By David Levy-Fan Experience Reporter-Football Reporters Online
The Georgia Dome in Atlanta remains a perfectly fine building for professional football. Still a teenager, it is nowhere near long in the tooth. Capacity is enough to accommodate nearly every Atlanta Falcons fan willing to buy tickets.
Arthur Blank, the team owner, craves a new stadium. That seems akin to trading in your car after it has logged only 20,000 miles, but he can well afford it. Blank, the former owner of the ubiquitous American home improvement store chain called The Home Depot, has a net worth of $1.2 billion, according to Forbes, and the franchise value has risen 52 per cent since he bought it in 2002 for $545 million.
But wait. Blank expects the quasi-public agency that operates the Dome and the proposed site of a new stadium to issue bonds that would pay some of the costs. That should be 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, sticking it to taxpayers at the same time that funding for public schools in Georgia is being cut.
This sickness is spreading among NFL team owners. In Minnesota, the Vikings' Zygi Wilf has capitalized on the collapse of the Metrodome's inflatable roof amid a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm and the fear of the franchise relocating to Los Angeles in his campaign for a replacement stadium. Of course, citizens would contribute to the project. Never mind that Blank might expect Wilf, worth $1.3bn, to pick up their lunch bill.
The shameless nonchalance of these folks who seem detached from reality has generated a shifting of the winds. We have already experienced it here in New York and New Jersey.
The public, which normally sides with management during labor disputes in American sports, is sympathetic toward the players in a stand-off with owners that has pushed the league to the brink of a lockout. In a poll conducted by Seton Hall University, 35 per cent who participated backed the players, compared to 22 per cent for their bosses. This, even though the same study found that most contend the players are overpaid.
Taxpayers are increasingly fed up with being forced to become stadium-erecting partners with Rolex-wearing, yacht-sailing jet-setters. Economists nowadays agree on little, but one belief they share is that public support of professional sports offers almost nothing financially in return.
The Giants and Jets grew tired of their shared arena and convinced the government to pitch in for a new-and-improved one. The old Giants Stadium was torn down despite carrying more than $100m in debt that must be paid off by the good people of New Jersey. Plus, the season ticket holders are also helping flip the bill on the new one with PSL's. Isn't that double dipping? The nerve!
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, stands complicit in this wasteful building boom. From his office comes a wink-nod promise of the ultimate in ego gratification for owners: host your own Super Bowl! Just throw up a stadium and you will get the big game. How you bankroll it, that's your business.
Which explains why the 2014 Super Bowl was awarded to New Meadowlands in a region where the average low temperature in February is -2°C. Which also explains why 22 of 32 teams have moved into fresh digs or had their existing ones totally made over in the last two decades.
In that time, teams have been blessed with more than $7bn in taxpayer subsidies for construction and renovation, according to the NFL Players' Association.
The players union reports that, on average, taxpayers put up 65 per cent of the financing for those projects. Owners found a way to avoid putting in any money for 10 of them; for nine others, their contribution amounted to less than 25 per cent.
Further driving public sentiment toward the players are reports on the sport's inherent physical risk, particularly for victims of post-concussive syndrome that has ravaged retirees. Fans are looking beyond the average salary of $1.9m and discovering other statistics:
$770,000, the median yearly pay. Three-and-a-half years, the average length of career. Eleven, the average number of players per team on injured reserve this past season.
While many of us might trade places with the players, the figures show that most of them accumulate more aches and pains than enough wealth to last them a lifetime.
For team owners, it is a different story. Admittance into the club all but guarantees going from rich to richer, experienced from the comfort of a stadium luxury suite.
Fine. That is the American way. But those who knock on government doors seeking handouts to finance mostly unnecessary arenas should instead heed the marketing message aimed at customers of Blank's old home improvement stores.
Do it yourself.
Follow me Twitter @LevysBakeryProd or at LevysBakeryProductions.com
Showing posts with label super bowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label super bowl. Show all posts
On Jerry Jones, The Super Bowl Ticket Issue, And Other NFL Notes
On Jerry Jones, The Super Bowl Ticket Issue, And Other NFL Notes: the “what do we do now that the seasons’s really over” edition:
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online
So what are you supposed to do now that the season’s really over? Count the days to the Lockout? (18 after today)…It Didn’t take too long for the seating mess at the taj McJerry (Cowboys stadium) to boil over post super bowl. The Question is ”why “was it so important for Mr. Jerruh Jones to have the attendance record? To put it in one word: MONEY! I guess it’ll be awhile before he gets another SB there again,..like maybe SB 60,..if he is still running the team in 15 years, Jones should be glad that Roger Goodell came to his rescue by offering MOST of those effected a ticket to next years or any game of their choice,..plus three times the face of those bleacher seats..Oh yeah,..Al Davis is 80’something,..Jerry wants that record too, Oldest living active owner….Give the UFL credit for making a smart move by keeping the franchises limited to sustainable cities and the number down to 5 teams until they figure out what happened in Florida. If the NFL has not solved it’s labor issues by August, the UFL might be the only game in town, since they moved upo the start of their season to the first weekend of that month.…Congrats to our pal Jim Fassel, who is now also the Team President of the Las Vegas Locos as well as Head Coach & GM….Congrats to Jay Gruden for getting the DC job in Cincy…Our Heart goes out to poor Demaryius Thomas, he was working out in Atlanta and tore his Achilles Tendon, he could be out up to 8 months….I tore mine in a pick up Basketball game in 1990 and it’s never been the same…Thomas’ Bronco receiving mate Eddie Royal also just had hip surgery, so maybe another wide out is in the Broncos’ cards for the draft…Or will new Head coach John Fox switch the team to the 4-3 defense and draft 2 or 3 “Stud” defenders?....With Oakland on the rise and drafting in the middle of the pack, could they be planning some moves besides giving DE Richard Seymour the Franchise tag?...One good move was for New Head Man Hue Jackson to Hire Ex-Raiders LB Greg Biekert as that unit’s coach. Biekert was a defensive assistant for the raiders last season and spent nine of his eleven season playing as a Raider linebacker….meanwhile that hapless franchise known as the San Deigo(super) Chargers have to deal with losing Darren Sproles, franchising Vince Jackson(which would make him happy because it would still be a raise) the continued mediocre play of Phillip Rivers and dropping the price on some 6000+ seats for the 2011 season….It’s ok if they stink next season, the folks in SD will just go surfing….My Dear late mother used to say if you can say anything nice don’t say anything, but it doesn’t mean you can’t think it…..So can you guess what I’m thinking about those Pats fans who are still whining about not being in the SB this year, and how they would have beaten the Packers(I doubt it) or any other NFC team(yeah,..ok)….Hey at least your coach got the Coach of the year award….someone get me some pepto…That award should have gone to the SB winning Coach Mike McCarthy…So what if Jets QB Mark Sanchez has poor judgement? The Girl is clearly a “serial Star-dater, as evidenced by her retaining a Los Angeles lawyer who’s writing nasty letters to Deadspin’s Editor…Sure “E.K.” we got ya covered…we know what your up to…..I‘ve been hearing some unsavory things about a certain College all-star game…but I think it’s wise to heed mother’s advice on that one, but I will say this,…how can you claim to be a scout and offer player management services at the same time?? I keep hearing about all these “NEW” pro football leagues starting up, but when we dug into one of the “supposed” new start-ups, they hadn’t even rented a facility to run a combine….shame on them for deceiving the poor unsuspecting players…I am hearing some good things coming out of Canada about a new tv network that’s hiring a certain football writer you all know for a segment each week…and last but not least, I found some vintage football cards in my collection, one of which will go to the lucky winner of a contest we did on a collectable’s radio show last week…
Between my trip to the combine and the Draft I have 2 speaking engagements, so I’ll have to brush up on my stand up so when I sit down they’ll be laughing so hard they will forget what I say….see you all next week.
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online
So what are you supposed to do now that the season’s really over? Count the days to the Lockout? (18 after today)…It Didn’t take too long for the seating mess at the taj McJerry (Cowboys stadium) to boil over post super bowl. The Question is ”why “was it so important for Mr. Jerruh Jones to have the attendance record? To put it in one word: MONEY! I guess it’ll be awhile before he gets another SB there again,..like maybe SB 60,..if he is still running the team in 15 years, Jones should be glad that Roger Goodell came to his rescue by offering MOST of those effected a ticket to next years or any game of their choice,..plus three times the face of those bleacher seats..Oh yeah,..Al Davis is 80’something,..Jerry wants that record too, Oldest living active owner….Give the UFL credit for making a smart move by keeping the franchises limited to sustainable cities and the number down to 5 teams until they figure out what happened in Florida. If the NFL has not solved it’s labor issues by August, the UFL might be the only game in town, since they moved upo the start of their season to the first weekend of that month.…Congrats to our pal Jim Fassel, who is now also the Team President of the Las Vegas Locos as well as Head Coach & GM….Congrats to Jay Gruden for getting the DC job in Cincy…Our Heart goes out to poor Demaryius Thomas, he was working out in Atlanta and tore his Achilles Tendon, he could be out up to 8 months….I tore mine in a pick up Basketball game in 1990 and it’s never been the same…Thomas’ Bronco receiving mate Eddie Royal also just had hip surgery, so maybe another wide out is in the Broncos’ cards for the draft…Or will new Head coach John Fox switch the team to the 4-3 defense and draft 2 or 3 “Stud” defenders?....With Oakland on the rise and drafting in the middle of the pack, could they be planning some moves besides giving DE Richard Seymour the Franchise tag?...One good move was for New Head Man Hue Jackson to Hire Ex-Raiders LB Greg Biekert as that unit’s coach. Biekert was a defensive assistant for the raiders last season and spent nine of his eleven season playing as a Raider linebacker….meanwhile that hapless franchise known as the San Deigo(super) Chargers have to deal with losing Darren Sproles, franchising Vince Jackson(which would make him happy because it would still be a raise) the continued mediocre play of Phillip Rivers and dropping the price on some 6000+ seats for the 2011 season….It’s ok if they stink next season, the folks in SD will just go surfing….My Dear late mother used to say if you can say anything nice don’t say anything, but it doesn’t mean you can’t think it…..So can you guess what I’m thinking about those Pats fans who are still whining about not being in the SB this year, and how they would have beaten the Packers(I doubt it) or any other NFC team(yeah,..ok)….Hey at least your coach got the Coach of the year award….someone get me some pepto…That award should have gone to the SB winning Coach Mike McCarthy…So what if Jets QB Mark Sanchez has poor judgement? The Girl is clearly a “serial Star-dater, as evidenced by her retaining a Los Angeles lawyer who’s writing nasty letters to Deadspin’s Editor…Sure “E.K.” we got ya covered…we know what your up to…..I‘ve been hearing some unsavory things about a certain College all-star game…but I think it’s wise to heed mother’s advice on that one, but I will say this,…how can you claim to be a scout and offer player management services at the same time?? I keep hearing about all these “NEW” pro football leagues starting up, but when we dug into one of the “supposed” new start-ups, they hadn’t even rented a facility to run a combine….shame on them for deceiving the poor unsuspecting players…I am hearing some good things coming out of Canada about a new tv network that’s hiring a certain football writer you all know for a segment each week…and last but not least, I found some vintage football cards in my collection, one of which will go to the lucky winner of a contest we did on a collectable’s radio show last week…
Between my trip to the combine and the Draft I have 2 speaking engagements, so I’ll have to brush up on my stand up so when I sit down they’ll be laughing so hard they will forget what I say….see you all next week.
FRO's TJ Rosenthal on Why it's The Steelers Playing today and not the NY JETS
CAN’T WAIT: THE HEIGHT OF THE 201O NY JETS By TJ Rosenthal-Jets Reporter-Football Reporters Online
As they wake up today on Super Bowl Sunday, many Gang Green loyalists will still fight the reality that Bart Scott’s post game “Can’t Wait” rant in Foxboro was as high as the Jets could fly in 2010.
Losing to the league’s number one defense, a franchise that owns six titles was one thing. Coming out as flat as they did in Pittsburgh, for a Jets team that fed off of it’s own swagger, was another. A Jet team that enjoyed proving their many new found enemies wrong all year long, while overcoming scandal after scandal.
Once they packed up their gear in Foxboro, the Jets essentially packed up their championship attitude along with it. Only to roll it back out onto the field, while down 24-3 in the third quarter at Heinz Field. When it was too late.
The unguarded thoughts that Scott shared after the upset of the Pats with ESPN reporter Sal Palantonio showed us what the playing speed on the field had to be, in order to dismantle hall of famers like Tom Brady. Or the great Peyton Manning for that matter, as the Jets had done the week before.
Paradoxically, the club’s first ten minutes at Heinz Field became the failed science experiment of what a nice and cooperative Rex Ryan team could look like. A meandering group that for much of the first half, couldn’t move the chains on offense as they missed tackles and mounted penalties on defense.
After the hated Patriots were gone, Rex Ryan addressed the AFC Championship game with an uncustomary approach: Kid gloves. He spoke publicly about the Steelers with respect. Kindness. All of the warm hearted personality traits that THIS Jets team decided to disregard a long time ago.
This 2010 Jets playoff run was not about making friends. It was about being disrespected. From analysts and opponents alike. If in fact, there weren’t as many naysayers as the Jets believed there were, they made them up in their collective mind. For inspiration. For an edge, that translated into a pair of playoff upsets.
Maybe Ryan WAS being honest the whole way this January, and NOT playing psychological tricks with his players through the media. When Ryan made the first two rounds “personal,” perhaps he truly meant it.
If so, then it is possible that in Ryan’s heart, he felt that the Steelers, unlike the Colts and Pats who had hurt the Jets over the past year when it counted, deserved admiration before condemnation. That a third straight road playoff game, this time against the league’s most physical defense, truly WAS the toughest part of what he termed “mission impossible:” A brutal road run to Dallas that included three of the league’s top teams for the past decade.
If Ryan’s honesty was blindly directing the course of events during the week leading up to each playoff tilt, well then a little acting on the part of Ryan and the Jets before the AFC Championship might have helped. A bit more of that familiar Ryan era Jets chatter. If nothing more than for the purpose of maintaining the same wave length the organization had been on since July. When all of the talk initiated by the Jets in Florham Park was about reaching the Super Bowl.
If a shift in the Jets personality leading up to the AFC Championship game was NOT the primary reason for the season ending slow start that day, then HOW DID Ryan’s loud and proud Jets, in the biggest game of their two year run, become so congenial right out of the gates? So pedestrian?
Some will argue that the primary cause for the early three score deficit was nothing more than a faulty Jets gameplan. One that failed to put eight in the box against Rashard Mendenhall in zero degree temperature, forcing the Steelers to throw from the onset. One that in addition, tried to establish the run on offense, too often in the early going, against the NFL’s top run stoppers.
As the Steelers prepare to kick things off in Dallas today, many who bleed Green and White will ponder “what happened” that day, to themselves. Torturing their Gang Green infected souls. Many wondering where the Jets would be today, had they been able to ride the “Can’t Wait” emotions that Bart Scott exemplified in Foxboro, all the way to Pittsburgh.
The Jet Report
twitter@thejetreport
tumblr: thejetreport.tumblr.com
As they wake up today on Super Bowl Sunday, many Gang Green loyalists will still fight the reality that Bart Scott’s post game “Can’t Wait” rant in Foxboro was as high as the Jets could fly in 2010.
Losing to the league’s number one defense, a franchise that owns six titles was one thing. Coming out as flat as they did in Pittsburgh, for a Jets team that fed off of it’s own swagger, was another. A Jet team that enjoyed proving their many new found enemies wrong all year long, while overcoming scandal after scandal.
Once they packed up their gear in Foxboro, the Jets essentially packed up their championship attitude along with it. Only to roll it back out onto the field, while down 24-3 in the third quarter at Heinz Field. When it was too late.
The unguarded thoughts that Scott shared after the upset of the Pats with ESPN reporter Sal Palantonio showed us what the playing speed on the field had to be, in order to dismantle hall of famers like Tom Brady. Or the great Peyton Manning for that matter, as the Jets had done the week before.
Paradoxically, the club’s first ten minutes at Heinz Field became the failed science experiment of what a nice and cooperative Rex Ryan team could look like. A meandering group that for much of the first half, couldn’t move the chains on offense as they missed tackles and mounted penalties on defense.
After the hated Patriots were gone, Rex Ryan addressed the AFC Championship game with an uncustomary approach: Kid gloves. He spoke publicly about the Steelers with respect. Kindness. All of the warm hearted personality traits that THIS Jets team decided to disregard a long time ago.
This 2010 Jets playoff run was not about making friends. It was about being disrespected. From analysts and opponents alike. If in fact, there weren’t as many naysayers as the Jets believed there were, they made them up in their collective mind. For inspiration. For an edge, that translated into a pair of playoff upsets.
Maybe Ryan WAS being honest the whole way this January, and NOT playing psychological tricks with his players through the media. When Ryan made the first two rounds “personal,” perhaps he truly meant it.
If so, then it is possible that in Ryan’s heart, he felt that the Steelers, unlike the Colts and Pats who had hurt the Jets over the past year when it counted, deserved admiration before condemnation. That a third straight road playoff game, this time against the league’s most physical defense, truly WAS the toughest part of what he termed “mission impossible:” A brutal road run to Dallas that included three of the league’s top teams for the past decade.
If Ryan’s honesty was blindly directing the course of events during the week leading up to each playoff tilt, well then a little acting on the part of Ryan and the Jets before the AFC Championship might have helped. A bit more of that familiar Ryan era Jets chatter. If nothing more than for the purpose of maintaining the same wave length the organization had been on since July. When all of the talk initiated by the Jets in Florham Park was about reaching the Super Bowl.
If a shift in the Jets personality leading up to the AFC Championship game was NOT the primary reason for the season ending slow start that day, then HOW DID Ryan’s loud and proud Jets, in the biggest game of their two year run, become so congenial right out of the gates? So pedestrian?
Some will argue that the primary cause for the early three score deficit was nothing more than a faulty Jets gameplan. One that failed to put eight in the box against Rashard Mendenhall in zero degree temperature, forcing the Steelers to throw from the onset. One that in addition, tried to establish the run on offense, too often in the early going, against the NFL’s top run stoppers.
As the Steelers prepare to kick things off in Dallas today, many who bleed Green and White will ponder “what happened” that day, to themselves. Torturing their Gang Green infected souls. Many wondering where the Jets would be today, had they been able to ride the “Can’t Wait” emotions that Bart Scott exemplified in Foxboro, all the way to Pittsburgh.
The Jet Report
twitter@thejetreport
tumblr: thejetreport.tumblr.com
Some things and Other things-SB Sunday Edition
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online-Special Contributor
Our Congrats to the Hall of Fame Class of 2011: Richard Dent, Chris Hanburger--who was an Outstanding linebacker in his day ...Shannon Sharpe, Deion Sanders, Ed Sabol, Marshall Faulk, and Les Richter(also a Golden age Great)…as for Charles Haley & Curtis Martin-we can only hope for next year…..Speaking of Jets Players not in the Hall,..how about Joe Klecko getting come consideration??? Or Wr's Cris Carter and Tim Brown??? NY Giants Fans should be please to hear that Bill Parcells, Mike Strahan & Tiki Barber are all potentials next year, and at least one will get in…If Any of them get in we will make the trek to Canton…..
Eli Manning thinks Hakeem Nicks will make "yet another jump" and become one of the best Wr's in the NFL…he says even though several of his 25 int's bounced off WR's hands it still his job"to cut down" on them…Osi also wants Plaxico Burress back….Joining Eli, Brandon Jacobs, and others who have spoken out in Burress' favor…
We have reports of one of our all time favorite players, Giants QB Phil Simms, having a "heated" disagreement with Desmond Howard because of some remarks that Howard made on ESPN’s College Gameday during the season about his son Matt, the Tennessee QB. He made reference to Matt Simms being one of the worst QBs in the SEC during coverage of the Tennessee/LSU game. From Howard’s Twitter account. “At NFL-Xperience and Phil Simms just threatened 2 hit me b/c I said his son was 1 of the worse QBs in the SEC. I told him ‘LET’S GO!’” “I am DEAD serious about the Phil Simms thing. We all thought he was joking, but he kept going and said he wanted 2 take a swing at... Simms Responded through a CBS press release:
"Desmond and I were having a private conversation that became heated," Simms said in a statement released by CBS. "But at no time was there ever a chance of any physical confrontation, or that I felt the police officer assigned to me by the event planners for my appearance needed to separate the two of us."
I have a great deal of respect for both men, but this is simply a case of a Dad speaking up for his son…Any of us in this business are responsible for our comments, and no one is above reproach…At least Phil wasn't acting like Dez's fellow ESPN commentator Craig James when involved in his son Adam's issues with former College Coach MIKE LEACH…
Congrads go out to now former Hartford Colonials OL coach Todd Washington on his Hiring by the Ravens as OL coach…He also had a standout career at Va. Tech. in the 1990's
Lane Kiffin still can't get the "bad taste" of his year at Tennessee out of his head and mouth…The NCAA is investigating him for violations of all sorts...
The TEXAS vs. the Nation Game-Now renamed the "NFLPA college all star game" was played Yesterday with The TEXAS team winning 13-7...Clinton Portis' brother Josh was one of the Qb's featured in the game....
Mike Vick was named the AP's comeback player of the year, Seahawks WR MIke Williams was second in voting….Vick could be franchised, but claims he doesn't mind(probe because he'd still get a better contract then he has now and won't see most of the Money anyway because he's still paying damages from his past court dealings…The Eagles could also earn a greed deal in trading Kevin Kolb, Possibly 2 high draft picks and a player in return...
Pats owner Bob Kraft on The CBA talks:
"People don't want to hear about our squabbling," he said, "and it's criminal if we don't get a deal done.
"I've never seen the health of a business be as bright as this one."
Goodell says-If we don't get a settlement soon "the Cost goes up"
"1 Billion Dollars of revenue could be lost…"
The NFLPA is also trying to get some High profile agents to boycott the Combine and other Draft related activities…..Good Luck with That....
Drew Brees might have been SI's Sportsman of the year for 2010, but his comments regarding retired players before last years SB won't soon be forgotten….
Reports indicate Ravens players were upset with Harbaugh over length of practices leading up to Steeler playoff game...
The Eagles have Promoted Juan Castillo from OL coach to D-coordinator, which might seem strange, but at least one current NFL Head Coach, John Spagnulo of the Rams(the former Eagles LB's coach and Giants D-Coordinator) feels Castillo can make the move...
DeMAcrus Ware and Jay Ratliff glad to have Rob Ryan as the new Cowboys D-coordinator, hopefully the head coach and owner are too….
the U.S. ATF Div. of Homeland Security has the Bomb sniffing dogs from nearly 30 cities working at the SB and related events this week…
Everyone is talking about the Match ups between the two QB's on Sunday evening,..or the Possible Mismatch with Packers DL B.J. Raji vs. the Steelers OL's…but the real match up here is the two teams D-Coordinators,the Packers' Dom Capers(the former Panthers Head Coach) & The Steelers' Hall Of Famer Dick LeBeau…
Finally-Several polls have the Steelers winning the game by a 2-1 margin….
Don't forget FRO is Broadcasting it's Live SB preview show from3-6pm ET @ Public House NYC (140 E 41st. st off Lexington av.)
if you can't make it down in person listen @ www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Reporters
Our Congrats to the Hall of Fame Class of 2011: Richard Dent, Chris Hanburger--who was an Outstanding linebacker in his day ...Shannon Sharpe, Deion Sanders, Ed Sabol, Marshall Faulk, and Les Richter(also a Golden age Great)…as for Charles Haley & Curtis Martin-we can only hope for next year…..Speaking of Jets Players not in the Hall,..how about Joe Klecko getting come consideration??? Or Wr's Cris Carter and Tim Brown??? NY Giants Fans should be please to hear that Bill Parcells, Mike Strahan & Tiki Barber are all potentials next year, and at least one will get in…If Any of them get in we will make the trek to Canton…..
Eli Manning thinks Hakeem Nicks will make "yet another jump" and become one of the best Wr's in the NFL…he says even though several of his 25 int's bounced off WR's hands it still his job"to cut down" on them…Osi also wants Plaxico Burress back….Joining Eli, Brandon Jacobs, and others who have spoken out in Burress' favor…
We have reports of one of our all time favorite players, Giants QB Phil Simms, having a "heated" disagreement with Desmond Howard because of some remarks that Howard made on ESPN’s College Gameday during the season about his son Matt, the Tennessee QB. He made reference to Matt Simms being one of the worst QBs in the SEC during coverage of the Tennessee/LSU game. From Howard’s Twitter account. “At NFL-Xperience and Phil Simms just threatened 2 hit me b/c I said his son was 1 of the worse QBs in the SEC. I told him ‘LET’S GO!’” “I am DEAD serious about the Phil Simms thing. We all thought he was joking, but he kept going and said he wanted 2 take a swing at... Simms Responded through a CBS press release:
"Desmond and I were having a private conversation that became heated," Simms said in a statement released by CBS. "But at no time was there ever a chance of any physical confrontation, or that I felt the police officer assigned to me by the event planners for my appearance needed to separate the two of us."
I have a great deal of respect for both men, but this is simply a case of a Dad speaking up for his son…Any of us in this business are responsible for our comments, and no one is above reproach…At least Phil wasn't acting like Dez's fellow ESPN commentator Craig James when involved in his son Adam's issues with former College Coach MIKE LEACH…
Congrads go out to now former Hartford Colonials OL coach Todd Washington on his Hiring by the Ravens as OL coach…He also had a standout career at Va. Tech. in the 1990's
Lane Kiffin still can't get the "bad taste" of his year at Tennessee out of his head and mouth…The NCAA is investigating him for violations of all sorts...
The TEXAS vs. the Nation Game-Now renamed the "NFLPA college all star game" was played Yesterday with The TEXAS team winning 13-7...Clinton Portis' brother Josh was one of the Qb's featured in the game....
Mike Vick was named the AP's comeback player of the year, Seahawks WR MIke Williams was second in voting….Vick could be franchised, but claims he doesn't mind(probe because he'd still get a better contract then he has now and won't see most of the Money anyway because he's still paying damages from his past court dealings…The Eagles could also earn a greed deal in trading Kevin Kolb, Possibly 2 high draft picks and a player in return...
Pats owner Bob Kraft on The CBA talks:
"People don't want to hear about our squabbling," he said, "and it's criminal if we don't get a deal done.
"I've never seen the health of a business be as bright as this one."
Goodell says-If we don't get a settlement soon "the Cost goes up"
"1 Billion Dollars of revenue could be lost…"
The NFLPA is also trying to get some High profile agents to boycott the Combine and other Draft related activities…..Good Luck with That....
Drew Brees might have been SI's Sportsman of the year for 2010, but his comments regarding retired players before last years SB won't soon be forgotten….
Reports indicate Ravens players were upset with Harbaugh over length of practices leading up to Steeler playoff game...
The Eagles have Promoted Juan Castillo from OL coach to D-coordinator, which might seem strange, but at least one current NFL Head Coach, John Spagnulo of the Rams(the former Eagles LB's coach and Giants D-Coordinator) feels Castillo can make the move...
DeMAcrus Ware and Jay Ratliff glad to have Rob Ryan as the new Cowboys D-coordinator, hopefully the head coach and owner are too….
the U.S. ATF Div. of Homeland Security has the Bomb sniffing dogs from nearly 30 cities working at the SB and related events this week…
Everyone is talking about the Match ups between the two QB's on Sunday evening,..or the Possible Mismatch with Packers DL B.J. Raji vs. the Steelers OL's…but the real match up here is the two teams D-Coordinators,the Packers' Dom Capers(the former Panthers Head Coach) & The Steelers' Hall Of Famer Dick LeBeau…
Finally-Several polls have the Steelers winning the game by a 2-1 margin….
Don't forget FRO is Broadcasting it's Live SB preview show from3-6pm ET @ Public House NYC (140 E 41st. st off Lexington av.)
if you can't make it down in person listen @ www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Reporters
Jon Wagner’s 45 Questions for Super Bowl XLV
Jon Wagner’s 45 Questions for Super Bowl XLV
Football Reporters Online's Sr. Writer gives us his "Watch" list for tomorrow's game
STRATEGY & PERSONNEL:
1. Will Maurkice Pouncey play?
2. If Pouncey plays, but is limited, how effective will he be at helping to protect Ben Roethlisberger and opening holes for the Steelers’ running game?
3. If Pouncey can’t go, will the Steelers’ offense operate well enough behind backup Doug Legursky?
4. Will key rookies on either side (Pittsburgh’s Pouncey – if he plays, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders or Green Bay’s James Starks, or Sam Shields) play significant roles?
5. Will Starks (who leads all postseason rushers with 263 rushing yards) or Packers’ regular season-leading running back Brandon Jackson run the ball effectively enough to give Green Bay’s dangerous passing attack some balance against the NFL’s best rushing defense?
6. Can Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ passing game exploit the legendary Dick LeBeau’s blitzing attack against the Steelers’ biggest overall weakness – their 12th-ranked pass defense?
7. Or, can either the Pittsburgh pass rush or the secondary combination of Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu mask the Steelers’ pass defense deficiencies?
8. With two weeks of preparation, can the great Dick LeBeau come up with enough varied defensive looks to confuse Aaron Rodgers the way the Jets did the same to Tom Brady in their divisional upset round win in New England?
9. How much more dangerous could the ideal conditions on the fast track, indoors, in Cowboys Stadium make the Packers’ passing game? (recall what happened at the Georgia Dome in Green Bay’s 48-21 divisional round win over the Falcons).
10. If the Packers focus too much on stopping James Harrrison, will LaMarr Woodley or James Farrior disrupt the Green Bay offense?
11. Will James Harrison make a big game-turning play the way he did with his interception against Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII, which stands as the longest play in Super Bowl history?
12. Can Rashard Mendenhall pick up where he left off against the Jets, when he had a career post-season high 121 yards (95 in the first half) in the AFC title game?
13. Will Tramon Williams get another key postseason pick or two?
14. Will the Packers’ pass rush – one of the best in the NFL this season – get to Ben Roethlisberger?
15. Or, will Roethlisberger use his patented elusiveness and pump fake to make more of his trademark big plays after the plays break down?
16. Will linebackers Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk be able to patrol the middle of the field when Roethlisberger is on the run or after he dumps shorts passes off, particularly to his safety valve Heath Miller?
17. Can the Steelers’ receiving playmakers Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Emmanuel Sanders, and Antonio Brown keep pace with their more dangerous counterparts Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Donald Driver?
18. If called upon late in the game, can Shaun Suisham make a field goal over 50 yards or more? (although he’s 14 of 15 this season, he hasn’t attempted a field goal of 50 yards or more this year, and he’s only 3 of 9 from that distance for his career, with his last make from that far away coming two seasons ago, during the second of his three different stints with Washington). Conversely, Green Bay’s Mason Crosby has made 2 of 4 kicks from 50 or more yards this year, and he’s made 10 of 21 career kicks from that distance.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:
19 . Will karma catch up with the Steelers and will they lose a Super Bowl because of poor refereeing, the way they benefited from several bad calls to beat the Seattle in Super Bowl XL?
20. Will viewers be confused which team is at the bottom of a pile with both teams wearing pretty much the same shade of yellow pants? (at least the Steelers’ black stripes and the Packers’ green stripes down the sides might help ).
21. How ironic is it that the first-ever Super Bowl without cheerleaders is played in the stadium of the NFL team which made NFL cheerleaders famous?
22. Speaking of which, should the Dallas Cowboys lend their cheerleaders to the Pittsburgh and Green Bay sidelines?
23. Will a part of a Super Bowl venue (namely the oversized video boards overhanging the field from one 20 yard-line to the other) interfere with the play during a Super Bowl for the first time, on a high punt?
24. Will people finally stop complaining about the weather in Dallas and in general, about Super Bowls being held at sites where warm weather isn’t guaranteed? (It’s football! Suck it up, deal with the elements, and cover the Super Bowl without the ridiculous whining!).
TRENDS & STORYLINES:
25. Will the Steelers extend their record for Super Bowl wins to 7?
26. Will the Packers extend their record for NFL titles to 13?
27. Will the Packers become the NFC’s first 6 seed, and the NFL’s only other 6 seed besides Pittsburgh to win a Super Bowl?
28. Can the Packers improve upon their all-time NFL-best 28-16 postseason record?
29. Will the Packers stop the Steelers’ 7-game postseason winning streak?
30. Will Ben Roethlisberger join Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montanta, Tom Brady, and Troy Aikman, as the only quarterbacks with at least at least three Super Bowl wins?
31. Will Aaron Rodgers finally be able to step out of Brett Favre’s shadow and into the spotlight of a Super Bowl winning MVP?
32. Will Mike Tomlin become the youngest coach (at age 38) to win multiple Super Bowl titles?
33. Which will win out, the Steelers’ experience of playing in their third Super Bowl in six years, or the inexperienced yet loose Packers, who are playing in the Super Bowl for the first time with their current group (having not been to the Super Bowl as a franchise in 13 years)?
34. Will long-time veteran Charles Woodson after 13 brilliant seasons (eight in Oakland, five with Green Bay) and Packer draftees Donald Driver (12 years with Green Bay) and Chad Clifton (11 years with Green Bay) finally get their-long-awaited Super Bowl rings?
35. Will a game on the fast track, indoors, at Cowboys Stadium, with good two good quarterbacks and several receiving weapons on each side make it more of a shootout than it should be?
36. Or, will the top two teams in the NFL in points allowed (Pittsburgh – 14.5 points per game, Green Bay – 15.0 points per game) during the regular season keep it a low-scoring, defensive struggle?
37. Will Green Bay (15 postseason plays this year of 20 yards or more) keep making big plays in the passing game?
38. Will the Steelers be hurt by having not been truly tested away from Heinz Field in more than two months? (Since a December 5th win at Baltimore, Pittsburgh has won five home games, had two byes, and a lone road victory against the lowly Browns, in Cleveland).
39. Conversely, will Green Bay be helped by having been thoroughly tested in five straight elimination games, including two regular season contests to make the playoffs, followed by three straight road playoff wins over the NFC’s top three seeds, to reach Super Bowl XLV?
40. After the Packers’ winning the first two Super Bowls, the AFL/AFC dominating with 11 of the next 13 Super Bowl wins, the NFC then responding with 15 of the 16 (including 13 straight), and the AFC then taking 8 of the following 10 Super Bowls, will an alternating pattern continue for a fourth straight year? (If it does, Pittsburgh will on Sunday).
41. With arguably the two most well-traveled fan bases in the NFL coming to the stadium with the largest capacity the NFL has ever seen, could Super Bowl XLV provide the most electric atmosphere the a Super Bowl has ever had?
42. Will Super Bowl XLV set an all-time NFL attendance record (as expected)?
43. Will Super Bowl XLV set the record for the most-watched television program in American history (breaking the record set last year, during Super Bowl XLIV)?
44. And yet, with a potential lockout looming, will this be the last NFL game played for a while?
45. Whether it is or not, will Super Bowl XLV provide as exciting a game and as great a fourth quarter as in the last meeting between the Steelers and Packers? (Pittsburgh blew a 24-14 lead after three quarters and fell behind 36-30, before Roethlisberger led a two-minute drill to pull out a last-minute, 37-36 victory at Heinz Field on December 20, 2009).
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