The Weird, Wacky and Awesome World of the NFL - General Banter thread

HigginsJ

Paully D wrote: »

When does the first episode of this usually get shown and is it one a week or what way do they do it? I've only ever watched them in bulk long after they've been first shown.

Yea its one a week.

The last 4 weeks of the show usually co-inside with pre-season and they usually have 8 shows (i think) so your prob looking early to mid-july.

JaMarcus Hustle

First episode is August 7th @ 10pm I believe.

mikemac1

Wouldn't be eight episodes, usually five or six

Dammit, I have that catchy theme tune in my head now

Eire-Dearg

Where would one acquire previous Hard Knocks?

JaMarcus Hustle

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Where would one acquire previous Hard Knocks?

Most good torrents sites should have them. Sean Sherlock wont let me tell you that i think a few of them are on Pirate Bay, so i wont tell you that. Does anyone know if they're on Hulu? If they are, I posted a guide on how to watch Hulu from Ireland here a year or two ago, if you search this forum for Hulu you should find it (that's only if they're on there, think I posted it for Americas Game...)

adrian522

Pity HBO and Netflix don't seem to get on

JaMarcus Hustle

I loved how they handled the Revis holdout last time - they ended it perfectly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUxcTMtPZNY

HigginsJ

Really cant wait. The Jets one was the best by far. Sexy Rexy made it.

The Chiefs one is really good (better than the Cowboys one)

adrian522

Terell Owens cut by his IFL team, apparently he refused to play in 2 upcoming road games ...

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/7984924/terrell-owens-cut-indoor-football-team-loses-ownership-share

eagle eye

HigginsJ wrote: »

Yea cant wait for it.

Moore v Garrard v Tannehill

Yeah this makes it so interesting. Not only the QB battle but they don't have any true no.1 receiver so there might be some real fireworks going on between the QBs looking for the starting jobs and any receiver who runs the wrong route/drops a ball.

Like looking at their roster you have Bess, Hartline and Naanee and then a bunch or late round rookies, undrafted guys and 2nd and 3rd year jags. Not at all exciting looking. If I was Tannehill I'd be happy to sit behind somebody for a year until they sort themselves out with receivers.

Paully D

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Most good torrents sites should have them. Sean Sherlock wont let me tell you that i think a few of them are on Pirate Bay, so i wont tell you that. Does anyone know if they're on Hulu? If they are, I posted a guide on how to watch Hulu from Ireland here a year or two ago, if you search this forum for Hulu you should find it (that's only if they're on there, think I posted it for Americas Game...)

Yep, they're all on Hulu mate. That's where I watched them all. Best one is definitely the Jets IMO.

Download HotSpotShield:

http://hotspotshield.com/lp/access_hulu_aw/?gclid=CK6ijLXIprACFdRA4QodWQj4Yw

You can just click that on or off when downloaded and it allows you to watch Hulu.

mikemac1

The rookies nailed the impersonsations of Ray Lewis and Shannon Sharpe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92tvEmEotVs

me-skywalker

Extra pressure now for Philbin. Looking forward to seeing how he manages as a HC after his years with the Packers should have learned plenty from McCarthy. He has had a rough couple of months personally and I hope he comes through it, maybe this isn't the best of things for a new HC with all the pressure that surrounds that on its on and his own personal life now camera's being inside the camp knowing the whole world will see everything that happens. Good Luck.

Watched the Ravens and the Jets Hard Knocks. Great to see some of background prep and insight into the camps and the players lives.

Looks especially grueling on a rookies physically and mentally. Didnt envy Brian Billick cutting players, especially when you know a guy just isn't good neough, you don't wanna kill the guys dreams or crush his spirit but you gotta lay it out to him. He seemed like he genuily hated doing it but bit awkward at it all the same rehashing the same lines got awkward for the viewer; "You've got talent" "Your a good kid", "you can play in this league" "If things don't work out for you come back to us and we'll help you."

I didn't like Tony Siragusa.... at first. Came across as an obnoxious, entitled, self absorbed prat. But then I remembered I played with a guy like that who took the complete p*ss every single day, walked around llike he owned the place, took training at a leisurely pace, took the pss outta the younger lads... but that when it came down to working hard and during matches he dug in he gave 200% and his attitude was just his own way of knitting us together. I don't know if I could hang out with Goose after games but I would definitly have enjoyed playing with him.

Justin10

I cant seem to find the Jets series on Hulu?? All the others seem to be on it.

Hulk Hands

Just seen the headline 'Allen retires' and 'Vikings shocked' on NFL.com

Nearly had a heart attack until I seen it was Asher Allen, which is actually nearly reason to celebrate

HigginsJ

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Just seen the headline 'Allen retires' and 'Vikings shocked' on NFL.com

Nearly had a heart attack until I seen it was Asher Allen, which is actually nearly reason to celebrate

If i were a Vikings fan i would haVe passed out before opening the article. Talk about sensationalism.

HigginsJ

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82973219/article/bad-sign-for-kevin-kolb-split-snaps-with-john-skelton?module=HP11_headline_stack

Who do people think will win the Cards starting job? I liked what i saw from Skelton last year.

Is Matt Flynn potentially another Kolb?

matthew8

HigginsJ wrote: »

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82973219/article/bad-sign-for-kevin-kolb-split-snaps-with-john-skelton?module=HP11_headline_stack

Who do people think will win the Cards starting job? I liked what i saw from Skelton last year.

Is Matt Flynn potentially another Kolb?

I think you give Kolb another year. He didn't get much of a chance to show what he was made of last year.

nerd69

matthew8 wrote: »

HigginsJ wrote: »

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82973219/article/bad-sign-for-kevin-kolb-split-snaps-with-john-skelton?module=HP11_headline_stack

Who do people think will win the Cards starting job? I liked what i saw from Skelton last year.

Is Matt Flynn potentially another Kolb?

I think you give Kolb another year. He didn't get much of a chance to show what he was made of last year.

I like kolb a lot but he needs to get rid of the ball quicker if he can do that he can b a decent qb and throwing to larry fitz always helps

Paully D

Rochey18 wrote: »

I cant seem to find the Jets series on Hulu?? All the others seem to be on it.

Try here mate:

http://watchseries.eu/season-6/hard_knocks

No idea if it works or not, I haven't checked, but it's worth a go and that site is usually spot on.

matthew8

Interesting interview with James Harrison:

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2012/05/james-harrison-admits-liking-justin-bieber-metallica-in-football-documentary-film/

mikemac1

I hope this guy makes a roster, trying out for the Seahawks and has gotten interest from the Redskins, Chiefs and Dolphins too
Plays linebacker

More than 10 years after being robbed of his college football dreams, Brian Banks is getting his shot at the NFL.

Outrageous, poor guy

2002 rape case
Banks, 26, made national news earlier this month when a judge officially threw out charges against him after his accuser admitted she fabricated her claims.

Will be very tough for him, getting on an NFL practice squad would be a good achievement too.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/brian-banks-tryout-seahawks-redskins-chiefs-dolphins-article-1.1087382

helimachoptor

Would love to see him get a shot.. However.. you can be sure there'll be a film about it.

Also.. befriending a guy who you accused of raping you...

nerd69

helimachoptor wrote: »

Would love to see him get a shot.. However.. you can be sure there'll be a film about it.

Also.. befriending a guy who you accused of raping you...

she called him a when he got out to say we where young in know i falsely accused u and put u in jail but lets call it quits

Leslie91

nerd69 wrote: »

she called him a when he got out to say we where young in know i falsely accused u and put u in jail but lets call it quits

Can't he sue the sh1t out of her?. Seems like an odd one to me to let bygones be bygones.

nerd69

Leslie91 wrote: »

nerd69 wrote: »

she called him a when he got out to say we where young in know i falsely accused u and put u in jail but lets call it quits

Can't he sue the sh1t out of her?. Seems like an odd one to me to let bygones be bygones.

Whatever way they did it she was willing to say enough that he got a clear record but she wouldn't admit to everything as she was afraid they would take the money she got from it

CoachTO

She added him on facebook and his bro told him dont get sucked in so he agreed to meet her and hired a PI. Brian and the PI secretly recorded her in the PI office admitting she made it up. She talked to the PI while being recorded a second time just him and her. They gave the recording to a judge who then let Brian free.

More detailed story here about it:

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7986979/redemption-brian-banks

It's not every day that the Washington Redskins call up a man convicted of rape and ask him if he'd agree to a one-day workout, but it happened Tuesday.

Oh, and the Kansas City Chiefs called Tuesday, too. And the Miami Dolphins. And they were three days behind the Seattle Seahawks, who will work him out on June 7.

Why are all these NFL teams eager to check out a convicted sex offender, a man who served five years in prison and wore a GPS ankle bracelet for another five?

Because Brian Banks didn't do it.

A judge in Long Beach, Calif., threw out his kidnapping and rape conviction last week after looking at a videotape of his accuser admitting she lied. After 10 years, he was suddenly a free and innocent man.

"My mouth hurts from smiling so much," Banks told me Tuesday night. "Unbelievable."

Banks was 16 in 2002, the bluest of blue chips out of Long Beach Poly High School, an NFL feeder if there ever was one. He'd already been offered a full-ride scholarship at USC by then-coach Pete Carroll.

But on a summer day that year, he and a girl named Wanetta Gibson decided to go make out in a stairwell at school. When they came out, she accused him of rape.

No semen traces in the rape kit. No witnesses. And yet Banks' attorney insisted he cop a plea, saying his size, age and race would mean a sure conviction of 40-plus years. He said no, no, a hundred times no and finally, reluctantly, yes.

Banks got six years. He served 62 months.

When he got out, he had to wear a GPS ankle bracelet at all times. He had to register as a convicted sex felon. Couldn't go near schools, parks or zoos. Couldn't get a job. He was lucky to get a few hours a week unloading docks.

What did Gibson get? A $750,000 settlement from the school.

But then, last year, a chunk of luck fell from the stars. Out of the blue, Gibson, then 24, sent Banks a Facebook friend request.

Banks slammed the laptop cover down and jumped out of his chair. Was somebody playing a joke on him?

He looked again. Amazing. Gibson had typed, "Let's let bygones be bygones."

Easy for her to say. She didn't watch 10 years of her life go by.

"She was adamant about meeting me," Banks says. "I asked my brother [Freddy], 'What should I do?' He said, 'Whatever you do, make sure you play chess, not checkers.'"

Banks' first move: To get everything she said on tape. He hired a private investigator and met Gibson in the man's office, where every conversation was secretly videotaped. The tape recorded Gibson saying, clearly, "No, he did not rape me."

Was he nervous she wouldn't say it?

"I didn't have to get her to say anything," Banks said. "She came into the room expressing herself. She even came back the next day. The investigator asked her again, point blank. 'Did Brian rape you?' 'No.' 'Did he kidnap you?' 'No.'"

And why would Gibson meet with Banks in the first place? Was it a trap? Was it guilt? No. Banks thinks Gibson -- are you ready for this? -- was hoping to get back together.

"You read the texts and that's the only conclusion you come to," says a source who worked on the case. "She seems absolutely clue-free about what she did to him."

Getting evidence is one thing, getting your rape conviction flipped is another. Banks called the California Innocence Project in San Diego. They agreed to help. It was the first time they'd taken a case of a man already out of prison.

"As soon as we met him, we had no doubt," says Justin Brooks, the lead attorney. "We could see this was a kid who had a big future ahead of him, one that had been lost."

On Thursday, May 24, in a Long Beach courtroom, Banks got his future back.

What's the first thing he did, besides cry at the courtroom table? Snipped off the stupid ankle bracelet, the scarlet letter of our age. "Oh, man, when that thing came off?" Banks says. "There are no words."

Then he went with Brooks' wife and kids to a place he couldn't have gone the day before -- Sea World.

"It's so crazy to go from being labeled a monster to seeing your phone light up with all this support and offers and love," he said. "It's, really, a little hard to get used to."

And what does Banks want most now? Retribution? Revenge? Gibson's head on a serving platter? No. He's not even demanding Gibson give the money back. While he is suing the state for $100 for each day he was falsely imprisoned, what he wants back most is football.

[+] EnlargeBrian Banks
AP Photo/Nick UtBanks celebrates his exoneration and freedom with his mother, Leomia Myers.
Thanks to the best Tuesday of his life, he has now got a chance at it.

None of the four teams are offering any guarantees for a spot in training camp, nor is Banks asking for any.

"I'll make 'em happy," says Banks, who's been training non-stop since October. "After all I've been through these last 10 years, I can still do some things that will impress you."

Like … dead-lift 545 pounds, box jump 55 inches flat-footed, broad jump 10-plus feet and run a 4.6 40, all at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds. NFL trainer Gavin Macmillan, who has volunteered to train Banks for free, says he has a shot. "You see him run and you can see why USC wanted him."

And if the NFL doesn't pan out? Banks already has all kinds of job offers. One of them is to "work in the front office and explore other sports opportunities" for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"I about fell out of my seat when I read that one," Banks said.

I don't know about you, but I can't remember another story that made me want to alternately punch something and hug something like this one. The way Banks has handled himself, without bitterness or bile, with grace and guts, makes you wish he were running the U.S. Senate. If it were me, I'd be stomping around, waving lawsuits and screaming, "I TOLD you I didn't do it!!!"

"I know my story makes people angry at first," Banks says. "That's where I was, too, at first. But where would it have gotten me to stay mad for 10 years? It's like when you're a little kid and you cry about having to clean your room. You can cry and cry, but it doesn't get your room cleaned."

Brian Banks' room is clean again. His heart is spotless. He's holding on to nothing but his dreams. He lost a full decade of his life and now all he wants in exchange is an NFL jersey.

C'mon, Miami Dolphins. Who's had more "Hard Knocks" than Brian Banks?

GoldFour4

couldn't she go to jail for contempt of court for lying under oath ? Horrible person to ruin his life and a promising career.

mikemac1

Two cracking interviews with Brian Dawkins up

Rich Eisen podcast
http://richeisen.nfl.com/category/podcast/


Cover Two podcast, Steve Wyche from NFL Network
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cover-two-jason-smith-steve/id440288685

Both on itunes, that's what I use, there might be other options I don't know about.

Every few months a podcast stands out as these two are great

Pure passion from the man and great insight into lots of topics
What a man!

helimachoptor

malachyscott wrote: »

couldn't she go to jail for contempt of court for lying under oath ? Horrible person to ruin his life and a promising career.

Unfortunately happens a lot.

A friend of mine had a mate from college get a job in NYC (some type of banker) So 24/25 or so he's out there earning a lot and dating etc etc.
He goes out one night and pulls a girl, the CCTV showed them kissing in the bar being very friendly etc.

They go back to hers, they do the wild thing.. she gets up in the morning he's left but has left his number.. her boyfriend comes home.. she says the guy raped her.. he goes off to Rikers Island or somewhere for 8-9 years, comes back a shell of a man.

All because the girl cheated, got caught and wanted to blame someone.