NFL Posts:

Rob Parker Finally Apologizes for His Absurd Robert Griffin III Rant (UPDATE)

By Eric Gray | December 19, 2012 @ 12:35 pm

Rob Parker apologizes for his RG3 comments

Update 12/20 11:40 am- ESPN has suspended Parker for 30 days, as well as reprimanding some of the producers who allowed his BS to go on the air.

ESPN's (for now) Rob Parker tried to salvage his name and career by finally apologizing for his bizarre opinions about Robert Griffin III, when Parker wondered if RG3 was 'a brother or a cornball brother.' ESPN suspended Parker while they investigate the comments(whatever that means, just watch the tape), and in an attempt to try and keep working at some point, Parker is trying to make good. Check out his apology he posted through Twitter:

I blew it and I’m sincerely sorry. I completely understand how the issue of race in sports is a sensitive one and needs to be handled with great care. This past Thursday I failed to do that. I believe the intended topic is a worthy one. Robert’s thoughts about being an African-American quarterback and the impact of his phenomenal success have been discussed in other media outlets, as well as among sports fans, particularly those in the African-American community. The failure was in how I chose to discuss it on First Take, and in doing so, turned a productive conversation into a negative one. I regrettably introduced some points that I never should have and I completely understand the strong response to them, including ESPN’s reaction. Perhaps most importantly, the attention my words have brought to one of the best and brightest stars in all of sports is an unintended and troubling result. Robert Griffin III is a talented athlete who not only can do great things on the field, but off the field handles himself in a way we are all taught – with dignity, respect and pride. I’ve contacted his agent with hopes of apologizing to Robert directly. As I reflect on this and move forward, I will take the time to consider how I can continue to tackle difficult, important topics in a much more thoughtful manner.

Seem sincere?

Aaron Rodgers Keeps Photobombing the Packers Captain Photos

By Eric Gray | December 19, 2012 @ 11:27 am

Aaron Rodgers photobombing now includes Internet memes

Each week, photographers capture the three Green Bay Packers captains of the game before they go out for the coin toss. And each week, quarterback Aaron Rodgers does some incredible photobombing in said pictures. He's been doing it since the 2006 season. How do I know? Because rodgersphotobomb.com has archives that go all the way back to that season.

Now it seems that Rodgers has taken it one step further and incorporated a pretty funny meme into it, Smokin' Jay Cutler. It can't be a coincidence, since the Packers were playing the Bears, and Rodgers looks like a guy who knows what's going on in the Internet world. Either way, it's another pretty epic job by Rodgers. Talk about keeping it light while being one of the top players at your position.

h/t SportsCracklePop

David Wilson Hall of Fame Watch – Week 15

By Eric Gray | December 18, 2012 @ 10:56 am

David Wilson returns a kick early in the 2012 season

I've been tracking the progress of New York Giants rookie running back David Wilson ever since he declared he would eventually wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Wilson's boast was looking pretty feeble up until week 14, when he exploded for 327 all-purpose yards in the Giants' blowout of the Saints.

In week 15, however, it was the Giants turn to get pasted. Wilson was getting his first career start with Ahmad Bradshaw out because of injury. The problem with getting blown out is that teams have to abandon the run game in order to try to catch up quickly. Wilson ended the day with 55 yards on 12 carries, with 25 of those yards coming on one burst. DW also caught one pass for 11 yards while returning three kickoffs and averaging 22 yards on those.

It wasn't the kind of followup game to his breakout performance that Wilson was hoping for, but under the circumstances he did okay.

Canton probability after week 15 - Low.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders Lead Off the Early NFL Lines for Week 16

By Eric Gray | December 18, 2012 @ 7:40 am

View the Gallery / 16 Photos »

Did anyone bother to watch that abomination of a Monday Night Football game? The New York Jets lost to the Tennessee Titans 14-10 and ended their playoff chances, but the biggest story of that game was Mark Sanchez. I hate to say it, because he seems like an all right guy, but should he ever start another NFL game? It's hard to say yes.

Sanchez once again failed to complete 50% of his passes, threw four interceptions and gets credit for the fumble that ended the comeback chance the Jets had. It would be hard for someone to make the case that Sanchez is the kind of guy that gives a team a great chance to win. Could he handle being a backup? If he wants to stay in the league he better be able to deal with it.

So here we go with week 16 and there are some great games to look forward to. Washington at Philadelphia, the New York Giants hosting the Ravens and Dallas hosting the Saints stand out because the NFC East is up for grabs. Pittsburgh needs to win to stay alive and Miami needs to beat Buffalo to cling to their slim playoff chances. Where should you put your money? There are only 3 road favorites as of now...bet wisely if that's your thing. Good luck.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Have Been Supremely Consistent This Season

By Eric Gray | December 17, 2012 @ 1:08 pm

View the Gallery / 5 Photos »

Normally I save the cheerleader photos for the early NFL lines and the weekly picks, but these stood out and needed to be shared. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, probably the most famous of all NFL cheerleading squads, were in excellent form as always during Dallas' big win over the Steelers yesterday.

The fact that the Cowboys are suddenly back in the thick of the NFC East race is probably bigger news than their cheerleaders once again bringing the heat, but of the two, the cheerleaders have been the most consistent this season. These ladies always bring their A-Game and yesterday was no exception.

Hard Snaps – Ten Great NFL Photos From Week 15

By Eric Gray | December 17, 2012 @ 11:57 am

View the Gallery / 10 Photos »

The NFL might be a pass happy league now, but look at this. There are already 12 guys who have rushed for more than 1,000 yards through 14 games, and there are six more with legitimate shots at cracking that threshold. That's a lot of yards on the ground.

So it turns out Colin Kaepernick predicted he would be play for the 49ers back when he was just in fourth grade. NBC showed the letter he wrote during last night's game. That's pretty amazing. Also amazing is the three-way tie for the NFC East lead. A few weeks ago, Dallas owner Jerry Jones was wondering about his team's future, now he's saying a Super Bowl run isn't out of the question. Anything can happen, but winning a couple of games on field goals in consecutive weeks doesn't seem like the mark of a team reaching its peak to me.

Anyway, here are my picks for ten of the best photos from week 15. Hard to believe we're down to just two more weeks of regular season action.

Knowshon Moreno Displays Olympic Quality Hurdles Technique Over Ed Reed

By Eric Gray | December 17, 2012 @ 10:07 am

Knowshon Moreno leaps over Ed Reed in Broncos' win.

The Denver Broncos have now won nine straight games and are looking more and more like an unstoppable force. Yes, they lost a few games early, but that was to be expected. Peyton Manning was rusty, a bunch of new players were trying to figure out how to play together, and they played the roughest opening schedule of anyone in the NFL. They lost by six in consecutive weeks to Atlanta and Houston, and then lost by 10 to New England before starting their current win streak.

Now though, the Broncos look like the class of the AFC. Yesterday's 34-17 win over Baltimore on the road was another impressive victory. Also impressive was the the way Knowshown Moreno jumped right over the Ravens' Ed Reed. That's some serious hurdling ability, and it left Reed wondering where the hell Moreno went.

h/t to Kissing Suzy Kolber for the gif.