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Posts Tagged ‘Philadelphia Eagles’

The Atlanta Falcons are a professional football team that joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1965. Since its inception, the franchise has a record of 298-402-6, winning NFC South division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004 and 2010. The team appeared Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, where it lost 34-19 to the Denver Broncos.

The Falcons were born of a dispute about which type of professional football team should play in Atlanta’s Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium: an NFL team or an American Football League (AFL) team. With some convincing from NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Atlanta chose the former. Under the ownership Rankin Smith Sr., the Falcons’ first day as a franchise was June 30, 1965.

Success in the 70′s and 80′s

Despite drafting acclaimed linebacker Tommy Nobis before their first season in 1966, the franchise finished the 1960′s by notching a dismal 12 wins in four years. But their record improved in the 1970′s, and in 1971, they had their first winning season. In 1978, the squad won its first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and then lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27-20 the following week.

Building on their success in the 70′s, the squad began the 80′s on a tear, posting a then franchise record 12 wins-nine of which were consecutive-in 1980. But after capturing their first NFC West division title, their Super Bowl hopes were again dashed by the Cowboys in a 30-24 loss. In 1989, the franchise made a precipitous move by drafting the enigmatic corner back “Neon Deon” Sanders.

The 90′s Begin with Sanders

Sanders, a two-sport athlete who also played major league baseball, did more than help the franchise on the field. His colorful personality also attracted a new, young fan base that improved the team’s fortunes through increased ticket and merchandise sales and better TV contracts. Even so, the 90′s Falcons biggest field accomplishments would be moving to the Georgia Dome in 1992 and playing in Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, where they lost to the Broncos.

The 2000s Begin with Vick

Like Sanders in the early 90′s, Michael Vick-a quarter back with superior rushing ability-would ensure that the Falcons’ ticket and merchandise sales and TV appearances remained lucrative. But the Falcons would never see a Super Bowl victory with Vick as quarterback, his tenure ending in tragedy after he plead guilty to dog fighting charges in the state of Virginia in 2007. The Falcons would ultimately replace Vick with first round draft pick Matt Ryan, winner of the 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Winning and Losing in 2010

In 2010, the squad posted an impressive record of 13-3-its best in the new millennium-but lost a surreal divisional playoff game 48-21 against the Green Bay Packers, with the Packers reeling off an unanswered 35 points after the Falcons’ hot start. As Atlanta sports writer Leo Wells points out in his blog, the squad projects to have a fine season again in 2011-2012.

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The Oakland Raiders are one of the most popular, and the most hated, teams in the National Football League. The fans of the team feel there is something genuine in the legendary silver and black mystique that surrounds it. The team has been a part of many of the most memorable plays and games in pro football history. Legend has it that many rules, from the rule prohibiting the use of Stick-um to the rule regarding using the helmet as a weapon, were put in place specifically because of the Oakland Raiders. There is a great deal known about the franchise, but here are five things you probably don’t know about the Oakland Raiders.

1. Raiders running back Marcus Allen was the first player in the history of the NFL to gain more than 10,000 yards rushing and more than 5,000 yards receiving during his career.

2. At the time that Raiders head coach John Madden retired from coaching he had coached in the league for ten years, won a Super Bowl ring, would eventually be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and was the youngest coach ever to reach 100 victories. Amazingly, he was also just 42 years old.

3. The Raiders franchise is the only NFL team to win championships in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

4. During the team’s second season of play in 1961, the Oakland Raiders played their home games across the bay in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

5. The Raiders Super Bowl XV win over the Philadelphia Eagles allowed them to become the first Wild Card team ever to win the big game.

From the sometimes strange and sometimes near genius moves and strategies of Al Davis to the team’s coaches and players, the personalities surrounding the Raiders have always been a large part of the team. Some of the more famous players that have worn the silver and black include Jim Otto, Fred Biletnikoff, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Marcus Allen, Ted Hendricks, Howie Long, Mike Haynes, Dave Casper, Lyle Alzado, Randy Moss, Jim Plunkett, Lester Hayes, Ray Guy, Pete Banaszak, Cliff Branch, Tim Brown, Bo Jackson, Rocket Ismail, Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, Otis Sistrunk, Ken Stabler, Jack Tatum, Greg Townsend, Daryle Lamonica, Todd Christensen, Kerry Collins, Tom Flores, John Matuszak, Mark Van Eeghen, Rich Gannon, Tyrone Wheatley, Charles Woodson, Matt Millen, and Bob Golic. With characters and players like this is it easy to see how the Raiders have made their mark on the National Football League. The Oakland Raiders are one of the irreplaceable franchises in the NFL, and the love them or hate them, the league is better off because of their existence.

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Last month’s blizzard that created snowfall in the South and the East Coast where Boston, New York (two cities that I want to visit in the near future) Philadelphia and Atlantic City, New Jersey (two of my favorite vacation destinations) each received over 10 inches of snow in a short time period. Not only that, but flights either leaving or going to the East Coast were delayed for a number of days, frustrating travelers who wanted to go home or had planned to go on vacation, leaving them stuck in at the airport for a few days until it was safe enough for the planes to take off.

The Decision

In the midst of the snowstorm, The Philadelphia Eagles were supposed to play the Minnesota Vikings on December 26 at 8:30 p.m. However, with the weather report saying that the snow was coming down fast and furious after 6 p.m. Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League, decided to postpone the game until December 28 at 8 p.m for the safety of the fans going to the game.

The decision did not sit well with the Governor of Pennsylvania, Edward Rendell, the former mayor of Philadelphia, who said that the United States has become a “nation of wusses” for canceling the game because of the snow.

I like Gov. Rendell and can see that he is a passionate sports fan, but he’s just plain wrong on this issue. The National Football League did not cancel the game for the snow, the commissioner moved the game to another night for the safety of the fans. Besides, the evening news report mentioned that by 7 P.M. there were nearly 100 minor auto accidents in the metropolitan Philadelphia area, so why put anyone in harm’s way by getting them hurt or even killed just because they were going to the football game. As a big sports fan, it would have great to see football played in the snow (no one was happier than me when the Minnesota Vikings recently played their first outdoor home game in the cold and snow against the Chicago Bears for the first time since December 1981, when they used to play their home game at the old Metropolitan Stadium (which is now The Mall In America) in nearby Bloomington, Minnesota. For those that don’t know, here’s the back story: The roof at the Metrodome, the Vikings home since 1982, collapsed because of the snow, leaving the team without a place for their home games. They have already played one of their scheduled “home” games at Ford Field in Detroit and decided to play a “real” home game for their fans.

Final Thoughts

I agree with the decision because you don’t want to be the person that has to live with the burden of letting the game go on as planned and someone ends up getting seriously injured or killed in a car accident. Even though, the National Football League could have moved the start time of the game to 1 P.M. or 4:15 that afternoon, it was the right call to move the game to Tuesday Night. In the end, it was a good investment for the NBC because the Tuesday Night telecast was the top rated show of the week.

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