1997 Detroit Lions
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1997 Detroit Lions
The 1997 Detroit Lions season was their 68th in the National Football League (NFL). The Lions rebounded from a disastrous 1996 season, finishing 9–7 and qualifying for the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons – the best stretch in franchise history. Bobby Ross replaced Wayne Fontes as head coach. The highlight of the season was Barry Sanders becoming the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season. Sanders shared the 1997 Associated Press MVP Award with Packers quarterback Brett Favre. As a team, the Lions set an NFL rushing record, gaining 5.51 yards per rushing attempt. The Lions scored 379 points in 1997, the fourth-most of any team in the league. Offseason NFL Draft Personnel Staff Roster Regular season The final game of the regular season, on December 21, was marked by emotional highs and lows. Entering the game at 8–7 and needing a win to secure a playoff berth, the Lions played host to the 9–6 ...
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NFC North
The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough rivalry games between the teams, it currently has four members: the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. The NFC North was previously known as the NFC Central from 1970 to 2001. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were previously members, from 1977, one year after they joined the league as an expansion team, until 2002 when they moved to the NFC South. The division was created in 1967 as the Central Division of the NFL's Western Conference and existed for three seasons before the AFL–NFL merger. After the merger, it was renamed the NFC Central and retained that name until the NFL split into eight divisions in 2002. The four current division teams have been together in the same division or conference since the Vikin ...
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Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player
The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to a player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have been the "Most valuable player, most valuable" in that year's National Football League regular season, regular season. While there have been many selectors of NFL MVPs in the past, today the MVP award presented by the AP is considered the ''de facto'' official NFL MVP award and the most prestigious. Since 2011, the NFL has held the annual NFL Honors ceremony to recognize the winner of each year's AP MVP award, along with other AP awards, such as the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The most recent AP NFL MVP is quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. The AP has presented an award recognizing the NFL's top player since 1957. The award is voted upon by a panel of 50 sportswriters at the end of the regular season, before the playoffs, though the results are not ...
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Linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, playing closer to the line of scrimmage than the defensive backs (secondary), but farther back than the defensive linemen. As such, linebackers play a hybrid role and are often the most versatile players on the defensive side of the ball; they can be asked to play roles similar to either a defensive lineman (such as stopping the runner on a running play) or a defensive back (such as dropping back into pass coverage). How a linebacker plays their position depends on the defensive alignment, the philosophy of the coaching staff, and the particular play the offense may call. Linebackers are divided into middle linebackers, sometimes called inside linebackers, and outside linebackers. The middle linebacker, often called "Mike", is frequen ...
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Matt Russell
Matthew Jason Russell (born July 5, 1973) is an American football executive who currently serves as a Senior Personnel Executive for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He formerly served as the Director of Player Personnel for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Russell also was a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for a single season. He played college football for the University of Colorado, earned All-American honors and won the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in America. He played professionally for the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1997-1999. Early years Russell was born in Tokyo, Japan.National Football League, Historical Players Matt Russell Retrieved February 2, 2012. He lived in Germany, England and various parts of the United States as a child. He attended Belleville High School-East in Belleville, Illinois,databaseFootball.com, Players M ...
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1996 Syracuse Orange Football Team
The 1996 Syracuse Orangemen football team competed in football on behalf of Syracuse University during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Orangemen were coached by Paul Pasqualoni Paul Lucian Pasqualoni (; born August 16, 1949) is an American football coach. He most recently was the defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers. Pasqualoni has served as the defensive coordinator of the NFL's Miami Dolphins and Detroit L ... and played their home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Schedule *Schedule Source: Roster References Syracuse Syracuse Orange football seasons Liberty Bowl champion seasons Syracuse Orangemen football {{collegefootball-1990s-season-stub ...
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Kevin Abrams (cornerback)
Kevin R. Abrams (born February 28, 1974) is a former professional American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse Orange football, Syracuse.SI.com NFL Kevin Abrams Player Page
SI.com retrieved 2008-08-17


College career

Abrams signed his letter of intent to play college football at Syracuse University in 1992, the same year as fellow defensive back Tyvan Sunday.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, Kevin 1974 births American football cornerbacks Detroit Lions players Living people Players of American football from Tampa, Florida Syracuse Orange football players ...
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1996 Arizona State Sun Devils Football Team
The 1996 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented the Arizona State University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A college football season. The team's head coach was Bruce Snyder, who was coaching his fifth season with the Sun Devils and 17th season overall. Home games were played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. They participated as members of the Pacific-10 Conference. Regular season In 1996, the Sun Devils went a surprising 11–1, highlighted by a 19–0 shutout of the number-one-ranked, two-time defending national champion, Nebraska Cornhuskers in Tempe, ending Nebraska's 26-game win streak. The upset win also gained a measure of revenge from the previous season, when they went into Lincoln and were not only defeated by a 77–28 margin, but were enraged after the eventual national champions threw a long touchdown pass in the game's final minutes. ASU quarterback Jake Plummer led the Sun Devils, propelling Arizona State into the Rose Bowl against the Ohio Sta ...
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Tackle (gridiron Football Position)
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions, and the stand-alone term "tackle" refers to the offensive tackle position only. The offensive tackle (OT, T) is a position on the offensive line, left and right. Like other offensive linemen, their job is to block: to physically keep defenders away from the offensive player who has the football and enable him to advance the football and eventually score a touchdown. The term "tackle" is a vestige of an earlier era of football in which the same players played both offense and defense. A tackle is the strong position on the offensive line. They power their blocks with quick steps and maneuverability. The tackles are mostly in charge of the outside protection. Usually they defen ...
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Juan Roque
Juan Armando Roque (born February 6, 1974) is a former American college and professional American football, football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for Arizona State University, and earned All-American honors. A second-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the NFL's Detroit Lions and then the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. Roque was a Color commentator, color analyst for Fox Sports Arizona's broadcasts of Arizona State football games. Early years Roque was born on February 6, 1974 in San Diego, California, to Armando and Maria Roque. Shortly after Juan's birth, Armando and Maria moved to the Roques' native Mexico, living in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. When Juan was three, the Roques returned to the United States and eventually resided in Ontario, California. Roque attended Ontario High School (California), Ontario High School and played on its offensive l ...
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1996 Texas Longhorns Football Team
The 1996 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were represented in the Big 12 Conference in the South Division in its first season in existence. They played their home games at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The team was led by head coach John Mackovic. Schedule Roster Game summaries vs. Nebraska References Texas Texas Longhorns football seasons Big 12 Conference football champion seasons Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin (variously Texas or UT) in the sport of American football. The Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ...
{{Texas-sport-stub ...
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Cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create Turnover (gridiron football), turnovers through hard tackle (football move), tackles, interceptions, and pass deflection, deflecting forward passes. Other members of the defensive backfield include strong and free Safety (gridiron football position), safeties. The cornerback position requires speed, agility, strength, and the ability to make rapid sharp turns. A cornerback's skill set typically requires proficiency in anticipating the quarterback, backpedaling, executing single and zone coverage, disrupting pass routes, block shedding, and tackling. Cornerbacks are among the 40-yard dash#Average time by position, fastest players on the field. Because of this, they are frequently used as return specialist, ret ...
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Bryant Westbrook
Bryant Antoine Westbrook (born December 19, 1974) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Texas. Early years Westbrook attended El Camino High School, where he was a three-year starter at defensive back, while helping his team to 2 county titles. As a senior, he registered 41 tackles, 4 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 676 yards (7 yard-avg.) with 5 touchdowns in the first 7 games, before switching to wide receiver for the final 5 contests, making 25 receptions for 423 yards. He received Parade All-American and North County Defensive Player of the Year honors. He also practiced basketball. College career Westbrook played college football at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was named the starting right cornerback midway through his freshman season, tallying 39 tackles, 7 passes defensed and 2 interceptions. The next year, he was moved to the left side after ...
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