Category Archives: Features
Madden NFL 12 Cover Voting 1st Round Predictions
If you haven’t heard yet, EA Sports is running a NCAA style tournament bracket to determine the cover athlete for Madden NFL 12.
Each team has a representative for a total 32 participants. The fans will vote online at espn.com and decide who will grace the cover for the most popular sports game franchise in history.
But we have a long way to go until the cover will be announced on April 27th. The first round has already begun and voting closes on March 28th.
Here are some of my thoughts on the first-round matchups:
Left Bracket
(1) Aaron Rodgers vs. (16) Ndamukong Suh
The Pick: Rodgers. This one is a slam dunk. The Super Bowl MVP will cruise past Suh and is a serious contender to win it all.
(9) Larry Fitzgerald vs. (8) Sam Bradford
The Pick: Bradford. Fitzgerald was on the cover two year ago. It’s time for the young gun.
(5) Hakeem Nicks vs. (12) Brian Orakpo
The Pick: Orakpo. Orakpo pulls the obligatory 12-5 upset.
(13) Steve Johnson vs. (4) Danny Woodhead
The Pick: Johnson.Upset Alert! If only because it would be my worst nightmare if Danny Woodhead went from being cut by the Jets to the cover of Madden in less than a year.
(3) Maurice Jones-Drew vs. (14) Dwight Freeney
The Pick: MJD. One of the best Madden gamers in the league. Put him on the cover.
(6) Jamaal Charles vs. (11) Tim Tebow
The Pick: Charles. It seems like the seeds should be revered here, but I’m still going with Charles. Tebow will probably be on it eventually, but not this year.
(7) Ray Rice vs. (10) Peyton Hillis
The Pick: Rice. It would give this young back the exposure he deserves.
(15) Jordan Gross vs. (2) Matt Ryan
The Pick: Ryan. This could be the biggest blowout of the first round. Seriously, Jordan Gross?
Right Bracket
(1) Philip Rivers vs. (16) Darren McFadden
The Pick: Rivers. McFadden is a dangerous 16 seed, but Rivers is too strong.
(9) Adrian Peterson vs. (8) Julius Peppers
The Pick: Peterson. A.D. got robbed with a 9 seed. He should defeat Peppers with ease.
(5) Mark Sanchez vs. (12) Jake Long
The Pick: Sanchez. He’s too big of a fan base to lose to a left tackle.
(13) Josh Freeman vs. (4) Drew Brees
The Pick: Brees. Is there anybody that doesn’t love drew Brees. He might go back to back on the cover.
(3) Michael Vick vs. (14) DeMarcus Ware
The Pick: Vick. Could Vick grace the cover 8 years after he first did? It will be one of the most compelling storylines to watch.
(6) Andre Johnson vs. (11) Chris Johnson
The Pick: Chris Johnson. In the battle of the Johnson’s I’m going with Andre.
(7) Patrick Willis vs. (10) The 12th Man(Seattle Seahawks)
The Pick: Willis. I don’t know if its a good thing or a bad thing that the Seahawks fans are their representative.
(2) Hines Ward vs. (15) Carlos Dunlap
The Pick: Ward. He isn’t the most liked guy, but does anyone know who Carlos Dunlap is outside of Cincinnati?
What if the NFL Switched to a NCAA Tournament Style Playoff
The 2011 NCAA Tournament is set to tip off Thursday (well technically it did last night, but no one’s paying attention to those “First Four” games no matter how hard CBS tries to shove it down our throats).
It’s always one of the best times of the sporting year. It just doesn’t get much better than the mayhem that ensues in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA has had such great success with their playoff model, it’s surprising no other sports have attempted to copy it (cough: college football). Which got me thinking. What if we combined the NCAA Tournament with the NFL to create a mega playoff tournament? All 32 teams make it. Divide them into 4 regions of 8 teams each. Team are seeded by their regular season record.
First a few background rules:
- All #1 seeds must go to division winners
- If teams have the same record, first tiebreaker is if they were a division winner, then head to head, followed by strength of schedule
- All division winners are assured of a home game (looking at you Seattle)
Now onto how the brackets would look:
EAST REGOIN
(1) New England Patriots v. (8) Carolina Panthers
(4) Seattle Seahawks v. (5) Oakland Raiders
(3) Indianpolis Colts v. (6) Dallas Cowboys
(2) Philadelphia Eagles v. (7) Tennessee Titans
WEST REGION
(1) Pittsburgh Steelers v. (8) Buffalo Bills
(4) San Diego Chargers v. (5) St. Louis Rams
(3) Green Bay Packers v. (6) Houston Texans
(2) New York Jets v. (7) Cleveland Browns
NORTH REGION
(1) Chicago Bears v. (8) Cincinnati Bengals
(4) New York Giants v. (5) Detroit Lions
(3)Tampa Bay Buccaneers v. (6) Minnesota Vikings
(2) Baltimore Ravens v. (7) Arizona Cardinals
SOUTH REGION
(1) Atlanta Falcons v. (8) Denver Broncos
(4) Jacksonville Jaguars v. (5) Miami Dolphins
(3) Kansas City Chiefs v. (6) Washington Redskins
(2) New Orleans Saints v. (7) San Francisco 49ers
Here is a better look at how the bracket would look.
Who wouldn’t tune in to watch this? It would be the ultimate television event.
Imagine that first weekend, having 8 games on Saturday and Sunday. Each game kicking off one hour after each other starting at noon. You would glued to your couch for 12 hours straight. I’m getting all tingly inside just thinking about this. How has no one ever thought of this before? Someone should alert Roger Goodell immediately. Oh wait, the greedy owners locked out the players. Forgot about that.
Yes, it does make the regular season somewhat meaningless, but the playoffs would be that much more intense. Even the first round has plenty of intrigue. The Packers and Texans would be a great display of two of the best offense’s in the game. The Jets and Browns would be a rematch of their overtime thriller that took place during the regular season
Plus, and perhaps the best part of it all: NFL Brackets. Filling out a bracket is the main reason why the NCAA Tournament is so great. In fact, I’ve been researching all night and filling out my bracket as I write this. Imagine filling out one with NFL teams. Could the Lions parlay their late season surge and be this year’s Cinderella? Would the Patriots continue their rampage through the opposition in route a title? Could the Bengals pull off the 8-1 upset against the Bears? You’d get all of this excitement, plus more.
Please Roger Goodell, make this happen.
2011 NFL Mock Draft: Cam Newton Goes #1
I usually wait until after the combine and free agency until I do my first NFL Mock Daft because frankly any mock draft done before then is pointless.
But not this year. The combine has come and gone, but free agency has still yet to commence. And with the labor situation up in the air, it might not come until after the NFL Draft.
So without further ado, here is the first version of my 2011 NFL Mock Draft.
1. Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
2. Denver Broncos
Marcel Dareus, DL, Alabama
3. Buffalo Bills
Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M
4. Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
5. Arizona Cardinals
Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
6. Cleveland Browns
Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
7. San Francisco 49ers
Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
8. Tennessee Titans
Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
9. Dallas Cowboys
Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
10. Washington Redskins
Cameron Jordan, DE, Cal
11. Houston Texans
Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, UNC
12. Minnesota Vikings
J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
13. Detroit Lions
Tyron Smith, OT, USC
14. St. Louis Rams
Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
15. Miami Dolphins
Mike Pouncey, G, Florida
16. Jacksonville Jaguars
Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
17. New England Patriots
Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
18. San Diego Chargers
Cameron Hayward, DL, Ohio State
19. New York Giants
Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
21. Kansas City Chiefs
Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
22. Indianapolis Colts
Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
23. Philadelphia Eagles
Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
24. New Orleans Saints
Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
25. Seattle Seahawks
Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
26. Baltimore Ravens
Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
27. Atlanta Falcons
Justin Houston, DE, Georgia
28. New England Patriots
Muhammad Wilkerson, DL, Temple
29. Chicago Bears
Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
30. New York Jets
Raheem Moore, S, UCLA
31. Pittsburgh Steelers
Brandon Harris, CB, Miami
32. Green Bay Packers
Christian Ballard, DE, Iowa
Feel free to complain about your team’s pick in the comments.
Get to Know the Pro Football Hall of Fame Voters: Tony Grossi
Last month, when the NFL announced the class of 2011 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it sparked quite the outrage.
The most outspoken critic was Jason Whitlock of Foxsports.com. Whitlocked penned three columns (here, here, and here) illustrating the flaws of the current system and solutions to fix it.
One of his main points was to expand the selection committee, which currently contains 44 members. Each NFL city has a member represented, plus 10 at-large members. With so few voters — for comparisons sake baseball has over 500 — he argued, and I would agree, that each voter has too much power.
Another one of his points is they should expand the committee to include former players and such, and not just journalists. He argued that the journalists who cover the game, simply don’t know much of anything game. He used himself as an example saying when he went on Inside the NFL he was blown away by how much the crew knew about football and they know even less than those still in the game.
To help Jason out and illustrate his point, were going to be looking over the current member of the selection committee and pointing out where they show a lack of competence and knowledge of the game.
We start today with Tony Grossi of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
First, let’s have a look at Grossi’s 2011 NFL Mock Draft. But you can’t even call it that as it only contains 10 picks. What’s even the point of doing only the first 10 picks? Why not just list who you think the Browns would take or just go up to the Brown’s selection. Plus, it’s not like he’s writing up multiple paragraph explanations for each pick. He’s writing quick one sentence explanations and even some half sentence explanations like “Who doesn’t” for the San Franciso 49ers selection of Patrick Peterson.
Now to the other gripe with this “Mock Draft,” if you want to call it that. The Denver Broncos, selecting #2 overall, have been pegged by most to select a defensive player, and for good reason. They ranked dead last in the NFL in yards allowed, hired a defensive minded coach in John Fox, are switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and their only starters over 30 are on defense. They have been linked to all of the top defensive players available like Marcell Dareus, Da’Quan Bowers, Patrick Peterson, Nick Fairley, etc.
So who does Grossi have them picking? Cam Newton, QB from Auburn, of course. Wait what???
This is the team that drafted Tim Tebow in the first round last year AND has Kyle Orton under contract. Yes, they’re under new management, but even John Elway isn’t stupid enough to draft a QB when he has 2 starting caliber QB’s on the roster and the worst defense in the NFL.
Bill Williamson, of ESPN.com, wrote a blog entry about how the QB drills at the combine would effect the AFC West. He said Newton’s status would affect Denver, but that if he had a great workout it could propel Carolina to select him at #1, thus giving Denver the entire defensive board to choose from.
In fact, this is an exact quote from the article. “No AFC West team is in line to take Newton (Denver will be looking for defense at No. 2) … So, Denver is rooting for a quarterback to go to Carolina.”
This is coming from a guy who is plugged in on the AFC West, I’ll take his word every day of the week.
He was trying to original and different, which I like to see in mock drafts, but Newton to the Broncos makes absolutely no sense. It’s a lazy effort, and one that he probably threw together in about 15 minutes. If you don’t know enough about the NFL Draft, don’t make a mock draft. Leave it to the guys who specialize in it.
That’s it for the edition. Check out the full list of Pro Football HOF voters and if you see a crap piece by any of them send me an email at chris@cippinonsports.com.
Why You Should Feel Good, Yet Bad About Your NFL Team (NFC Edition)
I started things off earlier with the AFC and now it’s time for the NFC. Find out why your favorite NFL team should feel good and bad heading into next season. You know, if there is a next season.
What do the Green Bay Packers have to be worried about? Is there anything the Panthers can be excited about?
Philadelphia Eagles
Good: They get Michael Vick for a full season.
Bad: He took a beating last season and they seem intent on trading Kevin Kolb, leaving Mike Kafka as the backup.
New York Giants
Good: Hakeem Nicks looks like he will be one of the best WRs in the NFL.
Bad: Eli Manning turned it over 30 times last season.
Washington Redskins
Good: They appear to be getting rid of overpriced veterans (Portis, Haynesworth, McNabb)
Bad: Daniel Snyder is still the owner.
Dallas Cowboys
Good: Wade Phillips is long gone and not coming back.
Bad: Did Jon Kitna outplay Tony Romo?
Chicago Bears
Good: They hosted the NFC Championship Game.
Bad: That same day, their QB was humiliated by his fellow peers and the media.
Green Bay Packers
Good: Obviously they just won the Super Bowl, plus Aaron Rodgers is hitting his prime.
Bad: In the future, can they afford to keep all of their young studs.
Detroit Lions
Good: They ended the season on a 4 game winning streak.
Bad: Matthew Stafford is more fragile than peace between Israel and Palestine.
Minnesota Vikings
Good: The old gunslinger will not throw any more interceptions.
Bad: Their o-line is in fast decline. Not good when your best player is Adrian Peterson.
Atlanta Falcons
Good: Their triplets (Ryan,Turner,White) is as good as it gets in the NFL.
Bad: Matt Ryan is 0-2 in the playoffs and hasn’t looked great in either start.
New Orleans Saints
Good: The foundation of the Super Bowl winning team is still in place.
Bad: Can they overcome that embarrassing loss to the Seahawks?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Good: They went 10-6 with as many as 12 rookies having a role on the team.
Bad: Only 1 of their 10 wins came against a team with a winning record.
Carolina Panthers
Good: They have the #1 pick in a very strong draft class.
Bad: This list could go on and on, but I’ll stick with the draft. They traded what is now the 33rd pick for Armanti Edwards, who was active for only 3 games last season.
Seattle Seahawks
Good: They won a playoff game against the defending world champs.
Bad: They had no business being there.
St. Louis Rams
Good: Sam Bradford and Josh McDaniels working together has great potential.
Bad: It could also be a complete disaster (see Cutler, Jay).
San Francisco 49ers
Good: Jim Harbaugh worked magic at Stanford, grooming Andrew Luck into a potential #1 pick.
Bad: They have Alex Smith, not Andrew Luck.
Arizona Cardinals
Good: They still have Larry Fitzgerald.
Bad: Fitzgerald might want out.
Have any other ideas? Share them in the comments section.
Why You Should Feel Good, Yet Bad About Your NFL Team (AFC Edition)
With ongoing NFL labor talks, the odds of there being a season next year is up in the air. The ongoing dispute has disrupted the offseason and has every fan worrying that there won’t be any football on Sunday’s come September.
In the end though, they will agree to a deal and there will be football this fall and fans can go back to worrying about their actual team. I’ve taken it a step further and done it for you, listing a reason why you should feel good about your team heading into next year, but also why you should have your concerns.
New England Patriots
Good: They went 14-2 and Tom Brady had perhaps his best season ever.
Bad: They are 0-3 in their last 3 playoff games and haven’t won a playoff game since 2007.
New York Jets
Good: In their first two seasons their coach/quarterback combo (Rex Ryan, Mark Sanchez) have been to back-to-back AFC Championship Games.
Bad: Mark Sanchez had 15 dropped interceptions. No other quarterback had more than 8.
Miami Dolphins
Good: The Dolphins went 6-2 on the road, winning in tough places like Green Bay and New York.
Bad: After using a second round pick on a quarterback in 4 of the past 5 years, the Dolphins are still searching for a franchise quarterback.
Buffalo Bills
Good: In Kyle Williams the Bills have an elite nose tackle, the hardest position to fill in a 3-4.
Bad: They haven’t made the playoffs since 1999.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Good: They have made the Super Bowl in 3 out of the past 6 seasons and their QB us in his prime.
Bad: After each of the past two Super Bowl appearances, they missed the playoffs the next year.
Baltimore Ravens:
Good: The Harbaugh/Flacco combo has been to and won at least one game in their three seasons together.
Bad: Age is starting to creep up on a lot of key players (Lewis, Reed, Mason, Birk).
Cincinnati Bengals
Good: They might finally be ridding themselves of Carson Palmer and his back breaking interceptions.
Bad: If they get rid of Palmer, their backup is Jordan Palmer, his brother.
Cleveland Browns
Good: No more Eric Mangini
Bad: Mike Holmgren is still running the draft and he doesn’t have a great track record.
Indianapolis Colts
Good: Despite a ton of injuries and a rough stretch from Peyton Manning, they still won the division.
Bad: Peyton Manning now has a 9-10 career playoff record.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Good: With three games left in the regular season, the Jaguars controlled their own destiny.
Bad: They still haven’t gotten over the hump that is the Colts in the South.
Tennessee Titans
Good: Chirs Johnson, arguably the best running back in the league, is only 25.
Bad: Their new head coach, Mike Munchak, has never been a head coach at any level.
Houston Texans
Good: Wade Phillips has a great track record as a defensive coordinator.
Bad: If you think Wade Phillips is going to save you, your in trouble.
Kansas City Chiefs
Good: They were one of the surprise teams of the year, going 10-6 and winning the division.
Bad: Their offense went into the tank after Charlie Weiss announced he was leaving.
San Diego Chargers
Good: They have the most talented team in the division.
Bad: Phillip Rivers has yet to show he can deliver consistently in the clutch.
Oakland Raiders
Good: They won the most games (8) since they went to the Super Bowl in 2002.
Bad: They’re still wildly overspending for players.
Denver Broncos
Good: Josh McDaniels is out of town and can’t alienate any more star players.
Bad: It looks like their 2010 1st round picks (Tebow, Demaryius Thomas) won’t make much of an impact for them.
Can you guys think of any more? Share yours in the comments section.
Looking Back at My 2010 NFL Preseason Predicitions
Before the season began, I made some predictions on how the 2010 NFL Season would shake out. I hit some on some predictions, but also missed badly on others. Let’s see how I did.
First, let’s start by me patting myself on my back.
Teams Record I Got Exactly Right
Buffalo Bills: 4-12- I don’t think anyone had them winning more than 6 games before the season started.
Baltimore Ravens: 12-4- They have been a consistent contender every year under John Harbaugh.
Cleveland Browns: 5-11- Looking at their schedule preseason you could tell it would be another long year for Browns fans.
Houston Texans: 6-10- One of my better predictions. I learned a long time ago not to drink the Texans preseason Kool Aid.
Oakland Raiders: 8-8- Another one of my better predictions. How could they not improve after getting rid of JaMarcus Russell.
Denver Broncos: 4-12- I have been hating on the Broncos ever since McDaniels took over and the wheels finally fell off this season.
New York Giants: 10-6- I thought 10-6 would be good enough for the G-Men to make the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks: 7-9- Yeah I had them at 7-9, but winning the division at 7-9? Are you serious???
Teams Within One Game (Real Record in Parenthesis):
New York Jets: 10-6 (11-5)- They’re my favorite team and picked them to do worse than they actually did. I don’t play favorites.
Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-5 (12-4)- I loved how they were getting disrespected before the season and knew they would make a playoff run.
Washington Redskins: 7-9 (6-10)- Didn’t think McNabb and Shanahan would be much of an upgrade over Zorn and Campbell and they weren’t.
Atlanta Falcons: 12-4 (13-3)- I thought this would be the year the Falcons overtook the Saints. It’s too bad they didn’t have any success in the playoffs though.
New Orleans Saints: 10-6 (11-5)- A slight decline is no surprise after you win the Super Bowl.
Arizona Cardinals: 6-10 (5-11)- You don’t go from a Hall of Fame quarterback (Kurt Warner) to Derek Anderson and expect to compete, even in the NFC West.
That’s 14 team’s whose record I predicted either exactly or within one game. That’s 44% of the league. Not too shabby is you ask me. If you can find any expert picks out there, please share them so I can compare or I did compared to them.
Other Notable Predictions:
I predicted the Green Bay Packers would make the Super Bowl, though I had them losing it.
I predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers would win the Super Bowl at the start of the playoffs.
I predicted Aaron Rodgers would win the MVP. I got the MVP thing right, but I forget to put the Super Bowl in front of it.
I predicted the Kansas City Chiefs to have a surprise year and finish 8-8, but didn’t have the kahunas to pick them over the Chargers.
I predicted Brett Favre to have a down year and the Minnesota Vikings would miss the playoffs finishing 8-8.
Now for the part you’ve all been waiting for, the predictions that I swung and missed on.
Predictions Gone Bad
I said the New EnglandPatriots wold go 9-7 and missed the playoffs. They only went 14-2 and had the best record in the NFL.
I thought the San Diego Chargers and San Francsico 49ers would both go 11-5 and win their respective divisions. Neither of them made the playoffs.
I had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finishing 4-12 and the St. Louis Rams as the worst team in the league (2-14). The Bucs were one of this season’s best surprises finishing 10-6 missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker and the Rams lost the NFC West title in tea last game of the season.
I predicted the Indianapolis Colts would go 13-3 and hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Dallas. Instead, they needed to win their last 4 games to make the playoffs and then got bounced in the first round.
And that does it for my year in review. As always I had my hits (43% of the league I predicted withing a game) and my misses (the Pats missing the playoffs). Though overall, I’d say I did a pretty good job, especially considering how wacky the NFL is. Next year, I promise, I’ll make more predictions giving even more opportunities for me to look bad.
Feel free to make fun of me or compliment me if your feeling nice, in the comments.
4 Downs: Super Bowl, Roethlisberger, and NFL Labor Talk
With the Super Bowl over and the news cycle a little slow, were rolling out a weekly feature called “4 Downs” in which we’ll take a look at 4 pressing questions about the NFL. This week’s questions deals with some post Super talks about the the NFL Labor Talks, Ben Roethlisberger, the Packers chances of repeating, and yes, even Brett Favre. If there’s a question you would like to see answered, email us at chris@cippinonsports.com
Will the Green Bay Packers Repeat?
Of course they can, but they won’t. They have the talent to do so, but it’s just so hard for teams to repeat in today’s NFL. It has happened only once in the past 13 years. You just don’t see it in the NFL. It is easier in other sports where they play a best of 7 series, but it the NFL its one and done and anything can happen in one game. Now, the Packers will probably have a better record next year, but that doesn’t ensure playoff success. New England and Atlanta were a combined 27-5 in the regular season and they won 0 playoff games.
So all this Brett Favre Green Bay talk can finally end, right?
Yes, finally. Rodgers has now matched Favre in Super Bowls (1) and has a Super Bowl MVP to go along with that, something Favre doesn’t. Also comparing Rodgers first three years as a starter to Brett’s best three year stretch (’95-’97) and Rodgers has Favre beat in passer rating plus his dominance on the ground. When its all said and done, #12 could very well go down in the history books ahead of #4.
What now for Ben Roethlisberger?
Not to worry. You can’t win every Super Bowl you play in, just ask Tom Brady. He was one drive away from leading the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, so you have to give him some credit for that. The man has a 9-3 playoff record with 2 Super Bowl rings and he’s not even 30 yet. Not many other quarterbacks in history could have said that.
Will there be football in September?
I’m going to go down on record as saying yes and here’s why. There’ just too much to lose for there not to be. The NFL is at it’s peak right now and it’s still growing, why would anyone want to disrupt that. Also, no serious negotiations will actually start to happen until the deadline. That’s the case with all labor negotiations. They might not agree on a deal before the current CBA expires, but it shouldn’t be long after that. Do you really think the players are going to let this drag on until Labor Day? If there’s no CBA, they’re not receiving any paychecks and more players than you think live paycheck to paycheck. You don’t think Anotnio Cromartie needs the money to pay his baby mommas? Eventually, the players will cave to the owners demands, it’s just a matter a when and I predict it will be sooner rather than later. One final word on this whole thing. Can the media stop paying so much attention to these negotiations. I really don’t care about what this side said or what this side wants, just tell me when they are close to a deal. I don’t need 24/7 coverage. Thanks SportsCenter.
Top 10 Plays of the 2010 NFL Season
So this is how its going to be from now on.
No Sunday Football.
I knew there wasn’t going to be any football, yet still on Sunday I turned on my TV at 1:00…nothing. 4:15, same result. Ok, what about 6:30? Nada. As I finally came to the realization that the season was over, I pondered what am I going to do on Sunday for the next gasp … 7 months, at least, if not more.
On this first Sunday, I went to Youtube and started looking at clips from the 2010 NFL Season. After watching all of the great moments, I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be a great idea to compile a list of the Top 10 Plays of the 2010 NFL Season. And so I did. And now you have this great list of the best plays of this past NFL season. Enjoy.
Also, if you have any ideas on what to do on Sunday’s now, I’m all ears.
I present to you, the Top 10 Plays of the 2010 NFL Season.
10. Dan Connolly Makes History
Dan Connolly just became a pariah of the offensive lineman brotherhood with that return. As great as it was, how you do not finish that off Connolly? Your five yards away from glory and going down in NFL galore, only to be tackled from behind. If he finishes off that run, that goes down as an all timer. Now were never going to see an o-lineman take one to the house. At this rate, all o-linemen will be 500 pounds in 20 years. ThEy won’t be able to chase down the ice cream truck, let alone outrun 11 defenders who I’m assuming will all run 3.8 40′s at that point.
9. Randy Moss is Better With 1 Hand than You Are With 2
Back when Randy Moss wasn’t a dead corpse wasting away in Tennessee, he was making plays like this for the Patriots. I don’t get how you can go from making a sick one handed grab against the league’s best cornerback to catching just 2 passes total in the final five game of the season, but that’s Randy Moss for you. One of the most polarizing athletes of his generation.
8. LeGarrette Blount Can Do More Than Throw a Right Hook
How did all 32 teams really pass on this 7 times? Did that really happen? Before the punching incident if you asked talent evaluators who would you rather have, LeGarrette Blount or Ryan Matthews, you would have at worst a 50-50 split. Yet, Matthews went 12th overall while Blount had to see 255 names called before he got his shot. It’s times like this when you wonder how these front offices guys made the kind of money they do yet make mistakes like this. All Blount did was rush for over 1000 yards despite not really playing until Week 7 and produce highlight reel runs like this and this, in addition to the one below.
7. Kroy Bierrmann Pick 6
Before this season started, Kroy Biermann was probably more well known for dating someone from Real Housewives of Atlanta than playing football. Now, he can say he returned a Jake Delhomme pass for a touchdown. But then again, so can half of the league. Regardless of who threw it, it was still one heck of a play.
6. Tony Moeaki … Not Bad for a Rookie
During my research for this piece, I came across this ridiculous catch by Tony Moeaki and couldn’t remember ever seeing it during the regular season. I have one question…why? This is hands down the catch of the year, yet I don’t remember SportCenter or anywhere else hyping this play up. Perhaps, it’s because it was made by a rookie tight end playing for a team that most people think still have Tony Gonzalez on the team. I’ll guarantee you if that was Tony Gonzalez making that play, it would have been shoved down your throat all season long.
5. Troy Polamalu is a Freak of Nature
This is just one reason why he was the defensive player of the year. Who else in the NFL Makes this play? Who even attempts this play? Can you name 5 guys? How about 3? You can’t, that’s what I thought. That’s what makes Polamlau such a special player. Too bad he was at less than 100 percent in the Super Bowl.
4. Chris Johnson is Pretty Good
If you thought he had a down year in 2010 look again. Most of the blame for his drop in production can be blamed on his offensive line as he had roughly the same yards after contact per carry as he did in 2009. CJ2K still has the sizzle, no one can doubt that. The announcer said it looked like something in a video game. That run was beyond video status. I’ve been playing Madden for 10 years and have never come close to pulling off anything remotely close to that. If I did, that would be all over Youtube. If someone has actually done this, please post it to Youtube.
3. David Garrard Hail Mary as Time Expires
Glover Quinn watched NFL Primetime a few too many times. I wonder what Tom Jackson was thinking as he was watching that play? As the ball was is the air was he screaming “KNOCK IT DOWN, KNOCK IT DOWN?” Then when Quinn did knock it down, right into the hands of Mike Thomas what was his reaction? Were Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter mercilessly ripping on him because they better have been. We need to know these answers!
2. DeSean Jackson Takes it to the House
If you thought losing on the play before was rough, you better look away now. Imagine being up 31-10 with 8 minutes left in the game and losing in regulation. Not even overtime, REGULATION! Too make matters worse, this play also killed the Giants season as after this game they curled up into a little ball and proceeded to get steamrolled by the Packers in their own stadium. As weird as it sounds, it also killed the Eagles too, who drained all their energy in that one game or something along those lines as they lost their next three games en route to getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs by guess who, the Packers.
1. Marshawn Lynch… Beast Mode
Was this the best postseason run in NFL history? Or was it the worst display of tackling? Let’s say it was somewhere in the middle. I bet Bills fans watching this were screaming, “where the hell was that the past two years?” Also, watching this video just makes you feel bad for Tracy Porter. Last year he was a hero, picking off Peyton Manning and sealing the Super Bowl and now this year he’s getting shoved to the turf by a Marshawn Lynch stiff arm. Now that’s a sentence you’d never think you’d see last year.
That wraps up the countdown. Hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of it below in the comments section.
Roger Goodell Writes and Op-Ed on CBA Talks: Clear PR Move
In what could only be described as a strategic PR move, Roger Goodell wrote a op-ed about the current state of the NFL CBA talks. Goodell says he “cannot emphasize enough the importance of reaching agreement by then (March 4th)” and that the league and the players union need to start “serious negotiations” toward a new labor deal soon or else the season will be in jeopardy.
The complete column is below, clipped from NFLlabor.com:
THE TIME HAS COME TO MAKE A DEAL
By Roger Goodell
One of the best NFL seasons in history is now over. We salute NFL players for their extraordinary talent and we deeply appreciate the tremendous support of the fans.
The hard work to secure the next NFL season must now accelerate in earnest. We are just weeks from the expiration of our collective bargaining agreement. There has been enough rhetoric, litigation and other efforts beyond the negotiating table. It is time for serious negotiations.
The current agreement expires on March 4, and I cannot emphasize enough the importance of reaching agreement by then. If we as a league — the teams and players’ union — fail to fulfill our shared responsibility to the fans and game, everyone will be worse off — players, teams and fans — starting in March.
This is an opportunity to create a better future for the NFL, to improve the game for our fans, and to expand the economic benefits for the players and teams.
Staying with the status quo is not an option. The world has changed for everyone, including the NFL and our fans. We must get better in everything we do.
The union has repeatedly said that it hasn’t asked for anything more and literally wants to continue playing under the existing agreement. That clearly indicates the deal has moved too far in favor of one side. Even the union’s president knows this — as he said on national radio on January 27: “I think what really happened is in 2006 we got such a great deal. I mean, the players got a good deal and the owners felt they got it handed to them.”
We need an agreement that both sides can live with and obtain what they need, not simply what they want.
Today’s collective bargain agreement does not work as it should from the standpoint of the teams. If needed adjustments are made, the NFL will be better for everyone. The first step is making sure a new collective bargaining agreement is more balanced and supports innovation and growth.
The NFL clubs want to move forward, improve the system, and secure the future of the game for the benefit of players, fans and teams.
The status quo means no rookie wage scale and the continuation of outrageous sums paid to many unproven rookies. In 2009, for example, NFL clubs contracted $1.2 billion to 256 drafted rookies with $585 million guaranteed before they had stepped on an NFL field. Instead, we will shift significant parts of that money to proven veterans and retired players.
The status quo means 16 regular-season and four preseason games — even though fans have rejected and dismissed four preseason games at every opportunity. We need to deliver more value to our fans by giving them more of what they want at responsible prices. This can be achieved if we work together and focus on more ways to make the game safer and reduce unnecessary contact during the season and in the off-season.
The status quo means failing to recognize the many costs of financing, building, maintaining and operating stadiums. We need new stadiums in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Oakland and San Diego; and the ability for more league investment in new technology to improve service to fans in stadiums and at home.
The status quo means players continuing to keep 60 percent of available revenue, in good years or bad, no matter how the national economy or the economics of the league have changed. From 2001 to 2009, player compensation doubled and the teams committed a total of $34 billion to player costs. The NFL is healthy in many respects, but we do not have a healthy business model that can sustain growth.
Companies with far more revenue than the NFL have gone bankrupt because they mismanaged their costs and failed to address their problems before they became a crisis. The NFL has a track record over many decades of making good decisions that have led to unprecedented popularity. Negotiating a fair agreement will result in billions in pay and benefits to current players, improved benefits for retired players, and a sustainable business model for our teams.
The current deal does not secure the best possible future for the game, players, clubs and fans. The next few weeks must be used to negotiate with intensity and purpose so we can reach a fair agreement by March 4. If both sides compromise and give a little, everyone will get a lot, especially the fans.
