Mike Tanier

New Jersey

NFL Writer and Analyst at Freelance

NFL Writer/editor/founder of Too Deep Zone. Formerly Football Outsiders, the New York Times, The Messenger, Bleacher Report and other ancient empires.

Articles

Five Signature Moments from Philadelphia Eagles History

1 week ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

I’ve never been much of a Chuck Bednarik fanboy. Bednarik was one of the greatest players in pro football history. To this day, he might still be the greatest Eagles player ever. His accomplishments for the 1960 NFL Champions loomed large in the Philly sports fan psyche for nearly 60 years. A little too large. Bednarik was a product of the Greatest Generation, and he wasn’t afraid to tell you. He could out-boomer any boomer.
Bandied Alexander

2 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Jaire Alexander inhabits a liminal space between the real and the imaginary. He devours money and generates headlines but is rarely seen or heard. Packers coaches speak of him the way medieval peasants speak of mysterious woodland spirits, or the way they used to speak of Aaron Rodgers, or the way Rodgers speaks about general topics. Alexander spent the winter and early spring both on the Packers roster and not in their plans.
Five Signature Moments From New York Giants History

2 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

The Giants, one of the NFL’s oldest franchises, won championships in 1934 and 1938. Two titles, four years apart, under a legendary coach (Steve Owen) and a “quarterback” (Ed Danowski) who had some great years but wasn’t quite a Hall of Famer. (Danowski replaced Harry Newman as the Giants’ A-formation tailback late in the 1934 season.) Sense a pattern? Here is some footage from the 1938 championship game.
Perfunctory Aaron Rodgers-Flavored Content Item #420666905

2 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

The Aaron Rodgers/Steelers signing finally coughed and chugged into our newsfeeds last Thursday afternoon on the caboose of one of the most hysterically-dystopian runaway current-event bullet trains in recent memory.
Cat Scratch Disbeliever

3 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Jaycee Horn and Ickey Ekwonu are not great football players. Oh, Horn is very good. The Panthers cornerback is undeniably talented. He can look like an All Pro for stretches. But then he gets burned like this:Yes, yes, Horn can be seen stomping his feet at Jordan Fuller after giving up that touchdown. He expected safety help but didn’t get it. Rashid Shaheed still vaporized him by three steps.
Five Signature Moments from Dallas Cowboys History

3 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

New series? New series! Let’s get right to it, with an explanation at the bottom. Date: January 3rd, 1983The Cowboys are better than you. That’s the message that was drummed into NFC teams – and their fans – from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s. The Cowboys quarterback was more heroic than yours. Their lines were bigger and stronger than yours. Their coaches were smarter than yours. Their tactics more advanced than yours. Their cheerleaders were sexier than yours.
Dawn of the Buccaneers Punters!

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

[Opens Stathead. Filters for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2024. Play type: Punt. Yes, punt.][Loads NFL Pro. Enters password. Enters it again. Refreshes. Enters it again. Player name? Jake Camarda. Fourth downs only, please: no one needs to see his kickoffs.]Ah yes, a deep dive into Buccaneers punters. This is a totally normal activity for a Wednesday morning in May. Now let’s just see how bad this Camarda lad really was …Dear lord. This is a special teams snuff film.
The Greatest Eagles Quarterback Ever

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Jalen Hurts is the greatest quarterback in Philadelphia Eagles history. Hurts ranked fourth when I published the All-Time Top Five Eagles QBs last summer. He was coming off a 2023 season during which the Eagles suffered an epic collapse. “Hurts can climb this list with another good-not-great season or two, because that’s the nature of this list,” I wrote. “He could vault to #1 with a return to the Super Bowl.
Why the Brock Purdy Contract Stinks

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Quarterback contracts used to be gross, gnarly and cool. Quarterback contracts used to be excessive and overindulgent, like those five-pound bacon donut burgers that are free if you are willing to cut a decade off your life by eating one in under 30 minutes. Negotiations were often as protracted and contentious as peace treaties; either that, or as rushed and ill-conceived as a drug deal behind the liquor store. The fine print was sometimes as nefarious as a terms-of-service agreement.
Seahawks All-Time Top 5 QBs: We Want the Ball

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Welcome to the final installment of the All-Time Top 5 QB series! Although there will be an epilogue. So, welcome to the penultimate installment of the All-Time Top 5 QB series!Here is a list of the 2012 Senior Bowl quarterbacks:Kirk Cousins, Michigan StateNick Foles, ArizonaRyan Lindley, San Diego StateKellen Moore, Boise StateBrandon Weeden, Oklahoma StateRussell Wilson, WisconsinQuite a group, right?