Rypien passes HER way to a memorable win

I have to admit I was a huge fan of Mark Rypien when he was the Redskins QB, not because he was the last Redskin QB to play in a Super Bowl (and win) but because he was not exactly a pin-up. He was pretty ordinary looking and arguably a bit podgy.

It was with somewhat of a dropped jaw that I watched the following clip on YouTube of his daughter, Angela, tossing touchdowns for the Seattle Mist in the (only in America) LFL – yep the Lingerie Football League.

Rypien Jnr looked somewhat Amazonian, tossing two touchdowns. Shame she can’t replace John Beck this weekend.

Wonders of Wembley – sorry Mr Graham

Rich Grove and his fiance Natasha Machtus were at Wembley - pic by Natasha

I had to watch the Bears v Buccs at home last weekend as we have a new arrival in the Vos household.

Normally when the NFL is playing a regular season game in London at Wembley Stadium my wife and I are there, but this year I wanted to be a dedicated father and mum wasn’t going anywhere that wasn’t warm.

Thank goodness I had a very kind NFL FAN IN ENGLAND blog reader Rich Grove who managed to persuade his fiance to take pictures at the game.

Rich send the pics through which can be found on THIS FLICKER LINK. The pictures are great and well worth a look, especially the flag waving pictures depicting the electric atmosphere at Wembley.

Thanks very much Rich and Natasha – great job capturing the essence of NFL fun in England. Roll on 2012 with hopefully TWO NFL games in England.

On slightly sad note to leave this post on was the injury to Tampa Bay RB Earnest Graham who is now out for the season. I predicted him to be the game MVP last week, lets hope I didn’t curse the guy.

This was as near as me and my beautiful daughter got to Brian Urlacher and Da Bearz

 

Have fun tomorrow at Wembley – I’ll miss you all

The reason I wont be at Wembley on Sunday

I haven’t missed an NFL game at Wembley Stadium since 1987 (Los Angeles Rams v Denver Broncos) until tomorrow.

Whilst it has been painful to think that a real NFL regular season game is taking place about two hours drive from my doorstep tomorrow I do have a legitimate reason for not attending the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Chicago Bears in England – the birth of our first child Gabriella Ruby Vos.

Gabriella is just over two weeks old, but in terms of due date she arrived almost two weeks early so there was never a chance I was even going to have bought a ticked to the 2011 NFL International game.

For the first time since 2007 I will be watching the two NFL teams that have made it over to this side of the pond from the warmth of our living room, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

I love the game atmosphere and the fact I am witnessing a game that actually counts, but I never loved the weather in late October – its usually raining at Wembley and it is normally quite nippy.

Watching the game at home will be a new experience – and a much cosier one.

I am gutted that I wont get to see Devin Hester electrify Wembley with his dazzling kickoff and punt return skills, gutted I wont see Julius Peppers attacking Buccs offensive tackles with his super-human wingspan, and gutted I wont see the Bald warrior Brian Urlacher (makes me sound like a Bears fan!).

I hope Tampa come back with winning on their mind as they were pretty awful when they last came over and got embarrassed by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

My predictions for the game are as follows:

• Score – Buccs 20-17 Bears
• Game MVP Earnest Graham the unsung Buccs RB who is the perfect workhorse do-it-all backup and a man who deserves more love.

To all the fans from England, Great Britain, Europe and those coming from the Stars and Stripes I would like to wish you all a great day out in London, which I hope stays dry and sunny.

Raise a glass of ripoff Wembley beer from me and have a great day.

Ill be back in 2012 for the 6th annual NFL International Game – maybe NFL people will even bring the game forward so its a bit warmer – Roger why can’t you do September in London sir?

Ill miss putting on my Art Monk shirt and seeing the Wembley arches.

Wooo hooo I’m 60th overall in the Sky Sports NFL Fantasy League

Lovin it - forget top 100 I'm top 60.

Yes it’s been longer than Ron Jeremy’s penis since I last posted to this blog, but I have been wrapped up with far too many NFL fantasy teams for just one human being.

I have teams in NFL.com, Yahoo.com and ESPN.com and even a few on Facebook.

Its funny though, my actual favourite fantasy team that I manage is on Sky Sports – where you pick a different team every week – 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 team defense.

For some reason Sky Sports and NFLUK officials (the joint competition hosts) still had their fingers stuck up their butt cheeks so the competition only began in Week 2.

With three NFL weeks in the books in this competition I am very proud to say I am ranked 6oth in the UK. I am pretty happy with that, but I want to crack the top 50 next week.

One thing for sure is that I am enjoying playing this game and there is absolutely no cost.

It does start getting interesting from Week 5 and beyond as the bye weeks start kicking in so its not only picking the best, its making sure my players are actually suiting up at the weekend.

We must never forget and we must never be asleep again

We must never forget

It hasn’t quite sunk in that this Sunday marks 10 years since the atrocities of 9/11/2001.

I will always remember where I was – I was working in Coventry, England (home to Lady Godiva) in an open plan office.

A chubby guy called Barry who had dyed spiky blonde hair said that one of the World Trade Towers had been hit by an aeroplane.

Immediately myself and my colleagues in the marketing team went on the internet and we were hit by the fact sites were loading really slowly.

We knew Barry as a bit of  a comedian, but his face on that day was no joke, and soon we were all distracted from the day job wanting to find out what was happening on the other side of the pond.

I was living in a rented room at the time, but I did have cable tv in my room so as soon as I got home I was glued to my tv set, flicking between Sky News, ITN News and BBC News channels.

I don’t think I actually went to sleep, I was simply mesmerised by the images in front of me, images that I only thought existed in Hollywood disaster movies with aliens and superheroes.

I was right in one respect though in terms of there being superheroes in front of my eyes that night. There were thousands of superheroes on my screen in front of me on 9/11, superheroes without capes or masks, superheroes who lost their lives, superheroes who sacrificed their futures to try and save people that day, superheroes who wore civic uniforms, superheroes without x-ray vision or the ability to fly.

The men and women who died on 9/11 should be remembered on Sunday, along with those who survived but had their lives scarred forever, knowing they have seen people jump out of burning buildings or knowing they hadn’t taken that elevator up and had a chance to escape.

Sunday will again see teams suiting up and taking to the field from the two cities most devastated by 9/11, as the Washington Redskins play the New York Giants in Landover, Maryland.

It is extremely important that life does go on and we play America’s Game across the country 10 years on from the biggest act of terrorism in modern history.

Playing on Sunday is fantastic for NFL fans around the world, but we must never forget the day that changed the planet.

NFL FAN IN ENGLAND 2011 NFL Predictions

Did anyone say a green and gold dynasty?

Its under a week until my life on a Sunday actually has meaning.

Whilst I love going out to eat or watching a blue ray movie, nothing in this world beats that feeling that from 6pm UK time (1pm est) knowing ahead there is three NFL games in a row on my television set.

Nothing beats NFL football and aside from fantasy football there is no more fun than making a whole load of crazy predictions that you can use as a stick to beat me once my favourites crash and burn by about week 10. Regardless here goes with my annual gaze into the crystal ball of fate.

Division winner predictions 2011

AFC East – Patriots

AFC West – Chargers

AFC North – Ravens

AFC South – Texans

AFC wild cards – Jets and Raiders

NFC East – Cowboys

NFC West – Rams

NFC North – Packers

NFC South – Falcons

NFC Wild Card – Eagles and Saints

AFC Championship – Jets at Patriots

NFC Championship – Eagles at Packers

Super Bowl XLVI – Patriots @ Packers

Super Bowl XLVI winners – Packers to repeat

NFL MVP – Aaron Rodgers QB Packers

Comeback MVP – Matthew Stafford QB Lions

Offensive rookie of the year – Mark Ingram RB Saints

Defensive rookie of the year – Patrick Petersen CB Cardinals

Biggest surprise team – Oakland Raiders

Biggest disappointment – Indianapolis Colts

There’s only one Rex that I’m interested in in 2011

Love the confidence Sexy Rexy !

Gotta love it now we have NFL athletes suiting up and hitting each other in the mouth, even if it is just the first week of the 2011 pre-season.

We have already experienced the 100th false dawn of Redskins optimism after Rex Grossman predicted a Washington division crown this season.

Yes Rex looked steady against the Steelers last week, but if the Steelers had played any more vanilla they would have changed the name of ice cream to honour their conformity to not giving anything away.

Here are a few of my early observations:

• The delightful Bill Belichick  decided trying to get 50 points in the pre-season would somehow install the Patriots as the red hot Super Bowl favourites.
• The Houston Texans seem to have run out of running backs, with Derrick Ward, Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Steve Slaton all needing some sort of treatment. At this rate we could be getting used to Chris Ogbonnaya as a household name. RB Ogbonnaya is that well respected by the Texans they dont even have his picture ready on his official profile page – see here.

My birthday wish – Edward Spoon Hands

I love my cake but I'd like one more present today

Had a terrific birthday today, thanks to my beautiful wife, who got me an awesome new camera, some nice aftershave and the Apocalypse Now box-set.

I cant help being greedy though, as I still have one more birthday wish – free agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards becoming a Washington Redskins player.

The Redskins have been active in free agency in the past week, but none of the names have been up there with previous movement (such as Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Albert Haynesworth etc).

The players picked up have been solid but all unspectacular. CB Josh Wilson, NT Barry Cofield, WR Jabbar Gaffney, OG Chris Chester, P Sav Rocca, WR Donte Stallworth.

Not much Pro Bowl potential there, but mostly all upgrades on what we had take to the field last season.

Despite signing two WR and re-signing Santana the smurf Moss we still miss a gamebreaker, someone who could bust open a hitch for 80 yards or catch a 50 yard bomb.

The best FA WR was Santioni Holmes but he is now busy swigging champagne in the Big Apple. His running mate is the player we simply have to target.

Providing Braylon cuts of that tramp beard (or doesn’t grow another) he could be a big fan favourite in D.C.

Come on Dan and Mike – its not like I’m asking for much – just spend about £30m on a 5 year deal for Braylon and my birthday will be even more superb than it already is.

Thank goodness normal NFL service is resumed

Now the lockout has lifted John Clay has become a Steeler

Phew – that’s about all I can muster after 132 days without offseason football movements.

With the lockout finally over and free agency in the NFL set to explode like a realised gunpowder plot its time to get back to the serious business of fantasy football.

Already there have been some fascinating moves with teams committing to sign undrafted free agents who did not get selected back in April.

One guy that impressed me when watching college football last year was the slightly slow but extremely powerful former Wisconsin badger John Clay.

Its funny that Clay signed a contract today with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as his running style and big frame reminded me of a certain Steelers and Rams legend known simply as ‘the bus’. Jerome Bettis was unfamiliar with a six pack and a low calorie diet, but when it came to 3rd and 1 on a crucial drive you knew who you wanted behind the wheel.

Clay is a tough back who played in a committee backfield with the Badgers, so he should be relatively fresh going into the 2011 season.

True – Clay may not even make the final 54 man roster (yes 54 due to the new CBA) but he is one guy that I will be rooting for.

Come to think of it with my man crush on former Badger defensive end J.J Watt (a first round pick by the Houston Texans) and my love of former New York Jets WR Al Toon’s son Nick Toon set to have a huge season also with the Badgers, I won’t be surprised if I get drunk and wake up the next day with a big tattoo depicting a large red W.

More to come…..just glad we have guaranteed football for the next ten years.

Also well done NFL bosses for keeping the NFL game in London for 2011 – Crying Cutler at Wembley will be entertaining for sure.

Have some respect – Don’t ‘Show me the agent’ at Canton

The always shy Deion Sanders during a quiet Sunday before prayers

I am starting to lose the plot with this NFL lockout which is now 119 days old.

With no free agency activity and no OTAs (organised team activities) there is no real news.

One little item on NFL.com did get my blood boiling though.

I love the whole Hall of Fame thing, the history, the respect, the honour, the prestige and the stories that go behind what turned a mortal NFL athlete to a Hall of Fame legend.

So to read that both ‘Neon’ Deion Sanders and Marshall Faulk, two extremely worthy Hall of Fame inductees, have asked their agents to conduct their induction introduction speeches is about as wise as taking Plaxico Burress and an AK-47 to a disco.

Neither player needed an agent at Pee Wee level, neither had an agent at high school, neither had and agent at College (until they graduated – yeah right).

Are you telling me that of all the people in the world neither had a relative, a former teacher, a former coach, a former colleague at any level or some other positive influence on their life to help mark their indelible impact on the NFL landscape?

If I was being inducted into a Hall of Fame for my profession (marketing/public relations/communications) I would not be considering having someone from the accounts department or from human relations, I would not bother with any of my former bosses either. I would ask my wife to induct me, after all she is the reason I get up in the morning and earn money to pay the bills, and is one of under 10 people on this planet that I know, love and respect.

I think Marshall and Deion are sticking up a big middle digit, complete with Super Bowl winners rings, to the people that really made the difference in their lives, their family and their coaches.

One word for them both – classsless.