Yardbarker: Brad Johnson

Gruden's Prized QB Collection Almost Complete With eBay Bid For Favre

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:18:58 -0500

Jon Gruden sat at his home computer with a smile on his face as he clicked reload and watched the minutes tick down on his bid for Brett Favre on eBay. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach had been watching the auction for weeks, when Favre was listed by the Green Bay Packers for the starting bid of 1 dollar. Towards the beginning of the auction, it looked like either PackinHard4Life or Wisconsinprincess6969 would land Favre after a brutal bidding war. But once the price went about 70 bucks, neither could stay in the race. That was when Gruden put in his bid of $14 million in hopes of adding the superstar to his prized quarterback collection. Gruden has over 300 old quarterbacks in his home, that he hopes can one day contribute to a championship. When we entered his large estate we found a foyer with Super Bowl winning QB Brad Johnson encased in a plastic case in the middle, presumably to preserve him. As we passed him, with Gruden leading us to his computer room, Johnson begged for water and said not to let Gruden hit him with "the happy stick". We didn't know what that meant, but it sounded fun. We kept walking and passed the Hall Of Quarterbacks, as Gruden called it, where Gannon, Garcia, Plummer, and others were being held. When we got to the computer, Gruden showed us the bid he had in for Favre, and says he frequently bids on any QBs that appear on the site, but only if they are over 30. "Now, I know a near mint condition Favre sounds like a steal at $14 million, but it's the $6 million shipping that really gets you," said Gruden. "But, that's eBay for you. Once I have him, my collection will be the greatest in the world. I'm going to take some time off in the Fall to tour with the collection in the QB convention circuit. No point in being a collector if you aren't going to show them off."

Chad Pennington?

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:20:41 -0500

There's no suspense over what the Jets plan to do with Chad Pennington now that they've acquired Brett Favre - GM Mike Tannenbaum ended that by announcing Pennington would be cut today. He then unleashed the usual spiel about how sad everyone is and blah blah: It's a bittersweet moment for us. I have not had the opportunity to talk to Chad as of this call. I know [coach] Eric [Mangini] has. I have all the respect in the world for Chad as a person and a player. We have accomplished a lot of great things with Chad, including winning playoff games, which is very hard to do. He gave his heart and soul to this organization for a long, long time. I really appreciate everything he has done. Pennington has had some nice years, but he's had lots of injuries and it's generally agreed that his arm-strength falls somewhere between Brad Johnson and Kelly Holcomb. Still, he's younger than Gus Frerotte by a couple of years, and would seem a nice West Coast fit given his accuracy and high football IQ. He'll certainly shop himself around once he's cut. If he can't find a guaranteed starting job somewhere (and there really aren't any to be had), he might be amenable to backing up Tarvaris Jackson, a guy whose starter status could be on shaky ground before too long.

NFL Preview: Philadelphia Eagles

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:22:18 -0500

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

Sports fans, like everyone else on the planet, live in the story they tell of their lives. Philly Fan's story isn't a pleasant one. And neither, for the most part, is what they think will happen to their football team this year.

You see, it's all been too long, Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. They've been together forever, with the window of opportunity slamming shut on them either when Terrell Owens went traitorous, when Reid's Kids went Al Qaida, or when David Akers couldn't tie the game against the Giants from distance last December. We all know how the story ends, year after year, and it never ends with a parade down Broad Street.

The Eagles are too old. McNabb is too brittle. They didn't sign the #1 WR that's absolutely essential to opening up the attack. The offensive line, at some point, will have to rely on Winston "Turnstile" Justice. The linebackers are never good enough. The special teams have killed them for the past three years. Brian Dawkins is spent, and Lito Sheppard is overrated, and Asante Samuel is already hurt, and yada yada yada.

Every team has a negative story, and for 31 out of 32, it'll be true. But the funny thing about stories is that for one team, the story changes. Suddenly, Eli Manning can win a big game. So can Peyton Manning. Even dramatically absurd stories like Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson.

So, assuming the Patriots don't just overwhelm the league and crush through the playoffs like the avenging armies of Hell (and Lucifer's boys have much better linebackers and rarely, if ever, let their quarterback get battered like the Pats did in the SB), some team will have their negative story broken.

But you see, only Eagles Fan really seems to embrace this kind of nonsense. In fact, we tell it to ourselves, to make sure that we don't get our hopes up, because being the first to piss on your team's hopes makes you cooler and smarter than all of the other folks on the bus.

So... can they defy the expectations and the franchise's history since 1960? Well, there are some highly encouraging signs. The schedule is quite easy. The defense will be a lot better with Samuel, assuming he's eventually healthy. They'll get after the quarterback better, since the dessicated remains of Javon Kearse will no longer be around, and they've improved the pass rush with LB Chris Clemons from Oakland. Akers and Sav Rocca probably can't be worse than they were last year, and Desean Jackson has to better than Reno Mahe. (Please, please, please, let us move on from the Reno Mahe Era.)

There is also this... the NFC East, after a season in which every team but the 8-8 Birds made the playoffs, should be worse this year. A lot, lot worse.

The Redskins are trying an unprecedented experiment in giving the head coaching and offensive coordinator reins to a guy (Jim Zorn) that has never held this level of job before. Maybe they'll be healthier, especially on the offensive line, and maybe Jason Campbell is ready to lead... but it's a Daniel Snyder production, so I'm not exactly quaking in fear.

The Cowboys still haven't won a playoff game this millennium, have lost a great deal of their depth with Bill Parcells plundering them to staff Miami, and have been incredibly lucky on injuries for years now. (There's also the fact that with Parcells gone for an increasing amount of time, the magic that is Wade Phillips is going to take hold.)

The Giants might have used up a lifetime of luck last year, and they also lost Michael Strahan to retirement, Jeremy Shockey for future draft picks, and still have to worry a lot about keeping Plax Burress healthy. Add it all up, and it should be that hard to be two of three games better than last year.

So I'm going to be cautiously optimistic, hope for 11-5 and a first round bye (seriously, who in the NFC is going to win 3 out of every 4 games this year? No one in the West or South), and wonder, really, why the story can't be different this year. McNabb's a year past the knee injury, Bryan Westbrook is still the best RB in franchise history, the OL is still good, and Reid has to have more focus than last year.

It probably won't, of course... but what the hell. Why watch sports if you refuse to hope that you're wrong?

9 > 81

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:03:06 -0500

I enjoy watching Jeffri Chadiha verbally battle Skip Bayless on ESPN's 1st and 10. I especially give credence to anyone that can hand Bayless his hat in those contrived arguments. However, Chadiha's latest bit of information does not sit so well with me, and it may be the same for other Cowboy fans. Jeffri, a Senior NFL writer for ESPN, gave his list of the 10 most indispensable players in the league. Just as every other top 10 list this off-season, the Cowboys have a contribution. The oft misunderstood but never undervalued Terrell Owens comes in at number three, behind Fly-Guy Tom Brady and the heir to Brett Favre's throne (in the record books), Peyton Manning. Though I am not disagreeing that TO is a commodity that Phillips can ill afford to be without, I would argue that Tony Romo is way more indispensable to the team than "The Receiver." Value cannot solely be measured in touchdowns, but it's a good start. The Real 81 found the endzone 15 times. That accounts for about 42% of the receiving touchdowns and more than a quarter of the total TDs. Those are big numbers, but Tony Romo was responsible for 100% of Owens' scores. He was also responsible for 100% of the team's 36 passing touchdowns. Lest we not forget he ran for two scores and set up countless field goals. Not to say that Brad Johnson couldn't throw the ball deep for Terrell to go up and get it, but think about how many plays The Talented Mr. Romo made with his legs. If Owens goes down (knock on wood) I am supremely confident that our quarterback will be able to manufacture victories. Conversely, If BJ is forced to take the helm we will quickly find out why Mike Morgan thinks we need a "younger backup." It's a great thing to have so much knowledge and experience backing up your budding QB (ahem Favre), but I think Max is the only person that wants to see Brad get more playing time. Out of 16 games, Mr. Owens failed to score in 5 of them. Romo was held to zero touchdowns in only 2 games, and one was the final game of the season where he played about two quarters. 81 is a boisterous leader on the sideline, but Tony can put the team on his back and carry them to the promise land (see the agonizing Buffalo Bills game last year). The Cowboys' number 1 receiver is arguably number 1 in the league, but Tony Romo means more to Dallas right now, and for the future, than the 34 year old Owens. Let's just hope to see much more from the Romo-Owens connection this year. Thank you, Jeffri Chadiha for acknowledging that the Cowboys have one of the most indispensable players in the league, but I beseech you to reconsider whom it is.

My Kinda Backup

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:57:54 -0500

I'm proud to say that I've known Brad Johnson since he was bow-legged middle school kid in western North Carolina. His ride has been a wild one…from losing his starting job at Florida State to Casey Weldon, by the way, where is Weldon now, seriously, anyone?? Back to Brad now… he showed patience in Minnesota until has opportunity finally arrived, then the neck injury which put his career in jeopardy. He overcame this to have great success with the Redskins (didn't really like him for a couple of years) and after his escape from DC, he won a Super Bowl in Tampa and now he's our backup in big D. Had a chance to spend some time with Brad earlier this year at an auction in Asheville, NC. He told a great story about his oldest son Max who wanted to know why daddy wasn't playing more. Brad asked Max a few questions about quarterbacks who have won Super Bowls, like Aikman, Montana, Favre and even himself. He asked his son how many Super Bowls has Tony Romo won. The answer of course was none. Then Brad said these words, "you see son, I'm here to help Tony Romo win a Super Bowl." It brought tears to my eyes! I know we need a younger backup but we also need a guy like Brad Johnson in the meetings, at practice on the sidelines doing exactly what he told his son, trying to help Tony Romo win a Super Bowl!

My Kinda Backup

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:57:54 -0500

Chris Simms Not A Good Fit For Dallas.

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:13:37 -0500

There's several stories floating around about Dallas having an interest in possibly trading for Tampa Bay's QB Chris Simms as a back-up for Tony Romo. Since Simms hasn't played much in the past two seasons after a terrible spleen injury that nearly took his life, I don't know how or why he would be the choice here in Dallas. Current second QB Brad Johnson is getting a little up there in age, but he would still be the best choice as back-up having worked with the offense for over 2 years now. Simms did show some signs of promise in '05 and '06 prior to getting injured, but trading Terry Glenn for him, as some reports claim may be the case, is just not sensible. Now if Brett Favre were to ge released from Green Bay, that would be a much better deal and make much more sense than Simms. Heck, we could trade Glenn and another player for such a deal! Of course that is just wishful thinking on my part as Favre will most likely stay with the Packers, but it would make more sense than Chris Simms in a Cowboy uniform.

Around the Network

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:47:59 -0500

PhinPhanatic remembers a pair of frustrating Dolphins losses. The Vikings have had a few (hundred) of those too. Brad Johnson's back-up job with the Cowboys may be in trouble. Cat Crave is counting down the top 10 moments in Panthers history. Where does "Steve Smith makes Fred Smoot his bitch for all-time" rank? Arrowhead Addict considers the Matt Jones situation. Anything to avoid writing about the hideous Chiefs, I guess. FSB is getting a Seahawks blog. Niner Noise wants Brett Favre to stay retired. Brandon Marshall struggles to obey authority. And he's not so great at keeping his arms out of TVs either. (That said, I'd still take him in a heartbeat). The Ebony Bird says goodbye to Trent Dilfer, aka the original Tarvaris Jackson.

Dallas Cowboys Doubletalk Has Brad Johnson Going “Hmmmm?”

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:30:59 -0500

Not three days after Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he is confident with the backup quarterback position going to Brad Johnson, the team is looking for a new guy to play behind star Tony Romo. The only other guy on the roster is Richard Bartel, a seemingly unknown who has no starting experience (heck, neither [...]

Top Ten Moments in Panthers History - Number Nine

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:05:35 -0500

Before we reveal the number nine moment in Carolina Panthers history, I want to remind everyone that we are selecting games that had a major impact on the franchise and its direction. The game that comes in at number nine was big for three reasons - 1) The team the Panthers were playing were in only [...]

10-pack: Players who should retire

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:10:01 -0500

LOL! someone made a 10 list of players that should retire & NOW lol!!!!! some i agree with & some i don't!!! THOUGHTS?? 1. Jason Taylor, DE, Miami Dolphins: By skipping a big chunk of the offseason workout program so he could cut a rug in a dancing competition aimed at reviving the careers of has beens or kick-starting the show business runs of wannabes, Taylor is making it known that his passion for football has waned. Unless, of course, he can't parlay his twice-per-week exposure on national television into something that pays better. He still has the physical tools to play in the NFL, but football isn't really a priority for him anymore. If it were, he'd save the Fred Astaire routine for later. 2. Zach Thomas, ILB, Dallas Cowboys: I'm not a neurologist (and have not played one on television or stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night, or ever). The fact that being in a fender-bender caused Thomas to develop post-concussion syndrome tells me he has had his brain box busted a few times too many. Maybe he should be the one Dancing with the Stars -- it's a better outcome than regularly seeing them. (New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Dan Morgan and St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent Green fall into this category as well, but without the fender-bender. It would have been easy to make them No. 3 and No. 4 on the list with "See Zach Thomas" as the explanation, but I get paid by the word. Yes. I do. By the word. Punctuation. Too.) 3. Michael Strahan, DE, New York Giants: Last year, Strahan wanted more money. When he didn't get it, he stayed away from training camp as he "contemplated retirement," which most folks interpreted to mean, "hoped for more money or a trade to a contender." The irony is he ended up playing for a legitimate contender and landing an unlikely Super Bowl trophy. Strahan's best move would be to get out while he's still reasonably healthy and parlay that title into a media career that would instantly eclipse the well-engineered (but poorly executed) post-football endeavors of former teammate/nemesis Tiki Barber. 4. Brad Johnson, QB, Dallas Cowboys: With Vinny Testaverde finally packing it in, Johnson now is the official over-the-hill quarterback with the arm strength of a Tyrannosaurus. Johnson was dreadful in his final season as a starter with the Minnesota Vikings; if Tony Romo ever gets hurt, the team facing the Cowboys can confidently replace its safeties with nose tackles. 5. Byron Leftwich, QB, free agent: I actually feel bad for Leftwich. After four NFL seasons, Leftwich was abruptly dumped by the Jacksonville Jaguars in favor of a career backup who now has pocketed a big-money contract. Leftwich, meanwhile, was deemed to be not good enough for the quarterback-starved Atlanta Falcons and still is waiting for the phone to ring. He should exercise what little remaining control he has over his life by ripping the phone out of the wall. Permanently. 6. Jonathan Ogden, OT, Ravens: Ogden is another guy who should quit talking about retirement and just do it. For the future Hall of Famer, however, it's not about whether he loves the game. It's about whether he can continue to use a constantly injured toe to push off his 345-pound frame. (Then again, it's likely the toe is constantly injured from all those years of doing just that.) 7. Orlando Pace, OT, Rams: Although the first overall pick in the 1997 draft hasn't mused about calling it quits, he should. As the cornerstone of St. Louis' offensive line, Pace has been too injured far too often. The Rams can no longer rely on him, and Pace can no longer rely on his body. The team might give him a nudge in a few weeks by drafting Michigan's Jake Long. If Pace doesn't take the hint, the smarter move might be to move him to right tackle and treat any game in which he's actually able to play like a $20 bill found in an old pair of stone-washed jeans. 8. Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals: In a misguided effort to get out of town, the Bengals' No. 1 wideout has been threatening to retire. Coach Marvin Lewis has called his bluff. Johnson should call Marvin's bluff and pack it in. Not because it's in Johnson's best long-term interests to do so, but because the football-following world is sick of listening to his routine. The only problem is someone would likely hire Johnson to talk about football on television. So maybe it's better if he doesn't retire. Ever. 9. Troy Brown, WR, free agent: Brown is a legend in New England, but the Patriots aren't interested in bringing him back for another year. Arguably, however, Brown has been on scholarship for several seasons; he has started only 12 games in four years. Last month, Brown visited the Jets. Sure, he's free to go where he wants, but why taint his legacy in Boston to spend another season riding the pine? He has as much of a claim to the launch of the Pats' dynasty as does Tom Brady or Adam Vinatieri. If Brown finishes his career in another helmet, the memory of Pats fans regarding this specific point could fade a bit. 10. Matt Jones, WR, Jaguars: Three years ago, Jones created a huge buzz in the days leading up to the draft. Chris Mortensen of ESPN sang Jones' praises, predicting he'd qualify for more Pro Bowls than pretty much any of the rest of the skill-position players taken in Round 1. But in his third year -- the one in which receivers are supposed to break out -- Jones had a career low in catches (24) and yards (317). Although he still has the physical tools to remain in the NFL for several more years, the reality is that Jones, by all appearances, doesn't care. And if he doesn't care, he should quit. There are too many guys with less natural ability, but loads more desire and heart. Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a frequent contributor to Sporting News.

Four Memorable Field Goal Botches in NFL Playoff History

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:35:20 -0500

Recalling four hilarious NFL playoff moments where kickers, holders and long snappers were suddenly forced to panic. With photos. We're not talking about missed or blocked kicks. We're talking about it all going horribly wrong.

Buccaneers - Quarterback of the future Luke McCown?

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:54:57 -0500

The last franchise quarterback that the Buccaneers had was Brad Johnson, but even he wasn't around for as long as many are. The main goal of the Bucs in the offseason should be to procure a quarterback of the future that can study under the wing of Jeff Garcia for a few years as he winds down his career. But wait - who's this McCow more...

New features in Madden '08 that have gamers buzzing

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:23:52 -0500

Sports fans, gamers and athletes alike are buzzing over the recently released Madden '08. The Sports Hernia takes a look at some of the interesting new features in this version of the popular video game. - If you choose the Lions in franchise mode, smarter CPU automatically folds franchise, ejects game, and gives you the finger. - Ed Hochuli FINALLY listed among available free agents. - If you want to get Oakland crazy, a new cheat code during Raider home games allows use of an Uzi with unlimited bullets in QB's non-interception throwing hand.

The Viking QB Competition

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:58:31 -0500

Wow. I had no idea the Vikings put themselves in this situation when they passed on Brady Quinn and took "All Day" Adrian Peterson. Here are your competitors: -Tavaris "Stonewall" Jackson -Brooks Bollinger -Tyler Thigpen (I thought he played baseball) -Drew Henson Where is Brad Johnson when you need him? Daunte is available!