Death in the Football Family: Steve McNair

Today is suppose to be a day of celebration, given that it is the birthday of our great Nation. However, it has become a day of sorrow. Today is a sad day in the football world.

The Tennesseean reports that former Titans and Ravens quarterback Steve McNair and an unknown woman were found dead in a condominium complex in Nashville today. A police spokesman said McNair and the woman was found shot to death.

The investigation is ongoing. So not much else has broken with the story. It's a tragic day indeed for the NFL. McNair, the third overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft for the then-Houston Oilers, was a three time Pro Bowler and a one time MVP. He shared the 2003 MVP award with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

McNair led the Titans to the Super Bowl in the '99 season, literally coming up short against the St. Louis Rams. In the regular season, McNair went 91-62. He passed for more than 31,000 yards and 174 touchdowns.

McNair was also known for his ability to scramble. He rushed for 37 touchdowns in his career. He finished out his career in Baltimore and hasn't played since 2007.

We hope to provide any updates that might come our way. As for now, our thoughts and prayers go out to the McNair family during these trying times.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Thomas Shooting Update

The shooter has been identified in the shooting of AP head football coach Ed Thomas. Mark Becker has been arrested and charged with 1st degree murder. The 24-year-old, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, shot Thomas multiple times, this morning at 7:47. Becker, a former football player for AP, is currently being held in the Butler County Jail. He was apprehended in rural Parkersburg. The school was placed on lockdown following the shooting.

BREAKING NEWS: Aplington-Parkersburg head coach shot and killed this morning

It's a sad day for high school football fans across the state of Iowa. According to the Waterloo Courier, AP head coach Ed Thomas was shot at 8:30 this morning in the weight room of the high school. Thomas was pronounced dead shortly before 10:30 a.m. at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo.

Authorities have confirmed that the shooter is in custody. No word yet on the identification of the shooter. Several reports stated that Thomas was shot in the head. No students in the weight room at the time were harmed.

This is no doubt a tragedy for the AP community. All of this coming a year after the tornado struck Parkersburg. Thomas was a vital person in the recovery effort. He's also had an excellent coaching career at AP, winning two state titles in the process. Thomas also had the opportunity to coach current NFL players, including Packers defensive player Aaron Kampman. Thomas will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Thomas family.

Follow the Courier link above for more information on the case.

Photo Credit: Post Gazette

Coming soon...

My oh my has it been a long time since my last blog post. A lot of crazy things have happened. Okay not really, but I do miss updating the site.

I do have the usual summer project of the NFL Preview Show Extravaganza coming up very soon. I hope to get started on the previews in July. I also hope to give a week-by-week breakdown of the 2009 season. I'll do as many updates as I can between now and the previews.

It's great to be back and I hope you come back for some great football news and analysis.

My Super Bowl Pick

I hope you enjoyed my time away from the blog. I figured I would come back and give my final thoughts on the big game.

Why did I take the break, you might be asking...? I feel like there are people out there who can analyze, and to an extent overanalyze, the game on Sunday better than I can. So why hear what I have to say?

Is Kurt Warner a hall of famer? No, he is not a hall of famer. I'm not saying he's a bad player, but to get into Canton is to be among a Parthenon of Gods. I don't think Warner is at that level. It doesn't seem like that long ago, he fell off the face of the earth. He was replaced by a back-up in St. Louis and held down the fort until Eli Manning took the position in New York. Soon enough, the Cardinals will have to choose between Warner and former first round pick, Matt Leinart. I can't imagine Warner has much left in the gas tank.

I think Ben Roethlisberger is a good quarterback. He's not quite a hall of famer, though. Don't you try to play this bias on me. He's a tough guy, even if he is an awkward of a runner and gets hit too much.

This won't be a high scoring game. Don't fool yourself into thinking that is the case.

My pick: Steelers 17 - Cardinals 13

Enjoy the Super Bowl!

The Mondays: Is this the apocalypse?

The Super Bowl match-up is finally set. Those of you who established your official Super Bowl predictions in the preseason, I laugh at you. I laugh at you a lot. This is why I never make my Super Bowl picks before the regular season starts! So take that. Enough of my soap box crap!

Arizona Cardinals 32 - Philadelphia 25- It looked like the Cardinals had this game wrapped up. However, the Eagles struck back, only to lose in the end. Eagles coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb are now 1-5 in conference championship games. Is it safe to assume that this tandem is similar to Marty Schottenheimer and Bernie Kosar in Cleveland in the 80s or Marv Levy and Jim Kelly in Buffalo in the early 90s? Just a thought!

As for the Cardinals, it's great to see a team that has stunk up the league for so many years make the Super Bowl. It shows me that parity does exist and will continue to do so as long as the league is in existence. Congrats Cardinals!

Pittsburgh Steelers 23 - Baltimore Ravens 14- First off, best wishes to Ravens running back Willis McGahee. He suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game. According to PFT, he is okay.

This was a hard-nosed battle. It was also a good game. The Ravens just couldn't get it going. Quarterback Joe Flacco had three interceptions and had a QB rating of 18.2. Not a good day rushing for the Steelers. They had only one rushing first down. Willie Parker had only 47 yards rushing.


So there ya have it, we have the Steelers and the Cardinals battling it out in Tampa...In the Super Bowl.


Seriously, is this the apocalypse?

AFC Title Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

Who would have thought that two division teams would battle it out for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl?

These two teams know each other very well and have beaten each other up as well.

This season, the Steelers and Ravens first faced each other on Monday night in week four. The game was a battle of the defenses. However, the running game was also a factor when Le'Ron McClain ran in a 2-yard touchdown with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter to tie the game.

The game would go to overtime and the Steelers won it on a 46-yard field goal by kicker Jeff Reed. The final score was 23-20.

Game two of this season series took place in week 15. Once again, defense was a factor, except there weren't as many points scored in this game.

The only touchdown in the game came with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a 4-yard pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes to give the Steelers the lead and the game.

I don't know if it was a touchdown or not. It's in the past and both teams are in the playoffs. The Ravens have a shot but who knows.

I'm going bold here and picking the Ravens to win, even with the injuries. This game will be another close one.


Quick review: Philly and Baltimore win this weekend.


Here's the video evidence. Feel free to look over it again and again all weekend long. Enjoy the weekend!