Jean Fugett: Around the NFL
By Jean Fugett; thanks to Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
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: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions
Defensive Player of the Week: Ziggy Ansah, DE, Detroit Lions
Goat of the Week: Chip Kelly, head coach, Philadelphia Eagles
Coach of the Week: Romeo Crennel, defensive coordinator, Houston Texans
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Elimination List (Four or more losses except NFC East) Chicago Bears Detroit Lions New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Dallas Cowboys Philadelphia Eagles St. Louis Rams San Francisco 49ers Baltimore Ravens Cleveland Browns Oakland Raiders San Diego Chargers Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins Tennessee Titans Jacksonville Jaguars After a big holiday and eating a lot of turkey, my trainer tried to run every bite out of me. After some good digestion and clear thought, it is obvious to me the top four teams in each conference are: Here is my NFC:
Charlie Campbell says his top four are:
In the AFC, this is how I would seed it.
Looking at the rest of the AFC, I think the Steelers and Raiders are right there with the Colts for the fourth seed. The Jets are also a candidate. Charlie has his top four:
Do Statistics Mean Anything? We looked at NFL statistics, and we don’t know if they really tell a story anymore. You can’t compare the number of catches of players today, for example, from players decades ago. Football is a true team game and not every player has statistics like in team games in other sports. Really, how do you compare offensive linemen? Looking at the top-five NFL players in a few NFL statistical categories, you have to work hard to find how such success relates to winning. Do statistics really matter in the NFL? Looking at passing yards this season, here are the current top five and the division standing of their teams: Tom Brady: first-place team. Philip Rivers: last-place team Carson Palmer: first-place team. Matt Ryan: second-place team. Drew Brees: last-place team So, passing yardage in the NFL does not correlate to winning so far this season. Looking at the rushing yards this season in the NFL, here are the top five with the standing of their teams: Adrian Peterson: first-place team. Doug Martin: third-place team. Jonathan Stewart: first-place team. Chris Johnson: first-place team. Todd Gurley: third-place team. Not conclusive either. The old NFL adage “you can’t win the Super Bowl without a great running game” may no longer apply. No player on this list has a Super Bowl ring. Looking at the receiving yards, here are the top five and the division standing of their teams: Julio Jones: second-place team. Antonio Brown: second-place team. DeAndre Hopkins: second-place team. Odell Beckham: second-place team. Larry Fitzgerald: first-place team. So maybe now we are on to something here. The amount of receiving yards has shown the best correlation to winning of the three offensive categories reviewed so far. Who’s leading the league in sacks? Here are the top five and the division standing of their team: J.J. Watt: second-place team. Ziggy Ansah: last-place team Chandler Jones: first-place team. Carlos Dunlap: first-place team. Geno Atkins: first-place team. This looks like an indicator for winning as well with Ansah being the exception. What about tackles? Here are the top five and the division standing of their teams: D’Qwell Jackson: last-place team NaVorro Bowman: last-place team Telvin Smith: last-place team Rashard Jones: last-place team Lavonte David: third place team. So tackle totals don’t equate to winning. I’m not sure that statistics mean all that much after this little breakdown. Carolina is undefeated, yet we have only one Panther on here, and it isn’t even their MVP – Cam Newton. |
Former Redskin and Cowboy tight end Jean Fugett was a Pro Bowler in 1977 and a starter in Super Bowl X. |
AFC
Even with the loss to Denver, I’m keeping New England No. 1, but without Gronkowski going forward, the Patriots will be greatly diminished. However, somehow Belichick and Brady will continue to find a way to win. I have Denver at No. 2 in the AFC. The Broncos showed a lot with their victory over New England, but did they show enough to go all the way? Will this be the year Cincinnati finally wins a playoff game? I have the Steelers at No. 4, but only if Ben Roethlisberger can get off the concussion list and back onto the field.
Our Elimination List has been well established for several weeks now, but, if the NFL playoffs started today, two “Eliminated” teams would, in fact, be in the playoffs: the resuscitated Texans and Chiefs, although still on life support. We have seen division winners with .500 records in the past, but usually the wild cards have records of 10-6 or 9-7. Teams approach the season with the idea that a winning record would produce a high likelihood of being in the playoffs. Getting to nine wins is the key. Back to reality, the playoffs are NOT today, and I don’t see the Texans going to the playoffs. I left it up to Charlie to decide whether to take the Texans and the Chiefs off our Elimination List because, let’s face it, I’ve been wrong on a lot!
NFC
The Redskins new general manager knows what it takes to win. Scott McClaughin brought in some new players who also know how to win. Winning in the NFL is a skill that you learn and are not born with. It is an acquired skill. The new veteran players the Redskins brought in all want to win and figure out how to do it week to week. The Redskins had lost that winning skill for a time, but got back to it by acquiring good veteran players last offseason who are winners. The Patriots have been doing it that way for years. Time after time – Randy Moss, Darrelle Revis, you get the idea – the Patriots bring in what they need to supplement what they have; veteran players from other teams come in and already know how to win. It is something an NFL player learns on the field, bleeding and sweating. Look at how the Redskins are learning how to win, and learning how to bounce back after huge losses and bad performances is something new for these guys.
Atlanta, at 6-5, can only get into the playoffs as a wild card. The same thing for Seattle at 6-5. It looks very unlikely for the Seahawks to pass the Cardinals for the NFC West title. With the Cardinals now, you have to be worried about who is going to run the ball for them now that Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson are both out.
The Vikings don’t have that problem. I liked them early in the year as you recall, but who knew Adrian Peterson would be just as good as ever after a year away from football.
The Packers, at 7-4, could easily go into the tank. The NFL is a war of attrition, and it certainly seems like there are a lot of key, high-profile injuries this year. The Packers experienced this before opening day when Jordy Nelson went down in the preseason. The winning teams are the healthy teams and are the teams that survive and make it through the tough, tough NFL football season.
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