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National Football League in London

Oakland Raiders

March Meme-ness

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March. In like a lion…how many freaking years will we be in lockdown?
With Covid fading off into the distance like Johnny Manziel’s career, it looks like we might be back to some degree of normalcy in NFL life.

March is the official start of the 2021 season, as teams need to begin figuring out who should stay, who should go, and who they have no money to pay.

The 2021 offseason brings with it plenty of opportunities for many teams, and many opportunities to continue to screw up their teams. (Looking at you Bears).
Chicago is so bad at drafting, they should switch ff beer to a pinot grigio and let the adults handle it.

Of course we kid, that’s pretty much all you can do in the offseason. So to help you with the shifts and giggles to start the new NFL season, here’s a selection of funny and silly memes to tickle your NFL funny bone.

We still have no idea what will happen with the London NFL games-but if we do hear anything, we will let you know.

Stay Safe and sane!

Season Starter

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The Super Bowl is a distant hangover for some, as we all get set to reset, and begin the 2021 NFL season. While the season kicks off on September 9th, player options and clauses start to get figured out on March 18.
So what happens until then?
We break down some of the news in Season Starter podcast.

The sun is shining in the UK, and it’s not just down to global warming.
Boris’ Blighty is on track to to vaccinate all Brits sometime this summer, which means the UK will be open for sporting business in 2021! Or should be, according to estimates.

With the London NFL games a ‘go’, there are still too many questions to answer before we get an idea what could happen.
How many teams would come? How many fans can attend? Can foreign fans attend? What if the NFLPA doesn’t want to come? What if there is another variant? What if Tom Brady just wins it all again anyway.
Too many questions to answer.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull take this podcast to not only channel all of their remaining energy into NFL joy, but also touch on the following hot topics.

JJ Watt

The big man gets a big deal, and does what all NFL players do when they get old-head to the sunshine to rest the bones. Watt is Arizona bound, as the often broken 32 year old signed a new contract to be with Baby Yoda Murray.
This 2 year, $31M contract rewards Watt if he can finally help the Cardinals plug the gaping holes in their D.
Arizona could have just built a border wall instead and saved some money.

Alex Smith

Aside from being a leg model, the outlook for Smith doesn’t look good this season.
Washington needs the room to allow Heinicke to implode, so Smith will be shown the door despite his heroics to return to the squad.
Smith is a smart QB, but you won’t find too many teams willing to uncover their eyes to watch him play.
A backup somewhere, but a starter…unlikely.

Brees Freeze

Brees loves the bling, so it’s no wonder that he sees himself as a diamond in the rough.
But will Drew really try to hang on for one more season?
The Saints looked finals bound until Brees broke 19 ribs in a crunch session. 19 ribs? How many do we have?
Drew only costs the Saints $1M per season, so maybe he does return.
Screw you Jameis, this is my team again.

17 Weeks

The NFL is wringing out the players to squeeze another game into the regular season. NFL preseason fans are livid, but since there are only 3 of them-no one really cares.
This new schedule will push the Super Bowl back to the second week of February, and means that there will be more Christmas games this year. Ho Ho Ho.
What no one talks about is how the records are affected.
One more game can be a huge difference in the overall stats, and can skew the records of some the early GOATs.
But at least we get another game right?

London Games

We still don’t know what will happen with the 2021 London NFL games, but we are patiently waiting. Thanks to that ass-clown Covid, the sporting world is a very different place and we need to wait it out.
While it’s a good thing that the UK is ahead of the world in terms of vaccinating the peeps, it doesn’t bode well for foreigners looking to come here for fun and frolic.
If there are London games, they might only be available to UK citizens, which would be…awesome.
Of course, we will let you know if we hear anything.

In the meantime, enjoy the podcast. Listen, laugh, lather, share and repeat.

2021 NFL Season

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Well, the 2020 NFL season is now a few weeks behind us.
The Bucs are the champs, TB12 is still the GOAT, and starting positions are shifting like the sands.
Are you ready for the 2021 NFL season?

While 2020 might have been punch in the fun bags, the 2021 season holds much more allure.
Fans returning to the games, teams not being hampered by positive Covid tests, and London might once again get a chance to host the games.
All is beginning to look good.

In this podcast, Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull look at some of the top topics in this offseason.
So many questions about where players will end up, and what teams need to make a run at the 2021 playoffs.

Among some of the other hot issues that Wade and Ryan look at in this episode includes:

2021 Season

The new NFL season officially kicks off on St. Paddy’s Day, March 17th.
Teams can officially reset the clock on their year, and adhere to the NFL’s salary cap, which this year should be between £180-£185 million.
This might seem like a lot, but some teams barely have enough to squeeze in a Happy Meal with the heavy rosters that they’re carrying now.

Russell Wilson

Wilson is not a happy Seahawk, but does that mean it’s time to go? While the world waits on DeShaun, Russell and a few other QBs are also making noise about the state of their team.
The Seahawks would have to eat a whole bunch of money to let him go, and his no trade clause gives Russ plenty of bargaining power.
Will he really leave or is he just trying to jump the queue on Watson to get the big bucks?

Patriots QB?

With Tom Brady winning another Super Bowl with a new team, the debate over ‘Bill vs Tom’ seems to be settled.
The Patriots chose lacklustre Cam last season, and you can only imagine we only saw 1% of the ‘Belichick-Boil’ of emotions we have seen in other frustrations.
Now that Cam seems to chasing his hat off into the sunset, the real discussion on who helms the QB role in Boston takes place.
Odds on favourite to be the Patriots QB next season at 5/2?  It’s Marcus Mariota!
Who else makes the list of potential Chowderheads?
You might be surprised.

Hard Knocks

Knock, knock, it’s the NFL.
That’s right, Hard Knocks is back for the 2021 season, and options are on the table.
There are certain criteria to determine who is eligible for Hard Knocks (no new head coach, not being on the past 10 years etc), so there are only a few teams to choose from.
The top options include Cowboys, Giants, Panthers, Cardinals & Broncos.
Who would you like to see the most?

London Games

If you didn’t already know, the UK is ahead of most of the world in vaccinations.
With the bulk of the population due to be vaccinated prior to the end of the summer of 2021, the door remains open to the London NFL games.
Of course how open that door remains is up for plenty of conjecture.
Will there be vaccine passports to allow people into the stadiums?
Will the capacity at Wembley & Tottenham be limited to 10000 fans?
What about visitors from other countries Will they be able to attend the games, or will it be UK fans only.
Again, too early to tell and too much information to digest, but Wade and Ryan talk out of their ass on this one, as many people stuck in Covid limbo often do.
When we know more, we’ll let you know.

Have a listen to the latest podcast, and make sure you tell your friends about it!
Why should you have all the fun?

Stay tuned, and we will have info on the potential of an NFL Draft party this season. We’re still working on options for the year ahead.

Picks Six-AFC & NFC

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THE PICKS SIX – CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

Well, here we are. After a week of uncertainty, following an exciting divisional weekend, it looks like all things are set, and Championship Sunday is set to go off with only one big name injury – but thank god it’s not Patrick Mahomes… it’s a bit hard to create six categories of picks and tips with only two games to choose from, so let’s just have a look at both Championship games and then just a few tips as to what I think might happen on Sunday. It’s time for the Picks Six for the AFC and NFC championships.

Buccaneers vs Packers

The two best quarterbacks of the past decade? One storied franchise, and one loaded upstart? The Frozen Tundra? This has ALL the ingredients to be an absolute barnburner of a game. I’m so excited for this one. Hearing Aaron Rodgers jokingly suggest he was looking forward to seeing “Tom playing safety against me” this week shows how nonsensical the “Rodgers vs Brady” take on this game really is. They’re never going to be going one on one… and yet this game STILL feels like a duel between the two quarterbacks. The defenses – especially Tampa Bay’s – will play a huge role in the outcome of this, but the ball will still touch the hands of two of the greatest to ever do this on almost every play. 

Tampa Bay rode their luck slightly last week, as Brady definitely started off shaky and grew into the contest. I’m not sure they can afford a slow start this week. Green Bay’s 1st half offensive production has been incredible and has allowed them to play from a lead most of this season. Antonio Brown is definitely a big miss for Tampa Bay, but he barely played last Sunday either and the Buccaneers defense still stepped up big time to knock out the New Orleans Saints. Devin White? Unbelievable. Insane. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will carry the load down the field. Can “Playoff Lenny” Fournette continue to find the endzone with regularity? Maybe. Green Bay’s defense has improved vastly the last six to eight weeks, and have filled the holes that were being run through with ease earlier this season. And when they have the ball? Rodgers to Davante Adams is of course the main threat, but Robert Tonyan, Allen Lazard, and even Marquez Valdes-Scantling are further threats down the field. Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon and even Jamaal Williams could ALL end up as starting running backs in the NFL, maybe as early as next season. These are two absolutely stacked teams, and it’s absolutely no surprise to see them vying for a place in SuperBowl LV.

Speaking of which… There’s never been a “home team” in a SuperBowl, and I don’t think that streak is getting broken this year. What Brady and the Bucs have achieved in their first year together is very impressive, but I just don’t see how they’re beating this Packers team, with THAT quarterback playing this well. I love my man Stephen A. Smith, and I have to agree with him – Aaron Rodgers is a bad bad bad man. Sorry not sorry TB12, I’m riding with A-A-Rod. The Pack will go back to the biggest game of the season, with hope of bringing another championship back to TitleTown.

Bills vs Chiefs

Let me just say this… if you thought, for one second, that Patrick Mahomes wasn’t going to be playing in this game… you’re absolutely crazy. The face of the NFL? He would’ve needed a rather more significant injury than the reported “nerve in his neck” injury to stop Showtime from playing in his third straight AFC Championship game. It would have been somewhat of travesty in all honesty had this Chiefs team not been at full strength as they try to “run it back,” and defend their crown. But – even though he’s cleared concussion protocol – will Mahomes be 100%? He was already struggling with turf toe last weekend against the Browns. I have to assume that he’s going to be able to play through the pain barrier and lead his team into battle. His supporting cast as well all seem to by flying at the right time. It feels almost impossible for Travis Kelce to fail to have about 8 catches, around 100 yards, and a Touchdown every week. He’s just incredible. And when they needed him most, who made the play (with the help of Chad Henne) last weekend? Tyreek Hill. The run game is definitely somewhat lacking, but it wasn’t all the impressive with Damien Williams last season before his explosion in the playoffs. The Chiefs somehow took a SuperBowl winning team and somehow became even better. 

On the other side, I absolutely love this Bills team. What Sean McDermott has done in a relatively short space of time to turn this franchise from the Patriots’ whipping boy into the 2nd best team in the AFC is incredible. In a similar vein to Travis Kelce, it’s seemingly impossible for Stefon Diggs not to end each game having scored and earned triple digit receiving yards. The rapport he and his QB have has been a true gamechanger. Josh Allen has EARNED his right to be considered one of the four best QBs in the league; that’s what we’ve got on show this weekend. Brady vs Rodgers, Mahomes vs Allen. For me, they’ve been the four best pass throwers in the league this season, so it’s great to know that we’re going to get two of them in the SuperBowl two weeks from now. That said, I do think this will be the ceiling for Josh Allen and #BillsMafia. This Chiefs team is so impressive. I haven’t even mentioned the performance that Tyrann Mathieu turned in last weekend. He’ll need to be in that mood again this weekend to stop Buffalo from upsetting the odds and heading to Tampa with a chance. But as impressive as Buffalo have been, I just can’t go against Andy Reid and this offense. So, it might be the boring and obvious pick, but I’m taking the Chiefs here too. 

Cheeky Bets

Both Players to score a Touchdown Double:

Robert Tonyan & Rob Gronkowski both to score

Travis Kelce & Josh Allen both to score

£10 on this double pays about £340 depending on your bookmaker.

Parlay

Chiefs -2.5 & Over 54.5

Packers -2.5 & Over 52.0

£10 on this double pays about £120 depending on your bookmaker.

I’ve already apologised, so I won’t do it again, but I have to favour the two favourites AND both points totals going over. I think this will be a shootout sunday for the right to compete for the Lombardi trophy in 14 days. Thank you all, whether it was once, twice, or every week, for taking the time to read my thoughts. Hope it’s brought some enjoyment to this insane few months we’ve had. Stay safe, and come chat with me on Twitter or Instagram at @CallumJDSquires. Enjoy the games. Peace.

Callum Squires is a London based NFL writer, and former US college athlete. 

Chad & Brandon

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Chad Johnson and Brandon Marshall are some of the most chatty and captivating NFL players who switched to punditry, so we’re proud to share this video of Chad & Brandon.
While both of these two men are known for some of their heroics on the field,  what comes out of their mouthes has also made these guys interesting.
So when Chad and Brandon both come together for a chat, along with fellow former players Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder for the ‘I Am Athlete’ YouTube series.

Have a listen to this, as these ‘older’ guys talk about the league today, as well as all of the social elements that new players have to deal with.

It’s no secret that Chad and Brandon are very smart cookies, and this comes through in the video, as the guys talk about some hilarious topics with great comedic timing.

This is the perfect video to get you though the cold of Covid. The guys explaining what ‘douching’ in will probably knock you off of you seat.

Truly hilarious.