NFL in London

National Football League in London

Justin Fields

Bears in London

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The NFL tickled us with a treat this week, as Chicago took advantage of the new international marketing areas to host the Bears in London on Sunday.

What a fun night of action, and thanks for hosting us!

Home Marketing

With the NFL going fully international this year, the league announced last year that they would allow certain teams to market directly to global fans.

The United Kingdom had six teams granted rights to perform this, with the Jaguars, Vikings, Dolphins, Jets, 49ers and Bears getting the royal treatment here.

This was the Bears first attempt at hosting one of these parties, and they did a lot of things right.

Flat Iron Party

The Bears opted to host the party in London’s Flat Iron area, just round the corner from London Bridge station.

While the area was popular when the NFL was in town, it did seem like a rather odd location given how quickly the area empties on a Sunday, as well as being hosted underneath the train tracks.

The hype was obvious at entry, as cheery marketing folk handed out raffle tickets, and encouraged fans to participate in some of the many trivia and cheer games they had prepared.
Some of the games were funny, some cheesy, and there were times fans just wanted the game back on as they battled the Lions, but the good nature of the event and £7 pints had Bears fans rollicking.

Bringing in the Bears hype man to host the event did bring a deep dish authenticity to the event, and he was genuinely surprised at just how damn knowledgeable UK Bears fans are at trivia.
The only wrong answers seemed to be displayed in the Bears game play.

The Game

Heading into the game, the Bears were a three point favourite over a Lions team bolstered by a win over the Packers last weekend.

The awkward tension was palatable in the room, as the Lions erased the Bears lead, despite the gutsy and emotional play of Justin Fields.

Despite the loss, UK Bears fans were playful to the few Lions fans who snuck in, possibly bouyed by beers, Bears and Bears swag.

Speaking of swag, while it looked like they brought plenty, it didn’t seem like it reached many of the fans, as Bears loyals were seen packing branded, paper drinks coasters into their pockets for a little bit of take home legacy.

Or maybe people just didn’t want to be reminded of a one point loss.

Bear Down Future

Scrolling the Bears forums, the main complaints from fans around the event stemmed from it being last minutes, and in London, alienating many UK Bears fans who either can’t travel on Sunday nights, or can’t afford London prices.

Rumours from the Bears marketing staff on hand is that there could be more of these viewing events across the UK in the coming months.

Make sure to watch this space, and we will let you know where and when you can Beardown this NFL season.

All in all, it was a fun night of football, and a good sign of things to come.

 

Wild Draft Predictions

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Life is like a box of chocolates.
Either it gets picked apart by your family, gives you diabetes, or is accidentally left in a car and melts into a goopy puddle.
The point being, you can never be too sure. 

Every year, the NFL Draft hits us with someone wild and wacky-and this year could be no different.
What kind of insane in the membrane trades, moves and hustles could happen in Cleveland this year?
That’s why we have our 2021 Wild Draft Predictions. 

In the NFL the crazier…the more entertaining. 

Pundits and prognosticators have all pulled their polls to make their sure thing bets.
But are they sure things?
Trevor Lawrence is first out and off to the Jaguars? Maybe.
https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/nfl/draft-odds/
Kyle Pitts can play every position. Really?
The Bears will screw up the draft…ok, that’s possible. 

To honour the wackiness that is the NFL Draft, we have tallied a bunch of ‘out there’ predictions for the 2021 NFL Draft.
From fades to trades, bold calls to wild conjecture….we have it all for you.

So let’s get in with some of the most out there NFL predictions to cover our betting butts. 

1. Trevor Lawrence to the CFL

Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? Well the NFL couldn’t.
After a blockbuster move to secure the XFL and partner it with the CFL, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson makes his biggest move by convincing Trevor Lawrence to eschew the NFL and head north young man.
Lawrence heads to Saskatchewan to train with the Roughriders, before taking over his own franchise the Newfoundland Nuggets. 

2. Justin Fields Forever

Rumours began to circulate that something was up with Justin Fields, and that perhaps he wasn’t what or whom he appeared to be.
On Draft Day that becomes apparent when the Zoom camera pans in on Fields and his family, only to reveal Colin Kaepernick.
As it turns out, Colin has kidnapped Fields and his family for one last shot at greatness.
Despite numerous blood transfusions and bone grafts Kaep once again fails to deliver for his team.
Fields is eventually released by Colin and the captors, but once again-the damage is already done. 

3. Manziel Mania

The NFL Draft is in Cleveland?
Johnny Manziel is ‘Mr Cleveland’!
Manziel decides to take his shot at crashing the 2021 NFL Draft to promote his new vaccine ‘Johnny Football’, aptly named as it is made from rendered pigskin.
To promote the event, Manziel hires idiot/dunce Jake Paul to deliver the vaccines to people by ‘punching it in their face.’
Paul uses the platform to announce his upcoming fight against the all of the patients in a children’s hospital.
If the children can beat him, he will give them a ‘shout-out’.

4. Jets get an 8 Ball

After years of bad draft picks, the New York Jets have let it slip that they have a new tool for drafting this year…the Magic 8 Ball.
Instead of using sports science, the Jets are opting to let magic be their guide to post season glory.
New head coach Robert Saleh will franticly shake the ball prior to each round to find their ‘yes’ ‘no’ and ‘maybe’s for 2021.
Unfortunately for Saleh, owner Woody Johnson likes the ‘pluck’ of the 8 ball and decides to fire all of his coaching staff to let it coach the Jets in 2022.
They make it to the AFC final. 

5. Ballin’ Bezos

Jeff Bezos is rolling in it.
From the billions he made from selling off Amazon shares, to his neighbours wife who he took just because he could…everything is rolling up JB!
Bezos goes full baller this NFL Draft when he rolls in without a team and announcing ‘I’m not leaving here without my own team.’
Jaws drop, wallets are rummaged and Bezos walks out with not one, but 2 NFL teams. 

Amazonian Jeff not only snags the Chargers for his trophy case, but also snags the Buffalo Bills ‘in case he wants wings.’
As he leaves, Bezos ‘makes it rain’ dolla bills, with images of Usher on every bill. 

Those are our bold predictions for the 2021 NFL Draft, what are yours?
Make sure you listen to our post Draft podcast this week to see how close we all were.

Alabama Champ

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Another NCAA Football season is done and dusted as Nick Sabin and the Alabama Crimson Tide rolled over a shocked Ohio State, making Alabama Champ.
Alabama Champ actually sounds like a new strain of CBD or a 500lb jelly wrestler, but that’s aside the point.

Alabama never really looked back in this game, smacking Ohio State in the mouth 52-24. It’s the 14th consecutive victory for Bama, as they rolled onto an undefeated season during the year of Covid. Sure, and asterix could be placed the 2020 season as not all of the teams had a fair shot at the title, although to be honest…that is America.

DeVonta Smith was an absolute monster in this game, hauling in 3 TDs, and 12 catches for 215 yards. The Heisman Trophy winner was on fine form for the final match, thoroughly impressing all of the scouts and NFL teams who now have a draft conundrum ahead of them. Smith wasn’t really focused in many top 5 predictions, but you have to imagine that the Miami Dolphins who draft 3rd, would be interested in pairing this speedy youngster with Tua.

The NFL Draft is only 4 months away, and we’ll see what the league thinks of the speedster, as well as his Ohio State QB counterpoint Justin Fields. Fields was overmatched by a stiff Bama D in this game, but that shouldn’t affect his overall NFL stock.

This was a tough game for any of us to watch in the UK given the time difference, so here are the highlights for your consideration.