Reports say that the Bears have landed the first big free agent of 2010 in Julius Peppers.
According to a number of reports, the Chicago Bears have landed the first huge fish of the NFL free agent period with the signing of former Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers to a six year contract.
Considered by many to be the brightest star in a less than stellar free agent year, Peppers should provide an immediate boost to a Bears defense that has been in decline in recent years.
The second overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, Peppers is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time first team All-Pro.
In 2009 he registered 10.5 sacks and two interceptions for the Panthers. He has reached double figures in sacks in six of his eight seasons in the NFL and has 81 for his career.
A year ago the Bears lost their leading defensive player, linebacker Brian Urlacher, to injury in the opening game of the season and never fully recovered. Read the rest of this entry →
The NFL network began their fourth season broadcasting games on November 12th.
Like the proverbial question about the sound of a tree in the forest, I have a similar question about the NFL.
If they play an NFL game in prime time and half the people in the country can’t watch is it still considered an NFL game?
That is my question following the game Thursday night between the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, which was broadcast on the NFL Network.
Like many others across the country, my cable company, Bright House Network, is embroiled in a long-running disagreement with NFL Network over channel placement, pricing and other such things that seem trivial to me, but important to television executives.
Overall, seven of the top 10 cable providers in the country do not offer NFL Network.
Considering that the NFL Network started broadcasting just over six years ago on November 4, 2003, you would think these companies would have settled the disagreement by now, but unfortunately, it looks like many of us will be enduring another year of missing out on some exciting NFL matchups. Read the rest of this entry →
On June 16th, I was all set to attend the first game of the Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and the White Sox at Wrigley Field. Then Mother Nature struck, postponing the game.
Instead of playing a double header, the game was rescheduled for the first mutual off day, September 3rd. As fate would have it, the Chicago Bears, the team for whom I hold season tickets, just happened to be playing their fourth and final preseason game on that same day.
I’ve been racking my brain, and I can’t think of another time when a Chicagoan, or a fan from any city for that matter, would have the chance to attend a full game of three major sports teams from their hometown in the same day. While I’m lucky enough to be the one going, it would be rude of me not to share it with those of you in the Sports Then and Now community.
So get ready, because starting with my arrival in Wrigleyville and lasting until the final whistle in Soldier Field, I’ll be coming to you live from both games via the World Wide Interweb. Using just my phone and that fancy Twitter application, I’ll be live blogging from in and around both Wrigley Field and Soldier Field, bringing you all the action and perspective from a fan lucky enough to be at both games (in increments of 140 characters or less).
Our Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the month for September had very long associations with two of the sports that make headlines each September. Pat Summerall played in the NFL for 10 years before becoming one of the most recognized announcers in the sport. He also served as the voice of the U.S. Open tennis championships for CBS for more than two decades.
After playing college football at Arkansas, Summerall was drafted by the Detroit Lions, but a broken arm ended his first season in the league. He was traded to the Chicago Cardinals and spent five seasons with them primarily as a placekicker.
Enter The “Top The Zultan” College Football Contest
The Sports Then and Now College Football Zultan is back and ready to again prove his prognosticating power in 2010.
Each week during the 2010 season you can show your football knowledge by competing against the Zultan. Anyone who beats the Zultan will earn a chance to win a $100 Amazon.com gift card or one of two $50 Wal-Mart gift cards, all of which will be awarded at the end of the season.
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