Yardbarker: Quincy Morgan

Butch Davis Helped Ignite Browns' Quarterback Troubles

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:36:59 -0500

Answer me this: Who was the last Browns’ quarterback to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers? You have to go all the way back to 2003, on a Sunday night on October 6 when Tim Couch was responsible for three touchdowns, two of them through the air. What does this have to do with the Browns’ quarterback issues over the past decade? A lot. Couch may not have been the most physically gifted signal caller, but he did the most out of what surrounded him and defeated ...

Target Practice, Week 1: Moss, Welker, Wayne ... Bennett?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:12:22 -0500

Below you'll find a simple, straightforward list of the most heavily targeted players from Week 1. Easy to create, elegant (and minty!) in its design. Please use this list as a companion to Hansen's Inside the Box Score, which drills down to the last look. Before we dazzle you with borrowed data, a few quick observations:• Bears receiver Earl Bennett(notes) received more targets against the Packers (13) than Devin Hester(notes), Greg Olsen(notes) and Matt Forte(notes) combined (...

A Tennessee Titans Specific Interview with Football Outsiders

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:00:19 -0500

The Football Outsiders Almanac came out recently, and Bill Barnwell, who is one of the authors of the book, was nice enough to answer some questions about the FO methods and the Titans. The intelligent questions were submitted by Hal, and the unintelligent ones were submitted by me. Is there a problem with strategic expectation bias? The system goes to great lengths to normalize performance based upon the quality of opponent, but one hole I see is that from week to week a g...

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2009: Wide Receiver Preview (Part 1)

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:14:16 -0500

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP Hopefully Edwards hangs on to the ball better in 2009 than he did in 2008. Browse more photos » Last year, the Browns brought 10 wide receivers to training camp. Not including Braylon Edwards, let's take a look at some of the names on that list, including where I ranked them and their contributions: 2. Donte Stallworth: Injury-plagued, could barely match Tim Carter'...

Wastes of Jersey

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:39:32 -0500

No, this is not a post about a state near New York City. This, my friends, is a title that could easily summarize a large portion of the souvenire shop at Cleveland Browns Stadium. It describes the scary things that we all have hanging in our closets next to the skeletons and Tom Cruise (allegedly, or something.) I am talking about Cleveland Browns player jerseys that we have seen, worn, paid for, and ultimately regretted.

TAKE THE "NFL: ON A ROSTER OR OFF" QUIZ

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:31:22 -0500

To celebrate the start of another NFL season, we're going to play a little game, inspired by my viewing of every NFL roster multiple times due to recent fantasy football drafts and my brother and I asking each other, "Does _____ still play?" about eight times a day.Here's how it goes: I name the NFL player (or coach), and you guess whether they're on an NFL roster/coaching staff or not. In honor of this season ending with Super Bowl 43, the quiz will be 43 men deep. How...

TOP 10 SPORTS USES FOR A TIME MACHINE

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:52:32 -0500

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool You are given the ability to go back in time and prevent specific events in sports history. This is my list of things that I'd change. Feel free to add yours in the comments. 10. Jeter Isn't There. The 2001 Oakland A's team was absolutely loaded, with a patient meat grinder of an offense and young starting pitcher that was among the best in baseball. After taking the first games of the ALDS in Yankee Stadium, the series shifted to Oakland, with Barry ...

Amazing Victories in Jaguars History (#12 - #9)

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:46:55 -0500

Today we continue with our five-part series where we identify the 20 most thrilling wins in Jaguars history. Check back every day this week as we revisit 4 amazing victories per day. Be sure to leave us comments about what you remember about those games. Enjoy! #12 | 10/16/05 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers / 23-17: The Jaguars were in Pittsburgh in Week 6, and they were without their workhorse RB Fred Taylor and veteran S Donovin Darius. RB Greg Jones got the nod to start in place of Taylor. On the other side of the field, QB Ben Roethlisberger missed the game, and that put former starter and XFL star QB Tommy Maddox back on the field. The Jaguars' special teams were anything but special on this day. In the 2nd quarter, punt returner Antwaan Randle-El returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown score, giving Pittsburgh a 14-7 lead. The two teams would battle back and forth, eventually sending the game into overtime knotted in a 17-17 tie. The Jaguars' special teams failed right away in overtime as they allowed kick returner Quincy Morgan to run the kick back 74 yards to the Jacksonville 26-yard line. An easy chip shot field goal seemed imminent for Pittsburgh. However, on the second play of the drive, Maddox fumbled the snap from center and the Jaguars recovered. The Jaguars' drive would stall, and the Steelers would take their second swing in overtime. On the second play from scrimmage, Maddox threw a pass?.right to CB Rashean Mathis. He took it to the house, and the Jaguars stunned the Pittsburgh crowd with a thrilling 23-17 win. #11 | 12/19/04 vs. Green Bay Packers / 28-25: The Jaguars stepped onto the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field as the 12 degree temperature felt colder as the sun started to go down and came out swinging. QB Byron Leftwich tossed a 31-yard touchdown bomb to WR Jimmy Smith to give the Jaguars an early 7-0 lead. But the game eventually evolved into a matchup of RB Fred Taylor's legs versus QB Brett Favre's arm. The Jaguars chose not to fight the weather and just pound the rock on the ground with Taylor, who finished with 165 rushing yards and one big 37-yard touchdown run. Favre did his best to keep the Packers in the game, slinging a late 4th quarter touchdown and converting a two-point conversion with 1:11 left to pull to within 28-25. But the ensuing onside kick failed, and the Jaguars held on for the victory. It was the first time since 1985 that a Florida team had won in Green Bay in December. Favre's 367-yard passing performance was derailed by three costly interceptions. #10 | 9/26/04 vs. Tennessee Titans / 15-12: The Jaguars went on the road in Week 3 riding the wave of a two-game winning streak, where the Cardiac Cats escaped in one game with a miraculous last-gasp touchdown pass and another game after a late fumble recovery sealed the victory. Week 3 versus the Tennessee Titans proved to be another thriller yet another game where the Jaguars just could not get the offensive engine cranked up until late in the game. Tennessee carried a slim 6-0 lead into halftime, and RB Fred Taylor only had 4 carries for 11 yards. But he helped the Jaguars climb back into the game. With :13 left in the game and trailing 12-7, Taylor pounded his way into the end zone. The ensuing two-point conversion was good, and the Jaguars went to 3-0 with a thrilling 15-12 victory. #9 | 10/24/96 vs. Baltimore Ravens / 28-25: The 4-7 Jaguars seemed like they were on their way to another losing season. The Andre Rison experiment was a complete failure, and there were questions about whether Coach Tom Coughlin had the respect of his locker room. The Jaguars traveled to Baltimore to play the Ravens, who just two weeks earlier lost to the Jaguars by a field goal in Jacksonville. The Ravens stormed out to a 15-point lead, going up 25-10 as the 4th quarter began. But QB Mark Brunell was ready to shine, and he completed touchdown passes to both TE Pete Mitchell and WR Willie Jackson in the 4th quarter. Brunell scampered in for a two-point conversion, and the game went into overtime. K Mike Hollis sealed the amazing win 28-25 with a 34-yard game-winner. The victory was the first overtime victory in Jaguars history, and it also served as the launching pad for the amazing 7-game winning streak on the way to the AFC Championship Game.

Agonizing Defeats in Jaguars History (#4 - #1)

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:11:36 -0500

Today is the finale in a five-part series where we identify the 20 most-agonizing defeats in Jaguars history. Be sure to leave us comments about what you remember about those games. Don't worry: we promise to cheer you up next week during the series "Amazing Victories In Jaguars History." #4 | 12/8/02 vs. Cleveland Browns / 21-20: The Jaguars had taken a 20-14 lead with :56 left in the game against the Cleveland Browns. Coach Tom Coughlin decided to have K Danny Boyd squib the ball, which backfired as Cleveland was able to return the ball to midfield. Three plays later with no time left on the clock, QB Tim Couch tossed a 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to WR Quincy Morgan. The extra point was good, and the Browns escaped with an improbable 21-20 victory. #3 | 1/12/97 vs. New England Patriots (AFC Championship Game) / 20-6: The Jaguars had done the unthinkable in only their second year in the NFL by winning their last five regular season games and two difficult road playoff games to reach the AFC Championship Game. But the Jaguars did not put up much of a fight, and the legendary '96 run came to a disappointing end as the New England Patriots won 20-6. #2 | 12/26/04 vs. Houston Texans / 21-0: The Jaguars were riding high after a huge December road win in Green Bay the previous week, and playoff fever was starting to spread among the Jacksonville faithful. But on a cold, blustery December day in Jacksonville that kept many fans away, it really was for their own good as the Jaguars were embarrassed 21-0 by the pesky Houston Texans. QB Byron Leftwich, suffering from a mild concussion sustained late in the 1st quarter, only had 35 yards passing for the game before getting yanked late in favor of backup QB David Garrard. The Jaguars managed franchise lows with just six first downs and 126 net yards gained, and the loss was instrumental in keeping the Jaguars out of the playoffs again. The 21-0 loss was only the second time the Jaguars had ever been shut out. #1 | 1/23/00 vs. Tennessee Titans (AFC Championship Game) / 33-14: The Jaguars only had 3 losses during the entire season, and they all were at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars took a slim 14-10 lead into halftime of the AFC Championship Game. However, the Titans forced four turnovers and scored 23 unanswered points en route to a 33-14 victory. The loss not only kept the Jaguars out of the Super Bowl but also was the beginning of a 5-year playoff drought.