February 2011
1 post
The Brett Pack
If you think you know cheese you’d better think again. Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the beginning, the middle, and the end, when it comes to our favourite dairy product. Put it this way – if you’re from this town and you don’t like cheese, people will look at you funny, point and nudge when you walk past them. Bit like when you tell people that you live in Milton Keynes. Or if someone finds out that...
January 2011
1 post
(XXL) Shadows on Broadway
It’s not an easy place, being in the shadow of your next-door neighbour. Just ask Ateletico Madrid fans. Or Tyson Gay. Or the guy who replaced Steve Guttenberg/Mahoney in the Police Academy series.
And the New York Jets, despite the odd moment of ultimate glory, are very much the poor relations in the Big Apple to those mean old Giants from up the Jersey turnpike. They even played their homegames...
November 2010
1 post
WHAT WOULD CHUCK DO?
The fascinatingly swift reaction from the powers that be that run the NFL to come down hard on any player who, well, comes down hard – ah, the irony – seems to have polarised opinion.
On the one hand - presumably a hand held up and away, palms open – you have the group who feel that the spate of helmet-to-helmet “tackles” – such as this one from the Patriots Brandon Merriweather...
September 2010
3 posts
NFL on BBC Five Live
Hosting the Colts/Broncos game this Sunday on BBC Five Live Xtra, from 9.00pm. Tweet questions into me @natcoombs
Not so much a blog entry, as a cyber scribble on an electronic napkin, but hey, I’m trying here!
More blah, blah, blah....
Startling developments at Arsenal where Shawn Carter - Mr. Jay-Z to you and me - has been linked with buying shares in the club, and that he and missus Beyonce want to be involved in the decision-making at board level. Blimey. Expect the Gunners to fix their goalkeeping problems by signing Soulja Boy in the January Window. Altogether now : I got 99 problems but Manny Almunia ain’t...
Premier League Blah Blah Blah....
An S. League match between Singapore’s Young Lions and China’s Beijing Guoan reserve team had to be abandoned with the score at 1-1 in the 80th minute after it degenerated into an all-out bundle.
I give particular props to the subs in bibs who pile on and get stuck in, the linesman who uses his flag like a samurai, and the cameraman who makes sure we don’t miss a sliver of...
August 2010
1 post
3 tags
New ESPN show!
A quick note to tell you about my new ESPN show. Which, on the surface, makes it read like I created it. Which I didn’t. I’m presenting it. And writing bits. And trying not to slide down the sofa during filming. Or dribble.
It’s called Talk of the Terrace - a live, weekly studio show, mainly based on the Premier League on ESPN & ESPN HD every Monday at 6.30pm. We’re...
June 2010
1 post
14 tags
The Most Logically Illogical Thing Ever?
Some things in life continue to concern me no matter how hard I try and move on: Why is there more than one Mannequin movie?
Is Justin Bieber made up of 47,000,028 tiny little Justin Biebers all dancing in unison?
If Sam from Quantum Leap leapt into Sam from Quantum Leap at the precise time that he initially leapt in the first place, would he be trapped forever in space time continuum ping pong?...
May 2010
2 posts
10 tags
Musings on Yankee Stadium
Maybe it was down to the 80+ degree heat in New York City. Or that it was a lazy Sunday afternoon, perfect for catching a ball game, featuring an old school franchise vs. the mega star current champs. Perhaps it was the guy sitting next to me on the train was wearing shades and a headscarf, rubbing the inside of his groin, blowing on what appeared to me a mid-90’s rave whistle, but...
April 2010
4 posts
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Best Podcasts For the (NFL) Off-Season
Think you’ve got it tough in the off season, NFL junkie? Think again, Barney. Like Charlie Sheen, circa the Hot Shots era of hi career, or people who’ve never been exposed to Piers Morgan, sometimes you just don’t realise how good you’ve really got it.
Back when I was a kid, on the wrong side of the Atlantic when it came to the NFL (and in retrospect, admiring the name...
March 2010
1 post
6 tags
Vote Harrington in '12!
It’s no secret just how much I love the legend that is Joey Harrington. The much maligned prince of draft busts, who has had more NFL teams than a spritzer guzzling table dancer called Cindii (if I could add a love heart above the second “i” then I would), seems to be out of the pro’s for good.
Bittersweet, for sure, because it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see...
February 2010
4 posts
I ain't getting on no plane to South Africa, fool!...
Ah, John Terry. Nothing says contrition, remorse and regret more than a 5th rate Mohawk, eh?
Put the board down now, sir. Put it down, now!
Ok. It’s pretty simple. And has now been officially added to Nat’s Golden Rules in Life (RRP £9.99).
If you’re over the age of 22, and you’re not taking part in the EXGames/Pro Circuit/A TV show/movie/charity event…..PUT THE SKATEBOARD DOWN. NOW.
11 tags
Peyton : Greatest of All Time or Lousy Loser?
So I suppose SB44 was a shock, in the same way that it’s always a shock to wake up from a night at the Casino with money in your wallet. It’s not completely implausible, but we’re all a little bit surprised when it happens.
What is unsurprising about it all, however, is the oh-so-predictable meed-ja lampooning of Peyton Manning : loudmouth hacks shouting mindlessly to anyone that will...
15 tags
Super Bowl 44 : Close, with plenty of cigars...
In the same way that it’s possible to differentiate between good players or teams and truly special ones, there are important championships and then there are the elite competitions in global sport, that resonate with a magical cachet and possess an X-factor that is rarely matched. No doubt that the Super Bowl is on that very short list. And no, Dancing on Ice : The Final, isn’t.
Many...
January 2010
4 posts
4 tags
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Smart QB + Young Players Stepping Up x...
Darrelle Revis and the Jets secondary have been shutting down the best receivers all season. Andre Johnson, Marques Colston, Randy Moss have all come up short against the NFL’s number 1 Defense. And the Jets pulled it off once again on Sunday, keeping Peyton Mannings favourite target – number 1 receiver Reggie Wayne quiet as a doormouse, grabbing only 55 yards.
So how did Manning – ranked the...
24 tags
NFL Players of the Season : What? No Harrington?
I’ve recently been asked to put together my NFL players of the season for a new site called NA Sports.
Much like keeping a straight face when someone genuinely starts singing to/at you, lists are always a hard thing to compile. How long do you make them? What are the exact parameters for selection? If I put Joey Harrington down will they realise I’m being ironic, or just think...
My Playoff Preview @ The Sun Online →
Another of my regular columns for The Sun, previewing the forthcoming NFL playoffs. If you’re disappointed that there are no pictures of Cheerleaders, blame the subs, not me, pal…..
December 2009
3 posts
17 tags
NFL, Actually.......*not starring Hugh Grant
In the weirdest example of morale boosting yet seen this season, Vikings HC Brad Childress has dressed up as an air hostess on the team’s flight back from a game. “I grabbed every player’s arm, woke them up and said, ‘Excuse me, sir. Can I get you something? The first guy I got was Jared Allen. He looked up and said, ‘Pshaw!’ My sentiments entirely Jared. Unless...
15 tags
Shockey, Bud & Becks : It's a Matt Leblanc sitcom...
Bud Adams, the Titans head honcho, who was fined $250,000 for making obscene gestures to Bills fans during Tennessee’s win in Buffalo has subsequently taken a full-page ad out in a Buffalo newspaper apologising. The advert read : “Hey Bills. Take your f****** f****** sh** and s*** it up your **** **** you **** **** ****. PS. I don’t care if Trent “Ladyboy”...
November 2009
3 posts
13 tags
Gonzo goes naked, Chad tries out some new material...
Future Hall of Fame Falcons Tight End Tony Gonzalez, has posed naked, along with his wife, for a recent anti-fur PETA advertisement. I can just hear the ghost of Rodney Dangerfield muttering : ”No wonder his nickname is Gonzo”.
But I think I speak for us all when we say : Thank god they didn’t ask Jerry Jones.
Chad Ochocinco may have a future career as a stand up...
10 tags
And now.......er.....this!
The Boston Globe has asked readers to submit photos of people who look like various Patriot players, with Tom Brady look-alikes being the overwhelmingly popular entry du jour. Judging by the applicants I’ve seen, its fair to say that there are a lot of delusional people out there. By delusional I mean the same kind of cats that say “Wade Phillips is an elite head coach” or...
8 tags
This week in the NFL....
I was stunned last week to learn that 500 Packers fans staged a mock funeral service for their former idol Brett Favre on the eve of his return to Green Bay. But after a standout performance in Minnesota’s win, Favre seems to all and sundry to be very much alive. Either that, or we’re all living through a remake of Weekend at Bernies and nobody’s told us.
Ever popular Washington owner Dan Synder...
October 2009
5 posts
7 tags
2009 WORLD SERIES PREVIEW
My column previewing the 2009 World Series is now online. Check it out here :
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/2703305/Top-10-2009-World-Series-Philadelphia-Phillies-v-New-York-Yankees.html
7 tags
Top 10 Things To Look Out For At Wembley
It’s International Series time again, and Wembley will be buzzing this Sunday with the UK’s NFL gang heading over for the Pariots/Bucs game. Can’t wait for it and my column this week in The Sun is obviously all about it.
Check out the article here : http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/top10s/2692958/Top-10-NFL-attractions-at-Wembley.html
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Shortlists are always cause for disagreement.
It’s like the argument: Who would win in a fight between Chuck Norris, Boba Fett and Ivan Drago? You’ll never find one unanimous answer.
I personally reckon Chuck would get the other two slaughtered and claim his victory, though you may see it differently.
But there is no doubt that the list I have put together of the 10 biggest...
14 tags
The 10 Best Names In The NFL...
If you ply your trade in the National Football League, and you’ve got a ridiculous name, then brother (or sister*) I salute you. In reverse order :
10. Madison Hedgecock – FB (NY Giants) : The Adam Sandler movie that never was
9. Ashton Youboty - CB (Buffalo Bills) : If he ever plays in Newcastle, he’d be coming home
8. Drew Willy – QB (Free Agent) : Do I have to spell it...
12 tags
This week in the NFL....
WASHINGTON ROOKIE UNDER FIRE AFTER USING TWITTER TO CALL REDKSINS FANS “DIMWITS”
Apparently Robert Henson was joking, but the statement is so close to the truth that no-one realised
MR KENDRA WILKINSON TAKES JOB WITH THE COLTS
WR Hank Baskett decided that being a stay at home husband to a playboy model was, well, boring, so has joined Peyton Manning in Indy. Oh, the glamour.
TOM BRADY...
September 2009
7 posts
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Wade Phillips = Sam From Quantum Leap
Something occured to me during the Sunday Night NFL game between the Cowboys and the Giants and Dallas’ new - and let’s face it, immense - stadium. Wade Jones has a permanently confused look on his face. All the time. Every single second. (apart from when he’s barking like a rabid fruitbat)
And it got me thinking. There is no way in hell that an NFL Head Coach can be that...
13 tags
MCNABB OUT, GARCIA IN, KOLB CONFUSED, VICK IN THE...
Donovan Mcnabb is out for a few weeks. Time for the young scamp Kevin Kolb to step up and be counted right? Er, not so much. Philly have passed up on youth for, ahem, experience in Jeff Garcia, who should have a lot of it frankly, given he’s 68 years old. Well nearly. He may be old, but Garcia is a damn fine slinger. And have you seen his wife? Wow. Maybe the Eagles worked it all out on the...
9 tags
Daunte Culpepper's Bizarro Injury
Most bizzaro injury of the NFL season so far? Daunte Culpepper’s foot injury. The veteran QB snagged himself eight stitches in one of his rather considerably sized tootsies in a freak domestic incident. So he must have trodden on a knife right? Or perhaps broken glass?
Maybe angry mice conspired in the dead of night and chewed away at his little pinkies. Nah, none of those explanations are...
7 tags
Darnell Dockett : Tattooed Millionaire
As i was talking about this morning on the new NFL : UK show on FIVE (Saturdays, 10.30AM through the regular season) Darnell Dockett : twitter.com/ddockett, the Cards DT, has offered a woman $150,000 plus a “shopping spree to your favorite store” (sic) if they get a tattoo of his number 90 on their back. And of course, he’s searching for this touching action of loyalty...
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Guest Spot on West Ham Podcast
Last night I recorded a guestspot on Stop! Hammertime (the worlds number 1 West Ham Podcast) which you can listen to here : http://tinyurl.com/westhampodcast.
They gave me cake, and everything. What nice people. It’s not techinally NFL related but I do talk a bit about the game, much to the bemusement of my fellow guests!
9 tags
New NFL Show : NFL UK : Starts This Weekend
Alongside Sunday Night Football, live on Five, i’m involved with another NFL show here in the UK, so it’s damn lucky that we’ve decided to call it NFL : UK. It’s being presented by Trevor Nelson, Natalie Pinkham and me. They’re presenting in our studio, i’m out and about with a camera crew getting up to all kinds of things, including a weekly topical rant...
NFL Live on Five! Back for 2009
Sometimes, life can take you by surprise. It took me months to recover from the shock off Michael Bolton cutting off his remarkable mane. I’ll also never forget the moment when I thought : Damn, Joey Harrington can be a starter in the NFL! That lasted for precisely 14 seconds, obviously.
But NFL UK’s announcement that FIVE will be broadcasting Sunday Night Football live – with yours truly and...