National Football League in London
There’s nothing funny about this Corona virus…unless you are really looking for some laughs…and we are.
Corona and the Lockdown is no joke though, so listen to the authorities, stay inside & think of others!
Luckily ‘The Draw Play’ has come up with all of the NFL logos reimagined if they were under Corona lockdown. Anything about sports…humour and the NFL, we’re in.
Have a look, a laugh, and stay safe!
Missing the NFL? We have you covered with our safe distancing podcast!
Wade McElwain & Ryan Cull stay at least 2 apart in this podcast dedicated to the craziness going on in the world and the NFL these days.
Many people are going stir crazy with this lockdown, so it’s nice to have something positive to talk about other than a positive result.
The boys talk about the following over the next half hour
The NFL is fortunate to not have their season start until a few months, but what is in jeopardy? What will the Draft look like, and how will this affect the length of the season?
Say the NFL does come back, will we need to sit 2m apart? How many London game will players want to travel for? Could they be cancelled completely?
Who are the big guys still on the block? Who wants a Jameis? Did the Brady trade shake up the whole kaboodle?
Listen, subscribe, reach out and stay safe!
Patriots vs Dolphins at Tottenham? 2012 was the last time they came. It’s possible.
We have changed our predictions for the 2020 London games based on some recent info and projections for the season after CBA.
The Dolphins are coming, but who will they host. There’s a 1/8 chance, but the factors that mitigate who comes lead us to believe…it will be the Patriots!
Who will be playing in London in the four international matches of 2020?
We know a few teams thus far, but who will actually make it across the pond to entertain us hungry fans in this new decade?
Short answer-we don’t know yet.
There is much speculation as to who will come, and when you add in rumours, schedule confirmations, attendance and mitigating factors like who HAS to play here, we can come up with some pretty close projections.
There has been a pattern to when, who, and how teams are allocated to our fair city, so we have come up with our predictions of the London 2020 NFL International series.
NFL in London fan guesses.
Corona virus is also going to have a massive impact on the game going into 2020, especially if the NFLPA is realistically protective of their clan.
Please know that this not official (don’t sue us NFL), we are just having some fun, backed by some factish ideas. Feel free to comment of make your own conjectures.
The NFL is scheduled for four London matches in 2020. Once again, these would be divided equally between Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium.
In the past the London dates have been held earlier in the season, between weeks 4-9, so as not to affect the US based schedule, travel, weather, holidays and fall attendance.
UK dates are also done in consideration of English Football and Champions League commitments for various clubs, who might need the stadiums as the season and Leagues move on in the autumn.
Previous London hosting have broken up the 4 weeks, which means a double/ double weekend within September, October and November.
It’s tough to book out the city of London with so much going on, as well as hosting parties for a month straight.
Previous NFL UK events involved blocking Trafalgar Square, closing Regent street were great, but the security landscape has changed in scope and costs.
They will probably look to book Regent street again in late September, as it is also a good way to sell Gamepass.
Daylight Savings
The NFL has also taken advantage of the daylights savings time difference between the UK and US, which occurs on Oct 25th & Nov 1st this year.
This means only a 4 hour difference which is more manageable for TV and travel & quite negligible for the players once they are in the UK.
2020 Schedule
NFL games will most likely start on Sunday September 13th, as the 10th is listed as the first Thursday, even though that would mean week 17 hits 2021.
It would mean that we would be looking at weeks 3-9, with London getting weeks 3, 4, 7 & 8.
Our prediction is Sun September 27th, October 4th, 25th, and November 2nd for London to host games at Tottenham & Wembley respectively.
The Falcons name has been confirmed by Arthur ‘Blankity’ Blank as being a London player in 2020. He acknowledged in an interview that they were playing the Broncos, which is confirmed by various other sources in Denver.
With this AFC/ NFC matchup in the books, there will mostly be divisional matchups after this, as to not get owners knickers in knots.
Given that this one is the first confirmed, it will most likely be the first as they have had to alert their season ticket owners that London is in the works, so book now.
The Broncos haven’t been here since 2010, and the Falcons since 2014, so it makes sense since both of their home attendance records have been slow.
We predict that this will be the first game in week 3 at Tottenham.
Miami is in for a London home game as of Feb 2020.
That settles the debate on the last home team, so it’s only a matter of looking at their home schedule projection & who hasn’t been here recently.
Miami hosts their division rivals as well as the Chargers, Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks & Bengals.
All of these teams have been here recently, save the Chiefs.
There is no way the SuperBowl champs are risking a repeat on an Atlantic journey.
New England Patriots haven’t been here since 2012 the Bills in 2015. The Bills have stadium issues, but the Pats might look to spin the story to the continent.
It’s their turn.
Don’t forget, it’s also about who has a stadium problem, attendance problem, or fan problem. And if Tom Brady leaves, they have a problem.
What if one of the reasons for his hold out is having to go to London?
While the players aren’t keen on it, it’s amazing for the game-but try selling that during the CBA when owners want you to work another week of body damage for the same pay.
Give ’em weed, give ’em London.
The Patriots would make the most sense if the Brady era ends, Bostonians would be shell shocked & less likely to watch their team lose to a second rate QB.
It will be an AFC East rival, but who?
We predict Patriots vs Dolphins week 4 at Tottenham.
Jacksonville has officially confirmed that they will play back to back London ‘home’ games to make ticket money. They were a hot sale a year ago, but somehow fell down the stinkhole once again.
Fans will be looking for some Minshew Mania or any kind of miracle to turn this team around again.
Sadly, the best hype the team had last year was on the Netflix series ‘The Good Place’.
The Jags are going to play at Wembley. They always have, and despite the bidding to buy it being stalled/ killed/ murmured, he has a tie to the place and it is his home stand.
Jacksonville has usually played the last of the London games, and will probably do the same this year.
Hopefully by the end of October they will have chalked up some wins.
We know that they have to play the Steelers and the Bears at home, which leaves 6 home games potentially for London.
Those 6 include: Texans, Colts, Titans, Browns, Dolphins & Lions.
The Texans & Titans were recently here, so that rules them out.
Miami has been announced as an international team in either London or Mexico, but it would seem logical Miami would go to Mexico given the massive Latino fanbase.
Cleveland was also here a few years ago, and it might be a tough sell to the players given the ego and salary stipulations.
That leaves us with the Colts and the Lions, both of whom are also struggling.
The Lions have been rumoured in local press, which smells like a Michigan scoop.
Indy is still reeling from losing Andrew Luck, so they might need a year or two to get the star power buzzing again.
Detroit has November issues with Thanksgiving, so we see them as the last of the games to give them a break before the schedule gets nutty at home.
The Colts will most likely pile in the week before, as they lack the star power to challenge playing a London game, & their young squad might be keen to get their Europe on.
We predict Colts vs Jags week 7, and the Lions vs Jags week 8 at Wembley.
The 2019-2020 is officially over, and what a wonderful way to end the season.
SuperBowl 54 will go down as one of the best ever, with a heroic comeback by QB Patrick Mahomes, whose poise and calm outshone his years in an epic battle.
A fantastic job by the Kansas City Chiefs, and their whole organisation for owning the AFC and using the ‘comeback’ to their advantage.
Every time you saw them down, it was like watching Hulk Hogan of the 80s’ simmering as he takes the blows, only to explode with a phenomenal leg-drop of the opposition.
The San Francisco 49ers displayed an awesome presence throughout the whole season. From being a losing team the year before, they gouged their way through offences and used their legs to power through hapless D’s.
They almost had it. It was close. You could smell it. Amazing.
Congrats to both teams, the fans, and of course the NFL for giving us this great game of entertainment every Sunday.
We will be looking to do big things in London in 2020, please get in touch.
He’s baaaaccck! Ryan Cull has returned from Canada and ready to dish some NFL news with Wade.
The boys didn’t watch the SuperBowl together, so they sit down & discuss the game and how different it is to watch it between the UK and Canada.
They also talk about chicken wings..a lot!
Aside from the big game, the guys talk about how the 2019/2020 season went down, and all the changes going forward.
They also talk about the potential match-ups for the 2020 London games, now that Miami has been confirmed as a London host city in the fall. Who else could be coming, and when will they be here? The boys have their speculations.
Wade & Ryan also dive into the Tom Brady free agency predictions. Will TB12 move somewhere else, or is he just yanking the chains of the Pats.
Other free agents are also bantered around, including Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton and Phillip Rivers. Where do these guys end up?
Listen to the podcast, and share it with your friends. After all, a podcast is one of the few things you can share with your friends these days that doesn’t require a mask.
Enjoy
Valentine’s Day can be very hard for NFL fans. The SuperBowl has just ended, and loads of fans are now fully aware there is another 7 months without any football. So what is a fan to do?
To keep your love alive, we are sharing some very lovely cards for you to give to your besotted.
Find the card that reflects your team, your player, or just the way you feel about them.
Go on, share the love. Then watch some XFL and get hot and heavy.
Enjoy lovers!
Tom Brady is a hot piece of ass this offseason, as teams try to gauge whether the GOAT is going to stay the course in Beantown, or head for greener, richer pastures.
Brady turns 93 this year, so will he still be too old to compete against a new league of speed and youth?
Probably.
Tommy Boy has showed signs of ageing as of late, but one wonders if that is truly down to age, or an anemic offensive unit, or just plain old Billy Belichick.
What has trill been on display is Tom’s fierce competitive spirit, that’s something that you can’t replicate. Every week, Tom comes to play with a fierce intensity, and he is still one of the few you fear when he has the ball with 2 minutes left on the clock.
So IF Tom Brady decides to leave, where will he go?
Let’s look at the obvious choices.
Is Tom being a dick tease? ‘Cause it sure looks like he is gussying up his bussom to look attractive and make New England jelly.
The odds are stacked that Brady will return to New England after they come to their senses and back up that money truck.
Brady is a classy guy, and has displayed this throughout his career, allowing others to earn while he took less. He has brought the city of Boston 6 SuperBowl rings, and developed into an icon.
So why would they want to let that go?
Remember that hometown booing at Tommy this season after losing a game, many fans were quick to interject ‘what they hell are you doing? You have nothing to boo over!’
Robert Kraft needs to rub his wallet and tug out some cash, so that Brady gets his own happy ending.
He will most likely be returning to Foxboro in 2020.
What happens in Vegas, will most likely suck. Gruden was able to turn some of the team around last year, but they seemed to be stuck in freefall after the AB debacle shook the whole team.
BowlCut Davis and the rest of his organisation have left on their odyssey through the desert, but will it be all sunshine and sand dunes?
Historically, any team that moves to Vegas has a rough ride. The NHL Golden Knights captured the hearts of the city, but as soon as they started to suck the following year, attendance was back down again.
Brady would be a feather in their cap, but a big plume to catch he would be.
While Las Vegas might have the funds and draft picks to be able to finagle a deal to land TB12, it would mean leveraging their future for one potential shot at it.
Would you want to risk all of that to get 10 years of an empty stadium?
Highly doubtful.
Phillip Rivers and family have left LA, changing the population of the city, and the future of the Chargers.
Chargers fans have been pretty screwed over since they left San Diego, and the team and the league have down very little to heal the massive rift that developed in the process.
The city of LA has adopted the Chargers like they were a ginger stepchild with coronavirus, so there isn’t a lot of love there to begin with.
The Chargers need a win, in more ways than one-but replacing an ageing QB with an even older QB is not a step in the right direction.
LAC might be looking at making some bold moves this year, but that will probably involve gutting the team, drafting young, and putting some new faces into the mix.
TB12 will not be one of them.
Jameis Winston finally got his eyes fixed, but will that have an affect on his 2020 season? Hopefully.
Will they look to replace JW with TB?
Doubtful.
Tampa is a huge step backwards for Tom, the team has some speedy assets, but would he be willing to drop to a lower tier team with attendance issues?
Even if Tom were to come over to the Bucs, they are still a few seasons away from challenging for the title.
The D needs help, their running game needs to be tightened, and their offence needs a new identity.
Tom would not want to step into that mess, even with Brucey running the team around him.
Jameis will be back in 2020.
Here are some of the other teams in the mix for Tom Brady, although these ones are even further afield.
Andrew is out of Luck and Jacoby doesn’t give off starter vibes. They have space to chase Tom, but they wouldn’t be willing to risk it all for a man of his age.
Oh Cleveland you delicious mess! What will you do to implode your season this year. Baker was ok, but the team as a whole was an ego of disappointment. No way that Tom wants to sum on that hornets nest of idiocy.
Ditch Brees for Brady? No way Jose. While it is nice to have him in the mix, there is no way that the Saints move on from DB. They will give him everything for another shot at it.
Now this one is interesting. Trubisky has crapped the bed so much, they don’t even bother to change the sheets anymore. Would the team be willing to go after Tom to give the rest of the team a shot? Mitch certainly wasted a few games last season, but they may not want to spend a fortune to finish below the Packers again this year.
Nice to think about, but no
So our consensus on this is…Brady stays with the Patriots.
They kiss, they make up, they inflate each other a bit, slap each other on the butts, then head to the strip mall for some ‘Kraft Dinner.’
It looks to be a great season ahead.
They bloody well went & did it, didn’t they? The Chiefs are the 2019-2020 SuperBowl Champions in a wild game that ended out a decade of Patriots domination.
Patrick Mahomes was a beast, spear-heading a Chiefs comeback of 3 touchdowns in 3 minutes to stymie the 49ers and win the big cup.
So what were the big factors that led to this victory?
This kid is the real deal. Patience under pressure, pocket poise, and a great field of vision to spread the ball to his top receivers. Let’s not forget those wheels too.
Mahomes was a true leader when his team needed it.
He led the charge and was able to take Andy Reid’s walrus voice in his ear to stab San Francisco relentlessly in the last savage minutes of the game.
He had a couple of INTs that were BAD, but he was able to salvage them, and rely on his defense to defuse any comeback attempts of the 49ers.
It’s hard to say if this is the beginning of a dynasty, or whether he will one-off this like Russell Wilson or Cam, but this team looks good to repeat next season as returning champs .
They were lamented numerous times prior to the match, but shut up all of their critics with a savage attack on the 49ers. They looked like they played their guts on on every play, and fought tough for any down that the 49ers went for. Where they really shined was in that final 3 minutes, bashing the run, choking off Jimmy and holding tight when the game was on the line.
They picked off Jimmy G several times, and made them earn every hard down.
Credit to them for keeping it a 10 point game, as there were a few chances that they might have gone down even further.
Well fought chaps.
‘Ugly Kid’ Shanahan was ready to rap-battle his way through this hizzle, but Andy stayed firm like a beached walrus to keep the game in check.
He called smart plays, and relied on the wits of Mahomes to improvise when he needed to.
Andy must have a real zen about him, because all of his guys stayed calm, cool and collected during the whole game.
Reid finally brought in the bowl to the fine folks of Kansas City after a 50 year drought, and it was a noble effort for all of those involved.
It was a relatively painless ref game despite a season of controversy and contention.
Aside from a blatant pass interference call against the 49ers in the fourth quarter that allowed the Chiefs to score, there weren’t too many blind calls or needless delays.
That PI penalty was bogus, and some might say that it capitulated San Francisco after that, but losers will always whine.
There will need to be some serious internal talks with the league and officials next year, to get over the technical hiccups from the 2019 season, but this was a clean game all in all.
Another flawless and exciting SuperBowl from the NFL and hats off to them. Despite the talk of saggy ratings, the NFL put on a powerhouse fiesta of fun and NFL action.
Sure, it would have been nicer to have Tony Romo in the box instead of Troy, but no one really listens to them any way.
The only real blight was the halftime show. Like what the heck was that about?
Why focus on some ageing singer/models who haven’t been relevant in decades, when there are loads of great an exciting acts on the musical landscape.
They could have taken the chance to showcase 30 new artists who could use the fame, tap into influencers or even gone back to the standard ‘Up with People’.
Whatever happened to them.
We had a great night at the Long Acre, and will have loads of news for you in the off season. We are poised for a bigger, better 2020, so join us in the fun.
Crafting a perfect SuperBowl menu is an art. Knowing your guests, your palate, the teams, and what tools you have at your disposal are key to making a kickass party.
Figure out how many people you have then double it. It’s a long night. Cook big or go home.
Like the game it’s good to prepare well in advance and have all of your meats chilled and ready to grill.
It’s February, if you don’t have your BBQ cleaned, gleaned, and bedazzled you’re a pussy.
Grab some charcoal and a selection of late offering, discount meats and soak them in some brine, coat them in dustings of rub, and ready your process.
It’s time to BBQ!
Here are the best SuperBowl foods to make.
Wings will probably made illegal or bio manufactured in the next 2 decades, so you might as well enjoy them now. No one wants to know how we get them, but keep them coming.
If you’re cooking wings, we suggest baking them first.
Don’t put any sauce on them, just a few spices, perhaps with a rub a bit of flour to coast the crisp.
Bake them on a rack if you can so they don’t stick.
Turn them every 7 minutes, and coat them with mayo if you have a brush.
Sounds gross, but it actually crisps and moisturises the skin.
After they’re baked, toss them in a sauce. They key is to not sauce when you cook, only after.
Britain doesn’t do nachos well. The tortilla chips are old dust, just like their popcorn. You need real corn quesadillas to make good chips. Make your own if you can.
When you’re baking your nachos, keep it simple.
Don’t load your ship with sides, give it time.
Chips, cheese, topping. Chips, cheese topping.
Get it.
Plan ahead.
It’s your wall, be the ice dragon who eats & destroys it.
Layer and lay waste to your guests.
All beef or no question. Britain likes to do pork dogs and they taste like ass. Only go with a quality dog. Loads of butchers are happy to oblige. If you’re in the UK, try a boerwurst. A lovely South African beef sausage that is sure to satisfy your fans.
Always have popcorn ready. It is a staple, and a salty elixir to drink. Soak it in butter like the dirty corn that it is, or just salt it & let it work for you. Popcorn is easy, cheap, salty..just like your mom.
What are your fave recipes?
If you’re free Sunday, join us at the
Where are you going for the SuperBowl? Are you watching at home? With friends? Or hitting the town to paint the town red, white & blue?
If you’re in London or close by, please feel free to join us at the Long Acre pub in Covent Garden for an epic night of NFL.
We will have loads of great food, cold beer & plenty of TVs to watch the big game.
They will also open up the basement for fans should we sell out the top floor.
What are you going to do before the 11:40pm kickoff?
If you’re joining us at the Long Acre, feel free to sign up for our NFL Quiz, an interactive, video quiz that we will beam across the pub.
Just watch the screen, and the questions will appear in video form.
Cool, huh?
Our quizmaster is none other than our very own Wade McElwain.
Wade actually writes and produces quiz and trivia shows during the day, so this is a perfect chance to see his mad skills in action.
It costs £10 per team to play (you need a ticket to get in as well) & you can win some fab prizes thanks to BetRegal, DraftKings, and the Long Acre.
Make sure you get your team together now!
Tickets for the quiz can be found here, as well as entry tickets.
https://www.designmynight.com//london/bars/leicester-square/the-long-acre/superbowl-54
We will also be doing loads of fun bets with our friends at BetRegal as well.
See you SuperBowl sunday!
You gotta love Frank Clark. He gives 100% when he plays, and zero F#cks when the cameras are on him.
Luckily the smart folks at NBC had the ‘beep’ button ready, because they knew that Clark would go off on one of his many rants. This is one of those times.
Clark went off on how the Chiefs were able to handle Derek Henry, who was only able to gain 68 yards on the day, when he had gashed for 377 yards the previous two games.
Clark didn’t let loose, dropping 8 words that needed to be bleeped.
He still rates the Chiefs D as the ‘best in the world’, but he will have to see for sure when they play the 49ers on Feb 2nd.