The 2013 NFL Playoffs? PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS??? Morathread

[Ed Anger]

I'm inspecting her photos right now.

[derspiess]

Not sure why Mrs. Welker is proud of a guy that dropped a pass that hit him between the numbers. 

Then perhaps a little perspective is in order.  He's a fairly well-known NFL player.  Not a fan myself, but come on.

[Ed Anger]

I'm inspecting her photos right now.

http://gridironexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/anna_burns_6.jpg (NSFW)

Rub a dub in the tub.

[MadBurgerMaker]

el oh el

[PDH]

I'm inspecting her photos right now.

http://gridironexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/anna_burns_6.jpg (NSFW)

Rub a dub in the tub.

That's safe for work, unless you work at BYU (sorry, Jaron).

[CountDeMoney]

Sunday's AFC championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots was the most watched TV program since last year's Super Bowl.

A national audience of 47.7 million watched the Ravens beat the Patriots 28-13 to advance to the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, according to Nielsen's Fast National ratings.

The San Francisco 49ers victory over the Atlanta Falcons was seen by 42 million viewers Sunday on Fox.

The Ravens game was carried on CBS, which will also telecast the Super Bowl.

[CountDeMoney]

Bill Belichick, the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, will return for his 14th season with the Patriots.

Belichick turns 61 in April, and he was asked during his season-ending news conference if he's got the energy to keep doing it.

"Yeah, I'll be here," Belichick said. "You'll have to deal with me again next year. I know it's disappointing for a lot of you. Until I'm told otherwise, I plan on being here."

Not an Onion article.

[derspiess]

Sunday's AFC championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots was the most watched TV program since last year's Super Bowl.

A national audience of 47.7 million watched the Ravens beat the Patriots 28-13 to advance to the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, according to Nielsen's Fast National ratings.

I had it on 3 TVs most of the time so that's a little inflated.

[CountDeMoney]

Excellent, scary article on Ridley's collision with Pollard, and what exactly goes on inside.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1494620-stevan-ridleys-concussion-biomechanics-of-his-injury-fencing-response

Scary.

[katmai]

yeah happy i stopped playing football when i did, i can't afford to get lose anymore brain cells.

[PDH]

I stopped playing in 9th grade.  That is when Phil Elm ran over me in a tackling drill and stepped on my chest and head.

I decided that I was best as neutral observer after that.

[Alcibiades]

[derspiess]

I stopped playing in 9th grade.  That is when Phil Elm ran over me in a tackling drill and stepped on my chest and head.

I decided that I was best as neutral observer after that.

9th grade was when I peaked.  I was tall for my age and plenty big to play offensive & defensive lineman.  Starting in 10th grade everyone was catching up to me and I had no real place to fit in on offense.  Played LB and corner on defense and did well enough to start, but always wanted to get back on offense.

[Valmy]

el oh el

Nice!

[Kleves]

Saying he doesn't want to be remembered as a "bust," quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2009, is attempting a comeback.

Russell, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Raiders in 2007, has been out of football since Oakland released him after the 2009 season.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Russell, 27, is being mentored by former NFL receiver and fellow LSU alumnus Michael Clayton. Russell also will work out at the TEST Football Academy, which has prepared Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, among others, for the NFL draft.

The 6-foot-6 Russell, who reportedly weighed 320 pounds in the fall, is down to 308 pounds, according to Yahoo! Sports. In addition to his work at the TEST Football Academy, Russell will be tutored by former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia on technique, Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk on reading defenses and several other former players, doctors and trainers.

"The last few years, the things going through my life, football is my job, and it is how it feeds my family. People would say [that] I didn't love the game, but that pisses me off," Russell told Yahoo! Sports. "People don't know the real you, but I want people to know the real me and see what I can do. People are always saying that I'm a bust. I want to show them I'm not. I'm committed to this now."

Russell won only seven of his 25 starts in his career with Oakland. He completed just 52.1 percent of his passes in his career with 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 15 lost fumbles and a passer rating of 65.2.

He was paid approximately $39 million for his three seasons with the Raiders.

Russell was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, a drink containing codeine syrup, when sheriff's officers raided his home in July 2010. A grand jury, however, ultimately declined to indict him on the charges later that year.

Former NBA player John Lucas had been serving as Russell's life coach in late 2010, but the pair severed their relationship in 2011.

Yahoo! Sports reported that Russell, trying to make up for his past mistakes, has regularly spoken with youth groups about his arrest and poor decisions he has made.

"I'm not looking for a pat on the shoulder from people who haven't been there for me," Russell told the website. "It feels funny not to go through a training camp, that's just what I'm used to. It's going to feel good to go back out there again. I will make this happen."

Heh.