Tag: History

Saquon Barkley breaks Terrell Davis’ record for best rushing season in NFL history

Saquon Barkley has passed Hall of Famer Terrell Davis for the most rushing yards in a single season, playoffs included.

Going into Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was just 30 yards away from breaking Terrell Davis’ record for the most rushing yards in a single season (playoffs included).

Barkley finished the day with 57 rushing yards, breaking the record.

Davis, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, originally set the record when he totaled 2,331 yards with the Denver Broncos in 1997. One year later, TD broke his own record by rushing for 2,476 yards in 1998.

Both marks have now been passed by Barkley, who had 2,447 rushing yards going into Super Bowl LIX. Sunday marked Barkley’s 20th game this season, and he finished the year with 436 carries. Davis got 470 carries in 19 games in 1998.

Most rushing yards in a season (playoffs included)

  1. Saquon Barkley: 2,504 yards (2024)
  2. Terrell Davis: 2,476 yards (1998)
  3. Terrell Davis: 2,331 yards (1997)
  4. Eric Dickerson: 2,212 yards (1984)
  5. Adrian Peterson: 2,196 yards (2012)

Barkley averaged 5.48 yards per carry and 124.75 yards per game in the playoffs this year. Davis averaged 6.0/156.0 during the 1998 playoffs.

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Cameron Jordan, Mark Ingram, Connor Payton and a crazy 2011 draft story

Sean Payton shared a funny story about his son’s connection to the draft picks of Mark Ingram II and Cameron Jordan, two of the best players in Saints history.

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton peeled back the curtain to give a look into the mindset of the New Orleans Saints going into the 2011 NFL draft. That year the Saints walked away with Mark Ingram II and Cameron Jordan in the first round.

Payton crashed Ingram and Jordan’s interview with Kay Adams and immediately relayed this story of drafting both players in a story involving Payton’s son Connor, who was in fifth grade at the time.

New Orleans always had their eyes set on Mark Ingram. Payton was so confident that he told his son they were targeting Ingram days before the draft.

In true kid fashion, Connor was telling all his friends the Saints were taking the Heisman Trophy-winning running back. However, Jordan unexpectedly dropped to the 24th pick. Plans changed.

When the Saints picked Jordan instead, Connor called Payton, and Payton had to tell his son these things happen sometimes. That was probably hard to understand at that age, but luckily for Connor, Bill Belichick called the Saints about a trade for the 28th pick.

New Orleans accepts the trade and selects Ingram. Payton called Connor back and said “there’s Mark Ingram.” It’s 14 years later, but Ingram thanked Connor for his persistence. It was delayed, but Connor still got to go

In 2011, the Saints drafted Ingram and Jordan in the span of four picks. They would go on to reach the peak of most rushing yards and sacks in team history.

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Throwback: Broncos won Super Bowl 50 on this date in 2016

The Broncos won Super Bowl 50 on this date (Feb. 7) in 2016.

Seven years after winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999, the Denver Broncos returned to the NFL’s championship game in 2016.

The Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. Denver was considered a five-point underdog going into the contest.

The Broncos’ defense dominated the game, sacking NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton six times while also forcing two fumbles and an interception.

Denver’s offense was carried by running back C.J. Anderson, who rushed 23 times for 90 yards and a touchdown in the upset win.

Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller was named the game’s MVP after totaling six tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Fellow outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware also had a big game with five tackles, four quarterback hits and two sacks.

Denver quarterback Peyton Manning did not throw any touchdown passes, but he did complete a two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Bennie Fowler in the fourth quarter, marking the final throw of his career. Manning later retired in the offseason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR0qOk_pcyg&pp=ygUNc3VwZXIgYm93bCA1MA%3D%3D

Miller went on to play five and a half more seasons with the Broncos before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Miller won a second Super Bowl with the Rams following the 2021 season.

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Pat Surtain makes NFL history with Defensive Player of the Year award

Pat Surtain is just the seventh cornerback to win Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s the second Bronco, joining Randy Gradishar (1978).

Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain has been named the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced during NFL Honors on Thursday evening.

Surtain, 24, is just the seventh cornerback to ever win the award and the second Bronco in franchise history to take home the honor, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar (1978).

The previous six cornerbacks to win the award were Stephon Gilmore (2019), Charles Woodson (2009), Deion Sanders (1994), Rod Woodson (1993), Lester Hayes (1980) and Mel Blount (1975). Of those defensive backs, only Gilmore (an active player) and Hayes are not in the Hall of Fame.

Surtain also earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2024, becoming the third cornerback in club history to receive that honor multiple times, joining Louis Wright and Champ Bailey.

PS2 ranked first in passing yards allowed (306), yards allowed per coverage snap (0.6) and target rate (10.9) in 2024 among qualified cornerbacks (at 400 coverage snaps), according to NFL NextGen Stats.

Surtain totaled four interceptions and 11 pass breakups in 2024, marking his fourth-straight year with double-digit PBUs. His four takeaways tied a career-high, and his 100-yard pick-six last fall was a career-long.

Surtain is widely considered the best cornerback in the NFL, and this season, he was the best defensive player in the league.

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Former Broncos linebacker John Huard dies at age 80

John Huard, who played linebacker for the Broncos from 1967-1970, has passed away at age 80.

Former Denver Broncos linebacker John Huard died at age 80 last week, the team confirmed on Monday evening.

After playing college football at Maine, Huard was picked by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft. He started 41 of a possible 42 games in his first three seasons in Denver, totaling six interceptions (tackles and sacks were not tracked as stats during that era).

After a knee injury sidelined him for the 1970 season, Huard joined the New Orleans Saints in 1971. After two seasons in New Orleans, he spent time with the New England Patriots before joining the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes in 1972. Following two seasons in Canada, Huard transitioned to coaching.

He returned to his alma mater as an offensive line coach in 1974 before later coaching at a Canadian college, in the USFL, at the Maine Maritime Academy and in the CFL. His final season as a coach was with the Toronto Argonauts in 2000.

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On this date in 1999: Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII

On this date (Jan. 31) in 1999, the Broncos defeated the Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII.

One year after defeating the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII, the Denver Broncos returned to the NFL’s championship game to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII on Sunday, Jan. 31 1999.

Playing in the final game of his career, quarterback John Elway took home Super Bowl MVP honors after completing 18-of-29 passes for 336 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Elway also rushed three times for two yards and another score.

Elway later retired during the 1999 offseason and he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2004. Three other members of Denver’s starting lineup that day later joined Elway in the Hall of Fame: tight end Shannon Sharpe, running back Terrell Davis and safety Steve Atwater.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HgxrcoG_bI

Elway returned to the team as an executive in 2011 and he helped the Broncos reach two more Super Bowls, winning one in 2016. Denver has won three Super Bowls in franchise history, with Elway playing a role in all three.

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New Orleans could be the site where Super Bowl history is made

Super Bowl LIX held in New Orleans could be the site of history being made, as the Chiefs pursue the elusive “three-peat”

The “three-peat”. An elusive statistic where a team is able to complete three championship victories back to back in their respective sport. This is something that does not happen every day, and even the long-time dynasty New England Patriots were unable to complete this task. In the NFL, it has never happened before, and this is the only sport of the “Big Four” in North America to not have a team ever three-peat.

The last North American sports league to have this feat accomplished was the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, who completed it with their 2000, 2001, and 2002 seasons. Next up in recency was the MLB with the New York Yankees, who completed it from 1998 to 2000. Then finally there is the NHL, and the legendary New York Islanders group back in the 1980s who actually won four in a row in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983.

Now the NFL is on the precipice of wrapping things up and having a team from each of the big four sports in North America to have three-peated. With that in mind, it could happen on the doorstep of the New Orleans Saints, as Super Bowl LIX is hosted in Caesars Superdome for the first time since XLVII in 2013.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one game away from making history, and becoming forever immortalized as not only a dynasty, but one of THE dynasties in all of sports. As much as fans and media alike prefer dynasties not to form and parity to take control, you also sometimes have to step back and appreciate greatness as it is happening.

Eight teams in NFL history have made two Super Bowl victories in a row happen, but will the Chiefs be able to add the third in a row to the victory column? We will find out on Feb. 9 as both teams travel to the bayou and battle for supremacy.

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Top Saints HC candidate beat Derek Carr by 50 points in college as QB

One of the top New Orleans Saints head coach candidates actually faced Derek Carr as a QB in college and came out on top by 50 points:

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has become a hot pick for the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints and it turns out that he has some interesting history with the team’s franchise quarterback.

Saints fan @FreakyPeezy on social media pulled out a gem of a box score that shows a Moore-led Boise State Broncos team defeating Derek Carr’s Fresno State Bulldogs in a 57-7 blowout back in 2011.

Moore, 36, was a legendary Mountain West quarterback not that long ago. While he didn’t stick under center in the NFL, he was a great college passer. He had a great day against the Bulldogs, going 23-for-41 with 254 yards and three touchdowns. It was during his senior year.

This was during Carr’s redshirt sophomore season and he was clearly still going through growing pains. It didn’t help that the Broncos were an undefeated top-five team while Fresno State was sub-.500. He did not has as nice of a statistic day, completing just 17-of-30 passes for 126 yards and an interception. All things considered, many would say that it was actually the worst game of his college career.

On this date in 1998: Broncos won Super Bowl XXXII

On this date (Jan. 25) in 1998, the 11.5-point underdog Broncos defeated the Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII.

The Denver Broncos upset the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII on Sunday, Jan. 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, marking the first championship victory in franchise history.

After previously losing four Super Bowls in the 1970s-1980s, the Broncos were considered big 11.5-point underdogs against the Packers.

Led by a productive rushing attack and opportunistic defense, Denver overcame those odds to pull off an upset win.

The Broncos’ offense was carried by running back Terrell Davis, who rushed 30 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns in the win, earning Super Bowl MVP honors. Davis would later go on to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 after retiring from the NFL in 2002.

On defense, Denver forced three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) to help slow down a high-powered Green Bay offense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmZdHyQSR90&t=7s

Five members of the Broncos’ starting lineup that day — Davis, quarterback John Elway, tight end Shannon Sharpe, left tackle Gary Zimmerman and safety Steve Atwater — are now in the Hall of Fame.

After securing their first Super Bowl victory in 1998, Denver went on to win again in 1999, and they later won a third title in 2016.

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If their history is any indication, Saints head coach search could end soon

The New Orleans Saints head coaching search may come to an end soon if their previous hirings are any indication of when it may happen

The history of New Orleans Saints head coaches has been a relatively short one, with only 15 coaches ever having the opportunity to be the head coach or interim head coach in their 57-year history. Now the Saints find themselves looking for a new head coach, and if their previous history of hirings are any indication, the search could come to a conclusion in the very near future.

The last five non-interim head coach hires are as follows, as well as the exact date they were brought in to lead the Saints:

  • Dennis Allen – Feb. 8, 2022
  • Sean Payton – Jan. 18, 2006
  • Jim Haslett – Feb. 3, 2000
  • Mike Ditka – Jan. 28, 1997
  • Jim Mora – Jan. 28, 1986

Based on these dates, the mean of the previous hirings is about 29.4, meaning January 29th is roughly when a new head coach signing could be expected hypothetically. With the news surrounding their interest in second interviews, it seems a hiring may be coming in the near future. However, with the snowfall blocking their path to an interview for a few days, that may lead them right into the range of when previous hires happened.

Granted, Mickey Loomis has made it clear that their hiring process this year will differ from previous ones, and that it may take a little longer as they will be vetting their options to ensure what will hopefully be a quality coach for years to come.

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