28
Oct
2012
Rob Gronkowski does Changing of the Guard touchdown celebration in London (GIF)
With the Patriots in London this week for today’s game against the Rams - as part of Roger Goodell’s ongoing plan for global domination -  demonstrative tight end Rob Gronkowski already became a hit with local fans when he spiked the microphone at a pre-game press conference.
And when Gronkowski scored a touchdown in the second quarter of the Patriots 45-7 rout of St. Louis at Wembley Stadium, he further endeared himself to the home crowd when he paid tribute to British culture by doing his own unique version of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace … finished off by his patented Gronk spike, of course:
(via mocksession.com)
Video of the play HERE.
Gronkowski went on to have a monster day, finishing with 146 yards and 2 TDs … and after his second score, Gronk showed off his anglophile side once again as he munched on fish & chips and downed a pint in the back of the endzone.
No, not really.
11
Mar
2012
Redskins mortgage their future for RGIII
As Peyton Manning narrows his choices between Denver and Arizona, and the Jets elect to extend Mark Sanchez, the importance of having a franchise quarterback – and the difference between the haves and have-nots – is as apparent as ever in the NFL.
So on Friday, the Washington Redskins pulled off a trade that rocked the league, acquiring the #2 selection in April’s draft from the St. Louis Rams, so that they can choose Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the pick.
(Image: KissingSuzyKolber.com)
In order to move up just four spots in the draft, the Redskins gave up their first and second round picks in 2012, as well as their first round picks in 2013 AND 2014. It’s one of the more expensive trades in league history, and Washington GM Bruce Allen and owner Dan Snyder are clearly betting the house that Griffin is the guy to turn the franchise around. And the Rams have to be feeling good about stockpiling draft picks for the next three years, while still having the #6 pick in this year’s draft.
People everywhere are saying Washington overpaid, and it’s certainly easy to have that knee-jerk reaction, and point to Snyder’s historic foolishness as a reason the deal won’t work out for the ‘Skins. But Snyder likely had little to do with this move, with Allen and head coach Mike Shannahan driving the train after becoming enamored with the Baylor QB at the recent combine.
5
Dec
2011
Aldon Smith absolutely, positively did not celebrate his sack yesterday (VIDEO)
During the fourth quarter of the 49ers 26-0 beatdown of the Rams yesterday, the Niners got flagged for excessive celebration following an interception by Dashon Golden, much to the chagrin of his coaches and teammates.
So when, on the next defensive series, DE Aldon Smith sacked A.J. Feeley, he wanted to make sure his actions couldn’t possibly be misinterpreted in any way as over-celebrating. Check it out:
Simply awesome. Â And with the way the NFL has been punishing players for touchdown celebrations recently, I get the feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of these anti-celebrations moving forward.
BONUS GIF AFTER THE JUMP
20
Sep
2011
Domenik Hixon makes incredible juggling TD catch (VIDEO)
(Photo: SeattlePI.com)
Domenik Hixon made an early bid for catch of the year with this juggling touchdown grab from last night’s Giants-Rams game.
The play came late in the first half, with the Giants driving at the Rams 22-yard line. Eli Manning took the shotgun snap and lofted a pass over the top of the defense for Hixon, who was working against S Craig Dahl in the endzone. Â The ball bounced of Hixon’s left shoulder, but as both players fell to the ground, the receiver was somehow able to locate it in the around and reel in the circus catch for the score.
Watch one of the best catches you’ll ever see below:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
19
Sep
2011
Giants LB Michael Boley Drills Cameramen With Football After Scoring Touchdown (GIF)
During tonight’s Giants-Rams game, the momentum-turning play in the first half came when Giants LB Michael Boley scooped up the backward pass from Sam Bradford to Cadillac Williams and ran 65 yards for the touchdown. It was a great heads up play by the veteran, but after scoring, Boley also provided this bonus highlight when he unloaded the football toward the cameraman, which ricocheted off the head of a hapless Monday Night Football PA (or stadium employee … we’re not really sure), and directly into the camera itself:
UPDATE: The victim has been identified as Giants video intern Ryan Brown
Ouch. That’s gonna leave a mark. And while we can’t help feel for the poor SOB in the white, we also can’t help but appreciate the two-for-one shot by Boley. That’s just impressive, right there.
GIF AFTER THE JUMP
14
Mar
2011
TheDarkHorse’s 2011 Mock Draft – Picks 11-20
2015 just called to tell us that J.J. Watt is the steal of this draft. (Source: Madison.com)
For picks 1-5, go here.
For picks 6-10, go here.
11. Houston Texans — J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin: We get so many of these projections wrong. The “sure lock” winds up a flaming bust, and players we’re ignoring today — guys who won’t even be drafted — will light up the league. I believe we’ll look back on this 2011 NFL Draft five years from now and call J.J. Watt a top 5 pick. I loved his presence, intensity and motor at the combine. Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 defense is the perfect landing spot for Watt, and a good environment for this hard-working, self-made player. He worked himself onto Wisconsin’s roster, paying his own way at the start of his tenure — delivering Pizza Hut to save up dough. He’s no prima donna. He’s a coachable workhorse who did the requisite work at Wisconsin to make the switch from tight end to defensive lineman. Watt is the steal of this draft at No. 11. Sometime these midround picks are where you find the real gems — where less pressure is placed on the incoming player, as well. Houston and Watt are an excellent match.
12. Minnesota Vikings — Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: The Vikings have been vocal about finding a quarterback in this draft. I see a potential trade up — or down — to get their guy. There was a time when it appeared Minnesota at No. 12 could snag Auburn’s Cam Newton, but the hype machine’s in full swing and I project him to go no less than No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers. He’s the type of passer that’s going to require time to develop, coming from a spread, and Leslie Frazier would love the challenge. There are other possibilities at quarterback for the Vikings — and all of them are better than Brett Favre right now, who’s back on his farm tilling soil. It’s time for a new start in Minnesota. In this mock, with no trades — and Jake Locker a reach — I project the Vikings to jump on Jones, who had an excellent combine and would be a good-value selection here. Sidney Rice could bolt via free agency, so Jones addresses a potential need as well. We all saw what happened to Percy Harvin when Rice was out of the offense — they need a No. 1 guy in there to give the passing game a shot.
Picks 13-20 after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
1
Dec
2010
Boy, the NFC West really sucks, huh?
Are Sam Bradford and the Rams the best of the worst? (Photo: Getty Images via Zimbio)
Heading into the 2010 season, nobody had particularly high expectations for the NFC West. In fact, it was widely identified as the worst division in football. But I don’t think any of us expected that it would suck quite this badly … did we?
Look at it this way: At 3-8, the Arizona Cardinals – who have lost six games in a row – are only TWO GAMES out of first place in their division. The Rams and Seahawks are currently the best of the bunch at 5-6, but with five games left, it’s anyone’s division for the taking. And one of these teams is going to the playoffs … likely with a 7-9 final record, while a 10-6 (or even 11-5) potential NFC wild card team misses out.
So what happened? We kind of knew the Seahawks were going through a transition period with Pete Carroll taking over, and the two-time defending division champion Cardinals lost a lot of their best players in the off-season. But people had high hopes for the 49ers, who seem to have regressed in Mike Singletary‘s second year at the helm. Troy Smith may have brought some spark to the club, but with the loss of Frank Gore for the remainder of the season, I just don’t see this team scaring anyone down the stretch.
11
Oct
2010
VIDEO: Alphonso Smith celebrates TD with Carlton Banks dance
We’ll make this simple: its a holiday, we’re hungover, and this is the funniest thing we saw all weekend, so we had to share. From yesterday’s 44-6 win over the Rams, Detroit Lions DB Alphonso Smith returned an interception for a score in the fourth quarter and celebrated by doing the famed Carlton Banks dance from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air:
Simply fantastic. Let’s hope this becomes a trend.
Oh, and in case you’re not a child of the 90s and this means nothing to you, there’s a lengthy compilation of the Carlton dance after the jump, to provide some context … and to get your Monday started off on the right foot:
21
Sep
2010
Hit(s) Of The Week: Troy Polamalu flying tackle, Rolando McLain & Patrick Willis (VIDEO)
We’re starting a new tradition every Tuesday 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
We’ve gotta give some props to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, who were the star of the show in Tennessee on Sunday, getting 4 sacks and SEVEN turnovers in their 19-11 victory over the Titans. Oh, and they also held wonderboy RB Chris Johnson to only 53 total yards (34 yards rushing).
On this play, S Troy Polamalu (and his million dollar hair) times the snap perfectly on a goal line attempt by the Titans, leaping over the offensive line to bring down QB Kerry Collins before he even has a chance to get moving:
It’s not necessarily a bone-crushing hit, but it’s one of the best players in the game making a beautifully-anticipated goal line stop. And yes, I realize the Titans scored a TD on that same series … but they lost the game, and Polamalu is one of the main reasons why.
HONORABLE MENTION: Rolando McLain Suplex Maneuver
(Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images via BleacherReport)
We couldn’t give this one the award since he got flagged with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, but Raiders rookie LB Rolando McClain made his impact felt in yesterday’s 16-14 win over the St. Louis Rams … particularly on WR Danny Amendola. Watch as he violently slams the little guy to the ground:
9
Oct
2009
Rush Limbaugh Looms Darkly Over the NFL, Players Speak Out
Earlier this week, we learned that controversial right-wing radio host (and world-class pompous jackass) Rush Limbaugh is part of a group that is bidding to purchase the St. Louis Rams.
Limbaugh is an avid football fan, and you may remember that he was even a short-lived member of the ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown crew. That was, until while discussing Donovan McNabb, Limbaugh observed that “the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well”. He resigned less than a week later, amid public outcry.
Well, the prospect of Limbaugh becoming a part of NFL ownership has already evoked a backlash from some players in the league. Giants LB Mathias Kiwanuka and Jets LB Bart Scott came right out and said that they would not play for the Rams if Limbaugh was part of the team’s ownership:
“All I know is from the last comment I heard, he said in (President) Obama’s America, white kids are getting beat up on the bus while black kids are chanting ‘right on,’” Kiwanuka told The Daily News. “I mean, I don’t want anything to do with a team that he has any part of. He can do whatever he wants, it is a free country. But if it goes through, I can tell you where I am not going to play.”
[Jets LB Bart] Scott says players remember what Limbaugh said, and adds that the NFL would be wise not to allow the nationally syndicated host into the league. “It’s an oxymoron that he criticized Donovan McNabb,” Scott said. “A lot of us took it as more of a racial-type thing. I can only imagine how his players would feel. I know I wouldn’t want to play for him. He’s a jerk. He’s an —. What he said (about McNabb) was inappropriate and insensitive, totally off-base. He could offer me whatever he wanted, I wouldn’t play for him. … I wouldn’t play for Rush Limbaugh. My principles are greater and I can’t be bought.”
If this might seem like too much is being made of one comment in his past, it’s fair to point out that Limbaugh has exhibited a pattern of racially insensitive comments. He also once publicly opined that “the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons.”
Ugggh. Poor Steve Spagnuolo. As if the 0-4 Rams needed any more of a dark cloud hanging over their franchise.
