Tag: football

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

What to Know : Week 2

What to Know: Week 2

GAME TO KNOW: I think the game of the week already happened: Bears at Packers last night. It’s a classic rivalry, but more than that, it was a litmus test for both teams. The Bears put up 41 points on the Colts last week, an abnormality for their defensive-minded team. The Packers were just awful against the 49ers in Week 1, showing little to no improvement on the defense that was ranked 32nd in the league last season. So if Week 1 is to be believed, the Bears are an offensive powerhouse and the Packers are going to be last in the Division and miss the Playoffs.

But the 23-10 victory last night by the Packers is exactly why Week 1 should never be believed.

The Bears struggled to put points on the board. Jay Cutler threw 4 interceptions. The Packers sacked him 7 times, with Clay Matthews getting a career-high 3.5 sacks. Both showings should be taken with a grain of salt – I don’t think the Bears are as bad as they looked last night or the Packers are as improved on defense as they looked last night. But it definitely showed that both teams are capable of more than they showed in Week 1 – for better or for worse.

PLAYER TO WATCH: I’m going to go with Kevin Kolb on this one. The Cardinals paid a lot of money to get Kevin Kolb last season, but he didn’t quite live up to the high expectations they had for him. Consequently, former backup John Skelton was named the starter in a training camp quarterback controversy that lasted most of the preseason. He was playing well last week…but was injured near the ed of the game and could not return. Kolb came in and led the Cardinals to a 4th quarter win. Since Skelton is still out with the ankle injury Kolb will get the start this week against the Patriots. They’ll provide more of a challenge than the Seahawks did last week, but ultimately, this QB situation is far from set in stone so it’s not inconceivable to think that Kolb could win his job back with an outstanding performance against the Pats.

STORYLINE TO KNOW: Handshake Gate: Round II. If you didn’t see last year’s handshake mishap between head coaches Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh, watch this. The teams will meet again for the first time since on Sunday for what is sure to be the most-hyped postgame handshake in recent history. It promises to be uneventful but highly anticipated.

RECIPES TO MAKE:

fudgy brownies with cookie butter frosting

7 layer cookie a la mode

chocolate dipped salted nut roll bars

sweet potato skins

chick-fil-a bites with honey mustard sauce

 

Our Training Camp : Week 5 Quiz

Week 5 Quiz here we come! Woo hoo!!!

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

The Basics : Scoring

Today’s Basics post is all scoring, which is kind of the whole point of the game. So it’s a special week here! Let’s get movin’!

Things the Offense Wants to Happen:

Touchdown = 6 points! WOOT!

A touchdown is scored when the FOOTBALL (not the player) crosses the goal line into the end zone. However, the player must maintain control of the football while in the boundaries of the end zone in order for it to count as a touchdown (this is where instant replay and endless dissection of where exactly the ball is located comes into play).

Extra Point (aka Point After Touchdown or PAT) = 1 point

Which is why touchdowns are commonly thought to be worth 7 points. Not true! The extra point is kicked after a touchdown is made. It’s kicked from really close (the 2 yard line) so it almost always goes through.

Two-Point Conversion = 2 points

(Bet you could have figured that one out on your own.)

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If a team could greatly benefit from scoring 2 points instead of the standard 1 after scoring a touchdown, they’ll line up like they would if it were running a regular play and try to run or pass the ball into the end zone for a two point conversion.

Things the Offense does NOT want to Happen:

Safety = 2 points

(Not to be confused with Safeties, who are Defensive players.)

This is when an Offensive player is tackled in his OWN end zone. The two points are then awarded to the other team. It usually happens when the Offense gets stuck way far back in their own territory after penalties or a really, really good kickoff.

Turnovers

There are three ways that the Offense can “turn the ball over” to the Defense, which results in the Defense gaining possession of the football.

Fumbles: This is when the player who is carrying the ball either drops it or has it ripped away from him. Whoever recovers the ball gains possession of the ball and, consequently, a new Offensive possession.

Interceptions: This is when the ball is thrown and someone on the Defense catches it. Safeties and Cornerbacks are good at this.

Failed 4th Down Conversions: This is when the team goes for it on 4th down and doesn’t get the yardage needed to reach 10 yards for a new set of downs. For example: a team goes for it on 4th and 2 and only gains 1 yard. Since they did not earn a new set of downs, the other team gets the ball at it’s current spot on the field.

What To Know : After Week 1

We’re adding another new feature to go hand in hand with Friday’s post: a postgame guide to what happened over the weekend. Here’s what you need to know about Week 1 in the NFL:

  • Peyton Manning: Peyton’s return to football was nothing short of glorious. Once he was given free reign of the offense and went into his classic no-huddle mode, it was the Peyton of old back in action once again. He led the Broncos to a 31-19 victory over the Steelers.
  • RGIII: AKA Robert Griffin the Third. He lit it up for the Redskins – one of the best starts ever for a rookie quarterback. It wasn’t just the fact that the Redskins won against a tough opponent in a volatile environment (Saints at home) and it wasn’t just his performance stats. It was the maturity and intuition with which he played. He made smart decision after smart decision after smart decision – completely uncharacteristic for a rookie quarterback in his first NFL game.
  • Alfred Morris: Another stand out Redskins rookie. He looks like a remarkable rookie running back so far. (If you are in a fantasy league and he’s still available: draft him. ASAP.)
  • Stephen Hill: As long as we’re talking about rookies who look like they have potential, let’s throw wide receiver Stephen Hill in the mix. He looked great in the Jets season opener.
  • Offense? Really?: Three characteristically defensive-minded teams put up 40+ points on offense over the weekend: the Bears, the Jets, and the Ravens.
  • Unfortunate Surprise #1: Michael Vick threw 4 picks against the Browns…and the Eagles still won. (Translation: the Browns are just that bad.)
  • Unfortunate Surprise #2: I should have known better. I jumped the Bills bandwagon after all of the good press and positive moves they made in the offseason…but after living in Rochester for 8 years I should have known that the Bills never fail to fail. Sorry, Buffalo. I was really rooting for you. But after a 48-28 smackdown loss against the Jets, it looks like the same old, same old, once again.
  • Unfortunate Surprise #3: This one was the most troubling for me…the Packers defense. OH, the Packers defense! Where fore art thou, 2010 Super Bowl Champion D?!?! The Packers loss to the 49ers on Sunday was just ugly…there is a lot of work to be done before the Bears come to town for the Thursday night game in 2 days.
  • Replacement Ref Grade: C+. Most egregious blunder: giving the Seahawks a 4th time out in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter by mistake.

Last but not least, as a big fan of Mike and Mike in the Morning I have to give a shout out to their new show, Mike and Mike’s Best of the NFL, which debuts at 3pm on ESPN this afternoon. If you miss it the first time you can catch the reair on ESPN2 at 6:30pm. If it’s anything like the morning show, it will be amazing!