#Broadcasting with DoInk

[doink]

How We Show the Forecast: A Behind-the-Scenes Look with Hannah Strong and Green Screen by DoInk

Welcome to our latest blog post, where we pull back the curtain on how meteorologists like Hannah Strong deliver accurate and engaging weather forecasts using the innovative Green Screen by DoInk. Weather forecasting has come a long way, and today, we'll explore how this technology makes the magic happen.

Meet Hannah Strong

Hannah Strong is a seasoned meteorologist known for her precise forecasts and dynamic presentation style. Her work keeps communities informed and prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store. But what many don't see is the technology that helps her bring the weather forecast to life.

The Role of Green Screen Technology

Green Screen by DoInk is a powerful tool that transforms the way information is presented. This technology allows students to superimpose weather maps, graphics, and videos behind them as they explain the forecast. Let's dive into how it all works.

Step-by-Step Process

Setting Up the Green Screen: The first step in the process is setting up a large green backdrop in the studio. The vibrant green color is crucial because it’s distinct and easily removable by the software.

Capturing the Footage: Hannah stands in front of the green screen and delivers her weather report. Cameras capture her movements and speech, but because the background is green, it can be easily replaced with digital graphics.

Using DoInk: The captured footage is imported into the Green Screen by DoInk app. This user-friendly software allows the anyone to layer weather maps, satellite imagery, and other graphical elements behind the subject, creating the illusion that they are standing in front of these dynamic visuals.

Adding Interactive Elements: One of the standout features of Green Screen by DoInk is its ability to add interactive elements. Students can point to specific areas on the map, highlighting storm paths or temperature changes, making the forecast more engaging and easier to understand.

Editing and Finalizing: Once all elements are in place, the team edits the footage to ensure a seamless presentation. They adjust colors, refine graphics, and make sure that everything aligns perfectly with the subjects movements and gestures.

Benefits of Using Green Screen by DoInk

Enhanced Visuals: The green screen allows for the inclusion of high-quality, dynamic visuals that make the forecast more engaging.

Flexibility: Meteorologists can easily switch between different maps, data sets, and visual effects, providing viewers with comprehensive weather information.

Improved Communication: Interactive elements help convey complex weather patterns in a simple, understandable way.

Next time you watch a weather forecast, you'll know a bit more about the incredible technology and teamwork behind the scenes.

[justjarminsports]

"A doink for the division." Chiefs hold off the Chargers for the ninth consecutive division title on Sunday Night Football.

Photo Credit: Getty Images.

by BenJarmin Munguia

date: December 9, 2024

The Kansas City Chiefs did it again; they've now won 15 straight one-score games, the longest active streak in the NFL. But this one's for the division title,

The Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 17-19 with a game-winning 31-yard field goal that "doinked." off the upright to go in; as NBC broadcaster Mike Trico put it, "A drink for the division." the Chiefs clinch their ninth straight division title,

Kansas City took a commanding 13-0 lead at halftime, with Patrick Mahomes throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, in the 2nd quarter, would be the Chiefs' only touchdown in the game. Justin Herbert was injured in the 2nd quarter with a leg injury but returned.

In the third quarter, it was all Chargers; Los Angeles shut out the Chiefs 14-0, led by Gush Edwards 4-yard score; then, on the very next drive, Herbert found Quentin Johnston for a 4-yard touchdown pass, and the Chargers took their first lead of the night 14-13,

In the fourth quarter, the Chargers were up 17-16 with 3:38 left in the game. Chargers kicker Cam Dicker kicked the ball to the Chiefs, but it did not go in the landing zone, penalizing the Chargers and putting the ball at the Chiefs' 40-yard line, which Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense would use to their advantage. 

With 13 plays and 47 yards, including a key 9-yard pass from Mahomes to Kelce on a third and 7 at the Los Angeles 20-yard line, the Chiefs let the clock go at 1 second, then Matthew Wright kicked the game-winning 31-yard field goal. 

Patrick Mahomes completed 24 of his 37 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown, connecting to eight different receivers. Travis Kelce caught five passes for 45 yards, while DeAndre Hopkins also caught five passes for 32 yards and the Chiefs' only touchdown. 

Justin Herbert also connected to eight different receivers. Joshua Palmer hauled in six passes for 73 yards, and Quentin Johnson (who struggled the last three games) caught five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. 

Gus Edwards carried the ball 10 times for the Chargers for 36 yards and a touchdown. 

Kansas City Chiefs improve to 12-1 with a playoff spot, but they've also won the last seven matchups vs the Chargers. The second-longest winning streak in their rivalry's history. 

The Chiefs will start their quest to clinch home-field advantage with a road trip to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Browns, while the Chargers will fall to 8-5 and continue to keep their playoff hopes alive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming to Los Angeles, which is also looking to keep its playoff hopes alive.

[lycankeyy]

In the 2018 playoffs the Eagles and the Bears were against each other. In the final seconds of the game, the score was 16-15 in the Eagles' favor. The Bears managed to get within field goal (kicking ball through the uprights) distance to take the lead and basically insta-win last second to continue their chances of going to the super bowl. Only when the guy kicked the ball, it bounced off the side of the upright, then again off bottom, before falling to the ground for no score. The broadcaster narrating said "the Bears' season is going to end on a double doink", and now it lives in infamy

Being an NFL fan is hellish because nobody will understand my jokes if I headcanon characters as fans of certain teams. The idea of all the funky five being Philly fans (obviously) except Darnell whose family is from Iowa so he grew up on Bears Propaganda and every year he suffers is so funny to me but nobody will know what the fuck I'm talking about

[47burlm]

John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach-turned-broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the NFL said. He was 85.

The league said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause.

Madden gained fame in a decadelong stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.

"Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Coach Madden, whose impact on the game both on and off the field was immeasurable," the Raiders said in a statement, hours before team owner Mark Davis lit the Al Davis Torch in honor of Madden, the first person to ever light the torch on Oct. 16, 2011.

"Tonight I light the torch in honor of and tribute to John Madden and Al Davis, who declared that the fire that burns the brightest in the Raiders Organization is the will to win," Mark Davis said.

It was Madden's work after retiring from coaching at age 42 that made him truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of "Boom!" and "Doink!" throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; and became the face of Madden NFL Football, one of the most successful sports video games of all time.

"Today, we lost a hero. John Madden was synonymous with the sport of football for more than 50 years," EA Sports, the brand behind the Madden franchise, said in a statement. "His knowledge of the game was second only to his love for it, and his appreciation for everyone that stepped on the gridiron. A humble champion, a willing teacher, and forever a coach. Our hearts and sympathies go out to John's family, friends, and millions of fans. He will be greatly missed, always remembered, and never forgotten."

[mychemicalraymance]

Hello im new here. Jokes i dont understand: Gerard jerking off onstage, lots of weed being involved in the making of bullets. Yall know where a gal can get some context

ok preface if ur a cop you have to tell me or this is entrapment (I wouldnt talk about this with a minor but I’m assuming ur not also if ur a fan of this band sex is not a foreign subject so I’m just gonna say fuckit broadcast sexuality) if you really must see evidence Google gerard way live fake orgasm or something similar. Gerard would pretend to orgasm on stage as part of his….act….. or like h. Walk the line. Heavily imply an orgasm. Moan. and the bullets thing is literally they just smoked a LOT of weed during that time/recording process. I dont have a direct source atm bc I’m lazy ;) but they mentioned on my chemical fancast that when frank was gonna try out for the band he couldn’t get off the couch to play bc he was so stoned. Also if you watch the nada recording studios vid in like the first few mins when hes saying frank our sweet baby frank is smoking in all likelyhood a fat fuckin joint so. The joke is they or at the very least frank were smoking big doinks in amish.

[wordinvader]

The Dumbest Inning of Baseball

Whenever my friends who don’t follow sports ask me who to root for, I tell them to root for chaos. Outside of my favorite teams, I will always root for something ridiculous to happen during a game. 4 overtime periods, obscure rules violations, and large men carrying a football when they shouldn’t are the best, most absurd moments in sports that everyone can enjoy.

My favorite sport, baseball, has its own share of chaotic moments, and I’d argue it has the most chaotic moments out of any American sport. There’s just so much baseball out there. 162+ games every year for every team means that there’s so much more potential for chaos to take the wheel. And in a winner-take-all playoff game 5 years ago, we were subjected to the most ridiculous inning of baseball I have ever seen.

A bit of background: it’s game 5 of the American League division series, Toronto Blue Jays vs. the Texas Rangers. The series is tied 2-2, and it’s win or go home. Toronto is the home team, and the game is tied 2-2 going into the 7th inning. Rangers player Rougned Odor is on 3rd base with two outs in the top of the inning, and Shin-Soo Choo take ball 2 from Aaron Sanchez. And then this happens:

Doink! On the throw back to the pitcher, catcher Russell Martin hits Choo’s bat and the ball dribbles down the 3rd base line. Seeing an opportunity and actually knowing the rules of baseball, Odor takes off for home and scores to give the Rangers the lead. 

Catchers throw about 320 pitches back to the pitcher every game when accounting for both teams. If you spread that out over an entire season, that’s over 750,000 pitches thrown back to the pitcher every year. I’ve watched baseball for over twenty years, and I’ve seen this happen maybe two other times. 

If there’s no runner on base, no problem. The ball is retrieved, and you end up on a baseball oddities compilation on Youtube. But if there are runners on, the ball is live and the runners can advance if they desire. I was taught this when playing little league, when catchers weren’t as good at throwing and pitchers weren’t as good at catching.

So the rarity of this moment has everyone confused, including the umpires. Both managers come out to clarify the call. The umpires are asked to review the play and see if there was any batter’s interference on the throw back. The announcers are watching the replay over and over, saying the same thing to kill time. Overall, this delay takes 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Toronto fans are pissed and they’re throwing garbage onto the field.

Fun times. Either way, the call stands, and the Rangers are now up 3-2. The Blue Jays have declared that they are playing the game under protest. They’re also not too happy at their fans.

And then, after the angriest 7th inning stretch, the bottom half of the 7th comes.

Oh jeez, where to begin.

Well, Russell Martin starts off the inning trying to redeem himself. He hits a weak grounder to Elvis Andrus, the Rangers’ shortstop, and Andrus misses it. Andrus is by no means a bad defender. In fact, he’s an above average defender in just about every season. Seems like he just got a case of the yips. This should have been out number 1. It’s a huge break for the Blue Jays, and Martin doesn’t have to do the walk of shame back to the dugout.

Next batter grounds out to first base. First baseman Mitch Moreland throws to second to get a forceout, but he throws it in the dirt and Andrus can’t catch it. Error #2 in two batters. Something weird is going on. The next batter comes up to bunt, literally saying “I’m sacrificing an out to move the runners up.” Third basemen Adrian Beltre fields it and throws to 3rd to try to get the forceout there. Andrus is at third ready to catch the ball. Andrus drops the ball. All runners are safe, Andrus has been at the center of all three of these mishaps, and if no errors were committed, the inning would already be over. Instead, the bases are loaded and nobody’s out. The inning has been sucked into the Twilight Zone.

A groundout and a run-scoring forceout later, the Blue Jays have tied the game, but there are two outs. They were gifted a perfect run-scoring situation, and only getting one run out of this would have been deflating for the team and their fans. The announcer casually says, “What next?” 

Jose Bautista was next.

Boom. A huge 3-run home run puts the Blue Jays in the lead. Bautista tosses hit bat away in celebration. It’s one of the most majestic bat flips I’ve ever seen. The gif doesn’t do it justice. Just look at this.

Image credit: Getty Images

Loooook at it. Bautista looks like he’s saying farewell to an old friend. “You have done your job,” he might say. “The baseball has been obliterated, and now it’s time for you to be free.” The bat soars into the night sky. It’s flying to bat heaven where it can crush all the baseballs it wants. There were probably angels singing as it flew through the sky, but they were drowned out by the sound of everyone in the Rogers Centre losing their minds. 

Watch the video too. It’s just too glorious.

Just imagine all the tension and anger the fans had about this game, and Bautista made that all turn into unbridled jubilation. I can’t imagine how that feels, but it must have been incredible. 

Then the fans start throwing trash onto the field in…celebration? Sure, why not. The broadcast doesn’t show it, but the announcers commented on fans running on the field and trash all over the outfield. The game is delayed again. In this delay, the two teams start to get into an argument and the dugouts clear. 

Image credit: Getty Images

Because how the hell do you recover from this as a Rangers player? Hell, even as a Blue Jays player? It’s been the most exhausting inning, wrestling with obscure rules, dealing with errors on three consecutive plays, and a capacity crowd that’s taken an emotional rollercoaster to the moon and back.

In the end, the Rangers didn’t recover. They lost the game and the series. The Blue Jays went on to the ALCS, where they were beat in 6 games by the soon-to-be-champion Kansas City Royals. And even though the Blue Jays’ season may have ended in disappointment, they will always have this. A moment where the baseball gods got drunk and destroyed the heavens and the earth. A moment of pure sports joy and catharsis. This will be the most memorable sports moment for Toronto baseball until their next championship.

So. Let’s recap: a freak accident invokes a rule that’s so obscure that even the umpires are confused about and gives the visiting team a lead in a sudden death baseball game. The game is delayed, fans are pissed, chaos ensues, and then the home crowd riots as much as they can without getting the game forfeited. Then in the home half of the inning, a generally sure-handed defense fucks up 3 plays in a row, which leads to a Blue Jays fan’s dream scenario: a big, huge, stupid home run to take the lead. The inning, after all the delays, took 53 minutes to complete. Incredible.

I love baseball. It can be so dumb.

In May of the following year, the Rangers and Blue Jays played each other again. The Rangers wanted revenge. This is what happened.

Odor got the punch that all Rangers fans needed to see to start the healing process. It was a stupid brawl, because all baseball brawls are stupid. But it felt like a proper epilogue for what was the craziest inning I have ever seen of baseball.

Here’s a video detailing the doink that started the chaos.

Here’s a video showing the entire bottom half of the inning in all of its messy glory.

[inkagnedotv]

John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach-turned-broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the NFL said. He was 85. The league said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause. Madden gained fame in a decadelong stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games. "Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Coach Madden, whose impact on the game both on and off the field was immeasurable," the Raiders said in a statement, hours before team owner Mark Davis lit the Al Davis Torch in honor of Madden, the first person to ever light the torch on Oct. 16, 2011. "Tonight I light the torch in honor of and tribute to John Madden and Al Davis, who declared that the fire that burns the brightest in the Raiders Organization is the will to win," Mark Davis said. It was Madden's work after retiring from coaching at age 42 that made him truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of "Boom!" and "Doink!" throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; and became the face of Madden NFL Football, one of the most successful sports video games of all time. —ESPN News Follow @inkagnedotv ⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #americanfootball #basketball #ea #espn #fantasyfootball #footballmemes #footballseason #gamer #gaming #madden #mlb #nba #ncaa #nfc #nfl #nfl100 #nflcombine #nfldraft #nflfootball #nflfreeagency #nflmemes #nflnews #nflplayoffs #nflsunday #patriots #ps4 #sports #superbowl #twitch #xbox https://www.instagram.com/inkagnedotv/p/CYEkZo9LXDY/?utm_medium=tumblr

[doink]

Green Screen Broadcast Tips and Ideas!

One of the most popular projects that students create with Green Screen by DoInk is a Broadcast. The broadcast topic can be the news, weather or personal interviews. We often get questions on how to set them up. So we are including helpful examples to show you how easy it can be to create a broadcast. The example above from Camille Nunnenkamp and her students just uses a green fabric background and then the students switch out the Green Screened images to coordinate with their topics. You can see the set up at the end of the video in their blooper section. Remember good lighting and a tripod are really important for a quality broadcast. In this example they use a regular desk from class in front of them. You can also use the layers to place a Green Screened desk in front of the students. An example of that is in the photo at the bottom of this post. 

We have included three helpful blogs on broadcasting, to give you some ideas from other educators and their experiences:

Green Screens on the iPads from Inquiry over iPads

Weather Project blog from Expect the Miraculous

General Broadcasting blog with more tips and ideas from Love to Teach.

You can find some excellent broadcasting backgrounds at:

Free Virtual Sets on YouTube

How to Download Discovery Ed Videos to use in DoInk Green Screen app

70+ Sources of Royalty Free Stock Photos

Download Creative Commons Videos from YouTube for Class Projects

Six Top Sources for Free Images, Video and Audio

Pixabay

Photos for Class

Last but not least, we have included another video tutorials and photo in this post on how you can make very simple or even a more advanced broadcasting projects. For even more ideas, check out our Pinterest page on broadcasting examples. We hope these ideas give you some inspiration for your next Green Screen broadcast! 

Video below is a weather forecast tutorial from EdTech Infusion

Image below from Inquiry over iPads

[junker-town]

6 ways the NFL’s playoff game on Nickelodeon can become the must-watch event of the decade

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Nickelodeon

Yes, this is ACTUALLY happening.

In perhaps the weirdest and best sporting news of the month, Nickelodeon is producing a special version of a CBS wild card game when the playoff field expands to 14 teams in 2020.

The new broadcast, specifically aimed at younger viewers, could either be a bland, kid-friendly version of football or a playground of our wildest dreams where a simple NFL game transforms into one of the most memorable events of our generation. It all depends on how brave — and how weird — CBS is willing to be. Hopefully it has the guts (see what I did there) to let the splat go wild.

Regardless of the format, there are definitely a few things that should be included:

No. 1: Spongebob and Patrick as commentators.

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Nickelodeon

This is so obvious, it hurts. Kids aren’t going to care about former NFL players (no, not even Rob Gronkowski) telling them about the game. The solution needs to be Spongebob and Patrick.

Aside from their built-in chemistry, they would make a near-perfect duo with Spongebob on play-by-play and Patrick providing color commentary. It’s also a humorous opportunity for Patrick to act dumb about what’s happening on the field, at which point Spongebob can explain to kids what’s happening.

No. 2: Replace all football sounds with cartoon noises.

One of the best things about watching old NFL Films blooper videos are the wacky, cartoon sound effects. Now we have the perfect venue to do this live.

I know this probably takes more work than anyone is willing to do — but surely with a 30-second tape delay it would be easy enough to throw in some cymbal crashes, “doink” sounds, and slipping-on-banana-peel audio when someone fumbles the ball.

No. 3: Switch the Gatorade bucket with slime.

The NFL is in dire need of attracting younger viewers, which is likely the impetus for this kid-focused broadcast. It’s everyone’s job to pitch in for the good of football, coaches included. The bog-standard Gatorade bath is boring. Solution: Replace it with green slime.

Sure, coaches might not like the idea at first — but it would be amazing. And who cares about getting slimed when riding high on sweet victory?

No. 4: Moira Quirk for rules expert.

“Mo” was the head referee and all-around genius on Guts who made ludicrous, made-up sports understandable. It wouldn’t take much work to pivot her skill set from trampoline basketball to NFL football, especially knowing Mo is a woman we can trust when it comes to borderline calls.

Former NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino is fine. Mo is better.

No. 5: Fill the halftime show with retired Nickelodeon legends.

The current halftime show format is a bunch of former NFL players offering up opinions and witty repartee. This is fine, but a Nickelodeon version would be so much better.

By replacing the NFL panel with Nickelodeon luminaries, we’d get a truly special experience. Imagine for a second that throwing to the studio meant hearing from the likes of Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, Lori Beth Denberg and Danny Tamberelli.

Not only would it be informative, but a trip down memory lane.

No. 6: Make the halftime show Sweet Victory.

Goes without saying, really.

[basedme]

CHRONICLE VI - REBOOTING...

[INCOMING TELE-BROADCAST - CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE]

[INCOMING TELE-BROADCAST - CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE]

[INCOMING TELE-BROADCAST - CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE]

MOVADO 2084: I'm never smoking again, that was so not the vibe. Joink & Canabooze: [Echoing with the flight of a thousand heaving hens] Thou shall hit the blunt and reset! MOVADO 2084: NO DAD! [TONS OF PEER PRESSURE ENSUES] MOVADO 2084 proceeds to literally die of this biggest fucking hit of a blunt you've ever seen like wow I smoke every day and I can't doink a blubber like that.. [SUDDENLY, MOVADO IS INTENSE] MOVADO 2084: I-I.. don't feel so good... Joink & Canabooze feel to pause as they watch MOVADO 2084 flash before their maple eyes... MOVADO 2084 is ever so bright, and he's never looked so brilliant. MOVADO 2084: [SCREAMING BLOOD & STARFIRE] FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKK! A cloud of Starfire leaves MOVADO 2084's body, he is rebooting into the world, his own world... [STARFIRE MORPH, MORPH, MORPH, SPLIT!] MOVADO 2084 is no more, nothing but a memory. A legion arises... MOVADOS AS FAR AS THE SONAR SETS , AS MANY AS YOU PLEASE, ALL YOU LIKE, MOVADOS...

MOVADO: [Looking down on his stardusty hands] Snap back to reality

MOVADO MOOVEDIAN: Oh there goes MOVADITY 

MOVADITY: Oh the humanity...

MOVIDIUS: MOVADO WE ARE FEW WE ARE MANY 

Major League Baseball MOVADO: anybody wanna shoot some hoops?

Plumber MOVADO: Mama mia I can't catch a BREAK!

[SIGNAL LOSS] ~yung upgrade

[kwan110]

John Madden, legendary NFL coach and beloved broadcaster, dies aged 85

 John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the league said. He was 85.

The NFL said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause.

Madden gained fame in a decade-long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.

But it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of “Boom!” and “Doink!” throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; became the face of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all-time; and was a best-selling author. สล็อตออนไลน์ มือถือ

[worldwrestlingreviews]

January 9th 1993 - Mania Premiere Episode

Here we are, the big debut of WWF Mania - and I cannot find the show in its entirety anywhere on the World Wide Web! So thanks to The History of WWE, WWF Old School and WrestleCrap, I have managed to piece together the show.

The WWF have added Mania to their weekend of shows with the difference being that it would be shown nationally on USA as opposed to my good friend, syndication. The intention of Mania is to review the previous weeks antics from the company’s other shows as well as Mania exclusive matches and segments.

So, without further ado, welcome to the first ever episode of WWF Mania.

Firstly we see the on-screen debut of the WWF’s newest member of the broadcast team, Todd Pettengill. He is the host of the new show and he runs through what we will see on the show, including a Mania exclusive match between Jim Duggan and the Repo Man and the much-hyped Owen Hart interview with Raymond Rougeau.

But first Todd introduces a highlight package showing some of Doink’s pranks on other superstars, including throwing a bucket of water over Marty Jannetty and hitting Tatanka in the head with a mop. Crush, as we saw on the 2nd January Superstars, had taken exception to Doink’s actions and we see a repeat of his interview with Ray Rougeau from that show as well as his match with Dave Sigfrids.

Mania Exclusive Match - Repo Man vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan

Up next we have our very first WWF Mania exclusive match – Repo Man vs “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. We are in Beaumont, TX and our commentators are Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes. We hear Duggan’s theme which starts with the trademark “HOOOOOO!”, which Sean Mooney imitates by going “HI-YOOOOO” – No Sean, that’s not how it goes, although its not as if he and 6500 other people haven’t heard just heard it.

There is no doubting that Duggan is over with the crowd. They really into this match despite it being as slow as a week in jail. Duggan controls the match with punches, clotheslines and an atomic drop however Repo Man turns the tide with a stun gun from the apron.

More punches and kicks, very plodding offense and Repo locks in a chin lock. Duggan elbows a charging Repo in the corner and takes over. Duggan then slams Repo Man and lines up for the Three Point Stance clothesline, which seals the 1-2-3 for Hacksaw in 3:49. Clearly the extra lining up of Repo Man add infinite extra power to the move as opposed to the many identical clotheslines thrown at the beginning of the match by Duggan.

Next up is the Yokozuna-George Anderson match from 2nd January Superstars where he literally squashes the poor guy. They are going big with Yoko, which is helped by the fact he is really good in the ring for such a big guy. He only debuted Survivor Series the previous November and he’s already been touted by Vince for big things.

Next on the agenda is a Headlock on Hunger promo from The Undertaker and Paul Bearer, which prompted me to have a look at the card. We know about the main event, Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, which will be for the WWF Title if Bret retains at the Royal Rumble. 

The rest of the card includes a repeat of the WrestleMania IV main event with Randy Savage taking on Ted DiBiase, Mr Perfect vs. Ric Flair, Razor Ramon vs Big Boss Man, which will be for the WWF Title if Ramon wins at the Rumble and Bob Backlund vs. Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Title, again, dependent on a Shawn win in Sacramento.

Speaking of the Heartbreak Kid, the next segment is a repeat of his Intercontinental Championship defence against Jim Brunzell from the previous weeks Wrestling Challenge. As we know, Shawn wins in 5:26 with a Sloppy Chin Music.

We now move on to the most hyped part of this show, the much-anticipated Owen Hart interview. Owen says he is happy with how his 1992 went and is expecting 1993 to be even better and that the future looks bright for himself and High Energy. Raymond and Owen talk a bit about Bret and his times in the Dungeon with Bret, his other brothers and his dad, the legendary Stu Hart.

Razor Ramon comes out of nowhere and clotheslines Owen out of his chair. He then beats him down with the trashcan in the background, before proceeding to choke Owen. Razor finishes off by telling Owen to tell Bret that “he’s next!”.

Royal Rumble report time with “Mean” Gene Okerlund and I imagine that we get the usual talking heads. I didn’t see this but if it is anything like the previous ones, we’ll hear from Bret, Razor and one or two of the Rumble competitors.

Mr Perfect is out next as we have a repeat of his win over the Berzerker in an enjoyable match from Superstars. We see the attempted interference by Ric Flair which is a nice segway into the last segment of the show and that is the re-airing of the Bobby Heenan Narcissus hype.

And with that, the first WWF Mania comes to a close. Hard to tell what the show was like as I only saw the segments in bits and not the entire show so I will hold back on that, however having your first exclusive match being Jim Duggan-Repo Man is a miss. That was just a plodding mess, which baffles me why they used it when they had a Shawn and a Perfect match on the show, both of which are reasonably good matches, but as I say, I’ll reserve judgement on it without seeing it in full. However, take from it what you will, this show has its own induction on WrestleCrap.

[koreanpike3-blog]

Bears vs. Vikings: Notes from a tough 25-20 victory

There is something about Sunday Night games that has every fan on the edge of their respective seats towards the final two minutes of regulation....

Regardless, a stingy defense and Cody Parkey’s bid for redemption balanced out an uneven effort on offense in their return from a 5+ year absence on Sunday Night. They also gained a much firmer grip on the race for the NFC North crown. Plus, this is the type of “signature” win that will make most critics believe in the Bears this season.

First; and foremost, the fans should take a bow for their performance at Soldier Field. They were LOUD from start to end, and surely that electricity was felt in every square inch of that stadium. Well done, Bears fans. I’ll raise a cold one in your honor tonight.

And right on cue, the Bears forced a 3-and-out on the Minnesota Vikings’ first possession of the night. Akiem Hicks is a freakin’ monster.

Also on cue, the Bears score on their first possession of the night, albeit only a field goal. Mitchell Trubisky looked great in their initial march down the field, until he took a sack in the red zone. Jordan Howard was also heavily featured in this first drive. Cody Parkey’s first kick of the night split the middle of the uprights.

Parkey is just having the worst month of his career. After he boots the field goal, he shanks the following kickoff as it flew over the Vikings’ two-yard line. Woof.

“Bend but don’t break,” a saying made famous during Lovie Smith’s career in Chicago, was on full display during the 2nd possession against the Vikings’ offense. Literally, the Bears’ D needed to force a takeaway to keep the scoreboard blank. It almost seemed destined that a big play would be made in the Bears’ own red zone.

And then Khalil Mack delivered. Again. He stripped and recovered his 5th forced fumble of the 2018 season. He came into the night as the first player since 1982 to have 7+ sacks, 4+ forced fumbles, and 1+ interceptions within the first ten weeks of the regular season.

This is where the night started getting rough for Trubisky. And Matt Nagy, for the matter; they appeared to abandon the run while opting to go vertical with the passing game. This drive ended with an interception, where Trubisky tried to thread the needle to Taylor Gabriel in between three different Viking DBs. All three Viking DBs had a significant height advantage on Gabriel, too.

Oh look, that Khalil Mack guy seems pretty good at this football stuff. The entire front seven just whipped the Vikings’ O-Line on all three snaps, with Mack getting the Bears off the field as he hammered Kirk Cousins while the $84 million-per-year quarterback was throwing the ball. Had Bryce Callahan just held onto the ball for two seconds longer, that would have been a pick.

If Trubisky has displayed anything to this point in his career, it’s resilience. After he tossed the interception in their previous series, he teamed up with Jordan Howard — something they should have done in the previous series — to control the clock and score a touchdown. Trubisky and Howard punished the Purple People Eaters on the ground, which set the play-action passing game up nicely.

Anthony Miller has some ridiculously good hands. I initially thought the ball bounced off the turf following a low delivery from Trubisky, yet Miller held on and secured the touchdown. The chemistry between these two players is strong nowadays, as Miller has recorded a receiving touchdown in 3 of the last 4 games.

Oh, boy. A two-point conversion already? Most fans didn’t like that call, as it appeared to be a bit too aggressive for that situation. Me....to hell with it. The days of bubble wrapped offense under John Fox are loooooong over, my frents.

If I were to tell you that Kirk Cousins is earning a fully guaranteed $84 million per year, after watching this series, I’d expect a few weird faces. He continued to crumble under pressure in this series as he failed to connect with Adam Thielen on two separate tries.

It’s nice to see this Bears offense when Jordan Howard is given more than one touch per series. It would also be nice if Nagy could just stop getting cute in critical moments. After Howard trucks for some solid gains, the offense started going horizontal. Against one of the fastest flowing defenses in the league. Not a good idea.

Cody Parkey hit his 2nd field goal just barely inside the left upright. All this while the NBC broadcasting crew was obsessed with the “doink” sound effect trademarked by John Madden. Idk who was happier to see Parkey sink his 2nd kick; the Bears’ coaching staff, or Al Michaels.

Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs went from having a combined 0 catches in the first 29:10 minutes of the game, to making all the catches on this last minute effort to score some points heading into half time.

That was until Leonard Floyd forced Kirk Cousins to toss an arm punt straight to Adrian Amos. Amos now has a career high in interceptions (2) within a season. And that ensured the Vikings would be blanked on the scoreboard heading into the 3rd quarter.

You know, it would be splendid if the Bears’ offense could stop sleepwalking in the 3rd quarter. Despite Tarik Cohen having a nifty 21-yard gain on 2nd and 21, the gameplan just didn’t appear to make sense as the Vikings’ defense stiffened up big time.

Luckily for the Bears, there’s more than one monster on their defense. His name is Akiem Hicks, in case the rest of the NFL hasn’t figured this out yet. He recorded another tackle for loss, and Leonard Floyd joined in on the fun with a TFL of his own.

TRUBISKY NO! That’s all I’ll say on this series of which resulted in his 2nd interception of the night; or should we say, arm punt. It also gave the Vikings excellent field position to begin a comeback.

MACK YES! Just as Thielen and Diggs are heating up in the receiving game, Khalil Mack took Cousins down for his 8th sack of the year. That became too much for the Vikes’ offense to overcome as they settled for a field goal.

This is where I started saying “oh s—-.” Granted, this forced fumble was a result of outstanding hustle from the Vikings’ defense. And I respect how hard Cohen fights on every tout. Still, it’s not a bad thing to just go down and secure the ball after contact is made. Be smart and survive to live another down. Instead, the Vikes are once again gifted with a turnover deep in the Bears’ territory.

AKIEM HICKS YES! Seriously; though, how did the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints miss on this guy? He took Cousins down for a huge sack on 3rd-and-2 that forced Minnesota to settle for another field goal.

At least the Bears chewed up some clock on the ensuing possession. This was a “big boy” moment for Trubisky and the Bears’ young offense, and they missed on a chance to effectively end the game.

EDDIE JACKSON OMG!!! The budding star at safety made a Mike Brown-esque pick six on a poorly thrown ball from Cousins. He overthrew Laquon Treadwell badly, and instead of simply backing away from the play, Jackson attacked the ball and returned it for the back-breaking touchdown.

Here we go: two D-linemen in on the Bears’ 2nd 2-point conversion of the night. Roy Robertson-Harris and Akiem Hicks got their opportunity to play offense in yet another package featuring members of Vic Fangio’s crew. Best of all Akiem Hicks lined up in the backfield as a tailback, in a T-formation, and motioned out wide as a slot receiver.

So because for the sake of common sense, Trubisky lobbed a ball to Adam Shaheen after the 6’7” tight end received a single manned look in coverage. Welcome back, Shaheen.

I would have absolutely lost my mind had the ball gone to Hicks....and I actually wanted that to happen, too. Here’s to hoping that’ll come against the Green Bay Packers.

Another thing that would be nice — the theme of tonight’s thread — is if Vic Fangio could discontinue the soft prevent look in the fourth quarter. Not only does Cousins finally get a touchdown on the board following an impressive drive, but a BS call on Hicks gave them two attempts at a two-point conversion. They, naturally, succeeded on their second attempt.

I swear, Matt Nagy planned on getting Cody Parkey his chance at redemption tonight. Even though the previous two touchdowns resulted in consecutive two-point conversions, after Parkey made his first field goal. Nevertheless, the Bears controlled the clock and forced Minnesota to burn out some of their timeouts. And when called upon, Trubisky made a few decent plays, while drawing an unnecessary roughness from Harrison Smith.

The moment every Chicagoan was waiting for — both in fear and in anticipation — Parkey’s chance to drive the final nail in the Vikings’ coffin. He delivered, beautifully mind you, on a 48-yard field goal that kept the Bears ahead by two scores. Kudos to Parkey for gutting out what was a gruesome week of memes, angered fans, and calls for him to be cut; only to deliver the knockout punch against such a tough opponent.

Barring anything stupid, any touchdown drive this late in the game would be considered “garbage time points.” Sure, Cousins got Diggs and fantasy owners a touchdown to make the score a bit closer. Of course, all it would take is #BearsSpecialTeams to manifest itself again in the obvious onside kick attempt.

Nope. Not happening. Benny Cunningham made a smart play to snatch the ball immediately after Dan Bailey kicked it. And that wrapped up the game.

In all, Mitchell Trubisky completed 20 of 31 passes for 165 yards, a touchdown, and two picks. His performance wasn’t pretty; rather, he did just enough against a top five defense to control the clock and keep Cousins and Co. off the field. The ability to extend drives with his legs is reminiscent of Aaron Rodgers. One could say this is his first true win against a tough opponent.

For those who follow me on Twitter, you all have likely seen how adamant I am when it comes to feeding Howard the ball. Tonight is a great example of that; 80% of the time Howard carried the ball inside, he’d pick up 5+ yards. I, still, can’t see why it’s a good idea to not give him more touches.

After being shut out last week, Taylor Gabriel led all Bears receivers in receptions and receiving yards. I can get used to this whole “spreading the wealth” concept in the passing game.

I’m sure coaches from all levels would agree with the following statement: the Bears’ defense is the best in the league when one considers a “whole team” concept. From Akiem Hicks recording 5(!) tackles for loss, to Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos recording a pick each, to Khalil Mack feasting on multiple plays. This defense is 1) stacked from top to bottom and 2) built to last for a long time.

The Chicago Bears (7-3), currently winners of 4 straight games, have a short week with a game on Thanksgiving Day being hosted by the Detroit Lions (4-6) this coming Thursday afternoon. They will then be at the New York Giants (3-7) and at home versus the Los Angeles Rams (9-1) the following week.

It feels good to finally be in a healthy position for clinching a spot in the playoffs.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2018/11/19/18102253/chicago-bears-vs-minnesota-vikings-notes-from-a-tough-25-20-victory-akiem-hicks-cody-parkey-nfl-2018

[flauntpage]

Double Doink! – Ten Takeaways from Eagles 16, Bears 15

Nick Foles left the field with the lead..

and…..

…this time he won.

Holy mackerel! Holy cow! Holy cannoli! Pick whatever animal or dessert you want; you just can’t write a crazier script than that. I thought for sure we were watching a replay of the 2014 Saints game, a walk-off field goal to knock the Eagles out of the playoffs. The Foles era and the Super Bowl title defense would come to an end at the foot of Cody Parkey, who instead hit the upright AND the crossbar on the final play of the evening. It was a double doink, like that one time the WWF brought out two clowns at the same time to beat the crap out of Crush at  Wrestlemania IX. 

Seriously though, what a game. The Eagles blew opportunities and made mistakes, namely the pair of interceptions and a couple of dropped picks to go along with a bobbled third-down hand-off and some killer, drive-extending defensive penalties. I thought it was over when Chicago started picking on Avonte Maddox on their fourth-quarter touchdown drive, but “not so fast my friend,” as the great Lee Corso once said. Foles got it done, Doug Pederson just barely out-dueled Matt Nagy, and the Birds got some luck to go their way, which really hasn’t happened too often this season.

It sets up another crack at the Saints in the Superdome, this time with Foles leading the charge. If you like the “underdog” storyline, then this is your type of game. The Birds get their revenge shot and really have nothing at all to lose heading into the divisional round against asshole Sean Payton, who ran up the score in the regular season meeting.

On the flip side, the only thing we’re going to hear about this week is the “Nick Foles vs. Carson Wentz” argument, which I think will continue throughout the summer and into eternity, or as long as 94 WIP and 97.5 the Fanatic are broadcasting.

But for now let’s enjoy the win, beginning with:

1) The final drive

12 plays, 60 yards, 3:52 off the clock.

They started on their own 40 yard line with 4:48 remaining and methodically moved the ball down the field. Foles was 6-9 on the drive with a two-yard touchdown on a pseudo-sprint out that targeted Golden Tate on the goal line.

I wasn’t sure about Doug’s decision to run Darren Sproles twice in the red zone, but some of the other play calls were superb. He and Nagy really started going deep into the playbook in the fourth quarter, and Pederson rolled with this:

play action, deep seam to Alshon Jeffery

pre-snap motion, play action, Foles pressured and incomplete

trips left, fake screen left, fake screen right, RELEASE THE TIGHT END up the right seam (Goedert breaks two tackles)

play action, shallow out to Nelson Agholor, broken tackle, nice pickup

12 personnel, more pre snap motion, Zach Ertz in the middle, difficult catch

Wendell Smallwood left guard for about a yard

empty set, clear out for Agholor, incomplete

jumbo/pistol, motion Jeffery, hit him on seam for first down

Sproles run

Sproles run

Jeffery pre-snap to weakside, incomplete quick out

Foles dash right, Tate touchdown on quick out

A couple of those plays in there just featured huge individual efforts – the Goedert YAC, the Agholor YAC, and that tough catch from Ertz in traffic, the pass thrown almost over his head. Foles hit four different receivers on the drive and two different backs carried the ball. They showed some 12 personnel and some 11 personnel.

My favorite play call was #8, where they lined up Alshon in some sort of pistol/jumbo hybrid look, then motioned him down and threw it to him for about a ten yard gain. I couldn’t rip a clean video of this, because there was a hitch in the stream, so I’ll show you the diagram instead:

Wild stuff. Alshon in the pistol? Two tailbacks running flares? Two tight-ends also running routes? Really cool stuff.

I also swear I saw a Chicago three man rush in there somewhere, which was ridiculous. It could have been on the drive before this one, but still, who rushes three, ever? It should be illegal for Vic Fangio to rush three with the personnel he has.

2) Tipped!

Cody Parkey’s field goal was actually tipped by defensive tackle Treyvon Hester, which nobody realized until something like 45 minutes or an hour after the game.

This was the first clip to make the rounds:

Here’s a frame-by-frame look that clearly shows the Parkey kick was tipped by Treyvon Hester (Hester confirmed to @Bo_Wulf he tipped it). pic.twitter.com/6dOXui7Yyp

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) January 7, 2019

Here’s another good angle, and if you pause it right at eight seconds, the ball does indeed appear to be slightly misdirected to the left:

Watch this video in slow-mo…Treyvon Hester comes up with a huge block off the tip of the fingers forcing the change of trajectory in the kick…wow. #CodyParkey #FLyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/e3jBT3VazL

— Z (@KingZouric) January 7, 2019

I kind of felt bad for Parkey after the game, getting booed off the field and whatnot. But I’m sure most football fans don’t give a shit, since he’s still a millionaire.

3) Offensive success

Some 11 personnel, some 12 personnel, some timely deep shots and penalty flags, plus a few wrinkles here or there. All of that was good enough to win the game.

The Bears came into the postseason allowing 299 yards and 17.7 points per game and the Eagles finished with 300 and 18, so this matchup really played out the way a lot of people thought it would. Philly couldn’t really run the ball but stayed committed to the tune of 23 attempts for 42 yards, which is a 1.8 average. 17 of the Eagles’ 21 first downs took place through the air, two were from penalties, and the other two came on the ground.

Doug’s squad converted six of 13 third down attempts, good for 46.1%, which is 14 percentage points better than what Chicago was allowing on the season. That’s pretty significant. The Bears had only been allowing a 32% success rate on opponent third downs, but the Eagles got some key pickups to move the chains and balance the time of possession.

41 to 22 was the pass/run split, so that’s 65% to 35%, right on the money, which I think is probably where we expected it be. I would not have been surprised to see that number move into the 70% range, considering that they threw it that frequently in the Houston win.

Chicago finished with six tackles for loss and five quarterback hits, but Nick did a great job of taking those hits while getting rid of the ball and he was sacked just once on the evening. The offensive line did a nice job pass protecting against Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and the rest of the excellent dudes on that line.

Sheil had a good stat about the line:

Eagles have faced Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack during their four-game winning streak.

Those three players have combined for a TOTAL of zero sacks and three QB hits against them.

Big credit to the offensive line and coaches for game-planning.

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) January 7, 2019

Bravo, offensive line.

4) Defensive success

They did what they needed to do, which was put the game on Mitch Trubisky’s shoulders.

“Tru” finished 26/43 for 303 yards, a touchdown, and zero interceptions (should have been at least one), so I guess you could probably make an argument that he did enough to win them the game. He made some really nice fourth quarter throws to pick up chunk yardage and get Chicago down the field.

Four things I think the Eagles did well:

showed good discipline with Nagy’s gadgety/bullshit type of plays (which he didn’t seem to rely on as much last night as he did in the regular season)

tackled well (not a lot of whiffs)

limited Trubisky in the scramble and running game

essentially shut down Tarik Cohen until the late kick return

In addition to that, Jordan Howard only carried the ball ten times for 35 yards, so he wasn’t much of a factor. Cohen carried the ball once for zero yards, but the Eagles also limited him to just 3 catches for 27 yards and didn’t allow him to do much in space.

Trubisky took two sacks for 12 yards and ended up with nine ground yards on three carries. Nigel Bradham did a superb job spying him and moving laterally all game long, stuffing a bunch of the east/west stuff Chicago threw at the Eagles.

The only true disappointments you could point to were Maddox (who played well for three quarters) biting on those late double moves, plus the interceptions that were dropped. Allen Robinson was the only guy who did any kind of consistent damage, and the defense kept this game close when the Eagles were having trouble scoring early. Chicago averaged 23.3 points per game in the regular season and the Birds held them to 15 in their own building last night.

5) Drive positioning

In the regular season, the Eagles began their drives, on average, at their own 28 yard line.

For a while last night, the Bears were on top of the Birds with expert field-flipping, and the game finished with the Eagles starting their drives from these points:

own 25

own 1

own 7

own 25

own 32

own 17

own 17

own 26

own 14

own 40

Don’t underestimate the defensive series leading up to the game-winning drive. The Birds forced a three and out, pushed Chicago back two yards, and then got the benefit of a weak, 36 yard punt from Pat O’Donnell. That set up the Eagles with their best field position of the entire night, if you can believe it.

Prior to that drive, the Eagles only started past their season average once. If you add it all up, the Eagles started at their 20 yard line on average last night, which is eight yards deeper than their typical starting point. They really were pinned down a couple of times and did a good job of digging out. The only real nail-biting moment was Smallwood’s escape from what could have been a safety on the second drive.

6) “hey ref, you’re blowing the game”

Officiating items of note:

The Sproles 3rd down run on the third drive: He was stopped about a half-yard short of the marker and was given the first down anyway.

Michael Bennett roughing the passer: obviously he can’t punch the guy in the face, but Kyle Long is grabbing him by the shoulder pads up around the neck area well away from the play, which was corny.

The Avonte Maddox non-interception: pretty straightforward; his elbow touched down out of bounds. Avonte bobbled the first clean look, then ran out of real estate at the sideline.

The helmet to helmet hit on Zach Ertz: obvious contact with helmet, easy call.

The pass interference against Jordan Matthews: correct, Amukamara had him hooked and Matthews couldn’t free up his arm

Golden Tate: felt like he was interfered with on that no-call in the fourth quarter; the linebacker didn’t even turn his head around at all before making contact

The Smallwood two-point conversion: man, that was close.. I’d love to see goal line technology, the kind they use in some soccer leagues, though with all of the bodies in there I’m not sure how accurate the video would be

And then you have the “no clear recovery” ridiculousness before halftime, which still has me scratching my head.

Here is the explanation from the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE:

Instant Replay Casebook, Page 11: pic.twitter.com/2YhK2qT310

— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) January 6, 2019

I guess the lesson is this: jump on any loose ball you can find, anywhere on the field, even if the whistle was already blown dead.

7) Auxiliary wins and losses

Here they are:

won time of possession, 30:48 minutes to 29:12 minutes

-2 turnover margin

6-13 on third down (46%)

1-1 on fourth down (game winning score)

allowed Bears to go 5-16 on third down (31%)

lost 8 yards on 1 sack

2-3 success rate in the red zone

3 penalties for 25 yards

They were -2 in turnover margin and found a way to win. I think that was primarily due to the great first-half defense and the way they limited Chicago on third downs. After that string of defensive penalties it was pretty much clean football down the stretch, so they really just executed well in other areas to wipe away the pair of interceptions. This was one of those games similar to a Sixers’ performance, where the turnovers don’t matter because they do well in offensive rebounding, three-point shooting, or a different auxiliary category.

The TOP is a big win as well. Plus-48 seconds doesn’t seem like much of an advantage at all, but Philly and Chicago were both top-three time of possession teams this season on the strength of their run defenses, and the Eagles went on the road and were able to do what they normally do in a difficult environment.

8) Doug’s best call?

I liked his play calls on the final drive and opening drive, particular the way he mixed and matched formations and personnel groupings and varied his under center and shotgun looks to keep Chicago off balance. Maybe he did run the ball too much, but he at least committed to the ground game, which did not allow the Bears to simply tee off in what would have been obvious passing situations. I think that probably helped the offensive line a bit.

One that I didn’t mention earlier was the Smallwood screen on that first drive, the big 22 yard gain that sort of set the tone and allowed them to continue down the field for three points. I honestly thought we might see more of Sproles in the screen game, since that’s something that stood out to me as a Bears’ weakness when I watched the film, just like Mike Mayock.

I also liked the wildcat look on the failed two-point conversion. Nice wrinkle, just about an inch away from success.

9) Doug’s worst call?

I liked the first Smallwood screen, but the one near the goal line was really iffy. I also didn’t really get the delayed handoff to Sproles on that one third down, the bobbled snap. Sometimes you can catch teams off guard with those third down runs, since they think it’s an obvious passing situation, but the Eagles weren’t running the ball for much of anything last night, so that felt risky to me.

The only other thing I disliked was obviously running Sproles twice in the red zone on the final drive. Imagine if the Eagles had lost this game; people would be outraged with those two calls and calling for Doug’s head.

10) The broadcast

Listen, I’m alright with Cris Collinsworth because it at least seems like he gives a shit about his job and shows some natural emotion throughout the course of a game. He seemed pretty dialed-in last night and identified some good X’s and O’s type of things. He did a nice job with the “color” part of color commentary.

Al Michaels was Al Michaels – kind of sleepy and only sort of there, though he did perk up at times. He blessed us with a Chase “Daniels” reference and I also appreciated how he tried make “LeBlanc” sound as French as possible every time he said Cre’Von’s last name. Michaels also had a weird sentence after the LeBlanc pass break-up/non fumble where he jumbled something like five words together. Did you hear that? It sounded like he just mushed an entire sentence into three syllables.

I also appreciate Michaels taking shots at the NFL rulebook and NFL officiating. He’s right, you know. It is easier to understand the Dead Sea Scrolls than whatever is written in that 400 page PDF file.

The only true gripe I had with the broadcast was that there were too many shots of Carson Wentz on the sidelines. Yes, he was the starting quarterback. No, he’s not playing in this current game. We are going to be subjected to 40 million hours of “Foles vs. Wentz” takes in the next five weeks, so I don’t need to see it or hear about it during the national game broadcast. Foles is in the game, so show Nick Foles.

Here’s the thing:

We are only blessed with 20-23 days per year that we can actually watch the Eagles. On the other 341 to 344 days, we just talk about the same shit over and over again, so let’s please keep it to on-field storylines when the game is actually taking place.

Thank you.

The post Double Doink! – Ten Takeaways from Eagles 16, Bears 15 appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Double Doink! – Ten Takeaways from Eagles 16, Bears 15 published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[kwan110]

John Madden, legendary NFL coach and beloved broadcaster, dies aged 85

John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the league said. He was 85.

The NFL said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause.

Madden gained fame in a decade-long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.

But it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of “Boom!” and “Doink!” throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; became the face of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all-time; and was a best-selling author. สล็อตออนไลน์ มือถือ ได้เงินจริง

[fromtheringapron]

The Best Match in Survivor Series History

One of the first wrestling tapes I ever owned was WWF’s Most Unusual Matches Ever, a fitting name because the tape itself was weird as hell. It only included four matches, most of which had already been broadcast on TV or pay-per-view. And the matches themselves were, for the most part, not that unusual. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart squared off in a ladder match, Razor Ramon challenged the 1-2-3 Kid to wrestle him for a $10,000 prize, and Michaels fought Jim Duggan in a lumberjack match. Sure, these matches were out of the ordinary back in the early ‘90s, but today’s audiences wouldn’t bat much of an eyelash considering they happen on WWE television on a regular basis.

But the other match? Oh, man, the other match. It’s a match that’s so unusual, so ridiculous, and so infamous that a mere mention of it can send fans into a rage. I am, of course, referring to none other than The Four Doinks vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger, and The Headshrinkers at Survivor Series 1993.

I remember watching this match in complete awe. My wrestling knowledge was much more limited back then, so I obviously had plenty of questions. Why are there so many grown adults in the ring wearing clown makeup? Who is this Bastion Booger guy? And, holy hell, what type of animal carcass are the Headhsrinkers and their manager Afa stuffing down their gullets? And why are there balloons? And scooters? And banana peels? What the actual fuck?

For those of you who haven’t seen it (and, if so, shame on you), it’s quite the doozy. In the fall of 1993, Doink the Clown began a feud with Bam Bam Bigelow and his girlfriend Luna Vachon which saw the clown play a series of pranks on the pair just for the fun of it. This eventually lead to a tag team elimination match at that year’s Survivor Series, between teams captained by Doink and Bam Bam respectively. There was a twist to the former’s team, however. Instead of picking just any Average Joe, Doink assured us Team Bam Bam would square off against four different Doinks! Suspicion was rife on what that could entail. Would this mean Doink was going to clone himself? Certainly not. The world was still three years away from Dolly the Sheep, after all.

Fast forward to that fateful Thanksgiving Eve. The crowd in the old Boston Garden was amped to see what scheme the WWF’s resident Joker had cooked up. Except OG Doink wasn’t there. Instead, the four Doinks turned out to be the teams of Men on a Mission and The Bushwhackers adorned in clown makeup. Bam Bam’s team was understandably thrown off guard, as was the commentary team of Bobby Heenan and Vince McMahon (though you know the latter really loved it). The Four Doinks then proceeded to run train on their opponents, as Bam Bam’s team was eliminated one by one. And they weren’t just eliminated; they were all subjected to the clowns’ whims and routinely humiliated. They gave Headshrinker Samu a series of balloons to bite into, only for the last one to be filled with what looked like water but, as Heenan suggested, could’ve also been ammonia. Mo from Men on a Mission rode a scooter in the ring the midst of the match. Headshrinker Fatu slipped on a banana peel and was rolled up for a pin. Then Bam Bam, the last remaining member for this team, was pinned when all four Doinks dog piled on him for the three count. “This is a cartoon!” McMahon exclaimed. Talk about an understatement.

In the 25 years since that night in Boston, the match’s infamy has only grown. There’s a large section of fans who hate it. They hate the comedy, the gimmickry, the banana peels, etc. Most of all, they hate how the real Doink never once made an appearance, though he did appear via video post-match to taunt Bam Bam and Luna. Perhaps several fans in attendance that night did too, given how they chanted “We want Doink!” throughout. The match’s reception has grown so negative that Complex published an article about it titled “The Worst Match in Survivor Series History.” It also topped WhatCulture.com's list of the top 10 worst Survivor Series matches.

To be honest, I don’t get the hate. Well, actually, let me rephrase that: I think I get the hate, though I disagree. For a sport that everyone is quick to acknowledge as fake, wrestling fans want stories, characters, and in-ring action that at least suspends their disbelief on some level. They will hate a match or a character or a spot that completely exposes the business, as if the business isn’t already exposed when someone is Irish whipped into the ropes. It’s no different than any other form of entertainment, really. We want believable stories and characters when we watch a TV show or a movie, for example.

But the stakes are always higher with wrestling. Since it’s already not a highly respected form of entertainment, there’s always a need for wrestling to present itself as “respectable,” especially to people who don’t watch or look down on it. For some fans, its success is entirely dependent on the content that can show the naysayers, “See, this isn’t just some zany circus shit. This is athletic and dramatic, just like real sports.” So, naturally, when a match happens with four clowns using arsenal that could be bought at a joke shop, it seems less like harmless entertainment and more like an affront to the respectability politics at play. Ric Flair and Bret Hart put on real wrestling matches. This is the fake junk that people will negatively associate with wrestling. This is the stuff that’s embarrassing to watch when your family and friends are in the same room.

And I love how this match is a giant middle finger to that mindset. I love how it absolutely refuses to compromise its sense of fun to appease the smarky wrestling bros and, even better, the people who crap on wrestling in general. I love how it doesn’t even attempt to look like an legitimate athletic contest. This is absurd cartoon bullshit that is a bunch of phony bologna, and it’s not ashamed to be anything but. Throw in Men on a Mission and The Bushwhackers dressed up as clowns? Sure, let’s go for it. Have a wrestler stop himself just to eat a banana mid-match? You totally bet. A wrestler actually, not-shitting-you slip on a banana peel and have that be the reason he’s pinned? Damn it, this is wrestling and we can fucking make it happen.

And, honestly, who are we trying to fool at the end of the day? The same folks who spit on on this fake shit anyway? The same folks who dismiss it as “grown men wrestling in their underwear” and word that like it’s a bad thing? The folks at ES fucking PN? Because fuck that, and fuck them. I love this match because it shows wrestling as its truest, bare-assed self, which is still largely a circus shit show. And it’s not glorious despite that, it’s glorious because of it. You don’t have to like that, but you can bet millions of people worldwide still do and it’s not going to change.

I do think there are some people who crap on this simply because it’s a comedy match. Comedy matches in general always get their fair share of vitriol. Which I think is kinda bullshit, in a way. Comedy is just as much as fluid a genre as anything else. There’s good and there’s bad. Not that I think the Four Doinks match is super funny, mind you. Even I can admit it’s far from a masterwork of comedic brilliance (then again, was anyone hurling that allegation at it to begin with?). But there’s something about a bad attempt at entertainment that can still seem so generous, that somebody is taking the time out of their busy day just to put a smile on our faces. Everyone involved in this match went to absurd lengths to do just that, taking all the groans and tomato-tossing that could potentially come with it. I can’t think of anything worse than loving something strictly based on its level of technical skill.

At one point during the match, when Mo was rode a scooter in the ring, Bobby Heenan remarked, “This is Animal House!” I’ll have to disagree with him there. This is way better than Animal House.