The REAL. BIG. Blog

Only five active NFL franchises have not appeared in the Super Bowl. They are the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans. Any team on that list jump out at you? You’ve got two teams which, when put together, have fewer wins this season than any of the other three. You’ve got two teams whose chance to make the playoffs is comparable to winning the lottery.

And then you have the Saints, a team founded the year the first Super Bowl was played. For the first 20 years of the franchise they couldn’t muster a winning season. Then came a string of winning seasons each ending in a loss in the wild card game. Then back to a string of losing seasons until finally in 2000, the Saints won their first playoff game.  The Saints best season came in 2006, making it to the NFC championship game against the Bears: a remarkable achievement after spending 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, playing every game outside their beloved New Orleans, and going 3-13.

Today we’re looking at a team that’s 13-2. Sure, that home loss to the Cowboys was rough and losing to the Bucs in OT seems downright silly but we’re still looking at the No. 1 seed in the NFC thanks to an even greater series of missteps by the Vikings the past few weeks. So the question is simple – is this the year the Saints make it to the Super Bowl?  Every team they’re likely to play during the NFC playoffs has a higher ranked defense than they do. But the Saints rank first in total offense in the NFL. Is that enough to make it to the Super Bowl? Probably not. But one thing’s for sure; the Saints won’t lose in the wild card round – they’re good enough this year to get a bye and that makes for a very successful season.

A little over 20 years ago a true Blockbuster event happened. Herschel Walker was traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings. This deal was certainly groudbreaking… for the Cowboys. For those unfamiliar to what Minnesota gave up for the  All-Pro Running Back, heres the deal:

Minnesota Received:

Herschel Walker, Dallas’s 3rd (‘90) round pick, San Diego’s 5th round pick (‘90), Dallas’s 10th round pick(‘90) and Dallas’s 3rd round pick in the ‘91 draft.

Cowboys Received:

LB Jesse Solomon, LB David Howard, CB Issiac Holt, RB Darrin Nelson (who was traded to San Diego), DE Alex Stewart, Minnesota’s 1st, 2nd, 6th round picks in the 1990 Draft, their 1st and 2nd round picks in the 1991 Draft, their 2nd and 3rd in the 1992 Draft and their 1st round pick in the 1993 Draft.

Yes, draft picks are only draft picks and there are countless big name busts, but to put this into perspective a little bit, with the first round pick in the ‘90 draft, the Cowboys picked Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. In the ‘92 draft, they picked Darren Woodson, NFL Hall-Of-Famer and one of the best safety’s to ever play the game. Those two players alone would have made the deal worth while.

Now why do I bring this up you ask?

There are rumors floating about that the Detroit Tigers are putting Curtis Granderson on the trading block. Granderson is young player in his prime, with gold-glove fielding capabilities and the potential to be a 30-30 man every year. Many teams have reported interest, including the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs, and the asking price is not cheap.

What will come of Curtis Granderson this offseason?

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on winning their 27th World Series title. The exhausting MLB season has finally come to a close, along with the best time of the year for sports…

October and November are some of the most exciting months for sports fans. It is the only time of the year that all 4 major sports are on at the same time.

The MLB Playoffs are nearing the end, where every pitch, every catch and every move matters. This year in the playoff you had two of the more storied franchises in all of sports with the Yankees and Dodgers. Let’s not forget the Red Sox and Cardinals who have both won a World Series title in the past 3 years. And then there are the two most consistent teams in baseball: the Twins and Angels. Year after year, those two teams always seem to be near, or at the top of their respected divisions. After starting 19-28 and firing their head coach, the Rockies came back and made another impressive run to the postseason.

The NFL is in full swing with intriguing story lines, bone-crushing hits and highlight reel plays. There are always surprises with the NFL. Who would have thought that at age 40, Brett Favre would be playing as well as he is… who would have thought that in week 9 we would still have two undefeated teams (Indianapolis and New Orleans both 7-0)… Who would have thought that the Wildcat would make defensive coordinators cringe… From the Ram’s, Lion’s and Buccaneers to the Saints, Colts and Vikings, Sunday’s are days where you can always find excitement with any team.

The NBA season tips off. A clean slate for every team. The Clippers look to spring forward with Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry looks to show off his sweet shot at the professional level, and the rest of the NBA Rookies look to make their mark on the league. This is a league full of superstars. From LeBron and Kobe to Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, each player brings a different dynamic to the court that can only be classified as incredible.

And finally, the puck drops in the NHL. After a come from behind win against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins are looking for the first repeat since the Red Wings went back to back in ‘97 and ‘98. With all the free agent moves and offseason trades, the tides may be turning for some teams in the NHL.

Of course, I cannot forget College football. Every sports fan has a favorite NCAA team. With tailgaiting, face painting, BCS discussions, conference title hopes, stadiums with 100,000+ people, and bowl games… College football definitely demonstrates the true passion of fans and athletes.

Ah yes, it really is a great time of year!

By Apryl DeLancey

As the country is knee deep in the very interesting NFL season I thought I’d take a moment to talk about baseball:

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the Tampa Bay Rays are for real.  Yeah, I know, they choked in the World Series.  But really – they were at the very bottom last season.  I mean the BOTTOM.  That whole worst to first thing was going on.  To even make it to the playoffs was a major feat and the first in their franchise history.  They knocked off the precious Boston Red Sox on the way and totally owned the New York Yankees all season.  In spite of what you may think – the Tampa Bay Rays are a real baseball team now.   They are on the map and deserve fans and recognition!

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria was recently named the American League Rookie of the Year.  Ha!  A player from the Tampa Bay Rays!  Seriously!  Talk about validation.  Longoria is only one of the many young stars that keep the franchise afloat.  The lineup is chock full of the young and talented like Matt Garza and Dioner Navarro.  On the other side of the diamond, first baseman Carlos Pena got a Golden Glove nod for himself.  More validation.  Hopefully the team stays mostly intact through this offseason so they can come back strong next year.  The team can only get better.  I’ll bet if they make it back to the World Series they’ll actually put up a big fight and perhaps even win the whole thing.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to let the Manny Ramirez clock run.  Let’s see where he ends up.  We all want him to stay here in Los Angeles.  With the Dodgers.  The New York Yankees already have their wallet open if he doesn’t stay.  In other news, the Dodgers decided to let Brad Penny become a free agent.  Who will be next?

Speaking of the National League and the Dodgers, the playoff sweep of the Chicago Cubs didn’t stop catcher Geovany Soto from getting the NL Rookie of the Year nod.  Congratulations to him.

The landscape of the MLB map is undergoing a change.  I like to think it is for the better since teams that are not exclusively from the northeast corner of the country are making headlines.  A similar migration of power happened in the NFL when the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers lost their stranglehold on NFL titles.  It’s now happening in baseball.  Fans tire of the same teams winning all the time.  At least this one does.  Let’s mix it up!

By Ignacio Salazar

Houston Texans Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

Matt Schaub? Big Bad Bust! Sage Rosenfels? Well, he has seven turnovers in seven quarters of play this year to go along with that Texas-sized meltdown against the Colts in week four. Sprinkle some sage on that Texan fan.

This great city has been without a legit quarterback since 1993 when Warren Moon led the Houston Oilers to 12-4 with an AFC Central title before he was traded off to the Minnesota Vikings.

What’s the deal? Why can’t Houston get a GM in here who knows how to find a quarterback? Look around the NFL. There are quarterbacks around this league that came out of nowhere and yet Houston can’t catch a break.

Dallas has Tony Romo, a two-time Pro Bowler who went undrafted. Atlanta and Baltimore have two rookie’s starting, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco and both teams are 6-3 and in the playoff hunt. Arizona has a former grocery sacker, 37-year old Kurt Warner who has his team in first place. Chicago and Minnesota have Kyle Orton and Gus Frerotte, both known as backups but both have their teams tied for first place and Houston looks clueless at the position.

The Texans need a makeover from head-to-toe and it needs to start at the quarterback position. The Texans need someone that can lead this team, get them fired up and someone who can lead a comeback or put a game away when needed. Until that happens, here’s to dreaming of Warren Moon wrecking havoc on NFL defenses.

Notes: Since Moon left the quarterback reigns in Houston, no Houston quarterback, Oilers or Texans, has led his team a record over .500.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of Fathead, LLC.  Of course, we do agree that Warren Moon was a fine quarterback!

By Apryl DeLancey

Can you believe that the Tennessee Titans are 8-0?  I was fortunate to pick up their amazing defense in my Fantasy Football draft at the start of the season.  I say fortunate since it was my very last pick and sort of an afterthought.  Bwahaha!  At any rate, let me just write that again – the Tennessee Titans are 8-0.  I find that remarkable since the team is buried deep in NCAA Football territory.  Most of the sports fans in the area are die-hard Tennessee Volunteers fans that aren’t big followers of pro football.  I’m guessing that’s changing.

Besides, the Titans are living up to their name while the New England Patriots continue to bewilder some and amuse others.   The Pats loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 puts their record at 5-3.  One bewildering fact is that they’ve managed to play an entire game earlier this season completely penalty-free.  Fans are also holding on to the hope that former USC Trojan Matt Cassel can continue to perform in Tom Brady’s absence.  So far he’s done a great job of stepping up.

Lastly, what the heck happened to the Dallas Cowboys?  First, Tony Romo suffers a minor injury that keeps him from playing.  Then, Terrell Owens can’t seem to buy a catch.  (In fact, I had to bench him from my Fantasy team this week.)  The Cowboys were lucky to make it past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8, but were utterly embarrassed in Week 9 by the New York Giants.  Brad Johnson threw many interceptions, but one of the Cowboys’ touchdowns came from an Eli Manning interception that was run back.  Luckily, the ‘boys have a bye week ahead of them and can pause to regroup.  Everyone predicted they would have a really great year…

Not surprisingly, the Atlanta Falcons went on the road and completely demolished the Oakland Raiders. I really would like to see the Raiders get it together…soon.

It has been a wild NFL season so far and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

Denver Broncos Logo Fathead wall graphic

By John Fontana

With a 3-0 start at his back, Denver Broncos quarterback, Jay Cutler, looks good as an early front-runner for league MVP.  (If you don’t agree, who is your pick?  And don’t forget to show your work – defend your player!)  Here’s my case for Cutler:

Sure, critics can argue that the Broncos have been gifted their last two wins. But Cutler is the engineer of an offense that leads the league in point production (114 or a 38 per game average) and is ranked second in total offense behind Dallas.

Cutler’s passing success has also opened the door for the young backs carrying Denver’s running game. The team is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, just slightly under coach Mike Shanahan’s hope for 5 yards per when the season started.

Cutler, in his third year, leads an offense that looks too good to stop. And Shanahan still has pages in his playbook Cutler has not touched. Not since the days of John Elway has a Denver QB scored such high marks on Shanahan’s confidence index.

Cutler’s other numbers speak volumes: second in passing yards (914) behind New Orleans’s QB Drew Brees (980), who benefitted by playing Sunday against the Broncos defense (ranked last in pass defense at a whopping 315.7 yards allowed per game); second in completions; second in yards per game at 304.7; second in TD tosses (8) against only two interceptions and 12 completions of 20 yards or better, which ranks third in the league.  The young quarterback stands third in passer rating at 110.6 and third in passes attempted and passing percentage.

As Cutler embraces the enormity of being the starting quarterback in Denver, I suspect he will continue to flourish – and his numbers to rise higher still.

While still early in the season – with plenty of hot dogs still to cook on those tailgate grills – Denver fans sense there’s something different about their quarterback.  If Cutler can fashion any measure of consistency to his production, he’ll be the one roasting all the others in the race for NFL MVP.

Who do you think is worthy to challenge him?

By Drew Bufalini

Don’t let the title deceive you. This story isn’t about Lance Armstrong…but about the good his courage and passion has inspired in so many people, including a Detroit teacher named Sean Shearon.

This summer, Sean walked eighteen marathons in eighteen days in an effort to raise $10 million for cancer research.  More than mere mileage, this was a highly personal journey for Sean.  When he was nine, his mother developed cancer. Three years later, he too was diagnosed. While Sean survived, his mom did not.

Life has taught Sean some harsh lessons, but neither his face nor his spirit bear evidence of his agonies.  He transformed what could have been a devastating experience into something life-affirming.  What’s more, for every step he took on his journey across the state of Michigan, he not only raised money and awareness for cancer research – he inspired others to follow in his footsteps.

As I monitored Sean’s progress on his blog (www.thevictorywalk.org), I began to question myself in ways I never had before.  What can I do to inspire others to do good with their lives?  How can I help assuage humanity’s suffering?  What will it take of my passion to plant a seed capable of bearing similar fruit in my fellow man?  If you read Sean’s story, you’ll see what I mean – for the Victory Walk isn’t simply about overcoming cancer.  It’s about the viral nature of passion and our own ability to do good and inspire it in others.

So what does Sean’s Victory Walk have to do with Fathead?  Absolutely everything.  If you’ve ever read our web site or scanned our blog or watched our commercials, you know Fathead is a company built on, by and for “fan passion.”  But what does that mean – really?  For some, it’s the rush of endorphins that comes with success – like Aaron Rodgers first Lambeau Leap (Or any of Bretts’ Leaps, for that matter).  For others, it’s the thrill of a hard-fought victory over an indomitable opponent – like the Red Wings in any of their 11 Stanley Cup Playoffs, for example.  Still others find that passion is belonging to something larger than themselves: being a member of the armed services or first responders; or being member or fan of a legendary team like the Cowboys, Yankees or Lakers; or even spending a moment in the shadow of someone willing to sacrifice so that you may find your own inspiration. That sense of being part of a team, the inertia that drives us beyond what we believe ourselves capable of toward an impossible goal – that is fan passion.

And that’s what Sean Shearon carried with him from the Detroit side of the Ambassador Bridge to Charlevoix to Royal Oak, Michigan. Mile after mile.  Through shin-splints, debilitating cramps and excruciating infection.  In the driving rain and scorching summer sun.  That’s what people saw when they lauded his sacrifice, shook his hand and patted him on the back. But what they took home with them was something bigger: they discovered Sean’s passion was contagious.

The sacrifice of his body and time, he says, was a small price to pay when compared to the gratitude of strangers, support and cash for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit. “We need to do something about cancer as a society. We can’t just keep waiting for other people to do it. We are all in this together.”

All of the money raised from The Victory Walk will be donated to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in downtown Detroit. “We just couldn’t keep doing what we do without people like Sean,” said Patricia Ellis, spokeswoman for the Karmanos Institute. “He is definitely not sitting back. He is taking it upon himself to raise awareness, and he has done just that.”

To talk to Sean, read his blog or watch his video for Livestrong.com (http://www.youtube.com/video_response_view_all?v=9S9vlgtt264) is to go toe-to-toe with courage and hopefully walk away with enough to both carry yourself forward…and bring someone else with you.

Fathead salutes Sean Shearon and those rare people out there like him with the courage to live their passion.  Visit www.thevictorywalk.com to blog with Sean, learn more about his journey or make a donation.

By Apryl DeLancey

Well, the Dodgers are doing their usual up and down dance as October draws near. It just seems that the same story happens every year – they start out strong, get us all excited, and then leave us feeling robbed. Heck, they dropped something like eight out of nine games recently. I shouldn’t be surprised. This really does happen every year. They sign elderly players as the season progresses to act like they actually want to win a title. Ownership seems to be perfectly happy with as little as a Wild Card berth. Argh! I don’t think it will change any time soon. This city is too big and has too may fans. For every frustrated fan like myself, there are at least 100 more that are happy to buy a ticket. The Dodgers continue to shatter records for attendance every year. I’ve got to move on to another subject before I have an aneurism…

The Galaxy…well, they aren’t so hot either right now. They did a “Dodgers” this year as well. Starting off strong and now they are like 10 points out of first place. They also spent a truckload of money on an aging star…the owners of the Galaxy must be friends with the owner of the Dodgers…

Chivas USA is the sleeper favorite in the MLS around here. No prima donna players (comparatively speaking) and a loyal fan base. You can still get tickets to the games for a reasonable price. Of course, since they don’t have David Beckham they don’t get as much attention. They even play in the same stadium as the Galaxy!

Speaking of getting tickets…getting Lakers tickets is never an easy task. This Los Angeles team has actually had many championships in recent memory. Except for this last year. Is it just me, or did Kobe Bryant seem to try harder in the Olympics? Pau Gasol looked more attentive playing for his native country as well. I’m convinced that the entire team was asleep in the series with Boston.

The NFL football season in Los Angeles means that we got to have the Dallas Cowboys practice in nearby Oxnard for the last time and other long drives to catch any action. We get to either drive close to three hours to catch LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers or head north about six plus hours to take in a San Francisco 49ers or Oakland Raiders game.

Ah, to be a sports fanatic in Los Angeles…I wouldn’t change it for anything…

By Patrick Tucker

I’ve been a Dallas Cowboys fan since the days of Tony Dorsett (#33) and Roger Staubach (#12) and when I see or talk about the Cowboys it is with the memories and pride of those teams coached by Tom Landry. Oh sure I am proud of a lot of things the team has accomplished since then but when I think Cowboys it’s the image of Landry with his hat on, standing stoic and proud, that comes to mind.

When I was in grade school I used to wear everything Cowboys, hat, shoes, jeans, underwear, every stitch, every where, full regalia. So when I saw that FatHead made a huge Dallas Cowboys helmet I knew I had found something big enough to match my life longtime pride and enthusiasm. I ordered mine as fast as I could. I was a little worried they would sell out because after all we are talking “America’s Team” here!

So I put in my order and waited, but not for long, still too long for me, shoot over night would have been too long for me. No I couldn’t wait to see it, put it up, and call some old school friends (mostly longtime Steelers fans) and say, “CHECK IT OUT”! And after I popped in my VHS tape of the 1996 Super B

Fathead Dallas Cowboys Logo

Now I am not he richest guy out of my friends but I pride myself on searching out and finding the best bang for my buck when it comes to sports memorabilia and collectibles. And when I saw their faces I knew I had done just that. The only thing bigger than my pride and Fathead that day was their envy.

But I think it will be my envy for FatHead that will get the better of me very soon. I went to the Walmart last week and bought a box of 2008 Topps Baseball cards and before I bust open a whole box I always look at the insert possibilities and odds on the back of the first pack. And lo and behold it says there are odds of winning FatHead graphics and insert offers. I’ve collected baseball cards for over 20 years so I don’t really need an excuse to buy them. But now that FatHead and Topps have teamed up I have a real big reason, namely winning anything Manny Ramirez (#99) in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.