Category: Football

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC South
• History – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were founded as an expansion team in 1976. They lost their first 26 games in a row and things have been downhill ever since. Okay, their history is not that dire, but they have been a losing team verging on a laughingstock for much of their almost 40-year history. They had a period of consistent winning starting in 1997 and continuing for six years which culminated in the team’s only Super Bowl win. Then it was back down into the dumps for most of the years until present day.
• Championships – The Bucs won the Super Bowl in their only trip to the title game in 2002 by beating the Oakland Raiders in a game I called (I was in college at the time) “Pirate Bowl Aye-Aye.”
• Rivals – The Buccaneers claim the New Orleans Saints (against whom they scored their first ever victory in 1977) and the Carolina Panthers as their rivals.

If it weren’t for a brief period of prosperity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be one of the sorriest franchises in American team sports history. Despite all the losing, there are some cool things about the Buccaneers. They have an enormous model pirate ship built into their stadium which shoots its cannons when the team scores. That’s awesome! The team is one of the few that wears white for its home jerseys so that opponents have to swelter in the heat of Tampa Bay while wearing dark uniforms. On the subject of uniforms, they once played in a color that can only be described as “creamsicle.” Unfortunately for the well-intentioned Tampa Bay fan, the recent history of the team has been one of insulting incompetence. They’ve hired a series of coaches who have each been more of a disaster than the last and just this year, they used the number one overall draft pick on a player who almost certainly is a rapist.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Warren Sapp was drafted by the Buccaneers as the 12th overall pick of the 1995 draft and became a dominant force on the interior of the defensive line for the team over the next nine seasons. Defensive linemen like Sapp don’t normally become celebrities or football stars but Sapp’s rare combination of high-energy, charisma, and style made him a fan favorite and an essential part of the defense that dragged the team to a Super Bowl win in 2002. Sapp was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. His smooth transition from football player to football media personality was interrupted by a domestic abuse charge in 2010 and a solicitation arrest in 2015.

Derrick Brooks played right behind Sapp as the team’s middle linebacker from 1995 when he was drafted 16 spots behind Sapp until Sapp left in 2003. Brooks continued to play for the Bucs until his retirement in 2008. He was remarkably durable. During his 14 year career, he started 221 of 224 possible games. That is a crazy record for one of the most dangerous positions in football. Following his retirement, Brooks became co-owner and president of the Tampa Bay Storm, an Arena Football League team in the area. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2014.

Where do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

I have no explanation for being a Tampa Bay fan unless you live in the Tampa Bay area. Your date lives in the Tampa Bay area and doesn’t mind being emotionally taken advantage of.

What will make a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan squirm?

Nothing! Apparently nothing will make a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan squirm. Not the losing, not the terrible management, not the gross drafting of Jameis Winston. If anything made a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan squrm, they would no longer be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.

Buy Tampa Bay Buccaneers Swag!

What do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like?

Team colors are Buccaneer red, pewter, black, orange, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

New Orleans Saints – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC South
• History – The New Orleans Saints are a franchise with a flair for the dramatic. Named after the song, When the Saints go Marching in, whose text refers to the rapture, the Saints have always born an air of wonderful catastrophe. They were created in 1966 as part of back-room bargaining about a potential merger between the NFL and rival American Football League. They played 20 seasons before recording a winning season. Always beloved in New Orleans, the team took on national importance after the terrible disaster of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when the team’s stadium was used as a shelter for thousands of people.
• Championships – The Saints won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2009 season.
• Rivals – The Saints have a surprising number of rivals for a team that has done so poorly for so much of its history. Leading the way is the Atlanta Falcons who see the Saints as their natural rival over the Deep South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who battle it out with the Saints for the Gulf Coast, and the Dallas Cowboys whose regional fan-base abuts the Saints’ to the west.

During their darkest days, the Saints were known as the ‘aints and were a consistent win… for teams that played against them. They lost and lost and lost but never truly stopped partying. Aside from some stadiums football fans might prefer to visit for their historical significance, there’s no place they’d rather see a game than in New Orleans. When the Saints are playing well, the Super Dome rocks! One of the most moving, exciting games I’ve ever seen on TV was the first game at the Super Dome after Katrina. The Saints won in dramatic fashion and it felt as if all of America was cheering for them.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the New Orleans Saints?

Archie Manning was selected by the Saints as the second overall pick in the 1971 draft. He played quarterback for the Saints for each of the next ten seasons, a period during which the Saints had a losing record every year but one… 1979 when they went .500. Although Manning did not preside over any winning teams, he was widely loved and respected. Other teams defensive players even claimed to have taken it easy on him because his offensive linemen were so bad at protecting him. Manning received recognition for his fine play despite his lack of on-field success. He continues to be beloved by New Orleans Saints fans, despite his having fathered two great quarterbacks, Peyton and Eli Manning who have played against the Saints for the past twenty years.

Drew Brees is the exception that proves the rule in several different ways. Listed as six feet tall, he’s the rare successful “short” quarterback that proves the rule that you have to be 6’3″ or taller to succeed at that position in the NFL. Great quarterbacks are so valuable in the NFL that as a rule, they don’t change teams until they are way past their prime. Brees proved to be an exception to that rule when he left San Diego in 2006 to play for the Saints. Since coming to the Saint, Brees has “led all NFL quarterbacks in touchdowns, passing yards and 300-yard games” and also led the team to a Super Bowl win. Brees was in a strange position coming to New Orleans in the season after Hurricane Katrina. He embraced it, moved his family to the city, and went about making himself as helpful to the city’s recovery as he could. Thanks to that effort in addition to his fine play, Brees is a much loved symbol of modern New Orleans.

Where do the New Orleans Saints play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a New Orleans Saints fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Thinking about heading out to the club after dinner? Your date will be the life of the party. Chances are, she has a set of beads in her back pocket or a fancy feather headdress in his.

What will make a New Orleans Saints fan squirm?

Argue that now that the post-Katrina era is over (this will already make a Saints fan start sputtering in anger), it’s time to admit that New Orleans is too small of a market to support an NFL football team (by now they will have switched from sputtering to actively throwing whatever is at hand.)

Buy New Orleans Saints Swag!

What do the New Orleans Saints look like?

Team colors are black, Old Gold, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

 

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 New Orleans Saints including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Carolina Panthers – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC South
• History – The Carolina Panthers are the third most recent team to have entered the NFL. Created as an expansion team in 1995, the Panthers history is short but has its high points. The Panthers set a record for expansion teams by going 7-9 in their first season and then followed it up by going 12-4 the following year. The franchise’s high point came in 2003 when they advanced all the way to the Super Bowl before being beaten in a close game by the New England Patriots.
• Championships – None.
• Rivals – The Panthers key rivals are the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sure, they don’t much like the fourth team in their division, the New Orleans Saints, either, but their strongest punches are saved for the Falcons and Bucs.

One of the newest teams in the NFL, the Falcons are an interesting example of NFL expansion that mimics that of the National Hockey League in some ways. North Carolina, where the team plays its home games, is one of the few places in the country where football is still not the top sport in the market. College basketball and the epic rivalry between Duke and North Carolina has always and seems like it will always be at the top of the sports pyramid. The Panthers balancing act can be seen in its choice of color. “Panther Blue” is a shade of blue precisely at the midpoint between the dark blue that Duke wears and UNC’s powder blue. The Panthers live in a divided world — split between North and South Carolina, split between Duke and UNC. Even their tailgating tradition involves areas that focus on all different types of food.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Carolina Panthers?

Jerry Richardson is the only owner the Panthers have ever had. He’s a true home-grown success story. Born and raised in North Carolina, Richardson played college football at Wofford in South Carolina. After his college days, he was drafted by the then Baltimore Colts and played two years in the NFL. He used money earned from his football career to open the first Hardee’s restaurant franchise. From there he moved up in the restaurant business, eventually becoming CEO of Flagstar, the sixth largest food service business in the world. Football was always his first love though and he worked tirelessly to bring a professional team to the Carolinas.

Steve Smith is small for a wide receiver but he’s an enormous part of Panthers history. Drafted in 2001, Smith played for 13 seasons with the Panthers and holds basically every receiving record on the team. Smith played (he still plays but now for the Baltimore Ravens) with a ferocity and determination rare, even in the ultra aggressive world of the NFL. At 5’9″, it never seemed like it was possible for Smith to make the type of physical, leaping, battling aerial catches that were his specialty, but he found a way. In 2005 he was the league leader in all three major categories for a wide receiver: catches, yards, and touchdowns. Smith was not only team captain but also the emotional heart of the Panthers team for most of his time in Carolina.

Where do the Carolina Panthers play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Carolina Panthers fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Sitting across from a Carolina Panthers fan, you can be sure that they have room in their heart for more than just one object of affection. Rare among professional football fans these days, most Carolina Panthers fans have a sport and a team that comes before football and their NFL team: either Duke or the University of North Carolina in men’s college basketball.

What will make a Carolina Panthers fan squirm?

Figure out if they are a Duke fan or a UNC fan and then claim that the Panthers swing in the direction of their rivals.

Buy Carolina Panthers Swag!

What do the Carolina Panthers look like?

Team colors are Panther Blue, black, silver, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

A post about the 2015 Carolina Panthers including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Atlanta Falcons – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC South
• History – The Atlanta Falcons came into existence in 1965 after a bidding war between the NFL and the American Football League (AFL) for the right to put a team in Atlanta. Although the AFL had more previous involvement with the city, having played several exhibition games there, the NFL was the more established league and eventually won out. The Falcons played their first handful of seasons in the NFL’s Coastal Division with the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams. After the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Falcons were shifted to the geographically insane NFC West division and the New Orleans Saints were subbed in for the Baltimore Colts. It wasn’t until 2002 that the NFL fixed this issue and created the NFC South, the division the Falcons currently play in, and populated it with teams (the Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers) that more or less fit the division’s geographic descriptor.
• Championships – The Falcons have never won a championship. They went to the Super Bowl once, in 1998, but were defeated by the Denver Broncos.
• Rivals – The Falcons key rival is the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were founded a year after the Falcons and the two have battled for supremacy over the Deep South ever since. Their rivalry has some aspects of a sibling rivalry to it. Aside from the drunk and rowdy fans that travel seven hours to jeer at each other (and sometimes the teams) the two teams have also shared coaching families and even several players.

One of the thirteen teams to never win a Super Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons cannot lay claim to being the most successful team. They’ve only fielded winning teams 14 out of their 49 years of existence, and only once (2008-2012) were they able to put together any kind of sustained run of winning. This once-in-a-while characteristic seems to also be true about creating a distinct team identity. The Falcons are capable of doing that, but only once in a while, and only in an impermanent sense. It doesn’t seem like the 1998 “Dirty Birds” identity has much to do with the identity of the team during its years with quarterback Michael Vick or in its years since then. Falcons eras come quickly and before you look, they’re gone.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Atlanta Falcons?

Michael Vick played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons from 2001 to 2006. Drafted first overall by the Falcons, fans have never had higher hopes for the team than when Vick was at the helm. He was the extreme example of a running quarterback. Insanely fast, freakishly elusive, and with a great ability, learned over many years of playing, to know exactly when to take off and run down the field, Vick was the most exciting player in the league during his years with the Falcons. Although the team did have some success in that time, they were never as successful as they were exciting. Vick’s time with the Falcons came to a scandalous end in 2006 when he was arrested, convicted, and eventually incarcerated for his role in a dog-fighting ring. After serving his time, Vick was able to return to playing in the NFL but not with the Falcons.

Deion Sanders, nicknamed “Prime Time” is another example of an amazing athlete who started his career on the Falcons. Drafted fifth overall by the team in the 1989 draft, Sanders’ primary position was cornerback but also played as a kick and punt returner and in isolated situations on offense. He also played baseball professionally for the MLB team in the city, the Atlanta Braves. A good sign of his virtuosity on the football field is the breakdown of his scoring with the Falcons. He scored ten touchdowns in his five seasons in Atlanta, three on interception or fumble returns, five on kick or punt returns, and two by catching passes on offense. Sanders was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011.

Where do the Atlanta Falcons play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Atlanta Falcons fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

They’re either from the Atlanta area or they LOVE Michael Vick and probably played a lot of Madden NFL video games. Or still do. Vick was basically unstoppable in those games when he was on the Falcons, so much so that many people had house rules against playing with the Falcons. I was once in an airport and saw a man go up to Vick and say, “Hey man, I love you in Madden.”

What will make a Atlanta Falcons fan squirm?

You might think it would be saying something about dog-fighting but I think most Falcons fans have moved on from that. No, I would go more towards suggesting their team is boring. It’s not true but it’s just close enough to being true to make a Falcons fan sweat.

Buy Atlanta Falcons Swag!

What do the Atlanta Falcons look like?

Team colors are red, black, white, and silver. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

A post about the 2015 Atlanta Falcons including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

New York Jets – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC East
• History – The New York Jets began their existence as the New York Titans in 1959. One of the original American Football League teams, from the start the team created its identity as an alternative to the more traditional New York Giants. As then owner, Harry Wismer explained, “Titans are bigger and stronger than Giants.” They weren’t. The team struggled to get off the ground and almost disappeared in 1963 before being purchased by a group led by show business A&R man extraordinaire, Sonny Werblin. With the exception of a few short periods of success, the Jets have been largely a disappointment throughout their entire history.
• Championships – Only one, during the 1968 season, but it was a big one. Many people point to this game, Super Bowl III, as the start of the NFL’s meteoric rise in American sports.
• Rivals – The Jets maintain simmering rivalries with all three teams in their division, the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots. Their relationship with the Patriots is the most antagonistic of all of their rivalries and rivals any in the league for its intensity and bitterness.

The Jets have the biggest chip on their shoulder of all NFL teams. Second, even in their own city, the Jets are counter-cultural rebels. Their fans tend to be more working class than Giants fans and, regardless of socioeconomics, rowdier and more gleefully antagonistic. To understand the Jets, you need only to understand the long saga of where they’ve played. They started in the mostly defunct Polo Grounds, a stadium the New York Giants (football and baseball) had already moved on to. Then, they moved to Shea stadium in Queens, where the New York Mets played. The problem there was that they were forced to start each season with a few games on the road until baseball season ended. The Jets tried several different approaches to solve the problem but eventually left the city to go play in New Jersey… in Giants Stadium, the home of the New York (Football) Giants. The Jets were unable to change the name or the seat colors, so for years the New York Jets played in New Jersey in a stadium owned by and named for the other New York football team. Today, they still play in New Jersey but in a new stadium which is jointly owned by the Giants and the Jets and designed for both teams. Still, the long history of being treated like a second-class football team has shaped the character of the Jets and their fans.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the New York Jets?

Joe Namath was quarterback for the New York Jets from 1965 to 1976. During that time his teams won 66 games and lost 70 but that doesn’t tell the story of Namath properly at all. Namath won the only game that truly mattered, Super Bowl III, and he did it in legendary fashion. This was in 1969, before the upstart AFL had merged with the NFL, although the question of whether they would was open to debate. Part of that debate was whether the AFL teams had enough talent to hang with the NFL ones. Most people thought they did not. When the Jets beat the Baltimore Colts, 16-7, it was a breakthrough not just for Jets fans but for the entire AFL community. Namath is also remembered for having guaranteed a victory before the game, although guarantees were not then the type of trope-y news getters that they are today. Namath, known as “Broadway Joe” for his celebrity looks and style has remained a legend among Jets fans.

Wayne Chrebet may not have had the looks, the fame, or the success that Namath had, but for a generation of fans, he was the epitome of everything they loved about the Jets. Listed at 5’1″ (but probably shorter), Chrebet was a born underdog who played his college football at unheralded Hofstra University on Long Island and was cut by a Canadian Football League team before ever getting a shot at the NFL. When he did get a chance with the Jets in 1995, he impressed the coaches and miraculously jumped past five or six bigger, more well known wide receivers to make the team. He stayed with the Jets for his entire 11 season career, from 1995 to 2005 and was a constant fan favorite for his moxie, sure hands, willingness to take on bigger players, and, it must be admitted, his race. Unfortunately, Chrebet’s fairytale seems to have an all to real and scary ending. Years after retiring, he has reported having symptoms from the many brain injuries he sustained during his career.

Where do the New York Jets play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a New York Jets fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

He or she has a massive inferiority complex. Alone among NFL fans, Jets fans have adjusted to not only being consistently a weaker team in their division but even in their own city! No comments about their height, weight, accent, or menu choices!

What will make a New York Jets fan squirm?

Basically, you can do almost anything and a New York Jets fan will squirm. They’re perpetually on edge, always thinking that the worst is going to happen. I had a colleague who was a Jets fan. He once broke his hand punching through a wall in frustration… during a game the Jets won!

Buy New York Jets Swag!

What do the New York Jets look like?

Team colors are green and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 New York Jets including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

New England Patriots – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC East
• History – The New England Patriots were a founding member of the American Football League in 1960 as the Boston Patriots. When they moved 20 miles down the road to Foxboro, Massachusetts in 1971, they briefly flirted with the name, “the Bay State Patriots” before settling on their current name. The team’s ownership changed several times and the team was almost moved to St. Louis in the early 1990s before being purchased by its current owner, Robert Kraft.
• Championships – The New England Patriots have won four Super Bowls, all since 2000. They won in 2001, 2003, 2004, and then again in 2014.
• Rivals – Although they are hated by many teams, the Patriots see themselves as having three main rivals, the New York Jets who play in their division, the Indianapolis Colts, who used to until 2002, and the Baltimore Ravens who they’ve met in many important games in the past 20 years.

The Patriots are the most successful team of this millennia. They’re also probably the most controversial. In 2007 the team and their coach, Bill Bellichick were disciplined for having illicitly recorded video of an opposing team’s practices. In 2014, they were accused of improperly inflating the footballs they used on offense during a playoff game. Although the team escaped punishment this time, its quarterback, Tom Brady has been suspended for four games pending legal recourse. These incidents aside, the Patriots are generally regarded as a radical organization. They’ll try anything to win. They plan almost completely different game plans each week depending on their opponent, they constantly trade down in the NFL draft to take a larger number of less well-known players, they’ll cut or trade anyone, no matter how popular and accomplished, if they feel they are starting to decline. They’re willing to take character and injury risks with players that other teams stay away from. They are an extraordinarily stable organization when it comes to their core elements (owner, coach, quarterback) but basically everything else is constantly in motion.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the New England Patriots?

Bill Bellichick is a complex, intriguing man whose brilliant talent for football is only matched by his apparent contempt for everything he feels is non-essential to winning football games. Whether you think he is simply a porcupine without the desire or talent to cloak himself in the skin of a cuddlier animal or you think he is a teddy-bear wearing chain-mail probably has a lot to do with whether you root for the New England Patriots and vis-versa. Read more about Bellichick in a profile of him I wrote before the 2015 Super Bowl.

Tom Brady is the prototypical quarterback. He’s tall, handsome, and athletic. He’s an unquestioned leader. He is successful on the field and off the field. He inevitably evokes a strong response from people. Either you want to be him or want to be with him or you can’t stand his smug, arrogant ways and you are annoyed that one person (other than you) could be so lucky. I wrote a lot more about him in an article leading up to the 2015 Super Bowl.

Where do the New England Patriots play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a New England Patriots fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

A decade and a half of winning will spoil even the most down-to-earth fan bases. The Patriots fan across the table from you probably expects success, all efforts to the contrary. He or she is also likely to have the “us-against-the-world” mentality that Patriots fans have had to develop in response to its team’s controversies.

What will make a New England Patriots fan squirm?

Express dismay and disgust at the Patriots for their cheating ways. Focus especially on Tom Brady and how his part in the conspiracy to deflate footballs has tarnished his otherwise “golden” image.

Buy New England Patriots Swag!

What do the New England Patriots look like?

Team colors are navy blue, red, silver, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 New England Patriots including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Miami Dolphins – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC East
• History – The Miami Dolphins have always had a little bit of flair, as befitting a team so close to South Beach. The team was founded by an attorney/politician and an actor/comedian in 1966 in the American Football League. Today, the team is owned Stephen M. Ross, a real estate mogul, but has made a point to have several small celebrity minority owners including Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Fergie.
• Championships – The Dolphins won back-to-back Super Bowl Championships in 1972 and 1973.
• Rivals – The Dolphins two primary rivals are the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, both in-division competitors.

The Dolphins are the proud holders of the NFL’s only perfect season ever. In 1972, the Dolphins won every game in the then 14-game regular season and then won throughout the playoffs. Some members of that team and fans have celebrated each year since then when the last undefeated team loses. There have been some close calls since then, but no team has been able to match the 1972 Dolphins. The team followed up its success by repeating as Super Bowl champions the next year. The Dolphins have not won since then, despite some great teams during the early to mid 1980s. Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, the trend-line on their team continues to slide downwards. Each decade since the 1970s has been a little worse than the last.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Miami Dolphins?

Don Shula was the coach of the Miami Dolphins during their undefeated 1972 season and their repeat championship the next year. That would be the career highlight for any NFL coach and so it is for Shula, but it doesn’t encapsulate him the way it would for most. Shula is associated with sustained excellence and coaching endurance. He remained the Dolphins coach until 1995 and in his 36 years as a head coach in the NFL (he coached the Baltimore Colts before the Dolphins), he only presided over teams that lost more than they won twice. He still holds many NFL coaching records, including  most games coached, most consecutive seasons coached, and most Super Bowl appearances.

Dan Marino remains to this day, the biggest star player the Dolphins have ever had. While their Super Bowl winning teams were more ensemble affairs, the Miami Dolphins of the ’80s and ’90s were a star vehicle for Marino. Marino was the prototypical pocket passing quarterback. His abilities to survey the field, release the ball quickly, and hit his target accurately downfield were unsurpassed during his era and possibly since. Despite setting many passing records, Marino only went to the Super Bowl one time and never won one.

Where do the Miami Dolphins play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Miami Dolphins fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Thinking of just maybe bringing your date home tonight but worried that they might not be into your fifth story, no air-conditioning apartment in the middle of a July heat-wave? Don’t sweat the small stuff, just sweat. The one thing you can be sure of about a Miami Dolphins fan is that they’re perfectly comfortable grilling in 97°/100% humidity weather. Go for it!

What will make a Miami Dolphins fan squirm?

List great quarterbacks and leave Dan Marino out. Then when they bring him up, dismiss him because he never won a Super Bowl.

Buy Miami Dolphins Swag!

What do the Miami Dolphins look like?

Team colors are aqua, orange, white, and Marine Blue. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Miami Dolphins including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Buffalo Bills – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC East
• History – The Buffalo Bills were a charter member of the American Football League in 1960. When the leagues merged in 1970, they became an NFL team. The city of Buffalo had an earlier NFL team that played under the names of the All-Stars, Niagaras, Prospects, All-Americans, Bison, and Rangers, before folding in 1929.
• Championships – The Bills won two back-to-back AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 but none since they started playing in the NFL.
• Rivals – The Bills have rivalries with all three of their division rivals, the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. Each one has a distinct flavor. In their rivalry against the Patriots, the Bills are firmly the little siblings. They want to beat the Patriots more than anything, but the Patriots have bigger fish to fry. The Jets are natural rivals since they both claim New York as their home state. Starting this year, the Bills have hired the Jets old head coach, Rex Ryan, so we may see this rivalry spark. The most traditional and balanced rivalry is between the Bills and the Dolphins. While the Dolphins lead in games won over the Bills, the Bills have the edge in the playoffs.

The Bills have an epic history and an uncertain future. Starting with the 1990 season, the Bills won their conference and went to the Super Bowl in four straight years. They are the only NFL team to ever have accomplished this amazing feat of sustained achievement. They lost all four Super Bowls. What an incomprehensible blow to the players, coaches, and fans, who were involved with all four of those Super Bowls! I mean… what are the chances, right? In the more recent past, the Bills have struggled mightily. They haven’t made the playoffs since 1999 — the longest playoff drought in the NFL — and they’ve only had a winning record twice in that time. They’ve also experienced the indignity of playing one of their “home games” in Toronto over the course of several years while rumors of relocation swirled. Throughout all of this, they’ve retained a small but totally devoted fan base. As the only major professional sports team in Buffalo, the Bills are the only show in town.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Buffalo Bills?

Jim Kelly was the quarterback for those Bills teams that went to and lost four straight Super Bowls. Kelly is beloved by Buffalo fans, despite things starting off on the wrong foot between him and the city. Kelly, not a fan of cold weather, chose to play in the USFL for two seasons instead of for the Bills, who drafted him in 1983. It wasn’t until the USFL folded that Kelly signed a contract to play with the Bills. His personal life has been full of challenges. His son, Hunter, was born with a fatal degenerative disease and died in 2005. Kelly was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2013 but is said to be clear now after surgery and rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Buffalo fans identify with people who face such challenges, and the fact that Kelly has chose to remain in a town near Buffalo throughout all of it, counts heavily in his favor.

Ralph Wilson was the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills in 1959 and owned the team for more than fifty years until his death in 2014. He is credited with helping to keep the AFL and some of its teams alive, having actually lent money to the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots. During his time in the NFL, Wilson was an active owner, often pushing the league in the direction he thought best. He was one of two owners who lobbied then commissioner Pete Rozelle to postpone games following the JFK assassination. Rozelle went ahead with the games and later said it was his biggest regret. In his later years, Wilson was seen as a strong and stubborn idealistic owner. He refused to sell the naming rights to his stadium and was determined to keep the Bills in Buffalo despite its small market size.

Where do the Buffalo Bills play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Buffalo Bills fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Looking for a faithful mate? Someone who will stick with you through thick and thin? Don’t look any farther than the Bills fan opposite you. They survived four consecutive Super Bowl losses and still love their team. It’s hard to even imagine what that would be in dating terms, but don’t sweat the little stuff, like spilling your drink on them, giving that cute waiter the eye, forgetting your wallet, and then needing to head home early to prepare for tomorrow’s crochet competition.

What will make a Buffalo Bills fan squirm?

You could try using the phrase, “wide right” to refer to the most heartbreaking of the Bills four Super Bowl losses. Honestly though, most Bills fans have probably gotten over that by now. A better and more contemporary way of making them squirm would be simply to assume the continued dominance of the New England Patriots.

Buy Buffalo Bills Swag!

What do the Buffalo Bills look like?

Team colors are royal blue, red, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

 

Current and recent teams

A post about the 2015 Buffalo Bills including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Washington Redskins – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC East
• History – The Washington Redskins started in 1932 as the Boston Braves, sharing a stadium with a baseball team of the same name. When they moved across town to play in Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, the football team changed its name to the Boston Redskins. The name stuck through the team’s move from Boston to Washington D.C. 1937 and has remained the same since then. The Redskins have had two major periods of success. From 1935 to 1945, the team played in six championship games and won two. From 1982 to 1991 the team played in four Super Bowls and won three.
• Championships – The team won two championships in the pre-Super Bowl era, one in 1937 and one in 1942. They also won three Super Bowls in 1982, 1987, and 1991.
• Rivals – Virtually every link in the traditional NFC East is a rivalry and this is true for the Redskins, who carry strong animosities for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles.

The Redskins are a traditional power fallen on hard times. It’s interesting to see how long their air of success can hold out despite losing teams, dysfunctional management, and a simmering scandal about the team’s name. Although the team’s name has been threatened before by activists who think it should be changed because of its obviously racist history, never before the past few years has a name change seemed so inevitable.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Washington Redskins?

Daniel Snyder bought the team in 1999 and things have basically been downhill since then. Since 1999, the team has only had three winning seasons and has never won or even gone to a Super Bowl. Snyder is known as a meddling owner who spends frivolously on expensive, big-name free agents, who play worse for the Redskins than for their previous teams. He’s also historically quick on the trigger to fire coaches. In the 16 years under his ownership, the team has had eight head coaches. In recent years, Snyder has seemingly reformed, backing away from the football side of the business and giving his head coaches and general managers a little more autonomy. Snyder is also a controversial figure because of his strong defense of the team’s name from charges of racism.

John Riggins  is very possibly the most beloved player in Redskins history. A strong running back, he was instrumental in the team’s first Super Bowl victory, during the 1982 season. He had played for the team from 1976 – 1979 but sat out the 1980 season because of a contract dispute with team management. He returned to the team in 1981, telling media, “I’m bored, I’m broke, and I’m back.” In 1982, he helped drive the team to the Super Bowl where he set what was then an NFL record by rushing for 166 yards to help the Redskins win their first championship in modern NFL history. He still holds several records for “oldest player to do _____” including rushing for 150+ yards in a game, rushing for three touchdowns in a game, and most games with 20+ rushing attempts after his 35th birthday.

Where do the Washington Redskins play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Washington Redskins fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

One thing you can tell, if it wasn’t already obvious from your date’s appearance, is that they are 35 years old or older. Basically no one in their right minds (unless they live near Washington D.C. or inherited it from their parents) would choose to become a Redskins fan. There’s also a slim but very real possibility that they like to dress up as a cross between a hog and a woman. If this is the case, marry immediately.

What will make a Washington Redskins fan squirm?

The low-hanging fruit here is the name controversy. Redskins fans on either side are so tired of addressing it. Your other option is to bring up the ill-fated decision of team management to play quarterback Robert Griffin III, who had just had an incredibly promising rookie season, through a knee injury. He played, the team lost, and he injured his knee much worse, so much so that it’s not clear if his career will ever get back on track.

Buy Washington Redskins Swag!

What do the Washington Redskins look like?

Team colors are burgundy, gold, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

 

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Washington Redskins including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Philadelphia Eagles – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC East
• History – The Philadelphia Eagles were created in 1933, two years after a previous professional football team in Philadelphia, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, had disbanded. They lost more than they won for each of their first ten seasons. Then, in 1943, they became part of one of the craziest, most likely to win a trivia contest moment in NFL history. Due to a dearth of suitable football players during World War II, the Eagles merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers and played as the Steagles for a year. That experience seemed to lift the Eagles and for about ten years, they were a winning football team, a time in which they won two NFL championships. Since then, the team has had its moments but has never been as successful as its divisional rivals.
• Championships – The Eagles won three championships before the Super Bowl era — 1948, 1949, and 1960 — but none since then.
• Rivals – The Eagles are rivals with their three division mates, the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and especially the New York Giants.

The Eagles are Philadelphia to the core. Their fans are infamous for having pelted Santa Claus with snowballs and cheered the injuries of hundreds of opponents. They love their team’s defense as much or more than they love their offense. The team also embraces the underdog philosophy of the city’s iconic movie, Rocky, probably a little too far. Not only are the Eagles perennially the underdog but they’re also perennially getting knocked out. The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl and at times, it seems as if they never will.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Arizona Cardinals?

Chuck Bednarik is the Eagles player that all other Eagles players have to live up to. The last two-way player (meaning he played on offense and defense) in NFL history, Bednarik played as a center on offense and a linebacker on defense. A son of steel workers in nearby Bethlehem, PA, Bednarik served in the Air Force and flew combat missions over Germany before being drafted number one overall in the 1949 NFL Draft. An award named after him is given annually to the best college football defensive player.

Jim Johnson was defensive coordinator for the Eagles from 1999 until his death in 2009. During that time, he epitomized the spirit of the Philadelphia Eagles with his ultra-aggressive, blitzing approach to defense. His defenses were rough, surprising, and sudden. During his tenure, the team won five division titles and became only the fourth team in NFL history to go a full 16 games without ever allowing more than 21 points.

Where do the Philadelphia Eagles play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

They’re angry! No, just kidding, you don’t have to be angry to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. In fact, if you’re still an Eagles fan at this point in the team’s history, you’re probably very slow to anger and slow to give up. Eagles fans are faithful and they have to be, given how much their football team puts them through.

What will make a Philadelphia Eagles fan squirm?

This one is easy. All you have to do is mention a decent quarterback’s name and even the most strong-willed Cardinals fan will begin to mutter to themselves and head to the library to learn ancient Macedonian conjuring spells.

Buy Philadelphia Eagles Swag!

What do the Philadelphia Eagles look like?

Team colors are Midnight Green, silver, black, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Philadelphia Eagles including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.