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27
Mar
2012
20
Mar
2012
Colorado Dreamin’: A Broncos fan’s take on the Manning/Elway/Tebow Triangle
John Elway dangled a tasty carrot and the former Colt bit.
Peyton Manning, arguably the greatest free agent of all time, has chosen the Denver Broncos as team he will ride into the Hall of Fame. The Broncos will now be the hottest team in the league this offseason, and billions of eyeballs will be glued to Mile High Manning this autumn. Elway lured Manning by promising to build players around him, and by letting him run his own offense in Denver, which should easily make the Broncos the team to beat in the AFC West. And with a 5-year, $96 million dollar contract, it seems clear that the Broncos and their team of doctors believe Manning is healthy, ready to play, and capable of making a run at the Super Bowl for the next half-decade.
(Photo: DenverPost.com)
As a lifelong Broncos fan, I can’t help but be excited about adding an all-world player to the squad. Especially a cerebral quarterback like Manning who is one of smartest to ever play the position. But immediately after the shock of the ‘Manning to Denver’ news set in, many of us in Bronco Country asked the obvious question … what about Tim Tebow? What about last season? Timmy’s magical run, winning 7 of 8 games and leading the Broncos to a thrilling OT playoff win at home against the Steelers. Tebow’s 80 yard “Tebomb” to Demaryius Thomas was by far the most exciting play by any Bronco since Elway’s “helicopter” in Super Bowl XXXII. Every single Broncos fan enjoyed that season, whether they approved of Tebow or not, and Denver seemed to be headed towards next season with notable momentum. It was truly spectacular, and many fans thought we had something special.
But now – almost unthinkably after you grasp what he did last season – the Broncos will show Tebow the door and welcome 36-year-old Manning to the team. Some Broncos fans and all of Tebow’s faithful feel betrayed, but the fact of the matter is simple: John Elway was never sold on Tim Tebow. He didn’t draft him, didn’t want him as the future of the team, and frankly, he didn’t believe in him. The ironic part for Elway was that Tebow went out last season and made A LOT of other people a believer. Not just Broncos fans, but sports fans all over the planet (as we witnessed with Tebow-mania) were hailing Tebow as the savior of the franchise. But Elway still wouldn’t publically give him the loving security fans thought he had earned. Now it makes since why Elway never backed him, because deep down he knew that Tim wasn’t his guy. He didn’t want to commit. Yet Tebow’s surprising success meant Elway was stuck with him, at least for this upcoming season, if not more if Tim kept winning. There was nothing Elway could do but wait it out and see if Tebow succeeded or failed.
Lucky for Elway, the QB Gods work in strange ways, and they sent Manning into free agency this off season… and it didn’t take long for the Broncos VP to connect the dots. Manning is only QB on the market that Elway can immediately swap for Tebow without disgruntling the Denver fanbase. This is the only logical way Elway can divorce the Broncos from Tebow in a way that looks like he’s making the right move, the smart move. He is choosing proven over potential, and you can’t really argue with that. Tebow did wonderful things for the Broncos last year, but Elway saw a way to get rid of him without being the villain and jumped at the opportunity.
17
Feb
2012
Don’t worry, the NFL Combine is just 5 days away!
(Photo: JimRome.com)
We know how the first few weeks of the NFL off-season can be particularly brutal, as we adjust to having no football on Sundays to plan our lives around. Some have turned to the NBA, Linsanity and the impending charade of All-Star weekend to quench their thirst for sports, while others look toward March Madness, and still others eagerly await pitchers and catchers to report to spring training.
But there are those of us for which the NFL is really a year-round sport, and no substitute will do in its place. For us pro football geeks, we shift our attention to the upcoming draft and its annual predecessor, the NFL Combine. With the 2011-12 season behind us (and all but the Giants left with a bad taste in their mouth), hope now springs eternal for all 32 teams and their fans as they prepare to add a new class of young talent to their roster … and for some franchises, the annual hope and optimism that comes with the draft process is generally far more enjoyable than the reality that plays out during the season.
Next Wednesday, the football world will converge on Indianapolis to begin poking and prodding at this year’s prospects for the NFL Draft. Terms like upside, ‘tweener, body lean, footwork, long-strider, high motor, intangibles, football IQ, measurables and triangle numbers will become part of the sports lexicon as scouts attempt to determine which players have the best chance to become difference-makers at the next level. But far too often, these numbers from the combine – and the allure of potential over performance – overshadow a player’s actual ability on the field during his college career.
So we’ll be paying some attention to the happenings in Indy next week, and especially looking forward to the draft in April … but yeah, overall, this:
17
Dec
2011
Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz aren’t even on the Pro Bowl fan ballot
(Photo: NYDailyNews.com)
If you’d like to add your vote for this year’s Pro Bowl (one of sports’ least exciting all-star games), fans can do so through this Monday, 12/19 via the official ballot at NFL.com. And if you’re a Giants fan (or a particularly astute fantasy geek) you might notice two glaring omissions from the candidates at defensive end and wide receiver … namely, DE Jason Pierre Paul and WR Victor Cruz, who have each had breakout seasons at their respective positions for New York.
Pierre-Paul is currently 5th in the NFL with 12.5 sacks, while Cruz is 3rd in the league in receiving yards with 1,150, but neither are eligible for your votes to go to Hawaii. According to the Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News, JPP and Cruz are victims of an antiquated voting system, and both were left off the ballot by the Giants organization, who were forced to make some difficult decisions based on the sheer volume of talent they have at certain positions:
Teams are only allowed a certain number of players at each position – two defensive ends and two receivers, for example. In some cases, there are other categories, such as a “flex” spot for either a running back or a receiver.
Since the Giants had to submit their players before October 25th, they put Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora as their two DEs, and Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham as their two WRs. For the flex position, they chose Brandon Jacobs after giving the RB slot to Ahmad Bradshaw.
10
Nov
2011
My Summer at Penn State Football Camp with Jerry Sandusky
Fortunately, my only contact with Sandusky came on these practice fields, while fully dressed (Photo: psu.edu)
Up until now, we’ve remained silent on the whole Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State. Mainly because we’re an NFL blog and it’s not professional football news, but also because the troubling subject matter is a little bit outside of our normally light-hearted sphere.
And there’s simply no way to avoid just how ugly and disgusting the whole affair is, especially as more and more details come to light. If you haven’t seen it already, the full 23-page Grand Jury report is available online, and it’s worth the disturbing read to get a full understanding of the exact nature & scope of the allegations against Sandusky by his victims. Of all the reprehensible details, it’s the idea that someone would utilize the very foundation he founded to help troubled youth (The Second Mile) as a feeding ground for his sexual perversions that truly makes the blood boil. And as despicable as Sandusky’s behavior was, it’s almost equally disturbing to see how the members of the Penn State University staff and football program seemingly helped to sweep it under the rug since at least 1998.
The guys at Deadspin have been all over this story, and one of the more troubling facts to come to light is that, as recently as 2009, Sandusky was running overnight football camps on university campuses. Which means that even though he had retired from coaching in 1999, and had previously been prohibited from bringing young boys onto the main Penn State campus (due to being caught showering with – and possibly sodomizing – a 10-year-old in an athletic building in 2002), he still managed to not only stay around the program, but create scenarios within the university where he would have unsupervised access to young boys.
Which brings us to the point of our story: During the summer of 1990, as a fresh-faced 16-year-old from Connecticut, I attended football camp at Penn State University, where I was coached by Jerry Sandusky himself.
25
Oct
2011
Top 10 Neck Rolls in NFL History (PICS)
(Photo: wireimage.com)
Inspired by this recent New York Times piece, which examines the disappearance of neck rolls from the game of football, we decided to compile a list of the greatest neck rolls in NFL history.
The neck roll apparatus – which theoretically protects against injuries by helping to stabilize the neck – was a standard part of the uniform for anyone playing youth or high school football in the 80s or 90s. And although sports science seems to have proven neck rolls to be relatively useless as an injury prevention tool, they will always hold a warm place in our football memories.
From the Times piece:
It goes by names like cowboy collar and butterfly restrictor, can look like a cut-up life preserver, a miniature washboard or a tube of cookie dough and, depending on whom you ask, is incredibly effective or about as necessary as an appendix.
(…)
Much like Spandex did not, in fact, make everybody who wore it look thinner, neck rolls became another disappearing fad because they were probably more style than substance, said Stephen J. Straub, a professor of athletic training and sports medicine at Quinnipiac University.
Straub was involved in a 2003 study that examined three different types of neck rolls and ultimately concluded that “they’ve never been shown to be effective,” he said, adding: “In a lab, they seem to be able to control the head, at least a little bit. But no one has been able to show that on a football field.”
If nothing else, they at least helped make you look more intimidating on the field (well, except on Grogan, that is), and we’ll continue to hold out hope for a comeback as we pay tribute to the once-ubiquitous neck roll with the following glorious images.
TOP 10 NECK ROLLS IN NFL HISTORY
(If you think of any other players who donned a neck roll during their career and we may have omitted from our list, please let us know in the comments)
1. Steve Grogan – New England Patriots
Grogan and his fabled 2-story neck roll (Photo: BleacherReport.com)
(Photo: ESPN.com)
7
Oct
2011
NFL 2011 Quarter-Point Jump To Conclusions Mat
Michael Bolton: That's the worst idea I've ever heard in my life, Tom (Image via blogspot.com)
Every year, we try to refrain from pulling a Tom Smykowski from Office Space, and jumping to any conclusions about the upcoming NFL season prematurely. In a sixteen-game season, it usually takes several games for teams to figure out their identity, and a lot longer than that to determine a realistic playoff picture.
So, while it’s tempting to draw knee-jerk reactions from a couple of games, we at least try to wait until the quarter-point mark to start making our hyperbolic and definitive statements about the season ahead. Even with the lockout-shortened off-season, four games is enough to get a sense of which teams are back in the driver’s seat (Packers, Patriots), and which teams are going to have trouble living up to expectations (Jets, Rams).
So without further adieu, here are our top 5 observations on the ol’ Jump To Conclusions mat:
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(Photo: Philly.com)
The “Dream Team” is actually a Nightmare: This pre-season, the Philadelphia Eagles were crowned as NFC East Champions based almost solely on the big name signings made by GM Howie Roseman, who apparently attended the Dan Snyder school of Free Agency. Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins were among the stars to join the Philadelphia roster, and Eagles fans were planning trips to the Super Bowl before a down had been played.
Well, after a 1-3 start, the Eagles are proving that it takes more than just raw talent to win in the NFL, and chemistry can be the most important thing for a team to succeed. Plus, in the age of the salary cap, spending huge money at certain positions inevitably results in deficiencies elsewhere (see the Eagles LB corps), and so far the Philly defense has been a big disappointment. It will be interesting to see how Andy Reid – and the egos in his locker room – handles their early adversity.
- The Detroit Lions will compete for the NFC crown: Yes, the Lions bandwagon is already starting to get crowded after starting the season 4-0 for the first time since 1980, and completing consecutive comebacks of 20 points or more against the Vikings and Cowboys.Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson are unquestionably young superstars in this league, and if Matt Stafford can remain healthy, they give Jim Schwartz’ team a chance to compete in any game. And first round draft pick Nick Fairley could return from injury this week, making Detroit’s defense even more imposing. Bottom line: the Lions will make playoffs this year.
- The Buffalo Bills are for real: The Bills are off to an impressive 3-1 start, and after defeating their hated rival Patriots in Week 3, they’re a fashionable pick to surprise in the AFC this year. Chan Gailey’s offense is clicking with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson off to a hot start, and the Bills defense has been opportunistic with 8 INTs. But those takeaways could be covering up for bigger problems on defense, and Buffalo faces a brutal schedule late in the season which will really test their road toughness. So while the Bills are definitely improved, and there’s reason for optimism in Buffalo, the division still goes through New England until someone proves otherwise.
(Photo: WashingtonPost.com)
1
Oct
2011
Why Sour Sweetness?
(photo courtesy of www.photobucket.com)
For anyone who watch football in the late 1970s and 1980s, Walter Payton was emblematic of all that was good in professional sports. He was graceful on the field, and gracious off of it. Soft spoken and dignified, Payton– or, perhaps more precisely, what we knew of Payton– was the kind of player– the kind of person– to emulate. The NFL calls its man of the year award the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for that very reason. I was never a Bears fans. But, like many others, I was always a fan of Walter Payton.
Twelve years after his untimely death, Sports Illustrated has excerpted a book by Jeff Pearlman alleging that Payton cheated on his wife and did drugs. Why write this book? While I don’t condone cheating on your wife or using drugs, I fundamentally do not understand why this book needs to be written, now. For starters, the guy’s dead: he can’t defend himself. Moreover, people don’t still look up to Payton (see point one, he’s dead). Instead, they admire him for what he represented and, when they see an image of him dancing between defenders, the “C” emblazoned on his helmet, they think of when they were a kid. When Sunday was spent glued to a television, watching the voracious Bears’ defense serve as the perfect compliment to Payton’s elegance. Am I supposed to revisit that? Question it? Realize that, gee, idols aren’t always what they are cracked up to be when you peal away the onion? Wow, there’s a novel and timely lesson for the 40-plus crowd that admired him. Pearlman: for an encore, how about a book on the real truth behind the VHS versus Betamax fight for market share?
12
Sep
2011
Sunday’s biggest losers
Sunday confirmed Indy's worst fears. (Source: NBCSports.com)
Week 1 in the NFL is a lock to produce its share of over-the-top, knee-jerk reactions. Half the league’s fan base wakes up Monday morning feeling great about themselves — and life. The other half are looking around the house for sharp objects. The meaningless preseason has given way to real games, and losses can’t be shrugged off — for some teams, Sunday was a reality check. Here’s a look at yesterday’s biggest losers:
5t. Cleveland (27-17 to Cincinnati): Extremely disappointing for the Browns. Cleveland has won only ONE opener since 1999, despite hosting every one of those games. With their new pass-oriented attack run by Colt McCoy, the Browns looked poised to take a step up in the AFC North — instead, they’re 0-1 after dropping a stinker to Cincy, who many considered worst team in football.
5t. New York Giants (28-14 to Washington): Every other team in this division gets massive media hype, but Washington could end up surprising. They’re immediately dismissed because Rex Grossman‘s at quarterback, but the Shanahans love this kid, and he performed yesterday. For the (heavily banged-up) Giants, a loss that raises more questions about Eli Manning, but not earth-shattering. They played even in the first half and, more importantly, this is a team that does not give up.
4. Kansas City (41-7 to Buffalo): A nightmare opener for the Chiefs, who were as lifeless as they appeared during a tumultuous preseason. Last year’s 10-6 team looked hundreds of miles away.
3. Dallas (27-24 to New York Jets): The Cowboys ended this one in embarrassing fashion, but it was the loss of their starting three corners for most of the second half that allowed Mark Sanchez to find his receivers (including the tedious Plaxico Burress) and climb back in. It’s a bitter defeat for Dallas, but they looked fantastic defensively early on, and there’s reason for hope here. Jason Garrett is putting together a team that could (or should, at least) defeat anyone else on this list.
2. Pittsburgh (35-7 to Baltimore): Are the Steelers in trouble? Not yet. The team has climbed out of bigger holes than this. The team is aging, yes, but they are among the best-coached squads in the game. The Ravens wanted this one more — and it showed.
1. Indianapolis (34-7 to Houston): Nobody picked Indy to go anywhere without Peyton Manning, but Sunday’s trainwreck was clear confirmation that the Colts are in jeopardy without their all-everything quarterback. Granted, it’s going to take Kerry Collins time to learn the offense, but there was very little, if anything, to be hopeful about in this one.
28
Aug
2011
When fantasy becomes foolishness
Nerdlings celebrating another man's success.
The outpouring of concern over Arian Foster‘s tweaked left hamstring – mostly from jittery fantasy football disciples whose drafts unfold this week — raises yet another question about where our heads are at.
After Foster re-aggravated the hamstring Saturday night in the Texans’ 30-7 win over the 49ers, he made efforts to assure his Twitter followers that he’d be ready for the Colts on Sept. 11.
“4 those sincerely concerned, I’m doing ok & plan 2 B back by opening day. 4 those worried abt your fantasy team, u ppl are sick,” he wrote Sunday.
Speaking for fantasy players everywhere, ESPN’s Colin Cowherd tweeted back: “Hey Arian Foster— ‘We really do care about you as a human too. Um,now about that hammy? –signed, everybody.”
Replied Foster: “Did you want to be a critic as a child? Or did your dreams die with your humility?”
Not that the players are pure — or must be treated delicately — but Foster’s irritation is justified.
At its best, fantasy football is a not-to-be-taken-too-seriously outshoot of the game we’ve grown up with and adore. At its worst, it is a parasitic worm draining the fun out of the sport.
“I hope @ArianFoster realizes that fantasy football is the only reason 90% of chicks and 30% of guys even know who he is,” one follower tweeted after Foster’s updates.
Uh-huh.
Fans might not want to hear that fantasy doesn’t matter to the players they draft and follow with religious fervor during the season, but things might be different if not for the overly serious tone fantasy has adopted of late. For many, it’s eclipsed the sport itself. You’ll find more and more clowns roaming around town who don’t care for the game — just the raw, lifeless numbers produced.
For Foster — the player — it’s about getting back on the field and building on last season’s from-the-wilderness outburst, which included 1,616 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns.
For those who draft him, anything less will be a disappointment.
A Jets fan weighs in on the Tebow trade: “I just don’t get it”
In an effort to present the viewpoints of passionate fans from around the NFL, ReadAndReact will occasionally elicit special guest commentary from some of the more rabid fans we know. We’ll ask them to share their thoughts on the biggest news stories of the day, unfiltered and without limit, for your reading enjoyment.
GUEST COMMENTARY FROM A JETS FAN
Ok, now that I have had time to take it all in … I am still a little confused. I just don’t get it.
Mind you, I have been a Jets fan all my life, and have continually been baffled by what the team does both in the off season and on the field. Being a Jets fan is always like living on a roller coaster of emotions. Something will happen to spark hope, a glimmer of greatness if you will (two consecutive AFC championship appearances). But then reality sinks back in and we end up with the same ol’ Jets! I thought that all of our off-season moves were going pretty well — signing valuable players and filling needed positions at safety and back up QB and then … BAM. Tebow time.
(Photo: Businessinsider.com)
As a displaced Jets fan living in Denver, this was like the nausea that arrives after you have been swiftly kicked square in the nuts. It sucked. But theres nothing I can do so I am trying to see the value and not try to understand the “why”. One thought I just can’t shake out of my head is that Woody made the decision to fill seats and sell jerseys. I went to a few home games in New Jersey last year and the stadium was maybe three-quarters full. I know that Tannembaum and Rex are really pushing to “win now”, as it’s likely that their fates are in line with the success of this season, but picking up Tim Tebow doesn’t really seem like the team’s golden ticket.
That being said, maybe that was never the Jets intent. Maybe they just saw an opportunity to bring value to the team at little perceived cost. With the media surrounding Tebow and New York being what it is, maybe we are just blowing this whole thing way out of proportion. If the Jets made this move to get back, say, Brad Smith, no one would be making such a huge fuss about it. Brad was a QB in college and took over 10 snaps in wildcat formation in many games for the Jets. The big difference was his fit on special teams and in other positions. If Tebow is really willing to do what ever it takes to help the team like he said in his press conference he could prove to be very valuable for the Jets.
The major thing that is keeping me from jumping on the Tebow band wagon is the 4th and 6th round pick we traded away. Will the looks the Jets get with Tebow, combined with his unknown in special teams, be better than the other positions we could have filled in those spots? How bout some offensive linemen? Some pass-rushers perhaps? I guess the draft and the season are the only ways to tell, and it never does anyone any good to play the what-if game. He’s here, he’s a Jet, and now we can just wait and see.
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Tags: guest commentary, Jets fans, Mike Tannenbaum, New York Jets, Rex Ryan, Tim Tebow
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