We start our recap this week with the Pittsburgh Steelers clash against the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh needed a win to stand a chance of getting in the playoffs whereas the Browns on the other hand had absolutely nothing to play for except pride. The big pre game news for the Browns was that Johnny Manziel would not be playing due to being under the league's concussion protocol. It is also rumoured that he just did not show up for the game either, if that was the case then you can guarantee he will not be playing for the Browns next year. To see how this game played out check out the highlights below: As you can see Pittsburgh got that much needed win meaning that if the Jets were to slip up and lose to the Bills they would miss out on the playoffs! Going into this game you would definitely give the edge to the Jets especially after their victory last week against the New England Patriots but one of the reasons we love the NFL so much is that you just never know what is going to happen on any given sunday! Well that takes care of who got the final AFC playoff spot but there was still a few things that needed to be settled like who would get the first round bye and homefield advantage and who would win the AFC South! With that said let us look at the battle for homefield advantage, New England just needed a win against the Dolphins and they would ensure that the road to the Superbowl in the AFC would go through Gillette Stadium. Here is the highlights from their game against the Dolphins: That loss for the New England meant that Denver could steal the number one seed and home field advantage with a win over their divisional rivals the San Diego Chargers. The game did not start so well for the Broncos because in the first half alone they gave away five turnovers. To see how this game played out with Peyton Manning returning to the field from injury in the second half: With that win Denver sealed homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and all that remains in the AFC is to find out who won the AFC South. Going into the week Indianapolis not only needed a win but they also needed Houston to lose along with several other results to go their way. Basically Houston where as good as in regardless of what happened in their respective games and for the first time I can remember the Colts fate was sealed by a game outside of their own conference which was just bizarre! For reasons I am still looking into the New Orleans Saints victory over the Atlanta Falcons meant the Colts had no way of reaching the playoffs. That wraps up the AFC action of meaning from the weekend and to recap the final six repping the AFC in the playoffs are Denver, New England, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas and Pittsburgh. We come on now to the NFC and despite all the playoff teams being locked and loaded from last week there was still a small matter of the NFC North title up for grabs along with homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Let’s start the NFC roundup with the aforementioned title game for the NFC North between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. This was an intriguing game because you had to wonder could Minnesota stop Aaron Rodgers or perhaps more importantly could the makeshift offensive line for Green Bay stop the Minnesota pass rush. To find out how this one played out check out the highlights below: With that loss Green Bay drop to the fifth seed for the playoffs and they also now avoid Seattle until a potential conference championship rematch at Lambeau field. The cynical side of thinks that they may have deliberately lost this game as it makes their route to the Superbowl that little bit easier! The final thing to settle playoff wise was homefield advantage in the NFC for the duration of the playoffs. If Carolina won then they would keep their number one seeding and remain the team to beat in the NFC, see what happened in their game against the Buccaneers by watching the highlights below: And so the Panthers have sealed their own fate with Victory over Tampa Bay and remain the number one seed. Let’s do a quick recap now for the NFC on who has made the playoffs: Carolina, Arizona, Minnesota, Washington, Green Bay and Seattle. Well that wraps it for the blog for another season but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will keep you up to speed on all things NFL related until after the Superbowl itself on Sunday 7th February 2016. Until next season football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
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After all of the off the ball shenanigans last week between Beckham Jr and Josh Norman it was good to get back to some real football action this week and boy did we get some great plays from some very special players. The first of these players that really impressed me this week is one of the best receivers in league who if playing for any other team may stand a chance of winning a Superbowl, unfortunately Julio Jones is stuck at the Atlanta Falcons. Whilst they are not a Superbowl calibre team at least they have a quarterback in Matt Ryan who can get the ball to Jones and just watch him make plays. This week Julio Jones was a big part of why the Falcons ended the Panthers hopes of having an undefeated season. Jones had nine receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown which was just of the highest quality. For any youngsters out there who are dreaming of becoming a receiver this is how you high point a ball: Another player who has been breaking waves not just this week but over the last few weeks and that is David Johnson, running back for the Arizona Cardinals. This week Johnson had another amazing game against the Green Bay Packers. When you think that this kid was only drafted in the 3rd round this year and was the 7th running back taken in the draft he sure is making the biggest splash. Here is Johnson’s highlights from this week against the Packers: Now we have covered some of the players who made a big splash this week let’s take a look at some of the big games that had playoff implications starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road to the Baltimore Ravens. If recent form was anything to go by this game was going to be a walk in the park for the Steelers and to be honest even I thought it was going to be. Of course what I learned this week was that you can never take a division rival lightly especially if they have nothing to play for except ruining your chances of making the post season. Check out the highlights below to see how this game played out: This result meant that if the Chiefs just needed to beat the Cleveland Browns to secure their place in the post season. As above you would’ve thought that this would be an easy accomplishment to achieve but at this stage of the season take nothing for granted. Here is how this one played out: Now we have seen those results here is how the AFC playoff picture currently stands: New England 12 - 3 * Cincinnati 11 - 3 z Denver 10 - 4 Houston 8 - 7 Kansas City 10 - 5 x New York Jets 10 - 5 Key: * = Clinched Division and bye, z = Clinched Division, x = Clinched Playoff Berth There were some big games in the NFC as well this week and several teams had clinching scenarios meaning that that they could either secure their division or a place in the playoffs if results went their way. Rather than going through each of these games we shall instead take a look at how the results have affected the post season. Here is how the teams currently stand: Carolina 14 - 1 * Arizona 13 - 2 * Green Bay 10 - 5 x Washington 8 - 7 z Minnesota 10 - 5 x Seattle 10 - 5 x Key: * = Clinched Division and bye, z = Clinched Division, x = Clinched Playoff Berth As you can see all of the playoff teams have now been decided and the only game next week which will have implications on the standings is the NFC North battle for the division between Green Bay and Minnesota. That should be a great game and it will be interesting to see how the Packers bounce back from being man handled by the Cardinals this week. Well that wraps it up from me for another week but before I let you go here are some of the best plays from the week 16 action: Be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week and until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
This week saw a match-up between two of the best young talents at their respective positions as the New York Giants played host to the Carolina Panthers. The two talents I am referring too are Odell Beckham Jr, wide receiver for the Giants and cornerback Josh Norman of the Panthers. Both of these young players are having incredible seasons and on paper it was set to be a great game. In his short career Odell Beckham Jr has set several records including most receptions in a players first two seasons (182 to date 21/12/2015), the fastest ever to reach 150 career receptions (21 games) and he is the only player to have 1300 plus receiving yards in a single season while playing 12 or fewer games. We of course also can’t forget that he has one of the best receptions I have ever seen in last year’s game against the Cowboys. Onto Josh Norman now and this season he has been a key reason that the Panthers defence has been so good this year and when you look at the top receivers he had faced before the game he had kept them to less than 100 combined yards and no touchdowns. Why is this so impressive, well this year he has lined up against Dez Bryant, Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins. Taking the above into account you can see why I like many others was really excited to see how this would play out. Unfortunately instead of watching great play from these two in the first half what we saw was just really ugly as they were fighting each other after plays and being more than just physical with each other. Each player must have been called for at least 3 personal fouls each and you just do not need it in the game. Luckily both teams managed to calm them down sufficiently at halftime and baring the off moment of madness we got to see how it played. You can see the good, the bad and the ugly from this game by checking out the highlights below: This week we also saw the Ravens take to the field in some horrifically coloured yellow / gold pants which I am sure the NFL’s Dave Dameshek would not have been impressed with especially as he sees himself as the unofficial uniform police! Moving swiftly away from the uniforms now and onto some more significant games that involved teams looking to get one step closer to the post season and we start with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. This was a key game for the AFC south as the winner will take prime position at the top of the division and have their fate in their own hands from this point on. The game started ugly with a lot of punting and not much offense until the Colts were able to break the deadlock thanks to an 11 yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to Donte Moncrief. Instead of boring you with describing how the rest of the game went you can check out the highlights below: Onto the NFC East now and the Cowboys officially fell out the race for the division title as they lost 19 – 16 to the New York Jets on Saturday night. You saw earlier that the New York Giants also lost this week but they are still in with a chance of winning the division. The Eagles faced off against the Cardinals this week on Sunday night and they really needed a win to try and put the pressure on the Redskins who had earlier despatched the Buffalo Bills in a comfortable 35 – 25 win. Check out the highlights below to see how the Eagles got on against the Cardinals: With these results the Redskins are now in the best position to win the NFC East, all they need to do is just win their remaining two games and they are in. When you think that by the end of week 6 they had a record of 2 – 4 and they were playing some horrific football it has been quite the turnaround. To finish off this week let's take a look ahead to some of the games that I am really looking forward to in week 16. First up is the Saturday night game between the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. This game will go a long way to determining the winner of the NFC East. The next game I am really looking forward too could be a look ahead to a playoff game this season as the Green Bay Packers take on the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams have been playing great football and feature high power offences. The main question is which defence will step up and which one will be ripped apart. Finally you have the St Louis Rams vs the Seattle Seahawks. This game will not be for the week hearted as it will feature two of the toughest and meanest defences in the league. Add to that the fact that it is also a division rivalry and you have yourself a good old fashioned ‘slobber knocker’. Well that wraps it up from me for another week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ when it is released later in the week and until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
I think it would be rude for me to not start this by talking a about Russell Wilson and last years Superbowl runners up the Seattle Seahawks. Despite having a shaky start to the season with the added drama of Kam Chancellors holdout the Seahawks have really been playing some great football lately. A lot of that is down to the play of Russell Wilson who in the last four weeks has thrown for 1171 yards and 16 touchdowns. Let’s also remember that a lot of that yardage is without their star tight end Jimmy Graham who has been injured recently. When Wilson starts playing like this you wonder two things, firstly can anyone stop them and secondly why did they pay such a heavy price for Graham when it looks like they don’t need him! Below is the highlights from the Seahawks game against the Ravens this week: Another thing worth mentioning this week is just the sheer number of injuries we have seen this seen. I am sure we have seen more big injuries this year than any other season I can remember and this week we added some more big names to the list with Andy Dalton fracturing his throwing thumb and Thomas Rawls the stand in running back for Seattle will miss the rest of the season with a fractured ankle. Whilst this amount of injuries does mean that more players are getting their chance to shine, you really do just want to see the best players competing week in and week out. Anyways that’s enough of that let’s get back to the positives like this little touchdown pass from the Titans vs Jets game. You certainly don’t see scores like this every week: Elsewhere around the league we saw a truly dominant display from Khalil Mack of the Oakland Raiders as they took on their division rivals the Denver Broncos. Throughout the course of the game Mack was consistently putting pressure on Brock Osweiler the young quarterback for the Broncos and Mack even managed to sack him five times. To see Mack in action check out the highlights from the game below: There were a couple of other young players in the league that seemed to have what you would call comeback performances this week. The first of these is Eddie Lacy running back for the Green Bay Packers. Over the course of this season Lacy seems to have been lacking the kind of runs and general play that had him win rookie of the year a couple of seasons ago but this week he was back with vengeance against the cowboys. Check out Lacy’s highlights from the game below: The second player who is getting back to the form that saw him drafted no.1 overall last year and that is Jadeveon Clowney of the Houston Texans. Clowney had a big night against the Patriots this week and between him and JJ Watt you can really see them making a push for the playoffs. Check out the best of Clowney's highlights below: Finally to finish off this week it would be rude not to talk about the playoff picture which is starting to shape up nicely in each conference. Over the next few weeks to be honest you will hear a lot about the playoff push as we are just getting into that time of year where every game matters. In the AFC the New England Patriots have now taken over the number one seed thanks to losses from Denver and Cincinnati and the wildcard spots are now held by the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets. Kansas has won seven games in a row and looks to be the form team heading towards the postseason. The main contender against these two teams is the Pittsburgh Steelers who have the same record but a worse record within the AFC. In the NFC the Carolina Panthers have now clinched their division and a first round bye in the playoffs and the Arizona Cardinals have also clinched a playoff berth. The two wildcard teams are the Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings and both of these teams have a two game lead over their closest rivals. With only three weeks left you can probably assume these will be the playoff teams with the only real battle being for the NFC East title. Well that wraps it up from me for another week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week. Until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
This week we celebrate history being made thanks to a rare yet special play, well special teams play that is. During the game between the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints we saw the first ever two point conversion following a blocked extra point attempt. Not only was it a great moment for the sport but it also came at a pivotal moment in the game. The Panthers had just got a touchdown to bring the score to 14-13 and they needed the extra point to tie the game. Now in previous years the extra point would have been a formality but rule changes this year mean that the extra point attempt is kicked from the 15 yard line as opposed to the 2 yard line. Not only has the point of the kick been changed but they have also made the rule the same as a blocked field goal in that it can be returned to the opposing endzone for a score. Whereas a blocked field goal return would get you six points for the touchdown, during an extra point attempt it will get you two points. Apologies for the long description but to see how it affected the game and the rest of the highlights from this NFC South clash, check out the highlights below: Another game where the special teams unit stole the show by making some big plays was the New England Patriots vs the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Patriots up 14 – 7 near the end of the first half they were forced to punt and instead of getting some field position they found themselves in a tied game thanks to a blocked punt which was returned for a touchdown by the Eagles. Later in the game the Eagles special teams unit brought some more spice to the game as Darren Sproles returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown. Big plays like this really do create such big momentum shifts during and you can see how by watching the highlights from this game below: Leaving the special teams behind us now we come onto a game which really took me by surprise and that is the Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tennessee Titans. Both of these teams have been pretty poor at times during the season and between them they have a combined record of 7 – 17. Of course just like in life, with football one should never assume as it only makes an ass out of you and me! One of the Jags young receivers Allen Robinson is who I want to mention first in this game as he just ‘had a day’ as Scott Hansen would say. Robinson racked up 153 yards and three touchdowns on the night and not to be outdone the Titans young quarterback Marcus Mariota had a monster 87 yard rushing touchdown. I have only ever seen a couple long touchdown runs by quarterbacks like that, the first one that springs to mind is Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers last year in their game against the Chargers and in RG III’s first year a few seasons ago, he ripped off a 70+ yard run as well. Check out Mariota’s run and all of the pinball scoring between the Jags and Titans by watching the highlights below: Finally to finish off this week I want to talk about touchdown celebrations as it an area that has me torn. The sensible side of me thinks you should just pull a Barry Sanders and flip the ball straight back to the referee but thanks to Antonio Brown this week I remembered how much I love the elaborate celebrations. After one of his scores this week Antonio Brown jumped up and straddled the goal post before sliding down it. A classic celebration that hurts absolutely no one but yet still draws a penalty from the officials. I would love to know what you think about the celebrations but just to help sway your vote here is Brown’s touchdown and celebration from this week: Remember to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week and until next time football fans, stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
Only one team now remains undefeated in the NFL thanks to the week 12 results and that is the Carolina Panthers. I can’t stress enough how great a job I think that Ron Rivera is doing as a head coach for them. In week 13 Carolina can seal their third straight NFC South title with a win against the New Orleans Saints or if the Atlanta Falcons lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One of the key parts to Carolina’s success this year has been the play of their outstanding young middle linebacker Luke Kuechly who I feel I have not mentioned anywhere near enough this season. This season Kuechly has amassed 75 tackles along with one sack, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three interceptions and one touchdown. Kuechly is also the key linchpin in this defence. You can see how Kuechly and the Panthers remained undefeated by watching their week 12 highlights below: Of course there only now being one team in the hunt for the perfect season must mean the New England Patriots lost this week and it appears they lost more than just the game this week as their star tight end Rob Gronkowski has joined their long list of injuries which already includes key players Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Dion Lewis and several offensive lineman. Here is the highlights to their first loss of the season which ended in quite dramatic style: Elsewhere in the NFL the NFC East title race has taken yet another turn as the Washington Redskins have taken over the lead thanks to a win against their rivals the New York Giants. Washington have won four out of their five games at home and it just goes to show you how important home field advantage is in the NFL these days. It also helps that they have their star receiver DeSean Jackson back in action along with a defence that is now starting to find some form. You can see the highlights from this NFC East showdown below: Elsewhere around the league the quarterback carousel in Cleveland continues to spin as starter Johnny Manziel was relegated to third string QB after his off field antics last week meaning Josh McCown would start for the Browns against the Ravens. During the game itself McCown got injured and Austin Davis came in to replace him and led the team on a comeback charge. Check out the highlights below to see how this game ended in what was a quite spectacular fashion: To finish off this week, with it being the start of December and all, the real playoff push has just begun so let’s take a look at who is in the driving seats to make it to the post season. Since we last looked at the full picture back in week seven the landscape has changed just slightly in both conferences so we start with the NFC. The four division winners would be Carolina (NFC South), Washington (NFC East), Minnesota (NFC North) and Arizona (NFC West) meaning the wild card teams would be Green Bay and Seattle. As you can see Seattle have now snuck into the playoff mix as well as Washington, not only that but Minnesota has replaced Green Bay at the top of the NFC North. The AFC has also seen some subtle changes to its teams, again we start with the divisions winners: Indianapolis (AFC South), New England (AFC East), Cincinnati (AFC North) and Denver (AFC West) with the wild card teams being Kansas City and Houston. Somehow Houston have really turned their season around despite injuries to their quarterbacks and star running back. If these were the teams in the playoffs what would be your ideal Superbowl? Well that wraps it up from me for another week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week. Until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
Is it just me or does anyone else think that DeAndre Hopkins is one of the top five receivers in the league? I must admit it wasn't until I watched the highlights of the Texans vs Jets game that I remembered all of the great catches he has made and how despite being covered by the best cornerbacks in the league he continues to make plays! This week DeAndre Hopkins was matched up against one of if not the best cornerback in the league in Darrelle Revis yet he still finished the game with five catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. In doing so Hopkins also became the third youngest receiver to ever reach 200 career catches and 3000 receiving yards. To see why I rate this kid so highly check out a selection of his highlights below: ** Warning Explicit Lyrics in Soundtrack to Video ** Another young player that had a great game this week is the rookie quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston has definitely had an up and down first season in the league but this week was one of those up games for sure. Winston and the Buccaneers went into what is usually a hostile atmosphere in Philadelphia but he did not let the crowd get to him at all. Winston looked composed throughout the game and managed to spread the ball around his receivers which included Vincent Jackson who has returned this week from an injury. By the end of the game you could see exactly why he was the number one pick in this years draft. His final stats on the day were 19 of 29 passes for 246 yards and five touchdowns. Check out the highlights from this game below: Another quarterback who had a great game this week is Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers. This year it seems to me as if Cam has really taken his game to the next level and you can definitely call him one of the elite quarterbacks in the league today. This week he dissected the Redskins defence on his way to throwing for 246 yards and five touchdowns. Just in case you are wondering this is not a typo he genuinely had the same yardage and number of touchdowns as the young Jameis Winston. Check out super Cam and the undefeated Panthers highlights against the Redskins below: The last quarterback I want to talk about this week is a veteran in the twilight of his career who is playing some of the best football of his life and that is Carson Palmer of the Arizona Cardinals. Palmer has been in the league now for twelve years and really seems to have a system in Arizona that makes him excel. It does help of course that he has one of the league's best receivers in Larry Fitzgerald not to mention the speedy receiver John Brown. You can see how Palmer and Cardinals got on this week by watching the highlights below: To finish off this week I want to talk about the battle for two divisions which is really starting to heat up and not because the teams involved have great records either. The first division I want to talk about is the NFC East. We are now 11 weeks into the season and not one of the four teams has a winning record which is just crazy. At the top of the pack you have the New York Giants who are 5 - 5 on the season and each week you just don’t know which version of the Giants will show up. At the bottom of the pack you have the Dallas Cowboys who are 3 - 7 but they now have Tony Romo back from injury and he could just be the catalyst they need to go on a winning streak. In fact I am actually going to say that I think the Cowboys are going to find a way to win this division by the end of the year and get into the playoffs. The second division I want to talk about is the AFC South. Again like the NFC East there is not a single team in the division that boasts a winning record. At the top you have the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans with a record of 5 -5. The Colts have lost their starting quarterback to injury whereas the Texans seemed to have found their answer at quarterback with T J Yates. The Jaguars are 4 - 6 and are still in with a shout of winning the division for the first time in a number of years but the Titans on the other hand are realistically out of the hunt with a 2 - 8 record. Again I am going to be bold and predict that the Houston Texans are going to win the AFC South this year as they seem to be hitting form at the right time of the year. Well that wraps it up from me for another week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week. Until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
If I could use one word to describe all of the action this week it would simply be ‘Wowsers’. I mean this week was full of drama, close games and an onside kick that Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson would definitely like to forget. With that said I think it is only right to start this week with the NFC North clash between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. On paper this game should have been a total blow-out by Green Bay especially when you think of the two teams records and recent history but that is the great thing about divisional games, you just never know what is going happen. In the words of a legend close to the website 'Expect the Unexpected'. The first half was pretty forgettable to be honest but the second half started with a bang as Ameer Abdullah returned the second half kickoff 104 yards for Detroit but sadly he got tackled just shy of the end zone. Three plays later Matthew Stafford completed a touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew to put the Lions up 9 – 3. Matt Prater then stepped up to kick the extra point but he sent it sailing wide of the posts. Detroit kept playing hard and were rewarded with a field goal before Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay on a scoring drive to make it 12 - 10 in the fourth quarter. Into the closing stages now and you can see how the game played out by watching the highlights below: You may have noticed this year that I have talked about the Denver Broncos alot this year and mostly for the right reasons as they went 8 - 0 thanks to a great defence but there has been one thing holding the Broncos back this year and it pains me to say, it’s Peyton Manning. Although this week Manning did break the record for most passing yards by any NFL quarterback he also threw four interceptions against the Chiefs this week before being benched. I may be being a little hard on Manning because let’s face it when you have a quarterback of his calibre the last thing you do is try to change the way he plays the game like Gary Kubiak's offense seems to be trying to do! Moving swiftly on from that now onto something that just never ceases to amaze me and that is the catches that wide receivers and defenders alike are making these days. I mean seriously the catches are just getting ridiculously good to a point of obscene although not as obscene as Antonio Brown's touchdown celebration. Check out both Brown’s celebration and the top five catches from this week below:
Another one of the games this week that had that wow factor was the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. This game just ebbed and flowed beautifully back and forth with both teams scoring touchdowns and getting takeaways but like the Lions game it came down to the fourth quarter and a very dramatic end. The Ravens managed to get that go ahead touchdown with over seven minutes to go in the game giving the Jaguars plenty of time to score or so you would have thought. A couple of exchanged punts later and we get to the real drama with just over a minute left in the game the Jaguars got the ball back and had one last chance to make ground for that winning field goal. See all of the drama unfold by watching the highlights below: To finish off this week we come onto the Sunday evening game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots at the Metlife stadium in New Jersey. This game was always going to be a great contest because over these last seven years the Giants are probably the only team that have had the Patriots number so to speak. Add to that you also had to of the best players at their position on show in Rob Gronkowski (Tight End) and Odell Beckham Jr (Wide Receiver). Rob Gronkowski has taken the tight end position to just a whole new level in that not only is he a threat in the redzone because of his size but he has the speed to break long plays on you as well. On that note I would feel rude if I didn't mention Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzales who really started off this new breed of tight end but Gronkowski has just elevated it to another level. Since being drafted with the 42nd overall pick back in 2010 Gronkowski has amassed 357 receptions for 5185 yards and 62 touchdowns. It may not seem a lot but when you factor in how much time he has missed through injury it is quite outstanding. Odell Beckham Jr came into the league with a bang last year after missing the first four games of the season due to a hamstring injury he went on to record 91 receptions for 1305 yards and 12 touchdowns. Oh yeah and he also had a certain catch last year against the Dallas Cowboys which is still possibly the best catch I have ever seen. So when you add those two players into the mix with the recent history between the two teams you end up with a game like this: Well that wraps it up from me for another week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week for a further round-up of the week ten action. Until next time football fans stay safe, take care and 'Thanks for Stopping By'.
Before I get to the week nine action, I want to start this week by taking a quick look at some of the players who have really impressed me so far this season. I can think of no better place to start than wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown is now in his sixth year in the league and he is showing no signs of slowing down. So far this year Antonio has caught 69 passes for 1002 yards and three touchdowns. Although you may think his touchdown count is low he is basically the one who has been moving the sticks and keeping the drives alive with amazing catches and most importantly his yards after catch (YAC). Here are some of Antonio’s highlights from the week nine game against Oakland in which he had an amazing 17 receptions for 284 yards: Next up is a second year receiver who is showing all the attributes of becoming the next best receiver in the game and that is John Brown of the Arizona Cardinals. John Brown is quick, dynamic and is certainly not afraid to put his body on the line to make a catch as we have seen a few times this year. Admittedly it helps that Carson Palmer is having a monster year at quarterback but there have certainly been times where Brown has made Palmer look unplayable. Here is a look back at his rookie year highlights to give you an idea of just how good he is: To be honest there are a lot more players who have impressed me this year but it would take far too long for me to list each one. I will however finish off this section with one last player who is showing why he was once considered an elite running back and that is DeAngelo Williams of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now you have to bear in mind that Williams is second in the depth chart behind the great LeVeon Bell but in the three games that Williams has started this year he has rushed for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Not bad at all for a back up I would say. Click on the picture below to see his highlights from the week nine game against the raiders: Onto the week nine action now and entering this week there were four unbeaten teams, New England, Denver, Cincinnati and Carolina. The first of the teams to defend their undeafeted status was Cincinnati as they played host to division rivals the Cleveland Browns. To save you having to put up with my waffle about the game check out the game highlights below: Next up you had New England entertaining the Washington Redskins and this game was a non contest from the start despite the fact that Washington had their star receiver De Sean Jackson back in the fold. New England are just too good right now and they went on to get the victory 27 to 10. We move onto Carolina now who hosted the Green Bay Packers. The Packers were undefeated themselves until last week when they lost to Denver. Going into the game Aaron Rodgers was 15 - 0 in games following a defeat the week before. Carolina came out of the blocks like Usain Bolt and I don’t think Green Bay new what had hit the them. Green Bay came back into the game late on but in the end the Panthers defence was just too good for Green Bay. Check out the highlights of this game below: Finally we finish with Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis with the Broncos. As you can see all of the other teams remained on course for the perfect season but would Peyton and the Broncos or would Andrew Luck and the Colts have something to say about it. Check out the highlights below to see how this one played out: So we are down to three teams with a perfect record, this is the first time in NFL history that we have had more than two teams with a perfect record at this point in the season. I can’t wait to see how it plays out over the next few weeks. Well that is is from me for another week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ later in the week for a recap of all of the week nine games along with more players who have impressed myself and Marcus this year. Until next time football fans check out the best plays of week nine below, stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’. It would be rude for me to start this week without talking about a quarterback who since coming back from an early season injury has led his team to four wins on the bounce and that is Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees has become one of the elite quarterbacks in the game since his move from San Diego back in 2006 and since his move no other quarterback in the league has thrown for more passing yards, touchdowns or 300 yard games than Drew Brees. Oh and he also now holds the record for the most consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass thrown (54 Games). Why did I have to mention Drew Brees this week you may be asking, well it’s simple he threw for over 500 passing yards this week and seven touchdowns in the Saints shoot out win against the New York Giants. You can check out the highlights from this game below: Another thing I want to talk about this week is my own personal impressions of the international series games held here in the UK at Wembley Stadium. Before this season I was not very impressed with how the fans reacted to the home teams in that you would only here them making noise on the opponent's third down attempts for the first quarter then the atmosphere would seem to just die. This year however and particularly yesterday as Kansas played host to Detroit I thought the fans were just amazing. From the start of the game to the end there was a great atmosphere and noise in all the right places despite the blowout that was taking place on the field. Needless to say my opinion has now changed and for that I say a big thank you to all of my fellow UK fans that attend these games. Back to the action stateside now and a team that seem to be going about their business and picking up wins without a great deal of media attention and that is the Minnesota Vikings. Since the introduction of new head coach Mike Zimmer back in 2014 they are starting to build a young and exciting team with big players in all of the right positions. Last year they drafted both quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and linebacker Anthony Barr, two quality players who are both earning their money this year. I think you have to give credit to their general manager Rick Spielman as well because since he became the general manager in 2012 here are some of the key players they have drafted: 2012: Matt Kalil (Offensive Line), Harrison Smith (Safety), Blair Walsh (Kicker) 2013: Sharrif Floyd (Defensive Line), Xavier Rhodes (Cornerback), Cordarrelle Patterson (Wide Receiver) 2014: Anthony Barr (Linebacker), Teddy Bridgewater (Quarterback) 2015: Eric Kendricks (Linebacker), Stefon Diggs (Wide Receiver) All of the above players are current starters at their position for the Vikings who now have a record of 5 – 2 this year which just goes to show what a great job Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer have done. Finally to finish off this week I want to talk about two teams from the NFC West with contrasting fortunes and they are the San Francisco 49ers and the St Louis Rams. Since the beginning of the year the 49ers have really been struggling to find any sort of form, to be fair to them they did have a lot of talent either retire or decide they want to play elsewhere, most notably their two middle linebackers Chris Borland and Patrick Willis who just decided to retire rather than play this season. They also lost their head coach in the off season as Coach Jim Harbaugh took a job coaching at the University of Michigan. When I think about it all those factors probably do explain why they have a 2 – 6 record this year. The St Louis Rams however are really starting to come into their own this year and although they only have a record of 4 – 3, 3 of those wins are against all of their NFC Rivals. What is the reason for their recent success, well I put it down to a couple of factors. Firstly is their head coach Jeff Fisher who is a great coach and during his time with Tennessee led them to the playoffs on six occasions. Fisher is one of those old school coaches who builds his teams on a solid running game and solid defence. He is also partial to the occasional sneaky fake punt. I personally love this style of coaching. Secondly is the talent they now have on both sides of the ball. I think without question the Rams have one of the best defensive lines in the league led by Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn and they also now have explosive players on the offense in Tavon Austin and Todd Gurley. In the last few weeks we are really starting to see Todd Gurley’s full talent at running back and he has now rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last four games. Thanks to opposing defences focus now shifting onto Gurley it has allowed Austin to become more active in the passing game and so far this season Austin has 426 combined rushing and receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. Well that wraps it up from me for another week but be sure to check out our podcast ‘Spitball’ which will be available later in the week with a full recap of the week eight action. Until next time football fans stay safe, take care and ‘Thanks for Stopping By’.
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AuthorAdri 'BallHawk' Mallows Archives
January 2016
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