EVERYBODY GOT HURT

MLB: Mets pitcher Matt Harvey's season is over: he has a partially torn UCL which they say he will rehab, but usually requires Tommy John surgery. Harvey will likely not play again until 2015 or late in 2014. This sucks. The Mets' pitching staff is generally damn good, but Harvey was far and away the best and most promising pitcher on the roster. He finished the year with a 2.27 ERA, 178.1 innings pitched, with a NL leading 191 strikeouts and one shutout. He will be missed while on sabbatical and there's a very real possibility he'll never be the same. He could potentially return to form and everything could be fine. This just brings back a lot of painful memories of great Mets pitchers going down and never being great again.

NFL: The third week of preseason games were marked by a ton of players getting hurt. The Cardinals lost rookie guard Jonathan Cooper with a broken leg. The Lions' rookie defensive end Ziggy Ansah may or may not have a concussion. Mark Sanchez hurt his throwing shoulder when the Jets put him in the fourth quarter with the backup offensive linemen. The Saints lost linebacker Will Smith for the year. The Steelers' rookie linebacker Jarvis Jones injured his chest. But it was the Bills that got hit by the injury bug the worst.

Rookie quarterback and likely starter E.J. Manuel had surgery on his knee and likely will be out until at least the Bills' third game (though they're "hopeful" that he can return for the opener). The quarterback that was supposed to take Manuel's place in the starting rotation, Kevin Kolb, is out for a concussion and it may be career ending. The injuries haven't just affected the Bills' quarterbacks: second year cornerback Stephon Gilmore will be out at least eight weeks after having wrist surgery. These injuries are all going to make winning pretty hard on a team that was going to struggle to win anyway. But these injuries hampering them for at least the first half of the season, they may be looking at the third or fourth pick in next year's draft. That might be an overreaction, but man have they had some bad luck in this young season.

GUY, HUMPHREY UP FOR HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

NFL: Former Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders punter Ray Guy and former long-time Atlanta Falcon Claude Humphrey have been selected as this year's senior nominees for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are automatically finalists for the class of 2014 and must each appear on 80% of the voters' ballots to be inducted.

Humphrey was selected third overall in the 1968 AFL/NFL Common Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and was a six time Pro Bowler (1970-1974, 1977) and two time 1st Team All-Pro selection (1972-1973). He played ten seasons for the Falcons from 1968-1978 (he didn't play in 1975) and three more with the Eagles from 1979-1981. Humphrey was a hall of fame finalist three times in 2003, 2005 and 2006. If elected, he would be the second long-time Falcon to be inducted (Deion Sanders was the first in 2011) and would also be the first member of the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles team that went to Super Bowl XV to be inducted.

I profiled Ray Guy in this article thinking this was his last year as a modern candidate. One factoid I didn't mention about him in the profile was that Guy was selected 23rd overall in the 1973 Draft. Which means he was taken in the first round. 419 players were taken after him. That's how highly Al Davis thought of him. And this was before Al Davis completely lost his mind. If Guy is elected, he would be 14th long-time Raider to be inducted and the first since John Madden went in in 2006. He would also be the 9th, 5th and 6th Raider from the Super Bowl XI, XV and XVIII winning teams to be inducted, respectively.

Being on the senior ticket doesn't guarantee their inductions (just ask Dick Stanfel from a couple of years ago), but their chances are greatly helped. In the last ten classes, 17 people have been inducted through the senior committee. 2008, 2009 and 2012 were the only classes in the last decade that didn't induct both nominees. So they've got a good chance, but it won't be official until the day before Super Bowl XLVIII (February 1st, 2014).

NEWS ROUNDUP: MILLER, DEMPSTER SUSPENSIONS

I'll be heading back to college in less than a week, so updates will probably be a bit scarce. To compensate, I think I'll go over the biggest stories going on in the four major sports at the time of my postings and go from there. Let's a go!

NBA & NHL: Jack. It's their offseason, which means nothing's going on. The only interesting thing that's happening right now is uniform changes.

Speaking of uniform changes, let's take a look at the Sharks' new digs. First, what they had been wearing:

Now, the new uniforms:

The Sharks had a fire sale on stripes apparently. The stripes on the shoulders and lower part of the shirt have been deleted and one orange stripe in the arm pattern is gone. The primary home and away uniforms now more closely resemble the black alternate that the team has been wearing for some time (and will continue to wear). Take a gander:

All in all, I'd say the uniforms are pretty sweet. Very simple, but sweet. Remarkable considering how busy a lot of uniforms are these days.

MLB: Ryan Dempster was suspended five games yesterday after throwing at and hitting Alex Rodriguez during Sunday's Red Sox/Yankees game. Dempster has also been fined an undisclosed amount.

Will this really send a message? Pitchers who get suspended for five or so games are essentially missing one game due to how pitching rotations work in the majors. So Ryan Dempster is effectively getting a slap on the wrist for throwing an object at a high velocity at a fellow human being (regardless of how you or I may feel about Alex Rodriguez, he's still a major league player and should be protected as such).

If MLB really wants to send a message to pitchers who intentionally throw at batters, the suspensions should be more severe due to the fact that starting pitchers, unlike hitters, are playing what amounts to a 20-30 game schedule within the normal 162 game season. So levy 15, 20, even 25 game suspensions which equates to roughly three to five games these pitchers would be in the starting rotation. It would be far more inconvenient for a team to allow their pitchers to employ these low rent tactics if they would lose the pitchers for an extended period of time, rather than what amounts to one game.

NFL: Speaking of suspensions, Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller will be suspended for the first six games of the 2013 season. Miller is far and away the Broncos best pass rusher, accumulating 30 sacks in his first 31 games since being taken with the second overall pick in the 2011 draft. This will hurt the Broncos in the early goings of the season, but it's not going to be as bad as you might think.

The Broncos have two road games in their first six games (at the Giants in week 2 and at the Cowboys in week 5) and have home games against the Ravens, Raiders, Eagles and Jaguars in the meantime. If the Broncos had Miller at their disposal for these games, the Broncos could potentially go 6-0 to start the season. Without Miller, they'll likely finish 4-2, with only the Ravens and Eagles looking like they could give the Broncos trouble.

Von Miller is arguably the best player on the Broncos defense, but he's not the only good player on that side of the ball; they'll still be an effective unit without him, but they won't be as dangerous as they would have been with him in the lineup. Meanwhile on offense, as long as Peyton Manning is healthy, points will rain from the sky in an orange and navy barrage. Additionally, Knowshon Moreno and rookie Montee Ball will make that backfield dangerous. The Broncos will likely have one of the most formidable and balanced offenses in the AFC this season.

So don't cry for the Broncos; they'll be inconvenienced, but in the grand scheme of things, everything's hunky dory in the Mile High City.

PHILLIES FIRE CHARLIE MANUEL

It's a new era in the City of Brotherly Love.

Charlie Manuel was relived of his duties as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday, becoming the first manager to be fired in the middle of the season this year. Manuel is the Phillies' all time winningest manager with 780 wins and recently won his 1,000th overall game. The Phillies' had been .500 or better up to this year since Manuel took over the job in 2005. The Phillies also went to the postseason five times in Manuel's eight full seasons on the job, highlighted by the team making the World Series two years in a row and winning it in 2008.

I'm torn about this. On the one hand, the Phillies have been among the most disappointing teams in baseball this year, finishing off Manuel's portion of the season 53-67 and 4th place in the NL East. Obviously, a change needed to take place. But it's also pretty plain that if Manuel was a problem for the Phillies, he wasn't the biggest problem. Who do the Phillies have?

Aside from Dominic Brown and MAYBE Ben Revere, there are no bright spots on the roster. Five of the eight starting batters are 33 or older. They have no farm system to speak of due to bartering young guys for these older veterans who, as I've mentioned, are really old. Ryan Howard, when he's been healthy, is currently leading the team in strikeouts with 95. On top of that, Howard is signed through at least 2016 with an option for 2017, and he's far from the only player who's signed to an unreasonable contract. Cole Hamels is signed through 2019, and has been absolutely atrocious. He has played better since June, but his numbers still aren't great (his ERA has been between 3.65 and 4.58 since June). Speaking of the Phillies' pitching, aside from Cliff Lee who has honestly been very good this year, all of the starting pitchers have sucked hard. Lee and Hamels are the only starting pitchers who have an ERA below 4.00. Taking Lee out of the equation, the other pitchers are a combined 23-32. Now some of that is due to the fact that the Phillies' offense really sucks as well, but again, when three of the five projected starters have ERAs at or above 4.04, it's not good.

This all seems to fall on general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., who gutted the farm system and signed these old guys and brought in other old guys (like Michael Young) or damaged young goods (like Delmon Young, who's now gone). I'm not one to usually call for someone's job, because high positions in sports are incredibly difficult and stressful. But if anyone is the most culpable for the sad state of the Phillies, it's Amaro. Maybe he'll be replaced at the end of the season, but Charlie Manuel is gone, Ryne Sandberg has never managed before in the big leagues, and this roster is dead-weighted by bad contracts and older players that can no longer consistently produce good results.

And to underscore just how pitiful the Phillies' roster really is, Ryne Sandberg lost his first game as manager. Generally when a head coach is replaced midway through the season in any sport, the players usually play harder at first to try and make sure people don't think that they're the reason that the coach got fired. Nothing doing last night: the Dodgers creamed the Phillies 4-0. It's just one game and the Dodgers are one of the best teams in baseball right now, but that just puts the emphasis on how bereft of talent the Phillies are right now.

It's just a shame. In other news, the Mets have have won two in row against the Padres and are 2.5 games behind the Nationals for second place in the NL East.

A DOUBLE DOSE OF BASKETBALL UNIFORMS

Here's not one, but two new uniforms for teams in the NBA. First up the Detroit Pistons' new alternate:

Pretty sweet! It's bold but not gaudy, which is pretty much all I can ask for in a uniform. These uniforms are certainly better than the Pistons will be this year.

The second and final change, the Phoenix Suns radically changed their uniforms.

Much improved over their previous duds. I'm not a fan of the short sleeved uniforms that have become inexplicably popular in the NBA (I like the color though), but the primary unis are delectable. I like the touch of the Suns' lines forming the uniform numbers instead of the basketball. All in all, thumbs up!

MOST VALUABLE... BACKFIELD

The NFL MVP is one of the greatest individual honors a player can receive. In doing a little research though, only a certain category of great players earn the award. And I'm not talking about the best-of-the-best, or some vague description like that: the award usually goes to either a quarterback or a running back. And by usually, I mean nearly 95% of the time.

The NFL MVP award had been handed out by the Associated Press since 1957, and all but three of the 58 awards have gone to a quarterback or a running back. If you're interested, the three who don't fit that description are Alan Page in 1971, Mark Moseley in 1982, and Lawrence Taylor in 1986. It should also be noted that AP Offensive Player of the Year, which has been awarded since 1972, has also been named NFL MVP 58.5% of the time (24 of 41).

Obviously, that's kind of weird. The Offensive Player of the Year has been a quarterback or a running back all but twice in the 41 times its been awarded, and the two wide receivers that have won it were both Jerry Rice (in 1987 and 1993). My point is that both the MVP and OPY are so skewed towards two positions on offense. Offensive linemen, unsurprisingly, are completely left out, and aside from one player, wide receiver has been utterly ignored as well. But how can that be solved? Honestly, if I had it my way, I'd get rid of the MVP award entirely and greatly tweak the OPY criteria.

Now here me out: football is the one sport where determining ONE player whom is the most valuable to his team is almost impossible. Baseball, basketball and hockey are another story, what with every player contributing on offense and defense and with fewer players on a team. In football, there are 22 players between offense and defense, and that doesn't even count special teams. How can you determine who among a 53 man roster in a 32 team league is more valuable to his team than anyone else?

Meanwhile, I'd keep the OPY but I'd create individual awards to each position group; one for best quarterback, best running back, best offensive lineman and best receiver and tight end. To keep it fair, I'd do the same to the Defensive Player of the Year award: keep giving out the award, while giving additional awards to the best defensive lineman, best linebacker and best defensive back (although, the DPY overall has been considerably better at handing out the award across the entire defensive side of the ball).

It's not like this is an unprecedented suggestion: college football has been doing that for years. There are awards of the best offensive and defensive players, but also awards for specific positions. Now you could argue that's to distinguish the best among thousands of collegiate players, but I still say that there are enough great players in the NFL that more awards aren't derivative.

Try these on for size:

Sammy Baugh Award- Best Quarterback
Jim Brown Award- Best Running Back
Jerry Rice Award- Best Wide Receiver
Mike Ditka Award- Best Tight End
Anthony Munoz Award- Best O-Lineman
Reggie White Award- Best D-Lineman
Jack Lambert Award- Best Linebacker
Night Train Lane Award- Best Defensive Back
Morten Andersen Award- Best Kicker or Punter
Rick Upchurch Award- Best Return Man

See? It's not a huge deal. It would still lead to a debate on what people consider to be more important to a single position, but it would still recognize players that wouldn't normally get recognition. You can even give awards to notable individual accomplishments. Hell, starting this year the league leader in sacks will be awarded the Deacon Jones Award. So do that too, like the Dan Marino Award for league leader in passing yards, the Ed Reed Award for league leader in interceptions, and so on.

It wouldn't be perfect, but in my little world, this is better than what's currently going on.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF... THE NEW YORK METS

My dad badgered me about doing a Mets retrospective after they swept the Rockies. Ask and you shall receive (eventually). Here's a profile of my favorite baseball team: the New York Mets.

Starting Up: The Mets were started up by William Shea as a team that would play in the Continental League in 1959. The Continental League disbanded and four of its franchises were excepted into MLB (two in the American League, two in the National League). "Mets" was chosen as the team's name as a shortened version of its corporate name: New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc. Blue and orange were chosen as the team's colors in reference to the NL's two departed New York franchises the Brooklyn Dodgers (who moved to Los Angeles in 1958) and the New York Giants (who moved to San Francisco the same year). The team got off to a rough start. The roughest start, even. The team went 40-120 in their inaugural season in 1962, one of the worst records of the modern era. Eventually, the Loveable Loser Mets turned into the Amazin' Mets, and they went on to win the 1969 World Series after starting the season 18-23 while going an astounding 82-39 over the rest of the year. Pretty good for a team that was one of the worst ever seven years prior.

Greatest Runs

The Amazin' Mets (1969-1973): The aforementioned Amazin' teams. The '69 team started slowly but roared to a 100-62 record, swept the Atlanta Braves in three games in the inaugural NLCS, and beat the Baltimore Orioles in five games in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. They had three straight 83 win seasons before winning their second NL East title and making it to the World Series for the second time in five years in 1973.

The Great Davey Johnson Teams (1984-1989): Starting in 1980, the Mets began to make a series of great moves and hires that culminated in six seasons of dominance throughout the mid to late 80s. These Mets went to two NL Championship Series in three years and won their second World Series in 1986, defeating the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. Game 6 of the '86 Series is one of the most famous games in baseball history; the Mets came back from a 3-0 deficit in an elimination game, culminating when Mookie Wilson hit a grounder that went through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, sealing the game for the Mets.

The Mike Piazza Era (1998-2001): The Mets returned to postseason glory, going to two straight NCLS and one World Series. They lost to the New York Yankees in the 2000 Series, the first World Series between New York teams since 1956. That was it for the Mets as contenders, but there was one special moment to come after that: the Mets played the Braves in Shea Stadium on September 21, 2001 - the first game played in New York City since 9/11. Mets catcher Mike Piazza hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, effectively winning the game for them, to thunderous cheers. It's cited as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.

Leanest Years

The Loveable Losers (1962-1966): As I mentioned above, the Mets were historically bad when they first started. Beyond the atrocious 40-120 inaugural season, they had four straight 100 loss seasons to start out, tying a modern era record for futility. Why were they so bad? One of the main reasons is that instead of signing promising young players to start with, the team signed veteran players who had spent significant time with the Dodgers and Giants when they were still in New York in order to play on fans' nostalgia. Of course, by this time, those same players who had been great years earlier were now closer to retirement than not, and thus weren't exactly in prime baseball condition, contributing to the Mets' woeful first few seasons.

The Midnight Massacre Era (1977-1982): So your owner has died, her family doesn't really share their late relative's "giving a damn" mentality about the team, and you are in a messy contract dispute with two star players. What could go wrong? Just about everything. The Mets traded away Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman, the aforementioned star players, and got six players in return. None of the players came close to matching either Seaver or Kingman's production, and the Mets wallowed in the mire of bad teams and poor attendance.

The Hookers and Blow Era or: The Worst Team Money Could Buy (Late 80s, 1990-1993): You'll notice that this era overlaps with the 1986 World Series win. A great number of players had severe drug and alcohol problems. Management and coaches turned a blind eye for a long time, until things went downhill fast. By the time the 90s started, the Mets were a freebased shell of their World Series selves. Poor moves, scandals and washed up former stars made up the Mets of the early 90s, the low point coming in 1993 when the lost more than 100 games for the first time since 1967. Vince Coleman personally won the douchebag in sports MVP in 1993 when in two separate incidents, he injured Dwight Gooden's shoulder when Colman was practicing his golf swing in the dugout... with a golf club in an enclosed space mind you, and threw a lit firecracker into the stands at Dodger Stadium, injuring three people. No good.

Names You Should Know

Casey Stengel: Stengel was the manager for the New York Yankees from 1949-1960 and the team won 7 World Series and went to 10 in his tenure. He retired after the 1960 season, but was coaxed out of retirement to become the first manager in New York Mets history. Stengel's Mets tenure... um... didn't go as well as his Yankees stay, to put it mildly. Stengel was approximately 1,000 years old at the time of his hiring, and as has been mentioned more than once in this article, the team sucked. However, the team was still beloved in New York thanks in no large part to Stengel's charisma and ability to utter a great quote. He had his number retired by the Mets in 1965, the first person to receive that honor for the team, and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1966.

Ed Kranepool: A solid starter for the Mets for a clean 18 years. Coming into the majors as a seventeen year old whom Casey Stengel said ran like a thirty year old, Kranepool bridged the gap between the Loveable Losers, Amazin' Mets, and the 70s. He played his entire career with the Mets, accumulating a .261 batting average while slugging over 1,400 hits and over 100 home runs.

Tom Seaver: Tom Terrific! Seaver is one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. He won the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year. He won three Cy Young awards while finishing in the top 5 in the voting an additional five times. He led the league in strikeouts five times, while leading in ERA three times and was a 12 time All-Star. He ranks sixth all time in strikeouts, pitched 61 shutouts (seventh all time), and when he made it into the hall of fame in 1992, he was on an astounding 98.8% of the ballots, the most in history. Dear God! He's also the only hall of famer who was inducted as a member of the Mets and is the only player to have his number retired by the club.

Darryl Strawberry: For a guy who never lived up to his potential, he sure had a damn great career. The number one overall pick in the 1980 and the 1983 NL Rookie of the Year, Strawberry was one of the biggest hitters of the 80s, both literally and figuratively. Strawberry hit between 26 and 39 home runs every year during his Mets tenure. Shockingly, he's the Mets' all time leader in home runs. In fact, he's still in the top two in numerous offensive categories for the Mets. Strawberry was a major player in the great Mets teams of the late 80s that won two division titles and one World Series (he finished second in the NL MVP voting in 1988). Despite his offensive prowess, Strawberry had numerous run ins with the law, mostly pertaining to his drug use and his myriad of other issues.

Keith Hernandez: An all around great player and captain of the 1986 World Series winning Mets. Hernandez won five of his eleven Gold Glove awards as a Met, finished in the top five of the NL MVP voting twice and is in the top ten in numerous offensive categories in Mets history. Hernandez also had problems with drugs in his career, testifying in the Pittsburgh drug trials, which was the huge drug related shit storm in baseball at the time. Hernandez is one of the best players to not be elected to the hall of fame.

Davey Johnson: The manager of those 80s Mets. Johnson was and still is known for his easygoing managing style, letting his players do their own thing so long as they were productive on the field. If you haven't noticed, lots of Mets players had major drug issues under his run. Just sayin'. But Johnson was a great manager, accumulating the most wins in Mets history and the second most postseason wins in Mets history.

Dwight Gooden: Doctor K! Possibly the best and most entertaining pitcher on Mets teams stocked full of great and entertaining pitchers. Gooden ranks second in Wins and Strikeouts and third in Games Started and Complete Games among Mets pitchers. Gooden, and please temper your surprise, had a debilitating drug problem. While all of the Mets players with drug issues were tragic to a degree, Gooden's problems ruined perhaps the most promising young career on the Mets at the time. He would likely have put up hall of fame caliber numbers had he never had these issues or got them under control early. He's perhaps the ultimate what-could-have-been not just in Mets history, but baseball history as a whole.

Gary Carter: Kid! A phenomenal player for the Mets who surprisingly was a classy guy who kept his nose clean. Carter was astoundingly durable in his career, catching in 90% of his teams' games five times. He was an exuberant force and one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

John Franco: The Mets all time saves leader. Franco was one of the greatest relief pitchers in history, ranking up 424 saves in his career, the fourth most in history and the most ever by a left-hander. He also served as team captain from 2001-2004 and played in more games than any other Mets pitcher.

Mike Piazza: Another great Mets catcher. Piazza was perhaps the greatest hitting catcher of all time, which more than made up for the fact that he was a pretty pedestrian defender. He hit over .300 nine different times in his career, including an astounding .362 in 1997 when he was with the Dodgers. He won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1993, also with the Dodgers. He won five of his ten Silver Slugger awards and seven of his twelve All-Star selections during his Mets run.

Five Current Guys You Should Know

David Wright: The current face of the franchise. Wright has been one of the few consistently great bright spots on the Mets roster over the last decade. He has batted over .300 in seven seasons, had over 160 hits in seven seasons, drove in over 100 RBIs in five seasons, and played in at least 90% of the possible games in six seasons. He is also in the top 5 at least in almost every major offensive category in Mets history and is the leader in a sizeable chunk of them. In short he's really, really good.

Dillon Gee: One of the Mets great pitchers. Gee hasn't been spectacular, but he's certainly been very good. He's struck out over 100 batter twice and had pitched over 130 innings twice. He's a good piece in a great rotation.

Matt Harvey: THE Mets great pitcher. Harvey has asserted himself this year as one of the best pitchers in baseball. He was named to the All-Star game and as of this writing, is leading the NL in strikeouts with 178 and is second in the NL in ERA with 2.09. The future looks bright with number 33 on the mound.

Marlon Byrd: A journeyman veteran who's had a very good year. Byrd has had 101 hits, drove in 60 RBIs, hit 17 home runs, with a .279 batting average. I don't know if he'll be on the team next year, but he's been great for the Mets this year.

Eric Young: A great pickup the Mets got from the Rockies. Young has played in 44 games this year and has 48 hits with a .258 batting average. And he is FAST. He has 15 stolen bases, or in other terms, at little more than one stolen base for every three games.

And that'll do it for the Mets retrospective. They're not quite amazing this year, but they certainly aren't losers, and they're worth a watch. Try 'em out!

BICENTENNIAL MEN

In pro football history, there have been just seven running backs to have rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. They are:

O.J. Simpson, 1973, Buffalo Bills, 2,003 Yards
Eric Dickerson, 1984, Los Angeles Rams, 2,105 Yards
Barry Sanders, 1997, Detroit Lions, 2,053 Yards
Terrell Davis, 1998, Denver Broncos, 2,008 Yards
Jamal Lewis, 2003, Baltimore Ravens, 2,066 Yards
Chris Johnson, 2009, Tennessee Titans, 2,006 Yards
Adrian Peterson, 2012, Minnesota Vikings, 2,097 Yards

Obviously these are all fantastic seasons, but there are wrinkles that make some of these players' feats all the more remarkable.

For instance: O.J. Simpson is the only running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a 14 game schedule. The other seven rushed for 2,000 yards in 16 game schedules. In fact, Adrian Peterson came the closest to 2,000 yards in 14 games, and he rushed for 1,812 yards.

Simpson's 1973 season is frankly astounding. He had THREE 200 yard games that season! In the 70s! He averaged 143.1 yards per game, more than ten yards more than the next guy. Again, this is in the 70s! Back then, the running game was leaned on far more than the passing game. And O.J. was on a team that had no one but him on it. They knew he was coming and could do nothing about it. Simply superb.

Simpson had 332 rushing attempts in that 1973 season. Barry Sanders meanwhile, had 335 in an additional two games, the fewest rushing attempts of a 2,000 yard rusher in a 16 game schedule. Sanders had only 293 rushing attempts through 14 games in 1997. As impressive as that is, Adrian Peterson blew him away. Sanders had 1,731 yards on 293 attempts through his first 14 games, but Peterson had 1,812 yards on 289 attempts through his first 14 games. Damn!

Eric Dickerson rushed for more yards in a single season than any other running back in NFL history, a record that still stands. Adrian Peterson came up just 8 yards short of tying the record.

By the way, did I mention that Adrian Peterson was putting up these crazy stats less than a year after tearing his ACL? Just a freak.

Another interesting fact, six of the seven running backs were chosen in the first round, five in the top ten, and four in the top five. O.J. Simpson is the only running back to be chosen number one overall in the draft and rush for over 2,000 yards. Terrell Davis is the only running back picked after the first round to rush for over 2,000 yards (he was chosen in the sixth round of the 1995 draft, 196th overall).

Every team to feature a 2,000 yard rusher has at least finished the year at 500. However, these teams usually don't fare well in the postseason, if they make it at all:

1973 Bills: 9-5, 2nd AFC East, missed playoffs
1984 Rams: 10-6, 2nd NFC West, made playoffs, lost in Wild Card round
1997 Lions: 9-7, 3rd NFC Central, made playoffs, lost in Wild Card round
1998 Broncos: 14-2, 1st AFC West, made playoffs, won Super Bowl XXXIII
2003 Ravens: 10-6, 1st AFC North, made playoffs, lost in Wild Card round
2009 Titans: 8-8, 3rd AFC South, missed playoffs
2012 Vikings: 10-6, 2nd NFC North, made playoffs, lost in Wild Card Round

For those keeping track, five of the seven teams made the playoffs, only one team won a playoff game. Kind of a weird disparity.

But even with the teams usually disappointing in the playoffs, these seven seasons are some of the most remarkable for individual players in NFL history. That can't be denied.

RUN, QB, RUN!

I'm doing the NBA schedule breakdown, but it's going to take me some time to go through every team and parse out the interesting tidbits. Until then, I'll probably throw some innocuous factoids at you until you realize that I'm just stalling to finish the big article. On we go!

In the NFL today, quarterbacks have become increasingly mobile. QBs like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Michael Vick and Aaron Rodgers beat teams not just with their arms, but their legs as well (except for Michael Vick; 2010 was an aberration).

Some quarterbacks are so mobile, they can achieve a pretty snazzy goal: 100 rushing yards for the ball thrower.

Since 1960, quarterbacks have rushed for 100 or more yards 38 times.

Michael Vick has the most 100 yard rushing games of any quarterback in history, a whopping 11 since 2002. He has a full seven games on the next guy.

Colin Kaepernick holds the record for most yards rushed in a single game by a quarterback: 181 yards on January 12, 2013. Making that feat more impressive is that he accomplished it in the postseason.

Speaking of the postseason, three of the 38 games happened in the playoffs. Donovan McNabb on January 11, 2004, Michael Vick on January 15, 2005, and Kaepernick this past year.

Only one quarterback has had consecutive 100 yard rushing games: Billy Kilmer, of all people. Not only that, Kilmer did it in THREE consecutive games in the 1961 season for the San Francisco 49ers in games 3-5.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had the most 100 yard rushing games from their quarterbacks: a clean 10. Four quarterbacks have accomplished that feat for the green birds: Jack Concannon, Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick. The Atlanta Falcons are second with 9 games: all by Vick.

Pretty impressive stuff. So keep an eye on the NFL this season. The way the game's going, we're probably going to see game number 39 this year.

NHL SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

I perused the NHL schedule for the coming year, and before the NBA releases their schedule for 2013-14, I'll give out my quick observations on every team and note some cool games in pro hockey this year. And go!

Quick note: I'm not counting Canadian stations in my national TV musings. NHL Network and NBC and its affiliates are the only stations I'm recognizing.

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks go through a brutal stretch between November 14 and December 7: they play four back-to-back games with at least one of those games being on the road. They also finish off with four of their last five games being against divisional opponents in two back-to-back games.

Boston Bruins: The Bruins start their season very slow in the first month or so. Starting in March, it is utterly ball-busting: they play eight back-to-backs, three of which are right next to each other.

Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres are on national television five times in their first eleven games. It makes sense, they probably aren't going to be very good. And yet, starting on January 27, six of their next thirteen games are on the tube (though, most of those games seem to be setting them up for the slaughter: five of them are against 2013 playoff teams).

Calgary Flames: The Flames suck. They've sucked for years. They finally admitted this year that they suck. As such, I find it amusing that they're on national TV a whopping one time in the US this upcoming season (February 8 at the Flyers if you're interested, which you're not).

Carolina Hurricanes: If the Hurricanes want to be better than last year's team, they'll have to work for it: they have the second most back-to-back games in the league next year, a whopping 19.

Chicago Blackhawks: As defending Stanley Cup champions, they Blackhawks are obviously on national TV a lot (32 times, nearly 40% of their schedule). So if you want to see the Blackhawks, you'll have plenty of chances.

Colorado Avalanche: Pretty balanced schedule; they're tied with the fewest back-to-backs (10), they play just 11 games in October, and never play more than 14 in a given month. Also, they don't have any road trips that exceed 4 games. This is the kind of schedule a rebuilding team prays for.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets barely missed the playoffs last year, and switched conferences this year. We'll see if they can build on the momentum from last year early: 17 of their first 20 games are against 2012-13 playoff teams.

Dallas Stars: The Stars move to the Central Division, which makes far more geographical sense than when they were in the Pacific. But they'll still have a place in the West Coast's heart: they'll visit it seven times this year.

Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings join the Blue Jackets in the East. They don't face a current Central Division resident until November 19 (versus the Nashville Predators).

Edmonton Oilers: The schedule makers are throwing a soft ball at the Oilers: just 12 back-to-backs (no back-to-back-to-back-to-backs) and just one month where they play at most 15 games (December). For a team that had three straight number one overall picks in the Entry Draft, this is the "okay, time for you to actually be worth a shit" year (hence why they're on national TV once this year).

Florida Panthers: In 2011-12, the Panthers were a surprise playoff team and took the Devils to seven games in a first round exit. Last year in 2012-13, they had the fewest points in the league (36). They have a pretty reasonable schedule, so we'll see which Panthers team was the real one.

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings don't face a fellow Pacific Division team until October 30 (versus the San Jose Sharks).

Minnesota Wild: The schedule makers must think the Wild are going to be better than they were last year: half of their 18 national TV games are in March and April.

Montreal Canadiens: The Habs open the league year at home against the Maple Leafs. They also play an above league average 17 back-to-backs but only four of those are next to each other.

Nashville Predators: The Predators play 16 games in January and 16 games in March. They also play three back-to-backs in a row in March.

New Jersey Devils: The Devils play the most back-to-back games next year by a pretty wide margin, an insane 22. Eight of those back-to-backs are back-to-back (or back-to-back-to-back-to-back). Puck Podcast opined that this was the reason the Devils traded for Corey Schneider: there's no way Martin Brodeur can play that many back-to-backs and hold up for the whole season.

New York Islanders: The Islanders and Rangers play each other three times in ten days at the end of January. This probably isn't a huge stretch, but I'd expect to see fisticuffs in at least one of those games. They also play the fewest games in March (13), so they get a light stretch of games at the best possible time in the season.

New York Rangers: If you want to see the Rangers, turn on the TV sometime in November: they play eight national TV games that month, a league high over any month.

Ottawa Senators: The Senators play three straight back-to-backs at the end of November, and play the most games of any team in December (16). Before and after that, it's pretty reasonable.

Philadelphia Flyers: For a team that didn't make the playoffs last year, they'll be on national TV a whole lot. In fact, they have second most national TV games this year (30).

Phoenix Coyotes: Nothing really eye-popping. They don't have a lot of back-to-backs (just 12) and only two of them are next to each other in February. At least they don't have the ownership nonsense hanging over them this year (watch, I'll post this and it'll start up again).

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins have a ball-busting March and April with 16 games and 7 back-to-backs, including three in a row.

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks have a light schedule as well, and are tied with the fewest back-to-backs in the league at 10.

St. Louis Blues: The Blues play just 10 games in October, but the rest of they way is tougher. Oddly, their back-to-backs are better spaced out from the middle of November on.

Tampa Bay Lightning: They've got a pretty reasonable schedule too. They don't have any back-to-backs next to each other, and while they play 16 games in March, they only have three back-to-backs that month, and they're pretty well spaced out.

Toronto Maple Leafs: They've got a bunch of rough patches with multiple back-to-backs, but they don't play more than 15 games in a given month.

Vancouver Canucks: The start and end of the season is fine, but towards the end of November until the All-Star break, they've got a brutal stretch of back-to-backs. Their last three games are against the Avalanche, Oilers and Flames, so everything could still work out.

Washington Capitals: They start out fine, but once November starts, it's brutal until the end of the season.

Winnipeg Jets: The Jets move to the far more geographically pleasing West and they're going to get used to it: they don't travel to the East Coast until November 25.

***

With all that out of the way, here are a few games you should keep an eye out for.

Guy Leaves Team, Guy Gets New Team, Guy Comes Back to Old Team with New Team

Buffalo Sabres at Dallas Stars (Monday, October 28)- Lindy Ruff returns to Buffalo as head coach of the Stars. Also you may have heard, Lindy Ruff was the coach of the Sabres when they lost to the Stars in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals in infamous fashion.

Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins (Wednesday, October 30 on NBC Sports Network)- Jarome Iginla returns to Pittsburgh for the first time since he signed with Bruins in free agency. The Bruins, you might remember, swept the Penguins in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. Expect loud boos.

Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins (Tuesday, November 5)- Speaking of the Bruins, a former player of theirs comes come as well. Tyler Seguin, the Patrick Kane of the East, was shipped off to Dallas because the Bruins didn't want to deal with his crap anymore. This should be interesting.

New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks (Saturday, November 30 on NHL Network)- It's a double-double! The Canucks and Rangers swapped coaches in the offseason, with John Tortorella signing with Vancouver and Alain Vigneault signing with New York. This will be the first meeting of the clubs this season and it's far and away the juiciest, due to Tortorella's frosty relationship with the Rangers' players and the New York media in general.

Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators (Sunday, December 1 on NHL Network)- Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson returns to Ottawa as a member of the Red Wings. The two teams will have met twice already by the time this game rolls around, but this is the first game in Ottawa. Depending on how the Senators are doing at this point in the season, Alfredsson's reception will either be Michael Jordan or Brett Favre.

Boston Bruins at Calgary Flames (Tuesday, December 10)- Jarome Iginla returns to Calgary as a Bruin. He will be cheered thunderously.

Minnesota Wild at New Jersey Devils (Thursday, March 20 on NHL Network)- Zach Parise returns to New Jersey. This match-up didn't happen last year due to the lockout, so this will be the first meeting of these teams in the Garden State since Parise left in free agency. Expect thunderous boos.

Stadium Series

Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings (Wednesday, January 1 on NBC)- The Winter Classic! Should be a good game, and the teams will rock old school uniforms. It'll be played in Michigan Stadium.

Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings (Saturday, January 25 on NBC Sports Network)- The NHL's first venture into an outdoor west coast game. It'll be played at Dodger Stadium. If nothing else, you should watch it to see if it works.

New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils (Sunday, January 26 on NBC)- An outdoor game at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers and Devils always play each other hard.

New York Rangers at New York Islanders (Wednesday, January 29 on NBC Sports Network)- ANOTHER outdoor game at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers and Islanders always play each other hard.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Chicago Blackhawks (Saturday, March 1)- A late season outdoor game at Soldier Field. Both teams should be rolling at this point in the season.

Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (Sunday, March 2 on NBC Sports Network)- The Heritage Classic! Two Canadian teams going at it in BC Place.

Other Games

Boston Bruins versus Toronto Maple Leafs (any game)- After making it to the postseason again since the 2004-05 NHL lockout, the Maple Leafs-Bruins rivalry suddenly became a thing again. These teams played each other very hard in the postseason, and I expect that to carry over into the new season.

California Teams versus Other California Teams (any game)- The Ducks, Kings and Sharks are all great, all made the postseason last year, and have won two of the last seven Stanley Cups. All three are also extremely physical. These match-ups look to be must watch TV.

Chicago Blackhawks versus Detroit Red Wings (any game)- The Red Wings may have moved to the Eastern Conference, but their rivalry with the Blackhawks lives on. They'll face off twice this year, and both games are sure to be awesome.

Chicago Blackhawks versus Minnesota Wild (any game)- The Wild were supposed to be the super team last year with the addition of Zach Parise and Ryan Sutter. They were good. Who knows, maybe they'll be the team they were supposed to be last year this year. Playing hard against and perhaps beating the defending Stanley Cup champions would definitely put the rest of the NHL on notice.

Montreal Canadiens versus Boston Bruins (any game)- This is always a fun match-up. The Bruins are coming off a Stanley Cup Finals appearance, the Habs are coming off a postseason berth. They don't like each other.

Montreal Canadiens versus Ottawa Senators (any game)- Whenever blood is spilled in the postseason, bad shit happens (see, Red Wings-Avalanche brawl in 1997). Fisticuffs are expected at the least between two teams on the rise.

Montreal Canadiens versus Toronto Maple Leafs (any game)- These games were great when both teams sucked. Now both teams are good. Intrigue ahoy!

Nashville Predators at Colorado Avalanche (Avs home games)- Seth Jones grew up an Avalanche fan and was seen as the top prospect in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The Avs instead decided to go offense with the first overall pick, and chose forward Nathan MacKinnon instead of defenseman Jones. Assuming both are on the regular team rosters this season (it's going to happen barring insane circumstances), this should be fun.

New York Islanders versus New York Rangers (any game)- The Rangers have been good for years, the Islanders are on the rise. They don't like each other. It'll be fun.

Philadelphia Flyers versus Pittsburgh Penguins (any game)- Philadelphia/Pittsburgh rivalries are almost always great across the sports landscape. This is the best one. These teams REALLY don't like each other.

***

And that'll do it for my look at the NHL schedule! At least I now know how to approach the NBA schedule article I'll be doing.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS UNIFORMS

The New Orleans Pelicans officially unveiled their new uniforms. Here they be:

@RealGM

Pretty understated compared to the concept art. Personally, I find these a bit bland, but they do look different from every other NBA uniform from a distance, and they are better than the previous uniforms. I don't think these will last, though.

If you're a Pelicans fan, get used to these uniforms. The NBA has a policy where if a team radically changes uniforms, it can't have a third jersey for the first year of the change. So hope for more dynamic uniforms starting with the 2014-15 season.

In other uniform news: the Phoenix Suns will unveil their new uniforms on August 15 to go with their new logo. In hockey, the Buffalo Sabres will debut a new alternate jersey, and the Anaheim Ducks will have an alternate jersey commemorating their 20th anniversary. So look for that in the coming weeks and months.

PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY BREIF THOUGHTS

I did a live blog type of thing with the induction ceremony tonight. These were my thoughts done on the spot at the time they aired:

• Steve Mariucci is already better at this than Tom Jackson.
• I could watch footage of Bill Parcells bitching at someone forever.
• I'm taking the under and say Parcells gets at least a bit chocked up during his speech.
• The less hair Rich Eisen has, the better he looks.
• I think I went to high school with a least five or six Warren Sapps.
• Tony Dungy looks remarkably like John Waters.
• Chris Berman's introductions are so long, that they're cutting to the next guy he's supposed to be getting to. It's not a big deal, but it makes me laugh.
• Warren Sapp is wearing the always fashionable gold jacket, dress pants and sneakers ensemble.
• Jonathan Ogden could have fit at least two normal sized pass rushers inside of him.
• It's pretty easy to make a bust of someone when they look exactly the same for their entire career.
• Speaking of guys who are going to cry: Ray Lewis is gonna ball when he goes in in five years.
• Rich Eisen put it best: "A nice, classy lead off speech."
• How fitting that a Lion would get forgotten among the returning hall of famers. Poor Charlie Sanders.
• Dave Robinson never led with his head when he tackled someone. Something got lost in the ensuing forty-five, fifty years.
• There are twelve players from those 60s Packers teams in the hall of fame. The only guy they're missing is Jerry Kramer.
• One of the downsides of being inducted through the senior committee is that a ton of people that were influential to the inductees are all gone.
• Dave Robinson really got into a groove in the middle of his speech.
• Larry Allen was so big, it almost seemed unfair that he accomplished some of the stuff he did.
• LeBron James was nine years old when Larry Allen started playing for the Cowboys. That's... distressing.
• They really want you to know that Bill Parcells is coming up.
• Larry Allen was clearly nervous, but man was his speech great.
• Bill Parcells mentored a lot of guys who went on to win a bunch of Super Bowls.
• Tony Romo's been the Cowboys' quarterback for a long, long time.
• Bill Parcells was so great: concise, poignant and awesome.
• Curley Culp looks like he could still take me, even at his age.
• My grandfather walked in during Bill Parcells' speech and watched Curley Culp's. He mused that baseball players seem to be more emotional when going into the hall of fame. I told him to wait for Warren Sapp if he wants to see someone cry.
• They're actually sticking to fair speech length this year. I've got a feeling Cris Carter's gonna go on for a while though.
• My grandfather said after Warren Sapp and Cris Carter's speeches: "Now those are hall of fame speeches."

I love this time of the year.

GREG ODEN IS HEADED FOR SOUTH BEACH

The Heat may have gotten a little hotter.

Greg Oden, the former Ohio St. Buckeye and number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft signed a two year deal with the defending two time champion Miami Heat. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Oden's deal is for the league minimum for veterans (I don't know how many seasons Oden is considered to have played, but if contracts go by how long someone was on a team roster, then his deal would be worth about 1.1 million dollars). According to the article on Pro-Basketball Talk above, Oden has the option to opt out of this deal after the 2013-14 season if he's healthy in order to receive a better deal from the Heat or another team.

Oden has been in the NBA since the 2007-08 season, but didn't play until the 2008-09 season. He hasn't played in an NBA game since December 5, 2009 and was released by the Portland Trail Blazers before the 2012-13 season. He played in 82 games over those years years and recorded 21 double-doubles in that time (all points and total rebounds, in roughly one quarter of his games).

This is win-win for the Heat: if Oden is healthy and returns to the form he had in college and the brief flashes he showed in the pros, then the Heat will be even more dangerous than they already were. If Oden is as injury riddled as he was in his time with the Trail Blazers, then the Heat are still the favorites in the East and don't lose a lot of money.

It's a great move by a stable franchise. If nothing else, Greg Oden and LeBron James can bond over what it's like to look like you're 45 when you're in your mid to late twenties.

POTENTIAL 2014 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CANIDATES: COACHES

Tomorrow, the pro football hall of fame will formally induct its newest members. And while I can't wait to see these men take their steps into immortality, I'm also looking towards next year. I'll be profiling fifty modern era candidates that could wind up wearing a gold jacket in 2014. Today, we'll be looking at the coaches.

* indicates first year of eligibility
** indicates former hall of fame finalist

DON CORYELL*

1973-1977 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers

Accomplishments: 6 Playoff appearances (1974-1975, 1979-1982); 5 Division Titles (1974-1975, 1979-1981); 2 Conference Championship appearances (1980-1981); 100 Wins Club

Pros: You know how its the norm in football today for quarterbacks to take precedence over the running game and for them to throw an exorbitant number of passes for an inflated number of yards? Don Coryell was making that happen in the early 80s. Under Coryell's watch, the 1979-1982 San Diego Chargers led the league in passing yards and were in the top five in pass attempts. Coryell allowed Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts to throw 629 passes in 1981 at a time when it was rare for quarterbacks to throw 500 passes in a season. The modern passing game wouldn't exist without Coryell's innovations, and the 49ers, Redskins and Rams' Super Bowl teams had offenses that were extremely similar to the ones Coryell was using years earlier. Beyond those innovations, his teams won; he turned around the Cardinals and Chargers into playoff contenders when both teams had been largely horrible before his hire.

Cons: Coryell's teams were innovative and won in the regular season, but they didn't make much headway in the playoffs. The San Diego Chargers made it to the AFC Championship game two years in a row in 1980 and 1981, but no Coryell coached team ever made it to the Super Bowl. Coryell's playoff record is a dismal 3-6, which probably isn't helping his case.

Overall: The West Coast offense originated with Don Coryell and is still being used today. Not only that, but teams have won Super Bowls with the offense he created. The fact that he hasn't been given due credit by the hall of fame voters for his undeniable contributions to the game of football is completely absurd. Coryell made the finals in 2010 but other than that, he hasn't received much consideration. I hope that changes, as he is the father of the modern passing game.

HoF Projection: Maybe

BILL COWHER

1992-2006 Pittsburgh Steelers

Accomplishments: 10 Playoff appearances (1992-1997, 2001-2002, 2004-2005); 8 Division Titles (1992, 1994-1997, 2001-2002, 2004); 6 Conference Championship appearances (1994-1995, 1997, 2001, 2004-2005); 2 Super Bowl appearances (1995, 2005); Super Bowl champion (2005); 100 Wins Club; 10 Playoff Wins Club

Pros: If I'd compare Bill Cowher to any coach that's currently in the hall of fame, it'd be John Madden. Cowher went to just as many championships and won just as many as Madden and also the Steelers accumulated more wins than any team in the AFC in his first ten years. Cowher also got the Steelers to as many Conference Championships as Madden (six) and more Super Bowls (two to Madden's one). Cowher also only had three losing seasons in his fifteen year career, and the Steelers went to the playoffs ten times under him while winning 11 or more games seven times.

Cons: The comparisons to Madden also have their drawbacks; Madden retired in 1979 and it took until 2006 for him to get enshrined. That doesn't necessarily bode well for Cowher. Another impediment is that the voters don't like to put coaches on their ballots unless they're damn sure they're going to stay retired. Cowher's name gets thrown around every year when a coaching vacancy is announced, and while he's never taken the bait, he also hasn't exactly been adamant about his desire to stay retired, which hurts his candidacy in the short term.

Overall: Cowher's got a pretty good hall of fame resume; Cowher took his teams to at least the Conference Championship Game six times (only Bill Belichick at seven has taken his teams that deep more since the playoffs expanded to 12 teams in 1990). He's got a Super Bowl win under his belt, was one win shy of 150 when he retired in 2006, and the Steelers won more games from 1992 to 2006 than any other team in the NFL. First the voters have to determine whether or not he'll stay retired. After that, it should be a pretty easy decision.

HoF Projection: Slim Chance (with all that said, I think he'll come back eventually)

TONY DUNGY*

1996-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002-2008 Indianapolis Colts

Accomplishments: NFL 2000s All-Decade Team (2nd Team); 11 Playoff appearances (1997, 1999-2008); 6 Division Titles (1999, 2003-2007); 3 Conference Championship appearances (1999, 2003, 2006); 1 Super Bowl appearance (2006); Super Bowl champion (2006); 100 Wins Club

Pros: Want to turn around franchises that have been either terrible or need a wake up call on how to win consistently? Hire Tony Dungy. Dungy turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into frequent playoff teams after going 14 straight seasons without a winning record. He later turned the talented Indianapolis Colts into Super Bowl caliber teams after a period where they began to underachieve after the 1999 season. In his thirteen year career, Dungy's teams missed the playoffs just twice and and had one losing season. He has the most wins in Colts history and became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl. He also notably accomplished these things while being the world's nicest man.

Cons: While Dungy's teams were almost always successful in the regular season. Once the playoffs started... well that's another story. Dungy accumulated a pretty mediocre 9-10 career postseason record, and his extremely talented teams were embarrassingly bounced from the playoffs in their first games six times. The main criticism was that he built his teams to excel in the first seventeen weeks of the season, but they were either completely unprepared once the postseason started, or more damningly, underachieved. Also, like Marvin Harrison, Dungy's success with the Colts has been attributed mostly to Peyton Manning's skills as a quarterback rather than Dungy's coaching expertise.

Overall: Dungy eventually won a Super Bowl, so the "he couldn't win in the postseason" arguments largely went out with the confetti storm he helped cause. Manning, while an all time great quarterback now, was merely a really great one before Dungy's arrival, and couldn't put the team on his back yet (the Colts went 10-6 and 6-10 after going 13-3 in his second season). Once Dungy arrived, the Colts couldn't stop winning, and his time with the Buccaneers cemented him as a great coach anyway. He's definitely worthy of the hall of fame. I just don't know if he'll go in this year.

HoF Projection: Maybe

JON GRUDEN*

1998-2001 Oakland Raiders, 2002-2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Accomplishments: 5 Playoff appearances and Division Titles (2000-2002, 2005, 2007); 2 Conference Championship appearances (2000, 2002); 1 Super Bowl appearance (2002); Super Bowl champion (2002)

Pros: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Tony Dungy were extremely talented, but never made the leap to Super Bowl contenders under his watch. So Dungy was replaced with a man known for giving teams a swift kick in the ass: Jon Gruden. In Gruden's first season with the Bucs, they won a team record 12 games before running roughshod over everyone in the playoffs, culminating in the team's first and only Super Bowl win. Gruden was hired to do just that, and succeeded. His prior resume had led the Glazer family to beleive he was the man for the job: Gruden had been the Raiders coach for four seasons, where he similarly turned them into contenders after the team had been mediocre to bad for about six or seven seasons. Good track record.

Cons: After the Super Bowl win, it was all downhill from there. Gruden's teams never again won a postseason game, and making the postseason in general became a hurdle. The Buccaneers have yet to have consecutive postseason appearances since 1999-2002, and the team only won more than 9 games once after the Super Bowl season. Gruden was fired after six largely forgettable seasons of strife and losing, and is now the color commentator for Monday Night Football. Which leads to another con, because Gruden has been not-so-subtly trying to get back into coaching the right team, so hall voters (and others like me with no vote) believe he'll eventually start coaching again, maybe as early as next year. And like I mentioned with Bill Cowher, that's not going to help him. And if Gruden needs anything as far as hall of fame consideration goes, it's help.

Overall: Gruden was a good, even great coach, but he's so not a hall of famer. He wasn't nearly as successful as several of his coaching peers (like Dungy, Cowher, Mike Holmgren, Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Mike Shanahan, etc.), and never accomplished anything of note after 2002. So Gruden has more seasons where his teams didn't do anything (8) than he has been successful (3). Not a hall of famer at this point, to put it gently.

HoF Projection: Not This Year

MIKE HOLMGREN*

1992-1998 Green Bay Packers, 1999-2008 Seattle Seahawks

Accomplishments: 12 Playoff appearances (1993-1999, 2003-2007); 8 Division Titles (1995-1997, 1999, 2004-2007); 4 Conference Championship appearances (1995-1997, 2005); 3 Super Bowl appearances (1996-1997, 2005); Super Bowl champion (1996); 150 Wins Club; 10 Postseason Wins Club

Pros: Holmgren revitalized two franchises after years of futility. The Packers had been largely awful after Vince Lombardi resigned as head coach after the 1967 season. Holmgren gave the Packers a winning punch for the first time in decades, getting them to three straight NFC Championship Games, two straight Super Bowls, and one Super Bowl win. Likewise, the Seahawks had been awful for most of the 90s, and Holmgren took them to consistently high heights in the 00s, winning four straight division titles and reaching the only Super Bowl in team history. He also has the most wins in Seahawks history, is tied with Vince Lombardi with the all time postseason wins in Packers history, is one of seventeen coaches to win at least 150 games, and is one of fifteen coaches to win at least 10 postseason games.

Cons: Holmgren doesn't have as many Super Bowl wins or appearances as other enshrined coaches. Of the coaches in the Super Bowl era that are in the hall of fame that won at least 100 games, George Allen, Bud Grant and Marv Levy won fewer Super Bowls than Holmgren (zero), and Grant and Levy at least got their teams to four Super Bowls each (one more than Holmgren).

Overall: There are no coaches with at least 100 wins and won one Super Bowl that aren't in the hall of fame. That works in Holmgren's favor. The fact that he's in the top 15 all time in regular season wins and the top 10 in postseason wins also works in his favor. It is hard for coaches to make the hall of fame, because they're judged along with players, but Holmgren has a good shot of making it in one day.

HoF Projection: Maybe

MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER

1984-1988 Cleveland Browns, 1989-1998 Kansas City Chiefs,
2001 Washington Redskins, 2002-2006 San Diego Chargers

Accomplishments: 13 Playoff appearances (1985-1988, 1990-1995, 1997, 2004, 2006); 8 Division Titles (1985-1987, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2006); 4 Conference Championship appearances (1986-1987, 1993, 2006); 200 Wins Club

Pros: Schottenheimer turned around three teams that went through dry spells over twenty odd years. He coached the Browns to two straight AFC Championship Games, turned the Chiefs into a perennial playoff team after nearly two decades of futility, and turned around the San Diego Chargers after they went through a bad period, including winning a team record 14 games in 2006. Also, the Chiefs are tied for second in the NFL with the Bills with 101 wins between 1989 and 1998. Scottenheimer is also one of seven coaches in history to win at least 200 games.

Cons: Schottenheimer's teams were usually great in the regualr season, but wilted in the postseason. His teams never won a postseason game after the 1993 season, and there were some really talented teams he was the skipper of in that time. Also not helping his case: there is no one enshrined as a coach in the Super Bowl era that never made it to the big game.

Overall: Schottenheimer won more games than all but five other coaches. 200 wins is a big deal. He has no championships to show for all his success. If even one of his teams got to the Super Bowl, not even win one, he'd likely have received more support. As it is, he has received no support. That's likely the way things will go for him, but he has a shot to make it in, however unlikely it is.

HoF Projection: Slim Chance

And that does it for my hall of fame preview. I hope you grew to appreciate the fifty men I profiled a little more, and root for the best of them in the coming months. And be sure to watch the broadcast of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2013 induction ceremony tomorrow at 7:00 PM (EST) on the NFL Network.

POTENTIAL 2014 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CANIDATES: SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS AND CONTRIBUTORS

In two days, the pro football hall of fame will formally induct its newest members. And while I can't wait to see these men take their steps into immortality, I'm also looking towards next year. I'll be profiling fifty modern era candidates that could wind up wearing a gold jacket in 2014. Today, we'll be looking at the special teams players and contributors.

* indicates first year of eligibility
** indicates former hall of fame finalist

MORTEN ANDERSEN (K)

1982-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-2000, 2006-2007 Atlanta Falcons,
2001 New York Giants, 2002-2003 Kansas City Chiefs, 2004 Minnesota Vikings

Accomplishments: 7x Pro Bowl selection (1985-1988, 1990, 1992, 1995); 3x 1st Team All-Pro (1986-1987, 1995); NFL 1980s All-Decade Team (1st Team); NFL 1990s All-Decade Team (1st Team); 500 Field Goals Made Club

Pros: When it comes to great kickers, Morten Andersen is pretty much the gold standard. No one has scored more points in pro football history than him. No one has kicked more field goals or made more than him. No player has played more games than him. He is arguably the greatest kicker to ever play.

Cons: He's a kicker. Despite the fact that special teams makes up a solid third of the game of football, only one pure special teams player has been inducted (Jan Stenerud back in 1991). If Andersen had been on offense or defense and had been as productive as he was, he'd be a sure fire hall of famer. Because he had the temerity to play special teams, his road to Canton might be rather bumpy.

Overall: If the hall of fame truly is a Pro Football Hall of Fame, more special teams players should be in. Anderson is a prime candidate for induction. He's got the numbers, the longevity and the honors that go with a bust and gold jacket. But I feel that voters won't put him on a ballot because they'd be taking away a vote for a "real player." Either they should amend the voting procedures that give special teams players their own category independent of modern candidates and the veteran's committee, or they should just put him in since he, you know, deserves it. But sadly, I don't see either happening any time soon.

HoF Projection: Slim Chance

RAY GUY** (P)

1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders

Accomplishments: 7x Pro Bowl selection (1973-1978, 1980); 3x 1st Team All-Pro (1976-1978); NFL 1970s All-Decade Team (1st Team); 1,000 Punts Club

Pros: Speaking of great special teams players, Ray Guy is considered the Morten Andersen of punters (or rather, Morten Andersen is seen as the Ray Guy of kickers). Guy was the greatest punter of his day, and his numbers are still in the top 20 to this day. He was also considered to be a major reason for why the Raiders were so successful during his run, with seven conference finals appearances and three Super Bowl wins. Not bad for a punter.

Cons: Beyond the whole "he's a punter" thing, Guy's career is fairly short for someone at his position. It's not uncommon to see kickers and punters approach or surpass twenty seasons, but Guy played fourteen. Still a long time, but not long by usual standards.

Overall: Another guy (no pun intended) who should be in the hall of fame. Guy has actually gotten a great deal of support in the past, making the finals seven times between 1992 and 2008. But he hasn't made the finals in five tries and hasn't made the semi-finals in the last two years. I think his window may have closed as far as being a modern inductee goes, and barring the hall of fame taking up my idea above, I don't see him making it in other than through the veteran's committee.

HoF Projection: Not This Year

DANTE HALL* (R)

2000-2006 Kansas City Chiefs, 2007-2008 St. Louis Rams

Accomplishments: 2x Pro Bowl selection (2002-2003); 1st Team All-Pro (2003); NFL 2000s All-Decade Team (1st and 2nd Teams); 10,000 Kick Return Yards Club

Pros: Before Devin Hester became the best return man in NFL history, Dante Hall was the go to guy as far as great returners go. Hall is in the top 5 in most return categories, led the league in kick return yards in 2004, and is one of five players in history to accumulate 10,000 or more kick yards in their careers.

Cons: Hall had a very short window as a game breaking player. He was pretty much done as an elite returner after 2005, and his career was over after 2008. Also, no pure return man has ever made the hall of fame.

Overall: My idea for special teams having their own category would really benefit Hall, but other than that, I don't see voters giving him much of a look. He might, might make the semi-finals, but I don't see him going any further than that.

HoF Projection: Not This Year

ART MODELL** (CON)

1961-1995 Cleveland Browns, 1996-2003 Baltimore Ravens

Pros: Modell is credited as being the driving force behind negotiating the lucrative TV deals for the NFL, which resulted in the creation of Monday Night Football and ultimately paved the way for the NFL becoming the dominant sport in the United States. Like George Halas and the Rooney family, Modell had preference towards his team, but ultimately made decisions based on what was best for the NFL as a whole (hint: that's a good thing). He was a strong, influential owner for over forty years, and the NFL wouldn't look quite the way it does today without him.

Cons: Do I really have to mention anything other than moving the Browns? For a quick history lesson for those not in the know, go here. For those not willing to click that link: Modell uprooted the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore after the 1995 season, where they became the Ravens. The Ravens shared no history with the Browns, effectively becoming its own franchise despite fifty years of being the Browns. The current Browns are an expansion team that shares the uniforms and history of the former Browns, which are now the Ravens, who share no history with the Browns. Got that? I don't believe you. Naturally, moving one of the most iconic franchises in NFL history caused quite a stir. Modell has been persona non grata in Cleveland and pretty much everywhere else except Baltimore ever since.

Overall: Modell should be in the hall of fame, but the Browns move is a real sticking point. That's pretty much like if the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. ...Wait. But you get my point. That was a reputation destroying decision. Modell never received any support until this past year, the first ballot to go out after his death. That may have been the last hurrah as far as his support goes. He may still get in... eventually. But I can understand why he's been kept out.

HoF Projection: Slim Chance

PAUL TAGLIABUE (CON)

1989-2006 NFL Commissioner

Pros: Tagliabue, besides having a really fun name to say, expanded the NFL from 28 teams to 32. There were also no player strikes during his career, unlike his predecessor Pete Rozelle, who oversaw two in five years near the end of his run. Basically, he did his job very well.

Cons: Tagliabue... didn't really do anything remarkable. I mean, he was good at his job, but he wasn't a compelling presence like Pete Rozelle was, and didn't build the NFL into the number one sport in America like Rozelle did. He was just really efficient.

Overall: Paul Tagliabue is like the Bill Clinton of NFL commissioners; he largely did a good job, the NFL was very prosperous under his watch, and nothing really bad happened in his tenure. Is that worthy of a hall of fame induction? Eh, I don't know. He might get looked at harder due to the fact that there were no player lockouts in his run, but other than that, he didn't really do anything eye popping.

HoF Projection: Maybe

STEVE TASKER (R)

1985-1986 Houston Oilers, 1987-1997 Buffalo Bills

Accomplishments: 7x Pro Bowl selection (1987, 1990-1995)

Pros: Tasker was one of the better return men in the NFL in the 90s. He was an effective cog in the Bills machine when they went to four straight Super Bowls.

Cons: Tasker's reputation for being a great return man might be a bit overstated. None of his stats are impressive in the least, from a hall of fame standard or any standard really. Most damningly, he never scored a return touchdown.

Overall: No.

HoF Projection: Not This Year

GEORGE YOUNG (CON)

1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-1978 Miami Dolphins,
1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 NFL

Pros: Young was the general manager of the Giants that was responsible for stopping them from sucking. He drafted players like Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, William Roberts, Jeff Hostetler and Mark Bavaro, picked up players like Ottis Anderson, and hired Bill Parcells as head coach. For those keeping track with just the names I listed here, that's two Super Bowl MVPs, an all time great linebacker, players who played key roles in successful teams, and a Super Bowl winning coach. The Giants made the playoffs eight times with Young at the helm, after going almost twenty years of mostly losing seasons and no postseason appearances.

Cons: Young didn't exactly draft a bunch of hall of famers other than Lawrence Taylor. He mostly drafted good, even great players, but few of them had real sexy, productive careers, and were just really efficient for the most part. Young also was baffled by the introduction of free agency in 1993, overpaying guys he shouldn't have and not drafting as many good to great players that he had in years past.

Overall: Young I think has a good resume for hall consideration. I will say that executives have a real hard time getting in the hall of fame (off the top of my head, I can only think of two who are currently enshrined, Jim Finks and Tex Schramm). Young will never be a lock because of that, but I think he'll make it in eventually due to how successful the Giants were under him.

HoF Projection: Maybe

Six groups down, one more to go. Tomorrow we'll take a look at the coaches.