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.

Eagles QB Michael Vick did an interview with GQ magazine to discuss life as a changed man since going to prison, and how he wanted to be a Bill or a Bengal instead of an Eagle? Considering his career with Philly now, it sounds crazy. But it’s something Vick actually thought about. In the interview with the mag, this is what Vick said,

“I think I can say this now, because it’s not going to hurt anybody’s feelings, and it’s the truth. I didn’t want to come to Philadelphia. Being the third-team quarterback is nothing to smile about. Cincinnati and Buffalo were better options.” Vick says that he talked with commissioner Roger Goodell and other reps from the NFL. He was then convinced and granted league approval to sign with Philly.”And I commend and thank them, because they put me in the right situation.”

Vick going to Philly was definitely the best move for him. Being able to sit on the bench probably continued his haul-over process on being a better QB. If Vick goes to a place that he had a better chance at starting like Buffalo or Cincy, chances are his studying habits don’t change much and he’s still winging it based on his talent alone. Philly has a great mentor in Andy Reid so that was the perfect opportunity to learn how to put in the work needed to be a great QB.

Sorry Bills/Bengals fans………

Vick’s article also talks about his conviction and what situation scared him all the way straight. You can read the rest of the article by clicking here.

Today is the day that Plaxico Burress finally received his walking papers from prison. Burress was spotted leaving the facility and was greeted by agent Drew Rosenhaus as well as his family. Plax was also seen bonding with his daughter who was born during his stint in prison.

Also noted: Plax’s choice of head wear. He was seen rocking a Phillies hat- you know, as in PHILADELPHIA! Mike Vick has publicly stated that he would love to see Plaxico as an Eagle. Fans have taken that and run wild with it, but lets not forget who the head coach of the Eagles is. Andy Reid, who has already had WR issues in the past. If I had to guess, I say Plax isn’t an Eagle, but it will be interesting to see where he lands.

Glad to see him finally come home. S/O to BlackSportsOnline for the vid.

If you haven’t heard, former Giants WR Plaxico Burress is about to be a free man tomorrow. And if he can get to any form of his former self, his talents will be requested by a few NFL teams. The biggest question isn’t if he’ll be picked up, it’s WHO will pick him up. ESPN’s Cris Carter has a few ideas of teams he can possibly help out.

Carter also talks about reasons why teams may think twice about him due to his previous work ethic, before going to prison 2 years ago. Personally, I think Plax can go to Oakland, because Al Davis loves bad asses and they could use his services. While Michael Vick has expressed wanting to play with his hometown buddy, I’m not so sure Andy Reid wants to go there. Remember, he had WR issues in the past with Terrell Owens, so Philly may pass on Burress.

With the NFL Lockout STILL going on, we may not know his whereabouts for a while. So until the players and owners can come to an agreement, we’ll be playing the guessing game until free agency actually opens up.

Welcome home, Plax! (I’m a day early, so what!) Now go and get in football shape and get a job!

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.

Add a Norfolk, VA event this past weekend as another event that Eagles QB Michael Vick skipped out of. Vick was listed as the special guest of the Souteastern Virginia Arts Association Gala as an honored guest in which he was to be recognized as a, “hero”…. *pause*

I commend Vick for taking a strong hold at his 2nd chance, but a hero, tho??? Nevertheless Vick was a no show at the event, which charged people $100 a pop. While folks were upset and walked out due to Vick’s absence, a rep for Vick claims they knew in advance that he would be a no show,

A spokesman for Vick told WAVY.com that event organizers were told months ago that Vick would not be attending the event. Chris Shigas said Vick was grateful to be honored by the group, but he made it very clear to organizers he would not be in attendance.

So who do you believe, the folks that gave the event, or Vick’s rep? If I were in attendance at the event, I don’t give a damn who is telling the truth. I want a refund of some kind. $100 for a no-show will start an uproar from many people, myself included.

This isn’t the first time Vick has allegedly backed out of a commitment. He was scheduled to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show before declining at the last minute. My guess is his team is taking everything easy with Vick, and not pushing him in the limelight so soon, even after having a successful 2010 season. While I totally understand it, just decline everything right now until the time is right, so there’s not a stigma about Vick’s noted absences.

I say all the time, Twitter can be the gift and the curse. It allows people to express their feelings in “real time”, unlike any other social media networking tool out there. And just like regular people, media and athletes use it to let off some steam. So it was no surprise when Ravens WR Donte Stallworth saw a tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that lead him to a series of tweets over a 3-day span.

Over the weekend, Schefter reported the status of former Giants WR Plaxico Burress and his return to the NFL. Schefter then proceeded with a series of RTs from followers. One stood out to many:

Keep in mind that while Schefter didn’t actually tweet that himself, he didn’t condemn/argue it either. lSome folks assumed he agreed with that point, while using the Retweet as a cop-out, if you will.  Leonard Little isn’t known to be on Twitter, but Stallworth definitely is. After learning about the tweet, Stallworth then decided to address Schefter:

Stallworth then clarified his thoughts and feelings regarding other people’s views on his 2009 accident in which he was charged for DUI Manslaughter,

Twit fam, thanks for all your positive tweets. I’ve said it many times that you have been an integral part of helping me get through my days

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, I get it. It would be asinine to think everyone will forgive me of my past transgressions like God has

In what I feel has been an attempt by him 2 perpetuate indignation towards me by juxtaposing my situation w/friend Plax on SEVERAL occasions

In a rare occurrence, I let my emotions engulf my rational thought when I have ALWAYS ignored him and many others. For that fam, I apologize

God knows I’ve been sincerely contrite. I am human but I promise you I will not react to negativity on my timeline EVER again. Love y’all

It’s hard for guys like Stallworth and Mike Vick to get a second chance, mainly because they are athletes, celebrities if you will. Many people feel they are given the, “easy way out” and don’t have to deal with their mistakes in the same light as others in a lower tax bracket. Whether or not you agree with that, athletes are humans, too. Stallworth’s response was no different than most people’s possible reaction under similar circumstances. If you follow Stallworth on Twitter, you would know he’s a very articulate person that is smarter way beyond football. To see him have a “human” moment online was different for him, yet understandable.

Shout out to Stallworth for taking the high road even though folks constantly feel the need to remind him of his past. Keep ya head up, 18! Oh yeah, and #WeWantPlax #RavensWRfor2011andbeyond

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.



I dunno about you, but I’m as excited as a fat kid with birthday cake on their plate. Wild Card Weekend is here and I cannot wait to see the games. Everytime I think of the NFL Playoffs, extra hard fist pumping comes to mind!

Eagles, Ravens and Colts… OH MY! So much going on. 8 teams, 4 games, but only 4 teams advance to the divisionals. Who will live to see another week? It’s time to pick the Wild Card Weekend games.

Saints (-11) at Seahawks: This started out as one of the most lopsided games on paper earlier in the week. The Saints are 11-5 headed to Seattle who ended the season with  a dismal 7-9 record. I’m blown at the fact that the Seahawks, or any NFC West team for that matter, is taking up good playoff space. But that’s another story for another day. It just became really real this week in the Big Easy, however, when RBs Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas were put on IR. This means the Saints have pretty much NO running game coming into this weekend’s match up (please don’t insult my intelligence and remind me that Reggie Bush is on the roster…. he’s done very little at Tailback). To add insult to injury, New Orleans is 0-3 in road playoff games and Seattle is known to have one of the league’s loudest stadiums. Seahawks QB Matt Hasslebeck gets the nod this week as the starter, and the Seahawks have every reason to believe they can come out with a win with him at the helm. He’s had recent success against New Orleans. That being said… I’m too petty to pick Seattle. They shouldn’t even be in the dance if you ask me. I’m taking New Orleans because they’ve earned the right to be there, and will find a way to prevail over the obstacles they are facing.

Winner: 

Jets at Colts (-3): Despite the Colts finding a way to make the playoffs after losing so many key players this season, the Jets have reason to worry. They lost to Indy in the AFC Championship game last season and a Rex Ryan-led defense has had no luck in beating Manning and Co in recent memory. Ryan said earlier this week that, “it’s personal”, regarding this weekend’s match up. And it should be. Mark Sanchez has been hot and cold this season, but the Jets are a run-heavy offense that can attack the Colts’ depleted D. Manning will always be Manning, he can make wine out of water. And he’s done just that with the castoff of players he’s had this season. But one has to wonder if the injuries are too much to handle, now that it’s playoff time. Beating the Titans was cool, because the Titans weren’t really that good this year anyway. But the Jets are better than the Titans. And they have more skills players that are healthy than the Colts, including Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and LaDainian Tomlinson. Rex and that sweater vest finally gets the monkey off his back this weekend.

Winner:

Ravens (-3) at Chiefs: Of course, I hold a real interest to this game, because I’m a Ravens fan. Dan Kolko from MASN Sports broke down the rankings between the Ravens and Chiefs on paper and they seem to be very neck and neck (except overall offense.. my Ravens really tanked in that dept). But if you lookpast the stats, it’s not that simple. Case-in-point: In addition to playing the Steelers twice a year, the Ravens also played the Jets, Patriots, Falcons, Saints and Bucs, while finishing their division with a 4-2 record. The Chiefs played the NFC West (and y’all KNOW how I feel about that division) while playing the likes of Houston, Tennessee and Buffalo. They finished 2-4 in their own division, and was blown out at least once by the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders. Not to discredit what KC has done this season…. they took helm of a division previously OWNED by San Diego. But it’s hard to ignore the schedule and division differences. Baltimore knows how to play on the road and win, and KC may be prematurely playing with the big boys. I think KC is a strong team, and they will find some success running the ball against the Ravens. But I think Baltimore is better built for the playoffs while having experience on their side.

Winner:

Packers at Eagles (-3): This one will be a good one. Both of these teams are built for post season football. There is no real advantage for this game. The Packers have a losing road record, and the Eagles are 4-4 at home this season. But there are 2 key elements that may make a difference in this game- health and momentum, both of those in Green Bay’s favor. Aaron Rodgers has played well since going down with a concussion last month. He had a great game in the 45-17 routing of the Giants, and did just enough to beat the division rival Bears last weekend. The Eagles, however, haven’t been so lucky. They ended the season on a 2-game losing streak and have seen some key players go down with injury, including Vick who was hurt during the Vikings game. Vick will start this weekend and of course Philly has the likes of DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy to take the pressure off of #7,  but the Eagles offensive line isn’t that good. Packers LB Clay Matthews may have a field day this weekend if Andy Reid doesn’t find a way to protect his QB. I expect Matthews to get into Vick’s face often this weekend. As good as the Eagles have been, Green Bay was the one team I didn’t like them to be matched up with so soon. Well, they are. With health and momentum on their side, I expect us to wave goodbye to Vick’s great season, a tad bit premature than expected.

Winner:

There you have it. Let me know your thoughts. Agree, disagree? If so why? Feel free to chime in your thoughts. In the meantime, have a wonderful Wild Card Weekend and if your team is playing (like mine), I hope you get the outcome you wanted!