2006 St. Louis Cardinals Predictions

The Cardinals 2005 campaign was a disappointment due to the high expectations that were set by a World Series birth in 2004. The Cardinals had 5 less regular season wins, with 100, in 2005 than they did in 2004, largely because of winning just 9 of 19 down the stretch and just 16 of their remaining 30. It's never a good idea to be content and say that you can just turn it on come playoff time. This type of complacency is definitely something to look for down the stretch with both good and bad teams. Don't let yourself take too many hits before backing off in this situation. The better plays down the home stretch of the season are games with something riding on them. St. Louis putting the remainder of the regular season on cruise control ultimately cost them as they fell to the Astros, who finished the regular season 19-11, in last year's playoffs.

I'm guessing St. Louis won't fall into the same trap as easily this season. You can definitely expect the Cardinals to get off to a quick start right out of the gates as they are one of the best run-scoring teams in baseball. They continue to crush right handed pitching, only having one losing season versus right-handers over the last 7 years. With Pujols, Edmonds, and Eckstein spear-heading the attack, you can count on another highly productive offensive year for the Cardinals. Look for your spots to cash in big when these sticks are up against righties. Juan Encarnacian batted .287 last year, but if the Cardinals are going to be a force and compete with teams like the Yanks and the Mets, they will need to get a little more productions out of guys like Junior Spivey and Scott Rolen. Rolen was hurt last season but should be healthy to start this season and that will provide as good of a middle set of hitters as you will find in any lineup in the National League.

Good pitching always beats good hitting, however, and ultimately it was the Astros pitching staff who kept the Cardinal hitters at bay in the playoffs. The NL Central is stacked with great pitching and St. Louis probably has the 3rd best staff behind Chicago and Houston. However, St. Louis' pitchers tend to over achieve thanks to great run support. Carpenter, Mulder, and Suppan all had 16+ wins, and I expect Marquis to join that club this season. The St. Louis Cardinals will be a good team to back this season as their big bats are rarely asleep and their pitchers don't make many costly mistakes. Last season the Cards surprisingly had the lower ERA at 3.49 in the National League. Four of the club's 5 starters had 10+ wins. They have also added a great fifth starter with loads of potential in Sidney Ponson. He is coming over from the Baltimore Orioles and even though he has had some off-field problems recently, if he can get his act together he can be a solid starter who picks up 20 wins. The bullpen is tough in Saint Louis and closer Jason Isringhausen is reliable whenever he is not on the disabled list.

This article was written by Jimmy Boyd Pick up his Free Baseball Picks here.

Prospection About 2010 NFL Baltimore Ravens

Offense: Quarterback Margo third year, has impressed during his first two seasons. He threw for 3.613 yards and 21 are affected with 12 interceptions last season. He was on his way to an even better before the leg and hip limited him in the final. With his size and great strength in the arms Flak has the potential to be an elite passer. It has already to be a winner, what the Ravens to three wins in five career playoff games in the playoffs. Further wins surely follow, as it continues to mature. We have seen a huge step in 2010 with the addition of teacher, the Ravens finally have a number to a receiver.

Despite dealing with injuries, caught 84 passes for 1024 yards last season, teacher. He and Derrick Mason, who caught a 73-yard 1028 season is to contribute to the offense at 213.7 yards per game on average, in the air in 2009.

Teacher and Mason will certainly chances of stars as a defense of the stacking box with the hope of limiting Ray Rice. Rice off a Pro Bowl season, during which he amassed a total of 2041 yards of scrimmage. 1339, the yards came on the ground.

Fight against Jared great Michael brings a new attraction and a huge offensive line.

Defense: Baltimore at # 3 in the NFL in defense last season, scored, yielding only 16.3 points per game. Baltimore and graduated number three series in total defense with only 300.5 yards per game.

Linebacker Ray Lewis is still the leader of the emotional unit. The team with the linebacker Terrell Surges and Johnson and fellow defensive lineman Kelly Gregg and, one of the best Sevens at anchor in football. The project includes Terrence Cody Kindle and additional depth.

Ed Reed was looking security retirement, when he was an interference of nerve pain. But the talk has disappeared, and it seems that is the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year to lead back to Baltimore secondary.

Prediction: First North - Latest currently teacher should improve air raid missing moves. Baltimore has a strong running game and see one of the best defenses in the NFL not, I stand in the way of a proof of the North. Pittsburgh is facing the suspension of Ben Ruthless and Cincinnati is not difficult to imagine, dealing with questions on the chemical signature Pagan Jones and Terrell Owens.

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Are Youth Coaches Catching Up to the "Winning Youth Football" System?

That is a question I get all the time from youth football coaches at coaching clinics and from e-mails. It is a concern some coaching youth football have since they don't want to learn a system and have it be a one and done season, then have to move on to and learn another system.

8 Seasons With Same System

I've been running the same exact football plays, playbook and defense for 8 seasons now, with a few very minor nuances. Some of the teams I've faced 5-6 times and some of them even had the same coaches for all those seasons. In fact, some of the youth football teams we play come from a town that has 3 teams in the league at each age group, all practicing at one park, under one administrator where they pool all their intel and film on my teams every year. So in essence this org gets to play me 3 times a year in most seasons. Sometimes I think we are the most filmed, scouted and talked about team in the history of Youth Football. Heck there is probably a youth football coaches clinics going on right now in Nebraska that's sole focus is how to beat my teams, maybe I'm being just a bit paranoid. Coaches from our league come onto this site every day and read what I did last week, what worked and didn't work, what I'm working on that week and often my plans for the following game. The head coach from one of the teams we beat this year even complimented me on the quality of my DVDs , he got a complete set of them for Christmas. Other coaches have quoted me back to myself chapter and verse out of the book, they obviously own copies. It hasn't mattered, my teams have gone 78-5 and never lost more than 2 games in a season.

Why it Hasn't Mattered:

Youth Football Team Uses "Template" To Beat Us

This year my age 10-11 team lost one game, our 5th game. After that game nearly every opponent we played ran the exact same "template" as the team that beat us in week 5. In our playoff game we played a 7-1 team that had pitched 6 shutouts. We won 41-8, the opposition adjusted to every motion and formation we threw at them and put our only "striped" player in coNFLict. Their game plan and even their offense and defense nearly mirrored our week 5 opponent. They obviously had been to the game we lost, filmed it, spoke to our week 5 opponent and studied us in depth. They were very confident, had 2 weeks to prepare and thought they had the "key" to the treasure box and even led at one time 8-6. They had their fans screaming at the top of their lungs and ringing bells so our kids would have a hard time hearing our no-huddle signals. They had it covered, wired, no problem. They even tackled every player, all three of our spinner backs,
( we love that, it takes 2 good players away from the play and the defense doesn't know if the play is over or not). No one had been more prepared for us in 8 seasons, but it just didn't matter and hasn't mattered for the last 8 seasons. This team had 6 huge "striped" (over ballcarrier weight) players to our 1. Again, my apologies if this appears to be brash, but some of you worry about this.

Ex Insider Trys to Beat Us

In 2003 I had to let a coach go. He had coached for me in Omaha, attended all the clinics, knew all our football plays, he owned the playbook and was in our organization for 2 years. He went on to coach against one of my teams as a defensive coordinator the following year with a competing program. The results: my team blew his team out, it wasn't even close. He knew our football plays, our playbook, what we would run and how we would run it, as well as all our tendencies, it didn't matter. When he left us he was very vocal saying that he "knew" our offense and that he knew how to stop it "cold". It didn't matter.

Is our offense and defense infallible? Of course not, but it does put most youth football teams that use it in the best possible competitive position they can be and it doesnt appear to get stale quickly.

Why Haven't Teams Been Able to Catch Up?

even though they've seen the system so many times:

The offense and defense are unlike any they face all season. This is the only time they will face an offense or defense that is anything like we run. It's not like the "I", Wishbone, Pro, Spread or even Wing T systems they see each week.

The system is very hard to mirror as a scout team offense. If you don't know the footwork or the intricacies of the system and you try to get scout team members to copy it, they won't be able to. Too hard to do with 1 week of prep time or even 2 for that matter.

Even if the scout teams mirror the offense to a reasonable degree (would be very unlikely), the deception of the plays make it nearly impossible to see who has the ball at linebacker depth. Add in the low snaps, crouched stances and our unique faking methods and it's enough to drive any sane defensive player to the edge.

It puts the defense in coNFLict. If they sell out to stop one part of the offense, it is very easy to attack another, and with numbers advantages. The guy that I had to "fire" sold out to stop the wedge. In that game I never ran a single wedge play and toyed with his defense by starting the game running the exact same play 7 times in a row, for an easy score in a game we won 40-0.

There are set and practiced countermeasures in the book for every instance and technique we normally see from even the most creative and desperate defensive coordinators. See the adjustments section and think "Cross, Nasty/Tunnel, Wrong, G" etc.

Funny Story

I get some very humorous e-mails and phone calls at the end of every season. One funny one came from a very successful first year Pop Warner coach. His Mighty Mite team went undefeated and his Jr Pee Wee team probably missed a Disney National Championship by a single snap. He was told point blank by one of his competitors that the next year when they move up to Pee Wees "that stuff won't work". In fact this guy is talking smack all over the place about how "that stuff won't work at Pee
Wees". Gee if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that, I wouldn't have to go to any more out of town football clinics.

I guess this trash talking guy doesn't realize that there are age 13-14 Youth teams successfully running the system. There are High Schools winning State Titles with very similar systems, but somehow magically in xxxx at the Pee Wee level, somehow it's in some twighlight zone where some how, some way it's not going to work. At the end of many games in 2002 and 2003, even shellacking's, I got that: "we know how to stop you", see you next year stuff. If they knew how to stop it, why didn't they do it that game? Is there something gained by waiting a year? I don't get it. I'm not trying to be rude our loutish, but it gets tiring. I never rub it in or even say anything after we win big the following year, but I may smile a bit on the drive home.

I reminded my Pop Warner friend that he had been warned that this would happen and that he would have a target on his back after year one. With his organizational abilities, improvising talents and attention to detail, his teams were going to do very well right out of the gates in year one and they did.

How Much Of The Success is Due to "Newness"

Do you have an advantage the first year you run this? Sure you do, no one has seen anything like it, it can be like shooting fish in a barrel in year 1. But by the same token you are coaching it for the first time also. Just like your players, when coaching youth football, your biggest improvement as a coach will be in years 2 and 3. So the big "newness" advantage you have in year one is counterweighed in years 2-3 by the advantages you will have with the experience you gained in year 1. After you gt a year under your belt you will be able to run more football plays from the playbook too.

The moral is: Don't fret if people are filming you, talking about you or talking smack about your youth football team. Heck my competitorws have my playbook and can follow my every move right here, I give daily practice updates during the season. Heck I've even made a great friend of one of my competitors (this guy can really coach), I invite him to come down with me on the sidelines when he's scouting me. We sit together at High School games and trade intel back and forth. Just don't fret, control what you can control, use the simple countermeasures in the book and your teams will be fine. Being talked about and being scouted means you are doing something good, no one is talking about the teams at the bottom of the standings. It would be a bad thing if they weren't talking about you or if it was easy to get scrimmages and extra games.

The only area of the game that has deteriorated for us in terms of getting hurt by familiarity has been our onside kicks. We use just 2 onside kicks and our coverage percentages have dropped from the mid twentys to single digits. I'm sure part of it is execution, but part of it may be due to personnel groupings, of "hands" teams on the kick return squad. As to scoring and defense, our numbers have been pretty steady at about 35 points per game on offense and about 6 points given up on defense. So much for familiarity.

For 150 free youth football practice tips from Dave or to sign up for his free newsletter: Football Plays

Dave Cisar-

Dave has a passion for developing youth coaches so they can in turn develop teams that are competitive. His teams have won over 94% of their games in 5 different leagues. He is a Nike "Coach of the Year" designate and his book has been enforsed by Tom Osborne.

Clips of his 2006 team in action: Youth Football Plays

Copyright 2008 Cisar Management and winningyouthfootball.com Republishing this article is allowed if all links are kept intact, without them it is copyright infringement.

Memorable Matchups Highlight NFL's 2008 Schedule

The NFL's 2007 season ended with the New York Giants on top for their first Super Bowl victory since 1991, capping off a tremendously entertaining season that featured more twists and turns than a NASCAR race. When the 2008 pro football schedule was announced on April 15th, NFL fans around the country immediately began anticipating what could be one of the most exciting seasons in NFL history.

The Stories

Once the new season kicks off on Thursday, September 4th, numerous questions about a number of storylines will be asked, such as:

- Can the New York Giants recapture the spirit from their miracle season and join the New England Patriots as the second team to repeat as Super Bowl champs this decade?
- Will the New England Patriots make another run at an undefeated season?
- Can the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning bounce back and win the AFC?
- Will Tony Romo mature into the next great NFL quarterback and take the Dallas Cowboys back to the glory days of the 1990s?
- Can Brett Favre rejuvenate the once proud New York Jets franchise?

The Games

Although loyal fans have already made plans for where they'll be for each of their favorite team's sixteen games, hardcore and casual fans alike should circle their calendars for these marquee match ups from the upcoming pro football schedule:

- New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins, September 7th: Brett Favre's Jets debut. Favre will be pumped up to prove to the Green Bay Packers that he still has an MVP year left in him.
- Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs, September 14th: Neither team is expected to challenge the Chargers in the AFC West, but when these two bitter rivals play each other, records are tossed aside.
- New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers, October 12th: This battle features two NFL powerhouses that could be a preview of January's AFC championship game. Tom Brady and Randy Moss versus LaDainian Tomlinson.
- San Diego Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints, October 26th: The NFL goes to Wembley Stadium in London, where the United Kingdom will get a first-hand look at emerging star, Reggie Bush.
- Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants, November 2nd: The 2008 Super Bowl winner takes on one of the leading contenders for the 2009 title in an NFC East battle. The big question: will Jessica Simpson be there, too?
- Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, December 28th: This Week 17 game could decide the AFC North and have major playoff implications.

These must-see games and many others will showcase some of the most exciting football the NFL has to offer. And once the season ends with the crowning of the Super Bowl champion on February 1st, 2009, NFL fans will begin looking toward the announcement of the next pro football schedule.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about memorable matchups highlight NFLs 2008 schedule, please visit The Football Guide for current articles and discussions.

Super Bowl, Dad & Me

I watched the Super Bowl in a Nursing Home. Pizza with all the toppings in one hand, a bottle of Coke in the other, I walked into my Dad's room, TV blaring pre-game chatter. Having had surgery just days earlier, the meal was probably not what his Doctor would order, but it was what "The Doctor" ordered on this Super Bowl Sunday. Both of us huge New York Giants fans, it was he who gave to me my love of sports, and yes, my love for the Giants.

Planted in his black wheelchair with silvery spokes, seated to the right of his bed and facing the TV, that chair his home on wheels now that he will never walk again. Dad smiles when he sees me, a little extra sparkle in his eyes when he sees the big white box and liquid refreshment, all the while the thought of his beloved Giants in the Super Bowl dancing behind those eyes.

I open the pizza box, and take out a slice, placing it gently on one of the paper plates that came with the pizza. It is still a few minutes before kickoff, and Dad slides the front corner of the slice onto his eagerly awaiting taste buds. The cheese keeps a stretched link between him and the slice as his hands pull the piece towards his plate. I hope he chews the cheese well. When did the child become the parent?

We have shared many moments watching the Giants together, but this game is more special than the others. He is not well, and this Giants roll has been a great release from the suffering for both of us. That is one of the secrets of sports, and that is why we enjoy them so much. A 3-hour vacation from what can be harsh reality, to a place where we can scream, root and carry on without worry... without fear.

We both happily chew on our pizza, Dad then taking a slow sip of bubbling Coke from his plastic cup, the brown liquid chasing down the sauce and pie crust. Not unlike younger days when we suffered together through awful Giants teams. Then, Lawrence Taylor, Bill Parcells, Phil Simms and company slowly brought the team and its fans toward the light. Playoff losses to the Joe Montana-led San Francisco 49ers, then the Chicago Bears. 1986 brought the Giants their first Super Bowl, and us as fans a long-awaited reward for our loyalty. 1990 would bring another.

Dad looks at the pie with interest. I get up and pull out a second piece for him, and without a word he goes to work on it with energy. A good sign. His appetite is good today.

Who knows if this will be the last time me and Dad share a Giants Super Bowl together, although I hope the answer to that question has more to do with the mental and physical health of Eli Manning than my Dad.

Kickoff is here, and so are we. A story that has been played out throughout the years, all over the world. Parent and child, the joy of sports, rooting... sharing. It's going to be a great vacation.

[http://www.fastbreakblog.com]

Giants Nearly Fumble Away Game To Eagles

When Tom Coughlin arrived he made many claims as to what he would do for this franchise, with obviously, winning being the most important. That has been accomplished. For the third straight year the Giants will have a non losing season and will more than likely, barring a miracle by the New Orlean Saints (the only team left that can knock them out of a playoff spot) it looks like the Giants will wrap up a wildcard spot, and are still in the driver's seat for the #5 seed.

As a Giants fan you would have to look back to 1991 for the last time the Giants had this many non losing seasons in a row, as well as the same number of playoff appearances consecutively. There is no question, regardless of the heat Coughlin took early on here in NY, that the only thing he does do, and does it well, is win. More on that in a moment.

When he also arrived an even bigger challenge was to solve the fumbling problem that haunted former Giants running back Tiki Barber. He did that as well, and he went on to become the greatest running back in Giants history. That challenge has seemed to resurface these past few weeks, and it almost cost them the game against the Eagles on Sunday.

In for the Giants to go anywhere come January they need to start learning how to hold onto the ball in December. On Sunday, Jacobs put the ball on the ground twice, and Amani Toomer (although the call was correct, that it was not a fumble), put it out there as well. Whatever Coughlin did to fix Barber's problem, he needs to do the same for Jacobs. It is clear that in order for this team to be a contender they will need Jacobs now more than ever with the season ending injury to Ward.

When Coughling arrived in NY he was labeled as a "General", wears his players down, too much old school. Isn't that what you want out of your head coach? Someone who will make the players accountable for their bad play? There seemed to be a revolt against him early on in his tenure here, however those bad apples were weeded out and now he finally has most of his own guys here that play extremely hard for him.

Nothing was more evident in that as we saw the Giants defense step up big when they had to on Sunday against the Eagles after the first Jacobs fumble. When there backs were against the wall with the offense putting the team in a bad situation for the second straight week, the defense responded. The knock on the Giants defense for the past 15 years has been, that they just can not make a good stop. It looks as if Tom Coughlin and defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnualo just may have solved that issue as well.

By: Michael C. Podlesny

About the Author:
Michael C. Podlesny is the co-host of the Big Blue Review, a weekly podcast featuring the latest news on The New York Giants. The podcast can be downloaded from Michael's blog at http://bigbluereviewpodcast.blogspot.com/

Age Differences When Coaching Youth Football

Coaching Considerations for Various Age Groups in Youth Football

In previous posts, I have given numerous tips for working with younger aged youth football players. As mentioned in the book and in these posts, the 6-8 year old kids are very visual and we showed you many tricks on how use that to your advantage.

How do the other youth football age groups vary from each other?

These are generalizations that I have found have held true with my own teams as well as from what I have seen doing clinics and from feedback from other coaches:

Age group strata vary from league to league, these are some I have worked with:

Age 8-10: While our opponents rarely allow the eight year olds to play tackle football, we do. About 80% of our 8 year olds play tackle, the smallest and least mature 8's play flag football. We have found with the right practice priorities like those detailed in the book and limiting most drills to tiny competitive groups and lasting no more than 10 minutes, even 8 year olds can be trained to be competent youth football players. That's of course using the books practice methodology and not doing the 40-60 play playbook thing that many poorly coached youth football teams utilize.

This age group is the most fun to coach in my mind. They are eager to please, have few bad habits, they want to learn the game, they are enthusiastic and most of them still respect authority. This group responds real well to praise and rewards. They will test you like any group, but less so than other age groups.

Age 11-12: This group can often perform as much of the playbook or even more than the 13-14s because they still listen pretty well. Most have played at least 1 year and some as many as 3-4 years. This means you may have to break some poor habits or accountability standards that their previous coach did not address properly. They can test you and some of the top athletes may try and perform tasks "their" way instead of yours. It is very important to require absolute adherence to the technique standards you set, otherwise it will be chaos with this group. Reward, praise and punishment are required to make this group perform to their potential. Now you can throw the waggle pass and use more motion.

Age 13-14: The most difficult, rewarding and frustrating group to coach. This age group historically has had the highest drop out rate in youth football. Players this age start to look to other interests like girls, work, other sports, video games and school to name just a few. Some kids this age with little parental support also go through stages of apathy where they don't do much of anything. As many of these players go through puberty their bodies change, the big dominating kid is done growing and now low and behold, he is one of the smaller kids. The small kid that held his own at the younger age groups doesn't grow a bit or goes into puberty later and is suddenly dwarfed by much larger and more aggressive players. Some players in this age group grow 5 inches and put on 30 pounds of muscle from one season to the next. They come back with deeper voices, facial hair and muscle tone, hardly recognizable from the previous year. These vast differences in maturity levels often drive slower developing kids from the game. Many weaker players by this time figure out that football is not going to be something they will excel at and stop playing. While passing accuracy is still spotty we have had players this age that can throw the ball 35-40 yards.

For us this group requires the most care, coaches are often coach and social worker to many kids this age. The one year I coached this age group with another friend, it was very rewarding. This was a "B" team where I fired the entire coaching staff 1 week before their first game. This youth football coaching staff had violated our "No "B" stacking" rule as well as "No Wednesday Football Practice" rule. They also failed to even remotely follow our football practice methodology template and going into their first game the base football plays and defense were not even close to being acceptable.

My friend and I were both head coaching other teams, so 2 days a week is all we had to make this group work. In addition, we moved 4 obvious "A" level players off this "B" team and moved them up to their rightful place on the "A" team. We had a myriad of issues, tiny players, weak players, unconfident players but kids that wanted to be there. At the younger levels that is something you do not always see, some players are there because dad wants them to be a football player.

We started with 24 kids, we moved the 4 "A" kids up, one player broke his arm skateboarding, one got taken off the team by mom for grades and one had to quit because he visited his dad in an out state prison on the same days as we played our games. We had just 16-17 kids in a "B" league, to top it off the league decided to scrap the "B" league that year at the last minute and just created another division where they put what they thought were weaker "A" teams in. We were the only organization that had a true "B" team in it, the other Orgs had just one team, so we ended up playing that organizations best team with the weakest 17 kids we had. We couldn't afford to lose a single player that season, suiting up just 16-17 kids.

How did we do it? Lots of praise, lots of chalk talks, lots of players learning multiple positions, each player with an accountability partner like we talk about in the book in Chapter 4. To this age group, we explained both the hows and the whys of what were were trying to teach. Even with the small number of players, we did hold players accountable to practice attendance and technique standards. Some times we didn't start the best player. Over time we got our points across and the kids knew we would not budge from the standard. After struggling early as we expected, we won out to take second place in a division we were totally outclassed in.

This age group can do it all, however they often will not be able to perform as well as some 11-12 year old teams. Even though they are physically superior than the younger age kids, this group often has to be broken of many bad habits previous youth coaches allowed to go on. While many of these players have great football intellect and athletic skills, many do have ideas of their own, that they will constantly try to use rather than correct technique. I enjoy talking and reasoning with kids this age group, but if you do not have a strong personality and the kids sense weakness, they will roll right over you.

This age group can tell if you know your stuff or not, if you don't know it, you will not have their respect. If they don't respect you, they will not follow you or play hard for you. They respect knowledge and expertise that will help them win games, that's what they care about. They have to know you know your stuff, be confident and legitimately care about them. This is not the place for a first year coach, it would be a nightmare.

I've head coached 14 different youth football teams from age 6-8 to age 13-14. Each year I just took the team that did not have a qualified "dad" head coach available. Over the last 6 years more often than not, this just ended up being an age 8-10 team. Today that age group is my preference, I just stay at the age 8-10 level and get a new team every year more or less. As I mentioned earlier, the kids this age are often eager to please and a blank slate. I prefer being the first one to write on those slates and mold these impressionable young football players. This helps our organization by sending well trained players to the older teams, where those coaches will now not have to break the players of poor habits. Since my teams have very high retention rates we end up "saving" a few players that may have quit due to less aggressive coaching. Lastly I just enjoy coaching kids this age with lots of first year players and second year players coming into their own, it's fun and rewarding.

The "Winning Youth Football" System has worked at every age level in youth football both here in Nebraska and across the country. Chapter 7 of he book clearly states what play series and defensive schemes should be used based on each specific age group and experience level.

While there are 3 High Schools using my system as well, I do not recommend my System to High Schools. I have never coached at that level and hesitate to recommend anything to anyone that I have not thoroughly "stress tested" in similar and multiple situations similar to theirs. I have coached 7th-8th and lighter 9th graders and our Eagle Teams at this age group have used this system the last 6 seasons, so yes I can recommend it for Junior High teams.

For those that have e-mailed me and asked me why I don't coach the older players or even High School football; As stated above, I have very good reasons for coaching the younger kids. I have no interest in coaching outside my own youth program. I have been offered (turned it down) a local paid head coaching job at a Junior High with over 900 students. I have had inquiries about assisting at the High School level as well. The time required to do those jobs well is huge and something I would not be able to commit to. My work responsibilities would allow for that easily enough, but the family time I would have to sacrifice would not be the right value proposition for me right now. The nice thing about running my own youth football program is I make the rules and have no interference from anyone, that would not be possible with a School team. I have zero aspirations of coaching anything but youth football, my impact is much wider and deeper in this arena than it could be anywhere else.

For more youth football coaching tips please stop by http://winningyouthfootball.com
To get Dave's free Coaching Youth Football newsletter, stop here: Football Plays

Copyright 2007 Cisar Management
Republishing allowed if links are kept intact

Dave Cisar-With over 15 years of hands-on experience as a youth coach, Dave has developed a detailed systematic approach to developing youth players and teams that has enabled his personal teams to win 97% of their games in 5 Different Leagues.

Dave is a trainer of youth football coaches nationwide. He has a passion for developing youth coaches so they can in turn develop teams that are competitive and well organized, while having fun and retaining players. His book “Winning Youth Football a Step by Step Plan” was endorsed by Tom Osborne and Dave Rimington. His DVDs and book have been used by teams nationwide to run integrity based programs that win championships. His web site is Football Coaching

Let's Look At Bill Parcells

With a career record of 172-130-1 and two Super Bowl victories, Bill Parcells will go down as one of the better head coaches in modern time. Famous for his gruff demeanor and no nonsense approach, Parcells was routinely either loved or hated by his players.

Bill Parcells finished his football playing days as a linebacker for Wichita State University back when it was known as the University of Wichita. He then immediately proceeded to the coaching ranks. Parcells had a long career as a college assistant, having spent time at: Hastings, Wichita State, Army, Florida State, Vanderbilt, and Texas Tech before becoming the head coach at Air Force.

Ray Perkins was the head coach of the New York Giants in 1979 when they hired Bill to be the defensive coordinator. This lasted exactly one year before he left to become the Patriots linebackers coach, this position also lasted one year and in 1981 Bill returned to the Giants as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Head coach Perkins announced in 1982 that he was leaving the Giants to become the coach at the University of Alabama and the Giants announced that Parcells would succeed him.

Parcells start with the Giants was rocky at best when they went 3-12-1 in his first season after controversially benching quarterback Phil Simms in favor of backup Scott Brunner. The following season Parcells returned Simms to the starting quarterback position and the Giants improved dramatically. In 1986, his fourth as head coach of the Giants, Bill Parcells led the team to a franchise best record of 14-2 and a victory in Super Bowl XXI over the Denver Broncos. The Giants would go on to win another Super Bowl following the 1990 season when they defeated the Buffalo Bills while utilizing a backup quarterback (Jeff Hostetler) and a 33-year-old veteran running back who had been rumored to have been long past his prime (Ottis Anderson).

Following Super Bowl XXV, Parcells retired and took a job as a studio analyst for NFL games with NBC. In 1992, Parcells agreed to become head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but then changed his mind and backed out of the verbal commitment. He would be lured to the sidelines again in 1993 when he became head coach of the New England Patriots who had fallen on tough times as a franchise. Four seasons later Parcells had the Patriots in the Super Bowl where they lost to the Green Bay Packers. Due to differences with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Parcells would leave the Patriots following that year.

Without taking a year off, and after a compensation deal was worked out by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Parcells became the coach of the New York Jets in 1997. The woeful Jets had an immediate turnaround and in his second year with the team they made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions the Denver Broncos. Following an injury marred 1999 season, Parcells retired from coaching but would stay on one more year as General Manager of the Jets.

After spending four years analyzing football from a network studio position, Jerry Jones lured Parcells out of retirement to coach the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas had suffered through three consecutive 5-11 seasons and in their first season with Bill Parcells at the helm the team went 10-6, making the playoffs before losing to the eventual NFC Champions Carolina Panthers. In his four seasons with the Cowboys, the team would make the playoffs twice. Parcells was responsible for drafting and signing some of the young talent that would go on to excel after he left the team following the 2006 season.

After leaving the Cowboys, Parcells returned for a fourth stint with ESPN before accepting a position as Executive Vice-President of Football Operations with the Miami Dolphins during the 2007 season.

Bill Parcells leaves a large legacy in the NFL and this is illustrated by the number of his former assistants that have gone on to be NFL head coaches in their own right: Bill Belichick, Ray Handley, Eric Mangini, Al Groh, Tom Coughlin, Sean Payton, Romeo Crennel, and Chris Palmer. Not to mention others who have coached in the college ranks.

Two Super Bowl Championships, the only coach to lead four NFL teams to the playoffs, an 11-8 playoff record, and more. Bill Parcells will definitely go down as one of the all-time greats.

Mark combined his love of trivia with his passion for football and came up with http://IQFB.com Check out IQFB.com and get football smart.

2008 Seattle Seahawks Outlook

The Seattle Seahawks have had their share of ups and downs since their team first started in 1976. This year they will be playing their 33rd season. They will be trying to improve their record of 10-6, which was a fairly good score, and return to the playoffs, continuing their five-season playoff streak that has lasted from 2003-2007. In coaching news, this will be the final season of Mike Holmgren as head coach, as he announced on January 22, 2008. Next year, Jim Mora will be taking over head coaching duties. How does the future look for the Seattle Seahawks? There is some uncertainty in the air, concerning management and players.

First, you have to wonder why Gil Haskell, the team's offensive coordinator who has served for eight years with the Seahawks (and even longer with Mike Holmgren) was passed up for a coach that was fired from the Atlanta Falcons and passed up for a coaching job in Miami. Will there be any dissension in the office due to this upcoming move? The official response is that it's not an issue, though of course management is expected to say that.

On the field there have also been some notable changes. First, the team has suffered some Notable losses to the roster include place kicker Josh Brown, who went to the St. Louis Rams, wide receiver D.J. Hackett, who went to the Carolina Panthers, tight end Tom Ashworth and running back Shaun Alexander who was released. Were there any notable additions? Yes, in fact five new players including guard Mike Wahle of the Carolina Panthers, running back Julius Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, running back TJ Duckett of the Detroit Lions, place kicker Olindo Mare of the New Orleans Saints, and punter Reggie Hodges.

There was some concern about the Seahawks playing vacancies, especially considering that coach Holmgren will be gone in one year. Therefore, the 2008 Draft was particularly important to the Seahawks. Who did management choose in their most important hour? The first round pick went to defensive end Lawrence Jackson, followed by tight end John Carlson, defensive tackle Red Bryant, fullback Owen Schmitt, long snapper Tyler Schmitt, running back Justin Forsett and punt kicker Brandon Coutu.

It was apparently early on that the team would need some great talent on their inside line which explains the draft choice of Wahle. The team is also focusing on its running game, in the backfield and the offensive line. What was the reaction from experts and fans regarding the draft? The first-round pick of Jackson was seen as unsettling, especially since the team already had two suitable defensive ends. The selection of Bryant was met with better reception, as was Carlson, who is a proven pass-catcher. Schmitt will be effective in taking over Mack Strong's spot, while long-snapper Tyler Schmitt met more disdain, considering that most long snappers are signed as free agents, not crucial draft choices.

Watch every Seattle Seahawks game on the NFL Sunday Ticket. Visit DirectStarTV today for the best offers by Direct TV. The NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL SuperFan are only available on Direct TV. Get every game, every Sunday!

Brett Favre Vikings Jerseys Now Available

Brett Favre Vikings jerseys were taking off before he was even an official member of the team. When the rumors started to pick up their pace, everyone assumed that Favre would sign with the team and resume his career. Then he dropped the bombshell, basically saying that you may as well return that Vikings Brett Favre jersey you purchased, because I'm staying retired and my career is over for good!

Everyone was pretty shocked with that result, and the team began to move on from their hopes of having him on board. That didn't last for long though, as we know. Very shortly after, when nobody even expected it at all, Favre decided to come back after all. Now Brett Favre Vikings jerseys are available from retailers, after much back and forth. Upon their release, they have immediately taken off as some of the most popular items available amongst any kind of NFL apparel.

Old number 4 definitely looks good in his purple and gold Vikings Brett Favre jersey. Of course, it's sill somewhat hard to imagine considering he spent so much of his career as a division rival of the Vikings. However, the time has come that he's with the squad and fans are embracing his presence.

The question of course remains how good he is going to be with the club. Now that he's on the team, fans wearing their Brett Favre Vikings jerseys have expectations of Super Bowl or bust. That's because the team was already extremely talented. They have one of the best running backs in the league in Adrian Peterson. Additionally, they added versatile offensive threat Percy Harvin in the draft.

The defense is extremely solid as well, which means that Favre won't have to be overly aggressive. He can let the defense shut down the opposing team, and he can let Peterson pile up his yards and eat up the clock. Then he can take advantage of openings and put up some points.

Finally the wait is over, and Favre is with the Vikings. We can put all of the drama and all of the back and forth madness behind us. It's time for him to show if all of the hype was worth it, and if he can really make a difference in the playoff and championship aspirations of the talented Minnesota team. If you're a fan of the Vikings, the time is now to pick up Brett Favre Vikings jerseys for yourself and your family members.

Don't delay, pick up the new Brett Favre Vikings jerseys today! In addition to new Favre Vikings jerseys, you can visit Discount Football Merchandise for all of your NFL team merchandise needs.

Who Will Win Super Bowl 2011?

The Super Bowl this year was won by the New Orleans Saints. That does not mean that they will win it the next year. In fact, over history, very few teams have been talented enough to repeat as champions twice in a row. So what teams do have the potential to win the championship next year.

The first team that comes to mind is AFC runner ups, the New York Jets. The Jets had one of the best defenses in the NFL last year. They played a brutal schedule and backed their way into the playoffs. Once they were in the playoffs, they proved that they were the real deal and that their record was a result of the powerful schedule they faced throughout the season. The Jets, with one of the leagues top defenses, has done the unthinkable this offseason; Improved their defense. Many people see the signing of Cromartie as a downgrade for the Jets, but here is the thing; Cromartie was a decent number 1 corner back who could play with the league's best receivers and not make a fool of himself. Now Cromartie will be playing as a number 2 opposite the best corner in the NFL. This should allow Cromartie to dominate number 2 Wide Receivers and keep himself in a position to make plays. Last year it was hard to run on the Jets, this year it will be hard to do anything on the Jets.

Another team that has the potential to win the Super Bowl is the Chargers. The Chargers have had the talent to win the Super Bowl for years now. The biggest down side to the Chargers is their coach, Norv Turner, who leaves a lot to be desired as an NFL coach. The Charges will, for the 5th year in a row, field the most talented team in the NFL, but the question will be if they are mature enough to win games without good coaching. A lot of that will fall on the shoulders of Phillip Rivers. Rivers was terrific last season making good passes and leading his team. He did have some maturaity issues that people would like to see resolved. If Rivers has become a more mature quarterback you can expect the Chargers to be one of the last teams standing when playoff time rolls around next season.

Another team from the AFC that could win the Super Bowl is the Colts. Why? Peyton Manning. Manning is the best quarterback in the league, the best player in the league and that is all that needs to be said about the Colts. The Colts have few stars on their team and are overall, not that talented. With Manning at Quarterback, the Colts could be in the hunt next season, much like they were in this season.

The NFC has less teams that look like contenders. Aside from the champions, the only other real threat would be the Vikings. The Vikings have only got stronger this off-season by adding a reliable, fumble proof back in LT2. LT2 and Peterson should be the league's best running back duo and if the Viking's run the ball and rely on their backs they will go deep. They cannot allow Brett Favre to throw the ball 35+ times per game this season. For the Vikings to go far, the running backs need to carry the offense.

While there are other teams who certainly could emerge in the Super Bowl race next season, these teams certainly appear to be the early favorites.

Brian Gibson has been writing online content for over 2 years and enjoys writing about sports, health and entertainment. He also maintains a website, Products Review Network, which has product reviews for products such as Calms Forte 4 Kids and Whole House Surge Protector.

40 Yard Dash Training (Part 1)

My first goal whenever I begin working with a new athlete (youth or professional) on improving the 40 yard dash is to teach them how the brain sometimes inhibits speed. There are two basic principles on how the body must operate in order to move more efficiently and effectively for running faster and developing speed. I start by educating them on how we need to overcome our own minds and the 'false' messages our brains tell us when we want to run faster.

You see the problem with our brain is it can really work against us if we are not in control of every message we send to the rest of the body. Let me explain... if you want to move forward and sprint as fast as you can, then your brain will logically tell you to do one of two things (or both!):

1. move your legs faster! and
2. cover more ground!

Unfortunately, even though these two thoughts are extremely logical, the way the body interprets these messages is completely incorrect when applied to your first step quickness and acceleration zone.

Addressing message number one: When your body wants to start moving forward by running faster and responds by moving your legs faster, it only accomplishes just that... moving your legs faster! What's wrong with that? Isn't that what I NEED TO DO you ask? The answer is NO. The problem with just moving your legs faster is that you will not go anywhere (ie. move forward) unless you apply force into the ground. Speed is a function of force application and power, and this ground force application is what provides the needed power to overcome your own body's inertia and body weight resistance. High frequency (or turnover rate) will not accomplish improved running speed during acceleration.

I often use the Fred Flintstone cartoon character as a good illustration. If you're not familiar with the cartoon caveman Fred Flintstone, don't worry... hopefully you'll still get my point. In the cartoon, every time Fred wants to speed off to get somewhere very quickly, he moves his legs very rapidly. His legs move so rapidly, they become a blur all the while he remains stationary - not moving an inch. It isn't until after a few seconds of "spinning his wheels" does Fred actually fly off the screen. The point is when Fred is too 'frequency' dominated (ie. trying to move his legs super fast) he never actually moves forward and it isn't until he puts a little horsepower into the ground does he actually go anywhere and run a faster 40 yard dash.

Addressing message number two: What usually happens when your body wants to cover more ground, your brain instinctively tells your lead leg to reach out (or over-stride) to get further down the track or field. Unfortunately, when the foot of the lead leg contacts the ground in this over-striding gait, it acts as a huge decelerator or brake! Wherever the hips are in space at the moment the foot contacts the ground will dictate whether that foot strike is an accelerator or decelerator affecting your running speed. If the foot contacts behind the hips = accelerator; if it contacts ahead of the hips = decelerator. Period. This is a law of "leverage" in Physics and absolutely applies to running speed and explosive sprint mechanics.

Running fast by covering more ground comes from the action of the trail foot - the one that contacts the ground behind the hips projecting the body forward. Not from the lead foot over-reaching to get down the track!

Hopefully this had made you a little more aware of how you 'think' can prove very costly to your speed and running efficiency. Think before you sprint if you want to run the fastest 40 yard dash of your life!

For deeper explanations of these principles and training techniques for improving your 40 yard dash speed, please visit [http://www.40yardspeedtraining.com] or http://www.xplosivespeed.com/store.html

Scott E. Pucek is a nationally recognized speed and performance specialist that specializes in training the advanced football athlete for combine-specific and football season preparation. He has coached with the Miami Dolphins and has worked with such notable sports performance companies as Athletes' Performance and Velocity Sports Performance.

He runs NFL Combine Preparation programs and operates several websites. If you have any questions, please email scott@xplosivespeed.com

The Bowl Championship Series - Here's a Common Sense Replacement

I've been thinking about this for a couple of years. Now seems like the time to share it.

The facts make this way too easy.

Fact #1. It's always better to determine who the best team is "On The Field Of Play".

Fact #2. Depending on the conference, teams set idle from four weeks, to in the case of the Big Ten, six weeks waiting for a Bowl game.

Fact #3. Most of the time we do not get the same teams after the layoffs. They're rusty. I'll make any excuse for my Buckeyes!

Fact #4. Sometimes good teams from smaller conferences can be very competitive, or even beat some of the "Big Boys". Isn't that right Sooners and Wolverines? They just never get a chance to play in the BIG Bowl game.

Fact #5. There are 31 Bowl games in this country this year. 15 of these are East of the Mississippi, 15 are West of the Mississippi and one, the Sugar Bowl is right at the Mississippi. Are you starting to feel it?

Fact #6. With the exception of the bigger Bowls, most play to empty seats and poor TV ratings. Check it out.

Here are the fixes!

Fix #1. We start our tournament by inviting ALL conference champions and then, the best of the rest to build a field of 32 teams. But the key is All conference champions.

Fix #2. The weekend of Thanksgiving is the start of "December Demolition". 16 of the "lower rung" bowls host the 1st round. Four regional games on Friday afternoon, Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening. Every game playing to a packed house and tuned in to regional TV. Read this as money baby.

Fix #3. Second round games the next weekend with your eight "middle rung" bowls hosting. The key is to also keep your team in their natural regions. This allows the fans to travel. And they will.

Fix #4. Third round games go to the next highest rated bowl games. Remember, keep those teams regional. It's all about the teams, the fans, the TV and the money.

Fix #5. Fourth round semifinals go to your biggest bowls East and West.

Fix #6. Take a week off to catch our breath.

Fix #7. News Years Day baby and we have One Bowl for All The Marbles. The best of the East Vs the best of the West.

Now, is this perfect? Probably not. Is it better than what we have?

Keith has been in the automotive service and equipment industry for 30 years. You can visit him on the web at http://www.AutoEquipmentSales.com or http://www.KeithShamblin.com

Dallas Cowboys Football History

The Dallas Cowboys joined the NFL in 1960 as an expansion team. They became very popular hence, primarily because the team has always shown the might and the form of a champion.

For 160 consecutive games, the Dallas Cowboys have sold out every single seat in their arena. This streak started almost 20 years ago. This only shows how powerful the team really is, in and out of the playing court. The record they have established caused them to earn the title of being the most valuable sports franchise in the United States by Forbes Magazine.

Before they are known as the Cowboys, the team was called the Steers and the Rangers first. The team started playing in the 1960s at the Cotton Bowl arena. They never won a single game during their first season though. But that didn't stop them from winning big several years later.

With Don Meredith, Chuck Howley, and Don Perkins playing for the team in the 1960s, the team slowly but surely became one of the contenders of the league. The nationwide popularity of the Dallas happened the next decade when they became the favorites during the Super Bowl. The team won Super Bowl XII, after making an appearance in Super Bowl X and eventually, in Super Bowl XIII.

In the 1980s, Danny White joined the team. He replaced Roger Staubach as quarterback and he was able to lead the Cowboys to a five-time playoff series during his reign. But despite their good performance, the team failed to make it into Super Bowl. There were lots of losses and disappointments during this decade. But the team knows how to get past them.

In the 2000s, Dave Campo moved from being a defensive coordinator to head coach. But he failed to perform as expected. However, in 2003, the Cowboy became the team with the best record, allowing them to acquire a playoff berth during that season. The Cowboys were actually on and off, being in the playoffs and then out again. It is like a rollercoaster ride, as the team tried to regain their lost championship form.

However, a few more misfortunes befell the team as 12 of the players got injured in an accident at their practice facility. The arena collapsed when a wind storm strike. Even so, the Dallas Cowboys will continue to be a strong force in the NFL. In fact, they are scheduled to be a part of the Legacy Weekend games of the 2009 season.

Throughout their stint in the National Football League, the cowboys have won a total of five Super Bowl Championships. They have 10 Conference Championships and 19 Division Championships as well, along with a total of 29 playoff appearances.

The team used to play at the Cotton Bowl stadium during their first few years in the league. Then they transferred to the Texas Stadium in 1971 until they moved out only a year ago. Right now, the team is playing at the Cowboys Stadium, which serves as their official home court.

Rich Stephenson is in the web development field for a ticket broker that sells tickets to all sports, concert and theater events. Ticket broker also sells Cowboys Tickets as well as Cheap Football Tickets for and all other football games.

Week 1 NFL Power Rankings - From an Amateur

As week one of the NFL season came and went, some teams won, some teams lost, and some teams, like the Buffalo Bills, had life put in perspective. With only one game down, and fifteen to go, it's hard to get a grasp on who is good, who is bad, and who is just plain awful. But, with our week one power rankings, we are trying to do just that.

Week One:

1. Indianapolis Colts: In what was supposed to be a tight game, Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne led Indianapolis to a blow out of New Orleans. The only thing the Saints are marching in now is remorse.

2. New England Patriots: We all know that the "real" Super Bowl last year was between the Pats and the Colts. With New England grounding the New York Jets, the same championship may rear its head.

3. San Diego Chargers: Phillip Rivers wasn't exactly a great QB in this game, but the Chargers found a way to win against "Da Bears." Still, if they want to reclaim the chances that evaded them last season, they better make sure their offense isn't offensive to their fans.

4. Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo, rebounding with greatness from his flub in last year's playoff game, made every Fantasy player wish that he was on their team. If the Cowboys can continue to gel, they'll be the team to beat in the NFC.

5. Denver Broncos: The Denver Broncos have recently not faired well on opening day. This trend, until Jason Elam's literal last second field goal, looked to be continuing. Not only was this a huge road win for Denver, but it was a huge emotional win, and one that will give Jay Cutler a boost to his young confidence.

6. Carolina Panthers: Two words for Carolina fans: they're back. The duo of Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith once again provided the grounds for a solid win, on the road no less. The Panthers defense also did a great job of silencing Steven Jackson. Let's face it, that's not easy to do.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers: Sure, they won big, but let's not get carried away: they were playing the Browns. Nonetheless, Big Ben looked great in his 2007 debut, showing fans that the source of his 2005 power wasn't in his appendix. We'll see how they do when they play a team that doesn't come from Cleveland.

8. Cincinnati Bengals: If the most disappointing part of the Cincinnati games continues to be Chad Johnson's hyped up but lame touchdown celebrations, the Bengals could be in for a great season. They cut it close at the end, but their defense found out how to win. That's what good teams do.

9. Chicago Bears: No, they didn't win, but they did hold one of the NFL's most explosive offenses to only 14 points. Still, if they are going to be contenders, even in the NFC, they have got to have some sort of offense: put in Brian, and give Rex the ax.

10. Seattle Seahawks: They started off slow, but the Seahawks eventually found themselves soaring. If their defense continues to play well, and Shaun Alexander can stay in jury free, they'll make the playoffs. Where they go from there, is anyone's guess.

11. Baltimore Ravens: The loss against the Bengals didn't only hurt the Ravens pride, it also left Steve McNair with a separated shoulder and Ray Lewis with a bicep injury. In light of having more turnovers than a neighborhood bakery, the Ravens have a lot of work to do on offense.

12. New Orleans Saints: Yes, they were manhandled in Indy, but don't count out the Saints just yet. If last year taught us anything, it's that this team, and their fans, are full of heart. Heart wins where talent fails.

13. Philadelphia Eagles: A loss to Green Bay wasn't exactly how Donovan McNabb wanted to begin the season, but writing them off is a huge over reaction. Lambeau field on opening day is one of the hardest places to play. Chalk it up to that and hope the Eagles don't get their feathers this ruffled again.

14. Green Bay Packers: Sunday's game reminded people in Green Bay why they root root root for the home team. In a less than stellar division, Green Bay actually has some playoff potential. They have the experience and leadership of Favre coupled with youthful talent. They are going to surprise some people.

15. Houston Texans: After destroying the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston fans may find themselves with the urge to chant "Super-Bowl, Super-Bowl." But, let's not get too crazy. The Chiefs aren't a very worthy opponent. If the Texans can easily beat someone better, Houston fans may actually have a reason to get excited.

16. Tennessee Titans: With Vince Young and Chris Brown as running threats, the Titans could see an explosive year. What's more, their defense actually played...well, good.

17. San Francisco: Their defense and their offense seemed to have swapped roles, with the defense actually playing great and the offense lacking. Still, Alex Smith won when he had to and Frank Gore, running back extraordinaire, will have a good season. This team will have a better than average year.

18. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings were truly warriors against the Falcons on Sunday. While they looked great, keep in mind that Atlanta has had one heck of a bad off season. Still, if the Vikings can do this to teams whose seasons haven't been folded by Fido, Minnesotans may find themselves making the NFC north rather competitive.

19. Washington Redskins: It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. Their offense got the job done when it needed to. An overtime win on opening day is always exciting. For now, the Redskins are sitting pretty.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Chicago Bears of the AFC, Jacksonville is lost when opponents score: without their defense dominating, the Jaguars won't win. If their offense doesn't start to do...anything, this is going to be a long, long season.

21. Miami Dolphins: The loss in OT to the Washington Redskins hurt the Fins, both in the standings and emotionally. Still, there are signs of life: Trent Green did well in his debut (he would have done better if his receivers held onto the ball). If their defense can just stop the run, the Dolphins will bounce back.

22. New York Giants: The Giants and Cowboys game was getting exciting, and then the injuries came. The Giants aren't low in the power rankings because they played horribly, but because seemingly their entire team was injured. Brandon Jacobs is out a month, Osi Umenyiora is out for a few months, and Eli Manning is out for at least a game, maybe longer. The Giants will be glad when it's October.

23. Arizona Cardinals: Their defense actually played well against the 49ers. Too bad the same can't be said for their offense. If they are going to have even a mediocre season, the Arizona receivers are going to have to get open so Leinhart has somewhere to pass.

24. Detroit Lions: In what was the anti-Super Bowl preview, the Detroit Lions destroyed the Oakland Raiders. The Lions aren't going to be winning any championships, but their offense should see a productive year. This could be a turning point.

25. New York Jets: Jets fans are realizing that, if they want to be a good team, they are going to have to learn how to play with the big boys. Not only did they lose to the Patriots, but they looked awful. Hopefully the coach they call Man Genius can find a way to win.

26. Buffalo Bills: With thoughts and prayers going out to Kevin Everett, football seems unimportant. Hopefully he, even if his football career is over, can get well and lead a good, fulfilling life.

27. St. Louis Rams: When your star running back has a dismal game, you aren't going to win. Losing at home on opening day is going to be a hard one for the Rams to shake off. Steven Jackson is going to have to turn it around, and not turn it over, if the Rams are going to salvage the season.

28. Atlanta Falcons: It's really too bad that the entire team has to suffer because of one man's inhumane decisions. It would be nice to see Joey Harrington do well. He might not be a better quarterback than Michael Vick, but here's to betting he's a better person.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Don't count this team out just yet....give it a few games. Their defense showed signs of life, but their offense struggled in every sense of the word. Still, Gruden knows how to coach. He'll find some tricks up his sleeve.

30. Oakland Raiders: Even when they were horrendous last year, their defense was great. That appears to no longer be the case. The Chargers and the Broncos are glad the Raiders are in their division.

31. Kansas City Chiefs: Wow this team looks bad. Opponents might even have a chance of winning at Arrowhead in November and December of this year. Like the Raiders, the Chargers and Broncos welcome the Chiefs presence in the AFC West.

32. Cleveland Browns: Look for Brady Quinn to be the starting Quarterback before the season is over. May as well put him in and chalk this up to a "rebuilding" year.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for www.milleniumlimo.com. An avid sports fan, she likes the Miami Dolphins but her heart belongs to the Denver Broncos.

Sporting Activity Holidays in America

When you begin to think about sports in America, you certainly can not overlook the most popular sport, Football. No, not the world sport of football, but the American version. The version that requires players to wear pads, with lines drawn on 10 yard increments across the field, and a huge upright field goal at each end.

Football is the sport now days in the United States. When you think of footballs most popular events you immediately think of the Superbowl. This is the championship game for the professional league known as the National Football League, or NFL for short. This is typically held in January between the two division winners.

So why is this considered the most popular game in America? Just look at the statistics. According to stats, 60 percent of all homes tune into television during the game. This is representative of between 80 and 90 million Americans are watching the Superbowl at any given time to watch the winner take home the beautiful Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Another very popular time of the year for sports in America would have to be March Madness. Without being too much of a shocker, I can tell you that this is held in March every year. March Madness is basically the time of the year when the NCAA (major colleges) have their tournament for basketball. Each year, you will hear about people filling out brackets in an effort to predict the winner of the 64 team tournament.

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament is always filled with great upsets. When watching some of the greatest shots in history for basketball, you always have to include some from the NCAA tournament. The tournament has even taken on names for several positions within the tournament. For example, once you get to the final 16 teams in the bracket, teams are considered 'Sweet 16 Teams'. The final eight are 'The Elite 8'. And the last 4 teams remaining are considered the 'Final Four Teams'. Winning the tournament is a huge feat, however, progressing even to the elite eight is considered very commendable.

When looking at sports you can not forget about America's pastime, baseball. Baseball has a vast history in America, including being a source of quality entertainment during the toughest times in history such as World War II. In fact, the sport had to turn to women to play the game since most young adult men were overseas fighting in the war.

However, now days you can think of the World Series as being the premier time of the year for this sport. While the term 'World' may be confusing to some, this was simply the term used when professional baseball was established in North America. Since, other countries have taken on the sport as well but the term 'World Series' is still used.

With the Major League Baseball (MLB) being introduced in the mid 1800's the league has just exploded. The World Series is the post season championship series between the final two teams standing after a play off bracket. The winner of the World Series is decided through a seven game series. The first team to win four games wins the World Series.

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Top 10 Most Disappointing NFL Teams in 2008 Season

The year 2008 in the NFL was a year of big surprises and disappointments. We saw history made, major fall offs and plenty of coaches fired. Here are the most disappointing teams in 2008.

10. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns finished the season at 10-6 last year. There were plenty of high hopes in Cleveland. The dogs were starting to think that things were looking up. Well now, not so much. They finished the season at 4-12, fired their head coach and hired another head coach, Eric Mangini, that was recently fired from the Jets.

9. Washington Redskins

The expectations for the Redskins were not very high this year. They just hired a new unproven head coach in Jim Zorn bringing in a new offense with the verdict still out on their quarterback Jason Campbell. Most people were expecting them to finish where they did, 8-8 at the bottom of the toughest division in the NFL, the NFC East.

So why is this team on this list? They started the season at 6-2 with some tough road wins against Philly and Dallas. Then they went on to lose 6 of their last eight games. Not good. Especially in Washington.

8. Green Bay Packers

The good news is that the Brett Favre saga is finally over. The bad news is that so were the Packers winning ways this season. Aaron Rogers appeared to have done his part with a 93.8 QB rating. But what about the intangibles?

Does Aaron Rogers have the leadership skills and fire that Brett possessed during his time at Green Bay to lead this team? Only time will tell in say about 16 more years.

7. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have been a given to make the playoffs with 5 consecutive playoff appearances. Now they finished the season at 4-12 as one of the worst teams in football. What a disappointing way for Mike Holmgren to finish his NFL coaching career. Now they have a new head coach in which they have to adjust to hopefully right the ship.

6. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos started the season hot at 3-1 and had one of the best offenses in the league. But with a defense ranked 29th in the league, they lost 3 straight down the stretch putting them out of position to make the playoffs finishing the season at 8-8.

As a result of their poor season the Broncos fired the face of the franchise, future Hall of Fame coach Mike Shanahan, after 14 seasons and 2 Super Bowls. Talk about a disappointing season.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville was considered on of the top 5 teams in the league coming into the 2008 season. They were ranked #5 in the ESPN week 1 power rankings. They finished with an 11-5 record last year and made it to the second round of the playoffs.

This year they decided to do a complete turnaround and finished with a 5-11 record. Now they have to deal with poor free agent signings from the past, salary cap issues, and have decided to start building through the NFL draft.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers start the season at 9-3 and were already penciled in for a playoff position. That is until they lost the next four games straight with the last 2 games at home. In their final game of the season the Oakland Raiders, of all teams, who finished the season at 5-11 defeated the Bucs 34-21.

With straining relationships with the players and only an average offense, the Buccaneers fired head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen. The good news is that now Jon Gruden is no longer on the hot seat.

3. New York Jets

There was new life in New York and I am not talking about for the New York Giants. I am talking about the other New York, the Jets. They made a huge splash signing the future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. The Jets got off to a hot start at 8-3.

Talk of an all New York Super Bowl began with the Jets versus the Giants. The New York Brets were alive and kicking. But the season was not over and the Jets lost 4 of their next 5 games with Brett Favre throwing 9 interceptions over this period. Oh, and then they fired their head coach!

2. Detroit Lions

Detroit finished with a perfect season. Sort of like the Dolphins 72 season in reverse, 0-16. They went down in the history books as the only team every to go 0-16. Sure, no one expected much from this team but to go all year and not win 1 game. One? Man. It sure sucks to be a Lions fan these days.

1. Dallas Cowboys

And then there was one. The one and only. America's team! The Dallas Cowboys were many people's preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl. This team finished the 2007 season with a record of 13-3 with one of the losses being a meaningless game on the last game of the season. Their team is stacked with superstars on both sides of the ball.

Yeah, but when you have a bunch of head cases on your team like T.O. and Pacman Jones you are sure to have some problems. I used to always defend Terrell Owens and try to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But if you destroy the locker room chemistry at every team that you go to then maybe you have some issues that you need to address. The problems with Terrell Owens complaining about not getting the ball and the Pacman Jones distractions were just too much for this team.

Not to mention Wade Phillips is probably not the right coach for a place like Dallas. Someone a little more hard-nosed, similar to Parcells or Cowher, is needed in big D.

To go from the Super Bowl favorite to not even making the playoffs is just bad. And not only did they not make the playoffs, they got destroyed by Philadelphia in the last game of the season (44-6) when they had everything to play for. Now that is what I call a disappointing season!

Seth Taylor is the author of the NFL Ticket Guide, an e-book that provides NFL fans with tricks and techniques to obtain discount NFL tickets. The guide covers a variety of ways to acquire tickets to help fans get into the game.

Here Comes the March Madness

We all look forward to March Madness, whether its the office pool or some website's chance at a million dollars with a near perfect bracket. We doubt that we will actually achieve a near perfect bracket but it's an exciting roller coaster none the less.

There is also the drama of the Cinderellas and upset games, there is nothing like a kid hitting that buzzer beater to knock off the big school. College Football and Baseball got nothing on basketball, it is way more fast paced and a better tournament. Everyone was clamoring for a playoff in football this year, but we know that will never happen. Too much money being passed around in the BCS.

There will be a lot of new comers that haven't seen recent success like Clemson, Missouri, and Arizona State. There are also a lot of teams like Creighton and VCU who love upsetting the big dogs. Basketball is my favorite sport, and the NCAA Tournament is my favorite sporting event. It lasts longer than the SuperBowl. It plays at a much faster pace than the World Series or College World Series. Elimination tournaments are the best. You win, you keep going, you lose, bye bye. I've been doing brackets for over ten years now and you can never predict the first round, even when playing with 6 different brackets. Even if you do you have the second and sweet 16 which you couldn't make it through flawlessly. I believe I predicted North Carolina winning it all a couple of years ago. That is one of the few years I predicted the winner from the beginning. But that was a pretty dominate team, with Felton and May. This year Uconn, UNC, Pittsburgh, and Oklahoma all look powerful, who knows who'll win it all? Maybe a Cinderella will steal the glory or maybe all the favorites will dominate like two years ago.

There is no set pattern for picking a winner, some people flip coins, some ask their little sister. Sometimes your wife could predict more right than you? We all get very superstitious around this time. We wear different shirts, avoid watching certain games. Shout stupid stuff when players attempt free throws. It's absurd but it makes the whole thing even more fun and intense. We hang on every shot of some games, and hold our breathe in the final seconds. When March Madness comes and goes we'll see who's brackets are left standing, and whose brackets are in shambles. Like Forrest Gump said "you never know what your going to get" and I like it that way.

Clarke Baldwin is a journalist who has worked for Dallas Morning News and other publications. You can find his site at International News Blog and a related story in Sports.

Super Bowl Ring or 16-0 Season - Which is More Desirable?

This past weekend, the Patriots made history by being the first NFL team to post a perfect 16-0 record. And even though, Tom Brady and company had a few late-season scares, namely their games against the Colts, Eagles, Ravens and Giants, the Patriots are rolling into the playoffs on a huge upswing. Now, whether they win the Super Bowl is another question because playoff football and regular season football are two different worlds. Though I must admit that going into the playoffs undefeated is a very enviable position.

Let's just think ahead to the future and imagine, as incredible as it may seem, that the Patriots do not win the Super Bowl. Would their season be a disappointment? Would the Patriots have nothing to celebrate? I guess what I am trying to say is would you rather win the Super Bowl or go 16-0?

The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of success. The team who wins it can say that it is the undisputed champion of the football world. The Patriots on the other hand, should they fail to win the Super Bowl, would not be able to claim football supremacy, even though they went 16-0 in the regular season. However, on the other side of the token, going 17 grueling weeks in the NFL without suffering a single loss is absolutely miraculous. The Patriots made history by doing what they did. So, which is better? Making history or winning the Super Bowl.

For me, it depends. If you ask the hundreds of players in the NFL who have played year in and year out without realizing Super Bowl success, most of them would tell you that they don't care how many losses they have. As long as they are wearing that ring at the end of the day, nothing else matters. But if you ask, say, Tom Brady, Teddy Bruschi or Rodney Harrison which they would prefer, you might get a different answer. Now, I cannot speak for them, but it seems to me that having already won the Super Bowl 3 times, these veterans may appreciate a perfect season more than another Super Bowl victory. I mean, we're talking about Don Shula's record. There are only a few teams since the inception of the NFL who have gone undefeated. That's big. Maybe even bigger than a Super Bowl ring. But then again, only the players themselves know which is more desirable - a Super Bowl ring or a 16-0 season.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales at RobbinsSports.com, an online resource for Baseball Uniforms, Track Uniforms and Punching Bags

Refrigerator Magnets

Refrigerators in the United States almost always come with refrigerator magnets. The beautiful and colorful designs of the magnets and their uses make them a favorite kitchen appliance accessory.

Refrigerator magnets come in different colors and designs. However, the most common ones are those that are related to kitchen work and food. Examples of these are cooking pans, kitchen utensils, vegetables and fruits. There are also kitchen magnets that are shaped like wine bottles with labels that closely resemble famous wine brands. Common materials used for kitchen magnets are plastic and metal. These materials are more durable. as they do not easily break. However, some modern kitchen materials also use ceramics.

Because the refrigerator is one of the most exposed appliances in the home, the idea of posting notes on the said appliance has become very popular. This is especially true for families that do not often get to meet each other throughout the day. To do this, a kitchen magnet is used. Papers containing notes or reminders to family members may be attached to the refrigerator using a kitchen magnet. This way, the recipient can easily be made aware of the message once he or she approaches the refrigerator.

Aside from this, kitchen magnets are also useful for posting family mementos such as pictures and artwork on the refrigerator. They can also be helpful in binding the family together because through them, family members can be reminded of the beautiful times they have shared together.

Because kitchen magnets are popular, they have also been used by some companies to promote their brands. They manufacture several quantities of these magnets and distribute them for free when people buy their products. An example would be a cola company that releases several designs of kitchen magnets to represent the different bottles they use for their product.

Kitchen magnets have indeed become a favorite accessory for the refrigerator. However, people who plan to use them to post notes or pictures should ensure that the kitchen magnet they will use is strong enough to hold the material firmly. Otherwise, the notes or pictures can easily be misplaced and consequently, the message cannot be rightfully delivered to recipient at the time he or she needs to read it.

Magnets provides detailed information on Magnets, Mosquito Magnets, Car Magnets, Refrigerator Magnets and more. Magnets is affiliated with Custom Printed Lanyards.

2010 NFL Predictions - Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers weren't able to build on their 12-4 NFC South title season of 2008. They won just eight games last season as quarterback Jake Delhomme held the offense back with his turnover problems. The Panthers said goodbye to their long time quarterback this offseason, and now they will turn to fourth-year signal caller Matt Moore, who led the Panthers to four wins in five games in last year's stretch run. More than anything else, the Panthers need Moore to make smart decisions with the football as running backs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams carry the offensive load.

The Panthers typically play good defense, and their performance in 2009 was no exception, but now they are about to experience life without stud pass rusher Julius Peppers.

Offense: Bookend tackles Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah, and Ryan Kalil (center) and Travelle Wharton (left guard), are all key pieces to one of the NFL's best run-blocking units. These guys do the heavy lifting while Stewart and Williams get all the glory. Thanks in part to the boys up front, this dynamic running back duo is perhaps the best in the NFL. Last season, Stewart and Williams combined for 2,250 yards and 17 scores, and both players averaged over five yards per tote. As a result, Carolina boasted the third-best running attack in the entire league.

The running game is certainly Carolina's bread and butter, but the Panthers will have to throw the football more effectively in 2010 if they hope to improve on last year's record. The Panthers finished No. 27 in the league in passing offense in 2009, averaging just 174.9 yards per game. Delhomme was throwing interceptions at such a high rate that the coaching staff completely lost faith in the passing game.

The Panthers are hoping that Moore can pick up where he left off last season. They don't need him to be great, just good. The Panthers will certainly take his 2009 performance when he completed 62 percent of his throw for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions in limited action.

When the Panthers do take to the air, Moore will be looking to hook up with No. 1 wideout Steve Smith. In a down year, Smith still hauled in 65 passes for 982 yards and seven scores.

Defense: Carolina was one of 11 teams to give up less than 20 points per game in 2009. Of those teams, only two failed to make the playoffs. Had the offense been better, Carolina would have had a great opportunity to punch its playoff ticket for a second straight season.

The Panthers were one of the better defensive teams on the all-important third down. They ranked No. 7 in the NFL in third down defense, only giving up the first down 35.5 percent of the time.

This Panthers could slip on third now that Peppers is in the Windy City. His pass rushing ability was crucial on that down last season. Peppers is the Panthers' all-time sacks leader. They're really going to miss a guy that recorded double-digit sacks year in and year out, especially since no one else on the roster had more than five last season.

While I'm not sure who is going to step up to provide some heat on the quarterback (maybe Tyler Brayton), I am sure that the Panthers will need even more leadership and stellar play out of Jon Beason, Thomas Davis and Chris Gamble to help make up for such a huge loss.

Prediction: 3rd NFC South - The Saints, Falcons and Panthers will all contend for the division title in what is becoming one of the NFL's toughest divisions. Any of these three teams can win it, but right now the Panthers look to be a little behind the other two. The NFL is a quarterback's league, and the Falcons and the Saints both have Pro Bowl-caliber signal callers. Be sure to check out my 2010 NFL predictions to see which team I have winning the division.

If you want winning NFL picks to beat the NFL odds this fall, then get signed up for one of the premium packages on my site.

Denver Broncos Tickets

Why Are Denver Broncos Tickets In Such High Demand?

Denver Broncos tickets are often hard to find because they are always in such high demand from their many fans. In fact whenever the team takes the field in their home stadium the tickets have always sold out since the franchise joined the NFL in 1970 with very few exceptions. So at every game the one thing you can not count on is seeing one of the stadium's 76,000 seats empty.

It is established tradition that dictates that the attendance for each game should be announced to the crowd. Fans have often been heard to boo to emphasize their loyalty to the team when the number of no shows is announced. The stadium itself is situated next to the former location of the now demolished Mile High Stadium. The scenery around the stadium consists of a truly arresting view of the Colorado mountains and beautiful new landscaping that covers where the old structure once stood.

It has been said that this stadium is notorious for giving its team an almost unfair advantage over visiting teams. The packed crowds and the echoing screams make it difficult for the opposition to play. The height of the stadium's location can also be a factor and reminders of that fact abound. An example of this is an extremely hard to miss mural just outside the visiting team's locker room.

The team was founded in 1960 as part of the American Football League. In the beginning their winning seasons were few but they did win the first ever AFL game. Their first real and lasting successes came when they joined the National Football League. Successes which includes achieving two Super Bowl Championships in the 1990's. Other championships that the team has won include 6 AFC conference championships, 10 division (AFC West) championships, and 20 NFL playoff appearances.

One reason then for Denver Broncos tickets to be in high demand seems to be the loyalty of the team's fans. Fortunately for them there are many ways to obtain a coveted seat in the arena in which their favorite team plays. Such as by phone, internet, mail, or in person.

Denver Broncos Tickets can be found at http://www.AllianceTickets.com

Biggest NFL Disappointments in 2009

The NFL season has been a pretty interesting one. No one expected the Denver Broncos to be undefeated through their first five games, nor did they expect the Cincinnati Bengals to start out the season with 4 wins in 5 games, including one over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cowboys look weaker than usual, as do many other teams too. Let's take a look at some of the biggest underachievers through the beginning of the 2009 NFL season. With some luck, any of these teams still has some time to turn things around - the clock is ticking though.

First of all, the Carolina Panthers coasted through the 2008 regular season on the strong play of Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, and DeAngelo Williams. Many saw them as a favorite to win the NFC last season, and they ended the season with a playoff loss to the Cardinals, but still had a great year by all accounts. The beginning of the 2009 season has been anything but a follow up to their success in 2008, as the team has dropped 3 of its first 5 games and doesn't show many signs of improvement.

The other big disappointment in 2009 thus far has to be the Tennessee Titans. The Titans won the AFC South division with flying colors in 2008, and their defense was amongst the best in the NFL. The running back duo of Chris Johnson and LenDale White was nearly just as good. Somehow, the Titans are still winless in 2009, and a trouncing at New England was even worse for the team's prospects.

If you like Ken McCormick's writing style, read his review of Lagerfeld cologne at cologne for men.