I’d be hard-pressed to find two NFL teams that had different trajectories this season than the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys. They also happen to be my favorite teams. As Baltimore established itself as the best team in the NFL and unbelievably fun to watch, the Cowboys became the most excruciating. For every … Continue reading A Tale of Two Teams
I've seen a lot of great games as a sports fan. I picked my top ten favorites earlier this week in a column, and choosing those brought many smiles to my face. Today's ranking wasn't so cheerful of a chore. Today, I'm selecting the ten greatest games that I never saw. The catch -- they … Continue reading The Ten Greatest Games I Wish I Had Seen
A couple of Saturdays ago, I tuned in to one of the greatest rivalries in sports, the Iron Bowl, an annual battle between Auburn and Alabama (often for SEC supremacy). The game didn’t let me down, as each quarter was packed to the brim with exciting moments and breathtaking plays I’d never seen before … Continue reading The Ten Greatest Sports Games I’ve Ever Seen
In today’s column I discuss different perspectives I’ve encountered recently across different sports, from the spectator to the “hater” to the half-asleep flag football referee. Option 1: The Joys of Rooting Against Rivals Entering the league championship round of the MLB playoffs this month, three of the four teams remaining were my least favorite teams: … Continue reading Read Option: The Views from the Sideline
Hey guys! I’ve written a lot of series over the years, and their names have ranged the spectrum from cringy (Professor Sports) to clever (Varsity Letter) to fitting (Nostalgia Blast). Today, as I kick of the college era of Johnriker.com, I’m resurrecting one of my favorite formats/names, the Read Option. Quick history lesson -- my … Continue reading Read Option: On the ‘Cats, Cubs, Ravens and Cowboys
Before I head off to the next chapter of my life at Northwestern University, I want to take a trip back down memory lane with the Nostalgia Blast series. Each column will focus on a certain part of my childhood and explain how it made my last 17 years so unique and fun. Kicking things … Continue reading Nostalgia Blast: Number One Fan
Picking a Super Bowl champ at the start of each season is a very inexact science. Over the past 10 predictions I have done, only one time did I pick the correct champion, and that was my own 2012 Baltimore Ravens. There are chalk ones, like correctly predicting the Seahawks-Patriots in 2014, and outside-the-box ones … Continue reading Why the Los Angeles Rams Will Win Super Bowl LIV
One of my annual traditions is to pick every game of the NFL schedule and make predictions from Week 1 all the way to the Super Bowl. I did that last Saturday for two hours, and then the news of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck's retirement sent shock waves through the sports universe (and destroyed my … Continue reading 2019 NFL Preview: Best- and Worst- Case Scenarios for All 32 Teams
Back in elementary school, I frequently read a book about the Baltimore Ravens and one line always stood out. In discussing Baltimore’s tradition of stifling defenses, it described the Ravens’ unit as something to the effect of “tougher a brick wall” and “stingier than cobwebs.” I saw those imposing Ravens defenses for four glorious years … Continue reading Ed Reed: Pick-six king enshrined in Canton
Set the Browns aside, and the NFL team that has captured the most media attention this offseason has been, as usual, my Dallas Cowboys. 2019 figures to be a pivotal season for the Boys, with arguably the most talented team since the dynasty of the 1990s, but success is far from guaranteed. Already, star running … Continue reading State of the Franchise: Dallas Cowboys
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