football
Talking about college and professional football daily. Chances are we hate your team.
Stating the Obvious: NFL Running Backs Need to be Paid
This is getting out of hand. A number of NFL teams seem to not want to pay their top running backs, and I can't figure out why. I've been hearing this story for a long while now, and I finally decided to write my piece about it. The ironic thing: if this was about seven years ago, I wouldn't have given this a thought, because back then, I didn't think rushing was so important.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 5 Recap: Close, but No Cigar
There are a lot of things I love about the Canadian Football League, and on that list is the league's rules. The CFL is so different from the NFL in many different ways, especially when it comes to scoring. Because of the rules, it creates so many ways for a team to win, but it also creates such crazy ways to lose as well. Just ask the Edmonton Elks.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 4 Recap: Canada Day Weekend
The first holiday that the CFL just happens to land on is, of course, Canada Day. The holiday is celebrated every July 1, and in this calendar year, it took place on a Saturday. Even with Canada celebrating the grand holiday, Week 4 of the 2023 season was abbreviated. Only three games took place, beginning with a Friday night matchup between the Edmonton Elks and the Ottawa Redblacks. Edmonton was coming off yet another home loss against the Toronto Argonauts, though they would be on the road this time, playing in the Canadian capital.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 3 Recap: Home is Not Where the Wins Are
Alberta's capital city of Edmonton has to be cursed when it comes to sports. Look at the Oilers. They have, arguably, the best player in the league, yet they are nowhere close to a Stanley Cup. You would think that the Elks would ease their pain, right? After all, they are a hallowed franchise. They are second all-time in Grey Cups behind the Toronto Argonauts, with Edmonton's last win coming in 2015. Sadly, the Elks have been saddled with one little problem: they can't win at home!
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 2 Recap: The Champs Are Here
And so it begins. It was a grand day for the Toronto Argonauts. They received their beautiful Grey Cup Championship rings, and they raised the banner in front of a raucous crowd at BMO Field in Toronto. For this Argos fan, I was waiting for this day, the Argos' season opener. I still remember the happiness I felt as I watched the Argos win the Grey Cup against a Winnipeg Blue Bombers team who was looking to win their third straight. When the season opened last week, I would find out that I'd have to wait an additional week for the Argos, as the champs had opening week off.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 1 Recap: New Season, New Network, Same Awesome League
Here we go! The Canadian Football League is back! This calendar year has been amazing, as it's the first to see pro football fully year round. The XFL returned to play in February and crowned a champion in May. The USFL is in their second season back in play, and is currently in the home stretch. Now, the summer football league is here--the last football season to start before the NFL returns. The CFL returns with the same nine teams, the same format, and with the same goal for said teams: the Grey Cup. But there is one difference for viewers outside of Canada, and it comes in the form of telecasts.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
XFL Championship Recap: The Underdog Story is Complete
As I said in past stories about the XFL, my memories about the original XFL are decreasing. I do remember the championship, which was known as "The Million Dollar Game," and it was the Los Angeles Xtreme who won and emerged as the best team in the league. Of course, that XFL is no more, but even so, the Xtreme's championship remains part of that history. No champion was crowned in the XFL's return in 2020 due to the incoming pandemic cancelling the rest of the season, but regarding the 2023 season, we would get a full campaign, followed by an actual champion being crowned.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
XFL Division Championship Recap: Upset Special
The only other time that fans of the XFL saw actual playoff games was the first year all the way back in 2001. My memories of the original XFL are fading, but among the few things I do recall is the playoff format. Similar to today's league, there were eight teams total, and four of them qualified for the playoffs. It was the top two teams in each division (East and West at that time) qualifying, but in 2001, the semifinal games pitted the first place team in one division against the second place team in the opposite division, with the winners facing off in the championship game--which was known as "The Million Dollar Game," as $1 million was one of the prizes for winning the championship.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
XFL Week 10 Recap: Let the Games Begin
For the first time since the XFL's original debut in 2001, we have a completed season. The 10th and final week of the XFL season took place with a lot to decide in regards to this year's playoffs. Saturday's action began with a playoff relevant matchup between the St. Louis BattleHawks and the Orlando Guardians, with the BattleHawks looking to nab the North Division's second spot. The Hawks and the Seattle Sea Dragons were vying for that position, with one of them getting it with a win and a loss from the other team. If both teams lost, the Hawks would get in, but both teams winning would need tiebreakers to be determined.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
XFL Week 9 Recap: Close to the Finish Line
Hard to believe that the XFL season is almost over. There hasn't been a completed XFL season since the first year all the way back in 2001, but this go-around is nearing the finish line, and it will be quite a climactic finale. Week 9 actually had a chance to complete this year's playoff field, and again, here is the XFL's playoff format. The format sees the top two teams in each division (North and South) qualify, and after the regular season ends, the division championship games commence. Home field is determined by regular season record, and of course, the winners advance to the XFL Championship, which will be played in San Antonio this year.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
XFL Week 8 Recap: Playoff Bound
The numbers are starting to thin out in this XFL season, as we are closing in on the XFL's playoffs. Not only did Week 8 kick off the process of the playoff picture becoming more and more clear, we were also introduced to the format I had been waiting anxiously to see. Week 8 began with the St. Louis BattleHawks hosting the already eliminated Vegas Vipers, who were looking to play spoiler in St. Louis. It looked like they would; Vegas was up 8-0 after one, and 11-8 at the half, but the Hawks did battle back, and with 15 seconds left in regulation, Donald Hageman nailed a field goal that tied the game at 17.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
XFL Week 7 Recap: Down to the Wire
I have to confess something--I actually didn't watch Week 7, and that's because of one word: WrestleMania. The seventh week of the XFL season fell on WrestleMania weekend, and speaking of that, there had to be two people who were very proud during that weekend: Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. The reason: their daughter, Simone Johnson, made her official in-ring debut at NXT's Stand and Deliver; she's been shining as of late as Ava Raine, the lone female member of the sinister faction known as Schism.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
