Peyton Manning handled the numerous questions on media day much like he handled defenses all this year, masterfully with confidence. He talked as if he belonged there, and the infectious way in which he handled himself will be invaluable to his fellow teamates. Manning realizes the small window of opportunity he has to win another Super Bowl and will be focused on the ultimate prize in the NFL. He is a general on and off the field.
Manning is proud to be a Indianapolis Colt and knows he represents all the greats that came before him.
Manning will be looking for Super Bowl Ring #2
He can join the likes of legend Johnny Unitas if he can pull off Super Bowl #2. He embodies the difference between a cocky and confident quarterback. Manning has his playing do his talking and not his mouth. I love to see him make the adjustments at the line of scrimmage and make that great completion after the audible. He is as a cerebral quarterback as you get and that makes him truly masterful.
The Saints defense will have their hands full all night long.Manning’s ability to read the defense in front of him will keep them on their heels. A defense on their heels does not have the stability to stop Peyton and company. The Saints will have to take gambles for turnovers and those gambles could turn into big plays for the Colt’s offense. They will be at the mercy of the “Masterful Manning”.
Manning knows a win Sunday will supplant his name in Colts and NFL history. He realizes what is on the line and will nothing short of masterful. I do not envy the Saint’s defense, and Manning will be ready to sling the pigskin all night long. I t could be a very long night for them in South Florida.
This year the NFL is trying some new things to spice up the Pro Bowl in 2010. As we have all heard by now, the Pro Bowl is the week before the Superbowl, instead of afterward, and it will take place in Miami instead of the traditional location in Hawaii.
The location isn’t necessarily a bad thing since there are plenty of sunny weather locations in early February, but there are a couple things I liked every year about it being in Hawaii. I like that they wore jersey’s with aloha flower water marks on them; which made each jersey a little more unique (which helped increase their sales), and that they touted Hawaiian leis during interviews to really give you that Pro Bowl feeling.
Saying “You’ll be seeing him in Hawaii” to a player performing at Pro Bowl status during the regular season was always fun as well.
All of these things aside I can see why they would like to move locations to the US mainland. For one, it would make going to the Pro Bowl more accessible to people that were previously unable to incur the cost of the travel expenses it took to go to the Pro Bowl. The flight, the hotel, the intermittent traveling, all on top of the cost of a Pro Bowl ticket package could get rather costly.
Bringing it to the mainland means that people could drive the distance to see their favorite players, and inter-US flights would make it relatively cheaper. Cities could too benefit from having the extra tourist volume coming from hosting an event coming from a gigantic brand like the NFL.
What the Pro Bowl is ruining is the meaning of the honor itself due to its new scheduling. Now that the Pro Bowl is a week early of the Superbowl, many players that are participating in the Super Bowl are opting out of participating because…. they are getting ready for the f-in Superbowl. Who in their right mind would get voted into the Pro Bowl, and actually play in it if they were going to the Superbowl?
The Superbowl is the most important achievement in the sport; it’s what these players live for. Even if a player said “derr, I’ll play”, the coach and organization would stop that noise real quick. This eliminates anybody voted to the Pro Bowl who is in the Superbowl; so no Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Jonathan Vilma, Darren Sharper, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Jeff Saturday, Dwight Freeney, Antoine Bethea, and others.
Almost equally as important as who isn’t in the Pro Bowl would be who IS in the Pro Bowl as their replacements. This list includes: Donovan McNabb (for Drew Brees), London Fletcher (for Jonathan Vilma), Antrel Rolle (for Darren Sharper), Quintin Mikell (for Roman Harper), David Garrard (for Peyton Manning), Vincent Jackson (for Reggie Wayne), Heath Miller (for Dallas Clark), Kevin Mawae (for Jeff Saturday), Kyle Vanden Bosch (for Dwight Freeney), and Yeremiah Bell (for Antoine Bethea), and others.
This results in a total of 17 “replacement” pro bowl additions. All of these players are “good” NFL players, but if you’re telling me you’d rather see David Garrard over Peyton, or Heath Miller over Dallas Clark, or Vanden Bosch over Freeney, you must be insane. Now the Pro Bowl itself has been watered down by players that weren’t voted in because they weren’t the best at their position during the regular season.
The drop off for some of these positions is significant when considering the level at which a Peyton Manning is playing when compared to David Garrard. What will suffer will be the various skill games that are played by individual players before the game (by not showcasing the best player at that position in every case), and the game itself (by not having all of the best players on the field). Will this also have some effect on HOF players getting in where a player may get 1 or 2 more Pro Bowl visits during their career that wouldn’t normally have happened? You could make a case…
Now I know this is marginalized because it’s not a “real” game, but even if it isn’t, you don’t have to treat it like it’s not by instituting a new “twist” designed to increase attention given to the game, but makes those deserving players unavailable to participate. I don’t see this approach lasting more than this trial year before being moved back. Do you think this is a good idea? I do not.
Two other things I’d like to point out is that I am surprised this didn’t get vetoed by the owners considering that the players that make it to the Pro Bowl have incentives in their contracts that say “I get paid when I make the Pro Bowl”; meaning that owners and organizations are shelling out some bu-coo bucks where they normally wouldn’t have had to. The other thing is that it is being reported that the Pro Bowl in Miami might not even sell out, and tickets are as low as $20 to get in. Is this the result of the Pro Bowl not actually being “the best of the best”?
Tim Tebow is getting set to show off his skills as a quarterback in next weeks Senior Bowl in Mobile Alabama. Tebow is more than determined to show the scouts and any Pro personnel that he has the tolls and attitude to be a Pro quarterback. This is not the first time that people have doubted him…
Tebow has been told all his football career that he does not have what it takes to be a quarterback. It started in high school, college and now the majority of Pro people in the know think that he would be better suited as a tight end or H-back. He has also been motivated by proving people wrong, I think it has worked out for him so far.
Tebow has two NCAA championships as well as the 2007 Heisman trophy to back up his quarterback play.What you can’t measure is the heart that he plays with. His intensity and wanting to win at all costs is somethoing special in him. He is a true leader on the field ,and his teammates respond to him. The quarterback is the leader of the football team, that is Tim Tebow. I love the way he plays and would love nothing more to see him behind center someday in the NFL.
Tebow’s last college game could of not been better played as a quarterback. In the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, Tebow lead his Florida Gators to a lopsided 51-24 over Cincinnati. His stats were ever more impressive than the win. He went a incredible 31-35 for 482 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another 51 yards and another touchown. He played nearly perfect football. This is a indication of his determination and skills to play quarterback at the next level. He is truly a unique athlete.
Scouts will say that Tebow is too lanky at 6-3 and 245. He has played the majority of snaps out of the shotgun formation and does short of throw side armed. He does have a tendacy to maybe hang on the ball at times. These are some of the things that have the Scouts doubt his play as a quarterbck in the Pros.Doubt is what he thrives on. The scouts need to have the confidence that Tebow can make the adjustments at the pro level. I think he has the intellect and drive to someday be a pro starting quarterback. I think he will need a little tool-age and seasoning in order for this to happen. Don’t bet against Tim Terrific.
Tim Tebow will be fired up to prove them wrong again.
Titans running back Chris Johnson capped off a remarkable season by winning AP offensive player of the year. This second year back had the numbers to back up this honor…
Johnson capped a terrific season by winning AP offensive player of the year
Johnson set a league record for yards from scrimmage with 2509. He was the first player in NFL history to have 2000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same season. He also threw in 16 touchdowns to boot, 3 of them were from 85 yards or more—another NFL record.
Even more impressive that his stats is that the Titans started off 0-6 and he was keyed on much of the game with no real passing attack to speak of. Vince Young came on strong in the second half of the season. It will be scary to think what numbers he will put up with a balanced offense all season.
He has targeted Eric Dickerson’s record breaking season of 2105 yards. This will give him more motivation to run harder with determination. Johnson is considered the fastest player in the NFL.
I love to watch a home run hitter in football. Everytime he touches the ball, he is a real threat to go all the way.He is a back that gets the tough yards when he has to. He is the most dependable and durable back in the league today. There is nothing he can’t do.
If you do not know Chris Johnson’s name by know, you will next year. He brings a string of eleven consecutive 100 yard games into next season. I think that this great runner will break Dickerson’s record and put his name in the record books forever. He runs both with power and speed.
He is a joy to watch and is a back that you will root for. Johnson has only played two seasons. It is pretty scary to think of what kind of career numbers he can put up if he stays healthy.
The NFL needs to decide whether or not it wants to enforce its own rules. It’s playoff time in the NFL now. Win, or go home.
In one of the best playoff games in recent memory, and arguably one of the greatest playoff games of all time, Green Bay was sent packing by the Cardinals. However, there were a few blown calls late in the game that could have cost the Packers a chance of advancing to play New Orleans.
Snyder Dismisses NFL Rules
On the second play in overtime after a thrilling four periods of regulation, Aaron Rodgers was hit in a helmet to helmet collision in the process of completing a fourteen yard pass. No personal foul was called, and the play was called back for offensive holding. Two plays later, everyone watched in shock as Rodgers was taken down by the facemask, losing the ball in the process as Karlos Dansby scooped it out of the air and into the end zone for the Arizona win.
Over the past season, and going further back into prior seasons, the NFL has shown their commitment to protecting the quarterback, no matter how minor the offense. Some argue that certain players have received special treatment from these rules, a la the “Tom Brady treatment.”
To maintain fair competition, the NFL needs to stop over blowing the whistle when these “elite” quarterbacks are out there or make consistent calls. Since the evidence shows that the calls are never consistent, they should stop overprotecting the quarterback position and let defenses go and do what they are paid to do, which is play defense.
Another rule that has become even more of a mockery than the protection of quarterbacks is the Rooney Rule. This states that teams who are in the process of hiring a new head coach must interview at least one minority. The purpose of this is to give the opportunity of obtaining a head coaching job to a minority. At the very least, even if said minority is passed over for the job, it gets their name out there for future vacancies.
However, it has become commonplace for owners in all sports, including the NFL, to continually recycle the same Caucasian coaches who have been mediocre in prior stints on other teams. Presumably some of this has to do with media hype over certain coaches when coaching jobs open up, no matter how merited that hype may be. The ignorance of the owners perpetuates this.
In two jobs that opened up shortly after season’s end, the Redskins and Seahawks had their positions filled (at least in principle) before full interviews really took place. Dan Snyder played footsie with Mike Shanahan for weeks with Zorn still under contract, and days after the season was officially over, he was hired. The Seahawks were quick to dump their first year coach in favor of USC’s Pete Carroll, who has been mediocre at best in his prior head coaching positions in the NFL.
What’s questionable is if and how these two teams complied with the rule when looking for their replacement. The Redskins interviewed one of their assistants during the season while Zorn was still head coach, and the Seahawks were trying to set up an interview with Minnesota’s defensive coordinator while at the same time working on a contract with Carroll.
It’s quite evident that the spirit of the rule was not followed by either team. Quick moves to dump their current head coaches were made to make room for candidates that were available and coveted by ownership of both teams. Any lackadaisical interviews that occurred with anyone were done simply for compliance sake, not to give those candidates their fair opportunity as was the plan when the rule was originated. But I guess ignorance is bliss.
Pete Carroll has just taken the job as had coach for the Seattle Seahawks. I think that he should of stayed at USC for more than a couple of reasons…
Pete Carroll is a college coach plain and simple.His high energy motivational techniques works in sync with the college football athlete. Young and impressional student athletes embrace a great college coach like Carroll ,and his success speaks for itself. I love college football and coaches like him bring a tradition unmatched in any sport today.USC will sorely miss Pete ,and I think Pete will sorely miss SC when he gets a taste of the pro athlete. Coaching pro athletes is tough because are more individualistic in nature and tend to get inflated egos due to the the money they are making. Coaching college football is more about unity, team and tradition. He had a dream job to me and leaving the school is a big mistake.
I don't think Pete Carroll will be smiling after his stint in Seattle.
Carroll not only was a great motivator of young college minds but was very successful as well.He won two National Championships in his 9 year tenor as coach.He turned out countless All-Americans and NFL draft picks.He also coached three Heisman Trophy winners and had a astounding 97-18 record at SC. His teams finished seven consecutive seasons in the AP top four. You cannot do any better than Carroll in a nine year time frame as head coach. He thrived in the College game, The game needs him and SC needs him. His lost will be felt by all college football fans.
As I have stated previously this article, I think it is a big mistake for Pete Carrol to jump ship to the NFL. He will never get the satisfaction, pride and success that he enjoyed at USC in Seattle. I think he also did his recruits a dishonor by leaving them high and dry. Lets face it, Players come to school for the coaches. I wonder how Carroll feels about that. I would not want to try to coach and motivate the modern spoiled athlete. Carroll left possibly one the best jobs in the world to coach these types of players. And by the way, it is not like The Seahawks have tasted to much success lately. Case rested, you should of stayed in Southern California, Petey.
It’s the holiday season and NFL chief executive Roger Goodell is doing his best Ebenezer Scrooge impression. So not everybody can afford cable and gets the NFL Network? Stop complaining Bob Cratchitt and open your wallet. This is the season about families and good tidings? Tough luck, this is big business. You can’t afford the price? Don’t make me have to kick that crutch out from under you..you are nothing but faker Tiny Tim!
Once again, commissioner Goodell has disrespected NFL fans around the country by shifting the once free sports viewing of good ole American Football to his subscription-based, NFL-owned television channel that reaches just a handful of household at an outrageous premium price. At a time of year when families come together and happiness should be in the air, Goodell has extended his hand and said “Pay Me” or you don’t get your gift.
This evening’s matchup is between the hungry comeback kids Tennessee Titans versus the hottest team in the NFL, the San Diego Chargers. The Titans are in a must win situation, part of the 7-7 playoff logjam in the AFC while the Chargers are trying to lock up a first round bye for the playoffs. Great football, interesting storyline, significant magnitude…but not available through your local cable provider. Unfortunately, nobody is going to see a great game and Goodell could care less. Providing free access to watch online with my crappy 15 inch screen and non-existent surround sound is not a solution.
The NFL Network has been a complete flop. Not only can the NFL not get most cable providers to carry the channel on basic cable, even those providers that do carry it are not generating enough viewership to shake a stick at it. Last Saturday’s Dallas versus New Orleans matchup, which saw the Saints fall from the unbeaten ranks, generated just 10.48 million viewers. A far cry from what the NFL generates on Sunday afternoons. The fans simply don’t care to pay for the NFL Network even when it is available to them.
Since Goodell’s arrival in the top position at the NFL, he has begun to steer the NFL in a terrible direction. He’s focused on penalties and fines versus helping troubled players with consultation and advisement. He’s refused lifting blackout rules despite a struggling economy. He’s allowed NBC to hand-pick games late in the season so that Sunday afternoon games feature the league’s bottom feeder teams not heading into the playoffs. Finally, he has expanded football viewing into Thursday and Saturday nights, when nobody really cares to watch pro football.
Goodell has stripped a once great Sunday afternoon tradition that bonded fathers and sons in the family living room down to nothing. Rather than preserve the importance that football has had in the American household, Goodell has sold out to the same monetary greed that has run the country into the current economic recession. Football was the last pure sport out there, that was until Goodell came along and took our football games away from us.
We should look forward to Goodell’s next moves, allowing Budweiser to rename the Super Bowl to the Bud Bowl (for real, not just a commercial anymore) and replacing the Lombardi name on the championship trophy with DirectTV. Nothing Goodell would do would surpise, as his behavior since taking over has been a consistent thumbing of the nose to the average NFL fan.
I’d love to report on tonight’s game, but unfortunately I have Time Warner. Thank you Roger for make our holidays wishes come true.
The New York Giants will be taking on the Washington Redskins tonight and is a must win if they want any chance of playing playoff football in January. If they were to lose tonight, they would need to win their last two games, need a lot of help, pull out some tiebreakers to get in. The Giants hope this is one of three straight victories they need to end the season to give them the best chance for the playoffs. The Giants would face Carolina next week and finish up in Minnesota. They have their work cut out for them to say the least.
The Giants and Tom Coughlin are in a must win tonight in Washington if they want to see the playoffs.
The Giants are currently 7-6 after starting off 5-0. They never thought they would be in a must win situation after week 13. There was a lot of talk about the GMEN being invincible after that start and now they find themselves fighting their playoff lives. It is a long season in the NFL ,and there are so many factors that can turn a promising season into a failure in a drop of a dime.
Last week the Giants dropped a shootout to their division rival Philadelphia Eagles 45-38. The Giants out gained the Eagles, but it was the big plays by the Eagles on offense and special teams that did the Giants in. One bright spot for the Giants was the play of their quarterback Eli Manning. Manning was 27-38 with 391 yards and three touchdowns. Maybe Eli can bring that momentum into Washington and make the Giants winners tonight.
To add to the Giants worries, the Redskins are playing good football right now and are coming off a impressive 34-13 victory in Oakland last week. Their playoff chances have been over for awhile, but they have been still playing with pride and passion. The Skins would love to win their last three games. This would not only give them momentum for next season but might save the job of their head coach Jim Zorn. Zorn needs these last three victories to give him a shot to be around next season. This game should be a old fashion knockout between to rivals in the NFC East on a Monday night in the Nation’s Capital.
Cincinnati Bengals’ troubled wide receiver Chris Henry died of injuries resulting from a motor vehicle accident. Henry was thrown from the truck bed of a pickup trip on Wednesday and passed away hours later while in intensive care. Reports of the incident are being pieced together as 911 tapes and police reports have been released.
The lowdown of the situation is that Henry and his fiance, mother of his three kids, got into a verbal altercation outside their home. Henry was seen jumping on the truck bed by a neighbor and 911 reports suggest that Henry was attempting to enter the pickup truck’s cab while it was in motion. Henry was thrown from the vehicle and was found unconscious roadside.
Bengals execs and teammates have voiced out their support and kind words for the trouble receiver. Henry built a reputation as one of the NFL baddest of the bad boys, unleashing a one-man crime spree wherever he walked over a two and half year period. Henry was arrested for marijuana possession, concealment of a weapon, purchasing alcohol for minors, sexual assault (accused) and physical assault & battery charges. But you wouldn’t believe Henry did any of this if you listen to his teammates.
Let’s get serious. Chris Henry was a bad guy and his untimely death really doesn’t come as much of a surprise. If you were placing bets on what NFL player would get killed, Chris Henry was at the top of your list. But did he have to be?
The NFL is very much at fault here. Commissioner Roger Goodell believes a rookie seminar prepares these young college kids for the lifestyle change when they make it to the NFL. It just doesn’t work that way. Personally having the opportunity to live in the same neighborhood of another fallen NFL player, Marquis Cooper, I’ve seen first hand how a player struggles to handle their stardom. Fast times and little concern.
Then, to add fuel to the fire, the NFL believes that the best way to deal with these troubled individuals is to suspend them and ban them from practice. This just worsens the problem in that they guys go out and get in more trouble due to the idle time. The activities on the field is what keeps them out of trouble. Send them away just unleashes then on the general public. Suspensions and fines just don’t work.
What the NFL needs to do is start providing for its players are life coaches. The game should not be all about Xs, Os, and victories. By placing life coaches in the locker rooms, the NFL would not only reap the benefit of fewer bad press relations situations but also lengthen and improve the careers of talented athletes such as Chris Henry.
Proof positive example of how a life coach can help get a person grounded again can be seen in Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. Considered one of the best high school prospects ever, Hamilton fizzled in the minor leagues as he dealt with substance abuse and depression. The Cincinnati Reds gave him a second chance, with his mentor life coach in tow named Johnny Narron. His life coach goes everywhere with Hamilton, keeping him focused on appreciating his athletic talents and advising him on proper life course. Hamilton credits Narron with all the success he has achieved since his revival.
Could things have been different if the NFL invested a little more care in people like Chris Henry. Could a life coach changed his destructive path which the NFL profited off. We’ll never know. May he rest in peace.
The defending Super Bowl champions are mirrored in a five game losing streak that has the team in a funk and dealing with reality of missing the playoffs. At the beginning of this season, this
Mike Tomlin has seen better days in Steel Town
would have been the last thing the Steelers would have dreamed of. This five game skid has the players and their coach Mike Tomlin in more than a miserable mood. Everyone is in a state of shock in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers stand at 6-7 and and their five game losing streak has been by a total of 22 points. Three of those games; Kansas City, Baltimore and Oakland have come by only three points. The loss by Oakland in the final minutes when they gave up a touchdown drive was followed up with a listless effort in Cleveland on a Thursday night resulting in a 13-6 loss. You cannot lose games to the likes of those teams in this league and expect to play in the post season. The Steelers are 1-7 in games decided by seven point or less. It seems that lack of execution and a failure to close the game has lead this team to the predictement they are currently in. This is in large contrast to last season when there executed with greatness in the fourth quarter including last years Super Bowl triumph over the Arizona Cardinals.
Pittsburgh’s remaining schedule does not do them any favors. They have Green Bay, Baltimore and finish off in Miami. It looks like they will end their season in the warmth of Miami, FAR from the plan they add for this season. Their will be a new Super Bowl champion this year in the National Football League.
