MetaFilter posts tagged with nfl

Sportsfilter!

troika — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:18:39 -0800

The first round of the 2013 NFL Draft was held yesterday, leaving two of the most-talked-about players undrafted: QB Geno Smith and Linebacker Manti Te'o. The Kansas City Chiefs, with the first pick, chose OT Eric Fisher. The Buffalo Bills drafted the only QB so far, FSU's EJ Manuel, who opened up about his mother beating breast cancer. The league honored Joe Andruzzi, a former New England Patriot who carried a young woman to safety immediately following the Boston Marathon bombings, even though the Patriots traded their pick to the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions' choice, Ziggy Ansah, wore 3D glasses with the lenses popped out. Here's a whole NFL Draft fashion roundup. The Giants drafted Justin Pugh, who was watching the draft at home. The Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars debuted new uniforms (these three links via Uni-Watch, more draft uniform notes here). And here's a little something for the Jets fans.

"(5) Pure evil from the 8th dimension (Man U)."

MartinWisse — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:12:38 -0800

A NFL fan discovers the joys of proper football and explains why the English Premier League is so much more exciting.

"But they would ask you with a straight face."

Cool Papa Bell — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:46:25 -0800

It's the NFL Combine! Where NFL teams size up the year's top prospects; where sportscaster Rich Eisen runs the 40; and where at least one team wants to know, "Do you like girls?" The league says its looking into it. In case you were wondering, yes, it's illegal. But the NFL has both a collective bargaining agreement and an antitrust exemption, so don't hold your breath.

This Sunday, see the Dandy Fish take on the Prancy Horsies!

JDHarper — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 04:35:48 -0800

David Rappoccio has redesigned all the NFL logos to be British.

I'll take the over on the national anthem.

DynamiteToast — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:22:03 -0800

Super Bowl Prop Bets! Neatly organized based on how you think the game will play out, with a few non-football bets at the end. The Las Vegas Sun weighs in with some picks of their own.

Who is Really America's Favorite Football Team?

Renoroc — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:41:31 -0800

Deadspin scrutinizes the Dallas Cowboys' claim of being "America's Team"

The Face of NFL Fandom on Facebook

Atreides — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:27:17 -0800

With the Superbowl only days away, Facebook conducted a study of its customers' pages to see how NFL team fan representation played out across the site and geographically. Via Gizmodo.

The Book of Coach

MattMangels — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:36:24 -0800

"For those who coached under Walsh, Finding the Winning Edge was a study of the genius beyond his playbook. For those who coached against him, it was a window into the mind of their nemesis." -- The Coaching Philosophy of Bill Walsh. The book is now out of print and even a used copy will cost you $1,249.99 on Amazon.

I want it NOW! I want cake NOWWWWW!

capnsue — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:58:38 -0800

A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL (SLYT) Football knowledge not required.

Fumbled Broadcasting

Renoroc — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:08:21 -0800

Which TV markets are condemned to watch the worst American football teams play? SLDeadspin

The sound you hear may be the world's smallest violin

mosk — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:06:47 -0800

"Las Vegas bookmakers make their money by balancing their risk, but sometimes they simply come out on the wrong side of too many bets." With the regular 2012 NFL season now over and the playoffs about to begin, please take a moment and shed a tear -- or more likely, raise your beer -- as you consider the terrible beating Las Vegas sports books absorbed in 2012. (LAT link, so potentially behind a paywall depending on your number of previous visits in last 30 days.) The losses for sports books were especially bad back in Week Nine of the NFL's regular season (the weekend of October 27, plus/minus a few days) when many popular NFL teams beat the point spread, resulting in big payouts for bettors who not only bet their favorites, but bucked the odds and parlayed those individual bets into winning tickets with much higher odds, resulting in big individual payouts. Of course, casinos not only have the math on their side, they also set the odds at which they offer these bets* and thus aren't supposed to lose, which is what makes this story interesting. Bonus multi-part history* of sports betting in America: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 *Some of the above content comes from sites that promote or otherwise support sports betting, which may make the starred (*) links NSFW.

Let's Eliminate Sports Welfare

no regrets, coyote — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:10:23 -0800

Let's Eliminate Sports Welfare

NFL Thinking of Getting Rid of Kick Offs

theichibun — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:28:12 -0800

The NFL is again thinking of getting rid of kick offs. Recently kickoffs were moved from the 30 to the 35 yard line in an effort to create more touch backs (and thus fewer returns of kicks) and reduce injuries. Now they're considering getting rid of kick offs altogether. Players don't seem to be a fan of the idea. Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano (of "Rush the kneeling offense because the game isn't over" fame) wants to get rid of kick offs altogether. You can't blame the rule changes for 100% of the slower return game in today's NFL. The touch back rate of kick offs had basically increased every year from 2001-2010. The biggest impact will be felt by players like Eric Weems of the Chicago Bears. Officially listed as a receiver, Weems never really had much action on the offensive side of the ball. In his 4 years in Atlanta Weems only had 27 passes thrown to him, with 14 of those coming in one season. Where he makes his living is in the return game. After having 77 punt returns and 113 kick off returns in 4 years Weems is pretty much nonexistent this season. Part of that is certainly due to being on the same team as Devin Hester, but you also have to consider why Atlanta let him go in the first place. Namely, that the new kick off rules greatly reduced his effectiveness and they couldn't justify using a roster spot on someone whose only job was going to be returning kicks that are only being returned about 50% of the time over the past two seasons. Just for comparison, from 2001-2010 the return rate was never below 80%. A Few Notes to End On: - From what I read it seems that the majority of coaches who are in favor of a less violent kick off situation are coaches who have had a player seriously injured on a kick off play. - Yes, it's a lot of ESPN. Deal with it.

The Hard Life of an N.F.L. Long Shot

Chrysostom — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:25:17 -0800

What it's like trying to crack into the National Football League.

NFLreboot

mathowie — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:40:46 -0800

Designer Matt McInerney is setting out to redesign every logo in the NFL as an uncomissioned fun side project. He's up to 20 of them and the results so far are pretty damn good. Fast Company has a bit more about the project.

I get bored with baseball too, but Adderall isn't the answer.

Drinky Die — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:56:21 -0800

What do NASCAR's AJ Allmendinger, Joe Haden of the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants safety Tyler Sash, Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz of the Philadelphia Phillies, and many other athletes have in common? They have all used a performance enhancing substance that is growing in popularity among athletes, one that is widely prescribed and which is taken by millions of children every day. The drug in question is Adderall: The combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine is used as part of a treatment program to control symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Professional leagues generally allow the use of Adderall for treatment purposes. As it pertains to Major League Baseball, in 2011 a total of 105 players were granted exemptions under the league’s drug policy to fill prescriptions for Adderall according to an NBCSports.com article. That’s about one in every 10 players, a much higher rate than the general population. Adderall is said to enhance performance and stamina, but some sources claim that the potential boost in physical performance is a bit of a myth and that one amphetamine can not be distinguished from others in a test, so Adderall may only be a convenient excuse for use of illegal amphetamines. In the NFL the type of drug the athlete has tested positive for is not released publicly, and suspicions have been raised that athletes are claiming a failed test for Adderall rather than drugs such as steroids or HGH that have a less innocent reputation. Other NFL players simply drank from the wrong bottle. (Or maybe there was a sample switch.) Adderall use is common performance enhancer among students: Even the phrase “the study drug” seems mildly contradictory, an oddly tame and constructive form of rebellion, a prescription drug abuse with a very modest, one could say almost praiseworthy goal: to concentrate a little better on a paper or test. Similar stimulants are used to maintain alertness in battle: According to military sources, the use of such drugs (commonly Dexedrine) is part of a cycle that includes the amphetamines to fight fatigue, and then sedatives to induce sleep between missions. Pilots call them "go pills" and "no-go pills." Adderall is one of the most commonly abused prescription drugs, and professional athletes may be primed for addiction in unique ways: A study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, which tracked competitive runners in the U.S. and triathletes in Hong Kong, found more than half had compulsive-exercise tendencies. As Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton described it when he was sidelined with a back injury, “alcohol and drugs were the closest thing I could find to getting that feeling when I was playing the game.”

Inconceivable

sweetkid — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:58:51 -0800

ESPN NFL Kickoff Stuffs As Many Princess Bride References Into A Half Hour As Possible What it says on the tin.

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Fizz — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:05:09 -0800

Alex Karras, N.F.L. Lineman and Actor, Dies at 77 [NYTimes] "Alex Karras was one of the National Football League‘s most feared defensive tackles throughout the 1960s, a player who hounded quarterbacks and bulled past opposing linemen. And yet, to many people he will always be known as an actor — the lovable father from the 1980s sitcom “Webster” or the big cowboy named Mongo who famously punched out a horse in “Blazing Saddles.”

""It was sad to see the fans cheer for somebody getting hurt"

ThePinkSuperhero — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:54:33 -0800

NFL Chiefs player Eric Winston rants (audio) against stadium fans who cheered when Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassell was knocked out during game play. "We are not gladiators and this is not the Roman Colosseum. This is a game."

Are they ready for some football?

troika — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:26:50 -0800

The NFL has reached an agreement with the Referee Union (NFLRA), guaranteeing regular refs will be calling games starting tonight. League commissioner Roger Goodell has formally apologized. The agreement comes on the heels of a blown call this past Monday. How do we know the returning refs won't be rusty? Ed Hochuli, arguably the most famous ref, has been holding weekly conference calls. NFL video game Madden is rumored to be including actual ref likenesses in next year's game. (Previously)

Last One is Tops

sweetkid — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 16:33:55 -0800

All 32 NFL Quarterbacks and their Muppet Doppelgangers. Single link Buzzfeed.

Are you ready for some football? 'Cause the refs aren't.

Cash4Lead — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:13:39 -0800

Since June, the NFL has locked out its referees as their union and league management have failed to come to an agreement over a range of issues, most notably the future of the referees' pensions. In their absence, the league has resorted to using replacement refs to officiate games. The results have not been pretty. Both players and fans have accused the replacement refs of making egregious errors, failing to manage the flow of the game, being in the tank for one team or another, and even endangering players' safety. Bookies in Vegas are considering factoring in the influence of replacement refs on the games by giving home teams an extra half-point on the spread. As it turns out, becoming a referee in the NFL requires a great deal more training and experience than what the replacements have gotten. That said, the replacement refs seem to have kept pace with their union counterparts on common penalties such as illegal blocking and roughing the passer, even as they ignore procedural penalties and drag out game times with discussion on how to rule on a given flag on the play. Criticism of the league from players and elsewhere has been mounting; however, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has held firm, and he may have good reason to: As ESPN's Steve Young has observed, Everything about the NFL now is inelastic for demand. There's nothing they can do to hurt the demand for the game. So the bottom line is they don't care.

Always A Fire: A Short Documentary Film On Former New York Giant Chad Jones

the young rope-rider — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 05:41:12 -0800

The short documentary Always A Fire (vimeo) "details Chad's incredible rehabilitation and recovery from the horrific accident that nearly cost him his life. Comprised of intimate interviews with Chad and his trainers, as well as never-before-seen footage of his long road to recovery, the film provides an unflinching view of an elite athlete facing unimaginable tragedy and refusing to submit." [via mefi projects]

They Won’t Magically Turn You Into A Lustful Cockmonster

googly — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:49:39 -0800

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, one of the NFL's few vocal advocates for legalization of gay marriage, donates two tickets to his team's season opener to a Marylanders for Marriage Equality fundraiser. Maryland state delegate Emmet C. Burns writes a letter asking Ravens management to silence Ayanbadejo. Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe responds with epic smackdown.

The Top 25 NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL Sports Uniforms

Bulgaroktonos — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:49:58 -0800

From Paul Lukas of Uni Watch, a list of the 25 best uniforms in the four major North American professional sports. Uniforms 122-101 Uniforms 100-76 Uniforms 76-51 Uniforms 50-26