International Philosophy

The German and Greek philosophers go head to head in soccer!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2kAnTZBnTg&hl=en

Precise Shots

Music: Steve Stevens - Flamenco.A.Go.Go



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epdIzitOvoE&hl=en

NEW! This Is Football 2009

Hello please subscribe to my new channel LMessi10VSCRonaldo7 Champions league rooney NEW!2009 The Best Legends IN the Wordl the best video



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n17X-2TKDrI&hl=en

American Football Gaining International Popularity

In most parts of the world, if you say the word "football" people assume you are referring to soccer, the most popular and most widely followed sport in the world. However, American football is starting to spark more interest overseas. The National Football League actively promotes American-style football overseas, sending players as ambassadors and holding pre-season games in Europe, Mexico and Japan. Games are broadcast in many countries and the Super Bowl is broadcast to almost every country in the world.

American football is played in almost every continent on the planet including North and South America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific Rim nations. The International Federation of American Football is the official international governing body of American Football and oversees 45 member organizations. Beginning in 1999, the International Federation of American Football has also sponsored a world cup of American football with Japan taking the honors in both 1999 and 2003.

American football has also grown in popularity in Mexico, where many households are able to watch games on American television stations. There has been such interest in American football in Mexico that the NFL opened an office in Mexico City in 1997 to supervise fan development, marketing, public relations and special events. The NFL also publishes a Spanish-language web site targeted to Mexican fans.

American football is also gaining popularity in Europe. In 1991, the National Football League backed a European league called the World League of Football. From that emerged NFL Europe, a six-team league that serves as a spring developmental league for National Football League teams in the United States. Five of NFL Europe's teams are based in Germany and one is in the Netherlands. The National Football League not only uses the NFL Europe to develop new players, but also to develop and test new rules and regulations.

American football has always been popular in Canada although Canada does have its own Canadian Football League which plays with slightly different rules than American football. However, the National Football League continues to reach out to Canadian fans. For Super Bowl XL, held in Detroit, just across the border from the Canadian city of Windsor, the National Football League held special events specifically for Canadian fans including a special train that transported Canadian fans to Windsor to view the game at an arena there. The National Football League also publishes a website for Canadian fans that focuses on the progress and statistics of Canadian-born players.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Football, Recreation, and Games.

Football - Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City, MO is the home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs football team. With a capacity of over 79,000 seats, Arrowhead Stadium is the place to be during the fall in Kansas City. How did the Kansas City Chiefs football team get its start? Here are some interesting background facts on this popular team.

The Kansas City Chiefs actually began as the Dallas Texans of the AFL. Owner Lamar Hunt later moved the Texans to Kansas City in 1963. The Dallas Cowboys were already in Dallas and the area just couldn't support a second professional football team. After moving the team to Kansas City, Mr. Hunt was looking for a new name for the team. The mayor at the time the Chiefs moved to Kansas City was nicknamed "Chief". Lamar Hunt took the nickname and renamed the Texans, the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have been a successful franchise over the years. They have made the playoffs 14 times. In 1967, the Kansas City Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers in the very first Super Bowl. Even though they lost the game 35-10, the Chiefs are proud to have been a part of history. Later, in 1970, the Chiefs again reached the Super Bowl and this time they defeated the Minnesota Vikings to become the world champions. That was the last time the Kansas City Chiefs have been to football's Super Bowl.

Over the years the Chiefs have had many Hall of Fame players on their roster. Here are just a few of the many great players to play football in a Kansas City uniform:

o Len Dawson

o Joe Montana

o Marcus Allen

o Willie Lanier

o Buck Buchanan

o Bobby Bell

o Jan Stenerud

o Hank Stram

o Mike Webster

The Kansas City Chiefs have also had their own list of tragedies such as the death of Derrick Thomas in 2000 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident. Among others, there was the sudden drowning of Joe Delaney, who tried to save 3 teenagers from drowning in an LA lake.

The players, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs football organization, do a lot more than just play football on Sunday's during the fall. They are constantly giving their time for charitable causes throughout the Kansas City area year round. In 2004 the Chiefs help raise over $14 million for various charities in the area. In addition, many of the Chiefs players also assist in charities of their own choosing.

The Chiefs have been playing their games since 1972 in Arrowhead Stadium, which is considered to be one of the best stadiums in the National Football League. Opposing players agree that it is one of the toughest places to play a football game in. The noise created by the fans is deafening to their opponents. In addition, some of the best tailgating parties and food can be found in Kansas City.

The Kansas City Chiefs fans show their support during the season and throughout the year by proudly wearing the red and white colors of the team. During home football games, Arrowhead Stadium becomes a sea or red. The Chiefs have a great organization, with great fans. They will be near the top of the league for years to come.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Football [http://football-guides.com/]

Monika Dryl - football

Monika Dryl - football Wykonawczyni hymnu polskiego na Euro 2012 (Maryla Rodowicz "Football") Szansa Na Sukces



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSP9WPtGuRk&hl=en

Puma Shoes - Sponsors Of Half The Worlds Football Teams

Dictionary meaning : Puma : A large solitary cat belonging to the feline family, having the greatest range of any terrestrial mammal and an extremely capable stalk and ambush predator. Hardly something to be worn on your feet! No people, I am not talking about poaching and animal hunting. Like its namesake, Puma, is a German based multinational company that is equally respected in its field of expertise. One of the earliest shoe manufacturing companies, PUMA started off in 1948, just before the end of the World War II. The history of the setting up of the company is a very interesting read. Let me try to explain it to you.

Born to a worker in a shoe factory, Rudolph Dassler and Adolf Dassler were brothers with big dreams in a war ravaged Germany. Wanting to do their part for the fatherland, both brothers served their time in the army and found a small shoe factory in the back of their house in their mother's laundry. In the 1936 Olympic Games, Adolf Dassler drove to the Olympic Village and persuaded American super star sprinter Jesse Owens to put spikes on the bottom of his shoes. After Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals, the success story of the Dassler shoes become a global phenomenon.

But their success was short lived. Before the fall of Germany, tension was rife between the two brothers and after Rudi Dassler was captured, both brothers had split for good. Adi Dassler set up his company and named it Adidas, the second largest shoe manufacturing company in the world, and Rudi names his RuDa.

Later that year Ruda changed name to PUMA, and sponsored many footballers of Germany's national football team. So much so, that the scorer of Germany's first post war goal was wearing PUMA boots. Over the years, Rudi's expertise and willingness to work aid off great dividends and soon the world was wearing PUMA shoes. Football star Pele, stopped the final minutes of the 1970 FIFA world cup to tie his shoelaces thus giving the world precious minutes of his PUMA boots. These days, Puma sponsors half of the world's football teams, tons of players worldwide and sponsors a myriad of other sports and players. PUMA also specialises in creating sports apparel - football apparel, jump suits and track suits. You can find out more about nike and puma shoes at http://www.retronikeairshoes.com

PUMA has since then charted success stories year after year, increasing profits and establishing base in almost every country in the world. PUMA's famous Complete series provides a wide variety of features to customers worldwide. PUMA's other famous shoes involve shoes designed for sports like running, basketball and most importantly football. PUMA has tie ups with 2006 FIFA world cup winners, Italy and are the main sponsors for the team. They are also main sponsors of Formula 1 teams like Ferrari and BMW and have released their PUMA - Ferrari and PUMA - BMW apparel series. PUMA since its inception as a small company on a hillside has Germany has come a long way but never really forgotten its roots. For PUMA, it's always customers first.

Article by Dean Forster at http://www.retronikeairshoes.com . Read more about classic retro nike and puma sports shoes at => Nike Retro Shoes

Nima Dehghani's Funny Poem on Khatami's Presidental Candidacy

Nima Dehghani's Funny Poem on Khatami's Presidental Candidacy



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oVgwgTHhAg&hl=en

The Best of Eamon Dunphy

Here is a compilations of some of my favourite Eamon Dunphy rants. For those of you unfamiliar with the Dunph, this is one of Ireland's most controversial pundits - he's big-mouthed, opinionated and would argue with a lamp post if given the opportunity. Agree with him or not, Eamo is always great fun to listen to. Even though I disagree with Eamon a lot, I still find some of his rants hilarious. That's why I've compiled this list of excerpts so that you can see what the man himself is like. There are still a great many Dunphy classics that I could not find - but what is in this video is all I could squeeze into 10 minutes anyway. This is just a bit of fun, so don't go starting hateful arguments just because you disagree with what he said or he bashed your team. Personally, I think most of the stuff he says in this video is absolute rubbish - which is exactly why it's fitting for an Eamon Dunphy video! That said, I'll be deleting any hateful comments and misbehaviour by wind up merchants. You've been warned! Sit back and enjoy. Here's a list of classic Eamon Dunphy quotes. On Rio Ferdinand: "Ferdinand is a clown. He was a liability for the first goal and he is always a liability. It was Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink against Rio Ferdinand of Barclays Bank." "a tramp" On Fabio Cannavarro: "If Rio Ferdinand is worth £100000 a week, then this guy is worth €100 million . . . . . a day" On Luis Garcia: "They (Liverpool) should put Garcia where he belongs—in the dustbin." On ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iBDlJEabiI&hl=en

Top 3 SEC Football Teams For the 2009 College Football Season

With the 2009 college football season quickly approaching, anticipations are high, especially for fans of the Southeastern Conference. Coming off another national championship, thanks to the commanding Urban Meyer and his Florida Gators, the SEC is a proud conference with a long tradition of championships. If you are looking for a smooth avenue for football betting, you may not wish to look any further than the SEC brand of football.

After all, many preseason football polls have the SEC accounting for four teams in the top ten including Florida, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss. While Ole Miss Head Coach Houston Nutt has traditionally choked under pressure when expectations are high, the other three teams are consistently rock solid. And before you commence football betting for this season, examine the impact these teams are poised to make on the rest of the college football world.

Alabama: Nick Saban's big move to Crimson Tide country rattled a lot of cages, but none more so than those found in Louisiana. The coach built his legendary reputation on the campus of Louisiana State University, where he brought home a national championship and two SEC championships in his tenure from 2000-2004. After a lackluster professional career with the Miami Dolphins that lasted only one season, he made his triumphant return to the SEC with a different team. The Crimson Tide, in two seasons of Saban tutelage, has already won the SEC Western Division once, and held the #1 team in the nation slot until Florida knocked them from their throne late last season.

LSU: If the LSU Tigers are holding a grudge against Nick Saban, it certainly hasn't shown. Since Alabama's new head coach left the Tigers in 2004, LSU has enjoyed an additional SEC and national championship, thanks in part to coaching stalwart Les Miles. After a disappointing 2008-2009 season that saw the Tigers close with a loss to the talent-zapped Arkansas Razorbacks (in their first year under new head coach Bobby Petrino, no less), you can bet that this is a program itching for redemption.

Florida: It is very hard to do an analysis of these teams without placing the focus on coaching. Saban and Miles are both highly successful coaches, but the real story when it comes to blowing the whistle is with the Florida Gators. In just four years, Head Coach Urban Meyer has won two national championships. And that was after having gone unbeaten in his short time with the Utah Utes. Meyer has developed a reputation as someone who has his teams prepared. His brief career, in addition to the national titles, includes two SEC championships and two Mountain West Conference championships. He has already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but will it be enough for the 2009 college football season? Only time will tell.

Agree or disagree with any of the above? Luckily, you will have a chance to prove your football betting skills. And if you want, there are sportsbooks that make it a little easier for you by offering a bookmaker bonus. With a bookmaker bonus, you enjoy rewards simply by placing your bets with an experienced service. You are going to take part in the football betting season anyway, so why not take advantage of the incentives, such as the bookmaker bonus codes you can get from any reputable company?

The road to the national championship goes through the SEC. Get in on the action for Saturdays that are both relaxing and rewarding.

Check out the best bookmaker review site for Bookmaker Bonus codes and free Football Betting tips.

Eric Church - "Love Your Love The Most"

The official music video for Eric Church's "Love Your Love The Most"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeLEQohU4qw&hl=en

College Football Week 2 - Ohio State and Notre Dame Both Lose Big Time Games, So What Else is New?

(Editor's Note: All of the team rankings are based on the Top 25 Coaches' Poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, Jeff Sagarin's factual, mathematical ratings among competition between all 245 Division 1 teams.)

Only 7 teams remained on top and on track at 2-0 during the second week of the college football season-Florida, USC, Alabama, California, Boise State, Brigham Young and Kansas.

No. 1 Florida crushed Troy 56-6 behind Tim Tebow's career-high 4 touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.

No. 3 Southern Cal saved the best to last against No. 7 Ohio State to win, 18-15, on the road as freshman quarterback Matt Barkley led the Trojans on a 14-play, 95-yard drive to score with 1:05 remaining. The Buckeyes of Ohio State have now lost 7 straight games against top 5 teams, including two national title games and last season's 35-3 drubbing by USC in Los Angeles.

No. 4 Alabama took down Florida International 40-14 as QB Greg McElroy completed a school-record 14 straight passes. Remember that Alabama was the same school that Joe "Willie" Namath led to a National Championship in 1964, and Kenny "The Snake" Stabler led to another National Championship in 1965. Both Namath and Stabler played for the Crimson Tide's legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

No. 10 California routed Eastern Washington, 59-7, behind Jahvid Best's 144 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, one rushing and another on a 22-yard reception.

No. 11 Boise State shut out Miami of Ohio, 48-0, as QB Kellen Moore went 16-for-26 for 307 yards and 4 touchdown passes.

No. 12 Brigham Young, following up on its 14-13 upset of Oklahoma a week earlier, kicked Tulane sideways on the road, 54-3, as QB Max Hall threw for 309 yards and 2 TDs and Bryan Kaiya scored twice.

No. 25 Kansas whipped UTEP, 34-7, on the road behind Jack Sharp's 104 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns.

There were 4 genuine upsets as Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Michigan State all hit the turf hard.

No. 20 Notre Dame allowed Tate Focier to throw a 5-yard TD pass to Greg Matthews with 11 seconds to go to give unranked Michigan a 38-34 victory in the Big House at Ann Arbor. Focier, a freshman, went 23-for-33 for 240 yards, 2 TDs, one interception, and ran for 70 yards and a score. Notre Dame's star QB Jimmy Clausen, now a junior, went 25-for-42 for 336 yards and 3 TDs, but did miss some throws that proved costly.

You can argue about who was the better QB on this day, however, nothing counts but the final score, and Notre Dame again came up a loser in a big game.

After taking down Georgia last week, No. 6 Oklahoma State, a 15-point favorite, let it all slip away while losing to Houston 45-35 at home. The Cowboys need to learn how to ride again; they seem to always have more offense than defense.

UCLA quietly went to 2-0 by upsetting Tennessee on the road 19-15. The Volunteers, a 10-point favorite, are not making much of an impression in the SEC anymore.

The Michigan State Spartans, favored by 14.5, let Central Michigan totally embarrass them with a last-second 29-27 defeat on their home turf. The Spartans had an excellent schedule this year that offered them a chance to run the table (go undefeated) since they drew both Michigan and Penn State at home and did not have to play Ohio State.

Instead, Michigan State was out-coached, out-played and deserved to lose.

Five teams went 2-0 and scored good wins to cement their position as up and comers to watch:

No.18 Nebraska, favored by 21, beat Arkansas State 38-9. No. 23 Cincinnati beat 1-AA SE Missouri State 70-3. Unranked Pittsburgh, favored by 10.5, beat a good Buffalo team 54-27 on the road. Unranked Iowa beat in-state rival Iowa State 35-3 on the road.

Unranked and unbeaten Southern Methodist upset UAB 35-33, and they did it on the road. Now don't laugh at SMU, give the Mustangs and coach June Jones some credit; after all, if you are a fan of Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Rutgers or Georgia, your team is not 2-0, you are 1-1.

Another unranked team that went 0-12 last year finally won its first game in 16 tries as new head coach Steve Sarkisian and new defensive coordinator Nick Holt put together an impressive 42-23 victory over Idaho. Yes, Idaho is no big deal, but Washington is going to start winning and beating better teams than Idaho. You read it here first.

Here are 19 teams who have gone 2-0 to start the season, but their victories have been no big deal considering the competition they have been playing:

No. 2 Texas, favored by 32.5, beat Wyoming on the road 41-10, but could not cover the spread.

No. 5 Penn State, favored by 28.5, beat Syracuse 28-7, but could not cover the spread.

No. 9 LSU, favored by 14.5, beat Vanderbilt, 23-9, but could not cover the spread.

No. 17 Utah, favored by 14, beat San Jose State 24-14, but could cover the spread.

No. 19 North Carolina, favored by 4.5, needed 12 last quarter points to barely beat Connecticut 12-10, but could not cover the spread.

No. 24 Oregon State, favored by 7, beat UNLV 23-21, but could not cover the spread.

So seriously, why are Texas, Penn State, LSU, Utah, North Carolina and Oregon State rated so high? Answer: Do not ask anyone who bet on them to not only win, but cover the spread.

Here are the other 13 teams that are 2-0 in no particular order because frankly, it is too soon to tell if they are really good at all:

Missouri over Bowling Green 27-20, Tulsa over New Mexico 44-10, Hawaii over Washington State 38-20, Auburn over Mississippi State 49-24, South Florida over Western Kentucky 35-13, West Virginia over East Carolina 35-20, Texas Tech over Rice 55-10, Boston College over Kent State 34-7, Minnesota over Air Force 20-13, Southern Mississippi over the University of Central Florida (UCF) 26-19, and Northwestern over Eastern Michigan 27-24.

Also Arizona over 1-AA Northern Arizona 34-17, and Colorado State needed a 4th quarter touchdown to beat 1-AA Weber State 24-23.

Here are 5 teams that won their first game, but really need to play a good team and win to think they are doing anything worth talking about:

No. 14 Oklahoma beat 1-AA Idaho State 64-0, No. 16 TCU beat Virginia 30-14, No. 21 Georgia barely beat South Carolina 41-37, Virginia Tech beat Marshall 52-10, and Rutgers beat 1-AA Howard 45-7.

Every week in college football there are games and victories that cause you to do a double take when you read the score and check out the teams. Here are 3 from this week:

Toledo beat Colorado 54-38 at home, dropping the Buffaloes to 0-2. This caused me to wonder if there have been sinkholes developing in the State of Colorado. Much more and the Buffaloes will fall off the radar screen. Maryland needed an overtime to barely beat 1-AA James Madison 38-35. Louisiana Lafayette upset Kansas State 17-15.

Put a wrap on it Benny, and throw it in the archives; it 's time to get ready for college football's third week of competition.

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Read more of my football coverage, including:

"College Football Wrap-Up - Week 1 - Brigham Young, Bosie State, Alabama and Oklahoma State Are Huge Week 1 Winners"
"Steve Sarkisian Puts the Washington Husky Football Program Back on Track to Succeed"
"Look for Steve Sarkisian to Turn Around Washington's Woeful Football Program"
"Not Being Selected Among the Top 25 in the Preseason Coaches' Poll Is the Kiss of Death - You Have No BCS Title Shot"
"College Football - Last Season's Final Statistics Show How the Nation's Top Five Teams Can Be Beat"
Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Football Team in 2008.
Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Coaching Staff in 2008.

http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Thierry Henry Legend All Arsenal Goals Part 7

This video series contains all of Thierry Henry's 226 goals for Arsenal, who he played for between 1999-2007. Henry is recognised as a world class striker and is regarded as one of the finest players in Arsenal's history. Although Henry played up front as a striker during his youth, he spent his time at Monaco and Juventus playing on the wing. When Henry joined Arsenal in 1999, Wenger immediately changed this, switching Henry to his childhood position, often pairing him with Dutch veteran Dennis Bergkamp. During the 200405 season, Wenger switched Arsenal's formation to 4-5-1. This change forced Henry to adapt again to fit into the Arsenal team, and he played many games as a lone striker. Still, Henry remained Arsenal's main offensive threat, on many occasions conjuring spectacular goals. Wenger once said of his fellow Frenchman: "Thierry Henry could take ball in the middle of park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score". One of the reasons cited for Henry's impressive play up front is his ability to calmly score from one-on-ones. This, combined with his exceptional pace, means that he can get in behind defenders regularly enough to score. When up front, Henry is occasionally known to move out wide to the left wing position, something which enables him to contribute heavily in assists: between 200203 and 200405, the striker managed almost 50 assists in total and this was attributed to his unselfish play and creativity. Henry would also drift offside to ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke9BKjARqV8&hl=en

Why Are Some Insurance Companies Ecstatic About Health Care Reform?

Find out more at www.theyoungturks.com



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pplMe0E-pc&hl=en

Shaun Wright Phillips gets punk'd/merk'd

Rio Ferdinand and John Terry punks/merks Shaun Wright Phillips. the plan was to merk john terry but he found out so john cooperated to merk SWP.merk'd is the english version of punk'd which is his hosted by Rio Ferdinand and he punks English Football Stars.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9IF8lYsAco&hl=en

Improving Your Youth Football Defense - The Punting Game

Coach Kohl from the Kohl's Kicking Camps presented three times at the Chicago Glazier Clinic and did a great job. Kicking is an area we admittedly have yet to develop a core excellence in and Coach Kohl showed us why or better yet, maybe why not. Like most youth football coaching staffs, we used some common sense, trial and error and hoped for the best. As you might expect, we had better than average results when we had good "natural" kickers and weaker results when we had average natural kickers.

Punting Goals For Youth Football

Obviously the goal of a youth coach should be to have good results with just average players and great results with better than average players and I'm firmly convinced that this a reasonable goal when it comes to the kicking game as well. I'm more firmly convinced of that now after listening to Coach Kohl and other kicking coaches this clinic season. At every clinic I went to I sat in on the kicking sessions, often they were the lightest attended sessions in the clinic.

Progression Punt Teaching

I was pleased to come to the conclusion that like any teachable football skill, the punt is best taught in a progression. Like many poorly taught football skills, many youth football coaches teach a player to perform multiple fairly difficult tasks nearly simultaneously and that certainly describes how most of us teach the punt.

The punt consists of a number of very specific and coachable tasks: the lineup, the stance, the readjustment, the catch, the grip, the ball "mold", the "drop table", the approach, the plant foot, the drop, the contact fit and lock, the extension and follow through. The youth football player can be taught every one of these concepts and we can even link them together into an integrated movement. We as coaches just have to teach each specific step and perfect each step in our kickers, one step and concept at a time.

Coach Kohl has kicking camps all over the country and has no problem if coaches want to attend and watch free of charge, those are listed on his web site. He also has two kicking DVDs that I bought and highly recommend. They can be purchased through "Championship Productions" you can find them on the web.

While coach Kohl and others aren't coming out with anything brand new, it is important to understand the intricacies of punting, the key points and how to teach it in an easy to understand progression based manner. I'm not going to spell out all of his coaching points and methods here on the blog, but we certainly plan on applying coach Kohl's concepts next season with both our punters and kickers.

The Drop Table

Two simple to understand and implement concepts is the "Drop Table" and the "Drop Angle". These are commonly agreed upon kicking terms, the drop table refer to the height the ball is kept at from the time of the catch to the time of the drop. It is an imaginary "table" that the ball should never go below. The drop angle refers to what angle you drop the ball at to your kicking foot. All the experts do agree that the drop table should never go below the waist. If the ball is constantly moved to various elevations after the catch, the ball is often thrown out in front of the kicker where he has to catch up to the ball or even tossed up rather than down if the ball height is varied with the punters stride.

Smooth and consistent is what you are looking for here, arms fully extended, the drop table never varying or going below the waist.

The Drop Angle

The drop angle is very important and very easy to correct. The drop portion, like any other progression move is isolated and practiced and coach Kohl and other kicking coaches have a plethora of drills to practice this portion of the kick. One of the key coaching points of the drop is that you want to drop the ball at 11:00 if you are right footed kicker, not in a straight line or 12:00. If you drop the football straight down and not at an angle, quite often the back tip of the ball is going to strike your shin first before it touches your foot and you get what punters call a "double hit". When you "double hit" the kick will be a short end over ender, with the ball not receiving the full force of the punters foot, ankle, leg and hips. By dropping the ball at 11:00, the back tip of the ball just misses the shin on the drop and the first contact of the ball is to the top most portion of the face of the foot, the protruding hump bone on the top of your foot "the sweet spot" for all punters.

Our goal as coaches is to make sure our players have the tools necessary so that they will maximize their potential while playing for us. For my teams this means the kicking game too. We will excel in this very important part of the game next season, I assure you.

Don't be intimidated by kicking, it is something you learn to teach just like anything else.

Remember, field postion is a key factor in developing a solid defense in youth football. While we have not had to punt very often in the last 8 seasons due to our prolific offense, we need to establish competency in it for when we do need it and for the benefit of the kickers. We aren't going to settle for mediocrity in any part of our game or just hope some natural Ray Guy Jr. type player shows up on our field for our first practice.

Dave Cisar-

Dave has a passion for developing youth coaches so they can in turn develop teams that are competitive and well organized. He is a Nike "Coach of the Year" Designate and speaks nationwide at Coaches Clinics. His book "Winning Youth Football a Step by Step Plan" was endorsed by Tom Osborne and Dave Rimington.

With over 15 years of hands-on experience as a youth coach, Dave has developed a detailed systematic approach to developing youth players and teams. His personal teams to using this system to date have won 94% of their games in 5 Different Leagues.

To Sign up for his free tips newsletter or to see his 325 free tips go to: Football Plays

A Video Taste of Dave's teams:

Youth Football Defense

Offensive Line

Lsu's Football Team Plays in the NCAA Division I - FBS College Football Division

LSU's football team plays in the NCAA Division I-FBS college football division. The home games are played in Tiger Stadium which is a rather large stadium. It holds 92,400 people. The student section is always packed at every game and no one who has seats in this section sits down for any part of any game. The team at LSU has won four national championships with their most recent being 2007 as of this writing. This has place the LSU Tigers as the first team to ever win two Bowl Championship Series titles. Their national championships were is 1958, 2003, and 2007. They have won 10 SEC Championships in the years 1935, 1936, 1958, 1961, 1970, 1986, 1988, 2001, 2003, 2007.

The Tigers will enter the 2008 season with some impressive stats. They can claim 693 victories. This makes them the 12th team with the most wins in NCAA history. They are also the 4th most of all the SEC teams. They only are behind Alabama with 787 wins, Tennessee with 771 wins and Georgia with 714 wins.

The team's official mascot is Mike the Tiger. He can be found on the campus in his state-of-the-art facility and up until recently has been the traditional Bengal Tiger. The last two Mikes were mixed breeds but were still beautiful. Since the 1950s at games, Mike the Tiger is portrayed by a student in costume. LSU adopted the "Tigers" nickname in 1896. The name is a tribute to the state of Louisiana's Confederate heritage. The Troops of the Louisiana division of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia became the Tigers during the Civil War. This was due to their courageous and heroic deeds of the two New Orleans brigades, the Tiger Rifles and the Washington Artillery. The Washington Artillery had a logo featuring the face of a snarling tiger head.

The first Mike lived a long time with LSU. He had a life span of 20 years from 1936-1956 and was purchased by the LSU student body from the Little Rock Zoo for a big whopping $750. He is now on permanent display in the LSU Natural Sciences Museum on the campus in Baton Rouge.

Rumors and superstition surround each of the tigers that have had the honor to be named as Mike the Tiger. LSU's football team's winning and losing streaks are attributed by many to the health and happiness of each of the 6 tigers that have lived on the LSU campus since the first Mike came to live there in 1936. With four of the five previous Mikes having lived to at least seventeen years of age, there may be something to these rumors. The present Mike VI is kept in splendor at a $3 million habitat built in 2005 especially designed for the needs of Mike. The funds came completely from private sources and the habitat has state-of-the-art amenities. Mike is kept in style with a 24 hour on-call veterinarian from the LSU Veterinary School always in attendance. The place has lush plantings, a waterfall and a flowing stream with a wading pond. There are rocks for Mike to sun himself on and the preserve is 15,000 square feet in size.

There are traditions that the LSU football team observes with Mike. Some are quite entertaining. Mike rides through Tiger stadium just before the start of home games with the LSU Cheerleaders perched on top of his cage. Everyone knows that LSU will score a touchdown for every roar that Mike lets go of on game day. And the most humorous tradition involves the opposing team on home football game days. Mike's cage is parked by the door of the opponent's locker room located at the southeast end of Tiger Stadium. The opposing team has to walk (or run) by Mike in order to get to their locker room.
LSU football is all about tradition and Mike is a great part of that long tradition.

Writer and editor, Freddie Brister, is a former high school football coach of 25 years. His love of the game of football is reflected in his words and memories of growing up in the South and playing football in the back yard with his brother, cousins and neighborhood friends. His biggest thrill is watching former high school players he has coached play at the college level. His favorite pastime is watching college football on tv and attending the games in person every chance he gets. Freddie Brister is a huge fan of the SEC and the LSU Tigers. Check out his LSU Tigers Watch or his LSU Tigers Apparel.

Notre Dame Football 2010 Trailer

Preview of next year



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV7qk_YfRX4&hl=en

2008 Worst College Football Teams - If it Were Not For Losers, There Wouldn't Be Winners

"Without losers, there wouldn't be winners" - unknown author, but probably a loser. As we approach the climax of the college football season, The Sage of College Football (your humble author) suggests that we turn our attention for a few moments to those programs that once held such promise in the late summer months, only to smack their noodles into the frozen artificial turf of December's reality. For some teams, season ending games conclude with the ritual of tearing down of goalposts. Others result in the school selling off unused hot dogs from the stadium deep freeze to starving students who spent their student loan money on beer.

At the professional level, teams that finish at the bottom refer to this time of year as the beginning of golf season. And given the paychecks of most players and coaches, they don't have to worry much about competing with retirees for tee times. The one disappointment in 2008 has been that in writing about the college game, the Sage can't slam the Detroit Lions. The pitiful old motor city franchise looks as it has finally blown all it's gaskets and not even the team ownership seems to care. At least Lions players get paid something for losing. Professional players have a paycheck coming in and a vacation to look forward to. At the college level though, players on losing teams are compelled to visit their respective Religious Studies Departments to seek inner peace. Their coaches seek employment.

Fans of losing college teams also use the offseason for contemplative reflection. One of the more interesting observations occurs when the over-dedicated fan reviews how much money was spent following the team into the toilet. Season tickets, beer and liquor, nachos and hot dogs and the associated medical bills really add up.

Mental Health experts concluded long ago that dedicating too much time effort and money on one's team is also hard on relationships. For those fans lucky enough to have identified a different-sex partner to share the misery of a disastrous season, this presents a double-edged sword. On one hand, the fan may have someone with whom to share the burdens of recovery. On the other, the left over bills and charge card accounts may run double. And for what? Seeing their team scrape together one or two wins against lower division opponents?

Sports Information Offices use this time to come up with new promotional ideas. The Sage has always wanted to be in on an SIO meeting after a 1 and 11 campaign. The new promo ideas generally center on how to convince alumni to overlook the annual season ticket price increase. Or... how to creatively inform alumni that their reserved parking places that have been in the family for generations, are being discontinued so that the school can construct a new kiln for the Art department. Names of alumni that agree to repurchase their seats at inflated prices are handed over to the University Development Office for immediate inclusion in the fund raising effort du jour.

A common technique used by losing institutions is to cloud the record of the past year by introducing a new head coach. Individuals agreeing to take these jobs generally extract huge sums for this. Standing before confused and bewildered fans and players and promising to right the ship by "changing the way we think" and "bringing in a winning attitude" is something that should generate a huge paycheck by itself. Saying this stuff with a straight face takes talent. The Detroit Lions ownership should be taking notice... this is at least something to try.

The university staff at Washington has a unique challenge this year. The abysmal Huskies competed a 0-12 season capped off by a 48-7 shellacking at the hands of Cal - hardly the kind of game one wants to end a season on. At least they played that one in Berkeley. Adding misery to insult, the Huskies perfect record sets a new mark for futility within the Pac-10. The wise old Sage of College Football (your humble author) can't wait to see how the institution spins this one. The Huskies have already completed their search for a new head coach and have convinced a Mr. Steve Sarkisian to give up some great weather at Southern Cal to take over the Pac-10's doormat program. The Sage wishes Coach Sark a hearty "good luck." He may learn to appreciate the fog that rolls into Husky Stadium. It does make players, coaches and the future difficult to see.

The Huskies however, aren't the only college team with a lot to forget from 2008. And it is indeed time to put the final nail in the 2008 coffin for these teams. Looking ahead, some of these programs will emerge from the ranks of the worst to achieve respectability. Others will trip and fall on their snooters coming out of the locker room for the spring game.

It is will pride then, that the Sage of College Football presents his picks for the worst 10 teams in college football. However, we should first review a few rules. Primarily, only teams that actually harbor any ambition to become BCS qualified or to -gasp- compete for a national championship one day, are included. Secondly, only major conferences are included. When was the last Middle-America or Conference USA team that had a shot at a big time title? The Sage isn't thinking that Eastern, Central or Western Michigan seriously entertain thoughts of a national championship. So.. without further ado, here are the Sage's picks for the 10 worst college football teams of 2008.

1. Washington Huskies -

Obviously....The purple dogs of the northwest found a way to get the job done in all games this year, including some monumental defeats to Notre Dame, USC and UCLA. Admittedly these are cherry-picked games, but the soggy doggies of Seattle lost these games by a combined score of 116 to 14. In the process, the poor purple team sent its fans off to Starbucks early in each home game. Even though the Huskies kept a game or two close for a while, they still gave up a grand total of 136 points more than they scored in seven home games this year.

2. Washington State Cougars -

It is usually a good season if the Cougars beat archrival and Pac-10 foe Washington in the annual campaign. Unfortunately for the Cougars, that was their only conference win. Interestingly, the only other Cougar victory occurred back in September against a team from Portland State. The Sage is unsure when the Big Sky Conference boasted its last national contender. The state of Washington deserves a honorable mention in the 2008 FirstWorst rankings this year for producing two of the most dismal gridiron performances in history.

3. Idaho Vandals -

The Sage has endured another season waiting in vain for Idaho to change its hapless name. The name "Vandals" would normally inspire images of a wild hoard sacking villages and carrying off opposing cheerleaders. This team doesn't provide much - other than a good excuse to carry off a few cold ones from the local Git N Go. The only Vandal victories (admittedly a contradiction in terms) came in games against other awful programs at New Mexico State and Idaho State.

4. New Mexico State Aggies -

The Sage thought that all programs named "Aggies" had been forced into a change by disgruntled alumni. Particularly for anyone that lives within smelling distance of Las Cruces, you know there isn't a lot of agribusiness taking place there except for the miles of feedlots along I-10. One would think that the school would be anxious to change the name and perhaps try to attract a quality recruit or two. Unfortunately for these Aggies, the 2008 team should have been forced off the field. Despite a decent win against archrival Texas El Paso, the Aggies could only manage more points in games against Alcorn and Nevada.

5. Indiana Hoosiers -

It is alternately a pleasure and a bit of a disappointment to include a Big Ten team in the FirstWorst rankings. One of college football's most storied conferences boasts a tradition of great rivalries and thrilling games. Unfortunately at Indiana, the rivalry is with the basketball program to see who can attract more fans to a single game. Since Bobby Knight's departure, even this has become interesting. Still, basketball at Indiana attracts great athletes who might be able to give the football team a good game. Indiana does deserve credit for trying to follow a proven pathway to respectability. After scheduling games with Western Kentucky and someone called Murray State (also from Kentucky) the Hoosiers minimized travel costs in paying someone to visit the school and lose. After a 2-0 start, the Hoosiers returned to reality, managing only one conference win - their Homecoming Game over Northwestern.

6. Duke Blue Devils -

The Bluish Devils have been a favorite whipping boy for the first worst rankings over the years. As they play in one of the monster football conferences, winning seasons are few and far between. However one would think that with all the brain power at Duke, the program should at least compete for something besides last place. To their credit, Duke did manage a couple reasonably good quality wins over Virginia and Vanderbilt. Imagine calling a win over the Cavaliers and Commodores "quality" wins.

7. Louisville Cardinals -

These Cardinals had a really good schedule in their 2008 campaign to get back into the bowl picture. But by giving up nearly 200 points in their last five games sealed their place in the FirstWorst rankings. The Cards finished strong with a five game losing streak including losses to Syracuse and a 64 to 14 smackdown at the hands of Rutgers.

8. Syracuse Orange -

Teams with singular team names (Orange or in Stanford's case, 'Cardinal') deserve to lose. Football is a team game played by multiple players. Although it may be grammatically correct to call a team a singular name, the practice strays from well established tradition and teams that stray from tradition deserve to get whacked. But we digress... Syracuse did manage to beat #7 Louisville in 2008. They also managed a win over the powerhouse program at Northeastern. For each team, there is one game that justifies the annual season ticket price increase, and Syracuse didn't disappoint, by delivering a solid effort in an exciting win over Notre Dame in late November. Still one quality win does not a season make.

9.San Diego State Aztecs -

Oh Ouch! A season with wins over Idaho and Nevada Las Vegas doesn't qualify as a banner year. Still the Aztecs play in San Diego and the recruits that signed up to play there are thanking their lucky stars that they didn't sign with Buffalo or someplace where it gets cold. And after a loss, Aztec players can still go to the beach and oogle the babes in bikinis. The Aztecs had some decent games on the schedule for 2008 and they came through by losing most of them - including a 21-13 loss to Notre Dame in week two. The Aztec's best effort came against Brigham Young, in which the Aztecs uncharacteristically delivered a strong road win 41 - 12. Alumni should be looking for their price increases in
the mail shortly.

10. Wyoming Cowboys -

Any teams playing in brown home uniforms are going to have trouble on the field. Recruiting players to cold and windswept Laramie is difficult enough without dressing them up in the same colors as -well - the part of the cold and windswept prairie that is used by cows. For many years one of the tallest buildings in the state of Wyoming was the football stadium. And now the Cowboy faithful can expect to pay a bit more for their seats in War Memorial Stadium due to the Cowboys win over (I can't believe I'm writing this) the Tennessee Volunteers. Granted, UT had a difficult year, but losing to Wyoming? Oweee! Anyway.. the Cowboys managed a top ten first worst finish by managing only one Mountain West win and that over San Diego State.

So the 2008 college football season comes to a close for the programs at the bottom. The off season will be filled with coaches looking for work and players looking for cheerleaders. No doubt the Detroit Lions coaching staff will be surveying the ranks of first worst schools scouring for players willing to continue their losing tradition.

As college football fans wait for the spring games and look for ways to build false hope for 2009, the Sage will continue to bring you the wild and outrageous side of losing.

For more wit and wisdom, please visit http://www.firstworst.com.

The Worst Football Dives Ever -- Ham Actors

Football dives



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioyt2zzm530&hl=en

Ready to inspire: Visa-free regime in Russia during World Cup!

Visa-free entry for all. That's one pledge from the Russian government which is putting its weight behind the bid to host the planet's biggest football event - the World Cup. International officials are in Moscow to inspect the plans for the 2018 tournament.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8esGSQHOy8&hl=en

Top 3 SEC Football Teams For the 2009 College Football Season

With the 2009 college football season quickly approaching, anticipations are high, especially for fans of the Southeastern Conference. Coming off another national championship, thanks to the commanding Urban Meyer and his Florida Gators, the SEC is a proud conference with a long tradition of championships. If you are looking for a smooth avenue for football betting, you may not wish to look any further than the SEC brand of football.

After all, many preseason football polls have the SEC accounting for four teams in the top ten including Florida, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss. While Ole Miss Head Coach Houston Nutt has traditionally choked under pressure when expectations are high, the other three teams are consistently rock solid. And before you commence football betting for this season, examine the impact these teams are poised to make on the rest of the college football world.

Alabama: Nick Saban's big move to Crimson Tide country rattled a lot of cages, but none more so than those found in Louisiana. The coach built his legendary reputation on the campus of Louisiana State University, where he brought home a national championship and two SEC championships in his tenure from 2000-2004. After a lackluster professional career with the Miami Dolphins that lasted only one season, he made his triumphant return to the SEC with a different team. The Crimson Tide, in two seasons of Saban tutelage, has already won the SEC Western Division once, and held the #1 team in the nation slot until Florida knocked them from their throne late last season.

LSU: If the LSU Tigers are holding a grudge against Nick Saban, it certainly hasn't shown. Since Alabama's new head coach left the Tigers in 2004, LSU has enjoyed an additional SEC and national championship, thanks in part to coaching stalwart Les Miles. After a disappointing 2008-2009 season that saw the Tigers close with a loss to the talent-zapped Arkansas Razorbacks (in their first year under new head coach Bobby Petrino, no less), you can bet that this is a program itching for redemption.

Florida: It is very hard to do an analysis of these teams without placing the focus on coaching. Saban and Miles are both highly successful coaches, but the real story when it comes to blowing the whistle is with the Florida Gators. In just four years, Head Coach Urban Meyer has won two national championships. And that was after having gone unbeaten in his short time with the Utah Utes. Meyer has developed a reputation as someone who has his teams prepared. His brief career, in addition to the national titles, includes two SEC championships and two Mountain West Conference championships. He has already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but will it be enough for the 2009 college football season? Only time will tell.

Agree or disagree with any of the above? Luckily, you will have a chance to prove your football betting skills. And if you want, there are sportsbooks that make it a little easier for you by offering a bookmaker bonus. With a bookmaker bonus, you enjoy rewards simply by placing your bets with an experienced service. You are going to take part in the football betting season anyway, so why not take advantage of the incentives, such as the bookmaker bonus codes you can get from any reputable company?

The road to the national championship goes through the SEC. Get in on the action for Saturdays that are both relaxing and rewarding.

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High School Football Website - How to Choose a Website Designer

Every High School should have a website for their Football Team. Some of the benefits include:

1) Increased exposure for the team. Parents, fans and alumni will be able to stay updated on the team.

2) Raise money for team. You can use the website to sell advertising for the team. Local business like to advertise on a Team website because they know the money goes towards the sports team and they get exposure at an affordable rate.

3) Saves money on printing costs. Instead of printing schedules and waiver forms you can upload the document to a website and have the parent print it off at their home.

There are 4 options you should analyze when deciding on a Team Website.

1) Develop the website yourself.

PROS: You choose the options you want on the site

CONS: Time intensive - you have to design. You have to know how to build a website from scratch.

2) Use a company that provides templates.

PROS: Quick and easy to implement

CONS: Limited flexibility - you have to design the site based on the template and it might not have all of the features that you want.

3) Get a custom designed website.

PROS: Professional look and feel with advanced features

CONS: Can be very expensive

4) Get Combination of Template and Custom designed website.

PROS: Professional look and feel but is also affordable

CONS: Not as much flexibility as a Custom designed website but if you choose the right company they will provide majority of the features you will need.

A website for your High School Football team can be very useful if designed properly. You want people to continue to visit the website so it has to be user friendly.

Article written by Clint Steiner. His company Team Isportz, LLC provides High School Football Websites to schools across the country. Each team website has been designed to help the team raise $3000+ for their program. The website is: Team Websites with a Custom Feel

England World Cup Tickets

The English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England, one of the four nations of the United Kingdom, has its own football team. Traditionally, England's greatest rivals have been Scotland in football history who were their opponents in the first-ever international football match in 1870.

The England team had won the FIFA Cup in 1966 when Geoff Hurst completed the only Final hat-trick to date right at the end of extra time by running onto a long ball by Bobby Moore and shooting past the German goalkeeper into the roof of the net. That great victory will always be remembered in the history of England Football team. After that England has been unable to win the title again.

Talking about the England team and its preparations for the event, one can say that since the responsibility of been the Manager of the team is given to Fabio Capello's, it has given some hope to the team, the real redemption began with the February friendly where Capello took charge of England for the first time. His brief was to firstly qualify for, and secondly get as close as possible to winning, the 2010 World Cup. He has been able to fulfil the first task to qualify for the World Cup, now England team is preparing for the World Cup.

John Terry was confirmed as the England captain in August, and will captain England in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. During his first match after being reinstated as the permanent England captain he was given a torrid time by Milan Baros and was turned far too easily when Baros scored the first goal for the Czech Republic. The match ended 2-2 with Joe Cole scoring a fortunate equaliser for England in the 92nd minute of the game.

Now when England has qualified for the World Cup, Capello has nine months to prepare to deliver England's first major title since the 1966 World Cup.

Ticket4Football.com is the most specialized and fully dedicated England WorldCup tickets website offering the best place to buy football tickets for all the football matches because you can buy your favorite World Cup tickets of your favorite football match/team online through a secured and guaranteed online booking system.

http://www.ticket4football.com/world-cup-football-tickets.html

Nike Football presents: The Chance with Arsene Wenger

See Arsene Wenger launch The Chance from the Nike Football Training Centre, Soweto, South Africa. This is your chance to go pro: go.nike.com



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C94WBelXdMs&hl=en

Best College Football Pump Up Video

For anyone who wants to get pumped up for the upcoming college football season....this is guaranteed to get the blood flowing!!!!!!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR4fqdmFgw0&hl=en

The History of the Houston Texans

Does anyone remember when the Houston Texans used to be called something else? Probably not, as most will tell you that the Houston Texans are nothing like the former football team that used to be the darling sports team of Houston. Yes, I will mention them here just for ol' time sake. They were the Houston Oilers and not only were they a good team, they had a pretty good dance line too - called the Derrick Dolls (isn't that name fitting?)

Anyway, getting back to here and now, the fact that Houston has another great football team is absolutely wonderful in my opinion.

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the US and has had a professional football team since 1959 (just one year before Dallas got their Cowboys). In 1997 the owner of the Houston Oilers got the go-ahead to move his team to Tennessee and all of a sudden, the rabid football fans in one of the largest cities in Texas found themselves with no home pro football team to root for. As a matter of fact, Bud Adams had to pay a lot of money for the privilege of moving out of state. But that did not deter him in the least and Houstonians had to face the fact that they might be in for a long dry spell without a pro football game at home to attend.

As fate would have it however, Houston fans were is for a big surprise. Bob McNair was in the mood to bring a pro hockey team to town n 1997 and that didn't work out. So being the brilliant man that he is credited for, he set his sights on bringing another pro football team to town. By using strong local community support from the citizens of Houston, coupled with the partial promise of a new domed stadium to house the team's games, Houston was in the running for a new football team to replace the sorely missed Houston Oilers.

However, In 1998 Cleveland received their expansion franchise and then the next franchise would be awarded to Los Angeles (or so it seemed). LA couldn't get their act together so the NFL owners turned to Houston and decided to give that city a serious look. So the league's expansion committee told McNair and the other Houston official to attend the October 6, 1999 NFL Owner's meeting in Atlanta. And on the morning of that same day, the NFL owners voted 29-0 to award the 32nd franchise and also the 2004 Super Bowl to Houston. WOW, is all anyone can really say to that. Houston really wanted a team back at home.

After that, things started to move fast for the future team. They didn't have a name yet but that did not really matter to the fanatical fans of Houston. All they cared about was that they had been starved for a home team now for a number of years and were ready to have one once again. By 2000, things were really on a roll with the new Reliant stadium groundbreaking occurring. The state-of-the-art facility would have 69,500 seats and would become the NFL's first stadium with a retractable roof. Quite a feat in anyone's stretch of the imagination.

Also in 2000, the worst kept secret in Houston history became reality and the team was named the Houston Texans. The next year saw Dom Capers announced as the club's first head coach and his first task was to fill out the rest of his staff. Play began in the 2002 season. The Texans first game saw them up against the Dallas Cowboys at their own Reliant Stadium. History was made as the Houston Texans were just the second expansion team to ever win their first game. They beat their intrastate rivals 19-10 and even though they lost their next five games, the Texans had won the hearts and minds of their home town.

Writer and editor, Freddie Brister, is a former high school football coach of 25 years. His love of the game of football is reflected in his words and memories of growing up in the South and playing football in the back yard with his brother, cousins and neighborhood friends. His biggest thrill is watching former high school players he has coached play at the college level. His favorite pastime is watching NFL football on tv and attending the games in person every chance he gets. Freddie Brister is a huge fan of the NFL and the Houston Texans. Check out his Houston Texans Lamp or his Kansas City Watch

Some Tips For Winning and Thriving in a Football Survivor Contest

The survivor contest has become a popular contest in football predictions. It is where you pick one team to win each week throughout the NFL season, and ignore the little details of how much a team wins by.

While the contest does not normally include the point spread, it is frequently just as difficult to pick the straight up winner each week throughout the regular season.

Predicting results in the NFL is usually all about picking that game's winner anyhow so the point spread is not that crucial. When you get into a survivor contest, the goal is to pick a single team to win each week during the season. Once a team has been used you cannot use them again, since you can only use that team one time for the season. This can make predicting winners at the end of a long season more difficult as many of the easy winning teams have already been used earlier. What things do you need to remember and how do you go about winning a survivor contest?

The first thing about a survivor contest is not to worry about saving squads for later in the season. Worry about the next week coming up and just pick the team you think will win this week. You cannot get picky if you want to survive. If you think the Colts will win at home vs Jacksonville then take them. Picking a home team when you're in a survivor contest is practically always a very good idea. Home teams win more than road squads and you cannot be guessing as to when a home team will lose.

If you cannot decide and are wondering which team to pick for a given week then remember to go with a losing team that is on the road. You may want to go against the Bills or the Lions if they are on the road. You truly do not want to be picking a match where the line is small, which is another thing to keep in mind with a survivor event. It is very difficult to decide on who will win if you have a match between Green Bay and Minnesota so just avoid that type of even match. Late in the season, if you are still alive in the survivor contest, keep in mind that playoff squads are not the ones to use. Teams that have already clinched a spot have nothing to play for, so you likely should not pick them for winning that week's game. They simply will not be as enthusiastic as a team fighting to earn their place in the playoffs, and they may even hold their best players in reserve to make sure they get enough rest before the post-season.

Keeping involved in NFL gambling throughout the season is simple and exciting with a survivor contest. See how long you are able to stay alive while you pick a single team each week to win its match-up. Keep some of these tips in mind as you look to win your survivor contest this season.

Michael runs a number of websites discussing various sports and games, from the NFL to the NBA and World Cup Soccer. You can visit his site here to read more about predictions for football games, as well as reviews of various match-ups as they are played throughout the season and playoffs: http://www.nflgamereview.com/

Last Season's Final Statistics Show How the Nation's Top Five Teams Can Be Beat

It is not often when the coaches and the media agree on their opinion of who should be in the preseason Top 25 college football polls, but this year at least their Top 5 picks are mirror images-Florida (1), Texas (2), Oklahoma (3), Southern California (4) and Alabama (5).

Of a possible 60 first-place votes in the media's AP Top 25 Poll, Florida collected 58 votes and Texas 2, setting a record (96+%) for the most first-place votes since the poll was first started in 1950, long before there were ever Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games.

Florida is such an overwhelming favorite that one might think there is no need to play the games this year, since the Gators will probably run the table (go unbeaten). This, of course, is sheer nonsense.

Florida won the National Championship for the 2006 and 2008 seasons and, if it repeats during 2009, the Gators would become only the second team to do so since Nebraska won the National Championship 3 out of 4 years, winning the title outright in 1994 and 1995, and splitting the title in 1997.

However, going unbeaten to do so is entirely another matter. It is tough to go undefeated in a major conference, and then win the national title.

For openers, only one team (Utah at 13-0) went undefeated last season, and that happened because Utah does not play in a major conference. It the Utes played in the SEC, Pacific 10, Big 12 or Big Ten Conferences, there is no way they would be undefeated.

Florida, Southern Cal and Texas all lost a game last season. Oklahoma and Alabama were beaten twice.

You may be interested to know that the best team in the nation statistically last year was not Florida, which won the National Championship by beating Oklahoma 24-14, but rather Southern Cal. That's right, USC. Maybe that is why Florida won; they were playing Oklahoma and not Southern Cal for the title.

Oklahoma had a great offensive team-ranking 1st nationally in scoring (51+ points), 3rd in passing offense (349+ yards per game) and 3rd in total offense (547+), but the Sooner defense was nothing to get excited about. They were 99th in pass defense, 68th in total defense and 58th scoring defense. There are only 119 BCS (Division 1-A) teams.

Florida's pass defense was ranked 20th, and the Gators held Oklahoma to only 14 points, despite Oklahoma having the No. 1 scoring offense in the country. Shoot, the Sooners scored 51 points a game but gave up 24 a game, exactly what Florida scored to win the title. The Gators were ranked 4th in scoring defense, giving up only 13 (12.93) points a game. That shows you how accurate averaged statistics can be over the course of a season.

Texas was horrific in passing defense, ranking 104th of 119 teams. You may recall that Texas Tech beat Texas last year 39-33 on a pass play by NFL first-round pick Michael Crabtree. Texas A&M got swamped by Texas last year 49-9, in part because Texas A&M's passing defense was ranked 95th, only slightly better than Texas, which had the 7th best passing offense.

Alabama was 7th in scoring offense last year, but its passing offense was 97th (yikes) and its total offense was only 63rd. The Crimson Tide defense won most of their games, ranking 2nd in rushing defense, 3rd in total defense and 7th in scoring defense. Sounds a whole lot like their coach Nick Seban.

So what is the big deal with Southern Cal? Well, its offense was pretty balanced, ranking 22nd in rushing, passing and scoring. The defense was the best in the nation, ranking 1st in passing defense and 1st in scoring defense, 2nd in total defense, and 5th in rushing defense.

Think about it, leading the nation in 2 defensive categories and being among the top 5 in rushing and passing defense, total defense and scoring defense. USC's one loss came on the road at Oregon State, 27-21.

Was USC unfairly penalized by the pollsters when selecting the BCS title game participants? I think so. Heck, Alabama lost 31-20 to Florida on the road, so the Gators deserved a shot.

But Oklahoma? Get real. The Sooners lost to Texas at home, 45-35. Just the score of the game itself makes you shiver, 80 points between them, as opposed to 48 points between USC and Oregon State, and USC was on the road. If Oklahoma thinks Oregon State (9-4 last year) was a pushover, they should play the Beavers at home, where they were 5-1, losing only to Oregon.

So what does it all mean? Well, Oklahoma was the best offensive team in the country last year, and Southern Cal was the best defensive team; there is no argument when you look at the statistics.

Despite being the best offensive team in the country, Oklahoma could not beat Florida, losing 24-14. Southern Cal, which dispatched No. 6 Penn State 31-16, in the BCS Rose Bowl Game, might well have held Florida to fewer than 24 points. We will never know.

What we do know is that Southern Cal had a better passing offense, a more balanced offense, and a much better passing defense than Florida.

There is a reason why the Sagarin College Football Ratings show Southern Cal, not Florida, as the top team in its 2009 preseason poll. That reason is because the ratings are based on last year's actual statistics and results, not opinion.

As I see it, Florida was fortunate that it faced Oklahoma, which has lost 4 of its last 5 BCS games. In other words, lame like Ohio State, which has lost two straight BCS National Championship Games to Florida and LSU in 2006 and 2007, and then lost again to Texas in its BCS game last year.

Let's just say it-the East Coast bias among coaches and media is really bad. Two factors drive this inequity. One is population as 58% of the people (approximately 175 of 300 million) live on the East Coast. The second is the time difference as the West Coast is 3 hours behind the East Coast.

When media types get done watching football games Saturday around 10:30 p.m. EST, key games are just beginning on the West Coast and are never seen by poll voters. They are overwhelmed with watching East Coast football, and remain a servant slave to it.

If the powers to be had any size grapefruits at all, when Florida got rid of Oklahoma, their next assignment for the national title should have been Southern Cal, and then we would have seen the rubber hit the road.

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Read more of my football coverage, including:

"Back-to-Back Winning Seasons and Bowl Appearances Say Michigan State Is Back"
"Look for Steve Sarkisian to Turn Around Washington's Woeful Football Program"
"Not Being Selected Among the Top 25 in the Preseason Coaches' Poll Is the Kiss of Death - You Have No BCS Title Shot"
Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Football Team in 2008.
Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Coaching Staff in 2008.
Individual Articles on All 34 of College Football's 2008 Bowl Games.
15 Weekly Wrap-Up Articles on College Football's 2008 Regular Season Games.
Articles on the Washington Huskies (0-12) 2008 Football Season.
Articles on the Michigan State Spartans (9-4) 2008 Football Season.
Articles on College Football's 2007 Regular Season and Bowl Games.

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Nash Couldn't be Happier to be Home

Our Cup Correspondent Steve Nash was so excited to be returning to his birthplace for the first time in 35 years, until he ran into the vuvuzelas. For more World Cup coverage and Nash updates visit www.cbssports.com www.twitter.com www.facebook.com



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIqTi8FUum4&hl=en

GOAL 2 living the dream movie part 1

GOAL 2 living the dream movie part 1



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTT6Y4mHkAw&hl=en

Skillful Assists

Music: Bond - Victory (Mike Batt Mix)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atSYJoW0OiE&hl=en

2010 NCAA Football Predictions

With spring practice in the books, it's time to start making your 2010 college football predictions. I give mine below with the teams I predict will finish in the Top-10, along with a few teams just outside of it as well as my national champion.

Top-10 Teams for 2010-11 Season:

1.) Alabama - I smell a repeat with the pieces Nick Saban has in place. It took this excellent college football coach only three years to bring a title back to Crimson Tide country, and he is primed to win another this year. That's because all of his playmakers are back on offense, from QB Greg McElroy to the RB tandem of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, all the way to WR's Julio Jones and Marquis Maze. This offense should be even more explosive than it was a year ago. Only two starters return from the No. 2 defense in the nation last season, but Saban has gotten the recruits that should have this unit near the top of the defensive rankings again in 2010. The Tide host Florida in Tuscaloosa, their biggest competition to come out of the SEC. They could slip up once along the way, but even a 1-loss Alabama team will be making a return trip to the national championship this season, and they'll win it all again.

2.) Ohio State - I'm convinced that this is Terrelle Pryor's breakout year. He finished strong last season, earning the MVP in their Rose Bowl win over Oregon after accounting for 338 yards of offense. The Buckeyes have won 5 straight Big Ten titles, and have earned a trip to a BCS bowl seven of the past eight seasons. Tressel is 36-4 in the Big Ten over the past five years and the Scarlet and Grey will be standing atop this conference again come season's end.

3.) Boise State - 20 starters return, led by QB Kellen Moore who owns a 26-1 record as a starter. The Broncos went 14-0 last season and playing in the WAC makes another unbeaten campaign a likely scenario. If they can beat Virginia Tech in Landover, Maryland in their season opener, the sky is the limit for this team. It would be hard to keep another unbeaten Broncos team out of a national title shot.

4.) Nebraska - Playing in the weak Big 12 North, the Huskers will make a return trip to the Big 12 Championship game, and they'll win it this time around after falling just seconds short of knocking off Texas last year. Nebraska welcomes back 18 starters from last year's squad, and once again they'll be led by a defense that ranked No. 1 in points allowed last season at 10.4 PPG. The Huskers get Texas at home on October 16th, a game where I see them having their revenge.

5.) TCU - The Horned Frogs bring back nine starters from an offense that averaged 38.3 PPG last year. QB Andy Dalton leads the way, and TCU is primed for a return trip to the BCS with the playmakers he has at his disposal. Not to mention, the Frogs had the No. 1 defense in the country in terms of yards allowed, surrendering just 239.7 YPG. Their non-conference schedule includes Baylor at home and Oregon State in Arlington, Texas. These two games will likely decide their fate as they have an excellent chance to run the table in a down MWC.

6.) Virginia Tech - Offense will actually be a strength this season for the Hokies, behind QB Tyrod Taylor and the RB duo of Ryan Williams and Darren Evans. Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale are two big targets for Taylor, who can create on his own similar to what Michael Vick brought to this team back in his hay day. National title hopes are on the line in their opener with Boise State.

7.) Iowa - The Hawkeyes continue knocking on Ohio State's doorstep this season. They took the Buckeyes to overtime at the Shoe with the Big Ten title on the line, only to fall in overtime. But that game represented the second contest that Ricky Stanzi missed due to injury, and the Hawkeyes lost both games he was out, also falling to Northwestern. Iowa started last year 9-0 and with their biggest conference games against Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State all being played in Iowa City, I like their chances to give the Buckeyes a run for their money again this year. Another BCS appearance is a likely possibility with Stanzi back and all four starting defensive linemen returning, including big-time NFL prospect Adrian Clayborn.

8.) Florida - The Gators will almost certainly take a step back this season with the loss of Tim Tebow and several key pieces along the defensive front. Still, Urban Meyer has the recruits in place who can step in and have the Gators not suffer too big of a drop-off. QB John Brantley has a big arm and Florida could be an even better passing team this year, but you cannot replace the intangibles that Tebow brought to the table. Once again, Alabama stands in Florida's way from winning an SEC title.

9.) Texas - Like Florida, the Longhorns will have to replace their all-everything QB in Colt McCoy. Garrett Gilbert has the credentials coming out of high school, but this is another level and he struggled replacing McCoy in the title game against Alabama. With a full year to prepare to be the next big thing in Texas, Gilbert should be as ready as he can be. But you cannot replace the most successful QB in college football history, and that's the task that lies ahead for him. Texas is the only Big 12 South contender heading into this season with no starting experience at QB, so a defense that features an excellent secondary will have to carry this team.

10.) Oklahoma - Despite winning just eight games a year ago, the Sooners were not far off from being one of the top teams in the country. They lost four of five games by a combined 12 points, and only a long list of injuries kept them from being a national title contender. Bradford, Gresham and McCoy are gone, and they will not be easy to replace, but young players got valuable experience last season when forced into action and that should pay off this year. QB Landry Jones has the keys to the offense and he has WR Ryan Broyles and RB DeMarco Murray to make plays for him. That's if the offensive line holds up, which doesn't look too promising at this point. The Sooners should be there in the end, as they've finished inside the Top-11 in all but two seasons since 2000.

Next 5 Teams - Wisconsin, USC, Pittsburgh, Arkansas, Miami

If you want to beat the college football lines this season, then be sure to check out NCAA football picks to guide you to monster profits in 2010.

College Football

Should the UK Get to Have Four National Football Teams Representing Them?

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as it is formally known is one nation under one flag with all its citizens holding one passport and one nationality yet they have four national football teams to represent them. This despite the fact that they are a nation with a population that is about the size of Germany with territorial space that is half the size of France. All of which in my opinion making it unfair that they be allowed to present four national football teams to the world cup when all other nations are only allowed one.

Of course, in this argument I am aware that the average Briton would respond that they are four nations that make up one. This being the case since the UK is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which to a certain extent are not the same country though all their inhabitants are considered subjects (not citizens since they are a constitutional monarchy) of the same country yet it is to this argument that I would respond in the following manner. Before its disintegration the USSR or CCCP was also one nation comprised of many different nationalities, after all that is why it was called the "Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics" with an emphasis on the word republics; among them being Ukraine, Latvia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Estonia and other countries. It even being a case where some of these countries were larger than not only England but the UK as a whole and had even been for the most part of their history completely independent yet despite this factor the Soviet Union played as one nation and not each republic independently.

Another argument presented by the British to keep the present situation and this one perhaps being the strongest, is that since England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own separate football leagues; they should also have their own national teams. As that is how it has always been. I however fail to see this as reason to justify four national teams to represent one country and again I use the case of the Soviet Union. It being they who also could have easily established or allowed separate leagues in each Republic that was a part of their country and by doing so they also would have had several teams to represent them in world football which in their case would have been 13 national teams.

The UK however is represented by one team during the Olympics as they are in many sports though for the reason of separate leagues they are not in either football or rugby yet I feel that if they can make one team to represent them in some sports then they should be able or rather be forced to do the same in football and rugby as well. Regarding the next Olympic games to take place in London however, it has already been decided that there will be for the first time a football team called UK.

Of course I am also aware that a lot of people from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England would not be happy with one team to represent them but if one thinks over the matter; it is unfair to the rest that they should get four teams when everybody else only gets one. I however for my part feel that a united team would be stronger and have more depth as I could imagine how it would have been back in the sixties to see George Best on the same team with Bobby Charlton. This a combination that obviously worked for Manchester United in 68 when they won the European championship. As for other combinations which also could have proven suitable on the field, I could think of Jordan, Keegan, Dalglish and Brookings in the 70s or Lineker, Shilton, Rush, Armstrong and Whiteside in the 80s or Gigs and Gascoigne in the 90s yet it was not to be though perhaps it should have been.

Another reason perhaps why one team would be a good thing for all is that in all reality England is the strongest of these teams. As they have the best record of the four in the world cup by far; this leading to many players from the other countries choosing to play for England. This given that with England they stand a much better chance of not only playing in the world cup but of possibly even winning it.

This the case since in all frankness, Northern Ireland has only qualified to three world cups with their last appearance being in 86 in which they failed to make the second round or even win a match. It also being that probably their greatest player; "George Best" never got to taste the glory of a world cup.

As for Wales, though theirs was to play well and go out with their dignity in 58 (after only loosing 1-0 to a great Brazilian team in quarterfinals); they have not qualified to another world cup since or even really come all that close to doing so. All of which perhaps making some Welsh players choose to play for England instead given how they may present a case of having lived in England longer than in Wales and since the nationality is the same; it should not represent a problem to choose England over Wales.

As for Scotland, I have come to believe (jokingly of course) that if four out of four teams could move on in to the second round; they would find a way not to qualify. This being the situation since in 7 world cups and 2 European cups, they never managed to go beyond the first round. This despite the fact that in the 86 and 90 world cups which they played in, 16 out of 24 teams qualified. Actually looking back they would have qualified to the next round in 82 had they been using the system which was used in the 86, 90 and 94 world cups but unfortunately for the Scots it was not. Scotland would also manage the feat of not qualifying further than the first round in the European championship in 96 which by virtue of being held in England was practically played in their own country.

Regarding England, it is they who are the most successful team to come from the British isles since it is they who have not only won a World Cup but have managed a fourth place and to qualify to most of the world cups they have participated in yet I wonder how much stronger their team would have been with Best in Mexico 70 or Jordan, Gemmil and Dalglish in 74 and 78 or with Gigs in 2002. All of which making me of the idea that perhaps it is high time the British thought of having one strong team instead of four weaker ones.

In conclusion I would like to claim that I believe (along with many others) that it is really unfair that one country get to have four teams to represent them even if they have four leagues, as the Soviet Union with all its republics could have easily done likewise yet choose to have one team represent them. Naturally in all this, I am equally aware that such thinking could lead some to ask if it is really fair that the UK also get to have more teams represent them in European cups such as the Champion's League and UEFA Cup?

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled "New York's Opera Society" which is now available on Amazon.