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Mark Lyne-Austen
A Long Way From Lambeau
Sharp-eyed fans take note
The Super Bowl is upon us. Hundreds of millions globally will be tuned in and analysis of everything is eagerly devoured in the lead-up. The competing narratives of the current player aiming to be recognised as the greatest in the form of Peyton Manning vs the city and team on the brink of a glorious redemption will make this year's version of the greatest of games as significant as it always is. Sharp-eyed football fans will have noted most of the variables, pondered most of the likely events and outcomes but while viewing from a long way away keep in mind some of these crucial factors:
... ( full article )
Liam Blackburn
Tim Tebow The Enigma
The biggest prize in the game has yet to be awarded and the draft is still just under three months away, but it's already started. Ladies and gentlemen, Tim Tebow is coming to the NFL and the hype-machine is in overdrive. The three time Heisman trophy finalist and one of the best college players in history is about to make the step up
... ( full article )
Brian Davis
Kicking Up A Fuss
Brian Davis casts his statistical eye back over the last decade to see how the art of kicking has changed. Are today's magic feet a step up over their predecessors or should we be dialing up Scott Norwood's number after all? All is revealed in our analysis special
... ( full article )
Brian Davis & Paul Hopkins
Four Downs
with Dang & Doc
Super Bowl XLIV Special
It's all eyes on Miami this Sunday evening as Dang and Doc focus on this weekend's Super Bowl match-up between the Saints and the Colts, and ask whether in a game with two high-octane passing offences the running game will play any kind of factor. Consequently, the boys break down the key match-ups that will determine Sunday's result. And of course, we close out by asking for a prediction both for the game and the MVP award
... ( full article )
Paul Hopkins
Next stop for Warner is Canton
On Friday, flanked by his family Kurt Warner announced his retirement from the National Football League, thus ending one of the most tumultuous roller coaster careers anyone has ever had enjoyed in the game
... ( full article )
(... Or view the COMPLETE Features Page ...)
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Michael E Lawrence & Rich Lawrence
Diner TV
Pro Football's answer to Anc & Dec are back on yours screens with another issue of Diner TV. Up today is the Super Bowl Stir Fry ahead of Sunday's big game, and live on the phone are Sky TV's Nick Halling & Kevin Cadle...
... ( watch now )
Chris Brophy & Ben Stockwell
Gman Takes (On) Stock(ers)
Super Bowl XLIV
So here we are, at the end of another hard fought, exciting season. It goes far too quick doesn't it? The play-off games this season have not always been the most exciting but when they have been close calls they have been as compelling as anything you could hope for and I think the Packers Cardinals clash will stay in many people's mind for a long time.
It's been a story of missed opportunities though with kicking especially having seen the "choker" tag thrown into the headlines a few times. How do you stop choking? Give it a new fat contract!
That's enough about what has happened, onto what is going to happen in Super Bowl XLIV! Our intrepid duo sat down in the Diner and tucked into the tasty match-up that is this year's battle for the Lombardi The Indianapolis Colts of the AFC taking on the New Orleans Saints of the NFC. Read on as they examine the key issues of the game and give their predictions on ever aspect of the game...
( view complete analysis )
(... Visit the complete Forecast Section ...)
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Interviews
Diner Exclusives...
Jaguar RB
MAURICE JONES-DREW
Just days before the Super Bowl, the Diner caught up with the Jaguars' offensive centrepiece and asked him all about his career year, his future goals, and whether the Jags' fierce rivals Indianapolis can be stopped by New Orleans in this weekend's Super Bowl
...
( full article )
SMU Coach
JEFF REINEBOLD
Ahead of returning to the UK to once again be a part of Sky's coverage of Superbowl XLIV, current SMU Wide Receivers coach and all round cool cat Jeff Reinebold checks into the Diner to chat about the Mustangs season, as well as a wide range of issues in the college ranks and the NFL, plus makes a big prediction for this Sunday's big game
...
( full article )
Panther Kicker
RHYS LLOYD
Kicking. It's easy right? Hold on there Einstein, then why are so many kickers missing clutch FGs these days? The Diner asked Carolina Panther kicker Rhys Lloyd back for a second visit to help clear the mystery up and tell us exactly why special teams is the most crucial part of the game
... ( full article )
49ers RB Legend
ROGER CRAIG
Back for his 3rd visit to the Diner, Roger Craig tells us of his excitement at being a finalist at this year's Hall of Fame class, offers us his thoughts on the 2009 regular season, predicts the Championship game and Super Bowl winner, whilst also taking a look at the 49ers season, giving us his 49ers MVPs and a possible surprise if the 49ers play a Wembley game in 2010...
( full article )
Recent Interviews:
PHIL SIMMS
ANDRE CALDWELL
CHRIS BAKER
NAT COOMBS
DAVID TUCKMAN
(... Read other EXCLUSIVE interviews in our Archive ...)
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Brian Davis
Big Board
Updated Feb 4th
1 Ndamukong Suh Nebraska DT
2 Gerald McCoy Oklahoma DT
3 Russell Okung Oklahoma State OT
4 Eric Berry* Tennesseee S
5 Jimmy Clausen* Notre Dame QB
6 Anthony Davis* Rutgers OT
7 Dez Bryant* Oklahoma State WR
8 Derrick Morgan* Georgia Tech DE
9 Rolando McClain Alabama LB
10 Joe Haden* Florida CB
... ( complete Big Board )
Prospect Profiles
Quarterbacks
The Football Diner draft experts take a look at the top gun slingers coming out of the NCAA hoping to be the next Peyton Manning. Each prospect gets a full breakdown...
Colt McCoy - QB - Texas
Tim Tebow - QB - Florida
Tony Pike - QB - Cincinnati
Daryll Clark - QB - Penn State
Dan LeFevour - QB - Central Michigan
Sean Canfield - QB - Oregon State
Zac Robinson - QB - Oklahoma State
Jevon Snead - QB - Mississippi
Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma
Jimmy Clausen - QB - Notre Dame
Chris Brophy
Mock Draft
1st Round V1.0
Updated Jan 26th
1, Rams: Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska
2, Lions: Gerald McCoy* DT Oklahoma
3, Buccaneers: Eric Berry S Tennessee
4, Redskins: Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma
5, Chiefs: Russell Okung OT Okla State
6, Seahawks: Jimmy Clausen* QB N.Dame
7, Browns: Joe Hadan CB Florida
8, Raiders: Taylor Mays S USC
9, Bills: Tim Tebow QB Florida
10, Broncos: Rolando McClain* LB Alabama
... ( complete 1st round )
Jody Jamieson
Draft Tracker
Houston's 1st Round Dilema
The Houston Texans have the 20th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and the question among Texans fans will be who do we pick to help put this team over the top and become a playoff team? I have three options. Gerald McCoy, Eric Berry or Joe Haden. But with only the 20th pick how can Houston possibly get one of these top tier talents?
... ( complete Draft Tracker )
(... View the FULL NCAA Scouting Section ...)
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The Fantasy Maverick
Ask The Maverick !
Got a Fantasy dilemma? Can't decide what to do? Your toubles are over as the doctor is in session...fire your questions at the Maverick and we will publish the most needy patients...
Nathan Coates: With Chris Johnson breaking 2500 total yards this past season,
do you think he will surpass Drew Brees and/or Peyton Manning as the number one
fantasy player? P.S. Love the site...
Maverick:
Hi Nathan, thanks for the forward-looking question because let's face it, it's never too early to get speculating on the fantasy-season-to-be (only eight months to go and counting
)
The simple answer to the Chris Johnson question is this: Absolutely yes. Johnson put up the kind of numbers this year that won individual owners championships single-handedly. I certainly lost one final to a Chris Johnson-driven team, and I know of tons of other owners who could say the same.
Not only did CJ rack up elite rushing and receiving yardage, he started chipping in touchdowns from inside the red zone too, leaving LenDale White's sizeable derriere planted firmly on the bench even in occasional goal line situations. CJ goes into next season with a young quarterback in place (Vince Young) who actually helped his game get better in the second half of the '09 season, so it might be that we could expect even more from Titans' go-to back when September rolls around again.
Let me say this though I wouldn't have too much issue with anyone who argues that Adrian Peterson would be their preferred choice. Either would be a fine choice at the top of fantasy drafts, but for my money, CJ is the back with the bigger upside just for 2010, especially with some doubt as to the identity of the Vikings' offense with Brett Favre's will-he/won't-he retirement hanging over Minnesota.
Your question suggests that Brees and Manning are CJ's rivals for number one status in fantasy leagues, and I'd have to disagree with you there (although admittedly, different league scoring systems might influence that). For me, an early top 10 list heading into the average 2010 re-draft league looks something like this... ( full article )
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Michael E Lawrence
New coach Carroll to stick with Hasselbeck at QB
Qwest Field available for hire every January moving forward
Newly employed head of football operations Pete Carroll has given incumbent Matt Hasselbeck his full support as the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback.
The longtime USC mastermind made no bones about the identity of his offensive centrepiece just hours after his hire, pledging: "Matty is my guy."
Insiders report Carroll was not known to be taking any kind of confusion-inducing medication at the time...
( complete feed )
Michael E Lawrence
Fletcher snubbed for Pro Bowl again
Linebacker more inconspicuous than tinsel on a tree
Redskins' middle linebacker London Fletcher has spoken out against the Pro Bowl voting system after yet another snub by balloters.
It's not known exactly what Fletcher said, since all available reporters were at a press conference for Brian Orakpo instead.
"Yeah, bit of a snafu on that front," noted new general manager Bruce Allen, "London was real peeved about it I understand. At least, I'm pretty sure that was London. The tall guy with the dreads right?"...
... ( complete feed )
Michael E Lawrence
Romo's Cowboys shock America, win December game
But unlikely upset of Saints portends end of time, warn prognosticators
Tony Romo and the Cowboys' surprise defeat of the previously unbeaten New Orleans Saints Saturday may spark a chain reaction of chaotic events that prompt the demise of the known universe, said concerned pundits Sunday morning.
Analysts argue that Dallas's December win was so unprecedented that the reverberations may yet be felt on a catastrophically cosmic scale. The team owns a 19-41 record in December games since 1997 and had been 1-5 over the last two seasons going into Saturday's must-win game.
"When Dallas win in December," explained Harvard-based quantum physicist Gregory Engelsperger, "you question how much longer the laws that bind the universe together can hold
... ( complete feed )
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Paul Hopkins
Five reasons to look forward to 2010 in the NCAA
With the Senior Bowl taking place yesterday and with a record number of juniors jumping ship to the NFL to get their hands on the money ahead of the end of the CBA and a looming lockout, I was drawn to begin wondering just who would be left in the college world to entertain this in 2010. I really shouldn't have been concerned
... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson
Mock Draft
1st Round V2.0
Updated Jan 10th
1. Rams Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
2. Lions Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
3. Buccaneers Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
4. Redskins Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
5. Chiefs Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
6. Seahawks Russell Okung, OT, Okla' State
7. Browns Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
8. Raiders Taylor Mays, S, USC
9. Bills - Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
10. Jaguars Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
... ( complete 1st round )
NFL Draft Order
1st Round
Updated Jan 5th
1. St Louis Rams
2. Detroit Lions
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Washington Redskins
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. Seattle Seahawks
7. Cleveland Browns
8. Oakland Raiders
9. Buffalo Bills
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
... ( complete 1st round )
Chris Merchant
Big Board
Updated Jan 5th
1. Ndamukong Suh - DT - Nebraska
2. Gerald McCoy - DT - Oklahoma
3. Eric Berry - S - Tennessee
4. Jimmy Clausen - QB - Notre Dame
5. Russell Okung - OT - Oklahoma State
... ( complete Big Board )
Jody Jamieson
Big Board
Updated Jan 2nd
1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
2. Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
3. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
4. Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
5. Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
... ( complete Big Board )
(... View the FULL NCAA Scouting Section ...)
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Ed English
No Place Like Home
There's no place like home. The Giants should know. During their long history the team has had 5 stadiums to call home. The Polo Grounds (1925-1955), Yankee Stadium (1956 - 1973), Yale Bowl (1973-1974), Shea Stadium (1975) and Giants Stadium 1976 - present. The Diner takes a tour of these historic stadiums
... ( full article )
Sam Monson
Bert Bell
This season the NFL is marking the 50th Anniversary of the AFL The American Football League the rival league that fought a bitter war with the NFL for most of the decade of the 1960s, and ultimately succeeded in forcing a merger between the two leagues. This season also marks 50 years since the death of the man that guided the NFL through a war with another league, 14 seasons before the AFL ever existed, a war definitively won by the NFL. Bert Bell, perhaps more than any other man, is responsible for the NFL that we know and love today, yet he remains forgotten in the mists of time, and his 50th anniversary went largely unnoticed
... ( full article )
Chris Brophy
Number Crunching:
#22
After a couple of visits to the more recent past we take a leap back to the middle of the last century for our next all-time great. A player who was so successful his old team is still feeling the after-effects of his departure.
A player who won championships for his team but in modern times, as fans, players and coaches suffer through many a losing season, is blamed for the franchises failure. He is the man in possession of one of pro football's most infamous curses. Read on to find out more about our all-time #22 and his curse over the Detroit Lions
... ( full article )
(... Visit our FULL History Archive ...)
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Patriot WR
WES WELKER
Mighty mite receiver Wes Welker is the oil that keeps the Patriots' slick passing attack running smooth. His return to the lineup in week six after an injury-related absence powered the Patriots to a 59-0 drubbing of Tennessee, and the Patriots hope for more of the same in Wembley. He answered questions posed by a posse of media types including the Diner at length on Friday
...( full article )
NY Giant Legend
PHIL SIMMS
Phil Simms is a legend both as a player and as a broadcaster. With CBS in London to cover this Sunday's International Series showdown between the Patriots and Bucaneers, the Diner pounced on the opportunity to pick the former Giant's brains and take a trip down Super Bowl-memory lane
...( full article )
Michael E Lawrence
Football Diner @ Wembley 2009
 The Patriots were finally in town for 2009's installment of the International Series. The Football Diner crew got themselves down to Lord's cricket ground for a full day of coverage ahead of this Sunday's big matchup... ( full report ) ( gallery )
Richard Lawrence
Patriots Gallery
 More exclusive Football Diner shots from the Patriots media day...
( full gallery )
(... Visit the full International Series archive ...)
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