Tag: Steve Young

43 NFL players who spent time in other leagues

Arena, the USFL, CFL and other leagues have been the path to the NFL for some players.

Many players have spent time in other leagues before going on to success in the NFL.

CFL Brandon Browner

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Brandon Browner signed with the Denver Broncos in 2005 as a free agent but broke his forearm in the preseason and missed the rest of the year. In 2006, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders. In 2008, he helped Calgary win the Grey Cup. In his five seasons with the Stampeders, he was a three-time CFL All-Star and recorded eight interceptions. In 2011, Browner signed with the Seattle Seahawks and was immediately named the starter. He also played with New Orleans and New England before returning to Seattle.

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‘The Greatest Game No One Saw,’ which featured Jim Kelly and Steve Young, turns 35

‘The Greatest Game No One Saw’ between USFL stars Steve Young and Jim Kelly turns 35

The USFL gave people all sorts of memories. The owner of the New Jersey Generals went on to become President of the United States, Donald Trump. There were big names like Herschel Walker, Steve Young and Doug Flutie who played for the upstart league.

And it provided one of the best games in football history. Only, no one saw it on television.

The Houston Gamblers and Jim Kelly faced the Los Angeles Express and Steve Young on Feb. 24, 1985. One would have thought that matchup would have been natural for ABC, which had the league’s TV rights. However, ABC decided to show the New Jersey Generals’ game because Flutie was making his USFL debut. The game was the opener for the Gamblers and Express that season.

Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY Sports

Only cameramen that worked for both teams were on hand to record the game that turned out to be epic. The Express led 33-13 with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Kelly led the Gamblers on a comeback that would see them pull off a 34-33 win before a crowd of 18,828 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. In the end, Kelly, the USFL’s most valuable player as a rookie in 1984, threw for 574 yards.

Despite being a rival league, the Bills remembered the effort by their HOF quarterback with a tweet in 2014.

LA appeared to put the game away in the fourth quarter when safety Troy West intercepted a Kelly pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, making the score 33-13. However, two plays from scrimmage later Houston narrowed the gap as Kelly threw to WR Richard Johnson for a 52-yard touchdown.

The Gamblers got the ball back at the LA 43 with the clock down to 4:05. This time Kelly connected with WR Vince Courville from 20 yards. With the successful extra point it was 33-27.

Following another punt, the Gamblers needed 40 seconds to cover 84 yards and cap their furious comeback as Kelly found Ricky Sanders open over the middle, beating West. Toni Fritsch kicked his fourth extra point of the game to provide a one-point margin.

“I’ve been in some comebacks before, but never anything like that,” Kelly said after the game. “Pulling out that win was the best feeling I ever had in my life.”

Kelly completed 35-of-54 as his passing yardage topped the former USFL mark of 444 yards by Bobby Hebert of Michigan. It was also 20 yards more than the NFL mark established by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951, but was 12 yards shy of the pro football record of 586 by Sam Etchenverry with Montreal of the Canadian Football League in 1954.

Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Three Houston receivers gained over 100 yards, led by Johnson with 174 on 11 catches, including one score, and followed by Sanders with nine receptions for 108 yards and three TDs and RB Sam Harrell’s 105 on six catches.

For the Express, Steve Young was successful on 13 of 27 passes for 255 yards with a TD and an interception and was the leading rusher with 27 yards on five carries.

Joel Dahmen declares his college teammate, AT&T Pebble Beach champ Nick Taylor ‘The Grease King’

Nick Taylor wins the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by going “grease mode” according to PGA Tour pro and college roommate Joel Dahmen.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – On Sunday at iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links, with the wind whipping and five-time major champion Phil Mickelson nipping at his heels, Nick Taylor went into “grease mode” en route to winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

At least, that’s what Taylor’s former college teammates from University of Washington like to call it. PGA Tour pro Joel Dahmen, who roomed with Taylor during their days playing for the Huskies back when Taylor climbed to World No. 1 in the amateur rankings, waited behind the 18th green to congratulate his pal. All afternoon, he and six of his former teammates, including former Tour member Richard H. Lee and college coach, Matt Thurmond, took part in a group text chain that was chock full of NSFW images that reflected how Taylor kept coming up big under pressure. Or, as Dahmen kept saying, he’s always been greasy.

MORE: Scores | Photos | Trophies | Winner’s bag | Money

“He’s Greasy Nick,” Dahmen said. “He’s the Grease King.”

“He’s got massive stones,” Dahmen said of Taylor, who holed a bunker shot for eagle at the par-5, sixth hole and chipped in from 40 feet at 15 for birdie. “He’s chipped in so many times on so many people whether it’s for a Gatorade or a couple of bucks, or the time he hooped it out of the water and the team advanced out of (NCAA) regionals. He does stuff like that all the time.”

But doing it in the final round when paired with Mickelson for the first time and you haven’t won since your rookie season at the opposite-field Sanderson Farms Championship 146 starts ago and the winner’s check is for $1.404 million and two more years of job security, well, that just might be the definition of greasy.

Color NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young impressed. The San Francisco 49er great turned ESPN NFL commentator has played in some hostile environments and had a ringside seat as Mickelson’s amateur partner in Sunday’s final pairing with Taylor.

“Honestly, if the fans could’ve booed Nick, they might’ve,” Young said. “They are so emotionally tied to Phil. You could feel that. So, Nick had to be nails and he was all day long. You just have to tip your cap and say, way to go, Nick.”

Taylor built a commanding five-stroke lead at the turn, but Pebble bit back and the wind even blew Taylor’s hat from his head while he was playing the 14th hole. He made double bogey there and his lead was trimmed to two strokes. Longtime fans of this annual rite of February at Pebble were beginning to wonder whether Taylor would go down in tournament lore for channeling the intestinal fortitude of Ted Potter Jr., who outlasted Dustin Johnson in 2018, or be remembered as a modern-day Matt Gogel, who blew a seven-stroke lead with nine holes to go to Tiger Woods in 2000. Time for Taylor to get greasy.

“The chip in on 15 is classic Nick,” Dahmen said. “He’s always pulled it off when he’s needed to, no matter how big or small.”

Even his wife, Andie, who recalled that she was working her final shift as a full-time social worker at Abbotsford Regional Hospital back home in Canada when her husband won his first title, agreed. “He always clutches up,” she said.

On Sunday at Pebble Beach, Taylor out-Mickelson-ed Mickelson using an array of hole-outs and clutch putting to go wire-to-wire and become the first Canadian to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this doesn’t open up the floodgates for him,” Dahmen predicted.

You know what they say? The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

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Eli and Peyton Manning bond over golf as six QBs compete at Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Eli and Peyton are among six NFL quarterbacks past and present who are represented in the celebrity field at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Eli Manning is figuring out that retiring at age 39 isn’t such a bad lot in life.

The former New York Giants quarterback is partnered this week with PGA Tour winner Kevin Chappell in his debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and playing alongside big brother, Peyton, 43, who already has this retirement thing down.

“I look forward to getting to hang out a little bit and do some of the things brothers get to do when they’re 40 years old, whatever that is,” Eli said. “I guess it is play golf.”

Both brothers can claim two Super Bowl titles, but this week they are battling to make the cut (25 teams advance) and play Sunday in the tournament’s final round at Pebble Beach.

Eli took Round 1 at Spyglass Hill by three strokes over Peyton and his partner, Luke Donald, but Peyton clipped his younger brother with a best-ball 65 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course. Manning-Chappell leads Manning-Donald by one stroke overall.

PEBBLE BEACH: Tee times | Rookie flirts with course record

“Manning vs. Manning is what it is going to come down to,” Peyton said.

Any wager?

“Yesterday, there was a little wager on who would find their ball first. Eli won that one. He was in another fairway and I was in the woods,” Peyton said. “We’ve sort of lowered the standards as we go.”

It was a bit of a struggle for Eli on Friday, and that didn’t stop big brother from applying the needle.

Eli Manning hits out of the bunker on the 11th hole during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Monterey Peninsula Country Club – Shore Course. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

“He’s calling his swing coach and he doesn’t even have one, but thought it would be cool to say that,” Peyton said. “Can you imagine if Eli did an interview after a Giants game like a golfer? Just let’s say he had a bad game and said, ‘You know what? I had a great stretch. I got every hand-off, all my snaps were perfect, I threw four interceptions but for the most part I feel great about my game going into next week.’ I’m jealous of how positive golfers always sound.”

The Manning brothers aren’t the only quarterbacks here. There are six in all – Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan and Steve Young – and even Larry Fitzgerald, the only wide receiver in the field, would be hard-pressed to pick one he’d like to have throw to him. The proper answer is you can’t go wrong. But why so many QBs in the celebrity ranks?

“They’re better looking and they have better swings,” said Harris Barton, the former offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers and regular at the Pro-Am. “Would you rather watch an offensive lineman or a quarterback if you’re a fan?”

Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, is a scratch golfer with aspirations of playing professionally. Romo said he expects to have a few starts on the PGA Tour, and show improvement over his missed cuts at the Puntacana Championship, the AT&T Byron Nelson and Safeway Open.

“I’m trying to see how good I can be,” he said. “I’ll have starts.”

When asked to explain why so many quarterbacks are attracted to golf, Romo said, “Throwing a football is like a craft sport. You’re always trying to improve your throwing mechanics and hitting a golf ball is like that too.”

Rodgers and partner Max Homa posted a second straight 64 and are T-11 through 36 holes heading into cut day. Rodgers has never made the cut here and sounded as if doing so would make up for falling short of a Super Bowl ring this season.

All the QBs are chasing Hall of Famer Steve Young on the pro-am leaderboard. Young, the local favorite from his glory days under center for the 49ers, is a 14 handicap who started playing in college, and is paired with Phil Mickelson, who picked apart MPCC to the tune of 7-under 64.

“He could’ve shot 60,” Young said. “There’s nothing like watching other athletes doing something special and making it look effortless – whether it is Jerry Rice catching a football or Michael Jordan dunking a ball.”

Young and Mickelson combined for a best-ball 13-under 58 and are tied for the lead at 19 under with two other teams, including that of Fitzgerald, a former champ, in the team competition. At last, it was Young, who best explained why QBs gravitate to golf.

“Because we don’t have to go to special team’s meetings,” Young said. “You never want to be the holder. You’ve got to be free to be able to play golf in the afternoon.”

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NFL playoffs: Ranking all 53 Super Bowl MVPs

Tom Brady, Steve Young, Joe Montana, Larry Csonka. Where do the superstars’ MVP performances in the Super Bowl rank?

The Super Bowl MVP is a pinnacle for a player. Each year someone earns the award. There have been great efforts and some that were merely right spot, right time. A look at how they all stack up.

53. Dexter Jackson (XXXVII)

USA TODAY Sports

Dexter Jackson had a pair of picks for 34 return yards in earning honors. The DB didn’t have the most return yards of interceptions on his team as Dwight Smith had 94 and a pair of Pick-Sixes. Meanwhile, Derrick Brooks also had a Pick-Six but Jackson was given the award.

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Steve Young says Jameis Winston was ‘spectacularly reckless’, advocates keeping him

Former Buccaneers quarterback and Hall of Famer Steve Young thinks the Buccaneers should stick with Jameis Winston for the long-term.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have to make a decision soon on the future of quarterback Jameis Winston.

The former number one overall pick had a season for the ages in 2019, both good and bad. While becoming just the eighth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, Winston also became the first quarterback ever to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season. Suffice it to say, the Bucs — and namely head coach Bruce Arians — won’t tolerate interceptions like that again.

So, while the team evaluates their quarterback and his future, they may want to heed the advice of one former Bucs quarterback, Steve Young. The Hall of Famer said Winston was “spectacularly reckless” in 2019, but believes Tampa Bay should stick with him, not just for next season, but long-term.

(via the Tampa Bay Times):

“I think they’d be nuts to turn the corner from Jameis. I think Jameis is their future. Let’s re-sign him and get him coached up, get rid of the recklessness. Let’s go all in.’’

Here’s the full video of Young advocating for Winston’s long-term future. It’s definitely worth a watch.

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