Author: Beka

Our Training Camp : Week 6 Answers

Another round of answers, here we come! This weeks answers are:

1. Which quarterback is nicknamed “Matty Ice”?

  1. Matt Cassel
  2. Matt Hasselbeck
  3. Matt Ryan
  4. Matt Leinart

 

2. Which other professional sports team was the catalyst for the Panthers coming to Carolina?

  1. The Bobcats
  2. The Hornets
  3. The Knights
  4. The Eagles

 

3. What does Drew Brees do with his teammates before every game?

  1. Takes them out to lunch
  2. Shakes everyone’s hand
  3. Leads them in a pregame chant
  4. Reviews important notes from the previous day’s meetings

 

4. True or False: The Bucs have always been an NFC team.

  1. True
  2. False

 

5. Which team upset the Patriots last weekend?

  1. The Cardinals
  2. The Browns
  3. The Seahawks
  4. The Redskins

 

6. What was the cause of controversy between the Giants and the Bucs last weekend?

  1. The Giants ran up the score
  2. Greg Schiano wouldn’t shake Tom Coughlin’s hand
  3. The Giants got better calls from the replacement refs than the Bucs did
  4. The Bucs tried to make a move for the ball on the last play of the game when the Giants were in the victory formation

 

7. One quarter of NFL football is 15 minutes long. What was the elapsed time of the first quarter of the Falcons/Broncos game?

  1. 15 minutes
  2. 27 minutes
  3. 42 minutes
  4. 54 minutes

 

8. How many teams make it to the playoffs?

  1. 8
  2. 10
  3. 12
  4. 16

 

9. How are the Wildcard teams selected?

  1. They did not win their division but have the best regular season records remaining
  2. They did win their division and have the best regular season records remaining
  3. They won the first round of Wildcard playoff games
  4. They won the least amount of in-division games

 

10. True or False: Each team plays the other teams in their division twice every season.

  1. True 
  2. False

Our Training Camp : Week 6 Quiz

 Ready for another quiz? Here’s Week 6!

1. Which quarterback is nicknamed “Matty Ice”?

  1. Matt Cassel
  2. Matt Hasselbeck
  3. Matt Ryan
  4. Matt Leinart

 

2. Which other professional sports team was the catalyst for the Panthers coming to Carolina?

  1. The Bobcats
  2. The Hornets
  3. The Knights
  4. The Eagles

 

3. What does Drew Brees do with his teammates before every game?

  1. Takes them out to lunch
  2. Shakes everyone’s hand
  3. Leads them in a pregame chant
  4. Reviews important notes from the previous day’s meetings

 

4. True or False: The Bucs have always been an NFC team.

  1. True
  2. False

 

5. Which team upset the Patriots last weekend?

  1. The Cardinals
  2. The Browns
  3. The Seahawks
  4. The Redskins

 

6. What was the cause of controversy between the Giants and the Bucs last weekend?

  1. The Giants ran up the score
  2. Greg Schiano wouldn’t shake Tom Coughlin’s hand
  3. The Giants got better calls from the replacement refs than the Bucs did
  4. The Bucs tried to make a move for the ball on the last play of the game when the Giants were in the victory formation

 

7. One quarter of NFL football is 15 minutes long. What was the elapsed time of the first quarter of the Falcons/Broncos game?

  1. 15 minutes
  2. 27 minutes
  3. 42 minutes
  4. 54 minutes

 

8. How many teams make it to the playoffs?

  1. 8
  2. 10
  3. 12
  4. 16

 

9. How are the Wildcard teams selected?

  1. They did not win their division but have the best regular season records remaining
  2. They did win their division and have the best regular season records remaining
  3. They won the first round of Wildcard playoff games
  4. They won the least amount of in-division games

 

10. True or False: Each team plays the other teams in their division twice every season

  1. True
  2. False

The Basics : The Super Bowl

Just as the Super Bowl is the culmination of the football year, our Basics information is also coming to a close. This is our LAST Basics post!!! We made it!!! Next week we’ll have two more divisional posts and then…a final exam! Time to start hitting the books!

In the NFL, there are two conferences, the NFC and the AFC. There are four divisions within each conference (north, south, east, and west), and four teams in each division (resulting in 32 teams). Twelve teams make it to the playoffs, six from each conference.

To make the playoffs, a team has to place first in their division. During the 16-game schedule a team plays all of the other teams in their division twice: once at home, and once away. Example: the Packers will play the Lions, the Bears, and the Vikings once at Lambeau (home), and they will also travel to Detroit, Chicago, and Minnesota to play each team at their own stadium (away). That accounts for 6 games each season. The results of these divisional games are especially important because a team needs to win their division to make it to the Playoffs. If two teams in the same division have the same overall record the team that has the best divisional record gets the playoff spot.

The remaining 10 games are played in an even split of home and away games on a rotating schedule against all of the other teams in the league.

The four teams that win their division from each conference are ranked (“seeded”) according to their regular season record. That results in 8 teams total. The remaining 4 teams are called “Wildcard” teams. These are the two teams from each conference who have the best regular season record. Don’t count them out just because they’re the last ones in – Wildcard teams can be dangerous in the playoffs! (2010 Packers, I’m looking at you.) (!!!)

The playoffs are a single elimination tournament played over the course of four weeks (one of which is a free week in between the conference championship game and the Super Bowl). At the end of the playoffs, one AFC team and one NFC team remain. The AFC and NFC Champions play each other in the apex of all that is good in the world: the Super Bowl.

And after the Super Bowl we mourn the offseason…the absence of football for an ETERNITY (or about 6 months).

What To Know : After Week 2

Oh, boy. What a weird week in the NFL. Let’s dig right in:

  • Perhaps the most glaring story is the incompetence of the replacement refs. When you are officiating a game and have to refer to one team as the “red” team (which is what I’ll be calling the Falcons for the rest of the season) because you aren’t sure who they are…it’s bad. This is not a knock on the professionals who are filling in for the regular refs – they are sincerely doing the best they can. But it’s a situation in which they are simply not equipped to do the job they’ve been assigned to do. They’ve been given an impossible task and are being ruthlessly called to task on it. Fault here lies with the NFL and the representation for the regular refs. This deal should have been done ages ago. As per the National Post’s Bruce Arthur, if this continues, by Week 17 the NFL will be the Hunger Games with helmets. When it takes 54 minutes to play 15 minutes of football and general pandemonium erupts on national television, it’s high time for a resolution.
  • Another big off the field story this week: the ongoing battle between the suspended Saints players and the NFL. This has dissolved into a he said-he said argument that no one is going to “win.” It’s really an unfortunate situation which speaks to the darker side of the NFL.
  • Both of these issues – the officiating and the bounty scandal – call into question perhaps the biggest mountain the NFL is currently facing: player safety. The players are put in jeopardy by bad officiating and by pay-for-performance systems, but I think it goes much deeper than that into the very nature of the game. As a fan, and a passionate one at that, I don’t even want to contemplate a world without football. No one wants that. But it’s undeniable that football is a violent game that has long term repercussions, and no one wants that, either. Something has to change, and quickly.

As for actual football stories, here’s the round-up:

  • Goodbye, Survivor Leaguers: I’d love to see the stats on how many Survivor Fantasy Football League (in which you pick one sure-fire win a week) players were eliminated this weekend thanks to the Cardinals (very) surprising upset of the Patriots. The Cardinals are now 2-0. Who saw that coming?
  • The Bills aren’t that bad: They had a nice win over the Chiefs on Sunday, who, unfortunately, are that bad.
  • The Jets aren’t that good: It’s not that they’re not good. It’s just that they’re not as good as their Week 1 48-28 win over the Bills might have suggested. This week’s loss presented some glaring insufficiencies, like having any sort of established offensive weaponry.
  • Don’t throw things at your friends (or enemies): Josh Morgan effectively ended the game for the Redskins on Sunday when he retaliated to antagonism by throwing a football at Cortland Finnegan. That move incurred an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which backed the Redskins out of realistic field goal range for a chance to tie the game.I’m sure no one feels worse than he does, but really…that wasn’t the best decision.
  • Football Etiquette?: When a team goes into victory formation at the end of the game, it’s generally assumed that they’ve won and the other team accepts the loss. But Greg Schiano shook things up at the end of Sunday’s Giants/Bucs game by coaching his defensive players to go after the ball on the last play of the game with the Giants in a victory formation. They ended up knocking QB Eli Manning to the ground in the process, and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was quite fired up about the whole incident. The Bucs didn’t do anything illegal, just frowned upon. In this situation I think Herm Edwards said it best, “You play to win the game.” He’s teaching his players how to fight until the clock goes to 00:00, and you can’t fault him for that.
  • A Bad Start for Peyton: Last night Peyton Manning opened the first quarter with three interceptions…in his first eight passes. It was rough. I went to bed at halftime, but from all accounts he seemed to bounce back in the second half, with the final score a respectable 21-27 loss for the Broncos.

And this week’s one last thing: this commercial.

My new favorite kind of yoga.

Divisional Breakdown : NFC South Teams

Today we’re heading south, as in the NFC south. Here’s a look into those teams:

The Atlanta Falcons

History: In 1965 the city of Atlanta built the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which ended up being the catalyst for their push for a football team. Both the AFL and the NFL were interested in placing a team in Atlanta (this was in 1965 – pre-merger) but the executives eventually chose to go with the NFL. The Falcons made a Super Bowl appearance in 1998 and had mostly successful seasons under QB Michael Vick, who, after serving time in prison for dog fighting, returned to the NFL to play with the Philadelphia Eagles (where he still plays today).

Current Players to Know: Matt Ryan, QB, is nicknamed “Matty Ice” for his calm and cool demeanor on the field. Michael Turner is a beast of a running back. Tony Gonzalez has played for 16 seasons as a tight end and really started the revolution of the position.

Head Coach: Mike Smith

2011 Regular Season Record: 10-6

What to Watch For in 2012: The Falcons have had their fair share of crushing playoff loses in recent years. This season, they believe they can go all the way. However, so does every team. But if they could make a run for it, this would be the year – likely Tony Gonzalez’s last.

The Carolina Panthers

History: In 1987 the NBA brought the Hornets to Charlotte. This created a buzz with local businessmen who wanted to bring an NFL expansion team to the area, too. In 1993 the NFL unanimously decided to award the Carolinas the newest expansion team. The Panthers played the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII and lost.

Current Players to Know: Quarterback Cam Newton was the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He lived up to (and perhaps even surpassed) expectations by having a great season, even though the Panthers were 6-10. Steve Smith (WR) can catch anything. Jonathan Stewart (RB) is bringing some life back to the Panthers running game this year.

Head Coach: Ron Rivera

2011 Regular Season Record: 6-10

What to Watch For in 2012: Continued improvement is expected for the Panthers, who have a relatively new coach and new quarterback. They weren’t as bas as their 6-10 record indicates last year. I bet they’ll be at least 8-8 this season, maybe better.

The New Orleans Saints

History: New Orleans was awarded an NFL franchise in 1966. The early years weren’t kind to the Saints, though they’ve had a rich history of players and coaches. The Saints were so bad at one point that fans wore paper bags over their heads while attending games. But after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, the Saints became a source of healing for the ravaged city. They won the Super Bowl four years later, spurred on by the passion of the city. However, they’ve been the source of much controversy as of late with a major scandal (allegedly putting “bounties” on players) that resulted in multiple suspensions – most notably head coach Sean Payton, who has been suspended for the year.

Current Players to Know: Drew Brees (QB) is the heart and soul of the team. He leads the team in a specific pregame chant that changes every season. Jimmy Graham is a former basketball player who is continuing the trend of domination at the tight end position. Jonathan Vilma, who just had his year-long suspension overturned but will still miss half of the season due to injury and might even get re-suspended by the NFL, is the leader of the defense.

Head Coach: Sean Payton (Interim Head Coach: Joe Vitt) (Interim Interim Head Coach while Joe Vitt Serves His 6 Week Suspension: Aaron Kromer)

2011 Regular Season Record: 13-3

What to Watch For in 2012: The Saints have a lot to overcome this season. Along with the devastating bounty repercussions, they also had a lot of contractual issues to work out with Drew Brees this offseason. They have to play the first 6 weeks of the season with an Interim Interim Head Coach…and then the next 11 with an Interim Head Coach. All while the bounty controversy rages on. It’s going to be rough.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

History: The Bucs actually joined the NFL as an AFC team in 1976. They were moved to the NFC the following year. Jon Gruden coached the Bucs to a Super Bowl victory in 1992, a year after Tony Dungy had been fired as head coach.

Current Players to Know: Josh Freeman has been decent at quarterback ever since he was drafted in 2009. Vincent Jackson is a new Buc, having spent most of his career as a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. Ronde Barber has been a Buc forever, specifically since 1997. He plays cornerback/safety.

Head Coach: Greg Schiano

2011 Regular Season Record: 4-12

What to Watch For in 2012: The Bucs new head coach incited quite the controversy this weekend when he told his players to try to make a move to disrupt the ball on the last play of the game when the Giants were in the victory formation. Lots of people called it an unprofessional move…but at least he’s coaching to win the game. He’s teaching his players how to fight for 60 minutes. And that could definitely lead to good things in the future.

Our Training Camp : Week 5 Answers

Here’s our Week 5 Answers! How’d you fare this week?

1. The Chicago Bears are often associated with football pioneer:

  1. George Halas
  2. Al Davis
  3. Vince Lombardi
  4. Lovie Smith

2. Which of the following is NOT a Packers legend?

  1. Bart Starr
  2. Jerry Kramer
  3. Barry Sanders
  4. Reggie White

3. The team that was not founded with the original NFL is:

  1. The Chicago Bears
  2. The Detroit Lions
  3. The Green Bay Packers
  4. The Minnesota Vikings

4. The rookie quarterback for the Redskins is:

  1. Griffin Robert
  2. Peyton Manning
  3. Michael Vick
  4. Robert Griffin III

5. True or False: The Jets, Bears, and Ravens have historically high-scoring offenses.

  1. True
  2. False

6. The Refs accidentally gave the Seahawks an extra time out near the end of their game on Sunday. What is the right number of time outs for each team to receive per half?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 6

7. True or False: A touchdown is worth 7 points.

  1. True
  2. False

8. Which yard line is the extra point kicked from?

  1. The 2 yard line
  2. The 10 yard line
  3. The 20 yard line
  4. The 50 yard line

9. A safety occurs when:

  1. A player alerts a ref to a penalty on the field
  2. A player is awarded for being on the receiving end of a unnecessary roughness penalty
  3. An offensive player is tackled in his own endzone
  4. A defensive player is tackled in his own endzone

10. It’s 4th and 1. The team on offense decides to go for it. The running back is stopped behind the line of scrimmage and they do not get the yard they need to convert to a new set of downs. What happens next?

  1. The defense receives the ball upon kickoff
  2. The defense receives the ball at it’s current field position
  3. The offense punts the ball to the defense
  4. The offense attempts a field goal