9
Sep
2011
NFL Players risking fines to wear red, white & blue on 9/11
(Photo via Twitpic @55Berger)
UPDATE: The NFL has notified all 32 teams that players will not be fined for wearing 9/11 tribute gear this Sunday. Well what do you know? Common sense seems to have prevailed.
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This Sunday, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, several NFL players will be sporting special red, white & blue tribute equipment, despite the threat of potential fines from the NFL. Bears LB Lance Briggs was the first to reveal his brand commemorative new cleats & gloves (banner pic), which were produced by Reebok specifically for the occasion. From Briggs’ Twitter account:
Reebok great job on these gloves and shoes..looks like I’m getting fined this week. Lol! By far the best fine I will ever have to pay. Thanks…Fines for gloves could be as much as 5k..the shoes 8-10k I think. not 100% on the shoe fine.
Other players, including Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles, Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck and Redskins TE Chris Cooley (via a Tweet from his wife) have indicated that they also plan to wear similar 9/11 gear, and it seems that all are fully prepared to pay any fines levied by the league. The NFL has yet to speak out on the subject, but based on their past history of zero-tolerance for unauthorized uniforms, it’s safe to assume they won’t turn the other cheek here, regardless of the emotion associated with the day.
(Image via Twitter @Hasselbeck)
It seems odd that the league hadn’t already planned to wear some sort of commemorative ribbon or patch for the day, considering the sheer volume of approved patches players will be wearing this season, commemorating such football luminaries as Joe “The Pet” Perry and Myra Kraft. And when an entire month is dedicated to wearing pink in support of breast cancer awareness, why wouldn’t the NFL encourage, let alone allow players a similar tribute on the tenth anniversary of one the most tragic days in our nation’s history?
Quite simply, this is a potential PR nightmare for the league. C’mon Roger … do the right thing here.
12
Oct
2010
Hit Of The Week: Antoine Bethea levels Jamaal Charles (VIDEO)
(Photo: Matt Detrich / The Star)
We’ve started a new tradition every week here at ReadAndReact by bringing you the Hit of the Week! We’ll find the most brutal tackle (or block) from each weekend of NFL games, and present it for your viewing pleasure.
Today’s HOTW comes from the Colts’ 19-9 win over the previously undefeated Chiefs. This game ended up being a defensive showdown, and in the 2nd quarter Safety Antoine Bethea set the tone for the Colts D with this vicious hit on Jamaal Charles. Watch as Bethea delivers a perfect textbook tackle on Charles, causing a fumble which Indy recovered:
26
Sep
2010
Don’t look now, but the Chiefs are 3-0
Rookie WR Dexter McCluster and his Chiefs are off to a hot start (Photo: The Canadian Press via TSN)
The Kansas City Chiefs – nobody’s pick to win the AFC west – improved to 3-0 with an impressive 31-10 win over the 49ers this afternoon. Matt Cassel threw for 3 TDs, including this incredible endzone grab by rookie TE Tony Moeaki:
Through three games, Moeaki has 12 catches for 123 yards and 2 TDs, and with plays like that, should be a popular fantasy pick up this week.
Elsewhere on offense, the two-headed monster of Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles combined for 192 yards and 1 score on the ground, while the Chiefs defense kept the 49er offense out of the endzone until the very last second of the game. Give Todd Haley credit – whatever he’s doing in Kansas City seems to be working. After winning only ten games in the previous three seasons combined, the Chiefs are now 3-0 for the first time since 2003. and in the unpredictable AFC West, they have an early inside track on a playoff berth. (UPDATE: Since the Raiders, Chargers and Broncos all managed to blow their games today, the Chiefs have a 2-game lead over the rest of the division. And with a bye week, they’ll go at least one more week undefeated.)
But are they for real? I’m not so sure yet.
3
Jan
2010
VIDEO: Charles runs wild in Denver; Broncos miss playoffs
The Denver Broncos completed one of the worst collapses in NFL history on Sunday, getting routed 44-24 by the Kansas City Chiefs, and becoming the third team ever to start 6-0 and miss the post-season.
Jamaal Charles ran for a Chiefs franchise record 259 yards and 2 TDs, while LB Derrick Johnson returned two 2nd half Kyle Orton passes for touchdowns. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Broncos, who started the season as the NFL’s darlings, but fell apart down the stretch. Orton came crashing back down to earth as the season wore on, and finished with 3 INTs on the day, while Charles drove the final nail in the coffin with the 56-yd TD above.
Continue reading after the jump for video of the Broncos getting Orton’d with Derrick Johnson’s 60-YD INT return.
