Category: NFL

NFL

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Boston Red Sox General Sports New England Patriots

July Round-Up: Steroid Guys, Theo’s Tries, and Gisele’s Eyes

By Ryan McGowan

Some quick hitters as we roll into August, even though by my internal weather-clock it should be late June here in the Northeast…

Ortiz, Manny on steroids
We didn’t get around to discussing this on the podcast yesterday.  This topic lost out to Cliff Lee/Roy Halladay trade discussion, Michael Vick and Connecticut Puerto Rican cockfighting, Erin Andrews’ 911 call, and freaking YouTube stupid wedding entrances.  That should tell you something about the strength of this story—it has none.

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Golden State Warriors MLB NBA NFL Oakland A's Oakland Raiders San Francisco 49ers

Oakland: A One-Sport Town?

Oakland doesn’t get much publicity as a sports town, but the capital of the East Bay is one of the few cities in America to house a team in each of the three major sports (Take that, San Francisco! You too, hockey!). But faced with the prospect of losing two-thirds of its teams, Oakland is now in the middle of a sporting crisis.

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NFL

The Real NFL Draft Grades

I’m grading the only way the NFL draft should be graded: based on the quality of the player’s name. As you will see, there is absolutely no bias in these ratings whatsoever.

(Go Rice Owls!)

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NFL

2009 NFL Draft preview

This weekend marks the yearly tradition of men sitting around for hours on end, throwing back beers, eating crappy food, and watching what could be called the most repetitive and mundane sports coverage of the year… and loving every minute of it!

That’s right, the NFL draft is upon us.  So prepare yourselves for a full day of hearing about the linebacker who is “an absolute beast,” the tackle with a “tremendous upside,” and the quarterback that teams are “truly in love with.”  And if there are no big trades or shocking picks, who cares?  At least you’ll enjoy seeing some crazy suits and watching the pained look on a prospect’s face as he pretends to be excited to join that team.

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NFL NFL General

NFL off-season update

The NFL off-season is in full swing with the start of free agency landing some big names in the headlines via fat new contracts, big time trades, and surprising cuts. While all of the changes can be a bit hard to follow, unemployment has blessed me with the ability to watch SportsCenter 14 hours a day, so I’m here to help. And remember, this is no fun for me. I’m gluing myself to ESPN every day for you people, so… yeah, you’re welcome.

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NFL General

NFL, Retirees Remain In Tussle on Benefits

By Diane M. Grassi

 

Super Bowl XLIII was no better a reminder as to why so many Americans have made the National Football League (NFL) the king when it comes to the most watched professional sports league in the United States. And it is no coincidence that it continually is rated the favorite of sports fans in poll after poll. Additionally, the NFL also has bragging rights when it comes to yearly revenue, expected to be about $8 billion for the 2008 season as compared to Major League Baseball’s nearly $7 billion annually.

 

And there is perhaps no better time to remember those who made it possible for the NFL’s owners and players today to be able to revel in its continued success, by virtue of the players who helped to build the league.

 

For the past couple of years, it has become public knowledge that a select group of retired NFL players have been struggling physically and economically since putting their playing days behind them. It is a serious matter, covering a complex and vast number of interrelated issues, rife with conflicts of interest.

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General Sports MLB NFL Olympics

What they really said…

Too many times in sports, we as the fans get a raw deal on what we’re told. We get to hear what the players and coaches have to say, but in a censored version. What they say on TV or in an article isn’t necessarily what they really say behind closed doors.
Lucky for you though, I was able to obtain an all-access pass to last week’s biggest events and happenings in sports (because that’s the kind of thing you can obtain fairly easily when you are a fake journalist). I got to conduct private interviews and attend private tapings under the guise that they wouldn’t be shared with the public. But thanks to my complete lack of any standing credibility, I can share them with you anyway! So for your reading enjoyment, here is the first installment of “What they really said.”

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Philadelphia Eagles

Reid and McNabb: More fool’s gold for Philly fans

mcnabb4

It was week 12 of the 2008 NFL season and the unthinkable happened: Donovan McNabb was benched for the second half. Kevin Kolb stepped in and promptly screwed the pooch some more. That poor pooch had a rough couple of weeks as he’d already been screwed repeatedly by McNabb in previous quarters. Every Eagles fan and reporter thought, “wow, this is the end of the McNabb era.”

Not so fast. While I sat around and wished for the Eagles to lose their remaining games to hasten a regime change (I even came up with a clever term for it: f’ing the kennel), the Cardinals came to town and promptly laid down for the Eagles, starting a run that will go down in Eagles history: finishing 4-1, knocking the Cowboys out to sneak into the playoffs as a 6 seed; beating the Giants twice, once in the NFC Divisional round to make the NFC Championship game.

Riding high on emotion and momentum, the Eagles were a 4 point favorites on the road against the Cardinals and did what they do best: choke.

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Arizona Cardinals NFL Pittsburgh Steelers

In this wacky season, no option possible but Cards win

By Ryan P. McGowan

It snowed in New England on Wednesday, with some nasty freezing rain and sleet.  Good thing the Arizona Cardinals aren’t playing Super Bowl XLIII in Boston this week.

It’s a big week for the Cards and their long-suffering fans, at least all 27 of them that have been following the team for years, as opposed to the millions of Valley of the Sun wannabes who claim to be long-time fans after Arizona dismantled the Eagles in the NFC Championship game.  Hell, Vin and I have been on the bandwagon longer than most of these yahoos.  90% have no idea that they used to be called the Phoenix Cardinals.  They heard that a guy named Bill Bidwill was the owner, and their reaction was, “When did Bill Belichick leave the Patriots to become an owner?”

And yet these soulless, fair-weather, Johnny-come-lately solar worshippers are about to be celebrating a Super Bowl parade through the strip-mall paradise that is downtown Phoenix.

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NFL General

Making “stimulus package” sound less dirty

With the nation’s economy having shifted from “suck” to “blow”, many people have found themselves out of work, demoralized, and down on their luck. But don’t worry, citizens of the Bay Area. If you’re looking for a new career path, there are several prominent positions available with the local sports franchises. The following jobs are currently available and waiting for the right candidates:

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