NFL in London

National Football League in London

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Season Review Podcast

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And just like that another NFL season is done and in the books, as we take a look back in our Season Review Podcast.
It certainly was one of the oddest seasons, and will definitely be the lowest attended by fans on record.
From Covid to injuries, Covid to the New York Jets, the season got messy real quick.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull look back at the season that was, and highlight the stories that shaped the year. The guys also make a team by team analysis of each team, what went wrong, and what they will need to do to right the ship for next season.

Some of the other things that the guys touch on in this podcast includes:

Stafford/ Goff Trade

LA got the QB that everyone wanted, but they really only have two years to pull it off. Detroit loads up on draft picks, and can start to whittle through the loads of ex Patriots players taking up valuable space. McVay now has a tough QB with a heck on an arm on him, if they can add a few more pieces to keep him safe, the Rams could be headed to a Super Bowl in a few years.

DeShaun Drama

Who wants a talented 24 year old QB with a big chip on his shoulder? Most every team would love Watson on their team, but no one really has the money to swallow him up. Despite every move made by the Texans, it will be tough to keep him happy and motivated.

Brady Bonuses

Did you know that TB12 was making some serious paper during his first NFC playoffs? Brady banked $500k for making the post season, $250k for beating Washington, then a further $500k for taking out Drew Brees. Severing the head of Aaron Rodgers brought Tommy another $500k, with the Super Bowl throwing a further $500k into the kitty. All told Tom Brady will make $28 million this year. Wowza.

Who Dak?

Dallas has a pricey bill to settle up. Throwing the franchise tag on Dak will be costly, especially when they have other expensive toys like Cooper and Zeke on the squad. The Cowboys are going to need to figure out what’s in their bank account for the next few seasons going forward.

QB Fiesta

There are loads of other teams and QB options to explore and the shifting sands of it all is really quite intoxicating. Aaron Rodgers has already started to massage his moustache as he looks if being a cheesehead for life is the best option. Goff is off to Motor City, but maybe he won’t be the starter? The Colts NEED a QB, the Bears aren’t going with Mitch, and what on earth are the Patriots are going to do? What about Carson Wentz?
The start of the 2021 NFL season is going to see a lot of guys in jerseys we never thought possible.

Offseason

The guys also talk about the big elephant in the room…the offseason. What the heck are we all going to do once this season is over? Do we all just go back to sleep or something?

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Have a listen, a laugh, and share the podcast with everyone including your loud neighbours. Play the heck out of it. We appreciate how many listeners we continue to get each week, and how quickly we are moving up the charts. So thanks for listening!

Conference Memes

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And then there were two, as we know now that it is going to be the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. In honour of that, we are proud to release some hilarious NFL Conference Memes.

Buffalo went up and died of dehydration against the stout Chiefs D, and realised quickly that they should have had a running game to compliment their fast 2020 attack.  The Bills are off to golf season, which starts mid July in Buffalo.

Patrick Mahomes continues to rip threads from other NFL teams, and it looks like the MVP has finally been decided. Mahomes’ fiancee has been all over Twitter spreading the news before it actually happens.

Aaron Rodgers put on his pissy pants and through a hissy after his team was taken out behind the shed and whooped by the Bucs and their D. Will the Packers come back next year with a new dimension, or are they forever doomed to fail out in the NFC Championship?

TB12 knows what’s up. For a player to cross conferences in one year, then lead that team to the Super Bowl is mightily impressive. Will Tommy be able to snag another title and ride off into the sunset, or will the new punk on the block hoist another Lombardi trophy.

We’re all too excited to wait!

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. 

Sky Sports-Week 6

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We’re almost 1/3 through one of the weirdest NFL seasons on record, so you might as well sit back and enjoy it.  Sky Sports has released their schedule for week 6 in the NFL and if it’s anything like previous weeks schedules, it’s probably going to change.

Thursday

Thursday games have been postponed due to Covid, which is always a blessing for UK NFL fans. With the game usually kicking off at 1:20 in the morning, the only people who usually watch these are ardent fans, shift workers, and those o chemical stimulation.
Thursday games have traditionally been a dog turd, so when they are a good game it can become a source of frustration.
Luckily Covid has stepped in this week to spare us from a late night.

Sunday

6:00pm GMT
The Browns are back in town on Sky for 2 weeks in a row thanks to a 3-1 schedule and a divisional matchup between the undefeated Steelers.
Baker Mayfield and the boys will be back on the field against their rivals, so hopefully Mason Rudolph can avoid getting tuned-up by Myles Garret and his helmet of doom.
If you have Gamepass, this game will be blacked out.

9:20pm GMT
Aaron Rodgers vs Tom Brady in an epic matchup for the ages, since both of them are old. Tom Brady is coming off a loss to the Bears, whereas Rodgers has had 10 days to prepare for TB12 and his Florida wrecking crew.
This game will be awesome, so make sure that you have a good place to watch this one.

1:20am GMT
You going to stay up for this west coast rivalry? Before the season started, this game looked good, but as Jimmy G takes a slide ride down his career path, the Rams are struggling to get momentum.
If you’re ready to stay up til 4:30am, then this game is for you. Otherwise then you can get up early and watch the highlights from the safety of your bed.

Monday

10pm GMT
We almost had a 10pm game last week, but then Covid had to go ahead and stick its meddling nose in everything. The Buffalo Bills are set to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, with both teams coming off of a surprising week 5 loss. This game should be a doozy, and is manageable if you want to stay up til 1am to see it. It’s the age of Covid, what else are you going to do?

1:15am GMT

Poor Dak Prescott. Every fan of the game took a collective ‘ouch’ when we saw that ankle move ways that ankles aren’t supposed to. Hopefully it’s an injury that he can recover from, and if week 5 taught us anything from watching Alex Smith…anything can happen. Even if it makes you squeezy every time he takes a step back. These games SHOULD be available on Channel 5 as well, although they did have week 5 issues.

Again, these games could be cancelled or moved at any minute, so make sure you follow us on Twitter and Instagram for the latest news. We will keep you up to date on all things NFL in London.

 

Jameis 30

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Jameis Winston certainly has had a topsy turvy career. From first round pick, to number one in pickoffs, Jameis brings as much excitement as he does disappointment.
It only seems fitting then that Jameis should have his own 30 for 30.

Ok, maybe not a real ESPN 30 for 30 episode, but a YouTube mockery version that takes aim at both his greatness and ineptitude.
Jameis now riding the pines in New Orleans, but it was only a year ago that he was leading the Bucs on a mediocre charge in which they missed the playoffs.

Sure Jameis has a great arm, unfortunately the aim of that arm had more picks than a crusty nosed cokehead the next morning.
He was never one that you could count on to either take or regain the lead, but he was good at being able to create excitement in a game that you never really cared about.

To honour Jameis, so wise asses online decided to make a mock 30 for 30 episode about the main who gets 30 TDs and 30 INTs.
A fitting tribute to the mid range QB that he is.