It's arguably the most over-hyped event in all of sports.

The NFL draft, in which teams have their pick of elligible college players, is analyzed from every angle, by every expert and amateur in the country.

NFL fans will be glued to ESPN or NFL Network at the end of April waiting to hear each pick announced.

But former NFL announcer Mark Oristano, author of A SPORTSCASTER’S GUIDE TO WATCHING FOOTBALL thinks the whole thing is a bit over the top.

"NFL player personnel men will tell you it's at least four years before you can determine if your draft was good.In that case, maybe you'll want to check your team's 2005 draft and celebrate that this week.”

Can you honestly tell yet whether JaMarcus Russell, the Raider QB who was #1 in 2007, is a superstar QB yet?  Of course not.It takes several seasons to develop into a quality, dependable NFL player.

Or how about going back to 2005, to the Browns Braylon Edwards, a #3 overall pick at WR?  Came in with a "can't miss" tag.They might want to think about changing it to "can't catch".  Cleveland has so soured on him, and he on them, that he's being shopped around before the draftt this year.

NFL scouts spend all year tooling around the country, measuring players height, weight, vertical leap, standing broad jump, 40-yard dash time, even hand span.You heard me… hand span.The smaller your hand, the more difficult it is to control the football.Which leads to more fumbles, which leads to more grey hair for the coach.

"I've had veteran NFL talent people tell me they can't be sure what a player's really like until they've had him a few seasons," says Oristano.It's not exactly a science.”

Nontheless, if you’re a fan, you’ll be glued to the tube draft weekend, cheering or booing, as the situation demands.  We're all hooked.

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In the late 1960s, Super Bowl history was started when a group of football owners along with the NFL had a desire to incorporate a championship football game at the end of each regular season, similar to baseball’s World Series.

nfl superbowl history

Super Bowl history actually began in the 1920s when football teams started to form professional organizations and over the course of the next 40 years, several owners formed a committee as part of the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). Each league would produce a championship team to compete in an annual world championship game. The AFL and the NFL would have conference teams play against each other in a regular season and then, the top two teams, one from each conference would play each other in a World Championship Game that later became known as the Super Bowl.

During the 1st annual AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the media had reported this game as being a “super” bowl, relating to the bowl games that already had been made popular in college football. After the Rose Bowl, sports writers referred to college games as Bowl games because of the shape of the Rose Bowl stadium. Thus, when the professional championship gmae came about in 967, the media incessantly referred to it as the ‘Super Bowl’. However, it was not until later, when the NFL officially called the game, the super bowl.

football superbowl history

In the late 1960’s it was decided to call the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the Super Bowl and to designate a roman numeral after the super bowl to chronologically list each annual game Starting with Super Bowl III. Super Bowl history would also change the name of the Trophy awarded to the winner of the game to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the coach of the Green Bay packers, whom had won the first and second Super Bowls.

Super Bowl history would be made several times over the course of the 40-plus years, culminating with the Pittsburgh Steelers victory in Super Bowl XLIII. The Steelers would be the first team to reach 7 super bowls and the first team to own 6 Vince Lombardi Trophies.

Other Super Bowl History facts: Super Bowl XLI would have the first Black Coach as a winner of a super Bowl. Florida is the state that has hosted the Super Bowl the most times (Ten as of Super Bowl XLIV). 15 of the present 32 NFL teams have never won a super bowl. No team has had a home field advantage in the Super Bowl. More than 90 million people watch the live event each year on television. The first Super Bowl tickets were as low as $6, while the current lowest price (face value) to see the live game is $900. Willie Parker holds the record for the longest touchdown run in super bowl history at 75 yards (Super Bowl XL).

superbowl history

Each year new super bowl history is being made as teams, players and coaches strive to better the great American game of Football. In fact Super bowl history was again made in super bowl XLIII, when coach Mike Tomlin became the youngest coach to ever win a super bowl at age 36.

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George Halas organized the Chicago Bear’s football team in 1919 as an independent football club. The following year, the Chicago Bears joined the newly formed NFL (National Footlball League) and made their permanent home in Chicago Illinois. After the AFC and NFC divisions were set up by the NFL, the Chicago Bears joined the NFC’s central division in 1970, and eventually became part of the northern division in 2002.

chicago bears roster

Since 1983, Virginia Halas McCaskey is listed as the owner of the Chicago Bears, although the Halas family has had a vested interest in the Bears since their beginning in the 1920’s. Micheal McCaskey is the Chariman and Jerry Angelo is the current General Manager, while Lovie Smith is Head Coach.

Prior to the introduction of the World Championship games, the Chicago Bears had won eight titles in their 42 year history (1921-63). Since the beginning of the Super Bowl in 1967, the Chicago Bears have played two super bowls and won once, in 1985. However, the team is consistent in making it into playoff spots having had 24 appearances in playoff games since 1933.

Until 1970, the Chicago Bears called Wrigley Field their home stadium when a new football stadium was built for them, called Soldier Field. This was their home field until a new Soldier Field was finished in 2003, (except for the 2002 season when they played at Memorial Stadium).

More than 30 Chicago Bear’s players have been inducted into the Football Hall of Fame, including head coach Mike Ditka (who also played Tight End in 1961-63). . Some of the more well-known inductees are linebacker Dick Butkus and running back Walter Payton.

nfl chicago bears

The Chicago Bears were a subject of parodies on the Saturday Night Live TV series during the 1980’s which lent the moniker ‘Da Bears’ to the team. The parodies were mostly centered on the inability of the Bear’s to win a championship. The Chicago Bears finally would shed this image in Super Bowl XX when the overwhelmingly defeated the Patriots 46-10.

Probably one of the most memorable ‘characters’ of the Chicago Bears was Defensive Tackle William “Refrigerator” Perry, also known as the ‘Fridge’. This 320-pound ’spectacle’ enlivened the fans when he barreled through the line as a blocker or carrying the ball. His large frame did well to support Payton as a blocker during the regular season.

chicago bears

When the Chicago Bears made their 2nd attempt at a super bowl trophy, they were 6-1/2 point underdog to Indianapolis. The final score was 29-17, Colts. This was the rainiest Super Bowl in History and although the Chicago Bears put forward their best game, they just could not pull it off, despite having a great regular season and strong showing in the Super Bowl.

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This fall, for the first time in more than half a century, John Madden won’t have a football season.   If you’re an NFL fan, at some point or another you were exposed to Madden, to his high-octane, booming-voiced commentary, to his clever turns of phrase and his less than artistic use of the telestrator to draw on the screen.Like scotch, or Katharine Hepburn, John had lovers and haters.There were those who loved him, and those who thought him vastly overrated and living on his legacy.

Madden attained his greatest level of success when he was paired with play-by-play man Pat Summerall, whose lowest of low-key styles allowed Madden to run roughshod and not seem like he was stepping on anyone else.  It was pretty much a match made in announcer heaven.

Former NFL announcer Mark Oristano, author of A SPORTSCASTER’S GUIDE TO WATCHING FOOTBALL, thinks Madden knew it was time to go.

“It’s almost impossible to stay on top as long as John did, or as a team, as long as John and Pat did.  And when you consider the way the NFL game has changed in just the last decade, let alone the years since Madden left coaching, it’s tough to stay current with what’s going on down on the field.”

Added to that, of course, is Madden’s legendary fear of flying, which led him to travel the country in the famous “Madden Cruiser” bus.  And even though that mode of transport may have been more comfortable for him, it added days to each assignment, making a tough job even tougher.

“John also had lots of personal foibles,” Oristano says.  “He never tied his shoes.For his own security, he stayed on the third floor or lower of any hotel.John had his personal idiosyncracies.”

Did he change the job?  To an extent.He was the Picasso of the “telestrator” drawing on the screen with abandon.  And he kept the sense of fun in the game that seems to be lacking in lots of the announcers who want us to think what we’re watching is the most important event in world history, let alone sports history.Was he occasionally guilty of excess verbosity?  Which announcer doesn’t?  Did he get off track every so often?Sure, but you chuckled more often than not.

And, for the rest of your days, whenever you hear the word “boom,” who will you think of besides Big John?

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Near the end of the regular football season, people begin to consider purchasing Super Bowl tickets for the upcoming game. However, by the time the super bowl rolls around the price of super bowl tickets have escalated into as much as 3 or 4 times their face value.

superbowl ticket

The price of a super bowl ticket for the 2010 game will start at $900, yet it may be hard to find your tickets at that price, unless you are able to locate a discount super bowl package or you are fortunate enough to be selected in the random drawing from the NFL.

Ticket agents and travel companies are not able to acquire Super Bowl tickets directly from the NFL, Instead, they conduct a drawing of randomly selected entrants to purchase super bowl tickets directly. Each year starting on February 01, and running until June 01, the NFL will accept requests from the general public to purchase tickets. Entries are limited to one per address and must be sent via certified or registered mail. If the NFL chooses your entry, you are able to purchase up to two super bowl tickets from the NFL at face value.

nfl superbowl tickets

Each year the NFL makes available approximately 78,000 super bowl tickets. Yet, the number of available tickets is dependent on the seating capacity of the stadium. Dolphin Stadium in Florida’s Miami Gardens will be the 2010 Super Bowl host, which has a stadium capacity of a little more than 76,000. However the last four times a super bowl was held at Dolphin Stadium, the capacity was never reached, (Super Bowl 23 - 75,129, Super Bowl 29 - 74,107, Super Bowl 33 - 74,803, and Super Bowl 41 - 74,512).

By far, the best way and the least expensive method to obtain your super bowl tickets will be to enter the NFL random drawing, unless you prefer to wait later in the season of which it could cost as much as $3000 to $4000 per ticket. Super bowl tickets in late January 2009 were priced at close to $2900 on many ticket and auction websites.

superbowl tickets

Nevertheless, if you do enter the NFL random drawing, and then decide not to attend the game, you can always sell your super bowl tickets for a nice profit as there are always buyers looking for super bowl tickets.

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Considering a trip to the Super Bowl? You will want to start planning ahead and explore all your options early. Last year, super bowl packages had a price range starting as low as $1000 and as high as $5000 from many popular travel and ticket agencies. Proper planning now will prepare you for the best deal and the best accommodations.

superbowl package

Do not wait until late December to make your reservations, as the booking of hotels near the Super Bowl is near capacity well in advance. Most hotels and resorts reserve a certain amount of space for large events such as the super bowl, so by preplanning you can be assured of getting into some of these premium rooms. You may want to design your own super bowl package, or use the services of a travel agency.

In planning your own super bowl package, check the internet for available accommodations, nearby restaurants, and transportation facilities. Ask for special discounts that you may be eligible for such as AAA, AARP or super bowl discounts. Most businesses in the host city are more than happy to help you get your money’s worth by offering discounts when you let them know you are coming for the super bowl.

When looking for a company that offers super bowl packages, make sure you choose a reputable firm that is licensed, bonded, certified or a BBB member. Make sure you pay special attention to any fine print in regards to the super bowl package they offer, as well as their terms for cancellations and refunds.

Although many super bowl packages include transportation to and from the game, you should insist on this if it is not spelled out in your deal. Most hotels provide free shuttle service, however some do not, and only have taxi and bus service available. If you are setting up your own super bowl package, you may want to consider renting a car for the weekend.

superbowl ticket packages

Avoiding falling victim to the many scams that crop up each year by following these tips:

Ensure your tickets are authentic, check the date, the location and the official NFL logo printed on the ticket, as well as the terms of sale.

Use a major credit card to pay for your tickets, this will protect you in case you need to make a chargeback (for example, the ticket company may have misled you or the tickets are invalid)

Make confirmation calls at least 2 weeks in advance to ensure your accommodations are what they were sold to you as, this includes the airline and car rental companies. If you find that your reservation is non-existent, you have time to correct it before the game. If you wait till the day of your travel, you may find yourself missing the kickoff

The super bowl package business is a very lucrative business, be wary of high pressure salespeople and those that insist you take action immediately. If something sounds too good to be true, call the Hotels or airlines and find out if the price is in-line with their general rates. If a company is offering you a ridiculously low price, you may want to investigate it before you give up your cash

superbowl packages

The best way to get the perfect super bowl package is to plan ahead well in advance of the game, Get your tickets early and make your reservations early. This will ultimately save you money and frustration.

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Dolphin Stadium in Florida brought on the wettest Super Bowl in history as the downpour continued throughout the entire game. That fact would not be the only thing that made Super Bowl XLI a memorable one, theis also would be the first time in NFL history a black coach would win the game. The Indianapolis Colts Tony Dungy had the honor of becoming NFL’s first black coach to win a super bowl.

superbowl xli halftime

Super Bowl XLI was played almost forty years after the first Super Bowl in 1967. The two teams facing off in Super Bowl XLI (Indianapolis Colts versus Chicago Bears) each had one win under their belt and both wanted desperately for their second. Facing off two previous champions, both with nearly equal regular season records seemed to make for an exciting and interesting game. However, the rain coupled with several missed opportunities, on each part of the teams, disappointed a lot of fans at super bowl XLI. A report from ESPN defined Super Bowl XLI, between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears, as the worst Super Bowl ever.

Many sports commentators and fans felt the MVP designation given to Peyton Manning wes undeserved in light of his poor performance during Super Bowl XLI. Even though his game was off, many felt he well-deserved it after his exceptional 10 year career. Manning’s record for Super Bowl XLI was one of the worst for a Super Bowl MVP after he completed less than 66% of his passes, and had only one touchdown pass.

the superbowl xli

Another disappointment to the fans was the announcement by the NFL that tailgating would not be permitted. The ban was the 1st time the NFL took a position on tailgating, by prohibiting it. Angry fans were upset that the NFL would ban this annual tradition. Dolphin Stadium management was permitting tailgating and announced it was allowed, then a quick statement released a short time later by the NFL owners stated that there would be a ban on tailgating and that any non-ticketed fans would be prohibited within a two block radius of the stadium.

superbowl xli

In another attempt to disappoint fans, the NFL banned churches from holding super bowl parties during super bowl XLI. The NFL’s legal counsel sent a letter to the Fall Creek Baptist church in Indianapolis advising the church to cancel their planned super bowl party and to remove the super bowl logo from their website as it violates trademark law, and they could not use their projection screen to play the game. The NFL only permits one TV and it has to be less than 55″. The NFL letter prompted many news media and churches across the USA to threaten a boycott. The bad publicity from newspapers and media had a negative impact on the NFL and soon prompted the NFL to reverse their decision.

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The super bowl is one of the biggest sports betting event of the year with an estimated $10 billion dollars wagered on anything and everything related to this single days events. The super bowl odds on who will win are not made just days or even weeks before the super bowl, they are actually posted a year in advance, right after the current super bowl is over.

super bowl odds

A illustration is, right after Super Bowl XLII, Vegas bookmakers posted the super bowl odds on the Super Bowl XLIII winner. The picks they made at the time are fascinating, especially on the two competitors who made it to Super Bowl XLIII. Super bowl odds on the Pittsburgh Steelers winning super bowl XLIII were 18:1, and the Arizona Cardinals were given an astounding 50:1. The New England Patriots had an amazing 9:5 odds of winning the super bowl according to the odds makers, making the Patriots the absolute favorite.

In terms of odds, it is normally the teams in the 16:1 range that actually end up winning the super bowl. Although you can bet on these teams in the preseason when the bookmakers set the odds, many gamblers wait until the teams are determined for the super bowl before placing their bets. The reason behind this is the super bowl odds are relatively closer to a realistic return as opposed to the preseason long shots who may be as much as 100 to 1.

In addition to the super bowl odds on the winner, there are many fasctinating historical facts from previous super bowls. In 2/3 of previous super bowls, the team that did not score first, lost the super bowl. In 80% of the super bowls, if your team was behind at halftime, get ready to pay the bookie,you only have a 20% chance your team will make a comeback, while teams in the lead at the end of the third quarter were 88% to win. Betting on a field goal being made is a sure bet, as 41 of the last 43 super bowls has had at least one field goal made. So if someone wants to give you super bowl odds on whether a field goal will be made, this might be your best bet!

super bowl odds

Future super bowl odds for Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 have the New England Patriots at 8/1, Dallas Cowboys at 9/1, With the return of the champion Steelers at 10 to 1 and the Arizona Cardinals are again an underdog at 30/1. The bottom of the Super Bowl odds chart for 2010 has the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs at 100/1. Now, that is a bet you probably do not want to make.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers gained their sixth opportunity since 1967 to play in the world championship games at Super Bowl XL. It would also be their opportunity to seize a 5th super bowl ring and trophy, matching the record of the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

nfl super bowl xl

The regular season for the Steelers did not go so well as they had an 11-5 record, they were the #6 seed in the playoffs and went on to win the conference and eventually Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks (13-3 season). For over 20 years the Steelers had tried to get their ‘one for the thumb’, the final score of 21-10 made that a reality. This also would be the first super bowl win for Bill Cowher since taking over as head coach for the Steelers in 1992, although he did take Pittsburgh to 10 playoffs in his 14 year career.

Super Bowl XL was played at Detroit’s Ford Field, and the official logo chosen by the NFL was ‘The Road to Forty’. The three year old stadium was chosen in 2001, making Detroit a two time host of the Super Bowl (the other one was Super Bowl XVI).

super bowl xl champions

The first quarter proved to be a struggle as Pittsburgh was unable gain a lot of ground. With less than five minutes in the 2nd quarter, and the score at 3-0, Pittsburgh needed 28 yards for a first down turnover. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw to Hines Ward, receiver, gaining 37 yards. On the next two plays, Jerome Bettis carried the ball to within 1 yard of the goal line. When the two minute warning came on the Steelers third down, Ben Roethlisberger made a fake handoff play and dove into the end zone, bringing the score to 7-3 Steelers .

In the third quarter of Super Bowl XL, Willie Parker made a record breaking 75-yard touchdown run to push the Steelers to 14-3. The next play Seattle closed the gap with a Hasselback-Stevens 16 yard pass putting the score to 14-10 Steelers. However, the fourth quarter would prove difficult for the Seahawks as Randle El passed a 43 yard touchdown to Ward, and Reed making the field goal would widen the score to 21-10. The Seahawks next drive went 49 yards, however they could not keep possession for a turnover. The Steelers took possession of the ball and held it for almost 4 1/2 minutes, when Seattle regained the ball, there was less than 2 minutes on the clock.

super bowl xl

The Seahawks gained 48 yards in 2 receptions then made a few pass attempts resulting in incompletions. With 11 seconds left, the Seahawks incomplete pass on the 4th down turned the ball over to the Steelers. Only three seconds remained in the game, when Roethlisberger’s kneel-down ended Super Bowl XL.

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In 1920, eleven football teams across the United States came together to form a football association in an effort to streamline the game, the rules and further the sport as a great American pastime. This association would later become known as the National Football League (NFL). Originally, it was named the American Professional Football Association, later becoming the American Professional Football League in 1921 and finally settling on its current name in 1922.

national football league official

The National Football League is divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football conference (NFC). These two conferences are further divided into four smaller divisions, with four teams each. The purpose of the National Football League is to set up each teams schedule against the other teams to reach a playoff and ultimately the annual Super Bowl.

Each team is on a 17-week schedule, where they will play 16 games against teams in their conference each week and have one week off. The regular football season begins in September, the Thursday immediately following Labor Day, and generally concludes at the end of December or first week of January. When the regular schedule is completed, the top 6 teams from each conference will face off in the playoff tournaments to determine the top two teams. The 2 winning teams of the playoff games will graduate to the Super Bowl.

american national football league

In addition to the schedules and the administration of professional football, the National Football League also promotes and owns all rights to the Super Bowl, including picking the host stadium for the annual event. Any city with a franchised team can make a bid to the national football league for their city to host an upcoming super bowl, by submitting a proposal to the NFL.

In addition to the many guidelines reqired by the National Football League, the stadium’s seating capacity is an important consideration. This is the reason many cities have built or rebuilt their stadiums in recent years. Another important requirement is the impact a super bowl might have on the local infrastructure. One such case was the Super Bowl XXXIX held at the new Jacksonville Stadium in 2005. The unprecedented amount of people using the public restrooms resulted in difficulties with the local wastewater treatment plant to accommodate the unexpected rise in facilities.

national football league

Although occassionally such problems may arise, the National Football League has been the driving force behind making football a great American pastime in the same respect as America’s other favorite sport of Baseball.

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