Yardbarker: Jerome Brown

Where Have You Gone, Lawrence Taylor?

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:18:34 -0500

I love football history. I love reading about it, writing about it, and learning about it. I have a whole slew of players from the Eagles that I would have loved to see play–Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Eric Allen, Randall Cunningham, and Seth Joyner. But if there was one player throughout NFL history that I [...]

The Rivalry That Is The Philadelphia Eagles vs. The Dallas Cowboys: Through My Eyes

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:03:56 -0500

Tonight marks the Philadelphia Eagles?final visit to Texas Stadium (barring a playoff match up), the site of many great battles between the Birds and the 'Boys. With both team's sights locked on Tampa in?February, this early season battle will add another chapter to one of the NFL's most bitter rivalries.

Remember This Guy?

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:41:08 -0500

The Buddy Ryan era produced some of the most memorable moments and players in Philadelphia sports history. Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Seth Joyner, Randall Cunningham, Keith Jackson, Andre Waters, the list goes on and on. There was a member or two from those teams however, that may now have slipped from your memory banks. Players like Mike Pitts. The Ringo Starr of the Eagles Defensive which also included White, Brown, and Clyde Simmons, Pitts was instrumental in helping the Eagles truly dominate both against the run and the pass during his tenure at left defensive tackle from 1987 -1992. In 1989 he laid down opposing quarterbacks 7 times to along with 110 tackles. Those are Pro Bowl numbers these days folks. But next to Brown, Simmons, and White, Pitts was often an afterthought. But he also knew where his success lied as well. "The attention given to Reggie and Jerome on every play made my job easier," Pitts said. "We had such a great camaraderie both on and off the field. On the field, I always knew what Reggie and Jerome were thinking because we played next to each another. For example, if Jerome rushed inside, I would slow down my rush and stunt outside and usually get a free shot on the quarterback." He was part of those games that we all remember so fondly, "The House of Pain Game", "The Body Bag Game" and the game against Dallas in which the Eagles sacked QB Troy Aikman 11 times. On 9/16/1991, Pitts registered 1 of those sacks in the game that Aikman foggily remembers as his welcome to the NFL moment. The Eagles were in their prime when Pitts played on the D line and is cemented in Eagles history as part of the Gang Green Defense. The D will never get the respect it deserved because they never did play in a Super Bowl, but Pitts will always be remembered as a force with the Philadelphia fan base, and he appreciates it as well. Once a coach on the Cleveland Browns staff, Pitts stated, "I would love to coach with the Eagles. To coach in Philadelphia would be very rewarding, primarily because of the fans", said Pitts, "I remember walking out of the 'Vet' locker room when I was playing and talking directly to the fans after the game. "I knew many of the fans by their first name. Eagles fans are the most passionate fans whether we win or lose; it's an amazing atmosphere." "Here in Atlanta, the Falcons fans mostly show enthusiasm when they are winning, and the fans can't even come close to the kind of support given to the sports teams in Philadelphia. "The Atlanta Hawks had the lowest attendance in the NBA. Philly fans are always passionate about their sports teams, and by experience, I can tell you that the coaches and players love that environment." So Philadelphia, before you turn on the game today, remember those players of seasons past and raise your beers and a hot dog to player like Mike Pitts.

LIST: UPDATED, by all you BARKERS --- Here's your NEW & IMPROVED: "BEST Players to ever wear the number"

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:35:37 -0500

I want to thank all the BARKERS in the YARD that took the time to comment on this list and add some players we overlooked in the first go around. That said, BARKERS, we bring you the NEW & IMPROVED UPDATED LIST with players brought to us from all you BARKERS. Now we need to see if we can narrow this list down to our......"BEST EVER to WEAR the NUMBER" What are your thoughts? You can vote on here and I will continue to update on here for all you guys. HERE IS YOUR NEW LIST of the "BEST EVER to WEAR the NUMBER from 0 - 99" 0. Wilber "Pete" Henry 00. Jim Otto 1. Jim Thorpe (wore #'s 3 & 21) over Warren Moon could go here. 2. Charley Trippi 3. Bronko Nagurski over (if you put MOON #1, J.THORPE HERE) 4. Brett Farve 5. Paul Hornung over Donovan McNabb 6. Benny Friedman 7. George "PAPA BEAR" Halas (He started it all for us) over John Elway, if you don't agree w/"PAPA BEAR" 8. Troy Aikman over Steve Young, I went w/ the SB wins 9. Carson Palmer over Sonny Jergenson 10. Fran "THE MAN" Tarkenton 11. Norm Van Brocklin 12. Tom Brady over Terry Bradshaw & Jim Kelly 13. Dan Marino over Don Maynard (my 2nd choice @ this #) 14. Y.A. Tittle 15. Bart Starr 16. Joe Montana over George Blanda (Played 2 positions, {QB & K} & had the record for several years for most points scored in NFL history) 17. Don Meredith 18. Payton Manning over Charlie Joiner 19. Johnny Unitas 20. Barry Sanders over Brian Dawkins and Ed Reed 21. Deion " PRIMETIME" Sanders over LT2 (SD RB) 22. Emmitt Smith over Paul Krause & Roger Wehrli 23. Devin Hester over James Lofton 24. Lenny Moore over Champ Bailey 25. Fred Bilentnikoff 26. Herb Adderley over Rod Woodson 27. Ken Houston 28. Darrell Green over Marshall Faulk 29. Eric Dickerson 30. Bill Willis over Terrell "TD" Davis 31. Jim Taylor 32. Jim Brown 33. Sammy Baugh over Tony Dorsett (Sorry Dallas Fans) 34. Walter "SWEETNESS" Payton over Earl Campbell 35. Pete Pihos 36. Brian Westbrook over Jerome Bettis 37. Doak Walker 38. Mack Strong 39. Larry Csonka 40. Gale Sayers 41. Terrence Newman over Lorenzo Neal 42. ***THIS WAS {1} OF THE TOUGHEST #'s TO PICK FOR ME*** Paul Warfield, Ronnie Lott, Charlie Taylor & Sid Luckman...I'll go CHARLIE TAYLOR 43. Troy Polamalu 44. John Riggins 45. Emlen Tunnell (HOF'er) over T.J. Duckett (this is a hard # to come up with the BEST EVER to Wear #45) 46. Ladell Betts 47. Mel Blount 48. Daryl "Moose" Johnston over Justin Snow 49. Tony Richardson 50. Mike "WIDE EYED" Singletary 51. Dick Butcus 52. Mike Webster over Ray Lewis 53. Keith Bulluck over Harry Carson 54. Randy White over Brian Urlacher 55. Lance Briggs 56. LT (NYG LB) over Shawne Merriman 57. Dwight Stephenson 58. Jack Lambert over Derrick Thomas 59. Jack Ham 60. Chuck Bednarik 61. Bill George 62. Jim Langer 63. Gene Upshaw over Willie Lanier 64. Dave Wilcox 65. Tom Mack over Elvin Bethea 66. Ray Nitschke over Larry Little & Alan Faneca (Tough pick here) 67. Bob Kuechenberg over Tony Ugoh ( I can't think of any others that wore #67, little help here?) 68. Joe Delamielleure 69. John Runyan 70. Rayfield Wright over Art Donovan & Sam Huff 71. Walter Jones over Fred Dean 72. Dan Dierdorf 73. Ron Yary over John Hannah and Joe Klecko (Hard Pick here) 74. Merlin Olsen over Ron Mix 75. Deacon Jones over "Mean"Joe Green & Jonathon Ogden 76. Steve Hutchinson 77. Red Grange 78. Anthony Munoz over Jackie Slater, Art Shell, Bruce Smith & Bobby Bell 79. Bob St. Clair 80. Jerry Rice over Cris Carter 81. Dick "NIGHT TRAIN " Lane over Doug Atkins , Terrell Owens (TO) & Andre Reed 82. Ozzie Newsome 83. Ted Hendricks 84. Randy Moss (before he switched #'s) over Shannon Sharpe 85. Jack Youngblood 86. Dante Lavelli over Buck Buchanan 87. Dave Casper over Willie Davis 88. Marvin Harrison over John Mackey Alan Page & Michael Irvin 89. Gino Marchetti over Mike Ditka 90. Julius Peppers 91. Tommie Harris 92. Reggie "Minister of Defense" White 93. Dwight Freeny 94. DeMarcus Ware 95. Shawn Phillips 96. Adalius Thomas 97. Patrick Kerney 98. John Henderson over Tony Siragusa 99. Jason Taylor over Dan Hampton & Jerome Brown

They Were Eagles

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:51:45 -0500

This is a very good video I came across, and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy.

Byron Evans Great End Zone Dance

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:16:46 -0500

PE.com just did a "Where are they now?" piece on former Eagles linebacker Byron Evans. In this article they mention an interception returned for a touchdown?Evans had?against Phil Simms?and the Giants. They even show a picture of Evans in the end zone. In case you have never seen this before, or have just forgotten about it, [...]

The Official Flyers Post

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:38:42 -0500

I understand it's baseball season, but bear with me. Hockey season is, after all, never more than three months away.

Growing up in Philadelphia, I was always into sports, both in terms of playing and following. Until I was about 8 years old (1992), none of the Philly teams were any good. The Eagles had a tremendous defense led by Reggie White and Jerome Brown and an always interesting offense with Randle Cunningham at the helm, but the Redskins, Giants, and Cowboys were always better. And then Jerome died and Reggie said it wasn't about the money and left for more money, and Rich Kotite came to town, and well, I'd really rather not get into it.

In 1993 the Phillies made a magical run and lost in tragic fashion, and the Sixers thought trading Charles Barkley for a white guy was a good idea. (It wasn't.) And then, out of nowhere, the Flyers, a team that had lost at least 37 games in each of its last 5 seasons, started making some noise in 1994. They had this new guy, Eric Lindros. And they had this old guy, Bobby Clarke. And then all of a sudden, a team that had been a doormat for 5 years was, in a season that didn't start until January 21st, the Atlantic Division champs. And they went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, sweeping the defending champion Rangers on their way there. And I was hooked.

In the 95-96 season, they took a slight step backward, losing to the Florida Panthers in the semifinals. But still, it was clear that this team was going to be a force to be reckoned with. And in 1996-97, they were. They won 45 games for the second consecutive season, and cruised to a 12-3 record in the playoffs, earning a date with the Detroit Red Wings. And then the wheels came off.

The Red Wings didn't just beat the Flyers - they destroyed them. even at age 12, this was painfully obvious to me. They were faster, they were fancier, and shit, they were just better. In retrospect, that series marked the dawn of a new era in hockey. The game was no longer about big guys like Eric Lindros and John LeClair. Sure, you could win a lot of games with guys like that, but you can't win the most important games. You need to kill penalties, you need to score on power plays, and you need to not get hurt.

And yet, the Flyers kept on keepin' on. They kept making the playoffs and we as Philadelphians kept drinking the orange Kool Aid. And then in 2000, it looked like they might finally do it. After dropping the first two games at home to the Penguins in the conference semis, they won game 3 in overtime. And then they won game 4 in the fifth overtime. And well, you don't recover from a loss like that. At home. They won the next two against an already defeated Penguins team and had a date with the Devils, a team that I hate more than every other team in the world not from Dallas. And the Flyers went up 3 games to 1. And they were doing all of this without their melon-skulled captain, Eric Lindros.

And then they lost game 5 at home. And game 6 on the road. And then Lindros made his heroic early return from his 247th concussion for game 7. And Then Scott Stevens knocked him the fuck out. And they lost. And by then, I was done. I was no longer some 12 year old who actually thought his team still had a future. At age 16, I knew that this current group of players - and that current type of big, bruising player - wasn't going to cut it. And I also knew that if you wanted to win a Stanley Cup, you need a top of the line goalie. You know who didn't know that? Bobby Clarke. He brought in guys like Keith Primeau and Jeremy Roenick, guys who were undeniably good players, and at the same, undeniably not good enough to build a cup winning team around. If a 16 year old that had never played hockey understood what needed to be done, one would think a Hall of Famer would have been able to figure it out. One would be wrong.

In 2004 The Flyers started to suck me back in when they forced the Lightning to a game 7 in the Eastern conference finals. But even then, I knew they weren't going to win. They were the Flyers, and this was a game 7. And sure enough, they lost to a team that scored on half of their power plays in the series, which is usually a good way to go about winning hockey games. And then the lockout happened and hockey was officially dead to me.

And then, this season, something strange happened. Last season (06-07) the Flyers had the worst record in the NHL, which made them super easy to not care about. And then, in the offseason, they made some changes. Bobby Clarke was no longer in charge of personnel decisions, and the free agents they signed, headlined by Danny Briere, were the type of hockey player that this team has needed for countless seasons. And the team came roaring out of the gate. And yes, they had a few hiccups, at one point losing 10 games in a row. But they held on, made the playoffs, beat two division winners, including the top seed in the conference, Montreal, and eventually lost to a team that was healthier, and, well, better.

And what's different this time around is that this team really does have nowhere to go but up. This team, with young, talented players like Briere and Mike Richards, is going to keep getting better. Do I think they'll win a Stanley Cup? Hell no, they're the Flyers. They've broken my heart far too many times for me to just take them back. But watching some of their games this past season, I actually found myself caring about the result of their games, which is something I hadn't done since 2000. Am I ready to trust the Flyers again? No. (You burn in hell, Bobby Clarke.) But is hockey still dead to me? You know, I don't think it is. And honestly, that's kinda nice. After all, hockey does kick ass.Subscribe to us

1985 Bears vs 2000 Ravens vs 1991 Eagles Defense

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:35:02 -0500

There was an original article asking who was the "Best Defense of All Time" http://yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/The_best_defense_of_all_time/247044 I was going to elaborate on a post but it became obvious it was going to be rather lengthy. So what better way to argue than some comparisons. A true defense is one that is tested with the toughest offensive opponents. Judging by the strength of division/schedule, and the # of times each team had to perform against top notch players. I repeat that the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles were the best defense of ALL TIME. Here are some things to ponder: Number of Hall of Fame players that each defense had to face (*Jerry Rice recieved my vote since he is obviously a HOF) . The number of games played against HOF offensive talent (haha I almost got emotional when I saw that ART MONK FINALLY MADE THE HOF THIS YEAR) the number of pro bowl players on each "best of defense", along with ranking team offense (yes this counts b/c going 3 and out puts your defense on the field more often). And sustaining offensive drives lets your defense rest and hold it's "numbers" b/c the offense is chewing up the clock. Let's start with the big one. Number of Hall of Fame players each defense had to face: 1985 Bears: 5 (Joe Montana, Jerry Rice*, Art Monk, John Riggins and Dan Marino). They played each quarterback ONCE and Jerry Rice was a rookie that started a whopping 4 games. The Bears also lost their only game vs the Dolphins. 2000 Ravens: 3 (Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith and Jerome Bettis) They played the future HOF Cowboys once while Aikman and Smith were in the twilight of their respective careers. But the Ravens did have to face the consistent running of Jerome Bettis twice. 1991 Eagles: 7 (Joe Montana, Jerry Rice*, Art Monk, Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith, Michael Irvin and Warren Moon). The 49ers were just slowing as the team of the 80's, the Dallas Cowboys would become the team of the 90's. And Warren Moon compiled nearly 4700 passing yards that year while on the dangerous "Run N Shoot" Houston Oilers. All of these teams HOF were in the prime of their careers. They faced the 49ers and Oilers once while facing the Cowboys twice. Number All-Pro Defensive players: 1985 Bears: 6 (Richard Dent, Otis Wilson, Dan Hampton, Steve Mcmichael, Dave Duerson, and Mike Singletary) 2000 Ravens: 3 (Rod Woodson, Ray Lewis and Sam Adams) 1991 Eagles: 5 (Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Seth Joyner, Eric Allen and Clyde Simmons) Team Statistics: 1985 Bears: Points Allowed 198, Yards Allowed 4,135, yards per rush 3.67, 64.0 sacks, 34 Ints, 9 forced fumbles. 2000 Ravens: Points Allowed 165, Yards Allowed 3,967, yards per rush 2.69, 35.0 sacks, 23 ints, 19 forced fumbles. 1991 Eagles: Points Allowed 244, Yards Allowed 3,549, yards per rush 3.0, 54.0 sacks, 26ints, 11 forced fumbles. Strength of Division: 1985 Bears faced perrinial basement dwellers (Packers, Lions, Vikings, Bucs) and combined for a 24-40 record. Absolute garbage when it comes to competition and only the Bears made the playoffs in the NFC South. 2000 Ravens faced the Titans, Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Jags with a combined record of 36-44. And only the Titans and Ravens made the playoffs out of the AFC Central. 1991 Eagles faced the previous Superbowl Champion New York Giants, along with the eventual Superbowl winners (Washington Redskins) the red hot Dallas Cowboys (#7 offense) and Pheonix Cardnials. They had a combined record of 37-33 which made for a more competitive division. Washington and Dallas both made the playoffs. Top 10 offense each team had to play: 1985 Bears: Dolphins #4, San Fran #5, Jets #7, Patriots #10. They played each team once. 2000 Ravens: Jags #8 whom they played twice (so ONE top ten offensive team in the league) 1991 Eagles: Redskins #1 (twice), San Fran #3, Houston Oilers #4, #7 Cowboys (twice). The Eagles split the Redskins/Cowboys series while losing to SF and beating the Oilers. Team Offense: 1985 was key for the Chicago Bears. They boasted HOF running back Walter Payton (1,551 yards and 9tds) and a 4-6 defensive scheme that was unchartered by any team at the time. They had the #2 ranked offense led by pro bowl quarterback Jim McMahon, as well as pro bowl center Jay HilgenBerg. 2000 Ravens ranked 14th in the NFL (which was the mid point) and had a stellar running game with Jamal Lewis and Priest Holmes (combined for 1,952 yards and 8tds). Pro bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden and All Pro kicker Matt Stover. 1991 Eagles ranked #18 out of 28 NFL teams. They had severe offensive woes in that they had had 4 starting quarterbacks (Randall Cunningham was on IR after the 1st quarter of game 1). And a rushing "attack" led by James Joseph (440 yds), "Tank" Heath Sherman (279 yds) and Keith "just throw me the ball" Byars (383 yds). All three backs combined for a TOTAL OF 4 RUSHING TDS. The irony is that Jim McMahon was also on this team (but never lived up to his pro bowl status as a back up). If you combine the amount of HOF, strength of schedule, # of players who made the pro bowl, and how much a liability a bad offense is in regards to your defensive stats. It's plain to see how the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) were the best defensive team of all-time. You can debate all you want. But these are the facts plain and simple. You may not agree with me, but the stats don't lie. I rest my "DEFENSE" RIP Reggie White, Andre Waters and Jerome Brown. You are missed.

Classic Eagles Rap: Buddy's Watchin' You

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:50:21 -0500

This is classic stuff! 1988: Randal Cunningham, Jerome Brown, Reggie White, Wes Hopkins, Mike Quick, Wes Hopkins, and more Eagles make the rap "Buddy's Watchin' You".

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:47:04 -0500

Bust out your yarmulkes and start slicing the challah. It is time for your Friday wrap up of links that I failed to cover during the week. * Jerome Brown of San Clemente, California pleaded not guilty after being accused of forming fake businesses to defraud other companies out of about $450,000. His lawyer claims that he was acting as a sports agent and is innocent [Man pleads not guilty to corporate ID theft]. * Nick Saban should have taken his agent's advice when he told him not to coach the Dolphins [Sports agent gives the inside scoop to QB Club]. * A writer for the Fullerton College paper would not have issue if all sports agents dropped dead tomorrow [Agents of Destruction]. * The real issue that many people are glancing over when discussing Kobe Bryant's future with the L.A. Lakers has to do with the "No-Trade" clause that his agent, Rob Pelinka, negotiated into his current contract [Kobe Has The Power]. * A-Rod may now have an easier time deciding whether or not to stay with the Yankees after his three day getaway at Camp Boras [Rodriguez wraps up meetings with Boras]. * More A-Rod: Darren Rovell talks to Scott Boras about some money figures [Scott Boras, Agent For A-Rod: Our Conversation]. Have a great weekend, and Go Gators! -Darren Heitner