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July Memes

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The end of July is almost upon us, which means August is almost here!
NFL fans all know that August is that magical month that kicks off training camp, bringing with it the impending NFL season, and the joys of fans everywhere.

To celebrate the kickoff of the 2021 season, we present you some July Memes, a selection of funny photos that have kept us entertained during this wet, miserable summer.

Whether it’s memes around the incorrect pronunciation of ‘Kelce’, rumours of Rodgers riding out to pasture, or just Covidiots in general, the memes reward us all.

July Memes

Coming Home

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The summer of sport 2021 has been all about England, and cries of ‘it’s Coming Home’.
England is in the Euros final, the UK has set a rapid vaccination rate, and we are chuffed to have two NFL games in October.
Indeed, it’s coming home.

In this episode of the podcast, Wade McElwain and guest Callum Squires look at some of the top sporting stories from the Summer of ’21.
Wade also chats to Callum about his impending marriage and move to Las Vegas, and whether or not he will remain a Dolphins fan, or slide down into the fiery hell that is being a Raiders supporter.

The boys output a playlist of NFL hits in this episode, touching on a myriad of fun topics, including:

The Match

Aaron Rodgers has been playing loads of golf lately, but not a lot of football.
Is he just having some fun before the start of the season, or is this a calculated PR move to send a message to the Packers?
Hard to tell at this point, but given that Green Bay is owned by the fans, they can’t be too pleased with the way he is handling his summer of ’21.
Rodgers and DeChambeau laid a beating on Phil and Tommy Boy, but it was the banter that made this gold.
Training camp is only a few weeks away…your move A-A-Ron.

Lamar’s Mommy

Lamar Jackson is also looking for a new deal, but he’s using an old ally to help get the desired result.
Mommy.
Despite Mrs. Jackson not being formally trained in athletic contractual negotiations, mother knows best, and that’s what LJ is hoping to secure with a new contract with the Ravens.
That’s right, Lamar Jackson’s mom is handling his new contract and negotiations. This could either go horribly wrong, or just a little bit wrong.
If Lamar was ever trying to dispel rumours of being a ‘mama’s boy’, this will be the final nail in his coffin.

Apple NFL

DirecTV’s deal with the NFL is about to end in 2022, which means that the media sharks are circling the blood in the water.
Apple TV, Disney, and Amazon are all circling, and sharpening their teeth for a easy ratings meal that could last a decade.
Despite DirecTV claiming that they lost ‘billions’ in the NFL deal, many of the major streamers aren’t worried, because they can prop up their bottom line with product.
In this new digital age, the DirecTV is an antiquated relic. Old school cable boxing, cheesy packaging and tech problems galore, doth not make for something fans want to shell out shingles for.
It’s only a matter of time (and money) before one of the big three secures global NFL rights.
Having a one stop NFL solution, will not only make for more viewing options, but also allow for a more worldwide coverage, so that UK fans aren’t left out of the conversation.
Going digital means going global, and the NFL could use more of that now.

London NFL

The October games are full throttle ahead, so what does that mean for UK NFL fans?
Callum and Wade talk about the games, and how they think they will go down.
The guys also touch on the difficulty of showing NFL games in pubs, and the nature of pub chains to ‘ruin’ the experience for NFL fans.

Go England

The guys would also like to remind all our fans that we believe that it’s ‘Coming Home’ to England in the 2021 Euros.
There hasn’t been much to celebrate in English football for the past 4 decades, but Sunday’s final versus Italy will bolster the spirit of the country.
We believe that it will ‘come home’, and England will ride that wave of euphoria into 2022.

C’mon England!

CFXL

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One of the main side effects of COVID-19 is the loss of smell.
This is particularly worrying for football fans, who are unable to smell what ‘The Rock is Cooking.’
In this case, it’s a burnt melange of the XFL and the CFL.
The potential marriage is now dead, after the XFL announced it would not be moving ahead with merger plans.
The CFXL is dead.

Cracks in the Foundation

The coming together of the XFL and CFL was a lofty exercise to begin with.
Firstly there is the obvious lack of a league for the XFL, they went bankrupt, sold all off of their stuff, then the Rock and his VC firms swooped in to grab the bits and bobs left over.
The XFL isn’t really bringing anything to the table except The Rock, who won’t be playing in any games.
The CFL however has an actual league, with stadiums, team names, and a fan base going back over 100 years.
The CFL doesn’t need the XFL.
Canadians have long been pestered by Americans to the south ‘showing us how it’s done’, so negotiations would have stalled on any ‘demands’, as they really had no position to stand on.

1 Down

Even if the CFL and XFL did merge, what rules would they play?
The CFL is a 3 down game, with a wider and longer field than the NFL, would American fans accept such football treachery?
Canadian football has struggled on American TV, and these ‘new rules’ (even though they are older than the NFL) are a bugaboo for US fans.
The whole ‘how do we play’ would have been an obvious issue that pitted America vs Canada.
The XFL wants to be a feeder league for the NFL and tap into its heat, whereas the CFL is like a honey-badger, and they don’t care about nothing.

Teams

The CFL has The Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Winnipeg Bluebombers, and the Hamilton Tiger Cats.
The XFL has teams in Seattle, Houston, St. Louis, New York, LA & Tampa Bay. You know who else has teams in those cities? Everyone!
While the Canadian cities don’t exude a sense of sporting legacy, these teams are older than loads of actual leagues, and boast fans that are willing to come out in even the coldest conditions.
Competing with not only the NFL, but the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, and even new sports like e-Gaming and cornhole in major cities is a logistical and scheduling nightmare.
The CFL already has its identity, supporters and Canadian-ness, no American business is going to threaten that.

Finding Identity

The XFL really needs to define what it is, and when it will be played to forge ahead.
Loads of new leagues are lining up to take pot shots at the NFL, but none have ever really threatened the king’s dominance.
Sure, The Rock is the biggest movie star in the world right now, but that’s not enough to put bums in seats week after week.
Fans do want more football during the offseason, but not the kind of crap that has been peddled out the past few years.
Releasing a league to be able to ‘tinker’ with it in progress only hurts the league and the fans, and stymies any chance of future leagues developing.

The CFL will keep rolling on.
Ratings in Canada are enough to keep the lights on, and solidify its status as ‘Canada’s league to watch just before the NFL starts.’

The XFL however has one last shot before it joins the monorail as a foolish endeavour.
Dwayne Johnson is going to need put a lot of energy (and money) into it if he wants to see results.
The XFL might be positive about their future, but after this deal fell apart, it’s tough to see how they will be able to go it alone without a massive commitment NO MATTER WHAT.
Does The Rock have the mettle?

Jets TV

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We’re living in the ‘age of content’, so it’s no surprise that NFL teams are looking to fill the void by creating their own unique footage.
Enter the New York Jets.

‘Flight 2021′ is a new, YouTube series dedicated to the start of the New York Jets 2021 season. If you’re looking to follow all things green and white in the NYC, then this Jets TV might be a good thing to check out.

With the Jets London bound to face the Falcons in 2021, UK and European fans might want to keep in touch with all of the latest Jets news, as well as fan announcements for any Jets activities that might be going on during their October trip.

While regular NFL fans might want to sleuth their own teams’ social video content schedule, those who are planning on attending the Falcons vs Jets at Tottenham stadium in October might find value in this series.

These ‘behind the scenes’ types of videos are great for fans for numerous reasons.
Firstly you get to hear team news from the team, it’s not redacted or pumped full of ads, so you get the news straight from the horses mouth.

Secondly, you actually get to see the people involved in the decision making, and you can find them on social media.
For any UK fans looking to make contact with Jets or Falcons team personal, these type of videos give you the name and position of those in the know.
While no one likes a LinkedIn ‘cold call’, using proper NFL channels might get you the info that you need.

Lastly, boredom. One thing we’ve learned from Covid is that good video content is liking a shipping container. Hard to find and difficult to fill.
While we all wait for the NFL to start up again in September, we can all take solace in the fact that there is now more football video content to watch.

Even if it is the Jets.

Summer of Sport

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What a bounty of gameplay we have ahead of us in 2021!
All hail the Summer of Sport!

From the NHL and NBA playoffs, to the 2020 Euros (what?).
Baseball is back, and so is TB12 to take on year another QB foe in a golf off.
And let’s not forget those Tokyo Olympics! Sure, they were off last year, but this year they are back with trepidation.
That leads us all the way into September for the big show in sport.

Wade & Ryan look at some of the scant trickling of NFL news that trickles down the wall in June.
The OTA’s are on, but who is really watching them?

Among some of the other big stories the boys talk about are:

Julio Jones

Me and Julio are heading down to the Titans yard, after a big swoop in by Tennessee to secure the veteran WR.
AJ Brown did everything except promise his first born to JJ, becoming the fan boy who made us all a little creeped out.
Julio has a new home, now let’s see what he does this season.

TB12 Joker

Tom Brady doesn’t seem to get an F anymore when it comes to social media. He is the embarrassing dad of the NFL, posting half baked memes, sly digs, and shots across the bow at former foes.
Isn’t it grand?
Brady is obviously having way more fun than in Boston, which should be scary for everyone.

Who stole the Wilfork’s?

Poor Vince Wilfork. There’s nothing worse than that violating feeling of being robbed, only to find out that the thief was your very own spawn.
The children of rich kids, huh?
Vince’s son stole all of his jewellery to pawn off, not really thinking the whole process through.
Instead of therapy, why not put them on a reality TV show?

Kyler Hates Dallas

Everything is bigger in Texas, except Kyler Murray.
Jumping onto a soundbite, Murray was quick to diss ‘America’s Team’, and the hype that surrounds them.
If only Kyler was a wee bit bigger, he might be able to see over that O-Line of his.

Oh Aaron

Aaron Rodgers is still holding out, preferring to spend his summer watching Myles Teller get popped in the mouth around the Caribbean.
All signs point to Rodgers NOT returning this year, perhaps he’ll spend the fall watching Jeopardy reruns and hoping that they would give him that forever call.

Le’Veon Bell Ringing

Le’Veon Bell knows how to talk his way out of a job.
All you have to do is attack one of the nicest coaches in the league, and accuse him of ‘hating’ you.
Bell already led his own face out of Pittsburgh with idiocy, so it goes to figure that Bell would do the same to screw his way out of KC.
What’s the end game Le’Veon?
Do you really think that teams are that desperate for an overweight, and needy RB?
Maybe by week 6.

London Games

Freedom Day is here…almost…sort of.
The UK was due to open up like a beautiful flower on June 21st, 2021, but now that all got scuppered due to another ‘variant’.
This means that the UK is ‘due’ to return to ‘normal’ by the end of July 2021, giving us plenty of time to welcome fans in for the October NFL games at Tottenham.
Of course there is a whole summer of virus ahead of us, so we will take it one down at a time.
When we know something, we will let you know as well.

Here’s the podcast for this week.
It’s short, sweet, and misses the mark on many occasions…just like Kyler Murray.

Have a great summer, stay safe, stay sane…and get ready for some football!