|
Tag Archive | "aaron rodgers"
Tags: aaron rodgers, Baltimore, carolina, chargers, detroit, Drew Brees, espn, ESPN.com, Facebook, houston, lions, minnesota, new england, new orleans, NFL, panthers, patriots, Ravens, Ray Rice, saints, san diego, texans, twitter, vikings
Ray Rice Advances To Final Eight in Madden Cover Voting
Posted on 04 April 2012 by WNST Staff
Tags: 49ers, aaron rodgers, afc, bears, Ben Roethlisberger, bengals, brandon marshall, broncos, browns, buccaneers, California, Cardinals, chargers, chiefs, Chris Johnson, cleveland, colts, cowboys, dolphins, Drew Brees, eagles, espn, ESPN.com, ESPN2, Facebook, falcons, florida, giants, jaguars, Jets, lions, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan, Michael Vick, MMA, National Football League, NBA, NCAA, nfc, NHL, orlando, packers, panthers, patriots, PGA, PGA Tour, Polamalu, pro bowl, raiders, rams, Ravens, Ray Rice, redskins, Roethlisberger, saints, seahawks, Skins, Steelers, terrell suggs, texans, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, troy polamalu, twitter, vikings, youtube
Rice, Suggs In Running For Madden 13 Cover
Posted on 08 March 2012 by WNST Staff
EA SPORTS AND ESPN’S SPORTSNATION KICK OFF MADDEN NFL 13 COVER ATHLETE FAN VOTE
This Year’s Campaign Expands to 64 Players – With Play-In Round Featuring Two Athletes
From Each NFL Team Represented in Head-to-Head Matchups
March 7, 2012 – EA SPORTS™ and ESPN announced today the return of the award-winning Madden NFL Cover Vote campaign, where fans can cast their vote for the next athlete to grace the cover of one of the highest-selling videogame franchises in North America. Last year, nearly 13 million votes were cast through ESPNSportsNation.com and ESPN mobile in both companies’ most successful cross-platform activation. Tenth-seeded Cleveland Browns running back, Peyton Hillis, trucked through the six week competition all the way to the ultimate end zone – the Madden NFL 12 cover.
This year’s competition will incorporate more athletes and more chances to vote as the field has been expanded to 64 NFL players, putting even more control in the hands of the fans. Beginning today through March 21, fans can visit the SportsNation Facebook page to choose among the 64 candidates in a play-in round (each matchup features two players from the same NFL team) to advance to the official 32-player, seeded tournament. The winners of the play-in round will be unveiled with the official seeded, 32-player bracket on March 21 on ESPN’s “Madden Cover Vote Special” from 5-6p.m. EST. To ensure their favorite player advances to the next round, fans are encouraged to vote daily and tweet their picks using #MyMaddenCoverVote on Twitter. Every Wednesday between March 21 and April 25, fans can tune into SportsNation on ESPN2at 5p.m. EST to check out the latest Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote standings.
In addition to the SportsNation Facebook page, fans will be able to vote in the play-in round via the open Web through widgets embedded on blogs, websites and more. Each widget features an individual match-up for each of the 32 total teams in the league. For the cover vote from March 21-April 25, all voting must be cast at ESPN.com/MaddenVote.
The star-studded list of candidates participating in the play-in round features past Super Bowl winners, perennial Pro Bowlers and some of the most popular players in the NFL including Drew Brees, Arian Foster and Rob Gronkowski. The full list of matchups featured in the play-in round are:
|
AFC |
|||
| Ravens | Terrell Suggs vs. Ray Rice | Jets | Mark Sanchez vs. Darrelle Revis |
| Steelers | Troy Polamalu vs. Ben Roethlisberger | Bills | Stevie Johnson vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick |
| Browns | Joe Thomas vs. Joe Haden | Dolphins | Reggie Bush vs. Brandon Marshall |
| Bengals | Andy Dalton vs. AJ Green | Patriots | Wes Welker vs. Rob Gronkowski |
| Texans | Arian Foster vs. Andre Johnson | Chargers | Phillip Rivers vs. Antonio Gates |
| Colts | Dwight Freeney vs. Robert Mathis | Broncos | Tim Tebow vs. Von Miller |
| Jaguars | Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Blaine Gabbert | Chiefs | Dwayne Bowe vs. Derrick Johnson |
| Titans | Jake Locker vs. Chris Johnson | Raiders | Sebastian Janikowski vs. Shane Lechler |
|
NFC |
|||
| Bears | Jay Cutler vs. Matt Forte | Rams | Chris Long vs. Brandon Lloyd |
| Lions | Calvin Johnson vs. Matt Stafford | 49ers | Vernon Davis vs. Patrick Willis |
| Vikings | Percy Harvin vs. Jared Allen | Seahawks | Marshawn Lynch vs. Earl Thomas |
| Packers | Aaron Rodgers vs. Clay Matthews | Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald vs. Patrick Peterson |
| Falcons | Matt Ryan vs. Julio Jones | Eagles | Michael Vick vs. LeSean McCoy |
| Saints | Drew Brees vs. Jimmy Graham | Giants | Victor Cruz vs. Jason Pierre-Paul |
| Panthers | Cam Newton vs. Steve Smith | Cowboys | Jason Witten vs. DeMarcus Ware |
| Buccaneers | Josh Freeman vs. LeGarrette Blount | Redskins | Brian Orakpo vs. Ryan Kerrigan |
The Madden NFL 13 cover vote marks the third-consecutive year that EA SPORTS has asked fans to help shape the face of the Madden NFL franchise through a cover athlete voting campaign. It also marks the second year of its collaboration with ESPN’s SportsNation.
Madden NFL 13 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon. For more information about Madden NFL 13, please visit: http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl. To download assets pertaining to the Madden NFL 13 please visit http://maddennfl13.newslinevine.com.
All player participation has been facilitated by National Football League Players Incorporated, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.
EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers experiences that ignite the emotions of sport through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company’s game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Active, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods, and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Officially Licensed Product of National Football League Players Incorporated.
About SportsNation
SportsNation is a live sports television show born from the Internet, fueled by fan interaction and focused on fun. The show, which has the youngest and most male audience on the ESPN network, features discussions of the day’s hottest sports topics but also smaller stories that generate buzz on the Web but are overlooked by other shows. Feeding off the theory that if two heads are better than one, 200,000 heads are better than two, SportsNation engages hundreds of thousands of sports fans across the country via ESPN.com’s SportsNation page (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/).
About ESPN Games and EA
ESPN’s long-standing relationship with EA produces deep brand integrations into console gaming titles such as EA SPORTS NCAA Football 12 and Fight Night Champion. Additionally, the relationship in 2011 produced the biggest ESPN poll vote ever for the Madden NFL 12 cover vote, logging nearly 13 million votes, the most ESPN votes ever for a joint collaboration. The Emmy award-winning EA Virtual Playbook also most recently extended to boxing and golf in 2011.
###
PLAY-IN ROUND VOTING THRU FACEBOOK & OPEN WEB
Thanks for your interest in SportsNation’s Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote.
EA Sports and ESPN’s SportsNation have chosen two players from each NFL team to be included in a social play-in round for the Madden NFL 13 cover.
Starting March 7th on SportsNation’s Facebook page and on voting matchups called ‘sapplets’ or ‘widgets’ embedded across open web (info below), fans will be able to vote on matchups from each NFL team to send one representative into the final bracket of 32 players at ESPN.com/MaddenVote on March 21st.
If you choose to embed one of the 32 individual voting ‘sapplets’, you can use the next page that includes all 32 embed codes for all 32 NFL teams. They post to your site much like a YouTube clip and can increase time spent on your site as well as traffic by generating debate about matchups.
The social Play-in vote launches on Wednesday, March 7th and closes two week later on Wednesday, March 21st. The Facebook tab and voting ‘sapplets’ will be live during those two weeks.
CHEAT SHEET:
WAY TO EMBED:
- Go to page 2. Find your team.
- Copy the embed code.
- Paste the embed code onto your website where you would embed a YouTube clip.
- The voting platform is ready and interactive on your page!
- Please Note: do NOT embed on Tumblr and do NOT change the height & width
|
Canvas |
NEW embed Code |
| 49ers Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1dce569c1” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Chiefs Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1e2f12fa0” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Broncos Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1e554e7b8” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Chargers Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1e8357b31” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Raiders Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1eef16cb1” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Cardinals Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1f1180d75” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Rams Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1f3a44b7c” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Seahawks Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1fa90e9de” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Dolphins Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c1fd45f2ef” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Jets Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c20e43130c” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Bills Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c2117d9a4d” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Patriots Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c21a1d4a02” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Giants Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c21c93fefb” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Redskins Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c21edd2a3b” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Eagles Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c225bd9182” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Cowboys Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c228424971” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Texans Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c22a20240b” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Colts Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c22c505848” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Titans Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c22ea335e8” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Jaguars Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c23073bbef” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Falcons Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c232133f2a” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Panthers Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c233b11b9a” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Buccaneers Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c235a0c71c” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Saints Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c2378c8dfb” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Browns Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c239565408” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Ravens Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c23b5bf95d” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Bengals Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c23f69ceda” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Steelers Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c2419ba2ea” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Vikings Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c244215f0e” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Lions Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c246389df6” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Bears Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c24811d1b2” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
| Packers Vote |
<iframe frameborder=”0″ src=”https://channel.buddymedia.com/fanpage/index.php?canvas=4f3c249f8b23a” style=”height: 447px; width: 520px; “></iframe> |
Tags: 49ers, aaron rodgers, Adrian Peterson, arizona, atlanta, Baltimore, Boxing, Cardinals, chargers, colts, detroit, Drew Brees, eagles, Eli Manning, falcons, federer, giants, Golf, green bay, houston, indianapolis, jacksonville, jaguars, LeBron James, lions, Matt Ryan, minnesota, MLB, MMA, NASCAR, new england, new orleans, new york, NFL, olympics, packers, patriots, Peyton Manning, philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Polamalu, Ravens, Ray Rice, saints, san diego, San Fran, San Francisco, Soccer, Steelers, Tennis, terrell suggs, texans, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, troy polamalu, vikings
Rice, Suggs Make Bloomberg List of Most Powerful Athletes
Posted on 25 January 2012 by WNST Staff
New York, NY, January 25, 2012– The New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees (No. 1), Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (No. 2) and New England Patriots’ Tom Brady (No. 3) top the Bloomberg Businessweek/Horrow Sports Ventures 2012 Power 100 ranking of the most powerful professional athletes in the U.S. To determine who the 100 most powerful athletes are on- and off-the-field going into 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek teamed up with Rick Horrow, host of Bloomberg TV “Sportfolio,” and CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures; CSE, a leading integrated marketing agency that created the Power 100 list for the third consecutive year using proprietary methodology; and the Nielsen/E-Poll N-Score.
As the business of sports continues to grow, endorsement contracts increasingly impact players, teams, and the industry. These contracts take into consideration many of the same factors as the Power 100 ranking – performance, name awareness, appeal, influence, trustworthiness and overall popularity, among other things. Social media, for example, played a role in boosting the rankings of such athletes as LeBron James (No. 4) and Shaquille O’Neal (No.7). The Power 100 rankings are based 50 percent on these on “off-field” measurements, and 50 percent on “on-field” performance using a variety of industry statistics.
The most notable drops this year include injury-plagued Peyton Manning dropping from No. 1 to No. 51 and golfer Phil Mickelson dropping from No. 4 to No. 18. Due to the individual dominance of its top athletes, tennis commands ten percent of the spots on this year’s list, with the top female athlete on the list being American tennis stalwart Serena Williams (No. 25).
In addition, this year’s Power 100 rankings also emphasize the importance of team sports, with the NFL dominating the list with 26 players ranked in the top 100. The National Basketball Association came in second with the most athletes on the Power 100, with 20, followed by MLB baseball (16), tennis (10), golf (8), NASCAR (6), Olympics (4), soccer (4), hockey (3), boxing/MMA (2), and action sports (1).
“This is the third year of the Power 100, and it continues to be a cutting-edge tool to measure the power and value of athletes,” says Horrow, who will devote an entire “Sportfolio” episode to the special report on January 25. “CSE’s consistent methodology provides the industry’s only analytics to provide integrated on field and off field attributes.”
Top 20:
1-Drew Brees-Football
2-Aaron Rodgers-Football
3-Tom Brady-Football
4-LeBron James-Basketball
5-Rafael Nadal- Tennis
6-Roger Federer-Tennis
7-Shaquille O’Neal-Basketball
8-Shaun White-Action Sports
9-Novak Djokovic-Tennis
10-Calvin Johnson-Football
11-Luke Donald-Golf
12-Tiger Woods-Golf
13-Kobe Bryant-Basketball
14-Dwight Howard-Basketball
15-Eli Manning-Football
16-Dwyane Wade-Basketball
17-Kevin Durant-Basketball
18-Phil Mickelson-Golf
19-Lee Westwood-Golf
20-Troy Polamalu-Football
All NFL players on list:
|
Rank |
Athlete | Sport |
Pro Team / Hometown |
|
1 |
Brees, Drew | Football |
New Orleans Saints |
|
2 |
Rodgers, Aaron | Football |
Green Bay Packers |
|
3 |
Brady, Tom | Football |
New England Patriots |
|
10 |
Johnson, Calvin | Football |
Detroit Lions |
|
15 |
Manning, Eli | Football |
New York Giants |
|
20 |
Polamalu, Troy | Football |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
|
23 |
Foster, Arian | Football |
Houston Texans |
|
27 |
Peterson, Adrian | Football |
Minnesota Vikings |
|
36 |
Turner, Michael | Football |
Atlanta Falcons |
|
39 |
Jones-Drew, Maurice | Football |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
|
41 |
Fitzgerald, Larry | Football |
Arizona Cardinals |
|
43 |
Stafford, Matthew | Football |
Detroit Lions |
|
44 |
Rice, Ray | Football |
Baltimore Ravens |
|
47 |
Woodson, Charles | Football |
Green Bay Packers |
|
50 |
Ryan, Matt | Football |
Atlanta Falcons |
|
51 |
Manning, Peyton | Football |
Indianapolis Colts |
|
57 |
Willis, Patrick | Football |
San Francisco 49ers |
|
59 |
McCoy, LeSean | Football |
Philadelphia Eagles |
|
61 |
Allen, Jared | Football |
Minnesota Vikings |
|
67 |
Rivers, Philip | Football |
San Diego Chargers |
|
72 |
Matthews, Clay | Football |
Green Bay Packers |
|
77 |
Gronkowski, Rob | Football |
New England Patriots |
|
91 |
Suggs, Terrell | Football |
Baltimore Ravens |
|
95 |
Welker, Wes | Football |
New England Patriots |
|
97 |
Anderson, James | Football |
Carolina Panthers |
|
98 |
Wallace, Mike | Football |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Tags: aaron rodgers, afc, Baltimore, cbs, chiefs, Coach of the Year, colts, Defensive Player of the Year, green bay, houston, indianapolis, Jim Harbaugh, kansas city, minnesota, Missouri, nfc, NFL, NFL Network, Player of the Year, pro bowl, Ravens, terrell suggs, texans, Tom Brady, vikings
Suggs To Receive NFL 101 AFC Defensive Player of the Year Award
Posted on 17 January 2012 by WNST Staff
Top Coaches and Players from AFC and NFC Selected in Nationwide Media Balloting as Winners of NFL 101 Awards for 2011 Season
Four Pro Bowl Selections and Two Outstanding Coaches to be Honored at Kansas City’s 42nd Annual Salute to Professional Football
KANSAS CITY, MO (January 17, 2012) – Two quarterbacks who direct the league’s most high-powered offenses will join two of the most formidable defensive players and two coaches who guided their teams to playoff appearances as the 2011 winners of the annual NFL 101 Awards – the nation’s premier awards event dedicated exclusively to professional football.
The 2011 season award winners will be presented with trophies at the 42nd Annual NFL 101 Awards gala in Kansas City Saturday, March 3, 2012, at the Westin Crown Center. The prestigious black-tie awards event was founded in 1969 and has evolved into what many sports insiders consider the finest awards event of its kind. This year’s event is presented by Perfect Output and ECCO Select.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been selected as the NFC Offensive Player of the Year after engineering one of the greatest offensive seasons ever recorded in the NFL. A first-time 101 Award winner, Rodgers established the best single-season passer rating in NFL history at 122.5. He passed for 4,643 yards with a 68.3 completion percentage and an incredible 45-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Rodgers led the Packers to an NFL-best 15-1 record and the NFC North Division title. For the second consecutive year and third time in his career, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been selected as the AFC Offensive Player of the Year. Brady led the Patriots to a 13-3 record and the AFC East Division title. He led the conference in passing attempts (611), completions (401), completion percentage (65.6), yards (5,235), touchdowns (39) and passer rating (105.6).
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has been named the NFC Coach of the Year in just his first year as an NFL head coach. Harbaugh guided the 49ers to a 13-3 record and the NFC West Division title after inheriting a team that finished 6-10 the previous year. Harbaugh, who was the AFC Offensive Player of the Year in 1995 as quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, becomes the first person ever to win 101 awards as both a player and coach. Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak is the AFC Coach of the Year. Overcoming season-long adversity including the loss of his top two quarterbacks to injuries, Kubiak led his team to a 10-6 regular season record, the AFC South Division championship and the first playoff appearance in Texans franchise history.
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen has been selected the NFC Defensive Player of the Year. Allen finished the regular season with a league-leading 22 sacks – one-half sack shy of the NFL single-season sack mark. He is 20th on the NFL’s all-time career sack list. The former Kansas City Chiefs player was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his eight seasons. Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is the AFC Defensive Player of the Year. Suggs recorded an AFC-best 14 sacks and forced a team-high seven fumbles. He holds the franchise record for sacks with 81.5. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in nine seasons.
A national media committee, comprised of 101 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL, selected the winners in each award category in a nationwide vote at the conclusion of the regular season.
In addition to these award winners, the Committee of 101 also selects the Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football, which was created in 2007 to honor the life and legacy of the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs and given in recognition of visionary leadership that has helped the NFL become the preeminent pro sports league in America. This year’s Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football award winner will be announced in February.
The awards show hosts for the evening will be NFL Network sportscaster Paul Burmeister and CBS football analyst Rich Gannon, a former NFL Most Valuable Player and two-time 101 Award winner.
Event proceeds this year will be directed to the Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation through the Chiefs Children’s Fund, a 501(c)3 foundation that distributes funds to various children’s charities throughout the Kansas City area. TMC joined the Chiefs as the official Community Health Partner in September 2010. The Chiefs and TMC are working together to provide wellness education and promote healthier living for the people of Kansas City. Both TMC and the Chiefs play a vital role in the Kansas City community and this partnership capitalizes on two well-established brands for the common goal of improving the health status of the community in general, and of the citizens in the urban core particularly.
Tags: aaron rodgers, Baltimore, Cam Cameron, Drew Brees, houston, Joe Flacco, John Harbaugh, new england, NFL, patriots, Pittsburgh, Ravens, Steelers, terrell suggs, texans, Tom Brady
Timing of media critique puts even brighter spotlight on Flacco to deliver
Posted on 12 January 2012 by Luke Jones
The words come with a smile as Joe Flacco fires back at his critics.
They draw laughter from the gathered media in Owings Mills while the Ravens quarterback speaks without a tone of confrontation or disdain.
But, as the saying goes, there’s some truth behind every joke. In Flacco’s case, there’s plenty of truth in the response to criticisms levied upon a man whose 44 regular season wins are the most by a quarterback in his first four seasons in NFL history. Supporters find his statements refreshing while others view them as passive-aggressive, but it’s clear Flacco is drawing a line in the sand with his comments.
“We’ve won a lot of games around here,” Flacco said. “This is the second year in a row we’ve won 12 games. I couldn’t care less. At the end of the day, do you see the criticism sometimes and think, ‘What the hell are they talking about?’ Yeah, but who cares?”
For someone unconcerned with what his doubters have to say, he spends plenty of time addressing their barbs. It vaguely reminds you of a scorned man who claims he no longer cares about the woman who broke his heart but takes every possible chance he can to complain about her.
Flacco deserves to be proud of what he’s accomplished in his young career, becoming the first starting quarterback in league history to take his team to the playoffs in each of his first four years. He’s never missed a start, remaining durable and dependable week in and week out.
A generous portion of the criticism thrown his way, from the national or local media, has been unjust and short-sighted. While Flacco isn’t an elite quarterback in the same category of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers, he is certainly a good one — a very good one, at times.
“You guys want everybody to be Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady,” Flacco said. “You guys realize, those guys don’t run the ball. If we try to do that, the criticism we’d take around here would be ridiculous. We could win eight games like that and lose one, and you guys would be like, ‘Oh man, what are you guys doing?’
“Hey, this is what you guys said you wanted. ‘And you lose one game? Oh my God.’ You guys have to remember that [if] you want an elite quarterback, you have to stop complaining when we go out and throw the ball 60 times a game, because that’s what elite quarterbacks do.”
Ironically, Flacco attempted 40 more passes than Rodgers this season, but his message is clear in spite of the balanced offensive attack the Ravens have discovered in the second half of the season.
He hasn’t backed down from speaking his mind this season, defending his career-high 52 pass attempts in a turnover-laden loss to Seattle in November and questioning the conservative second-half play-calling in the Christmas Eve win over the Cleveland Browns. But the timing of his most recent comments leading up to Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans is puzzling and will place even more scrutiny on the signal caller at the onset of the most important playoff run of his career to date.
Instead of trying to keep the focus — and intense pressure — on the entire team, Flacco may have unintentionally placed himself on an island, with critics ready to pounce at the first sign of peril.
“[Criticism is] all right there in front of you, so who’s kidding who?” said offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, defending his quarterback while offering the only appropriate response. “Yeah, you get a little tired of it, but the bottom line is, ‘Hey, go shut people up.’” But, we have to let our play speak for itself, and he’s poised to do that. Let’s give the guy some credit for throwing it out there, and now, he gets the chance to go out there and do his thing.”
Yes, Flacco will need to come through in what’s easily the most navigable path the Ravens have been presented in their attempts to get to the Super Bowl over the last four years. The Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer standing in the way — in large part due to Flacco’s work in disposing of them twice in the regular season — and the Ravens have already received a much-needed week off before hosting their first playoff game of the John Harbaugh era.
Though he will face a Houston defense ranked second overall in yards allowed, Flacco has already proven capable of making plays against the unit, throwing for over 300 yards in a Week 6 victory over the Texans in Baltimore.
Tags: 1570, 49ers, aaron rodgers, AM1570, Baltimore, belichick, Bill Belichick, broncos, denver, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, flacco, giants, glenn clark, green bay, harbaugh, houston, Jim Harbaugh, Joe Flacco, John Harbaugh, new england, new orleans, new york, packers, patriots, Ravens, Ryan Chell, saints, San Fran, San Francisco, super bowl, Tebow, texans, The Reality Check, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, WNST, WNST.net
The Reality Check NFL Playoff Power Rankings
Posted on 12 January 2012 by Glenn Clark
Ryan Chell & I ranked the best head coaches, quarterbacks and defenses left in the postseason, then ranked the teams left in order of likelihood to win Super Bowl XLVI.
It was a fun day Thursday on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net. You really should be listening.
Best Head Coaches:
Glenn Clark’s Rankings…
8. Gary Kubiak
7. Jim Harbaugh
6. John Fox
5. John Harbaugh
4. Tom Coughlin
3. Mike McCarthy
2. Sean Payton
1. Bill Belichick
Ryan Chell’s Rankings…
8. Gary Kubiak
7. John Fox
6. Jim Harbaugh
5. John Harbaugh
4. Mike McCarthy
3. Tom Coughlin
2. Sean Payton
1. Bill Belichick
Tags: 49ers, aaron rodgers, afc, AFC Championship, AFC Championship Game, Anquan Boldin, Baltimore, broncos, denver, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, flacco, gb, giants, green bay, houston, Joe Flacco, mcgahee, new england, new orleans, new york, nfc, NFL, no, nyg, packers, patriots, Ravens, Ray Rice, saints, San Fran, San Francisco, sf, super bowl, Tebow, terrell suggs, texans, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, twitter, Willis McGahee
Odds of Ravens Winning Super Bowl Now at 7/1
Posted on 12 January 2012 by WNST Staff
Courtesy of Bovada, (www.Bovada.lv, Twitter: @BovadaLV).
2012 NFL Playoffs – Which Conference will win the Super Bowl?
AFC 8/5
NFC 1/2
2012 NFL Playoffs – How many road teams will win this weekend?
0 4/1
1 6/5
2 2/1
3 10/1
4 125/1
2012 NFL Playoffs – How many road teams will win this weekend?
Over 1½ (+160)
Under 1½ (-200)
2012 NFL Playoffs – Will any game go to Overtime this weekend?
Yes 3/1
No 1/4
Exact Playoff Results for Each Team
2012 NFL Playoffs – Green Bay Packers Playoff Progress
Eliminated in NFC Divisional Round 11/4
Eliminated in NFC Championship Game 3/1
Super Bowl Runner Up 3/1
Super Bowl Champion 9/5
2012 NFL Playoffs – New England Patriots Playoff Progress
Eliminated in AFC Divisional Round 11/2
Eliminated in AFC Championship Game 5/2
Super Bowl Runner Up 2/1
Super Bowl Champion 11/4
2012 NFL Playoffs – San Francisco 49ers Playoff Progress
Eliminated in NFC Divisional Round 1/2
Eliminated in NFC Championship Game 5/2
Super Bowl Runner Up 7/1
Super Bowl Champion 13/1
2012 NFL Playoffs – Baltimore Ravens Playoff Progress
Eliminated in AFC Divisional Round 5/2
Eliminated in AFC Championship Game 5/6
Super Bowl Runner Up 15/4
Super Bowl Champion 7/1
2012 NFL Playoffs – New Orleans Saints Playoff Progress
Eliminated in NFC Divisional Round 5/2
Eliminated in NFC Championship Game 1/1
Super Bowl Runner Up 11/2
Super Bowl Champion 7/2
2012 NFL Playoffs – Houston Texans Playoff Progress
Eliminated in AFC Divisional Round 2/7
Eliminated in AFC Championship Game 7/2
Super Bowl Runner Up 15/1
Super Bowl Champion 30/1
2012 NFL Playoffs – New York Giants Playoff Progress
Eliminated in NFC Divisional Round 2/7
Eliminated in NFC Championship Game 4/1
Super Bowl Runner Up 12/1
Super Bowl Champion 14/1
2012 NFL Playoffs – Denver Broncos Playoff Progress
Eliminated in AFC Divisional Round 1/8
Eliminated in AFC Championship Game 7/1
Super Bowl Runner Up 18/1
Super Bowl Champion 35/1
Divisonal Playoff Round Stat Leaders
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF WEEKEND – Who will record the most Passing Yards?
Drew Brees (NO) QB 2/1
Aaron Rodgers (GB) QB 5/2
Tom Brady (NE) QB 9/4
Eli Manning (NYG) QB 5/1
Joe Flacco (BAL) QB 10/1
Alex Smith (SF) QB 15/1
Tim Tebow (DEN) QB 18/1
T.J. Yates (HOU) 18/1
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF WEEKEND – Who will record the most Rushing Yards?
Ray Rice (BAL) RB 4/5
Arian Foster (HOU) RB 5/2
Frank Gore (SF) RB 7/2
Willis McGahee (DEN) RB 4/1
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF WEEKEND – Who will record the most Receiving Yards?
Wes Welker (NE) WR 7/2
Marques Colston (NO) WR 4/1
Rob Gronkowski (NE) TE 11/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) WR 11/2
Victor Cruz (NYG) WR 11/2
Jordy Nelson (GB) WR 7/1
Demaryius Thomas (DEN) WR 7/1
Andre Johnson (HOU) WR 15/2
Anquan Boldin (BAL) WR 12/1
Michael Crabtree (SF) WR 15/1
New Orleans at San Francisco
NO -3.5
SF +3.5
Over/Under 47.5
Passing Yards – Drew Brees (NO)
Over/Under 335½
Total TD Passes – Drew Brees (NO)
Over 2½ (-175)
Under 2½ (+145)
Combined Yards in the game – Darren Sproles (NO)
Over/Under 175½
Receiving Yards – Marques Colston (NO)
Over/Under 82½
Will Jimmy Graham (NO) score a TD in the game?
Yes -150
No +120
Passing Yards – Alex Smith (SF)
Over/Under 225½
Rushing Yards – Frank Gore (SF)
Over/Under 80½
Receiving Yards – Michael Crabtree (SF)
Over/Under 62½
Receiving Yards – Vernon Davis (SF)
Over/Under 52½
Will the 49ers allow a Rushing TD in the game?
Yes -175
No +145
Who will have more turnovers in the game?
New Orleans Saints EVEN
San Francisco 49ers -130
Denver at New England
DEN +14
NE -14
Over/Under 50.5
Passing Yards – Tim Tebow (DEN)
Over/Under 190½
TD Passes – Tim Tebow (DEN)
Over 1½ (+195)
Under 1½ (-250)
Interceptions – Tim Tebow (DEN)
Over ½ (-165)
Under ½ (+135)
Rushing Yards – Tim Tebow (DEN)
Over/Under 45½
Rushing Attempts – Tim Tebow (DEN)
Over/Under 9½
Completions – Tim Tebow (DEN)
Over/Under 11½
Will Tim Tebow (DEN) score a rushing TD in the game?
Yes +135
No -165
Receiving Yards – Demaryius Thomas (DEN)
Over/Under 72½
Passing Yards – Tom Brady (NE)
Over/Under 325½
Total TD Passes – Tom Brady (NE)
Over 2½ (-150)
Under 2½ (+120)
Receiving Yards – Wes Welker (NE)
Over/Under 90½
Receiving Yards – Rob Gronkowski (NE)
Over/Under 82½
Will Rob Gronkowski (NE) score a TD in the game?
Yes -165
No +135
Receiving Yards – Aaron Hernandez (NE)
Over/Under 60½
Will Josh McDaniels and Tim Tebow hug at the end of the game?
Yes EVEN
No -140
Houston at Baltimore
HOU +9
BAL -9
Over/Under 35.5
Total Passing Yards – T.J. Yates (HOU)
Over/Under 200½
(HOU vs BAL) – What will T.J. Yates have more of?
TD Passes 2/1
Interceptions 2/1
Tie 7/5
Total Rushing Yards – Arian Foster (HOU)
Over/Under 75½
Will Arian Foster (HOU) score a TD in the game?
Yes -110
No -110
Total Receiving Yards – Andre Johnson (HOU)
Over/Under 70½
Total Passing Yards – Joe Flacco (BAL)
Over/Under 235½
Will Ray Rice (BAL) score a TD in the game?
Yes -200
No +160
Total Receiving Yards – Anquan Boldin (BAL)
Over/Under 62½
Total Tackles & Assists – Terrell Suggs (BAL)
Over/Under 4½
Who will record more Rushing Yards in the game?
Arian Foster (HOU) RB +25½
Ray Rice (BAL) RB -25½
Who will record more Receiving Yards in the game?
Arian Foster (HOU) RB +4½
Ray Rice (BAL) RB -4½
Total Rushing Yards Houston in the game
Over/Under 100½
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers
NYG +9
GB -9
Over/Under 53
Total Passing Yards – Eli Manning (NYG)
Over/Under 290½
Total TD Passes – Eli Manning (NYG)
Over 2 (-150)
Under 2 (+120)
Total Receiving Yards – Hakeem Nicks (NYG)
Over/Under 80½
Total Receiving Yards – Victor Cruz (NYG)
Over/Under 80½
Total Tackles & Assists – Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG)
Over/Under 5½
Total Passing Yards – Aaron Rodgers (GB)
Over/Under 310½
Total TD Passes – Aaron Rodgers (GB)
Over 2½ (-165)
Under 2½ (+135)
Total Receiving Yards – Greg Jennings (GB)
Over/Under 75½
Will Greg Jennings (GB) score a TD in the game?
Over -110
Under -110
Total Receiving Yards – Jordy Nelson (GB)
Over/Under 70½
Will Jordy Nelson (GB) score a TD in the game?
Yes EVEN
No -130
Total Receiving Yards – Jermichael Finley (GB)
Over/Under 50½
(NYG vs GB) – Who will record more Rushing Yards in the game?
New York Giants -5½
Green Bay Packers +5½
How many times will Aaron Rodgers be sacked in the game?
Over/Under 2½
Tags: aaron rodgers, atlanta falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, defense, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, green bay packers, houston texans, Matt Ryan, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, new york giants, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, playoffs, QB, quarterbacks, Ray Rice, Tom Brady
NFL Playoff Positional Power Rankings
Posted on 05 January 2012 by Thyrl Nelson
Here’s a look at my positional power rankings for the players and teams that are left in the playoffs. This year’s stats accounted for a lot but at the end of the day it’s my opinion on who I’d suit up today for the best chance at winning.
Quarterbacks
1 – Aaron Rodgers (GB)
2 – Drew Brees (NO)
3 – Tom Brady (NE)
4 – Eli Manning (NYG)
5 – Matthew Stafford (DET)
6 – Matt Ryan (ATL)
* I gave 6 here since the first 3 were fairly obvious (if not their respective places in that top 3)
Running Backs
1 – Ray Rice (BAL)
2 – Arian Foster (HOU)
3 – Michael Turner (ATL)
4 – Frank Gore (SF)
5 – Darren Sproles (NO)
Wide Receivers
1 – Calvin Johnson (DET)
2 – Andre Johnson (HOU)
3 – AJ Green (CIN)
4 – Victor Cruz (NYG)
5 – Wes Welker (NE)
6 – Roddy White (ATL)
7 – Greg Jennings (GB)
8 – Jordy Nelson (GB)
9 – Mike Wallace (PIT)
10 – Hakeem Nicks (NYG)
Tags: 1570, 49ers, aaron rodgers, Adrian Peterson, afc, AM1570, ap, arizona, atlanta, Auburn, Baltimore, Baylor, bears, bengals, bills, broncos, browns, buccaneers, buckeyes, buffalo, Busted Coverage, Cam Cameron, Cardinals, carolina, cbs, CBS Sports, CBSSports.com, chargers, charm city, chicago, chiefs, cincinnati, cleveland, colts, cowboys, dallas, deadspin, Defensive Player of the Year, denver, detroit, dolphins, Drew Brees, dundalk, eagles, Edsall, espn, falcons, giants, green bay, Guyism, Hall of Fame, Heisman, Heisman Trophy, houston, Illinois, indianapolis, indy, jacksonville, jaguars, kansas city, kc, LeBron James, lions, LSU, M&T Bank Stadium, Mark Sanchez, maryland, miami, Michael Vick, Mike Tomlin, minnesota, MVP, National Football League, nbc, NBC Sports, new england, new orleans, New York Jets, nfc, NFL, NFL Draft, Northwestern, Ohio State, packers, panthers, Patrick Stevens, patriots, pats, Penn State, Peyton Manning, philadelphia, philly, Pittsburgh, rams, Randy Edsall, Ravens, redskins, rutgers, saints, san diego, San Fran, San Francisco, seahawks, seattle, Skins, st louis, stanford, Steelers, tampa, tampa bay, Tebow, Tennessee, terrell suggs, texans, texas, Texas A&M, The Reality Check, Tim Tebow, titans, Tom Brady, twitter, UCLA, Utah, vikings, virginia, washington, washington post, Washington Times, wild card, Wildcats, WNST, WNST.net, Yahoo, Yahoo! Sports, youtube
Let’s Back Our Way Into the 15-7-0
Posted on 02 January 2012 by Glenn Clark
You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.
(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)
15 Positive Observations…
1. Matt Flynn may have just earned himself a boatload of money Sunday.
Perhaps Flynn’s success had much more to do with the Green Bay Packers’ scheme & wide receivers and even the Detroit Lions’ less than exceptional defense than the former LSU quarterback himself. But as he enters free agency, Flynn may have just made himself a viable option for teams that won’t enter 2012 with Andrew Luck on their roster.
Of course, 80 of his 480 yards and one of his five touchdowns came on this play to Ryan Grant. I’m pretty sure Ryan Chell could have made this throw…
The Packers can sit back and wait to find out who they’ll play in the divisional round while the Lions get to visit the Superdome next weekend. But I’d say it’s pretty much a toss-up as to who has the more difficult road ahead.
In an unrelated story, the Packers went with Pat Lee as their kick returner for the New Year’s Day game. He did something stupid…
And one more-here’s Packers LB Brad Jones handling a fan who ran out onto Lambeau Field…
Much like the Fins a week earlier, the Buffalo Bills worked Charm City into a lather with hopes of ruining the Pats’ run to the Number 1 seed. Also much like the Fins, the Bills for some reason must have thought New England would quit when they fell behind early. But after spotting the Bills 21 points, the Patriots would go on to score the next 49.
But they can’t possibly win the AFC of course because their defense isn’t good enough.
Right.
You’ll see a lot of funny things in 2012. I’ll go ahead and guess that there won’t be many funnier than this Drayton Florence flop…
Also of note in this game was Bills WR Stevie Johnson, who exposed a “Happy New Year” message on an undershirt after scoring a touchdown…
It’s a shame Tom Brady didn’t have a “Happy 28 Point Beatdown” undershirt to respond with. For a semi-decent receiver, Johnson is about a full-fledged clown.
Before departing his Offensive Coordinator gig at Auburn, Malzahn pulled out a bunch of tricks (including a Statue of Liberty Play of all things) to help beat Virginia in the Georgia Dome…
Elsewhere on New Year’s Eve Levi LaVallee and Robbie Maddison were doing extreme sport jumping of some sort on ESPN that may or may not have been amazing. None of us really know and none of us really bothered to watch. But technically it happened!
How did I spend my NYE you ask? At a place I can’t name because they aren’t a sponsor. They ARE however the home of Sweet Potato Tots and the “Billy Goat’s Gruff”…
It was a 14 out of 10.
4. There’s something about David Akers throwing a touchdown that I really enjoy.
I’d show you video of the play, but it’s not available on YouTube. Instead, those of you who REALLY wanna see it can check it out here and the rest of you can look at this picture of Elsa Hosk. We’ll all meet back at the local saloon.
The San Francisco 49ers clinched the #2 seed in the NFC thanks to their win over the St. Louis Rams. In Baltimore, we just want to say Thank You again. We can’t really say it enough.
The Rams will fire Steve Spagnuolo according to reports. Also according to reports, it will be cold this week.
The Houston Texans didn’t need to beat the Tennessee Titans Sunday for any tangible reason. They didn’t, thanks to Kubiak’s decision to go for 2 late (a decision that backfired after a Joel Dreessen false start and a snap sailed over the head of QB Jake Delhomme-who replaced a banged up T.J. Yates). Let’s take a look at the video board…
Earlier in the game, Bryan Braman made an awesome play…
The Texans host the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the postseason. If they win, the Texans visit M&T Bank Stadium in the divisional round. I would think most of us would be pretty happy with that matchup, especially considering the Steelers could be another option.
6. Texas A&M’s Ryan Swope is probably the best receiver you didn’t talk about this season.
Here’s video of the Aggies’ win over Northwestern in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. You voted it “the video I’m least likely to watch this week” in an informal poll I just took…
Here was Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald’s reaction when he found out I was going to show the highlights of the game…
Of course, that’s the only if Michael Vick stays healthy…and we all know that’s a significant “if.”
The highlight of the day in Philly happened well before Philly kicked the tar out of the Washington Redskins. It happened when Skins OC Kyle Shanahan tried to pump his team up before the game. It was HILARIOUS…
Kyle Shanahan makes Cam Cameron look popular.
Tags: aaron rodgers, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Penn State, stanley cup, syracuse, Tim Tebow, WWE, youtube
My Sports Year In Review
Posted on 30 December 2011 by Chad Lamasa
As 2011 draws to a close, I’ve been looking back on the year in sports. There have been lots of interesting things this year.
Aaron Rodgers finally escaped Brett Favre’s shadow by winning his first Super Bowl. Then follows it up with a 13-0 run before finally losing this season.
The Boston Bruins winning their first Stanley Cup since Bobby Orr played for them.
The Dallas Mavericks winning their first Championship in franchise history over, the newly minted most hated team in the NBA, the Miami Heat.
All the horrific stuff at Penn State and Syracuse.
Tebow-Mania.
Cam Newton proving everyone wrong. Drew Brees breaking Dan Marino’s passing yards record.
Coach K setting the all-time wins record.
The untimely deaths of two Baltimore sports heroes- Bubba Smith and Mike Flanagan.
But the thing that captured my attention the most…..
Three letters: W W E!
I know what you’re thinking. Really Chad? Really? Wrestling is fake and it’s not even a sport.
Let me give you a bit of a backstory here.
When I was little, I was really into the WWF. Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, and Junkyard Dog were among my favorites. I collected the toys; many of which I still have, and my eight year old son plays with.
I waited for that one Saturday night a month when Saturday Night Live was preempted by Saturday Night’s Main Event.
I even talked my parents into taking me to a live event at, what was then, the Civic Center.
However, after I graduated high school in 1990 and went off to college, I lost my passion for WWF. The main reason being none of my college friends were into it.
About two years ago, my wife and I went out and my son spent some time with a friend who was watching WWE. He came home talking about it non-stop. He wanted me to watch it with him but I resisted. I figured it would be something he got out of quickly. My son and wife would go upstairs and watch Smackdown and I would watch something else.
Earlier this year I finally gave in and watched an episode with him. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
This past June, Raw came to First Mariner Arena. My son’s birthday is at the end of May so one of my presents to him was tickets to the event. That was it. I was hooked once again. To be fair, I was hooked before then but going to a live event solidified it.
Since then, I’ve bought a bunch of action figures for both my son and myself, DVDs, PPVs and tickets to the Tables, Ladders and Chairs event a couple of weeks ago. The TLC event was one of the best sporting events I’ve ever been to. I can’t wait for the DVD to come out.
That first episode, I saw a character named The Miz. He’s a heel, or in layman’s terms, a bad guy. He was on the mic doing one of his trademark rants. Instantly he became my favorite. He may not be the most versatile guy on the mic but he has a lot of humor and sarcasm in what he says. He reminds me a lot of Roddy Piper in this respect. A jerk but funny at the same time.
A lot of people don’t like him because they don’t respect the way he came to WWE, via the Real World. They think he didn’t earn what has been given to him. To me that means he has to prove himself every night and thus earn it even more.
He also finished second on the fourth season of Tough Enough which offers the winner a WWE contract. So he wasn’t completely handed everything.
The best guy on the mic is by far CM Punk. I couldn’t stand this guy when I first started watching again but he always kept me glued to the TV, I couldn’t turn him off. He comes into the ring and sits down to deliver his “pipe bombs”. I always felt like he was a smug jerk. Which he is, but his wrestling abilities and his promo on an episode of Raw in June blew me away and he has become another favorite for me. He’s more cerebral than the Miz though.
As far as the action goes, I prefer to call it choreographed. Yes there are times they miss each other and have to “sell” a punch or kick, but that happens in every action movie. No one has a problem watching Jet Li kick someone’s butt in a movie because it’s fake. It’s still exciting.
I suppose you could make an argument about WWE not being a sport. However you can’t deny the athletic ability of these guys. Particularly, the high fliers. These guys launch themselves off the top rope, off a ladder or scaffolding. They do things they would need wires to do in the movies. Pull up John Morrison, Kofi Kingston, Jeff Hardy or Rey Mysterio on YouTube, and tell me they aren’t athletes.
They have to have the execution on some of their moves down perfectly or someone could be paralyzed or even killed.
Yes there are some guys that are just big and fat and don’t have much more than power moves but those guys aren’t as prominent as they used to be. There are many more ripped guys than, out of shape flabby ones.
Plus take into account there is no off season and no breaks. They work about 300 days a year. The only break they get is if they are injured and rehabbing, or suspended for whatever reason.
I love the storylines. They run the gamut. Good versus evil. Revenge, redemption, betrayal, even an occasional love triangle.
Maybe my favorite of the current crop of stories is R Truth. His character is absolutely insane. He rants about “Little Jimmy”, and the head office conspiring to keep him down. He has these crazy eyes and plays the part very well. I almost feel like he isn’t acting.
Not to mention the beautiful women to watch. Several of which are very talented in their own right but WWE needs to figure out how to use them better.
As I’ve gotten back into it, I’ve seen how many guys my age are still into it and never lost their interest. I’ve been able to go to them with questions to fill in gaps that I have.
I now tape Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown every week to watch with my son. It’s definitely become father/son bonding time and if not for him I’d be missing out on a lot of fun.
If you keep in mind that the “E” in WWE is for “entertainment”, you just might find yourself enjoying it as much as I do.
