Category: NFL (Page 25 of 1282)

      Packers Clay Matthews talks Campbell’s Chunky Soup, his badass DNA and great hair

      February 26, 2014 /

      ClayMatthewsChunkSoup

      Clay Matthews could definitely steal my girlfriend and probably yours too, bud. Upon scheduling this interview, my girlfriend did a quick Google search to put a face with the name.

      As images of “The Clay Maker” flipped across her iPhone, she said, “Wow. This guy is a complete stud.” The accompanying far away look in her eyes told me all I needed to know; that if given the chance, she would shed me the way Matthews sheds opposing double teams.

      Aside from getting the ladies flustered off the field, Matthews has established himself as the best pass rusher in the NFL, thanks to a successful start to his career that rivals any linebacker in NFL history.

      In five seasons, Matthews has made the Pro Bowl four times, been selected as an All-Pro twice, been named NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and won Super Bowl XLV.

      I was fortunate to speak with Clay about his career, his lineage and the Campbell’s Chunky “Sacks for Soup” campaign.

      Talk about the partnership with Campbell’s Chunky Soup.

      For the past year I teamed up with Campbell’s Chunky and created the “Sacks for Soup” campaign. For every sack that I was able to get last year, Campbell’s Chunky donated 2,000 cans of soup; 1,000 to a local Green Bay food bank and another 1,000 to the opposing team’s city. To date, we’ve donated over 40,000 cans of Chunky soup. For every sack, they also donated $1,000, so we were able to get around up to $20,000 for my foundation (CM3 Charitable Fund), so it’s been a fantastic campaign; one that not only provides for myself, but gives back in the process of doing so.

      What’s your favorite kind?

      My favorite kind thanks to the Green Bay weather and obviously a play on the Packers is the Hearty Cheeseburger. They’re all fantastic, so it’s hard to choose, but just like on the commercial, I like the Clam Chowder and the Spicy Quesadilla as well. They’re all really good, so I have to say all three.

      I thought they’d make you a special kind called “Bear Chunks” for the way you’ve annihilated Chicago Bears quarterbacks in your career.

      I’m willing to try! I don’t know if it would be a big seller, but I’d be all for it.

      Click here for the full interview.

      General Sports, Interviews, NFL, Super Bowl

      Quarterbacks get scrutiny

      February 25, 2014 /

      After all the Twitter hype around quarterback hand sizes, the real business of evaluating the college quarterbacks has started at the NFL combine. This position dominates draft discussions, as the concept of “best player available” really doesn’t apply to the quarterbacks versus other positions. Teams that need a quarterback have a much different approach in the first round versus teams already set at the position.

      This year there are three guys everyone sees at the top of the QB class, but further scrutiny is starting to affect how each of them are perceived. Here’s Pat Kirwin, one of the best commentators in the business, on what he is seeing so far.

      We all arrived in Indianapolis believing there were three quarterbacks set for the top five picks. However, one GM said, “I’m glad I don’t need a franchise QB this year. … too many questions [are] starting to surface on this group.”

      An example: Teddy Bridgewater told me Saturday he was going to run but never did. The same GM said of Bridgewater: “He beefed up to 214 to appear bigger, but he better not think he can drop the weight to run at his pro day. We don’t fall for that one.”

      Johnny Manziel is 5-foot-11 3/4, not 6-foot as he had been listed. One coach told me “[Manziel] keeps trying to portray the image of the next Russell Wilson and I’m not buying it.”

      I liked Bortles the best of the three, but time will tell if the teams at the top of the draft think so. I left Indianapolis with the impression that the real QB work was about which guy to take in the second or third round.

      He makes the point that many teams are taking a hard look at the offensive tackles and that these players are moving up draft boards. That position seems to offer much less risk at the top of the draft, and guys like Jake Matthews, Greg Robinson, Taylor Lewan and Zach Martin have been impressive at the combine. Robinson in particular stunned with his 40 time.

      It’s still early, but this year predicting the order of the top ten seems particularly difficult, and so it will be hard to predict the QB decisions that will affect teams for next year. So if you like betting NFL futures when you use your Bet365 offer code, keep in mind that the odds can change dramatically once these QB decisions play out.

      Houston in particular is a tough one to predict. A pro-ready quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater could make them a playoff team again overnight. Opinions on Johnny Manziel vary dramatically, but if he thrives in the NFL he could turn around a team like Houston very quickly. Meanwhile, Bortles might be the best pick in terms of long-term potential, but he’s a real project. Unless Houston gets a good veteran to play in front of him, they would likely struggle with Bortles starting right away as he has so much to learn.

      On the other hand, they could draft Jadeveon Clowney as a bookend to JJ WAtt on that defense, and all of a sudden they could be dominant on that side of the ball again. Give them a veteran QB and you suddenly have a real team again.

      So good luck making picks at this stage of the game.

      NFL

      The Ugly Ray Rice saga

      February 21, 2014 /

      The allegations against Ray Rice seem to be pretty serious. But the bigger problem is that his alleged actions have been caught on tape according to numerous reports. Did he knock out his fiance? Did he drap her out of an elevator while she was unconscious? In court, his lawyer may be able to cast doubt in the minds of some jurors, even with video evidence. Stranger things have happened in our judicial system, particularly when high-paid lawyers are involved.

      But we’ve also seen that video trumps everything when it comes to public opinion, and this sorry tale creates some serious headaches for the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens. That franchise has had its share of controversy in the past with all of the Ray Lewis issues. Now we have video of Ray Rice acting like a jackass, and this one will be played over and over again. The authorities will have their say, as will the NFL.

      It’s also a cautionary tale for anyone goofing around or doing something illegal in a casino. Everything is on tape. You’re not isolated like you are when you’re playing a casino online enjoying some poker, craps or roulette. In the casino you’re exposed, though you also get the added benefit of the hotties walking around in their tiny dresses. Well, at least that’s true in Las Vegas, even if it’s not quite true in some lame Indian casino you frequent.

      But this is about much more than a wild time in Vegas at the casino of course. Rice wasn’t just doing stupid stuff that ordinary drunks and fools do every night in casinos. No, he allegedly knocked out his fiance, and that brings this to another level. Of course, things like this aren’t new to the NFL, but as explained above, adding video to the mix changes the equation.

      NFL

      Combine mania

      February 21, 2014 /

      Have you ever seen so much discussion over hand sizes? We have months to go until the NFL Draft, which mercilessly won’t be held until May this year, and now with the NFL combine the endless talk about the draft is only intensifying. Be prepared for endless scrutiny, and the sizes of body parts will be a big (pun intended) part of it. Good grief.

      Here are some of the stats that has everyone talking.

      Johnny Manziel – Texas A&M (9 7/8 inches)
      Blake Bortles – Central Florida (9 3/8)
      Teddy Bridgewater – Louisville (9 1/4)
      Tajh Boyd – Clemson (9 5/8)
      Derek Carr – Fresno State (9 1/8)
      AJ McCarron – Alabama (10)
      Jimmy Garoppolo – Eastern Illinois (9 1/4)

      Teddy Bridgewater seems perfectly pro ready, but now fans can obsess as to whether his hands are too small. Blake Bortles is a huge guy, but he doesn’t have really big hands. Johnny Manziel seems to have the hands, along with big feet and plenty of confidence, so there’s something for his fans to hang their hats on.

      With today’s interviews, now there’s even more to obsess about as reporters, fans and Twitter addicts obsess over every word.

      What will the draft order be for the top three quarterback contenders (Manziel, Bortles and Bridgewater) – who knows? If you’re a betting man trying to guess you might have better luck over at bonus bez depozytu. Perhaps the combine and then the individual workouts will help clarify the situation, but I doubt it.

      Nobody really knows what teams like the Texans, Jaguars and Browns will do. Two of them have new coaches. The Browns have a new everybody, though Ray Farmer was there with the last regime, even if he wasn’t making the decisions.

      We also have three guys with completely different style and levels of development. Teddy Bridgewater is the most pro ready. Johnny Manziel is the great college star who can improvise with the best of them, but who runs too much and is at greater risk to get injured in the NFL. Then you have Blake Bortles. The ky is the ceiling with him, maybe, given his size and athleticism. But he ran a read option scheme in college. He ran way too much, and the pro game seems like a huge leap for him.

      So this process with be interesting and yet tedious all at the same time. I wish it were over tomorrow.

      NFL

      Seattle defense destroys Denver in Super Bowl

      February 2, 2014 /

      It’s all too easy to make bold proclamations right after a sporting event, and I hate when people are prisoners of the moment. But the Seattle Seahawks defense was amazing tonight as they completely dominated a Denver Broncos offense that rewrote the offensive record book this year. People are already comparing them the the 1985 Chicago Bears and other great defenses. That debate can happen on another day as far as I’m concerned.

      What they did tonight was truly impressive against Peyton Manning. They also did it in an era where it seemed that all the rules were rigged in favor of the offense. But the final score was also indicative of a game that completely got away from Denver. That just happens sometimes, and tonight nothing went right for Peyton’s crew. Throw in turnovers and special teams and we witnessed a complete meltdown. But all of it started with the Seattle defense.

      That said, we’ve seen this story before. Look at the three greatest quarterback seasons of all time, and we see that Dan Marino, Tom Brady and now Peyton Manning ended up losing the Super Bowl against an excellent defense. We also remember Jim Kelly and the high-flying Bills getting stopped by Bill Parcels and the Giants. So in one respect this shouldn’t be a huge surprise.

      As for Russell Wilson, the kid deserves a ton of credit. He proved many of us wrong and he’s a Super Bowl champion in his second season. But let’s not overstate things here as well. Russell Wilson was riding the Seattle bus, not driving it. Calling him one of the greats is overreacting, as is calling him Trent Dilfer. Tonight he did what he had to do, though early in the game Seattle settled for two field goals when Denver was doing everything possible to give them the gang. Fortunately, the defense and special teams took over, and Russell Wilson and the offense could coast to the win.

      NFL, Super Bowl

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