Much is known about Tom Brady. Multiple Super Bowl championships, tons of individual awards, and a great teammate. Here are some of the lesser known facts about this great quarterback:
- In 1995, Tom Brady was drafted in the 18th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos.
- When Tom Brady came to the University of Michigan he was originally listed as 7th on the quarterback depth chart.
- Before picking Brady with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, they had also been considering choosing quarterback Tim Rattay.
- When Brady came to the Patriots he was originally listed as fourth on the quarterback depth chart behind Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz, and Michael Bishop.
- The injury to Drew Bledsoe that put Tom Brady in the starting lineup was caused by a hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis.
- The famous “tuck rule” game against the Oakland Raiders was Tom Brady’s first playoff game ever.
- In 2007, Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes in a season with 50… his previous career high had been 28.
The New England Patriots have become one of the most successful franchises in National Football League history. This was not always the case as in the thirty four years the team existed before being purchased by Robert Kraft in 1994 the most wins they had accumulated was eleven. Since Kraft’s purchase of the team, they have had seasons of 14 wins (twice) as well as the undefeated 2007 season when they accumulated 16 regular season victories.
Robert Kraft was born in 1941 in Brookline, Massachusetts and was a New England Patriots fan dating back to their early days as part of the American Football League (AFL). Kraft played on the lightweight football team and graduated from Columbia University in 1963 before receiving an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1965.
Kraft began his business career with a packaging company he would later acquire, the Rand-Whitney Group. He would also found International Forest Products, a physical paper commodities trading company, in 1972. These two companies combine to form the largest privately held paper and packaging in the United States. Kraft would look outside the paper and packaging industry for his next business deals as he went on to acquire both television and radio stations, primarily in the Boston area.
In 1985, Kraft purchased an option on the New England Patriots home field, Sullivan Stadium. This followed in 1988 with Kraft’s purchase of the stadium from bankruptcy court for $25 million. The stadium, home to the Patriots whom Kraft had held season tickets for since 1972, would be renamed Foxboro Stadium and then would play a big role in Kraft’s acquisition of the team. The Patriots were purchased by James Orthwein in 1992 and as he was a native of St. Louis, who had lost the Cardinals four years earlier, it was assumed he wanted to move the team. Two years later Kraft saved the team from being moved by purchasing the Patriots for $175 million dollars, up until then the highest price paid for an NFL team.
After six playoff appearances in 33 years before Robert Kraft purchased the team, the Patriots have gone on to make the playoffs nine times in the 13 years since he purchased the team. Kraft has built a successful team starting with his hiring of head coach Bill Parcells which directly led to his hiring of current head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots have gone on to win multiple Super Bowls under Kraft’s ownership, Belichick’s guidance, and star quarterback Tom Brady’s play.
Robert Kraft also founded the New England Revolution, who share their home stadium (the newly built Gillette Stadium) with the Patriots. Kraft is also a major contributor to various philanthropic causes, many in his home region of New England. Robert Kraft succeeded in living out a dream many football fans have for themselves; buying their favorite football team and turning it into a success. The successful years for the New England Patriots don’t appear to be ending any time soon either.
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Defunct NFL Franchises
We think of professional sports especially the NFL as highly stable businesses, and in modern times that’s correct. But, there was a time when buying an NFL franchise wasn’t a guarantee that you’d still be in business even a few years down the road.
Here is a list of NFL teams that are no longer in existence. This does not include teams that have moved from one city or region to another and played under a different name, these are only teams that essentially went out of business for one reason or another. Following the team name, in parenthesis, are their years of operation.
As you can see in the NFL’s early years (the 1920’s), it was a highly unstable league, continuing to have problems well into the 1930’s.
Chicago Tigers (1920)
Cleveland Tigers/Indians (1920-21)
Muncie Flyers (1920-21)
Rochester Jeffersons (1920-25)
Rock Island Independents (1920-25)
Akron Pros/Indians (1920-26)
Canton Bulldogs (1920-26)
Columbus Panhandles/Tigers (1920-26)
Hammond Pros (1920-26)
Detroit Heralds/Tigers/Panthers/Wolverines (1920-28)
Buffalo All-Americans/Bisons/Rangers (1920-29)
Dayton Triangles (1920-29)
Cincinnati Celts (1921)
New York Giants – Brickley’s (1921)
Tonawanda Kardex (1921)
Washington Senators (1921)
Evansville Crimson Giants (1921-22)
Louisville Brecks/Colonels (1921-23, 1926)
Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets (1921-24, 1929-31)
Oorang Indians (1922-23)
Toledo Maroons (1922-23)
Racine Legion/Tornadoes (1922-24, 1926)
Milwaukee Badgers (1922-26)
St. Louis All Stars (1923)
Cleveland Indians/Bulldogs (1923-27)
Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos (1923-27)
Kenosha Maroons (1924)
Kansas City Blues/Cowboys (1924-26)
Frankford Yellow Jackets (1924-31)
Pottsville Maroons/Boston Bulldogs (1925-29)
Providence Steam Roller (1925-31)
Brooklyn Lions (1926)
Hartford Blues (1926)
Los Angeles Buccaneers (1926)
New York Yankees (1927-28)
Orange/Newark Tornadoes (1929-30)
Staten Island Stapletons (1929-32)
Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers (1930-1944)
Cleveland Indians (1931)
Cincinnati Reds (1933-34)
St. Louis Gunners (1934)
Boston Yanks (1944-48)
Baltimore Colts (1950)
New York Bulldogs/Yanks (1949-51)
Dallas Texans (1952)
Though many teams have claimed financial hardship at different times during their existence, no NFL team has gone out of business or folded since 1952.
What To Bring For A Successful Tailgate Party
Whether you’re attending a football game or any other sporting event, tailgating is fast becoming an American pastime. Here are __ steps to a successful tailgater party.
What to bring:
Tailgate parties can be a great way to prep for a big game, and you don’t have to be going to a pro football game to have one. Tailgating parties are fun at the college level, and can be a unique thing to do before a high school game as well. Get out there and tailgate!
Stability at the position of quarterback has always been one of the cornerstones of a successful football team. We had a question asked recently, what team has gone the most consecutive years having a different starting quarterback each year. We did some research and here is that list, we chose to cover teams that went consecutive years with different quarterbacks leading the team in passing.
Many, many teams have gone four consecutive years with different quarterbacks leading the team in passing, so we started our list with those that had gone five years.
Five teams have gone five consecutive years with different quarterbacks leading the team in passing:
San Francisco 49ers
1972 Steve Spurrier
1973 Tom Owen
1974 John Brodie
1975 Norm Snead
1976 Jim Plunkett
New York Jets
1995 Boomer Esiason
1996 Frank Reich
1997 Neil O’Donnell
1998 Vinny Testaverde
1999 Ray Lucas
Dallas Cowboys
2002 Chad Hutchenson
2003 Quincy Carter
2004 Vinny Testaverde
2005 Drew Bledsoe
2006 Tony Romo
Miami Dolphins
2003 Jay Fiedler
2004 A.J. Feeley
2005 Gus Frerotte
2006 Joey Harrington
2007 Cleo Lemon
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2003 Brad Johnson
2004 Brian Griese
2005 Chris Simms
2006 Bruce Gradkowski
2007 Jeff Garcia
Topping those five teams, five other teams have gone six consecutive years with different quarterbacks leading their teams in passing:
Detroit Lions
1986 Eric Hipple
1987 Chuck Long
1988 Rusty Hilger
1989 Bob Gagliano
1990 Rodney Peete
1991 Erik Kramer
San Diego Chargers
1987 Dan Fouts
1988 Mark Malone
1989 Jim McMahon
1990 Billy Joe Tolliver
1991 John Friesz
1992 Stan Humphries
St. Louis / Arizona Cardinals
1988 Neil Lomax
1989 Gary Hogeboom
1990 Timm Rosenbach
1991 Stan Gelbaugh
1992 Chris Chandler
1993 Steve Beuerlein
Chicago Bears
2002 Jim Miller
2003 Kordell Stewart
2004 Chad Hutchinson
2005 Kyle Orton
2006 Rex Grossman
2007 Brian Griese
Cleveland Browns
2002 Tim Couch
2003 Kelly Holcomb
2004 Jeff Garcia
2005 Trent Dilfer
2006 Charlie Frye
2007 Derek Anderson
But, one team has all ten of those teams topped. The 1993-2000 Philadelphia had eight consecutive years with a different quarterback leading the team in passing.
Philadelphia Eagles
1993 Bubby Brister
1994 Randall Cunningham
1995 Rodney Peete
1996 Ty Detmer
1997 Bobby Hoying
1998 Koy Detmer
1999 Doug Pederson
2000 Donovan McNabb
As you can see from this list, during these times of turmoil at the quarterback position, few of these teams experienced huge amounts of success. The only true exception would be the 2006 Bears going to the Super Bowl. Stability at the quarterback position goes a long ways in the NFL. Four of these teams have the opportunity to extend their streak into next season: Cleveland, Chicago, Tampa Bay, and Miami.
Which Team Makes The Most Out Of It’s Post Season Appearance?
Here’s an interesting stat… which team makes the most out of its playoff appearances? Coaches will tell you that there is only one reason to play the game… to win, more specifically to win championships. The Green Bay Packers have the most NFL Championships of any team in the league with 12, though other teams have won a greater number of Super Bowls, the Packers were also highly successful in the years before the Super Bowl and expanded playoffs came along. But, let’s look at percentages… which team has won the most NFL Championships compared to how many times they’ve been in the playoffs?
Well, the winner of that distinction would also be the Green Bay Packers. They’ve won their 12 championships and made the playoffs 23 times. That’s right, more than half (52%) the times they make the playoffs, they win it all.
Second place is the Chicago Bears who have won 9 NFL Championships (8 coming in their pre-Super Bowl days) and made the playoffs 24 times for a percentage of 38%.
Ernie Holmes was an integral member of the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers Steel Curtain Defense. He played on the defensive line alongside all-time greats Mean Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, and Dwight White for six seasons, from 1972-1977. Holmes was known as a wild man, shocking the public with everything from having a large arrow shaved in his head to shooting at a police helicopter after a car chase. This wildness carried over onto the field where opponents never knew what to expect.
Ernie Holmes grew up in Texas and played collegiately at Texas Southern University. The Steelers drafted him in the eighth round of the 1972 NFL Draft and he made an immediate impact on an already very good team. Holmes would finish his career with 39.5 sacks following a three game stint in 1978 with the New England Patriots.
After football, Holmes tried his hand at acting. He landed a few very minor roles, including a one episode appearance on the the classic 1980’s T.V. series ‘The A-Team’. Holmes then experienced some health problems and became an ordained minister. He lived the rest of his time on his ranch in Beaumont, Texas. Ernie Holmes died January 17, 2008 in a car accident.
Throw Away Your Phone Book – More Advanced Searching Options Are Here
Traditionally, to look up personal information for someone you usually needed to start with certain information, most often a person’s last name. But, what do you do if you don’t have that information? What if you’ve found a scrap of paper with a phone number you wrote down but no other information? What if you know the city that a business is located in, but you don’t have any other information about them? You still need to find out the information, but you can no longer rely on the traditional methods. CanPages.ca offers you tons more search options that you can take advantage of.
CanPages offers the standard phone book search option, but a lot more. This works the same way a standard phone book does, enter in the name and the phone number is returned. Under search options you can also click on the “phone” option and then search by a phone number.
CanPages also offers you exceptional business listing search options. You can perform searches using business category or geographic location in addition to inputting the standard business name information.
One of the toughest situations in the business world is when you have a phone number, possibly a number you need to return a call to, but you don’t know who the number belongs to. CanPages lets you enter the phone number and it searches the database for information related to that number. It doesn’t matter if it is a residential, business, fax, or toll free number.
CanPages.ca is a faster way to return information you already are able to look up, and it is a way to gain access to information you normally wouldn’t be able to get using a standard phone book.
Jerry Rice’s Statistical Dominance
There is no question that Jerry Rice was one of the best football players, not just wide receivers, to ever play the game. When Rice retired after his long career with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks; he held almost every known receiving record in the NFL. But, to better illustrate how dominant Jerry Rice was; let’s take a look at the difference between Rice’s records and the second place player’s numbers.
Jerry Rice holds the record for most career receptions with 1,549. Minnesota Vikings great Cris Carter is in second place with 1,101 receptions; a difference of 448. Cris Carter was great, but to put this in perspective if he were to average 80 receptions a year he would have had to play an additional five and a half years and he would still be just short of Rice’s numbers.
Jerry Rice also holds the record for most seasons with 50 or more receptions, he was able to accomplish this 17 different times. Second place? Andre Reed with 13.
The record for most receiving touchdowns in a career is also a record owned by Jerry Rice with his 197 touchdowns. Second place again belongs to Cris Carter, though he is 67 touchdowns behind with an impressive 130.
Running backs are known to be some of the most reliable touchdown scorers in the NFL. Emmitt Smith, one of the best running backs ever, retired with 175 touchdowns… leaving him in second place on the all-time touchdowns scored list behind Jerry Rice who retired with 208 touchdowns.
One of the best measures of a wide receiver’s productivity is their career receiving yards. During his entire career, Jerry Rice amassed 22,895 receiving yards. Tim Brown was a very impressive receiver with a very impressive career spent mostly with the Raiders, he is second place in career receiving yards however to Rice with his total of 14,934 yards. Tim Brown would have had to put together another eight 1,000 yard receiving seasons to have accumulated more yards than Jerry Rice.
Jerry Rice also holds the record for most seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving. Second place is a tie between Tim Brown and Jacksonville Jaguars great Jimmy Smith who each had 9 seasons of 1,000 yards or more receiving… the only problem is that Rice did it 14 times.
Jerry Rice was amazingly durable during his career, setting the record with catching a pass in 274 consecutive games, 91 straight games more than Art Monk’s prior record of 183 consecutive games.
The fact that Jerry Rice holds all the major and most of the minor receiving records is evidence enough of his dominance, but when you see that he also is head and shoulders ahead of the second place person in a lot of these categories, it is impossible to argue that there is another receiver in the same class as the great Jerry Rice.
Wild Card Teams That Have Won The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl winner is supposedly the best team in the NFL that year. Well, then how can the Super Bowl winner be the best team if it couldn’t even win their own division?
The current NFL playoff system allows for all the division winners to make the playoffs, and then also the two non-division winning teams with the best records make it to the playoffs as “wild card teams”.
How many wild card teams have beaten those division winning teams who usually have better records and went on to win the Super Bowl?
The answer is: 4
The first to do it was the 1980 Oakland Raiders; it wouldn’t be accomplished again until 17 years later in 1997 when the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl as a wild card team. There would be a short wait for it to happen the next two times as the Baltimore Ravens accomplished this feat in 2000, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005.
Want to stay up to date on the NFL Playoffs? I’m not talking about just the scores and which team won, but analysis of the game that just took place as well as an in-depth look at the games ahead?
Check out the NFL Playoff Schedule and the Playoff Bracket that is put together over at Doc’s Sports.
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They also offer much more than these great playoff features.
Go to Doc’s and check out their picks and prediction for all major sports. A wealth of information can be found at Doc’s Sports today… and every day.
Resurrecting the Baltimore Colts
Most people are aware of the history of the Baltimore Colts franchise. The moving of the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984 still lingers in the hearts of old school Baltimore football fans. If history has anything to say, the Baltimore Colts will rise again… or at least the name will.
The Baltimore Colts were founded in 1946 as part of the All American Football Conference. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, three teams were accepted into the NFL; the Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Colts. This version of the Colts would not last as they went out of business and ceased operations a short time later.
Much later, after the second version of the Colts had moved to Indianapolis, a professional football team named the Baltimore Colts was back in action. The Canadian Football League had expanded into the United States in the early part of the 1990’s and in an attempt to capitalize on the football fans that had been left behind by the NFL Colts they placed a team in Baltimore. The team was christened the Baltimore Colts, but the NFL and the Colts franchise filed a lawsuit claiming rights to the name Baltimore Colts. The new CFL team then became the Baltimore CFL Colts, then the Baltimore CFL’ers, and finally the Baltimore Stallions.
So, have no fear Baltimore fans… odds are another Colts team will spring up in your neighborhood anytime now. Not that you need them anymore since the Ravens came to town.
Copyright © 2007 Football Trivia & Facts From IQFB.com
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