Do NFL fans care about the Pro Bowl?
Since 1980 the NFL has held its annual Pro Bowl All Star game in the State of Hawaii. In recent years the game has been much maligned by Sports Journalist and fans a like. The biggest problem with the games seems to be in does not resemble the game of football NFL fans tune into each week during the regular season, and that is takes place a week after the Super Bowl when most fans attention has tuned to other sports or NFL free Agency and the draft.
In my mind there is another issue at stake here, this all star game takes place in February right after the NHL's all star game in late January and right before the NBA All Star Game set around Valentines Day weekend. That is a lot of all star programming to watch within a 3-4 week period.
The Pro Bowl suffers from being scheduled after the Super Bowl which really signifies the end of the NFL season. Having the Pro Bowl one week later seems anti climatic. In a era where sports of any given nature are on every sort of TV channel the world over, by the second week of February the sports consciousness has moved on to other things then the NFL.
The NFL being one the best run sports league understand this and in 2010 will experiment with moving the Pro Bowl from Hawaii to the Super Bowl Host city and scheduling it the week between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl itself.
Now many will argue that the Hawaii trip and the game itself is a nice reward for the players, while that is true I strongly hold the conviction that All Star Games are for the fans. Let us not forget most of the players playing in this game are making millions of dollars, they can afford their on Hawaii trip during the off-season.
The biggest argument for making this move is a business one. According to pacific.bizjournals.com the 2004 Pro Bowl was attended by 49,000 fans, of which 30 thousand of were visitors to the State of Hawaii. Those fans spent nearly 30 million dollars and contributed 2.84 million dollars to the state tax coffers. On top of that their average stay in Hawaii was 9.3 days and 42% of them visited other neighboring islands during their trip.
We have talked before about the economic impact of hosting a Super Bowl. The Detroit Super Bowl of 2006 added 124 million dollars if Detroit could have had the Pro Bowl That likely would have added 30 million dollars to that total. However if we factor in increased stay at hotel room, and all of those out of town visitors eating three meals a day the bet seems to be that total would be far greater.
Next year the Experiment will take place, and Miami will get a chance to host both games. It shall be very interesting to see if the fans react differently to the game, how much added spending it gives the host city, and if having in the off weekend between Playoffs and Super Bowl makes the game a little more dynamic.
examiner.com
Five reasons the Steelers will win Super Bowl 43
TAMPA, Fla. -- Super Bowl 37 has been trotted out as a case study this week.
Which would be fine, if it were for the right reason.
While most people focus on Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden's mastery of the Oakland Raiders in that game -- and the potential the same could happen Sunday with former Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Ken Whisenhunt manning the Arizona Cardinals sideline -- digging deeper provides the true value in looking back to January 2003.
More often than not, great defense beats great offense.
In Super Bowl 37, Oakland's top-ranked offense was held to seven points by Tampa Bay's top-ranked defense. The year before that, a peaking New England Patriots defense shut down the St. Louis Rams' Greatest Show on Turf.
In 2005, the Steelers' fourth-ranked defense was too much for the Seattle Seahawks' second-ranked offense. And last year, a hot New York Giants defense overwhelmed a Patriots offense that, statistically, was one of the best ever.
It's too much to ignore: Great defense normally beats great offense. Here are five more reasons to bank on Pittsburgh cruising to its sixth Super Bowl title.
1. Just another hurdle
Before the season started, a school of thought held the Steelers wouldn't make it here because of a minefield of a schedule.
Well, these guys navigated through perhaps the two deepest divisions in pro football -- the NFC East and the AFC South -- plus the Chargers and Patriots.
The one caveat is the Steelers faced one top-five offense, that being New England's, which they held to 10 points. So the Cardinals will present a different challenge.
But they have faced big-time receivers.
They held Plaxico Burress to three catches for 15 yards, Santana Moss to two catches for 14 yards, Terrell Owens to three catches for 32 yards, Randy Moss to four catches for 45 yards, and Wes Welker to four catches for 30 yards. Reggie Wayne did get on them for six catches and 114 yards, but there's every reason to believe that Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald & Co. will have their problems.
2. Holding onto the ball
A bad omen for Arizona, if there ever was one: In 18 games, the Steelers have forced 35 turnovers, and in 19 games, the Cardinals have turned it over 33 times.
Yes, Arizona has corrected the problem to a certain extent, giving the ball away three times in three playoff games. But the Baltimore Ravens had been pretty good at holding onto the ball. Joe Flacco threw zero picks and took zero sacks in playoff games against the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans -- and then threw three interceptions and was sacked three times in Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals have faced good defenses, but not one quite like this. You can count on the Steelers stopping the Cardinals for losses, and then the question becomes whether Arizona is good enough to overcome those.
3. Time to shine
If Ben Roethlisberger is able to extend plays, he gets into scramble situations, and those are where big things happen for the Steelers offense.
The Cardinals pass rush isn't great, meaning Roethlisberger should get every chance to allow plays to develop downfield and get the ball into the mitts of Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward and Nate Washington.
Those three represent a significantly better receivers than those of the Philadelphia Eagles, which had its way with the Cardinals secondary two weeks ago.
4. Drawing the line
The Steelers defense rarely gives up big plays, allowing one meaningful throw of more than 25 yards, and one run for more than 15 in the playoffs.
The Cardinals, who thrive on explosion, must sustain drives like they did on the game-winning march in the NFC championship game. Pittsburgh just so happens to have the NFL's best red-zone defense. The Cardinals have a running game that's improved, but remains average.
It won't be shocking to see the Cardinals move the ball between the 20-yard lines. It'll be more difficult for them once they get into those tight spots where Pittsburgh excels.
5. Experience counts
Surely, you've heard plenty of comparisons between this year's Cardinals and last year's Giants. It's important to remember that the Giants were an anomaly, playing against a gassed New England team that finally wore out.
Here's the relevant statistic: In the Super Bowl era, 25 teams have returned to the Super Bowl within five years of winning a title. Those teams are 19-6 in their return trips, and three of the losses came against teams returning to the Super Bowl within five years of a championship.
Twenty-two Steelers, including 12 starters, remain from Super Bowl 40. Conversely, six Cardinals have been in the championship game, and Warner is the only to have started one.
Add it all up, and it's pretty clear that Sunday is the night that the Cardinals' glass slipper shatters.
(c) 2009 The Sporting News
Send-Off Party for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona's professional football team, the Arizona Cardinals, are packing their cleats and helmets today. Tomorrow morning they will leave Phoenix from Sky Harbor Airport to fly to Tampa, where they will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 43 next Sunday. If you want to be one of many well-wishers and send them off with good Arizona vibes, tomorrow morning is the time and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is the place. Join Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs for a rally that will include Arizona Cardinals players, the Arizona Cardinals mascot, Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill, Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt and the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders.
The rally will take place on Monday January 26, 2009 from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. Public parking opens at 6 a.m. on Buckeye Road, one block east of 24th Street. The rally entrance opens at 6:30 a.m. Park in the lot and walk across the street to the rally.
(c)2009 About.com
NFL Officiating Czar Pereira to Retire
NFL referees will be getting a new boss next year.
Mike Pereira, the league's vice president of officiating, is retiring. Jay Glazer reported on Fox (via PFT) that Pereira will spend a final year on the job to get his replacement up to speed, and then he'll be out of the NFL, where he's been the head of refs since 2001.
Pereira is best known to fans for appearing on NFL Network to explain rules and controversial calls, and in that role he does a fine job. It would be a wise move for one of the TV networks to hire Pereira as a commentator.
But I'd also like to see Pereira's successor in an even more visible role, perhaps appearing on NBC's Football Night in America every Sunday to talk about what happened that afternoon. Although NFL officials sometimes screw up and deserve to be called out when they do, it seems that just as often, criticism on Sundays is a result of TV announcers, others in the football media and fans just not knowing the rules.
We're lucky to have the Zebra Report to clear up some of the confusion, but the next head of officials could play a greater part in explaining the rules to the fans as well.
(c)2009 All Rights Reserved AOL News
Cardinals soar to new heights
The Arizona Cardinals shut down Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin on their own. But the Carolina Panthers could not shut down the Cardinals' other Pro Bowl receiver, Larry Fitzgerald.
Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner threw to Fitzgerald early and often to power a 33-13 win that clinched the team's first-ever berth in the NFC Championship Game on Saturday.
It started with Warner's 31-yard completion to Fitzgerald on Arizona's first series. And when Warner hit Fitzgerald for 29-yard touchdown pass with 3:32 left in the second quarter, the Cardinals had a 20-point lead they would not surrender.
This is the first time Arizona has won two postseason games in a season, and improbable as it may be, the Cardinals, who finished the regular season 9-7 and lost four of the final six games, will play for a trip to the Super Bowl against the winner of Sunday's Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants game. They are the last NFC team to reach the conference championship game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
"We're playing good football now, and that's what's important," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said.
Criticized as a team that barely deserved to make the playoffs, Arizona did not have numbers in its favor headed into Charlotte. The Panthers were 8-0 at Bank of America Stadium, and the Cardinals were 0-5 east of the Mississippi River this season, including a loss at Carolina.
And before the game the Cardinals declared Boldin, their stud receiver, inactive with an injured left hamstring.
But during the week, Cardinals players maintained that all streaks end.
"The 10-point underdog was an insult," Cardinals defensive end Antonio Smith said. "Calling us the worst team in the playoffs was an insult. I don't think anybody who made those comments watched the film in the first game we played them. It gave the underdogs fuel for us to go out and do what we needed to do. We knew we could pull it out. We just had to believe in ourselves. Nobody else was."
As wonderful as the night was for the Cardinals, it was equally as miserable for the Panthers and quarterback Jake Delhomme, who had one of the worst games of his playoff career. He entered with the third-highest QB rating in playoff history behind Bart Starr and Joe Montana, but on his 34th birthday, Delhomme turned the ball over six times - five interceptions and one fumble. The Cardinals turned five of those turnovers into 23 points.
"In a nutshell, we picked a bad day to have a bad day," Carolina coach John Fox said.
Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, but he did his damage in the first half when he hauled in six passes for 151 yards. The Panthers were slow to catch on as Fitzgerald found openings in Carolina's zone defense. More than 75% of Warner's passing yards went to Fitzgerald. It was Fitzgerald's fourth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
"It's time to step up," Fitzgerald said. "If you want to be an outstanding player in this business, you have to really make sure you're accountable and you're stepping up in these kinds of games. I knew my team needed me with Q being out. I know I had to really go out there and make something happen, especially early."
With Boldin on the sideline, Arizona gave Carolina different looks by sending the normally stationary Fitzgerald in motion.
"I was in motion a lot more than I've been in in any other game," Fitzgerald said. "It was good scheme from the coaches. We put together something special to throw the defense off."
On the first series of the game, it looked like Carolina's talented tandem at running back -DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart- would have a strong game. It barely took three minutes for the Panthers to take a 7-0 lead. Williams rushed for 31 yards on one play, and on the next play, Stewart scored on a 9-yard run up the middle. He was barely touched.
But then the Cardinals scored 33 unanswered points, starting with Tim Hightower's 3-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. On that drive, Warner connected with Fitzgerald for a 41-yard gain, on a play the receiver said the coaching staff implemented the play during Friday's walk-through.
Coordinator Todd Haley and the offensive coaches "saw something on tape in last-minute preparations that they thought we might be able to take advantage of," Fitzgerald said.
Smith forced and recovered a Delhomme fumble after the ensuing kickoff, and Edgerrin James scored on a 4-yard run two plays later to give the Cardinals a 14-7 lead. Neil Rackers kicked two field goals - one after a Delhomme interception - and Arizona owned a 20-7 lead.
With 5:11 left in the second quarter, Delhomme threw his second interception, and Warner, who completed 21-of-32 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns, responded with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald that gave Arizona a 27-7 advantage.
"Without Q being out there, they were going to have to focus on him, and we were going to have to go to him to make some big plays," Warner said of Fitzgerald. "And it didn't matter. He stepped up big and made play after play for us."
After Delhomme's third interception midway through the third quarter, his QB rating dropped from 12.5 to 9.7.
He sorely missed his connection with receiver Steve Smith, who was limited to just two catches for 45 yards.
"You don't try to imagine games unfolding like that," Smith said. "It just happens. You just realize that you are the team that had the major malfunction."
Copyright (c)2008 wbir.com
New England Patriots to Use Franchise Tag on Cassel, ESPN Says
Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The New England Patriots will place a franchise tag on Matt Cassel, preventing the National Football League quarterback from becoming an unrestricted free agent as the team awaits Tom Brady's return from a knee injury, ESPN said.
The designation guarantees that Cassel, 26, would be paid at least an average of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL and would allow the team to trade him if Brady is healthy next season, ESPN said, citing unidentified people.
Cassel started 15 games for the Patriots this season after Brady, a two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, was injured during the first game.
Cassel threw for 3,693 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 11 Interceptions, as the Patriots finished 11-5 to narrowly miss the postseason.
(c)2009 BLOOMBERG L.P.
50 Years Later: How The Colts-Giants 1958 NFL Championship Changed Pro Football
They call it "The Greatest Game Ever Played."
The events that unraveled 50 years ago today would forever change the culture of Professional football as it ascended from baseball's offseason spectacle to our countrys's sport of choice.
Perhaps never before or since has a football game had the impact that this legendary showdown had. The championship game was contested between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. The location was legendary Yankee Stadium. The goal was to bring home an NFL Championship.
One could argue that this was the first NFL Championship game to posses a Super Bowl-like atmosphere as many consider this legendary encounter to be a pre-cursor to our current Super Bowl.
And why not?
The significance of this game is both impossible to overstate and ignorant to under-rate. After all, this game was no ordinary NFL Championship game.
The Baltimore Colts possessed six future Hall of Fame players and were coached by the future Hall of Famer, Weeb Ewbank. Yes, the very coach that would later be replaced by Don Shula and the same coach that would lead the New York Jets to a legendary upset over the Colts in Super Bowl III. But that is a story for another time.
The Giants were not short of greatness themselves. Their team included six future Hall of Fame players themselves.
How about their coaching staff?
Would you believe that Vince Lombardi was their offensive coordinator and Tom Landry was their defensive coordinator?
The showdown was set and millions of people sat and waited in anticipation.
Over 45 million people watched this NFL classic. Even Vice President Richard Nixon was one of the many notable people in attendance.
And the game itself?
The game would not disappoint.
The Colts would gain a 14-3 advantage in the first half. In the second half, the Giants fought and clawed their way back to a 17-17 tie.
What was to be done at the end of regulation?
Overtime as we all know it today was something nonexistent back in 1958. As a matter of fact, never in NFL history had a game gone into sudden death overtime. This became the first game in NFL history to be pushed to that extent.
A national television audience were about the witness the birth of a legend.
Johnny Unitas led the Colts down the field, his legend growing with every completion. All the people saw was Unitas to Berry, Unitas to Berry.
Johnny Unitas knew they could do it. Raymond Berry knew they could do it. And I have to believe at some point, even the Giants defense knew they were going to do it. Throughout the game, Berry totalled 12 receptions (a Championship record that stands to this day). The drive culminated as Alan Ameche ran in for the game-winning touchdown.
The historical significance of this event will never be forgotten in the annals of NFL history. Today marks the 50 year anniversary of this event. I wrote this article to illustrate the significance and importance these events have, even on the 20-year old Colts fans of today.
I can only hope that this article, along with the history of this game will gather the proper amount of exposure needed to illustrate the importance of this monumental event.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
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