If there were ever a time you wondered if Nike was the best in the business, I’m here to tell you quite frankly- they are! To provide proof, I wanted to give the viewers a look inside the production of the Nike NFL Launch that took place in New York last week.

By now, you’ve seen the new jerseys (and I use that term lightly, a lot of changes weren’t noticeable on the surface except for a few) and created your opinions about them. What you didn’t see is how Nike presented it to the media, who then presented them to the rest of the world. Nike is a world class business, and last week’s unveiling confirmed this. The detail they put into their production was first class. Bringing in NFL stars such as Michael Vick, Ben Roethlisberger, Ray Rice and Champ Bailey, to name a few, only confirms that Nike is one of the best to ever do it.

Big props to Nike for allowing me to partake in a great presentation. Here’s an inside look on how a billion dollar business introduces new (and old) ideas into the world. Check out my Facebook page as well to see pictures.

Over the years, Ravens fans have had to sit through a lot of tough losses, especially to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Santonio Holmes “catch”, the 2008 AFC Championship game, and most recently the 2010 game where Troy Polamalu makes a hell of a play. But the one play that may stick with us for a long time and still hurts to this day happened just 6 months ago on this day.

On January 15th, 2011 I, along with 3 other friends, headed up I-70 W to see our beloved Ravens take on our arch rival, the Steelers. We had a good feeling going into Heinz Field. It was our time, we thought. After finally opening up the offense against Kansas City the week before, the Ravens were gonna go to Pittsburgh, win the game and advance to the AFC Championship. We could feel it.

It started off according to plan. The Steelers had a 1st round bye, and looked sluggish the 1st half. Mistakes and turnovers were costing the Steelers and the Ravens took advantage. Halftime came, 21-7, Ravens ahead. We were all smiles, taking pictures and having good natured smack talk with Steeler fans (we knew we had to get out of there alive, so no heckling from us!).

But as my friend Kiss and I waited patiently for the 2nd half, we had this feeling in our guts…. kinda hard to explain, but we knew it was far from over. We knew that the Steelers had our number, and if we didn’t keep our foot on the gas, they would find new life and start a comeback. We knew our Ravens all too well. This is the same team that put us through many a heart palpitations and anxiety attacks the entire season, despite their 12-4 record. We knew what was to come.

As the 2nd half proceeded it went from good to bad, in what seems like an instant. Ray Rice fumbles… Joe Flacco interception… and other careless mistakes. The Steelers have now scored 17 unanswered points going into the 4th quarter. And it looked like they were sucking the life out of my team, minute by minute.

We weren’t prepared with that happened next. With 2:07 left in the game, the Ravens and Steelers were tied at 24. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked for a 9 yard loss 2 plays prior, and had an incomplete pass on the last play. The down was 3rd and 19. The Ravens put pressure on Big Ben pretty regularly throughout the whole game, so we were confident Terrell Suggs was coming to get his 4th sack of the day.

When the defensive line came to the line of scrimmage, we instantly realized there were only 3 linemen there. It was pretty odd to us, but we figured, maybe they’ll blitz with LBs or even a DB, no sweating it, right?! WRONG!!! No one snuck up on line… not one extra defender. Just as I looked to Kiss and asked, “Why are they only rushing 3 guys??”, they snapped the ball. Then, it happened………

Antonio Brown runs right past LarDarius Webb for a 58-yard completion.

Shock

Disbelief

Anger

Torture

Those are just a few words that described what we felt after that pass. If there was ANY hope that the Ravens would come back before that play, it just flew out of the window with that completion. The Steelers eventually scored the go-ahead TD and the rest is history… 31-24, Steelers advance to the AFC Championship.

(to see my initial reaction on the game, click here)

Six months later, that play and that game STILL haunts Ravens fans. Every now and then, I’ll see a random Facebook update or a tweet that says those three words: “3rd and 19″, and nothing else. In Baltimore we all know what that means. It’s a symbol of the day our football hopes and dreams went right down the drain. It’s a symbol of what happened on that awful day of January 15, 2011.

The good news is the Ravens are still a good football team. Once a new CBA agreement is put together and football is back in our lives, the Ravens should be a contending team yet again. In 2011, they should have the chance to fight for the Lombardi Trophy. But if they have to play the Steelers again to get there, 3rd and 19 will ALWAYS come back to mind……..

Steelers LB James Harrison will be in the August edition of Mens Journal magazine, and he goes no holds barred on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

In the article, Harrison holds nothing back when discussing the commish, calling him a, “crook” and “devil”. But Harrison didn’t stop at the name calling. Harrison also said,

“If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it. I hate him and will never respect him.”

Well alright!!!

In addition to “crook” and “devil”, Harrison called him, “stupid,” ‘’puppet” , “dictator” and a anti-gay slur.

Harrison is still reeling over his $100,000 fine he received after the league enforced new safety rules last season. Also on the receiving end of Harrison’s ether were  other NFL execs, Patriots-turned-commentators Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi (he referred to them as ”clowns”), Houston’s Brian Cushing (”juiced out of his mind”),  and teammates Rashard Mendenhall and Ben Roethlisberger for their performances in the Super Bowl loss (about Ben, he says, “Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again. Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain’t that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does”).

Read the rest of the article here

Harrison does simma down a bit to start discussing his theory and solution to illegal hitting situation. Harrison believes that non-guaranteed contracts make players more likely to hit high, because in the short term, a player would take a concussion over a torn knee ligament. Harrison believes the solution to prevent a head injury is to shorten the season to 14 games, delay the start time for offseason workouts and trim the length of training camp so “we’re not bangin’ heads so much in August; that’s where the brain trauma comes from.”

Harrison’s points are valid, but we know the NFL is all about money. His suggestions won’t happen, probably in our lifetime, if ever.

I always thought Harrison was a bit angry, but this article confirms it for me. I wonder if Nicki Minaj is song #1 in his football playlist, cause he sure sh*tted on a few people in this article, and these are just the tidbits. I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side….

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is expected to marry his on-and-off girlfriend of 5+ years Ashley Harlan on July 23rd, exactly one week before the Steelers open up with training camp (if the lockout ends). While Ben’s upcoming nuptials aren’t a big deal to his camp, it’s been getting a lot of attention in the news since the story broke last summer. Big Ben doesn’t understand all of the hoopla over it.

In an interview with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ed Bouchette, Ben says he has no idea why it’s front page news:

“I was surprised at how much media attention it was getting — it’s just an engagement,” he said. “I never expected it to be on the front pages of all the papers and websites. There was speculation what our invitations would look like and who is coming! It almost seemed surreal, it was like a movie or something, it was weird.”

Roethlisberger also states that he and Harlan have decided to live apart until marriage to follow their religious beliefs.

Let me get this out real quick…….

For their wedding, the couple has asked guests to not bring gifts, but to donate to his foundation. Roethlisberger also will give gifts he receives to the Ronald McDonald house and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. I think that’s a great idea.

I commend Ben for the charitable contributions and I understand his goal to change the opinion of his teammates, coaches, friends and family. As for the general public and fans, it may not be that easy. Ask Michael Vick, who may never lose the “dog killer” image, even after he paid his debt to society. It’s a process. Don’t say you’re shocked at the attention, you know exactly why you’re getting it. It’s because you’re a high profile QB for a very popular team who just a year ago was under investigation for sexual assault Like many people, the past has a tendency to interfere with the present. Roll with the punches, puns and jokes and keep it moving.

The Steelers are still dealing with losing the Super Bowl last weekend, but they are keeping a bunch of doctors busy right now. Tons of injuries by key players and all are looking to rehab and/or repair their problem ASAP. Here’s a rundown of injuries the Steelers are facing.

Troy Polamalu

Achilles tendon injury suffered during season (says he’s fine, no surgery needed)

Aaron Smith

Torn triceps suffered on Oct. 24th

Maurkice Pouncey

High ankle sprain suffered in AFC Championship

James Harrison

Shoulder surgery that he suffered against divisional playoff game against Ravens (scheduled to have surgery soon)

Emmanuel Sanders

Broken foot that he suffered in the Super Bowl

Hines Ward

Surgery for ligament damage in his thumb and cartilage cleaning in his knee

Ben Roethlisberger

[insert any injury here]

The Steelers are pretty banged up. With the CBA being ready to expire on March 3rd, players will not have healthcare until a new agreement is into place. I’m sure they’re looking to fix their ailments now, while they still have insurance that the league supplies them with.

I don’t think there’s any doubt that the NFL is America’s sport of choice. Anytime the Pro Bowl had numbers that competed with the MLB World Series, you know that football is king in the USA. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that while the people love the NFL, they also hate some who represent them just as much.

According to a survey done by E-Poll Market Research, 6 of the Top 10 Most Disliked Sports Figures come from… you guessed it… the NFL. Topping this year’s list was none other than Skeletor, AKA Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. here are the 6 guys chosen to be hated by America (or at the very least, the people that were surveyed).

1. Al Davis

Why do folks dislike a guy that looks like he died 7 years ago???

2. Michael Vick

The guy did his time and even revived his football career. Can a brotha breathe???

3. Jerry Jones

I don’t care what people say about JJ, Jerry’s World is AWESOME! Y’all some haters!

6. Terrell Owens

Well………………………………

7. Albert Haynesworth

Fat Albert has made it impossible to like him during his tenure in DC

10. Randy Moss

*wonders how many Vikings and Titans fans participated in this survey*

Click here to see who else made the list.

Honorable Un-Mentions: Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger. Gotta love fans of the NFL!

Now that the wait is over and we know who’s going to the Super Bowl, it’s a little bitter sweet for fans. Let’s face it: the supposed “big” game is rarely all it’s cracked up to be. It’s usually the lead-up to the championship that keeps everyone on their toes.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, although they’ve won 6 Super Bowl titles and have appeared now in 8, are an old-school team, boring and slow on offense with a ground-and-pound approach and a stingy defense that, like usual, is ranked high in the NFL (#1 in 2010 for total YPG).

The Green Bay Packers, led by the now-free-of-Favre’s-shadow Aaron Rodgers, are a more explosive team on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but yet they’re still not the sexy choice for NFC representatives.

It is what it is, however, and while this isn’t a Drew Bress vs. Peyton Manning rematch, or even a Tom Brady vs. Matt Ryan showdown, Big Ben and Mr. Rodgers are certainly nothing to sneeze at. Sure, it’s not that great on paper. No one expects the over to exceed around 35. But with these teams in this atmosphere, we might just see the best Super Bowl in a long, long time.

Currently, the Green Bay Packers are favored by about a field goal universally. Of course, betting on football—especially the Super Bowl—isn’t like betting on online blackjack games. Nothing’s set in stone, nothing’s quantifiable; it’s all up for grabs. Even still, that’s a fairly safe bet as we see it.

Pittsburgh’s run defense is monstrous, stuffing everyone, but it’s also exploitable by way of play action and an ironically Roethlisberger-like mobile quarterback, ala Aaron Rodgers.

One thing neither the Ravens nor the Jets had was a playmaker at the QB position. Sanchez and Flacco are both pretty good pocket passers, but their ability to extend a play is about as good as that can of Crystal Pepsi you have in the basement. Rodgers, on the other hand, was second only to Michael Vick in rushing yards from the helm, and he has put the belt on all season long with rushing TD after rushing TD.

The Steelers are exploitable here because they’re not fast enough to cover all the bases. They will stuff the run, surely, but quick slants, deep outs, broken plays, and potential third down conversions all work in the Packers’ favor due to the type of dynamic, switch-‘em-up O they bring with them to Cowboys Stadium.

The game should remain very close, however, as the Steelers’ offense is definitely not a pushover. We all bore witness to what Rashard Mendenhall did to the third-ranked defense in the league, the New York Jets (Just Envy the Steelers?), and Big Ben can also turn broken plays into sandlot football and pick up key yardage in tough situations.

Many feel as if this game is a toss-up, the proverbial roll of the dice or a spin on the no download slots reel. But just like Pittsburgh did to the Jets in the first half, the Green Bay Packers should be able to dominate time of possession and keep the Steelers off the field.

Other than a forced throw in Chicago that resulted in an Urlacher INT, Rodgers has been playing out of his mind. Roethlisberger, conversely, threw 2 INTs vs. the Jets and should have thrown 4 to 6, and he wasn’t exactly Troy Aikman in his previous playoff game against the Ravens.

In the first half with the Ravens and the second half with the Jets, the Steelers were only on the field physically. Their spirits were in the locker room or off somewhere trying to send Jenn Sterger photos of their junk.

When Super Sunday rolls around, the Steelers will need to play all 60 minutes – something they’re not really accustomed to, whereas Green Bay has yet to take a down off all postseason.

When it’s all said and done, the Packers can keep the ball away from the Steelers and hold on to a lead late. True, Pittsburgh is going to score on Green Bay’s defense. They can’t match the Steelers’ physicality. But the object of the game isn’t to score; it’s to score more than your opponent.

This is something that the Steelers will fail to do, and we predict that the final score will be Green Bay 30 and Pittsburgh 24 – covering the spread but still a great game that comes down to some fourth quarter heroics.



BEAR DOWN!!!! No, seriously……….

Bears fans have been on a fire frenzy since yesterday’s Bears NFC Championship game loss to the Packers. QB Jay Cutler missed the second half due to a knee injury and never returned. While the Bears staff said they made the decision to sit Cutler out, current and former players called out Cutler and his toughness via Twitter yesterday. Maurice Jones-Drew said he played a whole season on a bad knee and Deion Sanders showed no mercy when questioning Cutler’s heart (not to mention regular tweeters who had a field day on Cutler’s absence). And while some folks have come to Cutler’s defense, they are in the minority. The consensus amongst most comments I’ve seen is simple: Cutler punked out.

The biggest Cutler foes at this point have been Bears fans. Website Bears Goggles On found a slew of videos showing Bears fan so irate about Cutler sitting (and standing) on the sidelines that they decided to burn his jersey. There are tons more on Youtube if you do a Cutler jersey burn search.

It reminds me of the LeBron Bonfire that happened after his departure from Cleveland. While the circumstances were different, the outcome is the same. The fans feel slighted by someone they relied on and they put their frustrations out on the jerseys they donned (which I think is pretty stupid, especially if the jersey is authentic. Sell me on burning something I paid good money for.. TUH!).

The fact that Cutler was seen standing during the 4th quarter of the game makes his injury even more hard to swallow. Philip Rivers played an AFC Championship game with a torn ACL, and Ben Roethlisberger, while being called a diva at times, has played with injuries time and time again, including a bad foot and broken nose this season. He’s going to the Super Bowl in 2 weeks.

After the game, it was reported that Cutler had tears in his eyes when told about the backlash he received from players. I know football players have feelings to. But if ever there was a time to “man up” until you had some alone time, that was it.

Is Cutler the new Bartman in Chicago sports???? Okay maybe I went too far with that comparison. But he may be the 2nd most hated sports figure in the Chi-Town right now.

And then… there were 4. It’s Championship Weekend. I, for one, am in a melancholy mood about this weekend’s games. I’m filled with joy because the Final 4 get to duke it out until only 2 stand to make it to the Super Bowl. Then I get sad because 1. My Ravens losing the way they did STILL stings (especially after New England lost last weekend), and 2. Because it means the end of the 2010 season is near. With the uncertainty of football for the 2011 season, it really makes me appreciate these final weeks a little bit more. At the end of the day, football is still going on and needs to be played for the Lombardi Trophy. Last weekend I was 2-for-4 in my picks. Lets see if I can get them all.

Packers at Bears

Last weekend’s AFC matchups were all divisional. And they didn’t disappoint. Nothing better than seeing the 3rd leg of 2 teams who know each other well battling for a chance to play in the championship game, along with bragging rights that lasts an entire offseason. This weekend’s NFC Championship matchup brings us the same game as Aaron Rodgers and Co head to Chi-Town to play Jay Cutler and the Bears. Both teams won a game against each other this season. And while Chicago won the NFC North, Green Bay were on their heels the entire season. The Packers beat the Bears in the final week of the season with a lowly 10-7 score, but the Bears kept their starters in, hoping to knock Green Bay out of the playoff picture (GB needed to win and they were in). The Bears know what everyone else does- Green Bay in the playoffs are a threat. They went to Philly and defeated the Eagles 21-16, then went to Atlanta (the #1NFC seed) and embarrassed the Falcons 48-21. The Bears know what they are facing. A hungry team that’s clicking on all cylinders right now.

The Bears aren’t a slouch either. Their 11-5 record was the 2nd best record in the NFC, giving them the #2 seed. Jay Cutler has been playing good ball, not turning the ball over like he’s been known to do in the past.

And now that the running game has become a factor again, the Bears offense has been able to move the ball while minimizing mistakes. The Bears defense is still Top 10 caliber, and with Julius Peppers playing at a high level, Chicago will look to get to Rodgers early and often.

No disrespect to the Bears. I simply think this is The Pack’s time to shine. They have the #5 defense in the league and it’s for a reason. Clay Matthews, AJ Hawk, Charles Woodson, all are great players for Green Bay and they will try to force Chicago to throw the ball. Throwing the ball means possible turnovers from Cutler. I picked the Pack to go to the big dance early on in my preseason picks and so far they’ve given me no reason to go against it. So I gotta go here…. Bear Down!!!  Literally… Sorry!

Winner:

Jets at Steelers

This game doesn’t have the history that the Bears and Packers bring, but it’s just as intriguing. Two teams built on defense. Players and coaches are familiar with each other (Rex Ryan and Bart Scott were with the Ravens until the 2009 season). Not to mention the Jets beat the Steelers at home this season. So there is some familarity here. The pick I make in this game comes down to this: Experience.

I like Mark Sanchez, I do. He’s had an up-and-down season this season, but that’s to be expected from a 2nd year player. I think he has what it takes to be a very good QB in this league. He’s slowly becoming the leader of his team, which is very important.

The problem I have with Sanchez is this: His cold weather play and his lack of experience. Playing New England wasn’t a huge obstacle to him, simply because he’s played them frequently in his young career already. And while I’m sure it wasn’t 80 degrees when the Jets beat the Pats in Foxboro last week, the fact that it was division rival gave him an advantage, especially since they “can’t stop a nosebleed” on defense, like Scott later said. Another thing about this matchup. When the Jets beat the Steelers, they were also without S Troy Polamalu. And while Polamalu wasn’t much of a factor in last week’s division game against the Ravens, he automatically makes you change your game plan, whether he’s 100% or not. He’s THAT good, and Sanchez will be on the lookout for #43 at all times, which means changing up the calls at the line of scrimmage and possibly being baited into the Steeler’s defensive gameplan.

Say what you will about Ben Roethlisberger on whether he’s an elite QB or not. But ask his peers what they think of him, and I promise you more than half will tell you he is. His numbers aren’t like Brady’s or Manning’s. But he does win football games. He may not have a lot of skill players that you’ve heard of, but he knows what to do in order to gain yards. The Steelers are one of the best teams in the league when converting on 3rd and long, and that’s because of Ben. Although Ben has an awful habit of holding on to the ball longer than he should, he makes you pay for it when he gets it right. This is what I consider to be the difference maker in this game.

Notice that I didn’t mention neither defense. That’s because we all know what both defenses bring. There are stars on both sides of the ball, from Polamalu to James Harrison to Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis. But the X-factor in this game starts and ends with the QB. Whoever makes the less mistakes at the QB position wins this game. Ben is at home, playing with the crowd and his experience may be the key to winning the game. It hurts my heart to type this… I want to pick the Jets so bad…..but I’m going with Pittsburgh on this one (Sorry Jets fans… and hey if I’m wrong, I expect another awesome soundbyte from Bart Scott!).

Winner:

‘Tis the season to be jolly! The regular season is almost over, but the NFL has given us tons and tons of plays that made the 2010 season a great one. If you saw my post from last year, then you know this post is a season in the making. Will it top last year’s list? Who knows, but I sure will try in the process.

Remember, you have to know the tune to “Twelve Days of Christmas” for this to be effective. If not, either you don’t celebrate Xmas (which is cool, everything isn’t for everybody), or you simply suck at musical life. Shout out to Pigskin Loving Lady and Ed The Sports Fan for their input Enjoy!

On The 12 Plays of Xmas, that football gave to me:

Stevie Johnson’s Blaming

Moss Burning Revis!

Andre Johnson’s fighting

9′s Shoulder’s Broken

Week 8, There’s a Benching

7′s Nose Is Broken

6 Vick Scores

FIIIIIIIIIIIVE-HUNDRED TDs

4 INTs

3 Hillis Scores

2 Big Returns

AND A DE-SEAN JACKSON TD!!!!!

Happy Holidays To Everyone!