Month: July 2019

Pat Bowlen: PFHOF Class of 2019

 

Kate Arhar
Senior Sports Editor Reporter AFC North and NFC South

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8 

Pat Bowlen shaped the Broncos into one of the most storied franchises in NFL history during his 35 years as an owner. As a Browns fan, believe me when I say that I’ve seen first hand what his impact was on those teams!

With Bowlen at helm, the Broncos have advanced to playoffs 18 times, won 13 division crowns, seven AFC championships and three Super Bowl titles (XXXII, XXXIII and 50).

Sadly, he passed away on June 13th, 2019, but football fans will have the chance to honor him at this years Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival where he is a member of the Class of 2019.

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Gil Brandt: PFHOF Class of 2019

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

“If you don’t have good scouts, you’re not going to make much use of the computer.” – Gil Brandt

The Godfather. No, not the movie, the man. Gil Brandt is one of the most revered men in football history, and this week, the Godfather finally is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Brandt was the Vice President of Personnel for the Dallas Cowboys (1960-1988), turning the Cowboys into the most dominant and famous team in the NFL. During his career, Brandt was an innovator in scouting processes for football.

He developed ways to evaluate players that hadn’t been seen before, including the use computers. He also began using psychological testing for players to see how they could perform under pressure.

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Tony Gonzalez: PFHOF Class of 2019

Wanda Wiedman,
NFL Reporter

by Wanda Wiedman // @WandaW63

The tight end position will be well represented with the induction of Tony Gonzalez. Ranked among the best, he joins only nine other tight ends in the hall and the only one as a first-time ballot.

Gonzalez follows such NFL greats as Davis Gasper, Mike Ditka, John Mackey, Ozzie Newsome, Charlie Sanders, Shannon Sharpe, Jackie Smith, and Kellen Winslow.

He is only the second Hall of Famer to attend the University of California, Berkeley, the other being Les Richter.  He competed in two sports, football and basketball at Berkeley and the combination of skills showed on the field with amazing results.

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Kevin Mawae: PFHOF Class of 2019

 

Kate Arhar
Senior Sports Editor Reporter AFC North and NFC South

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8 

The Center position in football, in my opinion, has been vastly underrated. In terms of continuity or success for an offense, it all starts in the middle. The center has to know the play, snap the ball and then immediately get busy protecting his quarterback.

Amid a multitude of pre-snap decisions, the center must have an awareness that, at times, surpasses that of the QB. His reaction to what the defense is doing and the possibility of an audible from that QB ultimately determine the success of every single play. EVERY. SINGLE. PLAY.

While only ten of these unsung positional experts have been recognized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I’m pleased to say that this year there will be an eleventh: New York Jet Kevin Mawae!

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Ed Reed: PFHOF Class of 2019

Lisa Johnson
Senior NFL Reporter AFC East and AFC South

By Lisa Johnson //@LJ1303

It has a pretty good ring to it.  Ed Reed:  Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019!

Ed Reed started his football career at Destrehan High School in Destrehan, Louisiana. Home of the Fighting Wildcats.

Reed was a multi-sport player in high school. Playing baseball, basketball and ran track and field. After High School,

Reed accepted an athletic scholarship from the University of Miami. Also, know as the U.

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Champ Bailey: PFHOF Class of 2019

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

When we were dividing up the articles for the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, I jumped on the chance to write about Champ Bailey. Most of you know I am a lover of defense, and Champ was in a class by himself.

Cornerback Champ Bailey was drafted in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. It almost seems impossible that it was that long ago simply because it feels like he just left the game yesterday. Champ spent his first five seasons with Washington, then moving on to Denver in 2004.

His stats are staggering. Impressive from the start, Champ had five interceptions in his rookie year, including three against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct 17, 1999. In Denver, he had three division titles, started in two AFC Championship games, and one Super Bowl. 52 career interceptions, returned for 464 yards and 4 touchdowns. First Team All-Pro 4 times, Second Team All-Pro 4 times, voted to 12 Pro Bowls and named in the All-Decade Team for the 2000s. He holds the NFL record for most consecutive games with an interception (5).

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Johnny Robinson: PFHOF Class of 2019

Kate Arhar
Senior Sports Editor Reporter AFC North and NFC South

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame will be very well represented in Canton during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival this year. Ed Reed was born in St. Rose, Louisiana, while Kevin Mawae and Johnny Robinson played for LSU.

Since I have a personal affinity for the Senior Committee selection each year, it is my pleasure to tell you a little bit about Johnny Nolan Robinson.

Let’s start with a quick history lesson…  The Dallas Texans were founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt as a charter member of the American Football League. In 1963, they moved to Kansas City and were renamed the Chiefs! This fun fact will come into play a bit later.

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Checking in on the New England Patriots

By Guest Author Jay Flannelly // @jflannez19

Sonja Greenfield, Senior NFL Reporter

With an intro by Sonja Greenfield // @Mom23RN

The NFL Champions.  A Dynasty.  We all know how their season ended, but I wondered how their offseason was going. 

To do that, I asked my good friend, fellow Wolverine Fan, and co-founder of Beav’s World, Jay Flannelly, about what he liked and what he didn’t like about the Patriots offseason.  

He was even gracious enough to type up his thoughts into article format.

The New England Patriots won their Sixth Super Bowl since 2001 and entered the offseason with some major free agents on both sides of the ball while having the most picks in the NFL draft. The front office and coaching staff added some solid vets and rookies with upside at key spots. Let’s look at the good and bad as the Pats start training camp this week.
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2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival

Kate Arhar
Senior Sports Editor Reporter AFC North and NFC South

It’s finally here! The real harbinger that the NFL season is about to begin: The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival in Canton, Ohio!

Events have been occurring all summer which will culminate on the first weekend in August as we honor eight new additions to the hall and the start of preseason football.

As we prepare for this annual event, the ladies of Our Turf are here to get you prepared. We’ll be featuring each of this year’s eight enshrinees in articles during the upcoming 10 days: Champ Bailey, Pat Bowlen, Gil Brandt, Tony Gonzalez, Ty Law, Kevin Mawae, Ed Reed, and Johnny Robinson.

I’ll be on hand covering most of the events over the weekend and sharing the sights and sounds with you! Let’s look at the schedule of upcoming events for the August 1-4 festival.

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Bears will not regress, but progress in 2019

Wanda Wiedman,
NFL Reporter

By Wanda Wiedman // @WandaW63

Upon hiring General Manager Ryan Pace, the Chicago Bears were expected to be overhauled in a rebuild of epic proportions.

It was no surprise that the Bears would develop a young and hungry group of players under the leadership of a competitive and a just as hungry coach in Matt Nagy.

A lengthy endeavor that was supposed to take four years turned out to be a competitive playoff team.

But to the surprise of analysts and fans, the 2018 season was better than expected. With a 12-4 record and the hostile takeover of the NFC North throne, one can only hope the reign of terror once infused from the Monsters of the Midway has returned.

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