NFL
Crazy NFC South
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL loves its parity. It’s one of the things that has helped it thrive as a league over the years. Just about every fan base (sorry Cleveland, I’m not looking at you on this one) goes into the season with playoff aspirations and a sense that their team has it what it takes to make a run. It really is one of the beautiful things about the NFL.
Over the past decade the NFC South has taken that parity out to dinner, married it, bought it a house with a white picket fence, and introduced it to every actor/actress on its “If I ever meet this person I get to………” list.
So far this year doesn’t seem to be any different. I know it’s dangerous to look too much into any one game, but it’s hard not to walk away from the Falcons/Panthers game this weekend and see anything different than two teams headed in opposite directions.
Measuring Up Blake Bortles
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL season is underway, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to take another step toward becoming a viable playoff contender by either challenging for the AFC South title or grabbing a wild card berth.
One reason Jacksonville is looking to take strides forward is quarterback Blake Bortles. The Jaguars franchise is directly related to Bortles’s development, and his progress as an NFL quarterback.
Is Matt Ryan Answer For Falcons?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Sometimes it doesn’t take too much thought to decide whether or not a quarterback has lived up to his draft position.
For the most part, 1st round quarterbacks fall into one of two categories. You have what we’ll refer to as the “Gigli Division” consisting of guys whose NFL careers were about as successful as the aforementioned Ben Affleck movie.
Falcons’ Offense Needs To Rise Up
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons will kick off their 51st season in the NFL, with the ultimate goal to finally bring home their first Lombardi trophy.
Head coach Dan Quinn will look to improve upon the team’s 8-8 record from last season.
Todd Gurley Break Out Season
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It happens every single year. I sit back and get completely immersed in the current season of Hard Knocks, so much so that I inevitably draft two or three players for my fantasy team based solely on the show.
You might as well go ahead and pencil in the Rams’ defense and Tavon Austin as soon to be members of that distinguished club. The one L.A. Player I’d really like to have, and who is primed for a breakout season, is Todd Gurley.
Making The Cut For Falcons
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Once again the Falcons enter a new season looking to show the NFL (and their fans) that they are a football team worth watching.
Another season that began with promise and ended with fairly consistent and bitter disappointment has come and gone, and Atlanta has had a whole offseason to mull over 2015 and make improvements; and with August comes exhibitions games.
Meaningless as the games are to the standings, they are still the first action of the new season, and with comes all that hope and promise yet again. Continue reading
Boring Sports Summer
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Welcome to what is becoming an annual “It’s been a long sports summer, the Braves are still in last place, and I can’t possibly write another preseason article on SEC Football” story from yours truly.
For someone who writes stories on southern sports I like to refer to these days as the ‘Bob Ross’ days. You know, as in I’d rather watch that man with the glorious fro paint pictures of mountain ranges than subject myself to following whether or not the Hawks are going to give some guy I’ve never heard $5 million dollars a year to sit the bench.
Loved or Hated?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As a society we love our polls. As sports fans polls have almost become as important as the actual sports themselves.
There are preseason polls, in-season polls that entire shows are built around, way too early to predict polls, and numerous ones polling who is the best such and such at whatever. I’m pretty sure there’s even a poll that polls which polls should be polled.
Koetting Ties
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There is a lot of pressure that goes along with being the head coach of a professional sports team.
It’s not nearly as intense as the President of the United States type pressure, but it’s certainly more than reading the name of winner of the Miss USA competition. (I still love you on Family Feud, Steve).
Betting on Bortles
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Jacksonville Jaguars coming off another losing season have to be very pleased in how QB Blake Bortles progressed between year one and two in the 24 year old’s young NFL career.
The good:
The Jags saw some good strides forward from quarterback Blake Bortles in his second NFL season. Bortles threw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns while forming a strong partnership with wide receivers Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson.
