The NFL’s One Hit Wonders: Single Season & Super Bowl Outliers…With Songs To Match

Christian Okoye

[Editor's note: This was originally posted back in January, but it got lost in the Super Bowl shuffle. Keith did a great job on it though, so we're cycling it back to the front of the site for those of you who missed it.]

You know how sometimes when you hear a one-hit wonder song on the radio or on the jukebox at a bar, it makes you think of a certain time in your life and all of the memories of that time come flooding back?

For some reason, those songs resonate.  They are the songs that everyone knows the words to, even if they are embarrassed to admit it.  The best one-hit wonders activate that mental and emotional time machine in a person.

Sports do the same thing for me.  I tie events in my life to notable sports players and seasons.

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Audi Super Bowl 46 Commercial – ‘Vampire Party’ Video and Grade

Next up in tonight’s series of Super Bowl commercial reviews is Audi and their “Vampire Party” spot that ran during the 1st quarter.

Audi isn’t known for their commercials, but I have a feeling this one will get some run over the next few weeks.

Here’s the clip:
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Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees and Snubs: Curtis Martin, Doleman, Roaf In; Cris Carter, Bettis, Brown, Parcells Out

Cris Carter Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees and snubs

The Pro Football Hall of Fame committee last night announced the six players headed to Canton this summer.

Pittsburgh native Curtis Martin, the NFL’s fourth all-time leading rusher, got the nod in his second year of eligibility.

Joining him are Seahawks defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, Steelers center Dermontti Dawson, offensive tackle Willie Roaf (Saints and Chiefs), and defensive end and linebacker Chris Doleman (Vikings, Falcons, and 49ers). The senior committee elected Steelers defensive back Jack Butler.

Learn more about each of these players’ many accomplishments below. But first, a few words and a poll about some notable snubs.

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Buffalo Bills ‘Ultimate Franchise Player’ Selection

jim-kelly

This is the fourth post in Kurt’s epic quest to identify the NFL’s Ultimate Franchise Player. For an explanation of his methodology for choosing each franchise’s ultimate franchise player, and then how you and he will choose the NFL’s Ultimate Franchise Player from that list, click here.

To see all the category page for this series, of which there will be one for every franchise, click here.

Previous selections: ARI | ATL | BAL

We had gone to the birds in our first three installments of MSF’s Ultimate Franchise Player series, first anointing Mr. Cardinal, then Mr. Falcon and finally Mr. Raven.

Today, Midwest Sports Fans turns it up a few notches and proudly proclaims…

Mr. Bill

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The Media May Ignore NHL Now But That Will Change

Super Kane

The NHL kicked off its second half this Monday, though you would probably never have noticed because of all the Super Bowl coverage and the non-surprising (but still appalling) lack of NHL coverage on Sportscenter.

Amidst the greatness of the MLB playoffs, the ending of the NBA lockout, the NFL season, college basketball and now the Super Bowl, the NHL has been wrongly overlooked this season, a season that is, arguably, one of the best since the lockout year in 2004. [Read more...]

Super Bowl Party Tips: 10 Must-Haves For Your Super Bowl Soiree

super-bowl-party-tips

In light of the upcoming Super bowl, there are probably a million and one things going through your head. For instance, things like “I can’t believe the Patriots are in” or “The halftime show is going to suck too, so I’m not sure if I should even watch.”

Even if this year’s Super Bowl matchup isn’t as exciting to you as Super Bowls in year’s past, there is still something to look forward to–the party.

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Puppy Bowl 2012 Preview: What to Look For, Potential MVPs, and Prediction

puppy-bowl_20110203071230_320_240

In the midst of all the chaos in the real world, Animal Planet is giving us a chance to sit down, relax, and enjoy the 2012 Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday.

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Introducing MSF’s Search For The NFL’s Ultimate Franchise Player

jerry_rice_interview

I am excited to announce that I am about to embark on one of the more exciting projects I have personally done as a writer, a project that hopefully will go down as one of the most interesting features ever to be published here at Midwest Sports Fans.

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Jay Cutler Dominates: Listen up, Packers Fans. It’s not going to be all right. Jay Cutler won’t allow it.

Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler

Earlier in the week, fellow MSF writers and diehard Green Bay Packer fans, Amanda Lawson and Chris Calloway wrote an article to abate any sad feelings Packer fans might have had over their embarrassing loss to the New York Giants last weekend.

In the article they tried to pull the ever-so-cliche stunt of trying to look at the positives. It’s the oldest trick in the fanbook. Did your team not win the Super Bowl or not make the playoffs? That’s ok because “There’s always next year” or “Hey, Aaron Rodgers had a great season, so I call the season a success,” or, my personal favorite, “We have a lot of young talent coming in, so I see this team competing for years to come.”

All those statements are signs of repressed acceptance that your favorite team sucks.

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The Business of Football [Infographic]

business-of-football

Here is an infographic that Darren Rovell will appreciate.

With the conference championship games on tap this week, followed by the greatest American sporting spectacle of them all after that, it seems like a good time to take a break from making business WordPress themes and get a quick refresher on the business of football.

There sure is a lot of money being simultaneously generated and spent, by the leagues, teams, and fans alike, a fact that should have been driven home during the lockout.

How much? This much:

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What If Tim Tebow Were a Muslim (Or Jew, Or Buddhist…)?

john_316_01

What if Tim Tebow were a Muslin or Buddhist or Jew? Would he be getting the support and love he is receiving now from the sports world?

As a devout Christian, Tebow has raised many eyebrows inside and outside the sports world.

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NFL Breakout Players of 2011, Plus Potential 2012 Breakouts

Royster and Helu could give Washington the running game to compete in the NFC East next season.

There are a number of different ways that an NFL player can become an impact player for his team. Many are acquired through the draft and thrust into a starting role, while some may need to work their way through the depth chart, only seeing the field when a hole opens via trade or injury. Some just flat out show their abilities and leave the coaches no choice but to keep putting them out on the field.

The 2011 season provided great examples for all these scenarios: rookies playing phenomenally from the get go, players making “the jump” in their second or third year, and seasoned veterans finally breaking through. [Read more...]

Some Smart NFL Team Should Hire Marty Schottenheimer, The Most Underappreciated NFL Coach of All-Time

marty-schottenheimer

This post is going to be relatively quick, because the point is an easy one to make.

It boils down to this:

Some smart NFL franchise that values winning and player development should hire Marty Schottenheimer, who is one of the most underrated coaches, in any sport, of my lifetime.

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Jay Cutler Dominates: Despite Absence, Jay Cutler’s Dominance Lives On In Generosity, Eloquence, and Shredded Muscles

jay-cutler-dominates

I have been documenting and showcasing Jay Cutler’s dominance for four months now, but the dominance has long preceded just the last four months.

Cutler’s whole NFL career is pure dominance, whether it be the baby-face looks on the sideline, the shining moments when Cutler throws it to the other team, or the carefully placed hand-offs to the running back…Cutler has and does it all.

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The 28 Funniest Gatorade Baths of All-Time

rick-stockstill-gatorade-bath

Update: Thanks to Twitter, this post caught the attention of Gatorade president Sarah Robb O’Hagan (@SarahRobbOh). She enjoyed our rundown of the funniest Gatorade baths ever, and she also sent me the wall mural from Gatorade’s headquarters with some of their favorite Gatorade baths of all-time. It’s very cool. You’ll see it at the end of the post.

The Gatorade bath is a tradition like few others in sports.

After most monumental wins in football – specifically Super Bowls, national championship games, especially important and/or meaningful bowl games, or season-ending victories over hated rivals – such a celebration can be expected. The tradition began with the New York Giants in the mid-1980s and continues into today with no signs of slowing down.

While the sentimental among us enjoy the Gatorade bath because it symbolizes the triumph of a team of men on the field of athletic battle and the ultimate moment of shared jubilation and respect between coach and player, I enjoy Gatorade baths for a far different reason.

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