The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition

It’s Friday! While you've been practicing your touchdown dance, we put together everything you need to know for this weekend’s divisional round of the NFL playoffs. It’s almost Super Bowl time.  

Bust a move,

The LNG Team

NFL (National Football League) 

  • Hi, I'm the new guy. San Francisco 49ers hire former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. According to ESPN, Kelly received a four-year deal worth $24 million.  
  • It’s going down for real. What you really need to know about this weekend’s NFL playoff games is that the teams are riddled with injuries. At this point it is survival of the fittest.  

Saturday

Kansas City Chiefs vs New England Patriots, 4:35 pm (EST) on CBS

Game notes

  • Led by quarterback Alex Smith, the Chiefs are coming off a 30-0 domination of the Houston Texans in the wild card round last weekend.
  • The Chiefs have won 11 games in a row.
  • In one of the more bizarre stories of the season, Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones (brother of UFC Champion Jon Jones), showed up at the Foxborough police station early Sunday morning on foot, shirtless and disoriented. He was transported to hospital where he stayed all day. The diagnosis? A bad reaction to "synthetic marijuana," which is legal in Massachusetts. Jones did not miss any practice this week and he is unlikely to receive any type of discipline.
  • Not to be outdone, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick showed up to a Monday press conference with a black eye.

Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardinals, 8:15 pm (EST) on NBC

Game notes

  • The Packers seemed to find their rhythm last week, beating Washington Redskins 35-18 in the wild card round. 
  • Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, comes alive in playoffs.
  • Cardinals dismantled Packers 38-8 on December 27th
  • Injuries have decimated Packers offensive line.
  • Led by 36-year-old quarterback, Carson Palmer, Cardinals had their best season in franchise history (13 wins).
  • Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians started coaching football in 1975 at Virginia Tech. He became one of the oldest first time NFL coaches at age 60. The Cardinals named him head coach in 2013.

Sunday

Seattle Seahawks vs Carolina Panthers, 1:05 pm (EST) on FOX

Game notes

  • Panthers beat Seahawks in Seattle earlier in the season, 27-23.
  • Both teams feature a punishing defense. 
  • It feels like Seahawks are a team of destiny after beating the Vikings last weekend when the Vikings kicker missed an easy 27-yard field goal to lose the game.
  • Seahawks are expected to have their top running back, Marshawn Lynch, back from an injury.
  • Panthers are led by top MVP candidate, quarterback Cam Newton.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Denver Broncos, 4:40 pm (EST) on CBS

Game notes

  • Steelers beat Broncos, 34-27, on December 20th.
  • Steelers are the only team to score 30+ points on Broncos all season.
  • Injuries have depleted the Steelers' offense this week. One of the most notable injuries is Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, who sustained a concussion in last week’s game.  He is still under concussion protocol and will not play.
  • Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will start for first time since week 10 due to a foot injury.
  • Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will likely have his mother in attendance at his game for the first time ever. His mom was sent to prison when Thomas was 11, along with his grandmother, for drug charges. She was originally scheduled to get out in 2017, but her sentenced was reduced when President Obama shortened 46 sentences for non-violent drug charges.

NCAA Basketball (College)

Overtime

  • Vikings kicker, Blair Walsh, was not a fan favorite after missing the game winning field goal in last week's playoff game. First graders at a local Minnesota elementary school wrote Walsh letters of encouragement as part of a lesson in empathy. Their kind words of support were acknowledged by Walsh when he paid the students a visit. 

Sideline stat

  • Number one ranked American golfer Jordan Spieth signed a multiyear deal with Coca-Cola that would make him the face of the brand. The exact numbers of the deal have not been released. The 22-year-old made an estimated $30 million in endorsements in 2015.

Coaches’ Corner

  • What is the NFL’s concussion protocol?  We've been hearing so much about concussions in the NFL and their concussion protocol, put into place to protect the health of the players. As expected, it’s complicated but The Washington Post’s Liz Clarke did a great job of breaking down the four-page concussion protocol document into layman’s terms. The five steps in the concussion protocol consist of:
  1. Rest and recovery. 
  2. Light aerobic exercise. 
  3. Continued aerobic exercise, introduction of strength training.
  4. Football-specific work. 
  5. Full football activity, full clearance. 

Note: There is no set timetable for the player’s return to the game. Every case is treated differently.

For more information or to read the whole story, visit our source, The Washington Post.

 

The Rundown: Buy Me A Sports Team

We're sure you were up all night dreaming away about what you could buy with your $1.5 billion in lottery winnings. Ever dreamt about buying a sports team with your winnings? Read on to find out which one you could afford. You might even have a little leftover for a nice new pair of Jimmy Choos.

Rolling in the dough,

The LNG Team

Buy me a sports team

  • Talk about window shopping. Have you ever wondered what it would cost to buy a sports team? We've compiled a list of teams you could buy with your $1.5 billion lottery winnings. We’re not your tax people so consult your tax consultant beforehand as you know Uncle Sam will want a piece of your dough (but that’s not part of our fantasy so we’re sticking with the $1.5 billion).  

MLB (Major League Baseball)

There are 24 teams you could call your own. Just a few to note:

  • St. Louis Cardinals ($1.4 billion)
  • New York Mets ($1.3 billion)
  • Los Angeles Angels ($1.3 billion)
  • Washington Nationals ($1.2 billion)
  • Cheapest team - Tampa Bay Rays ($625 million)
  • Most expensive - New York Yankees ($3.2 billon)

MLS (Major League Soccer)

You could have your pick of the litter and buy any team you’d like. We’ll take two.

  • Cheapest team - Colorado Rapids ($105 million)
  • Most expensive - Seattle Sounders ($225 million)

NBA (National Basketball Association)

There are 23 teams that you could afford (heck even a few after they take out the taxes). Some you may have heard of:

  • Golden State Warriors ($1.3 billion)
  • Miami Heat ($1.2 billion)
  • San Antonio Spurs ($1 billion)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers ($915 million)
  • Cheapest team - Milwaukee Bucks ($600 million)
  • Most expensive - Los Angeles Lakers ($2.6 billion)

NFL (National Football League)

There are seven teams in your price range. The most notable are:

  • Cleveland Browns ($1.5 billion)
  • St Louis Rams ($1.45 billion)
  • Oakland Raiders ($1.43 billion)
  • Cheapest team - Buffalo Bills ($1.4 billion)
  • Most expensive - Dallas Cowboys ($3.2 billion)

NHL (National Hockey League) 

You could skate on the ice in any of these cites.

  • Cheapest team - Florida Panthers ($185 million)
  • Most expensive - New York Rangers ($1.2 billion)

We can dream. The world's most expensive sports franchise is soccer team Real Madrid, valued at $3.26 billion. 

(Source for all the team’s valuations – forbes.com)

NCAA Basketball (College)  

  • And you thought you had a bad night. #1 Kansas was upset last night by #11 West Virginia, 74-63.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • The end is near. All-star voting ends January 18th. Vote now for your favorite players.   

NFL(National Football League)

  • 2Pac would be proud. In the league meetings yesterday, NFL Owners approved the move of the St. Louis Rams. Construction will begin immediately on stadium in Inglewood, CA, although it will not be completed until 2019. The team will move from St. Louis this upcoming season and most likely to play in the Coliseum. The Coliseum is where University of Southern California (USC) plays their home games and where the LA Rams played from 1946 -1995 before moving to St Louis. 

Rams owner Stan Kroenke will fund the building of the stadium on his own, estimated at $1.8 billion. San Diego Chargers will have a year to decide if they would also like to move to Inglewood. If they decline the Oakland Raiders will have the option to move.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

  • We’ll always have Saturday Night. UFC President Dana White announced that Ronda Rousey will not return for UFC 200 in July. This fight card is predicted to be the biggest in history of MMA. On another note, Rousey is hosting Saturday Night Live next Saturday, January 23rd).
  • Who’s next? The card for UFC 197 (March 5th) has been announced. It will include two title fights.
  1. In the bantamweight division (135 pounds) - Holly Holm (champion) vs Meisha Tate
  2. Conor McGregor (featherweight titleholder) vs Rafael Dos Anjos (lightweight titleholder). Conor McGregor is 145 pound champ and UFC’s biggest draw. In an unprecedented move, McGregor is moving up a weight class (to 155 pounds) to fight for this belt.

Overtime

  • Barcelona Forward, Lionel Messi, won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. The award recognized the 28-year-old Argentine as the men’s world player of the year for the fifth time.
  • American Carli Lloyd received the same honor for the ladies. The 33-year-old U.S. Soccer star was recognized as the best woman soccer player in the world. You go girl. 

Sideline Stat

  • He could have their own football team. Jets Cornerback Antonio Cromartie and his wife are expecting twins. Usually a joyous occasion, except Cromartie had a vasectomy in 2011. Likely because he has 10 kids with eight different women. Cue the music Kanye, “win a Super Bowl and drive off in a Hyundai.”

Coaches’ Corner

  • Alabama Offensive Coach, Lane Kiffin, was left behind at the stadium by the team bus after the big win in Monday night’s championship game. He eventually got a ride home with Head Coach Nick Saban.

Maybe Kiffin should consider a second job as an Uber driver as he has a history of being left behind. The most notorious episode was when he was pulled off the USC team bus at the airport, fired and then the bus left without him, leaving him stranded to get his own ride back from LAX.  

The Rundown: National Championship Game Special Edition

We haven’t had that much fun on a Monday night since Margarita Monday was invented. The battle between the top two teams in college football during last night’s National Championship game did not disappoint.

Grab your coffee and read on for the game highlights.

Alabama for the win,

The LNG Team

College Football Playoff National Championship Game

 Alabama Crimson Tide 45 vs University of Clemson Tigers 40

  • Game notes
    • This game was full of momentum swings and it was an extremely competitive game between two of the NCAA’s best teams. 
    • Heisman Trophy winner, Derrick Henry (Alabama) proved he’s got game by scoring three touchdowns.
    • Special teams made the difference in the game. An onside kick and a kickoff return for a touchdown sealed the win for Alabama. (“Special teams” refers the squad of specialists who are used for punts, kickoffs and other special plays.)
    • Alabama tight end, O.J. Howard scored two touchdowns last night. Prior to this game he had not scored a touchdown since 2013. 
    • Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson had a great game and accounted for 478 of his team’s 550 yards.  
    • It was an emotional night for Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. He has had a college football career that includes losing his starting place to a future Heisman Trophy winner, a school transfer, losing his starting job again and then earning it back. It was a bittersweet win for Coker as his brother, Patrick, is serving in the Air Force in the Middle East and was unable to be at the game but he did watch it on TV. Jake called his brother his hero and an inspiration. 
    • This was Alabama’s fourth title in seven seasons and head coach Nick Saban’s fifth title of his career.
  •  Key Play
    • Alabama head coach, Nick Saban, pulled out a trick play in the fourth quarter that swung the momentum in favor of Alabama. Alabama went for an onside kick and recovered it. 

Overtime

  • Ciara, girlfriend of Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback, Russell Wilson, sang the National Anthem and looked stunning (and controversial) in white. 

 Sideline Stat

  • With 12 seconds left in the game, Clemson scored what some might think was a meaningless touchdown to make it 45-40. It was not meaningless if you bet on the game in Las Vegas. The “spread” had Alabama favored by seven points (meaning they had to win by more than seven points). That last second touchdown caused many to lose their bet. This is known as getting "back doored," when a meaningless score at end of game ruins the spread.

Wynn Sportsbook Director Johnny Avello told ESPN that in Vegas alone, an estimated $10 million swung from one side to the other with the late touchdown by the Tigers.

Coaches’ Corner

  • What’s the Heisman? The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (or The Heisman for short) is awarded every season to the most outstanding player in US college football whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity, according to Heisman.com. This award is not exclusive to one academic year – it is open to all eligible players. The winner is chosen by three categories of voters:
  1. Sports journalists
  2. Previous Heisman winners.
  3. Fans. A partnership with Nissan gives the fans a vote. Votes are tabulated through an ESPN survey and the fan vote constitutes one vote. 

You’ll probably recognize a lot of the previous winners as they star in the funny “Nissan Heisman House” commercials. Are you intrigued and want to learn more or see the full list? Click here to check it out. 

 

 

 

 

 

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