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 general manager 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 Players of the Week: Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback, Houston Texans (6 TD passes!) and LeSean McCoy, running back, Philadelphia Eagles
Defensive Player of the Week: J.J. Watt, defensive end, Houston Texans (and caught another TD pass!)
Coach of the Week: Mike Smith, head coach, Atlanta Falcons (finally beats a non-division opponent!)
Goat of the Week: Lovie Smith, head coach, Tampa Bay (12 men on the field nullifies big play!)
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We now are at that point in the season where teams that need the game more (meaning those teams facing elimination; or falling from first place, etc.) will have to play harder; a lot harder than their opponent. Usually, the extra effort of desperation turns into wins. Last week, New England went into a game versus the Packers in firm control of the AFC East while a loss by Green Bay would have forced a tie with Detroit. The game was very close and very cold, and New England did not need the victory like Green Bay. The Patriots, despite the loss, still have a two-game lead with four to play. The Chargers are another example of a desperate team playing better than the opposition last week. Clearly needing a win to stay alive in the AFC West with Denver and Kansas City, many expected San Diego to travel east and lose the Ravens game. It certainly looked that way for the first 58 minutes of that contest. The last score was the first time San Diego took the lead, and it may have eliminated the Ravens from the playoffs while pushing the Chargers ahead of Baltimore and increasing the chances of three playoff teams coming out of the AFC West for the second-straight year. Can we really believe the passing statistics in the NFL anymore? Ryan Fitzpatrick with six touchdown passes? Colt McCoy – recently a third-string quarterback on his third team – with three scores? We expect Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck all to have huge games. It is insane the amount of passing yards this season. By the way, you young receivers, if you cannot catch a ball with one hand, you cannot be a star in the NFL. As we head down to the wire, each game not only has implications for the playoffs, the games also have a big impact on coaches, coaching staffs and general managers. For example, after that performance against the Colts, how long will Jim Haslett be the Redskins defensive coordinator? Most people focus on head-coaching changes; obviously, there will always be changes. Also, there will be lots of coordinators with new teams next year. Earlier in the season, we suggested that Jim Harbaugh could be the next coach of the New York football Giants, but now we hear the Jets could now be interested in trading for the head coach. It looks like Harbaugh and the 49ers are past the point of no return for next season. |
Former Redskin and Cowboy tight end Jean Fugett was a Pro Bowler in 1977 and a starter in Super Bowl X. |
WalterFootball.com NFL Elimination List: by Jean Fugett and Charlie Campbell
Oakland Raiders
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New York Jets
Washington Redskins
New York Giants
Tennessee Titans
Chicago Bears
Carolina Panthers
Minnesota Vikings
WalterFootball.com NFL Elimination List Trending:
San Francisco 49ers
Baltimore Ravens
Houston Texans
Now that we have established our WalterFootball.com Elimination List, we will weekly list our top-five NFL teams in each conference.
LAST WEEK
Our Top-Five in the AFC
New England Patriots
Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Cleveland Browns
Our Top-Five in the NFC
Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals
THIS WEEK
Our Top-Five in the AFC
New England Patriots
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
San Diego Chargers
Indianapolis Colts
Our Top-Five in the NFC
Philadelphia Eagles
Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks
Detroit Lions
Arizona Cardinals
Last Week in the AFC –
In the AFC North, the Bengals pulled ahead to stay with the other three teams all losing last week.
New England is in solid control of the AFC East while Buffalo is still in the playoff race.
The Colts are in control of the AFC South. Houston was a big surprise with 45 points and six touchdown passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was just benched a few weeks ago. Was Tennessee really that bad? The answer is no. This is just the new National Passing League as it should now be called. In addition, the game looks a lot like flag football due to targeting-rule changes favoring offensive players generally and passing games specifically. NFL receivers now play without fear going across the middle. The rules favor large receivers like J.J. Watt – what an animal -, who easily could be a good All-Pro tight end in the NFL. Imagine a tight end tandem of Watt and Gronkowski – another receiver who uses his size advantage. That would be fun to watch.
Denver got a big division win over Kansas City. Still in that AFC West, the Chargers and the Chiefs could win wild-card spots.
Last Week in the NFC –
In the NFC East, Philadelphia prevailed in a game for first place with an impressive win at Dallas. With all the issues the Eagle have with injuries, they still found a way to dominate the Cowboys in a 33-10 win. The Eagles are now in firm control in the NFC East.
Chicago was looking to maybe get back into the playoff race in the NFC North, but with the defeat by Lions and one more loss, the Bears will be eliminated. Call Chicago a desperate team. The Lions hoped to take control of the division, but Green Bay beat the Patriots at home in a game the Packers had to have.
In the NFC West, Seattle looks like they are regaining their footing and taking control of the division with the Cardinals in a free fall. It was a heavyweight fight between the Seahawks and the 49ers, but Seattle simply dominated San Francisco.
In the NFC South, Atlanta had a big win over Arizona to earn the tie for first place. New Orleans is right there, and both teams, despite losing records, will be dangerous in the playoffs. Both Carolina and Tampa Bay are done but will try to play spoiler. The Bucs almost executed that role against the Bengals last week, but it is against the rules to have 12 players on the field. As for Atlanta head coach Mike Smith, our coach of the week, his team is tied for first place with a 5-7 record.
LOADING COMMENTS.
Jean Fugett: Around the NFL - 1/8
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 15 Recap - 12/21
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 14 Recap - 12/11
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 13 Recap - 12/4
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 12 Recap - 11/27
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 11 Recap - 11/21
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 10 Recap - 11/13
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 9 Recap - 11/6
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 8 Recap - 10/30
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 7 Recap - 10/23
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 6 Recap - 10/16
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 5 Recap - 10/9
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 4 Recap - 10/1
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 3 Recap - 9/25
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 2 Recap - 9/18
Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 1 Recap - 9/10
Jean Fugett's 2014 NFL Season Preview - 9/5
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
