Patrick Jeffers -- 88 Yard TD Catch

[Don Wassall]

I found this 12 second clip of an 88 yard TD reception by Patrick Jeffers during his great 1999 season with the Panthers. Even though it was only 13 years ago, apparently there are no highlights of Jeffers other than this one, which was just posted on YouTube in July.

[video=youtube;wnarSCRoaMQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnarSCRoaMQ[/video]

​

Here's some previously posted background information from the CF archives on Patrick Jeffers for those who weren't aware of how impressive he was in 1999:

Jeffers was a late draft pick of the Broncos, languished on their bench before being traded to Dallas, and finally began to be "allowed" to play during 1998.

During the second half of '99 with the Carolina Panthers, Patrick Jeffers may have had the best stretch of games of any receiver in the history of the NFL. He had 8 TD catches in the final five games of that season, ALL OVER 30 YARDS IN LENGTH. Chew on that and remember it next time someone says only blacks are capable of big plays. He was a brilliant talent who is now almost completely forgotten. From Caste Football's Wide Receiver Archives on Jeffers (this actually should be read in reverse, the oldest items to the newest ones):

(8/13/03) I periodically do Google searches trying to find any info on Jeffers, particularly to see if there was any hope of him resuming his career. Today a story made the news -- Jeffers has sued the Carolina Panthers and the surgeon who operated on him on August 20, 2000, alleging malpractice. The career of this potential all-time great is indeed over. Read the description below of his mostly unnoticed 1999 season to see what could have been. Here is the link to the article about the malpractice suit: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/foo.../2003/08/13/je ffers_lawsuit_ap/

(9/1/02) Jeffers was released by the Panthers, an acknowledgement that his rehab, now going into its third year, is not going along well and the team didn't want to pay him anymore. What a sad, sad ending to what could have been if Jeffers' career is over.

(8/21/02) Few people, even those who follow the NFL closely, realize how brilliant Patrick Jeffers was in 1999. He had 63 receptions for 1,082 yards (his average of 17.2 yards per catch was third best in the league) and 12 TDs (tied for 2nd in the league), but what is most impressive is that he did it in little more than half a season, and especially toward the end of the season.

Jeffers didn't become a starter until the 7th game of the season in '99. Before that he had only six receptions. Here's what Jeffers did after becoming a starter:

▪ 11/7 vs. Philadelphia - 2 catches for 30 yards, including a 21-yard TD

▪ 11/14 vs. St. Louis - 3 catches for 43 yards

▪ 11/21 vs. Cleveland - 3 catches for 34 yards

▪ 11/28 vs. Atlanta - 3 catches for 31 yards and 1 TD

▪ 12/5 vs. St. Louis - 7 catches for 107 yards, and a 71-yard TD

▪ 12/12 vs. Green Bay - 8 catches for 147 yards and TDs of 35 and 38 yards

▪ 12/18 vs. San Francisco - 8 catches for 155 yards and a 55-yard TD

▪ 12/26 vs. Pittsburgh - 5 catches for 160 yards in the snow at Pittsburgh, including TDs of 88 and 43 yards

▪ 1/2 vs. New Orleans - 7 catches for 165 yards with TD catches of 40 and 32 yards

Jeffers ended the '99 season with five straight 100+ receiving games, only two shy of the record, and, most impressively, in those five games he had 8 touchdown catches, all over 30 yards. He continually beat defensive backs with his speed and graceful moves as he broke one big play after another. It is highly unlikely that any NFL receiver has ever had such an amazing stretch of productivity. If Jeffers had been a starter for the entire season instead of just the last nine games he might have broken the single season record for yardage and TDs.

Were Jeffers black he would have been made into a household name, ala Randy Moss. Jeffers outproduced Moss and every other receiver in the NFL for the last 2/3 of 1999, yet received little notoriety.

 

[whiteathlete33]

I found this 12 second clip of an 88 yard TD reception by Patrick Jeffers during his great 1999 season with the Panthers. Even though it was only 13 years ago, apparently there are no highlights of Jeffers other than this one, which was just posted on YouTube in July.

[video=youtube;wnarSCRoaMQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnarSCRoaMQ[/video]

​

Here's some previously posted background information from the CF archives on Patrick Jeffers for those who weren't aware of how impressive he was in 1999:

Jeffers was a late draft pick of the Broncos, languished on their bench before being traded to Dallas, and finally began to be "allowed" to play during 1998.

During the second half of '99 with the Carolina Panthers, Patrick Jeffers may have had the best stretch of games of any receiver in the history of the NFL. He had 8 TD catches in the final five games of that season, ALL OVER 30 YARDS IN LENGTH. Chew on that and remember it next time someone says only blacks are capable of big plays. He was a brilliant talent who is now almost completely forgotten. From Caste Football's Wide Receiver Archives on Jeffers (this actually should be read in reverse, the oldest items to the newest ones):

(8/13/03) I periodically do Google searches trying to find any info on Jeffers, particularly to see if there was any hope of him resuming his career. Today a story made the news -- Jeffers has sued the Carolina Panthers and the surgeon who operated on him on August 20, 2000, alleging malpractice. The career of this potential all-time great is indeed over. Read the description below of his mostly unnoticed 1999 season to see what could have been. Here is the link to the article about the malpractice suit: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/foo.../2003/08/13/je ffers_lawsuit_ap/

(9/1/02) Jeffers was released by the Panthers, an acknowledgement that his rehab, now going into its third year, is not going along well and the team didn't want to pay him anymore. What a sad, sad ending to what could have been if Jeffers' career is over.

(8/21/02) Few people, even those who follow the NFL closely, realize how brilliant Patrick Jeffers was in 1999. He had 63 receptions for 1,082 yards (his average of 17.2 yards per catch was third best in the league) and 12 TDs (tied for 2nd in the league), but what is most impressive is that he did it in little more than half a season, and especially toward the end of the season.

Jeffers didn't become a starter until the 7th game of the season in '99. Before that he had only six receptions. Here's what Jeffers did after becoming a starter:

▪ 11/7 vs. Philadelphia - 2 catches for 30 yards, including a 21-yard TD

▪ 11/14 vs. St. Louis - 3 catches for 43 yards

▪ 11/21 vs. Cleveland - 3 catches for 34 yards

▪ 11/28 vs. Atlanta - 3 catches for 31 yards and 1 TD

▪ 12/5 vs. St. Louis - 7 catches for 107 yards, and a 71-yard TD

▪ 12/12 vs. Green Bay - 8 catches for 147 yards and TDs of 35 and 38 yards

▪ 12/18 vs. San Francisco - 8 catches for 155 yards and a 55-yard TD

▪ 12/26 vs. Pittsburgh - 5 catches for 160 yards in the snow at Pittsburgh, including TDs of 88 and 43 yards

▪ 1/2 vs. New Orleans - 7 catches for 165 yards with TD catches of 40 and 32 yards

Jeffers ended the '99 season with five straight 100+ receiving games, only two shy of the record, and, most impressively, in those five games he had 8 touchdown catches, all over 30 yards. He continually beat defensive backs with his speed and graceful moves as he broke one big play after another. It is highly unlikely that any NFL receiver has ever had such an amazing stretch of productivity. If Jeffers had been a starter for the entire season instead of just the last nine games he might have broken the single season record for yardage and TDs.

Were Jeffers black he would have been made into a household name, ala Randy Moss. Jeffers outproduced Moss and every other receiver in the NFL for the last 2/3 of 1999, yet received little notoriety.

Thanks for posting that Don! He runs away from the "real" athletes easily. Jeffers is just another in the long line of screwed over white receivers.

Two of my other favorites that were never given a fair shake are Travis McGriff and Keith Poole. Poole, as some on here may remember, was a 6 foot Reggie Wayne clone with better speed. His ypc were incredible. He accomplished all this with afflete Aaron Brooks throwing to him.

Travis McGriff absolutely lit up the affletes in the SEC but only had 5 total receptions in the NFL. I think his height had something to do with his career failing but of course his skin condition was the main issue.

 

[TwentyTwo]

Yes Don...thanks for starting this thread. This deserves more replies...Great find! Jeffers went about 6'-3" 220??

That was one memorable stretch of colossal games in Dec/Jan! I cringed not having Jeffers on my Fantasy Football team...our league had it's final supplemental draft before this took place...all Jeffers needed was an opportunity!

Remember watching him play at Virginia...he was from Fort Worth TX...pretty sure he walked-on??

 

[Don Wassall]

Yes Don...thanks for starting this thread. This deserves more replies...Great find! Jeffers went about 6'-3" 220??

That was one memorable stretch of colossal games in Dec/Jan! I cringed not having Jeffers on my Fantasy Football team...our league had it's final supplemental draft before this took place...all Jeffers needed was an opportunity!

Remember watching him play at Virginia...he was from Fort Worth TX...pretty sure he walked-on??

I had Jeffers on my fantasy team in '99. In my homeboy league (still going strong, with a championship trophy that's had a second level added to it to list all the champions, ala the Stanley Cup) we've always had several owners who were aware of the Caste System, and guys like Jeffers, Keith Poole and Tim Dwight were all drafted, and all kicked butt, especially the second half of that memorable '99 NFL campaign for White receivers.

I also had Mike Alstott on my team that year, which was his best season statistically running and receiving. My only weakness was at QB where I had my favorite player Steve Young, coming off a great 1998 season but he was knocked silly into retirement with a severe concussion early on. I made a trade for Rich Gannon halfway through the season and my team never lost a game from that point on. Gannon at QB, Alstott and Orlandis Gary (a waiver wire pickup who was a one-year wonder for Denver) at RB, and Jeffers, Randy Moss and another one-year wonder named Jermaine Crowell as my three top receivers. Receivers like Isaac Bruce and Amani Toomer (also his best season in '99) were backups.

Moss was at his peak then, but Jeffers easily outscored him during his incredible second half run. I played one of my nephews in the first round of the playoffs, and Jeffers single-handedly defeated his team when he had TD catches of 88 yards and 43 yards against his beloved hometown Steelers. I've been playing fantasy football for a long time and have won a number of league championships, but that '99 team is still my favorite.

 

[backrow]

i remember Jeffers, it really was too bad he never came back from his injury. what a career he could have had.

 

[Don Wassall]

Found this YouTube video of the Cowboys-Vikings nationally televised Thanksgiving game in 1998, during which Patrick Jeffers scored on a 67 yard bomb from Troy Aikman.

The Vikings that day were comparable to the worst teams of 2016 -- just two White starters, both on the offensive line. The Cowboys started four Whites on offense -- Aikman, FB Daryl Johnston, TE David LeFleur (never amounted to much), and their center. Didn't catch the Dallas defensive starters but they were overwhelmingly black. So there were just 6 or 7 White starters combined between the two teams that day.

Jeffers was the Cowboys' third or fourth receiver. Forward to 1:02:00 to see his catch. Aikman's previous two throws were dropped, by LeFleur and Michael Irvin. On third and ten he went deep to Jeffers, who. . . well watch it. (You have to watch it on YouTube.)

The first post on this thread gives the background of Jeffers' incredible 1999 season, which was a breakthrough year for White receivers in the NFL, only to be instantly smashed the next season.

 

[The Hock]

I remember Jeffers. Always wondered what happened to him. Looks like his knees gave out and he was done prematurely.

And by the way he was a walk-on at Virginia.

 

[Don Wassall]

When you watch Jeffers' TD reception on that video, his speed is obvious after he makes the catch. Before the catch he just effortlessly glides by the much smaller DB before turning on the jets. Even though he's tall at 6' 3" you can tell he's really motoring; he doesn't look like a "long strider" as tall receivers are sometimes characterized when they don't look fast, he had some serious wheels that he used the next season to haul in 8 TDs of longer than 30 yards over a five game stretch.

 

[Riggins44]

I remember Jeffers. Always wondered what happened to him. Looks like his knees gave out and he was done prematurely.

And by the way he was a walk-on at Virginia.

Of course he was a walk-on. Even tbough he was a 6-3, 220 WR with great speed, he had the wrong melanin content and therefore just didn't "look like" a receiver. All the D-1 scholarships for WRs have to go to the real athletes even if by comparison they are slow, short, and can't catch a football. Being functionally illiterate and having a criminal record is just icing on the cake for major college programs and recruiting services.

 

[Truthteller]

Looking at this thread, started in 2012, there is something missing that all CF posters and lurkers should know about Patrick Jeffers' incredible 1999 season, particularly the last 5 games.

Patrick only started 10 games that season and had it not been for a totally unforeseen event, he may not have had a real chance to shine: Carolina lost their #1 wide receiver Rae Carruth, who was arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend -- he paid a "hit-man" to kill Cherica Adams.

Once Carruth was swooped away by cops, the door opened for Jeffers to start. He started one game (week 7), then missed one game due to injury. And it's fair to assume the effects of the injury lingered a few games beyond that, as his week 9 to 12 stats were mediocre, to poor.

Finally close to 100%, that almost historic run happened the final 5 games -- 51 catches, 717 yards. Take those final 5 game averages, and assuming he would've stayed healthy, he would've projected to have 163 receptions for 2,295 yards and 26 TD's that season over 16 games!

Also, the injury he sustained during the 2000 pre-season was not only senseless, but looked totally intentional and almost border-line criminal. Right after signing a 5 year, $10 million deal (decent cash at the time), he was smacked (low) squarely on the kneecap, full force by a low IQ, black thug safety from the Steelers.

Ball thrown was like a 3 yard screen and the thug made no attempt to tackle him, just went directly for his knees. No reason for that cheap-shot in a Super Bowl, let alone a meaningless pre-season game, which was nationally televised.

Below is Patrick today. Reading his brief bio, there is no doubt he's still haunted by that senseless hit which ended his career:

Patrick Jeffers

newwaterloo.com

 

[Don Wassall]

It was CB Chad Scott who effectively ended Jeffers' career with a shot to the knees. It was a meaningless preseason game but for some reason Jeffers was sent out for a few plays, ran a very short route, made the catch and Scott wrecked his knee. I was watching with my nephew as we were both big Jeffers fans looking forward to how he would do in the upcoming 2000 season, and suddenly it was all over for him. We couldn't believe it.

To go in the rabbit hole a little further, Scott punched Danny Farmer in the face during a training camp practice that same summer. A photograph of it taking up about half the page was prominently featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's sports section. Prior to that Farmer was receiving a lot of favorable publicity; after that incident it instantly turned negative and Farmer, drafted in the fourth round (well after he should have been after a great career at UCLA) ended up being the highest drafted player cut in training camp that year. Given that the wiggerish Caste whore Bill Cowher was the Steelers' head coach it wasn't all that much of a surprise, just another illustration of how the PR pipeline on players works, whether negative or positive, and how it can turn on a dime depending on how coaches and front office officials feed information to local reporters.

Record setting receiver Farmer was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2000 draft, Plaxico Burress in the first round that same year. They had identical 40 times, but Farmer was an All-American volleyball player who could jump like a kangaroo. Burress could barely jump over a piece of paper and took years to develop before finally having some good NFL seasons with the Giants. He was also a first class bonehead who once managed to accidentally shoot himself. Farmer had it all, but it all ended quickly once Scott attacked him and Cowher and the local media trucklings fell in line. Farmer kicked around a few seasons after that with Tampa and Cincy and had some very nice moments with the Bengals but was out of the league after the '02 season. He finished with 43 catches for 611 yards and 1 TD.

I've written quite a bit over the years about Jeffers, Farmer and the notable and promising 1999 season for White receivers and how quickly it ended the next year thanks to "inexplicable" demotions and a severe injury in Jeffers' case.

We had an earlier Jeffers thread where I mentioned this incident in post #4: https://castefootball.us/threads/remembering-carolina-wr-patrick-jeffers.9286/#post-122880

 

[Truthteller]

Don't mean to change the subject, away from Patrick Jeffers, but when you brought Danny Farmer, I reflexively thought about Scott Shields (stats), another player Cower really screwed over. 1999 second round pick from Weber State

He was a big safety, looked like a full-sized linebacker, when wearing large shoulder pads -- based upon a video of his first career int, I just watched online. Didn't look fast to the average DWF, but he could really move.

Had a strong rookie year with 4 picks. Some might say he was a potential rising star? But, pretty much, mysteriously disappeared after that rookie season. Same year Farmer was "cleansed". Two years after, Shields was All-NFL Europe, but never made it back to the NFL.

Reason I bring him up, is I suprisingly found his Relative Athletic Score: Sparkling 9.92, out of a possible 10.0

During that era, Steelers had a GM (Tom Donahoe?) that worked with Bill Polian and Marv Levy (currently 100, plus years) in Buffalo. Like Polian and Levy, he was very fair to Whites. Hence Shields and Farmer were brought in as "draft steals".

However,once Cowher got them on the field they had very little chance to succeed. I always thought that Cowher and Jack Del Rio types enjoyed humiliating talented White athletes. Particularly really tall (by NFL standards) and athletic ones. Had to be their sad-sack way of gaining street cred with their black players, who they lived to impress

 

[Don Wassall]

Shields was screwed over for sure. He had 4.4 speed to go with his size and as you wrote showed promise as a rookie. But it was the same old thing, he was a bit raw for the NFL coming out of Weber State and his mistakes were greatly magnified by the media and as a White safety, you know the story, he quickly became hated by the Steelers DWFs, truly hated. The local media became hostile to him ala what happened to Farmer so it's quite likely Cowher turned on him and the fawning newspaper, radio and TV turds followed his lead. I'm sure it's the same in every NFL market, the locals don't want to lose access to those in charge so they dare not cross them by contradicting the narratives they're supposed to spew.

In 1998 the Steelers took DE Jeremy Staat from Arizona State in the second round. He only lasted three seasons, with no stats other than starting two games in '99. It's possible he was a bust but given Cowher's long anti-White track record he most likely was never given a fair opportunity.

In '97 the Steelers drafted Mike Vrabel in the third round after a stellar career at Ohio State. Again he was screwed over and only used as a backup and WSTD before becoming a star and key cog of the Patriots dynasty.

So you had Vrabel in '97, Staat in '98, Shields in '99 and Farmer in '00, all drafted in the second, third or fourth rounds, and only Vrabel went on to become so much as a WSTD. For that and multiple other reasons I've always detested Cowher. My "remembrance" of him after he retired can be found here: https://castefootball.us/threads/bill-cowher-a-caste-remembrance.4377/ I just re-read the whole thread and it's quite entertaining and on the mark.