Tag: Johnny Unitas

Ravens’ First Home Still Lives On, in a Unique Way

Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium still lives on, in a unique way

It is easy to forget that the Baltimore Ravens have had two homes, not just one, in their history. M&T Bank Stadium has been their home since 1998, but the club played their home games at the old Memorial Stadium for the two years prior. The Ravens went 10-21-1 throughout the two seasons they called Memorial Stadium home.

More synonymous with the Baltimore Colts and Orioles (before Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992), the dual-use facility was demolished in 2002, 80 years after it opened. However, it still lives on in a highly unique manner today.
The gridiron and the diamond are still marked on the ground in their original location today. A new field was put in place in 2010, with the development efforts led by the living legend Cal Ripken himself. Ripken and his brother Billy (known more for his infamous “error” baseball card with a naughty word on it than for what he accomplished on the diamond) attended the ground-breaking ceremony alongside then-Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley.
 This behavior is encouraged if you want to run around on that sacred ground and envision yourself as an NFL or MLB player. The new field was added for recreation. You can also live there if you happen to be of a certain age, as there are multiple senior living facilities up and running at the site.
In addition to the nursing home, assisted living facility, and senior apartment complexes, there is also a Baltimore YMCA. Before it was torn down, Baltimore Memorial Stadium had a very unique history. According to Five Points Videos (12:11 mark in this clip), the venue suffered a fatal escalator accident in 1964 and saw a small plane crash into the upper deck in 1976.
And, of course, the infamous Mayflower brand trucks moving the Colts out to Indianapolis in the middle of the night in 1983.

 

The oldest NFL quarterbacks to ever win a Super Bowl

NFL teams have won a Super Bowl with a quarterback 35 or older nine times. Russell Wilson, now 35, will aim to become the 10th.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson turns 35 years old today (Nov. 29, 2023).

But there’s no reason to fret, Broncos fans. If the veteran quarterback has his way, Wilson still has another decade of football on deck.

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel last year, Wilson said he wants to play until he’s 45 years old (he’s under contract with Denver through his age-40 season).

“It’s a lifestyle,” Wilson said when Kimmel asked the QB about the time and resources it takes to stay in top physical condition. “When you’re trying to play as long as I’m trying to play — I’m trying to play until 45 — the mentality, the focus level, everything you do has to be surrounded around that. It’s been an amazing journey for me so far.”

Tom Brady, who retired at age 45, was the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, so that’s likely the blueprint Wilson is aiming to follow.

Wilson will hope that Brady was not an outlier. Having previously won a Super Bowl at age 25 in 2013, Wilson will now hope to join the list of above-35-year-old quarterbacks who have won an NFL championship.

Here’s a quick look at the oldest quarterbacks in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.

Aaron Rodgers is 15th NFL MVP QB to finish his career elsewhere

Take a look at the 15 quarterbacks who won the Associated Press NFL MVP and then finished their careers with other franchises.

The healing can begin.

The Green Bay Packers and New York Jets have agreed to terms as quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play for the AFC East squad in 2023.

Rodgers becomes the 15th different quarterback to win NFL Most Valuable Player and finish out his career in another NFL city.

The official NFL MVP is voted upon and given out by the Associated Press and has been since 1957. For the sake of continuity, this list will similarly recognize the AP winner.

Curiously with Rodgers going to the Jets, it means New York will now have had three different former NFL MVPs under center. Will Rodgers buck the trend?

The best players in pro football history released by other teams

If you were released by an NFL team today, your career may not be over! Several pro football Hall of Famers were once cut by other teams.

On the annual occasion of the NFL’s cruel necessity to trim its rosters down to the mandated 53 players, it’s important to remember that for the hundreds of players who heard the worst possible professional news on Tuesday, August 30, that there is hope after getting cut by one team. If you’ve put good tape out there, other teams will see it, and you might get another shot that way. Perhaps a coach or executive you’ve worked with before is on another team, and that person wants you where they are now. Or maybe a team that’s wafer-thin at your position will roll the dice.

Given the sheer numbers, it makes sense that players cut by one team would find success elsewhere. In rare occasions, players who have been jettisoned, unwanted, have rolled up to other places and played at levels that landed them (at the very least) in a Ring of Honor somewhere, and (at the very most) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Not everybody releasing players this week is right. And not every player released this week is wrong. It’s important for all of those players to remember that, and perhaps to be inspired by this list of the best players in pro football history to find themselves released by one team, only to succeed beyond anybody’s wildest expectations somewhere else.

Ravens vs. Colts: 7 fun facts about this Week 9 matchup

Seven nuggets for you to impress your friends with regarding this matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts in Week 9

Week 9 of the 2020 season features at least one game between two teams firmly in the AFC playoff picture. The 5-2 Baltimore Ravens take on the 5-2 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, with the Ravens looking to bounce back after losing to the Steelers last week. The Colts meanwhile are coming off a comfortable victory over the Detroit Lions.

This matchup goes beyond the action on the field, both for the teams and the people of Baltimore. There are a host of connections between these two teams, some you may be aware of and others that may surprise you. Here are seven nuggets about this rivalry for you to drop into conversations leading up to the game, leaving your listeners blown away by the depth of your knowledge.

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watchlist

Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger joins two other Big 12 passers on Johnny Unitas watchlist. Looking to become the second Longhorn to win it.

Stop me if you have heard this before but Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger has been added to a preseason watch list. Yes, indeed after being named to the the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, Manning and others you can add the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist.

Texas Tech’s Alan Bowman and Baylor’s Charlie Brewer join Ehlinger as the only Big 12 passers to make the watch list. In a press release from Texas Athletics a list of the accolades for Ehlinger over the past two seasons show how good he has been.

Ehlinger, an Austin native, has started all 27 games for UT over the past two seasons and leads all active FBS quarterbacks in completions (571), attempts (879), passing yards (6,955), total offense (8,100) and total touchdowns (80) since the start of the 2018 season. He also ranks second among active FBS quarterbacks in touchdown passes (57) and fifth in completion percentage (65.0) during that stretch. Ehlinger is the only FBS player to account for at least 50 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons.

The award was first presented in 1987 with Don McPherson of Syracuse being the first recipient. In the 33 year history, five times a Big 12 quarterback has been given the award. Colt McCoy is the only Texas quarterback to earn this honor. Last season Joe Burrow walked away with the honor of being associated with a legendary quarterback in Johnny Unitas.

In 2017 Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State was the winner of the award under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. As Ehlinger enters his senior season that kicks off September 12th against UTEP, expectations are high. The senior quarterback hopes to pick up the accolades as the looks to dethrone the Sooners as top dog in the conference.

 

NBCSN to re-air Jets’ Super Bowl III win over Colts

NBC Sports Network is re-airing the Jets’ Super Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts.

If you’re missing Jets football right now, there is a way to fix that.

NBC Sports Network is re-airing the Jets’ Super Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts on Sunday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET as part of NBCSN’s Super Bowl week. During the broadcast of the game, Liam McHugh will interview Super Bowl III MVP Joe Namath.

Super Bowl III is the only big game experience in Gang Green history. The Jets won 16-7 over the Colts. At the time, it was considered one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

Namath himself didn’t have the greatest game, but he was good enough to lead the Jets to victory. Running back Matt Snell actually led the Jets offensively with 30 carries for 121 yards and one touchdown. The Jets defense also did an amazing job, forcing the Colts to turn the ball over five times. The Jet defense only allowed Johnny Unitas to throw for 110 yards in the game. He also threw an interception.

This game should particularly interest younger Jets fans who have never seen the Jets win a championship. For the older crowd, it’s a flashback to the past, a time when the Jets were actually capable of winning something.

So if you have nothing else to do on a Sunday night and need some Jets football, NBCSN is where you’ll want to tune into.

How these five legendary QBs fared in their first season with a new team

With Tom Brady now in Tampa Bay, take a look now at how these five legendary QBs fared with new teams in the latter part of their careers.

Tom Brady shocked the NFL world this offseason when he announced he was leaving the New England Patriots after a historic 20-year run.

Brady will now call Tampa Bay his new home after joining the Buccaneers and their high-powered offense, which features star wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The arrival of Brady, coupled with the a redesigned uniform, has Bucs fans hoping for a return to the postseason in 2020. And, if Brady can work his usual postseason magic, maybe even a trip to Super Bowl LV, which just so happens to be in Tampa next year at Raymond James Stadium.

While speculation about how good the Buccaneers will be with Brady is certainly warranted given the future Hall of Famer’s impressive resume, the truth of the matter is that Brady will be 43 years old when the season kicks off this fall. He’s played at such a high level into his 40s, including winning a Super Bowl at age 41, we tend to believe he’ll keep it up even with a new team. A relocation could be a recipe for disaster or success for Brady.

With that, let’s take a look now at how these five legendary NFL quarterbacks fared in their first season with a new team in the latter stage of their careers.

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