Tag: football

Offseason Schedule 2013 : News and Notes

This week, we’ll be previewing the offseason schedule. You can still expect posts every weekday, a mix of education, information and inspiration, nice people in the comments section, and a reason to hold onto hope: the 2013 season will be here before we know it. Here’s what we’ll be talking about until then:

footballs, newsEven in the offseason, there is always football news to talk about.

Like how Adrian Peterson had his sports hernia repaired. And oh by the way, he had a sports hernia. He played the last half of the season with it but never mentioned it until last week – other than rumblings that he was having some abdominal issues – and said that he definitely wasn’t playing at 100% there towards the end. And yet, somehow, only fell 9 yards short of surpassing Dickerson’s all-time record. With a fully reconstructed knee to boot.

That lends a new definition to “working through adversity,” I think.

We also learned that the Jaguars rebranded.

image via Yahoo

The new jag does look a little more spritely, right?

There’s much more ground that we could cover here – the Gregg Williams rehire, tons of releases and resignings, debate over draft needs – the whole kit and caboodle. Suffice it to say: on Fridays we’ll tie a bow on the week with a wrap up of NFL news of all kinds.

SO…we now have a full offseason schedule!

Monday : Fundamentals

Tuesday : Off the Field

Wednesday : In the Film Room

Thursday : History Lessons

Friday : News and Notes

It’s going to be a great offseason. Can’t wait to get started on Monday!

Offseason Schedule 2013 : History Lessons

This week, we’ll be previewing the offseason schedule. You can still expect posts every weekday, a mix of education, information and inspiration, nice people in the comments section, and a reason to hold onto hope: the 2013 season will be here before we know it. Here’s what we’ll be talking about until then:

football, games, historyMichael Crichton once said, “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.”

This offseason, we’re going to be part of the tree.

Every Thursday, we’ll go back to a great moment in football history and discuss it’s significance. Being familiar with moments like the Immaculate Reception, the Tuck Rule, the Ice Bowl, and so many others will add so much to your overall knowledge of the game.

Here’s a quick preview to get you excited about our upcoming history lessons:

It’s going to be a good time! We’ll see you here next Thursday when class is officially in session.

Offseason Schedule 2013 : In the Film Room

This week, we’ll be previewing the offseason schedule. You can still expect posts every weekday, a mix of education, information and inspiration, nice people in the comments section, and a reason to hold onto hope: the 2013 season will be here before we know it. Here’s what we’ll be talking about until then:

football, advanced, filmThere are two shows I watch religiously during the regular season: NFL Turning Point on NBC Sports and NFL Matchup on ESPN. As much as I love other shows, these two always find themselves on my must-watch list because of the quality of the film-breakdown. I ALWAYS learn something(s) new from watching the analysts breakdown film.

Now, I’m hardly an analyst, and I can’t even legally show you clips from games here on the blog. But what I can do is watch film (on NFL Rewind), learn from it, and then sare what I learn – much like the What Just Happened posts during the regular season. I really learn a lot from doing posts like this, and I hope you all do too!

See you next Wednesday for our first round!

Offseason Schedule 2013 : Off the Field

This week, we’ll be previewing the offseason schedule. You can still expect posts every weekday, a mix of education, information and inspiration, nice people in the comments section, and a reason to hold onto hope: the 2013 season will be here before we know it. Here’s what we’ll be talking about until then:

I love football for the game that’s played on the field. But what I love just as much is hearing about all of the good stuff that happens off the field. And there’s lots of it! By and large, NFL players go above and beyond to give back. Seeing all of the good that comes from football makes me love it even more, and I hope the same is true for you!

On Tuesdays, we’ll be hearing about things like this:

I think it’ll make for great Tuesdays around here.

Offseason Schedule 2013 : Fundamentals

This week, we’ll be previewing the offseason schedule. You can still expect posts every weekday, a mix of education, information and inspiration, nice people in the comments section, and a reason to hold onto hope: the 2013 season will be here before we know it. Here’s what we’ll be talking about until then:

football, fundamentals, basicsWe’re going to take a cue from Jerry Rice on this one – Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver of all time, but probably best known for having the greatest work ethic of all time:

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”

Now, let’s be real. We won’t be lifting tires and running routes and studying playbooks in the hopes of getting a Super Bowl ring. But we are training for something important. Why spend hours on end confused and frustrated every Sunday when you have the opportunity to be as well-educated as possible when the regular season arrives? Why not make the most of the time you’ll already spend watching the game – either because you like to have football on TV or because your family commandeers the TV for football every weekend – and actually know the game and enjoy it? By doing what most others won’t (studying football in the offseason), you’ll be able to accomplish what others can’t (understanding football in the regular season). It’ll be worth every ounce of effort you put into it!

What will we be learning? The broken-down basic basics. First downs and fumbles. Quarters and quarterbacks. Safeties and safeties. Anything you’ll need to know to successfully navigate the 2013 season. Have a question? Ask it! We’ll answer it on Mondays int he fundamentals posts.

See you here for the first Fundamentals post next Monday!

Top 10 Memorable Moments of 2012 : Part II

football, games, moments,Yesterday we started to list the Top 10 most memorable moments of the 2012 Season. Today we’re wrapping it up with the Top 5. Let’s dive in!

5. I’m sorry…but this moment has to be included. If only because it was the epitome of the train wreck that was the Jets season. And really, it’s become a moment that will be immortalized in NFL history. You know it, I know it, every comedy act performed since knows it: the butt fumble. 

4. The Rookies. I don’t think we’ll be able to look back on this season without thinking of the unbelievable year rookie quarterbacks had. Luck, Wilson, and RG3 changed the game for incoming rookies. They each led their team to the playoffs and will undoubtedly keep their team in contention from here on out. Another player genre we’ll remember from this season? The Comebacks. Peyton and Adrian Peterson blew traditional comeback timelines out of the water to put their teams in the playoffs. What a year for unexpected greatness!

3. I think it’s fair to say that the first quarter of the season was defined by the Replacement Refs. As a Packers fan, the Fail Mary will always stand out to me as one of the iconic moments in my personal history as a Packers fan, one of those moments  that Packers fans – and football fans in general – will likely reference as a national tragedy, in that we’ll all remember where we were when it happened. (I’m telling you, sports are as real a part of “real life” as anything.) I stayed up more than half the night/morning that followed in disbelief that the NFL had let something like this happen, all over a contract dispute. But it wasn’t all bad. It was the catalyst for resolution that brought the regular refs back, and it was the defining moment for me and this website. That process of watching the game, staying up all night watching/reading analysis of the game, waking up a couple of hours later to watch/read more analysis, spending the next 6 hours writing about the game…I was hooked. I want to do this forever.

2. The HarBowl. What a Super Bowl storyline! Brother against brother for all the marbles in New Orleans, arguably the best Super Bowl location of them all. Even if the Harbaughs weren’t brothers, this game still would have had a great angle: two teams who made HUGE changes mid-season and reaped the benefits. For the 49ers, a quarterback change. A quarterback change from a guy with a 7-2-1 record to a guy who had started two games. For the Ravens, the firing of their Offensive Coordinator and a complete reshuffling of their offensive line. And the game itself did not disappoint! From the blackout to the safety to Ray Lewis’s last stand…it was just a unique Super Bowl, a perfect way to end a unique season.

1. Chuckstrong. The first big comeback win. The cheerleaders shaving their heads. The speech. Andrew Luck. Reggie Wayne. BA. Making the playoffs. Even after all of the other 2012 memories start to fade, Chuck Pagano’s brave battle against leukemia and the Colts resilience throughout will be the story of the season, at least for me. This is why sports matter. It’s so much more than just a game.

Ok guys, sound off! What were the most memorable stories of the season for you?

(And FYI – just because we’re wrapping up the season does not mean I’m wrapping up the blog! Not a chance. Tune in next week for a new offseason posting schedule! We train year-round around here :))