Jan

31

2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class Announced

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CANTON, OHIO – Wide receiver Bob Hayes, guard Randall McDaniel, defensive end Bruce Smith, linebacker Derrick Thomas, owner Ralph Wilson, and defensive back Rod Woodson make up the Class of 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees.

The six-man class was elected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee who met today in Tampa, Florida. The newest members of the Hall were selected from a list of 17 finalists that had been determined earlier by the committee.

Hayes, a gold medalist track star in the 1964 Summer Olympics, combined his world class speed with great hands. “Bullet Bob,” a three-time All-Pro pick, caught 371 career passes for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns.

McDaniel was named All-Pro nine straight seasons and voted to a record 12 consecutive AFC-NFC Pro Bowls during his 14-season career with the Minnesota Vikings (1988-1999) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000-01).

Smith, the first overall pick in the 1985 draft by the Buffalo Bills, is the NFL’s all-time sack leader with 200 career sacks. A member of both the NFL’s All-Decade Teams of the 1980s and 1990s, Smith was named first-team All-Pro nine times and voted to 11 Pro Bowls.

Thomas amassed more sacks during the 1990s than any other player. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls, named All-NFL three times, and was All-AFC seven times in an eight-year stretch.

Wilson founded the Buffalo Bills in 1959 and has watched his team win back-to-back AFL titles in the mid-1960s and become the only team ever to advance to four consecutive Super Bowls. He was an integral part of the AFL’s success and has also served on a number of important NFL committees over the years.

Woodson, a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team in 1994 and selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, intercepted 71 passes which he returned for an NFL record 1,483 yards and a record 12 touchdowns. He was named All-Pro six times and voted to 11 Pro Bowls.

The 2009 class will increase to 253 the number of all-time greats permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Enshrinement of the Class of 2009 will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network.

The annual NFL Hall of Fame Game will be played on Sunday, August 9, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. and broadcast live by NBC. The Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills will face off.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival is a multi-day celebration of the enshrinement of the newest Hall of Fame Class. Held in Canton each year, the festival includes 15 special public events and culminates with the Enshrinement Ceremony and NFL Hall of Fame Game. Two other major events are the Enshrinees Dinner (Friday, August 7), and the Enshrinees GameDay Roundtable (Sunday, August 9). It is at the Enshrinees Dinner where each member of the Class of 2009 will be presented his gold Pro Football Hall of Fame Jacket. At the GameDay Roundtable, the members of the Class of 2009 will be featured center stage to share memories of the game and their personal feelings about being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Individual enshrinement tickets and Festival Fan Packages are on sale now. Ticket information can be found on the Hall of Fame’s website at Profootballhof.com.

(Courtesy of the NFL/PFHOF)

Jan

31

NFL Gridiron Gab at the Super Bowl Chatting w/ a Buccaneers Cheerleader

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It’s the Super Bowl, and the Buccaneers Cheerleaders are here in full effect. We catch up with Sahara, who has been with the team for three seasons. We talk to her about the team, who’s going to win on Sunday, and what she thought about the firing of Jon Gruden (or if she even cared). Another star studded interview at the Super Bowl!

Jan

31

Super Bowl Recipe Plan Brought to You by Swason’s

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Check out this collection of quick, easy and delicious recipes for your Super Bowl tailgating and football parties! Whether you’re cooking for the whole team or just the offensive line, these dishes are guaranteed to satisfy even the heartiest of appetites!

Starters:
Frank’s® RedHot® Buffalo Chicken Dip:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 cans (9.75 oz each) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained
½ cup Frank’s® RedHot® Sauce
½ cup blue cheese salad dressing
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Assorted fresh vegetables and/or crackers

Directions:
1)Stir cream cheese in 9” deep dish pie plate until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2)Bake at 350°F. for 20 min. until hot and bubbling. Stir. Serve with vegetables and crackers.

Tips:
- Substitute ranch dressing for blue cheese dressing and shredded cheddar cheese for blue cheese crumbles.
- Make it tailgate friendly – prepare ahead of time and transport in a disposable heavy foil pan. When you get to the tailgate heat it on a grill and serve nice and hot!
- Make this in the microwave by heating it on high for 5 minutes instead of baking
- Keep it warm in a crockpot or slow cooker

Spicy Honey-Mustard Kielbasa Wraps:
A spin on the classic pigs in a blanket to honor Steelers’ Fans
1/2 of a 17.3 ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. honey mustard
1 package (16 ounces) turkey or beef kielbasa, cut into 8 pieces

Directions:
1)Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it’s easy to handle. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
2)Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the sheet into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Brush the pastry with the honey mustard. Cut the pastry into 8 (about 4 1/2 x 3-inch) rectangles.
3)Place 1 piece kielbasa in the center of each pastry rectangle. Brush the edges with the egg mixture. Fold the pastry over the kielbasa and press the edges to seal. Place the wraps seam-side down on the baking sheet. Brush the wraps with the egg mixture.
4)Bake for 25 minutes or until the wraps are golden. Remove from the baking sheets and cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve with additional honey mustard for dipping

Chicken Nachos
In honor of the sole surviving, southwestern “birds,” the Arizona Cardinals
1/2 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
2 cans (4.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1 bag (about 10 ounces) tortilla chips
Chopped tomato
Sliced green onion
Sliced pitted ripe olive

Directions:
1) Heat the salsa, soup and chicken in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until the mixture
is hot and bubbling, stirring often.
2) Spoon the chicken mixture over the chips. Top with the tomato, onion and olives.

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Jan

30

Super Bowl Rankings (#10-1 Edition) – Part IV of IV

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What makes a Super Bowl “great”?

In doing my research and looking back at the best Super Bowls of All-Time it was tough to choose the Top 10 and rank them in the order that I did.  You have to consider that the reason these Super Bowls are the best and separated from all the rest is because they have “certain qualities” making them “5-star rated Super Bowls”.  You want see if they possess these three things in determining the Top 10.  I. Fantastic Finishes – Super Bowls are remembered by the final play or drive that made a team a winner and champion not to be forgotten.  II. Turning Points/Clutch Moments - Super Bowls can be linked back to by momentum changing plays and clutch moments were you just shook your head and could not believe what you just saw.  III. Quality of the Game and Team’s Stars – The game has to have the both teams playing at their best battling each other and the team’s best players have to shine and make the difference, coming through when the game is on the line, though it’s not always the most likely of sources (unsung heroes, ex. John Taylor).

What makes Super Bowl XXXII (31 Denver Broncos 24 Green Bay Packers) Stand Out the Most and why is it #1?

John Elway’s run for a first down when he scrambled out of the pocket and got lit up by three defenders, as #7  spun up into the air like a “helicopter” was pure brilliance.  Elway, with three embarrassing, disappointing, and humiliating losses in past Super Bowls etched in his mind, took it upon himself to win the game and to do whatever it took to win, one play at a time.  Everyone remembers that play and it’s a play of a “Champion”.  Also, look at the QB match-up

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Jan

30

Super Bowl Media Day Friday Photo Gallery #2

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Jan

30

NFL Gridiron Gab at the Super Bowl Goes 1-on-1 w/ Giants RB Derrick Ward

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He’ll be a sought after free agent next month, and today NFL Gridiron Gab at the Super Bowl catches up for a few minutes with Giants RB Derrick Ward. Matt Loede talks to Ward about the Super Bowl, his season and the Giants season, and just what is going to happen to him next month in free agency. A great interview here at the Super Bowl!

Jan

30

Cardinals DE Smith Takes Part in Practice as Team Gets Ready for Sunday

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The Cardinals got some good news Friday in the injury departement, as starting DE Antonio Smith took part in all the practice, and will go Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII vs the Steelers. He is listed as probable due to a sore knee. As far as the other players a little banged up, RB/KR J.J. Arrington DE Travis LaBoy and punter Ben Graham were all limited.

Arrington has a sore left knee, LaBoy an injured biceps and Graham a sore groin. Overall, it sounds like the Cardinals are as ready as they are going to be for the Super Bowl showdown against the favored Steelers. Coach Ken Whisenhunt met with the media one last time on Friday morning, and felt his team had done what they needed to do in the week leading up to the game.

“I thought it was a good week of work,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “You always wonder when you go on the road and your team is practicing in another facility if your team is going to have the consistency that you’ve had. No question that it helped us that we’ve already done this once this season.”

Reports say that Kurt Warner had his best throwing day of the week, and he’ll have to have a good game for the Cards, a 7-point underdog, to pull off the upset on the Steelers.

Jan

30

PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad – Veggie Love Rejected Advertisement

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Here is PETA’s banned Super Bowl Ad – what is NBC thinking? We’ve seen much worse than this. NBC rejected this ad because it was too sexual, apparently.

Jan

30

PepsiMax Super Bowl Ad – “I’m Good”

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Pepsi Max has a Super Bowl Ad that will air during the game Sunday night, and they were good enough to leak it to us here at NFL Gridiron Gab. The title of the ad – “I’m Good.”

(If you’re in Firefox and the video doesn’t show up, you can check it out here.

Jan

30

NFL Gridiron Gab at the Super Bowl: Inside Radio Row

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Matt Loede is live at the Super Bowl, and now you can take a peek inside radio row, and check out what it’s like with radio stations and networks all over the country and beyond doing their shows the week of the Super Bowl. You’ll also see some hot Bucs cheerleaders, and some great scenes as Super Bowl 43 closes in!

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