Jahvid Best's history makes future unclear

Amateur doctors can look at the facts of Jahvid Best's concussion history. They are documented. One resulted from a frightening fall while playing at Cal in 2009. Two have come in the past two months for the Detroit Lions, following hits that were mild enough to go unnoticed while watching the game live. 2011 STATS

We can look at those facts, fear for Best's long-term health and wonder if he should take some substantial time away from the game to evaluate his future.

At the same time, of course, we have no idea about the circumstances of Best's current condition. Are his symptoms mild? Severe? Have his test results looked good? Are they alarming? So from this vantage point, it's difficult to do anything other than await word from Best himself.

(On Wednesday, Best tweeted: "Thanks for all your tweets and prayers. I'm taking everything one day at a time.")

It's worth noting, however, that Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com reported that people close to Best are "expressing concern" about playing again this season. Presumably, those people know more about the specific circumstances of this concussion than we do. They could also be people who love him and simply don't want to see him in harm's way anytime soon.

All of this is to say that we should take Best's situation very, very seriously. No one is trying to raise alarms. In truth, we don't even know for sure that he won't play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, even though it seems pretty unlikely at the moment. His history, combined with still-emerging concerns about the long-term affects of concussions, simply makes this a complex issue that isn't likely to go away anytime soon.

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Pick Six: Top QB games in recent playoff history?

Aaron Rodgers is pretty good. Last week, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to have a passer rating in each of his first two playoff starts exceed 120. He did it for a third consecutive time against the Falcons on Saturday night, leading the Packers to a spot in the NFC Championship Game.

But where does his performance stack up in playoff history? Well, let’s narrow that down a bit. How about where does Rodgers’ outing (non-Super Bowl) rank among some of the best quarterback performances in the playoffs since 2000? Is there enough qualifiers there?

Let’s count it down. Surprisingly, former Browns QB Kelly Holcomb (vs. the Steelers in 2002) and ex-Giants QB Kerry Collins were both in consideration, but both fell just short.

Note: The years are done according to NFL season, not calendar year.

6. Chad Pennington vs. Colts, 2002 AFC Wild Card Game: Pennington is one of the most maligned quarterbacks in recent memory. But he will be able to tell his grandchildren that he once out-dueled Peyton Manning, going 19-for-25 with 222 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-0 win over the Colts.

5. Peyton Manning vs. Broncos, 2003 AFC Wild Card Game: Manning finally found his stride, going 22-for-26 for 377 yards and five touchdowns in the Colts’ 41-10 triumph. If you ever need a quarterback to beat an overmatched AFC West team in the playoffs, Manning has proven to be your man. The rest of the time in the playoffs, he’s about as consistent as Collins.

4. Kurt Warner vs. Eagles, 2008 NFC Championship Game: Warner led the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance by completing 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. The Cardinals hung on to beat the Eagles, 32-25, on Warner’s 8-yard touchdown pass to RB Tim Hightower. If you ever want to judge Warner’s impact, look at what happened to St. Louis and Arizona after he left.

3. Tom Brady vs. Jaguars, 2007 AFC Divisional Playoff Game: The Patriots were perfect during the regular season, and Brady was nearly perfect in knocking off the Jaguars. He went 26-of-28 for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the Patriots’ 31-20 win.

2. Rodgers vs. Falcons, 2010 NFC Divisional Playoff Game: Rodgers has put the notion to rest that he is merely a fantasy enthusiast’s dream. The Packers have scored 114 points in Rodgers’ three playoff games. On Saturday night, he finished 31-of-36 for 366 yards and three touchdowns. He even ran for a touchdown, too.

1. Warner vs. Packers, 2009 NFC Wild Card Game: If there was ever a game where you thought a team was going to score every time it touched the ball, this was it. Warner competed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns. That’s right, more touchdowns than incompletions. And if the Cardinals’ defense had not won the game with a fumble return for a touchdown, Warner likely would have padded his stats. Warner’s 154.1 passer rating was the second-highest in playoff history.

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Pick Six: Most memorable plays in NFL history

Every Lynyrd Skynyrd-loving Jacksonville citizen worth their salt will claim that they were at EverBank Field when the Jaguars beat the Texans on QB David Garrard‘s desperation heave to WR Mike Thomas, regardless of what the attendance says.

Because big moments are what define the NFL. And some of the best ones even get a fancy nickname. Here are my top six most memorable plays in NFL history:

6. Music City Miracle

Following the Bills’ kickoff on the game’s final play, Titans WR Kevin Dyson takes a field-wide lateral from TE Frank Wycheck and races 75 yards to lift Tennessee over Buffalo in an AFC Wild Card Game. What made the outcome more delicious was that Bills coach Wade Phillips had benched QB Doug Flutie for the game after Rob Johnson performed well in a meaningless Week 17 contest that was played after their playoff slot had been determined. Phillips was seconds away from being justified for an unjust move. The Football Gods said otherwise.

5. Tyree’s catch in Super Bowl XLII

Talk about your desperation heaves. Giants QB Eli Manning fights through a number of defenders, launches the ball toward a little-known David Tyree, who pins it to his helmet while Patriots safety Rodney Harrison desperately tries to knock it away. This is what happens to Harrison when he tries to play by the rules. The play set up Plaxico Burress‘ winning touchdown reception to end the Patriots’ bid for perfection.

4. The Holy Roller

The Raiders were once known (should that be past tense?) as rule breakers. But QB Ken Stabler might not have broken the rules when he intentionally fumbled the ball forward against the Chargers, which allowed RB Pete Banaszak to knock it into the end zone so TE Dave Casper could fall on it for a touchdown. A rule was later added making this illegal.

3. Immaculate Reception

This might be hard for you youngsters to believe, but there was a time when the Steelers were a downtrodden franchise and the Raiders were among the NFL’s elite. But when Steelers RB Franco Harris caught a ball that had ricocheted off John “Frenchy” Fuqua‘s hands via the Raiders’ Jack Tatum and raced into the end zone, a dynasty was born.

The only thing that could have made this play more memorable would have been if the referee had buried his head into the replay booth for five minutes, if there were a replay rule at the time, and later emerged to explain that there was no conclusive evidence, and the play would stand.

2. The Hail Mary

The one and only. Cowboys QB Roger Staubach threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to WR Drew Pearson in the closing seconds of a 1975 NFC Divisional playoff game. After the game, Staubach referred to the pass as a “Hail Mary” and the legend was born. Vikings fans still say that Pearson pushed off and call it Holy (expletive).

1. The Tuck Rule

This game had everything you would want: a snow storm, in the playoffs, and the Raiders losing. Patriots QB Tom Brady appeared to have fumbled in the closing minutes to give Oakland the win. But the now-famous NFL Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2 said otherwise. Brady went on to lead New England to the win and ultimately a Super Bowl win over St. Louis. Adam Vinatieri‘s winning boot in the Super Bowl deserves an honorable mention here.

Also deserving votes: the Ghost to the Post, the Sea of Hands, and the fight between Rams and Raiders fans during a Week 11 game at Anaheim Stadium in 1994.

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Woodson: Vick is most dangerous QB in history

Published: November 17th, 2010 | | Tags: Daryl Johnston, Fran Charles, NFL Total Access, Rod Woodson

NFL Network analyst Rod Woodson made a bold proclamation about Eagles QB Michael Vick on “Total Access” on Wednesday.

“I believe Michael Vick is the most dangerous quarterback in NFL history,” Woodson said. ”He’s probably not the ‘best’ quarterback, but I’m talking about the most dangerous. He’s so versatile.”

Big words coming from our resident Hall of Famer. But who are we to argue? That’s up to you … leave your comments below. Be sure to check out the video for the full discussion on Vick and what the Giants must do in their matchup against the Eagles.

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