Georgia Tech Football Helmet - A History

Georgia Tech has been playing football since at least 1895 when it was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Now a proud member of the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division, very few other teams have had the historical success of Georgia Tech football. They have won four national titles dating back to 1917 and as recent as 1990, 15 conference titles and won the four most historic bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Cotton). They have put an enormous number of players and coaches into the NFL. They play in the oldest on campus stadium in Division 1 FBS, and this nostalgia and since of history is clearly reflective in the conservative styling of their football helmet. Looking back to the 1960s when modern era helmets came into being, the team has had some remarkably consistent football helmet designs, and has never used any outlandish helmet variations, even for 1 or 2 games, unlike some of programs such as Boise State, Maryland or their rival, Georgia.
The early 1960's football helmet for Georgia Tech was simply a gold helmet with a gray facemask. Sometime in the mid-1960's, the team switched to a white football helmet with gold and black vertical stripes stretching from the top of the facemask to the back of the helmet. It was not until 1967 that the team added the now familiar "GT" logo with the G feeding into the upper horizontal piece of the T. The logo has remained basically unchanged since then. The team initially used the gold background and black and white stripes; this briefly switched to a white helmet from 1969 to 1971 and has been brought back at least once as a throwback helmet.
Around the mid-70's, Georgia Tech football helmets no longer had the white and black vertical stripes and that has basically remained that way ever since then. In the late 70', a minor change was made to the facemask making it a very dark blue instead of the basic gray mask. There was also a period in 1984 where the logo was removed from the football helmet for some games, and it was simply a gold helmet like you might see at Notre Dame with no logo (or Boston College minus the stripes). The only other major change of note was in 2008 when the gold background that has been around for about 50 years was switched to a yellow background. This gold contrasted against the dark blue facemask, looked very crisp and catchy. It changed the look and feel somewhat, and some argue, brought them a slightly more modern look. However, old habits are apparently tough to change as the gold background returned in 2009 and has been the same ever sense. Whether or not the next 50 years will be the same as the last 50 in terms of conservative helmet design, is yet to be seen. If having more modern football helmets becomes a competitive strength and recruiting tool for programs like Oregon and Boise State, it may be something to reconsider. For now, however, the helmet's logo, colors and design, is likely to remain the familiar one.

Copyright Donald Plunkett. View the most recent Georgia Tech football helmet at http://www.footballhelmets.com

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TCU Football Helmet - A History

TCU's football helmets have a memorable history dating back over 50 years. They have had some combination of player numbers, images of a horned frog, and the letters T-C-U over the years. They have been white, purple, silver, and occasionally black. The 1960's saw four different helmet designs. Much of that period, the helmet was either white or purple with the player's number (e.g. 88) on the side of the helmet, either in a sans serif font or a block font. During 1966, the helmet had a strange-looking horned frog head. The next year, the letters TCU were on the helmet; it was similar to the modern day Texas A&M logo with a big T and a smaller C and U on either side. In the 1970's, the letters TCU again appeared on the helmet, in a stylized serif font with T, C, and U going in a diagonal path down from facemask side to back side.
Perhaps one of the most-loved and famous logos of TCU appeared in 1977. The "Flying T" had a large T racing from front to back. C and U were underneath. It had an ESPN-logo type feel to it. Like a stencil, the C and U were not fully connected. They were 3 and 2 unconnected blocks of text. The original Flying T helmet was silver, but by 1980, it was purple and it remained that way until 1991. By 1992, the administration apparently wanted a new look and decided to retire the Flying T; although as recently as 2010, there were Facebook postings asking them to bring it back. In 1992, the helmet remained purple, but went to three equal-sized block letters of TCU. They had an upslope on the T, a level slope on the C, and a downslope on the U. The next year, the helmet was changed from purple to silver and the TCU letters were outlined in white. This design held steady for 2 years before being replaced with a black outline and black facemask. A horned frog was added underneath the letters, the color went back to purple, and this designed remained with some minor tweaking from 1998 to 2010. On some specific games, Nike did a custom helmet of either black or silver with red frogs blood (horned frogs spit blood from their eyes to scare predators) and a frog-like scale. Finally, during the 2011 Rose Bowl game, the frog had a rose through its mouth. The latest helmet marks a return to the TCU lettering with no frog. Looking at the past few years with so many changes and adjustments, it is unlikely to last without some changes soon.

Copyright Donald Plunkett. Are you ready to see the latest TCU Football Helmet at http://footballhelmets.com.

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Getting a Sports Scholarship From an American School

If you are a sports player from another country and you would like to attend a college in the US, you can use scholarships as a way to pay for college. At the very least, a sports scholarship can pay part of the money a US college or university would cost. However, what you need to understand is that applying for a scholarship is the easy part. Getting the scholarship is the real challenge.
The process for applying for a sports scholarship is pretty straightforward. You need to first compile a list of colleges and/or universities that you would like to attend. Make sure that the list has around 20 or more different schools.
Next, you need to have a contact person, and in most cases that will be a coach of the sport you are interested in getting a scholarship for. You also will need to provide them with your statistics as well as a film of you performing on the field or on court or whatever applies to the sport you participate in.
You also need to have the grades to qualify for a scholarship. This is one area that you must not fall short. Since you are asking for a scholarship rather than a coach or recruiter offering you a sports scholarship, you have to make sure that you have all your T's crossed and your I's dotted. Make sure you understand the academic requirements for receiving a scholarship and be sure that you meet those requirements before you even consider applying.
Lastly, you need to understand that getting a sports scholarship to an American college is not an easy thing to do. You will be competing with thousands of other athletes. If you are from another country, you may have a lot to offer a college in America with your aptitude in your given sport, but with the glut of athletes worldwide, unless your skills are beyond anything anyone has ever witnessed, it is likely you'll have to introduce yourself to your college rather than the college discovering you.
While you may think that being a good athlete is enough to get you a sports scholarship, that may not be enough. You may be have to be proactive off the field as well as on the field. In any case, getting a scholarship may be a long process but it is not an impossible task. You just have to know how to go about it.

Sports Scholarships for girls and boys in Golf, Soccer, Track & Field, Swimming, Tennis & many other sports.Thanks for reading.

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Football Betting Tips That Will Give You the Profitable Edge

As the world of football takes the sports betting field by storm, so do the different football betting tips that proliferate the market. What most betters do not know is that blindly subscribing to these tips will not do anyone any good. Granted that there are good betting tips in the market, one would have to practice a high level of cunning in order to find them and to use them. Fortunately, there are certain categories that one may use in order to make this task much simpler and, ultimately, more financially profitable.
First and foremost, try your best to stick to betting tips that will not coerce you to bet a big amount of money on a single bet. After all, you will have better chances of winning if you separate your bets among a number of choices. If done right, betting on football can be relatively harmless yet ultimately profitable. You just have to know how much you should be betting on a particular team, and how much you stand to gain from doing so. There are different tips in the area that will guide you to do this, but not all of them are bound to be effective.
When choosing among the various football betting tips that you may use, check the past history of the tipster. If you want make a decent amount of money off of betting on football games, it is important that you look for someone who has been around for a while and making regular profits. Doing this will not only help you win long term, but will give you the confidence to see it through when the bad times come. And bad times WILL come, as all football tipsters suffer dips in form.
Finally, make sure that you set your own criteria and limits in placing your football bets. While the football betting tips that you get may actually help you increase your chances of winning, you need to set your own limits in order to keep winning. If you are betting with more money than you can afford to lose, you will make bad decisions, leave out some tips and double up on others. This can exacerbate the problem, and very soon you can find yourself on a downward spiral.
If you are paying a tipster to find you football tips, surely it must make sense to follow all the tips. That way you can be assured that when the good times return, you will not miss any winners.

I have been a football fan since the age of 8 and I suggest you follow this link to discover exclusive football betting tips made by an expert in his field.

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Wayne Rooney The Superstar

Are you a football supporter? Do you support England? Are you looking forward to the football World Cup? These are three questions which I would have answered a big yes to and I am very happy to learn that Wayne Rooney looks likely to be fit to play some part in the Fifa World Cup tournament. He could prove to be the man that helps bring glory to our proud footballing nation.
The hype around the foot injury of Wayne Rooney has been absolutely massive and has been possibly way over the top. I would have much preferred more focus to have been placed on some of our other better players such as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Michael Owen. In saying that, in a way it could have been a blessing in disguise as the players mentioned and the other members of the squad, have had quite a lot of the attention taken away from them.
I remember first watching Wayne Rooney play live, when I went to support my favourite team Birmingham City play at St Andrews. Wayne at that point was probably only seventeen and was playing for Everton. I had heard that he was supposed to be a great talent and had watched him play on the television on a number of occasions.
Throughout the match he looked very lively and dangerous but ended up getting himself sent off, after an over the top challenge on the Birmingham goalkeeper. I will never forget the Birmingham City fans singing to torment the Everton supporters with, where's your Wayne gone, where's your Wayne gone? Imagine it being sang etc.
Over the next few months Rooney became better and better and eventually was sold in a dream move for him, to Manchester United. He has continued his form and improvement and has since been a major part of the England football team. In my opinion, he is one of, if not the best, footballers in the world.
Chelsea, who of course seem to have a never ending supply of money, would no doubt love to sign Rooney. I wonder how much it would cost them to persuade Alex Ferguson and Manchester United to part with their prize asset. They say every man has a price, I would think that they would need around the one hundred million pounds mark, quite a scary thought.
Wayne is still so young and I hope he can remain injury free as it is going to be very exciting to see how good he can become. He is already a superstar but I believe he could be one of the best players who has ever played the game.

Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:
stuttering therapy
ranking of poker hands
stop smoking tips [http://blog.stop-smoking-tobacco.com/blog]

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Upcoming Georgia Bulldog Football Season

This year promises to be a stern test for the Bulldog coaches. They are sailing into unchartered waters with what looks to be Joe T. at the helm. This presents a real test of Mark Richt's coaching and leadership.
It will surely test his patience more than at anytime in his career at UGA. Don't get me wrong I'm sure that Tereshinski will give 100% on and off the field. I am just a little anxious about his prospects this year.
I guess the last five years have spoiled me, but I got kind of use to being able to at least have an idea of what to expect from the upcoming season.
Last year Shockley was new to the starting job, but most everyone knew what to expect. Joe T. on the other hand is a different story. His performance in Jacksonville last year does not bolster my confidence much either. I would probably feel a lot better if one Leonard Pope had returned. Having a huge target with a good set of hands would go a long way toward helping him relax. I think it is a safe bet that Brown, Ware, and Lumpkin had better be ready right from opening day. If last year's game against Florida is any indication, we may be about to witness a steady diet of the running game. We could possibly see more running in Athens, Ga. this year than at anytime since THE MAN was wearing silver britches.
I hear that we have a couple of freshmen that are very exciting ...SIC~EM DAWGS

More updates to follow at Georgia bulldogs

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#114 Kent State Golden Flashes Preview

Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.
#114 - Kent State Golden Flashes 1-10 SU; 3-7 ATS
Fargo's Take Last year was not pleasant for the Golden Flashes and things aren't expected to be too much better in 2006. In order to win, teams must be able to run the football and that is something Kent St. was not able to do. It finished dead last in 1-A in rushing offense as it averaged only 45.9 ypg which was close to 30 yards less per game than the next closest team. The good news is that Michigan St. transfer Tony Howard is eligible so an improvement is likely. Consistency at quarterback is a must, another thing that was not on the field a season ago. Defensively, the Golden Flashes were near the bottom of the rankings in both scoring defense and rushing defense. A lack of experienced linebackers will certainly not help the latter. Last season, Kent St. won just one game and that came against 1-AA SE Missouri St. but if there was any good out of the 10 losses, it was that four of those came by a touchdown or less. Five winnable games dot the schedule but four of those are on the road.
Returning Starters on Offense - 9 While the running game was a disaster last season, it is not the biggest concern coming into 2006. Injuries to the top five backs did not help things and new talent is coming in this year to move things forward. The offensive line is going to improve thanks to a vigorous offseason program so it all comes down to quarterback Michael Machen. He was inconsistent last season with two 300-yard passing games but his 18 interceptions killed the offense. After scoring 30 or more points three times in its first six games, Kent St. managed only 40 points in its final five games combined. A lot of experience returns so improvement should be anticipated.
Returning Starters on Defense - 9 Because of the inconsistent play of the offense, the defense had it back against the wall much too often. Not only do nine starters return, but Pittsburgh transfer Damian Matuschek will be a big addition to the defensive line. The secondary allowed the 24th fewest amount of passing yards in the country last season but a lot of that can be attributed to teams not needing to throw the ball. Only seven seniors are part of the two-deep rotation showing just how young this team is so more growing pains are inevitable. Turning the ball over was a regular occurrence but taking the ball away was not as the Golden Flashes finished 109th in turnover margin.
Schedule The schedule does not get any easier this season even though the MAC slate is one of the easiest you could ask for. The problem is that the three easiest conference games are on the road along with non-conference games at Army and at Temple. Minnesota is the first Big Ten team ever to invade Dix Stadium and that happens to be the first game of the season. A trip to Virginia Tech is also on the schedule which is sandwiched between three games at the end of the season that can all be won. The problem is that Kent St. could be 1-7 heading into that stretch, meaning the fight will be gone.
You can bet on... No win is guaranteed this season like it was last year when SE Missouri St. was on the schedule. The Golden Flashes play five games that they have a chance of taking but the schedule sets up where four of those contests are on the road. However, those are the games to look for some value since they will likely be getting a fair amount of points yet will matching up well. Kent St. covered only three times last season so we should see some progress against the number even though it may not be reflected in the overall win-loss record.

Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at [http://www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm]

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LaDainian Tomlinson : San Diego Chargers Running Back

A native of Rosebud, Texas, LaDainian Tomlinson was born on June 23, 1979. Currently playing the position of running back for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, Tomlinson is commonly referred to by both teammates and fans as simply ‘LT.’
Even in his earliest years, the passion that LaDainian Tomlinson had for professional football was obvious when he began following the Dallas Cowboys by age three. His first participation in the sport came in the form of Pop Warner football and the Emmitt Smith Football Camp. It was these experiences that would later drive LaDainian Tomlinson to hopes of someday playing in the NFL.
While attending college at Texas Christian University, Tomlinson was the star running back and found himself as one of the Heisman Trophy finalists during his senior year. He is ranked sixth in NCAA Division I history and currently holds the NCAA record for the most rushing yards in a single game, which is 406.
In 2001, LaDainian Tomlinson was selected from the NFL Draft during the 1st round. After being selected by the San Diego Chargers, Tomlinson immediately became the starting running back and has started in every single game since. His success in the NFL is undeniable as recognitions for rushing more than 1,000 yards in each of his five seasons further prove his abilities on the field. In October 2005, LaDainian Tomlinson became the 7th player in NFL history to ever run, catch and throw for a touchdown during a single game. As a result, he was later voted into the Pro Bowl that same year.
As the 2005 neared it’s end, LaDainian Tomlinson found himself with a broken rib and, although he continued to play at a high level, many believe that to be a major factor as to why the Chargers missed the playoffs.
As the 2006 NFL season draws near, fans eagerly await to see Tomlinson’s versatility and speed once again take the field in San Diego. If his record of 80 NFL touchdowns during his first five seasons is any indication, then Charger fans are in for a treat courtesy of LT and his powerhouse moves on the field.

Bob writes for fanfrenzyzone.com and http://www.EZTicketSearch.com. Where you can purchase a LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey [http://www.fanfrenzyzone.com/nfl/ladainian_tomlinson.html] or Chargers Apparel.

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World Cup 2006, Get into the Team Spirit

If you are a sport aficionado then by now the World Cup Mania will have you in its grip. The World Wide Web has changed the way people view sports and now even a fan staying many oceans away can have a say and be heard by millions across the world.
With the events drawing close, the excitement is building up to high levels. Be a part of your team and cheer it on to victory. Use your surfing skills and writing skills to “spread the word” and egg your team along to victory.
Become an avid blogger and log onto sites where you can sway opinions. Gather as much data about your favorite team as possible and participate in the blogging and promote your team by presenting hard facts. Avoid hearsay and fiction. To be successful, you will need to stick to the truth and highlight the positive aspects of your team.
If you have a personal web site, then upload a daily column about your team’s well being, competitions, performance, and you could even include tips on how you think your team could do better.
Add personal observations and comments to discussions and chat forums on all topics connected with the World Cup. Agree to disagree and stick to your personal beliefs. Support your team and its play irrespective of what others have to say.
If you are adventurous and a die hard football player, you can play games where you can lead the team you create virtually to victory.
Read all the trivia and play at [http://en.quiz.fifaworldcup.yahoo.net/fifaquiz/] . A trivia game devised by the official FIFA site is exciting and mind gripping.
Follow your team through the competition through your mobile. Updates, news, statistics and more are available at any time during the day or night wherever you are. Find out more about My World Cup 2006 at [http://www.mywc2006.com/]
The World Cup is exciting in itself but the innovativeness, imagination, and enterprise the World Wide Web has shown is to be acknowledged. The World Wide Web has added many new dimensions to sporting events.
Be a complete fan and don the official kit. Show you are an avid supporter by wearing and using products with your team mentioned in bold letters. There are t-shirts, bags, as well as accessories.
Create a local fan club for your team and the members can meet at one location and watch their team play. The fan club could don the team’s uniforms and sit together during matches to show they care.
Think of new ways celebrate victories by sending out SMS messages about your team. Bake a cake in the team colors and share the treat with your friends and family. Include the team in your prayers and perhaps you could sponsor a mass at a place of worship for your team’s well being.
If you are willing to splurge you can hire a hoarding for a month and put up daily updates on your team’s progress. Gather new fans by telling non football fans interesting stories about the game. Answer questions about football patiently and you will be surprised how quickly the game will catch the interest of the novices.
Enjoy the season!
Related World Cup Links:
1. http://www.worldcupblog.org/
2. [http://www.soccerfantasyleague.com/]
3. [http://www.fansworldcup2006.com/]

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888Discuss.com, the premier REVENUE SHARING discussion forum covering various business sectors such as discount shopping, press release, airport parking, online directories, songs lyrics, free softwares downloads, legal advice, games, hosting plans, website designing and many more. He also freelances for http://www.1888articles.com/world-cup-2006-get-into-the-team-spirit-0532mz32et.html

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Tips on Choosing the Best Pro Football Pick

When it comes to picking pro football games, there are a number of factors that can affect your success. Last minute injuries to key players, weather, and even an odd bounce of the ball can mean the difference between a win and a loss for both the football team and for you. So how do you make the right picks? There is no real answer; in fact it is called gambling for a reason. There are, though, some tips you should consider. So, to that end, here are some tips on choosing the best pro football pick.
Pick Early
One of the best tips on choosing the best pro football picks you can get is to pick early. When the lines first come out on the game, that is the time you will likely get the most favorable spread. As the week goes on, bets are placed, and things happen, the spread can change dramatically, which can make it much more difficult for you to decide. When you make the picks early in the week you can get on the bet when the line is fresh and before betting has driven it one way or another. This is probably the most common of the many tips on choosing the best pro football picks you will hear.
Go With Your Gut
Another one of the best tips on choosing the best pro football picks you will get is to go with your guy. One of the biggest mistakes that amateur football gamblers will make is to over-think or overanalyze the games. You likely do not have inside information or access to the teams, so beyond what you already know about the game and the teams, there is not much you will learn that will allow you to "cheat" the line. Even pro gamblers fail often, so overanalyzing the games will not help you any more than going with your gut will. See the line, think about the game, decide how you feel about it, and make your picks. It sounds simple, but it is going to serve you better than studying the game deeply.
Pick A Game On Its Own
One of the best, but least heard tips on choosing the best pro football picks is to pick each game on its own. What does that mean? Instead of hedging your bets by picking one game one way because of how you chose another one, you should pick each game in a vacuum, so to speak. Make your picks and stick with them. Hedging can eventually cause you to lose two games when you might have only lost one otherwise. Keep that in mind and you will actually minimize your losses more than when you try to hedge out.
There are many pro tips on choosing the best pro football picks out there, but these are a few to get you started. Remember, pick early on the first line, go with what your gut tells you, don't over-think the game, and pick each game on its own merit. Do those things and you will be on your way to responsible picking of pro games.

Jack Peterson has an interest in Finance & Business and Football Picks, for more FREE information and articles please visit Football Picks Resources

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How to Find Free Football Picks

Believe it or not, learning how to find free football picks is not really all that difficult. However, finding good free football picks is something else altogether. With so many "experts" wanting to charge you hundreds of dollars for their picks, wouldn't it be good to know how to find free football picks that are worth your time? Here are some of the best ways to find such picks so that you can have that bit of extra input when you go to place those bets or enter your office football pool.
Check Sports Experts
Obviously, for most any information, the internet is a good starting point. In searching online for free football picks, you should start with sports and football sites. Sports channels, sports publications, and sports websites almost all offer their picks. Often times, they even offer those picks against the number from sports books. Often times, like professional football handicappers, the people on sports sites who are making the picks have made the sport and the teams their lives. The information, then, is likely close to as good.
Find Deals from Handicappers
Learning how to find free football picks includes checking services that would normally charge for the picks. For instance, if you go online and look at football handicapping services, many of them will offer free picks as a sort of "sample." Additionally, they sometimes even just offer picks on the front pages of their websites as a way to show off their skill in the picks. They figure that once you see how often the free pick is right you will buy their services. For you, that means you can fish around the internet and find a number of free picks on games. You may not get every pick, you may not get the "lock of the week," but you will get access to "expert" information on a variety of games, and isn't that all you are really looking for anyway?
Free Services
Believe it or not, when learning how to find free football picks, you will likely discover that there are actually handicapping services that are free. How is that possible? Many of these sites and companies get their money from advertising on their website. Beware, though, because you will likely have to register an email with such companies. They may make their money be getting your address for bulk emailers. To avoid the problem, just establish a new email address so that you can still take advantage of the free picks. With free services, you can separate the reliable from the unreliable by watching their picks for a couple of weeks without betting. Then, once you know who is legit, you can start adding the services picks to your factors when deciding on your own picks.
When it comes to picking football games for fun or for money, or for both, it is important to have all the information you can get. Sure, you could hire a handicapping company to help you with your picks, but at the end of the day, the best way to get help is by learning how to find free football picks.

Jack Peterson has an interest in Finance & Business and Football Picks, for more FREE information and articles please visit Football Picks Resources

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Watch Aston Villa Live in Action

Four men, Frederick Matthews, William Scattergood,Walter Price and Jack Hughes were the founders of this club. They also had the membership of Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Birmingham. The club came in the limelight when they won the Birmingham Senior Cup in the captaincy of George Ramsay in 1880 and later on won their first title of FA cup.
William McGregor, the director of Aston Villa, is considered as one of the founders of the soccer league in 1888. In that year, there ware twelve teams that played the initial soccer league competition and Aston Villa was one of them. They won three FA Cup and five league titles from 1894 till 1900. They shifted to Villa Park, also known as Aston Lower grounds during that era. Since then the Villa Park is their home ground.
The fans love to watch Aston Villa live in action but many people believe that at the moment being a Villa's supporter is just like being a patient who is on the waiting list of a hospital, knowing that ultimately something is about to happen but don't know what it can be. The loyal supporters of the Aston Villa remain bound to this kind of uncertainty all the time and mostly these matters are related to off the field life.
We should be optimistic about the future of the club; certainly there is a hope for the improvement because after a very poor start the performance of the club is quite impressive now especially away from their home ground Villa Park. At Middleborough they certainly look out of color but they showed the will that they really want to take the match away. I think when you have faced such a poor start then no one can deprive you of the happiness of watching the opponents crying and fans just throwing their tickets at the management.
This may be cruel but it opens up the way to our fortunes and also identifies the differences between us and the other teams which are below us at the points table at present.
Because of the poor form we have in this league, I am still doubtful that whether we will be able to go up on the points table or we will end up with 5-10 position. I think that our coming clashes are favorable and hopefully we will be able to secure a relatively better position at the points table.
We would be at the lower part of the points table if our performance, away from home, had not been so impressive and unexpected. What we need is to perform well at Villa Park and we are focusing on our upcoming clashes there, with the heightened anticipation. Our ability to perform well away from home together with some good home results will anticipate the whole Europe.
If you ask some one outside the Birmingham to create a complete list of English soccer clubs that is a winner of the Champions League, they will surely be find it difficult. They will come up with the names of Liverpool and Manchester United and then don't forget Brian Clough's double titles with Nottingham Forest.
Villa is still a name that can attract the people and to watch Aston Villa live can be a dream of many people. And they are perpetually up there with the big names of European soccer. It is not true that the Aston Villa won the Cup when it was in its early years, it was 1982. German monsters Bayern Munich were defeated by the Birmingham team, thanks to a goal scored by Peter Withe;a great English center forward.That goal provided him the everlasting renowned status.
Aston villa was considered as one of the finest teams of Europe when they won the two league titles during 1990s and an InterToto trophy in 2001. But now after a long time the team is performing well under the seasoned Martin O'Neill and now looks ready to join the high-class group again.
As each season comes closer, English soccer lovers spend a lot of time discussing about who could be the 'Big fours' of the league, given the necessary amount of fortune with new signings and injuries. Every year, the fans of Everton and Tottenham declare that their club will surely prove, this time, that they are of the same caliber as Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are. But last year, after a long period of time, it did look that Aston Villa might be the one who deserves that breakthrough.
Of course we know, now, that they failed at the end. Aston Villa showed some high energy performance at the start but in the last weeks their energies just ran out because of a much longer season, as Aston Villa started much earlier than the other sides because of their qualifying matches, and comparatively small squad.
So the million dollar question is that will they be able to go just a little bit further in the approaching season? Truly, it will never be easy. Millions of fans of Manchester city are very hopeful to see the improvement; Tottenham, again, believe that this time they will be able to create some drama in the middle and Everton needs only a couple of players to build a world-class side.
But don't worry Villa's fans, villa surely has the potential. A mixture of current young attacking players - Agbonlahor, Young, Milner- and a few with strong work ethic can create much discomfort for the league's 'Establishment'. As long as their recognized manager can invest his funds wisely and Martin O'Neill continues his high-class work, it can be expected from Villa to show some good performance.
Villa Park is surely a good place to watch Aston Villa live in action; a lively atmosphere and the energetic spectators feel close to the clash. The villa spectators have got a side that is showing the signs of improvements. This side could be the nearest to that they have had since 1982.

Rana Ateeq is a freelance writer who can write about various different topics and have a passion of writing great informative articles.

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How to Jump Higher in Football

How to jump higher than ever before is a vertical movement which can be learned, polished and turned into an athletic ability. Leaping activities are not an exclusive dominion of basketball alone. Vertical jump is also practiced in some other sports such as football where team members have to undergo a rigorous vertical jump training just to make a goal. This explains why the goalie can fly and dive in order to intercept the ball and the sight is truly awesome!
It is quite difficult to be the goalie or goalkeeper. The same is true for the quarterback and other football fielders. Every player must be able to attain vertical mastery to be ready to engage in immediate turnovers. There are cardinal rules in this type of sport, but the so-called Turnover Rule is one that must never be broken by all means. Turnover refers to the loss of possession of the ball which must be avoided by any member of the team.
Vertical mastery, in terms of applying the Turnover Rule, proves to be a great advantage against the opposing team on the field. When it comes to football, the best tips to jump higher is rolled into a single word and written as EXERCISE which is heavily loaded! It comes in many variations, each with a specific purpose, to help football players stay in perfect shape.
Jumping rope
This exercise is the easiest and the most essential form vertical activity to improve vertical jumps.
Leg strengthening exercise
Football players are required to build power legs to help them in rendering explosive vertical jumps. It is very common to see them practice with the padded suits on and on wet grounds with spiked shoes. Running on a wide, rain-soaked muddy field in padded uniform is already a tremendous action, but that is part of the vertical training program.
It is really hard to imagine the factors adding more strain on the exercise? That is why cramps are not unusual at this point yet they have to bear it as part of the leg strengthening exercise. In order to spice up the training, football players need to show their highest and maximum vertical they can render.
Exercise for the quadriceps
The leg extension exercise is an isolation movement that focuses on the quadriceps. The quadriceps or quadriceps femoris which is derived from Latin literally means four-headed femur muscle refer to the large group of four dominant muscles on the front side of the thigh. Some of the other quadriceps endurance exercises include leg press, squatting, as well as calf strengthening exercises.
Hamstring Training Exercises
The hamstrings training exercises are especially designed physical fitness activities for the lower parts of the body which is highly characterized by the curling of the knees.
Working out Using Weights
Pulling up weights is another important part of the vertical explosion program for football players. Weights here are just for the purpose of twitching the muscle fibers and not for becoming weight lifters. Thus, the trainees use weights according to their capacity but not to overdo this in order to prevent tearing of the muscles. The classic example is the Romanian dead lift or RDL which is considered as a formula for training the hamstring to strengthen muscle strength.
Aside from the regular physical rigor, football players have to be watchful about their weight. A body with a light weight is easier to carry in order to jump higher. However, it does mean that they are not allowed to eat because food is very important since it is the source of energy for the body. It must be stressed that what must be eaten are the healthy foods with proven nutritional values.
It is of common knowledge that football is indeed a very rough game. But the players keeping in mind the Turnover Rule makes it even tougher thus you can witness how they smash, hit, kick and jump against an opponent in the field just to hold on to that ball. Everyone out there is practically explosive!
The vertical explosion program as well as a diet program are truly important in this type of super rugged sport. You can learn more from online resources many different maneuvers and techniques and how to jump higher in football.
Feel free to post your questions, comments, suggestions or recommendations. Thank you for dropping by.

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Premier League Live

For many years, the premium league of England was extensively recognized as the greatest soccer contest in the world and it was a dream for many people to watch the premiership football live. They not only have the utmost television deals to get the more revenue but also have the clubs with across- the-board brands. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are few of them.
The clubs in premium league performed constantly well against European teams and thus would have a large number of supporters. These things naturally brought in more profits from merchandising and as well as from gate receipts. The clubs, with the collective economic rewards and the transmit rights started to attract better quality players from all around the world, consequently providing them more opportunities for improvement.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal have dominated the premium league in the last decade. These teams used to be the favorites for the title, with Liverpool considers as the fourth best for the title. Since the beginning of this elite kind of soccer, Manchester United is the club that has won the greatest number of tournaments, separating the era of Jose Mourinho who arrived to start a new track. Under the supervision of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United has been the undoubted masters of the soccer.
Public love to watch premiership football live, due to this many individuals and business men are now investing in it. Due to increasing economic investment by the other clubs could be a threat for the throttle-hold of these three clubs. The self adequacy and nourishment is still a debatable topic in the Premium League for the clubs like Portsmouth, but there is no stopping to the multimillionaire individual and businessmen to invest in the league. Investing in the soccer clubs has become a very profitable business now-a-days. Chelsea was the club who introduced the concept, when years ago, a Russian multimillionaire came to the town and provided his billions to Chelsea and put them on a way to success.
At the moment, the group of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester city and to a limited extent Aston Villa is up-lifting the markets in putting down their dare to the aged guard of the league. The most profligate of them is the Eastlands club who is spending millions of pounds hoping to put United out of the space in Manchester as well as in the world and to put themselves into the elite. As compared to the Manchester United, the Manchester City enjoys the more support locally, their accomplishments have paled by comparison. But the fans of Manchester city are much used to the stumbles of their team because it has become a habit of them. The strike of jokes and the self insulting nature of its fans also reflect this.
After taking over by a Middle East capitalist Sheikh Mansoor, Manchester City have shown a few bold declarations and now they are ready to snap up the high-class players from all over the world on massive transfer fees. So far their big highlight is to sign Carlos Tevez from their town contender united in a contentious move last season, as a result Argentinean were able to score 20 goals in the season. They are also consistently in the headings for placing gigantic bids for the good players from other football clubs. They are in a mood to pay enormous amounts to the best players in order to fabricate an unbeatable team so this will surely not be the last summer in which they will chuck money around. Their main target will surely be the next title of the English premium league and they are willing to back their dream with huge cash.
Although Tottenham Hotspur, commonly known as Spurs, do not have as much deep assets as the Manchester City is enjoying, but the owner of the club Joe Lewis still sponsor them generously. Because of the unavailability of gigantic funds they may not be in a position to catch the big names, but luckily they have an extra ordinary person named Harry Redknapp as their manager. He always tries to bring out the best in each player under his supervision. The focus of the club is to sign the most talented youngsters, who are actually the up-coming stars, from British as well as from European soccer. Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale are the results of their efforts, who are now booming at White Hart Lane. Under the administration of Redknapp they have shown the progress and especially they have overcome the dangerous mental obstacle they might be having. Their clash with Manchester City for the fourth position of the Champions League highlights their progress. In the past, the spurs were unable to figure out any biggest prizes in the English soccer despite of the fact that they are among the preeminently supported clubs of the country. Because of this, hey were considered as the poor neighbors of the Arsenal in the recent past.
Aston Villa surely never ranked amongst the top richest soccer clubs in the Premium League but still they always manage to make good deals from the players left behind by the rich clubs. In the name of Martin O'Neill they also got a coach who can build a side that is capable of performing well with their unity and teamwork. This philosophy brought them to the edge of Champions League soccer this season although they just fell short again. These circumstances could put the club into the dimness of obscurity or the reverse effect could happen. The owner of the club Randy Lerner is surely a fighter and O'Neil is nevertheless a striving person. In the summer, the club would hopefully get the funds and they would continue to sustain as one of the football clubs approaching the conventional order.
In the next season, the clashes of premier league will be much more interesting; those who will be able to watch premiership football live are extremely lucky. With Liverpool vanishing in the darkness due to the ongoing boardroom confusions and no short of upgrading in stock for Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal at the end of the season, there is the chance that a shift in the momentum could occur towards Spurs, Manchester city or even Villa if they maintain their foundation squad. Although many people in soccer believe that money cannot bring the overnight success, but it can at least revolve the sleeping monsters into dynamic ones. If these two clubs could be able to manage the headlines grasping transfers with the better results in the ground, no one will be there to say that after a few seasons there would be an extensively different team for the fourth position of the premium league.

Rana Ateeq is an expert freelance article writer who has written lots of articles for different websites and article directories.

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NFC North Prediction - Green Bay Won't Make the Playoffs!

1. Detroit looks good. Mathew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, and Calvin Johnson lead an up-and-coming team. They are no longer a doormat, and we predict here that not only will they make the playoffs, they will win the NFC North Division outright.
We expect the Lions will split with Green Bay and Minnesota, and will lose to the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and San Diego Chargers. We expect they will have enough momentum to win all the other games on their schedule, which are in fact winnable. So the happy Detroit Lions fans will see an 11-5 record.
2. Yeah. The Packers won the Super Bowl. We predicted they would. Aaron Rodgers, Clay Mathews, Donald Driver, et.al. will naturally be expected to repeat.
But, the Super Bowl Winner almost never repeats, so we can assume something will go wrong. And if things go wrong, don't be surprised if the Green Bay Packers go 9-7 and miss the playoffs.
How can this happen? All that needs to happen is they lose to the Saints and the Falcons, split with the Lions and Vikings, and lose to the San Diego Chargers, all of which is in the realm of reasonable possibility. Then, they just need to lose two more games to highly motivated teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants, and the Packers will be 9-7.
Sorry, Green Bay. Life at the top is tough, and glory is short-lived.
3. The Minnesota Vikings are looking at matching the Packers at 9-7 and also missing the playoffs. Donavan McNabb and Adrian Peterson notwithstanding, the team just doesn't look like a winner. In September alone, look for them to go 0-3 against the Chargers, Bucs and Lions. And it will go downhill from there. They won't be able to beat the Falcons or Saints, and will split with the Lions and Packers, and just need to lose one more game to end at 9-7.
Of course they will be able to gloat over the misery of arch rival Green Bay.
4. We're going against conventional wisdom on the Bears. We think they are awful. We think they are so bad that they will be 1-15 and will win the Andrew Luck derby. They can beat the Denver Broncos in December, but they will lose to everyone else. Jay Cutler will be booed out of town. Lonnie Smith, who is a really nice guy, will be gone.

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Speed Drills to Get Faster For Football

Have you ever wanted to be the fastest one on the football field? Well I'm sure we all have at some point. There are different types of speeds when talking football, so it is important to do a wide array of football speed drills. I want to give you few tips that will help you increase your speed and improve your performance on the field. Then I will show you a few exercises to get you started.
As I mentioned above there are different type of speeds in football, you have to be consistent with straight ahead and lateral speed training. To be a great football player you have to have the ability to move in any direction with a split second notice. Just because you fast runner on the track team, doesn't mean you will have the same status on the football field. There are many other factors that come into play, like length of endurance and cardio ability. Football speed drills will master all these concepts and help you in other areas of performances.
You should adjust your football speed drills program to your specific need, take into consideration your position and what your expectations are for yourself. There are many ways to adapt a program to fulfill your needs, and it is vital that you combine different techniques into your workout.
Now it's time to start your football speed drills, below you will find a few examples.
Football Speed Training
Lunges Do three sets of 20 reps on each leg. Be sure to bend your knee in a steady controlled movement, getting as low as possible. You will see great results and notice the difference in your leg power.
Short Sprints Identify 3 stopping points in a straight line, approximately 20 yards apart from each other. Start sprinting towards the first point, come back to your starting point and go to your next point, continue this process approximately 10 sets.
Long Sprints You will do the same as above but make your distance between points approximately 50 yards apart from each other. This will push you a little further but will see great cardio results.
This should get you started on football speed training, if you keep it up you will see great results on and off the field. These are simple drills you can do just about anywhere, so good luck with achieving a higher level of fitness out at your next game.

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AFC North Predictions - Yes, The Browns at 10-6!

1. Let's assume the Cleveland Browns lose all four games to the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. Let's also assume they win all the games they should, but lose to the Houston Texans. and St. Louis Rams, teams that may or may not be better than them. Bingo. 10-6.
Now let's assume that they improve so much that they split with the Ravens and the Steelers. This would allow them to lose to the Texans and Rams, as well as to the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans. Bingo 10-6.
While 10-6 seems to be the best the Cleveland Browns can do, both 8-8 and 9-7 certainly seem feasible, and both would be considered an excellent move forward for the up-and-coming team.
The offenses will continue to improve, with Colt McCoy, Joe Thomas, Payton Hillis and Benjamin Watson getting better throughout the season. The defense, led by Scott Fujita, Phil Taylor, TJ Ward and Joe Hayden, will also improve.
Unfortunately, the Browns won't make the playoffs, as both the Ravens and Steelers will have the same or better records, and both will be better than the Browns in any tie breaker.
2. We could be wrong, but the Baltimore Ravens' defense is old. Ray Lewis is good, but the defense is no longer the NFL's best. Look for the Ravens to go 10-6, same as the Browns.
Assuming the Ravens split with the Browns and Steelers, lose to the New York Jets, the Indianapolis Colts after Payton Manning returns, the San Diego Chargers, and one team they should beat, then the Ravens will be 10-6.
Joe Flacco is a good quarterback, but his receiving corp is not as good as it could be, and his running backs are overrated. But, at 10-6, the Ravens will make the playoffs.
3. The Cincinnati Bengals will win only 2 games this year, beating the Carolina Panthers and the Buffalo Bills. Andy Dalton will be a pleasant surprise. Mike Brown will be highly criticized for not trading Carson Palmer (or at least for not creating an environment where a quarterback like Carson Palmer would want to play). Look for spectacular catches from A.J. Green and for Cedric Benson to have a decent season after he gets out of jail. But, the defensive is as porous as the Niagara Falls.
In the "you heard it here first" department, if the Bengals get the first pick in next year's draft, Andrew Luck will pull an Eli Manning and tell the Bengals that if they draft him, he won't play for them. Mike Brown will stand on principle, draft him, and then have two quarterbacks who refuse to play for him!
4. The Pittsburgh Steelers are good but are due for a letdown. Ben Roethlisberger doesn't have the "me against the world" mentality this year that helped him so much last year. So, we're expecting the Steelers to have a similar season as the Ravens and end up at 10-6.
It would not be inconceivable for the Steelers to split their games with the Browns and Ravens. And it would not be surprising if they lost to the New England Patriots. And, losing to some highly motivated, upstart team like the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals or Kansas City Chiefs is also possible if the Steelers are having a downer year. So, don't be surprised if the Steelers match the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens at 10-6.
But, also, don't be surprised if the Pittsburgh Steelers go 14-2. But, they would have to beat the "We lost the Super Bowl funk" that is typical. In any event, they will make the playoffs.

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Cooling Your Youth Football Team Down on Hot Days

Dealing With Sweltering Heat in Youth Football
If your weather is anything like ours, it is 100 degrees and 83% humidity right now, making it miserable for anyone trying to practice. I won't bore you with all the regular advice on keeping your kids hydrated and keeping your eyes open for heat stress. Most of us are well versed on the subject, so what are some other tips for beating the heat?
Consider moving practice to an area of the field or another field that is in the shade. Several years when my teams were faced with an unusual blast of heat, we moved to practicing behind the outfield fences of a local baseball field, which was 100% in the shade. Another year we used the outfield of a local church softball field that was surrounded by tall pines, which provided good shade if we stayed in the corners of the field. The shade was more than 10 degrees cooler than when we were in the sun. While 10 degrees may not sound like much, there may be a psychological factor at play as well. The kids just seem so much fresher when they are practicing in the shade.
If you can't make it to shade to practice, at least do it during breaks. We practice at a field that has a large shelter that is covered that doubles as our water break meeting area. If we didn't have that, there are a few trees that provide enough shade for an entire team to get under.
During unusually fierce heat blasts, you may even try practicing indoors. On several occasions the local High School allowed us to use their gym to practice. A local church also volunteered their gym space for the same purpose. Always remember to leave those places cleaner than when you found them and leave a nice thank you note for whoever made the gym use possible.
Another nice way to cool off at the end of a broiling hot practice is to have a water balloon fight at the end of practice. Have the kids and parents bring a stash of water balloons in coolers, choose up sides and have a good old-fashioned water balloon war to cool the kids down and build enthusiasm for the next practice.
While all of our kids will need to acclimate themselves to the heat, we can ease them into it a bit and give them some relief when unusually hot temps are causing havoc.

Dave Cisar-
Dave is a Nike "Coach of the Year" Designate and speaks nationwide at Coaches Clinics.
To Sign up for his free tips and drills newsletter or to view 500 free youth football coaching tips go to: Football Plays

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Playcalling in Youth Football - Making the Defensive Tackle Wrong on Every Play

Reading Defensive Tackles When Calling the Offense
Many youth football coaches read Defensive Ends or Linebackers when they are trying to figure out the optimum play to call on offense. While that may make a lot of sense, don't forget to pay attention to Defensive Tackles. They seem to come in many varieties, King Kong, king of the jungle man children who play very aggressively. Then there is Average Allen who plays hard and tries to read the play. Most youth football teams also have Nicky the Nosepicker the non aggressive minimum play kid trying to get a few snaps in and not hurt his team.
Each of these type of players needs to be attacked differently to get the most efficient result for your team. The King Kong kid can be stalemated with a Double Team block, but you're going to get beat if you try and handle him one on one with a drive or reach type block. If you crab block him with one player, you can get a stalemate if your splits are tight enough that Kong can't outflank your crab blocker. The most effective block for King Kong is the trap block. Let King Kong come through and use his aggression against him by running right under him and having a pulling Guard earhole him from the side with leverage and momentum. The trap often times slows these beasts down a bit, they will stop charging in hard once they get suckered a time or two. We have been able to wedge behemoths like King Kong and on a very rare occasion we have not. Quite often these men among boys play very high which makes them very wedgeable. Keeping King guessing is the key with a variety of traps, powers, wedges, crab blocks and passes will help keep him at bay.
For Average Allen, the Double Team block will take him to Linebacker level and require the Linebackers to run the hump and off of their normal pursuit path. You may even be able to handle Allen one on one and then get your outside Lineman to go the second level. For us, that is a "special" call. Trapping Allen may be a little tough if he isn't very aggressive, he may sit in the hole or try and read the play instead of coming upfield. That makes for a trap play that gets clogged up, not a good call against Allen. Allen is usually very wedgeable.
Nicky is easy to spot and usually comes in for just a few plays or maybe an entire series late in the first quarter or early in the second. He is very wedgeable. While there is no need to Double Team Nicky, doing so will put him in the laps of the Linebackers which is always a good thing. Forget about trapping him, he won't come upfield enough for your pulling Guard to find him and he will be standing right in the hole, unblocked, his only chance to make a tackle that day. Run at Nicky with Powers, Wedges and even Counters. Know that many times defenses will overcompensate for Nicky by putting their best Linebacker behind him. That means a "special" call for us makes sense, blocking Nicky one on one while the Offensive Lineman to the outside of the player blocking Nicky goes to the second level. On Powers either put Nicky in the Linebackers lap with an aggressive Double Team Block or send someone to the second level along with your pulling Guard and Wing.
Make sure someone has an eye on the Defensive Tackles when you are on offense, so you have the right play and blocking scheme called for the type of player playing that position. What works great against one type of player may be the absolute worst call for another.

Dave Cisar-
Dave has a passion for developing youth coaches so they can in turn develop teams that are competitive and well organized.
To Sign up for his free tips newsletter or to see his 325 free tips go to: Football Plays
A Video Taste of Dave's teams:
Youth Football Defense

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Jason Witten Biography - Early Years

American Football player and Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee on May 6, 1982. That makes him a Taurus. The 6' 5" tall, 262 lbs # 82 Dallas Cowboys tight end has captured the hearts of many fans, especially those in Dallas. Jason Witten's career in football has been a bright and fast one.
Witten lives in Southlake, Texas, is married to an emergency room nurse, named Michele, and has two sons, and is a proud owner of a dog named Tink. Jason's charity work is well known and recently he launched a program to help families and kids who are affected by domestic violence. The foundation is named the Jason Witten SCORE Foundation. His extensive charity work is the reason he was recognized for the NFL's Walter's Payton Man of the Year (2007) and also for winning the Home Depot award of Neighborhood MVP. He has received many other honors due to his charity work.
Jason Witten's bright performance on the football field dates back to his high school years at the Elizabethton High School where he was a linebacker and tight end. Witten shined as one of the most prolific football players in high school. Jason Witten's college years were spent at the University of Tennessee. As many would have guessed, his college football years were stellar. During that time, Witten managed to chalk up many records after switching from a respectible defensive prospect to a offensive tight end. He established records for receiving yards (493) and receptions (39). His accomplishments allowed him to leave his senior year and enter the NFL Draft in 2003. From there his career skyrocketed and his reputation continues to shine on and off the field.
Looking at back at his early years, Witten's hometown was Elizabethton (a town that is located between Bristol and Johnson City in Tennessee), he was raised by his mother's parents from the early age of 11, when he came to live with them after his parents divorced. Jason Witten had a tough childhood prior to moving in with his grandparents. His parents had problems with various arrests and there was violence in the home. His parents are both still living, although they do not appear to play a significant role in Witten's life.
Dave Rider is Jason's grandfather, a football coach for many years, was a major influence in Jason Witten's football career. Elizabethon high school named their stadium after Dave Rider and is still named Dave Rider stadium.
In high school, Jason Witten was named the Tennessee Player of the Year by USA Today. He was given other honors such as East Tennessee Player of the Year, Mr. Football Runner-Up (by the associated press) and Region Defensive Player of the Year. Witten was a starter during all four years of high school and helped take his team to the state semi-finals in three different occasions.
Today he is one of the most respected players in the NFL. Jason Witten is regarded as a sincere family man, with a down to earth personality and a great influence on our youth.

Alison Love
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Football Speed Drills to Help Improve Your Quickness

Any football player knows that speed and quickness are key elements to being the best player you can be. The best way to increase your speed is by doing proven speed training drills that have been shown to increase speed and quickness. Below you will find several of the best football speed drills that you should be doing in your own training.
One of the best ways to increase your speed is by using a principal called "muscle overloading". To do this you need to make yourself run faster than you normally could. The easiest way to do this is by sprinting downhill. When you run downhill you are able to run faster than you normally could and you effectively overload your muscles.
The second way to do this is with assisted sprinting. For this drill you will need a partner and a bungee cord. You will want to attach the bungee cord around your partner's waist and also around your own. Then have your partner stand in front of you and have them take off in a sprint. Once the bungee cord becomes fully stretched you then begin sprinting. The bungee cord will pull you along as you are sprinting allowing you to run faster than you normally could and overload your muscles.
Another great speed training exercise is resistance sprinting. In these drills you create resistance which makes it harder for you to sprint. The easiest way to do this is with uphill running. Just find a hill or an incline and do several sprints up the incline.
You can also use a partner for these drills as well. Again use a bungee cord attached to yourself and your partner but this time you sprint ahead of your partner will they provide resistance making it harder for you to sprint.
Lastly, you can use a speed parachute to provide resistance. Attach the speed parachute to your waist and complete several sprints. The parachute will provide ample resistance to get the desired effect. If you do not have a speed parachute you can also attached an old tire to a rope and then tie the rope around your waist. Do several sprints dragging the tire for resistance.
If you are looking to increase your football quickness and speed then these simple exercises detailed here are a great place to start. Do these speed drills once or twice a week while also doing weight lifting and you will be on your way to becoming a faster and quicker athlete.

If you want to learn more drills and workouts you can do to increase your speed and quickness then take a look at our speed workouts for football as they will help you become faster and quicker on the field.
No matter what sport you play it is critical be become faster and quicker to be the best player you can be. To do this you need to be training properly and doing the correct exercises and drills. Take a look at our speed and quickness training workouts to learn what are the best drills that you should be incorporating into your own training to become faster and more explosive.

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Who Will Be in the 4 NCAA Super-Conferences? The West

The SEC, PAC and Big 10 will clearly be the cores of 3 of the 4 upcoming NCAA Super-conferences. The Big East, ACC and Big 12 will make up the 4th.

For definitional purposes, let's assume the 4 Super-conferences each will have 16 teams and two divisions. There will be a playoff at the end of the year between the two division title holders. Then, the 4 Super-conference winners will have National Semi Finals games, and then there will be a National Final and (possibly) a Runner Up game (4 games). The net result will be that the nation's top 64 teams are involved in a playoff system that, most importantly of course, will make more money for the Universities then the current BCS system.

Plus, it will be hard to argue that the winner in this approach is not the national champion.

Let's do the easiest first and that is the West Super-conference, where the PAC -12 as the core:

There are three ways to split the division.

· North/South

· East/West

· Traditional Rivals in Opposite Divisions

Option 1: North/South

West Division A

California

Oregon

Oregon State

Stanford

Washington

Washington State

Colorado

Utah

West Division B

UCLA

USC

Texas

Oklahoma

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

Arizona

Arizona State

Option 2: East/West

West Division A

California

Oregon

Oregon State

Stanford

Washington

Washington State

UCLA

USC

West Division B

Texas (From Big 12)

Oklahoma (From Big 12)

Texas Tech (From Big 12)

Oklahoma State (From Big 12)

Arizona

Arizona State

Colorado

Utah

Option 3: Traditional Rivals in Opposite Divisions

West Division A

USC

Oklahoma

Texas Tech

Arizona

Washington

Oregon

Stanford

Colorado

West Division B

UCLA

Texas

Oklahoma State

Arizona State

Washington State

Oregon State

California

Utah

While the North/South and East/West variations tend to make scheduling easier, given the big money related to each game, the incremental cost of travel on a commercial airline is not that much. So, the West Super-conference is better off splitting along the lines that will make the most money, and this is to split in a way that leads to a possible traditional rivalry ending up in the Super-conference title game.

However, notwithstanding the fact that teams like USC and UCLA would not be in the same division of the West Super-conference, they would still play their traditional rivalry once per year, and it would count in their overall record for their division. In theory, then, one team could beat the other in the regular season game, and both could make the championship game. This would make for excitement, high ratings and profits.

Given the need to have 16 teams, it looks like Boise State is the big loser. However, it is possible that either Texas Tech or Oklahoma State will go elsewhere, in which case Boise State could squeeze in.

Get the latest NCAA news and predictions, explode college teams and players on Sportadore.com

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Top Five NFL Teams 2011

I think that the number five of the top NFL teams this year is the New Orleans Saints. Although the Saints were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last year by arguably the worst team in NFL playoff history I think that with some key additions such as Mark Ingram and some very strong returning players from the 2009 Super Bowl team such as Drew Brees that the Saints have a good chance at making another Super Bowl run this year. Out of the top five NFL teams the Saints are the overall #5 and are the least likely to win out of the following teams.
4. At number four in the top NFL top five teams, I have the New England Patriots. Some people may argue that the patriots should be top three or even number one but I don't think that they have as strong of the team that they did when they won their three super Bowls. Also, the Patriots have lost three playoff games in a row. The two main acquisitions by the patriots this off-season were Chad Ochocinco, who by the way recently tried out for a soccer team which I think is kind of weird for a professional football player, The other key acquisition this off-season was Albert Haynesworth who took about five or six tries to complete his physical exam last year. The only reason that I even have the patriots in my top five is because they have arguably the greatest quarterbacks to ever live in Tom Brady.
3. The number three team in the top five NFL teams this year is the Green Bay Packers. At the beginning of the year if you asked me I would probably say that the Saints had a stronger team than the Packers, but after watching the game on Thursday night I think it is evident that the Packers have what it takes to make another Super Bowl run. They have a lot of returning players from last season most notably Aaron Rogers and of course Clay Matthews. Also, they have many other weapons like AJ Hawk and Greg Jennings, so I think that they have what it takes to make a strong playoff run and possibly even make another Super Bowl.
2. At number two in my countdown I would have to go with the Baltimore Ravens. Although they always struggle against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are not in this countdown but I think are very close number six, the ravens will finally get over the hump this year with help from their stars Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and Joe Flacco. I think that last year in the AFC divisional playoffs the Ravens had the game and the bag but made a few costly mistakes that cost them the game. I just don't see that happening to them again this year. Out of the top five NFL teams the Ravens have a very good chance at winning this year.
1. The number one team in the NFL this year out of the top five NFL teams is the Philadelphia Eagles. They have the most athletic quarterback in the game in Michael Vick who can also hit his target on any long or check down pass. Also, they have probably the most athletic receiver in the game in DeSean Jackson, but the main reason that I think Eagles will be this year's NFL Super Bowl champion is because of the corner-backs Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie who I think are the two best corner-backs in all of football. Every time I tell someone that I think the Eagles will win the Super Bowl they say that Michael Vick will get injured. I just don't see him getting injured this year and even if he does they have a strong backup and Vince Young. Many people are calling this the dream team and I 100% agree with those people. I believe that the Eagles are definitely #1 of the top five NFL teams.
I think that it'll be very interesting to see how the NFL season unfolds, and in my opinion these are the top five teams this year. I did at the end everything thank you for reading thank you for reading another great post by Ryan Veguilla on the top five NFL teams this year. At the end of he long exciting season we will have many more posts related to the top five NFL teams.

Thank you very much for reading my latest post on the greatest sports website on the Internet. Please visit the sport report at http://the-sport-report.com/ for the latest updates and news on my blog.

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How to Catch a Football As a Wide Receiver

The most important skill for wide receivers to possess aside from confidence is knowing how to catch a football. Don't not be mistaken, catching a football is not as easy as it may seem. If it were, there would be less defensive backs out there in the world of football - trust me.
Imagine, a bullet pass being thrown to you by Michael Vick at just a few yards out; Something "simple" suddenly becomes a bit more challenging and requires ample focus. If you aim to be an electrifying wide receivers with the ability to snag any ball out of the air on command, here are the fundamentals to catching a football you must first learn:

1. Hand eye coordination
2. Hand strength
3. Focus
4. Proper hand placement
5. Tuck the ball in and protect it

Hand eye coordination is the foundation to learning how to catch a football and is simply the coordinated control of eye movement with hand movement, and the processing of visual input to guide reaching and grasping. In this case we're working on hand eye coordination to reach and successfully catch a football. The better a wide receiver is at looking-in the football with hand eye coordination, the better their chances are to catch a football thrown to them.
Improving your hand eye coordination isn't a complex task to conquer, but it does require ample focus which is the second key component to catching footballs. As we look back at the example of the bullet pass being thrown to you from a few yards out by Michael Vick, you should consider how focus will allow you to control your body and mind to focus on the football and see it into your hands. Your objective as a top wide receiver is to focus and lock your eyes on the football, take a deep breath and see the football into your hands. This step should be a constant with every ball thrown your way. Keep in mind you don't want to attack the football. You want to absorb the football into your hands and away from your body followed by a tight squeeze, which leads me to the next important aspect of a wide receivers ability to catch a football; hand strength.
In organized football the velocity on the ball is much more intense than it would be as you play catch with friends. Moreover, defenses are much more aggressive. In order to compensate for this, you need strong hands. This can be the difference between catching a football to make an important completion and not. You won't always be wide open on a route and you'll rarely ever have a ball thrown to you half speed so you need to be prepared to squeeze the football after any and all passes you catch. This will increase your stats and avoid big drops when a defender lays a hit on you or swipes at your arms and hands after a catch.
Proper hand placement is another important factor in knowing how to catch a football. Luckily this is one of the easiest aspects to adapt to due to natural limb positioning. When a football is thrown directly at you at or above your chest, you want to form your hands into a diamond. When a ball is thrown directly at you anywhere below your chest, you want to position your hands with your thumbs facing up and your fingers angled low towards the ground. Another important hand positioning for a wide receiver where you'll make the big game changing catches is when you're catching the deep ball.
You'll definitely want to incorporate every aspect of how to catch a football when the deep ball is thrown. When a deep ball is thrown over your shoulders you want to position your hands with your fingers spread wide open and the tips of your pinky-fingers overlapping. For the best grip on the ball when catching, aim to grab the end of the ball before the laces. This type of catch requires, strong hands, focus, and proper hand positioning even more so. Big plays equal big focus.
The last key to successfully catching a football is to tuck the football and protect it. After you have completed the steps mentioned above, the final step is to reel in the football and protect it. You don't want to take all of the proper steps and forget this one. This step is the difference between a thirty yard gain and a fumble. So ALWAYS, always, always, tuck and protect the football after every football catch.
To get you started at improving your football catching ability, I've listed a couple good exercises for hand eye coordination and hand strength below. Once you have mastered all of the key components mentioned above, you are sure to be on your way to being a top wide receiver.
Tennis Ball Drill For Hand Eye Coordination:
With a tennis ball you can do several wide receiver drills to improve your hand eye coordination as a wide receiver. This is a great drill that has helped me improve my hand eye coordination substantially.
For beginners, lightly bounce the ball on the ground. As the ball bounces up, look the ball into your hands and squeeze it. Make sure to focus on the ball all the way from its decent to its rise into your hands. Make sure to practice this drill with both hands. One you've gotten the hang of this exercise, increase the level of difficulty by bounce the ball harder and at different angles. Also, try throwing the ball off of a wall, challenging yourself to catch the ball at different points in the air and before it hits the ground all while focusing on the ball from the time of your release all the way back into your hands. After successfully mastering this drill alone, I'm certain that you will have more than 80% of what it takes to know how to catch a football.
Tennis Ball Drill For Hand Strength:
The Tennis Ball Squeeze - Using a tennis ball, simply squeeze and hold for up to 90-seconds. Train both hands with three sets each. This movement heavily targets the forearms. This drill is important because after you catch a football you will be squeezing it so it doesn't get away from you.

For more awesome training drills and tips to improve your football catching ability and to learn what it takes to be a top wide receiver, visit http://www.top-wide-receiver-training.com/how-to-catch-a-football.html

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2011 Bolts Preview

For those who have been reading these previews for the past few years this may seem like a broken record: The Bolts should win the Super Bowl this season. This year there are several good reasons for making such a claim. The 2010 Chargers finished last season as the number one team in both offense and defense. Despite those heady statistics the Bolts failed to win their division or even make the playoffs. Why? Because their special teams were NFL record type bad and cost them at least two or three games. Head coach Norv Turner and General Manager A.J. Smith deserve all the credit and blame for a forgetful 2010. Smith addressed this team's problems by acquiring some key veterans, drafting special team players, and by hiring several new coaches. If the Bolts can turn their special teams around, then they will win their division again and rejoin the post-season tournament.
BUILDING ON 2010
The NFL's number one offense (in yards) is led by Philip Rivers who is in his prime and considered one of the elite QBs in the league. If one compares his numbers to Peyton Manning's over the past two years Rivers has outperformed his rival and has a better passer rating. Despite injuries that forced him to throw to seventeen different receivers, Rivers still led all QBs in passing yardage in 2010. He probably has the tallest set of receivers to throw to that any quarterback ever enjoyed. If Jackson, Floyd, and Gates can stay healthy, Rivers might even crack the 5,000 yard plateau. Rivers was undefeated in December until last year and is hungry to return to the playoffs. He's a proven winner who has blossomed under Turner and is determined to win it all. I'm sure Turner would prefer Rivers not throw for 5,000+ yards and instead have a more balanced attack for defenses to worry about. After a good preseason second year running back Ryan Matthews looks poised to have his first 1,000 yard season. Injuries prevented him from breaking out last season so fullback Mike Tolbert was called upon to do his best impression of a tailback and he didn't disappoint. Both backs have surprising speed and a nose for the endzone. The same offensive line returns with capable backups so this unit will be scoring a lot of points this season.
The number one rating for the defense was something of a surprise considering that Smith got rid of two Pro Bowl players in Merriman and Cromarte. The secondary actually played better and the pass rush improved without those two. The Bolts were number one against the pass and better than average against the run. Now that two other teams in their division (KC and Oakland) are so good at running the ball the Bolts must improve against the run. The addition of Takeo Spikes and Bob Sanders should help improve the run defense as well as bring veterans leadership to this squad.
As good as the other two units were, the special teams were down right embarrassing last season. It seems that every week they gave up a kick return for a TD or had a punt blocked. As a result a new special teams coach was brought in. Rich Bisaccia, who did a good job in Tampa Bay, seems to have solved the nightmares of 2010. He has one of the best punters in the league in Scifres and Kaeding continues to be the NFL's most accurate kicker. If this unit can avoid mistakes and do it's job of winning the battle of field position, then the Bolts will be playing games in late January.
THE OFFENSE
The same cast returns from last year with the exception of Sproles who is now a Saint. The other backs will pick up the slack as Matthews, Tolbert, and Hester will be catching more screens and dump passes in 2011. Vincent Jackson was franchised so he's making about $10 million more this season than last so he's a happy camper. Floyd, who was allowed to test free agency, came back to bookend this skyscraper receiving corp. Patrick Crayton adds veteran experience while youngsters Goodman, Brown, and Walters bring speed to the mix. Antonio Gates began training camp in pain as his foot problems continue. This may be the most important foot in football as it supports a future Hall of Fame tight end who is also Rivers' favorite target. The biggest question will probably be: "Can he stay healthy long enough to contribute in the post-season?" Randy McMichael is an experienced backup and third stringer Kory Sperry has shown ability to get open. When Smith signed Jeromey Clary to return as the right tackle the GM might have overpaid him, but he maintained the continuity of an offensive line that boasts three Pro Bowl players (LT McNeill, LG Dielman, and center Hardwick). Louis Vasquez continues as the right guard while backups Green, Mruczkowski, and Dombrowski all have spot started in the past. Rivers is not only good, he's also durable. If he does get injured, then experienced backup Billy Volek will step in and get the job done. Matthews, who had such a disappointing 2010, seems primed to have a breakout year. Look for him to not only rush for over 1,000 yards, but also catch more passes as well. Tolbert will be counted on in short yardage situations to pick up the tough real estate. If this squad can cut down on fumbles and stupid penalties, then it should be the NFL's best offense again in 2011.
THE DEFENSE
Greg Manusky replaces Ron Rivera as the new defensive coordinator with the challenge to maintain this team's number one status. That lofty status last season as the number one yardage defense was a little deceptive since they were only number ten in scoring defense. However, they were the best pass defense in the league and tied for second in sacks. They were good against the run (number four), but inconsistent. AJ Smith made his number one draft pick a defensive end to help matters. Cory Liuget seems undersized for the position and has been blown off the line consistently in preseason. The Bolts may do better to have veteran Jacques Cesaire start and use Liuget as a designated pass rusher because he's relentless in his pursuit of quarterbacks. Antonio Garay emerged as the number one nose tackle and had a fine season. He returns as well as Luis Castillo at the other end. Vaughn Martin could break into the starting lineup at either end and Cam Thomas backs up Garay at nose tackle. In another move to help against the run Smith acquired 14 year veteran linebacker Takeo Spikes to play in the middle. Second year man Donald Butler will be a virtual rookie starting at the other middle spot. Butler missed all of 2010 with an injury and is sure to benefit form Spikes' experience. If Spikes gets hurt the Bolts have little experience to back him up because after veteran Ni'll Diggs there are only rookies Mouton and Gachkar left. This is undoubtedly the weakest link in the Chargers defense. The outside linebackers are led by Pro Bowler Shaun Phillips who was the Bolts best pass rusher in 2010. Who starts opposite him is anyone's guess as Travis LaBoy, Larry English, Antwan Barnes, and rookie Darryl Gamble all have a shot. My guess is that LaBoy will start with Barnes in on passing situations and English riding the bench nursing another injury. Smith also added a former Defensive Player of the Year in Bob Sanders. The ex-Colt hasn't played much in recent years due to injuries, but if he can play just half the schedule at strong safety he will add to this unit's toughness and experience. He teams up with free safety Eric Weddle to make one of the best safety tandums in the league. Quentin Jammer returns for a tenth season as one the the NFL's most consistent corners. He's joined by Antoine Cason at the other corner and Dante Hughes as the nickelback. Steve Gregory and Darrell Stuckey backup the safeties while rookies Marcus Gilchrist and Shareece Wright are in reserve at the corner spot. The defense may take a step back due to it's weakness at middle linebacker, but the secondary will hold up against the pass in the fourth quarter when opponents try to catch up to the Bolt's high scoring offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Last season the loss of Pro Bowlers Kassim Osgood and David Binn certainly hurt the special teams, but even their exit couldn't explain the wholesale collapse of this unit. New coach Rich Bisaccia certainly has his work cut out for him as he must mold a unit that will protect the punter better, smother kick returners, and open lanes for the Bolts' young returners to set up Rivers and company with good field position. It's not clear right now who the returners will be yet, but Walters, Goodman, and Crayton will all probably get a chance to return kickoffs with Cason as the main punt returner. Mike Windt replaces long time (17 years) long snapper David Binn and has big shoes to fill. He'll combine with Scifres as the holder and Keading doing placements as they attempt to continue Nate's record accuracy. If Scifres gets just average protection he should again be one of the NFL's top punters. Basaccia's boys will be under the microscope for the first few weeks of the season to see if they can avoid last season's mistakes and return this squad to being one of the NFL's best.
CONCLUSION
Many believe the Chargers are one of the best teams in the league, but have yet to prove they can succeed in the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl. The competition in the AFC is stiff as the Patriots, Steelers, and Colts have all won Super Bowls in recent years. One of the things Rivers is missing in his resume is a ring. After this season that will be corrected and the Bolts s will finally earn the name: SUPERCHARGERS.

Timothy P Wayne has been a freelance writer and poet for decades, a recent Internet newbie, and a millionaire in training forever.

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