A bit of a look to the NFL for a bit as today is NFL Kickoff Weekend. More at NFL Business Blog.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR – NFL KICKOFF 2008 WEEKEND
SUPER STARTERS: There are never any guarantees in the NFL, but there are trends. And they start as early as Kickoff Weekend. History indicates that the best way for a team to start its drive towards a possible Super Bowl championship is to win in Week 1.
The 42 Super Bowl winners have a 34-7-1 record in the Kickoff Weekend games of their title seasons. However, as the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants proved, a loss on Kickoff Weekend can still lead to a championship season.
Since 1978, when the NFL went to the 16-game schedule, and excluding the abbreviated season of 1982, teams that are victorious on Kickoff Weekend are more than twice as likely to reach the playoffs than losers of an opening game:
Of the 426 teams which won openers…225 went to the playoffs (130 won division titles).
Of the 426 teams which lost openers…99 went to the playoffs (55 won division titles).
In 2007, nine of the 12 playoff teams – Dallas, Green Bay, Indianapolis, New England, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington – were victorious on Kickoff Weekend.
“Season openers,” says Washington Redskins tight end CHRIS COOLEY, “set a standard for your team.”
KICKOFF WINNERS: The season kicks off on Thursday night when the Super Bowl XLII champion NEW YORK GIANTS host the WASHINGTON REDSKINS. The contest will feature two of the NFL’s most successful teams in season openers. The Giants rank second in history with 46 Kickoff Weekend victories and the Redskins tie for sixth with 37 wins.
The teams with the most wins on Kickoff Weekend:
TEAM
KICKOFF-WEEKEND WINS
Chicago
49
Green Bay
48
New York Giants
46
Detroit
42
St. Louis
38
Pittsburgh
37
Washington
37
-- KICKOFF 2008 WEEKEND --
STREAKING INTO HISTORY: The NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS became the first team in NFL history with a perfect 16-0 regular-season record last year. Dating back to the last three weeks of 2006, New England has won 19 consecutive regular-season games, the longest streak in league annals.
The Patriots, who also have the second-longest such streak in history (18 games, 2003-04), will seek to reach 20 in a row on Sunday when they host Kansas City.
Following are the teams with the longest regular-season winning streaks in NFL history:
TEAM
YEARS
STREAK
New England
2006-07
19*
New England
2003-04
18
Chicago Bears
1933-34
17
Chicago Bears
1941-42
16
Miami Dolphins
1971-73
16
Miami Dolphins
1983-84
16
Pittsburgh Steelers
2004-05
16
*Active streak
MVP QBs: Last season, New England quarterback TOM BRADY was named the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player after setting an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes. Brady, who led New England to Super Bowl XLII, hopes to continue the success of MVP quarterbacks this Sunday. The past 10 QBs to be named the NFL MVP have posted a passer rating of at least 88.5 on Kickoff Weekend the following season.
The past 10 MVP quarterbacks and their performances on Kickoff Weekend the following season:
NAME
TEAM
DATE
ATT.
COMP.
PCT.
YARDS
TD
INT
RATING
Steve Young
SF
9/3/95
27
21
77.8
260
2
0
131.5
Brett Favre
GB
9/1/96
27
20
74.1
247
4
0
141.5
Brett Favre
GB
9/1/97
22
15
68.2
226
2
1
113.1
Brett Favre
GB
9/6/98
32
24
75.0
277
2
0
121.5
Kurt Warner
StL
9/4/00
35
25
71.4
441
3
3
106.5
Kurt Warner
StL
9/8/02
41
32
78.0
315
0
1
88.5
Rich Gannon
Oak.
9/7/03
38
24
63.2
264
2
0
101.2
Peyton Manning
Ind.
9/9/04
29
16
55.2
256
2
1
93.5
Steve McNair
Ten.
9/11/04
14
9
64.3
73
1
0
101.2
Peyton Manning
Ind.
9/11/05
36
21
58.3
254
2
0
98.6
-- KICKOFF 2008 WEEKEND --
THANK DEVIN: Chicago Bears return specialist DEVIN HESTER has scored 14 touchdowns (seven punt-return TDs, four kickoff-return TDs, two receiving TDs and a missed-FG return TD) in his first two NFL seasons. The two-time All Star averages 80.9 yards per touchdown, the highest such mark in NFL history (minimum 10 touchdowns).
The players with the highest yards-per-touchdown average in history (minimum 10 TDs):
PLAYER
TEAM(S)
TDs
YARDS
AVG.
Devin Hester
Chicago
14
1,132
80.9*
Mel Gray
NO, Detroit, Hou./Tenn., Philadelphia
10
781
78.1
Tamarick Vanover
Kansas City, San Diego
11
757
68.8
Dante Hall
Kansas City, St. Louis
21
1,438
68.5*
Deion Sanders
Atlanta, SF, Dallas, Washington, Baltimore
22
1,461
66.4
*Active
Hester’s 11 combined kick-return touchdowns (seven PR-TDs, four KR-TDs) already rank as the third most in history. With another kick-return touchdown, Hester will tie DANTE HALL and ERIC METCALF (12) for second all-time, one behind BRIAN MITCHELL’s NFL mark (13).
The players with the most combined kick-return touchdowns in history:
PLAYER
TEAM(S)
YEARS
PR-TDs
KR-TDs
COMBINED TDs
Brian Mitchell
Washington, Philadelphia, NY Giants
1990-03
9
4
13
Dante Hall
Kansas City, St. Louis
2000-07
6
6
12*
Eric Metcalf
Cle., Atl., SD, Ari., Car., Was., GB
1989-02
10
2
12
Devin Hester
Chicago
2006-07
7
4
11*
Three Tied
--
--
--
--
9
*Active
TDs FOR T.O.: Entering his 13th NFL season, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver TERRELL OWENS has 129 receiving touchdowns, the third most in history. With two touchdowns this Sunday against Cleveland, Owens will move past CRIS CARTER (130) into second place all-time in the category. Owens had two touchdowns on Kickoff Weekend last year and has six receiving TDs in his past four openers.
The players with the most receiving touchdowns in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM(S)
YEARS
REC. TDs
Jerry Rice
SF, Oak., Sea.
1985-2004
197
Cris Carter
Phi., Min., Mia.
1987-2002
130
Terrell Owens
SF, Phi., Dal.
1996-Present
129*
Randy Moss
Min., Oak., NE
1998-Present
124*
Marvin Harrison
Indianapolis
1996-Present
123*
*Active
Alright! How about those Giants! They came out early and Eli looked like the MVP of last years Super Bowl! Awesome work! It's going to be a great year!!!
ReplyDeleteHey, I figured I would share a little tip for any fellow G-Men fans looking to go to a game at Giants Stadium this year…
If you are looking to save some money but see a game then wait till Wednesday night or the Thursday before the game. These are the days when ticket holders start to reduce ticket prices big-time on sites like StubHub, RazorGator and eSellOut… Why? Because many of the guys still holding tickets live out of the state in areas like California or Texas even and have no chance or want to attend the game BUT they would much rather take $50-$100 for their tickets instead of nothing. Think about it this way…If you tried to get tickets off a scary scalper on game day your walking around with at least $300-$500 cash without any idea of what you might get. Personally I always use eSellOut because it is independently owned and I think they tend to be a little easier to use and often more cost friendly. Check them out: http://www.esellout.com/ResultsGeneral.aspx?kwds=New+Yotk+Giants or use who you are comfortable using BUT try this method sometime and notice how much money you will save the next time you head off to a game!
~Mario Petronelli