NFL in London

National Football League in London

Chicago Bears

Week 5 Picks

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Holy schmoly, another NFL London game with Jags and Bills plus our Week 5 Picks podcast?
Did Christmas come early?

With the NFL giving us another great game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, the guys look at all the other games that are popping this weekend, with a full slate of top notch games following the 2:30 game.

To listen to the podcast, just have a click here, and let all your NFL picks get suitably questioned by the half-assed analysis of Ryan and Wade.

London Game Notes

Hope everyone heading to the game has a great time, and the weather looks so good, global warming is okay for a weekend such as this.

There is no transit strike on for Sunday (hooray), so folks should have an easy-peasy journey to the game.

Arsenal is playing Manchester City at 4:30pm on Sunday, which means that north London is going to be a pickle to get around post game.
The match should finish after 6pm, so expect a double flush of fans looking to hit the rails post game.

Week 5 Picks

You’ll get most of the fun bag shenanigans on the podcast, but for the folks looking for a few hot tips as the turtle head rises from the steam-shute, we got you covered.

Here are a few of the games that the guys think might be some traction action.

-2 Titans (2-2) vs Colts (202) +43

This is a hot steaming pile of nothing game, that even the flies don’t want to be a part of, but one of these teams has to come to London next weekend.

The Titans have no O-line and the D secondary is giving up big yards, so how are they going to stop the Colts with a running QB?

The Colts too have a slew of injuries that beset both sides of the ball, but Jonathan Taylor is back? Is that good?

Both guys think that this is a stinker, but has some fantasy gold in the nuggets of dung.

Ryan likes the Titans to rise above the Indianapolis team at home, and Derek Henry a win.

Wade smells the rot on the glove, but likes the tandem of Richardson and Pittman to put up the points.

Ryan-Titans 24 Colts 21
Wade-Colts 20 Titans 18

Texans (2-2) vs -2 Falcons (2-2) +41.5

CJ Stroud and the Texans have been causing enough fire to justify a smokehouse BBQ session, as the D has also responded by keeping games tight with tough opponents.
Nothing to lose, but something to prove.

Atlanta is coming home after a sad sack loss to the Jags in London that made many of the players question why they even got a stupid passport in the first place
The Falcons and the Ridder scheme isn’t working, so how do they get off the run?

Ryan likes the Texans to win here, as his habit of betting on the Falcons in the past brought him nothing but trouble.

Wade is taking the Falcons at home only because the Texans aren’t very good against an inside run unit that can gash them for yards.

Ryan-Texans 21 Falcons 17
Wade-Falcons 23 Texans 19

That’s it for our Week 5 Picks podcast, make sure that you listen to the whole thing on all of the good audio channels aside from ours.

Hope everyone enjoys your Week 5 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Stadium, and please do make sure to send us photos of all the fun you’re having.

Tailgreeter Thames River Cruise

Last call for the Thames River Cruise sponsored by Tailgreeter as well.

If you want to join the cruise that leaves from Festival Pier at 9am, returns at 1pm, and has you to the game by 2:30pm kick-off, just click the link here.

Make sure you use the promo code NFLLONDON to get a FREE drink!

Here’s the link if you want to join in!

https://tailgreeter.com/tailgate-the-thames-buffalo-bills-vs-jacksonville-jaguars-in-london

 

 

NFC North Peek

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The 2023 NFL season is just around the corner, as the boys take an NFC North Peek.

Yes, Wade is biased as a Bears fan, but as you can see, he doesn’t have them romping all over this division.

How do the guys all see it playing out?

All you have to do is have a listen right here:

Among some of the other things the guys talk about in this podcast, are all the latest stuff as well.

NFL News

Chief Problems

The reigning champs are looking to repeat, but all isn’t well in the wigwam of Chiefs Kingdom.
Hold-out Chris Jones is willing to last out until Week 8, but that hasn’t stopped Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce from begging Jones to return to the fold.
Will the Chiefs have enough wide receivers ready to top the speed heavy AFC?
Ryan and Wade discuss this in detail in the podcast.

Evan Off

Tampa Bay Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans is looking to get the word on whether the Bucs are going to bring him back after the final year of a 5 year, $81 millions contract.
Mike Evans is a constant 1000 yard gainer, so if Tampa doesn’t pick him up, it will be interesting who he could be paired with in a team looking to bust a nut into the playoffs.

Season Betting Tips

With the 2023 season about to begin, we all look at some of the cool betting options available as a savvy bettor.
It’s always worth throwing a few quid as to the ‘what ifs’ of the season, so we have a few in the podcast to consider.

Fewest Points Scored

Let’s bottom feed first, as we take a look at who could be the worst of the bunch when it comes to scoring the LEAST amount of points in the 2023 NFL season.
The obvious pick is to go with the Cardinals, but they could also just make it the James Connor game, and find ways to outlast their ‘doomed to be last’ moniker.
How about them Colts though? Starting a rookie QB can have its long term downsides, and Jim Irsay has already taken a toxic tone when it comes to how he sees his players. ‘Unless you’re a whale trapped, then I can’t help you. ‘
At +1100, Indy offers a good option as to being the floating turd left in the bowl.

Rushing Leader

Could Josh Jacobs repeat the title for rushing, or is it time to get your Chubb on?
Let’s take a look at some of the rushing options for 2023.
Derrick Henry pops up right away as a guy who might be emboldened with the arrival of D Hop, to make it their year in the AFC South bucket. With massive disrespect shown their way in the form of the Jaguars, Henry, Tanny, and D Hop could make for massive gains.
Bijan Robinson is a tasty option at +1200 to gain the most rushing yards, but can you really trust a rookie this year? With RBs seeing their stock falling, there is no way some of the old guard are going out to a young punk, but who knows? Gotta stay healthy!
Tony Pollard looks a ripe option at +1800 to take the rushing title, after shedding that Zeke weight that was hanging around his gains.
Pollard has the real chance to lead a Dallas squad that is loaded with talent, and with eyes on the Eagles in a dogfight of a division.
Those are just some of the bets we look at in the podcast, make sure that you listen to NFC North Peek, and make your own decisions.
Good luck in your fantasy drafts, and bring on the 2023 season!

AFC North Peek

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The season is nearly upon us, as Ryan and Wade throw up a little podcast with an AFC North Peek.
Who will top this tough division?

Wade & Ryan also look at all the top NFL news going on in the league, and in your fantasy circles.

If you want to hear the full podcast, just have a listen here:

Some of the things that the guys hit on in this episode includes:

Preseason Koolaid

The NFL preseason games are finally here, and people are losing their minds!
Folks in the UK are struggling with their Gamepass/ DAZN woes, those in the US are watching stadium blackout, and every other fan is screaming ‘what about my fantasy team?!!?’
Worst of all are those ardent fans who watch one preseason games of 3 stringers, and suddenly proclaim that they’re team is now going to ‘win it all.’
‘Bro, it was Jordan Love against some bums. Most of them will be gone in 3 weeks.’
Doesn’t matter to this who believe, which is why this the best time of the year to snag them into a big season bet.
You think the Cowboys are going to win it all? How much?
After all, the best part about the preseason is being able to circle back months later to remind a friend about their August proclamation.
That’s a good Tik Tok.

Running Drama

Suddenly it sucks to be a running back in the NFL.

Gone are the highlight thrills of being an AP, or the shirt-term forgets about how dominating Dalvin Cook and Derick Henry could be.
The RBs of 2023 are all looking at league minimum contracts on teams that have spent all of their cash, and are just hoping that they can get a committee of bodies to throw on the pile.
Sound more like the Wagner unit?

Hamlin Hits It

Bills defensive player Damar Hamlin was finally back on the field and tossing hits, since his near fatal cardiac arrest in January.
Hamlin was admittedly nervous when he took to the field, with a bodily reminder that a tough hit can even stop your heart.
Fans will be anxiously watching all season as players on the cusp of re-injury put themselves back on the line again.
Let’s hope we never have to see what happened to Damar on the field again.

Pederson Problems

The Jacksonville Jaguars were all smiles when head coach Doug Pederson was able to use nepotism to bring his boy Josh onto the team earlier this year.
Although Josh had spent most of his career playing tight end, he was slotted to the enviable role of long snapper for the Jags preseason game last week.
All did not go well for young Pederson who overshot his mark, and send the ball flying away.
Is this an allegory for Pederson’s NFL career?
Perhaps. Odds are that Josh will be cut by the end of preseason.

AFC North Peek

Ryan and Wade also make their predictions for the standings in the highly touted AFC North.
The Bengals will be looking to go that step further this year, but don’t count out the feisty Ravens with Lamar, and the confident Browns with Deshaun back at the helm.
Ryan has the division going as such:
1. Ravens 2. Steelers 3. Bengals 4. Browns
He’s big on Lamar and Baltimore winning the whole thing, with the Steelers also making a run for a playoff spot.
Wade sees the AFC North looking like:
1. Bengals 2. Ravens 3. Browns 4. Steelers
Joe Burrow can’t be counted out in a year where they really need to get to the show, but the Steelers are not going to be as good as everyone predicts.
Which order do you have them in? Let us know!

Football Movies

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The NFL season is creeping closer to us, but still not close enough! Like many of you, we have been watching Football Movies throughout the summer to get us in the mood.

Here are a few movies to consider watching prior to the start of the season to get you in the mood.

Football Movies

Brian’s Song

Let’s kick it off with the only movie on the list that will have you in tears by the end of it (hopefully).

This 1971 ABC ‘Movie of the Week’ starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams hits with all the feels, as we follow Chicago Bears player Brian Piccolo on his journey through cancer with his buddy and teammate Gale Sayers.

Taken from Sayers biography ‘I am Third’ the movie hit men so hard in the 70s, it became known as the top ‘guy-cry’ movies in male cinema history.

The TV movie was so popular back then,  ABC actually rented out some theatres to show the film in wider release. Critics have called ‘Brian’s Song’-‘the greatest TV movie ever made’, which is pretty high esteem given the TV movies of the 70s’.

Don’t take our word for it, make sure that you check out Brian’s Song for yourself. Even better, drag in a non-NFL fan and make them watch it with you. You’ll be converting like metric!

Any Given Sunday

Let’s get to the Oliver Stone of these Football Movies picks, with the 1999 classic ‘Any Given Sunday’.

Bolstered by a stellar cast including Pacino, Quaid, Diaz, Foxx, Woods, Modine, as well as some NFL greats like Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Dick Butkus and even Johnny Unitas, this film was our Y2K moment of football films.

The Miami Sharks led by Tony D’Amato have loads of problems in their 2001 season, until third stringer Willie Beamen steps up to try to save the team and the season.

You really can’t go wrong with Oliver Stone in the 90s’, especially with Cameron Diaz sending us that ‘smokin’ resting bitch face.

A true NFL classic.

Remember the Titans

Another football film about race hit the big screens a year later, as the 2000 Jerry Bruckheimer production of ‘Remember the Titans’ hit us hard, and in the feels.

Based on the true story of Virginia coach Herman Boone to integrate race and football into 1970s’ America, the film is layered with an incredible cast, solid writing, and some good tunes.

Oh and did we mention Denzel? Yeah, it stars Denzel Washington and features major talent like Ryan Gosling, Will Patton, Hayden Panettiere, Kate Bosworth, and Donald Faison.

Put this on for a feel good afternoon of missing football.

North Dallas Forty

If you’re going to make a football movie about the 70s’, then you might as well head back to the 70s’ to catch the best ones.

‘North Dallas Forty’ is a ruckus of a flick based on the best-selling 1973 novel by Peter Gent.  Starring the rogue Nick Nolte and featuring country singer Mac Davis, the film feels more like a football orgy, than a slick game play.

It feels more like a natural locker room setting, with booze, drugs and girls occupying most of the men’s minds.

Also featuring some great 70’s actors of the day, including: Charles During & Dabney Coleman.

Here’s the trailer for it.

Draft Day

Ok, it’s a bit outlandish, but this 2014 film from director Ivan Reitman gives a lampoonish insight into the Draft Day antics of GM Sonny Weaver of the Cleveland Browns.

Considered a box office flop, not only did it lose money, but it was also the last film for Ivan Reitman and Jim Brown before they died. Fortunately it didn’t happen on set.

Surprised that Jennifer Garner didn’t die on set when she was romantically paired with Kevin Costner in this one, but oh well, that’s Hollywood!

It’s worth watching at least for the inconsistencies.

Some other films you might want to look at also include:

Friday Night Lights

Billy Bob in a football classic

Varsity Blues

Girls watch it for Paul Walker, guys watch it for that Ali Larter whip cream bikini scene.

What are your favourite NFL movies? Let us know!

 

Draft Eve

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Are your NFL stockings hung by the fireplace with care, in hopes that Draft Eve will bring your team the talent to spare?

Welcome to the giddiness of the 2023 NFL Draft, as we bust your ear drums open with some banter of how we see the first bit of the draft going, and all the saucy news that will make up the hot gossip of trades around the week.
Buckle up!

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull dust off their other life, and hop back into the NFL saddle as the cobwebs are off to start 2023!

If you would like to listen to the full Draft Eve podcast, you can click here for the Soundcloud, or find us on iTunes and Spotify as well.

Aaron ‘Jet’ Rodgers

Well it’s official kids, Aaron Rodgers is finally following in the footsteps of Brett Favre and moving off to the Big Apple.
The deal is finally done in a swap of rounders and Woody goes ‘all in’ on hoping that the guru veteran take them to the playoff land.
For both teams it’s a chance to finally move on to the season with the Draft now a focus on how they are going to surround them.
Giving Rodgers a solid o-line and a big old tight end might be some of the keys that he needs.
Rodgers will once again be wearing his Golden Bear 8, perhaps trying to channel his inner youth in a cleanse to start over.
8 could also be the number of interceptions he throws in a game given his predecessors.
Given the move to a 17 week season, the alignment means that an NFC North and NFC battle zone could see a 25% chance of the Packers playing the Jets again this year. The Jets won in 2022, maybe they could do it again.

Tom Brady

Nothing. Who cares. Made you look.

Draft Drama

We all know that the draft brings with it the joy of seeing your team jiggle it up to prime for a new run, but it’s also that dirty drama drama that accompanies it.
What’s the deal with Derek Henry? Is Dalvin Cook going anywhere? Has everyone forgot about Lamar? Lamar is missing y’all!
With a bucket load of free agent talent out there, and not a lot of cash to back it up, could there be some people that have to suck it up for cheap?
Welcome to 2023.

Draft Picks

In some ways it feels like kind of a ‘meh’ draft, because there isn’t really anyone with ‘pizza-azzle’ to ignite a flurry of excitement.
That being said, in an injury prone league of increased play time, the more bodies the better.
Big, young, fat men with questionable diets lead the focus, as DE, OT, C’s and BLT’s are the hunger of many a GM.
Any why not? After seeing so many QB’s get smashed by inept lines of fourth stringers, and the knowledge that just one of these kids could change the whole dynamic of a line.
QBs will sill be the focus though, but the cost of living crisis has also made some cuts to the height of the top talent.
Woe is the short man in this new game, where the Tua’s and Kyler’s college shuffle didn’t translate to a league where smackdown and field vision are more prevalent.

International Games

Okay folks, the big news is only weeks away. Word is that we will get the announcement of the full NFL in London games on May 4th, 2023!  That’s right, cancel your plans that day, as we your world is about to change.
We will not only know who plays the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars, but also the dates.
We will NOT know anything about that though for a while. Please watch the NFLUK website for that, as they will have all the legit news.
Please make sure that you don’t buy any tickets online before the official news, as they are deffo a big scam.
Check out out socials. You have our permission. You can also touch them if you want.
It’s been a long offseason.