By James A. Lyons
By arming the rebels, we're aiding al Qaeda
Joe Flacco as Johnny Unitas.
When Ray Lewis was selected in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft, he didn't even know the nickname of the team that drafted him. But Lewis quickly became the face of the Baltimore Ravens, and the stellar middle linebacker will remain a beloved figure in Charm City long after he pulls off his No. 52 jersey for the final time.
There were no sighs of relief, no jumps for joy when the New York Jets found out they wouldn't have to worry about Rob Gronkowski this week.
Drew Brees set an NFL record Sunday night with touchdown passes in 48 straight games, breaking a mark set by Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas a half-century ago.
This is the Era of Optimum Conditions for NFL quarterbacks. If there was ever a time and place to be a QB, it's right here, right now. For one thing, the rules have never been more favorable to the passing game. For another, the receivers all wear gloves — tacky gloves. And if you happen to play for a dome team, well, who loves ya, baby?
As far as Drew Brees is concerned, Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt all have played an important role in putting him in position to break Johnny Unitas' half-century-old record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass.
Running quarterbacks were oxymorons in the NFL, as curious a term as "blocking offensive linemen." Running was the nature of each back in the backfield -- whether he was a quarter, half or full -- until a metamorphism began about 75 years ago.
Jack Butler had it all planned out.
When Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo made a preseason prediction that Nationals Park would become "the ticket in town" — and team manager Davey Johnson subsequently called Washington "a baseball town, not a football town" — both men raised eyebrows.
Christmas just wasn't the same after Eagles running back LeSean McCoy and Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers delivered coal-worthy performances in my fantasy championship game on Christmas Eve.
