The Talking Never Stops

Yeah, it's the off-season. So what? That's not going to stop the trash-talking between rivals. At least not when Osi Umenyiora is around...

The defensive end for the defending champion New York Giants took a shot at Philadelphia Eagles running back Lesean McCoy early this morning via Twitter.

As NFC East counterparts, of course the Giants and Eagles rivalry is heated year in and year out. A guaranteed bloodbath every time the two squads share the field. But unlike many other rivalries in the National Football League, sometimes this one gets a little personal.

Umenyiora and running back McCoy have been known to exchange some words while on the playing field, but they aren't shy on Twitter either. Last offseason McCoy referred to Umenyiora as "overrated and soft" on his Twitter page.

This morning it was Umenyiora, 30, in the middle of a contract dispute with New York, who talked a little smack on his rival. Here's what his tweet read:

Happy Mother's day Lesean Mccoy! Enjoy your special day!!

Seems like a playful jab at McCoy, though knowing Umenyiora and his view on the Eagles I wouldn't doubt his sincerity in his tweet.

Normally I wouldn't even acknowledge an antic like this because it's meaningless, but I just found it very interesting and thought I'd point it out to my readers. Fans and news outlets seem to be making a huge deal out of the tweet, but I personally find this an entertaining way of messing with an opponent.

Come on, people. McCoy and Umenyiora are rivals and aren't very fond of each other. Aren't you glad he's tweeting playful trash-talk rather than violent threats? Not to mention McCoy was asking for it when he called Umenyoria soft.

In the words of New England's Chad Ochocino: "Child, please.."


McCoy has owned the G-Men defense (three 100-yard games and 3 TDs in three pro seasons), yeah. But at the same time Umenyiora has the stats (12.5 career sacks vs. Philly) and the rings (two SB wins w/ NY) to stack up against McCoy and his trash talk.

Neither party (McCoy and Umenyiora) have backed away from the smack talk, and this is just the latest chapter in the NYG/PHI showdown. It's almost as if this rivalry desperately needed something to fuel the fire...

Pro Bowl: Entertainment Solely for the Players

The AFC/NFC Pro Bowl will be played tonight, at 7 P.M. (Eastern Time), in Honolulu, HI. Each year the league struggles to gain viewers for the NFL's version of the all-star game. In fact, this year they are trying something new in an attempt to gain those extra viewers.

They have decided that, since so many players and fans have Twitter pages to entertain themselves and others, they will provide each sideline with a computer set-up with Twitter so that players can tweet while sitting on the sidelines doing nothing.

Personally I think this is a great idea since players aren't allowed to do so during the regular season and playoffs, why not add this dimension to a game that means absolutely nothing. Fans complain about the Pro Bowl being boring each year–and I agree to some extent. But what they don't understand is this game isn't made for the fans.

It's for the players.

Puzzling statement, I know. But I think it's 100% true. While these players have jobs to keep fans and the common people entertained, the 16-game regular season is tough on these multi-millionaires. Five-plus months of non-stop travel, practicing, attending meetings and basically beating the crap out of their bodies in order to bring the very best entertainment each Sunday or Monday.

Ever wonder why the Pro Bowl is in Hawaii? Well, me too. And I have a couple of different theories as to why it's played in Honolulu: 1. Hawaii doesn't experience much NFL action, so this gives them a shot at seeing the all-star players in motion (well, sort of) and 2. It's a perfect vacation spot.

When I say vacation, I mean for the players. Sure, they can take their friends and families on vacation anywhere they want during the off-season, but this is the league's way of rewarding the players that worked so hard over the course of the season. Players have a ball with this Hawaii trip, and often take their entire families and enjoy precious family time.

I think I may be one of the few NFL fans out there that actually sits down and watches the Pro Bowl every single year. And instead of complaining about how boring it may be, or that the players don't even attempt to make an effort to block field goals and extra points, I try to let the players enjoy this one. I mean, just look, these players are enjoying each other's company and on a mini-vacation all at the same time.

I actually don't mind that the Super Bowl teams do not participate, and that many players drop out of the game due to injury. This gives the un-noticed players, and players who were snubbed, get an opportunity to participate and take his family on vacation. There's 43 first-timers in this year's game, giving us plenty of new faces to watch.

Let's just let the players enjoy themselves in Hawaii, please. If you don't like the Pro Bowl, no one is making you watch it, so why complain about it? The Pro Bowl truly has no meaning, and if you think about it, isn't that the fun part about it for the players?

Thank you,

--An annoyed NFL supporter

Photo credit

Tony G. and Roddy White: found on sbnation.com

Lebron "King" James Backs Peyton up, Bashes ESPN's Trent Dilfer

It's amazing what you learn from Twitter.

As a Twitter member, and Lebron follower, I witnessed--first hand--what the Miami Heat forward thinks of ESPN's NFL analyst and former quarterback Trent Dilfer's criticism of the way Indianapolis Colts' star quarterback Peyton Manning has been playing these past few weeks (the four-time MVP has thrown an astonishing 11 INT's over the last three games).

Here's what James tweeted yesterday (taken right from his Twitter page):

Watching SC and Trent Dilfer is talking bad on how Peyton Manning is playing as of late! In his wildest dream could never ever do the things

And later on that day:

Peyton does on the field. Good or bad! People get on TV and think they can say whatever they want! And it's always former players! Crazy!! 

Some of these athletes have trouble making complete thoughts while tweeting. So he skipped a few words in that second sentence. But basically what he is doing is backing up Peyton, who has a championship ring (unlike Lebron), and is trashing Dilfer's subpar career...despite his Lombardi winning season with Baltimore in 2000.

Now obviously Dilfer loses some credit for that Super Bowl winning season because of the fact that Baltimore had arguably one of the best defenses in league history that season. But, despite his disappointing 13-year career with five different teams after being picked with the sixth pick in the 1994 draft, Dilfer knows the mechanics and "x's and o's" well enough to breakdown what Manning has been doing wrong this season, because obviously he is doing something wrong.

I'm not a Lebron hater whatsoever, in fact my NBA fantasy team was named "Lebron's Kings" last season. But I don't agree with him bashing Dilfer. Especially when Dilfer is just doing his job, and didn't even say anything about Lebron. Instead, he was just letting us viewers know what is up with Peyton this season.

Note: Photo does not belong to me.

Whether or Not You Tweet, Having a Twitter Account Pays Dividends (especially if you're an avid sports fan like myself)

I know what you're thinking..."Twitter? Really?"

And the answer is a simple, yes. I have a twitter account (follow me at ), and I used it a couple of times a week. I don't do much tweeting myself, but I'd say probably about half of the celebrities and athletes regularly tweet. This means, yes, following athletes on twitter allows you to receive inside information first-hand.

Not only do I follow NFL superstars, but also TV personalities and sportswriters. In today's society, more and more major networks, such as ESPN, are using twitter to break news. Personally, I currently follow about 220 people, mostly athletes and sportswriters like I mentioned above.

I have only posted about 23 tweets, most of which I tweeted in order to advertise for this blog, and have just eight followers. Twitter allows me to get in the heads of millionaire athletes and see what it is they are up to on a regular basis, who doesn't love that?

So, if you're a huge sports fan and would like to get the inside scoop on players, coaches or be the first to read about breaking news, I advise you to sign up for a Twitter account and let the following begin!