NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFL tips

Brady Bowl

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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.

Patriots (-250)

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.

Las Vegas Raiders (+300)

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.

LA Chargers (+400)

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.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+700)

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.

Colts (+900)

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.

Browns (+1200)

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.

Saints (+1400)

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.

Bears (+1600)

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.

Hail to the Chiefs!

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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?

Patrick Mahomes

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 .

Chiefs Defense

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.

Andy Reid

‘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.

The Refs

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.

The NFL

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.

 

SuperBowl Food

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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

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.

Nachos

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.

Hot Dogs

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.

Popcorn

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

Wade’s SB54 Prediction

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It’s the final game of the last decade, so who wins SuperBowl 54?
As you can see from the image above, I have already touted the 49ers to upset the Chiefs and win the big game.
Am I crazy? Did I smoke the wacky tobaccy?
Maybe, but let’s break it down.

First off, what a great game we are in store for.
I’m not just saying that because the Patriots aren’t in it this year, but that is a HUGE motivation when it comes to the excitement level for the big game.

We are also in the midst of a dynasty transition in the league. With Mahomes and Garoppolo at the helm, we are finally seeing a change in the league, and in the potential for the future.
No Brady, Brees, or Big Ben, this is a new horizon in the NFL.

Let’s look at how I see the break down of the two teams.

QBs

Mahomes is by far the superior QB in this match-up, but Jimmy G isn’t horrible, in fact he really hasn’t had to do anything. In the past few playoff games, the 49ers have employed the run, because it works. Fans are quick to say that Jimmy was useless in these games, but why throw when you don’t need to. Let’s not forget that he torched the Saints a few weeks ago, and has barely even used Kittle.
Mahomes on the other hand has had to come from behind the past 2 games.
Down 29 points to the Texans, the game relied on him to rally the team to over power Texas, and finally win the game.
The 49ers don’t let you come back from deficits like that, so it will be a long road for the Chiefs if they go down.
Jimmy will have a better game than you think.
Advantage-Chiefs

RBs

San Fran has the advantage here, as the Chiefs have had a mad lib of RBs since the start of the season. The 49ers have a triple threat of speedsters who will look to explode on the Chiefs D. KC was able to choke off Derek Henry, but these RBs are very different as they have buckets of speed to run roughshod over the backfield. They will keep hitting them with the run until they don’t need to.
Advantage-49ers

WRs

San Fran has been hurt in the receiver department with a slew of injuries this season. KC on the other hand has some of the fastest dudes in the league ready to bounce across the Miami field. The main difference here will be the secondary covering the WRs. San Fran has a great shut down unit, while the Chiefs might struggle in the back to stop the relentless pressure of Deebo and the boys. Tyreek will be looking at a Richard Sherman sized shadow all night.
Advantage-Chiefs

TEs

The battle of the beasts is here, as Kelce takes on Kittle in a hotly anticipated match-up for the ages. Kelce has had a heck of a season, and Kittle has continued to impress with his yards after catch explosiveness. I have to give the edge to Kittle here because of all the ways he can be used. Look for the Niners to use a trick play to their advantage with him.
Advantage-49ers

DEF

San Fran holds most of the cards here. Sure, the Chiefs have made some big improvements here, but they will still struggle to match the shutdown power of the 49ers speed and front 4. It will be up to the Chiefs to try to shake up the momentum of the Niners, and make them miss.
This will be their biggest challenge.
Advantage-49ers

In the end, I think that the 49ers will prevail, for the reasons outlined above, and in general.
-the 49ers have used the rush because they haven’t needed to toss.
-the Chiefs have had to come from behind in every game-not a good sign.
-the 49ers D is too good.

So my final prediction-the 49ers win by a field goal.

Come join us at Long Acre London in Covent Garden. See you Sunday!

 

 

SuperBowl Quiz

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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!