in 11 years.
15. John David Crow 59: 1957 Heisman Trophy winner was an 11-year NFL halfback, rushing for 4,963 yards.
Thunder: Why keep Jack Sikma number retired?
The Thunder’s Kendrick Perkins can’t wear the No. 43 he wore with the Boston Celtics. Jack Sikma wore No. 43 with the Seattle SuperSonics, who retired the number for the franchise.
But how is that relevant to Oklahoma City? Why did retired numbers come with the franchise to OKC? Jack Sikma’s legacy belongs to Seattle, not Oklahoma City. Fans in OKC don’t have Sikma memories; via television, we watched him play for those great old Sonic teams. But now he’s no more a part of this franchise’s fabric than is Truck Robinson or Dave Cowens.
Oklahoma City's Kendrick Perkins talks to the media at the the Thunder practice facility, Saturday, Feb, 26, 2011, in Oklahoma City.Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Seattle is likely to some day get another NBA franchise. When that happens, Sikma’s 43 should hang from the rafters of the new arena.
Everytime I go to the Fiesta Bowl and University of Phoenix Stadium, I am amazed at the ridiculous numbers that are retired.
Larry Wilson’s No. 8 and J.V. Cain’s 88. Both were St. Louis Cardinals and never played for the team in Phoenix. Even more so absurd, Stan Mauldin’s No. 77 and Marshall Goldberg’s 99. Both were Chicago Cardinals.
Yes, the Bidwill family has owned the franchise in all three cities. But a franchise’s history and legacy doesn’t belong to a family or an owner. It belongs to a city and a fanbase.
Jack Sikma’s jersey should hang somewhere in Seattle, not in downtown Oklahoma City.
Records, individual and team, are different. They are necessary for research and statistical comparisons. That’s not the same thing as the retired numbers. Retired numbers are a celebration of service.
Oklahoma City never celebrated Jack Sikma. Seattle did. That honor should continue in Seattle, not Oklahoma City. Kendrick Perkins should be given No. 43.
Kansas football: Ranking the Jayhawks in the NFL
Today we’ll list the top NFL careers of Kansas Jayhawks — and this is a fun list, because for all of its non-tradition in football, KU has turned out way more than its share of great players. Remember, we’re using the career value ranking set by profootball-reference.com. For comparison, an all-time great like Emmitt Smith had a 129.
1. John Hadl 98: 14-year pro starter and one of the landmark players in the old AFL, with the Chargers in the ’60s.
2. John Riggins 91: Hall of Fame running back ran the 1982 Redskins to the Super Bowl title.
3. Mike McCormack 80: Cleveland Brown lineman in the 1950s made the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Later head coach of the Eagles, Colts and Seahawks.
4. LeRoy Irvin 73: Made 123 starts at cornerback for the Rams (1980-90), with 35 career interceptions. Also returned four punts for touchdowns.
5. Dana Stubblefield 73: Star defensive tackle on ’95 49ers, who won the Super Bowl. Made 149 starts over 11 NFL seasons.
6. Nolan Cromwell 72: Great wishbone quarterback of the ’70s became a star safety over 11-year Ram career, thrice making first-team all-pro.
7. Larry Brown 68: 14-year Steeler, 1971-84 (yep, the glory years), the first half as a blocking tight end, then as a right tackle.
8. Galen Fiss 62: 11-year Brown linebacker, 1956-66.
9. John Zook 61: 11-year pro, 1969-79. Probably underrated on this list; was a big-time defensive end for the Falcons.
10. Delvin Williams 57: Great ’70s tailback played eight years in the NFL, gaining 1,203 yards for the ’76 49ers and 1,258 yards for the ’78 Dolphins.
11. Gale Sayers 54: Look, I know he only played seven years, and the last two seasons were just two games each. But in those first five years, he made first-team all-pro five times. He was Chris Johnson and Devin Hester all rolled into one. Sayers in those first five seasons had eight returns for touchdowns, plus two 1,000-yard rushing seasons when those were still rare. He’s got to be higher on this list.
12. Broderick Thompson 52: Don’t feel bad. I’d never heard of him, either. But this offensive lineman played 11 years and made 137 starts, mostly with San Diego.
13. Ron Jessie 49: 11-year receiver (1971-81) made 265 career catches for the Lions, Rams and Bills.
14. Jim Bailey 43: Defensive lineman played nine years (1970-78) for the Colts, Jets and Falcons. KU’s alumni list is running out of steam.
15. Curtis McClinton 42: Eight-year tailback with the Kansas City Chiefs (1962-69).
Let’s stop 15 on KU. The only other guy I wanted to comment on was Bobby Douglass, the great running quarterback for the Chicago Bears who took the ’68 Jayhawks to the Orange Bowl. He ranked 19th on the KU list.
Bedlam basketball: Fighting for ninth place
We’re down to three games left in this horrid, horrid college basketball season in Oklahoma. OSU, OU and Texas Tech are in a three-way tie for ninth place in the Big 12, each at 4-9.
What an awful season. We knew it was coming for the Sooners, but no one saw it coming for the Cowboys.
There isn’t a lot to get excited about when the goal becomes reaching ninth place in a 12-team league. But that’s all we’ve got left.
Here’s what’s interesting about the three-way square dance for ninth place. All three play each other. I know, it’s not much, but work with me.
Texas Tech plays at OSU on Saturday. OU plays at Tech on Wednesday. OSU plays at OU next Saturday.
So let’s say the home team wins each of those games. That makes a three-way tie at 5-10. So the final standings would be determined by each team’s other game. Kansas at OU on Saturday, Baylor at OSU on Tuesday and Tech at Texas A&M next Saturday.
You wouldn’t think OU would beat KU or Tech would beat A&M. So if OSU can win at home against Baylor, the Cowboys are headed for the ninth seed.
Not that it’s any big deal. Seeds 9-10-11 will meet seeds 8-7-6 in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. Nebraska, Colorado and Baylor are tied for sixth at 6-7. So that’s your tripleheader on Day 1 in Kansas City, some version of those six teams playing. The fourth game almost surely will be Kansas State-Iowa State.
Depressing, isn’t it? A tournament that OU and OSU once ruled — the Bedlam rivals won five straight Big 12 Tournaments, 2001-05 — is now almost meaningless for the Cowboys and Sooners.
Thunder: Kendrick Perkins makes OKC a little less unique
The Thunder has been playing basketball in Oklahoma City with an unorthodox lineup. Its leading rebounder is its small forward. Its center likes to shoot 18-foot jumpers. Its power forward is a small forward. Its shooting guard doesn’t shoot.
The Thunder played small inside but big outside. It mixed and matched into all kind of wacky lineups that for the most part worked. The Thunder was a solid No. 4 team in the Western Conference.
That all changed with the Kendrick Perkins trade. The Thunder traded Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to Boston for Perkins, and suddenly OKC looks a lot more traditional.
Big, imposing center in Perkins. Much more defense than offense in his presence, but imposing still the same. A prototype power forward in Serge Ibaka. Probably more minutes for James Harden at shooting guard, in place of Thabo Sefolosha. I love Thabo, but coach Scotty Brooks might decide he can’t start two defensive specialists.
Anyway, the Thunder is a lot more mainstream now than two days ago, even down to backup center, where Nzar Mohammed is a lot more traditional than Nick Collison, who for all intents and purposes has been the Thunder’s backup center. Collison will mostly back up Ibaka now.
“We’ve gotten more physical as a whole,” general manager Sam Presti said.
Think about it. In the nine-man rotation — who knows if mighty mite Nate Robinson will garner playing time, or if Daequan Cook will stay a quasi-member of the rotation — at least three are defensive specialists, and that’s not counting Mohammed. Check back with me after we’ve seen Mohammed play a few games.
But three or four defensive specialists in a nine-man rotation? That’s certainly different from the team the Thunder trotted out earlier this week. The 114-110 games figure to stop soon enough. The Thunder will try to win 104-96. Or 97-89.
Gone with Green is the incredible flexibility derived from a 6-foot-8 forward who can play inside or out. Presti said the Thunder still is versatile, and I suppose he’s right. Durant can play effectively at power forward for short amounts of time, and Westbrook can shift from point guard and play opposite his backup, Eric Maynor. Thabo is sort of a hybrid.
But nothing like the versatility provided by Green. That’s one of the costs of the trade. The Thunder just became a more traditional NBA contender.
Texas football: Ranking the pros
Today, let’s talk the Longhorns’ top NFL careers. Using profootball-reference.com’s career rating method, here are the top 20 pro careers of University of Texas players. The number with each player is the career value total; for reference, Emmitt Smith’s number was 129.
1. Bobby Layne 128: Sooner killer in the ’40s became an epic quarterback for the Detroit Lions.
2. Steve McMichael 100: Fred Akers defensive tackle in the ’70s was a two-time first team all-pro.
3. Priest Holmes 83: Surprising, huh? The best NFL tailback from Texas U. is not Earl Campbell. But Holmes, who played at UT in the mid-’90s, spent 10 years in the NFL and three times was first team all-pro, same as Campbell.
4. Diron Talbert 81: I never knew Talbert went to Texas; I knew he was a superb defensive lineman for George Allen with both the Rams and the Redskins. Talbert made 157 starts from 1967-80.
5. Raymond Clayborn 77: Cornerback from the mid-’70s played 15 years in the NFL, starting 13 seasons and making 36 interceptions.
6. Ricky Williams 73: Hmm. Another UT tailback better than Earl Campbell. count me as skeptical.
7. Doug English 72: Defensive lineman from the early ’70s played 10 years with the Lions and made 98 career starts. He had 13 sacks for Detroit in 1983.
8. Earl Campbell 70: Campbell’s abbreviated career probably costs him. He had just five 1,000-yard seasons and was finished at 30.
9. Bobby Dillon 68: Packer defensive back from 1952-59 made first team all-pro four times.
10. Jerry Sisemore 68: Great offensive lineman played in the NFL from 1973-84, making 155 starts for the Eagles.
11. Casey Hampton 66: Still going strong as a Steeler nose guard, after 10 NFL seasons and five Pro Bowls.
12. Leonard Davis 64: Ten-year offensive tackle with the Cardinals and now the Cowboys; started all of his 155 NFL games.
13. Eric Metcalif 63: 14-year return man, receiver and scatback, Metcalf had 12 returns for touchdowns and some big years passcatching from 1989-2002.
14. Tommy Nobis 63: One of my all-time favorites. Ranked way too low. A great Falcon linebacker from 1966-76. I wouldn’t have argued had Nobis been No. 1.
15. Tom Landry 60: Seven-year career (1949-55) packed with success — great punter and defensive back. He had 32 interceptions. Never really heard what he did after that.
16. Harley Sewell 59: 11-year offensive lineman for the Lions and Rams, 1953-63. Man, the Longhorns turned out some ballplayers in the ’40s and early ’50s, without all that much college success.
17. Jerry Gray 58: Defensive back played just nine years (1985-93) but made four Pro Bowls.
18. Shaun Rogers 55: Ten-year defensive lineman with the Lions and now the Browns. Has made 124 career starts.
19. Dave Studdard 55: Ten-year Bronco offensive lineman (1979-88) made 133 career starts.
20. Bill Bradley 55: Original wishbone quarterback (1968 at UT) was a 10-year Eagle safety who made 34 career interceptions and twice was first-team all-pro.
Thunder: Bob Ryan writes about Perkins
Bob Ryan is Mr. Boston Basketball. You might know him from his work on ESPN’s “The Sports Reporters,” but he’s been a New England journalism mainstay since 1969, when at the age of 23 he took over the Celtics beat for the Boston Globe.
Ryan has been writing general columns since the mid-’80s but remains a Boston basketball guru, and his take on the Celtics is always well-informed.
He is one of the few Boston/national analysts who likes the trade from the Celtics standpoint, but that doesn’t mean he thinks the Thunder came out looking bad.
“There will be no Perk bashing here. He is a classic young/old pro, a determined, hard-working 26-year-old man who came to the Celtics as the proverbial unpolished gem out of Clifton Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas, nearly eight years ago and who did everything that was ever asked of him, and a whole lot more, to become the presence on an NBA floor he is today.
“Perhaps the Celtics thought he had reached his ceiling. I don’t know. Perhaps his next contract negotiations were going to be an issue. I don’t know. Perhaps there was no yeah-but whatsoever, only the desire to add a major 24-year-old asset such as Jeff Green to the roster. Again, I don’t know.
“I do know it’s risky for the team ranked 29th in rebounds per game to shed itself of one of its two best rebounders. That said, Kevin Durant will like coming off Perk’s picks; I can promise you that.”
Here’s the link to Ryan’s full column:
You know, what I found most interesting is the part about Perkins’ screens. We’ve all acknowledged this was an offense-for-defense trade. The Thunder picked up a hugely valuable defensive asset but gave away some offense.
But thinking about those picks set by the 280-pound Perkins lessens the offensive blow. We’ve talked about how Serge Ibaka and James Harden will have to pick up some of the offensive void left by Green and Nenad Krstic.
But you know who else can pick up the slack? Durant and Russell Westbrook. Anyone displeased with even more shots from the Thunder’s two all-stars?
Perkins is no pick’n pop center. He can’t come out 18 feet from the basket, like Krstic, and consistently swish jumpers. But Ibaka can. And Perkins can be a force on the Thunder’s very best play — Durant curling around off a wing screen and shooting a 16-foot jumper.
I like Westbrook driving to the hoop. I like Westbrook’s pullup jumpers. I like Durant’s baseline drives that end in those floating 5-footers that no one can block.
But even more, I like Durant coming off a screen and shooting in rhythm those 16-foot jumpers that always seem to easily fall through the net. The Thunder gets Durant about three or four of those shots a game. OK by me if the Thunder makes it 10 or 12. If Perkins is the kind of screener Bob Ryan thinks he is, I’m even less worried about the Thunder offense.
