Posts about Football

Big name WRs and RBs headline early moves as NFL free agency gets going

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It was predicted that the this year’s offseason would see many changes, especially when it came to free agency and so far it’s certainly living up to the hype. It seems that every time I look at my Twitter feed, someone from the NFL will be playing for a new team this upcoming season. Even before the free agency period began (two days ago) there were already big names making moves. Most notably were the names of wide receivers like Wes Welker and Mike Wallace joining new teams or Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline signing fresh deals with their current teams. Initially I was thrown back by the Patriots not being able to keep Welker, he’s a pro bowl caliber receiver and he’s going to join the Broncos. In case anyone forgot, Denver has Manning at QB and they were a couple of breaks away from meeting the Patriots in the AFC title game last season. The Patriots certainly recovered quickly, signing Danny Amendola (former Rams player) and I think it’s a great way to bounce back. Is Amendola going to put up Welker numbers? Most likely not but Brady has a knack of making all other players around him much better.

A couple of running backs that also made a splash this free agency are Reggie Bush and Rashard Mendenhall. Bush is a very interesting pick up for the Lions because last season, Detriot’s running game was practically non-existent towards the final games. It seemed like every game there was a different player in the backfield getting the most touches. Reggie Bush isn’t going to turn the Lions into a power running team(Megatron will continue to be the first option) but he does give the offense much more balance. Mendenhall is also interesting because he was very inconsistent with the Steelers, whether it was off field issues or injury situation. Maybe all Mendenhall needs is a change of scenery to get back to his old form of being a starting running back for every down.

There are still so many players left in this season’s free agency period so there’s certain to be many more changes. Take a look at that list I linked, look how many running backs are listed on there. Running backs are some of the most injury prone players on the field so teams that are looking for back ups or split carry guys will certainly be making deals. I don’t see many QBs making headlines by joining new teams but we’ve already seen starters sign big deals (Flacco) or restructure their contracts (Brady) to help out their team’s cap situation. Yes, i’m still patiently (frantically) waiting to see what the Cowboys are going to do with Tony Romo. Keep your eyes on the sports channels and refresh your Twitter feed on the regular, a big signing could happen at any moment.

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Madden reveals Old-School vs. New-School bracket to decide 25th anniversary cover

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3-12My initial thoughts when seeing that Madden was going to do a vote for their 25th anniversary cover was “Woah, Madden has been around for 25 years?!” because it doesn’t seem that long. Of course I was only a year old when the first one debuted and was only playable on those old Microsoft and Apple computers. From there it moved to console (Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo anyone) and the rest was history, as it is one of the most popular sports videos games of all time. Now I haven’t bought a version of Madden since the late 90s but I do play regularly with friends when the chance does come up. This year, in celebration of it’s 25th anniversary cover, EA sports and Madden have created an Old-School vs New-School bracket that will be decided by fan vote. It’s an interesting concept because usually the most popular athlete isn’t always the one who gets the cover.

The bracket is pretty simple, on one side you have 32 of the greatest stars in the NFL of times past and on the other you have 32 of the biggest young stars in the league. It’s evident that the NFL is trying to go young and “highlight friendly” with it’s New-School side of the bracket, for the most part. Anyone else wondering why Carson Palmer is even on the bracket? He’s going up against Adrian Peterson in the first round so there are no worries of him advancing past Purple Jesus. Also evident of this side of the bracket is that championships or postseason success isn’t a requirement, it’s mostly about young stars that are going to be around the league for a long time. There are the obvious favorites but a couple of dark horses that could seriously knock out a 1 or 2 seed include Russel Wilson (3 seed) or Arian Foster (4 seed) and Victor Cruz (11 seed) for a super dark horse.

The Old-School side of the bracket has two 49ers legends at the top seeds and it’s understandable, most people think Montana is the greatest QB and everyone has Rice as the greatest WR of all time. But will their greatest feats coming in the 80s affect their voting in the later rounds? Consider the audience for the game, lots of the younger generation of players never saw the older legends play for one second. All they know are stats and what everyone else tells them. Joe Montana is not going to lose to Jake Delhomme (what?) but who knows, running into Jerome Bettis or Marshall Faulk could prove to be tougher than people think. Ray Lewis is a 2 seed but it’s interesting how fans are going to see him fresh off his Super Bowl victory and the whole deer antler fiasco. The obvious high seed to upset the field is Barry Sanders (3 seed) but I can also see Kurt Warner (4 seed) having a loyal fan base to surprise some people. Chad Johnson (11 seed) has to be my super dark horse pick because him getting the cover would just be a great story.

I’m keeping my Cowboys glasses on the entire time that I can vote, so i’m going Troy Aikman and Dez Bryant all the way.

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What would you do with a $120 mil contract? Joe Flacco went to McDonald’s.

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Now that can be a little deceiving in that I don’t mean that he went there and spent nine-figures all at once, i’m pretty sure you’d have to buy hundreds of locations to achieve that. Joe Flacco was just a couple hours into his brand new six-year, $120.6 million deal with the Ravens and the QB was seen in the drive-thru at a local McDonald’s. What did the elite quarterback order? 10 piece McNugget meal, fries and an unsweetened ice tea. Now, i’m not a “mickey d’s” person myself, I prefer the likes of Whataburger when it comes to fast food but if the quarterback wants to eat, let him eat what he pleases. Flacco doesn’t appear to be the type of person that’s going to let a Super Bowl MVP or a shiny new contract go to his head, at least for now it doesn’t. Even though he signed the new contract, many NFL fans and experts immediately began the debate of whether or not Flacco deserves that kind of money.

When using the word “deserve” in any sort of debate or conversation, there are lots of gray areas and thus lots of different stances that can be taken. Do I think Flacco deserves that kind of money? Yes, Flacco deserves a max contract after a great playoff run that eventually led to a Super Bowl victory as much as any other top tier quarterback. Remember, there are only seven starting quarterbacks in the NFL that have a championship and it’s not easy to get on that list no matter how talented the team around the QB is. Chances are that he’s not going to see the entire amount of his contract but for now he’s received a $29 million signing bonus with another $52 million guaranteed over the life of the contract going forward. It’s almost certain that the final couple of years will be restructured to have more flexibility in spending on other players but for now Flacco deserves this max deal and should enjoy it.

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Ravens defeat 49ers in a memorable Super Bowl XLVII

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Super Bowl XLVII - Baltimore Ravens v San Francisco 49ers

Now when I mean “memorable” like I did in the title, i’m talking purely from a football standpoint. Let’s set aside the abundance of non-football shenanigans that surround the big game. Most of the time during commercials I was busy checking Twitter for football related reactions so the only one I remember seeing is the “Leon Sandcastle” one but it was excellent. I didn’t see much of Beyonce (am I the only one who did a beer run?) but apparently she killed it so congratulations to her. It ended up being football heavy for me, just how I prefer it. Here’s what stood out the most for me:

A lot of people predicting the game pointed out that things would start out slow for the 49ers once again due to their inexperience and it’s pretty much exactly what happened. The Ravens looked like a veteran team with offensive firepower that had their eye on the prize. It was all Ravens the first half, led by the ELITE play of Joe Flacco (3 TDs) and all of a sudden the game looked like it was going to be a blowout in favor of the Ravens. The Ravens continued their momentum with a TD off a kickoff return and the game looked over until, well, the all mighty black out. The black out was probably the greatest time to ever be on Twitter as a sports fan.

Conspiracy theories were being tossed around during the wait. Clearly the stoppage of play was going to favor the 49ers, giving them time to take a breath and figure out what was going on while halting the momentum of the Ravens. For a while it looked like the teams had literally switched, the Niners having a furious rally to get within one score late in the 3rd quarter. The game got even closer on a Kaepernick TD halfway through the 4th and when it looked like the Niners were going to score to take the lead, the Ravens held on to force a turnover on down. The final play on the drive for the 49ers had some controversy because of an apparent hold but it’s still questionable whether or not the pass was close enough to be caught either way.

It was a game not of two halves but one of post and pre-black out. Ravens win 34-31 and the story lines among the team are plenty. Can Joe Flacco finally be labeled as “elite”? Yes, he was the best quarterback last night and the best throughout the playoffs. Now he has the hardware to back it up. I know it’s tough right now but 49ers fans shouldn’t be too down because they have a very young and talented team that will contend for a spot in the Super Bowl for a long time to come.

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49ers and Ravens both have comeback victories to reach Super Bowl

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AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens v New England Patriots

Both games were a tale of two halves. Behind great plays on defense and great quarterback play, the 49ers and Ravens were both able to come from behind on the road to secure their spots in Super Bowl 47. Both the 49ers (favorites) and the Ravens (significant underdog) came into the title games in different situations but it was the perseverance to make changes at halftime and absorb blows that was the difference. Even if they weren’t brothers, the Harbaugh coaches both have to be recognized for excellent coaching adjustments throughout the game. Combine that with excellent play from the players and it’s a recipe for success. Players of the game go to Frank Gore (21 car, 90 yds, 2 TDs) in the NFC and in the AFC to Joe Flacco (21-36, 240 yds, 3 TDs) who definitely looked elite yesterday.

The 49ers were very impressive in the second half, shutting out Atlanta’s potent offense and recovering from an early deficit to finally take the lead in the 4th quarter. Kaepernick wasn’t as dominating as last weekend’s game against the Packers but he was effective enough, particularly late in the game to put drives together that put the Niners in scoring position. For the Falcons it simply wasn’t enough and this time around, the lead was just too great to overcome. Statistically Matt Ryan had a great game overall but the problem was that his turnovers (fumble and interception) came at critical moments. Right when the Falcons were going to score either keep the lead or take it back, there was a mistake and the Niners defense was there to take advantage. Also, I was pretty impressed by how loud the Georgia dome got.

Out east, the Ravens were able to play in a similar fashion. The biggest difference was that the Ravens were a pretty significant underdog and note, for the second week in a row they were able to win. Baltimore shutout New England in the second half and also scored 21 points to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since their title in 2000. 21 unanswered points and they made Tom Brady look pretty average; not bad for a defense that was supposed to be old and worn out for most of the season. Ray Lewis will get headlines as usual but it was a collective group effort from start to finish, even after the slow start. The Patriots were already injured and they suffered a couple of key injuries in this game but it’s very surprising that the offense only managed to score 13 points at home.

So we have a Super Bowl dubbed as the “Harbowl” and it looks to be a good one. Tons of headlines to go over in the next couple of weeks.

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Previewing the conference championships in the NFL

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AFC Championship Patriots Ravens Football

In the middle of trying to figure out this weekend’s conference title games it dawned on me, there are only three games of professional football left for this season. Yes, i’m discounting the Pro Bowl next weekend because none of the players try and it’s a terrible game that I only glance at occasionally. While it’s a little discouraging that there’s such little football left, at least it’s known that championship weekend can provide plenty of fireworks. Last weekend was an excellent weekend of football and I expect Sunday’s games to keep the momentum. Let’s take a look at how things will down:

Biggest factors and match ups: Last week the Patriots were able to cruise past Houston because of the Texans’ inability to make big plays and keep up with the offensive firepower of the Patriots. That won’t be a problem for the Ravens, who have plenty of big play making ability on offense and defense. It’ll be interesting to see how Joe Flacco performs because despite all the “elite” jokes that are thrown his way, he does have the ability to make big plays and take big risks. The Ravens defense and special teams will have to play a big part in helping take the blows from the Patriots offense. How much will the Gronkowski injury affect the Patriots on offense? No doubt he’s a major part but chances are that Brady (watch him go to Welker early and often) will find a way to make it work.

It’s incredible to think that the Falcons are a 4 point underdog at home, as the top seed in the conference. That’s what happens when teams do what the 49ers did last weekend, where they looked like clear favorites. The Falcons finally have the playoff monkey off their back but how will they respond as the stage gets bigger and the pressure mounts? Matt Ryan will have to make big plays to his big time receivers because I don’t see the Falcons running game being that effective against a Niners defense that doesn’t really allow big plays on the ground. Can the Falcons get enough pressure on Kaepernick? At least to keep him from getting outside and running wild. The 49ers offensive line is among the best in the league and versatile QBs have given Atlanta fits throughout the season.

Prediction: The Ravens aren’t a team that’s going to back down when the pressure is great. In fact, the Ravens welcome the pressure and have played the Patriots very well in recent years. It’s going to take some big plays and late game magic from the Ravens to beat the Patriots in Foxborough. Do I think the Ravens can slow down the Patriots offense enough? No, but I think the game will be closer than most people expect. The Patriots edge out the Ravens at home. In the NFC the Falcons are being disrespected a bit but it’s not surprising when they’re up against Kaepernick, who looked looked like the greatest football player of all time last week. I expect Kaepernick to regress a bit but I still expect him to give Atlanta’s defense plenty of problems all game. I just don’t see the Falcons thriving on offense against a 49ers defense that’s too fast, too big and too tough. Falcons keep it close but the Niners make a play on defense late in the game to seal the deal. Patriots-49ers will be Super Bowl bound after Sunday’s games are over.

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Making sense of the Manti Te’o situation and his future in the NFL

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Normally I don’t get that into college football and there are various reasons for that. For starters the university that I attended has a Division 1 program but they always end up in a mediocre bowl. Even in Texas, where football is king, it’s kind of hard to get psyched up knowing that your team will probably up slightly over a .500 record. A bigger reason is because I cannot stand the BCS bowl system and it’s format. I watched some of the Alabama-Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago and even the biggest supporters of the BCS cannot sit there and tell me that those are the two best teams in the country. Who knows, maybe i’ll get to liking it next season when apparently they’re going to have a mini-playoff system.

You’ve seen the story blow up all over Twitter and every sports site online. In case you’re completely shut out from the world sports, an article on DeadSpin (click there) came out yesterday afternoon detailing the report that Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and the story about his girlfriend dying mid-season was all a hoax. It’s a lengthy read but it’s an excellent piece of journalism that basically details how Te’o, a player very well known (Heisman candidate etc.) around the country, was basically living a lie when it came to his off field relationship and what transpired during the season. Normally i’m not one to care too much about a player’s personal life. Whatever happens off the field/court is their business and it only matters to me if it affects their performance as a professional athlete. This story took various headlines because of how bizarre it is from start to finish.

If Te’o really is the victim as he claims to be, how does this affect his NFL stock as he prepares to get drafted in a few months and eventually join the league later this year? No one is questioning his ability as a linebacker. Te’o will likely be a top 10 pick in this year’s draft but teams interested in him will be looking at how stable he is emotionally and psychologically after dealing with such a situation. Every team examines a player thoroughly to determine how much their off the field issues will impact performance and affect the rest of the team as a whole. I don’t remember a situation quite like this but my thoughts are that it will blow over with time. Right now it’s a circus but eventually Te’o will get drafted, start playing for a team and go on with his life and career.

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Recapping an exciting playoff weekend in the NFL

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The first weekend of this year’s playoffs was mediocre but this past weekend the NFL gave fans some of the greatest football I’ve seen in a 48 hour span. The divisional round is thought of by most as the best weekend of the entire season and this weekend’s games certainly backed up that statement. Where do I even begin? We’ll start in chronological order.

Bal-Den: What was Manning thinking with that throw across his body late in the first overtime? I was the back up QB in middle school and even I know not to throw across your body into the middle of the field. But hey, he’s the future hall of fame NFL player so i’ll defer to him. After that interception, the Ravens were able to gain enough yardage to set up the game winning field goal in the second overtime period. Second overtime! How many times do we see “2OT” on the scoreboard in the NFL? It was actually kind of odd. I know Joe Flacco had that great (elite?) pass late in the game to seal the comeback but I gotta give some props to their RB Ray Rice. Rice secretly tore up the Denver defense, rushing for 131 yards and a TD on 30 carries. Incredible game with an incredible finish.

SF-GB: I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical about how Colin Kaepernick would perform in his first playoff start but boy did he prove me wrong. Kaepernick bounced back from an early pick-6 in record breaking fashion to lead the 49ers in an impressive victory over the Packers. Kaepernick’s stat line (pass: 263 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT; rush: 181 yds, 2 TDs) doesn’t even do him justice as he out dueled Aaron Rodgers, a proven SB winner and one of the best QBs in the league. Credit to the 49ers defense who never let Rodgers get in sync, even after the Packers took an early lead from a play made on defense. I also have to give credit to the rest of the Niners rushing attack (Gore and co) who had the Packer defense confused the entire game. Damn, the Niners are a scary team.

Atl-Sea: Another wild finish that I did not see coming. Seattle certainly had a chance to win the game after an incredible comeback but Atlanta’s big plays late in the game were the deciding factor. The Falcons finally broke their streak of recent playoff losses and even though I had the Seahawks winning the game, I actually felt good for the Falcons players. Particularly TE Tony Gonzalez, who broke down in tears after the clock expired. I have to ask about the 4th quarter: was it more Falcons meltdown or a Seahawks comeback? It was incredible to watch Russell Wilson lead the Seahawks to 21 unanswered points in the final period but it still wasn’t enough. Seems like there’s a bright future for Seattle but this season it’s the Falcons that are moving on.

NE-Hou: This game didn’t exactly live to the rest of the weekend’s games in terms of excitement but it was still impressive to see how much the Patriots dominated the Texans. Tom Brady broke the record for career playoff wins as he led the Patriots offense in a dominating victory over the Texans. Houston simply could not keep up with the Patriots offense, particularly in the second half. The Texans kept the game close through the first half but after the Patriots dominated the 3rd quarter it began to shape into a easy W for New England. Despite losing Gronkowski (for the season) during the first quarter, the Patriots offense continued to dominate but it’ll be interesting to see how the injury affects them going forward.

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