Tag: football

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NFL General

Happy day after Father’s Day!

We all only have one father; well, except for that chick on My Two Dads, but that’s beside the point. What we’re trying to say is that dads are special guys. And even though we not might be as close to the old man as we once were, it doesn’t mean that the heartwarming feelings aren’t still there. C’mon, who doesn’t cherish those childhood memories of shooting hoops or playing catch with pops? Those are the moments where the lifelong bonds between father and son are forged. And we aren’t the only ones who think so, Bill Parcells does too.

So to all you dads out there, just don’t forget that your kids are going to grow up before you know it. You only have a limited time to influence their lives before they’re going be up and outta the house. It is critical that you spend quality time each and every day with your kids doing things like playing sports. And not only do drills like the ones mentioned by Parcells instill qualities like coordination, timing and good old fashioned discipline, but if you put in the extra effort with your kids then you just might motivate them all the way to a pro sports career. Then you could finally retire and live off your boy’s millions for the rest of your life. That’s the only thing that’s going to make all those teenage speeding tickets, emergency room visits and angry calls from high school teachers worth it.

Categories
Video Games

Dec 5 in Sports History: Dad, what’s a video arcade?


In 1983: As a very prehistoric precursor to the John Madden video game franchise, the NFL introduced its first video arcade game, the creatively titled “NFL Football.” Madden it sure as heck wasn’’t, as there were very few features. In fact, the game’s creators were banking that the kids pumping their quarters in didn’’t mind being the Raiders and the Chargers all the time, because that’s all they were getting. After the play was selected, it showed the play using actual footage from a real NFL game between those two teams. Also, there was no dynasty mode or anything cool (like you could be Marcus Allen and bang OJ Simpson’s wife or Dan Fouts and be really fucking annoying on the air). Unfortunately, the game didn’’t do very well (there was a second edition with Redskins-Cowboys) and production was halted in 1984. (www.klov.com)

In 1981: Speaking of Marcus Allen, football’s most beloved adulterer won the Heisman Trophy as a tailback at USC, edging out Georgia sophomore Herschel Walker in a close vote. Allen was the fourth USC running back to win the Heisman (hey, OJ won one too…Maybe you own it!) but was the only Trojan to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. He was also the first player to run for over 200 yards in four straight games. Allen was drafted by the Raiders in 1982, and he went on to have a hall of fame career and won a Super Bowl MVP in 1984.

In 1982: Herschel Walker finally got his due by winning the Heisman Trophy as a junior, easily outdistancing Stanford‘s John Elway (Dan Marino finished 9th, way behind Tony Eason). Many felt that Walker should have won in his freshman year, when he ran for over 1,600 yards, 15 touchdowns and outclassed George Rogers, South Carolina’s Heisman winner that year, in a key Bulldog’s victory. Only a bias against underclassmen kept Walker from possibly winning an unprecedented three straight awards. Had Walker stayed in Athens for his senior year, he probably would still hold all Division I-A rushing records, as he had over 5,000 yards and 50 career touchdowns with a whopping 5.3 yards per carry in only three seasons. He decided it would be a better idea to try and commit career suicide, however, and he went to the USFL’s New Jersey Generals for three years. (heisman.com)

Categories
NFL General

Woman wins $444,186 on a $5 football bet



Our new picks system

A 21-year-old bartender named Sarah Mabee won the Ontario (that’s Canada) Pro Picks Pools lottery game by picking all 13 games correctly last weekend. Mabee knows nothing about the NFL and it was only her second time playing the lottery game.

So basically what this tells you is that no matter the amount of research you do, it doesn’t beat just throwing a dart at the wall or picking the team with the prettier uniforms/hotter cheerleaders/cooler mascot. Or picking the Oakland Raiders over the Arizona Cardinals because it was her grandfather’s favorite team.

Mabee won enough money to quit her job and we’re still trying to figure out how we picked the Cardinals to beat the Raiders. That’s it, from now on, we’re going with the team with the hotter cheerleaders. That means Pittsburgh and Green Bay will lose every game.

Finally, why isn’t a Pro Picks lottery game available in the US? Isn’t it safer for us to go to the store and put this bet down instead of finding the shady fat guy at the end of the bar?

Links:
[Toronto Star]: Bartender’s NFL picks net $444,186 prize

Categories
All Other Sports

Sports Father of the Year


Don’t even bother with more nominations folks, the 2006 Father of the Year is Philadelphia’s Wayne Derkotch. Derkotch pulled a gun on the coach of his son’s pee-wee football team because his (now psychologically scarred son) wasn’t getting enough playing time. According to witnesses, Derkotch started arguing with the coach and the two started fighting before Derkotch pulled out a .357 Magnum. Everyone hit the ground and Derkotch took off in his truck.

The referee of the game, Shawn Henwood, tried to write down the license plate number when another upstanding citizen by the name of Paul Derkotch knocked the paper out of his hand and started fighting with the ref. By now, cops were on the scene and they saw Henwood hit Paul Derkotch in the jaw and arrested Henwood. (Ironic that a ref would get arrested for the retaliation and not the initial blow, isn’t it?) In any case, police also tracked down Wayne Derkotch and arrested him.

So now the junion Derkotch, in addition to sucking at pee wee football also has a lunatic for a father. We’re gonna go ahead and guess that he’s not going to grow up to be a Supreme Court judge.

Links:
[Philly.com]: A dad and the ref are charged

Categories
Boxing

Sep 29 in Sports History: Muhammed Ali wins his last fight


In 1977: About 70 million people tuned in to watch Muhammed Ali defeat Earnie Shavers to retain his heavyweight boxing title in a close, 15-round decision. It was the last fight Ali ever won. It was also the first heavyweight title match to be officiated by a woman, named Eva Shain.

In 1951: A football game was televised in color for the first time. The contest between California and the U. of Penn (which Cal won 35-0) was shown on CBS-TV from Philadelphia.

In 2004: For those who cry out in protest against rookie hazing, former Cleveland Indians reliever Kyle Denney would like to have a word with you. As the team bus was pulling away after a game in Kansas City, a stray bullet hit Denney in the calf. Since he was dressed as a woman for a hazing ritual, the low-caliber bullet did not do serious damage, because the knee-high leather boots he was wearing helped to slow it down. Denney is currently with the Washington Nationals organization.

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NFL General

Sep 7 in Sports History: Pro Football Hall of Hame Opens in Canton


In 1963: The Pro Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, OH., where pro football originated. The original class had 17 members, including Red Grange, George Halas, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe and Sammy Baugh. There are now 235 members enshrined. A new class is selected each year the day before the Super Bowl, and is inducted in August.

In 1979: Although some thought the idea was ludicrous (Ron Burgundy included), The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) made its debut on cable television. ESPN started as a small operation showing off-the-wall sports like Aussie Rules football and strongest man competitions, but is now a global empire that includes MLB, NBA and NFL telecasts. It’s available in over 80 million homes and has dozens of networks, including ESPN2, ESPN Classic and channels on each continent.

Categories
High School Sports

Sportsmanship is alive and well in Connecticut



Thinks there’s a BCS
in high school sports

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has instituted a rule that any football coach who runs up the score and wins by more than 50 points will be suspended for the next game. The CIAC claims it’s been looking into this rule for the last couple of years but apparently it’s all because of one coach, New London’s Jack Cochran.

During a game when his team was up 60-0, Cochran called a timeout right before the half, ostensibly to get another score in. (This might be the biggest dick move since Buddy Ryan ordered Randall Cunningham to fake a kneel down against the Dallas Cowboys.) That angered the opposing coach so much that he hit a security guard and a New London assistant coach and was arrested. So now, the football mercy rule is known unofficially as the “Jack Cochrane rule”.

Football committee chairman Leroy Williams explained the need for the rule.


Try to explain that to kids. When you get someone down, you don’t have to kick them. The key thing to remember is, it’s about the quality of the game. It’s about teaching kids right from wrong. It’s about the game of life and that’s how we had to look about it.

Actually, if it’s one thing we learned from watching amateur sports like college football and Bob Stoops over the years, it’s that you should always run up the score whenever possible because that’s how you come out a winner!

Links:
[Boston.com]: Connecticut group flags high school routs

Categories
Minnesota Vikings

The Original Whizzinator-er is heading to the CFL

The CFL has become a halfway house for the NFL’s substance abuse violators. “Come up north! We don’t bother with those little details like drug use!” We’re still awaiting Ricky Williams’ next move but Onterrio Smith is joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a backup RB.

On the Blue Bombers’ web site, there is no mention of Smith’s drug use that lead to his suspension from the NFL. Only noting his career stats and that he was a teammate of the Bombers QB Tee Martin at Tennessee.


My skill is still there. It’s just a case of coming up there and learning the system. I’ve already been checking through the rule book and getting a feel for the (CFL) game. It’s brand new to me. But it’s football, so I’ll be able to adjust on the run. I’ve got no problem with whatever my role is. I’m not looking to come in and step on any toes. Hopefully everything will work out.

Plus, I keep hearing the BC bud they have up here is unbelievable.

OK… we might have made up that last part.

Links:
[Winnipeg Sun]: Bombers sign Onterrio Smith
[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]: Onterrio heads north to join Blue

Categories
NFL General

Computer is smarter than your head coach



Hello Barry Switzer

The mad scientists at End Game Technologies have come up with a computer model, ZEUS, that can correctly pick the next play to run. Using data from NFL game logs and the current situation, the computer can run a million game simulations and tell the coach which play he should call next that will result in the highest game winning opportunity.

Here’s an example:


Coaches often lose sight of this goal by focusing on points rather than the statistical expectation of winning. Points certainly matter in an NFL game, but not all points have the same value.
Consider a team trailing by 2 points on the last play of the game at their opponents 2 yard line: the extra 4 points that come with a touchdown in lieu of a field goal have no value whatsoever. The field goal is the optimal GWC choice. In this simple example, if the team went for the TD and succeeded they would still be charged with a large blunder even though it didn’t affect the outcome of the game. This is because the chosen play will lose on average. ZEUS focuses on the methodology of optimal play-calling not the short term results.

They are quick to stress that ZEUS is intended to be a coaches aide and not a replacement. Considering the salaries that coaches make, you can believe that these units won’t ever make it into team headquarters. However, we see a future where every football analyst has one of these bad boys and plugs in the data for critical decision and god help the coach that makes the wrong call. Basically, everytime your boneheaded coach makes a dumb call, you’ll know about it.

This article on this site about onsides kicks supports what we’ve been saying for years: the onsides kick is severely underutilized. This is purely our own thinking… Let’s say your team has just scored and needs the ball back with 1:59 to go. You have two time-outs left. If you kick off and stop them at the 20 yard line, so what? If they get a first down, you’re done. Now, let’s say you onside kick. If you recover, well, great. (ZEUS says there’s a 25% recovery chance.) If not, the opposing team has the ball at, say, your 45 yard line. If they get a first down, you’re done. So what’s the difference between your defense having to stop them on your 45 or their 20? Sure, you have less field to goal if you force them to punt from their 20, but the biggest factor in this situation isn’t the field position, it’s possession. Why not give yourself the extra 25% chance of getting the ball back right away?

Back to ZEUS…

The company states that over a course of the season, callign the correct PAT and 4th down play can result in an increase between .6 and 1.25 wins . They also claim that ZEUS can help make decisions regarding the GWC (game winning chances) of the #1 ranked kicker vs the #32 ranked kicker. So no more terrible contracts and overvaluing of players by GMs.

Of course, if any of this comes to pass, football won’t nearly be as fun to watch. If we can’t second guess and curse at the coaches, who are we going to blame for our team losing again? Oh yeah, the refs.

(Story via Fark.com)

Links:
[Science Daily]: New Computer Model Of Football Can Help NFL Coaches Call The Next Play, Evaluate Playe

Categories
Video Games

Madden 2007 is trying to wreck Shaun Alexander’s season



Sorry Seattle fans

EA Sports announced that Shaun Alexander, the Seattle Seahawks $62M man is going to be on the cover of Madden 2007. Seattle fans and Mike Holmgren are already cursing EA but Shaun is just happy to collect the big endorsement check.


To be on the cover of Madden NFL 07 is a big milestone in my career since I have always been a huge fan of this franchise. EA SPORTS is focusing on the running game in this year’s version, so I was honored when I was chosen to be on the cover to represent the improved running game.

We’ll see what Alexander has to say when he becomes the latest victim of the Madden cover jinx. Here’s the easiest Fantasy Football advice you’re going to get: DO NOT take Shaun Alexander with your first round pick.

Oh, the jinx is very real folks. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vegas odds for Seattle winning the Super Bowl just dropped in half. Here’s a rundown of covers and actual performance since Eddie George in 2001.

  • 2001 Eddie George: His jinx took a year to kick in but his rushing production went from 1509 yards to 939 the year after appearing on the cover.
  • 2002 Daunte Culpepper: Daunte went from fantasy stud (33 TDs and 3937 yards) to fantasy dud (14 TDs and 2612 yards) and finally succumbed to a knee injury.
  • 2003 Marshall Faulk: Total production went from 2147 to 1490 all purpose yards, a 44% decrease. The Rams went from Super Bowl runner up to 7-9.
  • 2004 Michael Vick: Broke his ankle in a preseason game. The quickest jinx in Madden history.
  • 2005 Ray Lewis: Ray Lewis avoids the cover jinx… because he was just standing there.. didn’t see a thing. Nope. Didn’t see a thing.
  • 2006 Donovan McNabb: DMac got into a highly publicized feud with Terrell Owens and then had his season cut short by a sports hernia.

So what’s in store for Shaun Alexander? Here are the official SC odds:

  • 5-1 Torn ACL or MCL
  • 4-1 Ankle injury
  • 3-1 Sharp decline in production
  • 20-1 Broken ankle on horse collar tackle
  • 50-1 no injury
  • 100-1 Breaks hand while washing his truck

Links:
[Video Game Generation]: Seahawks MVP Shaun Alexandar Soars on Madden NFL 07 Cover