On Tuesday, the NFL’s calendar turned to a new year. The official beginning to the 2013 NFL season is represented by the opening of the free agency period. Players without contracts were free to sign with the highest bidder and many of them did. High-Profile Signings: Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins, $60 million for five years. Wallace was the biggest name on the free agent market even if he wa... »
For the first time in the history of the sport, the NFL this season had Thursday Night Football for the majority of the regular season. In the past, Thursday night football was exclusive to Thanksgiving day and a handful of games during the second half of the season, along with the odd Saturday night game such as the one this weekend between the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions. This year there w... »
Outside of maybe Cricket and Major League Baseball, one of the other ‘big four’ sports in North America, American Football is the only major team sport worldwide that doesn’t really blend each of the pieces of it’s teams in games. In baseball and cricket, there are assigned pitchers or bowlers and an order of hitters. Before the game even begins, coaches can know exactly wh... »
One. Sedrick Ellis spread his feet wide and surveyed what was in front of him. After a quick moment, he placed his left hand on the ground, looked forward and brought his feet back so that they were shoulder width apart. Ellis was staring at the guard infront of him, waiting for the play to begin. His weight was shifted forward as he expected the player across from him to come at him and try to mo... »
Parts one and two of this article ran earlier in the week. While the secondaries and offenses aren’t too obvious to the casual fan, it never takes long for a viewer to notice the difference in defensive fronts. The NFL runs two primary base defenses, a 4-3 and 3-4. The 4 in 4-3 refers to the number of defensive linemen on the field, while the 3 refers to how many linebackers are on the field... »
Because the league has morphed and evolved over it’s history, from a run based one to a league full of pass oriented offenses, the roles of the players at the skill positions have changed. »
For the majority of his 11 year career prior to this season, the Indianapolis Colts’ Reggie Wayne spent his time repeatedly running routes from the same side of the field. Along with Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark and Peyton Manning, the Colts ran one of the most feared passing attacks in the whole league. Because Manning spent a lot of time running his own offense and making adjustments on t... »
Being a fan of team sports is a unique experience. Even though you don’t step onto the field, you live vicariously through the players’ actions on the field and will inevitably feel like you are better fit to coach the team than your actual coach. Fans are fans. They’re supposed to be irrational and overreact to every minor detail, because being a fan doesn’t actually requi... »
On the fifth of January 2008, some time after 10pm local time, Ben Roethlisberger was in the process of adding another playoff victory to his lengthy résumé. Roethlisberger had just led his Pittsburgh Steelers to 19 straight points—three touchdowns with two missed conversions—in the fourth quarter to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars by 29-28. Despite throwing two interceptions and completing less tha... »
There is only one team in the NFL who are yet to suffer defeat this season. In a year when parity has been the precedent set, just one team has a four game advantage within it’s division. Yet, when potential Super Bowl champions are inevitably discussed at this point in the season, the 8-0 Atlanta Falcons are by no means a favourite. In recent seasons, the last remaining unbeaten side in the... »
The Wasteland of NFL Trade Deadline Day Every year, in late August, millions of soccer fans are drawn towards one of the most exciting events on the footballing calender. With Jim White as it’s legendary conductor, the Summer Transfer Deadline Day for the English Premier League is arguably the best part of supporting a football club. That final day when teams can take players from other team... »
When the New England Patriots outlasted the New York Jets in Foxboro this past Sunday evening, they became only the third team with a winning record in the AFC. Outside of the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and the Patriots, no other team has a record greater than 3-3. Of the remaining 13 teams, five teams sit at 3-3 while the remaining eight have losing records. There are the same number of tea... »
Developing an interest in today’s NFL can be very testing. The experience is comparable to that of a hardened priest trying to read the 50 shades of grey trilogy. There’s a huge amount going on, none of which you were previously familiar with. The games are long, the action is sporadic, the rules are complex and there are seemingly more of them than there are players, which is saying s... »
There was just over three minutes left in the first quarter. The New Orleans Saints offense was inside San Diego Charger territory, facing a 3rd & 6. Yet, wide receiver Devery Henderson did not care about the six yards his team needed for a first down. Instead Henderson had his mind set on what was about to be a record-setting touchdown reception. Henderson’s job was relatively simple, ... »
