Angry at the NFL players who refused to stand during the national anthem, about fifty people protested at a rally Sunday just blocks from Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, where the New York Giants faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . “My attitude is, if my flag offends you, then I’ll help you pack,” said Jim Heckman. “You need to leave America if you can’t stand the flag.”
Christian Laettner, meet Chris Chiozza. Your contributions to March Madness lore may be 25 years apart, but the memories will go on for far longer. Laettner, who was already well-known, made “The Shot,” in 1992 that kept Duke’s hopes alive for a repeat championship, which they won. Chiozza, a popular figure on the Florida campus, but relatively unknown elsewhere, sent the Gators to the Elite 8 on Friday with “The Shot 2.” One should be careful before making comparisons between…
We’ve all heard the adage: defense wins championships. In the NFL, that doesn’t necessarily apply. Of course, it still helps – a lot, actually – to have a stout group on that side of the line. But, as the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers have proven this season, a team can get to the cusp of the Super Bowl while ranking near the bottom of the league in the two most prominent defensive categories: points and total yards.…
The numbers are staggering. Over 182,000 yards passing (more than 103 miles worth), nearly 1,300 touchdowns and seven championships, with an eighth guaranteed for whoever parties in the confetti in Houston next month. Yet the numbers that might define Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan as much as any other on their eye-popping, fantasy football league-winning stat lines might 39, 34, 33 and 31 – the ages of the quarterbacks in the NFL’s version of the Final…
Aaron Rodgers has been unbeatable on a seven-game run that carried Green Bay to the divisional round. So was Dallas rookie Dak Prescott for 11 straight in the regular season, a surge that ultimately benched 10-year starter Tony Romo and led to the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the quarterback’s playoff debut Sunday against the Packers (11-6). Rodgers plays at the home of the Cowboys (13-3) for the first time since winning his only Super Bowl following the 2010…
Two teams took the first step toward the Super Bowl on Saturday. With Houston and Seattle moving on, two more games will set up the NFL’s Elite 8. Here are Sunday’s matchups. Miami (10-6) at Pittsburgh (11-5), Sunday at 1:05 p.m. (CBS) Miami is making its first playoff appearance since 2008 and is looking for its first postseason win since the wild-card round in 2000. Quarterback Matt Moore will make his first postseason start for the Dolphins with Ryan Tannehill…
Florida’s three NFL teams were all underdogs heading into their season-opening games. The Atlanta Falcons were three-point home favorites over the Bucs, while Miami was a 10-point underdog in Seattle and Green Bay was favored by five in Jacksonville. As we know, only the Bucs were able to come away with the upset win. There are fundamental reasons why: leadership, confidence and the ability to make plays at crucial times. The Dolphins played a strong defensive game, but that was…
