Tag: Vinny Testaverde

Ravens select WR Zay Flowers at pick No.22

The Baltimore Ravens draft wide receiver Zay Flowers at pick 22.

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The Baltimore Ravens had the 22nd pick in the 2023 NFL and with the way the board was shaping up, the team had plenty of options. They could’ve gone with a top cornerback or a wide receiver, or even dipped at a position that would have been unexpected.

At pick No. 22, Baltimore went with Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers. Adding Flowers to the team’s receiver’s room will do wonders for new offensive coordinator Todd Monken and the offense.

Flowers slots in with fellow wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman, and Devin Duvernay, and adds and explosive element to the offense.

Jets QB Mike White joins exclusive clubs with 400-yard performance

Mike White threw for over 400 yards in his first NFL start. That feat put the Jets QB in some exclusive clubs.

Mike White stole the show Sunday, going 37-45 for 405 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Jets’ thrilling 34-31 win over the Bengals.

A long-time reserve, White became just the second quarterback since 1950 to throw for 400 yards in his first career NFL start, per ESPN Stats & Info. The only other player to do it was ex-Panther Cam Newton, who threw for 422 yards in 2011.

In addition, White is the only quarterback since 1950 with 400 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in his first start.

White also became the first Jets quarterback to pass for 400 yards since Vinny Testaverde threw for 481 on Dec. 24, 2000. White’s victory over the Bengals snapped a 14-game losing streak for Jets backups who were forced into the starting role.

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Ex-Jets exec Mike Tannenbaum compares Jameis Winston to Vinny Testaverde

Ex-Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum compares Jameis Winston to Vinny Testaverde

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Jameis Winston wouldn’t be the first quarterback to turn his career around after a change of scenery. One example would be Vinny Testaverde, who former New York Jets executive Mike Tannenbaum compared to the New Orleans Saints contender.

Like Winston, Testaverde started over from scratch after washing out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both players were former first overall picks for Tampa Bay, but Testaverde’s road ran a while longer before he landed on his feet again. He didn’t cut it in Cleveland or Baltimore before landing with Tannenbaum’s Jets in 1998.

In six years and 76 games with the Bucs, Testaverde completed just 52% of his passes while lobbing just 77 touchdowns against 112 interceptions — compare that to Winston’s 72-game run in five years, which saw him complete 61% of his targets for 121 touchdowns, giving away 88 interceptions. Obviously the different eras introduce different standards of quarterback play, but the point remains that both passers had boom-or-bust reputations.

And Tannenbaum sees more similarities, writing at the 33rd Team:

“I saw it firsthand: Here was a guy who was in world-class shape. He was a great teammate, had tremendous ability, and he just needed a little more experience.

He didn’t start the first two games that season, but then he came in and took us to the AFC Championship Game. And we had the lead at halftime against Denver. Here was a guy who threw more interceptions than touchdowns in seven of his first eight seasons, and he had a breakout season in 1998, throwing 29 TDs and 7 INTs, with a career-best passer rating of 101.6.

I see remarkable parallels between Testaverde going to the Jets in ‘98 and Winston now having a chance to start in New Orleans. I think Winston can be the breakout player of 2021.”

Saints fans have been inundated with workout videos from Winston’s offseason training, including plenty of weight-lifting, agility drills, and passing sessions with his teammates in the receiving corps. It’s the same sort of groundwork Testaverde put in to make a strong impression over the summer with the Jets. If Winston puts up a similar statline in his first year with New Orleans, it’s tough to see how the Saints don’t point to him as a long-term heir to Drew Brees.

Here’s the rub, though. Testaverde couldn’t sustain that success after earning Pro Bowl recognition in 1998, posting his best record as a starter (12-1). He floundered in subsequent years, winning just 23 of his 48 remaining games with the Jets. He did hang around the NFL as a backup, playing his last game in 2007 at age 44.

Maybe Winston can find more consistency. As Tannenbaum pointed out, he’s just 27 years old (Testaverde was 35 in his breakout year with New York) and has plenty of time to turn his career around. But Testaverde’s story also shows how Winston might have plenty of time left in the NFL, just not as a high-profile starter. If he can’t defeat Taysom Hill for the gig in training camp, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll never play again.

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Ravens vs. Jaguars: 7 fun facts about this Week 15 matchup

Seven fun facts you might not know ahead of the Ravens clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15

The Baltimore Ravens will look to extend their win streak to three games and continue their playoff push in Week 15. But the Jacksonville Jaguars stand in the way of those goals.

Baltimore is currently outside the Wild Card spots with an 8-5 record. Jacksonville has lost each of the last 12 games and is still in contention to earn the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Though, on paper, this matchup doesn’t appear to be anything special; plenty of special things have happed when these two teams have met before.

Here are seven fun facts about this series, which began way back in the Ravens’ first year of existence, 1996.

Flashback to the last time the Browns were 4-1

A look back to what was happening the last time the Cleveland Browns were 4-1

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Where were you on October 2nd, 1994?

It’s hard to remember back that far. Many Browns fans weren’t even born yet, having no recollection at all of the last time the Cleveland Browns had a 4-1 record.

Cleveland hit that 4-1 mark for the first time since a Week 5 win over the New York Jets in the 1994 season with Sunday’s 32-23 triumph over the visiting Indianapolis Colts. Bill Belichick’s Browns beat Pete Carroll’s Jets 27-7 in old Municipal Stadium to propel the last 4-1 start in Cleveland.

It was a much different NFL back then. Vinny Testaverde was the Browns QB, leading the team to a 6-1 start. They finished 11-5 and beat Bill Parcells’ Patriots in the Wild Card round for Cleveland’s last postseason victory. The Titans were still the Houston Oilers and AFC Central rivals with the Browns. The Jaguars, Panthers and Texans did not exist yet.

Mike “The Human Rain Delay” Hargrove led the Cleveland Indians to a 66-47 record in the strike-shortened MLB season. One year later they made a trip to the World Series for the first time since 1954.

Mike Fratello’s Cavaliers were just beginning a season that culminated with a 43-39 record, led by Mark Price, Chris Mills and Tyrone Hill.

The Cleveland Crunch had just captured the NPSL title behind Hector Marinaro and Zoran Karic.

It was also a much different world. We were in the immediate aftermath of the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase. Cell phones were rare conversation pieces. The internet was essentially a string of message boards. The No. 1 song was Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” in the middle of a 15-week run at the top of the charts. The Shawshank Redemption was popular in theaters, though it couldn’t knock off action star Meryl Streep in The River Wild.

As for me, I was in the middle of my second junior year at Ohio University…which is why I don’t really remember much about that Browns team.

Browns vs. Colts: Final score, keys to the game, 3 stars and more

4 Bucs QBs with the most interceptions in a single season

Take a look at the four highest interception seasons for Bucs QBs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcomed Tom Brady with open arms this offseason, hoping the six-time Super Bowl champion can bring his winning ways to a franchise in desperate need of a savior under center.

The Buccaneers had high hopes entering 2019, but the erratic play of Jameis Winston derailed any chance of making it back to the postseason. Winston became the eighth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, but he also became the first player ever to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same year.

But, it turns out Winston’s 30 interceptions aren’t even the highest single-season total in Bucs history.

With that, let’s take a look at the four Tampa Bay quarterbacks who hold the highest single-season interception mark in team history.

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Who are the 5 best Jets players from the New York and New Jersey area?

Jets Wire takes a look at five of the best players in franchise history from the New York and New Jersey area.

Some of the greatest players in New York Jets franchise history emerged out of the team’s own backyard.

Kids who once spent every weekend watching the Jets play on television would go onto don the Green and White themselves. These players not only suited up for the Jets, but wound up becoming some of the more impactful players in franchise history.

The Jets have had a long history. Not every franchise legend has hailed from the New York and New Jersey areas, but some of them have. Let’s take a look at five of the best local players the Jets have had over the years.

Wayne Chrebet

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Any list mentioning New York and New Jersey natives to play for the Jets that does not include wide receiver Wayne Chrebet is incomplete.

Chrebet grew up tiny Garfield, New Jersey. He played for Garfield High School before ascending to FCS Hofstra, where he set several school records tied Jerry Rice’s FCS record for touchdowns in a single game with five.

Chrebet went undrafted out of Hofstra, but caught on with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 1995 and remained with the organization until his retirement in 2005. In his 11 seasons with New York, Chrebet caught 580 passes (second in franchise history) for 7,365 yards and 41 touchdowns. He was inducted into the New York Jets Ring of Honor in 2014 and his number has not been issued to any Jets player since his retirement.

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Astounding records for players on each of the 32 NFL teams

A look at some of the remarkable individual marks held play players for all 32 NFL teams.

Plenty of players have individual records for teams. However, only some are far and away going to stand the test of time.

Arizona Cardinals

Allsport

Ernie Nevers scored an NFL record 40 points (6 TDs and 4 PATs) vs. the Chicago Bears, 11/28/29.

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How have teams with the No. 1 overall pick fared the next season?

How have teams with the No. 1 overall pick fared the next season?

NFL Draft: How did teams with the No. 1 overall pick do in their following season?

How have NFL teams done the year after they made the first selection in the NFL Draft?

The first pick in the NFL Draft guarantees a college star … and not much else. A look at how the teams did in the first season after they kicked off the selection process. Did they improve, falter, or run in place?

1967: Baltimore Colts: Bubba Smith

Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL’s expansion team that would start play in 1967, the New Orleans Saints, swapped the No. 1 pick to Baltimore eight days before the draft. The Saints got backup quarterback Gary Cuozzo and Baltimore landed Michigan State defensive end Bubba Smith. The Colts had gone 9-5 in the 1966 season. They followed with an 11-1-2 mark in ’67, the only loss occurring in the final week of the regular season to the Los Angeles Rams.

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