Now that Julian Edelman's career has officially come to an end (I am in the camp that believes he's done. I don't think there's room in Tampa's offense for a 35-year-old with bad knees), naturally, in a knee-jerk internet society, career recap pieces, highlights, and debates regarding JE11 have littered the information superhighway. That happens after retirement (or death); nothing new to see here, but with an enigma like Julian Edelman, his legacy is certainly up for debate.
Despite never being named to a Pro Bowl (NFL Films recently called him the 5th greatest player never to make a Pro Bowl) or All-Pro team, which are requirements for induction according to NFL Explained, "takes" that Julian Edelman deserves a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are nothing new.
NFL Insider Adam Schefter (I'm sure he's not the first to say it) said, "Edelman is playing himself into a spot in Canton" after winning Super Bowl LIII MVP in February 2019.
Ironically the tweet of a clip from Schefter supporting Edelman's HOF cause does not.
He's not the only person in the NFL media world who thinks so.
Liv's dad makes some fantastic points in this clip. Context matters!
I feel like the Pro Football Hall of Fame tweets this for every notable player's retirement, but even the HOF, at the very least, has acknowledged that Jules will be eligible for Canton someday. They didn't tweet, "sorry, Jules, no Pro Bowls, smell ya l8r!"
I'll be the first to admit that Jules doesn't have a textbook HOF resume with less than 40 touchdowns and 7,000 career receiving yards. Those numbers alone are not good enough. He's only 75th all-time in receptions and never even had a double-digit TD season. Anybody can go to pro-football-reference and cherry-pick guys with no chance at the Hall who have better numbers. Guys like Pierre Garcon, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Joe Horn have more career receiving yards. Larry Centers (a FULLBACK), Roddy White, and Golden Tate have more receptions. Shit, Santana Moss has like 3,000 more yards and 30 more touchdowns.
There are plenty of people laughing off the idea that Julian Edelman deserves a spot in the Hall, but thanks to the internet's click-based economy, many are posing the question for hashtag engagements.
I've seen debates against Jules like this:
It's textbook bringing someone down to elevate someone else. I hate but respect the Pittsburgh Steelers organization and think it's a shame Hines Ward can't even get on the ballot. He deserves a spot IMO, just like Rod Smith, Torry Holt, Cliff Branch, Reggie Wayne, and Steve Smith Sr. and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting.
I'm not saying I think Julian Edelman deserves a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on numbers alone, but there is a legitimate argument with his all-time impact. Like Cowherd said, context matters. None of his coaches, teammates and adversaries have a bad word to say about him as a player. Ultimate grinder type of guy. You cannot write the story of the NFL in the 2010s without Julian Edelman. He's not David Tyree with one all-time moment; he's got a handful just like his handful of rings. Look at the playoff numbers.
I've seen people saying Edelman was just on good teams, and he shouldn't be rewarded for that as if he's not a reason his teams were good. It's not like he has three rings the way Juwan Howard has two. Impact combined with numbers; that's what matters in football. Weeb Ewbank is ONE game over .500 as a head coach, but he's in the HOF for winning three championships. I know it was a different era, but Lynn Swann has 336 career receptions, and he's in mainly thanks to two catches in the Super Bowl. Terrell Davis had four full seasons of production, and he's in. Obviously, it's a little different; he's won an MVP, but the dude had four full seasons. In Edelman's six peak years, he was one of the most productive slot receivers in football. It's not his fault the Patriots get no love in the Pro Bowl because they were too busy playing in the Super Bowl. It's a subjective popularity contest.
If you don't believe Julian Edelman is a Hall of Famer, you shouldn't think Eli Manning is either because their cases are basically the same. Sure he's made four Pro Bowls, but Eli is a career .500, stat compiler QB who never led the NFL in anything except interceptions (something he's done thrice) with a couple all-time highlights. It's his two Super Bowl runs that many people want to put him in for. I know it's different for QBs, but without the postseason, Eli Manning is nowhere close to a HOFer. The dude barely completed 60% of his passes playing in the passing era.
Do you play for garbage yard stats or wins? As Herman Edwards said, "you play to win the game." Edelman was a winner who did it all on the gridiron and put up solid numbers during his 6-year prime. In a sport where championships matter more than anything individual numbers, what Belichick said about Edelman speaks volumes. He's exactly the kind of guy who represents being productive in more ways than counting numbers. ELITE NFL career.
He's the 2nd most accomplished postseason WR of all time in terms of catches and yards. If there was EVER to be a player to make the HOF without an All-Pro or Pro Bowl selection, it's Jules.
-Three-time Super Bowl champ -Super Bowl LIII MVP -Only WR with multiple 20+ reception postseasons (3) -2nd all-time in playoff receptions, yards. -2nd most 100 yard games in playoff history (6 in 19 games; Jerry Rice is first with 8 in 29 games) -Tied for 5th most receptions in Super Bowl history (24) If you don't think he did enough on the field to make the HOF, that's completely cool in my book, but if your biggest argument is a lack of Pro Bowls, I do not respect your opinion as a sports fan. Andy Dalton is a three-time Pro Bowler. They don't matter. Give me the guy who helps his team win when it does.
Do I think Jules will get in? No, but I do believe his postseason resume should carry significant weight. Ask what guys like Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, and Richard Sherman have to say about him. He's a shoo-in for the Patriots team HOF, but I'm not holding my breath for Canton. FTR, I think Welker would already be in if he got to 10,000 yards and didn't drop that pass in Super Bowl XLVI. Either way, Julian Edelman is one of the best postseason performers in the history of the NFL.
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Song: Tired of Being Alone
Artist: Al Green Album: Al Green Gets Next to You (1971)
Happy 75th Birthday to the owner of one of the most beautiful, vulnerable, and soulful voices in the history of recorded sounds, Mr. Al Green.
When I started writing DOL five years ago, Julian Edelman only had one Super Bowl ring. Now he has three, and after 12 seasons with the New England Patriots, the 2009 7th round pick out of Kent State is calling it a career. The wheels finally fell off for ole #11.
I was fake napping at my grandma's (laying down with my eyes closed while still awake) not touching my phone, so I missed all the breaking news tweets in real-time, but here's my *immediate reaction* to the Patriots "cutting" Julian Edelman.
I know "It'S a BuSiNeSs," but after everything Jules accomplished as a Patriot, I figured he'd get the Tedy Bruschi treatment and be allowed to retire before the club cut him like the tendons on a chicken breast (I recently made homemade chicken tenders with my air fryer all by myself with the help of my mom, nbd).
We all know Belichick likes to manipulate the system; it looks like cutting him was actually beneficial to #11! (please read in a NoHo Hank voice).
I just mentioned Tedy Bruschi in 2009, but you may not remember during that preseason, way back in the days of "how is Brady going to look coming back from a torn ACL?" that Julian Edelman returned a punt for a touchdown against the Eagles in a Wally Pip situation; something he'd do four times when games actually count (Patriots team record). Of course, Ernie Adams knew who Wally Pip was.
If you don't know Julian's story, you must've been actively avoiding it because he will tell you. The dude made a documentary about coming back from a torn ACL like he was the first man to undergo open-heart surgery, but seriously, I love Jules. He got every ounce of production he could get out of his 5'10" frame. The dude balled out, but currently has the knees of a Civil War soldier. Jules was a QB in the MAC who threw more INT than TD, was taken as a 7th round flyer, and ended up with his name scattered across the New England Patriots record books en route to three Super Bowl rings. Even if you hate the Patriots, you have to respect the career Julian Edelman put together.
Over 12 seasons (11 on the field, he missed all of 2017 after tearing his ACL against the Lions in the preseason), Edelman had 620 receptions for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns. The regular season numbers don't even tell the entire story. Jules might've been a Patriot for 12 seasons, but he was virtually unused as a pass-catcher in 2010 or 2011 (11 total receptions) after putting up a respectable 37 receptions for 359 yards and a TD (he scored two touchdowns in the Patriots Wild Card loss to the Ravens) his rookie year. The bulk of that production came from 2013-2016; 2018-2019, and he missed seven games in 2015. Last season, Edelman showed glimpses of the guy he used to be before missing 10 games due to injuries. He actually had his career high for receiving yards in a game (179 yards) and one of the best catches of his career.
Until 2013, Edelman was a true utility man for the Patriots. He played special teams, returned kickoffs, punts, moonlighted as a dime package corner (playing serious late downs in the 2011 AFC Championship game), and yes, even played a little WR.
After Wes Welker left in the free agency following the 2012 season, everybody assumed Danny Amendola was going to slide into his role, but Jules stole the show week one (although Danny did have 100 yards) catching seven of nine targets for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 23-21 win @ Buffalo.
2013 was Edelman's breakout season. 105 receptions for 1,056 yards and 6 touchdowns. While Edelman would only record three 1,000 yard seasons in New England (2016 & 2019), he was like three catches away in 2014 (972 yards on 92 receptions in only 14 games), had his best statistical season through nine games (and nine wins) in 2015 (61 receptions, 692 yards, and 7 touchdowns) and in 2018 he had 850 yards in 12 games which would've been well over 1,000 yards if he wasn't *missing* for the first four weeks of the year. Edelman was an elite slot receiver when healthy.
Of course, the playoffs are where Julian Edelman etched his name in the NFL History Books. In 19 career playoff games (I won't even cherry-pick and tell you that he wasn't even part of the passing game for four of them), Edelman recorded 118 receptions for 1,442 yards and 5 touchdowns. He's 2nd all-time in playoff receptions and receiving yards behind only Jerry Rice and ICYMI; he took Jerry's daughter to his prom in some eerie-ass full-circle shit. It's not only the counting numbers, but it's the iconic moments. Sure, I'm biased, but I'd say Edelman has the biggest catch of the 2010s and probably the most famous non-QB pass after the Philly Special. Plus, you cannot debate he scored the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLIX.
It's almost midnight and I've gotta proctor fucking PSATS tomorrow. Jules deserves more love from Ole Dozo. Julian had an unreal work ethic and embraced being a part of the Boston sports community. I'll debate whether or not Edelman deserves recognition from Canton, Ohio later, but Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick had nothing but great things to say about one of the greatest/most important players to ever don a Patriots uniform. Belichick's praises speak volumes. Super Bowls > Pro Bowls.
P.S.
Alexa, play "no tears left to cry."
Double P.S.
Jules was King Hardo, especially in the moments following James White game-winning touchdown in OT of Super Bowl LI, but he was our Hardo. This is one of my all time favorite Jules chirps. Song: The Luck You Got Artist: The High Strung Album: Moxie Bravo (2005) Sorry I've been pretty inactive on DOL the last week. As I said, I was busy with fam stuff (I'm vaccinated NBD), but ya boi is back burning that what feels like Midnight Oil. I recently started watching Shameless during the first week of the NCAA Tournament. I'm currently two episodes deep into the third season, but I'm well aware last night was the series finale, thanks to the internet and ads. Apart from seeing Kev has a buzzcut now and that the kids have grown up, I haven't been too spoiled yet and hope things remain that way. I probably shouldn't even talk about it at risk of people spoiling it for me but considering nobody will click on this on my Twitter or via my LINK IN BIO IG story; I think I'm safe as Alec Bohm. P.S. HBD Michael!
Baby Beluga's growing up :(
via: ESPN
The Boston Red Sox, known for their traditional white uniforms with red lettering and the iconic "B," are unveiling their first jersey without any red at all. As part of Major League Baseball's first major jersey collaboration with Nike -- which became the sport's uniform supplier in 2019 -- the Red Sox unveiled the yellow-and-powder-blue uniforms Tuesday. Inspired by the Patriots' Day holiday and the Boston Marathon, the jerseys feature a marathon bib patch with 617, Fenway Park's area code, on the left sleeve. The radical design for MLB is part of Nike's first venture into designing alternates for baseball, known as the City Connect series, meant to push the boundaries of uniform design. "It was front and center and this is why we did this deal. You take two iconic brands and you put them together and you have one and one make three," MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden said. "This is what we expected, and this is what we wanted. This is the plan we always set out for." The City Connect series will start with seven teams with scattered unveil dates: the Red Sox, Miami Marlins (May 21), Chicago White Sox (June 5), Chicago Cubs (June 12), Arizona Diamondbacks (June 18), San Francisco Giants (July 9) and Los Angeles Dodgers (late August). Every MLB team is expected to have a City Connect series jersey by the end of the 2023 season, with teams working individually with Nike to create a uniform that's connected to the personality and community of each city. Since taking over as the uniform supplier for the NFL and NBA, Nike has pushed for similarly radical uniform design changes in baseball, with the City Edition uniforms in the NFL and NBA creating a wide variety of looks. Nike presented Boston with 10 different concepts in early 2019, with Red Sox chief marketing officer Adam Grossman and executive vice president Troup Parkinson landing on the Patriots' Day concept. Grossman said that when the Red Sox learned of the sport's partnership with Nike two years ago, they reached out to tell them that they wanted to push the boundaries regarding their uniform design. "We wanted to be at the front of the line. We told them that we would love to collaborate in any way you see fit," Grossman said. "That was two years ago, and that point, they said they were going to do the City Connect program that if we're going to do this, we are all-in, and even though we are a traditional historic franchise, we want to do something completely different. "We want to push the envelope and be bold in this."
First off, saying these are the first Red Sox first uniform without red is simply untrue. Either clarify with HOME uniforms or get your facts str8! I may have turned my back on a franchise that I used to say I love more than most of my family, but I sure as shit haven't forgotten Sox history. Their '80s away jerseys had zero red (and also fucking sucked; how do you go that boring in the coked-out EIGHTIES?)
I haven't said a good word about the Boston Red Sox in over a year on this publication, but that's about to change. Well, right after I mention that John Henry recently spoke with the media for the first time in over a year. A YEAR! Fuck that soulless ass hole.
Now that I've got that out of my system, I sort of like these uniforms in the same sense as how I sort of like Fall Out Boy. I rarely am like I need to hear "Dance, Dance" but if it comes on I'm not gonna be mad. Sure they look like a combination of the late Warwick Vets, UCLA, and 1934 Philadelphia Eagles throwbacks had a three-way...
...but I think the concept is kind of cool. They're better than the Celtics turning banners into jerseys. Obviously they're unlike anything the Red Sox have ever worn before but the color scheme pays homage to the Boston Marathon, I love the piping on the sleeves, and the 617 bib is a nice touch.
Between day games on Patriots Day and everything that happened in 2013, the Red Sox and the Boston Marathon are forever linked. Both are staples of the city; I think it's a natural pair for this Nike stunt. I totally get the connection people feel with the "Boston" home jerseys that the Sox have worn on Patriots Day every year (I thiink?) since 2013, but with Nike rolling out these "envelop pushing" jerseys, I sort of fuck with them. The Nike swoosh being on the chest instead of the sleeve is atrocious, but that's not what people are talking about today; it's how the Red Sox are wearing yellow! We've seen examples of these jerseys with no affiliation to the traditional color schemes of teams that wears them in the NBA, most notably the Miami Heat's Miami Vice uniforms that are approximately 200,000 times better than any non-Tim Hardaway era Heat jerseys.
I haven't watched a pitch the Sox this year and that isn't changing anytime soon since the idiot who owns NESN decided taking it off YoutubeTV was a good idea. Oh wait, it's the same idiot who thought trading generational talent for three players would reload the depleted farm! Anywho, I'm getting off track. The Red Sox can play in paper bags for all I care even though I do respect them thinking outside the box; I just needed an excuse to blog this Twitter interaction.
ALEX VERDUGO'S BROTHER REPLIED.
I don't fuck with Alex Verdugo at all, but getting to a riff with the dude's brother is not something I'm trying to do. I'm not gonna openly talk shit to the guy's family. I get it he didn't choose to be traded for Mookie Betts, but sorry, bro, I'm still going to hate his fucking guts for what he represents. Unless he wants to buy me off, I'll never like him. This is the same guy who said he wasn't replacing Mookie Betts. Um, helloooo, you literally replaced him, you moron. It's like Sammy Hagar saying he wasn't replacing David Lee Roth. But you're right in this; you'll never replace Mookie. Talk to me when you win an MVP. Cute 12th place finish in a 60 game season like that actually matters. Maybe someday, when John Henry has sold his stake in the Sox to Lebron, I'll be back, but for now, I know these uniforms are not going to be what makes baseball more entertaining to younger generations.
P.S.
Song: Fake Nice (live)
Artist: The Aces Album: When My Heart Felt Volcanic (2018)
Happy birthday to the Aces' debut album When My Heart Felt Volcanic! I fucking love this band. 2018 being three years ago feels impossible. I would've guessed seven.
Despite putting all my eggs in the Barstool basket, I'm really starting to hate social media. It's toxic, for lack of a better word (that's why I love the Cheapies!). Seeing how fucked up most of,,, everything, is at all times is quite depressing. I've been crying wolf about deleting my Facebook for like five years at this point. Once I have saved all my tagged photos that I want to keep (they let you download all your albums but not tagged pics it's wicked fucking annoying. I also could just be doing something wrong, so if you know any pointers, please LMK) I'm cutting ties with the book for good. I haven't shared a blog on FB in like two weeks in preparation for this and to see how it affects my #pageviews. Sometimes I'm actually happy I have less than 100 Twitter followers because it makes the odds of me running into some morons in my replies much more unlikely (although not impossible!)
Today, Kyle Long, guard for the Kansas City Chiefs (who recently came out of retirement), tweeted about football camps, how he never went to one, and why athletes should broaden their horizons in high school. He essentially says that your tape will do the talking for you and focus on enjoying all parts of the high school experience.
It's pretty solid advice. Don't box yourself into one group; try a bunch of different shit. FIND YOURSELF.
Maybe I'm not the best example. I had about as much of a chance at getting a football scholarship as Danny DeVito does at winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest despite being both a key returner going into my senior year and a key loss the year after it according to the local paper, but I took every art class available, was involved with the student council, and had friends in multiple "cliques." I completely understand there's a lot of competition for scholarships, and the stakes are higher for those relying on what as 'their way out," but if you're going to play D3 college sports, you don't need to "focus" on one sport in high school. Meeting more people and being involved with things outside of one sport is a good thing. Just like I'd suggest being part of a high school sports team is a good idea for someone who might not have a super athletic background. I don't know how you could read that tweet and think, "wow, Kyle, way to show your privilege," but since the internet has no gray area, plenty of people decided to play the privilege card since Kyle Long is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer, Howie Long and the brother of two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long.
I mean I guess they have a point. Kyle Long's dad is a Hall of Famer and FOX broadcaster. Those are the same reason why all 30 NBA teams are still clamoring over both of Michael Jordan's sons and Nick Montana has been an NFL starter for seven years.
Do the children of celebrities get extra opportunities that regular people don't? Umm, no fucking shit. Do you think if Colin Hanks was Colin Banks he'd have the career he does? But using this term in athletics blows my fucking mind, especially when there's a million more significant examples of privilege being exploited. I'll even give you that in high school and even some small colleges certain athletes may get opportunities because whose kid they are, but John Calipari wasn't starting Brad over lottery picks at Kentucky. Your name might get you a look but it's not getting you playing time if you can't play. Sports are the great equalizer. The AFL didn't have more black players in the 1960s than the NFL because they were more progressive (Vince Lombardi accepted gay players before fucking Stonewall) but because they were the best players available to fill their rosters. The best players play. Plain and simple. Kyle Long is saying that in his tweet. If you go off in games coaches are going to find you, especially now in the digital age. It doesn't matter what your name is. It'd be one thing if we were talking about broadcasting or coaching and Kyle Long was like Belichick's kids, Kyle Shanahan, Wade Phillips or Rex Ryan getting opportunities that guys who "paid their dues" didn't, but this just sounds like a bunch of cry babies with no sense of context or the moment trying to pander for likes online. Hell you could say Belichick was privileged because his dad was a scout for Navy but there is no nepotism on the playing field. Kyle Long's dad being Howie Long isn't why he was a first round draft pick. I mean I guess sure from a genetic standpoint but it's not like the Bears drafted him in 2013 because his dad was inducted in Canton in 2000. If you lost both your parents in a plane crash and are jealous that the Long's have the resources to make sure both parents are never on the same plane then yeah I suppose you can ask Kyle to check his privilege but if you can't see the good in an NFL offensive lineman telling athletes to go after more in life then I guess you're just the reason why the saying "you can't please everybody" exists.
Song: Sliver (1990)
Artist: Nirvana Album: Incesticide
I stand by this tweet, but it didn't mean I wasn't going to blog at all! I just wanted to let the people know why there may be a lack of blogs for the next week and a half (definitely Wednesday and Thursday).
I was technically alive in 1994, but I was two at the time, so obviously, I don't have any actual memories of it, but I'll always associate April 5th with Kurt Cobain's death. I'm well aware the public didn't know the news until April 8th, when Kurt Loder told the world that an electrician discovered his body, so I understand if some people get the dates confused 27 years after the fact. My weird-ass selective-memory brain remembers angsty 13-year-old Dozo mentioning that it was the 11th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death in 2005 while my aunt was letting me practice driving around my grandma's neighborhood.
As for perhaps the most famous "suicide" of the '90s and maybe even in all of music history, there's still tons of speculation around Kurt's death. I'm willing to go up to 60% for chances he actually did it, but the toxicology reports show he had too much H in his system to pull the trigger. There was never an official autopsy! Some believe the note Courtney read at Kurt's vigil was actually a letter about why he was leaving her and/or the music scene behind. Regardless if Kurt or Courtney pulled the trigger that April morning, the rise and fall of Nirvana is one of the essential parts of music history and defines a generation. I've gone back and forth with my Nirvana takes over the years. I genuinely enjoy a lot of their music agree that they're one of the most influential bands of all time, but like SNL and divorce, I was probably exposed to them a little early.
Back when WBRU (R.I.P.) was still around, they certainly played a significant role in some of my mid-2010s Nirvana backlash as I spent 3-5 days a week delivering pizza listening to 'BRU. They simply played Nirvana too much; it's probably the real reason why they no longer exist on analog radio. We didn't need to hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" thrice an hour in 2014 when there were plenty of active artists out there doing their thing. Because I'm such a free thinker, I did not go with one of their most famous songs, although anybody with an ounce of Nirvana intellect knows this. S/o Nirvana's 2002 self-titled greatest hits for introducing Sliver to me. Grandma take me home, Grandma take me home, Grandma take me hoooommeee.
Every year both the competition committee and NFL teams propose new rules or amendments to past ones to be voted on at the owners' meetings. It takes 75% of the vote (24 of 32 owners) to implement a new rule.
Thanks to these meetings, over the last handful of years (excellent filler word for when you don't feel like researching to give an exact number), there have been drastic changes to the game. We've seen snap placement on extra points pushed back to the 15-yard line. You can now score a two-point conversion on defensive/special teams (s/o Eric Berry), and the onside kick has moved to hospice care. This year there are 11 potential rule changes up for a vote, including eliminating overtime in the preseason (which feels like a no-brainer), adding a "sky judge" and the "4th & 15" option to replace neutered onside kicks. The two-time defending AFC champion, Kansas City Chiefs, proposed an amendment to Rule 5, Section 1, Article 2 that wouldn't change how the game is played on the field but would undoubtedly change its looks. It's fitting that the only team who still has a tribute to the AFL on its uniforms suggested that the No Fun League loosen up some of its jersey number restrictions. Before 1973 partly due to expansion with AAFC and AFL teams, there wasn't as much uniformity in uniform numbers; that's why a FB like Marion Motley was #76 and his QB Otto Graham was #60. The NFL is the only professional sports league in the U.S. with official restrictions on jersey number by position. I totally understand the need for the system when it comes to eligible vs. ineligible receivers, but I've never understood what was the big deal about a WR wearing #5 like you'll see in college football. Seeing a defensive lineman rock a single digit in college is always hilarious. These the NFL's current rules regarding jersey numbers:
Via: The NFL Rulebook.
All players must wear numerals on their jerseys in accordance with Rule 5, Section 4, Article 3, Item 3. Such numerals must be by playing position, as follows:
If a player changes his position during his playing career in the NFL, and such change moves him from a position as an ineligible pass receiver to that of an eligible pass receiver, or from a position as an eligible pass receiver to that of an ineligible pass receiver, he must be issued an appropriate new jersey numeral. A change in jersey numeral is not required if the change is from an ineligible position to another ineligible position, or from an eligible position to another eligible position, provided that the player has participated at least one season at his position prior to the change. Any request to wear a numeral for a special position not specified above (e.g., H-back) must be made to the Commissioner. During the preseason period when playing rosters are larger, the League will allow duplication and other temporary deviations from the numbering scheme specified above, but the rule must be adhered to for all players during the regular season and postseason. Clubs must make numerals available to adhere to the rule, even if it requires returning to circulation a numeral that has been retired or withheld for other reasons. See 5-3-1 for reporting a change of position.
Under the Chiefs proposed amendment, the new jersey number rules would look like this:
QBs, Punters, Kickers: 1-19 Running Backs, Fullbacks, H-Backs, Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: 1-49; 80-89 Offensive Linemen: 50-79 Defensive Backs: 1-49 Linebackers: 1-59; 90-99 Defensive Linemen: 50-79; 90-99
There will always be wet blankets who think jersey numbers don't matter, but I consider myself a jersey number guy. I'm a big believer in the Deion Sanders' look good, play good, get paid good mantra and am always curious why a player has an affinity for a particular digit. If it doesn't hurt anybody and makes people a little bit happier before they eventually die, I say go for it! I am 100% in favor of this move. I think from a marketing and merchandising standpoint, this change is a no-brainer. More jersey sales for the NFL! Plus a single-digit jersey is inherently cooler than #82, unless the player's last name is Blink-One. It's a harmless, fun change that also has some legitimate reasoning behind it.
So many single digits go wasted every season! Who's the best #6 of all time, Johnny Hekker? I'm 99.7% sure the rules aren't as strictly enforced when it comes to offensive lineman. I swear I've seen guards and tackles in the 50's but I could be Mandela Effecting myself. According to the Wikipedia page on NFL Uniform Numbers, I'm not.
If this ends up passing, Brian Bosworth and Reggie Bush walked so this generation could run.
As long as QBs have to be somewhere between 1-19, I really don't care what numbers guys are wearing. QBs in the 20s look AWFUL.
Song: How Sweet It Is (To Be Love By You) Artist: Marvin Gaye Album: How Sweet It Is To Be Love By You (1964) I'm curious to see how many readers knew that James Taylor's version is not the original, making his recording a cross-genre cover! I didn't blog yesterday, so take this S.O.D. as a late R.I.P. "anniversary" (I always feel weird using that term with negative things; we need a negative version of the word anniversary) for Mr. Marvin Gaye. Have a Good Friday! |
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