Still crazy after all these years

Gale Sayers in his Chicago Bears uniform Photo courtesy of ESPN … many hall-of-famers The world of NFL football proclaimed shock when 29-year-old QB Andrew Luck announced last week that he was retiring. However, he was certainly not the first professional football player to do so when he had some very productive years remaining. ESPN listed a number of athletes who decided to hang it up while they were still very productive. Here are the bios of the NFL players, with my comments about each after that. Gale Sayers The halfback spent just seven years -- 1965 to 1971 -- in the NFL, but was actually limited to playing five seasons due to injuries to both knees, among other minor injuries. But those five seasons with the Chicago Bears were certainly ones to write home about. In the mere 68 games he appeared during his professional football career, he notched a total of 4,956 yards and 39 touchdowns. The four-time Pro Bowler was also the 1965 NFL Rookie of the Year and the 1969 N...

… and “Killer B’s” did nothing to win championships The headline from CBS Sports was positive: “Steelers' starting offense made it's post-Antonio Brown' debut, looked as explosive as ever.” Indeed, the loss of A.B. may not be as devastating as many pundits predicted. Proviso: This is still the preseason, but the O looked good. According to CBS writer Bryan DeArdo, For several years, Pittsburgh's offense, blessed with the talents of Brown along with other game-changers in Le'Veon Bell , Martavis Bryant and Brown, could air it out at any time without always having to set up the run. While that often led to breathtaking plays and high-scoring games, it also could lead to interceptions and sloppy play that put Pittsburgh's defense in some less than desirable spots. That style of play also never helped produce a championship team, something the Steelers are hoping to accomplish during Ben Roethlisberger's final seasons under center. “Steelers' starting ...

Andrew Luck announces retirement CBS Sports … injuries, fatherhood, loss of love for the game If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away . “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau Beginning a story about a football player with a quote from Henry David Thoreau may seem incongruous to some, but the reality is that quarterback Andrew Luck has always walked to the beat of a different drummer — just like Thoreau pointed out in the 19th Century. So, when he “shocked” the football world last night and announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 29, many professed to be “shocked.” I was not one of them. Surprised, yes, since he appeared to be recovering from a leg injury and was said to be ready to start the season opener. However, there is one thing that Luck did as a college student that also was shocking to some: He returned to Stanford fo...

Lynn Swann in his Super Bowl performance against the Cowboys Photo courtesy of You Tube … watch a video of this receiver One of the negatives about the internet is the fact that people with no knowledge or credibility can create a website, say some outrageous things, and then advertise them as realistic. Perhaps the most outrageous of these sites is called New Arena. They make claims like this: Who is “The most overrated player in the history of each NFL franchise?” Then they have two guys who are unknowns who try to take some stats and make a case to support their claims. For instance, in the most overrated player category for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they list Lynn Swann, a four-time Super Bowl champion in the 1970s, a player who won the Super Bowl MVP on one of those occasions, and a three-time member of the Pro Bowl. Then they use the most illogical rationale to support their decision. Here is the rationale for saying that the Hall of Fame receiver was overrated: Swann’s s...

... then tries to claim he was misquoted In a new profile for GQ, Baker Mayfield commented on the Giants' decision to draft Daniel Jones as quarterback, which has prompted a lot of reactions from the NFL community. Here is my reaction: Dear Baker Mayfield,  A reminder that Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick and everyone thought that the Patriots were crazy. You have accomplished nothing thus far, so keep your mouth shut and respect other players. I have never — nor will I ever — played fantasy football. It is probably fun, but I coach about a quarter-century of football, wrote about it for about another quarter-century, and have watched it for more than 60 years. That is enough for me. However, I do enjoy my blog and some social media. On Twitter I saw this absurd quote from a young man who knows little about history — and has no humility. His name is Baker Mayfield, and he is the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In case you do not follow NFL football, the Browns hav...

Antonio Brown feet after frostbite Photo courtesy of Deadspin ... could be much ado about nothing, or a career problem The photos on social media were disgusting. The bottoms of his feet were yellow with the skin caking and breaking off, leaving some pink skin.  That is the damage that Antonio Brown wrought when he entered a cryotherapy chamber in France in July. He apparently did not wear the proper covering for his feet, although he said later that he was wearing socks.  The result was severe frostbite, something that has kept him from practicing football with the Oakland Raiders, his new team, through the preseason.  One Pittsburgh area certified chiropractic sports medicine specialist believes that this could hamper him through his entire career. Dr. Matt Burnett said that it depends on the severity of the damage, but that it could be something that stays with him throughout not just his career, but through his life, The depth and the ex...

Mark Cuban and wife Tiffany Photo courtesy of Business Insider … blames Pirates’ fans, but not the major reason “I get 10 emails a month asking me [about buying the Pirates]. My answer is always the same. ‘If I offered you a job that required you to stand in downtown Pittsburgh and have every Pirates fan in the world scream at you for 10 hours a day, and it paid at least $25 million a year, would you take that job?’ That’s why the Pirates won’t be sold. Mark Cuban in interview with Post-Gazette Pittsburgh Pirates fans are in a world of hurt. Their team is mired in last place in the National League Central, and it may be there for decades unless changes are made. They know exactly what has to be done, and it has nothing to do with the manager or GM or players: Fire the owner. And they have always had a Plan B. His name is Mark Cuban who as a native Pittsburgh in suburban Mount Lebanon started his business career as a paper-boy when he was a youngster. Cuban is worth between...

Steelers Commentary A year ago, football fans would have been chuckling about this preseason prognostication. ESPN has produced data that says that the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens have a better chance to make the 2019 playoffs and winning the AFC North than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Making things worse, though, is that even Vegas is agreeing — somewhat — with the all-sports network. According to CBS News, the Steelers and the Browns are both tied at 20-1 Vegas odds, though the Ravens are much further down at 40-1. However, ESPN is less optimistic about the chances for the Steelers. Here is how the network breaks down its odds: Cleveland Browns Chances to make the playoffs: 51.3% Chances to win the AFC North: 35.3% Baltimore Ravens Chances to make the playoffs: 45.9% Chances to win the AFC North: 30.5% Pittsburgh Steelers Chances to make the playoffs: 45.5% Chances to win the AFC North: 30.1% Is this realistic? In short, yes. Why do I say that? ESPN lists the “biggest hole” ...