The NFL’s Salute to Service in November served as a reminder that the league is committed to supporting our troops not only around Veterans Day but all year round. And it’s always encouraging to see other organizations and companies around the country getting in on the act.
In this case, Gillette has been running a campaign to help raise money for another long-time partner of the NFL – the USO. When you visit and “Like” this Gillette app on Facebook, Gillette will donate $1 to the USO. Participants are also encouraged to share stories, pictures or videos of service members they are proud of. As of Thursday night, there are more than 980,000 “likes” on the page and more than 18,000 people talking about it on Facebook. It’s for a good cause, so be sure to check it out.
Who would you invite to the Super Bowl if you had an extra ticket? Your brother? Dad? College buddy? Significant other? (If you have a significant other, he or she might not be significant much longer if they’re not your first pick.)
Now for the curveball: Who would you bring with you to the big game if you had 10 extra tickets? On the one hand, that makes the first two or three picks easy because you don’t have to choose between the first couple of obvious options. But if you have 10 tickets to give out, how do you determine who doesn’t make the cut? That 11th choice might look at you a little differently after he’s left out.
Of course, if you are handed 11 tickets to Super Bowl XLVI, this would have to be considered a good problem to have. Right?
Well that’s the offer on the table in Visa’s “YOU+TEN” campaign. So check out Visa’s Facebook page for details on how you can get in the game. And start thinking about who makes the cut.
The “Cover Two Podcast” delivers a lot of football talk by football people with weekly guests from around the NFL. We flipped the script this week and were joined by hip-hop legend Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor of the iconic group A Tribe Called Quest.
Though a native New Yorker who forever represented his city in nearly every song, Phife has lived in the Bay Area of California since the early 2000s and sat with us via Raiders Cam in Alameda, Calif. His NFL allegiances still are with the Jets, though, and the knowledgeable artist said the team’s playoff hopes rest with QB Mark Sanchez.
“It seemed like he regressed a little bit,” Phife said of Sanchez after praising his play during the first two seasons. “The last couple weeks he came back and [put] the team on his back. Hopefully, he gets better. Hopefully he can it done enough to get that wild card because I think a lot of teams aren’t going to want to play us.”
Phife also said he’s an Eagles fan, but his reasoning for that is amusing. Phife also showed co-host and North Carolina product Bucky Brooks some Tar Heel love. He cut me to the quick, though, when it came to my alma mater, Howard University. That’s okay, though, I’m still down with Phife and the Tribe.
To that point, Phife also dropped some info on his solo project and whether A Tribe Called Quest has a project in the works. You won’t know what you need to know unless you tune in.
Stop the presses- Brian Billick is now a Tim Tebow believer. Listen to what changed his mind. Plus, hear what the coaches have to say about Jason Garrett‘s play-calling in the Cowboys’ loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. All this and more from Billick and Jim Mora in this week’s The Coaches Podcast.
We know that Texans LB Connor Barwin is a bad man, but so bad that the Jaguars fired coach Jack Del Rio and then owner Wayne Weaver sold the team, all after Barwin recorded four sacks against two quarterbacks in a 20-13 Texans win in Jacksonville on Sunday?
That’s a real bad dude.
“It’s kind of crazy what’s happening there,” Barwin good-naturedly played along during the “Cover Two Podcast.”
Barwin — a nominee for Hardest-Working Man of Week 12 — also welcomed the added burden on the defense now that Houston has to continue its playoff push with third-string QB T.J. Yates.
“The adversity that we’ve faced has made this team closer,” Barwin said. “That’s how we want it. As a defensive player, that’s what you want. You want to feel like it’s on you to win the game.”
As for Yates, Barwin said: “He knows the system. As long as he cannot crash the car, he’s going to be all right.”
Barwin’s former Texans teammate, Ravens FB Vonta Leach, also joined the “Cover Two Podcast.” Leach said he loves clearing the path for Ray Rice but that the running back needs to touch the ball between 20 to 25 times per game, something that’s not consistently the case with Baltimore.
Leach also said he needs to get a new facemask after every game because of the physical contact he administers/endures. He also said he’s working on his second helmet of the season because of the damage his first one has sustained. Leach said the junked helmet will go on his trophy case.
Listen to Brian Billick and Jim Mora on “The Coaches Podcast” where they discuss all the hot topics from Week 12, including the future of Andy Reid, Ndamukong Suh‘s stomp and who should replace Matt Leinart in Houston.
Since it’s Thanksgiving week, we decided to do some home cooking on the “Cover Two Podcast,” and NFL Network’s Charles Davis and NFL.com fantasy guru Michael Fabiano stopped through to eat with co-host Bucky Brooks and I.
It definitely was one of the better shows of the season as we discussed the slippery slopes under the feet of the Jets, Giants, Chargers and Bears.
Davis chimed in on the heated discussion as to why Tim Tebow gets the label of being a winner despite having some flaws, while Vince Young doesn’t. We also stirred the pot as to whether coaches Mike Shanahan, Leslie Frazier and Ken Whisenhunt deserve to be on the hot seat.
Davis also brought his expertise covering college games to complement Brooks in his pro prospect report. There are some varying opinions on USC QB Matt Barkley, but not on which quarterback — he or Andrew Luck – could be viewed more favorably.
Fabiano gives his usual great insight on the fantasy world, and said that even though Titans RB Chris Johnson has been a fantasy nightmare, he’s not worthy of putting on the shelf quite yet. Fabiano also mentions an NFL running back with fantasy value who would never, ever, ever get mentioned on the “Cover Two Podcast” otherwise.
Eagles OT Todd Herremans was a guest on Tuesday’s “Cover Two Podcast,” shedding some light on what’s gone wrong in Philadelphia while providing a teammate’s perspective on the benching of WR DeSean Jackson.
“A lot of people might look at De Sean and think he’s very selfish, but he’s not,” Herremans said. “DeSean is one of the best teammates you can have. When he’s on the field, there’s nothing more that he wants but to win.
“There’s a lot going on outside of the actual game for him this year that I don’t know the ins and outs of, but I don’t really think he’s in trouble of losing the locker room. He’s on our squad, he’s still our little brother and he’s going to go out there to help us win some games the rest of the year.
“As far as getting benched, I’ve been benched a couple times. Coach (Andy) Reid doesn’t treat anybody differently from his superstar wide receiver to his underrated offensive lineman. One of the things Coach Reid hammers on is the little things. You lose five games and certain things start slipping, like showing up late to a meeting to not coming to the meeting at all. He’s going to make an example of that.”
Herremans also shared his thoughts on his former position coach, Juan Castillo, who’s now the Eagles’ much-maligned defensive coordinator.
The Bears’ Monday night victory over the Eagles kept Chicago in the playoff race and possibly extinguished Philadelphia’s hopes — although Cover Two Podcast co-host Bucky Brooks said the Birds still have some. At 3-5, they’d better have more than hope.
In conjunction with NFL.com’s midseason awards and projections this week, the podcast heavily looked at what teams have a realistic shot at the playoffs — like Chicago — and what teams are on greased skids to start getting heavily into draft preparation.
We also delved further into Broncos QB Tim Tebow. Not if he’s an NFL player, but if Denver can continue to help him succeed by altering its offense to be more spread-option based and if the option can be a long-term solution. Denver is only one game back in the AFC West, which is log-jammed with 4-4 teams and then the Broncos at 3-5.
Lastly, I posed the question: If you were on the street playing a touch football game and had to get to the light pole to score a touchdown, which quarterback would you rather have: Washington’s John Beck or Indianapolis’ Curtis Painter? Finding an answer was a lot harder than you’d think.
Brian Billick and Jim Mora discuss the most interesting topics around the league, including how Norv Turner should get the Chargers back on track, what Jerry Jones should say to Rob Ryan and how Marvin Lewis has turned around the Bengals.
Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is playing better than just about any defender in the NFL and is the driving force behind Houston’s vastly improved defense. He joined the “Cover Two Podcast” to discuss his strong start and how he wasn’t overly keen on moving to the inside but trusted new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips‘ decision to play him there.
” It just feels right,” Said Cushing. “It was one of those things since the first day in camp (Phillips) … put me at middle line backer feeling that was my best coverage. He feels I can run sideline to sideline and just knows where guys fit. He watched film the whole offseason, and that’s where he was going to put me, as a (middle) linebacker. I wasn’t so sure of it, but I trusted him knowing his background, all his credentials and everything and it just really worked out.”
Cushing also sheds some light on what’s been the difference in Houston’s 180-turn from being one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season to the third-ranked unit this year.
“As a defense and a team, we just have the mentality that whoever comes to play against us we feel we can win,” Cushing said. “I think that’s a different mindset than before, even banged up right now with some guys. I think that the confidence on this team is just really overwhelming and were just excited for the next challenge every week.”
Of course, we had to talk Tim Tebow, and throw water on the suggestion that coach John Fox and Executive VP of Football Operations John Elway are putting Tebow in a position to fail so they can prove to “Tebow Nation” that he can’t play. Tune in to hear us rip.
In one of the best podcasts to date, we also discuss if the Saints would fall apart like the Colts have this season if quarterback Drew Brees were to get hurt, and which of the rookie quarterbacks could be on a career path that parallels Alex Smith.
We also dole out some midseason awards and take players to task for complaining about dirty play. Take off the skirts fellas and settle it on the field.
We all know that free agent WR Terrell Owens tore the ACL in his left knee and that he’s recovered to the point where he held a public workout this week so teams at least have video of his progress — although none attended in person. How he suffered the injury wasn’t widely known — until now.
Owens told me on NFL.com’s “Cover Two Podcast” that he wasn’t exactly sure what he did to tear his ACL, but it occured while he was rehabilitating his left knee that was operated on last fall after he had sustained cartilage damage while playing for the Bengals. Owens was placed on injured reserve after 14 games with Cincinnati because of the injury.
“I just tweaked it, I didn’t know exactly how,” Owens said. “I was just doing some rehab stuff.”
Owens said he called his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who arranged for the MRI exam that revealed the torn ACL that led an extensive procedure. Despite having the knee operated on twice in less than a year, Owens said teams shouldn’t fear that he’s not ready to play.
“I’m not the first guy that’s had an ACL injury,” Owens said. “This is surprising to me, some of the questions about would somebody sign be because of the knee injury.”
Co-host Bucky Brooks, who also attended Owens’ workout in Calabasas, Calif., wrote a column on NFL.com that Owens’ career, in his opinion, is over. Brooks further explained on the podcast.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis joined this week’s “Cover Two Podcast” and said the team’s 4-1 start stems from a lack of individualism and an understanding that they’re far from a finished product.
First-year coach Jim Harbaugh recently addressed the team and said, “The longer it takes us to realize we are a good football team, the better off we’ll be,” Willis told co-host Bucky Brooks and I. The perennial Pro Bowl selection also answered a Twitter fan question and said that if he ever scores a touchdown, don’t count on him doing the Dougie.
I’m guessing he’s a tad too buffed to go all Chris Brown on us.
Willis also gives us his thoughts on the Detroit Lions, who the 49ers face Sunday in an unthinkable marquee matchup, and it’s his opinion that San Francisco is better served worrying about itself than the unbeaten Motor City Megatrons.
Also on the show, Brooks really demonstrates his scouting chops, breaking down why the Packers wide receivers are so good. The insight is fascinating, especially since Brooks used to work for Green Bay and fully understands the deep-rooted philosophy in finding receivers. Brooks also tells us what NFL talent evaluators are saying about college prospects.
We also venture into Tim Tebow’s ascension in Denver, whether the Bengals should trade “retired” quarterback Carson Palmer now or after the season, and who will end up having a better rookie season: A.J. Green or Julio Jones?
Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, 36, said he plans to play until he’s 40 and that unbeaten Green Bay will “let everybody chase us while we chase something greater.”
“Once you get there once, you want to be there again,” Driver said of another run to the Super Bowl on the Cover Two Podcast with NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks.
Driver said that he tore a muscle in his lower leg in Sunday’s victory over Denver, but he will play this week at Atlanta when the Packers plan to beat the Falcons in the Georgia Dome for a second straight time.
As for retirement being a few more years down the road: “An idol of mine was Jerry [Rice]. He played until he was 42. I feel like I’m playing at a high level.”
Also on the podcast, we discuss why — and why not — the Vikings should change quarterbacks, if the Lions are for real, and we look at the hits and misses of the 2009 NFL Draft class. Brooks also hands out some early season awards. You’ll be surprised at who he says is the NFL’s MVP.
People love ‘em and people hate ‘em, but when you play quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, you’re one of the most scrutinized players in the NFL. Tony Romo has been picked apart for years, but right now the pickings are good.
Romo’s two clutch performances with a broken rib and punctured lung have shown guts and focus, and on the Cover Two Podcast we discuss how that has impacted a locker room in need of a galvanizing element. It’s not just Romo that’s keeping Dallas in games. Tune in to find out why the Cowboys could be serious playoff contenders and how they boast one of the game’s rising stars.
Co-host Bucky Brooks believes the two losses the Eagles have suffered are symptomatic of what’s to come, in part, because quarterback Michael Vick is showing some negative tendencies he developed when he played for the Falcons. I expected Philadelphia to be hot and cold early on before bringing things together, so I explain why inconsistencies come as no surprise.
Also, what’s going on with the Falcons and Steelers? They still seem capable of being Super Bowl contenders, but they’ve got some serious holes to patch if they even want to make it to the playoffs.
On the issue of concerns stemming from not fulfilling preseason expectations, we discuss why the Rams are in serious trouble. All you really have to do is look at their next four games to understand why matching last season’s seven-win total might be asking a bit much. Will Steven Jackson have anything left when/if the Rams ever get over the hump? It would be a shame if he doesn’t.
We also hand out the award to the Biggest Virginia Tech Complainer of the Week: Vick or Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall?
Sidelines What are NFL players and coaches doing when they’re not at work? From community events to appearances on shows like Dancing With the Stars and everywhere in between, NFL.com offers a sideline pass to see what’s happening off the field.
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