WalterFootball.com is proud to partner with former Redskins and Cowboys tight end Jean Fugett, Jr. Esq. Fugett grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended Amherst College. He was the last pick of the 13th round in the 1972 NFL Draft. Fugett made the Cowboys as a backup to future Hall of Famer Mike Ditka. Fugett eventually became a starter for Tom Landry’s Cowboys and started in Super Bowl X. He made the Pro Bowl in 1977.
As a free agent, Fugett went from being the lowest-paid starting tight end to the highest-paid with the Washington Redskins. While playing for legendary Redskins coach George Allen, Fugett attended law school at George Washington University at night.
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During and after his playing days, Fugett worked with CBS, the Washington Post and other media. He went on to serve as Director and Vice-Chair of the McCall Pattern Company Management Committee, founded a Baltimore law firm and partnered with Fanfone in Europe. After the death of his brother Reginald F. Lewis in 1993, Fugett took over TLC Beatrice International Foods, the largest black-owned and black-managed business in the world at the time. Fugett has served on committees with the NFL Players Association and on the Leadership Council for the American Diabetes Association Maryland Chapter. |
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WalterFootball.com would like to thank Redskins president Bruce Allen and senior vice president/executive producer of media Larry Michael for connecting us to Fugett. Now, let’s let Jean take over.
Offensive Player of the Week: Marcus Mariota, quarterback, Tennessee Titans
Defensive Player of the Week: Kiko Alonso, linebacker, Miami Dolphins
Coach of the Week: Adam Gase, head coach, Miami Dolphins
Goat of the Week: Hue Jackson, head coach, Cleveland Browns
First, I have to say we had a great alumni weekend with the Redskins. I saw a lot of good friends and former teammates, including Hall of Famer John Riggins. It was great to watch the Redskins and Vikings in person, and catch up with a lot of great football players.
Second, we all know the NFL has become a passing-driven league and the rules have changed to help favor the passing game. Last week though, illustrated that passing yards don’t necessarily equate to winning football this year in the NFL. A quick glance at last weekend’s statistics reveal there were 10 quarterbacks who threw for more than 295 yards with eight going over 300 yards, yet only five of these quarterbacks won, and some barely.
We had five losing quarterbacks throwing for a ton of yards. Ben Roethlisberger for 408 yards, Aaron Rodgers for 378 yards, Philip Rivers for 326 yards; you get the point. Marcus Mariota was the most efficient. He threw only 26 times for 294 yards, while all the others were throwing 40 and 50 times. The Titans won with a solid ballgame. Running back DeMarco Murray rushed for over 100 yards.
That leads to looking at the rushing statistics. Only six running backs had more than 90 yards rushing, and four of those six teams won their games. So, if you can run the ball, maybe that is more powerful than the pass.
We are seeing a lot of passes, big completions and lots of yards, but that isn’t equating to victories all the time. Thus, I think the teams that can run the ball well are going to be the teams that close out the season strong. Can your team control the ball late in games with a rushing attack? If the answer is yes, then your team could be ready to close out the season strongly. That becomes so important to winning close games. We all have seen what the rushing attack has done for the Cowboys this season.
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Elimination List
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Former Redskin and Cowboy tight end Jean Fugett was a Pro Bowler in 1977 and a starter in Super Bowl X. |
AFC North
Is Baltimore now the team to beat?
Baltimore is in the driver’s seat, but can the Ravens play more consistently? The Steelers lost at home to the Cowboys and are now one game behind the Ravens. The Bengals’ tie will continue to haunt them the rest of the season. Cleveland at 0-10 might go winless this season, but beware, the Browns could win a game or two before it is all over.
AFC South
Will the Titans surge in the second half?
Houston last week won to maintain hold of first place in the South, but Tennessee (5-5) is the division team that is playing really well right now. DeMarco Murray gives the Titans a tough ground game, and Marcus Mariota now improving, makes the Titans a dangerous team. Now, two games back of Houston (6-3) in the loss column, the rematch in Tennessee is going to carry massive importance for both the Titans and the Texans. Same thing with the Texans-Colts rematch later this season as the Colts try to claw their way back into the race. Indianapolis was off last week with a bye. Jacksonville is 2-7 and was eliminated many weeks ago. The Jaguars’ endless rebuilding project looks poised to continue for years to come given the play of quarterback Blake Bortles.
AFC East
The Dolphins are on a win streak; are they a threat to New England?
I wouldn’t say the Patriots were exposed, but they certainly looked beatable against Seattle. Tom Brady is so amazing, and in some ways, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for how accurate a passer he is. He has a rare ability to put the ball in the perfect location. There may not be a better passer in the NFL than Brady, and I mean for every type of forward pass: long, short, over the middle, sideline, wherever; he executes all well.
Miami has really improved, but not soon enough to challenge New England. The Dolphins have to keep winning in order to stay in the wild-card race. Because of the strength of the AFC West teams, I’m not ready to remove Miami from the elimination list, however, if the Dolphins keep winning, anything could happen. Still, they are going to need some help considering they don’t have head-to-head games against Oakland, Kansas City or Denver.
AFC West
The best division in football?
Kansas City, Oakland and Denver are all very impressive teams. The Raiders almost gained ground on the Broncos and Chiefs during their bye week, but both Denver and Kansas City found a way to win late. San Diego has a competitive team, but there was no room for error in this division, and the Chargers have let too many winnable games slip away from them this season.
NFC East
So if this division sends three teams to the playoffs, which team will be the one that misses out?
The Cowboys are in control as the best team in the NFC right now. I think Washington and New York are prime wild-card contenders. The Eagles are in last place, but above .500. To find out the answer to our question, let’s look at the division records. The Cowboys, Giants and Redskins are 2-1 in the division. The Eagles are 0-3, and that hurts them significantly. Thus, there’s your answer as I think Philadelphia will be the team that misses out on the postseason because I don’t see them winning the division rematches, and that will eliminate Philadelphia. The Eagles have a really tough game this week in Seattle.
NFC North
Is Detroit the team to beat?
The Lions are the team to beat, believe it. Based on the last couple of weeks, that would seem clear. The Lions have a very good NFC record, but are only 1-2 in their division. The NFC North is plunging into mediocrity with Green Bay struggling and Minnesota collapsing. I could not be more impressed with Stefon Diggs after watching him in person. He made a Hall of Fame-type performance playing close to home being a Maryland kid. The Vikings would much rather have a healthy Adrian Peterson than having to throw it to Diggs all the time in order to move the ball.
Green Bay was completely out-coached by Tennessee. The Titans had a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and clearly were more prepared for the game than the Packers. When was the last time that happened? Here we are 10 weeks into the season, and Detroit is in first place. Who would have thought that the Packers are done?
NFC South
Wild-card berths are likely out of reach, but is this division up for grabs?
Atlanta had a tough loss to the Eagles. The Saints loss was even harder to accept, as was the Panthers loss to Kansas City. The Buccaneers were the only NFC South team to get a win, and needed to play the hapless Bears. Atlanta, in first place, is still in the driver’s seat. New Orleans is now 4-5. The Bucs are 4-5 and the Panthers are 3-6. Yet, all four are still alive in their division. I think New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Carolina are all eliminated from the wild-card race because of the strength in the NFC East, but all three teams still could win the NFC South. These teams are equally plunging toward mediocrity as well.
NFC West
Can Arizona still make it into the postseason this year?
The Seahawks maintained their two-game lead on the Cardinals with a tough win over the Patriots. That is huge for Seattle. The Cardinals beat the 49ers and could have been only one game back if the Patriots had won against the Seahawks. The Cardinals are two games out, but they have a tie game with Seattle that hurts them. Arizona is close to getting on the elimination list because the wild-card berth is going to be tough to win and the Seahawks have a two-game lead with only seven contests to go.
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