0 comments by Sean Tomlinson on 8/15/2014
In the first year of the Andy Reid era in Kansas City, the offensively re-designed Chiefs surprised no one by focusing their passing game on short, high percentage throws. The result was winning (albeit against several opponents starting backup quarterbacks), and doing it while taking few risks. Reid honed in on Jamaal Charles, and in […]
0 comments by This Given Sunday's Locker
Rest assured, everyone, Steve Smith’s words are in mid-season form. The man who brought us “ice up, son” among his other greatest hits was recently asked about the approach required to be a Baltimore Raven. Smith is entering his first season playing football somewhere that isn’t Carolina. “When I think of a Baltimore Raven — […]
0 comments by This Given Sunday's Locker
Throughout training camp a few clips of Sammy Watkins doing Sammy Watkins things have bounced around the Internet. First there was a one-handed catch, and then another one-handed catch. Here he removes a defensive back from his underpants. It shows how absurdly hard it can be to cover Watkins while he does something routine: run […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson
Not long ago, the NFC West was a raging, toxic dumpster fire. Or at least it wasn’t long ago in human years. By the standard calendar that tracks the passage of time, four years is a short period. It’s long enough, I suppose, as that’s equal to the length of a presidential term, or the […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson on 8/14/2014
The early returns on Jadeveon Clowney in Houston are about what we expected. He’s going to plant opposing humans in the ground, and often. We saw that immediately when he stuffed Stepfan Taylor for a five-yard loss after using his incredible speed to bust through the line. But Clowney and the downright unfair tandem he’ll […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson
If you thought getting a date is easy as a young, rich, muscle bulging NFL super-stud, you’re mostly right. But training camp is a problem, with players often doing the grunt work of August in unfamiliar territory away from home. Don’t worry, there’s an app for that. Tinder has the cure for all that ails […]
0 comments by This Given Sunday's Locker
Danny Amendola is often broken and bruised, and eventually constant injuries could shorten his NFL career. No worries, though, because he could sign up for the circus immediately. Earlier this week during the Patriots-Eagles joint practice Amendola showed he’s one helluva juggler. Yes, he has four footballs. Four.
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson on 8/13/2014
When asked to think of a quarterback bust, it doesn’t take long. Like the Google algorithm that returns thousands of results instantaneously, the mind blurts out “JaMarcus Russell!” “Akili Smith!” “Tim Couch!” and on we go. But there’s also “Blaine Gabbert!” which is why the Jacksonville Jaguars are understandably being cautious with Blake Bortles, their […]
0 comments by This Given Sunday's Locker
Training camp scuffles are pretty common. This will shock you, but when large men playing a sport rooted in physicality are clawing for their employment futures, anger happens. A lot of it, and sometimes that ends in a little donnybrook. Usually, the skirmishes involve some shoving and helmet punching before teammates and coaches step in. […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson on 8/12/2014
Football has now been on your television for a full week. That means life feels complete again, and the universe is properly aligned. But has football actually, really been on your TV? Look closer, and tell me what you see. I see Michael Vick with a vintage Vick 14-yard scrambling run against mostly second teamers. […]
0 comments by This Given Sunday's Locker
There’s nothing scientific about this study, but I’ll trust the word of a man who’s been to a game at every NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA outpost in North America. Sean McDonald has done that, and he spent the 2013 NFL season attending a game at each league venue. His conclusion? Buffalo Bills fans lead […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson
With a handful of the NFL’s team owners in headlines lately for reasons ranging from stripper pictures to a hilariously stubborn defense of a slur, we thought a definitive and not at all arbitrary ranking of their likeability is needed. The criteria for a high ranking is pretty simple: run a respectable NFL operation, and […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson on 8/11/2014
It was bound to happen, because it happens every August. The whisper usually starts in the distance. It begins with a gentle breeze, and then builds to gale force. Hear that? Tebow. Tim Tebow. Timmy. His name lodges once more in the mind. You recall something he once did on an NFL field, but that […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson on 8/8/2014
Sports fans aren’t always logical creatures. Often joy is found in the simple pleasures: wins, plays that lead to wins, and players who gift them wins. You may notice a theme there. That does not excuse the roaring cheers Ray Rice is receiving in Baltimore, which started last night during the Ravens’ first preseason game, […]
0 comments by Sean Tomlinson
LeSean McCoy should want to run for 2,000 yards this season. He should want to do it every season, because that’s his job: to run very far, and very often. Yesterday McCoy told the Internet that 2,000 yards is indeed in his crosshairs. This is THE YEAR!!!! My potential is
