NFL Football Predictions

Here are some bold predictions for the NFL's 2008 season.

Brady Quinn be the Browns starting quarterback by the end of the year. That's right, I'm not just buy what Derek Anderson sold. I think he had a happy accident in 2007. He is prone to make mistakes and I think it will be transactions that force a change. Quinn has the potential to be a quality NFL starter, but he needs the chance at first.

Brodie Croyle will show that it responds to quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. When I hear most people talk about the insult to the boss', I always hear that they have no passing game. I'm a fan of Croyle, who since his college days. Look for him to develop and Dwayne Bowe, a beautiful relationship.

Rashard Mendenhall will be the best running back in the rookie class. He may not get many leads as Darren McFadden or Jonathan Stewart, but I think it is enough to pay themselves as the animal he is showing. The boy is running harder than someone whom I've ever seen, and only looks to punish defenders. He will get a lot of work inside the 20, but Willie Parker will steal much of its thunder. He was able to score double digit touchdowns. Statistics aside, I think he'll like the most impressive runner in its class to search. This guy has to sell the running style to NFL tickets in the steel city.

Maurice Jones Drew appears as a full-time starter and excel in the role. This is the year I think Fred Taylor will once again with an injury. If this is true, or even when Taylor finally shows his age, and MoJo will get the opportunity to show what he can do. Forget that he looks like a 10-year-old running around with huge thighs outside, he is strong enough to carry the load. Block His versatility as a receiver and its quality makes him a complete back and he will make himself as an elite player in this season. They do not call him Pocket Hercules for nothing.

Frank Gore will flourish, the first running back in Mike Martz offensive system since Marshall Faulk. Gore is the perfect fit for Martz's pass happy system. He's a great receiver, maybe the best team, and makes the most of it does not receive pay. Martz knows Gore is the only elite playmaker, he has and use it repeatedly in both, since the call of the current games.

Ricky Williams is again a very good running back. I know that the words that you probably think I just some time with Ricky in his VW bus to eat Doritos and talk about the colors of the rainbow, but I'm serious. With Ronnie Brown coming off of a serious injury, Williams will get a lot of them to bear. He does not have much mileage on the tires and he was at a time, the best running back in the league. I'm not saying he will rush for yards in 1853, as in 2002, but he will some people, why did he remember such an icon.

Football 101

A Girl’s Guide To Football – Why The Game Matters

Can I tell you how tired I am of single women complaining about how hard it is to meet a decent man? The problem is not a dearth of quality men, in fact I know quite a few single gems, but rather where the ladies are looking. You aren’t going to find the right man in a sleazy bar or pickup joint. If you want a man who values integrity, honor, and good sportsmanship than you have go where the real men are, and in the fall, that means your local sports bar. Football is the all-American game, if you can’t get into the game, you are shunning some of the best guys in town. Here you will find men that truly believe in honor both on and off the field. Football players aren’t stereotypical big dumb jocks, they have had to work incredibly hard to get where they are, and there are no NFL players that haven’t made a true commitment to the game. The fans are equally committed to the game and their teams, so much for the common complaint that it’s impossible to find a man who can make a commitment! Personally I’m hooked on the game itself, I love the strategy, the element of surprise, the emotion, and I’m not terribly opposed to cute butts in tight football pants either. You may or may not develop your own passion for the game, but you need to garner a basic understanding of how it works if you don’t want to come off like a fool. Guys can spot a fake miles away so it’s better to admit to your ignorance and ask questions, than to try to pretend you know the game. Of course this only works for so long and you need to bone up on football if you want to hang with the boys. Start with the basics, you need to know what teams are playing and it really helps to have a favorite. I’m a tried and true Raider fan myself, but they aren’t for the weak-hearted being the only team in the NFL that has to play against both the opposing team and the selectively blind referees. If you don’t have a favorite team lined up you could simply go with your hometown team, be it the town you live in now or the one you came from. If that doesn’t work for you, than you probably come from Cincinnati or Cleveland, and should pick a random team. I know women who made their selection based on which jersey color looked best on them, which logo they liked best, or which team their despised ex-boyfriend hated the most. However, you make your selection choose your team and stay with them through the good times and the bad. Start reading the sports page. You need to understand what is going on in the football world. At first very little might make sense but keep reading, you’ll be surprised at how much you can actually learn. For a high level overview listen to the sports segment on your local network news. ESPN has a great web site where you can always find the latest stats on all the teams. At the very least try to know the latest disputed calls, injuries and controversies. Get a good pal to tutor you in the basics of the game. I recommend you choose a male friend, not boyfriend, who is a patient soul. You are also best learning from a taped game, so that he already knows the outcome and won’t mind stopping the tape to explain what just happened. I was totally anti-football until a good friend sat me down with a taped game and a few brews. Thanks to his patience and understanding of the game I’m now a regular Sunday inhabitant of the sports bar. Don’t forget to check among your gal pals, you may have a hidden football fan in your midst. The bonus is not just a great lesson, but also a buddy to join you in your foray into NFL Sundays at the sports bar and football fandom! I will also be following up with a series on the basics of my favorite game.

Teach Your Football Wide Receivers To Get Open And Score Points In Bunches

Your passing game starts with the ability of your football wide receivers to get separation from their defenders. It doesn't matter if you have the greatest quarterback in the world if his receivers can't give him a window to throw to. The first step is to teach your wide receivers how to get off the line. If the defenders are pressing and bumping at the line, the receiver must know how to beat the pressure. Begin by teaching fakes. The most basic is the "head bob". This is where the football wide receiver moves his head to one side while getting his body moving straight or to the other side. A good shoulder fake can spice this move up. Since defensive backs will eventually pick up on a repeated fake, teach your receivers to mix things up with double-fakes (fake one way, then the other, then move beyond the defensive back). Football wide receivers must also be taught how to use their hands to gain separation. Teach the "rip" and "swim" techniques. If cutting left, teach them to use the right arm to "rip" up through the cornerback's arms. For the "swim" technique, teach your wide receivers to bring the inside arm up and over the corner's arms to knock the arms downward. Once off the line, good route running is obviously an important skill to develop. One way to help your football wide receivers get open is to have them run hard to a specific spot, get control (possibly use a fake here) and make the cut. Plant the foot away from the direction of the cut, make the cut and then accelerate into the cut. Teach your players the importance of getting the defensive back moving backwards and then cutting away from them. Besides the straight line charge, you can also have your football receivers use an S-shape weave to get open. Have them run quickly at the defensive back to get close, then "curve" around him to gain separation. Against man-to-man coverage, learning the art of good cuts and making those cuts at the right time will be extremely important to the success of your wide receivers. Against zone coverage, it's a bit different. Since the defenders are defending an area, the football receivers won't need to use their fakes quite as much since they just need to find the holes in the zone. One often over-looked area where you can give your players an advantage is in your scouting of the opposition. Don't underestimate the importance of exploiting how your players match up to the other guys. Figure out how you can game-plan how to get your best or fastest receiver matched up against the opposition's weakest or slowest defensive back. Teach your football wide receivers the correct fundamentals for getting open, game-plan your match ups effectively, then sit back and feel the satisfaction of watching a beautifully executed big play win the game for your players.

Top Football Stadiums In College

Sports are a big part of college life. From the drunkards that attend to the students there to show support for their team and school, football can bring out the best or worst in people. For those who love to watch more than just the NFL, here are a few of the top stadiums colleges have to offer. The top stadium belongs to Texas A&M. Kyle field, is more than just a stadium, it’s an experience. The fans here support their team so much that they stand during the entire game, except when the opposing band plays at halftime. For the lovers out there, fans continuously make out every time the team scores. And last but not least, Kyle field is home of the 12th man. Who wouldn’t want to be part of the game without having to actually endure the bone crushing tackles? When it comes to home field advantage no stadium can compare to Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium. Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., doesn't blow people away by the brute strength of a massive stadium, but with knowledgeable that can drown out the noise of an aircraft. Every good stadium has at least one end designed for deafening noise levels and the enclosed South End Zone at Lane Stadium fits the bill perfectly. Holding more than 11,000 screaming Virginia Tech fans, the section amplifies noise and renders audibles useless. That's not to mention the isolation factor. With the nearest major airport nearly 45 minutes away, opponents' fans are never out in force at Lane Stadium. Neyland Stadium home of the Tennessee Vols has a style of its own. For starters there’s the checkerboard end zone. Not many teams have gotten creative enough to think of something like this. Next there the fight song of the Vols. With the crowd constantly chanting it, any new fan will know the words by the end of the game. Some nice attractions of the stadium include the Tennessee River, where fans arrive by boat and tailgate hours before kickoff and hours after the game. On the other side is The Hill, the historic center of UT’s old campus. Rising above it all are the Smoky Mountains, a perfect scenic backdrop for a fall Saturday afternoon. For the fans who love a nice view of things other than the game this is the place for you. Fourth is Notre Dame Stadium the home of the fighting Irish. At this stadium you’ll find a little bit of heaven. Within waking distance of the field are great structures such as the Golden Dome, the Grotto, the Basilica of Sacred Heart, and Hesburgh library which features ‘Touchdown Jesus’ on its side. Notre Dame Stadium was expanded to accommodate fans who couldn’t get tickets. The school has sold out every game but one since 1964. The only non-sellout over that time was a Thanksgiving Day game vs. Air Force in 1973 when students weren’t on campus. The fans also show their dedication by holding rousing pep rallies on Friday nights. Isn’t this the type of crowd you’d like to be around while watching an intense game? And finally Florida Field, home of the Gators comes in fifth. Various renovations over the years have contributed to an 83,000-seat configuration unlike your typical bowl. The first level is underground and both end zones are enclosed. There’s no buffer from the field to the stands which is less than ten feet in some areas, which creates a sense of fans on top of the field and players. The North end zone Touchdown Terrace is deafening for opponents, adding an advantage for the Gators. The players go nuts, but the fans are worse. Between the screaming and the hollering fans can barley hear the person next to them and that’s before kickoff. So if you’re a fan who loves to be nasty and noisy this is the stadium for you.

Listen Up

It's Football Season Again!

It's starting to get a bit chillier outside and the sun is setting earlier. This can only mean one thing. Football season is upon us again. As the New England Patriots embark on an historic attempt to win three consecutive Super Bowls, every other team in the league is gunning to take them down. The Philadelphia Eagles are hungry to the championship having been to four consecutive NFC championship games. And the AFC is stacked with several teams who would love to dethrone the Patriots including the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders with new addition Randy Moss. And in the world of college football it's up to everyone to see if they can upset vaunted USC from their throne and prevent another team from winning three straight titles. Let's face it. You love football. But sometimes sports talk radio gets a little tiresome. So if you're looking to learn a little more about the game you love why not check out some football audio books and podcasts? It's a great way to gain a great understanding of the history and intricacies of the game. Why not start your football audio odyssey with "Namath" a biography of Joe Namath, one of the sports' most colorful characters. Follow "Broadway Joe" his childhood, collegiate career and the Super Bowl III victory where Namath infamously guaranteed victory. Namath was a trend-setter both on and off the football field and his story is truly an amazing one. Another interesting looking title is "The Junction Boys". This is the story of Paul "Bear" Bryant's 1-9 Texas A & M team of 1994. If this title sounds familiar it's likely because this book provided the inspiration for an ESPN movie bearing the same name. Interested in learning more about some of the game's most vaunted coaches? Try taking this trifecta of audiobooks on for size. "When Pride Still Mattered" is the story of Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers. "Bootlegger's Boy" by Bud Shrake is the story of Barry Switzer, the outspoken former coach of the Oklahoma Sooners and Dallas Cowboys. "Paterno By the Book" wanders from football but is insightful nonetheless as would be expected from one of college football's winningest coaches. Round out your football knowledge by learning more about fantasy football from a trio of new podcasts. Regardless of whether you're a hardcore fantasy football with a half-dozen teams or simply a newbie who belongs to the local office league, you'll be able to gain the edge on your competitors by listening to The Fantasy Football Guys Podcast, The Football Fantasyland Podcast and THE Fantasy Football Podcast. The best part of all of these football titles is that they can be listened to on your way to work or while you're on the treadmill burning off all those calories you ate last Sunday when you were watching…football. Happy listening!

Get Your Football Tickets Somehow, Someway

As a fan of a very popular and successful professional football team, I know it can be difficult to get tickets, but what if you want to buy Detroit Lions' tickets? In recent history, the Detroit Lions have not been overly successful, but does that make the tickets any cheaper or easier to obtain? I suppose it depends on who sets ticket prices and how often they sell out their stadium, no matter what their record is http://www.westminsterweekly.com. The more I look into it, the more I realize that the best prices on about anything can be found online, and Detroit Lions' tickets, or any NFL tickets for that matter, are no exception. All you need to do then, is understand the step by step process of buying Detroit Lions' tickets online to get the best price possible. The first couple of steps may seem obvious, but it is important that you are prepared when to make your Detroit Lions ticket purchase. First of all, you will need to figure out which game you want to attend. Is there a particular opponent you want to see? If not, you can just check all games and see where there is availability. Many games for a number of NFL teams are sold out before the season even begins, due to the enormous popularity of pro football http://www.CheapNFLTickets.com . However, just in case, go online to the Detroit Lions’ official website and check to see if there are tickets available for the game you want to see. If so, you are in luck, the team will be selling the tickets at face value, which is really as low as you can expect to get them for unless you are buying an enormous quantity of Detroit Lions' tickets. If you are planning a season or more ahead to buy your Detroit Lions' tickets, you may want to join the team’s waitlist of fan club. You will then, likely get access tickets on a preferential basis. In addition, you will likely have a great shot at playoff tickets if that is something that becomes an issue during the season. Because no matter which game you want to go to, Detroit Lions' tickets for the playoffs sure would make for a good time. Another option is to buy your Detroit Lions' tickets from a ticket broker. Brokering is illegal in some states, but rarely prosecuted. If you are concerned, however, just check with your local and state laws to make sure everything you do is on the up and up. A broker will buy up tickets to sold- out events and resell them for a profit. Your Detroit Lions' tickets won’t be cheap going this route, but you are likely to get tickets to whatever event you would like to go to. If you want to bottom feed a little bit more, there are always ticket scalpers around on game day http://www.rhinotickets.com . They basically do what brokers do, only without the office. If you are the type who likes to wheel a deal and doesn’t mind gambling a bit, you can certainly do all of those things if you get your Detroit Lions' tickets from a ticket scalper. Tickets for any NFL team, yes even the Detroit Lions, are difficult to get sometimes. However, if you plan out which game you want to see, getting the Detroit Lions' tickets you want is not difficult. You may have to spend some money, but if you get to see the game you want, isn’t it worth it?

Pro Football’s NFL

The Largest American Pro Football League Has Significant Rivalries

The National Football League or the NFL is the biggest professional football league in the United States. The NFL has thirty-two teams that are based in a variety of cities across the country. Originally known as the American Professional Football Association when it was formed in 1920, the Association assumed the name “National Football League” in 1922. At first, the most popular way people enjoyed their football was by watching their favorite college team play but the focus of the country changed in 1958. That NFL game went into overtime and captured a number of new fans who found that they enjoyed the professional football league just as much as if not more than their college football teams. Due to the rising popularity of professional football, the NFL merged with the American Football League in the 1960’s to form what is now the National Football League. Over the years, some friendly and some not-so-friendly rivalries have come about due to a number of circumstances. These rivalries can be categorized into three separate groups. The first is the ‘intradivisional’, which is a rivalry between teams in the same NFL division. The second is interdivisional, which is a rivalry between teams in the different divisions but in the same conference. The third is the ‘interconference’, which is a rivalry between teams in different conferences. Many times fans will hear sportscasters refer to team rivalries as “divisional rivals”, “division rival” or “conference rival” instead of including the appropriate prefix. For example, in the AFC North, there is a rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns based on the when the team’s owner, Art Modell, moved the Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore. Fortunately for Cleveland Browns fans, the “Dawg Pound” and its colors remained in Cleveland. The Cleveland Browns were reactivated as a NFL team in 1999. The “Dawg Pound” fans waited for their revenge and got a taste in 2001 when the Browns won against the Ravens after only four games. Another famous rivalry began in the AFC East when the Buffalo Bills owner, Ralph Wilson, wasn’t allowed to base an AFL team in Miami and went on to establish the Buffalo Bills as a charter member of the AFL. The Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins have maintained a rivalry based on this history since 1967. This particular rivalry has had a number of key moments that continued to fuel their contention over the years including playing against each other in the ultimate game of the football season- the Super Bowl.