football fridays

Football Fridays – Frustrated Tom Brady and Week 2 Matchups

Well, Geno Smith and the Jets’ one game winning streak has been broken! Most of us were in suspense regarding the game: Who would win?

Yeah, right.

Despite the gutting of the Patriots’ offense by free agency, injuries and (alleged) murder, the Jets suffered from poor performance on both sides of the ball.

I am not a Pats “fan” per se. I admire their work ethic and the coaching of Belichick, but I simply cannot abide a team that uses cheating tactics to win. Don’t they have enough film to study?

On the other hand, I am not a Jets’ fan, nor am I a fan of Geno Smith. So when it comes to these two teams, I go with the more mature QB.

That being said, the game was sloppy on both sides. Dropped passeds turnovers (not the tasty kind) and interceptions made the game a disappointment to watch. I expect more from Tom Brady, though I understand that he’s working with super-brand new players. But Tom showed his frustration, yelling on the sidelines about his immature receivers.

Either way, the Pats won and Tom Brady didn’t put up many fantasy points.

Let’s take a look at this weekend’s matchups:

Weekend Matchups –

(note…I only comment on the games that will probably be shown in the New York metro area. Your mileage may vary.)

Chargers at Eagles

The Chargers like to give away games and the Eagles seem like they are on a serious mission. With the addition of coach Chip Kelly, the Iggles are a team to be reckoned with. I pick the Eagles.

Saints at Buccaneers

Drew BREES! As a former New Orleans resident, I like Drew Brees. As a current New Jersey resident, I do not like former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. But I do like former Tampa Buccaneer, Warren Sapp. Hmmmmm. I pick the Saints.

Redskins at Packers

I am neutral on the strength of both these teams, but I like RGIII much better than Aaron Rodgers. Despite my affection for the running quarterback, I have to pick the Packers.

49ers at Seahawks

I laughed this morning when the fellas on WFAN reported that someone on the 49ners called the Seahawks, the “Shehawks”. Juvenile? Yes. Fun? Most definitely. This will be a hard fought game between two tough teams. I can’t even venture to pick a winner.

The Manning Bowl – Broncos at Giants

What else can be said about this matchup? I don’t do point spreads and stuff like that, but let it be said that Peyton has won every Manning bowl so far. In addition, the Giants defense isn’t what it used to be – but the Broncos offense is hot! Either way, it should be a good game to watch.

Let it also be said that the Eli does have two championship rings to Peyton’s one.

Who’s your team? Who’s your player? Comment and let me know!

Football Fridays – Father's Day Edition

Happy Friday everyone! My previous plan was to discuss the Tim Tebow and the New England Patriots situation, but that has already been done to death – I’m not going to add anything that isn’t already out there. So, with Father’s Day this Sunday, and given how many fathers love football, I decided to take a look at some father/son football families.

Howie Long, Chris Long, Kyle Long

Howie Long is not known for his rapping, but he’s known for being one of the most fearsome defensive lineman in his thirteen seasons with the Oakland Raiders, matching his career high of thirteen sacks in a season.

Chris Long, his oldest son is a defensive end for the St. Louis Rams and his middle son, Kyle Long was drafted by the Chicago Bears this year.

Oliver Luck and Andrew Luck

Oliver Luck spent five seasons with the now-gone Houston Oilers, drafted in the same year as Jim McMahon. Though mostly a back-up to Warren Moon, he did have modest success with the team.

Andrew Luck, a graduate of Stanford University, was chosen by the Colts as first pick overall, and went on to break several passing records for a rookie including:

Most passing yards in a single game by a rookie quarterback: 433 (vs Miami Dolphins) (11/4/12)
Most passing yards by a rookie in a single season: 4,374^[42]
Most 300+ yards passing games by a rookie QB (6)

(credit: Wikipedia)

Clay Matthews, Sr., Clay Matthews Jr, Clay Matthews III, Casey Matthews, Bruce Matthews, Kevin Matthews

26-Clay-Matthews-sack-celebration1 — Clay Matthews

This one was doozy! Not only was Clay Matthews Sr. a Korean war veteran and an Army paratrooper, he apparently could cough and spit out football players. Born in 1928, he was an offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers.

He is the father of Clay Matthews, Jr., a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons and Bruce Matthews, an offensive guard for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans.

In turn, Clay Matthews Jr. is father to Clay Matthews III, the Green Bay Packer linebacker with the long hair, Casey Matthews, linebacker on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Clay Matthews Jr’s brother, Bruce Matthews has one son in the NFL: Kevin Matthews, who just signed with the Washington Redskins

Forget the Mannings. That, dear readers, is a football family.

Happy Father’s Day!

Football Fridays – Running Backs

Running backs, also known as halfback or fullbacks (this depends on the size of the player), is sometimes the most visible player on the field. Overall, they also may have the best physique (read: hot bods) in the NFL. Wide receivers are a close second.

From the Free Online Dictionary:

running back
n. Football

An offensive back, such as a fullback or halfback, who has the responsibility of advancing the ball by running with it on plays from the line of scrimmage.

Whenever you see the quarterback hand off the football, it’s usually to a running back. If you polled a hundred football fans and asked which was the sexiest position on the team, excluding the quarterback, I reckon most would say the running back. Good running backs are hard to come by and they wear themselves out quickly on the field. The position is a taxing one because it is the most prone to taking powerful hits in addition to the wear and tear on the body, especially the knees.

However, running backs are the ones that usually provide the most exciting plays on the field.

Emmitt Smith, of recent “Dancing with the Stars” fame was the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,400 in five consecutive seasons. He holds the NFL record in career rushing yards with 18,355, breaking a record held by Walter “Sweetness” Payton of Chicago Bears fame.

Adrian “All Day”, “Purple Jesus”, Peterson is a running back for the Minnesota Vikings, hence the moniker “Purple Jesus” because those legs have saved the Vikings a time or two. In his first pro season, he set an NFL record for most rushing yards (296) in a single game.

Peterson is what we think of as a running back. His lean physique and fast legs give him the ability to weave and move through the defenders on the field, taking off like a rocket when the coast is clear.

Stats: Height: 6 ft 1 in Weight: 217 lb

Peyton Hillis

If you like your running backs with a side order of grits and cowboy hats, Peyton Hillis is your man. From Conway, Arkansas, this Razorback running back honed his skills at the University of Arkansas beside Felix Jones (of the Dallas Cowboys). Pulling pickup trucks is a part of his workout routine.

Due to his weight (250 lbs on a 6’2″ frame) Hillis is more fullback than traditional running back. A fullback can either block for the faster, more agile running back or he can rush through the defense, using his weight to make short yard plays. Fullbacks don’t gain much yardage during games, so aren’t very good for fantasy football points (I learned this lesson last year, sadly.) Hilis is good-looking, but doesn’t give much points on the fantasy board.

Hillis has played for the Denver Broncos (227 overall pick in the draft), the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs. And, interestingly if my sources are right, he is the only white running He is currently a free agent (which is a nice way of saying he’s “NFL unemployed“). He was also the cover boy for Madden NFL 12.

Stats: Height: 6 ft 2 in Weight: 250 lb

Arian Foster

Considered to be one of the best running backs in the NFL, Arian Foster is one of the driving forces behind the Houston Texans’ offense. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Texans in 2009, Foster made his debut against the Tennessee Titans as a member of special teams. He scored his first NFL touchdown against the Miami Dolphins (of course). His first career start was against the New England Patriots where he rushed for 119 yards and scored two touchdowns.

In a 2010 start against the Indianapolis Colts (and Peyton Manning) he broke the record for the most rushing yards by a Houston Texans in a single game in addition to securing the most rushing yards given up to a single player by the Colts.

Stats: 6 ft 1 in, 228 lb

Ray Rice

Rice hails from my home state of New Jersey – a graduate of Rutgers University where he was the starting tailback during his freshman year. A current Baltimore Ravens (drafted 55th overall), Rice earned his first Super Bowl ring against the San Francisco earlier this year. In a 2010 wildcard playoff game against the love-to-hate New England Patriots, Rice scored an 83 yard touchdown on the first offensive play, the longest play for the Raves that season, the longest rush of hi NFL career and the second longest rush in NFL post-season history. The longest rush record in the post season is held by Fred Taylor at 90 yards.

Stats: Height: 5 ft 8 in Weight: 212 lb

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There’s your crash course on running backs. Now that you know the positions (if you didn’t know before) which running back is going to smash records this year? Peterson came close, just nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,106 rushing yards during the regular season.