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Oates on Football

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Longtime pro football writer Bob Oates shares his experienced commentary on the NFL.

  • 1

    The roar of the crowd can make a difference on the field. . . . . but in football games, is that the sporting thing to do?

    Dec. 26, 2006

  • 2

    The NFL Week: A keen new passer . . . Other rookie quarterbacks seldom play . . . Arizona squanders Leinart’s lead.

    Oct. 17, 2006

  • 3

    NFL on the way up. Pass offenses create the most difference as well as the most excitement. Owners’ rule changes paying off.

    Oct. 10, 2006

  • 4

    Suspending NFL players is punishing the wrong people: their teammates

    Oct. 3, 2006

  • 5

    The NFL week: Shanahan starts with an edge on Belichick; he brings in a big-play receiver

    Sept. 26, 2006

  • 6

    The NFL Week: Chicago Putting It Together. . . . Calling Plays Right for Grossman . . . . Six Teams Playing Modern, Pass-First Football.

    Sept. 19, 2006

  • 7

    Edgerrin James’ Departure Gives Peyton Manning His Best Chance to Win: Now He Can Throw Passes on First Down

    Sept. 13, 2006

  • 8

    This is going to be remembered in pro football as the year of the pass -- the year of more pass-first teams and fewer run-first offenses.

    Sept. 1, 2006

  • 9

    Football is So Difficult to Officiciate that It Can’t Be Done Flawlessly.

    Feb. 9, 2006

  • 10

    Steeler Coach Dulls Up Super Bowl . . . Hard on Own Team . . . Wins Worst Game with Trick Play . . . Pittsburgh’s Huge Edge Over Seattle Not Visible in Statistics.

    Feb. 5, 2006

  • 11

    Roethhlisberger Wins Easily If He Comes Out Passing. . . Cowher Makes It Close If He Runs . . . AFC Obviously Superior . . . Seahawks’ 12th Man No Help on the Road

    Feb. 4, 2006

  • 12

    NFL Playoff Week 3: Cowher Lets Roethlisberger Throw . . . So a Super Bowl Win is Now in Their Sights . . . Hasselbeck Carries Seattle into the Big Game.

    Jan. 24, 2006

  • 13

    NFL Week 8: Changing of the Guard: Palmer in for Favre. . . Packers Disintegrating . . . Rams’ Jackson: Disrupts Defenses. . . Broncos are Coming.

    Nov. 1, 2005

  • 14

    NFL Week 7: Steelers, Pats, Colts Stand Out . . . The Colt Problem . . . Parcells, Schottenheimer Hurt Own Teams . . . No Pro Club Should Ever Have a Kick Blocked.

    Oct. 26, 2005

  • 15

    Notre Dame Played Ball Control Instead of Pass Offense . . . In NFL’s Week 6: Steelers, Patriots Hailed as Parity Pair . . . Cowboys Recreate Bledsoe . . . Gibbs’ New Century?

    Oct. 19, 2005

  • 16

    NFL Week 5: Can the Steelers Win Now? . . . Are the Patriots and Eagles Out of the Race? . . . Why Didn’t the Eagles Blitz Bledsoe? . . .A Quarterback Controversy in Atlanta?

    Oct. 12, 2005

  • 17

    NFL Week 4: L.A. Doesn’t Miss a ‘Team of Its Own’ Because the Best Pro Clubs with Their Talented Passers are All Shown Here on Network TV.

    Oct. 5, 2005

  • 18

    NFL Week 2: Steelers Need Balance ... Patriots’ Offensive Concept Wrong ... Shotgun No Help to Good Passers ... Winners Pass and Run.

    Sept. 21, 2005

  • 19

    NFL Preview: Patriots, Colts and Eagles Stand Out in a Year that has Brought More Parity to the 29 Other Teams.

    Sept. 6, 2005

  • 20

    Part 2: On Passing Teams, Skill beats Emotion, Brains Beat Brawn, Play-Calling is the Key, and First Down is More Vital than Third Down

    Sept. 1, 2005

  • 21

    Part 1: Teams that Score First Win 60-80% of the Time. ... In the Race for the Lead, Passes Gain Up to Twice as Many Yards as Runs Per Play.

    Aug. 31, 2005

  • 22

    Why Colts Lose . . . What’s the Matter with Pittsburgh? . . . The Eagles are Close . . . Can Longshots Crash the NFL’s Big Four?

    March 9, 2005

  • 23

    Super Bowl Champions Coach Gifted but Flawed Low Draft Choices to Third NFL Title in Four Years.

    Feb. 8, 2005

  • 24

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First to last, this was one of the closest and most entertaining of the many Super Bowls.

    Feb. 7, 2005

  • 25

    McNabb Is Being Asked to Do Too Much

    Feb. 6, 2005

  • 26

    McNabb, Brady Pass Eagles, Patriots into Super Bowl . . . The Running Teams (Steelers, Falcons) Come Up Short As Usual.

    Jan. 26, 2005

  • 27

    NFL Playoffs: Peyton Doesn’t Pass Enough . . . Patriots, Eagles Still on Super Bowl Track . . . Big Ben Has Another Big Game.

    Jan. 19, 2005

  • 28

    Carroll Isn’t Up for NFL Head-Hunting . . . An Early-Round Playoff Look at the Colts, Patriots, Chargers, Vikings, Eagles and Rams.

    Jan. 12, 2005

  • 29

    NFL Week 17: Five Good Teams . . . Five Great Players . . . Can Steelers Win in a Passing Era with a Running Team and a Rookie Quarterback?

    Jan. 5, 2005

  • 30

    NFL Week 16: A Running Team Heads for a Cold-Weather Title Game Against a Team That Can Throw 49 Touchdowns . . . Or, Maybe, the Patriots Will Be There.

    Dec. 29, 2004

  • 31

    NFL Week 15: How and Why Patriots Lose, Peyton Wins, Tight Ends Soar, Officials Star and Roethlisberger Has to Bail Out Cowher.

    Dec. 22, 2004

  • 32

    NFL Week 14: Roethlisberger, Bettis, Polamalu Bring Back Run-and-Defend Football . . . Halfback Passes Help . . . Patriots, Eagles Not Out of It.

    Dec. 15, 2004

  • 33

    The Bush-Leinart Drama . . . A Winning Bear Quarterback . . . Doubts About Vick and Tomlinson . . . Football’s Greatest Formation.

    Dec. 8, 2004

  • 34

    NFL Week 12: Chargers On Rise . . . Good Runners Always Good Mudders . . . Patriots Need a Dome . . . Never Trust a Kicker . . . Rams are Awful.

    Dec. 1, 2004

  • 35

    NFL Week 11: Brother quarterback duo has unanswered questions . . . More on the Colts, Giants, Falcons, Patriots, Chiefs, Rams, Bills, Bengals and Steelers.

    Nov. 24, 2004

  • 36

    NFL Week 10: Ram Passing Game Too Much for Seattle’s Run-Pass Team . . . Eagles’ Night in Dallas . . . Next: Roethlisberger (7-0) vs. Carson Palmer (4-5)

    Nov. 17, 2004

  • 37

    NFL Week 9: Roethlisberger Makes the Steelers Go . . . Colts Win with Three-Receiver Running Game . . . Martz Tops as Passing Coach, Slips as Play-Caller

    Nov. 10, 2004

  • 38

    NFL Week 8: McNabb vs. Roethlisberger Next . . . Is Big Ben Better Than Waterfield? . . . Ravens Don’t Have Enough Defense . . . Jets Win Mind Game

    Nov. 3, 2004

  • 39

    NFL Week 7: To Maximize TV Revenue, NFL Should Offer No. 2 TV Market the Big Game Every Sunday

    Oct. 27, 2004

  • 40

    NFL Week 6: Lacking a Sound Play-Caller, This Isn’t a Passing Team . . . Mid-American Update: All Three QB’s Win, Though It’s Unlikely that Pennington or Roethlisberger Can Stop Patriots

    Oct. 20, 2004

  • 41

    NFL Week 5: Rookie Goes for Fourth Straight . . . Vikings, Rams, Titans, Patriots Prove Passing is the Way to Go, But Colts Can’t See It.

    Oct. 13, 2004

  • 42

    Belichick, Brady Set New England Apart ... Rise of the Mid-American Conference ... Shotgun Hurts Colts ... Not this Year in Chicago ... The Monday Night Standpatters.

    Oct. 6, 2004

  • 43

    Jacksonville coach to take a shot at slowing Manning, which Packers could not. Also, Parcells goes modern to outduel Gibbs, while mistakes cost Rams and Brooks’ dirty hit injures Gannon.

    Sept. 28, 2004

  • 44

    NFL Week 2: Palmer Has It All . . . McNabb Was Monday Night’s MVP . . . Raiders Dis Rice . . . Vick is Back . . . Seven Reasons for NFL Parity

    Sept. 22, 2004

  • 45

    NFL Week 1: Portis Runs Once; Dillon, James, Green Run Wild; Broncos Win the Bailey-Portis Trade; Manning’s Audibles Damage His Team

    Sept. 15, 2004

  • 46

    Brady and Belichick Too Good as the 2004 Season Starts: New England, Philadelphia and Carolina 1-2-3 in Pro Football’s Top Ten

    Sept. 1, 2004

  • 47

    In Super Bowl XXXVIII, Carolina had the best players on the field, but New England had a decidedly better pass offense.

    April 6, 2019

  • 48

    Super Bowl XXXVIII: Pass offense succeeds running and defense as the way to win football championships

    Feb. 4, 2004

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