1966 Philadelphia football card of former pro football receiver Frank Clarke, who played 11 years in the National Football League. He played 3 seasons with the Cleveland Browns before being selected in the 1960 expansion draft to stock the NFL’s new team that season, the Dallas Cowboys. Clarke was a star flanker in the franchise’s early years, one of the team’s earliest bonafide stars. He earned All Pro honors in 1962 and ’64. After retiring as a player, Clarke worked in broadcasting as a sports anchor for a local Dallas station while also doing color commentary on NFL games for CBS.
Archive for December, 2015
NFL – Bills’ Game Review
The Buffalo Bills revived their staggering playoff hopes on Sunday with a 30-21 win over the Houston Texans, leveling their season record at 6-6. They’re still on the outside looking in (6 teams qualify, the Bills stand eighth), but a loss would have all but buried them as far as their postseason hopes were concerned, as it would have been a second consecutive loss to a team ahead of them in the standings. On offense, the team used the formula that they need to follow to be successful – run the ball, don’t turn it over and mix in some big plays in the passing game. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor had what was probably his best game of the season, completing 11 of 21 throws for 211 yards and 3 touchdowns, and running for another score. LeSean McCoy, priming up for a clash with his former team, the Eagles, next week, led the rushing attack with 112 yards on 21 carries, while Taylor and newcomer Mike Gillislee sprinkled in some nice runs to help amass 187 yards on the ground at a 5.2 yard per carry clip. Taylor also spread the ball around nicely to his weapons in the passing game, with Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Charles Clay having big games and scoring touchdowns through the air despite the team’s limited focus on the passing game.
Defensively, the Bills were somewhat disappointing again, as they still are struggling to put together a consistently dominating game. They did, however, make plays when they needed to as they now seem to have evolved into a “bend but don’t break” unit, despite their talent. Some defensive standouts in the game included linebackers Manny Lawson and Preston Brown, who were the team’s leading tacklers, Jerry Hughes and safety Bacarri Rambo, who both had 6 tackles and a sack. Rambo, who is developing into a playmaker in the Bills’ secondary, also had a key pass breakup late in the game to squelch a Texans’ drive with a big hit on the receiver.
Buffalo may have to run the table in their remaining 4 games to make the playoffs, and will begin their attempt to do that next week in Philadelphia against an Eagle team that should be bursting with confidence after knocking off New England on Sunday. That will be the first of the Bills’ NFC East tour, with games against the Redskins in Washington and the Dallas Cowboys at home to follow.
Classic Team Logo of The Day
Logo of a major college football team that plays in the Pacific Twelve Conference, the California Golden Bears. Their program is a long and storied one, having played their first season in 1886. They have claimed 5 national championships and 14 conference titles over the years. The school has provided a treasure trove of players to the NFL, including current stars Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch, Keenan Allen, Wesley Walker and Desean Jackson, while former NFL players who were Cal alumni include Les Richter, Steve Bartkowski, Tony Gonzalez, Sean Dawkins, Ed White and Matt Hazeltine.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1992 Topps football card of former NFL defensive lineman Mike Lodish, who carved out a pretty successful 11 year career in the league. He played five seasons in Buffalo, and played on 4 Super Bowl clubs there, then finished with six seasons with the Denver Broncos, where he was a member of back-to-back title-winning teams. He is one of only three NFL players to be a member of six Super Bowl teams, along with Don Beebe and Tom Brady. After retiring as a player Lodish worked as an NFL player agent for a few years.
Classic Team Logo of The Day
Logo of a college football team, the Columbia University Lions, used from 1936 until 1956. The school, located in Manhattan, fielded it’s first football team in 1870 and is one of the oldest programs in the country. The Lions play in the prestigious Ivy League, which is not exactly a gridiron powerhouse but plays competitive football. The Lions are remembered mostly for their long losing streaks, one of which set an NCAA record for futility, but they’ve sent a few players on to the NFL, including Marcellus Wiley, George Starke and Hall of Famer Sid Luckman. A few other former Lion players went on to become famous in careers other than football – baseball great Lou Gehrig, actor Brian Dennehy and writer Jack Kerouac.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1996 Bowman’s Best football card of former NFL quarterback and coach Jim Harbaugh, who played 15 seasons in the NFL with a number of different teams. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Chicago Bears, where he had the unenviable task of trying to replace the popular Jim McMahon, and although he didn’t play terribly there he seemed to be in coach Mike Ditka’s dog house most of the time. His most successful stint as a player came in his four years in Indianapolis, where he made his only Pro Bowl appearance and led the Colts to the AFC championship game in 1995. Harbaugh has been a very successful head coach since retiring as a player, at Stanford, with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and currently at his alma mater, the University of Michigan.