Top Posts (Sneeze)

Since NFL Nation has now been established I got to thinking about all of the millions of blogs and blog posts out in the world and how there is no possible way to read all of them. For that specific reason I have created this page that can be used to view our best blogs with a short description of each blog in order to make sure that your reading time is put to best use. After all, nothing is more frustrating than wasting your time searching through blog posts which you don’t have any interest in reading.

Jeffery’s Top Blogs:

• About Me-One of my first blog posts answers the questions who am I and why am I writing this blog. This is a rather short post but if you are interested in knowing who's opinion your reading about through this blog be sure to check out the post to get to know a little more about me.
• 2013 NFL Free Agents-This post revolves around the upcoming offseason and who the most impactful NFL free agents available are. The list of free agents on the market is extremely long so for this post I limited the number of players mentioned in order to give more in depth, useful information about each player that is discussed.
• Manti Te'o's Draft Stock-A post about former Notre Dame Linebacker Manti Te'o and how the criticism he has faced lately is affecting his draft stock in 2013. Personally one of my favorite posts because it deals with discussion about the criticism of athletes, especially young athletes.
• Any Given Sunday movie review-As the title says this is a review for the movie Any Given Sunday. Any Given Sunday was made in 1999 and stars Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, and Jamie Foxx. I would suggest this movie to football fans and anyone who enjoyed the movies "Crash" and "Traffic" as those movies deliver the story in a similar fashion.

Any Given Sunday movie review (Review)

Today we’re reviewing “Any Given Sunday”, personally one of my favorite football movies and an extremely underrated film. Any Given Sunday is a 1999 movie about a struggling professional football team, the Sharks, that’s finding it difficult to work together amidst a turbulent season headlined by an up and coming quarterback played by Jamie Foxx.

This movie was made for the passionate football fan as it addresses several controversial situations that penetrate every facet of a professional football franchise. What really makes this movie great is the first person view of the individual story lines that suck you in and force a connection between the viewer and the hopes and ambitions of the characters.

A bonus for the experienced football fan can be found in some appearances by current and former NFL greats throughout the movie. Former football players that appear in Any Given Sunday include Irving Fryar, Joe Schmidt, Ricky Watters, and Terrell Owens. These former players appear in just a handful of scenes combined but former NFL rushing yards leader and current Hall of Famer Jim Brown is a key component to the story line as he plays Al Pacino’s defensive coordinator, friend, and only true confidant. Although few would argue that retired athletes turned actors make a film great, in this particular instance it adds much to the story line and overall grit of the movie. Any Given Sunday is not the most amazing football movie of all time but it is a brief glimpse inside the dirty, business side of professional football that almost every football fan can appreciate.

Two popular movies with the same style of story delivery are “Crash” the 2004 drama about intertwining lives of several individuals living in Los Angeles and “Traffic” the 2000 drama about drug smuggling and abuse.

Rating: 8.8 

Manti Te'o's Draft Stock (Link)

There has been a lot of speculation in the past month surrounding former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o with regards to the apparent hoax that took place prior to this past season.  The details are still very much so in a gray area with regards to Te’o’s participation and knowledge of the situation that occurred but that hasn’t stopped the swarm of media from descending upon him.

“Shutdown Corner” writer Doug Farrar blogs about urging NFL teams to take a closer look at Te’o from an ethics standpoint prior to drafting him. There’s no doubt that something is amiss when it comes to the Te’o story but I’m absolutely positive that NFL executives didn’t need Doug Farrar to spark their interest on that particular subject. Long before NFL prospects are drafted they are evaluated and scrutinized for anything from physical attributes to family history. In today’s sports world its common courtesy to dig into a professional athlete’s life especially before investing in a high prospect like Manti Te’o.  If there are enough people looking hard enough it is almost a sure thing to find something unflattering about anyone in the world and it’s no different with Te’o. Just like the rest of the world, I personally don’t know exactly what went on involving the hoax that was supposedly played on Te’o but being a college senior myself I can understand how a lie or a misperception can snowball into something bigger in a young man’s life.  

The bigger issue to me is why there has been so much focus on this matter involving Manti Te’o and his fake girlfriend. I understand that it is an unusual story, but in reality we’re putting a professional athlete on trial for something that is NOT illegal and in that case isn’t even a large ethical conundrum. Recently the sports world has been engulfed by a plague of scandals from steroids to allegations of bounty hunting, so is Manti Te’o really worth being on the stand? Is his “crime” up there with Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds? I’m sure that my life is much different than Te’o’s but regardless of that, this situation has to be embarrassing for any 22 year old. 

To read more Shutdown Corner visit:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/

Analyze Post

Content:

What topics are they covering? Stadium renovations, player injuries, NFL draft prospects.

What topics are they ignoring? Anything controversial

What voice/style do they post in? Reporting

How often are they posting? Twice per day

What level are they pitching their posts at (beginners, advanced etc)? Advanced

Reader Engagement:

What topics generate most conversation? Injuries and upcoming NFL draft

What styles of posts seem to connect with readers best? List format

What questions are readers asking in comments? What player moves their team should make this offseason.

What complaints do you see readers making in comments? More diverse topics requested.

What tools/mediums is the site using (eg: are they using Twitter, forums etc)? Using forums to comment below posts.

Design:

What first impression does their design give?  Access to a lot of information very quickly on topics being discussed.

What have they done well? What have they done poorly? The whole site is easy to navigate and allows access to a lot of information which is great, unfortunately this same thing makes the site look busy and doesn't welcome the reader as much as it could.

What Options do they give readers to subscribe? The option is available to subscribe by simply clicking on a button at the bottom of any of their posts as well as their main site.

Monetization:

The blog has a button for accepting donations but I could imagine a large portion of the site’s profits come from the ads which they display throughout their page. Ads are usually either selling NFL merchandise or other “manly” products like engine oil.

Traffic:

The blog that I chose showed a significant change in traffic level in the past 11 months. Popularity of the site is still very high but the time each user spends on it has gone down dramatically. From what I read in the comment section of blog pots, it is likely that this decrease in the amount of time spent on this blog is due to a  lack of diverse topics discussed.

Pro's: This blog surrounds itself with a lot of valuable information that is useful to the reader since it involves the blog's topic at hand. The useful information provided includes standings, team specific news, and access to NFL merchandise and tickets.

Con's: The site is visually much too busy which distracts from the content on the page. The amount of advertising and information on the page is both its biggest strength and weakness. Overall it is a good page but needs to find a little better balance between helpful information and visually distracting content.

http://blogs.nfl.com/

2013 NFL Free Agents (List) (Promoting)

Now that the Super Bowl has been played every NFL franchise has their mind on one thing, next season. NFL free agency 2013 begins on March 12th and with that being just a month away fans are curious what their team will look like next season. Being a fan myself I can't help but imagine the stampede of ludicrous moves I wish my favorite team would make and I'm sure your no different. I'm here to breakdown the most valuable free agents for this offseason and potential suitors for those free agents.

#1: Joe Flacco QB
This was an obvious number one choice. Drafted as a franchise Quarterback, young enough to still develop, old enough to understand the NFL game, oh ya and he just won the Super Bowl as well as being named the games most valuable player. There were questions about Flacco being an elite QB going into the season and he certainly answered those questions with the soon to be ring on his finger.

As far as where Flacco will be playing next season it seems like a sure thing for him to be wearing a Ravens jersey once again, the only thing yet to be determined is the size of this rising stars contract. The Ravens might have to pay a little more for him than they would have this time last year but in the end they'll get their man.

#2: Dwayne Bowe WR
There are several talented free agent WR's in the market this offseason but one stands out above the rest: Dwayne Bowe. What makes Bowe different is his physicality, he doesn't just endure contact he delivers it which is a rare trait in today's NFL. Bowe is a #1 WR, 6 ft 2 in, with a big frame that allows him to go up and fight for the ball. That alone makes him a coveted prize for any team in the NFL but he's also only 28 years old which means the team that signs him to a 5 year contract this offseason will have a good chance of him being a contributing player for all 5 years.

Bowe has a chance to land on any teams roster this offseason as he has stayed quiet about a new potential home. It was considered a lock for Bowe to leave Kansas City before offensive guru Andy Reid was hired, now the waters are muddier than ever. Only time will tell where Bowe will land but one can only speculate what a dynamic offensive threat would do on teams like the Bears, 49ers, Texans, or Rams.

#3: Jake Long OT
Long was a former #1 overall draft pick by his current team the Dolphins but word has surfaced that the Dolphins, although interested in re-signing him, will not make the giant push that is expected from several other teams around the NFL. Over the past 2 seasons Long has missed 6 total games and speculations that he might be wearing down may be creeping into the Miami front office. This seems a bit over the top for me as Long is still statistically one of the best lineman in football while playing a position that is valued only second to Quarterback.

If the Dolphins won't crack open their piggy bank for Long it's a sure thing that someone else will. Topping the list of possible landing spots for Jake Long are the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns. Both Dallas and Chicago are trying to repair a tattered line that lead to many  of their offensive struggles this past season and signing Long would be a big step in the right direction. Jay Cutler and Tony Romo were two of the most hit quarterbacks last year and I'm sure either of them would appreciate having Long in the huddle next season. Arizona and Cleveland on the other hand are both in a rebuilding process which usually involves drafting a young quarterback and acquiring a good offensive tackle to protect said quarterback. Long is experienced enough to protect a franchise quarterback and young enough to make signing him to a long term contract worth while. Any franchise would be lucky to sign Jake Long, let the bidding war begin.

To find more information on NFL free agency 2013 visit:
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/tag/_/name/2013-nfl-free-agency

Alex Smith's Silent Contribution

This is the time of the year that brings out the football fan in all of us, that's right it's the Super Bowl! There are many reasons to watch the Super Bowl: some people might tune in for the game, some for the commercials, and several just to have a reason to drink beer and eat hot wings. No matter what everyone can agree on one thing, that there is a lot of hype and attention focused on the two teams competing for the coveted Lombardi trophy.

This years Super Bowl is littered with star players and interesting stories but one of the better stories is being almost completely disregarded by the media. The 49ers backup quarterback Alex Smith has stayed composed and level headed since losing his job to current starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick in week 10 of this season. To make matters worse Smith did not lose his job due to poor performance, rather he was injured during the week 10 game and thereafter was replaced by Kaepernick who was deemed "the hot hand". In fact, at the time of his injury Smith was one of the most highly ranked quarterbacks in the NFL in several key statistics including completion percentage.

Now don't get me wrong, Alex Smith hasn't exactly seemed delighted about sitting on the bench but in an era of contract hold outs, trade demands, and locker room complaints Smith is a saint. Most people in the same situation would have lashed out in one way or another but Smith has said and done everything right, a trait that should be more highly valued in today's sports world. Smith will more than likely become a free agent this upcoming offseason and I really hope that NFL teams are smart enough to see this diamond in the rough for what he is, an anti Terrell Owens if you will.

About Me

Hello, my name is Jeffery Templeton. I write NFL Nation to inform football fans about National Football League news from a perspective other than the dogmatic ESPN segments based largley on covering big markets. I've been an active football fan for the last 17 years with my focus never straying from the National Football League. I grew up in a football family and have a passion for the game that gets me involved in everything that's associated with the sport from fantasy football to weekly pick em pools. In addition, I also played football for a short time although admittadly it was no where near a professional level.

I've created this blog because after seeing ESPN's network of sports coverage lately I can no longer listen to endless segments about big market teams simply because they reside in a big market. ESPN is a bahemith when it comes to sports coverage and they were able to build themselves up to that point by covering big market teams but by doing so has forgotten about every other team not on the east or west coast. This blog is for the equal voice of the entire National Football League without discrimination allowing for a more full view of the football world.

Although one can understand the allure of the all powerful dollar, this blog is about discussing the important topics around the National Football League no matter where these topics might lead us because there are issues that do need to be talked about. To contact me, please message me here

Birk to donate brain for research

Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk has announced that he will be donating his brain for research upon his death. Birk hopes that the research stemming from the study of his brain will help mold new NFL players safety procedures that have come under fire recently.

 NFL safety procedures have been a hot topic for the last several years as former players have complained about football related head trauma leading to permanent brain injuries including, but not limited to, dementia and Alzheimer's. The debate became even more heated after former player Junior Seau committed suicide in May of 2012 due to depression believed to have been brought on by brain damage during his playing career.

Just 1 month later thousands of former players consolidated into a single lawsuit against the National Football League. The lawsuit states that the NFL did not only fail to adequately research long term effects of concussions but actually covered up findings that brain injuries could lead to the major neurological conditions that Seau and players like him have dealt with.

The legal side of this story is very complicated as it is expected to take many years before it is even heard in court, if ever. Right now the most important thing is current and future players safety but that safety can only be improved by the current players and NFL executives. The first thing that the league needs is more players like Matt Birk who selflessly donate their body's to science in order to help future generations. The second, and more important step of the process, is for the NFL executives to sit down in a room and negotiate a settlement with former players so that everyone can focus on player safety which really should be the highest priority.