The Nest: September 2014

Sunday, September 21, 2014

2014-2015 English Premier League

This will be my 3rd post on the Barclay's English Premier league, (English Football League, Barclay's Premier League) which is without question the best professional futbol league in the world. However this post is rather a profile on the ongoing 2014-2015 season and the 20 teams that it consists of. The season began on Aug 16th and will finish on May 24th. At this point the season is still very early on, only 5 games in. Each team plays a total of 38 matches (home and away against each team in the league). A win is 3 points, a draw is 1 point, and a loss is 0 points. The team with the highest points after 38 games wins the league championship title.

Last season, Manchester City won the league championship and were promoted into the Champions League. They were also joined by 2nd place Liverpool, 3rd place Chelsea, and 4th place Arsenal. Everton and Tottenham, finished 5th and 6th and made it into the Europa league. For the first time in history, English powerhouse, Manchester United, failed to finish in the top four. The three lowest performing teams (Cardiff City, Fulham, and Norwich) were relegated to the 2nd division, while the three highest performing teams of the 2nd division were promoted into the premier league (Lecister City, Burnley, Queen Parks Rangers).

I was especially eager this fall for the return of European club futbol after such an exciting World Cup in Brasil, as well as the many off-season club trades that followed, This year for the first time ever I have followed the Premier League as well as the Champions League from the start of the season. I've been able to watch many of the games live on television during the weekends thanks to NBC Sports. I believe that the EPL is just as exciting as the NFL, because of it's competitive and unpredictable nature. Similiar to the NFL, any team in the EPL can win on any given Sunday, and i think that's a measure of a truly balanced and exciting league. Therefore here is a look of the 20 teams that make up this season's premier league.

Club: Manchester City FC

Last Year's Finish: 1st Place
Homeground: City of Manchester Stadium (47,405 capacity)
Headcoach: Manuel Pellegrini (Chilean) (2013-present as coach)
History: Established (1880 as St. Marks Gorton, 1887 Arwick FC, and 1894 as Manchester City FC
Rivals: Manchester United (Manchester Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 86
Number of League Titles: 4 (1937, 1968, 2012, 2014)
Number of FA Cup Titles: 5 (1904, 1934, 1956, 1969, 2011)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 4
Superstar Players:

Joe Hart: GK (England)
Vincent Kompany (Captain): DF (Belgium)
Samir Nasri: MF (France)
Edin Dzeko: FW (Bosnia & Herzagovia)
Jesus Navas: MF (Spain)
Sergio Aguero: FW (Argentina)
Frank Lampard: MF (England)
David Silva: MF (Spain)
Yaya Toure: MF (Ivory Coast)

Club: Liverpool FC
Last Year's Finish: 2nd place
Headcoach: Brendan Rogers (2012-present) (Irish)

Homeground: Anfield (45,276) in Liverpool
History: Founded in 1892
Rivals: Everton (Merryside Derby); Manchester United
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 100
Number of League Titles: 18 (1901, 1906, 1922, 1923, 1947, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990)
Number of FA Cup Titles: 7 (1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 9 (Champions in 2006)
Superstar Players:

Steven Gerrard: MF (England) (Captain)
Daniel Sturridge: FW (England)
Raheem Sterling: MF (England)
Mario Balotelli: FW (Italy)
Philippe Coutinho: MF (Brazil)

Club: Chelsea FC

Last Year's Finish: 3rd Place
Headcoach: Jose Mourinho (2004-2007; 2013-present) (Portuguese)
Homeground: Stamford Bridge (41,837) in Fulham, London
History: Founded in 1905
Rivals: Arsenal (London and West London derbies)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 80
Number of League Titles: 4 (1955, 2005, 2006, 2010)
Number of FA Cups:7 (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 13 (Champions in 2012)
Superstar Players:

John Terry: DF (England) (Captain)
Branislav Ivanovic: DF (Serbia)
Filipe Luis: DF (Brazil)
Cesc Fabregas: MF (Spain)
Oscar: MF (Brazil)
Eden Hazard: MF (Belgium)
Didier Drogba: FW (Ivory Coast)
Thibaut Courtouis: GK (Belgium)
Petr Cech: GK (Czech Republic)
Diego Costa: FW (Spain)
Andre Schurrle: MF (Germany)
Loic Remy: MF (France)
Willian: MF (Brazil)

Club: Arsenal FC

Last Year's Finish: 4th Place
Headcoach: Arsene Wenger (1996-present) (French)
Homeground: Emirates Stadium (60,338 capacity) at Holloway, London
History: Founded in 1886
Rivals: Tottenham Hotspur (North London Derby); Chelsea (West London Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 98
Number of League Titles: 13 (1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2004)
Number of FA Cups: 11 (1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 17 (Runners-Up in 2006)
Superstar Players:

Mikel Arteta (captain): MF (Spain)
Per Mertasacker: DF (Germany)
Mathieu Debuchy: DF (France)
Tomas Rosicky: MF (Czech Republic)
Lukas Podolski: FW (Germany)
Jack Wilshire: MF (England)
Mesut Ozil: MF (Germany)
Theo Walcott: MF (England)
Alexis Sanchez: FW (Chile)
Santi Cazorla: MF (Spain)
Calum Chambers: DF (England)
Danny Welbeck: FW (England)

Club: Everton FC

Last Year's Finish: 5th Place
Headcoach: Roberto Martinez (2013-present) (Spanish)
Homeground: Goodison Park (39,572 capacity) in Liverpool
History: Founded in 1878 and were founding members of the first English Football League
Rivals: Liverpool (Merryside Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 112 (most in the league)
Number of League Titles: 9 (1891, 1915, 1928, 1932, 1939, 1963, 1970, 1985, 1987)
Number of FA Cups: 5 (1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 0
Superstar Players:

Phil Jagielka (Captain): DF (England)
Tim Howard: GK (United States)
Samuel Eto'o: FW (Cameroon)
Arouna Kone: FW (Ivory Coast)
Steven Naismith: MF (Scotland)
Gareth Barry: MF (England)
Christian Atsu: MF (Ghana)
Leon Osman: MF (England)
James McCarthy: MF (Ireland)
Romelu Lukaku: FW (Belgium)
Kevin Mirallas: FW (Belgium)

Club: Tottenham Hotspur FC

Last Year's Finish: 6th Place
Headcoach: Mauricio Pochettino (2014-present) (Argentinian)
Homeground: White Hart Lane (36,284 capacity) at Tottenham London
History: Founded in 1882
Rivals: Arsenal (North London Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 80
Number of League Titles: 2 (1951, 1961)
Number of FA Cups: 8 (1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982, 1991)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 1
Superstar Players:

Younes Kaboul (Captain): DF (France)
Hugo Lloris: GK (France)
Aaron Lennon: MF (England)
Paulinho: MF (Brazil)
Roberto Soldado: FW (Spain)
Emmanuel Adebayor: FW (Togo)
Mousa Dembele: MF (Belgium)
Christian Eriksen: MF (Denmark)
Benjamin Stambouli: MF (France)
Benoit Assou-Ekotto: DF (Cameroon)

Club: Manchester United FC (My Team)

Last Year's Finish: 7th place
Headcoach: Louis Van Gaal (2014-present) (Dutch)
Homeground: Old Trafford (75,731) at Greater Manchester
History: Founded in 1878 as Newton Heath; 1902 as Manchester United
Rivals: Manchester City (Manchester derby) Liverpool (Northwest Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 90
Number of League Titles: 20 (1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013) Most in the League
Number of FA Cups: 11 (1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 19 (3 time Champions in 1968, 1999, 2008) Most in the League
Superstar Players:

Wayne Rooney (Captain): FW (England)
David De Gea: GK (Spain)
Marcos Rojo: DF (Argentina)
Angel di Maria: MF (Argentina)
Juan Mata: MF (Spain)
Radamel Falcao: FW (Colombia)
Daley Blind: MF (Netherlands)
Ashley Young: MF (England)
Robin Van Persie: FW (Netherlands)
Ander Herrera: MF (Spain)
Antonio Valencia: MF (Ecuador)
Adnan Januzaj: MF (Belgium)

Club: Southampton FC

Last Year's Finish: 8th Place
Headcoach: Ronald Koeman (2014-present) (Dutch)
Homeground: St. Mary's Stadium (32,589 capacity) at Southampton, Hampshire
History: 1885 as St. Mary's YMA
Rivals: Portsmouth (South Coast Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 38
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 1 (1976)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Jose Fonte (Captain): DF (Portugal)
Shane Long: FW (Ireland)
Jay Rodriguez: FW (England)
Toby Alderweireld: DF (Belgium)
Ryan Bertrand: DF (England)
Steven Davis: MF (Northern Ireland)

Club: Stoke City FC

Last Year's Finish: 9th Place
Headcoach: Mark Hughes (2013-present) (Welsh)
Homeground: Britannia Stadium (27,740) at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
History: Founded in 1863as the Stoke Ramblers; second oldest professional club in the world; founding member of the English Football League
Rivals: West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number of Top Division Appearances: 59
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0 (Runners-Up 2011)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Ryan Shawcross (Captain): DF (England)
Phil Bardsley: DF (Scotland)
Erik Pieters: MF (Netherlands)
Peter Crouch: FW (England)
Victor Moses: FW (Nigeria)
Peter Odemwingie: FW (Nigeria)
Oussama Assaidi: MF (Morocco)

Club: Newcastled United FC

Last Year's Finish: 10th Place
Headcoach: Alan Pardew (2010-present) English
Homeground: St. James Park (52,405 capacity) in Newcastle upon Tyne
History: Founded in 1892
Rivals: Sunderland (Tyne-Wear derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 84
Number of League Titles: 4 (1905, 1907, 1909, 1927)
Number of FA Cups: 6 (1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952, 1955)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 2
Notable Players:

Fabricio Colocinni (Captain): DF (Argentina)
Papiss Cisse: FW (Senegal)
Siem de Jong: MF (Netherlands)
Moussa Sissoko: MF (France)
Facunda Ferreyra: FW (Argentina)
Cheick Tiote: FW (Ivory Coast)
Haris Vuckic: FW (Slovenia)

Club: Crystal Palace FC

Last Year's Finish: 11th Place
Headcoach: Neil Warnock (2014-present) English
Homeground: Selhurst Park (26,255 capacity) South Norwood London
History: Founded in 1905
Rivals: Brighton & Hove Albion (M23 Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 15
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0 (Runners-Up 1990)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Mile Jedinak (Captain): MF (Australia)
Wilfried Zaha: FW (Ivory Coast)
Kevin Doyle: FW (Ireland)
Paddy McCarthy: DF (Ireland)
Frazier Campbell: FW (England)

Club: Swansea City AFC

Last Year's Finish: 12th Place
Headcoach: Garry Monk (2014-present) England
Homeground: Liberty Stadium (20,750 capacity) at Swansea City, South Wales
History: Founded in 1912 as Swansea Town
Rivals: Cardiff City (South Wales derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 6
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Ashley Williams (Captain): DF (Welsh)
Tom Carroll: MF (England)
Wilfried Bony: FW (Ivory Coast)
Nathan Dyer: MF (England)
Jonjo Shelvey: MF (England)

Club: West Ham United FC

Last Year's Finish: 13th Place
Headcoach: Sam Allardyce (2011-present) (English)
Homeground: The Boleyn Ground (35,016 capacity) Upton Park, East London
History: Founded in 1985 as Thames Ironworks FC; reformed in 1900 as West Ham United
Rivals: Millwall, Leyton Orient (East London Derbies)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 57
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 3 (1964, 1975, 1980)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Kevin Nolan (Captain): MF (England)
Alex Song: MF (Cameroon)
Carl Jenkinson: DF (England)
Ravel Morrison: MF (England)
Ricardo Vaz Te: FW (Portugal)
Diafra Sakho: FW (Senegal)
Mark Noble: MF (England)

Club: Sunderland AFC

Last Year's Finish: 14th Place
Headcoach: Gus Poyet (2013-Present) (Uruguayan)
Homeground: Stadium of Light (48,707 Capacity) at Sunderland
History: Founded in 1879 as Sunderland and the District of Teachers
Rivals: Newcastle United (Tyne-Wear Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 84
Number of League Titles: 6 (1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, 1936)
Number of FA Cups: 2 (1937, 1973)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

John O'Shea (Captain): DF (Ireland)
Conor Wickham: FW (England)
Steven Fletcher: FW (Scotland)
Jozy Altidore: FW (United States)
Ricky Alvarez: MF (Argentina)
Santiago Vergini: DF (Argentina)

Club: Aston Villa

Last Year's Finish: 15th Place
Headcoach: Paul Lambert (2012-present) (Scottish)
Homeground: Villa Park (42,682 capacity) Birmingham
History: Founded in 1874 and original member of the first English Football League
Rivals: Birmingham City (Second City Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: (104)
Number of League Titles: 7 (1894, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1910, 1981)
Number of FA Cups: 7 (1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 1
Notable Players:

Ron Vlaar (Captain): DF (Netherlands)
Tom Cleverly: MF (England)
Joe Cole: MF (England)
Philippe Senderos: DF (Switzerland)
Fabian Delph: MF (England)
Christian Benteke: FW (Belgium)
Aly Cissokho: DF (France)
Carlos Sanchez: MF (Colombia)

Club: Hull City AFC

Last Year's Finish: 16th Place
Headcoach: Steve Bruce (2012-present) (English)
Homeground: KC Stadium (25,400 capacity) at Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
History: Founded in 1904
Rivals: Leeds United, Barnsley, Bradford City (Yorkshire derbies)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 4
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0 (Runners-Up in 2014)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Curtis Davies (Captain): DF (England)
Abel Hernandez: FW (Uruguay)
Mohammed Diame: MF (Ghana)
Nikica Jelavic: MF (Croatia)
Yannick Sagbo: FW (Ivory Coast)
Gaston Ramirez: MF (Uruguay)
Hatem Ben Arfa: MF (France)

Club: West Bromwich Albion

Last Year's Finish: 17th Place
Headcoach: Alan Irvine (2014-present) (Scottish)
Homeground: The Hawthorns (26,445 capacity) in West Bromwich
History: Founded in 1878 as the West Bromwich Strollers; founding members of the first English Football League
Rivals: Wolverhampton Wanderers (Black COuntry derby); Aston Villa
Number of Top Division Appearances:78
Number of League Titles: 1 (1920)
Number of FA Cups: 5 (1888, 1892, 1931, 1954, 1968)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Chris Brunt (Captain): MF (England)
Jonas Olsson: DF (Sweden)
Andre Wisdom: DF (England)
Victor Anichebe: FW (Nigeria)
Silvestre Varela: MF (Portugal)

Club: Leicester City FC

Last Year's Finish: 1st place in English Football League
Headcoach: Nigel Pearson (2011-present) (English)
Homeground: King Power Stadium (32,262 capacity) in Leicester
History: Founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse
Rivals: Coventry City (M69 Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 46
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cup Titles: 0 (Runners-Up 1949, 1961, 1963, 1969)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Wes Morgan (Captain): DF (Jamaica)
Estaben Cambiasso: MF (Argentina)
Nick Powell: MF (England)
Leonardo Ulloa: FW (Argentina)
Jamie Vardy: FW (England)

Club: Burnley FC

Last Year's Finish: 2nd place in English Football League
Headcoach: Sean Dyche (2012-present) (English)
Homeground: Turf Moor (21,401 capacity) in Burnley, Lancashire
History: Founded in 1882 as the Burnley Rovers; One of founding members of the English Football league
Rivals: Blackburn Rovers
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 53
Number of League Titles: 2 (1921, 1960)
Number of FA Cups: 1 (1914)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Jason Shackell (Captain): DF (England)
Michael Keane: DF (England)
Nathaniel Chalobah (England)

Club: Queens Park Rangers

Last Year's Finish: 4th place in English Football League
Homeground: Loftus Road Stadium (18,489) in West London
Headcoach: Harry Redknapp (2012-present as coach) (English)
History: Founded in 1882
Rivals: London derbies with Chelsea, Fulham, and Brentford
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 23
Number of League Titles: 0 (finished 2nd place in 1976)
Number of FA Cups: 0 (finished 2nd place in 1982)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

Clint Hill (Captain): DF (England)
Rio Ferdinand: DF (England)
Eduardo Vargas: FW (Chile)
Shaun Wright Philips: MF (England)
Niko Kranjcar: MF (Croatia)

Monday, September 8, 2014

My Teams: Detroit Lions

Funny this will be my first post about my favorite sports team, the Detroit Lions. I've briefly mentioned them in some posts in the past, (Matt Millen, 2009 Football season) however never truly gave them the justice they deserve. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have always been a devout Lions fan. Despite our constant sub-par performances I stay true to them in hopes that some day we'll win the big game. Today seemed like a fitting time to give my team a tribute since a new season has begun and they will be in the prime time spotlight tonight, for Monday Night Football's season opener against the New York Giants.

How it all Started

When I was a young boy, I always loved sports and my first love was actually baseball. I wanted to be a professional shortstop and was especially inspired by the Major League baseball. My favorite team was the Chicago Cubs and my favorite player was second baseman Roberto Alomar from the Toronto Blue Jays, for his incredible fielding skills. I collected all the baseball cards, played the video games, and was an avid fan of the Cubs and the MLB as a whole. However I believe it was the Baseball Strike of 1994 that change this for me, and shortly after I switched my attention to the NFL.

I was in 4th grade at this time and had already begun to enjoy the sport of football, yet didn't really understand the NFL until I got the video game, NFL Quarterback Club 95 for Super NES. I played this game constantly and it became my favorite sports game of all time, even more so then the other baseball games I had played (such as Roger Clemens Baseball). By around this time I had begun to understand the league through my classmates and family and this game became a true joy.

For a brief time, I swore allegiance to the Miami Dolphins. Not entirely sure why I made this my first NFL team but I was a fan for at least over a year. Maybe it was because I liked Dan Marino and the movie Ace Ventura Pet Detective. I even gathered a small collection of Dolphins apparel and in the 5th grade I got a Starter pullover coat for my birthday. I remember these NFL pullover coats were all the rave among us boys in grade school.

However as I prepared to enter junior high, something made me switch teams from the Dolphins to the Detroit Lions. To this day I'm still not exactly sure what caused the switch, (maybe it was the traditonal thanksgiving game at Grandma's house), yet I knew without doubt that this would be my final team that I would support. Even at that young age I was ready to be a loyal fan, not a fair-weather fan. I was ready to support my team no matter how terribly they performed. Since the Lions were a part of my family history from Michigan I felt they were fitting team to support for the rest of my life. And so as I entered the 6th grade I got my Detroit Lions blue starter jacket and officially became a fan of the team. And Barry Sanders quickly became my sports idol!

Memories as a Fan

Starter Pullover Jackets on Recess: The thing I most remember of my early days as a Lions fans, was the competition among my classmates. Each of us boys had our own team that we supported and each of us had our starter jackets. (Tony Leist liked the Steelers, Kevin Branning liked the Vikings, Eric Shanyada liked the 49ers, etc). I remember we use to play football during recess, and the games often got very competitive. I was always one of the fastest, and best jukers on the field, much due to my inspiration from Barry Sanders.
Pontiac Silverdome 97: In the fall season of 1997 my uncle Larry got re-married and wanted to introduce us all to his new wife's kids. We were all footballs fans and newly associated with the Detroit Lions so he bought us all tickets to watch a game at the Pontiac Silverdome. I remember Philip, Gabriel, Marc, Geoffrey, and Peter were all there. I remember we loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but it was a very memorable experience to watch my first NFL game with my brothers, cousins, and uncles. I also bought some souveniers there such as a plaque of Barry Sanders.
1998 Thanksgiving game between Steelers and Lions: I specifically remember watching this game at Grandmas as was the tradition for Thanksgiving. This was a very intense game that went into overtime, and was decided by a controversial coin flip from the refs, that gave the Lions the ball first in overtime. The Lions went on to win the game, however it remains one of the biggest referee flubs in NFL history.
Barry Sanders: As a kid, Barry Sanders was my idol, the way he ran, juked players, and was always so humble. Each game he was always so exciting to watch, rushing over 100 yards per game, making defenders miss tackles in every way possible. He retired at a very early age, and after only 11 years in the league he became the 2nd highest career rushing yards behind Walter Payton (Emmitt Smith would later break both records however he was in the league for 14 years)
Bets with Palmer: During high school and college, my hardcore support dimmed down a bit as I became busy with so much other stuff, however the Lions always remained my one and only team. I remember rivalries among friends continued, especially my best friend Ryan Palmer who happened to support the Chicago Bears. Each year we made a 5 dollar bet based on the spread, and we've kept that tradition going ever since.
Sportvision Splurge: After college and into my professional work life, I doubled my attention to the Detroit Lions and the NFL as a new means of entertainment. I found that it was perfect go-to conversation among strangers or co-workers. By around 2007 the Lions began to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with some very exciting offensive targets such as Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. I remember buying all sorts of Lions gear for myself and my family, during my first year working with Sportvision.
Jim Shwartz Era: In 2009 new coach Jim Schwartz moved the team in a new direction with a stronger offense, however there were still far more losses than victories. By 2010 a new franchise quarterback had emerged in Matthew Stafford as well as a superstar defensive linemen in Ndamukong Suh.
MNF at BWWs 2011: By 2011 they finally had a winning team and made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. I remember watching several prime time games that year with friends at bars. I remember that year I splurged to buy a Calvin Johnson "Megatron" jersey as he had become my favorite player and best wide receiver in the league.

Favorite Players

Barry Sanders (1989-1999) 10x Pro Bowler; 1997 MVP; 3rd leading rusher in NFL history
Calvin Johnson (2007-present) 4x Pro Bowler; Most receiving yards in a season (2012)
Johnnie Morton (1994-2001)
Herman Moore (1991-2001) 4x Pro Bowler
Jason Hanson (1992-2012) 2x Pro Bowler
Roy Williams (2004-2008) 1x Pro Bowler
Matthew Stafford (2009-Present)
Reggie Bush (2013-Present)
Joe Fauria (2013-Present)

Team History and Recent Records

The team was established in 1929 in Portsmouth, Ohio as the Spartans and for four years were the NFL's smallest team. In 1934 during the Great Depression, they moved to Detroit and became known as the Lions. They played in Tiger Stadium from 1938-1975, the Pontiac Silverdome from 1975 to 2001 and Ford Field from 2002 to present. Since they moved to Detroit, the Lions have had good seasons and bad seasons and went on to win 4 NFL championships (1935, 1952, 1953, 1957) before the AFL merger.

They are one of only 4 teams to have yet to play in a Super Bowl. To put it plainly the Lions have always been a below average team. However their blue collar fanbase remains loyal just as in the case of the Chicago Cubs. It's only a matter of time and probability before they turn things around and win a championship. Here's a look at their past season records since I became a fan in 1996.

1996: (5-11) 5th NFC Central
1997: (9-7) 3rd NFC Central
1998: (5-11) 4th NFC Central
1999: (8-8) 3rd NFC Central; Loss NFC Wildcard to Redskins

2000: (9-7) 4th NFC Central
2001: (2-14) 5th NFC Central
2002: (3-13) 4th NFC North
2003: (5-11) 4th NFC North
2004: (6-10) 3rd NFC North
2005: (5-11) 3rd NFC North
2006: (3-13) 4th NFC North
2007: (7-9) 3rd NFC North
2008: (0-16) 4th NFC North
2009: (2-14) 4th NFC North
2010: (6-10) 3rd NFC North
2011: (10-6) 2nd NFC North; Lost NFC Wildcard to Saints
2012: (4-12) 4th NFC North
2013: (7-9) 3rd NFC North

Other notable statistics

Championships
League championships (4) NFL Championships (pre-1970 AFL–NFL merger) (4) 1935, 1952, 1953, 1957
Conference championships (4) NFL National: 1952 NFL Western: 1953, 1954, 1957
Division championships (4) NFL West: 1935 NFC Central: 1983, 1991, 1993
Playoff appearances (15)
NFL: 1935, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1970, 1982, 1983, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2011
Home fields
Universal Stadium (1930–1933) University of Detroit Stadium (1934–1937, 1940) Tiger Stadium (1938–1939, 1941–1974) a.k.a. Briggs Stadium (1938–1960) Pontiac Silverdome (1975–2001) Ford Field (2002–present)

Thursday, September 4, 2014

NFL season kick-off!

Well it's that time of the year again, my favorite time, when fall kicks-off with the start of the NFL season. Tonight's season-opening match is between the defending champs Seattle Seahawks against the Green Bay Packers. There is no sports league as big and exciting as the NFL. I have been an avid fan of this league as well as my Detroit Lions since as far back as the 5th grade. Tonight's prime time game will be the kickoff to the 2014-2015 season.

Thursday Night Football: A New Tradition

Since 2002 the Thursday night season opener came about as a prime-time kickoff to the season. It normally matches the returning super bowl champions against another very successful team. For me it's this game that starts the football season all together, since I hardly follow college or high school as much. It also serves as a start to the fall season, my favorite season of the year.

I remember celebrating this opening game many times in college with my fellow NFL fans; Palmer, Karlan, EJ, and the rest of our fantasy football league. Even after college I kept the tradition alive, and have always tuned in to the opening game whether at BWWs or at home with a beer. Tonight will be no different.

Best League in the Biz

Over the past couple years the NFL has gotten all the more exciting thanks to rivalries among friends and co-workers, fantasy football leagues, and three days a week to watch the games (Thursday night, Sunday, Sunday night, and Monday night) Watching the NFL on Sunday afternoon is one of my favorite relaxing things to do. And I especially enjoy the prime time matches of TNF, SNF, and MNF.

Although soccer is my favorite sport, there is still no European league that can compare to this giant spectacle. It has always been my front-runner since I first got NFL Quarterback club 95 for Super NES, and became a Detroit Lions fan. The format has become a part of my routine, from the regular Sunday games, the prime time games, the byes, to the playoffs, and the big Super Bowl itself. It's great entertainment and discussion among peers. It's truly a hobby to follow this league. Especially my Detroit Lions, my one team since the 5th grade.

My Detroit Lions

Perhaps I'll save this for a separate post, detailing my support of the Detroit Lions. They've been a team that have always struggled to remain above average and yet I stay true and loyal to them. I always hope for the day where they will make it to the big show and that will be such a gratifying feeling. Until then I continue to give my full and undivided support to them.

For 17 weeks, I set my schedule around their schedule. As usual they will most likely send me on a roller coaster of emotions and yet I will never waiver away from them despite the outcome. They are forever my team and someday we will win it all! There's no league or team that can quite bring out this passion in me, such as the NFL and the Detroit Lions.

NFL Power Rankings according to NFL.com

RANK 1