Is Hines Ward the best blocking receiver in NFL history?
Taylor Swift tickets rival Super Bowl + Early look at the NL Cy Young race
Past: Let’s build blocking wide receiver Mount Rushmore.
Wide Receivers are paid to catch the football, get down field, and score touchdowns. Blocking, although a part of the job description, does not earn wideouts the big bucks. To block is the role of offensive lineman, tight ends, running backs, and the rare fullback. If your wide receiver is a great blocker, that is a nice little bonus, but exceling at that barbaric task is far from a requirement.
Just as there are some tight ends that run routes better than wide receivers, there are wide receivers that block better than tight ends. Hines Ward was one of those wide receivers. The former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout was just a tad under six feet tall, but struck the fear of god into any defender who did not have their head on a swivel.
Ward nearly killed Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers on a crackback block in 2008, breaking his jaw . The Baltimore Ravens had a bounty on Ward’s head that same year for a block Ward had on linebacker Bart Scott the year before. Ward knocked Ed Reed out on Monday Night Football. He even got a shot on Ray Lewis, a guy I wouldn’t even make eye contact with let alone make contact with. Ward was labeled dirty, but rarely received a penalty for any of his hits. He played within the rule until they literally made a rule called the “Hines Ward Rule” that made the blindside block illegal. Essentially, Hines Ward made sure there would never again be another Hines Ward. He was something else.
Is Ward the best blocking wide receiver in NFL history? That is really tough to say. Ward comes to mind because of the highlight hits he had, but knocking safeties and linebackers off their feet doesn’t necessarily mean you were the best. It doesn’t hurt your reputation as a blocker either.
As one who never shies away from the opportunity to build a Mount Rushmore, here is my blocking wide receiver Rushmore, headlined by Hines Ward:
Hines Ward: My writeup above is enough to cover his inclusion
Larry Fitzgerald: Larry was one of the most fundamentally sound wide receivers in NFL history and that extended to his skill as a blocker. He had no weaknesses on the football field and his height, frame, and length made him an excellent asset to the run game. He was known to punish a safety every now and then as well.
Keyshawn Johnson: If I am talking about Larry having a large frame, Keyshawn says hold my beer. The former #1 overall pick in the 1996 draft was hard to get around and could easily have lined up at tight end, as he stood at a hulking 6’4”. I vividly remember him being a lead blocker on a Mike Alstott touchdown run in Tampa Bay, which earns him bonus points, as being the lead blocker for a fullback is about the most “football” football play one can make on the gridiron.
Art Monk: Washington won three Super Bowls while Art Monk was in uniform and a big reason why was their offensive line, known as The Hogs. Monk was an extension of that elite group, as his blocking enabled John Riggins, George Rogers, and Timmy Smith to gain extra yards on the ground. Monk came to work everyday and did his job with no complaints. His toughness and size (at 6’3”, he was considered huge in the 1980s) made him one of the best to ever do it.
To listen to this week’s podcast episode on Hines Ward, click here.
Present: Taylor Swift visited Chicago this weekend. Loans were taken out to attend.
My wife was lucky enough to go see Taylor Swift last Friday at Solider Field in Chicago. Her friend received tickets at face value and was kind enough to invite her to go with her. What a friend (shoutout to Libby).
Now, I would not say I don’t necessarily qualify as a Swiftie, but a I am a fan of her music and by Friday afternoon, I was starting to get the itch to attend the concert. It was Friday, the weekend was here, it was 80 degrees out, the city of Chicago was buzzing, and Taylor Swift was the hottest ticket in town. Why shouldn’t I go?
StubHub quickly answered that question with a direct punch to my face. After submitting my standard filters (cheapest tickets, include the fee in the price), I was presented with $990 tickets behind the stage. Not behind the stage as in backstage, but behind the stage as in behind the stage in the nose bleeds. Yes, for a cool one thousand dollars, I could purchase a ticket to sit by myself in the upper deck behind the stage. Yikes.
Well, that just wouldn’t do. I would like to at least see Taylor in person if I am paying to go to a concert in person. That ticket would be like purchasing a ticket to the NBA Finals, but then proceeding to watch the entire game on the tv hanging from the ceiling near the concession stand in the corridors of the stadium. In order to see the Taylor in person, on stage, in the nosebleeds, StubHub let me know that would set me back $2100. Why stop there?
On the field tickets in the middle of the pack ran a cool $10,200. Now that seemed like the right way to experience the show.
Yes, this all sounds ridiculous (and it is), but the scary part is people out there were buying tickets at these prices. There are plenty of rich people out there to buy those tickets, but also plenty of parents that can’t afford those tickets, but don’t want to disappoint their kids. Who needs a college fund anyway?
Super Bowl tickets earlier this year went for an average of $4,366 dollars, so you may think that Taylor doesn’t have Rodger Goodell and the shield beat. Think again. Remember, the Super Bowl is just one game. You are buying an experience that only comes around once a year. Demand is high, and supply is low. There is excess demand. Prices are going to be high. It makes sense.
Taylor played three shows in Chicago alone this weekend though. The Eras Tour has 52 scheduled dates in 20 cities. There are at minimum 52 opportunities this year you can attend a Taylor concert and the tickets are still thousands upon thousands of dollars. The demand is high, the supply is high (in relation to the Super Bowl) and tickets are high (almost at Super Bowl levels). I only got a “B” in my freshman microeconomics class, but I think Taylor might have broken something here.
My wife came home from the concert Friday and said it lived up to the hype. She slept well that night after an action-packed day and a two-hour commute home following the concert. I slept well at night knowing we didn’t have to take out a small loan in order for her to go.
Future: Is Marcus Stroman at the top of the pack for the NL Cy Young?
On Memorial Day, I enjoyed my afternoon at Wrigley Field, where I watched Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman throw a 1-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays in a game that took just two hours and five minutes. He threw a masterpiece and it was one of the more dominant pitching performances I have ever seen in my life. Stroman was in complete control of the game, as he struck out eight, walked just one, and took a no-hitter into the 7th inning. This outing, although his best of the year, was no fluke. Stroman has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year and has a great chance of not just making his 2nd all-star team this July, but taking home a Cy Young award at the end of the season.
After Stroman’s victory Sunday afternoon in San Diego, he sits at a 6-4 record with a 2.39 ERA (2nd in the NL). Out of his 13 starts this season, 11 of them are quality starts, which not only leads the National League, but the American League as well. He is not Randy Johnson when it comes to striking out batters, but he doesn’t let many people on base. In 79 innings, he has only let up 52 hits and relies on his sinker to force ground ball after ground ball. His success does depend on the defensive play of his infield quite a bit, but with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner now forming a formidable double play combo (2nd in the NL in double plays), Stroman is sitting pretty.
Who else is in the running? Bryce Elder of the Atlanta Braves has a pristine 1.92 ERA through 11 starts, but is less of a strikeout pitcher than Stroman and only has three wins to his name. I know wins as a pitcher no longer carries the weight it once did, but only three wins a third of the way through the season does make one do a double take. And Elder might not even be the best pitcher on his own staff. That title could belong to Spencer Strider, who is striking out a ridiculous 14.6 batters per nine innings and is on pace to surpass the 300 strikeout milestone by the end of this season. He has double the wins and strikeouts that Edler has despite owning an ERA of 2.97. The mustached flamethrower looks unhittable at times and is definitely the sexier option out of Atlanta.
And then, there is Clayton Kershaw, who could get greedy and make a run at his fourth Cy Young this summer. His ERA is sky high for him (3.25 ERA), but he is tied for first in the National League in Wins (7) and is fourth in strikeouts (84). The Los Angeles Dodgers legend still has plenty left in his take and if Justin Verlander has taught me anything recently, it is to not count out top arm talent out until they retire. If Verlander can win a Cy Young award at 39 years old, there is no reason Kershaw can’t at 35.
So, who is the frontrunner? I give it to Stroman. He is not making mistakes this year and is as consistent as a flooded inbox on a Monday morning. If he stays the course and remains healthy, he has a great shot at becoming the first Cy Young award winner for the Chicago Cubs since Jake Arrieta won in 2015, the year before the Cubs finally broke the World Series curse. One can only hope that if Stroman does follow in Arrieta’s footsteps this year, the Chicago Cubs can follow in their footsteps and win the whole thing in 2024. As a Cubs fan, you have to let me dream.