NFL in London

National Football League in London

2023 Buffalo bills London

Barrel Scraping

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July is the last month of ‘NO NFL’ until March 2024! All this and more silly news in our latest Barrel Scraping podcast from Wade and Ryan.

Slow News

It’s July, so we’re all hoping for any little nugget of NFL news, from trades, moves to arrests, and even more off-season arrests. More on that later.

We’re always trying to put together a little feast of a podcast for you every episode, and since this is episode 250 of our NFL in London podcast, we tried not to disappoint here.

Here’s a link to the podcast so that you can listen in yourselves.

Among some of the other news that the guys talk about in this podcast includes:

USFL Finale

Did anyone watch the thrilling finale of the USFL this year? Us neither.
But it did turn into a big thrill for the Birmingham Stallions, who notched up back-to-back championships in their trophy hoist.
Given the amount of teams in the USFL (8), it’s not that hard to repeat as you would think.
Congrats to QB Alex McGough, who will once again find himself in the gauntlet of NFL tryouts before returning to the USFL next season.

The Match

‘The Match’ is a US tv series in which pro athletes  & celebs battle each other in a novelty golf-off.
Usually it features some big veterans or top talkers, but this year we got Kelce, Mahomes, and a couple of NBA jerks.
Not as thrilling in this 12 hole round, but at least it featured some modicum of NFL, so always worth watching if not just for Patrick’s Kermit like peeping throughout.

Swimming with Chiefs

Brittney Mahomes was also in hot water this week, after she posted pictures of herself on Insta swimming with dolphins in the tropics.
Animal lovers know that captive dolphins are a touchy issue, especially for someone who needs to display a bit of social foresight.
Worst of all were the rumours that Jackson Mahomes sexually assaulted the dolphin later.

Super Soaker

The Super Bowl still has some lingering blame as to the field conditions, and the NFL is finally ready to pass judgment.
It was the Eagles fault, they should have changed shoes.
While we can all remember how wet and wild the conditions were, with the Philly D struggling to gain traction on the soggy turf. But should they have changed shoes?
It’s all he said, they said at this point.
You lost.

ESPN on Fire

Sorry, they have been firing. Loads of top talent at the House of Mouse are gone, which won’t mean much for UK NFL fans who rarely see these pundits. For US viewers it’s signs of the times that they are moving on from pricey veterans, and throwing cash at new talent, as well as Pat McAfee.
Maybe he can finally afford to buy a shirt.

Jonesy

Jerry Jones is also dipping his story into the media, after reportedly seeking upwards of $50 million for the rights to his video life story.
Word on the media streets is that Netflix has snapped it up, and will look to rebound from all the horrible woke shows they invested in, and get back to the most watched program on the planet.
Even if it is Jerry Jones.
Think how much the Tom Brady story would get.

Kap’r

Colin Kaepernick wants to let us all know that he is still ready to get that NFL call, at the ripe young age of 35. Despite not playing in a decade, and living more off the meme’s of life, Colin is ready to give it another shot.
How about we team him up with Antonio Brown and make a new reality series? ‘AB & KP on the Road’. We’d all watch it.
Good news for Colin ahead is that he will be the ‘face’ of a new 7 on 7  NFL game coming to most devices this fall. He can finally play again, if only in a Meta way.

London Games

We will have more news on our London game party tickets as well soon.
Watch this space.
We will also be looking for people to join a Fantasy League this year with us! Get in touch if you want to play.

London Ballin’

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Normally we would be gushing about all things NFL in London, but after taking a trip to the MLB games at WestHam stadium this past weekend, we thought we would touch on baseball with a little London Ballin’ news.

Baseball was back in London after taking a Covid break following their first games in 2019.
Back then, we were treated to the Yankees and BoSox blasting so many homers, they actually scored more runs than the first NFL game here.

The 2023 series featured two teams at the bottom of their division, as the St Louis Cardinals hosted the Chicago Cubs in an NL Central dumpster fire across the pond.
Sure the teams might be struggling to make the post season, but that should be nothing new to NFLUK fans who have witnessed some truly dire games.

Despite the premonition that this might be a ‘sucky series’, the games delivered, and all of the fans seemed to thoroughly enjoying the novelty of having baseball in London, with the weather helping to make the whole weekend magical.

That being said, we did have a few thoughts on how the games went down.

The Good

MLB Europe

Wow, they really can put on a show! From the games themselves, to the craziness of Trafalgar Square takeover, London really went big baseball for the weekend.

Having the benefit of the NFL hosting games for a few decades is obviously going to help, but the MLB seemed to go above and beyond in putting it all together.

Unlike early NFL games which seemed a bit chaotic when Wembley was still growing,  the MLB seemed to have a finger on all of the action, making everything feel quite seamless.
As a fan, it’s nice to have consistency from North America, and for European fans to get the real deal experience.

The Games

It was quite the dinger fest on Saturday, as the Cubs took advantage of the short wall, to pop a few over the fence.

St. Louis rebounded in true form on the Sunday, given midwest fans a chance to salivate in the fact that they were able to snag a win abroad.

While there might have been more pomp and circumstance poured into the trip than the games itself, they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Celebrities

The NFL usually brings over their usual slug of ex-players and hangers on, but with baseball, everything is a little different.

The Cubs have a legacy of some great celeb fans, so when Bill Murray and Nick Offerman showed up to offer support to battle the heavyweight status of John Goodman and his Cards, it all started to feel quite Hollywoody.

Add to this was Bill Murray’s hilarious and rambling appearance on BT Sport during the game. Not only was Bill too quick-witted for the hosts, when he finally had enough, he just walked away.
Classic Bill.

The Bad

It’s never fun to crap on someone who goes out of their way to host you, but sometimes you need to address the mighty elephants in the room.

Atmosphere

While it certainly looked like a baseball game, in no way did it feel like one inside the stadium.
A lack of home field announcer, walk on music, or any vibe was quite shocking, as it just felt silent and awkward.

Maybe other people could hear, but where we seated up by the Cardinals Wags, it was shockingly quiet.

To that, it did seem that there was a caste system of enjoyment for MLB fans on the night.
Those seated near the first base line were treated to t-shirts, appearances and engagement, while the rest of the stadium looked on in a ‘what’s going on here’?

There was also a ‘house band’ which not only no one could see, but barely hear. The might have been there to pump up the crowd, but no one could hear or care.

Food

For all the talk of bringing the baseball to Britain, maybe they should have left the food at home.

A much touted ‘2 foot hot dog’ with all the toppings seemed a bit much, and they were, as people littered them all over the stadium. You didn’t need to walk far to spot lost weiners all over the place, and needed to address you walk to avoid stepping on them.

All of the food sampled by our group was cringe enough to add plans of ‘stopping at McDonald’s’ on the way home.

Don’t even get us started on the Dorito Nachos…they were everywhere too!

Dirty Dirty

Unlike other stadiums, it seems like the staff at WestHam stadium don’t clean up during the games.

In fact one toilet near our gate was NEVER cleaned the entire game. By the 7th inning they might as well have locked the doors, as the bins were over-filling, plastic cups and food littered the floor, and just so much piss everywhere.

It could be that there were staffing issues, as we encountered some of the rudest stadium employees ever.
Turns out you can’t ask questions of staff manning the doors to the numerous private rooms on the upper decks.
Asking something like ‘are there bars on this floor’ were responded with such venom, one would think we asked if Ted Lasso was here.

All in all, it was a great series of games, and an enjoyable weekend of baseball in the capital.

But like anything, there is still a learning curve here to climb.

 

 

Mid June News

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The NFL off season continues to trudge on with the speed of cold molasses, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have some exciting Mid June News for you!
Ok, exciting might be a bit much, but we have news!

NFL Passport Tour

Have you heard about the NFL Passport Tour making its way to Europe next week? Either did we, but some US news organisations are reporting on it.

Here is where we first learned about it.
https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/2023/06/13/michael-gallup-player-passport-tour/

Apparently, the NFL will be sending 8 players to the UK and Germany to do a press the flesh session with fans and media in those locations.

Players that have been slated to arrive include: Michael Gallup; Clyde-Edwards Helaire, Kevin Byard, Gabe Davis and a few more, but again, details have been a bit sketchy.

Give that MLB will be in London this week. don’t be surprised if you see them pop into some of the events or the games that are lined up next weekend.

TB12 Me

Tommy is finally an owner, and Vegas fans are clamouring for ‘We Want Tommy’, as TB12 continues to needle at the should of Jimmy G.

While the prospect of Tom Brady suiting up again for the Raiders is very remote, that doesn’t stop fans from wishing, hoping and dreaming that he’ll slide down from the upper decks, onto the field in full uniform and score three times with only 30 seconds to spare.

Keep dreaming.

Wanna Bet

The NFL is starting to crack down on gambling players like Netflix smashes password sharers.

Turns out if you’re sitting in a team facility, you CAN’T actually wager on your team, another team, Spelling Bee’s or the like, as it’s against team policy.

With Detroit getting burned heavily this year for not enforcing the rules, the really big question is ‘Who is the $8 Million Dollar Man’?
You know, the player who admitted to spending over $8mil last season betting on games?

That right there is a real problem, because it’s not like he was dropping change he found on his car seat on a righteous cause.
That’s what we call a ‘gambling problem.’

Expect more players to have the house come crashing down on them as the season continues.

Jacked Jones

Jack Jones might sound like a brand for fresh threads, but it’s also the name of a Patriots player found with a couple of nasty old handguns last week.

Jones placed two loaded guns with extended clip delivery rounds in his bag prior to boarding a flight from Boston to Arizona, sending off all kinds of alarm bells.

Seriously, two loaded firearms on an afternoon flight? You were on Twitter last month chastising Ja Morant for his gun behaviour, and now you do the same thing?

Supplemental Draft

‘The Supplemental Draft’ sounds like a side effect from one of those American weight loss drugs, or one of those Drafts that is held to help the wounded egos of those not previously picked. Sort of.

The idea behind a SD is that it gives players who might have fallen between the college cracks, or had eligibility issues to get a fresh start with a team.
There hasn’t been one held since 2019, and given the increasing amount of injuries each year, you can see why the NFL wants to get as many healthy bodies as possible.

This Draft is set up differently that the traditional one, giving non-playoff teams the chance to access a new host of players. (Remember Josh Gordon?)

The Supplemental Draft will be held in July, which means the regular season is only weeks away!

MLB in London

Ok, so it isn’t the NFL, but Major League Baseball is coming to London this week.

MLB Europe is throwing out all the balls, as they prepare to host a weekend of games at London’s Olympic Park between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs.

To put that into football terms, it would be like if Leicester player Leeds this year. (wait, weren’t they both relegated??)

While the games might not feature two teams in contention, it should be a hoot as the league takes over Trafalgar Square for a few days of baseball fun.

If you’re looking to get that feeling of Americana, bring the family down to experience the batting cages, meeting players, and of course the FOOD!

Here’s more info for you!

https://www.mlb.com/international/events/london-series

That’s it for our Mid June News! Make sure you have a listen to our latest podcast!

June News

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You hear that May? It was a ‘see ya!’, as we move ever closer to the start of the 2023 NFL season, and we hit you with some June News!

You see once June is gone, then it’s July, and then hoo-wee, it’s preseason, and training camp, and time to start thinking of your fantasy options for the new year.

Here are some of the stories that we have been following:

Brady Owns You

So Tom Brady is finally an NFL owner, and everyone starting thinking the same thing ‘he’s going to play again.’

With a tough set of rules that includes needing a positive vote from every NFL team, not to mention the fact that fat-Brady hasn’t been seen doing anything physical, means that Brady will most definitely not be suiting up for the Raiders.

It would be nice if big-wig owner Mark Davis forced TB12 to have to get a haircut similar to his, and they could match outfits and walk around like twins.

For one of those men, this would be a major league dream. Let you guess who that player might be.

Dee-Hopping

Now that the Cardinals have flushed away the big time payday of star WR Deandre Hopkins, now comes the big question as to who could afford him.

With DH wanting at least $15M guaranteed, that is a big-ass bridge too far for many clubs who are struggling to do the maths on their salary caps.

Given that he asking for that much money, it looks like the Cowboys and Giants are out of the discussion, as there is no way they can find that kind of cash in the couch cushions.

Of course one team that does have that kind of money is the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Be a scary thought to put all that action together, but it seems likely.

Bear the Eff Off

It looked like the Bears were going to be shuffling off to Arlington Heights in a few years, as the tattered Soldier Field seems less and less desirable for the Bears org.

Boasting the smallest stadium in the NFL with one of the oldest franchises, many are wondering where the Bears will go to build on the next hundred years.

It seems that Arlington might be off the table, as a recent look at the tax situation means that the Bears might not only NOT get a good deal, it is now WAY more expensive to move north than they originally thought.

Chicago Bears org has now been crying that they will need some sort of tax help to make the move a reality. Really hard to see through those tears in a cost of living crisis.

Ed Bills

The Buffalo Bill finally stretched their tight pants to pull out the wallet, and pay DT Ed Oliver.

Often inconsistent, Oliver was a top 10 pick that has had moments of shine for Buffalo.

The Bills agreed to a four-year, $68 million deal that guarantees Ed at least $45million, and should have him settle in nicely for the Bills.

Going to be a tough D division with a Patriots squad that just seems to keep getting better.

Pools, Pools, Pools

Just an FYI for all you NFL fans in the UK that we are looking to expand on our Weekly Fantasy Pools once again this year.

After expanding on our offerings last season, we are now looking to add a few new leagues for UK fans to play along in.

With a mix of free and pay to play leagues across the NFL app, ESPN and Sleepr, we are hoping to create a big more excitement this season, and develop a bit of a fantasy hub so that you guys can get involved as well.

Please feel free to reach out to us, and we will get you on the list of potential players for this season.

Thanks for reading our June News, and here’s to having a great summer of 2023!

Top 10 NFL Coaches of All Time

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Let’s shake up the Argument Tree by asking who are the ‘Top NFL Coaches of All Time’!
Sure this kind of click bait type of headline is sure to fire up some of our ardent fans, but don’t worry, we let ChatGPT do it.
Not to miss out on the digital-slavery part of history, we sequestered an AI to craft an article on the ‘Top 10 NFL Coaches of All Time.’

So how does it do? Let’s find out and take a look at the list.

The National Football League (NFL) has witnessed countless coaching greats who have left an indelible mark on the game. These strategic masterminds have steered their teams to glory, sculpting dynasties and inspiring generations of players. In this article, we dive into the fascinating world of NFL coaching to bring you the top 10 coaches of all time. Brace yourself for a blend of informative insights, quirky anecdotes, and a dash of humor as we celebrate these legendary figures.

  1. Vince Lombardi – The Perfectionist Maestro:

Kicking off our list is none other than Vince Lombardi, the epitome of coaching excellence. Known for his relentless pursuit of perfection, Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL Championships, including the first two Super Bowl victories. His stern demeanor and iconic quotes like, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing,” still resonate within the football community. Lombardi was a true legend and set the benchmark for greatness.

  1. Bill Belichick – The Hooded Genius:

No top 10 list would be complete without the modern-day coaching genius, Bill Belichick. The mastermind behind the New England Patriots’ dynasty, Belichick’s meticulous attention to detail and ability to adapt are unparalleled. Whether it’s his poker-faced sideline demeanor or his affinity for hoodies, Belichick’s success and his dry wit make him a force to be reckoned with and a man of few words, unless you mention the Jets!

  1. Don Shula – The Winningest Coach:

Don Shula, the iconic coach of the Miami Dolphins, etched his name in the annals of NFL history. With 347 career victories, he holds the record for the most wins by a head coach. Shula’s wit and leadership helped him lead the Dolphins to two Super Bowl victories and an undefeated season in 1972, earning him the nickname “Donnie Football.” He might not have always smiled, but when he did, it was usually followed by a victory.

  1. Bill Walsh – The Architect of a Dynasty:

Bill Walsh’s innovative offensive strategies revolutionized the game. As the architect of the San Francisco 49ers’ dynasty in the 1980s, he introduced the groundbreaking West Coast offense. Known for his attention to detail, Walsh’s humor often came through in his “Walshisms” – pithy one-liners that kept players on their toes. The combination of his wit and strategic genius earned him a place among the greatest coaches of all time.

  1. Tom Landry – The Stetson-Wearing Legend:

Tom Landry, the iconic coach of the Dallas Cowboys, epitomized class and style on the sidelines. Sporting his trademark fedora, Landry led the Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories and appeared in five. His calm and composed demeanor earned him the nickname “The Man in the Hat.” Under that cool exterior, Landry’s dry sense of humor added an extra dimension to his coaching prowess.

  1. Chuck Noll – The Steeler of Success:

Chuck Noll is synonymous with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ success in the 1970s. Noll’s calm and composed approach helped him build a dynasty, guiding the Steelers to four Super Bowl wins. Known for his witty comebacks and playful banter with players, he balanced authority and camaraderie to create an environment of excellence. Noll’s coaching style reminds us that humor and success can go hand in hand.

  1. Joe Gibbs – The Racing Champion Turned Coach:

Joe Gibbs, a former NASCAR racing team owner, transitioned seamlessly into coaching and found remarkable success with the Washington Redskins. Known for his sharp wit and humor, Gibbs led the Redskins to three Super Bowl victories. His ability to motivate players and his strategic brilliance made him a beloved figure both on and off the field. Whether he was calling plays or cracking jokes, Gibbs knew how to keep the team fired up and laughing their way to victory.

  1. Paul Brown – The Innovative Mastermind:

Paul Brown, the founder and original coach of the Cleveland Browns, was a true innovator. He introduced a host of new strategies and techniques that revolutionized the game. Brown’s dry sense of humor and quick wit added an extra dimension to his coaching prowess. His famous quote, “The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate you away from those who are still undecided,” showcases his ability to lighten the mood while staying focused on success.

  1. Bill Parcells – The Big Tuna:

Nicknamed “The Big Tuna,” Bill Parcells left an indelible mark on the NFL with his tough, no-nonsense coaching style. Parcells’ ability to turn struggling teams around and lead them to success is legendary. His dry humor often came through in his press conferences, leaving reporters both amused and perplexed. Parcells had a knack for delivering punchy one-liners, making him as entertaining off the field as he was formidable on it.

  1. George Halas – The Founding Father:

Rounding out our list is the legendary George Halas, the founder of the Chicago Bears and one of the architects of the NFL itself. Halas’ coaching career spanned over four decades, during which he led the Bears to six NFL Championships. Known for his fiery personality and sharp wit, Halas was a true pioneer of the game. He once quipped, “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it,” a sentiment that perfectly encapsulates his commitment to excellence.

Conclusion:

The top 10 NFL coaches of all time have left an enduring legacy on the sport, achieving remarkable success while injecting humor and wit into the game. From the perfectionist ways of Vince Lombardi to the dry humor of Bill Belichick and the witty banter of Joe Gibbs, these coaching greats have inspired players and fans alike.

Their ability to lead, strategize, and entertain has solidified their places in football history. As we celebrate these legends, let us not only cherish their coaching achievements but also appreciate the smiles, laughter, and occasional comedic relief they brought to the intensity of the game.

Not a bad job for an AI, although we would comment that the list is notably lacking any coaches of colour, as well as Nathaniel Hackett.