logo
Welcome Guest! To enable all features please Login or Register.

Notification

Icon
Error

Login


Options
View
Go to last post Go to first unread
liny195  
#1 Posted : Wednesday, June 12, 2019 7:12:11 AM(UTC)
liny195

Rank: Advanced Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/28/2018(UTC)
Posts: 871
U.S. Minor Islands

In 2002 White Donald Trump Jerseys , Instead of multiple afternoon contests opening each new season simultaneously, the league would have one prime time game do the trick moving forward. It was the New York Giants hosting the San Francisco 49ers back then, but the league quickly moved to a more attractive idea — one still in place to this day: the Super Bowl winners would host the first game of the season.Since 2004, when the New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts 27-24, the reigning champions have opened every single season — always on Thursday, almost always at home (the 2013 Baltimore Ravens had to travel to Denver due to a scheduling conflict with the MLB’S Orioles). This year, however, might be different if a recent article by Sports Business Daily’s John Ourand is to be believed.Per Ourand’s report, the NFL is flirting with the idea of having the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears kick off the 2019 season to commemorate the league’s 100th anniversary. The two teams, of course, are founding members of the National Football League and have one of the most storied rivalries in all of American sports. Such a decision, while out of the ordinary, would make sense from the league’s perspective.So what would this mean for the Patriots, winners of Super Bowl 53? According to Ourand Donald Trump Jerseys 2019 , the team will host the season’s first Sunday Night Football game and welcome either the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants or Pittsburgh Steelers to Gillette Stadium that day. The Chiefs and Steelers were the two teams the Patriots hosted after winning the Super Bowls in 2014 and 2016, respectively.From this point of view, an AFC title game rematch with the Chiefs appears to be the least likely to take place on opening weekend: the league will probably prefer scheduling the highly anticipated game in the middle of the season to maximize its ratings during the year. This would leave the Browns, Steelers or Giants as potential opening weekend opponents for New England — and all three have interesting storylines tied to them:Speaking of the Giants, one thing to keep in mind is the preseason: New England and New York have a long-standing history when it comes to meeting in the preseason finale so an opening day meeting seven months from now might have an impact on it.Of course, the NFL might also pick one of the Patriots’ other four home opponents — the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, or New York Jets — to come to Foxboro on September 8. However, the three teams mentioned above appear to be the most likely to be New England’s foes in week one. Back when their chances of playing quarterback in the NFL were still in the dream stages, Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield sat in an apartment near Texas Tech's campus and played video games.It was 2013.Three years later, they appeared to do the same thing on the field."It was a basketball score White Stephen Gostkowski Jerseys ," Mayfield recalled."That game was crazy," Mahomes said, remembering the October night in 2016 when he and Mayfield re-wrote the NCAA record book.The quarterbacks and friends will renew their old rivalry — and perhaps embark on a new one as pros — Sunday when Mahomes leads Kansas City and the Chiefs' high-flying, high-octane offense, into Cleveland to play Mayfield and the Browns, who are again in disarray following the firings this week of coach Hue Jackson and coordinator Todd Haley.The previous time they met between the hash marks, Mahomes and Mayfield put on a stunning statistical show unlike anything college football had seen before.They combined for 12 touchdown passes, 1,279 yards passing and broke the total yardage mark with 1,708 yards — 854 for each school.Looking back, Mayfield, who threw seven TD passes to Mahomes' five and led the Sooners to a 66-59 win, still can't fathom what happened."That was my 'Welcome back to Lubbock' moment," said Mayfield Stephen Gostkowski Jerseys 2019 , who began his college career as a walk-on at Texas Tech before transferring."Weird things happen in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday nights. It is pretty funny, Oklahoma goes back to Lubbock this weekend and then I am playing Pat on Sunday."Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who has replaced Jackson as Cleveland's interim coach, shook his head in disbelief when given details of the Mahomes-Mayfield shootout."Oh, my gosh," he said. "Setting defenses back a thousand years."No one — not even the quarterbacks themselves — could have envisioned their first meeting five years ago when Mayfield hosted Mahomes on his recruiting trip to Texas Tech would blossom into a friendship and maybe the NFL's next great QB duel.Mayfield was aware of Mahomes' background and talent — son of a major league baseball player, bazooka-like arm — but then got to know him personally during that weekend visit. What Mayfield quickly learned was that, like him, Mahomes is a natural leader."Patrick has always been an easygoing guy," Mayfield said. "That is why those teammates he has always had play for him so hard. He gets their respect not just based on talent — that's easy to respect — but based on who he is as a person. He just has that presence about him that you want to be around. You gravitate towards that so it is fun to see him grow."And my, has Mahomes grown.The 22-year-old leads the league with 26 TD passes and 2,526 yards. He threw six TD passes in Week 2 against Pittsburgh White Matthew Slater Jerseys , and Mahomes has made as many jaw-dropping, highlight-reel worthy plays this season as many QBs have in a career.Mahomes' arm strength has drawn rave reviews. Ask any coach, player, scout or reporter who has seen him play about him, and there's usually a tale about one of his throws.Mayfield said he's "absolutely" jealous of Mahomes' rocket right arm."There was a play in that college game, he was rolling to his left, flicked it and it went about 65 in the air for a touchdown back of the end zone," Mayfield said, remembering the OU-Texas Tech classic in '16. "He does stuff that you can't even think of even being possible."Mayfield was surprised Mahomes wasn't taken in 2017 with the No. 1 pick, which ended up being Browns defensive end Myles Garrett."Talent-wise, I thought he should have been. I love Myles but," Mayfield said with a smile."Coming from the Texas Tech system, there are always your skeptics about people doubting the fact that all he did was sit back there and throw the ball. He threw it 88 times in our game, but when it comes down to it Matthew Slater Jerseys 2019 , throwing the ball is throwing the ball, and he is really good at it."So is Mayfield.While Mahomes only started one game as a rookie last season, Mayfield was thrust into the lineup in Week 3 when Tyrod Taylor was hurt.Mayfield doesn't have nearly the same supporting cast as Mahomes, but he's put up respectable numbers and feels he's learning with every snap."His talent is through the roof," Mahomes said of Mayfield. "He is going to keep getting better every single week. He has already had a lot of success. The sky is the limit for him."On Sunday, they'll go at it again — pass for pass, play for play — in what appears to be a mismatch with the Chiefs rolling and the Browns reeling.But beyond the score, the NFL could get its first glimpse at a budding QB rivalry. It's not Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, but that one started somewhere too."I would absolutely not say that it going to be Brady-Manning right now, but it is humbling to be in that conversation," Mayfield said."If he keeps playing that way, there is no reason why it would not be on his side of things. Now, I just have to pick up my side and play better."
Users browsing this topic
Guest (2)
Forum Jump  
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.