NFL Page 976 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Do Colder NFL Games Have Fewer Penalties?
While watching some insanely frigid football last weekend, one Deadspinner wondered if there were fewer flags in cold NFL games, the result of referees deciding, consciously or not, to speed games up and get the hell off the field. Without scrutinizing hundreds of hours of game tape we can't really ...
The Secret Of The Seahawks' Defense? Fouling, Maybe
The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating look at the dominant Seahawks secondary, which seems to have been able to turn just about everyone into a star. Part of that is the remarkable amount of pressure they bring, but another part—perhaps—is as brilliant as it is simple. Maul receivers, because th...
How The Seahawks' NFL-Best Defense Runs On Pressure
The Seattle Seahawks have the league's most dominant defense, one that prides itself on brutality—usually legal, but not always—and turnovers. The catalyst for all those interceptions and fumbles is an uncommon defensive scheme that prioritizes one thing above all others: Pressure....
Every Game Was Terrible: The Year The CFL Failed To Conquer America
Imagine fall Sunday afternoons without the NFL. No tailgate parties, no televisions to shout at, no games whatsoever. Nothing. Now imagine you're an executive for a television company that had just agreed to fork over hundreds of millions of dollars for broadcast rights to a league that has no games...
<em>Wall Street Journal</em>: Bill Belichick Smiled Seven Times This Season
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a mumbling, taciturn grump when it comes to speaking with media. But what about those rare instances when he doesn't look like he'd rather be anywhere else? A visibly happy Belichick is a rarely occurring natural phenomenon, like a blue moon or Halley's Comet. Fortun...
Pennsylvania Man Filed Motion Against NFL To Put Steelers In Playoffs
Daniel Spuck felt that his Pittsburgh Steelers were screwed out of a playoff spot after officials overseeing the Chiefs-Chargers game didn't call a penalty that would have handed San Diego the likely loss, thereby giving the Steelers the final AFC postseason berth. Spuck took this bold stance agains...
Ric Flair Claims He's Received Death Threats From Panthers Fans
Ric Flair is one of North Carolina's favorite sons. He's also a stylin', profilin', limousine ridin', jet flyin', kiss-stealin', wheelin' and dealin' son of a gun, so when the 49ers invited him to address the team, he said hell yes. But now the 49ers are heading to Charlotte, and Panthers fans aren'...
Budweiser To Terrorize Hell's Kitchen With Super Bowl Hell Boat
Tailgating will not be allowed at this year's Super Bowl, but fans will still have ample opportunity to turn the weekend into a boozy shitshow thanks to the Bud Light Hotel New York. ...
NFL Betting Lines, Visualized: Divisional Round (Late Edition)
Below is your late betting info for the divisional-round playoff games (you can see the early-week edition here). Spread movement is now included, and the money lines, over/unders, and bet trend have been updated. I've also added one extra data point: the over/under movement from the opening line. S...
Hey, It's Three Years (And A Day) Since Marshawn Lynch Went Beast Mode
Three-year anniversaries aren't usually news pegs. (Three years and a day, even less so, but hey, we were busy.) Saturday's Saints-Seahawks playoff rematch makes it a little more defensible. But let's be honest—we don't really need reason to want to revisit and marvel over Marshawn Lynch's incredibl...
Reports: Jay Gruden Will Be New Redskins Head Coach
That's the word from just about everywhere. The Bengals' offensive coordinator, and one of the most successful players and coaches in Arena League history, is expected to be introduced later today....
Report: The Dolphins Are A Dysfunctional Mess Behind The Scenes
Even juicier than Black Monday in the NFL is the semi-regular "here's how truly screwed up this franchise was" post-mortem feature in a local paper. Yesterday, Armando Salguero in the Miami Herald gave us a peek into the power struggle that forced out Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, and it's a ugly....
Warrant: Aaron Hernandez Circled Victims Before 2012 Drive-By Murders
Surveillance footage shows an SUV driven by Aaron Hernandez circling the block near a Boston nightclub, waiting for a group of men to get in their own vehicle, before pulling up alongside it and spraying it with gunfire, according to a search warrant released yesterday. It's the most solid evidence ...
Future Of NFL Playoffs Could Look Very Different
At a public forum at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y last night, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sounded optimistic that the league's competition committee will soon approve an expansion of the playoffs to 14 teams, with the extra games possibly held on Friday or Monday....
NFL Betting Lines, Visualized: Divisional Round (Early Edition)
Here is your early betting info for the Divisional round of the playoffs this weekend. Money lines for all the games are already available, but we'll update on Thursday with spread movements. Like last week, we've included the average spread and average over/under for each team, as well as the appro...
Trademark Agency Rejects "Redskins" Application As "Derogatory"
Late last month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied an application to register a trademark for "Redskins Hog Rinds," a product wholly unrelated to the Washington football team. The USPTO's reasoning for refusing the trademark is simple: It's offensive....
Is "Discipline" Overrated In The NFL?
The 2013-14 Seahawks finished the year with a 13-3 record, a +186 point differential, and +40.1 percent DVOA, making them arguably the best team in the NFL. They also led the league in penalties (128) and penalty yards (1,193). Baltimore led in both categories last year and won the Super Bowl over t...
Former NFL Player Dies Mysteriously At Age 35
Todd Williams, who briefly played as a reserve right tackle for the Tennessee Titans in 2004 and 2005 after playing college ball at Florida State, was found dead in Bradenton, Fla. on Monday. ...