football – News Stories About football - Page 36

OPINION

Nov 28, 2008 9:17 AM CST

Lions Could Be Historically Bad

Worst team ever, for any sport? Could be

(Newser) - “Worst. Team. Ever.” Get ready, Detroit fans, “because the angle isn’t going away,” writes Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News. The Lions are used to losing, but yesterday’s embarrassing 47-10 thrashing on national TV surely represented a new low, making the Lions’ putridity common...

Vick Draws Suspended Sentence

Nov 25, 2008 12:59 PM CST

Vick Draws Suspended Sentence

Falcons star pleads guilty in dog-fighting case

(Newser) - Michael Vick pleaded guilty to state dog-fighting charges today in an agreement that could let him out of jail and back in the NFL sooner, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Vick—already serving a 23-month federal sentence in Kansas—agreed to a 3-year suspended prison term in the Virginia case, making...

Smile, NFL
—You're in 3-D

Nov 24, 2008 5:05 PM CST

Smile, NFL —You're in 3-D

(Newser) - The NFL is embracing new technology and exploring the possibility of broadcasting games in 3-D, the Wall Street Journal reports. Select industry insiders and executives have been invited to watch the Dec. 4 Chargers-Raiders game live at private screenings in theaters in LA, Boston, and New York. "We want...

NFL Tweaks Rules on
Instant Replay

Nov 21, 2008 11:11 AM CST

NFL Tweaks Rules on Instant Replay

One official will look under hood, another will be stenographer

(Newser) - The NFL is modifying its instant-replay policy after yet another botched call in a game, the New York Daily News reports. This much stays the same: Only one official will go under the hood to look at the replay. But another official will tag along with him, stand nearby, and...

Splitting Bills With Toronto Key to Revitalized Buffalo

OPINION

Nov 17, 2008 2:12 PM CST

Splitting Bills With Toronto Key to Revitalized Buffalo

Sharing of football team could give boost to both cities

(Newser) - The Bills’ loss in the 1967 AFL championship game began the downfall of the football team and the city of Buffalo itself, native Gregg Easterbrook writes in the Atlantic, and he suggests looking north to turn everything around. Adding affluent Toronto (100 miles away) as a second “home” city...

Ad Vets Sit Out
Super Bowl in
Tough Year

Nov 11, 2008 1:34 PM CST

Ad Vets Sit Out Super Bowl in Tough Year

Amid layoffs, some worry pricey publicity could backfire

(Newser) - The recession has loyal Super Bowl advertisers hesitating to buy spots, worried the $6 million-a-minute publicity could backfire. FedEx is concerned it looks “wrong” to drop the dollars while “asking employees to do more with less,” the Wall Street Journal reports. NBC sold most ad spots by...

As Football Scores in Mexico, Its Players Hope NFL Notices

Nov 7, 2008 1:42 PM CST

As Football Scores in Mexico, Its Players Hope NFL Notices

League claims 20M fans south of border, but path to pro ranks is a tough one

(Newser) - Mexico isn’t known for loving football—the pigskin kind—but the sport is gaining popularity there, the Los Angeles Times reports. The NFL estimates it has 20 million Mexican fans, and with the game catching on at the high school and college level, players are pushing for more attention...

Players Tackle 'Excessive' NFL Fines

Nov 7, 2008 7:38 AM CST

Players Tackle 'Excessive' NFL Fines

Pros complain that crackdown on illegal hits is about money, not safety

(Newser) - The NFL players union is taking action on member complaints that the league has gone fine-happy this season, reports the Washington Post. Players charge that fines for illegal hits have become excessive. The union director is seeking a new system that would allow disgruntled players to appeal penalty decisions to...

Big Ben Has Top
NFL Paycheck:
$27.7M

Nov 6, 2008 5:55 PM CST

Big Ben Has Top NFL Paycheck: $27.7M

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger made $27.7 million this year

(Newser) - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the top-paid player in the NFL this year with a tidy $27.7 million, USA Today reports. Big Ben renegotiated his contract in the spring to include a base salary of $2.5 million plus $25.2 million in signing bonuses. Another QB in...

Brutal Hits May Force
NFL Ump Padding

Nov 2, 2008 6:50 PM CST

Brutal Hits May Force NFL Ump Padding

Officials closest to the action suffer painful collisions with players

(Newser) - Imagine side-stepping Mack trucks once a week while reading their license plates and risking brutal, career-ending collisions. Now you know how an NFL umpire feels, the Los Angeles Times reports. On-field injuries may be uncommon, but they do occur, and the NFL is contemplating protective gear. “I know I...

Texas Tech Upsets No. 1 Texas

Nov 1, 2008 11:27 PM CDT

Texas Tech Upsets No. 1 Texas

(Newser) - Graham Harrell fired a 28-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree with one second left as No. 6 Texas Tech stunned No. 1 Texas 39-33 tonight in a wild shootout. Texas had stormed back from a 19-0 deficit to take a 33-32 lead when Vondrell McGee scored on a 4-yard run...

Maradona to Coach Argentina

Oct 29, 2008 3:11 PM CDT

Maradona to Coach Argentina

'86 World Cup hero, with limited experience, takes reins next week

(Newser) - Soccer great Diego Maradona will take the helm of his native Argentina’s national team Tuesday, the Guardian reports. Argentina has been without a coach since mid-October, when the last coach stepped down. “I think we must make the players understand that our shirt is the most important thing,...

Obama Scores
in Fantasy
Football

Oct 24, 2008 4:40 AM CDT

Obama Scores in Fantasy Football

Candidate steps up to sportswriter's challenge

(Newser) - Barack Obama's too busy be a great fantasy football partner, but the man knows his stuff, writes Rick Reilly at ESPN. The candidate accepted Reilly's challenge to help him draft a team for a week in a fantasy football league and the sportswriter found him on the campaign bus poring...

Becks May
Play for Milan
on MLS Break

Oct 22, 2008 3:03 PM CDT

Becks May Play for Milan on MLS Break

Italian juggernaut talking to MLS' Galaxy about loan deal

(Newser) - Officials of Italian soccer juggernaut AC Milan officials are confident David Beckham will play for the team during his break from Major League Soccer, the Guardian reports. Though Beckham has remained mum, a Milan exec was emphatic. “Beckham wants to train and play for Milan. We want him and...

Not Quite Main Street's Fantasy Football

Oct 17, 2008 2:28 PM CDT

Not Quite Main Street's Fantasy Football

Fueled by hedge-fund types, Wall St. league boasts $1M purse

(Newser) - While the world suffers through financial meltdown, some of the world’s wealthiest money managers are easing the mood by competing in one of Wall Street’s most exclusive boys clubs: A $1 million fantasy-football league. Hedge-fund titans predominate among owners, who pay $100,000 annually for their teams—and...

'Basketball on Grass' Has Heads Spinning

Oct 17, 2008 12:57 PM CDT

'Basketball on Grass' Has Heads Spinning

Offbeat offense catches on with high school football coaches

(Newser) - Standard football rules allow the team on offense five eligible receivers downfield. But what if opponents and officials can't tell which five until the center snaps the ball? Hundreds of high schools run the controversial "A-11" offense, which relies on confusion instead of brawn. The New York Times checks...

Down Syndrome Teen Voted Homecoming Queen

Oct 15, 2008 5:02 AM CDT

Down Syndrome Teen Voted Homecoming Queen

'Her smile was as big as Texas,' aunt says

(Newser) - There wasn't a dry eye in the house when a Texas football stadium erupted into wild cheers last weekend to honor their homecoming queen, a pretty 18-year-old high school senior with Down syndrome. "Her smile was as big as the state of Texas," queen Kristin Pass' aunt told...

Baseball Is King Again in Philly

OPINION

Oct 7, 2008 1:06 PM CDT

Baseball Is King Again in Philly

Phillies' success has taken focus off NFL's Eagles

(Newser) - Of his team’s playoff success, Phillies star Cole Hamels didn’t mince words. “Hopefully,” the pitcher said, “it will turn the city red a little bit more than it is green.” Green meaning the Eagles, the NFL team that’s long marked Philadelphia as a...

Texas Team Is Tops, Thanks
to Pacific Isle

Oct 5, 2008 5:08 PM CDT

Texas Team Is Tops, Thanks to Pacific Isle

Tongans bring heft to championship high school squad

(Newser) - "Freaks of nature," as one player put it, have helped propel a Texas football team to the nation's highest ranks. He was referring to the Trinity Trojans' high strain of Tonga blood. Three thousand of the Pacific Islanders reside in small-town Euless, and boost the high school team...

It's Official: Raiders Fire Kiffin

Sep 30, 2008 3:27 PM CDT

It's Official: Raiders Fire Kiffin

Coach let go three games into season after lengthy dispute with Oakland owner Davis

(Newser) - The Oakland Raiders today fired head coach Lane Kiffin, who had been told he would be released following the team's 24-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 21, ESPN reports. Team owner Al Davis called Kiffin, whose 5-15 record with the team included fourth-quarter leads in 11 games, to...