NFL Football Revealed on Squib Kick

Daunte Culpepper, Lost in the Shuffle

by James on July 6th, 2006

Sometimes great performances can get lost in the shuffle. With so much going on in the world at any one time it is hard to keep up. Daunte Culpepper got lost in one of those shuffles 2 years ago.

The year was 2004 and Peyton Manning was ripping up the league. He would go on to have the highest passing rating of all time, an incredible 121.1.

The year not only belonged to Peyton, but also to a young rookie by the name of Ben Roethlisberger. It seems that Ben was putting up the highest rookie passing rating of all time of 98.1.

Two great players at key positions for two great teams. Peyton with Indy and Ben with Pittsburgh.

To top it off Peyton went on the break the record for most touchdowns in one season. He threw an unbelievable 49 touchdown passes. That broke Dan Marino’s record of 48 touchdown passes.

Now compare that with the fact that John Unitas once threw 32 touchdown passes in one year.

Enter stage left, from the Minnesota Vikings, Daunte Culpepper. In 2004, all he did was throw 39 touchdown passes. He also had 4,717 yards passing. The touchdowns tied Brett Favre for 5th all time in one season. Just to add to all this, Duante had 5,123 total yards (includes runs, etc.), thus breaking Dan Marino’s record!

Unfortunately for Daunte, he did it the same year Peyton and Ben were so hot. The following year, in 2005, Daunte did not have Randy Moss to throw to, as he left the Vikings for the Raiders. The team was in dissaray and Duante injured his knee about half way into the season.

There is new hope for Culpepper this year. Miami picked him up for a 2nd round draft pick. With the ever intense Nick Saban at coach and Dom Capers as offensive coordinator, it could be another fantastic year for Daunte.

He still has the ability to throw the long ball. It will only be a question of whether he can come back full strength from the knee injury. He is practicing and says he will be ready to go.

Nick Saban has a history of getting the most out of his quarterbacks, even though he is of a defensive mindset. He preaches toughness, preparedness, and intensity. Let’s hope Daunte is up to the challenge.

Fan Question Is Daunte for real? Was it just having Randy Moss and a weak Division?

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