off Page 246 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
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....
Greg Maddux Will Not Be A Unanimous Hall Of Famer
Because one jackass just announced his ballot, and Maddux isn't on it....
Heart of Darkness
The fear came for Willie Walker that November. He was not expecting it. Evening had dropped early and hard, as it does in Western Pennsylvania in the fall, but these were streets he had known forever. Hours had passed since the 2004 regional championship game had ended down in Pittsburgh; the adrena...
How Will Muschamp And Florida Sold Their Disastrous Season
I wasn't yet in Gainesville for the first press conference, held immediately after the season opener. Will Muschamp's Florida Gators had just demolished Toledo in a tune-up, an easy victory foreseen by just about everybody. The Gators had gone 11-1 the previous regular season, and only BCS politics ...
The Grim, Coppish Concerns And Macho Sketchiness Of Paul Lo Duca
This is part of an ongoing series in which, with the help of friends and associates, we're reviewing the merits—and relative lack of merits—of the players on this year's Hall of Fame ballot. All entries in the series can be found here....
Colin Kaepernick Is Cold-Blooded
Colin Kaepernick forgot to strap on his wristband with his team's plays when he took the field for the second half, forcing the 49ers to burn a timeout. He let cornerback Micah Hyde read his eyes on a pass late in the fourth, and only Hyde's drop kept it from being a backbreaking interception. Cling...
Cool Offsides Penalty Has No Effect On 49ers Win
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman might have underplayed how close the 49ers-Packers game was to giving us extra football. Phil Dawson's game-winning kick went through Davon House's arms before it went through the uprights—though House may have been was offsides—as San Francisco won in Lambeau Field, 23-20....
Actual Photos Of Lambeau Field From Today
Remember when we thought it was really cold at Lambeau Field? Well, it still is cold—four degrees, currently—but that wasn't accurate evidence of how Lambeau Field is a frigid hellscape. Here are some real photos from today, thanks to AP photographers....
Philip Rivers Is Pumped, But How The Hell Did The Chargers Win?
What? Huh? San Diego, a team that eked its way into the playoffs in the final weeks, will take on the Broncos for the third time this season after beating the Bengals 27-10. Philip Rivers must have also talked to Ric Flair before his game....
Andy Dalton Is Just Having A Bad Day
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton just threw his second pick, and the Chargers have the ball with a 10-point lead nine minutes left in the game. He threw 20 interceptions in the regular season, so these turnovers aren't really an aberration. They're still not helpful, though....
Eagles Fan Spits On Saints Fan Moments After Losing
Saints fan Nick Scelfo was at the Linc to watch his team win on a field goal as time expired. He recorded the moments after the Eagles lost, celebrating while being surrounded by Philly fans. Most of them ignored him, but one fan near him said, "I'm gonna spit in your face," a second before followin...
This Is Not What Lambeau Field Currently Looks Like
Many people on Twitter thought that this is was the frigid state of Lambeau Field today, before the 49ers-Packers game. It is not. This AP photo is from Dec. 22. The Packers also put it on Instagram two weeks ago....
Why The Chiefs Lost
Chiefs players might feel terrible this morning, but they pulled off a rather impressive feat last night. Despite losing Jamaal Charles, inarguably their best offensive player, to a possible concussion six plays into the game, Kansas City's offense still produced 44 points. It's a shame that the Col...
Chiefs-Colts Was The Classic Playoff Game We Get Every Year
It happens nearly every year and we're always surprised, but Chiefs-Colts was another insane NFL playoff game. After a close first quarter, the Chiefs jumped all over the Colts in the second quarter with 21 points and headed into the half—on an Andrew Luck interception—with a 31-10 lead. The Colts c...
How Did The NFL Experts Do With Their Division Predictions?
Let's look at how the 57 NFL Pundits we are tracking fared with their preseason predictions for the division winners. First, here were their collective predictions:...
NFL Playoff Longshots: A Guide To The Also-Rans
The teams with the best Super Bowl chances in this year's playoffs are obvious. But who cares about them—most aren't even playing this weekend. This is a look at some of the other teams in the Wild Card round who haven't gotten as much play, whether it's because they're heavy underdogs or just haven...
According To Exit Polls, These Four Players Will Make The Hall Of Fame
The 2014 inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced next Wednesday. As of today, 101 sportswriters (of the 600-something eligible) have publicly shared their votes. Projecting from those ballots, four players will make it to Cooperstown, and a fifth will fall just short....
Murray Chass Is Everything That's Wrong With The Hall Of Fame Election
Murray Chass, a once-great baseball reporter turned bitter crank, recently revealed his 2013 Hall of Fame ballot in a blog post in which he proudly stated that he did not vote for Craig Biggio or Mike Piazza because he believes that they used steroids. It was the kind of thing that was written speci...
Here's How Completely And Utterly Fucked The Challenge System Is
Drew Magary’s Thursday Afternoon NFL Dick Joke Jamboroo runs every Thursday during the NFL season. Email Drew here. ...
Three Of Four NFL Playoff Games Could Be Blacked Out
The NFL maintains the largest live-to-televised enjoyment disparity of any major sport, but that ought to dissipate come the postseason. Yet three playoff games still have thousands of unsold tickets remaining, and broadcasts in those areas could be blacked out this weekend. The deadlines are just h...