AFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

AFC’s BRADY & MANNING KICK OFF NFL SEASON THURSDAY NIGHT

The 2004 NFL season kicks off on Thursday night with a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game when the Super Bowl XXXVIII champion New England Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts.

Each of the starting quarterbacks proves that in the NFL, great quarterbacks can come from different levels.

The Colts’ PEYTON MANNING was the NFL’s No. 1 overall selection in 1998.  The Patriots’ TOM BRADY was one of the team’s two sixth-round selections in 2000.  Each has become a star.

Manning was the NFL co-MVP of the 2003 season with quarterback STEVE MC NAIR of Tennessee.  Brady helped lead the Patriots to their second Super Bowl championship in three years, winning his second title game MVP award.

Both are leaders, a key aspect of the position, says former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer ROGER STAUBACH.  “Quarterback is a physical position,” he says, “but it is also a leadership position,”

Below is team-by-team look at the men who will play quarterback in the AFC in 2004

BALTIMORE:  KYLE BOLLER is 5-3 (.625) in his first eight NFL starts.  Boller (1,260) needs 2,455 passing yards to become the club’s No. 2 all-time passer, trailing only VINNY TESTAVERDE (7,148).  He is the AFC’s youngest starting quarterback (23)……Senior Consultant/Offense JIM FASSEL was hired by the Ravens during the offseason to work with the team’s quarterbacks.  Fassel has tutored such NFL QBs as HOFer JOHN ELWAY, Super Bowl MVP PHIL SIMMS and KERRY COLLINS.

BUFFALO:  Since joining the team in 2002, DREW BLEDSOE has started all 32 games for the Bills – the longest such streak by a Bills QB since Pro Football Hall of Famer JIM KELLY’s 46 from 1992-94.  Bledsoe needs 105 completions to surpass Hall of Famer DAN FOUTS (3,297) for the eighth most all-time.  He ranks third among active QBs in career completions (3,193), attempts (5,599), passing yards (36,876) and TDs (201), trailing only BRETT FAVRE and Testaverde, respectively in each category.  Like former Bills quarterback Kelly, Bledsoe was born on Valentine’s Day.

CINCINNATI:  CARSON PALMER makes his NFL debut this Sunday against the Jets in New York.  He is one of two Heisman Trophy-winning QBs who will start on Kickoff Weekend (Testaverde, Dallas).  Palmer is the first QB selected by the Bengals No. 1 overall and can become the fifth different passer in club history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season.  He is the first Cincinnati QB to wear No. 9.  At 24 (and 260 days as of this Sunday), the USC product is the AFC’s third-youngest starting QB on Kickoff Weekend (Boller, Baltimore, 23; BYRON LEFTWICH, Jacksonville, 24 and 242 days).

CLEVELAND:  JEFF GARCIA is the Browns’ first regular starting QB with Pro Bowl experience since BERNIE KOSAR in 1993.  No QB in Browns history has thrown for more TDs in a single season than Garcia did for San Francisco in 2000 (31) and 2001 (32).  Garcia enters the season as No. 2 all-time on the NFL’s TD-to-INT ratio chart (minimum 1,000 attempts) with 2.02 TDs to 1.00 INTs (113 TDs, 56 INTs), trailing only STEVE YOUNG (232-107, 2.17).

DENVER:  JAKE PLUMMER posted a career-best 91.2 passer rating last season in his first year with Denver.  Plummer, an eight-year veteran, had a career-best streak of 139 passes without an interception in 2003 and threw 10 TD passes in that span.  He notched a 5-1 record (.833) vs. AFC West foes last season.  His 40-yard rush last year against Oakland (9/22) was the longest by a QB in Broncos history.  Including playoffs, the Idaho native has thrown a TD pass in 10 of his past 12 starts.

HOUSTON:   DAVID CARR was one of eight AFC QBs this preseason to post a passer rating above 100.0 (101.7) with a minimum of 35 attempts.  Among AFC QBs in 2003, Carr recorded the third most rushing yards (151; JAKE PLUMMER, 205; DOUG FLUTIE, 168) despite making only 11 starts.  The average length of Carr’s nine TD passes in 2003 was 36.0 yards.  The third-year QB vows not to cut his hair until the Texans post consecutive regular-season victories.

INDIANAPOLIS:  With 25 TD passes, PEYTON MANNING will become the NFL’s first QB to throw for 25-or-more TDs in seven consecutive seasons.  He is the only QB to have done it for six consecutive years.  Manning and teammate MARVIN HARRISON have connected on 68 TD passes, trailing only the duos of STEVE YOUNG-JERRY RICE (85) and DAN MARINO-MARK CLAYTON (79) for the most all-time.  Manning has taken 6,035 of a possible 6,100 snaps in his career and has started all 96 career games.

JACKSONVILLE:  BYRON LEFTWICH started the last 13 games of 2003 and threw for 2,819 yards – the fourth most by a rookie in NFL history.  Leftwich is one of four AFC South starting QBs that was drafted in the first round (Houston’s DAVID CARR, Indianapolis’ PEYTON MANNING and Tennessee’s STEVE MC NAIR)  The division is the only one with four first-round starting QBs.  The Jaguars won three of their final five games in 2003 with Leftwich throwing for six TDs in those contests.  He stands second on Marshall University’s career passing yards chart (11,903), trailing only CHAD PENNINGTON of the Jets (14,098).

KANSAS CITY:  The Chiefs’ offense, led by TRENT GREEN, has been the NFL’s highest scoring for two consecutive years.  He trails only the Colts’ Peyton Manning for the most passing yards in the past two seasons combined (7,729 to 8,467) and the past three seasons combined (11,512 to 12,598).  Green (913) needs 22 completions to surpass STEVE DE BERG (934) for the third most in club history.  With four more 300-yard games, Green (12) will have posted the most by a Chief in a career (BILL KENNNEY, 15, 1979-88).  Green’s boyhood quarterbacking idol was Hall of Famer FRAN TARKENTON.

MIAMI:  Dartmouth graduate JAY FIEDLER has 53 career NFL starts entering Kickoff Weekend.  No active QB has a better winning percentage after their first 53 starts than Fiedler (36-17, .679).  His 9,854 passing yards as a Dolphin account for the club’s third most all-time behind only NFL career leader DAN MARINO (61,361) and HOFer BOB GRIESE (25,092).  In five career starts with Philadelphia, new Dolphin A.J. FEELEY is 4-1.  Acquired through a trade with the Eagles on March 3, Feeley grew up in Ontario, Oregon, and became adept at roping cattle at a young age while working on ranches during the summers.

NEW ENGLAND:  TOM BRADY has led the Patriots to their current 15-game winning streak.  The all-time NFL record for consecutive wins – including playoff games – is 18 by five clubs.  Brady is one of four players in NFL history to earn two or more Super Bowl MVP Awards (XXXVI and XXXVIII), joining three Hall of Famers: JOE MONTANA (3), TERRY BRADSHAW (2) and BART STARR (2).  Brady is 7-0 in overtime games and is the NFL’s all-time leading QB with the most overtime wins without a defeat.  The next-closest is Bradshaw (5-0).

NEW YORK:  When passing inside the red zone, CHAD PENNINGTON has 27 TDs vs. 0 INTs for a 64.8 completion percentage, the NFL’s top such mark since 2002.  In 21 career starts, he has passed for more TDs than INTs in 15 games while throwing more INTs than TDs in only one game.  Pennington (5,418) needs 786 passing yards to surpass BOOMER ESIASON (6,203) for fifth place on the Jets’ all-time passing yards leader chart.

OAKLAND:  Before an injury-shortened season in 2003, RICH GANNON passed for at least 3,400 yards in four consecutive seasons (1999-02).  In the past five seasons, Gannon has completed 111 TD passes against only 48 INTs.  KERRY COLLINS joins Oakland as a free agent after spending the past five seasons with the Giants.  Collins and Gannon make Oakland the NFL’s only team to have two QBs on its roster who have started in a Super Bowl.

PITTSBURGH:  TOMMY MADDOX has more career 300-yard passing games (6) than any Steelers QB in club history.  Maddox’s 3,414 yards in 2003 were the second most in a season by a Steelers QB, trailing Hall of Famer Bradshaw’s 3,724 yards in 1979.  Inside the opponents’ 20-yard line in 2003, Maddox passed for 10 TDs against one INT.  He needs 2,581 yards to surpass BOBBY LAYNE (8,983) to become the Steelers’ fifth all-time leading passer.  From 1997-99, Maddox was self-employed, owning his own insurance companies in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

SAN DIEGO:  DREW BREES is the Chargers’ all-time leader in career completion percentage (.594, minimum 500 attempts).  Second on the list is Hall of Famer DAN FOUTS (.588).  Brees has completed 50.0 pct. or more of his passes in 26 of 28 career games.  Rookie PHILIP RIVERS, drafted No. 4 overall by the N.Y. Giants and traded on draft day to San Diego, departed from North Carolina State as the NCAA’s second leading career passer (13,484 yards, behind the 15,031 of TY DETMER).  Rivers earned MVP honors in all five of the bowl games in which he played.

TENNESSEE:  NFL co-MVP in 2003 with the Colts’ Manning, STEVE MC NAIR led the league with a 100.4 passer rating and became the first QB since Indianapolis’ JIM HARBAUGH in 1995 to average more than 8.00 yards per attempt (8.04).  McNair was the NFL’s best passer on third down last season with a 117.7 passer rating.  With 3,000 passing yards and 400 yards rushing this year, McNair would become the first QB in history to gain “3,000/400” in a single season four times.  During the offseason, McNair will occasionally go fishing with Packers QB BRETT FAVRE.  McNair lives in Mount Olive, Mississippi and Favre in nearby Hattiesburg.

 

NFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

NFC’s FAVRE & DELHOMME CONCLUDE KICKOFF WEEKEND ON MNF

NFL Kickoff ’04 Weekend wraps up this Monday night with an NFC clash of 2003 playoff teams when the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers host the Green Bay Packers (ABC, 9:00 PM ET). 

The starters at quarterback are both from the south, and have both excelled in Super Bowl.  The Packers’ BRETT FAVRE (Mississippi) has brought the team to two Super Bowls while winning one (XXXI).  The Panthers’ JAKE DELHOMME (Louisiana), in his first year as an NFL starter in 2003, took his team to Super Bowl XXXVIII, throwing for 323 yards and three touchdowns. 

Before the weekend is over, six NFL quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall will have started – the most No. 1s ever to start on a Kickoff Weekend.

The No. 1 overall QBs to start this week:  Buffalo’s DREW BLEDSOE (1993), Houston’s DAVID CARR (2002), Indianapolis’ PEYTON MANNING (1998), Cincinnati’s CARSON PALMER (2003), Dallas’ VINNY TESTAVERDE (1987) and Atlanta’s MICHAEL VICK (2001).

Following is a team-by-team look at the quarterback position in the NFC for 2004:

ARIZONA:  Third-year quarterback JOSH MC COWN takes over as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback under new head coach DENNIS GREEN.  Green has helped a passel of quarterbacks achieve NFL success, as seven different passers led his eight playoff teams in Minnesota.  McCown and his brother, Cleveland rookie LUKE, are one of five sets of brothers playing quarterback in the NFL, the most in league history.  

ATLANTA:  The Falcons are eager to return to their 2002 playoff form, and MICHAEL VICK is sure to play a key role in that process.  A threat with both his arm and his legs, Vick will be directing the West Coast offense for the first time under new head coach JIM MORA.  Vick continues to be a fan favorite.  His No. 7 jersey is the NFL’s second-best seller on www.nflshop.com behind new Philadelphia Eagle TERRELL OWENS’ No. 81. 

CAROLINA:  Excitement is high in Carolina, as JAKE DELHOMME aims to improve on a spectacular first season with the Panthers.  The Louisiana native is at his best when the stakes are highest, posting a 106.1 playoff passer rating in 2003.  Off the field, Delhomme is an avid horse lover.  His first job as a boy was cleaning stalls for his dad, a horse trainer.  Today, Delhomme is partners in a group that purchases and trains thoroughbred horses in Louisiana.

CHICAGO:  Promising second-year pro REX GROSSMAN takes the reigns as the starter.  He started three games in his rookie campaign a year ago after being selected in the first round, becoming the first Bears’ rookie quarterback since VIRGIL CARTER in 1968 to win his first two starts.  A college standout at Florida, both his father and grandfather played football at Indiana University.

DALLAS:  Veteran VINNY TESTAVERDE joins the Cowboys and is reunited with head coach BILL PARCELLS.  Testaverde enjoyed perhaps his best NFL season under Parcells with the Jets in 1998, posting a 101.6 passer rating and leading the team to the AFC Championship Game.  He needs 57 yards passing to become only the seventh player in NFL history with 41,000 career passing yards.

DETROIT:  JOEY HARRINGTON enters his third season as optimism is high for the Lions’ offense.  Harrington had a solid preseason, posting an 86.6 rating with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  He is also proficient at avoiding the sack, enduring only one per 57.8 career attempts, the best sack-per-pass-attempt ratio in NFL history.  The Oregon native has other sporting ties in his family.  PGA Tour golfer PADRAIG HARRINGTON is a second cousin.

GREEN BAY:  BRETT FAVRE is within reach of a bevy of significant milestones in 2004, not the least of which centers on his durability.  On Monday night, Favre will start his 190th consecutive game, already a record for quarterbacks.  His streak can reach 200 this year.  This offseason, Men’s Journal listed Favre as the “Toughest Guy in America” while USA Today selected him as its toughest athlete.

MINNESOTA:  DAUNTE CULPEPPER has emerged as one of the NFL’s top passers, starting in the Pro Bowl in February and continuing to threaten defenses with both his passing and rushing ability.  His 88.0 career passer rating is tops in franchise history.  He needs 77 yards rushing for 2,000 in his career.  During the offseason, the former Central Florida star won the EA Sports Madden Bowl championship, besting fellow NFL players in a tournament.

NEW ORLEANS:  AARON BROOKS is the only player in Saints history with three consecutive 20 touchdown-pass seasons.  He also is adept at protecting the ball.  Brooks enters the year with a streak of 232 consecutive passes without an interception, the longest active streak in the NFL.  The Newport News, Virginia native is a second cousin of MICHAEL VICK and a consistent presence under center, having started 53 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak among QBs in the league (BRETT FAVRE, 190; PEYTON MANNING, 96).

NEW YORK:  The Giants revamped the quarterback position in the offseason, signing KURT WARNER and trading for the top pick in April’s draft, ELI MANNING.  Warner, a two-time NFL MVP who is the league’s all-time top-rated passer (97.2), will start.  He also tops the charts with a 66.4 completion percentage and was his accurate self in the preseason, completing 28 of 38 attempts for a 73.7 percentage.

PHILADELPHIA:  The name DONOVAN MC NABB is becoming synonymous with winning football.  McNabb has a 43-21 (.672) record as a starter, third-best among active quarterbacks with a minimum of 50 starts (KURT WARNER, 35-15, .700; JAY FIEDLER, 36-17, .679).  He also rarely turns the ball over, tossing 49 career interceptions in 2,117 attempts for a 2.31 interception percentage, the second-best mark in NFL history behind NEIL O’DONNELL (2.11).  McNabb is accomplished off the field as well, becoming the youngest person ever (26) elected to the Syracuse University Board of Trustees in 2002.

ST. LOUIS:  MARC BULGER made his first All-Star appearance in the 2004 Pro Bowl and proved he belonged, earning Player of the Game honors for leading the NFC to 55-52 comeback win.  He enters his first season as the Rams’ undisputed starting quarterback and has posted an impressive 18-4 career record as a starter.  Bulger is a graduate of Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, the same school that produced legendary NFL passer DAN MARINO.

SAN FRANCISCO:  TIM RATTAY takes over under center for the 49ers.  A seventh-round draft pick from Louisiana Tech in 2000, Ratty started three games a year ago, winning two and posting a 101.4 passer rating, six touchdowns and two interceptions.  Rattay first played the quarterback position in his senior year at Arizona’s Phoenix Christian High School, setting numerous records.  From Pee Wee football until that senior season, Rattay was a tight end and safety.  

SEATTLE:  Hopes are soaring in the northwest, and a large part of the reason is the play of MATT HASSELBECK.  A former understudy to BRETT FAVRE, Hasselbeck set a Seahawks record with 3,841 passing yards last season, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl.  Playing in the NFL is the family profession for the Hasselbecks, as brother TIM is a quarterback with the Redskins and father DON spent nine years as a tight end with the Patriots, Raiders, Vikings and Giants.

TAMPA BAY:  BRAD JOHNSON has some new targets to throw to this year, including JOEY GALLOWAY and TIM BROWN.  If history is an indication, Johnson is going to deliver them the ball.  He has completed at least 60 percent of his passes in eight consecutive seasons.  That mark ties with JOE MONTANA and STEVE YOUNG for the longest such streak all-time.  Johnson also tossed a career-best 26 touchdowns last season.

WASHINGTON:  Acquired in a trade with the Jaguars in March, MARK BRUNELL takes over as the Redskins’ starting quarterback.  He compiled a 63-54 (.538) record in Jacksonville, helping the 1995 expansion franchise establish a winning tradition.  The three-time All-Star is also secure with the football, as his 2.36 career interception percentage (86 in 3,643 attempts) is third-best in league annals (see McNabb note above).