Total white starters a little up this year

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At the start of last season there were about 179 white starters on NFL teams. This year the number is about 192.5, so we will see a small improvement. The main reason for the improvement this year is Houston, Indy, Phil, and Wash.
Of course, being a starter sometimes doesn't mean that much as players are rotated in and out. However, it happens that whites are clustered in positions such as o-line, QB, tight end where there are far less rotations, so when a Jason Kelce wins the starting center position in Philly, that is more significant than the fact that Mike Devito wins a starting D-line position for the Jets.

Starting in the AFC,

New England, 9.5 white starters, counting Woodhead as half a starter, and Gronkowski as full starter, 1 on defense.
New York Jets, 6 starters, 3 on defense.
Miami Dolphins, 6 starters, 0 on defense.
Buffalo Bills, 8 starters, 2 on defense.

Pittsburg Steelers, 5 starters, 2 on defense. This is the weakest 5 starter NFL team, none of these white starters have white backups, and there are no other whites around who may become starters.
Baltimore Ravens, 5 starters, 2 on defense. I'm counting Zbikowski as starter , also not counting Pitta as starter at tight end, though he may emerge as one later
Cleveland Browns, 7 starters, 1 on defense, not counting Gocong as white. Also not counting Evan Moore as starter, and this could change as well.
Cincinnati Bengals, 4 starters, 0 on defense.

Indy Colts, 9 starters, 1 on defense. Right now Collie counted as starter, but I'm worried about his health, as I am about all three white Colt WR's.
Jacksonville Jaguars, 6 starters, 3 on defense.
Houston Texans, 11 starters, 4 on defense. Awesome that they have achieved this with only three white starters on O-line.
Tennessee Titans, 5 starters, 1 on defense. The defense starters might be higher, as Klug or Ball might become a starter. Either way they will see lots of action on D-line.

KC Chiefs, 6 starters, 2 on defense.
SD Chargers, 7 starters, 2 on defense, I'm not counting Laboy as a starter but he'll be in a lot at linebacker.
Oakland Raiders, 4 starters, 0 on defense.
Denver Broncos, 5 starters, 0 on defense.

Total AFC 101.5 starters.

Phil Eagles, 7 starters, 1 on defense, this is the highest amount of white starters on a team with a black QB, due to four whites on O-line.
New York Giants, 6 starters, 0 on defense.
Dallas Cowboys, 8 starters, 1 on defense.
Washington Redskins, 6 starters, 2 on defense, not counting Doughty as starter, but he may win back that job.

Chicago Bears, 3 white starters, 1 on defense.
Green Bay Packers, 9.5 starters, 2 on defense. I'm counting Nelson as half a starter, as he will be on the field plenty.
Detroit Lions 6 white starters, 1 on defense.
Minnesota Vikings, 6 white starters, 3 on defense.

Atlanta Falcons, 5 white starters, 0 on defense.
New Orleans Saints, 4 white starters, 1 on defense. Not counting Kreutz as white, as he appears mostly Asian, also not sure if Herring or Shanle will be honorary white defense starter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3 white starters, 1 on defense.
Carolina Panthers, 4 white starters, 0 on defense.

Seattle Seahawks, 4 white starters, 0 on defense.
St Louis Rams, 9.5 white starters, 6 on defense. Counting Amendola as half a starter, on defense counting Dahl and Poppinga as starters as they are reported as such by Yahoo personell report, though not showing yet on depth chart.
SF 49ers, 3 white starters, 1 on defense, this number could go a little higher as two white o-lineman are waiting in the wings to start, Boone and Snyder, should Harbaugh muster the courage to replace some of his inept black O-linemen. Also, Miller at fullback could take over as well.
Arizona Cardinals, 5 white starters, 0 on defense. Hoping that Stewart Bradley would win a starting linebacker spot, hopefully this still happens during the season.

NFC total white starters 89
 
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Colonel_Reb

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Even if the gains are minimal, I'm glad to see them. Nice work, ref!
 

backrow

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i was hoping for a larger increase than that... still, takw what you can get.

thanks for the write up and the stats bud, good research. :high5:
 

TwentyTwo

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Thanks for all the research! I used to do this...even if it's a minimal gain; it's still a gain!

Still a bit disturbing to me....7 Teams with NO White Starters on Defense?? I was curious how many it would turn out be; Stewart Bradley not starting? Paris Lenon? That won't last...and plenty other teams with just 1. This resembles the SEC...

Props to the L.A. Rams Defense..will keep a lookout for them' hope they have a solid year! And props to the Texans....

If only the NE Patriot defense could be like the Texans....Herring & Shanle have both been starters for Saints in most of the pre-season.

Suprised with the Cowboys O....wow they got rid of Olshansky..
 

referendum

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Glad that people like this list. Its a handy reference for the overall state of the league racially. Concerning the Saints lets see what happens long term. I believe Charleston is starting while an afflete serves a suspension, and I have noticed the yahoo and cbs depth charts showing both Herring and Shanle starting, but written reports suggest Shanle will be a backup. Still the whiter the Saints get the better, especially since four of their games this year will be against the woeful Panthers and Buccaners. Hopefully they will rout those teams all four games.

I wish the gains of white starters were more broad based, but it looks like white starters on defense is actually down a few, from mid forties last year to low forties this year. The gains come from o-line improvement. I remember when the Eagles, Cowboys and Bills had majority black o-lines. The Bills even had a Steelerish all black o-line a few years ago. Now the Bills have four whites starting on o-line with the one black starter not even secure in his job.
 

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Update, in addition to Saints situation, perhaps Clint Boling will be starting this weekend on Bengals o-line as Bobbie Williams has been suspended for four games. Also, Geoff Hangarten newly acquired by the Panthers might be in the running for a starting position at guard, and he'd be replacing a black as well.
 

Thrashen

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Awesome research, Referendum.

Although the Bears, Bucs, Panthers, and 49ers each technically field a putrid total of three white starters, various white backups on the roster will certainly play special teams and rotate into the starting lineup (or as role players) at various times throughout the course of games.

Aside from the severely underused nose tackle, Chris Hoke, Rooney’s Pittsburg Rodents have no such luxury. May that franchise, along with its odious engineers, one day assume their rightful place within “Round 4â€￾ of the 9[SUP]th[/SUP] Circle of Hell.
 

referendum

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Bump for update, wanted to get as accurate as possible for a snapshot of "opening day 2011" lineups. I raised Jacksonville one white starter due to QB victory, and Panthers as it looks like Hangartner will be right guard starter. Also, Jason Babin, who is part white part mestizo I believe, may in fact be starter for Philly, and not sure if Roth in fact will be starter for Jaguars. Thats close to a wash anyway. Clint Boling will be a fifth Bengals starter while Williams serves a four game suspension, but the question is when Williams gets back does Boling take over at left guard for Livings? Finally, Bills signed Sam Young today, does he end up supplanting Bell to make for an all white Bills o-line?
 

DixieDestroyer

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Good job Ref! :) This helps clarify the teams to pull for (Texans, Pats, Colts, Bills, Chargers (in the AFC) & the Pack, Rams, & Cowboys (in NFC))....and against (Bears, Bucs, 49ers, Bengals & Ravens).


FYI, Boling's a talented rookie OL out of UGA...glad to see him get the starting nod (for whatever reason).
 
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whiteathlete33

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A bit of good news. It appears tight end Jake Ballard has overtaken Travis Beckum so the Giants should start six whites as opposed to the five that referendum mentioned.

5:05 PM, September 6, 2011 ι By PAUL SCHWARTZThe first depth chart for the regular season was issued Tuesday by the Giants and it differs in some interesting areas from the chart put out in the preseason.
Based on the changes, expect Domenik Hixon to be the punt returner, rookie Henry Hynoski to be the starting fullback, and first-year Jake Ballard to be the starting tight end when the Giants face the Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field.
Of course, any and all depth charts sent out by the Giants clearly state “unofficial’’ and they do not always accurately reflect what takes place on the field. In this case, though, where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Throughout the preseason, Tom Coughlin was reluctant to use Hixon on punt returns, after he missed all of last season following knee surgery and was only practicing every other day. Coughlin wanted to see rookie Jerrel Jernigan take the punt return job but he fumbled it away, at least for now. Hixon is a proven return man and it appears he is the best option.
Hynoski made the team as an undrafted free agent out of Pitt but Bear Pascoe was the starter through most of the preseason. Hynoski played very well in the blocking department in the last preseason game and he is more naturally suited for the position; Pascoe is really a tight end. Pascoe on the depth chart is listed as the backup fullback and the No. 3 tight end.
Ballard last year was signed as an undrafted player out of Ohio State and spent last season on the practice squad. He did get in one game late in the season. The reason he’s listed as a starter ahead of Travis Beckum is likely because he’s the far superior blocker and more often the Giants will have him on the field for the start of a game.
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, Eli Manning is listed as the starting quarterback.
 

referendum

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Whiteathlete, thanks for update. Also, the fullback position in the NFL seems to be in a constant state of flux. The Bears may have a white fullback when the roster shuffling dies down, and the Cowboys have a revolving door as well. First it looked liked Gronkowski, then Chappas, then Phillips, who is Witten's backup, then part white (I'm guessing), Fiametta, then he's cut a day after being signed, maybe Phillips again? we'll see.
I'm keeping the Saints situation under observation, it would be great if Herring and Shanle both ended up starting, but I'm skeptical.
 

backrow

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Zbik is a starter now, announced today, although Pollard figures to eat into his playing time on running downs.
 

backrow

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did you count Urban as a starter for Chiefs? he's ahead of Breaston.

Chiefs WR Steve Breaston was a late addition to the Week 1 injury report after being limited in Friday's practice with a hamstring injury.

We'd expect Breaston to play against the Bills because he's listed as probable, but this should be plenty of reason to keep him benched in fantasy leagues. Breaston didn't beat out Jerheme Urban for a starting job, and the K.C. game plan figures to be run-heavy against Buffalo. Hamstrings can also be tricky.
 

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thanks for info Backrow, I'd kind of forgotten about Urban in KC. It does look like his hold is a little tenous as a starter, as is Zbikowski, but it does make sense to include them, so I've upped the numbers by two. Also, yahoo still doesn't list Casey as starting fullback for Texans, but written reports have referred to him as such, so I'm still counting him as a starter. I'm also counting a white fullback starter for Dallas, though no fullback is listed on yahoo.
Dan Conner may start this weekend for the Panthers but just as a fill in. Also, Watkins has been replaced as starting right guard for Philly by De Van, so no change of whites starting there. I'll be intrested in how Boling does for Bengals and if he stays as starter once Williams returns, and in Seattle black tackle Carpenter was sharing reps with Giacomini at tackle but now may start at guard as Gallery may be injured this week. When Gallery gets back are Carpenter and Giacomini still battling for tackle job is the question.
 

Liverlips

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As for today's starters, I saw the following:

Skins - 7
Giants - 7
Dallas - 9
Jets - 6

All up from last year.
 

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Liverlips, who was the seventh white Giant starter? I know of three O-linemen, Manning, Hynoski and Ballard.
 

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Thanks for the input on extra starters. Looks like we lost at least three starters, perhaps for the whole season, with Walter, Castillo and Amendola. On the bright side looks like a permanent season long gain of at least one, with Conner taking over for Beason in Carolina. Also, Goldberg taking over for at least a little while for Smith in St Louis, and a black Cardinal linebacker may be out for awhile perhaps giving Bradley some starts. Greg Salas, who is mixed but seems substantially white, might have a larger role in St Louis, and who knows maybe Brandon Stokely gets retrieved from retirement once again. If Walter ends up on IR, and that is by no means certain at this point, Maehl would be perhaps the most likely replacement on the roster, though of course he wouldn't be starting at this point.
 

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Update, maybe Amendola and Walter won't be out for as long as feared, and with Berry out for KC, Mcgraw should be starting safety.
 
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backrow

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Matt Roth started for Jags at DE in the absence of Kampman and he did well.
 
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