Tag Archives: Super Bowl

Aug 3 2012

Happy Birthday, Tom Brady!

Tom Brady celebrates his 35th Birthday on Friday, August 3. (Photo Credit: NFLPassers.com)

By NoontimeSports.com

Today, Friday, August 3, marks New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s 35th Birthday. And despite his urge to continue learning and improving, he certainly has a lot to celebrate, and be proud of, too.

Ever since he became a member of the National Football League, Brady has won three Super Bowl titles, and five American Football Conference championships. He’s also a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro.

Since the Patriots drafted him in 2000, he’s tallied 39,979 passing yards, 300 touchdowns, and 3,397 completions.

His best year as a pro came during the 2007 season when he broke the single-season touchdown record with 50 strikes to the end zone. Randy Moss collected 23 touchdowns that year, which catapulted him past Jerry Rice as the single-season leader in touchdown receptions.

Last season, Brady led his unit to Super Bowl XLVI, but sadly, the outcome was rather similar to Super Bowl XLII, as the New York Giants defeated New England, 21-17.

This year, the New England gunslinger seems more poised than ever, and certainly appears hungry for his fourth ring.

The Patriots begin their season on Sunday, September 9, when they travel to Tennessee to face the Titans.

Aug 11 2011

NFL Preseason Comments, Questions and Thoughts

The 2011 NFL Preseason kicks-off on Thursday, however, despite it not being the regular season, we still have questions!

By Matt Noonan 

It’s Thursday, but not just any ordinary Thursday, yet instead, the official kick-off to the 2011 NFL preseason. So, with that being said, here are a few hot topics to get you set for some early pigskin action, enjoy.

To Play or Not to Play: Preseason football is usually the time when coaches don’t normally play their starters. However, due to this past off-season being condensed into the past few weeks, it should be expected that the main players, (first-team) should attempt to play roughly one quarter. Yet, don’t be fooled if you see back-ups or third-string players that won’t make the roster in September. Although, due to the lockout, it’s also possible that all 32-teams will most likely hold out a majority of their starters, so they don’t sustain any injuries. In fact, almost every team has experienced the “injury bug,” due to no practices the past few months, as well as the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) reconstruction.

Tim Tebow vs. Tony Romo: Thursday will mark yet another intriguing matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. In fact, these teams have met quite frequently during the month of August; however, this year in particular is an important one, especially for both quarterbacks, Tony Romo and Tim Tebow.

Romo, who according to multiple league sources is on his “game,” yet, what exactly does that mean? Some analysts believe he’s destined to have a Pro-Bowl season, but again, it’s too early to tell, right? Expect Romo and his offense to be somewhat in-sync against an average Broncos defense, but again, it’s still too early to predict Romo’s season numbers.

So, instead of barking about Romo’s past five-seasons in the league, why don’t you turn your attention to Denver, Colorado, where besides the Rockies, the Broncos have encountered some issues. Yet, what exactly is the matter with Denver’s football team? Well, according to some, there’s a quarterback controversy, but is that entirely true?

Seriously, quarterback,Kyle Orton, drives this offense, not Tim Tebow. However, while the youngster is waiting in the wings, it’ll be expected that he won’t be handed the starting position, especially if he plays flawless football for the next few weeks. He’ll be the starter one day, but in the meantime, he needs to slam on the breaks, as well as understand that he’ll only improve if he listens and watches Orton under center.

Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles kick-off their preseason slate on Thursday, however, are they truly a team that is destined to win the Super Bowl?

Possible Super Bowl Preview: The Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles will meet under the lights of Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday; yet, some believe this could be a possible Super Bowl preview. However, I think not. In fact, it’s way too early to predict, which teams will be playing in February.

Both teams still have major questions to address, especially the Ravens, who said so long to wide receiver Derrick Mason (New York Jets) and tight end Todd Heap (Arizona Cardinals), but did manage to acquire one of the leagues original “bad boys,” Ricky Williams from the Miami Dolphins. Expect quarterbackJoe Flacco to begin his preseason on a good note, yet, don’t expect great things off the bat. Some questions could be answered, but again, one game doesn’t illustrate true definitions, especially for Baltimore. However, they should dominate the run and pass defense, especially against Philadelphia’s quarterback, Michael Vick, who loves to scramble out of the pocket.

As for the Eagles, well, all eyes should be on the defense, especially their cornerbacks, as well as newly acquired defensive lineman, Cullen Jenkins. The Eagles have some questions too, but certainly, one game won’t tell how good their squad will be this season. In fact, it’s way too early to be labeling them, “super bowl bound,” so instead, let’s just grab some popcorn and see what they have to offer, OK?

Chad Ochocinco Needs to Play: The New England Patriots have been quite sneaky this off-season, as they’ve attempted to add more depth to their defense. Yet, despite the signing of Albert Haynesworth, the acquisition of Chad Ochocinco has brought a great deal of excitement to the city of Boston, as well as New England. Although, before he is deemed an immediate starter or someone who’ll provide the necessary spark for Tom Brady’s offense, it’s vital that he suit up for all four preseason games, so head coach Bill Belichick can get an accurate gauge on the animated, yet talented wide-out. Ochocinco, who hasn’t been on a “super bowl contender,” wants a ring, but before he strives for one, he isn’t the second coming of Joey Galloway.

Jun 29 2011

Top-10 New England Patriots of the 21st Century

By Andy Lindberg

Who makes the list?

Well my Red Sox top-10 of the 21st century got lit into a few times, which I was happy to see, because it means people are reading and looking at the website.  However it is now my great pleasure to create even more of a fervor with my top-10 Patriots of the 21st century.  The bottom line is, with lists like these when you can only pick ten players, you’re leaving out some great athletes.  That’s the challenge of creating such a list.  No matter who you put on there, people will always desire another player or two who were left off the list.

Honorable Mentions: Corey Dillon, Logan Mankins, and Randy Moss

10 Rodney Harrison: Harrison came to New England and immediately won two rings.  He had 317 tackles from the safety position and brought a mean streak to New England that had opposing receivers quaking.  Harrison shut down Peyton Manning on numerous occasions, including in the playoffs.

9 Kevin Faulk: This is the pick that will probably catch the most heat.  However, Faulk was indispensable for the Patriots in the past 11 years.  While it seems his tenure is done now, he was extraordinarily reliable and executed his role fluently as the 3rd down back and return man.  Faulk is a threat as a runner and coming out of the backfield as a receiver.  In his New England career, he has averaged 4.2 yards per carry.

8 Ty Law: One of the members of the original Law Firm (Law and Lawyer Milloy) Ty Law picked off 16 passes in the five years he played for New England this century, including a pick-six off Rams’ QB Kurt Warner in Super Bowl 36.  Law was the shutdown corner the Patriots missed so much after he left.

7 Asante Samuel: Samuel didn’t leave New England on the best of terms, especially after dropping an interception in Super Bowl 42 against the Giants that would have clinched New England’s fourth title of the decade, but he did win two rings and picked off 22 passes in five years for New England, including 10 in 2006.  Samuel had opposing quarterbacks consistently trying to take advantage of Samuel’s hyper-aggressive play, but were unable to do so.  Here’s to hoping Devin McCourty emerges as the next shut down corner in New England.

6 Vince Wilfork: Big Vince has been with the Patriots for seven years now and has already won one ring, has been to two Super Bowls, and has made three Pro Bowls.  Running up the middle is not a viable option for many teams against New England, as the big fella sits tough.  Wilfork is a cog in the 3-4 system, and is arguably one of the best nose tackles New England has ever had, if not the best.

5 Richard Seymour: What has happened to New England’s pass rush since the trade of Seymour should be answer enough to how important and effective Seymour was for the Patriots.  He spent eight years with New England and won three Super Bowls, as well as racked up 39 sacks for the Patriots, including pressuring the quarterback into poor throws on countless occasions.

4 Matt Light: Light played in four Super Bowls with New England (to this point), while protecting the blind side of one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play professional football.  Given the importance of the pass rush teams have placed on defenses over the past decade, Light’s job became harder and harder with the players he had to guard annually, and he did so in an exceptional manner, making three pro-bowls and one first team all-pro at left tackle.

3 Tedy Bruschi: Bruschi was long a staple of the New England defense, manning the inside of the linebacker corps for 13 years, a long time for any football player, let alone a linebacker.  One of my favorite Bruschi stats was having intercepted four consecutive passes and having brought them all back for touchdowns from 2002 to 2003.  Hardly a sack artist, Bruschi was the epitome of tough.  It seemed like he never made a poor play and rarely missed a tackle, something we see all too much of in today’s NFL, where wrapping up is an afterthought.  If Bruschi got to a ball carrier, that ball carrier was going down.  Bruschi overcame a stroke and a hole in his hear to win the Comeback Player of the Year in 2005 after it looked like his career was over and won three Super Bowls with New England.

2 Willie McGinest: Willie played with the Patriots for six years this century, making his mark with three Super Bowl victories.  He racked up 38.5 sacks from his outside linebacker spot in those six years, and his presence was sorely missed after he left, with New England still unable to rush the passer effectively.

1 Tom Brady: There really should be no argument here.  Brady took New England to three Super Bowl titles in four tries, including beating the 14-point favored “Greatest Show On Turf” in his first year as a starter after replacing the injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001.  Brady is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and holds the record for touchdown passes in a season with an even 50 in 2007.  In his time with New England this century, he has amassed a 111-32 record as a starter with 261 touchdown passes.  Keep in mind that’s all with having missed the entire 2008 season after suffering a catastrophic knee injury in the first quarter of the season opener against Kansas City.  Brady also happens to be a two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP.  We may never see another quarterback even remotely close to Brady in New England in our lifetimes, so enjoy him while you still can.

Feb 9 2011

Dan Libon: Thoughts on Super Bowl XLV

By Dan Libon

Super Bowl XLV was a failure. From the botched seating plan to the Black Eyed Peas forgetting how to sing, (if they ever knew how to from the start), but it’s safe to say that America’s Game will not be coming back to Jerry Jones‘s colosseum  anytime soon.

Watching the game, I immediately thought there was no real Super Bowl feeling in the air. Perhaps, it was that feeling deep down that if Bill Belichick had a better game plan for the Patriots against the New York Jets in January, then they would have most likely had been playing for their fourth title in franchise history, but that is besides the point.

Dallas has a reputation for wanting the biggest and the best when it comes to football, but why exactly did things go wrong on Sunday? It’s really simple, Jones has a tendency to not care about the individual experience and just wants an overall big record crowd. It didn’t matter that most of those people couldn’t see the game because Jones doesn’t care if people walk away with a bad experience as long as it means that he has the record.

Even knowing this, it is still a surprise and shock that seats had to be taken down and ticket holders were refused access into the game.

The NFL had announced that the 400 ticket holders were not allowed into this game will go to the Super Bowl next year on the league’s dime and they will be refunded three times the face value of their ticket. That’s a very nice gesture, but you still have to feel bad for those 850 people that had to watch from the Party Pass section instead of their actual seats.

There is not much to say about the halftime show that hasn’t already been said because the Black Eyed Peas apparently needed  advanced audio technology to makes their vocals sound amazing. Not even a second after Will.I.Am opened his mouth, did America cringe when hearing the auto-tuned laced vocals. Not even a guest appearance by Slash saved the performance. Hearing Fergie sing “Sweet Child O’Mine” was not terrible nor was it bad, but it could be described as “terri-bad.”

Give the NFL credit for trying to entertain us with a musical act that is relevant but next time try to bring out some one that can “wow” us visually and vocally. Bring in Beyonce because you know she can do it and leave us with a show to remember.

This Super Bowl was destined to fail. From the falling ice in the middle of the week to Christina Aguilera apparently debuting the new version of the National Anthem. Is there any real reason that the NFL should return to Dallas for the big game? Jerry Jones exhibited the fact that on the biggest stage in sports, he certainly doesn’t care about the little people or the ones who weren’t able to actually watch the game from their original seats.

So, what do I propose? How about we hand the Super Bowl keys over to Patriots owner Robert Kraft who could certainly host it at Gillette Stadium, but also, be a more considerable host than Mr. Jones.

Jan 31 2011

Kevin Tuve Podcast (1/31/11)

It is indeed Monday, which means, it is a Kevin Tuve Monday! On this particular podcast, Tuve and Matt Noonan discuss All-Star games in sports, some NBA and predict the winners for the Super Bowl.



Jan 26 2011

The Andy Lindberg Show (1/26/11)

The Andy Lindberg Show decided to take a break from talking about the national headlines on Wednesday and come up with their own show idea. So, what exactly did Andy decide to talk about on his weekly podcast? The top 5 Super Bowl moments of his lifetime, so take a listen and see if you agree with his greatest memories from past Super Bowls that he chose!

Dec 28 2010

2010 Year in Review Podcast

Dan Libon and Matt Noonan came together during the final week of 2010 to discuss the year, as well as look ahead to 2011.

Also, make sure to check out our 2010 – 10 Great Sports Moments post to relive some great memories from this past year.

Dec 4 2010

A "Super" Comeback on "Super Saturday"

 

This article was written by Dan Libon (Featured Noontime Sports Writer)

Foxborough, MA – It was a tale of two teams at the Massachusetts Division II Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, between the Mansfield Hornets and Reading Rockets. At the end of the first half and trailing the Rockets by a gigantic margin, Mansfield head coach Michael Redding wasn’t sure if they could even come back.

“I thought that touchdown at the end of the half was the killer. I kinda walked in thinking that was one too many.”

Of course, these young men play the game of football for a reason.

With the running game being displayed early and often, Reading’s defense decided to put on a show themselves too. With three turnovers off of Mansfield’s four possessions, Reading was putting on a defensive clinic for 40-straight minutes. Yet, while Mansfield was turning over the ball constantly at times, they did show signs of life. A halfback pass from running back Jamel Marshall to wide receiver Jeff Hill, led to a 47-yard touchdown reception. It would be the most excitement that the Mansfield offense would display in the first half, as Reading dominated the entire 20-minutes of the first half.

After Mansfield took a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, Reading’s Nick Scali returned a kickoff for 72 yards, which set up the Rockets offense on the Mansfield 17 yard line. Unable to be successful on the PAT after the first Redding touchdown, the team resorted to a variety of two-point conversions for the remainder of the game in a move that would come back to haunt them in the fourth quarter.

Reading quarterback Brian Bourque threw a touchdown to help his team take the lead, 12-7, but after another Mansfield turnover with 5:24 left in the first half, it would lead to another Reading touchdown with 1:01 remaining. Then, a 34 yard interception by Larry Gilligan with 19 seconds left, set up Reading’s final touchdown of their season, making it 26-7 at halftime.

Beginning in the third quarter, Mansfield defense set up the beginning of a Hornet comeback and special Super Bowl memory. On offense, their passing attack that was nonexistent in the first half began to show signs of life thanks to a Jeff Hill touchdown pass, which cut the lead to 12 points. The 68-yard reception would be Hill’s second touchdown reception of the game and three minuets later, the lead would be cut to five points.

After a Mansfield interception in the closing seconds of the third quarter, Reading’s dominance started to not look as strong as it did in the early minutes of this particular Super Bowl.

With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Mansfield had a chance to take the lead, but Reading was able to stop them from scoring. Reading’s defense struck again with an interception at their own 1-yard line and 20 seconds later, Mansfield’s Dan Gilmore intercepted a pass, which gave his team another shot to score the go-ahead touchdown.

Jamel Mashall rushed for a one-yard touchdown and two point conversion to give Mansfield a 29-26 lead. An onside kick recovery by Mansfield was then enough to end the game and win their fourth championship in eight seasons.

This comeback can only be describe as a total team effort and after getting the major defensive stops, which were needed greatly, Mansfield attacked with a passing game led by quarterback George Busharis and wide receiver Jeff Hill. Busharis threw for 231 yards in the second half after throwing for only 26 in the first half. Hill caught 5 catches for 191 yards with 135 yards coming in the second half. Jamal Marshall also rushed for 62 yards and for a touchdown.

Dec 4 2010

A “Super” Comeback on “Super Saturday”

 

This article was written by Dan Libon (Featured Noontime Sports Writer)

Foxborough, MA – It was a tale of two teams at the Massachusetts Division II Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, between the Mansfield Hornets and Reading Rockets. At the end of the first half and trailing the Rockets by a gigantic margin, Mansfield head coach Michael Redding wasn’t sure if they could even come back.

“I thought that touchdown at the end of the half was the killer. I kinda walked in thinking that was one too many.”

Of course, these young men play the game of football for a reason.

With the running game being displayed early and often, Reading’s defense decided to put on a show themselves too. With three turnovers off of Mansfield’s four possessions, Reading was putting on a defensive clinic for 40-straight minutes. Yet, while Mansfield was turning over the ball constantly at times, they did show signs of life. A halfback pass from running back Jamel Marshall to wide receiver Jeff Hill, led to a 47-yard touchdown reception. It would be the most excitement that the Mansfield offense would display in the first half, as Reading dominated the entire 20-minutes of the first half.

After Mansfield took a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, Reading’s Nick Scali returned a kickoff for 72 yards, which set up the Rockets offense on the Mansfield 17 yard line. Unable to be successful on the PAT after the first Redding touchdown, the team resorted to a variety of two-point conversions for the remainder of the game in a move that would come back to haunt them in the fourth quarter.

Reading quarterback Brian Bourque threw a touchdown to help his team take the lead, 12-7, but after another Mansfield turnover with 5:24 left in the first half, it would lead to another Reading touchdown with 1:01 remaining. Then, a 34 yard interception by Larry Gilligan with 19 seconds left, set up Reading’s final touchdown of their season, making it 26-7 at halftime.

Beginning in the third quarter, Mansfield defense set up the beginning of a Hornet comeback and special Super Bowl memory. On offense, their passing attack that was nonexistent in the first half began to show signs of life thanks to a Jeff Hill touchdown pass, which cut the lead to 12 points. The 68-yard reception would be Hill’s second touchdown reception of the game and three minuets later, the lead would be cut to five points.

After a Mansfield interception in the closing seconds of the third quarter, Reading’s dominance started to not look as strong as it did in the early minutes of this particular Super Bowl.

With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Mansfield had a chance to take the lead, but Reading was able to stop them from scoring. Reading’s defense struck again with an interception at their own 1-yard line and 20 seconds later, Mansfield’s Dan Gilmore intercepted a pass, which gave his team another shot to score the go-ahead touchdown.

Jamel Mashall rushed for a one-yard touchdown and two point conversion to give Mansfield a 29-26 lead. An onside kick recovery by Mansfield was then enough to end the game and win their fourth championship in eight seasons.

This comeback can only be describe as a total team effort and after getting the major defensive stops, which were needed greatly, Mansfield attacked with a passing game led by quarterback George Busharis and wide receiver Jeff Hill. Busharis threw for 231 yards in the second half after throwing for only 26 in the first half. Hill caught 5 catches for 191 yards with 135 yards coming in the second half. Jamal Marshall also rushed for 62 yards and for a touchdown.

Dec 4 2010

It Truly was a "Super" Saturday

Everett High School awaiting their trophy after their 31-7 victory over St. John's Prep.

Foxborough, MA – Ask me what exactly my favorite afternoon has been in the month of December of 2010 and my answer, Saturday December 4, but why this particular day? There really hasn’t been too many days in the brand new month, so what exactly makes this particular date so darn special?

My answer … the Massachusetts high school football Super Bowls.

This was a special day for many parents, teachers, staff members, principals, friends and family because it is a moment that will be cherished and remembered for years and years.

Just think about the history of this exact day in five, 10, 20 or 35 years to these young men. They will always remember their particular game, no matter what the scoreboard read once the final whistle was blown, but the fact that they had the opportunity to be apart of a special and fun morning, afternoon and evening.

Although, what will be remembered most from this day?

Was it that a specific team lost or won a certain piece of hardware?

Was it that many young men who chose to play football had the chance to be able to play in a so-called “Super Bowl?”

Does it have anything to do with Gillette Stadium?

You know I want to say Gillette Stadium, but I can’t forget about those four schools that participated in the Division IV and IV-A Super Bowls at Curry College on Saturday too. They deserve the same amount of love and recognition as the Division I, II and III schools.

Yet, this particular day is not all about winning trophies or being crowned division champions, but instead, celebrating hard work, teamwork, overcoming challenges and of course, playing football for pride, not dollar bills.

One athlete, who happened to be a member of the Everett High School football team, Jonathan DiBiaso, was thrilled to say how much he enjoyed his team’s victory on Saturday because it was due to teamwork rather than certain individual efforts.

“I am extremely proud of them, it was a team (effort), hundred percent. No individual stars (throughout the game). It’s just overall a great team effort,” said DiBiaso.

Sure, “effort” maybe the word, according to DiBiaso, but that is what a team does, they put in extra effort to go the distance and make it to a special day like this one.

Even the head coach of St. John’s Preparatory in Danvers, had more to say about his team’s performance than his coaching abilities.

“I have a great group of kids (and) I’m going to miss going to practice on Monday with these kids,” said head coach Jim O’Leary.

The Northeast head coach of the Division IV-A champions, Don Heres, alluded to how this win was not too important to him, but his young men that he calls his football team.

“It’s all about them. It’s all about them. I love it, but it is more about them, not (about) me,” said Heres.

High school sports have and will always be about the friendships, teamwork and extra efforts that young men and women put in on a daily basis. Sure, playing on a stage such as Gillette Stadium is great, but what it all comes down to is the fact that this special day is remembered for years and years by these players, coaches, families, friends, school administrators and of course, spectators.

If you have ever had the chance to take in a few hours of a high school sports event or even had the chance to attend this particular day at Gillette Stadium, then you may know how much excitement and energy is in the air, not just in the press box. Yet, these are special moments, memories and days that will always be remembered and certainly, I will remember 10 years from now how special this day was to not myself, but for the coaches and players who demonstrated that high school athletics is not about championships, rings or medals, but playing for the love of the game.