Hall of Fame nominees were announced a couple of weeks ago and Kurt Warner has a pretty good shot at a bust 5/6 odds to win. Do we at bleedbigblue.com believe the former Rams, Giants and Cardinals QB is Hall worthy?  Let us examine closer…

Check out the career numbers below.  Which one ISN’T a Hall of famer?

What if I told you, the bottom two rows of statistics belong to HOFers.  The top line is on the outside looking in.

Row 1.  Kurt Warner

Row 2. Troy Aikman

Row 3. Joe Namath.

Let that soak in for a second….

#MindBlown? – For those trying to make a case against Kurt Warner, you better come with a luggage full of arguments, because his numbers do not lie. 

Now accept that these numbers were accumulated with Warner playing less than 11 games in 6 of the 12 seasons he played in the NFL.  To quote Darth Vader, those numbers are “impressive”, to say the least.  

The knock against Warner is of course an ugly, and that is being kind, five-season span between 2002 and 2006.  During that time Warner went 8-22 as a starter and tossed three more interceptions than he did touchdowns, 30 Int’sto 27 TD’s.  Yikes… 

However, there is a flip side to that coin.  Consider what took place between the dreadful seasons of ’02 to ’06, and then go back and look at his career numbers again.  Stellar, right?  In his seven other seasons, Warner won two MVP awards and played in three Super Bowls. The four-time Pro Bowl pick also led the NFL in touchdown passes twice and passing yards once.

Want more? … Good, cause I got more. 

Every player that has won multiple MVPs in the NFL is enshrined in Canton.  The list includes Joe Montana, Steve Young and Johnny Unitas.  Brett Favre and Kurt Warner will soon be added to that list.  

But if you still are in doubt here are some more numbers….

Warner currently holds the seventh-highest career passer rating of all-time (93.7), and the third-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5%. In 13 career playoff games, Warner ranks first all-time in completion percentage (66.5%), first in yards per attempt (8.55), and second in passer rating (102.8). He also holds the highest completion percentage for a single game during the regular season, at 92.3 percent (24/26), on September 20, 2009, against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“It wouldn’t feel right to travel the easy road to anything,” Warner said when asked about not getting into the HOF on his first try…“I am tremendously honored that God has chosen me for my journey and I know it is not over yet!…if I am to be a member of the pro football HOF then it will happen in due time, if not I am more than content with the things I accomplished in the game, especially the imprint I was able to leave on my teammates and the organizations that gave me the opportunity to represent them!”

And there, in a nut shell, is the one thing that should put Warner over the top. The quality of the man himself. Not at the game of football, but the game of life.  In a time when all we hear are negatives about our grid iron heroes, here is a man who was a positive to all he came into contact with, on and off the field. 

It was 2004 when I rushed my entire family to Albany for Giants training camp.  We just drafted Eli Manning and I would not be deterred, his autograph would be mine.  But in the time we spent waiting on Eli, it was another man who made a lasting impression on my family and I.  It was Kurt Warner.  

We waited with thousands of other Giants fans for autographs from the players.  My step-son, Jesse, was 9 at the time.  As we waited for Eli, we noticed Warner stopping and signing autographs, taking pictures and chatting away with anyone who approached him.  

Class personified.  

I walked up to him with Jesse and kindly asked if he would mind taking a picture with the lad.  He obliged of course, but just when I was about to click the picture a man came up with a football, stepped right in front of Jesse and shoved the football in Warner’s face to sign it.  

Annoyed as I was, I wasn’t going to start a war in front of my kid; I smiled at Jesse and said simply, “next time kiddo.”….we went to walk away and Kurt Warner, NFL and Super Bowl MVP grabbed my arm and said “hold on…” to me. He then happily signed the rude jerks football without missing a beat. When the man walked away, Warner turned to Jesse, put his arm around him, and said with a smile, “Let’s try this again”.  

Kurt Warner, the man, is now and forever will be a Hall of Famer in the game of life….and sooner rather than later, he will be a NFL Hall of Famer as well. It’s only a matter a time until the smile he wore in the picture with Jesse is engraved onto a bust in Canton, Ohio.  

Tip of the cap Mr. Warner….you got our vote!   

The post Is Kurt Warner A Hall Of Famer ? first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

Photo from Giants.com

Michael Strahan Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014

Here is an Email From Giants.com

Enshrinement Ceremony

New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills

Game Coverage

Michael Strahan to be honored at November 3 Giants game

The post Michael Strahan Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014 first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

My All Time NY Giants Team

Hello Bleed Big Bluers…

I was recently asked by our fearless leader Marco here at Bleed Big Blue to put together my All Time Giants team.  That leaves a lot of room for debate among anyone who Bleeds Big Blue, I mean we are a pretty passionate bunch to say the least.  So I decided to stay true to myself.  This is my All-Time Giants Team right?  I’m pretty sure every fan of every team has an all time greatest team. So you make yours, but this my friends, is mine.

Lets start with this…

Got chills?…We all have a passion for this team and the memories they have brought us.  No matter your age, if you are a fan, you have an idea in your head of who the greatest players in said teams franchise history are…Let the debate rage on….

Coach – Bill Parcells – Coughlin gets a lot of consideration, but let’s not forget who taught him.

Offensive Coordinator – Tom Coughlin 

Defensive Coordinator – Vince Lombardi 

Offense:

QB – Phil Simms – I know all about Eli, but I’m a Simms guy, and I still say if he had as many WR’s to throw to as Eli, or even Kerri Collins for that matter, Simms might have a Bust in Canton. The other thing is, with the personalities I have on this team, I need a QB who isn’t afraid to grab a guy by the face mask and curse him out every now and again. #22of25

Back-Up QB – Eli Manning – This is probably the area of the team where I will be most criticized,  Eli is in the midst of probably, if not already, becoming the Giants greatest QB of all time.  He handles himself  with class and I’m proud that he is the face of this franchise today.  He is the only Giants QB with two Super Bowl MVP’s and has accounted for some of the most memorable plays of our history of our storied franchise,  and in only the last decade…I get the argument here….but again, I’m a Simms guy.

RB – Tiki Barber –  I have a genuine dislike for Tiki Barber, but hard to argue with what he did on the field.  The numbers speak for themselves…We forget how good he was.

Goal Line RB – O.J. Anderson – Add Super Bowl 25 MVP Otis Anderson, with Tiki,  and you got a pretty wicked ass Thunder and Lightning pair in the backfield.

https://www.giants.com/videos/videos/Super-Bowl-Moment-No-6/973e51e4-dbc5-46dd-ac63-14108f26d37f

3rd Down RB – David Meggett – Frank Gifford got some consideration here but I took points away from Gifford for marrying Kathy Lee.

FB – Maurice Carthon – The definition of a full back.

WR – Homer Jones – Jones finished his career with 224 receptions for 4,986 yards, an average of 22.3 yards per catch, and 38 touchdowns (36 receiving, one rushing, one kick return). His yard per catch ranks number one for all N.F.L. players in a career with at least 200 receptions. Homer Jones also was the first player to “spike” the ball after a TD.  BooYah!

WR – Armani Toomer – Toomer was Mr. Dependable for a long time for Big Blue, and made clutch catch after clutch catch through out his career.

WR – Victor Cruz – Hard to leave this salsa dancer off the list…his age and talent can move him to the top of this list in years to come.

4th WR in my Sub packages — Plaxico Burress – I  know…he shot himself and more than likely cost us back to back titles…but try winning in 2007 without this beast.

TE’s – Mark Bavaro and Howard Cross – It’s fucking Rambo…enough said. And Cross to block in 2 TE’s sets…phenomenal run blocker, who had good hands that he wasn’t asked to use much.

ATTENTION: Adrien Robinson, Larry Donnell and Xavier Grimble…watch this!

Offensive Line:

LT – Jumbo Elliot – Ask Bruce Smith how good Jumbo was.

LG – Brad Benson – Versatile linemen that can play any spot on the line at an All-Pro level.

C – Bart Oates – Smart, tough and dependable. Edges out Mel Hein because of his rapport with Simms.

RG – Chris Snee – For a decade he’s been a force on the line…and has 2 rings to show for it.

RT – Roosevelt Brown – Hall of Famer and the anchor for the Championship Giants teams of yesteryear.

Back-Up O-Line – G/T = Eric Moore, C-G Brian Williams,  C – Mel Hein

Defense:

LE – Michael Strahan – Played the run as good as he rushed the passer, and after years of disappointments, won a ring in his final game.

DT – Roosevelt Grier – This big defensive tackle is a 2-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro with 1956 NFL champs… He is drafted in the third round out of Penn State… Rosey makes 5 playoff appearances and wins one title.

DT –  Jim Burt – Can still see him climbing into the stands after the Super Bowl 21 victory over the Broncos.

DE – George Martin – Any Giants fan my age remembers Mr. Martin picking off a pass to the flat by John Elway and chugging 60 yards for a TD, only to be tackled by Lawrence Taylor. One of the defining plays of the Super Bowl season of 1986.

DE – Jason Pierre-Paul – As long as JPP keeps his head on straight and can stay healthy, he’s on the team. We don’t win the division in 2011 without him.

DE – Leonard Marshall- Marshall sent Joe Montana to the sidelines in the 1990 NFC championship with what is still one of the most vicious hits ever seen. I think he’s still bouncing up and down on the Candlesticks sideline screaming “A minute away from Tampa Bay“.

DT – Keith Hamilton – The Hammer, was a monster on the D-line and enjoyed punishing opposing offenses.

OLB – Lawrence Taylor – #TheG.O.A.T. #GreatestOfAllTime,  Which leads me to my next point, kids, don’t smoke crack.

ILB – Harry Carson – Hall of Famer and a leader among Giants.

ILB – Antoni0 Pierce – Sideline to sideline defender who loves blowing up screens and taking on 3 blockers at a time.  One of the biggest plays in Giants history.

OLB – Carl Banks – If he wasn’t in LT’s shadow, Banks would be talked about a lot more often for how great of a player he was.

Back up Backers – OLB Jesse Armstead,  ILB Gary Reasons and ILB Pepper Johnson

CB – Jason Sehorn – Stop shaking your head.  Before Jim Fassel put Sehorn back to return kicks (#moron), Jason was on the fast track to becoming the best corner in the league.  Rare combination of size, speed and intelligence.  Could have been one of the great ones if not for an ill fated preseason kick-off return against the Jets.

CB – Mark Collins – Tough and physical.  Helped pound Bills WR’s all day in Super Bowl 25

CB – Corey Webster – He fell off of lately, but the runs he had during the playoffs in 2007 and 2011 helped the Giants hoist the Lombardi Torphy.

FS – Antrel Rolle – Leader of men.  All he wants to do “at the end of the day” is win, and will do whatever is asked of him to accomplish that goal.

SS -Greg Jackson – Unheralded but always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, also wasn’t afraid to knock a WR’s head off coming over the middle.

Back-up Secondary — CB/S – Everson Walls, S/CB Perry Williams

Punter – Sean Landeta – No questions about this one. Hopefully he doesn’t miss any punts like in Chicago in “85…still having bad dreams about that one.

Kicker – Matt Bahr – Matty was Money!!

KR/PR – Dave Meggett – Miss hearing Chris Berman shouting “And look at the little Meggett run”

Hopefully my selections got you talking, and I know the highlights got you ready for the season to start.

Let the debate commence Bleed Big Blue nation.  What say you?

The post MY ALL TIME NY GIANTS TEAM first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

On Super Bowl Sunday every Giants fan was filled with Big Blue pride when Michael Strahan, was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame. He is election was well deserving and his accomplishments have been well chronicled. I personally want to congratulate him! However, it got me thinking…

What if I told you there is one former New York Giant also deserves to have Hall of Fame honors. Who is it? Think hard! Answer: OJ Anderson. Shocked? Before you LOL…take a moment.

OJ Anderson retired in 1992, at the time he was ranked 8th all-time in rushing (10,273 yards) and 7th all-time in touchdowns with a career total of 86. He has more rushing yards than long time Hall of Famers, Gale Sayers, Frank Gifford, Larry Czsonka, Jim Taylor and Earl Campbell.

I know people will say he is only 26th on the all-time rushing list now. But the explosion of running backs reaching 10,000 yards has been in the last 10 years. Players like Adrian Peterson and Corey Dillon have benefited from rule changes that benefit the offense. OJ played in era with stifling defenses like the ’85 Bears, Doomsday, and the Steel Curtain which only proves how impressive it was for him to get to 10,000 yards and make it as high on the rushing list as he did.

OJ was selected in the 1979, NFL draft and was a first round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals (8th overall). (By the way, guess who was picked 7th overall in the ’79 draft…don’t think too hard.) From 1979-1984, OJ Anderson was the second leading rusher in the NFL, the only player with more yards during those five years was the immortal Walter Payton, member of the Hall of Fame. In the first 6 years of his career, all with the perennial cellar dwelling Cardinals (in the old NFC East) he gained 7,999 yards (Cardinals all-time leader) and averaged over 4 yards a carry. In his rookie year alone he gained 1,605 yards and earned the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He followed up his rookie season with rushing for 1,352 yards in 1980, 1,376 yards in 1981, 1,270 yards in 1983, and 1,174 yards in 1984. The only seasons he did not rush for over 1,000 yards with the Cards were the 1982, strike shortened season when he rushed for 587 yards in 8 games. And again in 1985, he rushed for 479 yards in 9 games due to injury.

In 1986, he was traded to Big Blue and enjoyed the Super Bowl XXI season and capped it off that championship season with a touchdown in the Super Bowl. (By the way the 7th pick in the ’79 draft was Super Bowl XXI MVP). In 1989, OJ was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year when he rushed for 1,023 yards. In 1990, he would rush for 784 yards on the way to Super Bowl XXV. In Super Bowl XXV he rushed for 102 yards with a touchdown and earned the Super Bowl MVP Award. Even today you can picture OJ barreling off tackle, right arm upper cut, fist curling and smacking into Steve Kelso one of the

truly most memorable Super Bowls moments. He is only one of 4 running backs to earn the MVP Award in the Super Bowl. Who are the other three? Franco Harris, John Riggins and Emmitt Smith (twice) last I checked all in the Hall of Fame.

Anderson not only was a dominant rusher he had 376 catches for 3,062 yards. Twice he was named to the All-Pro team. Big Blue definitely deserves one more hall of famer…even if he is shared with the Cardinals.

OJ’s on twitter give him a follow @OJAnderson24

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