17
Sep
2012
NFL GIFs of the Week: 2012 Week Two
We love our GIFs here at ReadAndReact, so we’ve started a new weekly feature where we collect the best GIFs from each NFL week, and post them all in one convenient spot for your viewing enjoyment. Â
Most of these come courtesy of the always-awesome GIFulmination, @SBNation GIF or@CJZero Twitter… so special thanks to those guys.  Submit your favorites GIFs to info@readandreact.net, and PLEASE BE PATIENT WHILE THIS PAGE LOADS.
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Jay Cutler kicks Charles Woodson while he’s down:
(via cjzero.com)
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Packers score on a fake 44-yard Field Goal:
(via sbnation.com)
13
Sep
2012
Packers-Bears rivalry is NFL’s oldest, and probably the best (VIDEO)
(via cnbc.com)
In anticipation for tonight’s Packers-Bears game – the 185th meeting in the NFL’s oldest rivalry – we give you this video, which was created by NBC for last December’s match-up between the bitter adversaries.
Watch it and get up-to-speed on the depth and intensity of the Bears-Packers rivalry. It provides all the context you need to understand why these two teams (and to a degree, these two cities) don’t like each other very much:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
1
Aug
2012
Anthony Adams in “Stuff NFL Free Agents Say” (VIDEO)
First off, apologies for our extended programming hiatus here at ReadAndReact … June and July can be a pretty bleak time of year for NFL fans, and we decided we needed to take the Summer off to re-charge our batteries (and also not burn ourselves out on random top 10 lists and player DUI posts). But now that August is here and training camps are kicking off around the country, we’re back, and fired up for the impending season.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski via ESPN.com)
Free agent DT Anthony “Spice” Adams – who was released by the Bears in February after 5 years with the team -  has also been using the summer months to catch up on some life maintenance. The 32-year-old Adams has yet to latch on with a new ball club for 2012, and fortunately for us, he used his downtime to create this hilarious “Stuff NFL Free Agents Say” video.
Adams might be a little bit late to the party on the whole “Stuff _______ Say” trend, which has been played out for a while, but here Adams delivers in a big way. While waiting for that fateful call from an NFL team, among other things, Adams has been practicing his swim move on his baby, brushing up on his video game skills (BANG BANG!), watching the waiver wire like a hawk, putting off his diet until next week, fretting about the power bill, and of course, playing words with friends. Â It’s a bit long at over 5 minutes, but trust us, it’s worth it:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
19
Dec
2011
Johnny Knox isn’t supposed to bend that way (GIF)
(Image via mocksession.com)
Ouch. Bears WR Johnny Knox will undergo surgery today to stabilize a vertebra in his back after this scary hit on Sunday versus the Seahawks.
Knox caught a pass from Caleb Hanie in the first quarter, then fumbled the ball backward into his own territory. The Bears’ receiver made a diving attempt to recover the fumble, when he was hit by Seattle DE Anthony Hargrove and bent over backward in half [VIDEO HERE]. Knox was down for a significant amount of time before being placed on a spinal board and carted off the field.
Thankfully, the initial prognosis for Knox is positive, and he should eventually be able to resume his football career … which is the only reason we’re cool posting the gruesome GIF of the injury above.
“He has total movement throughout his body, has total use of all his extremities, which is good,” coach Lovie Smith said. “We’re doing tests right now. He has total movement. He’s not paralyzed or anything.”
So yeah … that’s good news. Here’s wishing Knox a speedy recovery.
15
Dec
2011
Tim Tebow mic’d up vs the Bears might make you a believer (VIDEO)
(Photo: WashingtonPost.com)
As the Tim Tebow phenomenon continues to grow to the point of nearly taking over all league-wide discussion, it should come as no surprise that the NFL Films crew had the Broncos QB mic’d up for his Week 14 match-up against the Chicago Bears, as part of their Sound FX series. In it, we get a little more insight into the way Denver’s savior plays the game, what he says to his teammates to motivate them on the field, as well as Tebow’s most personal conversations with the man upstairs.
Particularly interesting is hearing Tebow try to keep WR Demaryius Thomas’s head in the game after dropping a sure third quarter touchdown, presciently telling him, “You’re good. Hey, no big deal, it just makes it closer for a little bit longer. You’re about to catch the game-winner, and then you’ll be the hero of the game.” (well, technically it wasn’t the game-winner, but still).
Then, following his own 4th quarter fumble (which seemingly sealed their fate with just 5:41 remaining), Tebow comforts Broncos’ QB coach Andrew Case, who asks, “Why do we always gotta do this?”. Cool as a cucumber, Tebow just smiles, put his hand around Gase’s shoulder and says: “It’s all right. We’ll figure it out, man.”Â
And figure it out he did, rallying to tie the game and take it to overtime, with a little help from Marion Barber along the way. But to no surprise, Tebow appears to be most relaxed when the game around him is at its most tense. Following Barber’s OT fumble, Tebow silently rises off the bench, points toward the sky as he takes the field, and launches into song with a quiet hymnal before calmly leading Denver to the game-winning score.
Regardless of your feelings about his faith or throwing abilities, you can’t deny that we are witnessing something special in Tebow right now. And as long as he keeps winning, he’s going to continue to make believers out of his teammates, opponents and even his harshest critics.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
12
Dec
2011
All Tebow Does Is Win (GIF & VIDEO)
(Image via mocksession.com)
Yep, it happened again. After 3-3/4 quarter of some of the worst football you’ll ever see, Tim Tebow and his Broncos somehow pulled out another improbable victory with their 13-10 OT win over the Bears. Â
And now, after leading the Denver Broncos to their their sixth straight victory (seventh in eight starts), Tebow has officially made believers out of me, his teammates, the city of Denver, John Fox, John Elway, Marion Barber and Bears fans everywhere. While some credit certainly needs to be given to the Broncos defense and Matt Prater for the win, all anyone can talk about today is Tebow.
The naysayers will continue to claim that Tebow didn’t do anything particularly special himself yesterday (despite throwing for 236 yards and a TD), and Brian Urlacher went so far as to call Tebow “a good running back”. Â But there is just something remarkable about the attitude that he brings to the field, where his teammates all fight until the final whistle, and never stop believing. And after witnessing it in person, I can tell you that it’s a feeling that permeates throughout the entire stadium, with fans understanding that with Tebow on their side, they’re never completely out of any game until it’s truly over.
Plus, the very idea that Marion Barber would inexplicably run out of bounds to stop the clock in the 4th quarter, and then fumble the ball in OT – allowing the Broncos a chance at the win – smacks of divine intervention. Believers will tell you that Jesus himself pushed Barber out of bounds on that play. But regardless of whether you believe God actually has a hand in wins and losses on a football field (we don’t), it’s becoming obvious that someone upstairs has Timmy’s back right now. And the faith he’s instilled in this Broncos team since taking over is nothing short of amazing to watch.
There will undoubtedly be tons of over-analysis this week as to the religious implications of Tebow’s success, and what it means for the NFL in general, but the bottom line for us is that all the guy does is win … as the following clip succinctly demonstrates:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
28
Oct
2011
Mike Ditka’s “Football Life” is pretty kick ass (VIDEO)
(Photo: Yahoo.com)
The latest episode of NFL Network’s excellent series, A Football Life, focused on the Chicago Bears’ legendary larger-than-life coach and player, Mike Ditka.
As usual, the program gives an in depth look into the Hall of Famer’s life, both on and off the field. From his upbringing in western Pennsylvania to his time as an All-American two-way end at Pitt and becoming a first round draft choice by the Bears. There, Iron Mike revolutionized the Tight End position and came to define toughness and agression from an offensive player in the NFL.
Of course, Ditka went on to coach the Bears for 11 years, winning Super Bowl XX and creating a much larger legend for his his blustery and temperamental persona. His coaching career ended on a less successful note with a 3-year stint with the Saints, where Da Coach looked so constantly stressed out that you genuinely worried he might have a heart attack at any minute.
With NFL Films at the helm, the show provides a multi-dimensional look at one of the more fascinating characters in NFL history. You can watch a bunch of clips here (the “growing up Ditka“ section is particularly worthwhile), but this segment covers a lot of ground on Ditka’s coaching career, including his, shall we say … colorful relationship with both quarterbacks and the media. It also includes a look at this classic furious, pantsless television interview, and starts with Ditka’s now-ubiquitous “Kick Ass” brand, which he shamelessly slaps on everything from red wine to Italian beef :
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
11
Oct
2011
Watch Barry Sanders’ Monday Night Football Intro (VIDEO)
(Photo: thepenaltyflagblog.com)
Following the big Hank Williams Jr. controversy from last week, ESPN dropped the popular singer and his long-standing theme song from Monday Night Football, leaving the nation wondering how they would get ready for some football each week moving forward.
Well for last night’s Lions-Bears game, former Lion great Barry Sanders handled the intro duties for MNF, narrating over the sights and sounds of Detroit. It’s a format that ESPN is likely to employ for the remainder of the season, and let’s just say the piece more than sufficed on such short notice. It wasn’t earth-shattering or anything, but I’m not sure anyone ever tuned in to hear Hank Williams Jr., and this puts the focus back where it belongs – on the game, and the host cities for each contest.
Here’s what Sanders’ had to say in the intro:
“Detroit’s soul isn’t in the streets of the city. It’s in the hearts of the people. I know. I played here for 10 years.Â
“Right now for the Lions, life is good. But like this town, they won’t rest. They’ll work, they’ll sweat, they’ll fight.
“Detroit doesn’t pat itself on the back, it gets the job done. Especially tonight, on ‘Monday Night Football.’ “
WATCH SANDERS’ MNF INTRO AFTER THE JUMP
11
Oct
2011
Wow. The Lions are 5-0 for the first time since 1956
(AP Photo via MLive.com)
We are witnessing something historic right now in the NFL. As the Lions soundly defeated the Bears 24-13 last night on Monday Night Football, the team that was the laughing stock of the league at 0-16 just three years ago improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1956.
It was the city’s first MNF game since 1991, and the Detroit crowd brought the noise to Ford Field, resulting in six false start penalties by the visiting Bears in the first half (9 total). Calvin Johnson scored on a 73-yard pass from Matt Stafford in the second quarter, and Jahvid Best added an 88-yard TD dash to give the Lions a double-digit lead in the third quarter.
The Lions defense harassed Jay Cutler all night long with 3 sacks and countless knockdowns, and to his credit, the Bears QB hung in and did his best to avoid the rush and try to make things happen. But Chicago simply couldn’t get the offense rolling in the second half, and the defense couldn’t contain Best, so the Bears now fall to 2-3, a full three games behind the NFC North leading Lions and Packers.
Watch Jahvid Best’s 88-yard TD run after the jump:
3
Oct
2011
Marion Barber Backflip Fail and Devin Hester does Somersaults (GIFs)
During Chicago’s 34-29 victory over the Panthers yesterday, the Bears players seemed to have a case of tumble-itis.
First, after setting a new NFL record with his 11th punt return for a touchdown, Devin Hester performed THREE forward rolls through the endzone, drawing a 15-yard penalty:
(GIF via mocksession.com)
Then, as if to somehow try and out-do Hester, Marion Barber attempted a backflip in the endzone after scoring Chicago’s final touchdown of the game … unfortunately for Barber, he didn’t exactly stick the landing:
BARBER BACKFLIP GIF AFTER THE JUMP
