Author: gridiron

With the rise of the jumbo video boards, the high-quality sound systems and the overall heightened stadium experience, many NFL fan bases are beginning to get quite spoiled with the amenities at many NFL stadiums.

Whether you think it’s necessary or not, many NFL stadiums are quite the spectacle and provide fans with an unprecedented experience on game days. But which stadium in fact gives the fans the best venue to watch an NFL game?

Could it be Cowboy Stadium in the land of Jerry Jones? Obviously the large video board and the enormous size of the venue makes it a football haven for fans. But don’t forget about Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which has created a great atmosphere and experience for fans visiting Colt country.

But even the old stadiums provide a unique experience for fans, including the great Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The Packer faithful never seem to have trouble filling the iconic stadium, creating an old school feel, with a new school team.

Which NFL stadium do you prefer?

Who do you think is the top running back in college football?

Despite his incident over the offseason, it seems clear that Montee Ball is going to be back in full force in 2012 with Wisconsin. In an offense that has traditionally favored the running back, Ball comes into the season seeming like the clear-cut favorite to be the best back in the nation.

Ball had nearly 2,000 yards rushing and well over 2,000 all-purpose yards for Wisconsin in 2011. Despite running backs like Trent Richardson departing for the NFL, Ball decided to hold on for his senior season.

Is Ball the best in the nation? Or could it be Marcus Lattimore from South Carolina? Lattimore will face some of the top defenses in the nation in the SEC, but still managed to average five yards per carry in 2011 before being injured.

Stepfan Taylor is also a running back to watch in 2012, as the senior will benefit from the Stanford style of offense, and should get a lot of work with the departure of quarterback Andrew Luck.

No one really expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to be contenders right away in the AFC South. But in week three of the preseason, Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 266 yards on 27-of-36 passing in a 48-17 rout of the Jaguars on Thursday in Baltimore.

Granted it’s the preseason, but without Maurice Jones-Drew getting carries, the Jaguars don’t seem to be a serious threat in 2012.

The Ravens racked up 571 yards of offense – in a preseason game – with 433 yards passing in the game, while averaging nearly eight yards per offensive play, opposed to the Jaguars four yards per play. On the bright side, the Jaguars are getting a good look at rookie wide receiver Justin Blackmon, who looks to be solidifying his spot as the top receiver on the Jaguars’ roster.

What do you think? Did someone else have a blunder this week?

Week two of the preseason allows for more opportunities for starters, and a bigger separation between the locks to make the team, and those who are seeing their NFL dreams come to a halt.

The rookie class of 2012 continued to prove its worth, as more and more rookies made plays in the second week of the preseason. Aside from the obvious choices of talking quarterbacks again, Jaguars rookie wide receiver Justin Blackmon caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown in week two, helping to solidify his spot as the top wide receiver target in the Jaguars system.

Getting back on the quarterback bandwagon, Seahawks rookie signal-caller Russell Wilson may be getting close to wrapping up the starting job in Seattle, as the first-year player has thrown for 279 yards and three touchdowns in his first two preseason games. Wilson could beat out free agent signee Matt Flynn for that starting job.

Who would you pick to be best performer from week two of the preseason? Is it a quarterback? Or are other players stepping up?

You often hear about linebackers or big defensive tackles being the most feared players on an NFL field. What about on the offensive side of the ball?

Receiver is the one position where a one-on-one matchup with a talented wide receiver could leave the defensive backfield searching for answers. So the question is, if you were a defensive back in the NFL, who would be your most feared receiver of all time?

Could it be Jerry Rice, the man who owns nearly every receiving record in the NFL? Rice played from 1984-2004, amassing over 22,800 yards receiving in his career. Rice also went over 23,500 all-purpose yards, benefitting from playing with quarterbacks like Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Could it be a current player? Like a Randy Moss, who by some, is considered to be the greatest deep threat the game of football has ever seen?

What do you think? Who is the most feared receiver of all time?

No one ever said that having replacement officials during the preseason would be a pretty sight to see. But most people probably didn’t expect it to be this bad, either. With the NFL officials in a lockout as the 2012 season nears, replacement officials from all over the football landscape have entered into the NFL ranks, and into the spotlight.

In a sport where officials are constantly being ridiculed and questioned, the replacement officials of 2012 may be getting it even worse. The officials have made headlines for announcing the wrong team, missing obvious calls and awarding a touchback to a team when the ball was downed at the five yard line.

In the Baltimore vs. Atlanta preseason game in week one, the head referee announced on two separate occasions that “Arizona” will not be charged a timeout, which is great, especially since Arizona wasn’t playing that night.

The cases in week one of the preseason piled up, as calls were missed, such as Bills receiver Stevie Johnson being tackled while attempting to catch a pass down the field in the Redskins-Bills preseason opener. Of course, no penalty was called.

What was your favorite referee blunder of week one of the preseason?

Matt Barkley has USC football back among college football’s elite. The Trojans, ranked third in the first USA Today preseason poll, will likely benefit from Barkley returning for his senior season, despite being rumored as one of the top picks in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Barkley has been the cover boy for USC football, especially after a stellar 2011 season. Barkley was recently on the cover of both Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated for Kids according to Michael Lev of the Orange County Register. The senior quarterback looks to be the Heisman favorite in 2012, especially with a plethora of talent surrounding him at USC. Barkley is also on pace to become USC’s all-time leading passer, after becoming the Trojans starting quarterback in his freshman season.

Outside of Matt Barkley, other college players will look to sneak up and snag the top individual prize in college football. Players like quarterback Denard Robinson from Michigan, quarterback Tyler Wilson from Arkansas and running back Montee Ball from Wisconsin could all challenge Barkley for the Heisman in 2012.

What do you think? Who would you give the preseason Heisman to right now?

It seems to be the common theme in the NFL these days: walk away from coaching or playing and go straight to the broadcasting booth. Many coaches and even players are taking that route, as the television screen on Sunday’s – and throughout the week – is filled with some form of NFL experience – whether they wore a headset or wore a helmet.

But if you’re an NFL team right now, which analyst could come in and fill a coaching void right now?

The obvious choices could be proven veteran coaches like John Gruden or Tony Dungy, who hold two of the more prestigious NFL broadcasting gigs in Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football, respectively.

But what about guys like an Emmitt Smith, or a Troy Aikman, or even a Kurt Warner? Could those former players come in and make a difference as a coach? Obviously they had success as a player, so who’s to say they couldn’t carry that success over to the coaching realm?

What do you think? Which current NFL analyst would make the best head coach right now?

Football season is back. It may just be the preseason, but just having football back on the television says a lot, especially in the dog days of summer.

With a week of NFL preseason games officially in the rear-view mirror, it’s a great time to start pinpointing the rookies that could make a significant impact this season, judging by their performances in week one.

The obvious answer right off the bat would be Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts. Luck threw for 186 yards on 10-of-16 passing, including a touchdown pass on his first pass as an Indianapolis Colt. The rookie was extremely poised, and more importantly did not turn the football over.

One could also make the argument for Robert Griffin III, who threw for 70 yards on 4-of-6 passing, leading the Redskins to their only scoring drive of the game. Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill was also impressive, going 7-of-8 in his Dolphins debut.

Was it Luck, Griffin III, Tannehill or another rookie? Who would you pick for the breakout rookie of the preseason to this point?

While the most important player on the offensive side of the football has always been considered the quarterback, the most important player on any defense has to be the middle linebacker. The middle linebacker is typically the captain of the defense and has the ability to control the entire flow of a game. During the NFLs long history there have been many great linebackers, three of which could make an argument as being the best ever.

One of the most imposing players in NFL history was Dick Butkus. Butkus played for the Chicago Bears for nine seasons. While the Bears never had a great team in that time period, Butkus was always the best player on the field and he made eight Pro Bowl rosters and was the Defensive Player of the year twice.

Mike Singletary also played his entire career with the Chicago Bears. From 1981 to 1992, Singletary was the starting middle linebacker for Chicago defenses that were always among the best in the league. He starred on the 1985 Chicago Bears defense, which is considered the best defense ever and led the Bears to a Super Bowl victory.

During the 1970s, the most dominating team in the NFL was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their extremely strong defense was led by Jack Lambert, who was named to nine Pro Bowl teams and was on four Super Bowl winning teams.

Clearly, Butkus, Singletary, and Lambert all had great careers and were extremely dominant. Among those, or any other linebacker, who do you think was the best middle linebacker ever?