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Thursday, January 29, 2015

Super Bowl news, notes

In a couple of days, I expect that Jerome Bettis will take his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There has been a bigger push than ever before to get Bettis, the NFL's sixth-leading rusher, into the hall. That push has been led by the Steelers, who have put a full-court press on the issue this season.

Bettis has been passed over in recent years for other running backs - and I can't argue that he should have gotten in over any of those guys.

But the time has come.

@ I've gone back and forth on my pick for this game. Earlier in the week, I picked the Patriots while on ESPN-970.

But I've changed my mind. I'm going with the Seahawks, 24-20.

@ People talk about watching the game and rooting for one team or the other.

Maybe I'm different, but I can just watch a game with no rooting interest, Perhaps covering the NFL for the past 22 seasons has made that possible. I don't know.

But for those who can't find a rooting interest in this game, there's this: One way or another, one of these teams is going to lose.

And that, in itself, could be something to root for.

@ Once the Super Bowl is finished, things will start heating up with free agency and the scouting combine.

Look for the Steelers to open contract talks with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and linebacker Jason Worilds.

I will be attending the combine in Indianapolis this year for the first time, so I'm hopeful to get some interviews in with some potential Steelers draft picks.

18 comments:

Patrick said...

Movin on up in the world dale. Good for you. It's deserved

Anonymous said...

Have fun at the Combine Dale. Keep an eye on those OLBers.

Anonymous said...

I hope Bettis' fate doesn't rest in the ability of Ed to pitch him over the hump. (lookie, cliche soup. again. apologies). But I'm guessing Ed's case for Bettis wouldn't be any better crafted than that last sentence. "Um, numbers and whatnot. 5th all-time something. Oh, it's 6th all-time rusher? Thanks, I don't know really, I don't pay much attention to stuff. And in conclusion, numbers. Thanks."

Anonymous said...

crossing my fingers for bettis, but not sure he will get it. seau, marvin harrison, kurt warner, will shields, jimmy johnson and dungy are all locks imo. only question is whether the voters can justify holding any of them off a year to accommodate bettis.

Anonymous said...

I look at Seattle's offense and I don't know where the points are going to come from. I sure don't want to see Belichick tie Chuck Noll. If he does,even with the cheating cloud over him, the media narrative will be whether he is the best coach ever. And when they have that conversation see how many times Noll's name comes up.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about Warner being a lock this year. He may get in eventually but I don't think he is a lock. He had some great seasons, and some aweful ones where he was a back up. he is only 1 for 3 in superbowls. He had to prove himself in the Arena League before he even got a shot in the NFL as a back up at age 27. For a point of reference Ben had 2 SB wins in his pocket plus 4 seasons with 90 plus Qb ratings by age 27. Warner has 5 season with 90 plus rating in his whole career. He had 1 or 2 MVP seasons with the greatest show on turf but here are his QB ratings by year: 47.2, 109.2, 98.3, 101.4, 67.4, 72.9, 86.5, 85.8, 89.3, 89.8, 96.9 and 93.2 . His cumulative career #'s are nothing to brag about 32k yards 208 TDs, 66-49 career record. He is far from a lock to even get in let alone a lock for this year.

Anonymous said...

Warner was nothing special athletically either. He was accurate, thats it. Not a overly strong arm for a QB. Definitely was not mobile or special in moving around if he had to.

BlackNGold said...

The media and everyone else loves Warner, his story, family, etc. Those things paired with decent numbers might get him in.

Anonymous said...

regarding warner, the fact he went through the arena league is irrelevant. his awful seasons were mostly due to thumb injuries. pointing out what #7 did by age 27 versus warner is, again, irrelevant. if you want to compare QB ratings, then at least be forthcoming and state the fact #7's career rating is 93.9 and warner's is 93.7. at the end of the day, warner is a 2-time mvp, 1 super bowl mvp, 3 trips to the super bowl and many would consider one of the most prolific playoff passers of all time.

when I say he is a lock, I don't necessarily mean this year, but at some point. I think this is a tough group of 15 finalists and someone who deserves to be in will have to wait a bit longer.

Anonymous said...

How is what is his peers did early in their careers not relevant? Kurt Warner did not have enough talent in his younger years to be an NFL prospect. Period. How is the fact he had to play minor league football not important to his pro football career credentials? Durability should not count for something. Who cares why he had terrible years, he had terrible years. Every QB gets banged up. MVP's considered the guy was a flash in the pan when you look at guys with way better pedigree, longevity, consistency, career stats and athletic prowess like Brees, Ben, Rodgers, Favre, Manning and Brady. All of those but Brady were known talents coming out college and have proven their talents in the NFL. They didn't have to toil away for 5 years after graduating from Northern Iowa before they got a shot in the NFL as a back up. Thats all part of his story, like it or not. You can't just look at the good stuff. Your right he will get in eventually. I just don't see the guy as a first ballot HOFer.One thing that is working for him is that a QB hasn't gotten in since 2006.

Anonymous said...

Favre was not a known talent necessarily coming out of college but he did make NFL rosters at least....

Anonymous said...

i believe hall of fame voters take into consideration what a player did "in the nfl", not before they got there or after they left (unless they are a coach). just my opinion.

kyle said...

Favre wasn't a known talent? He was the 33rd pick.

Steve-O said...

Dale,

Congratulations on the opportunity to attend the NFL Combine. I'd give my left n*t to watch the athletes compete in that venue.

I'm looking forward to your analysis of the players but I'm also interested in reading about the behind the scenes activity that goes on at those things between the scouts.

Dale Lolley said...

Favre was a high second-round pick. He was hardly an unknown commodity

adamg said...

The Bus is rolling into Canton! Congratulations to Jerome Bettis on his selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Anonymous said...

Bettis made it. Can't wait to see him in the hall.

Anonymous said...

JJ Watt should have won MVP. Stupid quarterback award going to Aaron Rodgers for having an average season and not leading in any statistics. Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell should have had more MVP votes than Rodgers. They need to change the award name to Best Player and give Quarterbacks their own separate award since idiotic AP Press that know nothing about football are the ones who decide the award.