football
Talking about college and professional football daily. Chances are we hate your team.
NFL kickers had the worst Sunday ever in Week 5
Strangely, NFL kickers have been in the limelight since the beginning of the 2021 NFL season. NFL kickers scored 10 winning field goals in September, either at the end of regulation (or in overtime). All of them can be viewed here. This list also includes Justin Tucker's league record 66-yard touchdown to beat the Detroit Lions in Week 3. It is one of the most memorable moments this season.
By Damian Peters5 years ago in Unbalanced
Football is Dangerous
Football is known to be a famous sport in grade school, high school, and college. Most boys and girls play but football has a high rate for injuries. Some players develop a head trauma disease. Injuries do not have to be a part of the game and there are ways to reduce the number. Coachers can change the practice and can make ways to where they play safe but have fun at the same time. Positions with the greatest risk of injury were running backs and linebackers. Additional instruction on appropriate tackling and blocking techniques can reduce the risk of injury during running plays. C.T.E is a head trauma induced disease linked to depression and impulse – control problems, memory loss, and dementia. More than 20 deceased N.F.L players have been found that have C.T.E. Overall, football is too dangerous in grade school, high school, and college or even just playing outside of school. There are too many injuries and serious stuff that can happen. Football players in high school can get C.T.E. at an early age and that’s concerning. Football players get hurt and want to speed the process of healing, they tell their coaches they are ok, and even more hurt than before. Health is always the first priority players need to look at. If they just play football, drained then maybe they need a break. If the players get hurt and try to speed the injury process, then they end up getting more hurt and they might make it worse and might not play no more.
By Deshawna Hursey5 years ago in Unbalanced
A Brief History Of The Steelers Turning Their Season Around
This week, with the whole world seemingly convinced that the Steelers are a sinking ship, I’ve been thinking about seasons in which the team started in one direction (bad or good), and wound up somewhere very different.In so many of those years, the only thing we remember is the end result, as though the results were inevitable and obvious all year long. The 1972 Immaculate Reception Steelers feel like the beginning of a dynasty, but four games into the season, they were 2-2 and looked a lot like the previous season’s 6-8 squad. The 1995 Super Bowl team feels like a disappointment because they came so close to winning a Lombardi, but they were 3-4 heading into week 8, and were not even leading their division.
By Brianna Mansker5 years ago in Unbalanced
A Brief History Of The Steelers Turning Their Season Around
This week, with the whole world seemingly convinced that the Steelers are a sinking ship, I’ve been thinking about seasons in which the team started in one direction (bad or good), and wound up somewhere very different.In so many of those years, the only thing we remember is the end result, as though the results were inevitable and obvious all year long. The 1972 Immaculate Reception Steelers feel like the beginning of a dynasty, but four games into the season, they were 2-2 and looked a lot like the previous season’s 6-8 squad. The 1995 Super Bowl team feels like a disappointment because they came so close to winning a Lombardi, but they were 3-4 heading into week 8, and were not even leading their division. The point of this exercise has been not simply to tamp down on some of the fires we’re all lighting to torch the 2021 season (though that’s probably not a bad thing). Instead, I’m also looking for possible keys that history says would help this team right the ship. Now for part 3: the Steelers from 2007 to the present, under Coach T, Mike Tomlin. 2013 Remembered for: Not really remembered, except maybe for being the last gasps of Steelers defensive dominance.Opening Record: 2-6, with an 0-4 start. Low point: Blowout loss to New England, 55-31 in week 8 Turnaround Streak: 6-2 (with both losses coming by literal inches) High Point: Probably 38-31 win over Green Bay in first Packers game since Super Bowl loss; that or the season finale 20-7 win over Cleveland that guaranteed Steelers would finish .500 How did it turn around: Rushing. Rookie Le’Veon Bell, who missed the first three weeks with an injury, made the running game a legitimate threat, which gave the defense a rest. (That’s my theory anyway.) Team rushing yards improved by 23 yards per game in second half of season, while defense improved against the rush by 32 yards per game. Turnover margin also changed dramatically: minus-11 in first half of the season; plus-7 in second half. I credit the running game for this too, at least to a point. Bell wasn’t a fumbler, and he was both a good pass blocker and a valuable check-down guy in the passing game, so he certainly helped the offense settle down. But perhaps more importantly, when the Steelers controlled the ball with a legit rushing attack, their aging defense had time to rest, so they could come out sprinting more often, leading to better play on that side as well. 2014 Remembered for: High flying offense, birth of Killer B’s Opening Record: 3-3 Low point: Losing to terrible Buccaneers team in week 4, or losing 31-10 to Browns in week 6 Turnaround Record: 8-2 High Point: Two week stretch that launched the turnaround, in which Big Ben threw six touchdowns in shootout win over Andrew Luck’s Colts and then six more in blowout of Ravens. How did it turn around: Manpower leveled up on both sides. Rookie Martavis Bryant earned his way onto the field, and the passing game immediately clicked up a huge notch. Bryant was a legit big-play threat, and he freed up rising star Antonio Brown on the other side, also allowing the Steelers to get the most out of the AFC’s rushing leader (and Steelers yards from scrimmage record setter) Le’Veon Bell. 2015 Remembered for: Vontaze Burfict’s dirty play sandbagging the team in the playoffs Opening Record: 4-4 Low point: Opening season loss to New England, where the Steelers outplayed the Pats by almost any measure (despite the suspensions of LeVeon Bell and Martavis Bryant). Josh Scobee’s missed kicks probably cost the team in this one, as well as the other possible low point, the 23-20 loss to Baltimore in week 4 (Michael Vick’s first start). Turnaround Streak: 7-2 (counting playoff win) High Point: Beating eventual champion Broncos in brilliant 17 point comeback — a perfect microcosm of the season. 2016 Remembered for: Getting blasted by Patriots in AFC Title Game Opening Record: 4-5 Low point: 4-game losing streak mid-season, culminating in loss to Cowboys where they had no answer for Zeke Elliott, who scored two touchdowns in final 1:55. Turnaround Streak: 9-0 (before loss in AFCC) High Point: Playoff wins against Miami and K.C. How did it turn around: D refocused and hit a new gear; offense recommitted to the run. After the Cowboys loss, the D held a player-only meeting and resolved to turn the season around — then delivered. They were the best D in football for last two months. During their first nine games, they gave up 381 yards per game; in the second nine contests, they only yielded 287. That’s a drop of nearly 95 yards (48 passing, 47 rushing). Good god. Meanwhile, the offense centered around Le’Veon Bell. The Steelers rushed for rushed for 90 yards per game in the opening stretch; then 144 in the back nine. That’s a 60% rise (highlighted by Bell setting the Steelers single game rushing record in wk. 14 against Buffalo, then setting the team playoff rushing record in the Wild Card round, then breaking it the very next week in the Divisional game). 2018 Remembered for: Big Ben’s 5000 yard passing season and Le’Veon Bell’s full-season holdout. Opening Record: 7-2-1 High point: Blowout over Carolina on national TV, followed by revenge win over Jags (after previous year’s playoff loss) Closing Streak: 1-4 (before winning season finale) Low Point: Heartbreaking loss to Saints in the season’s final loss (complete with two suspect DPI penalties on Joe Haden and an ill-timed JuJu Smith-Schuster fumble) which probably cost the team the playoffs. 2019 Remembered for: Mason Rudolph & Duck Hodges; Steelers suddenly becoming a great defense again; Mike Tomlin’s heroic coaching performance. Opening Record: 1-4 Low point: Losing to powerful Ravens team in overtime where they absolutely flummoxed eventual MVP Lamar Jackson. It’s a low point because the Steelers deserved to win this one, but fell to 1-4 instead. Closing Streak: 7-1 (before fading down the stretch) High point: Almost any win counts here — they all felt like miracles. I’ll say the revenge win over Cleveland, two weeks after the Browns had gone headhunting on national TV, concussing Diontae Johnson so hard blood ran from his ear, before Myles Garrett tried to brain Mason Rudolph with his own helmet. The rematch win in week 13 was fun to watch. How did it turn around: Steadiness from the top; massive turnaround on D. I have no idea how Mike Tomlin didn’t lose the locker room in this season, but he did something brilliant behind the scenes. Meanwhile, a surprise trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick, after the awful opening two weeks, allowed the defense to take gigantic leap forward. Eventually they led the league in sacks and takeaways, and sported three All-Pros and four Pro Bowlers (and probably two snubbed in Dupree and Nelson). Less reported: the ground game on both sides picked up dramatically. The Steelers averaged 43 more rushing yards per game on offense during the 7-1 streak, while the defense gave up 40 yards less. That’s an 83 yard flip when the team was winning. 2020 Remembered for: Wretched playoff loss to Browns in wild card game. Opening Record: 11-0 High point: Sweep of Ravens after multiple postponements to reach 11-0; beating succession of playoff teams in Tennessee, Cleveland, and Baltimore over consecutive weeks mid-season (again, featuring postponements that weren’t their fault). Closing Streak: 1-5 (counting playoff loss) Low point: Wretched playoff loss to Browns in wild card game How did it turn around: Injuries, poor offensive scheming, exhaustion. Injuries—especially Bud Dupree’s—did serious damage to the defense, which had started on a blistering pace, then slumped down the stretch. In particular, they bottomed out on takeaways, with 23 during the 11-0 opening; and only four(!) during the 1-5 finish. Meanwhile, the offense devolved from a fairly balanced squad to a one-dimensional, uncreative short passing game who simply couldn’t run. The Steelers rushed for 99 yards per game in opening streak; 52 yards in the closing. (Ben Roethlisberger leading the league in passing attempts just months after major elbow surgery really should never have happened.) How are those areas playing out in 2021? Well coaching leadership is in good hands. (And anyone who is already chomping at the bit to argue this one, I’d refer you to 2013 and 2019 above. Few coaches in history have been so successful at turning broken teams into playoff contenders. This may just be Tomlin’s first losing season, ever, but it won’t be because the wrong guy is in charge.)
By Brianna Mansker5 years ago in Unbalanced
Let the Post “Stache” Era Begin
September 1, 2018. He takes his first snap as the starting quarterback for Washington State University. Nearly 4,500 passing yards, 39 total touchdowns, and one Mississippi mustache later, Gardner Minshew is now an NFL quarterback, primed to be the backup for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
By aditya425 years ago in Unbalanced
Trying to loving it, when it's Hurts
Football is back! While I am grateful, it’s also a reminder of the flaws in our perception of the sport. A sport that glorifies the fraternity of coaches and criticize the young men that judge got out of college for being immature. This weekend is a fresh reminder of the glorification and idolization afforded to coaches. Look no further than former college coach Urban Meyer. Meyer, who has always taken the easy way out, was looking very easy in his bar. A bar he decided was more important to visit than getting back to the team of young men he’s supposed to mold and grown men that depend on his success to pay the bills. How did he spend that time?
By Blake A Swan5 years ago in Unbalanced
The Future Of Sports Games
You would think there was going to be some fancy turn around with the running play of how a professional sports game's plays or rules are in the near future. To put it simple, a lot of people like sports, but won't know every rule of the game. Some sports viewers will feel like their personal scoring play (more knowledge than their buddies) will depend on knowing every player's name and all of the player's stats. But they may not know how much a collector sports card is worth of top professional players. Is that something that can be important with the outcome of a player's future scoring?
By Gabriel Seale5 years ago in Unbalanced
Why Tom Brady Continues To Make People Mad!
Tom Brady has always been a polarizing figure since he has probably picked up a football. From high school to college Tom was never the most atheltic player on his team. In turn, this may have given his drive that he is so famous for these days. Along this ride it seems Tom has rubbed many players, coaches, and fans the wrong way, but he seems to take it in stride.
By Kenneth Watkins5 years ago in Unbalanced
Football Movies Inspire Me Like No Other, and Here’s What They Can Do for You
Ever since I got deployed, I used football films as a way of finding forms of intense motivation. The films that come to mind are Friday Night Lights, The Blind Side, and When the Game Stands Tall.
By Jordan Mendiola5 years ago in Unbalanced
Should Have Watched It With My Dad. Top Story - September 2021.
When I was incredibly young, I never understood why fathers watch sports. I have seen them in movies and on television shows. There is usually a father who is into sports. Of course, my dad (God bless his soul) had always been a huge fan of sports – especially football, boxing, and basketball. I am sure he watched other sports on television as well, but those were the three main sports I had always caught him watching.
By Leona Valentine5 years ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 2 Review
This was a week of unbelievable drama. I am referring of course to my Fantasy team. I had made a couple of changes to my winning team from week one. I had brought in Eli Mitchell from the 49ers as a running back, once I heard that because of injuries to others he was their primary running back. The way the 49ers scheme up running plays and block as a whole team, I would back myself to make a few yards playing running back for them, so I thought he would be a good one to add to the squad on a waiver for a few weeks at least. I thrust him straight into the starting line up as one of three running backs, along with Mixon and Edwards-Helaire. That meant dropping one of my wide receivers to the bench, I chose Woods from the Rams, who had been steady in week one but unspectacular. So my only receivers were Tyler Lockett and Sterling Shepard – who got my team off to a solid start by scoring seventeen and a half points in the Thursday night game against Washington. The other big call I made was swapping my quarterbacks over, bringing Herbert off the bench to start instead of Tannehill. That was partly because Herbert had been the more impressive of the two in week one, but also because he was playing Dallas at home, whilst Tannehill was travelling to Seattle.
By Rob Watson5 years ago in Unbalanced
