11-01-2018, 10:59 PM
Sad day. Dr. Z was just an incredible football writer for SI for many years, although I didn't really start reading his stuff until the internet came around in the late 90s, early 2000s. I've really missed his columns over the past 10 years after he suffered a stroke in 2008.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...ies-at-86/
Paul Zimmerman, the longtime football writer known for in-depth analysis and cantankerous opinions that appeared in Sports Illustrated for decades, has died at the age of 86.
Zimmerman, affectionately known as Dr. Z, understood the sport of football in a way few if any members of the media before him did: Zimmerman would write not only about the running back who gained 100 yards, but about the offensive linemen who made it possible — and he would explain in great detail how the offensive linemen did it, often interviewing players and coaches not just to get a glimpse of their personalities but to get minute details like what went into a proper three-point stance.
In the 1980s, when fans didn’t have NFL Sunday Ticket or DVRs or access to all-22 game film, Zimmerman made use of the then-new VCR technology to watch games over and over again, looking for little-known players who made a big difference to their teams. You could get a profile of a star quarterback anywhere, but only Dr. Z could tell you who the best guards in the NFL were, and why.
(more in the link above)
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...ies-at-86/
Paul Zimmerman, the longtime football writer known for in-depth analysis and cantankerous opinions that appeared in Sports Illustrated for decades, has died at the age of 86.
Zimmerman, affectionately known as Dr. Z, understood the sport of football in a way few if any members of the media before him did: Zimmerman would write not only about the running back who gained 100 yards, but about the offensive linemen who made it possible — and he would explain in great detail how the offensive linemen did it, often interviewing players and coaches not just to get a glimpse of their personalities but to get minute details like what went into a proper three-point stance.
In the 1980s, when fans didn’t have NFL Sunday Ticket or DVRs or access to all-22 game film, Zimmerman made use of the then-new VCR technology to watch games over and over again, looking for little-known players who made a big difference to their teams. You could get a profile of a star quarterback anywhere, but only Dr. Z could tell you who the best guards in the NFL were, and why.
(more in the link above)