What to Do During the Offseason pt.2

It really is difficult to choose an activity after a great NFL season. With all the stress that you get from work, it really is important to have an outlet or some sort of escape so that you are kept sane. Working nowadays can be so fast paced that it can get really difficult on the soul. That’s probably one of the reasons why the NFL is so appealling; it let’s you enjoy a great game while you relax on your sofa and sipping an ice cold beer. With the season over, there are a lot of things you can do while waiting for the next season to start.

A great way to alleviate stress for most people is to go on a road trip. If you are able to stumble upon a long weekend, it would be a great time to have a road trip and spend time with you family, friends, and other loved ones. Go wherever you want, after all, there are so many places in the US that you can go to that would surely be great on the soul.

Another good idea would be to try and learn a new skill. If you feel like you want to be like one of those guys you see on UFC, then you have a lot of options and places to go to, so that you can learn how to fight MMA style.

What to Do During the Offseason pt. 1

Another great NFL season is finally over, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have won their 6th Superbowl championship. It was an exciting game, and super plays were witnessed by people from all over the world. Now that it’s all done, we have to wait for quite sometime for the next season to start. A burning question in the minds of football fans is: what is there to do during the offseason?

Well believe it or not, there actually is a life outside of the NFL season. Since watching football was a good reason enough to stay on the couch and drink beer, now there are a lot of options for you.

One of these options is actually playing football. Even if you are not the most athletic person out there, playing a friendly game of football with your friends once in a while would be a great way to shed off calories you’ve accumulated from chips and beer. You don’t have to play football, just look for an activity and keep yourself active.

Another option is to learn a new language. Learn Spanish, German, or Mandarin as they would eventually useful to you everday life. The next time you watch the NFL, it would be a good experience to watch it with let’s say, Spanish commentators.

Weary Warner

The Cardinals had a great season and for the first time, they were able to reach the Superbowl. They got so close to the win if it weren’t for a few mistakes. The question now is if they will be able to retain or even improve on last seasons performance? Well so far the future of the Arizona Cardinals seem to be cloudy, since Anquan Boldin says that there only is a slim chance that he will stay with the Cardinals when his contract expires in two years. Another problem is if Kurt Warner would keep on playing or would decide to finally retire.

Superbowl 43 was very emotional for the veteran quarterback, and now he just isn’t sure if he still wants to play or not. At the start of the ‘08 season, he said that he would be playing for another 2 years, but it seems as if he is having second thoughts. Hopefully for the Cardinals, he decides to stay for a while so that they have a good chance of returning to the Superbowl and probably win this time. It’s really difficult to find a quarterback as great as him.

The Blitz-Buster

Upon hearing the name of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first thing that goes into the mind of football enthusiasts are their defense. This is thanks to defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and his mega blitzing defense. It was evident that in the Superbowl, it was working until a few minor mishaps.

In the same football mental plane of Manning and Brady, Kurt Warner is one of the few quarterbacks in the history of the NFL that can break the blitz with ease. He just knows how it works whether he studied it carefully, or just simply has a natural affinity towards breaking through the blitz.

During the first half of Superbowl 43, the Steelers were able to limit Kurt Warner to 135 passing yard. This was because LeBeau would rush only four on passing plays, so that 7 defenders would remain in coverage. For some reason, LeBeau would start to use a lot of 5 man rushes. This is what spelled disaster for the Steelers defense. When Warner saw the 5 man rushes, in his mind was probably “big mistake”, and would eventually knit pick the defense and would end up with 222 more yards.

Mr. MVP

The Superbowl is really something that only a few people would ever experience, and to narrow it down further, fewer people experience ever winning it. Now you think that would be rare enough, but you can just imagine how rare athletes are that experience being the Superbowl MVP. After Superbowl 43, Santonio Holmes was named MVP.

It wasn’t always a life of triumph for Holmes. Having a troubled upbringing, he had admitted to selling drugs in Florida when he was still a teenager. It’s a good thing he turned to sports and eventually excelled. The thing is, his career has gone through a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.

When he recieved the award for Superbowl MVP, his smile shined brighter than the trophy itself. You can see in his eyes how truly humbled he was, and that he was able to share this moment of triumph to the rest of the world.

It really is touching to hear about stories of men and women overcoming adversity, no matter what the circumstances are. It is a testament to the human heart and spirit.

Superbowl Vandals

The Superbowl was indeed a wild and exciting event, and it proved not to disappoint anyone who saw it. It is perfectly understandable that any Pittsburgh fan would go bananas since it was a really exciting game. Just imagine, James Harrison’s 100 yard return and the miraculous catch of Santonio Holmes. Those two plays alone would set any crown into a frenzy, and even the Cardinals fans would have to give credit to it.

Celebrating is one thing; going ballistic is another. There was an incident where in a number of Pittsburgh teenage fans were involved in vandalism. These were University of Pittsburgh students in particular and it really is embarrassing since they truly represent Pittsburgh. They face fire-setting, vandalism, and some other crimes after the victory of their team. It really is sad to hear and a number of them will be facing disciplinary action and possibly will be expelled.

This is such a shame because some of these students might even be on the top of their class but just made one big mistake one night and then everything is gone. Hopefully everything turns out better and they learn their lesson without getting their lives destroyed.

100 yard return

There are simply too much stories to tell about the Superbowl, and you simply can’t fit them into a single blog. It would require you to write an epic to accurately tell what had happened that night. One of the great stories or plays is the 100 yard return of James Harrison.

Now James Harrison is one scary guy. He seems like one of those tough guys in Westerns wherein people would move out of his way whenever he would enter a saloon. The Cardinals were careful enough for most of the game not to force the issue on Larry Fitzgerald, and they were right to do so. The Steelers defense was too overwhelming and they needed the right game plan to adjust.

The formation of the Cardinals were just too tight and if Fitzgerald and Boldin had just given more space, Harrison wouldn’t have had the interception. Now it’s done, and James Harrison has the longest touchdown ever in Superbowl history.

Was this what made the Steelers win? maybe not, but of course it is such a big morale boost for them, and a frustration on the side of the Cardinals.

Unleashing the Fitzgerald

The Superbowl is over, and the Pittsburgh Steelers proved to be the better team. Well, looking at all the stats are just not enough as you would have to see the game yourself to truly understand what had happened that night. It was an epic game and those who were able to witness it live are priveledged. One of the stories there was Larry Fitzgerald.

Before the Superbowl even started, everyone already expected Fitzgerald to go wild and destroy the Pittsburgh defense. When the game was actually in play, Fitzgerald would not get to hold the football much during the first 3 quarters. Why is this? Well, the Steelers defense was simply swarming him, and Kurt Warner had the patience and not force the issue on Fitzgerald. The sad thing is that the only time Warner took a risk is when it let to an interception then eventually a touchdown.

It was at the 4th quarter that they adjusted to the blitzing defense of the Steelers and unleashed the might Fitzgerald. He pounded the Steelers for 2 TDs but the Cardinal defense came up short and the Steelers “stole” the game.

The Importance of Talent

It really is a difficult job to be the head coach of an NFL team. You would have to make difficult decisions and you carry a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. The fans might blame some of the players for a bad seasons, but the owners and GM might blame someone else, and that someone else is usually the coach. So how exactly does coaching go in the NFL?

Well, the most important thing would be the players’ talent. If the players can’t do a particular type of thing, then it’s no use training them to make plays that utilize talents that they actually lack. The coach should focus on his player’s strengths instead of trying to imporove their weaknesses. This holds true and they have to customize their strategy depending on the talent and not vice versa. What manifests this case if the mere fact that players are paid a lot more than coaches.

So if a coach want to achieve success in the NFL, then he would have to look at the talent he has, instead of the talent he thinks he can make.

A Superbowl Playlist

Every individual has unique preferences in music. You and another person may share a general taste, but there will always be artists that you are into that the other person is not into and vice versa. When it comes to the Superbowl, it’s either your for the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Arizona Cardinals. Regardless of your team, there are songs that you personally would think would fit the “Superbowl Soundtrack” and here are some of mine.

Bodies by Drowning Pool – This song definitely should be included if there ever was a soundtrack to the Superbowl. The line “let the bodies hit the floor” says a lot about how much the song fits the physical nature of the sport.

Forever by Kamelot- Ok so this is a song about dying and going to heaven, but isn’t winning the Superbowl similar to going to heaven? I mean, I can imagine how Superbowl champions must feel. Everytime they win a Superbowl for the first time, it seems as if they are joining an elite group of people and the feeling would be such heaven for these players.

Making Love Out of Nothing at All by Air Supply – Not a lot of people were into the Arizona Cardinals for the 80 or so years that they have been part of the NFL. Now that they have reached the Superbowl, it seems as if they have made love out of nothing at all.

A Superbowl Hero

We all can’t wait for the Superbowl to finally arrive, and it’s great that it’s only a few days to go. There will be millions of parties held nationwide, and over a billion viewers world wide. When talking about the Arizona Cardinals or the Pittsburgh Steelers, the usual people would pop into your mind.

Of course, when you talk about the Steelers, you’d usually hear about their defense. This has proven to be a very effective weapon, and their defense really is the best unit out there if you don’t consider the stats. Statistically they are 2nd, but here they are even if they have one of the worst offenses in the league.

The Cardinals on the other hand are known for their offense. Imagine having three 1,000 yard recievers and you know you have a good offense. Another guy that is really talked about is Larry Fitzgerald with his speed and high leaping capabilities.

But will the hero of the Superbowl be someone we’d expect? there are a lot of unsung heroes out there that step it up and land a crucial play to win the game. You never know who this player will be, and it will be exciting to see someone shine during the Superbowl.

The Smooth and Rocky Road

Two teams will be facing off at a potentially epic battle this coming Superbowl Sunday. So many stories surround the players and the coaching staff of these two teams, and indeed it will be a night to remember. If ever the Pittsburgh Steelers pull off a win, they would enter the history books as the only team in NFL history to win 6 Superbowls. If the Arizona Cardinals lead by the time the game is over, they would get their first ever Superbowl championship in franchise history.

These two teams have travelled different roads to get to the Superbowl, but both have endured certain obstacles. It was a tough battle for the Steelers throughout the season, since their division has teams that are over .500 . Still, they would come up with enough wins to get them to where they are right now.

The Cardinals on the other hand, had a relatively easier time. They are playing for the NFC west division, and this is indeed the easiest division in the NFL. Still, they went through some tough competitors in the playoffs and seem to be well poised to give a good fight on Superbowl Sunday.

Superbowl Sunday

Waiting for almost 2 weeks already for Superbowl has been excruciating. It really is difficult for the truly dedicated sports fan knowing that another historic game is coming up but has to wait. Finally, it’s only a few more days, and I can imagine my daw when the Superbowl finally is on.

I’ll probably wake up early, because my unconscious mind would also know that it’s time for the Superbowl. So here are a few ways to prepare for the Superbowl on the day itself.

Waking up late would be a good thing, that way, you don’t have to wait too long that day for the game. It would be ideal to party it out Saturday nigght, so that you’d probably wake up past lunch the following day. That would give you less time to be anxious, but enough time to prepare for your Superbowl party.

If that’s the road you choose to travel, then it means that you’d be partying almost the whole weekend. That’s great considering it’s just right to celebrate another epic game in sports. Imagine, no matter who wins history will be made; The Cardinals would have their first Superbowl championship ever, or the Steelers owuld be the first team ever to have 6 Superbowl Victories.

Next Page »