Colts Barely Escape

Monday night, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (2-0) battled it out with the Miami Dolphins (0-2).  Manning started the night out with a quick touchdown, but spent most of the night on the sideline because the Colt's offense had the ball for less than fifteen minutes the entire game.  

Even though the Colt's defense could not stop Miami's Ronnie Brown, who rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, Manning made most of his opportunities, such as connecting with Pierre Garcon  for the 48 yard touchdown reception to seal the deal with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter.

The Colts would not have defeated the Dolphins if it was not for their star quarterback who finished 14 for 23 for 303 yards.  

Possessing the ball for 14:53, the Colts had the lowest time of possession for a winning team since 1977.

NFL Life

          "Dedication, hard work, and motivation" are just some of the characteristics needed to achieve goals in life, football being one of them. Football is a tough sport in which special characteristics are needed such as discipline, mental toughness, and physical toughness.
         To get more insight on what it takes to become an NFL player, I interviewed Marion Butts. Butts played college football at Florida State University before being drafted in the 7th round by the San Diego Chargers. He ended up playing running back in the NFL for seven years for the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, and Houston Oilers. He went to two Pro Bowls during his career.
          If anyone knows what it takes to be successful in the NFL, Marion Butts is the guy. In our interview, Butts provided valuable insight on being a successful running back. Butts answered almost every question with the opinion that "dedication, hard work, and motivation are the most important characteristics for success in the NFL."  When asked what he would change about his career, he responded, "nothing." He loved his experience in the NFL and the joy being able to wake up everyday to something he loved doing. He also gave valuable advice to anyone looking to become successful: "If your parents ask you to take out the trash, do it and do not ask questions. Respect and discipline will get you a long way."

Interview with Christian Flick

After ending with a spectacular 11-5 record (6-3 in conference play) last year, the fans have high expectations for the 2009 NFL season.  To further explore the high expectations of the fans, I interviewed a local fan, Christian Flick.

1. Tell us about yourself?

My name is Christian Flick and I attend Deerfield-Windsor school.  My favorite sport is football and I love the Atlanta Falcons.

2. How did you become a Falcons fan?

My family grew up Falcons fans, so I was influenced at an early age to become a Falcons fan.

3. How do you expect the Falcons to do this year?

I don't think the Falcons will obtain an 11-5 record again, but I predict they will end up 10-6.  I definitely think they will make it to the playoffs, but I am skeptical if they will win the division.

4. Why do you believe that?

Matt Ryan! He had a great offense and they have a decent defense.  They have a tough schedule but I think they can survive.

5. Who do you think will do the best for the Falcons?

Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, John Abraham, and Tony Gonzalez.

6. Why do you think this?

I think they will do the test because they are all amazing football players and play on a great team.  They have mostly stayed injury free too.

7. What would happen if Matt Ryan got injured?

The Falcons would be in serious trouble because their main leader would be unable to play.

8. If you were the Falcons coach, how would you handle the upcoming schedule?

I would tell the team to take one game at a time and stay focused.  Don't look ahead, but stay focused and win every game.

9. Do you think that the Falcons would have benefited from resigning Michael Vick?

No, Because he hasn't proven to be the same player he used to be.  Matt Ryan is the future of the franchise and Vick would have been a step back.

10. If the Falcons could have one player from any other team, who would improve the Falcons the most?

I would choose Julius Peppers because he is amazing defensive end who would greatly improve the defensive line.

11. Anything else you would like to say?

I predict within the next 3 seasons, the Falcons will win a Super Bowl.

Matt Ryan Saves Falcons

After losing Michael Vick and their head coach, Jim Mora, at the end of the 2007 season, the Atlanta Falcons were in deep trouble.  Without the two main leaders of the team, they were in desperate need of help.

During the offseason of the 2007-2008 season, Arthur Blank, the Falcon's owner, hired a new head coach, Mike Smith, and a new quarterback, Matt Ryan.  They both had high expectations to fill very large shoes left by Jim Mora and Michael Vick.  

Matt Ryan was drafted 3rd overall as the Falcon's number one pick in the 2008 draft.  Ryan was not expected to fill Vick's shoes for at least a couple of years, but what he did was highly unexpected.  He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after completing 265 of 434 passes for 3,340 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for an 87.7 passer rating.  Matt's 3,340 passing yards in 2008 ranked 6th for the single season record in team history.  He became one of two rookie quarterbacks in NFL history to accumulate over 3,000 passing yards in his first season.  He also posted a streak of nine consecutive 200-yard passing games in 2008, from weeks 6-15, and recorded eight games with a 65.0 completion percentage or higher. 

Matt Ryan surprised the nation with his performance as the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.  Because of his early success, many expect him to be a Hall of Fame quarterback by the end of his career.   http://www.blogtoplist.com/rss/matt-ryan.html

All Good Things Must Come To An End

He won eight division championships, five conference titles, and three Super Bowl rings.  He played in 211 career games acquiring 1,134 tackles, 30.5 sacks, and 12 interceptions.  He even managed to return to the NFL after suffering a mild concussion.  He was the "perfect player."

After 13 seasons with the New England Patriots, linebacker Tedy Bruschi decided it was time to call it quits.  Bruschi, a father of three, decided he should retire because his "body doesn't heal as quickly."  After fulfilling all his goals except winning a fourth champions

hip, there was not much left for Bruschi to accomplish.

Bruschi was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 1996 draft.  After playing defensive end for the Arizona Wildcats and tying the Division I-A career sack record, the Patriots decided to switch him to linebacker.  All along the way, Bruschi was told that he was "too small, too slow, too this, too that," but he used their words as fuel to motivate himself to be the best he could be.  Thirteen seasons later, no one questioned Bruschi's ability on the field.  Doing the best job he could do for 13 years, it is now time for Bruschi to just "[live] the rest of [his] life."

QB becomes highest-paided player in the league

New York Giants quarterback ELi Manning, signed a six year 97 million dollar contract extension during the off-season.  Manning is guaranteed 35 million and he will receive 15.3 million annually until 2015.  

Because the Giants are paying top dollar to keep their quarterback on the roster, they expect big things from Manning through the next six years.

    Manning pay raise also bypasses his brother Peyton Manning, the quarterback for the Colts, who earns 14.17 million annually.