All Laced up NFL Preseason Week 1

I am not the biggest NFL fan, and of course their decision to deny the Dallas Cowboys (insert lifelong fan here) a symbolic gesture on their helmets to the city's fallen police officers, makes for more disdain.  However, it is preseason week and the start of some gridiron.

As my friend reminded me today, "preseason doesn't count.  Bad rehearsal, good performance.  That's the rule in dance and football."  I am also reminded that there are scores and outcomes.

So here are some highlights from Preseason Week 1:

Dallas 24  Los Angeles 28 

Dolphins 27  Giants 10 (shout out to Dan Thomas)

Lions 30  Steelers 17

Cleveland 11  Packers 17

Tampa Bay 9  Eagles 17

Saints 22  Patriots 34

JAX 13  Jets 17 (come on Jags you had the ball 33:49 - 26:11)

Texans and 49'ers play tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET.  San Francisco has dominated this match up in 2013 and 2014, but a year ago the Texans came out on top 23 - 10, but remember this is just a rehearsal for the performance.  Happy preseason week 1 NFL fans!

Whose shoes did the 2016 draft fill?

With the NFL Draft complete, whose shoes did your favorite team fill?

There were a whopping 15 quarterbacks selected in the 2016 draft, and if you want to see which college laced up the most shoe spots, then look no further than Ohio State. The Buckeyes contributed 12 players in the first 4 rounds.

Derrick Henry went in the second round to the Tennessee Titans, and he will be the second pair of Heisman shoes following in the footsteps of Marcus Mariota for the Titans.

Who continues remains to be seen as we move through the training and preseason phase, but lots of teams will be lacing up some new talent on the field this year for an exciting 2016 season.

We are back!

Check out our new and improved website www.sportsfundamental.com and visit our Leather Laces and Places tab for our new events calendar (all times are Eastern Time).

Our college football countdown clock is available on our home page, just scroll down and sigh... it is still a long way until game time.

Great to be back after some time off and look forward to providing you new points to ponder.

NFL kickoff tonight

It's almost that time of the year again as preseason football kicks off tonight with the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Minnesota Vikings facing off in Canton, Ohio.

The preseason opener will be televised on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET from the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. And, while rumor has it we will not see much of the veteran starters for either team, it's still football and it's Sunday Night Football.

Preseason schedules run for four weeks, so catch the opener tonight and tune in for the games to see how your team shapes up for this years road to the Super Bowl.

2014 - 2015 Season's Best Plays: Watch and You Decide

Here are 16 minutes of last season's best plays in college football.  How many did you see live?

Watch and decide if these highlights are your BEST plays!

Ladies just a little something to TIDE you over until Nick Saban is on the sidelines again.  Keep your heels high and your standards higher.  It's a long hot summer, but kickoff time will be here before you know it.

Predictions for this year's NCAA teams?

Packers vs Cowboys - What's your Game Day tradition?

It's Game Day!  Best Wishes to the Packers and Cowboys Fans as we march towards the Super Bowl.

What will you be doing to honor your team today?

Comment on your favorite food, gear and rituals that make up your Fandom!

Dolphins Hire Dennis Hickey as GM

Photo courtesy Boris Balaban

In offseason reports the Miami Dolphins have hired Dennis Hickey as their General Manager.  Hickey, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers director of player personnel, was offered a second interview this past week.
n offseason 

Nick Caserio director of player personnel with the New England Patriots had been extended a second interview, but passed on the position.

Brian Gaine, the Dolphins assistant general manager, and Lake Dawson, the Titans VP of player personnel were also on the short list of candidates for owner Stephen Ross.

Speculation was high yesterday that Caserio would be the choice, but he along with Dawson reportedly did not see their future in Miami.

Now the real job begins of finding talent to fill the roster for the Dolphins who finished 8-8 in the 2013 season.  A good start would be an offense that protects QB Ryan Tannehill who was sacked 58 times this past season.