NFL Football

25/01/08

NFL Experience to launch 17th edition

The Arizona Republic

Jan. 24, 2008 08:17 AM

It kicked off in 1992 at Super Bowl XXVI in Minneapolis.

But what started out as a modest venture inside a small convention center has turned into a mega-event and one of the most beloved traditions for Super Bowl fans.

The NFL Experience football theme park opens Saturday just west of University of Phoenix Stadium.

The event has entertained more than 2 million people since its inception, and its 17th incarnation promises to be the best yet, organizers said.

Features include the popular Quarterback Challenge, interactive exhibits that test participants' knowledge of football and rare artifacts from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

30/12/07

Saints knocked from NFL American football playoff hunt by Bears

1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - New Orleans' faint hopes to reach the National Football League playoffs flickered out Sunday with a 33-25 loss at Chicago in a season-ending rematch of a playoff semi-final from a season ago.

The Saints, who like Chicago finished 7-9, would have needed a victory as well as losses in later games by the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings in order to claim the final National Conference playoff spot.

New Orleans lost to the Bears in last year's conference final but the longest playoff run in team history was an emotional lift for a city that is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees set an NFL record for most completions in a season by connecting on his 419th pass in the second quarter, breaking the old mark of 418 set by Oakland's Rich Gannon in 2002.

Brees went 35-of-60 for 320 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears and finished the season completing 443 of 655 passes for 4,428 yards and 38 touchdowns with 18 interceptions.

The final two playoff spots were to be decided Sunday evening with Washington holding an edge on Minnesota in the National Conference and the Tennessee Titans holding Cleveland's fate in their hands in the American.

The Redskins, 8-7, were set to play host to arch-rival Dallas needing a victory to ensure the sixth and final playoff position.

The Cowboys have already clinched the top seed and a home-field playoff edge and were not expected to play their top talent the entire game. Cowboys' star receiver Terrell Owens was benched with a high ankle sprain.

A similar situation faced the Titans at Indianapolis, where the Colts are locked into the second seed and starting quarterback Peyton Manning was expected to play no more than half the game.

Should Washington lose, the Vikings could claim the final National Conference playoff spot by winning at Denver.

Should Tennessee lose, the Cleveland Browns would claim the final American Conference playoff berth no matter the result of their season-ending game earlier against visiting San Francisco.

17/12/07

Report: Junior QB files paperwork asking NFL for evaluation

ESPN.com news services

Updated: December 17, 2007, 2:29 PM ET

Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel intends to return for his senior season, but he wants to do some homework first. What exactly, he wonders, does the NFL think about his prospects if he left early?

Daniel, who led Missouri to a 9-2 season and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, has filed paperwork with an NFL committee that evaluates where college underclassmen might be selected should they leave early for the draft, the Dallas Morning News reported Monday.

"It's going to be almost 99-to-one against me leaving. It has to be something special," Daniel told the newspaper. "When I committed here three years ago, I promised them four years to play."

Daniel excelled in Missouri's spread offense, passing for 4,170 yards and 33 touchdowns in the team's breakout season. He had a 69.7 completion percentage and also rushed for 284 yards and four scores.

Daniel told the Morning News he would not make a decision about his future until discussing it with his parents and coaching staff after receiving feedback from the NFL.

The Tigers were ranked No. 1 in the BCS Standings heading into their matchup against Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship. Not only did Missouri lose, it fell out of the BCS bowl picture.

Missouri (No. 7 BCS, No. 6 AP) will play Arkansas in the AT&T Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year's Day.

09/12/07

Unlucky 13

By Digest Staff

Posted Dec 9, 2007

Another week, another blowout loss for the Dolphins. The Dolphins spotted Buffalo a 31-7 halftime lead on their way to a 38-17 loss that dropped their record to 0-13. That made the Dolphins only the third team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to start with 13 consecutive losses.

Turnovers were a problem for the Dolphins for a second consecutive week, the most embarrassing of which coming when the ball slipped out of John Beck's hand as he began his throwing motion and Buffalo safety George Wilson Jr. caught it in stride and ran 20 yards for a touchdown.

That play made the score 21-0 in the first quarter and ended Beck's day.

He was pulled in favor of Cleo Lemon, who hit Ted Ginn Jr. with a 54-yard touchdown on his first play and quickly led the Dolphins to a touchdown drive.

But things went south again.

By the time the game was done, the Dolphins had turned the ball over five times, including losing three of the eight fumbles they had.

The Dolphins also gave up over 200 yards rushing, with both Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson topping the 100-yard mark for Buffalo.

Rookie quarterback Trent Edwards passed for only 165 yards for Buffalo, but he also had four TD passes, including a 70-yard hook-up with Lee Evans to close out the scoring in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins made a game of it for a little while with 10 unanswered points in the third quarter while the Bills were content to just run the ball, but the outcome was sealed when Evans got behind Travis Daniels after a double move and scored his long touchdown.

For the Dolphins, the star offensively was running back Samkon Gado, who scored both Miami touchdowns, on runs of 12 and 20 yards.

But it was a bad day for the Dolphins' two prized rookies, Beck and Ginn.

Ginn dropped a punt after the Dolphins stopped Buffalo on the first drive of the game and that set up the Bills' first touchdown.

As for Beck, he was pulled after going 1-for-2 for 6 yards, getting sacked on each of Miami's first two drives and then watching the ball slip out of his hands.

While Lemon gave the Dolphins a quick spark, he also had his share of problems, throwing two interceptions, dropped three snaps, and fumbling while getting sacked on fourth down on the Dolphins' last drive.

It might not have been quite as ugly as the performance against the Jets a week earlier, but it was close.

And it was yet another defeat as the Dolphins get closer to the first 0-16 season in NFL history.

04/11/07

NFL passes to politicians

Nov. 1, 2007, 10:49PM

By RICK CASEY

The Democrats think it's a matter that requires the muscle of the federal government.

Republicans, including Houston State Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, are threatening to deal with it at the state Legislature.

Soaring health care costs and millions of uninsured Texans? Three-dollar-a-gallon gasoline? Staggering numbers of home foreclosures?

Nah. The crisis is that some football fans won't get eight NFL football games, including (gasp) two Dallas Cowboys games, on their TV sets because some major cable companies won't cave to NFL demands.

The National Football League, like the National Basketball Association, has its own cable network. It presents Sunday night coverage of the day's games, reruns old games, previews upcoming ones and shows lots of football features.

Neither side altruistic
This year, the NFL decided also to reserve eight games - games taking place on Thursdays (including Thanksgiving) and Saturdays - for its own network.

But the NFL Network is telling cable companies not only must they pay a per-subscriber fee to carry the games and other features, but they must place them in their basic cable line-up.

Time Warner and Cablevision, two of the nation's largest companies, refuse. They insist they will carry the NFL Network only as part of a premium sports package.

Neither the NFL nor the cable companies are acting out of virtue.

The NFL would love to get the ratings and subsequent advertising revenue that being in every cable home would mean, in addition to the satellite services and AT&T, which already carry the NFL Network.

Don't call it saber rattling
For the cable companies, that would mean cutting profits or passing along costs (about 70 cents a month per subscriber according to one report) even to irritated subscribers who watch the Food Channel rather than football on Sunday afternoons.

Cable companies would much rather put the NFL Network in an optional $7.95 per month package that includes, say, the Fox Soccer Channel, the Tennis Channel, several college sports channels, the Outdoor Channel and the Speed Channel.

That's what Comcast does here in Houston, rather than providing the NFL Network to all 750,000 of its subscribers. The company won't say how many subscribe to the $7.95 package, but it's safe to say that the number would be considerably smaller if the NFL Network were not included.

Nationwide, Comcast has sold the NFL Network to only 1 million of its 9 million subscribers, according to NFL officials.

But Comcast had to beat back a suit by the NFL, winning a victory in the New York Supreme Court shortly before the company took over from Time Warner here last June. The court ruled Comcast's existing contract with the NFL permitted Comcast to put the NFL Network in a premium package.

The controversy is not much of an issue in Dallas, since in the teams' home markets, the eight games are carried by either CBS or Fox.

But in San Antonio, where they have Time Warner and no football team, hordes of Cowboys fans (sorry, Texans) are upset. When the NFL several weeks ago sent out millions of e-mails asking football fans to contact their legislators, San Antonians did.

Five state representatives, all Democrats, sent a letter to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission asking him to "assign a neutral arbitrator." They said, "For there to be true competitive access in programming, consumer demand must take precedence over corporate profits."

For Democrats to seek such government interference in corporate affairs is to be expected, but then came two Republicans, State Sen. Kim Brimer of Fort Worth and our own Van Arsdale of suburban Tomball.

They didn't make a wimpy plea to the FCC. They threatened legislative intervention.

Van Arsdale said he started getting e-mails from some constituents a few weeks ago, then started hearing from lobbyists.

He said he hoped his "I don't want to call it saber rattling" would put enough fear into the corporate adversaries to solve the problem before the Nov. 29 Cowboys game. That's not likely, given the stakes involved.

Van Arsdale admitted he didn't know much about the technical details of the dispute, but said he'd be up to speed by the next legislative session. One possibility: Have the Public Utility Commission arbitrate the issue. He said government involvement is appropriate because "the government is already involved in this industry, (and) you have to see that it is as competitive as it can be."

Maybe so, but the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is authorized to regulate (non-television) air pollution by corporations. That doesn't mean Texas political leaders actually let them do it.

You can write to Rick Casey at P.O. Box 4260, Houston, TX 77210, or e-mail him at rick.casey@chron.com.

29/10/07

American Football: Gods of gridiron go on offensive for wider appeal

The NFL aims to thrill British and European fans at Wembley tomorrow. But, says David Owen, the game is also a crucial part of a marketing strategy

Published: 27 October 2007

From a towering animated model footballer to cheerleaders posing with Parliamentarians at Westminster, nobody does razzmatazz quite like the National Football League.

It has been hard to miss the build-up to tomorrow's American football showdown at Wembley between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants, largely because of the 26ft replica of the Dolphins' Jason Taylor that has been popping up King Kong-like at locations in the London area from Canary Wharf to Bluewater.

The occasion marks the first time that a competitive NFL game has been played outside North America and signals that the masters of one of the world's least international major sports are finally serious about branching out beyond their home market.

"We want to be a top five sport [in the UK]," says Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK. Kirkwood describes London as " the gateway to Europe" and talks about trying to make "a big statement" about the NFL's ambitions, while recognising that other leading sports are doing "incredibly well". He admits, too, to not getting much sleep this week.

One of the reasons for American football's comparatively weak international footprint is its immense strength at home. Kirkwood says that a recent match between the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots attracted a television audience of 30 million. This, he says, is 10 million more than any other programme this month.

The sport, in particular its seasonal climax, the fabled Super Bowl, enjoys a unique, quasi-religious status in America that it cannot hope to duplicate elsewhere. More toilets are flushed in the US at half-time of this grand finale than in any other period. Not for nothing has the cartoonist Ralph Steadman written of how "an American is born-again in a football stadium ".

That said, the gridiron game enjoyed a spell in the British limelight two decades ago, most notably in January 1986 when four million viewers watched the Chicago Bears beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

Phil Simms, a former Giants quarterback who was named Most Valuable Player in the 1987 Super Bowl when the Giants beat the Denver Broncos 39-20, says there is more throwing in the game now, which should make it easier for spectators who will pack out Wembley to follow the action.

Now a sportscaster, Simms says that his 15-year NFL career now "seems like it was another life... I never disliked the fact that it was physical. But now if someone taps me on the shoulder, I will say, 'That's a bit too hard'. I turned that button off," he says.

Much of the credit for the Giants' success in this period - they also won Super Bowl XXV - has been attributed to the head coach, Bill Parcells. Simms says Parcells was "one of those guys who could push you physically to the limit and mentally he would push you right to the edge".

The vast majority of Sunday's crowd - 87 per cent - will be Britons, although only about one in seven of these will come from London and the South-east and the NFL's Kirkwood points to a bus-load of 30 expected to roll in from the Shetlands. Only six to seven per cent will be US citizens, with a similar proportion of Europeans. The Danes are said to make up the biggest Continental European contingent, followed by Germany.

In the circumstances, it is a pity that the match may turn out to be a tad one-sided. The Dolphins, being hosted by Wasps rugby club, are in a mess, having lost their first seven matches this season. The Giants, being hosted by Roman Abramovich's Chelsea, by contrast, have won five straight, including a 33-15 success over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.

Simms says the present Giants line-up is "an exciting NFL football team" , explosive on both sides of the ball and with a proven ability to sack the opposing quarterback. Stars include the quarterback Eli Manning, "little " brother of the better-known Peyton of the Indianapolis Colts, Plaxico Burress, a wide receiver whose strength and speed make him one of Manning's chief targets, and the London-born Osi Umenyiora, a top-class defensive end.

The Dolphins' hopes rest with Jason Taylor, the model for the huge so-called "animatronic" and reigning NFL defensive player of the year. Simms says they are currently "about as low as you can get as a pro football team... I would be very surprised if the Giants don't win. Very."

The NFL's Kirkwood emphasises with some justification how quickly NFL franchises can bounce back after a period of adversity. Nevertheless, it is hard not to conclude that their best chance tomorrow would be if they tried to sneak the animated 26ft Jason Taylor on to the field.

Not that the possibility of a mismatch - or Kirkwood's revelation that the Dolphin cheerleaders are wearing more clothes than usual owing to our autumnal weather - are likely to dampen the ardour of those in the stands, who will be determined to enjoy what promises to be a great set-piece sporting occasion.

I wonder what our own giant replica, the 20ft statue of Bobby Moore, England's World Cup-winning captain, will make of it all from his vantage point beside the new stadium, looking down on to Olympic Way.

15/10/07

At 5-1, Packers 'just getting started'

Going into bye week, they're feeling good after beating Washington

By Pete Dougherty

pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com

The Green Bay Packers haven't played anything close to dominating football one-third of the way through the 2007 season, yet heading into their bye week, they have to be ranked among the top five or six teams in the NFL.

The Packers took on the other surprise team of the season, the stubborn and physical Washington Redskins, and didn't give in Sunday.

So after their 17-14 win at Lambeau Field, the Packers head into their week off with a 5-1 record and the high hopes of a young team that should get better barring catastrophic injury.

"We feel good about being 5-1," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, "but we're a team that needs to clean our house. I stood here last week (after losing to Chicago) and said the same things, and I still feel that. Clearly, I feel we're a football team that's just getting started."

The last time the Packers were 5-1 at the bye was 2002, when they finished 12-4 and won the NFC North Division under former coach Mike Sherman. But by the end of that year, they were a shell of themselves because of injuries to their starting tackles (Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher) and their go-to halfback (Ahman Green). That season ended with a one-and-done home playoff loss to Atlanta.

This year, the Packers are fairly healthy, at least for now. The biggest concerns are starting cornerbacks Al Harris (back, elbow) and Charles Woodson (foot, hip flexor), whose physical man-to-man coverage is the key to an aggressive defense that had its best game on Sunday against a team that features a top runner in Clinton Portis (20 carries, 64 yards) and a promising young quarterback in Jason Campbell (71.6 passer rating).

McCarthy is giving his players the bye week off. They'll be in for medical treatment today, then in for films and meetings on Tuesday. They won't practice until Oct. 22 and don't play the Denver Broncos until a week after that, on Oct. 29.

"It's going to be big," Harris said of the time off. "You try to rest during the week, but on Sunday you get yourself back banged up or whatever was ailing you. Now you get a week to rest and get your body right."

The Packers' win on Sunday was unappealing aesthetically on a drizzly day that contributed to dropped passes and players slipping on cuts. But the Packers had great respect for a Washington team that came in 3-1 and coached by a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Joe Gibbs.

So the Packers were thrilled to win despite a litany of errors: the continued glaring lack of a run game (56 yards, a 2.8-yard average); an off day by quarterback Brett Favre, who threw two interceptions and misfired on a couple open deep balls; poor clock management in the final 2 minutes, when McCarthy and special-teams coach Mike Stock gave Washington about 15 extra seconds to try to tie the game by punting with too quickly; two missed field goals by rookie kicker Mason Crosby; and a holding penalty on right tackle Mark Tauscher that took a touchdown pass off the board.

However, the Packers played lock-down defense in the second half, scored a touchdown on Woodson's 57-yard fumble return, and shut down three Washington possessions in the final 9 1/2 minutes to hold that precarious three-point lead.

"This was a big game for us, a huge game," defensive end Aaron Kampman said. "That was the best football team we've seen all year. Film doesn't lie."

This game was a major contrast to last week, when the Packers gained 341 yards in the first half, yet blew a 10-point halftime lead against Chicago because of turnovers and an often invisible run game.

Washington came into the game ranked third in the NFL in fewest yards allowed and tied for third in fewest points allowed, and showed why by holding the Packers to only 225 yards. Halfbacks DeShawn Wynn (2.8-yard average) and Vernand Morency (2.8-yard average) combined for only 48 yards rushing on 17 carries; Favre and Wynn tied for the longest run of the day at 7 yards.

Favre had his first poor game of the season with two interceptions, 50 percent passing (19-for-37) and a passer rating of only 43.5 points.

"It certainly beats the alternative," said Joe Philbin, the Packers' offensive coordinator. "Guys have played hard, it's just that offensively we haven't been real consistent and real smooth at times. But I'd rather have 220 yards and win than 400 and lose like we did last week."

The last two games have been instructive though, for the Packers' opponents.

Washington, much like Chicago a week ago, played mostly a Tampa Cover-2 type defense, sitting its safeties in a two-deep zone, daring the Packers to run and pinching its cornerbacks toward the middle of the field to take away Favre's patented slant throws.

The Packers couldn't make them pay on the ground, and Favre threw short on four long throws down the sideline. Other teams won't have the defensive talent Chicago and Washington presented, but the Packers can expect to see a heavy dose of Tampa-2 type defenses until they force defenses to adjust.

"Safe to say you open up a can of worms when you're not moving the ball real well against Tampa-2," Philbin said.

Nevertheless, the Packers are 5-1 heading into their bye and then a difficult stretch in which they play four of their next six games on the road, including back-to-back Thursday night games in late November at Detroit and at Dallas.

With a defense that sacked the third-year pro Campbell three times (two by Kampman, one by Cullen Jenkins), induced an intentional grounding penalty and had three takeaways (an interception by Woodson and two fumbles), the Packers could see a number of close games like this in the final 10 weeks.

"As tough as that loss was last week, to me, this win was equally as rewarding," Favre said.

"Going into the bye week, it kind of gives us a chance to regroup one way or the other. But to be 5-1 and kind of - I think we need to look into the negatives more than the positives, because once again, we are finding ways to win, but how can we get better? You know, because it's only going to get tougher from here on out."