The NFL needs complete overhaul; starting at the top

September 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

The NFL has had a rough couple weeks; to say the least. Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, and league commissioner Roger Goodell have exposed the NFL as a broken and flawed organization that depended so much on its image that it overlooked the ugliness that was inside the whole time.

There is a good chance that the aforementioned players and commish will never set foot on a football field or appear in public representing the NFL ever again. Rice, Peterson and Goodell are the sacrificial lambs for a league that has engaged in gross malfeasance for a prolonged period of time.

The league office has hidden brain damage inducing concussions from its players while extorting tens of millions of dollars from a well meaning American public in the name of breast cancer research.

Pink jerseys, ladies, helped finance a few second home mortgages in the league’s executive offices. [Read more…]

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NFL passing emphasis, rushing decline: by the numbers

September 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

peyton-manning-passing

It’s happening. The day has finally come where the play calling in the NFL resembles my own play calling from back when I first started playing Madden.

First and 10? Streak to the endzone. Second and four? Streak to the endzone. Third and short? Streak to the endzone.

Okay, it might not be that drastic. But if it hasn’t been apparent in the past decade or so leading up to this season, it should be clear to everyone now that the NFL is a passing league.

[Read more…]

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Chicago Bears Predictions: Week Two

September 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment
(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

‘Joestradmaus’ still has the magic touch. The Bengals put up three more points than I predicted, but cut a guy a break; at the end of the day, the Bears still won.

Charles Tillman and the gang managed to corral the one-man wrecking crew known as A.J. Green before things got too far out of hand, and the offense showed some promising signs as they dug out of a late double-digit deficit to start the Trestman Era on the right foot.

But this week’s contest against the Minnesota Vikings doesn’t just feature a one-man wrecking crew, it features a deity cleverly disguised as a human who snacks on Bears defensive play calls as if they were Jolly Ranchers.

This week, I’ll tell you why ‘Purple Jesus’ Adrian Peterson will continue his reign of terror at Soldier Field, and why the Bears will still come out winners in the end.

[Read more…]

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Packers blow past the Minnesota Vikings despite Joe Webb-mania

January 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Erik Walden sack of Joe Webb

Hours before the highly-anticipated playoff meeting between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings it was announced starting quarterback Christian Ponder was inactive with an elbow injury.

Enter back-up Joe Webb who was actually trending on twitter for much of Wild-Card Saturday.

What started as good trending (“Webb is super fast and runs the read-option, something the Packers haven’t seen”) quickly turned into bad trending when the audience learned Webb cannot throw a football.

Subsequently, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers picked apart the Vikings in a 24-10 win.

[Read more…]

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X-Factors for the Packers and Vikings playoff game at Lambeau

January 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

dujuan harris

There’s a lot of bad blood between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings who took part in two of the better regular season match-ups this year.

Green Bay won the first round back in early December and this past week the Vikings took round two to earn a shot at a third and final round.

With elimination on the table it would be easy to say superstars Adrian Peterson or Aaron Rodgers will be the difference, but that’s a bit too easy.

Here are some of the lesser known players who will be the x-factors in Saturday night’s rumble in Green Bay. [Read more…]

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Green Bay Packers are in the giving mood with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings

December 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Adrian Peterson vs. Packers at Metrodome

With a thrilling 37-34 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers are in the gift-giving mood.

It was the Chicago Bears who were naughty and the Vikings who were nice this holiday season.

Not only did the Packers gift-wrap a spot in wild-card weekend, Adrian Peterson and his 199 yards (a mere nine yards short of the single-season record) was most likely enough to give him the 2012 MVP Award.

[Read more…]

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It’s Deja Vu All Over Again for the Chicago Bears

December 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Injuries have played a role in the Bears recent struggles. But this version of the Bears yearly collapse has many other factors.

One way or another, the Bears always seem to find a way to fall short of their potential. Whether it be injuries, play calling, personnel, or Father Time, every aspect seems to make a yearly appearance at one point or another and derail the season.

This season has been no different. It is actually one of the most drastic “tale of two seasons” stories I’ve ever witnessed. Even though the Bears struggled mightily and finished the season 1-5 last year, the 1-4 stretch they are going through right now seems much worse.

[Read more…]

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Previewing the Green Bay Packers vs. the Adrian Petersons

December 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

No disrespect to the Minnesota Vikings who are one of the better stories in the NFL and NFC North particularly. Still they are without their best receiver in Percy Harvin and are riding a very young and inexperienced quarterback in Christian Ponder.

The one thing the Vikings (6-5) do have is Adrian Peterson who has miraculously come back from a nasty knee injury to put up MVP-like numbers. Peterson will have to top that miracle to beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in a game they absolutely need to stay pace with the Chicago Bears. If the Packers (7-4) don’t beat Minnesota, it will inevitably be panic time in Wisconsin. [Read more…]

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Chicago Bears Season Outlook: 3rd Quarter

October 17, 2012 By 1 Comment
Brandon-Marshall

With a 4-1 record, it’s been all smiles for the Bears so far. Can they keep it up through the 3rd quarter of games this season?

The Bears have taken full advantage of facing the weakest strength of schedule in team history over the first 5 games of the season. They’ve rode their dominating defense to a 4-1 record and now stand alone at the top of the NFC North after the Minnesota Vikings fell to the Washington Redskins this past weekend.

In my first 2 installments of “Quarter Previews” (1, 2), I correctly predicted the Bears would be 4-1 through the bye week. The next 3 games remaining in the 2nd quarter of the season remain to be seen, but the Lions, Panthers, and Titans aren’t striking much fear in me.

I have the Bears heading into the 3rd quarter with a 7-1 or 6-2 record. In either scenario, 6+ wins will likely be enough to have the NFC North lead at the midway point of the season.

But no matter how good the Bears play over the rest of the first half of the season, the 3rd quarter will prove to be their toughest test. The Houston Texans,San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks all rank in the top 6 in the NFL in overall defense, and the Viking’s Adrian Peterson loves to feast on the Bears.

But with 3 of these 4 games coming at home, I think the Bears have a few tricks up their sleeve that may lead to a surprise in the standings when the 3rd quarter is said and done.

[Read more…]

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Indianapolis Colts look for first win in home opener against Minnesota Vikings

September 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Indianapolis Colts weren’t so fortunate in the scheduling department for Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season, drawing a matchup against a strong Chicago Bears team at Soldier Field and losing 41-21.

The Colts (0-1) might fare better there this week.

Indianapolis, on the heels of a rough opening to the Andrew Luck era — the No. 1 pick in April’s draft turned the ball over four times in his first career start — will look to grab its first win of the season at 1 p.m. today in its home opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

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Don’t Underestimate the Chicago Bears

September 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

Celebrations like this should be frequent this year for the Bears.

After the dust had settled following the Bear’s third consecutive season opening win at Soldier Field, there was only one thing going through my mind:

“The Bears are WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!”

But this time, it wasn’t as if Denny Green and the Arizona Cardinals “let us off the hook”.

The Bears couldn’t have had their opening 3 minutes go any worse if they planned to. But the following 45 minutes showed everyone what this team has the potential to do: hang points on people in a hurry, play suffocating defense, and dominate lesser opponents.

People may be quick to point out that the Colts were the worst team in the NFL last year, and that the Bears have gotten out to fast starts before only to flame out when it counts.

But Sunday’s game provided definitive signs to why this success will stick going forward.

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2012 Fantasy Football Preview: RB

August 21, 2012 By 4 Comments

As the NFL season gets closer every day, so does your fantasy draft. The Sports Bank fantasy football previews continue we take a look at a running back position that has as many question marks as answers.

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