tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88267267423461143042024-03-23T09:33:29.251-07:00sportsbusiness.com interactive sports marketing and management forumBrian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-42255009882616134972024-03-18T19:34:00.000-07:002024-03-18T19:34:13.773-07:00The Sports Bar's 2024 NCAA Contest POSTED NOW<p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Sports Bar's 30th annual NCAA bracket contest is posted NOW.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Please use the link to enter either of the 2 scoring contests: Regular or Seeded Points.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You can use one entry for both contests.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the primary link to use to play, but you can also see the link on the left menu bar on this page.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><a href="http://www.sportsbusinessfiles.info/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.sportsbusinessfiles.info/</span></a><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Deadline to enter will be 12:15 on Thursday when the 64-team bracket starts. There are also a few games on Tuesday and Wednesday of Selection Week to set the 64-team field.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If you have any browser issues, please try clearing cache or use a different browser.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Please enter as many times as you want, just use a different entry name when you send. And please invite friends and family to play.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> -- END --</span></p>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-15038860528232469622023-03-13T18:46:00.010-07:002023-03-17T21:48:54.311-07:00The Sports Bar 2023 NCAA Bracket Contest and Results HERE<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The Sports Bar's 2023 NCAA Contest is POSTED NOW.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B8TmlWdroASOe4QWSqoZA0Ynpgr-OOkpT6wSHQRK6mk">CLICK HERE FOR Sports Bar 2023 Regular Points Standings</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vqn61TbM-xwi6Cpip3hp-w2a5zDhynFskemW930zgeE">CLICK HERE FOR Sports Bar 2023 Seeded Points Standings</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Remember you can enter Regular Points or Seeded Points or both contests.</div><div><br /></div><div>Enter as many times as you want, just use a different entry name when prompted.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><===== Click the links on the left sidebar to go to the contests page</div><div><br /></div><div>Or try using or sending these links:</div><div><br /></div><div>http://www.sportsbusiness.com/NCAA2023.html</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.sportsbusinessfiles.info/NCAA2023.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to enter The Sports Bar's 2023 NCAA contest</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Deadline to enter is tip-off of the first game of the Round of 64. That's the Thursday games.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, as always, if you enter the contest late, don't worry. I trust you. But I will report your tardiness to Jim Boeheim. I understand he has plenty of time on his hands.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for playing. </div>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-4781859950522202722022-03-14T23:42:00.002-07:002022-03-14T23:42:23.167-07:00Sports Bar 2022 NCAA Tournament contest posted NOW<p> Enter The Sports Bar's 2022 NCAA basketball tournament bracket contest.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year's contest can be found here:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.sportsbusinessfiles.info/NCAA2022.html" target="_blank">Sports Bar 2022 NCAA bracket contest</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>http://www.sportsbusinessfiles.info/NCAA2022.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Deadline to enter is tip-off of the Thursday games at 12:15pm.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for playing</p>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-59851090797197092672022-01-09T07:27:00.006-08:002022-01-09T09:40:12.463-08:00NFL Updates Tiebreaking Web Page After Nearly 2 Years<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">After nearly 2 years of posting incorrect information on its tiebreakers web page at</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.nfl.com/standings/tie-breaking-procedures" target="_blank">https://www.nfl.com/standings/tie-breaking-procedures</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">11-year-old Ryan Youngerman and his dad, Brian, contacted the NFL and 5 days later, the correct page was posted by the league. The Youngermans are from Mount Joy, Lancaster County, in Pennsylvania.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The NFL changed its tiebreaking process in March of 2020, but only made an update to the web page on January 5th, 2022, 5 days after the Youngermans contacted the NFL. Dad and son had been looking over the NFL tiebreakers and realized the information referred to "Two Wild-Cards" and "The second Wild-Card" even though the NFL has had three Wild-Cards since announcing new playoff rules in March of 2020. There were no references on the NFL's site to the "third Wild-Card". 6th-grader Ryan found that the posted NFL draft procedure was also wrong in multiple places since it depends on the number of playoff and non-playoff teams.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The NFL's page still stated that "Clubs not participating in the playoffs shall select in the first through 20th positions in reverse-standings order." However, Ryan knew that the new playoff format meant that the reference should have been "first through 18th positions".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The newly posted tiebreaking procedures indicate the correct process for selecting all three Wild-Cards and the draft order.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Ryan and his dad are NFL fans who are planning on visiting all 32 NFL stadia. They have attended games at 8 NFL stadia in the past 3 seasons.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The elder Youngerman, who has long reported on tiebreaking procedures in his hobbyist Sports Bar weekly sports newsletter, had also written in 2002 about incorrect Wild-Card information posted by the NFL when it failed to update its site when the league expanded to 32 teams. At that time, the NFL switched from three Wild-Card teams back to two Wild-Cards. The wrong information was posted for over a year until the NFL updated its web site.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Contact: Brian@sportsbusiness.com or @SBNewsletter</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">- END -</span></p>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-91605193855551595932021-12-31T00:00:00.009-08:002021-12-31T01:19:09.888-08:00 Errors on NFL.COM Tie-breaking Procedures Page<p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are errors on the NFL.COM NFL Tie-breaking web site, and other web sites which picked up on the official NFL tie-breaking procedures. The page is at </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.nfl.com/standings/tie-breaking-procedures">https://www.nfl.com/standings/tie-breaking-procedures</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This article first appeared in The Sports Bar interactive Sports Newsletter, the longest-running and oldest hobbyist sports newsletter on the Internet. It has been written and edited for 1443 consecutive weeks (27 years) by Brian Youngerman of Mount Joy, PA.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">< ======================================= ></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I and my 11-year-old son are in the middle of our quest to visit all NFL stadia. We have seen games in 8 NFL stadia in the past 3 years.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We talk and play football every day. We have played "a football catch" every day for 554 consecutive days and counting.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We also talk NFL tie-breakers and have been finding errors on the NFL Tie-Breaking website and other sites. Ryan and I found several errors on these Internet sites regarding the NFL tie-breaking procedures, including:</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.nfl.com/standings/tie-breaking-procedures">https://www.nfl.com/standings/tie-breaking-procedures</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-tie-breaking-procedures/">https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-tie-breaking-procedures/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?page=tiebreakers">https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?page=tiebreakers</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://dknation.draftkings.com/nfl/2020/11/16/21569858/nfl-playoffs-tiebreaker-procedures-wild-card-division-standings-expanded-teams-2020-2021">https://dknation.draftkings.com/nfl/2020/11/16/21569858/nfl-playoffs-tiebreaker-procedures-wild-card-division-standings-expanded-teams-2020-2021</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These pages state under the section to break a tie among "Three or More Clubs":</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">>>> "To Break A Tie For The Wild-Card Team: If it is necessary to break ties to determine the two Wild-Card clubs from each conference, the following steps will be taken."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">THIS IS WRONG. There are three wild card teams, not two, as stated by the NFL, ESPN, etc. on the above links.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Another error under the section "Three or More Clubs":</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: red;">>>> "...of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">THIS IS WRONG. There are now three, not two, Wild-Card participants.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, a confusing reference is made by the NFL:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: red;">>>> When the first Wild-Card team has been identified, the procedure is repeated to name the second Wild-Card,</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You can't really stop here and say "the second Wild-Card," because there are actually THREE Wild-Cards. When you say "The second Wild-Card" you suggest there are only two wild cards.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The NFL tie-breaker page makes several references to the "the second Wild-Card," or "the two Wild-Cards," but not a single reference to "the third Wild-Card" nor "three Wild-Cards."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We assume that the actual tie-breaking procedures are correct, but I have questions about this reference:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: red;">>>> When the first Wild-Card team has been identified, the procedure is repeated to name the second Wild-Card, i.e., eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, "the second Wild-Card" is referenced, but do we proceed the same way for the third unmentioned Wild-Card? It would help if the NFL explained this step in full detail.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So the errors found by myself and my son is not to say that the tie-breaking procedure itself is wrong.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The NFL also has errors in your section devoted to the "NFL Tie-Breaking Procedure For Selection Meeting":</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: red;">>>> Clubs not participating in the playoffs shall select in the first through 20th positions in reverse standings order.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">THIS IS WRONG.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The NFL page should state "first through 18th" positions since you moved to 14 playoff teams, not 12.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And this is wrong from the same section on the NFL draft tiebreakers:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: red;">>>> The losers of the Wild Card games shall select 21st through 24th based on won-lost-tied percentage</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">THIS IS WRONG.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This section should state that under the new 3-team Wild Card rules first used last year, Actually, losers of the Wild Card games shall select 19th through 24th.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is not the first time The Sports Bar Newsletter found errors and ommissions in the NFL tiebreaking references. In 2002, when the Houston Texans joined the league and the NFL moved from 3 divisions/3 Wild Cards to 4 divisions/2 Wild Cards, the NFL failed to update references to the correct number of Wild-Cards for more than a year.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We hope the NFL and other sites which mirror the NFL tie-breaking will correct the tie-breaking pages and clarify that the procedures apply to all Wild-Cards.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"> - 30 -</span></p>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-87408450032970498932021-03-15T21:22:00.005-07:002022-03-09T15:46:23.118-08:00<h1 style="text-align: left;">Play our free NCAA Basketball Tournament contest and team grid</h1><p>The Sports Bar's 26th (non consecutive) annual NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket contest is ready to enter.</p><p><a href="http://www.Come_Back_Later_To_Play.come/index.html" target="_blank">Enter your bracket here</a><br /></p><p>The full address of the link is: http://www.come_back_later _to_play.com/index.html</p><p><br /></p><p>As in previous seasons, we will crown several champions at the conclusion of the tournament:</p><p>Regular Points champion: Points based on 1-2-3-5-7-10 per round</p><p>Seeded Points champion: Points based on the seed of the team (upsets are worth more!)</p><p>Donegal champion: Winner from the Lancaster county region of Pennsylvania (Regular points used)</p><p>To enter our free bracket contest, please click on the link on the left or above to play your bracket. </p><p>There is also a grid which shows you information about each team.</p><p>Deadline to enter is tip-off of the first games on FRIDAY of the 1st round of tournament. The schedule has changed. The Thursday play-in games don't count.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for playing.</p>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-90931489933633721482018-03-12T21:23:00.004-07:002018-03-12T21:23:50.341-07:00Play our free NCAA Basketball Tournament contest and grid<h2 class="date-header" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 10px 0px 0px;">
The Sports Bar's 24th annual NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket contest is ready to enter.</h2>
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<br />As in previous seasons, we will crown several champions at the conclusion of the tournament:<br /><ul>
<li>Regular Points champion: Points based on 1-2-3-5-7-10 per round</li>
<li>Seeded Points champion: Points based on the seed of the team (upsets are worth more!)</li>
<li>Donegal champion: Winner from the Lancaster county region of Pennsylvania (Regular points used)</li>
</ul>
<br />To enter our free bracket contest, please click on the link on the left to play your bracket. There is also a grid which shows you information about each team.<br /><br />Deadline to enter is tip-off of the first games on Thursday of the tournament. The Tuesday/Wednesday play-in games don't count.</div>
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Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-86154199561364719092017-03-15T18:47:00.000-07:002017-03-15T18:49:14.057-07:00Play our free NCAA Basketball Tournament contest and grid<br />
The Sports Bar's 23rd annual NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket contest is ready to enter.<br />
<br />
As in previous seasons, we will crown several champions:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Regular Points champion: Points based on 1-2-3-5-7-10 per round</li>
<li>Seeded Points champion: Points based on the seed of the team (upsets are worth more!)</li>
<li>Donegal champion: Winner from the Lancaster county region of Pennsylvania (Regular points used)</li>
</ul>
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To enter our free bracket contest, please click on the link on the left to play your bracket. There is also a grid which shows you information about each team.<br />
<br />
Deadline to enter is tip-off of the first games on Thursday of the tournament. The Tuesday/Wednesday play-in games don't count.<br />
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Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-83631875136669156452015-02-01T13:05:00.001-08:002015-02-01T13:10:54.751-08:00<b style="font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">OTHER WAYS THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS CAN CHEAT IN THE SUPER BOWL:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">Lost in the little matter of Deflate-Gate is that New England is </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">planning on several new, and creative ways, to cheat in the Super Bowl.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">The Sports Bar's investigative staff has uncovered a few ways the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">Patriots plan on cheating:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">1. The Patriots will widen the goal posts in the Seahawks </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">end zone before each half.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">2. "Accidentally" removing a few links from the first down chain </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">whenever New England touches the ball</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">3. Hiring lip readers in case Seahawks coach Pete Carroll forgets to cover his mouth.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">4. Replacing all the Seattle playbooks with the ones used by Oakland.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">5. When Tom Brady fumbles, secretly replacing the video replay with </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">footage of The Tuck Rule.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;">(Courtesy of @NASCARLaughs host Brian Youngerman)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.9999990463257px;"><br /></span>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-84301857844818220212013-11-18T05:02:00.002-08:002013-11-18T15:40:49.533-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b style="background-color: white;"><u>THE NFL STORY: WEEK #10</u></b></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">So Tampa Bay and Jacksonville both won, ruining suicide pools </span><span style="font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">everywhere. Including mine.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Washington (3-6) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">MINNESOTA (2-7) 34</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Minnesota just 1 penalty for 7 yards.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Redskins taking themselves out of the playoff picture for </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">now, which is difficult to do in the NFC East.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">JACKSONVILLE (1-8) 29</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Tennessee (4-5) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: In spite of winning, Jacksonville is outgained by more </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">than 50%, 214 yards to 362.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Those Jaguar fans in London are celebrating today. Both of them.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">PHILADELPHIA (5-5) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Green Bay (5-4) 13</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Philadelphia 5-1 on the road.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Note to Green Bay: I heard that Tim Tebow is available.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Buffalo (3-7) 10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">PITTSBURGH (3-6) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Pittsburgh WR Antonio Brown 6-104 receiving; 2-74 punt returns.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Steelers defense give up 82% fewer points this week than </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">last week's 55-point debacle at New England.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Oakland (3-6) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NY GIANTS (3-6) 24</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NY Giants RB Andre Brown 30-115-1 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: So let me get this straight. Tim Tebow (lifetime QB </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">rating: 75.3) can't find a job in the NFL, but Terrelle Pryor (69.2) can?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ST. LOUIS (4-6) 38</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Indianapolis (6-3) 8</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: St. Louis WR Tavon Austin 2-138-2 TD receiving; 4-145-1 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">TD punt returns (36.3 avg).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Rams upset helps the NFC to an impressive 4-0 weekend vs. the NFC.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SEATTLE (9-1) 33</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Atlanta (2-7) 10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Seattle K Steven Hauschka 3-3 XP, 4-4 FG (39, 43, 44, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">53), 15 points.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Most impressive win in a few weeks for Seattle, but they </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">benefit from getting to play Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(combined 4 wins) this season.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Cincinnati (6-4) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">BALTIMORE (4-5) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Cincinnati LB Vincent Rey 10 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 passes </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">defended, 1 interception in the loss.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Baltimore managed to win a game with just 189 yards of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">offense -- and that included overtime.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DETROIT (6-3) 21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Chicago (5-4) 19</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Detroit WR Calvin Johnson 6-83-2 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Detroit gets double-win head-to-head tiebreaker over Chicago.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CAROLINA (6-3) 10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">San Francisco(6-3) 9</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Carolina defense holds Colin Kaepernick to 11-22-91-1-0 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Nice 5-game win streak for Carolina, but 5W still not </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">good enough for 1st place in a division headed by New Orleans.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Houston (2-7) 24</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ARIZONA (5-4) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Arizona LB John Abraham 3 sacks, -42 yards lost.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Houston then: 2-0. Houston now: 2-7.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DENVER (8-1) 28</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">San Diego (4-5) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Denver WR Demaryius Thomas 7-108-3 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: It took until Week #11, but KC and Denver will finally </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">meet next weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Dallas (5-5) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NEW ORLEANS (7-2) 49</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Dallas: 9 first downs; New Orleans: NFL-record 40 first downs.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Dallas still plays each NFC East team once, which will </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">tell us more than an embarrassing, pathetic, drubbing by New Orleans</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Miami (4-5) 19</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">TAMPA BAY (1-8) 22</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Miami 14 carries for +2 yards rushing (sic). 0.1 yards per rush.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Tampa Bay's first win caps a strange weekend in which the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">teams with the poorer records went 9-4-1 outright.</span>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-29568791533624828312013-10-01T15:49:00.000-07:002013-11-18T15:50:30.494-08:00<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;">THE NFL STORY: WEEK #4</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">So Major League Baseball has gone to one game playoffs. That's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">nothing new. The NFL has been doing it for years.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SAN FRANCISCO(2-2) 35</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">St. Louis (1-3) 11</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: St. Louis 188 net yards offense.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: How bad was the St. Louis offense? They punted (11 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">times) almost as many yards as they gained on the ground (18).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Pittsburgh (0-4) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">MINNESOTA (1-3) 34</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Minnesota WR Greg Jennings 3-92-2 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: If I told you that one Pittsburgh pro sports team would </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">be in the playoffs, and another one would be at the bottom of the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">division, this is not what you would have had in mind.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Baltimore (2-2) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">BUFFALO (2-2) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Buffalo overcomes 11 penalties.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Somehow, Baltimore QB Joe Flacco managed to throw for </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">347 yards in spite of throwing 5 interceptions, which must be a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">record for someone not named Brett Favre.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Cincinnati (2-2) 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CLEVELAND (2-2) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Cleveland QB Brian Hoyer 25-38-269-0-2 TD, 103.9 rating.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Only takes a couple of back-to-back wins as the starter </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">at QB to be a hero in Cleveland.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">INDIANAPOLIS (3-1) 37</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Jacksonville (0-4) 3</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Indianapolis LB Robert Mathis: 3 sacks.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Jacksonville has 3 TDs. Not in the game, but for the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">entire SEASON.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SEATTLE (4-0) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Houston (2-2) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Seattle 206 fewer offensive yards, 30 fewer offensive </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">plays, just 3-14 on 3rd downs in the win.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: The Game Everyone Wants To See may be set up for Monday, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">December 2nd in Seattle. Both the Saints and Seahawks could be 11-0 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">at the time. Don't laugh; in the weak NFC, this is very possible.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ARIZONA (2-2) 13</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Tampa Bay (0-4) 10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Arizona overcomes 10 penalties.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Tampa Bay: New quarterback (Mike Glennon), same results.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Chicago (3-1) 32</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DETROIT (3-1) 40</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Detroit K David Akers 4-4 XP, 4-4 FG (23, 31, 41, 43).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Not your dad's Chicago defense.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NY Giants (0-4) 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">KANSAS CITY (4-0) 31</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NY Giants 1-14 on 4rd down conversions.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: After Week #4, Kansas City has already almost swept the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NFC East (beaten Dallas, Philadelphia, NY Giants).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NY Jets (2-2) 13</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">TENNESSEE (3-1) 38</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NY Jets 4 turnovers to zero for Tennessee.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Tennessee QB Jake Locker is lost "for a few weeks" with a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">sprained hip. Time to see if Tim Tebow is available in your fantasy league.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Dallas (2-2) 21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SAN DIEGO (2-2) 30</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: San Diego outscores Dallas 17-0 in 2nd half to turn 8 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">point deficit into 9 point win.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Good win for San Diego, but how do they compete in a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">division with two undefeated teams?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">WASHINGTON (1-3) 24</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Oakland (1-3) 14</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Washington defense 7 sacks, season-low 14 points allowed.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Redskins 1-3 record leaves them just 1 game behind Dallas </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">for first place in the NFL's worst division.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Philadelphia (1-3) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DENVER (4-0) 52</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Peyton Manning 4 TDs; 16 TDs, 0 INTs on the season.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Are the Eagles the worst team in the NFL's worst </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">division? Next week vs. 0-4 Giants will tell us.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NEW ENGLAND (4-0) 30</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Atlanta (1-3) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: New England WR Kenbrell Thompkin 6-127-1 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: New England might be the worst of all the 4-0 teams in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">the NFL, if such a thing can exist.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Miami (3-1) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NEW ORLEANS (4-0) 38</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: New Orleans RB Darren Sproles 4-28-1 TD rushing; 7-114-1 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">TD receiving; 2-26 kick returns; 3-44 punt returns.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: A year too late for the Saints to play the Super Bowl at home.</span>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-8258335927093792852013-09-24T15:45:00.000-07:002013-11-18T15:45:30.798-08:00<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">THE NFL STORY: WEEK #3</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">So Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Washington, and the NY Giants are all </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">0-3. Okay, NOW your fans can panic.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">KANSAS CITY (3-0) 26</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Philadelphia (1-2) 16</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Andy Reid 3-0 start with Chiefs.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: I know they don't actually have this award, but if they </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">did, to whom would you give a "Comeback Coach of the Year" award?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">San Diego (1-2) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">TENNESSEE (2-1) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Tennessee QB Jake Locker 23-37-299-0-1 TD, 96.6 rating.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Neither team stands much chance in very difficult </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">divisions of a very difficult conference.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CLEVELAND (1-2) 31</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Minnesota (0-3) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Cleveland QB Brian Hoyer 30-54-321-3-3 TD, 68.5 rating in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">2nd NFL start.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: True fact: With only 5 NFC teams having a winning </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">record, Minnesota's 0-3 record leaves them only 1 game out of a wild </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">card berth at this point.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Tampa Bay (0-3) 3</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NEW ENGLAND (3-0) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman 43-94-571-3-2 TD, 59.3 rating </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">over first 3 games.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: After a poor start, the Buccaneers have benched Josh </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Freeman. Time to add Mike Glennon (rookie, North Carolina State) to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">your fantasy roster.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Houston (2-1) 9</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">BALTIMORE (2-1) 30</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Houston triple threat: Arian Foster 54 yards rushing, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Andre Johnson 36 yards receiving; Matt Schaub 194 yards passing.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Ravens defense hasn't allowed a touchdown since opening </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">week 49-27 loss to Denver.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">St. Louis (1-2) 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DALLAS (2-1) 31</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Dallas RB DeMarco Murray 26-175-1 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Dallas is the only NFC East team to win a game in the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">past two weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Arizona (1-2) 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NEW ORLEANS (3-0) 31</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham 9-15-134-2 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Saints have started 3-0, virtually wiping out the memory </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">of last year's 7-9 clunker in the wake of the NFL suspensions. This </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">makes 2012 a lost year for the Saints. Kinda like when Bobby was </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">killed off for a year on Dallas. Or every year that Lance Armstrong </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">won the Tour de France.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DETROIT (2-1) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Washington (0-3) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Detroit 2 receivers with 100+ yards (Nate Burleson </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(6-116); Calvin Johnson 7-115-1 TD).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: NFC East now an NFL-worst 3-9 on the season.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Green Bay (1-2) 30</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CINCINNATI (2-1) 34</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Teams evenly split 8 turnovers.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: This is how Cincinnati won the game, according to the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">official boxscore, the final score coming with 3:47 remaining: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">"Johnathan Franklin rushed to the right for no gain. Johnathan </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Franklin fumbled. Reggie Nelson recovered fumble and returned for 6 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">yards. Reggie Nelson fumbled. Terence Newman recovered fumble and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">returned for 58 yards."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NY Giants (0-3) 0</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CAROLINA (1-2) 38</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NY Giants offense: 10 first downs, 150 total yards, Eli </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Manning sacked 7 times.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: The Manning with the worst record at Thanksgiving has to </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">do the dishes. Eli is already shopping for the Dawn.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Atlanta (1-2) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">MIAMI (3-0) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Miami trailed in time of possession 37:09 to 22:51, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">led for only 38 seconds.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: If I had told you that one of these teams would start </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">3-0, and one would start at 1-2....</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">INDIANAPOLIS (2-1) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">San Francisco(1-2) 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Indianapolis just 1 penalty, 1 sack given up, 0 turnovers.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Giving up 15 more points per game than you score. Is </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">this any way to get back to the Super Bowl?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Jacksonville (0-3) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SEATTLE (3-0) 45</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Seattle TE Zack Miller 2-5-2 TDs.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Turns out that the 19.5 point spread wasn't enough.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Buffalo (1-2) 20</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NY JETS (2-1) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NY Jets 20 penalties for 168 yards.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: The Jets had so many penalties, its a wonder that they </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">didn't get sanctioned by the NCAA.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CHICAGO (3-0) 40</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Pittsburgh (0-3) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Chicago defense INT for TD, fumble return for TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Chicago was the only NFC team to beat an AFC team (AFC </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">wins the weekend (1-6).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Oakland (1-2) 21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DENVER (3-0) 37</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Denver 31 first downs to 13 for Oakland.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Peyton Manning has thrown for only 5 TDs since his </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">opening week 7 TDs. Time to sell him in fantasy.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">- 30 -</span>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-87873430530768786252013-09-17T15:39:00.000-07:002013-11-18T15:46:25.624-08:00<h2>
THE NFL STORY: WEEK #2</h2>
So Pittsburgh, NY Giants, and Minnesota all started 0-2. Oh, and Cleveland. So some things *can* be explained.<br />
<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
NY Jets (1-1) 10<br />
NEW ENGLAND (2-0) 13<br />
THE STATS: New England: 0 turnovers to 4 for Jets.<br />
THE STORY: Say, didn't you used to be Tom Brady?<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
SAN DIEGO (1-1) 33<br />
Philadelphia (1-1) 30<br />
THE STATS: San Diego WR Eddie Royal 7-90-3 TD.<br />
THE STORY: Chargers win helps put AFC already at +4 over the NFC.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
Cleveland (0-2) 6<br />
BALTIMORE (1-1) 14<br />
THE STATS: Baltimore 21 2nd half points after being shut out in 1st half.<br />
THE STORY: Cleveland quickly becoming the favorite of suicide pool players everywhere.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
Tennessee (1-1) 24<br />
HOUSTON (2-0) 30<br />
THE STATS: Houston WR DeAndre Hopkins 7-117-1 TD, game winning TD catch in OT.<br />
THE STORY: First 100 yard receiving game since 2010 by a Houston WR not named Andre Johnson. Johnson lost in 4th quarter due to concussion.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
MIAMI (2-0) 24<br />
Indianapolis (1-1) 20<br />
THE STATS: Miami 0 penalties, just 1 turnover.<br />
THE STORY: Indianapolis averaging a decent 4.4 yards per rush from its running backs, so of course, they go and trade a 1st round selection for Trent Richardson, who averages 3.5 yards per rush in his 2-year career.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
Carolina (0-2) 23<br />
BUFFALO (1-1) 24<br />
THE STATS: Buffalo DE Mario Williams 4.5 sacks.<br />
THE STORY: Things I looked up: Cam Newton only 1-5 in career in the opening two weeks of the season.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
St. Louis (1-1) 24<br />
ATLANTA (1-1) 31<br />
THE STATS: Atlanta just 36 yards rushing in the win.<br />
THE STORY: Falcons needed the win just to be the only team in the division with a win besides New Orleans (2-0).<br />
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THE SCORE:<br />
Washington (0-2) 20<br />
GREEN BAY (1-1) 38<br />
THE STATS: GB QB Aaron Rodgers 34-42-480-0-4 TD, 146.0 rating.<br />
THE STORY: It was like a playoff game, with both teams trying to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
Dallas (1-1) 16<br />
KANSAS CITY (2-0) 17<br />
THE STATS: Dallas just 37 yards rushing.<br />
THE STORY: Andy Reid gets to shake his 2-0 record in front of Eagles fans when he returns to Philly in Week #3.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
Minnesota (0-2) 30<br />
CHICAGO (2-0) 31<br />
THE STATS: Teams combined for as many turnovers (7) as penalties (7).<br />
THE STORY: Minnesota punter Jeff Locke had 3 punts for an impressive 56.7 yards per. This is why I think punters should be used in fantasy football.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
NEW ORLEANS (2-0) 16<br />
Tampa Bay (0-2) 14<br />
THE STATS: New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham 10-179-1 TD.<br />
THE STORY: Saints open with two wins over division rivals Atlanta, Tampa Bay. #ImportantGames<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
Detroit (1-1) 21<br />
ARIZONA (1-1) 25<br />
THE STATS: Detroit more penalty yards (101) than rushing yards (49).<br />
THE STORY: 3rd team in 4 years puts Carson Palmer very near "journeyman" status.<br />
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THE SCORE:<br />
Jacksonville (0-2) 9<br />
OAKLAND (1-1) 19<br />
THE STATS: OAK K Sebastian Janikowski 1 XP, 4-5 FG (46, 30, 29, 29).<br />
THE STORY: We'll give OAK QB Terrelle Pryor (15-24,126-0-0, 76.0 rating; 9-50 rushing) some props for the win, but not much else.<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
DENVER (2-0) 41<br />
NY Giants (0-2) 23<br />
THE STATS: DEN QB Peyton Manning: 30-43-307-0-2 TD, 105.5 rating;<br />
NYG QB Eli Manning 28-49-362-4-1 TD, 53.3 rating.<br />
THE STORY: New story says that Archie does have a favorite son. And this week, it is Peyton.<br />
<br />
<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
San Francisco(1-1) 3<br />
SEATTLE (2-0) 29<br />
THE STATS: Seattle defense: 5 turnovers, 3 sacks, safety, 3 points allowed.<br />
THE STORY: Advantage: Seahawks<br />
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<br />
THE SCORE:<br />
Pittsburgh (0-2) 10<br />
CINCINNATI (1-1) 20<br />
THE STATS: Cincinnati RB Giovani Bernard 8-38-1 TD rushing; 1-27-1 TD receiving.<br />
THE STORY: Steelers have scored only 19 points in first two games, which is enough to win some games, but then you need a good, ya know, defense to go with it.<br />
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- 30 -Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-31164015923212019872013-09-10T15:29:00.000-07:002013-11-18T15:32:04.227-08:00<h2>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE 2013 NFL STORY: WEEK #1</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">So Bruno Mars has been signed to be the halftime entertainment at the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Super Bowl. Really? That's how far down we've come? Who's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">next? That kid I saw in the subway station?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Baltimore (0-1) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DENVER (1-0) 49</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: DEN QB Peyton Manning 27-42-462-0-7, 141.1 rating.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Peyton Manning had 7 touchdowns. That's as many </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">touchdowns as the entire NFC South scored.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NEW ENGLAND (1-0) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Buffalo (0-1) 21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: New England WR Julian Edelman 7-79-2 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Tom Brady completed passes to guys with names like </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Amendola, Edelman, Vereen, Thompkins, and Hoomanawanui. And I'm not </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">making up any of them, even Hoomanawanui.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">TENNESSEE (1-0) 16</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Pittsburgh (0-1) 9</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Pittsburgh 32 net yards rushing, 2.1 average.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Strangest score at any point in any NFL game, ever: 2-0 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">after 3 seconds were played. Official play description: "Pittsburgh </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">kicked off, Darius Reynaud returned kickoff for 1 yard loss. Safety"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Atlanta (0-1) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NEW ORLEANS (1-0) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NEW RB Darren Sproles 8-22 rushing, 6-88 receiving, 1-23 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">KR, 4-7 PR.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: It was nice to see New Orleans coach Sean Payton back on </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">the sidelines after his year-long suspension. Nah, not really.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Tampa Bay (0-1) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NY JETS (1-0) 18</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NYJ QB Geno Smith 24-38-256-1-1, 80.6 rating in NFL </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">debut; 50-yard game-winning FG drive with just :34 remaining.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: There's not much quarterback controversy when your </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">starter, Mark Sanchez, is as banged up as he is. But give this thing </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">time, and lets see where Geno Smith takes the Jets.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">KANSAS CITY (1-0) 28</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Jacksonville (0-1) 2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Teams combined for 20 punts and one safety.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Andy Reid era begins in Kansas City. He's your problem now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Cincinnati (0-1) 21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CHICAGO (1-0) 24</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: CHI CB Charles Tillman 2 interceptions, 41 return yards.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Bengals complete a sweep for the AFC North -- all four teams lost.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">MIAMI (1-0) 23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Cleveland (0-1) 10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Cleveland 1-14 on 3rd down conversions.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Amazingly, Miami had more points (23) than rushing yards (20).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SEATTLE (1-0) 12</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Carolina (0-1) 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: SEA QB Russell Wilson 25-33-320-0-1 TD, 115.7 rating.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Carolina not looking any better than last year (7-9) in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">an NFC South division that looks better than last year.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Minnesota (0-1) 24</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DETROIT (1-0) 34</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: DET RB Reggie Bush 21-90 rushing; 4-101-1 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: If you eliminate his early 78-yard TD run, MIN RB Adrian </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Peterson was only 17 for 15 yards (0.9 yards per rush)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Oakland (0-1) 17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">INDIANAPOLIS (1-0) 21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne 8-96-1 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Oakland just 4 wins from matching last year's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">total. They probably won't get there.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Arizona (0-1) 24</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ST. LOUIS (1-0) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: STL K Greg Zuerlein 1-1 XP, 4-4 FG (36, 25,38, 48)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Teams combined for just 12 wins last year. Of which, 2 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">were against each other.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Green Bay (0-1) 28</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SAN FRANCISCO(1-0) 34</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: SF lead time of possession 38:35 to 21:25; more yards 494 to 385.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: SF WR Anquan Boldin was 13-208 yards and 1 TD. So who </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">are the people in the 4% of the leagues in the Yahoo fantasy football </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">system that don't own Boldin?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NY Giants (0-1) 31</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">DALLAS (1-0) 36</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: NY Giants 6 turnovers to 1.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Love the idea of opening the season with divisional </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">rivalry games. Only the NFC East figured this out.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">PHILADELPHIA (1-0) 33</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Washington (0-1) 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: PHL LeSean McCoy 31-184-1 TD.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: Eagles fans happy again. Not because Chip Kelly and the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Eagles won their first game of the season; they are just happy that </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Andy Reid is gone.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE SCORE:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">HOUSTON (1-0) 31</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">San Diego (0-1) 28</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STATS: Houston wins on late field goal, but leads :00 of game time.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">THE STORY: The traditional Monday Night late game opener draws a 9 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">rating on the East Coast. That's 9 people who stayed up to watch it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">- 30 -</span>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-80771379241807443412013-03-20T23:20:00.002-07:002013-03-21T10:42:04.725-07:00Donegal Madness<span style="color: #6aa84f;">By Brian Youngerman</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Mount Joy, PA</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Brian@sportsbusiness.com</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">@MountJoyNews</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">@SBNewsletter</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Now I know why they call it March Madness, and it has nothing to do with college basketball.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Its all in the high school game.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">The Donegal (PA) high school boys basketball team did things that no Donegal team had ever done, nor should have done. They completed a perfect 22-0 regular season, and won the school's first ever Lancaster-Lebanon league section title. They won one game, then lost the next, in the league playoffs, losing to Lancaster McCaskey, a larger school with a larger and more highly rated team.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Donegal then went on to the Pennsylvania District 3 (a combination of several counties in PA) playoffs, where they won twice and got to the District Final Four, before losing to Berks Catholic, a larger school, with a more highly ranked team. In the 3rd place consolation game, Donegal defeated Susquehanna Township, a larger, more highly rated, team.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">See the pattern here?</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Having beaten a really good team, Donegal took on a confidence that I'd never seen in a high school program. In the next set of playoffs, the 32-team state playoffs, the Ryan Butt-coached Indians squad won a relatively easy 1st round game, then took on the #3 ranked team in the state, and won. They next had to face the #1 team in the state, a Catholic Neumann-Goretti squad from the Philadelphia basketball machine. Neumann-Goretti had won the past three state AAA class titles. But either no one told the Donegal team about those titles, or they didn't care.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Donegal, which is a AA-sized school playing in the larger AAA class, won anyway over the top-ranked team in the state in their AAA class. Even giving up a 16-0 run, and trailing by 10 at the half, did not matter to Donegal. It was just another memorable night in a string of memorable nights for the Donegal team and the fans that followed them all over the state.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Now in the state class AAA Final Four, it was time to face the new #1 team in the state, the Imhotep charter school which, like the Catholic schools, can attract players from around the city of Philadelphia. Imhotep had been winning titles in the AA class before moving up this season to AAA.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">In one of the great comebacks I have ever seen at any level of basketball, Donegal nearly came all the way back from a 12-point 2nd half deficit. The gutsy Donegal players rained 3's in the historic Reading High (PA) Geigle Complex, to close the game to a 2-point deficit, with the ball in their hands and 10 seconds on the clock.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">We won't go into the way the game ended, and the Donegal season that ended with it. Let's just say that you never want the officials to make the difference in a game.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">These Donegal kids were Rudy, Hoosiers, and Rocky, all rolled into one. Except it wasn't fictionalized. It was real, and it was real incredible.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">They say that basketball is supposed to teach young people all of those life lessons. But that wasn't the case with this Donegal team. No, these players turned that all around. It was they who taught us fans, parents, and students. They taught us what can happen when you believe in yourself, in each other, and never back down. No matter how far behind they got -- 10 points down to Neumann-Goretti? Down by 12 to Imhotep? -- they never gave up, never gave in, and never, ever, let down Donegal Nation.. When they went up against all those top-ranked teams with the the Division I-bound players, when they fell behind, we wanted to be out on the floor with the Donegal players, trying to do what we could to help. But then we realized that we could never do any better than what these teenagers were showing they could do together.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Even better than what they did on the court was what they did off the court. I've been following the Tweets of the players and the student section and coaches. Kids? Good kids. You wish your own children were this good.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">When I was in 6th grade, my dad took me to games of the great Reading High School team of Stu Jackson (now an executive with the NBA). I was thrilled, even at that age, to be able to see greatness on the basketball court -- Reading would lose a controversial state championship game, in which the opponent went to the foul line and made shots with :00 on the clock (I'm not kidding).</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">No, you NEVER want the officials to make a difference in a game.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">So I made certain that my own young son went to Donegal games with me this season. I knew it was a special season, and I didn't want either of us to miss it. Ryan might not remember this team when he's older and going to Donegal high school. But I will remind him that he was there, and that he was cheering when Donegal scored (okay, so he cheered when the opponents scored, too, but hey, he's only 2 years old). I will remind him how these young men of Donegal high played the game of basketball, and how they carried themselves off the court as well. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">No, my son won't remember what the Donegal boys team did this year. But I will never let him forget. And all of us fans who were along for this ride this year will always remember the 2013 Donegal team that finished with a 29-3 record.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">So to Jason, and Martin, and Matt and Dylan, and Michael, and Tommy, the kids on the bench, and coaches Ryan and Matt who molded them, thank you from those of us who had the privilege of learning life's lessons from these terrific teenagers.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">And to the student section, you amazing student fans, I have never seen anything like that at the high school level. Great job, Colby. Great job, students. It wouldn't have been the same without you.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;"> - 30 -</span>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-36446822953770436012013-02-21T08:47:00.000-08:002013-02-26T08:57:19.684-08:00WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT DAYTONA? More history<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This isn't going out on a limb. In fact, it's the safest bet in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">NASCAR, if you can get it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">So Danica Patrick made history at Daytona Speedway this past weekend, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">becoming the first woman to earn a pole in a NASCAR Cup race.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Barrier broken. Attention gotten. Let the marketing begin.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The moment was not lost on Jeff Gordon, still a viable NASCAR driver </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">even in his 40s. While losing the pole to Patrick, Gordon was both </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">gracious and recognized the importance of the feat. "It's great for </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">our sport" he said about the woman who forced Gordon to start 2nd in the race.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">But what happens on that first lap at Daytona? If Danica Patrick </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">falls back into the pack and doesn't do anything special, then an </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">opportunity for even more attention for NASCAR will be lost. And I </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">don't think that is lost on Jeff Gordon, either.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">So here's the easy bet. I think Gordon will allow Patrick to lead </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">the first lap of the race. It doesn't hurt that Patrick also drives </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">a Chevrolet, and that Patrick drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, which </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">is basically a sister operation of Gordon's owner, Hendrick Motorsports.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Now, it's not a sure thing that Patrick will parlay the top starting </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">spot into the front position at the end of the first 2.5 mile </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">lap. But if she does, even more history will be made, as no woman </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">has ever led a lap at Daytona.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Patrick has the advantage of choosing whether to start on the inside </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">or outside of Row 1. But with this new NASCAR Gen 6 car, and the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">oddities that are NASCAR racing, it is not a sure thing that she'll </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">beat Jeff Gordon to the line. He could challenge Patrick for the the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">lead, and the bonus point that comes with leading a lap in a NASCAR </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">race. But I think Gordon will back off, settle behind Patrick, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">wait for his chance to lead a lap -- assuming he hasn't already made </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">a deal with Patrick to swap Position #1 back and forth, so each of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">them can earn the first points of the NASCAR season.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Could NASCAR get involved in Patrick's historic first lap? I know </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">that most conspiracy theories in NASCAR start and end with Dale </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Earnhardt, Jr. But it would be easy for NASCAR to nudge Patrick over </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">the line first. In the pre-race drivers meeting, NASCAR just has to </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">say "Let's have a clean lap. No aggressive passing. Keep your </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">bumpers clean. Allow the leaders to create a line to follow."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">"And allow Danica to lead the first lap."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">There, it is simple. History made. Barrier broken. TV ratings climb.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> <b> -30 -</b></span></div>
Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-3935797068693717802012-11-30T04:34:00.001-08:002012-11-30T04:34:09.998-08:00<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>THE NFL STORY: 2012 WEEK #12</b><br /><br />So Detroit's defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh did
not get ejected nor suspended for kicking Houston QB Matt Schaub in the
groin. Hey, in professional wrestling even the fake refs admonish you for
the fake groin kicks.<br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />HOUSTON (10-1) 34<br />Detroit
(4-7) 31<br />THE STATS: In overtime game, teams combined for 55 first downs, 1026 yards, 165 total offensive plays, zero defense.<br />THE STORY: In a game that
featured 65 points and 11 scores, Houston never led until the overtime
winner.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />WASHINGTON (5-6) 38<br />Dallas (5-6) 31<br />THE
STATS: Washington four 2nd-quarter touchdowns.<br />THE STORY: Dallas made it
close in the 4th quarter in a fun little game between two teams going in the
same direction: Nowhere.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />NEW ENGLAND (8-3) 49<br />NY
Jets (4-7) 19<br />THE STATS: New England five 2nd-quarter touchdowns.<br />THE
STORY: NY Jets were the only Thanksgiving team not to score at least 31
points.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Pittsburgh (6-5) 14<br />CLEVELAND (3-8)
20<br />THE STATS: Pittsburgh 1-9 on third downs conversions.<br />THE STORY:
Steelers offense played like they were led by a 3rd string quarterback. Oh,
yeah, it makes sense now.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Buffalo (4-7)
13<br />INDIANAPOLIS (7-4) 20<br />THE STATS: Indianapolis P Pat McAfee 5-51.2
average per punt.<br />THE STORY: Amazingly, at 7-4, Colts still have given up 43
more points than they scored.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />DENVER (8-3)
17<br />Kansas City (1-10) 9<br />THE STATS: Denver defense: 116 yards passing,
allow just 3-14 third down conversions, 9 points.<br />THE STORY: Fewest
points for Broncos this season, but they still won because they were, ya
know, playing the Chiefs.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Tennessee (4-7)
19<br />JACKSONVILLE (2-9) 24<br />THE STATS: Jacksonville QB Chad Henne survives 7
sacks to go 17-26-261-1-2 TDs, 108.0 rating.<br />THE STORY: Would someone
remind the Jags what they are playing for -- the top overall
pick.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Minnesota (6-5) 10<br />CHICAGO (8-3) 28<br />THE
STATS: Chicago WR Brandon Marshall 12-92, more than 1/2 of the team's 23
completions.<br />THE STORY: Minnesota now in 3rd place after starting the season
4-1.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />ATLANTA (10-1) 24<br />Tampa Bay (6-5) 23<br />THE
STATS: Atlanta WR Julio Jones 6-147-1 TD (24.5 avg).<br />THE STORY: Buccaneers
still an intriguing team despite end of 4 game win streak, as Doug Martin
scores 2 more TDs, 9 TDs for the season.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Seattle (6-5)
21<br />MIAMI (5-6) 24<br />THE STATS: Seattle 10 penalties to just 2 for Miami;
Miami 2 first downs on penalties, none for Seattle.<br />THE STORY: Miami
makes it a 2-0 weekend for the AFC over the NFC, but AFC still -8 on the
season vs. NFC.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />BALTIMORE (9-2) 16<br />San Diego (4-7)
13<br />THE STATS: Baltimore RB Ray Rice 22-97 rushing, 8-67 receiving, big 4th down reception and run with 1:37 left in regulation to set up game
tying FG.<br />THE STORY: 4th and 29, Baltimore? Are you kidding?<br /><br /><br />THE
SCORE:<br />SAN FRANCISCO(8-2) 31<br />New Orleans (5-6) 21<br />THE STATS: San
Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick 16-25-231-1-1 TD; 90.6 rating; 6-27-1 TD
rushing.<br />THE STORY: Kaepernick is this season's Tim Tebow. And how is that working out for Tebow, anyway?<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />ST. LOUIS (4-6)
31<br />Arizona (4-7) 17<br />THE STATS: St. Louis Cornerback Janoris Jenkins 2 INT,
2 TDs (36, 39).<br />THE STORY: Did Arizona really start 4-0 ?<br /><br /><br />THE
SCORE:<br />Green Bay (7-4) 10<br />NY GIANTS (7-4) 38<br />THE STATS: NY Giants
defense: 201 yards passing.<br />THE STORY: Huge beatdown by the Giants, but
actually, both teams are tied at 7-4 now.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Oakland
(3-8) 10<br />CINCINNATI (6-5) 34<br />THE STATS: Cincinnati RB BenJarvus
Green-Ellis 19-129-1 TD.<br />THE STORY: Bengals 3rd straight win, and can
continue to pad their playoff resume with games against San Diego, Dallas,
and Philadelphia (combined 12-21), but finish against Pittsburgh, Baltimore
(combined 15-7).<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />CAROLINA (3-8) 30<br />Philadelphia
(3-8) 22<br />THE STATS: Carolina QB Cam Newton 18-28-306-0-2 TDs, 125.0 rating; 14-52-2 TD rushing.<br />THE STORY: A reality show we'd like to see: "Choosing
The New Eagles Head Coach"<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - 30 -</span>Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-66202374500643036822012-07-13T22:30:00.003-07:002012-07-13T22:34:45.369-07:00<b>MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL <yawn> HOME RUN DERBY:</yawn></b><br />
<br />
The home run derby continues to fill an important niche in the All-Star break. I know, I know, there's nothing new about it, and if one of your favorite players isn't in the thing, there's little to root for.<br />
<br />
You might say that the event, broadcast on ESPN, is getting old, and simply no longer interesting.
But this is one time I need to defend a boring, made-for-TV sporting event.<br />
<br />
I still remember my first (and only) All-Star game which I attended, in Philadelphia, in 1976. That year, that's all there was -- an All-Star game. <span style="background-color: white;">But now, thousands of fans who can't score tickets to the main event can enjoy a night at the ballpark on Monday. And there was no All-Star coverage on TV back in 1976 on the off-night before the ASG. There was no All-Star game banter on Baseball Tonight on ESPN. There wasn't even an ESPN.</span><br />
<br />
So the Home Run Derby Presented by Some Corporate Sponsor fills a huge programming void for fans wanting a big baseball fix during the All-Star break. And, along with the fun All-Star Fan Fest, gives fans in the All-Star city a lot to do during the All-Star break.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>MAKING THE HOME RUN DERBY RELEVANT AGAIN:</b><br />
<br />
Great job MLB did by making the All-Star game at least somewhat relevant by giving World Series home field advantage to the winning league. That's led to 6 of the 9 home-field-winning-All-Star league winners also going on to win the World Series.<br />
<br />
That makes the MLB All-Star game the only contest of its type that can affect the outcome of the championship season or the playoffs.
But what about the Home Run Derby? How is that going to maintain relevance in the wake of it getting stale?
My suggestion? Lets try giving home field advantage in the All- Star game to the league that wins the Home Run Derby.<br />
<br />
- 30 -Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-70183028959261213172012-02-29T04:09:00.003-08:002012-02-29T04:14:00.097-08:00From the experts in Sports and Entertainment Law:I attended this week a sports law seminar sponsored by the Sports and Entertainment Law society at Widener University, an organization of which I am proud to say I was once a member.<br /><br />Two of the featured speakers on one of the day's panels were Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, and Andrew Brandt, ESPN's sports business analyst and former Green Bay Packers officer.<br /><br />I thought I would pass along some of the more interesting commentary from the seminar, particularly in relation to the recent NFL season that just wrapped up. If you remember, the 2011 season almost did not happen, as the NFL owners' lockout went right up into the start of NFL training camp.<br /><br />Andrew Brandt said that when the 400 or 500 page Collective Bargaining Agreement comes out, they (salary cap executives like he was) just go to the 4 or 5 pages that matter -- the salary cap and free agency provisions. They don't care about things like pension provisions for the players.<br /><br />Howie Roseman agreed, adding that when he gets his hands on the CBA, GMs also start looking for loopholes (in the cap and free agency).<br /><br />Brandt, as founder of, and author for, The National Football Post (www.nationalfootballpost.com), said that writing about the NFL labor situation last year was not fun. He described it as "messy." But, he added, matter of factly, "it was a negotiation," as if to say that negotiations are, by their nature, messy.<br /><br />Brandt did most of the talking during the seminar. Not because he was intent on dominating the discussion, but more than once, the Eagles' general manager, Roseman, said that he was unable to discuss certain player-personnel issues. The seminar's moderator, player agent Christopher Cabott, said not-entirely-jokingly that while Roseman would take questions, we should not bother asking the Eagles GM about free agency, the upcoming draft, or the status of Eagles star wide receiver, DeSean Jackson.<br /><br />So why was it that Philadelphia Comcast SportsNet's Neil Hartman thought he could get Roseman to talk about free agency, the upcoming draft, and the status of Eagles star wide receiver, DeSean Jackson?<br /><br />Hartman showed up at the sports law seminar with a camera at Widener University in Wilmington, Delaware, about 1/2 hour outside Philadelphia. Later in the evening, Comcast SportsNite's roundup program featured the first of a series of reports of their "exclusive" interview with Roseman, which was done at the law school following Roseman's appearance on the Sports and Entertainment law panel. Hartman, a distinguished sports reporter in the area, asked Roseman about the very things which Roseman said he was unable to discuss during our Sports Law panel discussion. And Roseman's answers to the interviewer were, as expected, non-specific.<br /><br />Why Hartman felt it necessary to chase Roseman all the way down to Philadelphia is unclear to me. Is the Eagles General Manager not accessible in his Philadelphia office, which is just blocks from the studio where Hartman works?<br /><br />Back to the panel, Andrew Brandt managed to narrow down the issues in the recent NFL labor environment. He said that lately, escalating player costs were outpacing revenues, fans weren't willing to pay for new stadia, and those facts are what the owners presented to the players. So, in the recent negotiations, some of the financial risk was shifted from owners to players. That shift comes in the form of the types of revenue now subject to the players share. On the players side, they wanted a shift in injury risk from players to owners. So as a result, players will now practice less, get hit less at practice, and work out less in pads.<br /><br />Moderator Christopher Cabott then summarized what each side wants: Owners want more revenues going to the clubs in the revenue sharing arrangement with the players, an 18-game season, and a rookie salary cap.<br /><br />The players, according to Cabott, want revenue divisions similar to the last CBA, a 16-game schedule, and to maintain post-career benefits.<br /><br />As expected, there would be some good-natured needling and disagreement between the player and ownership reps on the panel. Player agent Cabott stated that an average NFL player's career is 3.4 years on grass, but only 3.2 for those who play home games on artificial turf.<br /><br />Cabott was trying to make two points. First, that a player's career is short, and secondly, that home-turf players careers are shorter. I'm not so certain that a .2 years (6.3 percent) difference in career length is statistically significant. But the panelist on the owners' side had another problem with Cabott's statistics.<br /><br />Roseman said that Cabott's numbers may have covered all NFL players, including those on an NFL roster that never play, and players that may be cut before playing a down. He said that if you go by just players who actually play in The League, the average years for a career rises into the 4's.<br /><br />As for the revenue streams that were part of the contentious negotiations last year, Brandt made the point that the percentage that was thrown back and forth for player compensation was just part of the equation. Under the previous CBA, players were getting 60% of revenues towards the salary cap that teams could spend. That percentage was based on "Total Football Revenue," or TFR.<br /><br />But Brandt made the distinction that the percentage received by players is not the only factor, but instead, it matters "OF WHAT" the percentage is from.<br /><br />If you remember last summer's mess, the players and owners went back and forth on a lesser base percentage. Owners wanted players to get less than 50%, the players proposed something along the lines of 52% -- still less than the 60% the players has been getting under the previous CBA. But those percentages were of TOTAL revenues, not just football revenue, as per the previous CBA. So, under the new deal, players will get 46-48% of all revenues generated by the teams, which is a larger pool than just football revenue. This larger pool might thus include merchandising, concessions, and corporate sponsorships, which may not be covered under just "football revenue."<br /><br />If you are interested in sports and entertainment legal and business issues, I recommend you research local Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs or American Bar Association programs in your area. While these seminars can be expensive, you can usually just walk in and take a seat. Just don't tell them that I said so.<br /><br /><br />- 30 -Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-42921347598183251052012-02-18T18:48:00.000-08:002012-02-18T18:53:16.211-08:00THE NFL STORY: The Super BowlSo the Super Bowl went off without a hitch. Too bad we can't say the same about the halftime show.<br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />NY GIANTS (13-7) 21<br />New England (15-4) 17<br />THE STATS: Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning 30-40-296-0-1 TD, 103.8 rating.<br />THE STORY: Elite quarterback? Who's laughing at that now?<br /><br />- 30 -Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-17919981032162973252012-02-14T16:20:00.000-08:002012-02-14T16:35:05.038-08:00DID YOU NOTICE? The Super Bowl editionWhy was Kelly Clarkson singing the national anthem? Does she have a show coming up on NBC?<br /><br />I was so sure about this, but I was wrong about one thing about the Super Bowl production. During Clarkson's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, I told my wife to wait for it....<br /><br />.... the fly-by.<br /><br />Oh, sure, I know they were playing the Super Bowl in a dome, so a military fly-by would have seemed ridiculous. But that didn't stop the NFL from arranging for a fly-by during the 2008 Phoenix Super Bowl -- even though the roof had been closed.<br /><br />I was wrong. There was no fly-by over the dome in Indianapolis.<br /><br />For the pre-pre-game show, NBC broadcast a retrospective of the 2011 NFL season, narrated by Tom Selleck. It was a good way to kick off 6 hours of football coverage -- and that's not including the time it took to play the game.<br /><br />In the closing credits of the program, the NBC "Road to the Super Bowl" show featured media credits to just two entities: One was probably a film production company of some kind called ITN, and the other credit was to "Tebowing.com".<br /><br />I wish I had made that prop bet on whether there would be a safety in the Super Bowl.<br /><br />What we learned from the pre-game interview of various players who want to be playing in the Super Bowl again, but aren't: one player said the Super Bowl players each get 15 game tickets and 2 hotel rooms. By my calculation, that's about 1350 tickets just for the participating players. Add in coaches and team officials, and I'll bet we're over 2000 tickets just for team commitments. And other NFL teams get about 1% of the seating capacity of the stadium. Each NFL player gets the chance to purchase 2 tickets. That covers another more than 1000 tickets. Don't worry, I'm sure fans can purchase a few tickets, too.<br /><br />It took nearly 30 minutes of their live 4-hour pre-game show for NBC to trot out the first of the stars of their television series. The honor went to Katherine McPhee of NBC's new series, SMASH. And so, the NBC self-promotion was off to a good start. Before the hour was over, NBC promo'd another series with one of their stars, and then Parks and Recreation star Amy Pohler was featured in a comedy segment.<br /><br />Later, NBC's pre-game show featured a completely non-football related promotion for a movie, "That's My Boy" and brief face time with its stars, Andy Samberg, Adam Sandler, and another of the SNL guys. I assumed the movie was connected with NBC-owner Comcast's Universal pictures division, but I couldn't find a connection to Universal. That left me with the feeling that the interview with the stars of the movie was nothing more than a not-so-subtle paid advertisement for the movie.<br /><br />Later, the upcoming Marvel Avengers movie and its star also got a segment during the pre-game show. That movie is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Again, no Comcast / NBC / Universal connection. Yeah, definitely a paid commercial.<br /><br />Can you say Product Placement? As the pre-game show wore on, Ritz crakers were highlighted by feeding the pre-game show hosts various toppings on Ritz crackers, complete with a large Ritz cracker logo on the on-air video boards. Guess those FCC laws against too many commercials per hour of TV doesn't count for in-show commercials.<br /><br />NBC's pre-game show timing was well done. NBC slowly transitioned each hour of the pre-game show towards move football-related content. The first couple hours featured completely non-football-related product placements and in-program commercials. By 4:00pm, they still weren't talking much football, but did turn to the entertainment part of the Super Bowl. That's when NBC interviewed Madonna about her halftime show.<br /><br />During the Madonna interview, she was asked if there would be a "wardrobe malfunction" during her 12-minute set. Madonna said, unequivocally, that she "guaranteed" there would be no wardrobe malfunction.<br /><br />I think the better question to ask Madonna would have been "So, do you guarantee that none of your talentless, media-craving, publicity-seeking guest stars will try something totally insulting, stupid, obscene, and in violation of FCC rules, just to advance their careers and street cred?<br /><br />Was it me, or was the Lucas Oil Stadium field devoid of that ridiculous and embarrassing scene of teenagers jumping up and down around the stage during the halftime show? Usually the NFL rolls the kids in -- and then herds them out after the halftime show -- to give the feel and excitement of a concert. Then again, with a cast of thousands, Madonna did not need extra bodies around the stage.<br /><br />NBC's pre-game show also added a story about New York Giants' wide receiver Victor Cruz' unique touchdown celebration, which is a salsa dance.<br /><br />BUT WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? After Victor Cruz's touchdown early in the game, NBC cut from the receiver doing his patented salsa touchdown celebration. They cut to a shot of quarterback Eli Manning trotting off the field, never returning to Cruz' TD celebration. Nor did NBC show it on replay, in spite of making a big deal of the dance on the pre-game show.<br /><br />After the game, who knew that it would take longer for 78-year-old former NFLer Raymond Berry to walk the Vince Lombardi trophy from the sideline to the presentation stage at midfield, than for Kelly Clarkson to sing the national anthem?Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-84446852567654945582012-02-03T04:06:00.000-08:002012-02-03T04:09:24.444-08:00Super Bowl 46 -- I mean, The Big Game 46-- previewHOW DO YOU GET THE BIGGEST ONE DAY EVENT IN THE WORLD:<br /><br />Cities virtually step all over themselves to get big conventions, sporting events, and of course, The Olympics to come to town.<br /><br />So what goes into getting The Big Game? This story from The New York Times gives a little insight into the process of landing a Super Bowl for your hamlet:<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/sports/football/super-bowl-eighth-graders-helped-indianapolis-land-game.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2<br /><br />In summary, a city gets a Super Bowl by what the Times characterizes as:<br /><br />"Build or improve your stadium. Run a good franchise. Play well with others. Beg a little."<br /><br />I was waiting to hear the article mention "Give us 2000 free hotel rooms."<br /><br />I've always suspected that the NFL either required thousands of hotel rooms to be handed to them, or to just black out EVERY hotel room within a 50 mile radius of the host city, so the NFL could control every room. That's why my research a few years ago for The Sports Bar found that it was impossible to get a hotel room within 75 miles of the host city well before The Big Game. And if you didn't mind staying an hour or so away, it would cost hundreds per night just for a 2-star hotel room.<br /><br />But while it is short on specifics of my pet research project concerning hotel rooms, the article reveals that building a new stadium (read: getting taxpayers to filter millions of dollars to NFL owners) can land you the biggest one day prize in sports.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />THE WORST SUPER BOWL EVER:<br /><br />This is the part of the show where we first recognize that nothing could be more parochial than discussing how much we hate this Super Bowl matchup.<br /><br />Everyone reading this has a different viewpoint on each of the two teams. Many factors go into how you feel about the Patriots and Giants, much of it based on geography.<br /><br />My neighbor's family got together to watch the AFC title game last week. Oh, how nice, I thought. A family from the Washington, DC. area, gathering to cheer on their regional foes from the other conference, the Baltimore Ravens. Not so, grandma-from-next-door told me. They were rooting AGAINST the Ravens.<br /><br />Whatever your feelings about this year's game, I know that for me, I might have a hard time finding a matchup that I loathe more, or that bores me more.<br /><br />It would be different if I just hated one team. That would be an easy Root-Against. But I can't stand either of them.<br /><br />On the one hand, you've got a sideline that is nasty, disrespectful, and cheaters. And that's just the coach. On the other side, you've got New Yorkers.<br /><br />Come to think of it, the New Yorkers aren't much different than the other sideline.<br /><br />So I set out to try to determine what is the absolute worst game I could imagine seeing in the Super Bowl. Is there a game in which I could possibly be less interested?<br /><br />I sat down with the NFL standings, and I went through every possible AFC v. NFC matchup. That's 16x16, or 256 possible game combinations. And here's what I came up with:<br /><br />Super Bowl game I'd most like to see: Eagles against anyone.<br /><br />Only Super Bowl game I hate more than New England v NY Giants: New England v. Dallas.<br /><br />Most boring Super Bowl matchup (no root-for nor root-against interest): Arizona v. Houston.<br /><br />Lesser of two evils Super Bowl: Oakland v. Dallas<br /><br />Can't find lesser of two evils, because they both are the incarnation of blood-sucking vampires Super Bowl matchup (think Jerry Jones/Bill Belichick): Dallas v. New England<br /><br />Best Super Bowl to take a nap: Buffalo v. Tampa Bay<br /><br />Most overhyped Super Bowl: New York v. New York. Game played in New York.<br /><br />Super Bowl that even that guy who's been to every Super Bowl would consider not showing up for: Jacksonville v. Seattle<br /><br />Worst owners in the NFL Super Bowl matchup: Irsay family v. Jerry Jones.<br /><br />Most sentimental matchup: (teams never to play in a Super Bowl) Cleveland v. Detroit.<br /><br />Best Natural disaster matchup: New Orleans v. Tennessee (Nashville)<br /><br />Old School Super Bowl: Oakland v. Green Bay<br /><br />New School Super Bowl: Houston v. Carolina<br /><br />Most winners of most Super Bowls matchup: Pittsburgh v. Dallas<br /><br />Most losers of Super Bowls matchup: Buffalo v. Minnesota (duh!)<br /><br />The Undefeated Super Bowl: Miami vs. New England (an all AFC Super Bowl).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />THE NFL STORY: Conference Championships<br /><br />So I guess Mr. and Mrs. Harbaugh don't have that difficult decision to make, after all.<br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Baltimore (13-5) 20<br />NEW ENGLAND (15-3) 23<br />THE STATS: New England: 1 penalty, 1 turnover. Baltimore: 6 penalties, 3 turnovers.<br />THE STORY: Patriots won in spite of a 57.5 passer rating by Tom Brady. You think the Giants can hold Brady to under 60?<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />NY GIANTS (12-7) 20<br />San Francisco(14-4) 17<br />THE STATS: San Francisco 1-13 3rd down conversions.<br />THE STORY: So the NFL got to use those wacky playoff overtime rules. I still haven't figured out the rules, but at least they got to use the rules.<br /><br /> - 30 -Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-61280908256677619742012-01-27T15:46:00.000-08:002012-01-27T15:53:59.430-08:00JOE PATERNO: 1926-2012I wish I could say that I grew up at Penn State, but I can't. I did, however, grow up WITH Penn State. And that meant that I grew up with Joe Paterno.<br /><br />My parents went to Penn State. My brother went to Penn State. Me? I only wish I had, but I had another calling from an Ivy League school in West Philadelphia that to this day, gets confused with Penn State. Yes, there really are "Not Penn State" t-shirts available on the Penn Campus. That never bothered me when I attended Penn; I knew the difference, even if the students at Penn hated that we were confused with a "football school." What they didn't know is that Penn State was a lot more than a football school.<br /><br />But football at Penn State only set a tone for the school. It created a dynamic that drew you towards the University, even as a young boy.<br /><br />Saturdays in the fall are still one of my most vivid memories of growing up. My dad and I would drive off to the local farmer's market, where we'd pick up 3 sides of beef that we would wrap up for the freezer later in the day. Always on that car radio was Penn State football, the voice of Fran Fisher calling names like John Cappelletti, Chuck Fusina, and all those Bahr brothers. Joe Paterno had recruited and coached the players that made Penn State football an experience. We loved Penn State football, even if, in the days before the federal lawsuits that opened up broadcast rights, you only got to see your favorite team play live on television once or twice a season.<br /><br />But that was okay, because Sundays were time for the Penn State Football Show. The one-hour package of that weekend's Penn State football game was such required viewing in our house, that my dad and I would watch separate broadcasts on separate channels over the course of those Sunday mornings.<br /><br />Listening to and watching all those Penn State games, I'd like to say that my father taught me to love and respect coach Joe Paterno. But he didn't. He didn't have to. You only had to watch Paterno, and listen to Paterno, to love and respect Paterno.<br /><br />I admired JoePa so much that I bought whatever cause he was selling. Joe said there should be a playoff in college football. That worked for me. Coaches should graduate their players? I couldn't have agreed more. Plain uniforms without names on the back? Fine with me. Joe once said he didn't want to leave college football to the Barry Switzers.<br /><br />Well, I didn't need Joe Paterno to tell me about Barry Switzer. It was easy to see what an ass he was.<br /><br />When you went to a live Penn State game, there were two things you wanted to see. The players might come and go, but you knew that you could see, and wanted to see at every game, Joe Paterno and Mount Nittany.<br /><br />Rising miles beyond the stadium, but seemingly as close as that coach in the khakis on the sideline, was Mount Nittany. As stoic as Joe himself, that big hill set the tone for the beautiful valley over which it rose. Much like Joe set the tone for an entire academic community.<br /><br />He wasn't just Joe the coach of the football team. He was the coach of the entire school. He was everyone's coach, and could have been everyone's grandfather. More powerful than any administrator, move loved than any professor, more a symbol of the school than the mascot, Paterno's influence was not bounded by Beaver Stadium. Joe's contributions to the library -- there's a wing in the name of he and his wife Sue -- his "grand experiment" of combining athletics with academics, and his ever-faithful position as teacher and mentor to the Penn State community, is what set the tone for the campus.<br /><br />Remember the last time Joe publicly spoke to the student body? You've probably seen the video of Joe on his lawn, addressing the shocked students in the wake of his dismissal from the 2nd great love in his life, as coach of Penn State football. Remember what Joe told the students gathered on his lawn? Told them to go back and study.<br /><br />Joe didn't drill the academics down your throat, mind you. He didn't have to. He wanted his players to graduate. Well, heck, if the dumb jocks can get a Penn State degree, so can I. He gave his money not to build a new athletic facility, but to a library. And on the worst day of his Penn State life (with apologies to 4th-and-1 in the Sugar Bowl) he told the kids to go study.<br /><br />That's the kind of man I wanted as the coach of my favorite football team. Or to coach my own son. In fact, when my boy was born less than two years ago, I said in my Sports Bar Newsletter that I hoped my son would grow up to play for Joe Paterno. I was only half-kidding; the thought that Joe would ever not be the coach at Penn State was almost unimaginable. I would not have been surprised to see JoePa still coaching the Nittany Lions when my boy got there in 18 years.<br /><br />I guess my boy won't grow up to experience what a great man was Joe Paterno. But he will learn it from me.<br /><br />Eventually, I had the chance to go to Penn State. Took the summer before my junior year at Penn to be a real Penn State student, if only for one summer. Penn State wasn't a place I *wanted* to go to, it was a place I NEEDED to go to. I had to feel that experience of being a part of Penn State. Studied hard, got all A's and a B that summer. Our dorm won the softball intramural title, playing the title game in the shadows of Beaver Stadium. We'd might as well have been playing in the shadows of JoePa himself.<br /><br />I look forward to taking my son to Penn State, to show him where his dad won the softball title, and the library where his dad studied every night.<br /><br />And when we do visit Penn State, Ryan will know Joe Paterno had been there as well. He will see it in the library, he will see it in the magnificent stadium and athletic facilities that exist because of Paterno. And my boy will know who was responsible for it, because I won't let him forget it.<br /><br />But while Joe set the tone for the Penn State experience, he is maybe getting too much credit. You've heard it said that Joe was the embodiment of Penn State. That he *was* Penn State. Angelo Cataldi on WIP sports radio said the university "Would not exist" without Paterno.<br /><br />Okay, so that might be just so much sports-radio-host hyperbole. Whatever the case, I think this part of the accolades of Joe Paterno's life is unfair to Penn State. Penn State was a great place before Joe got there, and would have been a great place without him. The academics, the alumni community, and the beautiful college town that sprang up around it, are all top notch. Penn State has more fundraising than I think you could find on any college campus. THON, the former Sy Barash Regatta, the Lady Lions Pink Out for breast cancer. You might not have heard about this philanthropy, but trust me, everyone connected with Penn State has.<br /><br />So there is lots to admire and love about Penn State, and it would have been there without Joe Paterno. JoePa just made it a better place than it ever could have been without him.<br /><br />We will miss you, JoePa. GrandPa. CoachPa. Penn State, college football, and the lives of an entire educational community were a lot better off because of you. I look forward to telling that to my son.<br /><br />FOR THE GLORY,<br /><br />-- Brian, somewhere near Penn StateBrian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-22199611518069872302012-01-18T18:51:00.001-08:002012-01-18T18:53:46.943-08:00STOP SOPA and PIPAWe're "black" today, to join the campaign against big business interests who want to control and censor the Internet.Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826726742346114304.post-87557671413315633292012-01-13T04:10:00.001-08:002012-01-13T04:13:17.276-08:00THE NFL STORY: WILD CARD WEEKEND<br /><br />So maybe god is be a Tebow fan, after all.<br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Cincinnati (9-8) 10<br />HOUSTON (11-6) 31<br />THE STATS: Houston RB Arian Foster 24-153-2 TD.<br />THE STORY: The game mirrored Cincinnati's season: Get off to an early 7-0 lead (started 6-2), then struggle the rest of the way in scoring just 3 more points (3-5 record to end the season at 9-7).<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Atlanta (10-7) 2<br />NY GIANTS (10-7) 24<br />THE STATS: NY Giants WR Hakeem Nicks 6-115-2 TD.<br />THE STORY: New York's reward for an impressive win: Green Bay.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Detroit (10-7) 28<br />NEW ORLEANS (14-3) 45<br />THE STATS: New Orleans offense 34 first downs, playoff record 626 total yards.<br />THE STORY: Saints still haven't lost since before Halloween.<br /><br /><br />THE SCORE:<br />Pittsburgh (12-5) 23<br />DENVER (9-8) 29<br />THE STATS: Denver QB Tim Tebow 10-21-316-0-2 TD, 125.6 rating;<br />10-50-1 TD rushing.<br />THE STORY: Most memorable picture of the weekend wasn't Tebow Tebowing after the win, but the media rushing to get pictures of Tebow Tebowing after the win.<br /><br />- 30 -Brian Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13659636192157172431noreply@blogger.com0