MFC337 Group 2 NFL

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Martellus Bennett takes to Twitter

New England Patriot’s TE Martellus Bennett took to Twitter this week to cover a few different NFL topics.  @MartysaurusRex weighed in on sagging NFL ratings, the overabundance of games, international exposure, and even the NFL’s “Color Rush” gimmick.  To this NFL fan (fading quickly), it was interesting to see someone still very much involved with the league taking pot-shots at his bread and butter.  Drawing a line to former social media behemoth MySpace is a truly intriguing parallel. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s refreshing to see players voice their opinions, especially when it’s critical of the league.  

You can see all the Tweets in question here.

[mfc337nfl]

Snapchat is buzzing about Jared Goff's NFL debut today with the Rams. He was the #1 draft pick of 2016.

[mdavies33-blog]

Panthers All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly is in concussion protocol after being carted off the field in the fourth quarter of a 23-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday.

The injury to Luke Kuechly overshadowed the win by the Panthers. Kuechly was visibly upset, gasping for breath while tears streamed down his face. It was disconcerting to most all who watched it. Was he crying because he knew how hurt he was or because he had no idea where he was and what was going on? Regardless of the answer, it is one of the most raw emotional images to come from the football field ever. Luke Kuechly’s reaction will forever be linked with the concussion issue in the NFL. 

Get Better Luke!

[mdavies33-blog]

Panthers All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly is in concussion protocol after being carted off the field in the fourth quarter of a 23-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday.

The injury to Luke Kuechly overshadowed the win by the Panthers. Kuechly was visibly upset, gasping for breath while tears streamed down his face. It was disconcerting to most all who watched it. Was he crying because he knew how hurt he was or because he had no idea where he was and what was going on? Regardless of the answer, it is one of the most raw emotional images to come from the football field ever. Luke Kuechly’s reaction will forever be linked with the concussion issue in the NFL. 

Get Better Luke!

[mfc337nfl]

The week on Snapchat

The NFL partnered with Snapchat and created a “player pass” where players get their own filters and show a day in the life of a professional athlete. People like Matt Forte, DaQuann Jones and Cam Newton show us what their average game day looks like. From hot tubs, the locker room, the trainers room and after game celebrations. They showed how they prepare for the game and what they do after. This story also takes us to the sideline where the player can be seen in action. #NFL

[mfc337nfl]

It’s time for change

Nope, no politics here. We’re talking about NFL commercials. Social Media buzzed this week with the news that the NFL is considering fewer commercials in an effort to boost drooping television ratings.  This article from Awful Announcing , posted to Twitter, sheds some light on what NFL executives think they might need to do to speed the game along.  The article points out that the league acknowledges that the election probably isn’t the sole source of slipping ratings, which is probably good, because I don’t think many people expect to see a dramatic increase now that it’s over. I certainly would welcome fewer commercials, but also think that the league has lost much of it’s appeal due to an abundance of silly rules, seemingly selective enforcement of those rules, and a whole lot of parity that doesn’t make the games compelling.

[mfc337nfl]

Snapchat has a very interesting headline this week for the NFL. They ran a poll regarding medical marijuana and painkillers. •71% of polled NFL players believe medical marijuana should be legal in all states, while the other 29% oppose. • A whopping 67% of players surveyed said that it is not hard to beat the NFL's drug testing system. • 58% of those polled said they have not had a teammate who became an addict of NFL painkiller painkiller abuse. • 47% of NFL players are estimated to be using painkillers on a regular basis.

[mfc337nfl]

Saints coach takes to Twitter to poke fun at his WR

The headlines said “Coach roasts his own player on Twitter”.  I went in looking for some real blood.  Turns out it wasn’t much of a burn. Saints Head Coach Sean Payton responded to a request from his WR Michael Thomas to caption a photo of himself and another wide-receiver during a game.  Said Payton: “Ok, Who’s running the wrong route?”  It wasn’t exactly a controversial (or even very funny?) joke, but I suppose it’s noteworthy in that NFL head coaches don’t often take to twitter.

[mfc337nfl]

NFL says it’s “Pleased” with Twitter streaming

Not that we would expect the NFL to say anything differently, but the league is halfway through it’s live streaming schedule on Twitter.  An NFL spokesman told Sportsvideo.org that the league was pleased with the results of the live-streaming games for Thursday Night Football.  The results have seen positive reviews, although the viewership numbers seem to be pretty nominal.  The lousy Thursday matchups, and blowout games might play a big role in that though.

[mfc337nfl]

Snapchat's Unwritten Rules of Football that NEED TO GO

Snapchat and ESPN have created a list of football rules they believe need to go. #1: Never take points off the board #2: Never throw when you're running a four minute offense to kill clock #3: Run to start your two minute drill because of it fails, just run out the clock #4: Never go for two before you HAVE to #5: Kick the extra point when down nine to make it a one score game #6: Kick the field goal in a low scoring game because points are at a premium "But we'll keep hearing these, because sometimes, superstition and tradition rule the way over reality and logic" -ESPN

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UNINTERRUPTED on Twitter

“BREAKING NEWS: @ArianFoster announces his retirement on UNINTERRUPTED. His story on why he’s walking away.”

Arian Foster has retired from football effective immediately. As an un-drafted RB out of Tennessee, Foster earned four Pro Bowls in his eight year career.   He holds many Houston Texans franchise records including:

Most career rushing yards (6,472)

Most career rushing touchdowns (54)

Most rushing yards in a single season: 1,616

Most rushing touchdowns in a single season: 16

First player in NFL history to have 100+ rushing yards in his first 3 postseason games

[mfc337nfl]

Snapchat buzz from this week. Cromarite has been released from the Colts this week from what his wife believes is from his protesting of the National Anthem. As we know, Kaepernick started this controversial protest among NFL players from multiple teams, but is it true that Cromarite was actually released for that reason? Colts owner Jim Irsay stated that "NFL games aren't the proper venue for such protests". Some have speculated that his release was solely for football reasons. #NFL #Colts #Cromarite

[mfc337nfl]

Teams Make Fun of New NFL Social Media Policy

A couple of weeks ago, the NFL put out a policy to its teams that only official NFL content can be used on their social media accounts.  Teams are not allowed to make their own videos directly from TV, or turn highlights into GIFs.  The new policy also forbids shooting any video or streaming anything from inside the stadium during the game.  Both the Eagles and the Browns took an opportunity to make fun of the league/policy by posting highlights of plays using figurines over the weekend.  It will be interesting to see if there is any more backlash over this silly strict policy.  By the way, the fine for breaking the rules?  They start at $25,000 for the first offense, $50k for the second, and $100k for the third, along with a loss of rights to post league content.  Pretty steep penalty to pay for bringing MORE content to your fanbase…

http://deadspin.com/browns-and-eagles-work-around-nfls-dumb-social-media-po-1787858898

[mfc337nfl]

#Bills #49ers #NFLSunday

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Controversy in Buffalo?

Kapernick of the 49ers is expected to start tomorrow against the Bills at the game in Orchard Park. Kapernick has been in the media recently in regards to his opinion of police officers and the country, kneeling for the National Anthem. Players on the Buffalo Bills have invited police officers as special guests at the game on Sunday. Will there be a brawl at New Era Field tomorrow? #NFL #Kapernick #BuffaloBills

[mfc337nfl]

The fight and the make up. I love a happy ending! 

[mfc337nfl]

Twitter & NFL & Week 5

A lot of the NFL chatter for last week was about the impending return of New England QB Tom Brady from his 4 game suspension surrounding Deflate-Gate.  The NFL’s official Twitter didn’t do much to acknowledge where he’s been or rehash any of the drama, choosing to treat his return like any other player coming back from an injury.  There was no mention of suspension, links to or any mentions about stories of his absence or return.  Since he lit the Brown’s defense up on Sunday, there were plenty of highlight clips, but other than that, the NFL didn’t recognize what was certainly a black-eye for everyone involved.  If you were just a casual fan deciding to follow the NFL on twitter this week, you would likely be unaware that he was gone from the league for the first month of the season.  It’s yet another interesting example of how the NFL’s Twitter presence steers clear of addressing anything negative or controversial.  In my opinion, the NFL could make some goodwill with fans by being smart and witty with these negative things.  A snarky joke or two certainly was in order this week.  C’mon NFL,  lighten up and have a little fun once in awhile!