MVP Profile: Joe Perry, 1954

Fullback, San Francisco 49ers



Age: 27
7th season in pro football & with 49ers, 5th in NFL
College: Compton Junior College
Height: 6’0” Weight: 210

Prelude:
Perry was a raw talent when he joined the 49ers, then of the AAFC, in 1948, having played just one season of high school football and two in junior college (one in which he scored 22 touchdowns) before military service prevented him from advancing to a major college program. He was discovered by the 49ers while playing for the Alameda Naval Air Station team and shared the fullback position with Norm Standlee as a rookie. An in-between runner who lacked inside power and outside finesse, his speed allowed him to lead the league in TDs (10) while averaging 7.3 yards per attempt on 77 carries (and earned him the nickname “The Jet”). In 1949, he became the starting fullback and led the AAFC with 783 yards, 6.8 yards per carry, and 8 TDs on the ground. He continued to perform well as the 49ers moved to the NFL, averaging 5.2 and 5.0 yards per carry in 1950 and ’51 and being used effectively on screen passes. In 1952, he was selected to the Pro Bowl and in ’53, led the league with 192 rushing attempts for 1018 yards and 10 TDs, as well as 1209 yards from scrimmage.

1954 Season Summary
Appeared in all 12 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 173 [1]
Most attempts, game - 23 (for 100 yds.) at Green Bay
Yards – 1049 [1]
Most yards, game – 137 yards (on 20 carries) vs. Green Bay
Average gain – 6.1 [3]
TDs – 8 [3, tied with Tank Younger, Tobin Rote & Otto Graham]
100-yard rushing games – 5

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 26
Yards – 203
Average gain – 7.8
TDs – 0

Passing
Pass attempts – 1
Pass completions – 1
Passing yards – 34
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 0

Kicking
Field goals – 1 [17, tied with Ralph Felton, Jim Martin & Bob Carey]
Field goal attempts – 3 [18]
Percentage – 33.3
PATs – 6 [16]
PAT attempts – 7 [16]
Longest field goal – 14 yards at LA Rams 10/3

Scoring
TDs – 8 [8, tied with seven others]
Field Goals – 1
PATs – 6
Points – 57 [10]

All-purpose yards – 1252 [2]

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: UPI
1st team All-NFL: AP, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

49ers went 7-4-1 to finish third in the Western Conference while leading the NFL in rushing (2498 yards).

Aftermath:
After back-to-back thousand-yard seasons, Perry didn’t reach that level again but still gained over 700 yards twice and 600 on three occasions in San Francisco before being benched in 1960 as the team sought to retool with younger players. Traded to the Baltimore Colts in 1961, he ran for 675 yards and caught a career-high 34 passes at age 34. He lasted one more year with the Colts before returning to the 49ers as a backup in 1963, his last season. Perry became the NFL’s career rushing leader in 1958, but was surpassed by Jim Brown in ’63. He ended up rushing for 8378 yards in the NFL and 9723 overall while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Perry's #34 was retired by the 49ers and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1969.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/12/14]

1975: Bert Jones Rallies Colts Past O.J. Simpson & Bills

After getting off to a 1-4 start in the 1975 NFL season, the Baltimore Colts had won two straight games. For the once-proud franchise that had most recently suffered through three straight losing seasons, including a miserable 2-12 in ’74, it was a sign of improvement under new Head Coach Ted Marchibroda. On November 9 they were at Buffalo to take on the division-rival Bills at Rich Stadium.

The Bills, coached by Lou Saban in his second stint with the team, had been 9-5 in each of the previous two years and started off fast by winning their first four games in ’75 (including one at Baltimore) before losing twice. Still, they were 5-2 and very much in contention. The key to the offense was star RB O.J. Simpson behind an outstanding line, but third-year QB Joe Ferguson was on the rise and had good wide receivers in Bob Chandler and J.D. Hill. However, Buffalo’s once-formidable defensive backfield had been decimated by injuries.

Buffalo’s defense took a further hit when CB Ike Harrison reinjured a groin pull in the first quarter and sat out the rest of the game. However, it didn’t seem to be a matter of immediate concern when Simpson ran 44 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bills a 7-0 lead after a quarter of play.

Buffalo poured it on in the second quarter, and Simpson was having a big day as he scored on pass plays that covered 22 and 32 yards. The home team was up by 21-0 and appeared to be in control.

The Colts, led by third-year QB Bert Jones (pictured above), struck quickly to get back into the game. First, Jones threw to WR Glenn Doughty for a 63-yard gain. Following a running play, Jones passed to all-purpose HB Lydell Mitchell for a nine-yard TD. The Bills came back, however, and Ferguson threw a scoring pass to Chandler that covered 19 yards and stretched their lead to 28-7.

With 2:28 left in the first half and facing a fourth-and-two situation, the Colts lined up for a field goal attempt, but holder Marty Domres, the backup quarterback, faked and threw a 15-yard TD pass to FB Bill Olds.

Baltimore’s defense kept Buffalo to a short possession and the Colts got the ball back once more before the half. Jones threw a bomb to fleet WR Roger Carr for an 89-yard touchdown and it was a 28-21 tally going into halftime.

There was no scoring during the third quarter, but on the fourth play of the fourth quarter, Mitchell scored from 11 yards out to cap a five-play, 72-yard drive for the Colts. With Toni Linhart’s extra point, the game was now tied at 28-28. It didn’t stay that way long as LB Stan White intercepted a Ferguson pass to give Baltimore the ball at the Buffalo 23 and two plays later the mobile Jones ran 19 yards for the go-ahead TD.

Late in the game, QB Gary Marangi came in for the injured Ferguson, who suffered a concussion, and was intercepted by CB Lloyd Mumphord at the Buffalo 41 - he returned the pickoff to the 13. Two plays later, Mitchell ran for a 12-yard touchdown with just over three minutes on the clock, effectively putting the game away for the Colts.

Buffalo scored once more as Marangi threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Chandler with 1:38 to go, but that was it. Baltimore came away with a 42-35 win.

The Colts outgained the Bills (498 yards to 418) and had more first downs (25 to 20). Both offenses were effective rushing as well as passing – Baltimore gained 299 net yards through the air and 199 on the ground while Buffalo rolled up 179 yards on the ground and 239 through the air. Each team turned the ball over three times and was penalized on seven occasions. The Colts recorded four sacks while Jones was dumped twice by the Bills.


Bert Jones completed 14 of 22 passes for 306 yards with two touchdowns and one interception; he also ran the ball 9 times for 59 yards and a TD. Lydell Mitchell (pictured at right) had 27 carries for 112 yards and two scores and also had 4 pass receptions for 25 yards and another touchdown. Glenn Doughty caught 3 passes for 102 yards and Roger Carr, thanks to the long scoring reception, gained 136 yards on just two catches.

O.J. Simpson ran for 123 yards on 19 carries with one TD, but 105 of those yards came in the first half as the Colts held him to 18 yards on 5 attempts in the second half; he also caught three passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Ferguson went to the air 21 times and had 12 completions for 234 yards and three touchdowns, with one intercepted. In relief, Gary Marangi was successful on just two of 10 pass attempts for 33 yards with a TD and one picked off. Bob Chandler had 7 catches for 118 yards and two scores.

“I think we were too concerned with stopping O.J. Simpson in the first half,” said Ted Marchibroda afterward. “The best thing you can do is just go out and play football. We kept our poise and our line started coming off the ball.”

“I’ve never been that far behind,” added Bert Jones. “Twenty-one points is a long way to come.”

“At this stage we're just too crippled to play pass defense,” Coach Lou Saban said from Buffalo’s perspective. “When Ike (Harrison) went out today we knew we were in trouble. We're scoring 35 to 40 points a game and we're having a heck of a time.”

The Colts won all the rest of their games to close out the regular season with a 10-4 record, placing them at the top of the AFC East. The run came to an end in the Divisional round of the playoffs with a loss to Pittsburgh. Buffalo ended up third in the division at 8-6.

Bert Jones was the third-ranked passer in the NFL (89.1 rating) as he threw for 2483 yards and 18 touchdowns with just 8 interceptions. His 2.3 interception percentage was best in the league.

Joe Ferguson led the AFC in TD passes (25), which also tied him for the NFL lead with Minnesota’s Fran Tarkenton. He had the highest percentage of scoring passes (7.8) and threw for 2426 yards with 17 interceptions.


Following the game against the Colts, O.J. Simpson (pictured at left) had 1128 yards rushing, and he went on to lead the NFL for the third time in four years with 1817 yards on 329 carries with 16 touchdowns. He also scored 7 TDs on pass receptions and led the league with 23 touchdowns (the NFL record at the time) and 138 points.

Lydell Mitchell ran the ball 289 times for 1193 yards, to rank third in the NFL, and was second (tied with Reggie Rucker of the Browns) with 60 pass receptions, for 544 yards. He was fourth with 15 touchdowns (11 rushing, 4 receiving) and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1987: Cardinals Pull Off 28-Point Fourth Quarter Rally to Beat Bucs

The Cardinals team that hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 8, 1987 was already a lame duck franchise in St. Louis, and there were just 22,449 fans in attendance at Busch Stadium. Owner Bill Bidwill, frustrated in efforts to gain a new, larger stadium for the team to play in, made it clear that he was looking to relocate in 1988.

It had been dismal, particularly in a year that featured a players’ strike and the use of replacement players for three games. The Cardinals, coached by Gene Stallings, were 2-5 and had lost their previous three contests (the replacement players went 1-2). The passing game was proficient with QB Neil Lomax (pictured above), WR J.T. Smith, and rookie TE Robert Awalt. But the defense did not rush opposing passers particularly well and was prone to giving up big plays.

Tampa Bay was 4-3 (2-1 with replacement players) and seemed to be moving in the right direction under Head Coach Ray Perkins. While Vinny Testaverde, in his second year after being the first overall draft pick, was the quarterback-in-waiting, veteran Steve DeBerg was still the quarterback of the present. FB James Wilder was productive as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield. While the defense was improved, especially at linebacker, there were problems at safety.

The Cardinals had the ball first and drove to the Tampa Bay 21 yard line, but Jim Gallery’s 38-yard field goal attempt was no good. The Buccaneers punted following their initial possession, but got the ball back when Lomax was intercepted by CB Rod Jones. With good starting field position at the St. Louis 49, they scored in six plays that were highlighted by a 32-yard gain on a DeBerg pass to Wilder. DeBerg threw to WR Mark Carrier for a five-yard touchdown and the Bucs were ahead by 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Cardinals started off the second quarter with another drive into Tampa Bay territory that featured Lomax completions of 15 yards to Smith and 24 yards to Awalt. However, after driving down to the seven yard line, an errant pitchout by Lomax to RB Stump Mitchell was recovered by LB Ervin Randle for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers made the most of the break, driving 92 yards in 15 plays that ate up over six minutes. DeBerg completed passes for 25 yards to WR Gerald Carter on a third-and-ten play, 16 yards to WR Bruce Hill, and to Wilder for 17 yards that was further helped along by a facemask penalty on the Cardinals. A three-yard scoring pass to Carter finished it off and gave Tampa Bay a 14-0 lead.

With five minutes left in the first half, the Cardinals engineered a 14-play drive of their own. Lomax twice threw to J.T. Smith, for a total of 24 yards, and twice to Awalt for 21. Gallery was successful on a 31-yard field goal attempt and the score was 14-3 at halftime.

Tampa Bay started off the second half with another long scoring possession of 80 yards in 12 plays. DeBerg completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to RB Jeff Smith and the Bucs were ahead by 21-3. Following a St. Louis punt, Tampa Bay methodically drove to another TD. This time it was 12 plays and 75 yards that included four pass completions by DeBerg and a 16-yard run by Wilder down to the St. Louis three. From there, Smith ran in for the score and the Buccaneers had a seemingly-comfortable 28-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The third quarter ended with the Cardinals converting a fourth-and-one with a three-yard carry up the middle by Mitchell. Four plays later, Lomax threw to Mitchell for a 39-yard gain to the Tampa Bay four and immediately followed up with a touchdown pass to Awalt. Still, the Bucs held a formidable 28-10 lead.

On the second play of the ensuing series, Wilder fumbled and LB Niko Noga recovered and returned it 24 yards for a TD. The margin was narrowed to 28-17. The Bucs had a short possession that, with a holding penalty and three-yard loss on a carry by RB Bobby Howard, moved backward to their own 13. Frank Garcia’s 37-yard punt was returned eight yards by RB Vai Sikahema to give the Cardinals excellent field position at the Tampa Bay 39. While a holding penalty moved the ball back, the ensuing five-play series included four pass completions by Lomax, three of them to Awalt for 36 yards and one to J.T. Smith for 11 yards and a touchdown. Gallery’s extra point made it a four-point game as Tampa Bay’s once-large lead was now just 28-24, and there were still just over eight minutes left to play.

The Buccaneers, helped by a personal foul penalty on CB Mark Jackson of the Cardinals, got near midfield on their next possession but the offense again quickly stalled. Garcia’s punt carried into the end zone for a touchback, giving St. Louis the ball on its 20.

Mitchell ran the ball twice for 11 yards. After an incompletion, Lomax threw to WR Don Holmes for 23 yards and then to Awalt for 27 more to the Tampa Bay 19. Three plays later, Lomax connected with Smith for a 17-yard TD and, with another Gallery PAT, the Cardinals had an improbable three-point lead thanks to four fourth-quarter touchdowns.

There were just under two minutes remaining on the clock and the reeling Buccaneers came out throwing. Starting at his eight yard line, DeBerg completed three passes for 23 yards, missed on two, but converted a fourth-and-three with a three yard throw to Jeff Smith. Three plays later, DeBerg connected with Carter for 25 yards and then six yards to Smith to get the ball to the St. Louis 35. However, on the game’s final play, Donald Igwebuike missed a 53-yard field goal attempt and the Cardinals came away with a stunning 31-28 win. It was the greatest fourth quarter comeback in NFL history.

St. Louis outgained the Buccaneers, 415 yards to 377, while both teams generated 26 first downs apiece. Tampa Bay actually had more net passing yards (294 to 278) but was less effective at running the ball (83 yards on 33 attempts to 137 yards on 31 carries for the Cardinals). The Bucs also had more sacks (four to one, with two of them by LB Chris Washington) and fewer turnovers (one to two) and penalties (8 to 11). However, the one turnover led directly to a score during the big St. Louis comeback, and combined with the inability to maintain possession and stop the Cardinals when they had the ball, it proved fatal during the fourth quarter.

Neil Lomax completed 25 of 36 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns (all, of course, in the fourth quarter) and one intercepted. Robert Awalt (pictured below) caught 9 passes for 124 yards and a TD and J.T. Smith was right behind with 8 receptions for 96 yards and the last two all-important touchdowns. Stump Mitchell rushed for 79 yards on 17 carries and also caught 4 passes for 58 more yards.


For Tampa Bay, Steve DeBerg was successful on 23 of 37 throws for 303 yards with three TDs and had none intercepted. James Wilder rushed for 49 yards on 11 attempts and caught 6 passes for 87 yards. Jeff Smith was right behind in the rushing department with 48 yards on 19 carries; he also caught three passes for 43 yards and a TD. Gerald Carter had 6 receptions for 82 yards and a score.

The dramatic game had a significant effect on the performance of both teams thereafter. The previously-lackluster Cardinals lost a close contest to the Rams the next week, but they won four of their last six contests (including another win over Tampa Bay) to nearly qualify for the postseason. While a final-game loss to the Cowboys ended their playoff hopes, their record was 7-8, respectable considering the poor start, for a third-place finish in the NFC East. It was something of a fitting climax to the franchise’s 28-year existence in St. Louis – the club moved to the Phoenix area for 1988.

As for the Buccaneers, a season of promise degraded into disaster. The loss to the Cardinals was the first of eight straight to close out the year. The final tally was 4-11, putting them at the bottom of the NFC Central along with Detroit.

Neil Lomax led the NFL in pass attempts (463), completions (275), and yards (3387) and ranked third in touchdown passes (24) and fifth in passing (88.5 rating). However, he also placed third by being sacked 48 times. Lomax was selected to the Pro Bowl.

J.T. Smith (pictured below) led the league in both pass receptions (91) and yards (1117) while scoring 8 touchdowns, although he was bypassed for postseason honors. Robert Awalt received Rookie of the Year honors from UPI and The Sporting News thanks to his 42 catches for 526 yards and six TDs.

1943: Giants and Lions Play to NFL’s Last Scoreless Tie

In this day and age, the possibility of a National Football League game ending in a scoreless tie is highly unlikely. While there have been weather-affected 3-0 contests, rules changes over the years that have encouraged scoring make it far more difficult for one team to completely whitewash an opponent, let alone both teams in a contest. In addition, the instituting in 1974 of an overtime period if teams finish in a dead heat after four quarters makes ties of any sort rare.

The last scoreless tie in the NFL occurred on November 7, 1943 in a game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The Lions were hosting the New York Giants before a crowd of 16,992 fans on a rainy day in muddy conditions.

Detroit, coached by Gus Dorais, had a 3-4 record coming into the contest and had lost its last two games. Considering the Lions were 0-11 the previous year, it was still a big improvement. Rookie tailback Frank Sinkwich, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Georgia, spruced up the passing game and was a good runner, too. The line that already contained center Alex Wojciechowicz and tackle Augie Lio was further strengthened by the addition of guard Riley Matheson, on loan from the Rams who were taking a one-year hiatus due to World War II.

The Giants, under long-time Head Coach Steve Owen, had a 2-2 record. Rookie FB Bill Paschal and wingback Ward Cuff provided solid running and the line was anchored by 34-year-old center Mel Hein (pictured at top) and second-year tackle Al Blozis. However, they were hindered by the loss of Paschal for most of the game due to an ankle injury - he got into the contest for the last few plays.

Neither team got inside the other’s 15 yard line. New York made it into Detroit territory once, in the third quarter. Hein intercepted a pass by blocking back Bill Callihan and returned it 31 yards to the Detroit 20. The Giants got a further boost when an offside penalty moved the ball to the 15. But on fourth down, Cuff’s field goal attempt was wide.

Augie Lio had three field goal attempts for the Lions. The first two failures were from 32 and 42 yards. In the fourth quarter, Detroit got the ball on the New York 31 after a 14-yard punt return by Sinkwich. The Lions ran three times to get a first down, but the drive stalled and Lio missed in his third try for a field goal.

Detroit generated a total of 130 yards of offense, to 84 for the Giants. Most of the yardage came on the ground – the Lions completed 5 of 12 passes for 28 yards while New York went to the air just four times with one completion for a net three yards. Detroit was more successful running the ball, too, with 102 yards on 37 attempts (2.8 avg.) to 81 yards on 40 combined carries (2.0 avg.) for New York. The Lions also had the edge in first downs, 6 to 3.


The game was remarkably turnover-free. Hein’s interception was the only pickoff of the game for either team and there were no turnovers by fumble. Frank Sinkwich (pictured at left) had three quick-kick punts that were all longer than 50 yards in the first half. He also ran the ball 16 times for 46 yards. Ward Cuff led both teams by rushing for 53 yards on 12 carries.

The next week, the Giants were devastated by the Bears, 56-7, giving up a league-record 682 yards as QB Sid Luckman also set an individual mark with seven TD passes. They recovered to win their last four games and finished tied with Washington atop the Eastern Division with a 6-3-1 record. However, they lost to the Redskins in the resulting playoff by a 28-0 score – certainly a fitting end to an up-and-down season for the Giants, who had beaten Washington in two straight games to force the tie. Detroit ended up at 3-6-1, a distant third in the Western Division.

2005: Tomlinson Scores 4 TDs as Chargers Hold On to Beat Jets

The San Diego Chargers were even at 4-4 as they traveled to the New Jersey Meadowlands to take on the New York Jets on November 6, 2005. Under Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer, the Chargers had gone from 4-12 in 2003 to 12-4 in ’04 and were looking to contend once again. QB Drew Brees didn’t have the strongest arm, but it was accurate. His top receiver was TE Antonio Gates, an outstanding player but one who could have used a complementary deep threat at wide receiver. The key player on offense was RB LaDainian Tomlinson (pictured above), in his fifth season and not only a top rusher but a talented receiver out of the backfield.

The Jets had also been a playoff team in 2004 under Head Coach Herman Edwards, but were struggling thus far in ’05 at 2-5 and were coming off of their bye week. They had lost QB Chad Pennington to a shoulder injury and were utilizing unheralded second-year backup Brooks Bollinger and 42-year-old veteran Vinny Testaverde. They still had RB Curtis Martin, long one of the best ground gainers in pro football but now 32 years old. New York had yet to score more than 20 points in a game, making it difficult for the defense to compensate.

There were 77,662 in attendance at Giants Stadium, and they saw the Chargers take a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter. While the Jets drove to the San Diego 33 yard line on the game’s opening drive, they came up empty when Mike Nugent missed a 51-yard field goal attempt that was wide to the left. The Chargers responded by going 59 yards in seven plays on their first possession, including a 15-yard pass play from Brees to Tomlinson in a third-and-seven situation, capped by Tomlinson running four yards for a touchdown.

Following a three-and-out possession by the Jets, San Diego put together another scoring drive. Brees completed a pass to Gates for a 22-yard gain and had back-to-back throws to WR Reche Caldwell that gained 19 yards and set up a pass to Tomlinson for a 25-yard TD.

The Jets came right back in their ensuing possession, primarily due to a Testaverde pass to TE Chris Baker that gained 47 yards to the San Diego seven. On the first play of the second quarter, Martin ran for a one-yard touchdown and the Chargers’ margin was narrowed to 14-7. However, San Diego got the ball back and put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that included back-to-back Brees completions of 21 yards to WR Keenan McCardell on a third-and-20 play and 29 yards to Gates that gave the Chargers a first-and-goal at the New York three. Two plays later, Tomlinson scored his third touchdown on a one-yard run, and San Diego’s lead was 21-7.

The Jets responded with an eight-play possession that covered 43 yards and included two Testaverde passes to WR Laveranues Coles that gained 13 and 19 yards. Nugent kicked a 35-yard field goal, and the score was 21-10. It was still the same at halftime, for while the Chargers moved the ball to the New York 19 yard line with just under a minute remaining on the clock, CB David Barrett intercepted a Brees pass to end the threat.

Following a three-and-out possession by San Diego to start the third quarter, the Jets were helped by a 40-yard pass interference penalty on CB Quentin Jammer and ended up with a 22-yard field goal by Nugent that narrowed the margin to 21-13. The teams traded punts before the Chargers put together a nine-play, 55-yard drive that included five carries for 28 yards by Tomlinson capped by a one-yard TD carry at the end. The score was 28-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

With Testaverde suffering from a calf injury, Bollinger took over at quarterback for the Jets and engineered a 13-play possession that covered 75 yards. New York converted two third downs, both on runs by the quarterback, and Bollinger capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to FB Jerald Sowell. However, once again the Chargers bounced back when RB Darren Sproles returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards, Brees threw a 25-yard completion to Gates, and Nate Kaeding booted an 18-yard field goal that extended the lead to 31-20.

Still, the Jets fought back. CB Justin Miller had a big kickoff return of his own, bringing the ball back 45 yards to start New York off in good field position at the San Diego 48. Bollinger threw to Coles for 11 yards and then to WR Justin McCareins for 17 more down to the 20. A sack on second down set up a third-and-18 situation, but Bollinger connected with WR Wayne Chrebet for a 20-yard gain. Bollinger then passed to Coles for an eight-yard TD, but the try for a two-point conversion failed.

It was a five-point game, however, and when Brees fumbled when sacked by DE John Abraham, the Jets had the ball back at the San Diego 30 with just over three minutes to play. New York drove to the three yard line, but DT Jamal Williams batted away a third down pass and an incompletion on fourth down with a minute remaining finished off the Jets. San Diego, which had difficulty holding late leads, escaped with a 31-26 win.

The Chargers had the most total yards (395 to 269) and first downs (27 to 19). However, they also turned the ball over twice (the Jets suffered none) and were penalized 12 times at a cost of 124 yards (New York was flagged five times for 35 yards).

LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 107 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns and caught three passes for 46 yards and a score, giving him four TDs on the day. Antonio Gates also had a big performance as he caught 8 passes for 132 yards. Drew Brees went to the air 27 times and completed 20 for 270 yards with a touchdown and one intercepted.


For the Jets, Vinny Testaverde completed 6 of 11 passes for 98 yards while Brooks Bollinger (pictured at right) was 11 for 20 and gained 106 yards with two touchdowns. Laveranues Coles had 6 pass receptions for 64 yards and a TD. Curtis Martin gained 72 yards on 21 attempts and scored a touchdown.

“It was nice,” said Tomlinson afterward. “So many times we've been on the losing end of games like this. I figured one game would have to go our way.”

The Chargers won their next three games but then lost three of the last four to fall out of contention and end up in third place in the AFC West with a 9-7 record. New York finished at the bottom of the AFC East with a 4-12 tally.

LaDainian Tomlinson went on to score a total of 20 touchdowns while gaining 1462 yards on 339 carries with 18 TDs and catching 51 passes for another 370 yards and two touchdowns. His 1832 yards from scrimmage ranked fifth in the NFL. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time.

Antonio Gates also had a Pro Bowl-year, in addition to being a consensus first-team All-NFL selection, as he caught a career-high 89 passes for 1101 yards and 10 touchdowns. Drew Brees threw for 3576 yards with 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions but, due to a shoulder injury suffered in the season finale that required surgery, the Chargers allowed him to depart as a free agent and he signed with New Orleans.

Brooks Bollinger, who performed so well in a relief role against the Chargers, played the most at quarterback for the Jets in 2005, which was by far his most active NFL season. He completed 56.4 % of his passes (150 of 266) for 1558 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions and had a passer rating of 72.9. Bollinger played three more seasons in the NFL, with the Vikings in 2006 and ’07 and Dallas in 2009, and threw a total of just 85 more passes. He went on to spend two seasons with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.

MVP Profile: Brett Favre, 1995

Quarterback, Green Bay Packers



Age: 26 (Oct. 10)
5th season in pro football, 4th with Packers
College: Southern Mississippi
Height: 6’2” Weight: 222

Prelude:
Chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft, Favre saw scant action in Atlanta before being traded to Green Bay after one year. There was no question as to the young quarterback having outstanding tools, in particular a strong passing arm, but with new Head Coach Mike Holmgren looking to operate the West Coast offense, he was viewed as a raw talent with questionable maturity who would back up veteran Don Majkowski. However, Majkowski was injured early in the season and Favre nearly led the Packers to the postseason as he passed for 3227 yards and 18 TDs with a 64.1 completion percentage and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He also displayed toughness, playing the last seven games with a separated left shoulder. There were growing pains in ’93 as Favre, a natural improviser, bridled at Holmgren’s efforts at making him more disciplined. He led the NFL by throwing 24 interceptions, but Green Bay made it to the postseason and Favre was again named to the Pro Bowl. While he wasn’t selected in ’94, his numbers improved to 3882 yards passing with 33 TDs against 14 interceptions.

1995 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 570 [4]
Most attempts, game – 51 vs. St. Louis Rams 9/3
Completions – 359 [2]
Most completions, game – 31 vs. Cincinnati 12/3
Yards – 4413 [1]
Most yards, game – 342 vs. Detroit 10/15
Completion percentage – 63.0 [7]
Yards per attempt – 7.7 [3]
TD passes – 38 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 5 vs. Chicago 11/12
Interceptions – 13 [15, tied with Gus Frerotte & Jim Kelly]
Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. St. Louis Rams 9/3, at Detroit 10/29
Passer rating – 99.5 [2, 1st in NFC]
300-yard passing games – 7
200-yard passing games – 14

Rushing
Attempts – 39
Most attempts, game - 6 (for 15 yds.) vs. Cincinnati 12/3
Yards – 181
Most yards, game – 39 yards (on 2 carries) at Jacksonville 9/24
Yards per attempt – 4.6
TDs – 3

Scoring
TDs – 3
Points - 18

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 102
Most attempts, game - 39 at Dallas, NFC Championship
Pass completions – 66
Most completions, game - 24 vs. Atlanta, NFC Wild Card playoff
Passing yardage – 805
Most yards, game - 307 at Dallas, NFC Championship
TD passes – 8
Most TD passes, game - 3 vs. Atlanta, NFC Wild Card playoff, at Dallas, NFC Championship
Interceptions – 2
Most interceptions, game - 2 at Dallas, NFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 7
Most rushing attempts, game - 3 vs. Atlanta, NFC Wild Card playoff, at San Francisco, NFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards – 7
Most rushing yards, game - 11 at San Francisco, NFC Divisional playoff
Average gain rushing – 1.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl

Packers went 11-5 to finish first in the NFC Central and the third playoff seed in conference. Won NFC Wild Card playoff over Atlanta Falcons (37-20) and Divisional playoff over San Francisco 49ers (27-17). Lost NFC Championship to Dallas Cowboys (38-27).

Aftermath:
Favre earned MVP honors in each of the next two years and the Packers won the Super Bowl following the ’96 season and were NFC Champions again in ‘97. He led the NFL in touchdown passes each year (39 and 35 respectively) and was a consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection as well. He played through many injuries over the ensuing years to put together a string of 297 consecutive starts that finally ended in 2010. Along the way he had six 4000-yard passing seasons and reached 3000 in 18 years. He also threw 30 or more TD passes nine times. After initially retiring from the Packers in 2007, Favre made a comeback that led to an acrimonious departure from Green Bay and he played with the New York Jets in 2008. A season that started promisingly with the Jets proved disappointing and Favre led the league by tossing 22 interceptions. Again calling it quits, he was lured back by the Minnesota Vikings, finishing up with two seasons there. Overall, Favre left as the all-time NFL leader in pass attempts (10,169), completions (6300), yards (71,838), TD passes (508), and, on the downside, interceptions (336).

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/12/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]

1923: Cub Buck Punts 19 Times as Packers Edge St. Louis All-Stars

In the early days of pro football, versatility was a prized asset in a player, and kicking was among the most important skills. There were no specialists at that time, and punting was significant in what were often low-scoring, defense-dominated games that turned on the battle for field position. Howard “Cub” Buck of the Green Bay Packers was a tackle who could also kick, and on November 4, 1923 he set an unofficial record for punts in a game with 19 (the NFL didn’t officially keep punting statistics until the 1930s).

Buck was one of the biggest players of his era, listed at 6’0” and around 260 pounds (sometimes as high as 280). An All-American in college at Wisconsin, he had joined the pre-NFL Canton Bulldogs in 1916, where he blocked for the legendary Jim Thorpe and was involved with college coaching on the side (in 1917, he became head coach at Carleton College). The Packers signed Buck upon joining the new American Professional Football Association (still a year away from being renamed the National Football League) at $75 per game. He was worth it, for by all accounts he was an outstanding tackle on both offense and defense and, of course, could kick.

The Packers came into the game at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis with a 2-2-1 record and were trying to keep pace with the Bulldogs and Chicago Bears in the divisionless league’s standings.

The ambitiously-named All-Stars, owned and coached by Ollie Kraehe (who also played guard), were anything but. In their first (and only) season in the NFL, they had yet to score a point in any of their four league games (they had beaten the non-league Murphysboro All-Stars 25-0 in their opening contest), although thanks to two of the games having ended in scoreless ties the record was 0-2-2. As attested to by the two 0-0 games, one of which was against the Packers in Green Bay, the defense didn’t give up many points – a total of 12 in the two losses.

The turf was muddy and playing for field position was even more the order of the day than usual. The crowd on hand numbered a modest 750. Green Bay had the ball 14 times in the first half, with the result being 11 punts and a missed field goal attempt, all by Buck, and two turnovers. Late in the third quarter, a 50-yard punt by Buck was fumbled by back Eber Simpson and recovered by the Packers at the St. Louis 16. Following two short running plays, Buck kicked a 20-yard field goal. It was all Green Bay would need.

On the Packers’ next possession, Buck quick-kicked on first down and the punt sailed 60 yards to pin the All-Stars inside their ten yard line. The Packers turned the ball over twice more in the fourth quarter, but Buck’s punting continued to keep St. Louis stuck in its own territory and Green Bay came away with a 3-0 win.

Highlighting the difference in the style of play at that time, of Buck’s 19 punts, five were on first down, one on second, eight on third, and just five on fourth down. Buck also completed a 13-yard pass to tailback Curly Lambeau (also the team’s organizer and coach) out of punt formation. While there was no precise total for the punting yardage, it is estimated that he averaged 31 yards per kick. Considering the conditions – and the likelihood that the same, sodden ball was in play throughout – it was an impressive performance.

The Packers won their four remaining league games to finish third in the league with a 7-2-1 record. In those four contests, they gave up a total of seven points. St. Louis won its next game, scoring its only points of the season in a 14-7 verdict over Jim Thorpe’s Oorang Indians, and ended up in 14th place at 1-4-2 (their last scheduled NFL game was cancelled and they lost their finale, a non-league game at Benld, Illinois). The league withdrew the franchise the following year.

Cub Buck tied for fifth in the NFL with six field goals and added five extra points for a total of 23 points. It was his best season for placekicking and scoring – and, at least in one game, for punting. He played another two seasons, through 1925, and retired to become head coach at the University of Miami.

The official league record for punts in a game is currently 16, by Leo Araguz of the Raiders against San Diego in 1998. But at least unofficially, Buck has held the record for 88 years.

As a footnote, for any of the chief rivals to the NFL where the statistics are available, the record was 11 in the All-America Football Conference, World Football League, and United States Football League (in the AAFC, it was accomplished by Glenn Dobbs of the Los Angeles Dons vs. the New York Yankees in a 1949 game; Florida’s Billy Hobbs punted that many times in a 1974 WFL game against Houston; and in the USFL, Dario Casarino of the Boston Breakers reached 11 against the Chicago Blitz in 1983).