Jean Fugett’s Week 7 NFL Recap
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. |
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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.
Week 8 NFL Picks
San Francisco has the ability to turn on the gas; the Jags have no breaks this week
Dallas wins Dez over Megatron
GMen make a stand and beat the Eagles this time
Cleveland not tough enough to over at KC
Buffalo to surprise and cover in the Dome
New England has good match ups and covers vs. the Fins
Jets cover but Bengals find a way to win
Oakland at home surprises and beats the Steelers
Washington plays well and covers against Denver
Atlanta playing for pride and win
Green Bay easy win over Vikes Sunday night
Seattle over St Louis and who is starting at QB for the Rams?
Week 7 NFL Recap
I think fans can start to look at their team’s chances of making the playoffs in terms of how does the team look now midway through the season.
We are in Week 8, which is the halfway point of the season, not counting the differences from the bye schedules. In recent years, the teams that have gone on to win championships have played an excellent second half. Clearly most remember the Ravens getting hot at the right time. The Redskins won seven in a row to end up in the playoffs.
Smart NFL coaches gear their teams to be most efficient in the second half of the season. Coaches hope to get through the first half of the season without a major injury and with a winning record. Even a .500 record at the halfway now has teams in position to make the playoffs. Now that the teams are rounding into form, as Dennis Green says in the famous beer commercial, “They are who we thought they are.” Let’s look at some teams and see who we think they are. We already eliminated Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. The Giants cannot be ruled out yet because, although three games out, the G-Men play the teams in front of them. Minnesota although in the same position, I must now rule out of the playoffs. This week and practically here on out, Oakland will be playing in elimination games. |
Former Redskin and Cowboy tight end Jean Fugett was a Pro Bowler in 1977 and a starter in Super Bowl X. |
This is what the NFL schedule makers dream about, a schedule with meaningful games in the second half of the season. Most of the teams will continue to play meaningful games.
It was also interesting to see the number of quarterbacks go down this week with the Rams’ Sam Bradford, Bears’ Jay Cutler and Eagles’ Nick Foles. That being said, fans ask me if I think a team signing Tim Tebow would be a waste of time. If there was any way he could compete in the NFL, he would be in the league now. All 32 teams cannot be wrong.
AFC
I thought all along that there were some question marks if Denver could sustain the high level of play for 16 games. Like anything new, it takes time to catch up and catch on to what the Broncos are doing on offense; to recognize it and then to defend it. Last week the Colts had a good game plan and other teams will study that game plan and find new ways to challenge Denver. To beat Denver you have to score, and right now teams are not having a problem doing so. We look forward to that first Denver vs. Kansas City game.
The Jets are in every game because they are a defense-first team. Defenses are much more consistent than offenses, especially with the knowledge of a divisional opponent. After losing five times in a row to the Patriots, the Jets finally get a win with defense.
They will call this game the Backside Bowl. First the Jets had the butt-fumble and now the butt push by the Patriots. When mistakes that lose games happen from a well-coached team, you have to wonder if the team is as well-coached as we thought they were. In any event the Jets are only one game behind the Patriots.
I can see that Miami is just trying to establish themselves. Still, they are a year and a few players away. Buffalo was ready to really compete except for the injuries. They are now on their third-string quarterback and still have won three games, so Buffalo is a week-to-week thing with changing pieces on offense. Nobody wants to play them when in Buffalo when it gets cold.
Cincinnati is definitely the toast of the AFC North and in the drivers’ seat. For now, they’re looking pretty good. All four teams in the AFC North are 1-1 in the division. Baltimore has serious issues. One issue is the play of at center and a new left tackle must mesh on the fly with the rest of the offensive line. Nobody knows how seriously Ray Rice or Bernard Pierce are injured. Neither is 100 percent. The Pittsburgh Steelers feel a lot better about themselves going forward.
The Colts fans have to feel better after watching their team move up and down the field on the Broncos. Tennessee is playing close to .500 ball and will trend that direction for the rest of the season.
NFC
A surprise team that is poised for a run in the second half of the season is the Carolina Panthers. Thursday night was domination and Tampa Bay is in fact really really bad. It seems like the Panthers have found their focus. Carolina has an opportunity to eliminate their competition in divisional games. Despite the win over Tampa Bay last week, it is hard to see Atlanta getting back into the race because of injuries and how well the Saints and Panthers are playing.
The NFC North is a tossup. Green Bay has faced the a lot of adversity with their schedule and injuries, yet they are 4-2. I like Green Bay. I saw the Bears score a lot of points and lose. Detroit scores a lot of points, and wins and loses. Josh Freeman did not have a sparkling debut for the Vikings. This is a next-season project maybe with a new coach.
The NFC West is going to be a fight to the end. St. Louis is out after losing Sam Bradford. Arizona is a .500 team. Fans hoped for the old Carson Palmer and continue to hope. Arizona has no chance because two teams in front of them that will be 10-6 or better.
It looks to me that 9-7 could again win the NFC East. When you are talking Dallas, you’re talking about what Earl Weaver used to call deep depth. The Cowboys are loaded with great athletes. Philly has been a surprise because they were supposed to be the worst team in the East, but are 2-1 in the division.
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