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 Players of the Week: Tom Brady, quarterback, New England Patriots
Defensive Players of the Week: Stacy McGee, defensive tackle, Oakland Raiders
Coach of the Week: Anthony Lynn, offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills
Goat of the Week: Brock Osweiler, quarterback, Houston Texans
There were so many shocking things that I observed last week. Some of those 1-3 teams survived with a victory to stay alive, but perhaps the most shocking aspect about the NFL this season is that the Carolina Panthers are 1-4. Obviously, not having Cam Newton last Monday night pretty much cost the Panthers the game against the Bucs. I don’t know if Cam Newton can recover this season from the beating he has already taken. I don’t see him being able to avoid these hits with the offensive line that Carolina has in front of him. Thus, I have the Panthers on the debut of the elimination list, which is shocking considering they were playing in the Super Bowl eight months ago.
Elimination List
By our count, at least seven NFL teams are already eliminated from Super Bowl contention. Some 1-3 teams from last week like the Jaguars and Saints survived elimination, but are close to being out of the running.
The Panthers’ quarterback, Cam Newton, is not the only playoff favorite who have been afflicted by quarterback beatings and concussions – see Carson Palmer – and this fact will be a continuing story line this season. Carson Palmer continues to have concussion problems in Arizona. The NFL modified the rules to try to better protect the quarterback, but these guys still get hit a lot legally. We are seeing the toll it can take already this year only a quarter of the way through the season.
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You have to be concerned for the future health of Newton and Palmer. There are only so many hits that a player can take. We found out the horrible impact of concussions with Snake Stabler when he passed away, as his brain was examined and they found much more damage than they expected because he was a quarterback. Back in those days, the league barely counted sacks, much less quarterback hits. Who knows how many blows a human body can take and keep going? And, again, how absurd is the NFL bye-scheduling this season? All byes are not created equal; the Titans and Browns, the last teams with byes, have their byes in Week 13. Really. Whoever heard of having a bye so late in the season? There are no teams with a bye in Week 12, so why does the NFL have two in Week 13? This is strange and makes no sense. That puts Tennessee and Cleveland at a serious disadvantage against teams that can get healthier with a mid-season bye. AFC It is very unfortunate to see that Gary Kubiak has been struck ill and won’t be able to coach his team this week. That will have a major effect on the Broncos. They can still win and perform at a high level, but anytime you take away the head coach, it is hard for the organization to be consistent without its leader. The Chiefs were off last week, and Oakland continues to roll. The Chargers have head coach Mike McCoy on the hot seat with the fourth-quarter collapses and will not make the playoffs this year. He could be the next coach who gets fired in the NFL. Speaking of firings, let’s dig into the Ravens. Baltimore started well, but has fallen back to the pack and now has fired its offensive coordinator, Marc Trestman. The team has since promoted Marty Mornhinweig to the position. He was the Ravens’ quarterbacks coach. Mornhinweig is the former offensive coordinator for the 49ers, Eagles and Jets, and he was head coach of the Lions. He will be Joe Flacco’s fifth offensive coordinator in the last five seasons. |
Former Redskin and Cowboy tight end Jean Fugett was a Pro Bowler in 1977 and a starter in Super Bowl X. |
Sports talk radio in Baltimore has callers asking for Kyle Shanahan to be the next head coach of the Ravens. Really? Who would have thought the Bengals would have three losses in their first five games, but they are only one game behind the Ravens for second place? Is this a position coach-change situation? Cleveland could have been put on the elimination list before Week 1, and as advertised, Pittsburgh is in firm control of the North Division after bouncing back last week.
New England cruised over the Browns with Tom Brady as expected. Many thought that the Jets and Dolphins would be ahead of Buffalo in the East Division, while the Bills are the real surprise team, after a coach firing, in the AFC. I don’t think anybody predicted the Bills to win three straight after starting 0-2 and firing their offensive coordinator. They deserve credit for rallying with their backs against the wall and have made the best of it. Their new offensive coordinator called an excellent game against the Rams, and LeSean McCoy ran all over Los Angeles’ good defense.
The AFC South is a muddled division. Houston has a one-game lead over two teams at 2-3 in the Colts and Titans. The Texans host the Colts on Sunday night, and that game will put the winner in the driver’s seat for the division. Jacksonville could get back in it with a win over the Bears on Sunday, so stay tuned on the South; they have a long way to go. This division is the most up for grabs in the AFC.
NFC
The Giants had a tough loss at Green Bay and now need to jump over Washington, Philadelphia and Dallas in the East Division. The Redskins are on a streak going for their fourth straight win this week, while the Eagles, previously undefeated, face questions with a rookie quarterback after that first loss. Ah, a big game early in the season.
The Cowboys at 4-1 with Tony Romo getting close to being ready is interesting. Dallas has a way of finding controversy even when winning. Some wonder about the timing of Romo coming back, which makes for a difficult situation for head coach Jason Garrett.
The Falcons have firm control of the South Division right now at 4-1, but they also had a great start last year. It will be interesting to see if Atlanta can keep it going this season. Tampa Bay (2-3) took advantage of Carolina not having Cam Newton and got a much needed division win. That game was an elimination game for the Bucs and they won.
Carolina is now on our elimination list right. Division games are always tougher on teams in a lot of ways; you already know well your opponent. That comes from playing them twice a year and watching so much film of them playing other division opponents. That is one reason all bets are off when the contest is a divisional game.
I could pick Mike Zimmer and his coaching staff as the Coach of the Week every week this season. Norv Turner has been tremendous for Sam Bradford and is exactly what Bradford has needed throughout his career. The Vikings had an impressive win against Houston, and Bradford continues to improve each week. Green Bay handled the Giants, and the Lions were able to give the Eagles their first loss of the season and may be turning the corner. The Bears are eliminated at 1-4 and are not good enough to get by the Packers, Lions or Vikings in the North Division.
The 49ers have benched Blaine Gabbert and will start Colin Kaepernick. Chip Kelly says he has to do what is best for the team, but if that is the case, the organization should have had better quarterbacks on the roster going into the season. The 49ers asked a lot of Gabbert. Los Angeles underperformed at home and lost to the Bills. Finally, the Cardinals played like the Cardinals of yesteryear and were able to bounce back against the 49ers. After their bye week, the Seahawks remain the team to beat in the West Division.
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