Von Miller

The Rundown: 5 Things to Know about the NFL

Are you ready for some football? The NFL regular season starts tomorrow night and we can see the excitement written all over your face. Don’t worry, even if you’re not planning to watch one game, we have you covered so you can still talk shop with the best of them. 

Huddle up,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – We are working on a football FAQ to answer all of your curious football questions. Stay tuned! Have one you want us to answer? Email us!

Five things to know about the 2016 NFL season

  1. The season is longer than Taylor Swift’s last relationship - it starts in September and ends with the Super Bowl, which is typically the first Sunday in February. Over 17.6 million fans saw a game in person last season.   
  2. This year, four regular season NFL games will be played outside of the U.S. with three games in Europe and and one in Mexico City. There’s an agreement in place to play a game in China in 2018.  
  3. NFL does not have fully guaranteed contracts like the NBA and MLB where a player’s contracts states they will receive the full amount no matter what. Football players play one of the most demanding sports but they can face a career ending injury and not be paid out the contract balance. Although some players have been able to negotiate in a cushion. For example, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck signed a six-year, $120 million deal; of that $87 million guaranteed. 
  4. The NFL was a tax exempt organization from 1942-2015 despite the fact that television rights fees, licensing agreements, sponsorships, ticket sales and other revenue earned by the 32 teams were all taxed. Dropping this status means that the NFL will no longer have to disclose important financial information such as Commissioner Roger Goodell’s $44 million salary. 
  5. According to Vegas Insider, these teams are the favorites to win Super Bowl 51 :
    1. New England Patriots
    2. Green Bay Packers
    3. Seattle Seahawks
    4. Pittsburgh Steelers
    5. Carolina Panthers

NFL (National Football League)

  • Here we go! The NFL season will kick off tomorrow night with a rematch of Super Bowl 50. The Carolina Panthers will take on Denver Broncos in Denver. Tune in to see if Cam Newton will be giving away footballs to kids or if Super Bowl MVP Von Miller will be dancing his way to victory.  
  • Slap in the face. Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has been an analyst for FOX NFL since 2001. Despite his tenure, FOX signed Aikman’s nemesis Skip Bayless for his own show this fall. Aikman and Bayless have a history of bad blood stemming from the time Bayless claimed in his book that Aikman was gay - without any proof. "To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman said. 
  • Quick recovery. Houston Texans standout defensive player JJ Watt has been cleared to play in week one after undergoing back surgery in July.

Overtime

  • UFC’s Miesha Tate flexed her muscles for good over the weekend. She was hiking Nevada’s Mt. Charleston when she came across a little girl, Kai, who had broken her arm while hiking with her mom. Mom was struggling to get Kai down the mountain so Tate picked her up and carried her down the rest of the two-mile trail. Afterward, there was no shortage of mutual love going on between the two on social media.   

Sideline stat

Coaches’ corner

  • It takes a strong woman to be the head coach of the house during football season and the NFL has its fair share of celebrity power couples who do just that.
    • Singer Ciara and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
    • New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and model Giselle Bündchen
    • TV star and designer Kristin (Cavallari) Cutler and Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler
    • New York Jets receiver Eric Decker and singer Jessie James Decker
    • Actress Olivia Munn and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

The Rundown: Five Things You Should Know About The Daytona 500

Grammy fever took to the field Monday night with the the bright lights and excitement carrying over to the the 58th annual running of the Daytona 500 is this weekend in Daytona, FL. We’ve consulted our experts to bring you riveting details of the race so you’re in the know. 

Shake and bake,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Five things you should know about the Daytona 500

  1. The Daytona 500 kicks off the NASCAR season. 
  2. This is the highest paying race of the season. (Last year's winner took home $1.5 million). 
  3. Only nine pole position starters (i.e. best starting spot) have won the race. This year’s pole setter is 20-year-old Chase Elliott. Chase is the son of Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott who won Daytona 500 in 1985 and 1987. 
  4. The field (i.e. all the car/drivers in the race) is made up of 40 drivers.
  5. The race cannot end under a caution flag. The race will be extended to ensure the finish is in regulation.

Fasten your seatbelt and watch the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 21st at Noon (EST) on FOX. 

NCAA basketball (College)  

  • Cruise on down the road. It’s rivalry week in college basketball with the big game happening tonight, Duke vs North Carolina (9 pm EST on ESPN). These rival schools are just eight miles apart via “Tobacco Road.” These teams hold the record for most meetings as ranked opponents in college basketball history (74 times).

NFL (National Football League)

  • Big baller. The NFL published Commissioner Roger Goodell’s salary for 2014. Goodell made $34 million in 2014, which is down from $35 million in 2013 and $44 million in 2012. 

Overtime

  • Taylor Swift may have taken home the big trophy at the Grammys, however Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was the real winner with the hottest date in the joint, singer Ciara.
  • The boys proved fashion isn’t simply for the ladies. Grammy presenters and NFL stars Anquan Boldin and Von Miller channeled their inner fashionistas. Miller wore a jacket that would make Elton John proud.

Sideline Stat

  • Banker Nathan Schoenfeld was reportedly giving his kids a bath on Monday when he received a message that the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) needed him the next day as backup goalie due to an injury to their starter goalie. Schoenfeld had worked with the team in the past and played hockey at Arizona State University. He was never needed in the game but he rode the bench with pride.  

Coaches’ Corner

  • In racing, what’s a caution flag? Racing flags provide an opportunity for NASCAR to communicate with the drivers via a flagman located at the start/finish line. The caution flag is yellow and it warns the drivers to slow down to a predetermined speed. The caution flag is usually out when there is an accident or debris on the track.
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The Rundown: The Weekend Wrap Up - Super Bowl Edition

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In case you missed it, the Super Bowl was yesterday. If you prefer ruffhousing, you probably turned on the Puppy Bowl. 

We learned yesterday that defense wins championships. That, and the fact that the City of Denver is going to have an influx of babies born in nine months.  

Lady Gaga slayed it as did Denver's defense.

World Champs,

The LNG Team

Super Bowl 50

  • Denver won with a final score of 24-10 in a lackluster Super Bowl
  • #1 defense (Broncos) stifled the #1 offense (Panthers)
  • Panthers were heavily favored going into the game but Broncos closed out the season beating two huge favorites (Patriots & Panthers).
  • The turf was less than ideal. Players we’re slipping and sliding all over like a foam party. 
  • Denver's defense sacked Panthers quarterback Cam Newton six times and forced four turnovers. 
  • Broncos' defense held the Panthers to their lowest point total of the year.
  • Broncos' offense was not impressive either, only gaining 194 total yards (fewest ever by Super Bowl winning team).
  • Peyton Manning won his second Super Bowl. He did not answer retirement questions but he did share said he’s going to drink a lot of Budweiser after the game. 
  • The MVP of the game was Broncos linebacker Von Miller who had 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles, one of which resulted in a touchdown. He also said he wants to be a chicken farmer when he retires. Seems reasonable. 

Musical Performances

  • To say that Lady Gaga rocked the National Anthem is an understatement. (Although we thought the Super Bowl would have been a perfect occasion for her to once again break out the meat dress). Her performance drew rave reviews throughout the world. Two snaps.
  • The reviews on halftime were mixed. The Queen B (Beyoncé) didn’t really add much to the show. Coldplay came out strong and were entertaining but the show lacked the normal fireworks and flare that a Super Bowl halftime show has. Bruno Mars stole the show with his dance moves and a little Uptown Funk.

Commercials

  • The votes are in and according to our team of experts here are some the best and worst commercials are:

Top

Worst

  • Heinz: Meet the Ketchups – How do you screw up an ad that starts with a herd of wiener dogs dressed like hot dogs? It can be done.
  • Pokemon: Train On – Pokemon is 20. Yay says no one. All we got out of that ad is feeling like we’re old. What’s next? Pogs?
  • Mountain Dew: PuppyMonkeyBaby - Personally we thought this was one of the weirdest ads. It was showcasing three great things combined into one – just like Mountain Dew’s new drink. Critics seem to love this commercial but we’ll be having nightmares about a PuppyMonkeyBaby for years to come.  

You can catch all of the ads here. 

In other NFL News

  • Honorable. During the NFL Honors Saturday, the top awards for the season were announced.
    • Defensive Player of the Year- J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
    • Comeback Player of the Year- Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs (he came back from battling lymphoma)
    • Offensive Rookie of the Year- Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams
    • Defensive Rookie of the Year- Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs
    • Coach of the Year- Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
    • League MVP- Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
    • Walter Payton Man of the Year Award – Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers (an award for community outreach. He made a great speech).
  • Report to class. The new class of the NFL Hall of Fame Inductees were also announced on Saturday night. The new class is led by quarterback Brett Farve. They will be formally inducted on August 6th.  
  • Peace out. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (age 29) subtly announces his retirement with an emoji and a photo via twitter. Lynch has reportedly not spent any of his contract money he earned during his nine year career. He has lived strictly on money earned from endorsements.
 

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