Professional Tailgating:: Football is set back decades

After attending the Rutgers vs. Pitt game, the game decided to spend Sunday at the Bills vs. Jets game. It may have been one of the worst game that I have been to, but it was a good time to say the least.

JP Losman's Potential checks if the Saints have scored another touchdowns against the Giants

The highlight of the whole day might have been watching the ice develop on the propane tank

The New Giant Stadium looks like a bunch of razor blades on the outside

Bonnie Bernstein does the pregame show on ESPN Radio

Even during pregrams warmups the Bills looked terrible

At least in the end the Bills won and Jet fans went home crying again

Professinoal Tailgating: Rutgers can't beat a good team

Last Friday the OTWT Tailgating Crew headed to the Rutgers to see the Knights take on Pitt and as Rutgers loss the game and feel to 0-2 in the Big East.

The Tailgating Crew favorite Knight B-Jones

Starwars fans in the crowd before the game

Kid kicks 25 yard field goal during half time, maybe Greg should give him a scholarship

Rutgers loss the game, but the star of the game was Little Jovi

The Jags are at it again

The Jags fans are at it again. This time the Jacksonville fan base packed Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to the tune of 42,088 yesterday. It sure looks like 42,000 showed up in this photo from a friend on Facebook for the Jags 23-20 win over the rams, the people in the seats might be closer to 25,000.

The NFL has to do something about this. People in Jacksonville will never get to see their team on tv at this rate. The stadium holds 67,164 for NFL games and 84,000 for college football games.

The Cover Story: College Basketball

It seems like only yesterday that North Carolina cut down the nets at Ford Field in Detroit, but a lot has changed since they did that, Coach Cal went from Memphis to Kentucky and North Carolina reloaded.

In honor of midnight madness tomorrow night here are the covers of the Sporting News College Basketball preview issues:

Washington

California

Arizona

Texas

Kansas

Michigan

Illinois

SEC

Tennessee

Miami

Kentucky

North Carolina

Pittsburgh

Washington DC

UCONN

Why Not

During the past week, people from all over the spectrum have been weighing in on Rush Limbaugh joining a group that features former Knicks executive Dave Checketts to purchase the St. Louis Rams. Many have said allowing Rush to be part of the ownership would be a terrible move for the NFL, but I on the other hand say why not.

Al Sharpton was on Morning Joe this morning saying that he has not right to own a team. His comments are below

Here is the deal, you do not have to like the owner of your team. All the owner has to do is field a team that wins and the fan base could careless what the ownership group stands for. People are talking about ownership groups like they are saints and that is not true at all. Take a look at Al Davis and he has his black marks as a person and everyone says that is just Al being all. Sure Rush's views are the not the popular ones, but would that mean that he could not own a team, I don't think so.

Sure will some players say no to playing for the Rams because Rush is part of the ownership group yes, but that does not mean that he can not be part of an ownership group that wants to purchase the team. That is a separate issues itself.

Under the proposal I don't think that Rush will be the face of the ownership group, that is going to be Checketts, but if he is just going to be a money person in the deal why not.

Professional Tailgating: The Second Leg

Round two of the OTWT Tailgating tour made a stop at the Linc to see the Eagles take on the terrible Bucs, yes they are that bad. So far two games down, two to go. Its going to be hard but I think that I can get through it.

Nice bike, who would not love an Eagles bike

Former Polk High School great Al Bundy stopped by to watch the action.
Chickie's and Pete Crabfries what a great lunch

A wood worker makes carves an eagle out of wood

An inflatable Eagle dances with the cheerleaders.

A fan in the section under us leaders his group in singing Fly Eagles Fly

Professional Tailgating: The start of something special

A game against a Division 1AA team usually does not mean anything, but for the OTWT Tailgating Crew the Rutgers vs. Texas Southern game meant the start of something special. The game started a stretch of four football games in eight days. Two college, two pro game. Its going to be a tough, but I think that I can get through it.

Heading to the game, someone is not happy with the Prez winning the Noble Peace Prize

The Fire Marshall Bill of the Rutgers parking lot is always on guard

People enjoy some adult beverages before the game

20 minutes before the game, there were still some good seats around, but they all filled in as the game started

Blowout means being the car at 5:09, for a game starting at 3:30, and being home for the Florida/LSU game. Not a bad day

The second game of the group, was the Eagles and the Bucs. I will post my complete report from the Linc tomorrow.

It's a Shore Thing

Growing up along the Jersey Shore can only mean a couple of things boardwalk fries, Three Brothers Pizza, liking the Boss, and the Shore Conference. The Shore Conference is home to my old high school, Toms River South and a variety of state powers in the many different sports including baseball, football and basketball. But over the last month, the conference has been the home to three professionals that have made their debuts in a pair of sports.

In football the conference has produced running backs Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown.

While at Middletown South, Moreno led his team to three Central Jersey Group III championships. He rushed for 1,629 yards on 153 carries and scored 28 TDs in 11 games as a senior. He finished his high school career with 6,268 career rushing yards, 128 touchdowns, and 728 points. His rushing yards are second all-time in New Jersey. He also rushed for 420 yards and 7 touchdowns in one game against the Neptune Scarlet Fliers. He also rushed for 6 touchdowns against the Monmouth Regional Falcons. During his time at Middletown South, he also was a top tier sprinter during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Moreno was a first round pick of the Denver Broncos. After starring at South, Moreno went on to star at Georgia. On September 27, 2009, Moreno scored his first career NFL touchdown with a 7 yard run against the Oakland Raiders.

Brown attended Red Bank Catholic and stared as a running back. During his senior year, Brown rushed for 2,032 yards and 27 touchdowns. Brown was a first round pick of the Colts.

While in hockey, former Christian Brothers Academy star James van Reimsdyk (photo right from World Junior Championship) has made an immediate impact with the Philadelphia Flyers. Van Riemsdyk attended CBA before transferring out after his sophomore year to play for USA Hockey's National Development Team. In his final high school game for CBA he scored the game winning goal in overtime to defeat the Delbarton School and star goaltender Michael D'Urso in the 2005 Parochial state championship. After playing for the National Development Team JVR went on to star at New Hampshire for two years. In his first three games as a member of the Flyers JVR has tallied three points.

Its good to see to players from the high school conference you grew up in make an impact so quickly.

And you thought American Announcers were bad

The Bulls and Jazz met in a preseason game in London last night and the BBC was there to capture the action. Just take one listen to it and hear how terrible they were, hey they did not even know the rules to the. Just when you think American announcers are terrible with soccer just remember this video.

The Next One

On Saturday night, the college football world was treated to two things. The return of the U and the introduction of the next great Miami safety. Wearing number 26, the same numbers as former U great the late Sean Taylor, Ray Ray Armstrong let the world know that he is for real. During the game he ran all of the field making plans and showed the world who he was.

Here is a highlight video of the true freshman, when he was in high school last year.

At the end of his career Armstrong will be adding his name to the list of great Miami safeties that includes Ed Read, Taylor, and Kenny Phillips.

The money making power of soccer

This has been a big year for soccer in the United States. First the US Men's National team beats Spain at the Confed Cup, then ESPN starts to show La Liga and the Premier League and finally Dicks Sporting Good decides to dedicate a section of their stores to soccer gear and not just balls and shin guards but jerseys and jackets to. Having leagues on ESPN is a big deal but having their merchandise in stores might be bigger because it shows that money making power of soccer in the United States.

Liverpool Jacket at the Dick's Sporting Goods in Stafford

Champions League Ball at the Dick's Sporting Goods in Mays Landing
Barcelona ball at the Dick's Sporting Goods in Mays Landing

Arsenal ball at the Dick's Sporting Goods in Mays Landing

Manchester United ball at the Dick's Sporting Goods in Mays Landing

Professional Tailgating: Someone Returns Home

Most of the OTWT Tailgating Crew took the week off, Rutgers was not playing, but one member made a trip to his old stomping grounds. Quincy Carter's Coke Habit returned to his home the University of Georgia for their game against LSU. Here are some of the sites from tailgating in the SEC, the best conference in the country, hell on the big Big 10 plus 1.

LSU fans make a nice batch of gumbo

It's the SEC, so that means couches and TV inside of tents before games, it might be heaven.

The OTWT Tailgating crew needs this set up for next season

Really sweet seats for the game, to bad he did not like the ending of the game as LSU beat the Dawgs on a touchdown in the last minute.

A Philosophical Question

There have always been great philosophical question out there from: ""If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around does it still make a sound'' or "Is there a Supreme Being? If so, what is His nature? Did He create the universe?''

This week the Eagles created their own NFL style philosophical question. "'When is a Wildcat Offense not really a Wildcat offense.'' During the game on Sunday, the Eagles used Mike Vick as their Wildcat quarterback in different situations.

Last year, Ronnie Brown and the Dolphins made the Wildcat formation popular and took the league by storm. In the Wildcat a running back or a skill position players lines up under center and then runs or passes the football.

If you look at the Eagles in the Wildcat with Vick, there is one thing that is different. Vick is a quarterback and if you play him at quarterback does that make him a Wildcat quarterback or just a quarterback playing in different situations. I know its a small question, but it has been bothering me since talk of Vick in the Wildcat started to come up. How can it be a Wildcat if he is a quarterback.

Professional Tailgating: All of this for a backup QB

The OTWT Tailgating Crew head to the Linc to take in the Eagles Chiefs game or as it will be know as the Mike Vick game. The Eagles won comfortably but the fun of the day was season debut of Mike Vick, ya the back up quarterback.

A gang of 10 people protested stood outside of the Linc

An OTWT friend posses for a photo with the group

One of the many Vick Eagles jerseys at the Linc

Vick warms up before the game
A new take on a Mike Vick Falcon's jersey
Oh by the way the seats were great and the eagles played really well without McNabb, Westbrook, and Curtis. It was like the 2011 version of the bird with Kolb, DJ and Shady McCoy