Jean Fugett: Around the NFL

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.

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.

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: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins

Defensive Player of the Week: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, New York Giants

Goat of the Week: Lovie Smith, head coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Coach of the Week: Ron Rivera, head coach, Carolina Panthers

Last weekend was Alumni weekend for the Washington Redskins and well into the week I’m still wearing my “Fugett 84” Bronze jersey. We did not have that color jersey when I played during the ’70s. We witnessed our team down 24-0 in the first half to one of the worst teams in the NFL. And are now heading into the third quarter of the season as one of the worst third-quarter teams in the league. The booing got louder and louder as Tampa Bay built that first-half lead. “There are two halves to a game” said my mother, Carolyn Fugett, who just turned 90, to me long ago, “remember that”, she told me. Well, it was certainly true at FedEx Field last Sunday. The Buccaneers were coming off a bye with two weeks to prepare for the game and certainly looked every part of it in the first half. By the end of the game, with some 16 penalties accepted by Washington against Tampa Bay; it makes you wonder if it is coaching or if the players there are just not coachable. There are many talented players who will never improve. Go figure. Speaking of coachable players, you have to wonder if there are any that play for the Lions. When was the last time you saw two position coaches and a coordinator getting fired mid-season? Weeks ago, we wrote how difficult it is to coach up the Detroit Lions. Matthew Stafford has put numbers up during his career, but not numbers in the winning statistic. Detroit’s head coach has been very successful with other quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco to name two, but he has yet to solve Stafford, and that could lead to Caldwell’s firing as well. Elimination List (Four or more losses except NFC East) Chicago Bears Detroit Lions New Orleans Saints Baltimore Ravens Cleveland Browns San Diego Chargers Buffalo Bills Tennessee Titans Jacksonville Jaguars Houston Texans Kansas City Chiefs San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks

Former Redskin and Cowboy tight end Jean Fugett was a Pro Bowler in 1977 and a starter in Super Bowl X.

AFC

Buffalo has the toughest road to travel in the division with the injuries to their key offensive performers; the starting quarterback, wide receiver and running back. The Jets winning is not by accident. Todd Bowles’ defense was tremendous in Arizona, and Rex Ryan did not leave the cupboard bare for defensive talent. The Jets played tough against New England. The Patriots are playing so well, you worry if they can sustain it over the 17-week season and into the playoffs?

What a difference a week and what a different a new coach makes? Nobody wants to play the Miami Dolphins right now. Having Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake on the same side is very tough on any offense. Ryan Tannehill is efficient, and with the way the Dolphins are playing now, I won’t be picking against Miami any time soon. The only question regarding the playoffs is if the effort is too little, too late.



Cincinnati was on a bye while all the other teams in the AFC North were active and lost. This division is headed to mediocrity with the Bengals being the exception. Previously one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, the AFC North is clearly not so today.

The AFC South is even worse. The Indianapolis Colts have their front office and coaching job drama from week to week. The Texans lost their running back for the season and just cut their backup quarterback. I don’t know if this is what O’Brien was thinking of when he left Penn State. Tennessee played tough against Atlanta, but lost, while the Jaguars won in London. Now young teams, the Jaguars and the Titans will probably get better as the year goes on, but they are not playoff contenders yet.

Kansas City needed a win and got it, but at 2-5, they are eliminated. The Chargers are eliminated, too. Oakland is 3-3 and in the playoff race. Denver has a great defense and enough of a running game to be good enough to get to the playoffs, but maybe not good enough to win in January.



NFC

The NFC East will be an interesting horserace. Fans in every town think they have a chance. If Romo is back for the last seven games, many believe that Dallas will win because the Cowboys have the best defense in the division and will only get better; especially if defensive end Greg Hardy can focus on defense and not special teams. I think Dallas is encouraged by the way that Darren McFadden ran the ball last week, but Dez Bryant and Tony Romo aren’t back yet.

The Eagles are fighting, but Sam Bradford may not be the answer to long-term success in Philadelphia. The Giants are going to be steady, and in the end, people might be calling them the engine that could. Kirk Cousins shows that he has the physical ability to play in the NFL, so does Jordan Reed. We have to cringe every time Jordan Reed gets hit. He is a tremendous play-maker, but four concussions is scary. Is it bad luck? The longer you play in the league, the easier it is to stay healthy by avoiding injuries. You learn how to avoid injuries.

Everybody knows that Green Bay is going to win the NFC North, but the Vikings are the quiet story in the division. Could a second playoff team come out of the division? It certainly won’t be Chicago or Detroit, so Minnesota is going to be a team to watch for a NFC wild-card spot.

The NFC South was a division, a year ago, where seven or eight games had you competing for the division title, but that certainly isn’t the case this year with Carolina. Cam Newton has emerged as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Ron Rivera is one of the best head coaches in the NFL with the way he guides that team. And what about the job young Mike Shula does brilliantly squeezing points out of that offense. Atlanta had its hands full with the Titans last week in a game many thought wouldn’t be that close.

The NFC West is still a mess. The Cardinals are a playoff team and showed that on Monday Night Football as they took care of business on the Ravens. The 49ers, Seahawks and Rams are going to be playing in mediocrity the rest of this season.





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Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 10 Recap - 11/19
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 9 Recap - 11/12
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 8 Recap - 11/5
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 7 Recap - 10/29
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 5 Recap - 10/15
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 4 Recap - 10/8
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 3 Recap - 9/30
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 2 Recap - 9/23
Jean Fugett: Jean Fugett's Around the NFL Week 1 Recap - 9/16
Jean Fugett's 2015 NFL Season Preview - 9/10






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