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2
Mar
2010
Oh yeah, the combine is happening
These stopwatches mean millions of dollars to players at the NFL Combine (Photo: Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com)
You’ll have to forgive us for our recent lapse in NFL coverage … we were swept up in Winter Olympic fever for the past few weeks, and kind of forgot that the NFL Scouting Combine started last week. And yeah, we actually had something better to do than watch a bunch of grown men run around in their skivvies. So sue us.
Otherwise known as the “underwear Olympics”, the Combine is the annual meat market where NFL teams poke and prod at the latest round of prospects like so much cattle, sizing up their chances of success at the next level. It’s where Wonderlics, route trees and body lean become the talk of the day. A place where a mediocre player can rise from obscurity with a 4.3 40-yard dash time, and where an all-American LB can tumble down the draft charts because he’s a few inches too short.
As you might be able to surmise from our tone, we don’t put as much stock in the combine as some others. I mean, it’s a useful tool to get an up-close look at these athletes, who teams are about to invest millions of dollars in … but it should really only be one piece of the larger puzzle. How someone performs on an indoor track in a sterilized environment should not be viewed as a direct reflection of how they will perform on Sunday. Sure, there are some physical tools that you simply can’t teach, and certain teams (ie., the Raiders) are always going to take a chance on gifted athletes, whether they can actually play football or not. But if a kid is ranked in your top 10 at the end of the college season, after being a playmaker his entire career, there’s simply no way a slow 3-cone drill time should drop him off of your board.
DTs Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma (left) and Ndomukong Suh of Nebraska are 2 of the top prospects in this year's draft (Photo: Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com)
I’ve watched a few hours of the combine over the past 2 days, and I guess I’ll have to leave it to the Kipers and Mayocks of the world, who make their living off of this event. And don’t get me wrong, you can definitely gain some affirmation on your feelings about a player one way or another from these workouts – and especially the interviews. I just feel that often, too much value is placed on these measurements over actual gameday performance.
And with that, I leave you with a few Combine-related links:
- Tim Tebow’s 2010 Combine performance set to Iron Maiden [Deadspin]
- NFL Network’s Rich Eisen prepares to run the 40-yard dash [NFL.com]
- *UPDATE* Clemson RB CJ Spiller’s blazing 40-yard dash of 4.27 seconds … actually clocked in at 4.37 seconds. Whoops.
AFTER THE JUMP, WATCH RICH EISEN RUN THE 40-YARD DASH … IN A SUIT
1
Feb
2010
Good Morning Miami from Rex Ryan!
Rex Ryan displaying the type of devil-may-care attitude we've come to expect
The awesome picture above comes from Miami, where the NFL’s elite have gathered for the pre-Super Bowl festivities. It’s also where our favorite rabble-rousing head coach, Rex Ryan, decided to take in a MMA Strikeforce event on Saturday night … where he was inevitably surrounded by Dolphins fans, eager to express their distaste their AFC Rival Jets. You can see where this is going.
Our friends at SportsByBrooks has the whole story, including video of the interview Rex gave over the jumbotron that might have ruffled some feathers in Miami. If you need even more coverage, The Miami Herald has the first-hand story from the photographer, along with Ryan’s clearly forced apology.
Does anyone else notice that Rex’s shirt says “Wide Guy” on it? Is this a brand for big & talls, or a cautionary sign for whenever he’s transported on the freeway?
28
Nov
2009
Broncos vs Giants Thanksgiving Game – Photo Essay
When the 2009 NFL schedule was announced, I was thrilled to see that my favorite team, the New York Football Giants, were coming to my adopted home state of Colorado to play the Denver Broncos this season. Not only would it be the first time I would get to watch my Giants play at Mile High – the site of some classic match-ups from the ’80s-’90s (remember the Gary Reasons goal line hit on Bobby Humphrey in the snow?) – but it would be on Thanksgiving Night!
I immediately put out feelers for game tickets, and invited my parents to spend Thanksgiving at my new home in Colorado. It seemed like a perfect holiday plan. And up until Thursday night at about 6:20pm MT, it was. It was at that point that my beloved Giants decided to crap all over our Thanksgiving celebration, by not even showing up for the game and putting on one of the more miserable displays I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing in person. If you watched the game, you already know, and I’m not going to get into a breakdown of what went wrong (hint: everything. lowlights here). For me, it was just brutal, while for the Broncos fans in the house, it was a full-on party.
But the holiday wasn’t a total loss, and I still have much to be thankful for. We were blessed with box seats and pre-game field passes by the Denver Post – clearly a signal of our growing influence in the sports blogosphere. Or maybe my girlfriend got them for us. Whatever. In addition to free food and booze throughout the game, we were able to snap some decent photos from field level during warm-ups. Here are the best of those shots, with some commentary as to what you’re seeing. I hope you enjoy it more than I enjoyed the game.
All photos by ArtieFufkin.
Pre-game field passes = extra special surprise. Much thanks to the Denver Post team for taking such good care of us!
Aaron Ross fielding punts. Moments after this pic was taken, an errant punt bounced out of bounds and into my hands. As I handed it back to Aaron, I looked him square in the eye and said "Go get 'em Aaron!" He said nothing ... there was a general sense of lethargy from the Giants the entire night
Plenty of Giants fans in attendance for this game ... a short time later, they would all be miserable
And the Broncos take the field ... for warm-ups
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE BRONCOS/GIANTS
16
Oct
2009
Bills Fans expressing their displeasure via Billboards
(Photo: unathleticmag.com)
It seems that trashing your favorite team’s front office and coaching staff has become the “cool thing to do” among NFL supporters in 2009. And with their beloved Bills off to a 1-4 start, Buffalo-area fans have just about as much right as anyone to demand a mid-season overhaul of the franchise. I mean, those things usually work out pretty well for everyone, right?
So that’s what one industrious Bills fan is doing. He’s taking his message public via billboards, and has created a website to raise money from other Bills fans who share his frustration. From TheSportingNews:
In a little more than a week, Abshagen, an unemployed 18-year-old from New Freedom, Pa., raised enough money – $1,402 and counting as of Wednesday – through an Internet campaign to rent a billboard and advertise a message of discontent for everyone in Buffalo to see.
“I honestly never thought it would ever be this big,” Abshagen said. “Fans are disgruntled. It’s out there. It’s big. People are going to hear about it.”
Starting early Monday and running for a week, the message will be flashed up to 3,000 times a day on a digital billboard overlooking Interstate 190 on the south side of the city, said Abshagen after signing a contract with an advertising company.
The actual billboard will feature the following artwork, imploring Bills owner Ralph Wilson to make changes to his staff (the much better banner pic above is an awesome mock-up from UnathleticMag.com):
We all know about Dick Jauron. Things don’t look so hot for him right now. The other jobs these fans are calling for belong to the team’s vice president of pro personnel John Guy, and chief college scout Tom Modrak.
I like the enthusiasm. I really do. But like I said, I’m not so sure that dismantling the entire coaching staff and front office less than 1/3 of the way into the season is the best way to go. As bad as things might seem, you need to at least give a team some time to try and right the ship. It’s a long season, and we’ve seen many a club turn around their fortunes after a bad start. But it’s clear that these fans are charter members of the “I’m unemployed & know more about football than the highly paid professionals” camp, and have already given up on the season.
As such, there is now a part of me that is cheering to see the Bills turn it around, just to make these guys feel like jerks.
2
Oct
2009
Eli Manning Tagged the Visitors’ Locker Room at Cowboys Stadium
NBCDFW.com posted this photo of what may or may not be Eli Manning’s real signature, on what may or may not be a concrete column in the visitors’ locker room at the brand new Cowboys Stadium.
So … yeah. Pretty definitive, right? Here’s the picture. See for yourself:
(Photo: NFCDFW.com)
The reader who submitted the photo had this to say:
“See the picture of a concrete column in the visitor locker room in the new Cowboys stadium,” the NBCDFW.com user wrote. “I heard the locker room was spat on and had many used jock straps hanging from the mirrors and other places too. What class.”
Wait. Saliva and jock straps??? In an NFL locker room?!? I’m shocked. Shocked I say. Wait until Goodell gets a load of this.
It sure looks a lot like Manning’s signature, and if the story is true, this could easily become a new tradition at Jerry World. Just imagine visiting players – drunk with victory – tagging the locker room with all manner of lewd bathroom graffiti. Over the years, the walls will become overrun with braggadocios claims, juvenile sketches and bawdy limericks. Jerry will of course hire a small village to clean the walls … or just build a new stadium. Whichever’s easiest.
Famed rock club CBGB or Cowboys Stadium Visitors Locker Room, circa 2035? (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)
3
Sep
2009
NY Giants private jet lands in Colorado = interest in Brandon Marshall?
The NY Giants private jet is definitely on a runway. Somewhere. Could be Jersey for all we know. (Photo: fm1043thefan.com)
UPDATE: Mike Garofolo of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that the appearance of jet with a NY Giants logo on it on Wednesday had nothing to do with Brandon Marshall, and that the Giants have never used a team plane in personnel matters:
In talking with folks in the know Thursday, I’m told the plane was not there as part of a meeting between any team officials and Marshall. Plus, a team spokesman said the Giants do not own a private plane.
So, there you go.
____________________________________
OK, take this for what it’s worth, but Sportsradio 104.3 The Fan in Denver posted this cell phone photo of what they’re claiming to be the NY Giants private jet on the runway of Jefferson County Airport in Colorado on Wednesday.
The presumption here is that this means the Giants are talking with the Broncos about WR Brandon Marshall, and that a possible trade deal is imminent. While Denver head coach Josh McDaniels remains adamant that they aren’t talking to anyone about trading Marshall, it’s clear that Marshall wants out, and the Broncos would do well to at least get something in return for their troublesome star.
Most recently, the rumors were that Denver was in talks with the Jets, and that they wanted LB David Harris as part of the deal. Which begs the question, since the Jets and Giants share a stadium, do you think the Jets might also be borrowing the Giants plane for this trip?
Look, this is nothing more than an unsubstantiated rumor, and until there’s official news of a contract, there’s not really much to say here. But if the Giants do have interest in Marshall, I would be very surprised. It would go against everything Jerry Reese and the Maras believe in terms of the type of person they want for their ball club. They didn’t just cut one headache (Burress) to replace him with another.
30
Aug
2009
Denver-Cutler Love Fest: Photo Essay
Jay Cutler tries to block out the boos of his former fans (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
I have just returned home from Mile High Stadium (I still refuse to call it by its new corporate name), the site of the much-anticipated Bears vs Broncos pre-season match-up, featuring the return of QB Jay Cutler to his old stomping grounds … much to the dismay of the Denver faithful.
It’s clear that the Broncos’ fan base is harboring some bad feelings about the way Cutler ended his career there, but I can’t help but wonder if their anger is slightly misplaced. Sure, Cutler came off as whiny and immature throughout the whole off-season soap opera with Josh McDaniels that led to his departure. But it was the young maverick head coach who has come into town and essentially run out his best players, determined to put his stamp on the franchise.
Regardless, Broncos fans used this game as an opportunity to unleash their furor on Cutler … showering him with boos at every chance, and turning their once-prized #6 jerseys into tools of derision for their new enemy. The game itself actually proved to be a relatively mediocre affair, with Cutler leading the Bears to a victory, and new Broncos’ QB Kyle Orton leaving the game with a cut finger.
But the real highlight of the evening was checking out the creativity of Broncos fans in their abuse of Cutler. Everywhere you looked, people were decked out in their most clever anti-Cutler outfits, channeling their frustration into an arts & crafts extravaganza for the eyes.
