NFL to make history with ‘tweetcast’
BROADCAST: Jets, Bills will sport Color Rush jerseys when social media site streams Thursday night clash
Never been on Twitter? If you’re an NFL fan and aren’t going to be near a TV tonight, you might want to finally try it out.
Starting with the New York Jets at Buffalo Bills this week, the next 10 Thursday Night Football telecasts also will be ‘tweetcasted.’
That is, the root TV feed from either CBS (this week) or NBC can be watched live, for free, on Twitter.
Simply go online to tnf.twitter. com, or download the Twitter app and watch on the Moments tab.
But just so you don’t think the colour on your mobile phone, tablet, PC or connected TV has gone all bat-vivid crazy, know that NFL teams on Thursday nights again this year will be wearing those Nike Color Rush uniforms: a bright, single-coloured, alternate-coloured, head-to-toe, one-time look.
Forty years ago if they’d worn such dumb gear, you’d have taken one gander at your family’s first colour TV, then yelled at your little brother for turning up the tint and colour knobs to full blast again.
Unshockingly, fans can buy their team’s Color Rush jerseys.
Now, before you get too cynical about the project, know that the league says 100 per cent of the proceeds of Color Rush gear sales go directly to the NFL Foundation, “to fund healthy, safety and wellness programs for youth” across America.
And the first US$500,000 raised will replace youth and high school football equipment and fields ruined in last month’s Louisiana floods.
Unhealthy Bills
The Bills are going to have to hope their fans create an intimidating atmosphere to help propel them to a victory against the Jets. Buffalo on Wednesday listed starting left tackle Cordy Glenn as out, with an ankle injury.
Glenn missed all of the second half in the Bills’ season-opening 13-7 loss at Baltimore, a half in which Buffalo’s offence behind an overwhelmed Tyrod Taylor gained just 72 total yards, converted zero first downs and scored zero points.
What’s more, among six players listed as questionable were Buffalo’s only dangerous wideout, Sammy Watkins (foot injury), plus starting tight end Charles Clay (knee injury) and backup tight end Jim Dray (ankle injury).
“Really, with all those guys, see how they progress,” Bills head coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday. “It is a quick turnaround, but we’ll monitor it.”
The Jets’ front seven is even better than Baltimore’s, maybe considerably so.
“It’s hard to imagine anybody better than that group,” Ryan said of the Jets.
Buffalo fans better hope the team’s patchwork defence (which misses its best player, tackle Marcell Dareus, for the second of four games due to a substance-abuse suspension) proves even more stingy than it was in limiting Joe Flacco and the Ravens to one touchdown and a pair of field goals.
$100m from NFL
The league and its owners on Wednesday announced renewed efforts to “drive progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of head injuries, enhance medical protocols and further improve the way the game is taught and played.”
The NFL underscored that this includes allocating $100 million for “independent medical research and engineering advancements,” on top of its previous $100-million commitment to medical and neuroscience research.
The most important take-away from Wednesday’s announcement isn’t so much the new funding, but rather where it is intended to go. The league would go a long way toward winning over its sharpest critics if, indeed, it begins funding important studies conducted by truly independent medical researchers.
Chief concern
Starting Kansas City right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of MontSaint-Hilaire, Que., has a high ankle sprain, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday.
“We’ll just have to see how exactly bad it is. He’s feeling a lot better than he did yesterday.”
High ankle sprains can linger and sideline a player for weeks.
In his second year of starting, Duvernay-Tardif played so well in KC’s 33-27 overtime defeat of San Diego that USA Today on Monday designated him the NFL’s “underappreciated player of the week.”
Quarterback updates
Seattle’s Russell Wilson was cleared to practise Wednesday, head coach Pete Carroll said. He suffered what appeared to be a nasty ankle sprain Sunday against Miami.
“His attitude is as charged up as you can imagine. As always, he’s excited to prove that he can make this back and (start at L.A. on Sunday). He’s half crazy about proving it.”
Sam Bradford reportedly took all the first-team reps for Minnesota on Wednesday. If true, he’s almost certain to start over Shaun Hill in Sunday night’s big NFC North game against Green Bay. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said reporters won’t claw the answer out of him, one way or the other.
Extra points
Reports said the NFL has fined two Denver Broncos players for overthe-line hits on Carolina QB Cam Newton last Thursday night: Safety Darian Stewart ($18,231, according to ESPN) and linebacker Brandon Marshall ($24,309, according to the Denver Post) … Newton seems tired of people asking about whether he thinks officials don’t protect him as they do other star QBs. “My job is to win football games,” he said. “My job is not to lobby for my health.” … Rookie DE Joey Bosa (hamstring) still isn’t practising for San Diego, and still hasn’t even practised in pads yet after signing his rookie deal Aug. 29. As such, he’s again unlikely to make his NFL debut this week.