Tag: Dave Rowe

Bryan Bresee owns the Saints rookie sacks record for a defensive tackle

Bryan Bresee owns the Saints rookie sacks record for a DT. No interior lineman has had more sacks in their rookie year for the Saints since tracking began in 1982:

Don’t look now, but Bryan Bresee is closing in on the New Orleans Saints’ rookie sacks record for defensive tackles. He may have it already. Bresee sacked Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Bake Mayfield on Sunday, putting his season total at 4.5 sacks — which would be the official record, pushing Sedrick Ellis (2008) and Sheldon Rankins (2016) down and into a tie for second-place.

But depending on where you look, Bresee may still be in second place. Officially, his 4.5 sacks are the most by a rookie defensive tackle in Saints franchise history. Unofficially, thanks to the research of analysts at Pro Football Reference and Stathead, he’s still trailing one player in the team record books: Dave Rowe.

The second round pick of the Saints’ inaugural 1967 draft class (out of Penn State), Rowe finished his rookie season with 5.5 sacks. The first player to wear No. 76 in team history was an early fan-favorite on some really bad Saints teams, winning Pro Bowl recognition in 1968, and he went on to play for four different teams over his 12-year career, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Oakland Raiders in 1976.

But Rowe’s total is unofficial. It hasn’t been verified by another outlet or the NFL itself (which didn’t begin tracking sacks until 1982), so Bresee technically already has it in the bag. Still, it would be nice to see him remove all doubt and sack Taylor Heinicke or Desmond Ridder a few times next week in the regular season finale.

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76 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 76 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 76 jersey number.

Former New England Patriots’ offensive and defensive linemen remain the focal points as we’ve now reached the 76th day in this countdown series for the Patriots’ regular season opener.

Today, this countdown features every Patriots player to wear the No. 76 jersey throughout the franchise’s history.

The most recent player to wear the number was former first-round draft pick and Super Bowl champion Isaiah Wynn. Things fizzled out in New England for the former Georgia standout offensive tackle, and he ended signing a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins in free agency.

However, Wynn isn’t the only former Super Bowl champion on this list. Here’s every Patriots player that wore the No. 76 jersey:

Dave Rowe reflects on his time as color analyst for SEC Jefferson Pilot games

Dave Rowe reflects on his time as color analyst for SEC Jefferson Pilot football games.

Southeastern Conference football has a long and storied history.

Part of the SEC’s history were games televised on Jefferson Pilot Sports.

2008 was the final season SEC games were broadcast by Jefferson Pilot Sports, Lincoln Financial Sports and Raycom.

Dave Rowe served as a color analyst on broadcasts. He reflected on calling SEC games with Vols Wire.

“The fans were so great,” Rowe said. “We would go into a stadium, whether it was South Carolina, Vanderbilt or whoever it was, they would meet us getting out of our cars. They always had nice things to say. I never had a nasty confrontation with any fan in the SEC.

“I think the thing I cherish most about the days with JP and Lincoln Financial are the friendships that I made with some coaches, ADs, and of course, the team that we had. We had the same team week after week and I still talk to them. It was just so much fun.”

 

Dave Rowe and Dave Neal on Jefferson Pilot Sports

 

Before the SEC Network launched in 2014, ESPN purchased rights for the weekly Jefferson Pilot Sports, Lincoln Financial Sports and Raycom contests kicking off at noon EDT.

Rowe discussed how he retired prior to ESPN purchasing rights for SEC games.

“I actually left while everything was just normal – Raycom game of the week or Lincoln Financial game of the week,” he said. “I had a shoulder surgery and I developed MRSA. It was a real, terrible infection and I had five operations in nine days. I lost about 35 pounds and I was pretty sick.

“We started into the spring and Rob Reichley, who was the producer of JP and Lincoln Financial, he came to me and said do you think you’re going to be well? I had spent 30 years in broadcasting and I was getting up into retirement age, and my work, my regular job, I was a manager for an electric utility. I would have loved to continue, but my health was such, it was going to take me all summer to get back and I didn’t want to put them in position where they were scrambling at the last minute, so I retired.”

 

Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

 

Bob Kesling has served as the voice of Tennessee football since 1999, replacing John Ward following the Vols’ 1998 national championship season.

Kesling served as a sideline reporter and play-by-play for Jefferson Pilot Sports.

“Before John Ward retired, a year or so before he retired, Bob was in the booth as play-by-play and I stayed as color analyst,” Rowe said. “I worked with him several years being a sideline reporter and he came up to the booth.

“Bob is the epitome of a professional. He is very well prepared, studies the game. He was a great person to work with. For me, he was perfect because he was relaxed, he wasn’t hyper or anything like that. He enjoyed the game, he played the game at Tennessee. He’s a professional in every manner.”

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