San Francisco, Houston Will Host Future Super Bowls

Votes have been tallied, and the host cities for two future Super Bowls have been decided by the owners earlier today: San Francisco and Houston.

The two large, warm-weather cities have great football atmospheres in addition to great football franchises. San Francisco will play host to Super Bowl L (SB 50) in 2016, while Houston plays host to Super Bowl LI (SB 51).

Now, obviously this is a few years down the road as we still have yet to witness the 2014 (New York) and 2015 (Phoenix) Super Bowls, but I'm just glad that we will not have to sit through another year of knowing that Miami will once again be hosting a Super Bowl.

New Orleans, the host of this past Super Bowl, and Miami have combined for 20 Super Bowls (10 each). Enough is enough. We get it, the National Football League loves South Beach. But can't we spread the love around a little? I'm not exactly the most thrilled about Houston hosting its third, but it sure beats the hell out of Miami.

The Bay Area hosted one other Super Bowl, SB XIX in 1985 between the Dolphins and Niners, though I don't actually count that as a San Francisco hosting. The game was played in Stanford Stadium in Stanford, CA. So, not technically San Francisco, just considered the Bay Area. Though, once again, this will not technically be a San Francisco-hosted stadium, it's close enough. The game will be played in the Niners' future Levi's Stadium, which is set to be built in Santa Clara, California.

As for Houston, Super Bowl LI will be played in Reliant Stadium for the first time since 2004, when the Patriots defeated the Panthers 32-29.

The best news of the day continues to be the state of Miami's hosting. The voting came down to the two aforementioned stadiums and the Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium. I've never been to Miami, and I'm sure it's a really nice area for the beach and night life, but I'm just glad the wealth is being spread around the National Football League a little more.

Huge win for San Francisco, a couple of months following a devastating Super Bowl loss.

One more thing: Does anyone else feel strange calling it "Super Bowl L" and "Super Bowl LI," or is that just me? Ditch the roman numerals or keep them around? You tell me––tough to go against history, I must say, but 'Super Bowl L' just doesn't roll off the tongue.

Note: We do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended.

Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas Become Newest Members of Miami's Ring of Honor

There will be plenty of time to break down Peyton Manning's monster second half in Monday night's matchup, a game in which Peyton's Broncos came back from a 24-point halftime deficit to capture a 35-24 victory. For now, I would like to take the time to recognize two former greats.

T'was a great weekend for the Miami Dolphins, I'd say. Not only did rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill lead the 'Phins to a 17-14 win over the Rams, but they also added two former All Pro defenders to the franchise's Ring of Honor.

Jason Taylor, 38, and Zach Thomas, 39, were officially honored as the Dolphins' newest inductees, as they shared the stage in Miami on Sunday afternoon. Not only did Taylor and Thomas anchor Miami's defense for over a decade, but they also happen to be brother-in-laws (Jason is married to Zach's sister, Katina).

Thomas, an 8-time Pro Bowler, played linebacker for the Dolphins from 1996-2007, racking in over 1,600 total tackles and 19.5 sacks. As one of the most reliable pieces on defense throughout his 12 seasons, Thomas missed just 13 starts before playing in just five games in his final campaign as a Dolphin.

His 13-year career ended with a stint in Dallas in 2008––he spent the 2009 preseason with Kansas City before being released prior to the start of the regular season. Thomas' career, however, wasn't officially in the history books until he signed a one-day contract with Miami on May 18, 2010 to announce his retirement from the game.

Jason Taylor's career as Miami's massive, 6'6" defensive end was a wild one. Drafted by the Dolphins in the 3rd round of the '97 NFL Draft, Taylor spent 11 productive seasons in Miami before being traded to the Redskins. Taylor spent the next, and final, four seasons of his career jumping from Washington (2008), back to Miami (2009), to the Jets (2010) and finally back to the Dolphins last season.

The final three seasons of his career were spent transitioning from defensive end to outside linebacker. With the Jets and Dolphins during those seasons, Taylor combined for 97 total tackles, 19 sacks and 5 forced fumbles in 22 starts.

Taylor announced on December 28, 2011 that he would officially retire from the game at season's end and he played his final game on January 1, 2012, with Miami. Taylor joined the ESPN NFL coverage team this past summer.

Both Thomas and Taylor were integral pieces to Miami's defense over the last decade, and spent many seasons with success alongside each other. Both guys find themselves on the Dolphins' top 5 list of most games played (Taylor, 3rd with 188; Thomas, 5th with 168).

Taylor is the franchise's sack leader (131) and his 139.5 career sacks is good enough for 6th on the NFL's all-time list. As for Thomas, he's the franchise's leader in career tackles. Combined, Taylor and Thomas have 13 Pro Bowl selections, 8 First-team All Pro selections and are both on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.

Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas were the 20th and 21st players to be inducted into Miami's "Honor Roll" (not including the 1972 undefeated team, two coaches and founder/owner Joe Robbie, who are also members). They have officially been honored alongside the likes of Dan Marino, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Nick Buoniconti, Mark Clayton and Don Shula, among others.

Note: I do not own the above images. No Copyright infringement intended.

The Age-less Holliday: A Look into Vonnie's 14-year Career

While I was sitting in my apartment watching the Cardinals/Titans Week 3 preseason matchup last night, I made a very interesting discovery: Vonnie Holliday is still in the NFL.

In the league since 1998, the 36-year old Holliday has played with the likes of Reggie White, LeRoy Butler, Hardy Nickerson, Scott Fujita, Jared Allen, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, Elvis Dumbervil, Champ Bailey and London Fletcher over the last 14 seasons.

While I was aware that Holliday had been involved in the Tim Hightower trade that sent him from Washington to Arizona last summer, I was surprised to see that Holliday was in uniform last night after recording just 16 total tackles in his first season with the Cards last year.

Playing for four different teams since 2008 (Dolphins, Broncos, Redskins, Cardinals), it's clear that Holliday no longer makes the impact on defense that he used to. But there's no doubt it was still nice to see him on the football field for his second season as a Cardinal.

The 6-foot-5, 285 pound defensive lineman has not played a full season since 2008, starting 15 of his 16 games in his final season with Miami. Recording 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks at defensive end, Holliday finished the season with the third-most sacks on the team behind Joey Porter (17.5) and Matt Roth (5).

Coming in to the league as the No. 19 overall selection by the Green Bay Packers in 1998, hailing from the University of North Carolina, Holliday recorded 52 tackles and set a franchise rookie record with eight sacks in 12 starts. He never surpassed the eight sack total throughout his career, coming close with seven on two separate occasions ('01 with GB and '06 with MIA).

Playing with six different teams, Holliday's longest tenure was the five seasons he spent in Green Bay from 1998-2002. He started a full 16 games just twice over that five year span, yet he managed to record 252 total tackles, 32 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions in 63 starts (50 tackles, 6.5 sacks per average season).

Holliday signed a five-year, $21.3 million deal with Kansas City as a free agent in 2003, spending two seasons with the Chiefs before numerous injuries forced his release at the end of the 2004 season.

Signing with Miami a few weeks later, Holliday made the switch to defensive tackle where he helped clog up the middle of the line for four seasons. Holliday was one of the best up the middle for several seasons, in addition to his ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. Holliday was most effective with Miami in his first two seasons with the team (2005 and 2006), combining for 12 sacks in two complete seasons.

More injuries slowed down his production in 2007 and '08, and he failed to produce once he left Miami. Three starts with Denver in 2009, two starts with Washington in 2010 and zero starts last season with Arizona. And that brings us to today.

Last night, he did see the field, though it was minimal and did not have much of an impact. He's a longshot to make the final roster, in my opinion, but it's a nice story at least.

I think Holliday, who will be 37 in December, is heading towards the end of the road in the National Football League. And I think the All-Out Blitz is one of the few sites out there dedicating an entire post to Holliday and his NFL career. Someone's gotta do it, right?

Note: I do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended.

Monday Headlines: Two Quarterback Battles Resolved

Despite just one game being played this evening, today was a big day in the National Football League. Plenty of news to go around.

As the quarterback battles wind down in the next two weeks or so, we have had two resolved today alone. Two young, semi-inexperienced head coaches have made bold decisions in announcing his team's opening day starter with two games still to play this preseason.

Down south in Miami, Joe Philbin–former Green Bay offensive coordinator from 2007-11–makes the decision to start No. 8 overall pick Ryan Tannehill as the starter for Miami's September 9 matchup with the Houston Texans and its stingy defense. Philbin is entering his first season as an NFL head coach.

In Tennessee, Mike Munchak, in his second season at the helm of the Titans after going 9-7 last season, names second-year quarterback Jake Locker as Tennessee's starter for a Week 1 matchup with Bill Belichick's New England Patriots.

Tannehill beats out veterans Matt Moore and David Garrard to become the first Dolphins quarterback to ever start his very first game as a rookie. Moore, 6-6 in 12 starts for Miami last season, has struggled early on this preseason, completing just 44% of his 27 pass attempts for 136 yards and an interception.

With Garrard out for at least the first month of the season due to injury, Tannehill has out-shined the remainder of Miami's QB depth chart, completing 25 of his 44 pass attempts for 267 yards and a TD. Despite missing part of camp due to his holdout, Tannehill has jumped right in and impressed Miami's coaching staff early on.

The Tannehill decision, in my opinion, doesn't really come as much of a surprise. The decision in Tennessee, however, has come as a bit of a surprise to me.

Locker impressed in his rookie campaign last season, when he saw playing time of course. But it was Hasselbeck who did the heavy lifting. Locker appeared in five games, throwing for 542 yards and 4 TDs with zero interceptions. But it was the 36-year old veteran Hasselbeck that threw for 3,571 yards and 18 TDs in 16 starts, falling just short of the playoffs.

This preseason Locker has been a bit inconsistent, turning in an impressive debut in a 27-17 losing effort to Seattle the first week but then merely passing for 4/11 with 21 yards and an INT this past weekend. Hasselbeck has been his normal self in both games (other than two INTs vs. SEA).

The Munchak decision is clearly a look into the future, as Hasselbeck only has so much left in his tank. Matt will serve as a mentor for the 24-year old signal caller, and be available should Locker suffer an injury or underperform. Rusty Smith will serve as a solid third-stringer to Locker and Hasselbeck in Tennessee.

Tannehill will join Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Brandon Weeden as the fourth rookie quarterback to start for his respective team for the regular season opener. All of the aforementioned, minus Cleveland's Weeden, of course, were top 10 picks this past year.

What's next for NFL in terms of quarterback battles? Will it be Matt Flynn finally beating out Russell Wilson for the Seattle starting job? John Skelton de-throning the expensive Kevin Kolb in the desert? Dare I say it, but will the quarterbacks in New York finally start performing? Still a lot of questions to be answered before we get underway in September.

Note: I do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended.

Taking a Closer Look at Miami's Ochocinco Signing

Four days after being released by the New England Patriots following his lone season with the team, 34-year old Chad Ochocinco announced via Twitter on Monday that he had signed with the Miami Dolphins.

Sadly for the 'Phins, the 11-year old veteran wideout may have immediately climbed atop the depth chart.

Last season's leading receiver Brandon Marshall (81 receptions, 1,214 yards, 6 TDs) was traded to Chicago to reunite with former quarterback Jay Cutler on March 13 in exchange for two third round draft picks, leaving Davone Bess (51 receptions, 537 yards, 3 TDs) Miami's top wideout left on the roster.

Clearing Marshall off the roster was a puzzling move to me––and many others––especially considering all they received for the hefty three-time Pro Bowler was two third rounders. Two rookies, selected in the sixth and seventh rounds, are heading in to camp for Miami and may find the experience of Ochocinco helpful.

What I'm trying to say here is that Miami's receiving corps is incredibly inexperienced and, even with the addition of Ochocinco, lacks leadership. Legedu Naanee, 28, signed a one-year deal with the team in April and will provide an elusive presence for the offense.

Running back Reggie Bush, finally breaking out for a 1,000 yard season on the ground in 2011, has always been a threat out of the backfield (43 receptions, 296 yards, 1 TD) and will continue to do so throughout the 2012 campaign.

In 2011 Miami was 20th in total offense and 23rd in the passing game, using two different quarterbacks in Matt Moore (12 starts) and Chad Henne (four starts). The two combined for a 6-10 record and, surprisingly, just 13 interceptions.

With the eighth pick in the draft this past April, the front office took a chance on the questionable 6'4"/221 pound quarterback out of Texas A&M, Ryan Tannehill. Projected to go much later in the draft (late first rd/early second) this was a risky selection.

Henne is no longer on the 'Phins roster, which means Tannehill will duel it out with Matt Moore for the starting position starting at training camp towards the end of July. Tannehill is the darkhorse to win the starting roll––in my opinion, at least––but I wouldn't be surprised to see him the starter by mid-season should Moore struggle early on.

Given all of the above information, I think the only reasonable conclusion as to why Ochocinco (15 receptions, 276 yards, 1 TD) chose to head down to Miami was simply because he can head back to his hometown and play the game he loves. Or, perhaps he finds that this could be one of the last opportunities he gets to prove he can still play with the big dogs.

Luckily for both parties, the Dolphins' offensive system should be a little easier to grasp than their division counterpart and Ocho's former team New England. Despite his aging body, I expect Ocho to be a difference-maker for this offense, catching 50+ balls for over 500 yards.

Note: I do not own these images, no copyright infringement intended

Legendary Inside Linebacker Junior Seau Found Dead at California Home; Apparent Suicide

Earlier this morning former San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots inside linebacker and legend Junior Seau was found dead at his California home. Police are investigating the case as a suicide after finding a handgun near his body and finding an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his chest.

It is unknown what his reason for taking his own life was, but one could assume it had to do with brain trauma from his playing days. It's tough to say without knowing additional information, but there seems to be a connection between suicides of former professional football players and brain damage.

Seau, 43, played 20 seasons in the National Football League and was the anchor of the San Diego Chargers' defense for 13 solid seasons, including the 1994 Chargers team that made a trip to the Super Bowl (lost to Steve Young's Niners).

Accumulating over 1,500 tackles and 56.5 sacks throughout his two decade-long career, Seau cemented himself as a first ballot Hall of Famer. He was named to 12 Pro Bowls and six First-Team All Pros (10 All Pro selections in total). He is also a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team and is in the Chargers' Hall of Fame.

But it's not what Seau accomplished on the field that has people from all over––not just family and friends––grieving today. Seau was a role model for all of the younger players in the league and was always doing everything he could to help the people around him.

He made everyone he met feel welcome and was one of the most friendliest and outgoing guys you could meet.

Unfortunately, I was never able to personally meet Seau but I was able to catch some interviews and statements from the police chief, Seau's mother and sister, and numerous players that shared the same locker room with him. All the players that have spoken out about Seau said the same thing: caring, friendly, etc. He would always go the extra mile to help those in need, and would put others before himself. True teammate.

Tedy Bruschi, Lorenzo Neal and Marcellus Wiley were among the player interviews I watched. It was Wiley's that caught my attention the most. Instant tear-jerker. He had trouble getting himself together because of how much Seau meant to him as a teammate and a person. The most remarkable part about that is the fact Wiley played with Seau for only two seasons and Wiley was still impacted greatly just by sharing the same locker room.

Hearing all of these stories on television really makes me wish I was able to meet Seau in person. I feel as though he would have changed my life outlook for the better.

Rest in Paradise, Junior. You're in a better place now. You'll be in Canton (Pro Football Hall of Fame) soon enough, where you will be immortalized with the rest of the NFL greats.

Photos found on Google, no copyright infringement intended

Ricky Williams Plans to Announce Retirement After 11 Seasons

The New York Giants celebrating Super Bowl XLVI in the style of a parade through downtown Manhattan isn't the only NFL news making headlines today, Tuesday February 7.

Former New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl running back Ricky Williams will reportedly announce his retirement from the game, a source told ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The one-time Pro Bowler, winner of the 1998 Heisman trophy while playing at the University of Texas, played 11 seasons in the NFL upon entering the league as a fifth overall pick in the '99 draft. Hall of Fame head coach Mike Ditka, then coach of the Saints, moved up to snag him early in the draft.

Williams had a solid career, when he was focused on football, but I believe he may have been one of the most-touted college ballplayers the league has seen. Having high hopes as a Heisman winner, Ditka spent all of the team's draft picks in 1999 to move up in the draft and select him, the trade also included first and third rounders the following year.

The trade involving New Orleans and the Redskins has gone down as one of the most well-known draft-day trades in recent history: one player in exchange for eight draft picks.

Coach Ditka, nearing the end of his coaching career, went all-in to get his hands on Williams, who ended up spending just three seasons as the Saints' running back. He ran for just over 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns in 38 starts, but the Saints posted a 15-33 record over that span and Ditka was fired as head coach.

The following season Williams was traded to Miami, once again warranting a hefty price–four draft picks, two of which were first rounders. Williams stepped up his game, setting a career- and league-high 1,853 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first season with the 'Phins. That year, 2002, was his only Pro Bowl and All Pro selection of his career.

In 2003 Williams ran for 1,372 yards and nine TDs, but his yards per carry average dropped to just 3.5 after carrying a heavy workload of 392 rushing attempts.

Following Miami's 10-6 season, just missing out on the postseason, Williams allegedly failed a drug test and was facing a fine and four-game suspension for the 2004 season. And failed another just before training camps began. He stunned the Miami fan base by announcing his early retirement from the game of football on August 2, 2004.

The Dolphins finished 4-12 and Ricky took the year off studying the Ancient Indian System of holistic medicine at the California College of Ayurveda.

As we all had anticipated, Williams returned to the game in 2005. Upon being reinstated by the league and serving his four-game suspension Ricky ran for 743 yards and six touchdowns in '05 for the 9-7 Dolphins. More trouble came his way, however, as he was suspended for the entire 2006 regular season after violating the NFL's drug policy for a fourth time.

Williams signed a one-year contract with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, where he rushed for 526 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. Controversy brewed after Williams' signing, and a rule ("The Ricky Williams" rule) was put in place prior to the 2007 season that prevented a suspended NFL player from signing with a CFL team.

Williams made just one start with Miami in '07, but showed signs of rebirth the following two years, putting up 1,780 yards and 15 TDs from 2008-09. The last two years he has had his role on his respective squad reduced, as he ran the ball just 108 times this past year in his lone season in Baltimore.

The retirement announcement doesn't come as a surprise to me, and shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone else. Williams signed the deal with Baltimore over the offseason as one last push to get himself a Super Bowl ring.

Though the contract was two years, the retirement makes plenty sense. At 34 years old, Slick Rick knew his role would be no more than third down back in Baltimore, and aiding youngster Ray Rice in developing as a complete player.

Known as the type of guy to keep to himself in the locker room throughout his career, I would expect a very low-key retirement for Williams. After eclipsing 10,000 career rushing yards this season, it's safe to say Ricky's career was a success, though I think there was much more that could have been achieved had he been consistent with his performance.

I don't believe his career warrants a Hall of Fame selection, though he did happen to be just the 26th player in history to reach the 10,000 rushing yards milestone. However, there's no doubt he should have any shame in his on-field success. It's not often you see a guy play running back in this league until they are 34 years old like Ricky did.

Despite his troubles with drugs, Ricky Williams was a stand-up guy and was generally well-liked by the teammates that understood his way of life. Quiet, reserved, yet well-disciplined. Solid career he put up over those 11 years, and not enough people have commended him for it. So to you, Ricky, I tip my hat.

Photo credit

With Longhorns: borrowed from ESPN.com

With Dolphins: borrowed from nj.com

No Trouble from Marshall?

Pro Bowl wide-out Brandon Marshall, now a former Bronco, claims he will not be any trouble for the Miami Dolphins, who just signed him to a four-year extension after the acquisition.  The Dolphins gave him a record-setting deal, making him the highest-paid wide receiver.

Of course we all know of his long list of legal troubles, which just so happen to be slightly longer than his list of accomplishments.  But, Marshall claimed that he is very happy with his situation and wont be giving the organization any problems.

I would love to believe him, but it's just very hard to do considering we've already heard this from countless other multi-million dollar athletes.  I mean, he's making a boat-load more money, is now part of an organization with a bright future AND he's in one of the best cities for picking up the ladies (and relax on the beach, simultaneously).

 Sounds like a great life to me.

But then again, this happens a lot more than we might think: Professional athlete says he's happy, a couple weeks/months later he demands a trade and throws a fit.

If Miami's QB carousel settles down and Marshall is getting the ball enough to satisfy him, I see big things coming for this offense.  If that doesn't work out after a year or so, don't be surprised if Marshall starts to yelp.

I actually would like to believe that Miami is more happy about the pick-up than Marshall himself.  Getting a 6-foot-4, 229 pound wide receiver with great hands and legs as quick as his would make any general manager/head coach wet his pants.

Marshall has talent, there's no doubt about that.  On top of that, he's just 26 years old.  His best years are certainly ahead of him.

Miami may not be a contender this season, but with a motivated Brandon Marshall on the team things certainly are looking up for the people down south.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)