This Scares Me. Nike Getting “Aggressive” With New NFL Uniforms

If there is one thing I would not like to see is Nike getting back into the uniform business and trying to get ‘creative.’

I don’t find their ‘creative’ very good. In fact, I think a lot of what they do is quite hideous and tacky.  Not everything but if the NIKE world comes to the NFL and we start to see the OREGON DUCK effect I’m going to be real sad.

Nike Brand President Charlie Denson talked this week about the future NFL contract which begins next April and Nike is already gearing up for some changes.

“We’re going to be aggressive,” Denson said. “Some teams are willing to go further than others.”

I guess I’m stuck in one of those problem areas where I don’t mind seeing some NFL teams update their look but the thought of looking at cartoonish, neon eyesores turns me off.

The reason I’m worried is there’s already been a fake NFL Nike post and the more Nike stuff I see lately, the more I think it could happen.

Just look at what Nike did last year with the NCAA.

Be afraid,....be very afraid

One team already up for a revamp are the Seattle Seahawks. New coach Pete Carroll is working on creating a new look for the team that is, well, let’s just say less monochrome.

I’ve heard rumors that the ‘Hawks are leaning toward a more traditional look and believe their all-blue style has been played out.  I agree with that.  Hopefully, Nike will work with the team to keep a more professional, and less cartoon-like, look to the NFL uniforms so we don’t see something worse than this in the future.

Setting the bar low

NFL Dilutes Season With Thursday Night Games Every Week

Sigh….there’s just some things the NFL is doing that drives me crazy. The biggest, of course, is the current lockout which is as silly as it is greedy.

Now for a few weeks we’ve been hearing the rumors that the NFL is trying to make their Thursday Night games a full-time deal that goes throughout the season. The league already airs 8 games during the second half of the season on the NFL Network which has hit fans with mixed results.

For one thing, not all cable/satellite providers make it easy to get the NFL Network as the NFL aims to make it a top tier channel. Some providers have balked at the terms of the NFL leaving many fans out of the loop on the Thursday nights.  Hopefully, that will all be fixed for the next season.

But the other aspect is that players don’t really like the mid-week game as it throws off their rhythm.  As a fan I can agree.  I actually dislike the Thursday night games as football, for me, is a weekend sports.  There’s enough going on in the fall with everything else on TV like shows, sitcoms and other sports, that to ask for another night of NFL is a little much.

An additional television package had been expected as part of the league’s push to expand the regular season to 18 games from 16. That idea met with such resistance from NFL players that the league has tabled it for now, but the league plans to move some existing games to Thursday nights.

An NFL spokesman declined to comment on the plan.

The new eight-game package would be for the first half of the season. The NFL’s own cable channel, the NFL Network, already has an eight-game schedule for the second half. Besides the NFL Network, other potential bidders include Comcast Corp., which owns the sports channel Versus; Turner Broadcasting, which owns TNT and other channels that could carry games; and News Corp., parent of Foxand the cable channel FX.

Currently, the league gets more than $4.5 billion in annual rights fees from Fox, NBC, CBS, ESPN, DirecTV and the NFL Network. Another prime-time cable deal could be worth more than $500 million.
[via L.A. Times]

Most of the time I actually don’t watch the Thursday night games. Thank goodness for my DVR. But with the addition of another primetime game that would give the NFL a guaranteed 6 games a week to watch.

Not including their Saturday games in the last few weeks after the college season ends that gives almost half of the games a shot to be on TV. 4 on Sunday, 1 on Monday and now 1 on Thursday makes my Sunday Ticket less awesome and wanting to stop 3 days of the week to watch the NFL is a bit greedy.

I say, calm down Goodell.  I know TV ratings are high for the NFL but there’s a reason.  It’s because it’s not a 24/7 event and adding more games just waters it down.

Five Teams That Need To Update Their Uniforms

The Buffalo Bills finally changed their uniforms so when they lose games they at least look good doing so. Sometimes altering the look and feel of a team can do wonders for the players and fans. The Bills were smart in that they took what worked and ditched what didn’t and came up with a fresh, new look that is not too far off of their roots.

With that in mind, here’s a look at Five NFL teams that could follow the Bills footsteps and freshen up their look.

Washington Redskins

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The look of the Redskins seems to be a bit stuck in the 70s' with their simple stripes and old logo. The team has started to spice it up a bit by adding yellow pants and the occasional retro look but the overall feel of the team is in strong need of an update.

If any team could use a more modern look it would be the 'Skins. In a world of modern, snappy logos the Redskins seem outdated. Not cool enough to be retro but old enough to need a spruce up.

Buffalo Bills Uniforms Get It Right

So the big day came when the Buffalo Bills were to change their uniforms and try not to compete with the Cincinnati Bengals for ugliest unis. In a big event held at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Bills turned back the clock and went retro with their look. We took a look at what might be earlier in the month and it was pretty darn close.

Personally, I dig that idea. The multi-blue unis of recent years were tacky eyesores and their retros were always classy. Good move on mixing the two to get a new look. Now if they can just start winning and keep the franchise out of Toronto. Sorry….too soon?

The team unveiled the new/old threads Friday in front of its fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Since the Buffalo players are locked out, the Bills used military servicemen to sport the unis.

The helmet is reminiscent of the one the team used in 1974-75, with the familiar charging buffalo, a white shell and gray facemask. The jerseys, pants and socks are virtually identical to the ones worn from 1961-64 — note the stripes over the shoulder — when the team won the first of its two AFL championships (1964). The team logo has now been added to the hip.

The Bills featured white helmets from 1962-83 but famously switched to red in 1984 in an attempt to help colorblind QB Joe Ferguson, who was allegedly throwing too many INTs because three of Buffalo’s four AFC East opponents at the time (Colts, Dolphins, Patriots) also had white helmets, making it hard for Ferguson to distinguish his receivers.
[via USA Today]

Pigskin Doctors Links Worship a Tim Tebow Statue

$12,000 For Tim Tebow Sculpture – Seriously!

Now think about this for a second, some sculpture artist named Franco Castelluccio has been working on a Tim Tebow piece that he hopes will bring $12,000. Don’t misunderstand us, art is wonderful. The BC office has a couple of beautiful pieces we’ve picked up on trips to Santa Fe. We also understand that there is this thing called exploitation. How dare Franc play on the emotions of the hundreds of thousands of Tebow worshipers. Don’t do it, people. It’s just Timmy breaking a tackle.

Lucy Pinder Hot New Commercial Is Awesome

Whoa, It Had A Slip ‘N Slide? Jared Allen’s Charity Golf Tournament Sounds Awesome

While it is hardly shocking that anything involving Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen would be a tad askew, his second annual Night Ops II charity event and golf tournament held Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona was nevertheless a pretty out there happening: members of the Arizona National Guard in drill sergeant mode taunting golfers on tee boxes, pig roasts between the front and back nines, push ups after poor tee shots and best of all, a 280-foot Slip ‘n Slide which was used to replace the more conventional longest drive portion of the standard golf tournament by having a longest slide contest. Sweet.

The Voices of the Transformers Movie

It’s that time of year when Michael Bay and his endless supply of napalm visit the movie theater with the latest installment of the popular “Transformers” movie. This time around we will see that Megan Fox will have to see the movie for herself when she buys a ticket like the rest of us chumps as director Michael Bay booted her after she went to the press to talk about how bad it was to work with him.

Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg took care of that problem and now the role of “hot chick who can’t act and wouldn’t be here if she didn’t have nice boobs and a tight butt” goes to Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Guy Kicked In Face By Girl, Out Cold

Hotties in Sexy Lingerie [Photos]

Upstream Wakeboarding Looks Awesome

Bored with wakeboarding in a lake behind a boat or wakeskating at your community pool? It’s time to head down to your swift-moving neighborhood creek, attach the same type of motorized, ariel tow lines they use in wakeskating, and wake upstream against the current, brah. Here we have footage from last week’s 2011 Red Bull UpStream in Slovakia’s Bratislava, Cunovo. We’ve never heard of any of the winners of this bizarre, foreign water sport, but it looks quite, quite fun.

Jeff’s One Man Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Victory Parade

I’m kinda at a loss of words for this one.

Jeff’s waited since he was 12 for Boston to win the cup again. Nobody believed that he would do this. He drove down Queen Street in Sault Ste Marie the same time that Boston was having their parade. Family & friends showed up to cheer him on.

Jumping on his lawn mower, Jeff goes out to celebrate. Go Bruins!

Eli and Peyton Manning Football Cops Trailer

The following is a real possibility if there is a cancellation of the NFL season…

Peyton Manning and his younger brother Eli are spending the offseason during the NFL Lockout busy grooming their facial hair for their new show “Football Cops.” They don’t use guns, they use footballs!

Personally, I’d watch it. Beats 95% of the sitcoms and reality shows out there on TV already. Plus kudos for the Archie cameo.

Sweet Mustache

Even better!

DirecTV and the Manning brothers have teamed up for the promos that I wish were the real deal. As far as I have been able to find out, DirecTV is shooting the promos to help ensure to its football fans that no matter what happens to the NFL season, whether its lost or shortened, the viewers of the satellite network can be ensured safety from a huge-ass bill on their statement for an NFL season that does not exist.

Either that or they just got bored and wanted to shoot an awesome short with some killer mustaches. I think it’s correct on both accounts. Enjoy the “Football Cops” trailer below. Hopefully, there’s more where that came from.

Inside the Brain of Brett Favre [CHART]

There is good news of the NFL Lockout as this week we hear rumors of owners disagreeing amongst themselves about the labor issue with only a handful of owners still in favor of the lockout. At this point I’m feeling confident that the two sides can work their issues out.

The bad news is that it’s almost August. That’s the time of year, like Groundhog’s Day, when a fuzzy creature sticks his head out of the whole to see if he will play football. Retired, or not, we have to face the fact that there will be a Brett Favre issue this fall.

It’s just gonna happen. I feel it in my bones. He allegedly filed retirement papers with the NFL but we all know in the world of Favre not everything works like that. He may wake up one day this August and give it a go.

With that in mind here’s a look at what’s going on in Brett Favre’s head at the moment. I’m not sure if it will help shed any light on whether the 41-year old QB will lace up for one more year or not.

Click the graph below for a bigger image.

Also, check out our Brett Favre Retirement Flowchart.

David Tyree Really Hates Gay Weddings

Former New York Giants receiver David Tyree continues to speak out on the issue of one of the gayest things that will destroy society.  Now, we’re not talking about Tom Brady’s hair right now.  It’s the issue of gay marriage.

Why? Not sure.

I’m pretty certain that his opinion on the matter is not heavily accepted on the subject but the fact that a random pro athlete would make statements like his are a tad arrogant.

Tyree stated he would gladly trade his epic “helmet catch” in Super Bowl XLII if human kind would ban gay marriage.

Classy.

I’m glad all the big issues such as drugs, crime and corruption are taken care of and Tyree can focus on the important issues.

If I were him I would trade that catch in for a decent career. Tyree has a career that includes 650 yards receiving and 4 TDs. For a ‘receiver’ those numbers are pretty sparse.  It’s nice to know that one great moment in a rather lame career gives a guy the gusto to spout off about these topics.

David Tyree has spoken out once again in opposition to gay marriage, telling the New York Daily News Monday that he’d trade his famous “helmet catch” in Super Bowl XLII, and the team’s upset win over the New England Patriots in that game, if it would keep marriage between one man and one woman.

“The catch was a gift, it’s not like I’d try to do it. I couldn’t do it again, so that was a miracle,” Tyree said. “There’s nothing worth more than (maintaining heterosexual marriage) right here for me.

“Nothing means more to me than that my God would be honored. Being the fact that I firmly believe that God created and ordained marriage between a man and a woman, I believe that that’s something that should be fought for at all costs. So I’ll lay down everything I am to preserve the honor and integrity of the God that I serve.”

Tyree’s initial comments against same-sex marriage, pulled from a video produced for the National Organization for Marriage, were first reported last Thursday in the New York Daily News.

Chad Pennington The Newest Fox Football Analyst

Dolphin fans wondering whether or not their battered QB Chad Pennington will attempt another comeback with their team were greeted with the news of a potential new career for the 35-year old in broadcasting.

Pennington is a free-agent and the rumors of his return for one more season in Miami have circulated but the fact remains that he has a terrible time staying healthy. He’s almost always had that problem but bouncing back from numerous shoulder injuries at his age must be getting demanding.

The Charleston (W.Va) Daily Mail reports in an interview with the former Marshall star that Chad will indeed swap his helmet in 2011 for a microphone on Fox Sports. The future after 2011 is in the air but I’m willing to be if he finds a gig he likes you won’t see him jumping behind center again. Although I wouldn’t discount his ability to become a coach in the near future.

“I’m actually going to take this year off, get healthy and do some work for Fox Sports,” said Pennington, the NFL’s only two-time Comeback Player of the Year.

“I’m going to evaluate things and see where I am physically.”

He’s had four shoulder injuries, a fractured hand and an ankle sprain – all suffered in games, during his 11-year NFL career. He began the 2009 season as the Dolphins’ starter in his second year in Miami, but tore his shoulder capsule in the third game of the season on Sept. 27. His 2010 season was ended on the first play of the first game when he suffered a severe shoulder injury.

“It seems like I majored in that (injury comebacks),” said Pennington, who will turn 35 years old on June 26. “I’m trying to get away from that. It seems to follow me around.”

No matter what decision Pennington makes after rehabilitation on his shoulder and knees, he feels “blessed” for the opportunity to play in the NFL.

“I hang my hat on the relationships I’ve been able to form over the last 11 years and being able to be in the huddle and help lead the team,” Pennington said. “That’s what playing quarterback is all about. That’s what I’ll miss.”
[via Daily Mail]

Despite fighting off numerous injuries over the years, Pennington always seemed to find a way back into the lineup.  He was a great QB with a lot of heart and displayed that numerous times. With that in mind, here’s a clip of one of the first times I noticed Pennington while he was playing at Marshall.

Being a small school they weren’t on TV much where I was but this final drive from the MAC Championship against Western Michigan showcases why the Jets drafted him with the 18th pick in the first round the next year.

Packers Get Them Some Pimp Super Bowl Rings

The Green Bay Packers worked hard for their Super Bowl championship last year and when it came to showing off their victory in their Super Bowl ring they spared no expense.

I’m not sure how many diamonds you can actually pack into a ring before it just becomes diamond-encrusted mirror that blinds all eyeballs within a mile but I think this is as close as it gets.

And if you look closely at the third diamond on the bottom row, from the left, there is an etching of Ben Roethlisberger crying. They spared no details.

It’s more than a Super Bowl ring. It’s a ring for the ages.

The four Super Bowl titles, the 13 world championships, the 92 years of franchise history, and the path taken by the 2010 Packers to add this chapter – it’s all in there. It tells an entire tale that marries the storied tradition of the Packers with their singular achievement in 2010.

All in a ring? Sure, and it was done majestically and subtly at the same time.

The ring’s square crest is highlighted by the ‘G’ logo – gold on a green setting, of course – but the overwhelming sparkle of the diamond-dominant presentation shouldn’t distract from all it incorporates.

In each of the four corners of the crest, surrounding the ‘G,’ is a marquis-cut diamond, which is appropriately football-shaped, just like the one on top of the Vince Lombardi trophy. There are four of those for I, II, XXXI and XLV, the four trophies that will reside together forever in the team’s Hall of Fame.

The shape of the ‘G’ itself consists of 13 diamonds, one for each title dating back to 1929, and surrounding the entire crown are 92 diamonds, one for each year the Packers have been in existence.
[via]

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