NFL 100: A Spotlight
The coaching tree, the tree that shows how well a coach can pass down his knowledge to his assistants to eventually succeed in their own way. There is only one man, whose coaching tree spans from the 1950's to the present day. Whose revolutionary schemes to the passing game helped put the American Football League to the American spotlight. That man was Sid Gillman.
Gillman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 26, 1911. He would go on to play and coach at Ohio State under head coach Sam Willaman. It is from there that Gillman would develop his offense. It would be a long rise from college to the pros.
He got his first head coaching gig at University of Miami (Ohio) and would finish with a 31-6 record in 4 seasons with a victory in the Sun Bowl. His next gig was at Cincinnati where he would lead the Bearcats to three conference titles and a bowl game but would lose in the Sun Bowl against West Texas State. He would finally get his shot at the pros with the Los Angeles Rams.
In his first season with the Rams, Gillman led them to a 8-3-1 record and a berth in the NFL Championship game against the Cleveland Browns. They would lose the game. He would finish his tenure in LA with a 28-31-1 record and was fired after the 1959 season.
He would become the first head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, a new team in the newly minted American Football League. His teams were dominant in the new league as the Chargers would be in the AFL Championship game in five of six seasons. He would achieve his first and only pro football championship in the 1963 AFL Championship game, beating the Boston Patriots 51-10, utilizing on a strong running game with some help from quarterback John Hadl to his favorite target Lance Alworth.
While he may have won only one league championship and no Super Bowl wins, Sid Gillman's accomplishments really come down to the knowledge that he bestowed to his assistants. Such people like Al Davis, Chuck Noll, Chuck Knox, Dick Vermeil, George Allen, and Don Coryell. You can trace any head coach in the NFL to Sid Gillman. For example, John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, was an assistant to Andy Reid, who was an assistant to Mike Holmgren, who was an assistant to Bill Walsh, who was an assistant to Al Davis, who was an assistant to Sid Gillman. Any sort of passing offense can be traced back to the Gillman offense. That's really and truly his legacy to the game.
Week 6 Recap
Last week was a terrible week for me. Probably my worst week for quite a while. Road teams are having a great season so far and I've been stuck in that "Homedog always takes the cake" mentality. Let's see if this week was better for me.
NY Giants 14, New England 35: TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
The game started off poorly for the Pats but their defense and special teams really kept the Giants from getting anything going. Daniel Jones threw the ball for 161 yards for a touchdown and three interceptions. The Giants running game didn't even get above double digits so its not even noteworthy. Tom Brady threw the ball for 334 yards with an interception. Brady would run it in for two touchdowns while Sony Michel was the leading rusher with 86 yards. At least Brady can take solace knowing that he beat the Giants for probably the last time in his career.
All-time series: Patriots lead series 7-6
Next week: NY Giants: @ Arizona; New England: @ NY Jets
TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0
Carolina 37, Tampa Bay 26: TW: Panthers; CV: Panthers
While the Buccaneers held Christian McCaffrey to his lowest stats of the season, it didn't help that Jameis Winston had five interceptions in the game. Kyle Allen threw the football for 227 yards with two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey ran the ball for 31 yards on 22 carries for a touchdown. Curtis Samuel also got a rushing touchdown on a 8-yard play. Joey Slye would hit three for five field goals. Jameis Winston threw the ball for an even 400 yards with a touchdown and five interceptions. Ronald Jones and Dare Ogunbowale would score rushing touchdowns for the Bucs as well. Just imagine how well the Buccaneers can play if Winston threw less than one interception.
All-time series: Panthers lead series 24-15
Next week: Carolina: Bye; Tampa Bay: Bye
TW: 2-0; CV: 2-0
New Orleans 13, Jacksonville 6: TW: Saints; CV: Saints
Teddy Bridgewater has done well with Drew Brees out. Bridgewater finished the game with 240 yards with a touchdown. Latavius Murray would have the leading rusher honors with 44 from the ground. Gardner Minshew threw the ball for a measly 163 yards with an interception. Leonard Fournette would get 72 yards from the ground. Saints defense is pretty legit.
All-time series: Saints lead series 5-2
Next week: New Orleans: @ Chicago; Jacksonville: @ Cincinnati
TW: 3-0; CV: 3-0
Philadelphia 20, Minnesota 38: TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
Carson Wentz played a pretty nice game but ultimately turnovers costed them in this game. Wentz threw the ball for 306 yards for two touchdowns and an interception. Philly's running game couldn't get much threw the Vikings defense as Jordan Howard mustered only 49 yards. Kirk Cousins had another great game with 333 yards for four touchdowns and an interception. Stephon Diggs had 167 receiving yards and three touchdowns from that. Dalvin Cook got a rushing touchdown on 41 yards from the ground but it would be Alexander Mattison who got leading rusher honors with 63. NFC East is going to come down to whoever wins nine games.
All-time series: Vikings lead series 15-14
Next week: Philadelphia: @ Dallas; Minnesota: @ Detroit
TW: 4-0; CV: 4-0
Washington 17, Miami 16: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The game came down to a dropped pass on a 2-point conversion with six seconds left. Case Keenum started for the Redskins, and he threw the ball for 166 yards for two touchdowns. Adrian Peterson reminded us of his prime with 118 yards from the ground. Josh Rosen started for Miami but was benched with a meager 85 yards passing with two interceptions. Ryan Fitzpatrick gave the Dolphins some life with 132 yards passing with a touchdown. Kenyan Drake was the leading rusher for the Dolphins with 40 while Kalen Ballage got a rushing touchdown with seven yards rushing. Washington finally got a dub.
All-time series: Dolphins lead series 9-6
Next week: Washington: vs San Francisco; Miami: @ Buffalo
TW: 4-1; CV: 4-1
Houston 31, Kansas City 24: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
Houston controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes in this game. Can't win much if you can't stop people. DeShaun Watson threw the ball for 280 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Carlos Hyde gave up a fumble on the first play from scrimmage but would make up for it with a 116 yards from the ground with a touchdown while Watson ran it in for two scores with 40 yards rushing. DeShaun Watson threw the ball for 273 yards for three touchdowns and an interception. LeSean McCoy got only 44 yards for the game on 8 carries. To beat the better offense is to keep it from doing its thing and that's keeping it off the field.
All-time series: Chiefs lead series 6-5
Next week: Houston: @ Indianapolis; Kansas City: @ Denver (Thursday night)
TW: 4-2; CV: 4-2
Seattle 32, Cleveland 28: TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks
The Browns still don't get it, sadly. Russell Wilson had another great game with 295 passing yards with two touchdowns. He would also get a rushing touchdown. Chris Carson was the leading rusher with 124 yards with a touchdown. Baker Mayfield threw for 249 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Nick Chubb was the leading rusher for the Browns with 122 yards with two touchdowns.
All-time series: Seahawks lead series 13-6
Next week: Seattle: vs Baltimore; Cleveland: Bye
TW: 5-2; CV: 5-2
Cincinnati 17, Baltimore 23: TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
Lamar Jackson dominated the Bengals with his arm and his legs. Andy Dalton threw the ball for 235 yards with an interception. Dalton would run it in for a score. Joe Mixon could only get 10 yards from the ground on eight carries. Lamar Jackson threw the ball for 236 yards with zero touchdowns. Jackson was the leading rusher with 152 and a touchdown. Mark Ingram ran the ball for 52 yards with a touchdown.
All-time series: Ravens lead series 24-23
Next week: Cincinnati: vs Jacksonville; Baltimore: @ Seattle
TW: 6-2; CV: 6-2
San Francisco 20, LA Rams 7: TW: Rams; CV: Rams
The Rams scored on their first possession, and didn't get much else in this game. Jimmy Garoppolo got 243 yards passing with an interception. He would get a rushing touchdown. Matt Breida would get 43 yards rushing with a touchdown. Jared Goff could only get 78 yards passing with zero touchdowns. Robert Woods would get the only touchdown for the Rams. San Francisco seems to be legit.
All-time series: 49ers lead series 70-67-3
Next week: San Francisco: @ Washington; LA Rams: @ Atlanta
TW: 6-3; CV: 6-3
Atlanta 33, Arizona 34: TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons
The game came down to a shootout and the Falcons couldn't stop Kyler Murray. Matt Ryan threw the ball for 356 yards for four touchdowns. Devonta Freeman got 88 rushing yards but got no touchdowns. Kyler Murray carved the Falcons defense for 340 yards for three touchdowns. David Johnson got a rushing touchdown with 34 yards for the day. Overall, the game shows how much the Falcons need a coaching change with a defensive mind like Dan Quinn.
All-time series: Cardinals lead series 17-15
Next week: Atlanta: vs LA Rams; Arizona: @ NY Giants
TW: 6-4; CV: 6-4
Dallas 22, NY Jets 24: TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys
It wasn't a sexy matchup on paper but it was somewhat of a thrilling game. Dak Prescott threw the ball for 277 yards with zero touchdowns. Ezekiel Elliot ran the ball for 105 yards with a touchdown. Sam Darnold threw the ball for 238 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Le'Veon Bell ran the ball for 50 yards with a touchdown on the day. How long will Dallas keep giving Jason Garrett a job? God only knows.
All-time series: Cowboys lead series 7-5
Next week: Dallas: vs Philadelphia; NY Jets: vs New England
TW: 6-5; CV: 6-5
Tennessee 0, Denver 16: TW: Broncos; CV: Broncos
The Titans had a rough time on both sides of the ball and the Broncos defense definitely had a great day fantasy wise. Marcus Mariota threw the ball for 144 yards with an interception and Ryan Tannehill didn't help the cause as he threw for two interceptions. Derrick Henry couldn't get much either with 28 yards from the ground. Joe Flacco had 177 yards passing with an interception. Phillip Lindsey had the only offensive touchdown and had 70 yards on the ground.
All-time series: Titans lead series 23-18
Next week: Tennessee: vs LA Chargers; Denver: vs Kansas City (Thursday night)
TW: 7-5; CV: 7-5
Pittsburgh 24, LA Chargers 17: TW: Steelers; CV: Chargers
Devlin Hodges got his first win as a starter while playing manager behind a great defensive effort from Pittsburgh. Hodges threw the ball for 132 yards for a touchdown and an interception. Benny Snell was the leading rusher with 75 yards but James Conner got a touchdown with 41 yards rushing. Phillip Rivers threw the ball for 320 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. LA's running game didn't get much stats wise as Melvin Gordon ran the ball for 18 yards.
All-time series: Steelers lead series 24-10
Next week: Pittsburgh: Bye; LA Chargers: @ Tennessee
TW: 8-5; CV: 7-6
Detroit 22, Green Bay 23: TW: Packers; CV: Lions
The game wasn't pretty for both sides but it would be Green Bay that would get the Lions dominance off their back. Matthew Stafford did fine with his 265 yards passing with zero touchdowns. Kerryon Johnson would get the only touchdown for Detroit from a 1-yard rush. Matt Prater would hit five field goals. Aaron Rodgers wasn't quite at his best but would finish the game with 283 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Jamaal Williams was the leading rusher with 104 yards. Mason Crosby would hit three field goals, including the game winner from 23 yards.
All-time series: Packers lead series 104-72-1
Next week: Detroit: vs Minnesota; Green Bay: vs Oakland
TW: 9-5; CV: 7-7
The Records (By Week & Year):
Cardinal Viking:
2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019:
Week 1: 11-4-1
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 10-6
Week 4: 7-8
Week 5: 9-6
Week 6: 7-7
Overall: 54-37-1
My record:
2012: 164-90-2
2013: 162-92-1
2014: 172-83-1
2017: 164-92
2018: 156-98-2
2019:
Week 1: 12-3-1
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 11-5
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 5-10
Week 6: 9-5
Overall: 55-36-1
See you guys on Wednesday for the Week 7 Picks!
-Tom
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