Previewing Kansas City’s AFC Championship game vs. Bills on Chiefs Wire Podcast

On the latest episode of @TheChiefsWire podcast: @EdEastonJr’s chats w/ Patrick Willis, Charlie Ward, Eric Crouch, and Eddie George #BUFvsKC #NFLPlayoffs

We’re back with an all-new episode of the Chiefs Wire podcast! This week, we’re previewing the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC Championship matchup with the Buffalo Bills.

Senior Writer Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Pro Football Hall of Famer and former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. The former NFL Draft first-round pick shared his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs’ three-peat chances heading into the postseason.

We check in with this past week’s press conferences, which featured comments from quarterback Patrick Mahomes on his latest unbelievable play in the Divisional round victory over the Houston Texans. Lastly, Easton Jr. spoke to former Heisman Trophy winners Charlie Ward, Eric Crouch, and Eddie George, who revealed their takes on Kansas City’s chances of a Super Bowl three-peat.

The latest episode of the Chiefs Wire Podcast will inform listeners about all developments in the team’s mindset ahead of their AFC Championship matchup against the Bills. We also learn more from Willis’ postseason battles as he recalls the infamous Super Bowl Blackout at the Superdome in New Orleans. At the same time, three former college football stars share their unique stories and thoughts on today’s NFL while supporting a special Heisman event in New York City. The Wuerffel Foundation’s The Pickle Bowl: Heisman Edition at Life Time Pickleball NYC gathered past winners for a good cause.

Check out the link below to get your fill of Chiefs talk ahead of the AFC Championship game kickoff:

Eric Crouch discusses modern NFL’s embrace of athletic quarterbacks

Eric Crouch discusses today’s NFL embracing athletic quarterbacks w/ @EdEastonJr

This week, Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Nebraska Cornhuskers legend and 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch.

In his interview with Easton Jr., Crouch discussed his support for The Wuerffel Foundation at the Pickle Bowl: Heisman Edition event at Life Time Pickleball NYC and his thoughts on the versatility in the NFL today.

“It’s quite the honor to be invited to come to New York City to be a finalist for the Heisman trophy,” Crouch explained. “Your name is etched in that history forever, and I always tell them to enjoy yourself while you’re here. It’s a short trip. It will go by fast, but just enjoy the moment, look around, and be thankful for what you can give.

Crouch joined Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, Charlie Ward, and Johnny Rodgers for an action-packed day of pickleball exhibitions, VIP play, and fan engagement. Pickleball pros Ryan Sherry and Kate Fahey joined them on the court.

“Pickle Bowl: Heisman Edition event is something that we really love to do. The overall foundation’s mission is to inspire greater service and unity in the world,” said Blair Wortsmith, Director of Programs and Operations for the Wuerffel Foundation. “This event will go towards raising funds where Danny (Wuerffel) gets to invest in other nonprofit leaders, especially those that have their foundations, athletes that are up and coming in the area. We’re also very excited to be here and grateful for Life Time for the Heisman Trophy Trust’s partnership on this event.”

Crouch was initially drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2002 as a wide receiver but still wanted to play quarterback. Teams, however, saw Crouch as too short. He displayed fantastic athleticism for Nebraska and finished his college career as one of three quarterbacks in Division I-A history to rush for 3,000 yards and pass for 4,000 yards.

“I was more of an athlete, and so I think a lot of guys that have come through this Heisman trophy ceremony and are going to the next level have had struggles too, like, ‘Hey, where do they put us?’ because we’re all really great athletes,” Crouch explained. “We come here, and sometimes it doesn’t translate to the NFL, other times it does.

“If I was coming out of college, now I might have a better chance in the NFL. But, you know, things happen for a reason. So I felt like where I went to school was running option football, which was very unique and I was just lucky to be part of that era in Nebraska.”

The following links provide more information on Pickle Bowl and The Wuerffel Foundation.

Heisman legend Eric Crouch shares his thoughts on the Chiefs’ success this season

2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch shared his thoughts on the Kansas City #Chiefs’ success this season w/ @EdEastonJr

This week, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to retired NFL player and 2001 Heisman winner Eric Crouch.

In his interview with Easton Jr., Crouch discussed his support for ‘The Wuerffel Foundation’ at the Pickle Bowl: Heisman Edition event at Life Time Pickleball NYC, and shared his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs’ success this season.  

“It’s a special group of guys, and I have enjoyed coming back for the last 23 years, so I had a very special moment when I won the award,” Crouch said. “I’m looking forward to sharing that again tonight when the new winner is announced and being there for them.”

Crouch joined fellow Heisman award winners Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Charlie Ward, and Johnny Rodgers, along with pickleball pros Ryan Sherry and Kate Fahey, for Pickle Bowl: Heisman Edition. The Wuerffel Foundation’s mission is to counsel and mentor community leaders in under-resourced neighborhoods across the United States and facilitate introductions to philanthropically minded supporters.

Crouch briefly joined the Chiefs practice squad in 2005 after converting to safety after years as a quarterback at Nebraska. He gave his take on this year’s team’s success and potential for another Super Bowl run.

“Every time I turn those games on, it’s so much fun to watch them, (Patrick) Mahomes and (Travis) Kelce and (Isiah) Pacheco, and just the defense, they fly around, Crouch explained. “What I’m starting to see about the Kansas City Chiefs is that they’re playing so well as a team and finding a way to win.

“They may not be playing the greatest football, and they’re not reaching the same numbers that they may have reached in the last couple of years, but they’re still finding ways to win, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters most, is who’s putting that W up on the board. So I can only imagine they’re going to go deep into the playoffs and be playing for another Super Bowl.”

The following links provide more information on Pickle Bowl and The Wuerffel Foundation.

The last 31 opening day quarterbacks for Nebraska

Take a trip down memory lane!!

With the recent news that the Nebraska Cornhuskers will start true freshman Dylan Raiola at quarterback when the season opens on August 31, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane and look back at the history of Nebraska’s starting quarterbacks.

The Huskers have a long line of memorable starting quarterbacks. The program features QBs that have won the Heisman, the Walter Camp Trophy, the Davey O’Brien Award, and the Johnny Unitas Award.

There were a few names I had forgotten were once starters for the Huskers, but the list contains a few memorable players and Nebraska football legends.

Scroll below and take a look at Nebraska’s starting quarterback history.

Countdown to Kickoff looks at the Huskers 1999 season

Only 99 days until Nebraska kicks off their 2024 season.

Today marks 99 days till Nebraska’s 2024 season kicks off on August 31 against the UTEP Miners at Memorial Stadium. 

With the countdown now under 100 days, each day until August 31, Cornhuskers Wire will be counting down by taking a look at the Huskers’ roster for the 2024 season, former players, seasons, and more. 

With no No. 99 on the roster for the 2024 season, Cornhuskers Wire takes a look back at the 1999 season. 

The 1999 season was a strong sophomore campaign for the Huskers’ head coach Frank Solich.

After the Huskers went 9-4 in his first season as head coach, the Huskers bounced back in 1999 with a 12-1 record while winning the Big 12 Championship and also winning the Fiesta Bowl that season.

The Huskers opened up the 1999 season with a dominant 42-7 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. One week later, they would dominate Cal 45-0 in their home opener at Memorial Stadium. Overall, the Huskers would win each of their first six games of the season, also picking up wins over Southern Miss, Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State.

On October 23, while ranked as the No.3 team in the country, the Huskers suffered their only loss off the season, a 24-20 defeat on the road at the hands of the Texas Longhorns.

Solich’s Huskers would bounce back the next week, downing Kansas 24-17 and wouldn’t look back after picking up the win over the Jayhawks. They would finish the regular season with a four-game winning streak, defeating No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 5 Kansas State in the process, both in dominant fashion.

On December 4 in the 1999 Big 12 Championship Game, the Huskers got their revenge on the Texas Longhorns with a 22-6 win at the Alamodome in San Antonio. They would earn a Fiesta Bowl bid as the No. 3 team, narrowly missing out on the national championship game which featured No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Virginia Tech, who both were undefeated heading into the BCS National Championship Game.

The Huskers in that Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 2000 would defeat the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers 31-21 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The win remains the program’s last New Year’s Six bowl game victory.

As a team that season, the Huskers averaged 31.6 points per game on offense, which ranked 13th in the country that season while allowing just 11.5 points per game, giving the Huskers the third best defense in the country that season.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Husker Quarterback named to preseason awards list

A Nebraska quarterback was one of 35 players named to a preseason awards watch list.

A Nebraska quarterback was one of 35 players named to a preseason awards watch list. Jeff Sims was named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list on Tuesday afternoon.

The Davey O’Brien Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback. Sims will be spending his first season in Lincoln after spending the last three years at Georgia Tech.

In 23 career games, he threw for 4,464 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 1,152 yards and 11 touchdowns. Nebraska has only won the Davey O’Brien Award one time since the award’s inception in 1981.

Eric Crouch won the honor during the 2001 season. That season Crouch would run for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns with ten interceptions

Find a photo gallery of Eric Crouch’s Nebraska career below.

Nebraska’s head coach discusses plan to run the quarterback

Nebraska will be installing a new offense for the 2023 season.

Nebraska will be installing a new offense for the 2023 season. The Huskers will also be breaking in a new quarterback in Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims.

The new QB has shown an ability to use his arm and legs to move the football. In 25 games, Sims ran for 1,152 yards with 11 touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry.

New head coach Matt Rhule has discussed his willingness to run his quarterback if the situation is right.

I think if you’re running for three yards to get tackled by seven people, I don’t know if that’s the right thing. If you can create explosive plays. If situationally, you can convert on third or fourth down. You can store touchdowns in the red zone. 

Nebraska, of course, has a long history of running quarterbacks. For several decades the Cornhuskers ran the option with great success.

Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch leads all Husker quarterbacks with 3,434 career rush yards. Quarterback Jammal Lord holds the single-season record for QBs with 1,412 yards in 2002.

Rhule also stated that he’s excited to see what Sims can bring to the offense.

I don’t want to rob them of what makes them great. For Jeff, that might just be dropping back to pass and then tucking it and then running… we’re going to try to turn those guys loose. We don’t want to be silly, just running up the middle and getting three or four yards ten times, but if we can make plays with them, we will. 

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinion.

All-time high school QB rankings: Midwest region

The region may be better known for hockey weather, but some of the greatest high school quarterbacks of all time have come out of the Midwest.

Look through the record books of the regions and you’ll find some of the greatest high school quarterbacks of all time.

For the all-time high school QB rankings in the Midwest, we picked players from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

More All-time HS QB rankings:

East region

Southeast region

Nebraska’s Heisman Winners and Finalists

Since that first ceremony in 1935, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have seen three winners across three different decades.

In 1935 Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago was awarded the first Heisman Trophy. The annual award is given to the most outstanding player in college football that season. Since that first ceremony in 1935, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have seen three winners across three different decades while also sending several finalists to the ceremony for the prestigious award. This list will look at everyone to finish in the Top 5 of Heisman voting for their respective year starting in 1972, the year Nebraska won their first award.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinion.

2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class Announced

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced today the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

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The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced today the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class, which includes the names of 16 players and two coaches.


A few wrongs were made right.

FINALLY, Eric Dickerson got the call to be in the Hall.

In the theory of, “if you won a Heisman, you should automatically get in,” Eric Crouch made it, along with headliners former Ohio State RB Keith Byars, Michigan OT Jumbo Elliott, Alcorn State QB Steve McNair, and Georgia DE David Pollock.

Two coaches – Dick Sheridan and Andy Talley – were elected, too.

Write-ups from the National Football Foundation.

2020 College Football Hall of Fame Players

Lomas Brown, Florida, Offensive Tackle (1981-1984)

– 1984 consensus First Team All-American and two-time All-SEC performer
– Led Gators to three consecutive bowl berths and top 10 national final rankings in 1983 and 1984
– Recipient of Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the SEC’s top blocker in 1984.

Keith Byars, Ohio State, Running Back (1982-1985)

– Unanimous First Team All-American and Heisman Trophy runner-up who led nation in rushing (1,764), all-purpose yards (2,441) and scoring (144) in 1984
– 1984 Big Ten MVP and two-time All-Big Ten selection
– Ranks fifth all-time at OSU with 4,369 career all-purpose yards and 3,200 career rushing yards.

Eric Crouch, Nebraska, Quarterback (1998-2001)

– 2001 Heisman, Walter Camp and Davey O’Brien Award winner who led Huskers to 2001 national title game at the Rose Bowl
– Finished career as NCAA record holder for career rushing TDs by a quarterback (59)
– Led team to 42-9 record and four bowl berths.

Eric Dickerson, SMU, Running Back (1979-1982)

– Named unanimous First Team All-American and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1982
– Twice named SWC Player of the Year, he holds 14 SMU records including career rushing yards (4,450).

Glenn Dorsey, LSU, Defensive Tackle (2004-2007)

– Two-time First Team All-American, earning unanimous honors in 2007
– Led the Tigers to a national title at the 2008 Sugar Bowl after taking home the Lombardi, Nagurski and Outland trophies
– 2007 SEC Defensive Player of the Year who helped LSU finish no lower than No. 5 nationally his last three seasons.

Jumbo Elliott, Michigan, Offensive Tackle (1984-1987)

– Two-time First Team All-American (consensus, ’87)
– Two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection and member of 1986 Big Ten Co-Champions
– Paved the way for Jamie Morris, who had three-straight 1,000-yard seasons.

Jason Hanson, Washington State, Placekicker (1988-1991)

– Two-time First Team All-American, earning unanimous honors in 1989
– Holds numerous NCAA, conference and school records, including longest field goal without a tee (62 yards) and career field goals of 40 yards or more (39)
– Four-time All-Pac-10 selection and 1991 NFF National Scholar-Athlete.

E.J. Henderson, Maryland, Linebacker (1999-2002)

– Only two-time consensus First Team All-American in Terps history
– 2002 Bednarik and Butkus award winner who helped Maryland to an Orange Bowl berth and No. 11 final ranking
– 2001 ACC Player of the Year and two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, leading Terps to the 2001 ACC title.

E.J. Junior, Alabama, Defensive End (1977-1980)

-1980 unanimous First Team All-American and member of two national championship teams (1978, 1979)
– Three-time First Team All-SEC selection and 1980 SEC Lineman of the Year, who led Tide to two conference titles
– Member of fabled goal-line stand defense vs. Penn State in 1979 Sugar Bowl.

Steve McNair, Alcorn State, Quarterback (1991-1994)

– 1994 Walter Payton Award winner as the top player in the FCS.
– Third in Heisman voting in 1994.
– All-time FCS passing leader with 14,496 yards and total yards with 16,823
– Four-time SWAC Offensive Player of the Year

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Cade McNown, UCLA, Quarterback (1995-1998)

-1998 Consensus First Team All-American and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award recipient
-1998 Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year who led UCLA to consecutive Pac-10 titles in 1997 (shared) and 1998-Holds numerous school records.

Leslie O’Neal, Oklahoma State, Defensive Tackle (1982-1985)

– Two-time First Team All-American, earning unanimous honors in 1985
– Three-time All-Big Eight selection and 1984 Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year, who led Pokes to three, straight bowl berths
– Left OSU as school leader in career sacks (34), career TFL (47) and single, season sacks (16).

Anthony Poindexter, Virginia, Defensive Back (1995-1998)

– Two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors in 1998
– Three-time All-ACC pick and 1998 ACC Defensive Player of the Year
– Holds five school records and finished career with 342 tackles and 12 interceptions.

David Pollack, Georgia, Defensive Lineman (2001-2004)

– Three-time First Team All-American (consensus in 2002, 2004) and recipient of the 2004 Lombardi and Bednarik awards
– Two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year who led Bulldogs to consecutive SEC title games
– UGA’s all-time leader in sacks (36) and tackles for loss (58.5).

Michael Westbrook, Colorado, Wide Receiver

– 1994 consensus First Team All-American who led Buffs to four bowl berths and four top 20 finishes
– Two-time All-Big Eight performer, leading CU to a share of the 1991 league title
– Still holds eight school records and caught a 64-yard game-winning pass in the 1994 “Miracle at Michigan.

Elmo Wright, Houston, Wide Receiver

-1970 consensus First Team All-American who earned Second Team honors in 1969 and Honorable Mention honors in 1968
– Set an NCAA single-season record of eight TD receptions of 50 yards or more (1968)
– Still holds Houston career records for all-purpose yards per play (21.0 avg.) and yards per reception (21.9 avg.).

Pete Fiutak Top Ten Ballot
1. QB Carson Palmer, USC (not elected)
2. S Roy Williams, Oklahoma (not elected)
3. RB Eric Dickerson, SMU (elected)
4. QB Eric Crouch, Nebraska (elected)
5. RB Rashaan Salaam, Colorado (not elected)
6. LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State (not elected)
7. DE Andre Tippett, Iowa (not elected)
8. DE Julius Peppers, North Carolina (not elected)
9. DE David Pollack, Georgia (not elected)
10. DT Kenneth Sims, Texas (not elected)

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