Football

War Memorial Stadium: Ol’ Rockpile of Buffalo

Buffalo New York has had a tenuous reputation, but there is something about the people that live there, that gives the residents resilience like no other. They suffer horrendous winters and lovely light summers; a hard working class of people that are some of the most loyal fans; even when their beloved Buffalo Bills aren’t winning. They don’t seem to care, because they stand firmly behind their team.

As early as 1937, a stadium was built for a max capacity of around 33,000 fans. The original name was Roesch Memorial Stadium, later changed to Grover Cleveland Stadium (in honor of the renowned President and former Buffalo resident) and then Civic Stadium. In 1960 the name was finalized as War Memorial Stadium. One of the smallest venues for football, the people of the area supported the many renovations to give it a final capacity of 46,500.
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Cleveland Stadium: Home of the Dawg Pound

The original idea of Cleveland Stadium was a combined effort of Cleveland City government officials, real estate investors and Cleveland Indian team officials. The purpose was to give the team a professional and sharp venue to play while increasing revenue for the Cleveland Ohio downtown area. The additional hopes in 1930 were that it would attract the Summer Olympics games. This hope was dashed when Los Angeles received the coveted award for the games.

When construction started on Cleveland Stadium, the media cruelly dubbed the venue “The Mistake by the Lake”. When it was completed, the stadium hosted the Cleveland Indians as well as the National Boxing Associated World Heavyweight Championship. Seating capacity for baseball and football varied, but with an average of around 80,000.
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Miami Orange Bowl: A moment in history

In 1936 the City of Miami Public Works Department made a decision to build a stadium that would be a highlight to Miami. Construction was finished and in 1937 the football team, then named the Miami Hurricanes, played their first game. Since Roddy Burdine was a pioneer of the Miami area, the first name given to the stadium was Burdine Stadium. The stadium was renamed in 1959 to accommodate the college football game of the Orange Bowl.

The popularity of the stadium encouraged additional enhancements, so that in the 40’s and 50’s seating was added to create a max capacity of over 80,000. This led to the ability of a pro football team game and The Miami Dolphins played their first game at the Orange Bowl in 1966. The Orange Bowl became a centerpiece of history when the first televised prime time college game was played.
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Veterans Stadium: home of the rowdiest fans

If you lived in Philadelphia during the 60’s and 70’s you had to be a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Philadelphia Eagles. This isn’t a choice or an option, it’s a requirement. If you attended any of the games (and everyone did) then you would have found yourself at the Philadelphia Veterans Stadium, known as “The Vet” by the locals. The name was chosen to represent and honor all of the U.S. Veterans from all of the wars and was a proud moment when TheVet opened in 1971.
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The Pontiac Silverdome, loved as just ‘The Dome’

The original Silverdome graced the skyline of Pontiac Michigan from 1975 through 2006. Home of the Detroit Lions the Michigan Panthers, the Detroit Pistons, the Motor City Bowl and the Cherry Bowl, it was also host to the football state finals of the MHSAA; 1976-2004 and the 19984 FIFA World Cup, four of the first round games.
The seating capacity topped over 93,600 when Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in 1987.

This mega stadium was the finalized concept of C. Don Davidson, a local resident, athlete. Davidson’s dream was to bring a new facelift to the then downtrodden city of Pontiac. After he met with the Detroit Lions owner and presented an initial plan, the idea of the stadium became a reality.
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Temple Stadium: a Philadelphia University icon

Temple Stadium: a Philadelphia University icon In 1928 the Owls of Temple University had a new home stadium in a West Oak Lane area of Philadelphia on 32 acres.Temple Stadium was the pride of the football team with the ability to house and seat over 20,000 roaring fans. When the mobile seating was added, it expanded the fan size to over 34,000. The design included a football stadium at the far end and the baseball/softball diamonds on the other end of the site. All stadiums at the time used a natural grass field, and Temple Stadium was no exception.
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Tulane Stadium: The Queen of Southern Stadiums

If you have ever been to “The Big Easy” – there is no doubt in your mind that the people of New Orleans love their sports teams. Some of the most passionate sports enthusiasts in Louisiana, as well as the world, live and breathe for their teams. This includes the New Orleans Saints, the cherished football team.
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Tampa Stadium: Proud home of Tampa Fans

Tampa Bay is home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. If you live in the Tampa Bay area you are also well aware that the people fiercely defend their sports teams with a great amount of enthusiasm and vigor. Tampa Stadium was the main venue for The Buccaneers and its 1967 original design included a unique look of arched grandstands. The Stadium also hosted university sports events of all kinds.
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Seattle’s Best: The Kingdome

The King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium might not be a name that you are familiar with, but you will know simply The Kingdome. This multipurpose stadium in Seattle Washington was home of some of Seattle’s best teams, covering the sports of baseball, football and basketball: Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders, Seattle Mariners, Seattle SuperSonics.

Opening in 1976, the Kingdome was actually visualized as far back as 1959. The existing stadiums in Seattle were simply not large enough to support any of the major leagues. The citizens of King County finally voted in approval for the Kingdome in 1968 and previewed around 100 different sites in the King County and Seattle areas for the project. Without a confirmed major league franchise, the stadium broke ground on King Street. It wasn’t until 1974 when the new stadium was awarded the NFL franchise of what would eventually be the Seattle Seahawks.
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The Ten Highest Paid Head Coaches in the NFL (Part II)

I looked at four of the top ten highest paid coaches in the NFL in part 1 of this article, and in this football scoreboards feature, I will continue from where I left off, and take a look at the six highest paid coaches of them all!

6. Ken Whisenhunt
The guy who led the Arizons Cardinals to their first Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise is Ken Whisenhunt. He has been with the Cardinals since 2007 and apart from the team’s fantastic Super Bowl victory the Cardinals have also won the division title twice under his helm. Ken Whisenhunt earns $5.75 million and has been outstanding throughout his tenure with the Cardinals, which is why he gladly offered an extension to his contract in 2010. Who could have known that the 2010 season would turn out so badly terrible one?!
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The Ten Highest Paid Head Coaches in the NFL (Part I)

We are always reading (and expressing our disapproval) about the size of player contracts, but rarely do we hear about the contracts coaches sign with their franchises. The size of a contract depends on a number of factors such as the historical success rate of the coach, how much other coaches are earning, how much cash to splash the club has, and so on. In this football scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the ten richest head coaches in the NFL. As you will see, some of them have brought great things to their team, and deserve the rich rewards that they get, whilst others are just expensive burdens who have achieved nothing!
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4 Rookies Who Will Make Their Mark in the Future

There are a number of players who are on their way to becoming the next big stars in the NFL. These players played exceptionally well in their college career and showcased their brilliant skills in their rookie season. They are expected to shine further for their teams in the upcoming season, and to become household names across the US. In this football scoreboards feature, I have selected four players who are expected to get huge contracts in the future. Four big names that I’m looking forward to seeing next season!
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The 5 Worst NFL Quarterbacks Ever

Quarterbacks undoubtedly hold the most important position in football. But as important as their role is, some teams have put some really bad quarterbacks on the field! Not surprisingly, this has led to the downfall of the team. In honor of these anti-greats of the game, in this football scoreboards feature I have taken a look at who I consider to be the 5 worst quarterbacks to have ever set foot on an NFL field.

5. Joey Harrington
Sarcastically nicknamed as Joey Sunshine for being too optimistic, Harrington spent most of his career with the Detroit Lions. The Lions drafted him in 2002 and he remained with the team till 2005. Factors like mismanagement, poor offensive line protection and lack of skills contributed to his unsuccessful career. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints, but he remained unsuccessful with every team he played.
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The 5 Best NFL Head Coaches

Top level coaches have the craziest job of them all. They work day in day out with their team in the knowledge that one run of bad results and they could be sent packing and their career could be over. They are the people who can lift up the team’s spirits in bad situations and who can make a weak team competitive by getting the best out of the players at their disposal. In this football scoreboards article, I have taken a look at the 5 coaches in the NFL today who I consider to be the best in their trade.

5. Sean Payton
The New Orleans Saints were struggling quite badly when Sean Payton was signed as the coach of the team. The fans were relieved when they got this news because Payton came with a great reputation. Prior to signing Payton as the head coach, the football scoreboards showed that the New Orleans had made it to the playoffs just five times in 39 years and were in bad shape. Payton came in as the life saver for New Orleans. Under his coaching, the team has made it to the playoffs three out of five times and have also won the Super Bowl once.
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The Top 5 Overpriced Players in the NFL Today

Let’s face it, there are a large number of players in NFL who got hefty contracts but do not deliver the performances to justify the sky high sums that they are paid. Some of these players are simply a waste of the team’s money and the fans’ patience! In this football scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at who, in my opinion, are the 5 most overpriced players currently in the NFL.

5. Kareem Jackson
Kareem Jackson should have played much better than he did last season. It was his rookie year and he had the best chance to prove himself and take advantage of the opportunity given to him by the Houston Texas. He signed a contract with the Texans worth $10 million, and great things were expected of him, but he did very little enough to justify the amount of the contract.
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5 of the Most Hated Teams in the NFL Today

Every team in the NFL has its own fervent fan following, which is a great thing, but this is also reflected in the fact that fans can just as fervently hate other teams. This hatred can sprout from the actions of one of the teams’ players, or the teams’ collective personality, or simply out of envy. In this “football scoreboards” article, I will take a look at today’s top 5 most hated NFL teams and why they are disliked so much.

5 – Pittsburg Steelers – in the case of the Steelers, the hatred for the team arises from the fact that they are led by one of the most conscientiously corrupt and hated men in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger has escaped 3 rape charges, and the fans are savvy enough to know that no man can have 3 rape allegations (even unproven!) against his name without him being a philanderer and a womanizer. The other contributor to the Steelers’ hatred is the fans’ envy; they have taken the Lombardi 6 times, so naturally fans of other teams envy them for their success.
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5 Players Who Are Irreplaceable in the NFL Today

The 2011 NFL draft is now in the books, the teams have drafted the players with the most potential in a step towards replacing the old team players who have long since lost their zing! However, at the same time there are players who are at their prime and as of yet have no danger of being replaced because they are just too valuable for the teams. In this football scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the top 5 players who aren’t going anywhere soon.

5- San Francisco 49ers, LB Patrick Willis – ever since he was drafted by the 49ers in 2007, he has cemented his place in the team as an irreplaceable part of the defense. Besides having the talent and ability, he has the traits essential for mustering a solid defense. He is a methodical and aggressive player; exactly the mix a team seeks in a player to lead a strong defense. The football scoreboards show that in his 4 years with the 49ers, he has managed 595 tackles.
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NFL Draft: The Most Disappointing Picks for Every Team in the Last Decade (Part 4)

Picking from where we left off in the previous article of this football scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the most disappointing draft picks for the remaining teams in the NFL from the last decade.

27. Bobby Carpenter, LB: Dallas Cowboys – he was the 18th pick in the 2006 draft. In the 4 years (and 58 games) he played for the Cowboys, he never managed a single forced fumble from the opposition nor an interception.

28. Alex Smith, QB: San Francisco 49ers – he was the 1st pick in the 2005 draft. This time around, it was the player who was unlucky to be drafted by a struggling team. Smith is not without talent; however, there have been instances where he hasn’t helped himself either. He has 14 touch downs, 10 interceptions, 2,370 yards and a QB rating of 82.1 to his name.
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NFL Draft: Most Disappointing Picks for Every Team in the Last Decade (Part 3)

Continuing with this football scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the next 10 most disappointing draft picks for teams in the NFL.

18. Matt Leinart, QB: Arizona Cardinals – he was the 10th pick in the 2006 draft. In the 4 seasons with the Cardinals, Leinart managed a career start record of 7-10, with the football scoreboards showing 14 touch downs, 20 interceptions and 3,893 yards. In 2010, he was acquired by the Houston Texans, for whom he has yet to play a game.

19. T.J Duckett, RB: Atlanta Falcons – he was the 18th pick in the 2002 draft. Even though Duckett has competent career stats, as fate would have it, he wasn’t able to perform well for the Falcons.
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NFL Draft: The Most Disappointing Picks for Every Team in the Last Decade (Part 2)

Yesterday, I analyzed the most disappointing draft picks for 9 of the 32 teams in the NFL. Today, in a continuation of this football scoreboards feature, I will take a look at the next 7 teams.

10. Ted Ginn Jr., WR: Miami Dolphins – he was the 9th pick in the 2007 NFL draft. The Miami Dolphins made a much criticized decision when they selected Ted Ginn over Brady Quinn. However, even if they had gone with Quinn, he too would be on this list. He may have been a competent return man (the football scoreboards showed 3 TDs for the Dolphins), but he was never a competent receiver.
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