NFL in London

National Football League in London

Ryan Cull

OTA Days

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The NFL is back!…Sort of…the OTA’s are back, and we chat about all the NFL news we can find in our OTA Days podcast.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull dig the depths of their brains to find anything football to talk about in this episode, highlighting their desperation for the return of football.

Summer is almost here, and once we get these pesky days of sunshine, family and ice cream out of the way…football is finally back!

While there hasn’t been any massive NFL breaking news stories, arrests, Kardashian marriages, or reality show appearances, that doesn’t mean stuff isn’t simmering below the surface.

In this episode, Wade and Ryan talk about some of the most pressing NFL issues heading into the summer of 2021.

Julio Jones

Bye, bye Atlanta, Julio is gone. But where will Julio go? While he does’ have the explosive speed of a few years back, Julio is still a valuable target for any team heading into 2021.
With many teams pleading empty pockets, it’s hard to see how a team will entice Julio with the right concoction. He’s not going to roll up to a half-baked team without playoff chances, he’s going to want a shot at finally getting a ring.
The potential suitors in this one?
Patriots, Raiders, Titans, and maybe the Packers?

Aaron Gone

Aaron Rodgers sure knows how to bring the drama with him, perhaps a casualty of dating so many Hollywood starlets?
Many Packers fans thought this was all part of the package when Rodgers started getting hissy at the start of the season.
He obviously hates the GM, and won’t budge until he’s gone.
Rodgers didn’t report to the OTAs, instead traveling with actor Miles Teller, to watch him get punched in the face across the islands of Hawaii.
Maybe he’ll just retire?

NBA Myles

A video emerged this week of Browns beast Myles Garrett slamming down a dunk and knocking the poor lad into a cushy wall.
The NFL and Browns were not amused, and have politely asked Myles to not play basketball like this during the offseason, just in case he destroys a knee or two.
Luckily for the dunkee, Myles didn’t have a helmet at the ready.

Ertz Don’t It?

The Buffalo Bills need a TE, and the Eagles are ready to serve up a scoop of Ertz.
The Bills are in need of more depth for Josh Allen, so snagging the ageing Ertz might be a good hands option to take the heat off the deep threats down field.
Zach and the Bills make a good fit, and they even moved some numbers on Diggs contract to be able to make it work.
Now, they just need the Eagles to play ball.

Jay Cutler-Businesswoman

Jay Cutler wants to get paid! After whoring out the family dignity on a reality show, the Cutler’s are now breaking up the houses for the final throw down.
In true Cutler form, he hasn’t prepared much-but is willing to ‘ball down’ when it comes to the nitty gritty.
Jay apparently wants half of his wife’s trinkets and bobbles boutique, so he can throw that shit down too.
With little NFL drama in the world, other players are jumping on social to throw their support behind Jay and his coup.
‘NFL Divorces’ the TV series we didn’t know we needed.

London Games

Are you vaccinated? Are you from a green country? Can you read minds?
Then you’re all set of the London games!
It’s still too early to tell what will happen for the London games, but all signs point to ‘business as usual.’
We will keep you updated on news about the games, as well as any other tidbits and trinkets of knowledge that we find out.
Please DO NOT buy tickets from unlicensed sellers, we hear horror stories from fans every year, and it truly is crappy what people do to one another.

Stay safe, stay sane, and keep listening to our podcast!

2021 Team Schedules

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The NFL has released the 2021 Team Schedules, and all signs point to football coming back.
Boy are we ready!

Much like every incarnation of the NFL, the release of the season schedule brings with it much pomp, circumstance, and privacy.
In years past, NFL season schedules were typed, printed, faxed, and usually made it to a 4×4 square on page 98 of the sports pages.

Oh how times have changed!
Teams are now adding a bit of pizzazz to the proceedings, with great graphics, poignant puns, and plenty of trash talk when targeting their opponents on twitter.

We’ve added some of the team schedules of all the NFL teams, so that you can plan your viewing excitement come September.

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo opens up their 2021 season with a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  This should be a great test to open up the playoff chances of the Bills against a team that went 11-0 to start off the season.
The Bills end their season with the Jets, which is always nice for an easy ‘W’

Cleveland Browns

The Browns added some style to their 2021 Schedule release, with some throwback graphics and helmet overlays for their opponents.
Sadly for the Browns, their season starts with the Kansas City Chiefs, who gave the Browns a right kicking last time.
Fortunately, they end the season off with a game against the Bengals.

Carolina Panthers

Keeping it simple, the Carolina Panthers threw down the blue and black for their 2021 schedule. First up is Sam Darnold and his ‘ghosts’, as the Panthers face the New York Jets in an anticipated match-up. The Panthers also have a Boxing Day game against the Bucs, which should be exciting as well.
Sadly their last game of the season is also against the Bucs.

Chicago Bears

The Bears went all ‘Insta’ on their schedule release, with a simple image that looks like Jackson Pollock doodled all over the bottom of the page.
The Bears have one of the toughest schedules in the league for 2021, and an opening game against the LA Rams will certainly be a test.
Chicago also has to face the Vikings in weeks 15 and 18, which could have playoff implications.
Unless they totally suck.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos are a team in need of direction, which shows in their 2021 schedule release. Plenty of space, but not a lot of info-fitting for this Denver team.
Denver still has that begging question ‘Are we getting Aaron Rodgers’, which could add to the team drama.
With a regular season game against the Kansas City Chiefs, an Aaron Rodgers led team could lead to an epic finale.

Green Bay Packers

Get your cheese-heads ready, we’re in for a wild ride Green Bay.
More drama than your mama, the Packers are watching their dirty laundry bounce around the neighbourhood.
Even if AR does return, what kind of toxicity will be in that locker room?
Fortunately for the Packers, their last game of the season is the Detroit Lions.

Indianapolis Colts

What can the Colts do this season? They have been ‘luckless’ as of late, with Phillip Rivers dribbling in the cup on the way to a lack lustre season.
They’ve got Carson Wentz, and the Seattle Seahawks as their first opponent.
The Colts finish their season with a divisional matchup with the Jags.
Are the Colts playoff bound this year?

There are 272 games across 18 weeks.
Some will be amazing.
Some you will only watch on catch-up the next day.
Isn’t it great to have the NFL back?

Draft Hangover

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Draught can give you a wicked hangover. It could be the hops, the barley, the sugar, or the fact that you drowned 13 of them quickly to try to numb the pain that is your NFL fandom. Like the liquid draught, the NFL Draft can bring with it a mighty wallop of a hangover.

So which teams were able to handle the draft, and which ones got so tuned out it may affect their next few years?
Not surprisingly, there were a few boneheaded moves from the draft that could have plenty of reverb in September.

Among some of the hot topics to emerge from the 2021 NFL Draft include.

Pack it in Aaron

If ever there was an NFL model for a tortured relationship, it would be the Green Bay Packers. Despite having a solid QB who tops the league every season, the Pack continue to starve Rodgers as if they are testing him to see how well he will perform without some of his talents.
Green Bay COULD have taken one of the many wide receivers on offer at the draft, and opted to snag another defensive member of the backfield.
The Packers could have let this drama simmer another season had they just given the guy some sign that they were keen on him, and the team making a solid playoff rush in 2021.
Instead, Green Bay now has a pissed of QB who is not only ready to leave, but also point a target on their heads for the rest of his career.
With the amount of cap space the Packers have to eat to deal with Rodgers, you would think that they would have thought this through a bit more.
Ready to suit up Love?

Bear Down

With the Packers struggling (yet still winning) in the NFC North, it was up to Chicago to make something in the 2021 Draft.
Chicago was gifted the chance to move up for Justin Fields at number 11, and traded with the Giants to get him at that spot.
Within a fortnight, Fields went from number two pick, to rumours of him having a heart condition, & other ill health tweets.
This is the kind of crap the Patriots usually spread before using the opportunity to cash in on their needs.
With Nagy and Pace dangling by a career thread, they will need Fields to light them up to the playoffs if this deal is to be considered a success.
The real question is…can they protect him?

Return of the Mac

Mac Jones has a draft body like Tom Brady.
Mac Jones is the new Tom Brady.
Following this logic won’t get you far in correctly making NFL picks, but it might make you feel warm and fuzzy inside if you’re from New England.
New England didn’t even have to make a move to get Jones, as they watched the freefall happen in front of them.
Cam Newton now has a young man he can guide and nourish over the next 5 years before eventually handing the reins to him, or so he might think.
The Patriots splashed on big TE’s and defensive options with their free agency wad, now comes the real test.
How quickly will the Pats be ‘Bills Ready’ for 2021?

Jag Offs

It was no secret that Trevor Lawrence was on the wishlist of the Jags as they kicked off the 2021 Draft.
The Clemson Kid should be the answer to their QB woes, he is the 4th Jacksonville QB selected at number 1.
Urban Myer will be looking to get a little ‘country’ this season, battling elite NFL teams with his collegiate pluckiness and guise.
Where the Jags really went ‘boom’ was their second pick in the first round, taking Travis Etienne at number 25.
This former Clemson running back has played with Lawrence for years, and these two should be able to get back to business quickly.
Florida fans will be looking for a return to the playoffs this season, and anything short of that will have to be considered a massive set back.

 

Ladies and Gettleman

Did Dave Gettleman do good? It’s hard to tell through the ire of the New York sports media, but it seems Dave did good.
Eager to capitalise on Chicago’s need for a QB, the Giants were able to channel the Bears desperation into a good future.
By trading the eleventh pick to the Bears, the Giants were able to parlay this into getting the Bears 20th pick, a 5th round pick and 1st and fourth round picks in 2022.
Not to mention drafting stellar Florida speedster Kadarius Toney, who should offer Daniel Jones a target he can under throw.
Now the Giants just need to shake off that stink of the NFC East.

That’s it for Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft, we will have more action throughout the weekend.

 

 

2021 Wins

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Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
A phrase you might hear ripping through the cavernous casinos of Las Vegas of olde, but not so much these days.
But now we’ll take a look at the 2021 wins.

British betting giant William Hill has already taken a look at the 2021 NFL teams, and released a set of projected win totals for teams this season.
If you’re a betting fan, you can look at these odds and think ‘malarky, I’ll have a bet on that!’
Or you might get pumped up with anger that the betting world thinks so lowly of your team.
Or…you might be a Jets fan.

It comes as no surprise that the ‘super league’ teams of the NFL have the most predicted wins for the 2021 season.
The Kansas City Chiefs once again emerge as the big favourites, with the pundits picking them to win 12 games in 2021.
Of course, it doesn’t matter how many wins you get if you’re going to eventually lose to the Buffalo Bills.

Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heralded to win 11.5 games this season (yes, .5 of a game), in a testament to the champs tuning up their late season surge in 2020 to open a bigger can oh whoop-ass.
The champ always has a target on their head, and the Bucs will be ‘the team’ other teams will use to set as their playoff bar.
This number might even go up higher if Julian Edelman decides to jump out of the broadcasting booth.

Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens are both predicted to win 11 games by William Hill, despite lingering questions on both sides.
Aaron Rodgers has been asking questions all off-season like ‘Why am I filling in for Alex Trebek?’, ‘Why do people care about my personal life’, ‘Can I host Jeopardy full time’ & ‘They’re never going to get me a #1 receiver, are they?’
Lambeau is turning into an NFC north drama, and if the Packers don’t make it far enough to choke in the NFC final again, maybe they will show Jordan some Love?

Baltimore is an interesting pick for 11 wins given their up and down past 2 years.
The Ravens are missing several key players to make a threatening push for the playoffs, and unless Lamar Jackson is given a porta-potty-tent on the sidelines, his heroic ‘number two’ performances may become less frequent.
Baltimore feels like they’re still discovering the pronoun that they want to describe them.
Are they a ‘running team’, a ‘passing threat’, ‘Lamar’s Lament’ or a ‘Harbaugh-apocalypse’?

Pumping out with a projected 10.5 wins are the LA Rams and Buffalo Bills, both of whom will be massive threats to the two previous teams.

The Rams finally have their QB to go with that staunch defence and solid coaching by McVay. Unlike the previous Rams appearance in the Super Bowl, this feels like a whole new team with more options and attack than ever seen before.
LA will be looking to showcase their ‘post-off’ body, and the NFC is going to see a whole different Rams team.
Look out Green Bay.

Buffalo Bills predicted to win less games than the Baltimore Ravens? Pishaw! Josh Allen was the sweetheart of the league last year, racking up loads of touchdowns, highlights and ‘aww shucks’ moments.
Buffalo has always been that underdog team that America forgets about, and Canada wishes was theirs.
Although their stadium sucks, it starts snowing in September, and Rachel Bush posts more Insta than the city itself…they have wings.
Both chicken and spiritual wings that guide them through collapsable tables.
And this season, the Bills should be flying high.

Among some of the other win projections that seem off:

Cleveland Browns-10 Wins

The Browns won 10 games in 2020, so why are they predicted to win the same amount this year? Cleveland is a way better team than last year and were a victim of circumstance as much as they were tools of their own ineptitude.
Browns will win more than 10.

Indianapolis Colts-10 Wins

It’s the Carson Wentz led Colts, with a projected win total of 10. Really? The Colts limped into the last half of the 2020 season like they ran half the Grand National before dumping the rider and trotting along to the finish.
They had one of the best O-lines and used Jonathan Taylor well to gash for yards…then they lost tough games.
With other teams spending huge and others looking for fresh blood, it’s hard to believe that they can win 10 in 2021.

Are you ready for the NFL Draft?
We will be making our predictions shortly, as well as on our next podcast.

Make sure you like our Facebook page as well!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NFLinLondon

 

London Balling Podcast

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The NFL is officially returning to London!
That’s right, in 2021, the Atlanta Falcons will pop over the pond to Tottenham for a non-divisional contest in October.
So what does that mean for NFL fans around the world?
Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull break it down in this London Balling Podcast.

Covid 19 was definitely the player of the season in 2020, gashing the league for over 85% of their profits from the previous year.
Virus be damned, the games are back on and Mr. Goodell is promising 100% capacity at the stadiums this season.
It all seems very positive…

Among the hot topics in this edition of the podcast include:

London Games

We have one game in the can for 2021, with a whole host of potential games over the next eight years. Sure, we have to split them with Germany, Mexico and even Canada…but at least the games will be spread across the globe.
Wembley looks to be out of the mix for now, but you would have to expect the stadium to make a push a Khan to help heal the wounds of his downtown Jacksonville implosion.
Tottenham already has a head start on the rest of the world by building a purpose built stadium for the NFL, it’s a matter if other countries are willing to build up to keep up.

Falcons at Tottenham

We know that Atlanta is playing in London in October 2021. Further breadcrumbs reveal that the opponent will be non-divisional, which only leaves 5 teams to choose from.
The Eagles last played in London in 2018, so they would be the least likely to return.
The Lions, Jets and Washington are all fan ‘duds’ when it comes to drawing a crowd, so it would be tough for the NFL to promote such a lack lustre game.
New England Patriots are no longer the massive draw that they once were under the TB12 dynasty, but they are still a much bigger ticket than any of the other bum teams available.
If you only have one game this season, go out swinging.
Bring back a 28-3 iconic Super Bowl game for UK fans to enjoy.
It’s doubtful that any foreign fans will be attending the game, so let’s make Britain ‘New England’ again.
That’s our two cents anyway.

Green Bay for $200

Aaron Rodgers tests out a new career path this week, as he hosts Jeopardy for 2 whole weeks. A huge Jeopardy ‘nerd’, Rodgers will be looking to open up his lexicon and fan base by hosting the nighttime quiz for a fortnight.
Don’t worry Packers fans, he won’t be leaving you…this season.

AB Gone

Antonio Brown is ready to get paid! Again.
After finally winning a ring (thanks to the generosity of TB12), Brown is ready to hit the free market and see what he’s worth.
This ageing and outspoken player might find that the turf is a bit frosty in the league, especially given that he still has some pending lawsuits lined up every month.
While Brown doesn’t exude the same drama that he did in his younger Steelers years, his petulance is far too advanced for a man of his age.
It’s nice to get paid, but if the team can only muster 4 wins in a season, was it worth it?

Sam Darnold

Darnold was traded to the Panthers just after this podcast was recorded.
This will have some big implications for the Jets, and their 2021 Draft.
By all accounts, it looks like that the Panthers got a great deal off the Jets for Sammy D.
New York has a lot to change, so it’s good to get the bad memories out of the way.

London Stuff

London is going to host a game! Will you need a vaccine passport?  Can you visit from the US? What does that mean for you and I?
We will be exploring all of this in the weeks ahead, and letting you know as soon as we do. We are still hopeful that we will be hosting NFL events this season, just watch this space for more info.

Here’s the podcast: