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Football Connect is Now Available for iOS Devices

TP Newswire — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:20:22 +0000

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South Florida, U.S.A. — Football Connect, is now available with its 2012-2013 version for iOS devices. In Football Connect 2012-2013, players use their iOS devices to access a unique board with tiles made up of NFL players and game events.

Each game’s goal is to line up tiles based on in-game player and team NFL events, adding an entirely new level of gameplay and game participation. Fans can play along with live NFL games to predict events that will happen and compete to get tiles in a row.

“Given the huge popularity of professional football and the widespread use of tablets and smartphones in front of the TV, Football Connect adds a layer of competition and entertainment during NFL games,” said Daren Trousdell, founder and CEO of OneUp Games. “Football Connect gives fans a rewarding and unique approach to the game, allowing them to socialize with others and take their sports on the go.”

OneUp Games newest app continues to provide fans with a fresh way to interact with their game of choice. Football delivers casual live-play games that enhance the user experience.

Key features include:

Matching Players and Events – Think your favorite QB is about to get sacked? Line up players with actions as the game progresses and get points based on how well you predict the game.
Live Information – Player boards are kept up-to-date with live information based on actual game events.
Gamecast – Not near a TV for the game? Doesn’t matter. Every yard counts on the gridiron, and with a live gamecast built into the app, players will never be far from the huddle with up-to-date information on the current drive.
Enhance Your Board – If you’re unhappy with your current tiles, use tokens earned through gameplay to add power ups and weapons, which will give you the edge over your competition.

Football Connect is now available for free in the iTunes store for iOS devices with optional in-game purchases. For more information, please visit http://www.1up.me.

About OneUp Games

Established in 2011, OneUp Games enhances TV sports watching, using the power of mobile and social platforms to bring teams, fans and friends together. OneUp Games use of the second screen compliments live sporting events, through interactive games and conversation. Realizing a missing link in the world of social TV between fan and sport, OneUp Games created Football Connect, a first-of-its-kind mobile app connecting sports fans to the live event through a bingo-type game.

Image Courtesy of San Diego Shooter

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2012 NFL Dream Team; Defense

Alex Shaw — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:15:54 +0000

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The growth in the passing game in the NFL last season not only had serious consequences on the offensive side of the ball, but also the defensive. The proliferation of the passing game resulted in pass rushers continuing to improve their value, whilst elite cornerbacks became a highly prized commodity.

Here is a position-by-position analysis of the best players in their positions last season.

Nose Tackle

Vince Wilfork – New England Patriots

Wilfork anchored a fairly inconsistent defensive line in New England but managed to shine, playing all 16 games of the regular season and collecting two interceptions in the process. His ability to bully offensive lineman may have not been recorded in the statistics, but it certainly flushed quarterbacks out of the pocket and into more vulnerable situations.

Honorable Mentions – Ndamukong Suh (Detroit Lions) Tommy Kelly (Oakland Raiders) Geno Atkins (Cincinnati Bengals).

Defensive End

Jason Pierre-Paul – New York Giants

Although Pierre-Paul does not look as good as Jared Allen when you look at sacks registered (although his 16.5 sacks is quite an achievement!), his tackle count is significantly higher, and was one of the driving forces behind the Giants late playoff push and eventual Superbowl victory. What makes his accomplishments even more impressive is the fact he is only 23, and the prospect of how good he could become over the next few years should be enough to frighten quarterbacks throughout the league.

Honorable Mentions – Jared Allen (Minnesota Vikings) Haloti Ngata (Baltimore Ravens) Jason Babin (Philadelphia Eagles).

Outside Linebacker

Terrell Suggs – Baltimore Ravens

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year could not be excluded from this list. Suggs had to deal with being double teamed for a lot of the season, largely due to the fact Jarrett Johnson was the Ravens’ other linebacker, and was used almost solely to prevent the run, allowing defenses to double up on Suggs. Despite this extra pressure, Suggs still recorded 14 sacks as well as 70 combined tackles, an inspiring feat for an outside linebacker deployed primarily to rush the passer.

Honorable Mentions – Von Miller (Denver Broncos) DeMarcus Ware (Dallas Cowboys) Tamba Hali (Kansas City Chiefs).

Inside Linebacker

Patrick Willis – San Francisco 49ers

Willis arguably owes a lot to fellow inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman for his appearance here. Bowman’s huge number of tackles allowed to Willis to stay back in coverage more often, a move which saw Willis make 13 pass deflections as he helped his side to the NFC Championship game. He was also a force in contact, forcing four fumbles in the regular season as well as making an earnest 97 combined tackles.

Honorable Mentions – NaVorro Bowman (San Francisco) Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) London Fletcher (Washington Redskins).

Cornerback

Charles Woodson – Green Bay Packers

Sometimes numbers just don’t lie, and that is certainly the case with Woodson. He had a league-high seven interceptions, as well 24 pass deflections and 74 combined tackles. These numbers are even more impressive given that Green Bay’s pass rush last season was anything but impressive, yet Woodson still seemed to be in the minds of opposing quarterbacks, and was one of the shining lights on a fairly poor Packers defense.

Honorable Mentions – Johnathan Joseph (Houston Texans) Darrelle Revis (New York Jets) Ladarius Webb (Baltimore Ravens).

Safety

Kam Chancellor – Seattle Seahawks

Chancellor did not put a foot wrong all season, and the Seahawks were extremely grateful for it. This was a breakout season for Chancellor who grabbed four interceptions, 17 pass deflections and two forced fumbles. The hard hitting safety also made 97 combined tackles, a feat only bettered by Morgan Burnett of Green Bay.

Honorable Mentions – Ed Reed (Baltimore Ravens) Eric Weddle (San Diego Chargers) Dashon Goldson (San Francisco 49ers).

Image Courtesy of elviskennedy

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2012 NFL Dream Team; Offense

Alex Shaw — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:57:50 +0000

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The 2011 NFL season was one to remember for many reasons. Now dubbed the ‘year of the quarterback’ with passing records being broken on multiple fronts, the improvement in the passing game culminated in a higher desire for athletic and versatile tight ends, whilst slot receivers continued to grow in value, as did receivers with speed enough to stretch the field.

With the 2012 NFL Draft over and done with, fans excitement for the upcoming season is rapidly growing so we have made a list of players who set the standards for their positions last season, and whose performances players this year will be trying to better.

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers

Although there was some stiff competition at this spot, it is impossible not to name a man who was crowned NFL MVP for the season. He may have had the NFL’s best offense around him, but his statistics speak for themselves. He had a quarterback rating of 122.5, the highest in the league, whilst passing for 45 touchdowns and giving up just six interceptions. The fact his offensive line allowed him to be sacked 36 times, more than both Tom Brady and Drew Brees, makes his feats even more impressive and a worthy MVP selection.

Honorable Mentions – Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) Tom Brady (New England Patriots) Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions).

Running Back

Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars

Jones-Drew was the only player to rush for more than 100-yards a game on average last season, and whilst propelling his case for being the best running back in the NFL last season, highlights their declining importance in what has quickly become a passing league. His case is helped by the fact he was arguably Jacksonville’s only real offensive weapon and saw more of the ball then any other running back in the league.

Honorable Mentions – Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) Arian Foster (Houston Texans) LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles).

Fullback

Vonta Leach – Baltimore Ravens

Already one of the league’s top fullbacks when he joined the Ravens, Leach went on to have a stellar season up in Baltimore and earn the title of best fullback in the NFL. His powerful and astute blocking helped Ray Rice to a career-best season whilst also providing a limited target for quarterback Joe Flacco.

Honorable Mentions – Greg Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars) Marcell Reece (Oakland Raiders) Jed Collins (New Orleans Saints).

Wide Receiver

Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions

Similar to Jones-Drew, Johnson was the only receiver to average over 100-yards a game, and also had over 100 more receiving yards than his closest rival, Wes Welker, despite having significantly less receptions. Known as ‘Megatron’, Johnson is a huge threat down the field due to his height, speed, jumping ability and reach, and managed to finish the season with 16 touchdowns, more than any other wide receiver, despite having to put up with double coverage for much of the season.

Honorable Mentions – Wes Welker (New England Patriots) Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) Victor Cruz (New York Giants).

Tight End

Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots

The term ‘breakout season’ was surely created to describe Gronkowski’s second season in New England. The University of Arizona product broke NFL records for most receiving touchdowns (17), most total touchdowns (18) and most receiving yards (1,327) by a tight end. With help from positional colleague Aaron Hernandez, and the pinpoint arm of Tom Brady, Gronkowski has spearheaded the current crop of athletic and versatile tight ends currently playing in the NFL and should do for many more years to come.

Honorable Mentions – Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys).

Tackle

Joe Thomas – Cleveland Browns

If you took a poll of all NFL coaches and asked them for one player they would want to build their offensive line around, you would get a very limited range of answers, and Thomas’s name would be repeated a lot. He is arguably the Browns greatest reason for optimism in the coming seasons as should they manage to find a franchise quarterback, they can rest assured that his blindside is well protected.

Honorable Mentions – Jake Long (Miami Dolphins) Tyrone Smith (Dallas Cowboys) Jason Peters (Philadelphia Eagles).

Guard

Marshal Yanda – Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens’ guard has long been underrated, and generally considered to not be quite at the level of the likes of Carl Nicks, Steve Hutchinson and former teammate Ben Grubbs. That was until last season. Yanda was equally impressive in both pass protection and run blocking, and his parity in these two skills are what earns him the pick over some of his contemporaries.

Honorable Mentions – Carl Nicks (formerly New Orleans Saints, now Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Steven Hutchinson (Minnesota Vikings) Josh Sitton (Green Bay Packers).

Center

Ryan Kalil – Carolina Panthers

Realising that Kalil will be a contentious decision given that he is not considered as ‘elite’ a center as some other centers in the league, but his play last season, with a rookie quarterback in Cam Newton, deserves some serious recognition. Other top players at the position such as Scott Wells and Chris Myers have the added security of being surrounded by a top quality offensive line, a luxury which Kalil does not enjoy in Carolina.

Honorable Mentions – Scott Wells (Green Bay Packers) Chris Myers (Houston Texans) Nick Mangold (New York Jets).

Image Courtesy of elviskennedy

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NFL in Historic Numbers: First Quarter Review

Greg Gilley — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:00:37 +0000

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The NFL season is a quarter of the way through after four weeks and what a start we have witnessed. Despite the lockout and no training camps, teams have not missed a beat. The offensives have put up historic numbers, setting NFL records in passing yards for a single week by week one and breaking that record in week two.

Also for the first time in history, in weeks two and four, there were no divisional games. The league protected itself just in case of a lockout. Now bye weeks come into play, where teams will be giving off selected weeks from week five to eleven. Here is how the teams stack up through four weeks:

The Real Deal

Packers: The defending Super Bowl champions have showed no signs of slowing down. There is no Super Bowl hangover as they have gotten out the gates to a 4-0 start. They are healthy and Aaron Rodgers might even be better than last year.

Lions: A popular preseason pick to make the playoffs is showing why they were. They are 4-0 after winning 3 of 4 games on the road and coming back from at least 20 points down in two of them. Matthew Stafford is finally healthy and Calvin Johnson is making an early case for MVP.

Titans: A surprise team but definitely legitimate. The signing of Matt Hasselback seems to be genius as he’s throwing the ball all over the lot. They lost WR Kenny Britt for the year but Chris Johnson is starting to get his legs under him and the defense is solid. They will contend.

49ers: New coach Jim Harbaugh has his team off to a 3-1 start and could even be 4-0 if it weren’t for late game heroics from Tony Romo. San Francisco is one of the top teams in stopping the run. They stand first in a weak division and we’ll see if they can keep their play up.

No Surprise

Patriots: Tom Brady leads his team to a 3-1 start with one bump at Buffalo. Other than that he’s been terrific. The defense has been bad and needs improvement if they want to win it all.

Saints: After losing the first game of the season, the Saints have won three in a row. They came into the season thinking they had an improved defense but that has yet to be seen.

Chargers: San Diego has gotten off to a rare fast September start. That’s really been there only problem in past seasons. They stand at 3-1 and atop their division but have company as they will compete with a tough Raiders team.

Ravens: Baltimore started the season off with a thunderous blowout win against the Steelers. The defense looks solid and passing game is improved with speed threats Lee Evans and Torrey Smith.

Buccaneers: Tampa Bay was a team that went 10-6 and just missed the playoffs last season. They had high expectations coming into this season and have not disappointed and are tied with the Saints for the division lead.

.500 Club

Cowboys: Dallas has been hit with injuries, played close games and has had up and down play from Tony Romo. A perfect recipe to be 2-2. They get Austin back after the bye week and look to take off against bad defenses.

Raiders: Lead by Darren McFadden, Oakland has looked good despite a 2-2 record. They have great lines on both sides of the ball and with that they can compete with anyone in the league.

Bengals: Rookie Andy Dalton has been solid and has shown no affects of playing without training camps. Bengals defense has been tops in the league against the run and off to a great start.

Browns: The time is now for Colt McCoy and the Browns to take advantage of a not so good Steelers team and average division. They head into a bye and look to get back to work week six.

Overachievers:

Bills: Their offense has been one of the best in the league while the defense hasn’t caught up. Although it has been a nice 3-1 start, their remaining schedule is going to be a challenge.

Giants: A team that was bombarded with injuries even before the season began has played through it to go 3-1. With wins against the Rams, Cardinals and Eagles they still have to prove how good they really are. Eli has played well and carried his team through the first part of this season.

Texans: The defense is improved with Wade Phillips as defensive Coordinator but is not all the way their yet as proof of the 40 points that Drew Brees and the Saints scored on them. They are winning big games but fighting through injuries. Foster is back but Andre Johnson could miss some time.

Redskins: Nobody expected the Redskins to lead the division- except Rex Grossman of course. He said they would win the division and he is starting to make believers out of all of us.

Panthers: Besides their 1-3 record, Carolina is overachieving. Mainly Cam Newton, as he is shocking everybody by showing just how good he is. He’s keeping his team in every game, including a game against the Packers.

Underachievers:

Eagles: The “Dream Team” has quickly become a nightmare after three straight losses and they have glaring holes. The defensive is getting gashed, especially against the run. The O-line is big trouble and Michael Vick won’t last all season at this pace.

Steelers: Another team with offensive line issues, signing players off the street to fill in. The once great defensive has quickly gotten old. They are far from their Super Bowl days.

Jets: McFadden’s performance in Oakland hurt the Jets statically. They are still one of the top defenses. Their trouble the last couple weeks have started with their lack of run game. That picks back up when they get back Pro Bowl C Nick Mangold.

Falcons: Three of their first four games have started on the road and that is the start of their problem. Atlanta is still 2-2. The next two games at home and the next seven in a dome.

Bears: They need to find a way to keep Cutler upright or they can’t be successful in this division

Andrew Luck Sweepstakes

Vikings: Whether it’s now or at the draft there is going to be a quarterback change in Minnesota. They have Christian Ponder waiting to get the call, it might be time.

Colts: Indianapolis is showing just how important Peyton Manning really is. They could end up drafting Andrew Luck and having him sit until Peyton passes the torch.

Chiefs: They lost Jamal Charles and S Eric Berry for the season. They are having trouble scoring and Matt Cassel is not the answer. They’ll be looking for Luck.

Dolphins: They are in a tough spot at 0-4. Miami sits in a division with the Patriots, surprising Bills and the Jets. It doesn’t get easier from here.

Seahawks: Seattle trades for Tavaris Jackson and don’t resign Hasselback. They wish they had that move back. Hasn’t been good thus far.

Rebuilding

Jaguars: Jacksonville cut Garrard before week one. They bench Luke McGown halfway through the Jets game. Now they are being lead by their future Blaine Gabbert. Looks promising but it’s going to take some time.

Cardinals: Arizona makes a trade to get Kolb from the Eagles after the lockout. They got the guy they wanted and in a winnable division but are off to a slow start.

Rams: St. Louis has taken a huge step back. They have been hurt by injuries but they were supposed to compete for a division and stand winless.

Broncos: Fans are screaming for Tim Tebow. The time may come very soon because Denver is going nowhere fast.

Ken Durden / Shutterstock.com

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