1.
Omaha, Nebraska
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Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, which includes Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha. According to the 2010 census, Omahas population was 408,958, according to the 2014 Population Estimates, Omahas population was 446,599. Including its suburbs, Omaha formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2013, the Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, Nebraska-IA Combined Statistical Area is 931,667, according to the U. S. Census Bureaus 2013 estimate. There are nearly 1.3 million residents within the Greater Omaha area, comprising a 50-mile radius of Downtown Omaha, Omahas pioneer period began in 1854, when the city was founded by speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa. The city was founded along the Missouri River, and a crossing called Lone Tree Ferry earned the city its nickname, Omaha introduced this new West to the world in 1898, when it played host to the Worlds Fair, dubbed the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. During the 19th century, Omahas central location in the United States spurred the city to become an important national transportation hub, throughout the rest of the 19th century, the transportation and jobbing sectors were important in the city, along with its railroads and breweries. In the 20th century, the Omaha Stockyards, once the worlds largest, Omaha is also the home to five Fortune 1000 headquarters, Green Plains Renewable Energy, TD Ameritrade, Valmont Industries, Werner Enterprises, and West Corporation. And Leo A Daly, the Gallup Organization, of Gallup Poll fame, Enron began in Omaha as Northern Natural Gas in 1930, before taking over a smaller Houston company in 1985 to form InterNorth, which Kenneth Lay moved permanently to Houston, in 1987. The modern economy of Omaha is diverse and built on skilled knowledge jobs, in 2009, Forbes identified Omaha as the nations number one Best Bang-For-The Buck City and ranked it number one on Americas Fastest-Recovering Cities list. Also, Omaha hosted the U. S. Olympic swim trials in 2008,2012 and 2016, the word Omaha means Dwellers on the bluff. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed by the riverbanks where the city of Omaha would be built, there was fierce competition among fur traders until John Jacob Astor created the monopoly of the American Fur Company. The Mormons built a town called Cutlers Park in the area in 1846, while it was temporary, the settlement provided the basis for further development in the future. Through 26 separate treaties with the United States federal government, Native American tribes in Nebraska gradually ceded the lands comprising the state. The treaty and cession involving the Omaha area occurred in 1854 when the Omaha Tribe ceded most of east-central Nebraska, Logan Fontenelle, an interpreter for the Omaha and signatory to the 1854 treaty, played an essential role in those proceedings. Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree Ferry to bring settlers from Council Bluffs, Brown is generally credited as having the first vision for a city where Omaha now sits. The passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act in 1854 was presaged by the out of claims around the area to become Omaha by residents from neighboring Council Bluffs. On July 4,1854, the city was established at a picnic on Capital Hill
2.
La Salle College High School
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The school is staffed by a lay faculty and the Christian Brothers. Its sports teams compete in the Philadelphia Catholic League and now also participate in the PIAA, La Salle was founded in 1858 as St. Michaels School at Second and Jefferson Streets. It then became the Christian Brothers Academy, in 1863 it became the preparatory school to La Salle College. The prep school and college shared the campus up until the 1960s. In 1982 they formally became two separate institutions
3.
William & Mary Tribe football
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The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAAs Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Jimmye Laycock is in his 38th year as the Tribes head coach. Laycock is a W&M alumnus and played quarterback under College Football Hall of Fame coaches Marv Levy, William & Marys traditional rival in football is the University of Richmond. William & Mary and Richmond have met 120 times since 1898, only Wisconsin-Minnesota, Lafayette–Lehigh, Princeton–Yale, and Harvard–Yale have played more games. The winner of this annual W&M–Richmond match-up claims the Capital Cup, in 2008, William & Mary opened the Jimmye Laycock Football Center, a state-of-the-art facility housing the Tribe locker room, football players classroom study sessions and tape review rooms. The College of William & Mary has transitioned through several official nicknames since its athletic program began in 1893, from 1893 to 1916, William & Mary football players were known as the Orange and White because those were the old official school colors. From 1916 to 1977, all William & Mary athletes were known as the Indians, and, most recently, from 1978 to the present day they have been known as the Tribe. The William & Mary Tribe football team has had success during Jimmye Laycocks tenure. Since his taking over as coach, W&M have enjoyed occasional winning seasons. The long-time head-coach has led the Tribe to multiple playoff appearances, most recently, the Tribe reached the semifinal against eventual champions Villanova in 2009, losing by a single point. The team has appeared in three bowl games, the 1948 Dixie Bowl,1949 Delta Bowl and 1970 Tangerine Bowl. The Tribe are 1–2 in those games, with the win being a 20–0 victory over Oklahoma A&M in 1949. As of 2017, only the James Madison Dukes and Richmond Spiders are still members of the Colonial Athletic Association with William & Mary
4.
Philadelphia Eagles
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The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football franchise based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference East division. The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen, the team has an intense rivalry with the New York Giants. This rivalry is the oldest in the NFC East and is among the oldest in the NFL and they also have a historic rivalry with the Washington Redskins, as well as their bitter rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has become more high-profile in the last three decades. The team consistently ranks in the top three in attendance and has sold out every game since the 1999 season, in a Sports Illustrated poll of 321 NFL players, Eagles fans were selected the most intimidating fans in the NFL. Midway through the 1931 season, the Frankford Yellow Jackets went bankrupt, the Bell-Wray group had to pay an entry fee of $3,500 and assumed a total debt of $11,000 that was owed to three other NFL franchises. Neither the Eagles nor the NFL officially regard the two franchises as the same, citing the period of dormancy. Furthermore, almost no Yellow Jackets players were on the Eagles first roster, the Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams. To accommodate football at Shibe Park during the winter, management set up stands in right field, some 20 feet high, these east stands had 22 rows of seats. The goalposts stood along the first base line and in left field, the uncovered east stands enlarged capacity of Shibe Park to over 39,000, but the Eagles rarely drew more than 25 to 30,000. The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, enduring repeated losing seasons, soon after, Bell and Rooney traded the Eagles franchise to Thompson and moved it to Pittsburgh, while Thompson moved the Steelers franchise to Philadelphia. By the late 1940s, head coach Earle Greasy Neale and running back Steve Van Buren led the team to three consecutive NFL Championship Games, winning two of them in 1948 and 1949. After the 1957 season, the Eagles moved from Connie Mack Stadium to Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania, Franklin Field would seat over 60,000 for the Eagles, whereas Connie Mack had a capacity of 39,000. The stadium switched from grass to AstroTurf in 1969 and it was the first NFL stadium to use artificial turf. In 1960, the Eagles won their third NFL championship, under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik, the head coach was Buck Shaw. The 1960 Eagles, by a score of 17–13, became the team to defeat Vince Lombardi. The Eagles had a good 1961 season and then fell on hard times in 1962
5.
Carolina Panthers
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The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League, as a club of the leagues National Football Conference South division. The team president is Danny Morrison, and the coach is Ron Rivera. The Panthers were announced as the leagues 29th franchise in 1993 and they did not have another winning season until 2003, when they won the NFC Championship Game and reached Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing 32–29 to the New England Patriots. After recording playoff appearances in 2005 and 2008, the failed to record another playoff appearance until 2013. After losing in the round to the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, the Panthers finally returned to the Super Bowl in 2016. The Panthers have reached the playoffs seven times, advancing to four NFC Championship Games and they have won six division titles, one in the NFC West and five in the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers are legally registered as Panther Football, LLC, the team is headquartered in Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte, also the teams home field. They are one of the few NFL teams to own the stadium they play in, the team hosts its annual training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On December 15,1987, entrepreneur Jerry Richardson announced his bid for an NFL expansion franchise in the Carolinas. Richardson drew his inspiration to pursue an NFL franchise from George Shinn, who had made a bid for an expansion National Basketball Association team in Charlotte. Richardson founded Richardson Sports, a partnership consisting of himself, his family, Richardson looked at four potential locations for a stadium, ultimately choosing uptown Charlotte. In choosing the name, the Richardsons did not run focus groups with potential fans. Their intention had always been the Panthers, Jerry Richardson began driving a car with the license plate PNTHRS near the end of 1989, to highlight the demand for professional football in the Carolinas, Richardson Sports held preseason games around the area from 1989 to 1991. The matchups were between existing NFL teams, in 1991, the group formally filed an application for the open expansion spot, and on October 26,1993, the 28 NFL owners unanimously named the Carolina Panthers as the 29th member of the NFL. The Panthers first competed in the 1995 NFL season, they were one of two teams to begin play that year, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars. Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was named the first head coach, the team finished its inaugural season 7–9, the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. They performed even better in their season, finishing with a 12–4 record and winning the NFC West division
6.
Buffalo Bills
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The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League, as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The team plays their games at New Era Field in Orchard Park. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays its games in the state of New York. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, the Bills began play as an original franchise of the American Football League in 1960. The club joined the NFL as a result of the AFL–NFL merger for the 1970 season, the 1964 and 1965 Bills were the only teams representing Buffalo that won major league professional sports championships. The Bills are the team to win four consecutive conference championships and are the only NFL team to lose four consecutive Super Bowl games. The team was owned by Ralph Wilson from the founding in 1960. After his death, Wilsons estate reached an agreement to sell the team to Terry and Kim Pegula, which was approved by the other NFL team owners on October 8,2014. The Bills began competitive play in 1960 as a member of the American Football League led by head coach Buster Ramsey. The Bills won two consecutive American Football League titles in 1964 and 1965, but the club has yet to win a championship since. Once the AFL–NFL merger took effect, the Bills became the second NFL team to represent the city, they followed the Buffalo All-Americans, Buffalos team in the All-America Football Conference in 1946 was the Bisons. In 1947 a contest was held to rename the team, which was owned by James Breuil of the Frontier Oil Company, the winning entry suggested Bills, reflecting on the famous western frontiersman, Buffalo Bill Cody. Carrying the frontier theme further, the contestant offered the team was being supported by Frontier Oil and was opening a new frontier in sports in Western New York. When Buffalo joined the new American Football League in 1960, the name of the citys earlier pro football entry was adopted, on October 8,2014, Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula received unanimous approval to acquire the Bills during the NFL owners meetings. The Bills uniforms in its first two seasons were based on those of the Detroit Lions at the time, the teams original colors were Honolulu blue, silver and white, and the helmets were silver with no striping. There was no logo on the helmet, which displayed the players numbers on each side, in 1962, the standing red bison was designated as the logo and took its place on a white helmet. In 1962, the colors also changed to red, white
7.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
8.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
9.
Bachelor's degree
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A bachelors degree or baccalaureate is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to seven years. In some institutions and educational systems, some bachelors degrees can only be taken as graduate or postgraduate degrees after a first degree has been completed. The term bachelor in the 12th century referred to a knight bachelor, by the end of the 13th century, it was also used by junior members of guilds or universities. By folk etymology or wordplay, the word came to be associated with bacca lauri in reference to laurels being awarded for academic success or honours. An honours degree generally requires an academic standard than a pass degree. In most African countries, the university systems follow the model of their former colonizing power, for example, the Nigerian university system is similar to the British system, while the Ivorian system is akin to the French. The degree is typically identical to the program of Frances universities, bachelors degree programs cover most of the fields in Algerian universities, except some fields, such as Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science. Bachelors degrees at the University of Botswana normally take four years, the system draws on both British and American models. Degrees are classified as First Class, Second Class Division One, Second Class Division Two and Third as in English degrees, but without being described as honours. The main degrees are named by British tradition, but in recent years there have been a numbers of degrees named after specific subjects, such as Bachelor of Library, in Morocco, a bachelors degree is referred to as al-ʾijāzah. The course of study takes three years, which are divided into two cycles. The first cycle comprises the first, or propaedeutic, year, after successfully completing their first two years, students can pursue either theoretical specialization or professional specialization. The second cycle is one long, after whose completion students receive the licence détudes fondamentales or the licence professionnelle. This academic degree system was introduced in September 2003, University admission is extremely competitive, with attendant advantages and disadvantages. Nonetheless, it takes four to five years to complete a bachelors degree, in cases of poor performance, the time limit is double the standard amount of time. For example, one may not study for more than 10 years for a five-year course, students are normally asked to leave if they must take longer. B. Arch. and other specialized undergraduate degrees, such as B. Eng, Science undergraduate degrees may require six months or a semester dedicated to SIWES but it is usually mandatory for all engineering degrees. A semester for project work/thesis is required, not excluding course work, the classifications of degrees, first-class, second-class, third-class and a pass
10.
College of William & Mary
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The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. William & Mary educated U. S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, a young George Washington also received his surveyors license through the College. W&M students founded the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society in 1776, the establishment of graduate programs in law and medicine in 1779 makes it one of the first universities in the United States. In addition to its program, W&M is home to several graduate programs. Named in honor of the reigning monarchs King William III and Queen Mary II, the original plans for the College date back to 1618 but were thwarted by the Indian Massacre of 1622, a change in government, events related to the English Civil War, and Bacons Rebellion. In 1695 before the town of Williamsburg existed, construction began on the College Building, now known as the Sir Christopher Wren Building and it is the oldest college building in America. The College is one of the countrys nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution, the Charter named James Blair as the Colleges first president. William & Mary was founded as an Anglican institution, students were required to be members of the Church of England, and professors were required to declare adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles. In 1693, the College was given a seat in the House of Burgesses and it was determined the College would be supported by taxes and export duties on furs. The College acquired a 330 acres parcel for the new school,8 miles from Jamestown, in 1694, the new school opened in temporary buildings. Williamsburg was granted a charter as a city in 1722 by the Crown. During this time, the College served as a law center and it educated future U. S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. The College has been called the Alma Mater of a Nation because of its ties to Americas founding fathers. A 17-year-old George Washington received his surveyors license through the College, William & Mary is famous for its firsts, the first U. S. institution with a Royal Charter, the first Greek-letter society, the first student honor code and the first law school in America. The College became a school in 1906 and became coeducational in 1918. In 1928, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. chose the College Building as the first building to be returned to its 18th-century appearance as part of the iconic Colonial Williamsburg restoration. During the period of the American Revolution, freedom of religion was established in Virginia notably with the 1786 passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, in 1779 the college became the first American university with the establishment of the graduate schools in law and medicine. The College of William and Mary is home to the nations first collegiate secret society, Society, popularly known as the Flat Hat Club, founded November 11,1750
11.
Safety (gridiron football position)
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Safety is a position in American and Canadian football, played by a member of the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up from ten to fifteen yards in front of the line of scrimmage, there are two variations of the position in a typical American formation, the free safety and the strong safety. Their duties depend on the defensive scheme, the defensive responsibilities of the safety and cornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field, respectively. While American formations generally use two safeties, Canadian formations generally have one safety and two halfbacks, a position not used in the American game. As professional and college football have become focused on the passing game. Safeties are the last line of defense, and are expected to be sure tacklers. Indeed, many safeties rank among the hardest hitters in football, Safety positions can also be converted cornerbacks, either by design or as a cornerback ages. The free safety tends to watch the play unfold and follow the ball, the free safety is typically assigned to the quarterback in man coverage, but as the quarterback usually remains in the pocket, the free safety is free to double cover another player. On pass plays, the safety is expected to assist the cornerback on his side. This phenomenon often tests how effective a free safetys wit and athleticism are at defending long pass plays, if the offense puts a receiver in the slot, then the free safety may be called upon to cover that receiver. Free safeties occasionally blitz as well, when this happens, the pressure on the quarterback is often very severe since a blitz by a defensive back is not usually anticipated. Because of their speed and deep coverage, free safeties are especially likely to make interceptions, the strong safety tends to be somewhat larger and stronger than the free safety. The strong safety tends to play closer to the line than the free safety does and he may also cover a player, such as a running back or fullback or H-back, who comes out of the backfield to receive a pass. A strong safetys duties are a hybrid of those belonging to a linebacker in a 46 or 3–4 defense, strong safeties are not seen in the Canadian game, where the role is filled by the two defensive halfbacks. PhillyBurbs. com Football 101, The Free Safety
12.
1999 NFL season
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The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season, also, the Tennessee Oilers changed its name to Tennessee Titans, and the league retired the name Oilers – a first in league history. The return of the Browns increased the number of teams to 31, under a new system, for ten weeks of the season, one team was scheduled a bye, for seven weeks of the season, three teams sat out. This format would continue for the two seasons until the Houston Texans joined the NFL in 2002 and returned the league to an even number of teams. The start of the 1999 NFL Season was pushed back one week and started the weekend after Labor Day, a change from the previous seasons. Due to the Y2K concerns, the NFL did not want to hold the round of the playoffs on Saturday January 1,2000. Week 17 games were held on January 2,2000, the bye week before the Super Bowl was removed to accommodate the one-week adjustment. The start of the season after Labor Day would become a fixture for future seasons. The final spot in the NFC playoffs came down to a final day of the season. Both the Packers and Panthers were playing at 1,00 PM Eastern on January 2, the Packers beat the Arizona Cardinals 49–24, and the Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints 45–13. The Packers finished ahead of the Panthers by 11 points, the St. Louis Rams, who had a losing record for each of the past nine seasons, surprised the entire league by defeating the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome. Clipping is now illegal around the line of scrimmage just as it is on the rest of the field, a new instant replay system is adopted to aid officiating. The system mirrors a method used by the defunct USFL in 1985, In each game, each challenge will require the use of a teams timeout. If the challenge is successful, the timeout is restored, inside of two minutes of each half, and during all overtime periods, all reviews will be initiated by a Replay Assistant. The Replay Assistant has an number of reviews, regardless of how many timeouts each team has left. And no timeout will be charged for any review by the Replay Assistant, all replay reviews will be conducted by the referee on a field-level monitor. A decision will be reversed only when there is visual evidence to overturn the call. The referee has 90 seconds to review the play, the officials will be notified of a replay request or challenge via a specialized electronic pager with a vibrating alert
13.
2003 NFL season
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The 2003 NFL season was the 84th regular season of the National Football League. The Philadelphia Eagles opened Lincoln Financial Field, regular season play was held from September 4,2003 to December 28,2003. The playoffs began on January 3,2004, the NFL title was eventually won by the New England Patriots when they narrowly defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on February 1. Previously, the team was penalized, but had another chance to kick again from five yards back. League officials encouraged networks to cut to a commercial break if an instant replay challenge review was initiated. Previously networks were not permitted to utilize those game stoppages for their prescribed commercial periods. Cincinnati Bengals – Marvin Lewis, replaced Dick LeBeau who was fired following the 2002 season, Dallas Cowboys – Bill Parcells, replaced Dave Campo who was fired following the 2002 season. Detroit Lions – Steve Mariucci, replaced Marty Mornhinweg who was fired following the 2002 season, Jacksonville Jaguars – Jack Del Rio, replaced Tom Coughlin who was fired following the 2002 season. San Francisco 49ers – Dennis Erickson, replaced Steve Mariucci who was fired following the 2002 season, W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green. A Indianapolis finished ahead of Tennessee in the AFC South based on better head-to-head record, B Denver clinched the AFC6 seed instead of Miami based on better conference record. C Buffalo finished ahead of N. Y, jets in the AFC East based on better division record. D Jacksonville finished ahead of Houston in the AFC South based on division record. E Oakland finished ahead of San Diego in the AFC West based on conference record. F Philadelphia clinched the NFC1 seed instead of St. Louis based on conference record. G Seattle clinched the NFC5 seed instead of Dallas based on strength of victory, New Orleans Saints – New AstroPlay home turf by midseason. Green Bay Packers – New remodel Lambeau Field, Added black trim on logo and numbers. Chicago Bears – New remodel Soldier Field, Buffalo Bills – New AstroPlay home turf. Philadelphia Eagles – New stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, and added silver trim to numbers on uniforms
14.
Steve Spagnuolo
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Stephen Christopher Spagnuolo is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants of the National Football League. Spagnuolo was hired by the St. Louis Rams in 2009 to be their head coach and he became the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints in 2012 but was fired after only one year. He also spent time in the original World League of American Football and its successor, born in the Whitinsville section of Northbridge, Massachusetts, Spagnuolo moved to Grafton as a youth. After graduating from Grafton High School, Spagnuolo played wide receiver at Drexel University and he assisted the University of Massachusetts football team while pursuing his graduate degree. Spagnuolo began his NFL coaching career in the Philadelphia Eagles organization in 1999, serving as linebackers and he remained there for eight years. In January 2007 he was hired as the coordinator for the New York Giants under Head Coach Tom Coughlin. Following the Super Bowl win and a deal of praise. On February 7,2008, he took his out of consideration for the head coaching position of the Washington Redskins. The same day, the New York Giants made Spagnuolo one of the defensive coordinators in the NFL with a new three-year contract. Following another successful season in 2008, in which the Giants finished the season 12–4, Louis Rams, taking over their head-coaching vacancy with a 4-year, $11.5 million contract. Spagnuolo hired Pat Shurmur and Ken Flajole to be the Rams offensive and defensive coordinators respectively, Spagnuolo then hired Josh McDaniels to be the teams offensive coordinator to replace Shurmur, who left for the Browns head-coaching job. Spagnuolos first season saw the Rams go 1–15, the worst record in the league, after rebounding to 7–9 in 2010, they regressed to 2–14 in 2011, tied with the Indianapolis Colts with the worst record in the league. Spagnuolo was fired on January 2,2012, after compiling a 10–38 overall record in his three seasons in St. Louis, the second-lowest winning percentage for a coach in franchise history. However, Payton was subsequently suspended for the season for his role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. In 2012, the Saints allowed the most yards for a season of any defense in NFL history en route to finishing 7–9, soon after Paytons suspension ended, Spagnuolo was fired on January 24,2013. Baltimore hired Spagnuolo as a defensive assistant before the 2013 season. On January 15,2015, Spagnuolo rejoined the New York Giants as defensive coordinator, the Giants finished last in the NFL for defense his first year back. Spagnuolo learned under Philadelphia coach Jim Johnson, and shares the same aggressive, Spagnuolo uses a 4–3 base defense with a heavy emphasis on multiple blitz packages, including corner and safety blitzes
15.
2004 NFL season
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The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League. With the New England Patriots as the league champions, regular season play was held from September 9,2004 to January 2,2005. Due to several incidents during the 2003 NFL season, officials are authorized to penalize excessive celebration, the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty will be marked off from the spot at the end of the previous play or, after a score, on the ensuing kickoff. If the infraction is ruled flagrant by the officials, the player are ejected, due to several instances during the 2003–04 playoffs, officials are instructed to strictly enforce illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding. Timeouts can be called by head coaches, in addition to the numbers 80–89, wide receivers will now be allowed to use numbers 10–19. A punt or missed field goal that is untouched by the team is immediately dead once it touches either the end zone or any member of the kicking team in the end zone. Previously, a punt or missed field goal that lands in the end zone before being controlled by the team could be picked up by a member of the receiving team. Teams will be awarded a third instant replay challenge if their first two are successful, previously, teams were only limited to two regardless of what occurred during the game. The one-bar facemask was officially outlawed, the few remaining players who still used the one-bar facemask at the time were allowed to continue to use the style until they left the league under a grandfather clause. Baltimore Ravens – Added third alternative uniforms, jacksonville Jaguars – New road uniforms. White uniforms, black numbers with gold and teal trim, New black pants with Jaguars logo on hip. New York Giants – Added third alternative uniforms, Minnesota Vikings – New FieldTurf field. Chicago Bears – Added third alternative uniforms, coaching changes Arizona Cardinals – Dennis Green replaced Dave McGinnis Atlanta Falcons – Jim Mora, Jr. Tiebreakers a Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based on better head-to-head record, jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based on better record in common games. C St. Louis clinched the NFC #5 seed instead of Minnesota or New Orleans based on conference record. D Minnesota clinched the NFC #6 seed instead of New Orleans based on better head-to-head record, Giants finished ahead of Dallas and Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record. F Dallas finished ahead of Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record, within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, the NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round
16.
Brian Dawkins
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Brian Patrick Dawkins, nicknamed Weapon X Wolverine, is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League for sixteen seasons. He played college football for Clemson University and he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and played thirteen seasons for Philadelphia. Dawkins played his final three seasons for the Denver Broncos, Dawkins was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida and first saw his future wife in junior high school. He dated Connie Kerrin while attending William M. Raines High School, Dawkins attended Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. A three-year starter at safety for the Clemson Tigers football team. He was named the first-team strong safety on Clemsons all-centennial team in 1996 and was selected to their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, Dawkins was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. As a rookie in 1996, he replaced Eric Zomalt as the free safety. In 1996, he started 13 of the 14 games he played in, recording 75 tackles, a sack and his emergence as one of the premier safeties in the NFL earned him the role of Eagles defensive captain, and a mainstay on the Eagles. In 2002 in a game versus the Houston Texans he became the first player in NFL history to record a sack, an interception, forced fumble, and touchdown reception in a single game. This performance, as well as his consistent Pro Bowl-caliber play, in 2004, after three consecutive NFC Championship defeats, the Eagles finally advanced to the Super Bowl with a win over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. Dawkins played a role in the Eagles winning that game, as he intercepted a Michael Vick pass. The Eagles ultimately would lose to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and it was Dawkins first, and only Super Bowl appearance. During the 2008 season, he became the member of the 20/20 Club. He is also a member of the 30/30 club of players who have at least 30 interceptions and 30 forced fumbles and he and Charles Tillman are the only players to record at least 35 of each. He finished his career with the Eagles starting 182 of 183 games, recording 898 tackles,34 interceptions,32 forced fumbles, on February 28,2009, Dawkins signed a five-year, $17 million contract with the Denver Broncos. He joined another teammate, Correll Buckhalter, who signed with the Broncos. Dawkins could have earned an additional $10 million in performance incentives. On December 29,2009, the NFL announced that Dawkins was the starter of the AFC Pro Bowl team as a strong safety, Dawkins played in 16 of 16 games for the 2009 Broncos
17.
Michael Lewis (safety)
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Michael Milton Lewis is a former American football strong safety. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the round of the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the San Francisco 49ers. He was a Pro Bowl selection with the Eagles in 2004, Lewis played college football at Colorado. Lewis out of Rosenberg, Texas played for Lamar Consolidated High School from 1994-1997 before heading to the University of Colorado. Lewis twice won Colorados Dave Jones Award for the most outstanding defensive player, as a junior, he made a career-high 117 tackles on his way to first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors. He led the team with 112 tackles and five interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown and he closed his career ranked 9th on the schools all-time list with 336 tackles, second in forced fumbles with 10 and tied for 12th with nine interceptions. He also holds the record with 6.5 career sacks for a defensive back. Lewis was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the round of the 2002 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he started 4 out of 14 games and recorded 49 tackles, a sack, in 2003, he became a full-time starter, replacing Blaine Bishop, and remained the starter alongside free safety Brian Dawkins up to the 2006 season. In 2005, he along with Dawkins were selected as the starters for the 2004 Pro Bowl for the NFC squad, but Lewis had a tough year in 2006. After giving up big plays, he was benched for Sean Considine. He finished his career with the Eagles recording 386 tackles, six sacks, on March 2,2007 Lewis signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Lewis re-gained his starting role with the 49ers and had a season, finishing his first season with the team starting all 16 games recording 104 tackles,1.5 sacks. On October 1,2010, it was reported that Lewis would not be traveling with the 49ers to their game at Atlanta after sitting out that days practice for personal reasons. It was further reported that Lewis has asked the team for his release, for the season until that point, Lewis had started each regular season game and had 10 tackles with no interceptions, forced fumbles, or sacks. On October 4,2010, Lewis was released by the 49ers, Lewis was signed by the St. Louis Rams on October 27,2010. He was later released at the end of the season and later retired, the tournament featured eight NFL players and Lewis claimed the top spot by defeating Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, Colts DE Dwight Freeney, and Broncos RB Willis McGahee. During his sophomore year at Colorado University, Lewis was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, while not life-threatening, it has contributed to Michael Lewis becoming an active spokesperson for Heart Disease awareness
18.
Pro Bowl
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The Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League. Between 2014 and 2016, the NFL experimented with an unconferenced format, the players were picked in a televised schoolyard pick prior to the game. Unlike most major leagues, which hold their all-star games roughly midway through their respective regular seasons. Between 1970 and 2009, it was held the weekend after the Super Bowl. Since 2010, the Pro Bowl has been played the weekend before the Super Bowl, Players from the two teams competing in the Super Bowl do not participate. Observers and commentators expressed their disfavor with the Pro Bowl in its current state and it draws lower TV ratings than its regular-season games, although the game draws similar ratings to other major all-star games, such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, the biggest concern of teams is to avoid injuries to the star players, the Associated Press wrote that players in the 2012 game were hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight. Between 1980 and 2016, the game was played at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, on June 1,2016, the NFL announced that they reached a multi-year deal to move the game to Orlando, Florida as part of the leagues ongoing efforts to make the game more relevant. For years, the game has suffered from lack of interest due to perceived low quality, the 2017 Pro Bowl will also mark a return to the AFC–NFC format. The first Pro All-Star Game, featuring the all-stars of the 1938 season, was played on January 15,1939 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. The NFL All-Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York, although originally planned as an annual contest, the all-star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War II. During the first five games, an all-star team would face that years league champion. The league champion won the first four games before the all-stars were victorious in the game of this early series. The concept of a game was not revived until June 1950. The game was sponsored by the Los Angeles Publishers Association and it was decided that the game would feature all-star teams from each of the leagues two conferences rather than the league champion versus all-star format which had been used previously. This was done to avoid confusion with the Chicago College All-Star Game, the teams would be led by the coach of each of the conference champions. The first 21 games of the series were played in Los Angeles, the site of the game was changed annually for each of the next seven years before the game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii for 30 straight seasons from 1980 through 2009. With the new rule being that the teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl
19.
2005 NFL season
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The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League. Regular season play was held from September 8,2005 to January 1,2006, the playoffs began on January 7. This also marked the first time that a Sixth-seeded team, who by the nature of their seeding would play every game on the road, would advance to and win the Super Bowl. The season formally concluded with the Pro Bowl, the leagues all-star game, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu and this marked the final season that ABC held the rights to televise Monday Night Football after thirty-six years of airing the series. When the TV contracts were renewed near the end of the season, NBC bought the right to televise Sunday Night Football, marking the first time that the network broadcast NFL games since Super Bowl XXXII in 1998. Meanwhile, CBS and Fox renewed their contracts to the American Football Conference. The game drew an NFL regular season record of 103,467 paid fans and it was a home game for the Cardinals, mostly because the team rarely sold out at their then-home field, Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. This season was the last year that the Cardinals played at Sun Devil Stadium, the Saints first home game on September 18 against the New York Giants was moved to Giants Stadium on September 19. The impromptu Monday Night doubleheader with the already scheduled was a success. As a result of the doubleheader, the NFL designated its second weekend, September 18 and 19, as Hurricane Relief Weekend. The Saints remaining home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio and Louisiana State Universitys Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Being forced to travel to 13 of their 16 games and practice in substandard facilities and conditions in San Antonio, the Saints finished 3–13, their worst season since 1999. The last NFL team to abandon their city during a season was the hapless 1952 Dallas Texans. The Chiefs won the game, 30–20, and became the first visiting team to travel, since the game was planned for Sunday afternoon, it is one of the few times in history that the Dolphins wore their road jerseys in a home game played at night. The horse-collar tackle, in which a defender grabs inside the back or side of a shoulder pads. Peel-back blocks below the waist and from the back are now illegal, unnecessary roughness would be called for blocks away from the play on punters or kickers, similar to the same protection quarterbacks have after interceptions. When time is stopped by officials prior to the snap for any reason while time is in, previously, the play-clock would be reset to 25 seconds. During field goal and extra point attempts, the team will be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct if it calls consecutive timeouts in an attempt to ice the kicker
20.
2006 NFL season
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The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League. Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31,2006, the NFL title was eventually won by the Indianapolis Colts, when they defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium at Miami Gardens, Florida on February 4. Under the flexible-scheduling system, all Sunday games in the affected weeks tentatively had the start times of 1 p. m. ET/10 a. m. PT, except played in the Pacific or Mountain time zones. On the Tuesday 12 days before the games, the league moved one game to the primetime slot and this was the first season that NBC held the rights to televise Sunday Night Football, becoming the beneficiaries by negotiating the new flexible-scheduling system. ESPN became the new home of Monday Night Football, replacing sister network American Broadcasting Company, meanwhile, CBS and Fox renewed their television contracts to the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference packages, respectively. Louis Rams – Scott Linehan, replaced interim head coach Joe Vitt who replaced Mike Martz who was not allowed to coach due to problems during the 2005 season. W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses, no tie games occurred this year. Tiebreakers Source,2007 NFL Record and Fact Book a Cincinnati finished ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North based on division record, B Tennessee finished ahead of Jacksonville in the AFC South based on division record. C Kansas City finished ahead of Denver in the AFC West based on division record, D Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed based on their head-to-head victory over New England. E New Orleans clinched the NFC #2 seed based on their victory over Philadelphia. Giants clinched the NFC #6 seed based on strength of victory than Green Bay, while Carolina. Giants and Green Bay had better conference records, within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, the NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round, in the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round, while the number 2 seed will play the other team. The two surviving teams from each divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, * Indicates overtime victory 2007 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii, AFC31, NFC28 End zone celebrations became more restricted
21.
2007 NFL season
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The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League. Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30, the New England Patriots became the first team to complete the regular season undefeated since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978. However, with all efforts being put into the London regular season game, plans for the game were postponed, on March 26,2007, the league announced the aforementioned opening Saints-Colts Kickoff Game on September 6 that would be telecast on NBC. Pre-game activities featured Indiana native John Mellencamp, Faith Hill, the entertainment portion of events started 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled start time of the game, leading up to the unveiling of the Colts Super Bowl XLI championship banner. The opening events were simulcast on NFL Network, the Dallas Cowboys hosted the New York Giants in the first Sunday night game September 9 at 8,15 p. m. Monday Night Football on ESPN kicked off with a doubleheader on September 10 with the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Baltimore Ravens at 7,00 p. m, US EDT, and the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Arizona Cardinals at 10,15 p. m. The 49ers paid tribute to three-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Walsh, in October 2006, NFL club owners approved a plan to stage up to two international regular season games per season beginning in 2007 and continuing through at least 2011. In Week 9, the New England Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts in a battle of undefeated teams, many people dubbed the game Super Bowl 41 1⁄2. The Patriots prevailed 24–20, and would finish the regular season as the leagues first 16–0 team. For the second year in a row, three games were held on the United States Thanksgiving Day. In addition to the traditional games hosted by the Detroit Lions and Cowboys, based on the NFLs scheduling formula, the intraconference and interconference matchups for 2007 were, The NFL entered its second year of flexible scheduling in the final weeks of the season. In each of the Sunday night contests from Weeks 11 through 17, NBC had the option of switching its Sunday night game for a more favorable contest, in addition to an extra week of flexible scheduling, the NFL slightly changed its flex-schedule procedure. In 2006, the league did not reveal its predetermined Sunday night game, in 2007, the league announced all predetermined matchups, with a footnote on the games subject to flex scheduling. The first flex game was the New England Patriots visiting the Buffalo Bills on November 18, additionally, the Dallas Cowboys–Washington Redskins game was switched on Fox from 1 PM kickoff to 4,15 PM. B Detroit finished in place in the NFC North over Chicago based on a head-to-head sweep over Chicago. C Carolina finished in place in the NFC South over New Orleans based on a better conference record. D Kansas City finished in place in the AFC West over Oakland based on a better record against common opponents. E Tennessee clinched the AFC No.6 seed over Cleveland based on a record against common opponents
22.
Linebacker
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A linebacker is a playing position in American football and Canadian football. Linebackers are members of the team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen, and therefore back up the line. Linebackers generally align themselves before the ball is snapped by standing upright in a two point stance, the goal of the linebacker is to provide either extra run protection or extra pass protection based on the particular defensive play being executed. Another key play of the position is blitzing. A blitz occurs when a linebacker acts as a pass rusher running into any exposed gap. When a blitz is called by the defense, it is mainly to sack or hurry the opposing offenses quarterback. Linebackers are often regarded as the most important position in defence, due to their versatility in providing hard hits on running plays or a layer of pass protection. Similar to the safety position, linebackers are required to use their judgment on every snap. Before the advent of the two platoon system with units for offense and defense, the player who was the teams center on offense was often, though not always. Hence today one usually sees four defensive linemen to the five or more. Most sources claim coach Fielding H. Yost and center Germany Schulz of the University of Michigan invented the position, Schulz was Yosts first linebacker in 1904 when he stood up from his usual position on the line. Yost was horrified at first, but came to see the wisdom in Schulzs innovation, william Dunn of Penn St. was another Western linebacker soon after Schulz. However, there are historical claims tied to the linebacker position. For example, Percy Given of Georgetown is another center with a claim to the title first linebacker, despite Given, most sources have the first linebacker in the South as Frank Juhan of Sewanee. In the East, Ernest Cozens of Penn was one of the first of the centers, another, archaic term for the position. Walter E. Bachman of Lafayette was said to be the developer of the roving center concept, edgar Garbisch of Army was credited with developing the roving center method of playing defensive football in 1921. In professional football, Cal Hubbard is credited with pioneering the linebacker position and he starred as a tackle and end, playing off the line in a style similar to that of a modern linebacker. The middle or inside linebacker, sometimes called Mike or Mohr, is referred to as the quarterback of the defense
23.
New York Giants
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The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference East division. The team plays its games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants hold their training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925 and their championship tally is surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Throughout their history, the Giants have featured 28 Hall of Fame players, including NFL Most Valuable Player award winners Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Y. A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor. The teams heated rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles is the oldest of the NFC East rivalries, dating all the way back to 1933, the Giants played their first game as an away game against All New Britain in New Britain, Connecticut, on October 4,1925. They defeated New Britain 26–0 in front of a crowd of 10,000, the Giants were successful in their first season, finishing with an 8–4 record. In its third season, the finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1 and was awarded the NFL title. In 1930, there were many who questioned the quality of the professional game. In December 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame All Stars at the Polo Grounds to raise money for the unemployed of New York City and it was also an opportunity to establish the skill and prestige of the pro game. Knute Rockne reassembled his Four Horsemen along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, Rockne, like much of the public, thought little of pro football and expected an easy win. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran passing for another, when it was all over, Coach Rockne told his team, That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I am glad none of you got hurt, the game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game for those who were critical. It also was the last game the legendary Rockne ever coached, in a 14-year span from 1933 to 1947, the Giants qualified to play in the NFL championship game 8 times, winning twice. During this period the Giants were led by Hall of Fame coach Steve Owen, the period also featured the 1944 Giants, which are ranked as the #1 defensive team in NFL history. a truly awesome unit. They gave up only 7.5 points per game and shut out five of their 10 opponents, though they lost 14-7 to the Green Bay Packers in the 1944 NFL Championship Game. The famous Sneakers Game was played in this era where the Giants defeated the Chicago Bears on an icy field in the 1934 NFL Championship Game, the Giants played the Detroit Lions to a scoreless tie on November 7,1943
24.
Andy Reid
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Andrew Walter Reid is an American football coach who is the current head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. Reid was previously the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, a position he held from 1999 to 2012. From 2001 to 2012, he was also the Eagles executive vice president of football operations and he led the Eagles to five National Football Conference championship games, including four consecutive appearances from 2001-2004, and one Super Bowl appearance in 2004. Reid was fired by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie following the 2012 season, Reid played college football at Brigham Young University. Born in Los Angeles, California, Reid attended John Marshall High School, in 1971 Reid appeared live on Monday Night Football during the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition. Reid played offensive tackle at Glendale Community College in Glendale, California, Reid played offensive tackle at Brigham Young University from 1978 to 1980. After graduating from BYU in 1981, he spent one year as an assistant on the schools football coaching staff. Reid was hired as an assistant coach by the Green Bay Packers in 1992, Reid was named the Packers quarterbacks coach in 1997, the season after the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI. During this time, he worked under head coach Mike Holmgren, the quality of Reids work with the Packers attracted considerable notice throughout the league, leading to his being hired as the head coach of the Eagles on January 11,1999. At the time, many in the media in Philadelphia criticized the hiring, citing the availability of other candidates who had past records of success as head coaches. It was noted that Reid had never been a coordinator or defensive coordinator at the time of the hiring. In 2001, Reid was named vice president of football operations of the Eagles. Although the Eagles have had someone with the title of general manager since 2005, the Eagles in 1998, then under coach Ray Rhodes, finished in a three-way tie for the NFLs worst record at 3-13, which gave the team the 2nd overall pick. The Eagles hired Reid as their coach in 1999. The team drafted dual-threat quarterback Donovan McNabb with the 2nd overall pick and they improved their record by two games in 1999 to finish at 5-11. In 2000 the Eagles posted an 11-5 regular-season record and won their first playoff game since the 1995 season, the 2004 team was the second NFC East squad to defeat all of its division rivals twice during the same regular season. The 2004 Eagles clinched the NFC 1st seed with a 13-1 record, after 3 straight NFC Championship losses, the team beat the Falcons 27-10 and made it to Super Bowl XXXIX but fell to the New England Patriots 24-21 in the final minutes. The 2005 season was difficult for Reid, as he was unprepared to deal with wide receiver Terrell Owens flamboyant persona, a couple of weeks later quarterback Donovan McNabb suffered a season-ending injury, leaving the Eagles without the services of two of their star players
25.
Jim Johnson (American football)
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Jim Johnson was an American football coach, formerly serving as defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles. In more than 40 years of coaching, Johnson held head coaching duties only once, a native of Maywood, Illinois, Johnson played college football for head coach Dan Devine at the University of Missouri from 1959 to 1962. An all-Big Eight quarterback, Johnson played in the backfield with long-time NFL executive Bill Tobin. He went undrafted in the 1963 NFL Draft, but was signed to play tight end by the Buffalo Bills of the AFL, Johnson began his coaching career as head coach at Missouri Southern, before serving four-year tenures at Drake University and Indiana University. In 1977, Johnson was hired by his head coach at Missouri, Dan Devine. After helping the 1977 Fighting Irish to win the championship in his first year, Johnson was later promoted to defensive coordinator. Leaving Notre Dame in 1984, Johnson coached in the short-lived USFL with the Oklahoma Outlaws, in 1986 he finally entered the NFL as a coach, spending eight seasons with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals. In 1994 he joined the Indianapolis Colts as linebackers coach under head coach Ted Marchibroda, after defensive coordinator Vince Tobin left the Colts in 1996 to become head coach of the Cardinals, Johnson was deemed his successor by new Colts head coach Lindy Infante. The Colts finished last in the AFC East in 1997, causing Infante, Johnson spent the 1998 NFL season as linebackers coach on the final staff of Seattle Seahawks head coach Dennis Erickson, before leaving for Philadelphia. He helped the Seahawks register 10 TDs on defense, including 8 INTs returned for scores, if Johnson had stayed, he could have stepped into the coordinators role when Fritz Shurmur died of cancer that summer. On January 22,1999, Eagles head coach Andy Reid targeted and hired Jim Johnson as the Eagles new defensive coordinator, Johnsons tenure in Philadelphia was his most successful, as the Eagles won 5 division titles, each reaping the benefits of his defenses. Reid repeatedly said he had confidence in Johnson and the Eagles rewarded him accordingly. As Ive said many times, Jim Johnson is the best in the business at what he does and his defensive units continue to produce at a very high level as he puts a lot of pressure on opposing offenses. From 2000–07, Johnsons units rank tied for first in the NFL with 342 sacks, second in the league in 3rd down efficiency and red zone touchdown percentage, and fourth in fewest points allowed. In 2001, Johnsons unit became the team in NFL history to go all 16 games without allowing more than 21 points. Their streak of allowing 21 or fewer in 34 straight games was second longest in NFL history, in 1999, Johnsons unit forced a NFL-best 46 turnovers, including a team-record 5 interceptions returned for TDs. Eagles defenders were selected for the Pro Bowl 26 times during Johnsons tenure, former Eagle Brian Dawkins led the way with seven. Current NFL head coaches John Harbaugh and Ron Rivera, both coached under Johnson with the Eagles, shortly after the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs, on January 29,2009, it was announced that Johnson was undergoing treatment for melanoma
26.
Super Bowl 50
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Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos won against National Football Conference champion Carolina Panthers 24–10 to win their 3rd Super Bowl championship, the game was played on February 7,2016, at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Panthers finished the season with a 15–1 record, racking up the leagues top offense. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals 49–15 in the NFC Championship Game, the Broncos finished the regular season with a 12–4 record, bolstered by having the leagues top defense and the veteran presence of starting quarterback and Super Bowl XLI winner Peyton Manning. This record would later be broken the next season, in 2017, in one of the most defensive Super Bowl matchups in NFL history, the Broncos took an early lead in Super Bowl 50 and never trailed. Denver recorded seven sacks and forced four turnovers, Carolina likewise kept pace by recording five sacks and forcing two turnovers. Denver linebacker Von Miller was named Super Bowl MVP and this game was also the final game of Peyton Mannings career, he announced his retirement on March 7,2016. CBS broadcast of the game was the third most-watched program in American television history with an average of 111.9 million viewers, the network charged an average of $5 million for a 30-second commercial during the game. It remains the highest-rated program in the history of CBS, the Super Bowl 50 halftime show was headlined by Coldplay, with special guest performers Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. In early 2012, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the league planned to make the 50th Super Bowl spectacular and that it would be an important game for us as a league. The Los Angeles bid was dependent on a team relocating to the area by the time the site was selected, No team requested to relocate by the time the site was selected, and Los Angeles was pulled from consideration. Los Angeles was then put into consideration for Super Bowl LIV, the league eventually narrowed the bids to three sites, New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Miamis Sun Life Stadium, and the San Francisco Bay Areas Levis Stadium. The league announced on October 16,2012, that the two finalists were Sun Life Stadium and Levis Stadium, the South Florida/Miami area has previously hosted the event 10 times, with the most recent one being Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. The San Francisco Bay Area last hosted in 1985, held at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California, the Miami bid depended on whether the stadium underwent renovations. However, on May 3,2013, the Florida legislature refused to approve the plan to pay for the renovations. On May 21,2013, NFL owners at their meetings in Boston voted and awarded the game to Levis Stadium. The $1.2 billion stadium opened in 2014 and it is the first Super Bowl held in the San Francisco Bay Area since Super Bowl XIX in 1985, and the first in California since Super Bowl XXXVII took place in San Diego in 2003. For the third season, the number one seeds in the NFC and AFC
27.
2015 Denver Broncos season
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The 2015 Denver Broncos season was the franchises 46th season in the National Football League and the 56th overall. It was also the season with Peyton Manning as the teams starting quarterback. Manning missed six games due to a tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot and had his worst statistical season since his rookie year with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. Backup quarterback Brock Osweiler filled in for Manning during the half of the regular season. The teams defense is considered to be among the greatest of all time. The Broncos clinched their fifth-consecutive AFC West division title, fourth consecutive first-round bye, the Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 23–16 in the Divisional round and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 20–18 in the AFC Championship Game. The Broncos then defeated the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50 — the franchises third Super Bowl championship, and the first since winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. On January 12,2015, one day after the Broncos 24–13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional round of the 2014 playoffs, Fox departed with a.719 winning percentage in his four seasons as head coach — the highest in franchise history. Four days later, Fox was hired as the new coach of the Chicago Bears. On January 18, the Broncos finalized a deal that made Gary Kubiak the teams new head coach, Kubiak served as the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator in 2014. Joe Woods was hired as the backs coach. Woods served in the capacity with the Oakland Raiders in 2014. Fred Pagac was hired as the teams linebackers coach. He served as the Buffalo Bills linebackers coach in 2014, samson Brown was hired as the teams assistant defensive backs coach. Like Pagac, Brown also served on the Bills staff in 2014, february 27, Jerry Butler, who served as the teams director of player development since 2011, was hired to the same position with the Chicago Bears. The Broncos declined to renew his contract following the 2014 season, may 14, Anthony Kelly was hired by the Chicago Bears to become their new director of pro personnel. Kelly was promoted to the Broncos assistant director of pro personnel position in 2010 and he will now head that department for the Bears, along with nine coaches who were with the Broncos in 2014. April 1, The Broncos acquired center/guard Gino Gradkowski in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens that involved 2016 draft-pick considerations, Gradkowski was later released on September 6
28.
Rex Ryan
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Rex Ashley Ryan is a former American football coach and current ESPN analyst. Ryan was formerly the coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. Ryan is the son of head coach Buddy Ryan and is the fraternal twin brother of Rob Ryan. From a young age, Ryan aspired to follow in his fathers footsteps, after spending the majority of his youth in Canada, Ryan returned to the United States as a teenager where he attended college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Upon graduating, Ryan spent the next 22 years serving as an assistant coach on different teams at both the college and professional level, at the behest of their head coach Brian Billick, Ryan joined the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 and spent nine years there. In 2005, he became the coordinator, and later was promoted to be the teams assistant head coach in 2008. Ryan later accepted an offer from the Jets for their vacant head coaching position for the 2009 season. During his tenure, Ryan became well known throughout the league for his manner, boisterous attitude. In his first two seasons as the Jets head coach, he led the team to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances, Ryans subsequent tenure was a period of struggles, as the Jets were unable to finish with a record above a.500 winning percentage. After a career worst 4-12 record at the conclusion of the 2014 season, shortly after his firing from the Jets, Ryan was hired to be the Bills head coach, where he lasted two years with the team before being fired at the end of the 2016 season. Rex Ryan and his twin, Rob, were born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on December 13,1962, to Doris. When the boys were aged two, their parents amicably divorced, following the divorce, their mother attended the University of Chicago to earn her doctorate. Rex, Rob, and their older brother Jim moved with her to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in Canada, there was little emphasis on football, much to the disappointment of Rex. By the time Rex was a teenager, Doris realized he and she decided it was in the best interest of the brothers to send them to live with their father, who was the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings at the time. The reasons behind this were to them out of trouble. In 1978, when Buddy was hired by the Chicago Bears as their defensive coordinator, Rex, Rob, the brothers attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. Rex went on to attend Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma, alongside Rob and he graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma in 1986, and in 2011 was inducted into the universitys Hall of Fame. Upon graduating from Southwestern in 1986, with the help of his father, at Eastern Kentucky, he had a multitude of responsibilities which ranged from making copies of game plans to picking players up at the airport
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Tyrod Taylor
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Tyrod Diallo Taylor is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. Signed by Buffalo as an agent in 2015, Taylor was named the starting quarterback for the Bills at the beginning of the 2015 NFL season. On August 12,2016, Taylor signed a contract extension worth $92 million with the Bills. At Hampton High School, in Hampton, Virginia, Taylor was an athlete in football, basketball. In football, he led the team as a quarterback, while becoming the teams kick returner. During his four years as starter, he led the team to a 34-4 record and he accumulated 7,690 yards of offense and scored 100 total touchdowns, breaking every passing record of previous standout Anthony Mastrocola. He passed for 5,144 yards and 44 touchdowns, while rushing for 2,546 yards and 56 scores, when Taylor graduated from Hampton in 2007, he was rated as the No.1 dual-threat quarterback at Rivals. com. ESPN. com rated him the No.3 overall quarterback, Taylor, who is 61 and 200 pounds, ran a 4. 55-second 40-yard dash. Taylor narrowed his final two choices down to Virginia Tech and the University of Florida, and eventually chose to attend Virginia Tech, during Taylors freshman year, he shared time for most of the season with the junior quarterback Sean Glennon. His first action of college football came in the game against the LSU Tigers on September 8,2007, in that game, Taylor completed 7 of 18 passes for 62 yards, rushed for 44 yards on nine attempts including his first collegiate touchdown. After that game, Tyrod was named the starter by head coach Frank Beamer, in his first collegiate start against Ohio University, Tyrod threw for 287 yards, adding a rushing touchdown. The win was the first ever for Frank Beamer against Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, on October 13, in the second quarter of a game against Duke University, Taylor suffered a high ankle sprain which forced him to miss two games. Taylor returned in a game at Georgia Tech, but did not start for the rest of the season, throughout the season, he accumulated 1,356 total yards, including 927 passing and 429 rushing. He completed 72 of 134 passing attempts, for a percentage of 53.7. He scored 11 touchdowns during the year, five passing and six rushing, coming into the 2008 Season, Taylor was intended to be redshirted. After Virginia Techs loss to East Carolina University though, his redshirt was taken off due to Techs need for more offense, Taylors first appearance of the season came in the second game of the season against Furman, where he rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown. His first sophomore start came in the week against Georgia Tech. After starting every game of the 2008 season leading up to the Florida State game on October 25, Sean Glennon relieved Taylor at the quarterback position after this setback
30.
Jacksonville Jaguars
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The Jacksonville Jaguars are an American professional football franchise based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League as a club of the American Football Conference South division. The team plays its games at EverBank Field. The Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers joined the NFL as expansion teams for the 1995 season, since their inception, the Jaguars have won division championships in 1998 and 1999 and have qualified for the playoffs six times, most recently in 2007. From their inception until 2011, the Jacksonville Jaguars majority owner was Wayne Weaver, the team was then purchased by Pakistani-born businessman Shahid Khan for an estimated $770 million. In 2015, Forbes estimated the value at $1.48 billion. In 1989, the ownership group Touchdown Jacksonville. The group initially included future Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Jacksonville developer Tom Petway, in 1991, the NFL announced plans to add two expansion teams in 1994, its first expansion since the 1976 addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Announced its bid for a team, and Jacksonville was ultimately chosen as one of five finalists, along with Charlotte, St. Louis, Baltimore, Jacksonville was considered the least likely expansion candidate for several reasons. The Jacksonville metropolitan area and television market were smaller than those of every team in the league. There were 635,000 people in Jacksonville proper according to the 1990 census, additionally, the Gator Bowl was outdated, and the ownership group struggled to negotiate a lease with the city. The troubled negotiations over the Gator Bowl lease led the group to withdraw from the NFL expansion bidding in July 1993. Charlotte was awarded the first franchise – the Carolina Panthers – in October 1993, surprisingly, the naming of the second expansion city was delayed a month. Most pundits speculated that the delay was made to allow St. Louis to shore up its bid, at the time, St. Louis was considered the favorite for the second franchise, with Baltimores three bids also considered strong. However, in a move, the NFL owners voted 26–2 in favor of awarding the 30th franchise to Jacksonville. After the Gator Bowl game on December 31,1993, the old stadium was demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete superstructure. All that remained of the old stadium was the west upper concourse, in January 1994 Wayne Weaver chose Tom Coughlin as the first-ever head coach of the Jaguars. While he had previously had success with Boston College, many at the time believed his hiring was a risky move
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2017 NFL season
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The 2017 NFL season, the 98th season in the history of the National Football League, will begin on September 7,2017, with the defending Super Bowl LI champion, New England Patriots hosting a game. The season will conclude with Super Bowl LII, the championship game, on February 4,2018. For the second year, a team relocated to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The 2017 NFL League year began on March 9 at 4,00 p. m. EST. On March 7, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into negotiations with the agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts two days later. The 2017 trading period also began the same day, a total of 496 players became free agents on March 9. On March 9, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded tight end Julius Thomas to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 seventh-round draft pick, on March 9, the Miami Dolphins traded offensive tackle Branden Albert to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2018 seventh-round draft pick. On March 9, the Indianapolis Colts traded tight end Dwayne Allen, on March 9, the Los Angeles Rams traded defensive end William Hayes along with a 2017 seventh-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 sixth-round draft pick. On March 10, the New Orleans Saints traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks, the 2017 NFL Draft will be held on April 27–29,2017 in Philadelphia. The first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft belongs to the Cleveland Browns, training camps for the 2017 season will be held in late July through August. Teams will start training camp no earlier than 15 days before the teams first scheduled preseason game, prior to the start of the regular season, each team will play four preseason exhibition games, beginning on August 10. The preseason will begin on the evening of August 3 with the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and it will be televised nationally on NBC. The 65-game preseason schedule will end on August 31, the 2017 regular seasons 256 games will be played over a seventeen-week schedule which will begin on September 7. Each of the leagues 32 teams plays a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team, the slate also features games on Monday nights. There are games played on Thursday, including the National Football League Kickoff game in time on September 7. The regular season will conclude with a slate of 16 games on Sunday, December 31, all of which will be intra–division matchups. Scheduling formula Under the NFLs current scheduling formula, each plays the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition a team plays against four teams in one division from each conference
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American Football Conference
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The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, the highest professional level of American football in the United States. This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference, currently contain 16 teams each, a series of league expansions and division realignments have occurred since the merger, thus making the current total 16 clubs per each conference. Since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the New England Patriots have won nine AFC titles, the most of any team in the conference, since 2002, the AFC has 16 teams, organized into four divisions each with four teams, East, North, South and West. Two of these games are assigned on the basis of a teams final divisional standing from the previous season. The remaining 8 games are split between the roster of two other NFL divisions and this assignment shifts each year and will follow a standard cycle. Using the 2012 regular season schedule as an example, each team in the AFC West plays against every team in the AFC North and NFC South. In this way, non-divisional competition will be mostly among common opponents – the exception being the two games assigned based on the teams prior-season divisional standing, at the end of each season, the top six teams in the conference proceeds into the playoff. These teams consist of the four winners and the top two wild card teams. The AFC playoffs culminate in the AFC Championship Game with the receiving the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The AFC Champion then plays the NFC Champion in the Super Bowl, both the AFC and the NFC were created after the NFL merged with the American Football League in 1970. The AFL began play in 1960 with eight teams, and added two expansion clubs before the merger. In order to equalize the number of teams in each conference, since the merger, five expansion teams have joined the AFC and two have left, thus making the current total 16. When the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the league in 1976 and this arrangement lasted for one season only before the two teams switched conferences. The Seahawks eventually returned to the NFC as a result of the 2002 realignment, the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars joined the AFC in 1995. There have been five teams that have relocated at least once, in 1984, the Baltimore Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. In California, the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles in 1982, the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997, where they were renamed the Tennessee Oilers. The team would change its name again, two later, to the Tennessee Titans. The NFL would again expand in 2002, adding the Houston Texans to the AFC, by contrast, the NFC has sent 12 different teams during that same time frame
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AFC East
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The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League s American Football Conference. There are currently four teams that reside in the division, the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. Since the divisions enfranchisement in 1960, with the creation of the American Football League, the most recent appearance and championship in the Super Bowl won by an AFC East team was the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Entering 2017 the Patriots had the most wins in the history, with a record of 476-383-9. The Dolphins were second at 439-341-4 with a record of 20-21. The Bills were at 400-460-8 with a record of 14-15. The Jets held a record of 392-468-8, with a record of 12-13 including victory in Super Bowl III. The Bills have won ten titles, and the Jets have won four. The American Football League Eastern Division was formed during the season of the American Football League in 1960. The divisional alignment consisted of the Buffalo Bills, Boston Patriots, New York Titans, the Miami Dolphins entered the AFL in 1966 as part of its Eastern division. The division was absorbed nearly intact with the AFL–NFL Merger in 1970, none of the AFC East teams currently plays within the central city of their metropolitan area, The Bills play in Orchard Park, New York. They played in the city of Buffalo from 1960–72, the Jets play in East Rutherford, New Jersey The Dolphins play in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami The Patriots play in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Jets are now coached by Todd Bowles and the Bills were coached by Rex Ryan for 31 games, parcells himself coached the Patriots and the Jets and was Vice President of Football Operations for the Dolphins until the summer of 2010. ESPNs Chris Berman often calls this division the AFC Adams due to its similarity to the old Adams Division of the NHL. Along with the AFC West, the AFC East is the oldest NFL division in terms of creation date, place cursor over year for division champ or Super Bowl team. A Boston Patriots renamed to New England Patriots, B Houston Oilers move to newly created AFC Central division and later are renamed the Tennessee Oilers, then Tennessee Titans. Moved to AFC South in 2002, moved to AFC South in 2002. + – A players strike in 1982 reduced the season to nine games
