Steve Spurrier III, Author at The-Hogs.net

Super Bowl XLIII: Really Just a Redskins Intrasquad Scrimmage

January 31, 2009 by Steve Spurrier III

While we all wish that the Redskins were the NFC representative in Super Bowl XLIII, that doesn’t mean that we can’t find a team to root for. Let’s take a look at the ties the Redskins have to the Cardinals and Steelers: Arizona Cardinals The Cardinals don’t have any former Redskins on their roster, although … Read more

A Thing Called Tradition

January 21, 2009 by Steve Spurrier III

Whenever a debate creeps up about the Redskins’ uniforms, many people trot out the word “tradition” in defense of the current outfit. It’s not an unreasonable position; while wearing more or less the same uniform the team sports today, the Redskins experienced the greatest ten-year stretch in team history from 1982 to 1991. The decade … Read more

Ladell Betts – A Wasted Resource?

January 12, 2009 by Steve Spurrier III

In the summer of 2007, I did an analysis of Ladell Betts’ 2006 season. Prior to 2006, Betts was a bit player for the Redskins since being drafted by the team in 2002. He battled injuries in his first two seasons with the club, and once Clinton Portis arrived in 2004, Betts assumed the primary backup role. Portis was a workhorse in his first two seasons in Washington, touching the ball (carries plus receptions) 765 times while Betts had handled it just 204 times over the same span, giving Portis 79% of the workload between the two backs. In the 2006 preseason, Portis dislocated his shoulder and was limited to just seven games and 127 carries throughout the year. 2006 would be the first (and as it turned out, only) season that Ladell Betts got consistent work.

Betts was very good in 2006, recording the 19th 1,000-yard campaign in team history (Portis has since added the 20th and 21st). He rushed for 1,154 yards and added another 445 yards receiving, an impressive showing for a first time starter. But what made it especially impressive was that he did it on just 245 carriers and 53 receptions, an average of 5.36 yards per touch. That wasn’t just good; it was good for the best mark ever among Redskin 1,000-yard rushers:

Redskins in the LIFE Photo Archives

January 2, 2009 by Steve Spurrier III

TIME has recently teamed up with Google to make their LIFE photo archives available on the web. Most of these photos never made it into print, and the process of digitalizing around 10 million photos is still ongoing. It’s an incredible resource, and Google Images makes the archive easy to search.

There are some fantastic football shots. Unfortunately, the best pictures don’t involve the Redskins; I had no idea this media biased stretched back so far. But there are a lot of interesting photos of the hometown team, and I’ve linked them here for your convenience.

Relative Quarterback Ratings: Honolulu Hughes to Jason Campbell

December 30, 2008December 30, 2008 by Steve Spurrier III

While trying to distract myself from the fact that a Gus Frerotte vs. Norv Turner Super Bowl is still a possibility, I took a look at Sammy Baugh’s statistics. I was surprised to see his rookie season quarterback rating: 50.5, an incredibly low number by today’s standards. Even Heath Shuler (sorry, Congressman Heath Shuler) never posted a mark that low when he wore the burgundy and gold. Yet Baugh’s 1937 campaign was not only good enough to guide the Redskins to their first NFL Championship, but it was also good enough to lead the league in quarterback rating. 71 years ago, the league average quarterback rating was just 34.4.