Welcome to The 3-4, a website dedicated to NFL analysis, predictions and recent events. We wrote 32 extensive team previews and will be writing about all things football throughout the year. We will be scouting players off game tape, evaluating them, predicting NFL and NCAA games, and much more! If you would like us to write about something in particular, let us know!
Stat (Rule) of the Day
Apparently the quarterback cannot be downfield when a forward pass is thrown. (Brett Favre catching a Randy Moss pass on the first play of tonight's game.)
Pic of the Day
How much longer will Singletary be the 49ers head coach?
Video of the Day: Boise State to be #1 in the BCS Standings
My and Keith's favorite movie...what a great speech! "5 foot nothin. One hundred and nothin..."
Picture of the Day: The Rudy of the NFL.
Danny Woodhead of the Patriots now has two touchdowns in the last two games. Woodhead is listed at 5'9 200 pounds on nfl.com (Haha!). He's roughly 5'7 and 180 pounds, and was the division 2 player of the year in 2007 when he attended Chadron State.
NFL Stat of the Day:
According to Mel Bashore from The Coffin Corner, the smallest player in NFL history is: Jack "Soapy" Shapiro...5'1 119 pound blocking back for the Staten Island Stapletons
Since Tom Brady is going for win #100 as I am writing this, here are the four quarterbacks that will soon be numbers two through four in terms of the fastest to 100 wins:
Joe Montana - 49ers - 139 Games
Terry Bradshaw - Steelers - 147 Games
Brett Favre - Packers - 153 Games
Peyton Manning - Colts - 154 Games
Tom Brady (If the Patriots Win) - Patriots - 131 Games
Pic of the Day: Tom Brady and his Decent-looking Wife:
Debate of the Day: Is Tom Brady the biggest celebrity in NFL History?
Video of the Day: Tom Brady 911 Car Accident Phone Call
Funny stuff.
Video:
Here are two, very similar videos. They are pretty entertaining. I always wondered how the coach of the offending team reacted to these refs? It couldn't have been pretty...
And do people think this next ref saw the first clip before this game?
Pic of the Day
And this is why the Umpire has been moved behind the line of scrimmage this year.
Stat of the Day:
Here is the rule that determined that Calvin Johnson's catch a few weeks ago was not a game-winning touchdown:
Article 3. Completed or Intercepted Pass. A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and (b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands. . . .
If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any part of his body other than his hands to the ground, or if there is any doubt that the acts were simultaneous, it is not a catch.
Item 1: Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.
Essentially, the player must maintain control throughout the entire process of the catch. You be the judge:
Stat of the Day: WR Anquan Boldin faster receiver to reach 600 receptions.Pretty good for a receiver that fell into the second round because he did not run a fast enough time at the combine.
He may also be one of the toughest players in the NFL, this hit knocked him out and he had to get screws in his jaw. QB Kurt Warner, (who passed the ball) was so upset about what had happened he almost retired after the game. Amazingly Bolding came back in only 2 weeks:
Here is a News story about Brian Pittman, a longsnapper of the Houston Texans. He goes pretty much anywhere you can think of, and snaps what he finds.
There is always so much pressure on kickers in crunch-time situations, but the snapper and holder have just as much responsibility as the kicker. I was the holder for three years in college, and you really never receive any attention for it...unless you make a mistake.
Along the same lines, here is a picture of what you would see as a holder or punter with the snap coming for you.
Mike Leach snaps a ball for the Arizona Cardinals.
Stat of the Day: The most 50 yard field goals in a game is three, and it has been done four times:
Well, I need a catchy name for this Daily Dose of Football. I am absolutely open to suggestions.
Stat of the Day:
I was watching a re-run of the Saints-49ers Monday Night Football game and saw a statistic saying how many catches the Saints' running backs had. Late in the 4th quarter they had 13 catches for around 100 yards. That got me thinking, "I wonder what the record is for most catches in a game by a running back?" And, sadly, I could not find the answer.
Can anyone help me out?
Most Catches in a Season by a Running Back: 101 - Larry Centers, FB, Arizona Cardinals in the 1993 season. He amassed 962 yards through the air, while catching two touchdown passes and rushing for two more.
Pic of the Day - Larry Centers
In honor of our first Stat of the Day, Larry Centers also gets the Pic of the Day
Larry Centers making one of his 827 career receptions
Clip of the Day - Emmitt Smith and Darryl Johnston
The fullback position is by far the most under appreciated position in football. Sure, people will argue with me saying that offensive linemen just block all game long and get no glory.
And I'll come right back and tell you that so do fullbacks, and they do so by running full-speed into oncoming linebackers.
Most fullbacks did not catch the ball as much as Larry Centers did, and some will go their whole career without scoring a touchdown.
A true fullback is the definition of a "bad-ass" football player. I have posted a video of Owen Schmitt smashing his head with his helmet, and I only wish I had a video of former teammate Tom Brown at Dartmouth head-butting people's helmets to pump them up...with no helmet.
In the following clip, Emmitt Smith had just become the NFL's all-time leading rusher and went to the sideline and hugged his family. Then, he found his fullback, Darryl Johnston...
This clip brought tears to my eyes. Literally. This is what being on a football team means. You aren't afraid to make sacrifices for each other. Football is a game that must be played with passion. I miss playing the game.
Here is the first of a new feature I am starting, Pic of the Day.
I will post one picture every day of something that will make you laugh, amazed, or in this instance, cringe.
I remember my dad showing me this when I was younger, and certainly haven't forgotten this. It's a little hard to see what else is going on besides a Steelers players' legs, but look closely.
10 points to anyone who knows who this is!
I broke my ankle in two places in high school, but it certainly looked nothing like this!
