17
Apr
2012
The Steelers throwback uniforms are fairly ridiculous (PICS)
The Pittsburgh Steelers unveiled their 80th-season throwback uniform by posting pics on their Twitter page today, and let’s just say … yikes.
(Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers via SI.com)
This bumblebee-esque monstrosity was apparently inspired by the original 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates, and was chosen “to show a unique part of Steelers’ history”:
“We wanted to use a jersey that we wore early in our history as we celebrate our 80th season,” Steelers’ President Art Rooney II said. “We have never used those jerseys since the 1934 season and I think our fans will be excited to see our players wear them in action this year.”
More uniform pics here, and after the jump. And while our initial reaction was horror, the more we look at it … yeah, they’re still pretty bad. There’s a reason these unis were left on the shelves for 80 years. And the socks aren’t helping.
Unfortunately for fashion aficionados everywhere, the Steelers will don the throwbacks for not one, but two home games this year.
11
Apr
2012
Adam Schefter ponders the Madden Curse’s effect on Peytons everywhere (PIC)
Today’s deep thought comes to us via Adam Schefter’s Twitter, where he wondered aloud whether the infamous Madden Curse might be stronger than ever:
(via Twitter.com)
Mind = Blown.
It really makes you wonder why anyone would ever want to be on the cover of Madden at this point … let alone campaign for it like Rob Gronkowski did this off-season.
Fortunately for Pats fans, Gronkowski got knocked out of this year’s voting in the quarterfinals by Calvin Johnson, who will now square off against Aaron Rodgers in the semis, prompting Packers Nation to flood the voting for Johnson to keep Rodgers away from the cover. On the other side of the bracket, favorite Cam Newton is up against surprise #11 seed Patrick Willis, who narrowly defeated Victor Cruz to advance in the quarters, much to the delight of Giants fans everywhere.
I’m not sure if this is quite what EA Sports had in mind when they opened the cover up to fan voting, but it at least makes things interesting.
CHECK OUT A LIST OF MADDEN CURSE VICTIMS AFTER THE JUMP
29
Mar
2012
Check out the Giants new Super Bowl Ring (Photo)
UPDATE: Justin Tuck tweeted that the ring design is not final yet … so this might not be the finished product.
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Via back-up linebacker Clint Sintim, comes this image of the Giants Super Bowl XLVI Ring, featuring all 4 Lombardi Trophies the franchise has won:
Not too shabby. Apparently Sintim jumped the gun with his Twitter post, and an official statement from the team is expected later today.
21
Mar
2012
Tim Tebow to NY is finally done … after Jets nearly drop the ball
UPDATE: OK, it’s done. Tim Tebow is officially a Jet, for the same terms as discussed earlier. Even the Broncos announced it on their Twitter. So … way to not blow it, guys!!!
In the words of Bart Scott , I genuinely CAN’T WAIT to hear Rex Ryan explain their thinking on this one. Let the Big Apple circus commence!!!
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Before all you Jets fans out there go and purchase your new Tim Tebow jerseys, you might want to wait for the deal for the Broncos QB to actually be finalized.
(Photo: terezowens.com)
It seems that the trade between the Jets and Broncos that would send Tebow (and a 7th round pick) to New York in exchange for a 4th and 6th round pick has hit a snag.
And despite the fact that the Jets announced the deal on their Twitter page (which is still up at the time of this posting), they apparently didn’t really read Tebow’s contract before agreeing to the terms. And now they’re contesting a clause that would require NY to pay back $5 million in advance salaries from his rookie contract in Denver.
If this deal doesn’t end up going through, the Jets are going to end up looking really, really stupid.
6
Feb
2012
Watch the Giants celebrate on their team flight home from the Super Bowl (VIDEO)
Via rookie LB Mark Herzlich‘s Twitter comes this sneak peek at the Giants team flight home from Super Bowl XLVI … and it’s about as raucous and celebratory as you’d expect.
Watch as RB Andre Brown leads the team in singing the hot new jam, “I got a ring”:
6
Feb
2012
Your Monday Morning Super Bowl XLVI Round-up
(Photo: Getty Images via ShutdownCorner)
Now that the dust has settled from last night’s thrilling Super Bowl contest, here are a few links to get you caught up what you may have missed:
- Eli Manning has silenced his critics by winning his second Super Bowl MVP, but Shutdown Corner makes the case that Justin Tuck deserved the award too, based on the pressure he applied on Tom Brady all day, including the 1st quarter safety
- Wes Welker’s dropped pass with just 3:46 left in the game is being singled out as the reason the Patriots lost the game, and based on their reaction yesterday, it’s safe to say some of his teammates probably agree
(via Gifninja.com)
- Gisele Bundchen was also not happy with the Patriots receivers after the game, pointing out that “My husband cannot (bleeping) throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time!”
- Steelers James Harrison and Ryan Clark took a couple shots at the Patriots via Twitter after their loss, with Harrison going so far as to say “Cheaters never win!!!”
- It was quick, so you might have missed it, but M.I.A. apparently flipped America the bird during the halftime show (VIDEO HERE)
- Somebody bet $1,000 that the first score of the game would be a safety. That person is now $50k richer
- In case it was too noisy at your SB party to watch all the much-hyped commercials, here are all the Super Bowl Ads for your viewing pleasure
- And unless you live in North Platte, Nebraska, you probably didn’t know that Will Ferrell appeared in a SB commercial for Old Milwaukee
- Giants rookie LB Greg Jones proposed to his long-time girlfriend on the field immediately following the game, with confetti still falling around them
30
Jan
2012
Giants LB Mark Herzlich is the feel-good story of Super Bowl XLVI (VIDEO)
(Photo: NFLMocks.com)
Giants rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich has already defied the odds.
Two years ago, as an All-American at Boston College, Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma – a rare form of bone cancer – and was told by doctors that he might not ever walk again, let alone play football. Well, after beating the cancer, returning to play his senior season and making it to the NFL as an undrafted free agent with New York, Herzlich continues to prove the doubters wrong. He played in eleven regular season games this year for the Giants, starting two (including a week 11 showdown against the Eagles), and making an immediate contribution on special teams.
But Herzlich’s tweet from today really put things into perspective as to just how far he’s come in so short a period of time:
(via LarryBrownSports)
Even though he hasn’t played since week 12 due to an ankle injury and illness, Herzlich hopes to take the field for the Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday to complete his utter & total domination of cancer. And regardless, if you’re not inspired by Herzlich’s journey thus far, you may have no soul.
Back in September, NFL Network had Steve Mariucci sit down with Herzlich for this excellent in-depth interview:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
29
Jan
2012
Oh yeah, the Pro Bowl is today (LINKS)
Cam Rodgers (Photo: Dan Hicks via Twitter)
In case it slipped your mind (it almost did ours), the NFL’s finest players – minus the Giants and Patriots, of course – have gathered in Honolulu for a week of golf, beach time, goofing off and some half-assed preparation for the 2102 edition of the Pro Bowl.
Everyone knows the Pro Bowl is a joke as far as professional sports all-stars games go, since nobody – including the players – cares about the outcome, and therefore nobody really tries. And ever since they got rid of the NFL Skills Challenge in 2007, there’s even less of a reason for fans to tune into the week-long all-star festivities. I mean, has anyone ever gotten a decent explanation for why they stopped doing skills competitions? Instead of a half-speed football exhibition, wouldn’t it be far more compelling to watch these all-stars compete for the title of NFL’s fastest man, strongest leg, best hands, biggest arm, etc? Does anyone genuinely think there’s any more risk of injury here than with the game itself? Hell, I even tuned into the NHL’s All-Star skills competition yesterday just to check it out, and I don’t watch hockey at all.
But I digress. If you’re so inclined, the game itself starts at 7pm ET tonight, and you can watch all the non-action live online.
In the mean time, here are a few Pro Bowl links that caught our eye this week:
- Our banner pic (above) is Aaron Rodgers rocking his Cam Newton look earlier this week in Hawaii, from NBC’s Dan Hicks’ Twitter. Oh, and these are the shoes Cam is rocking this week
- The Jared Allen Experience gives you some insight into a Pro Bowl practice through the eyes of one of our favorite NFLers. Allen was not only mic’d up, but wearing a helmet cam for the day, and has plenty of fun with his fellow NFC elite while making sure not to work too hard. Best moments: Allen imitating the “Wide Nine” stance of Eagles DE Jason Babin, and jokingly asking Clay Matthews “How’d that Super Bowl run work out for you?” Matthews reply: “Shut up.”
- Nike released their brand new Vapor Jet gloves just in time for the Pro Bowl, and also in time to leak the Panthers new logo
- In an effort to increase the social profile for the game (and in stark contrast to their regular season policy), the NFL will allow players to use Twitter during the Pro Bowl game … but only from computers located in designated areas on each team’s sideline.
- Speaking of the NFL Skills Challenge, here are Ben Roethlisberger (2005) and Ken O’Brien (1991) competing in the QB Challenge from back in the day. This wasn’t actually a Pro Bowl week event, but was cancelled at the same time as the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge in a sweeping ban of all skills-based competitions by the league back in November of 2007. Yeah … after watching those, I guess it wasn’t that exciting after all. Even with the dramatic music.
- And last but not least, here is the biggest hit in the history of the Pro Bowl: Washington’s Sean Taylor destroying punter Brian Moorman on a fake punt:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
27
Jan
2012
7-year-old fan writes heartwarming letter to Kyle Williams (PIC)
(via Huffingtonpost.com)
Following his two epic blunders in the NFC Championship game, 49ers returner Kyle Williams quickly became the scapegoat for Niners fans everywhere, even receiving death threats via Twitter by adults who have clearly lost their grip on reality. Here’s a sampling of some of the more vile messages directed at Williams:
@KyleWilliams_10 HOPE U RUN n2 A BULLET DA WAY U RAN INTO DAT BALL…
Jim Harbaugh, please give @KyleWilliams_10 the game ball. And make sure it explodes when he gets in his car.
@KyleWilliams_10. I hope you, youre wife, kids and family die, you deserve it
Well fortunately, as is often the case, our children are here to help put everything into perspective. Following the Niners’ loss, 7-year-old Owen Shure is a lifelong 49ers fan, and decided to write an old-fashioned hand-written letter as a show of support for Williams. You can see the letter itself in the banner pic (above), but in it, little Owen reminds his favorite player that he should be proud of everything he accomplished this season, and to keep his head up.
Let’s just hope some of the “adults” out there learn a thing or two from young Owen. It’s only a game, people. Let’s not forget that.
FULL TEXT FROM OWEN’S LETTER AFTER THE JUMP
20
Jan
2012
Patriots Rich Ohrnberger owns the funniest Twitter account in the NFL
Rich Ohrnberger is a little-used back-up guard for the New England Patriots who recently took to Twitter, and is quickly making a name for himself with his hilarious (and slightly bizarre) commentary:
With just 33 tweets since Jan 7th, @Ohrnberger has already racked up 16k+ followers with his unique, off-color views on life and the world we live in. And although none of his tweets have anything to do with the NFL, Ohrnberger clearly isn’t afraid to tread into territory not all athletes are willing to go … and more importantly, the dude is just plain funny.
