A few candidates could represent Alabama this weekend as the guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay. Who would you like to see?
There will be plenty of media personnel on hand for this weekend’s matchup between Texas and Alabama. Several familiar faces will be in Tuscaloosa prior to the game. One of those is the ESPN College Gameday crew. It will be the 17th time that the crew has broadcasted live from the University of Alabama campus.
Each week, there are guest pickers who join the set to pick games alongside the rest of the crew. In the past, Alabama has been represented by former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath and former Alabama golfer Justin Thomas.
Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at some of the potential options to be the ESPN College Gameday guest picker this weekend.
That inlcudes the eastern region, where some of the greatest pro quarterbacks of all time played their high school football.
While some states are better known for producing great athletes than others, the truth is legendary competitors can come from anywhere. That includes the schools in the east, where more than a few of the greats played their high school football.
As the 2023 high school football season and opening Super 25 nears, we’re looking back at the best players of all time, beginning with the quarterbacks.
To create this list, we selected QBs who played at schools in the following states: Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. This format follows our breakdown for Super 25 football regions—East, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West.
Broadway Joe has reached another milestone in his life. The legendary Jets quarterback celebrates his 80th birthday Wednesday.
The man who guaranteed that the Jets would defeat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III is now an octogenarian.
Namath was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. He was a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 1972, as well as a four-time AFL All-Star before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote a great piece on a day with the legend in Florida that you can read to help celebrate his birthday.
Namath will get to see two more Jets legends join him in Canton when Darrelle Revis and Joe Klecko are enshrined as part of the Class of 2023 on Aug. 5, as well as seeing the Jets play the Cleveland Browns in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 3.
Aaron Rodgers wanted to keep No. 12 with Broadway Joe
Aaron Rodgers has a new team and he will have a new number. The Jets’ new quarterback will wear No. 8 this season, going back to the number he wore in college at California after 18 seasons wearing No. 12 for the Green Bay Packers.
No. 12 was available to the Jets in the sense that Rodgers was given the blessing by Joe Namath himself, for whom the number is retired. However, despite getting the go-ahead to wear Namath’s number, Rodgers wanted to keep the honor of having the number retired.
“To me, No. 12 is Broadway Joe and I didn’t even want to go down that path,” Rodgers said at his introductory press conference Wednesday. “I’m excited about going back to my college number.”
Rodgers clearly has a ton of respect for Namath and the history of the No. 12 for the Jets. His goal now is to make some history with the No. 8 and add a second Lombardi Trophy to the Jets’ mantle, especially since Rodgers noticed the Super Bowl III trophy was “looking a little lonely.”
The longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback is heading to the New York Jets as we all expected. In addition to swapping first-round picks in 2023, the Jets will receive a fifth-rounder this year while the Packers get New York’s second and fourth-round picks in 2023 as well as a conditional 2024 second-round pick, which becomes a first-rounder if Rodgers plays on 65% of the team’s offensive snaps this fall.
With all that out of the way, one major question remains: What jersey number will Rodgers wear in the Big Apple?
The 18-year NFL veteran has worn the same No. 12 jersey throughout his professional career, the entirety of which has been spent in Green Bay. But coming to New York threw a bit of a wrench into things.
The Jets have retired the No. 12 jersey, which was worn by Joe Namath, the only quarterback to lead the team to a Super Bowl championship. Namath actually apparently granted Rodgers permission to bring the jersey out of retirement, but instead, the 39-year-old has something else in mind.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rodgers will don No. 8 with the Jets in 2023, which he wore in college with the California Golden Bears.
Although Hall-of-Fame QB Joe Namath gave Aaron Rodgers his blessing to wear No. 12, the new Jets‘ QB is expected to wear No. 8 — the number he wore in college at Cal.
As one of the top quarterbacks in football prepares to begin a new chapter in his career, he’ll be doing it with a different jersey number as he hopes to end a playoff drought that dates back to 2010.
Notre Dame’s ties with the New York Jets aren’t exactly extensive…
The New York Jets came into existence in 1960 as the New York Titans of the AFL. They kept that name for three seasons before switching to the Jets in 1963 and their AFL and Super Bowl championships in 1968 played a huge part in the eventual AFL-NFL merger.
History hasn’t been so kind to the Jets however as they’ve never gotten back to the Super Bowl since Joe Namath’s famed guarantee over the Colts in January of 1969 and they’re a franchise that went just 6-27 from 2020-2021. Last year saw a turn however as they still finished in last place in their division, but won seven games. Could a playoff spot be in the picture this year?
It hasn’t happened often but perhaps a Notre Dame player could be on their way to get drafted by the Jets. It’s something that has happened just four times before.
Here are the four former Notre Dame players to ever be drafted by the New York Jets:
There’s no New York Jet more famous than Joseph William Namath, better known as Broadway Joe. When you talk about the New York Jets, Namath and his guarantee are the first things that come to mind.
Namath’s Hall of Fame career is why he is one of just five Jets players to have their number retired. It’s Namath’s No. 12, Don Maynard’s No. 13, Curtis Martin’s No. 28, Joe Klecko’s No. 73 and Dennis Byrd’s No. 90. At least, that’s how it is for now.
Namath, like everyone else in the world, knows his Jets will be in the market for a quarterback this coming offseason. One of those potential quarterbacks just so happens to also wear No. 12.
That someone, of course, is Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is mulling over the decision to return for a 19th season in the NFL and whether he wants to play in Green Bay if he does return next season. If he wants to join another team, the Jets could certainly be in play. If, somehow, Rodgers does ends up in New York, Broadway Joe is willing to give up his No. 12 for the new No. 12.
Namath recently appeared on “Tiki & Tierney” and made the comment that he would allow Rodgers to wear No. 12 for the Jets if he does happen to join the team.
“I hope it can come true but it’s farfetched: I know Mr. [Jets owner Woody] Johnson’s trying to get a quarterback. If there’s a way he can get Rodgers,” Namath told the show. “I’m a big Rodgers fan, and I noticed that he wears number 12 of course. Man, if we get him, is he still going to wearing number 12? Because that number was retired years ago…”
Joe Namath said he'd unretire his number if it meant the Jets brought in this Super Bowl winning QB in 2023.pic.twitter.com/xphiDQDN5p
Jets legend Joe Namath isn’t sure if Zach Wilson is going to be a good quarterback, and he has some concerns about the No. 2 pick’s frame and supporting cast.
Joe Namath isn’t convinced Zach Wilson will cut it in New York.
The legendary Jets quarterback wants to see more from Wilson – as well as his supporting cast – before passing final judgment on the 2021 second overall pick.
“I think there’s a side of school that’s still out,” Namath said on The Michael Kay Show. “We’ve got to see more. But the other thing is – I know it takes a group. Zach couldn’t perform at his best for a couple of reasons. He’s not there yet, certainly, and it was new for him and his team is not that solid. He needs more help around him. With help around him, it’s amazing how much better a guy can play.”
Wilson’s rookie season started off poorly with a league-leading nine interceptions and a 57.46 completion percentage through the first seven weeks. A mid-season knee injury then forced him to miss four games. Wilson came back and only tossed two interceptions over the final seven games and scored nine total touchdowns.
Namath did see some impressive traits in Wilson – particularly his arm strength and mobility outside the pocket – but didn’t sound too convinced his 6-foot-2, 214-pound frame will hold up in the NFL.
“I like him, but I don’t know how long he’s going to last,” Namath said. “You’d like for a guy to be 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 back there in the pocket. School’s still out on how Zach’s going to do.”
Now, that comment about Wilson’s height doesn’t make much sense, especially since Namath himself was only 6-foot-2, 200 pounds during his playing days. There have only been 29 quarterbacks in the NFL since 1920 who stand at least 6-foot-6 and only 13 have started at least 20 NFL games. One of those quarterbacks is, coincidentally, Joe Flacco, but the list also includes players like JaMarcus Russell, Mike Glennon and Josh Freeman – not exactly a Hall of Fame class.
But Wilson doesn’t have a huge frame, and he was the most pressured quarterback in 2021 and took 44 sacks. No one can take that many hits on a consistent basis and expect to develop properly, and it’s why it’s even more important for Joe Douglas to build a better offensive line. Wilson can succeed despite his smaller stature, so long as he has the support system around him.
Namath also shouldn’t be convinced Wilson is good yet – because the Jets quarterback hasn’t proven himself to be anything yet. Wilson’s numbers were among the worst in the league last year and the Jets offense ranked lowly in almost every statistic.
This offseason will be crucial for Wilson’s development. Maybe after another season, Namath will make up his mind.
The Patriots attempted just three passes in their Monday night win over the Bills, who won in 1974 with just two passing attempts.
The Patriots are well-known for adjusting to any situation and any opponent. So, when Bill Belichick and his crew came into Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. and faced a snow globe situation with driving winds and wintry precipitation, you knew that Mac Jones wasn’t going to be throwing the ball all over the field. In the end, Jones attempted three passes, completing two for 19 yards. It was New England’s ground game and defense that got things done, not to mention a weather situation that didn’t really help the Bills, who have not had a great run game all season, and whose defense has been great for the most part, but vulnerable to power-running teams.
The last time a team threw fewer passes in a game than the Patriots did? Well, we have to go back a ways, though we’re staying in the AFC East.
The Patriots defeated the Bills with 3 pass attempts; the fewest by any team since the Bills in Week 3 of 1974 vs the Jets (2) pic.twitter.com/hp0DTuOMw1
September 29, 1974 — Week 3 of the season — saw similar weather conditions in Rich Stadium in upstate New York. As William M. Wallace of the New York Times News Service pointed out, the game featured winds at 20 miles per hour, with gusts doubling that. Rain was also a major factor. The ball had to be held on kickoffs, an American flag was frayed by the wind, and about half the crowd of 76,978 had left by halftime.
Joe Namath attempted 18 passes, completing two to his own receivers, and three to the Bills. Buffalo quarterback Joe Ferguson threw two early interceptions to the Jets, but both were erased by penalties, and after that, head coach Lou Saban decided to stick with the ground game. Those were the last two passes Ferguson attempted — just two attempts with no completions in the entire game.
Like the Patriots on Monday night, the Bills went on the ground pretty much exclusively, with O.J. Simpson gaining 117 yards on 31 carries, Jim Braxton gaining 84 yards and scoring a touchdown on 17 carries, and Ferguson gaining 14 yards and scoring a touchdown on 10 carries.
That was enough for the Bills to come out of the muck with a 16-12 win. The Jets scored one touchdown on a John Riggins run, and Bobby Howfield kicked two field goals in the third quarter, but the Bills had a bit more juice on the ground — which did not happen this time around.
