Articles – Gaelic Gridiron

Football is Cancelled

American Football in Ireland has officially been cancelled for the rest of the year. It had been hoped that at the least the flag football season could be completed, but after being delayed several times due to Covid 19 it was finally called off late last week. Some teams were fortunate enough to play a few games before their season was cut short, while others waited in vain for their chance show off an extended offseason of hard work. After the adult kitted season and subsequently it’s junior counterpart were nixed earlier in the year, the flag football season was the last hope for competitive American football to be played on the island of Ireland this year. But it wasn’t to be and now teams will look towards 2021 for the return of football.

But will it even be feasible to have a season next year? The full contact season usually kicks off around late March and, in most cases, preseason training would already be in full swing by now for the upcoming season. Realistically there is no way that teams will be allowed to resume any kind of contact training this side of Christmas, leaving them with very little time to prepare. One option is to delay games until the middle of summer. It is hoped that by then we will be out the other side of this mess. Another option is to hold tournament style game days, similar to the flag football league format. Teams could play shortened games in a central location, minimising contact and travel risks. It’s not the best solution, but at least there would be football. And some football is better than no football.

In the meantime, teams from both codes need to stay sharp and focused. A long off season is about to get a whole lot longer and it can be easy to for players to lose their focus and motivation. Coaches will need to figure out how to keep their athletes engaged, and one way of doing so is by holding intra – squad scrimmages. Proper games tend to bring out the best in players and a little competitive football will go a long way to raise team spirits, while also keeping skills sharp! Alternatively, mixing things up by holding a training session on the beach or even holding a different kind of training session will help ensure that your team doesn’t get jaded during this unprecedented football outage.

At the end of the day, American football in Ireland is kind of like a big family and we all need to pull together. The sooner we get through these strange times, the quicker we can all get back to playing football.

Articles, college football, Football

Last Chance Review – Laney College

The final football instalment of Last Chance U arrived on our screens this week, and like any self-respecting football fan I dedicated my evenings to getting acquainted with the latest bunch of misfit players striving to get recruited into a big time college programme.

My expectations for this season were high, perhaps unrealistically so. You can see why Netflix have decided to progress the show onto a different sport – there was just no oomhph. No Fireworks.

Real talk: There was no Buddy Stephens. The show has never been able to recapture the emotional turmoil inflicted by watching the fiery tempered coach go off on his team in Season 1. Yes, it was extreme, but It was effective. And it made for excellent television. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Coach Beam. He seemed to genuinely care about his players, and really wanted to see them succeed. He definitely ranks above Jason “JB” Brown in the hierarchy of LCU coaches.

I liked this season, but I didn’t love it. And I think the reason being is that Last Chance U has deteriorated into a pseudo reality TV show. This affliction started in part 2 of Independence College; players were signing up to play football there with the sole goal of getting on TV and getting noticed. You can’t blame them for this – some Division One coaches (cough Lane Kiffin cough) are notorious for picking up players who feature. But this trend has undoubtedly contributed to the overall feeling of “shtick” I get from the show. The football players are playing up to the camera, and playing down any mistakes they might make. Cornerback Rezjohn White is a prime example of this. While he is unquestionably talented and ended up with scholarship offer to Oregon State, he gave up a couple of big plays and ultimately sat out a large part of the season.

There was one redeeming quality to this season, well technically two. Dior Walker-Scott and Nu’u Taugavau. Honestly these two were the only reason I connected to the show and stuck it out. I was really rooting for these boys to succeed and to make it. They overcame obstacles and adversity with grit and determination and I truly hope they do well at the next level. If you watched the show and weren’t quietly pulling for these two to get recruited then there’s something wrong with you inside.

(Honourable mention to another of the featured players, Wide Receiver RJ Stern. You can understand his frustration at not getting targeted with enough passes, but his constant whining began to grate after a while.)

Overall, it was a refreshing change of pace to get an insight into a substantially different program, in a vastly diverse environment. But having said that, I wouldn’t be in a rush back to Laney College.

Articles, Football

American Football Charity Tournament set for October

Teams representing North America, Europe & Australia will converge upon Chester Country Club on October 17^th this year, for the inaugural edition of the Schymder Cup. Players from different countries will come together and compete to raise funds for American Football mental health charity “Lifting the Lid”.

(Important Note: The players are primarily UK based, with some international players participating. Team Canada/USA/Australia were created to accommodate the number of players who signed up. These are not official international teams.)

The charity game is the brainchild of Razorbacks player and former Thundering Herd General Manager, Mike Ireland. Mike has had great success with charity matches in the past; previous iterations include the “East West Bowl” a “Comic Book Bowl” featuring Marvel vs DC and even a “Star Wars Bowl” with Team Jedi squaring off against Team Sith!

All funds raised will go to Lifting the Lid, who are doing amazing work in raising awareness around mental health in American football.

Since announcing the tournament Mike has received a huge response, with over 150 players and coaches expressing an interest in being involved in some shape or form: “It turns out if you take football away from people, then there’s any sniff of a game they’ll jump all over it!”

Given the lack of football on at the moment it’s really no wonder that players are snapping at the chance to strap on a helmet and pads! Such has been the uptake that Mike has had to turn people away and even convert a few to coaches in order to get them involved: “I felt bad though – I’ve had to turn a lot of people away, or some have done, convert them to being coaches! So we have the likes of Nicholas Jones, Glen Toonga and Sam Astley, all top level ballers standing on the sidelines shouting at the poor souls doing the running around on the pitch!”

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Showing up for Ireland in the Schmyder Cup is none other than Tosan Memuduaghan! The former South Dublin & UCD signal caller will be representing Team Canada (don’t ask us how lol) alongside former Panthers teammate Ben Arulogun. Rounding out the Irish contingent are Euan Maclean, Carl Rugen, Liam McNally , Paddy Hart, Eamon McManus, Jamie Somers and Chrisie McKee, all of the NI Razorbacks!

The game will be streaming live on the official Scmyder Cup Facebook page, and presumably there will be various other streams available to watch. Keep an eye out as well for the slick jerseys being sported by the players! The official kit provider is none other than Ridge Sports and we all know they make some nice gear. All in all it sounds like it’ll be a great day out, raising funds for a great cause!

Articles, flag football, Football

Why you should be playing Flag Football

A few years ago, if you’d suggested flag football to me, I would have laughed. I didn’t rate it at all. I was still playing kitted football and honestly never gave it a second thought. But then I was asked to coach the inaugural flag team of the club I was with at the time. And it gave me a whole new perspective.

Flag football is not just for the casual participant. In fact, playing flag can be of great benefit to kitted players and athletes of different codes alike.

First and foremost, are skills. The flag version of American football is played in tighter confines, which means your route running will have to be on point if you want to get separation. 90% of flag football plays are passes, giving players plenty of opportunities to refine their footwork, balance, and hand – eye coordination.

A huge secondary perk of playing flag football is the fitness. Whether you’re on offense or defense you’re going to be running a lot. Flat out sprinting every play. As we all know, high intensity exercise is hugely beneficial for cardio and fat burning. Playing flag will boost your physical fitness, your stamina and your speed. For QB’s , there won’t be as much running but the high tempo of the game will help enhance your mechanics.

For me, the biggest draw of flag football was the opportunity to continue to play competitively. Without the risk of getting seriously injured. Flag is (meant to be) non contact, and if you’re starting to feel the wear and tear of full contact, switching will definitely extend your playing career. Flag football is a hell of a lot safer than full contact!

The Irish flag football scene is coming on strong. There are currently 2 divisions & over 25 teams, and players of all genders and ability are welcome. So whether you’ve played for years or are looking to try a new sport now is definitely the time to get to get involved!

Articles, college football, Football

The 2020 College Football Game in Ireland has been cancelled.

Today it was announced that the College Football game between Navy and Notre Dame due to take place in Ireland on August 29th, has officially been cancelled.

There was much speculation in recent weeks that the game would still go ahead despite restrictions on mass public gatherings.

In a statement, Chet Gladchuck, Naval Academy Director of Athletics said: “We are obviously disappointed not to be travelling to Ireland this August, but, as expected, our priority must be ensuring the health and safety of all involved. I am expecting that we will still be able to play Notre Dame as our season opener, but there is still much to be determined by health officials and those that govern college football at large.”

The game is now slated to take place in Annapolis, the home city of the Naval Academy Midshipmen.

The college football game was due to set a new world record, with 40,000 Americans planning on travelling outside of the US for the game, the most to ever do so for a single sporting event.

The 5 Game Aer Lingus College Football Classic Series will now begin in 2021 when the Fighting Illini take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Articles, college football, Football

Opinion: The College Football Game in Ireland should go ahead.

On Friday evening, Leo Varadkar announced his plan for “reopening Ireland”. From May 18^th onwards, there will be the gradual relaxation of the harsh restrictons and the country will slowly return to normal. However, the mass ban on gatherings over 5,000 people still remains in place, until September at the earliest. With the college game here due to take place on August 29^th, 2 days before the ban is set to be lifted the fate of the fixture is still very much up in the air.

In a press release sent out early last week, game organisers stated that that they were working hard to ensure the multi million dollar/euro fixture could go ahead with all possible precautions in place.

And you know what, it should one hundred percent still go ahead.

There are so many benefits to this game being played as planned. Let’s for a minute forget the fact that it’s worth millions in tourism and will provide a massive boost the an Irish economy that has suffered deeply as a result of the pandemic. This game is something to look forward to. It’s something to dream about. It’s like a big shining beacon at the end of a very dark tunnel. It gives us a glimmer of hope that one day everything will go back to normal. Or as normal as possible. And its not just American football fans here that are looking forward to it either. Sporting enthusiasts of all codes have embraced our American visitors soon to be annual trip across the pond to play a game of gridiron in the Aviva.

And then there’s the aforementioned issue of money. College football boils down to cold hard cash, and this game is worth a lot of it. Do you really think the event organisers are going to refund all those juicy VIP Travel packages they were selling at $5,000 a pop? No chance. This game also worth several million in TV rights and viewership. There’s simply no way that the organisers, the Unversities and the NCAA ( who ultimately will make the final decision) walk away from that much profit. Even if the game is played elsewhere and not in Ireland, it won’t be anything of the gold mine it would be if it was played on these shores.

Now I hear what you’re all shouting at me through the screen – what about the 40 odd thousand Americans due to travel here for the occasion? America has been one of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic, and letting people travel does seem like a ridiculous idea. But what if those coming here for the game were tested before they were allowed leave the country? In other words, sure you can go to Ireland ,but you have to be tested for coronavirus first. If you get the all clear then you can go. This would be a massive undertaking and would pose a huge logistical challenge. But it’s doable. And by August, I’m hopeful we’ll have the infrastructure in place to have test results back in less than a day which would make this process a whole lot easier.

ESPN College GameDay to Dublin, Ireland in 2020 - YouTube

Even if we have to wear masks and gloves to the game, then so what? It’s better than nothing. If this game proceeds as planned it will be a major indicator that life as we know it is not lost forever. It will give us hope. And hope is what we need most right now.

Articles, Football

College Football Update

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic between the University of Notre Dame and the Naval Academy, set to take place on August 29th 2020 is likely to still go ahead according to reports.

In a press release earlier today, it was outlined that the recent ban on mass gatherings here does not apply to this game, and it can go ahead without a license.

However the Universities, the NCAA and the Event Organisers are all still working to ensure that public safety remains paramout and that the game can go ahead while making the health of both spectators and students a priority.

An announcement is expected in mid-June on the specifics of how the game will take place.

Stay tuned to Gaelic Gridiron for more details.

Articles, Football

The Sport Shortage

The GAA, The NBA, The Premier League, and now American Football Ireland. Competitive American football in Ireland is the latest organised sport to be cancelled or postponed as a result of the Covid 19 outbreak. The decision came on April 4^th with the proviso that if circumstances allowed, there would be a kitted tournament towards the end of the year. But for all intents and purposes, football as we know it will not be happening in Ireland in 2020. And while in the grand scheme of things this may seem relatively insignificant, it further highlights the importance and value of sport in our lives.

Sport isn’t a matter of life or death. It’s much more important than that. Sport unites us. It brings us together in pubs and in stadiums, on warm summer days and cold winter nights. As players and athletes, sport drives us to become better versions of ourselves. It demands sacrifices and dedication. But it often results in rewards for our hard work, on and off the field. As friends and family, sport forms communities and special bonds. People who mightn’t have that much in common or who wouldn’t normally be friends off the field are required to work together for a shared goal.

Sport is also a very important tool for maintaining positive mental health. Regular physical activity and exercise are proven to be beneficial for our mindset. Being out on a pitch chasing a ball around allows us to forget about our worries and our troubles. We’re focused on the game, and we’re too busy having a laugh with our mates to feel the weight of the world. We’re also able to subconsciously clear our heads of any noise. But in the time of Coronavirus, we have learned that sport is a luxury. A luxury that we could really do with having back to cope with the added stress and anxiety brought on by the great unknown we’re facing.

When all of this has passed and the NFL season is kicking off on time, we will never again take sport for granted. During this crisis it has become glaringly apparent just how much we rely on organised sporting events. Sport provides such an important personal and social function in our lives. It brings us together. It helps us to communicate and to grow. And it often defines us as people. So once Ireland’s “lockdown” is lifted, kick a ball around with your mates or throw a Frisbee. Swing a hurl or shoot some hoops. And hope that sport is never taken away from us again.

Articles, Football

Gaelic Gridiron’s Guide to Self Quarantine

Social Distancing is in full swing, and if you’re like us then you’re slowly running out of ways to keep yourself occupied. The absolute mayhem of NFL Free Agency has briefly disrupted the monotony and boredom, but with no end to self-isolation in sight we’re going to need some more solid options! Fortunately, there are many forms of American Football media that we can indulge in to stave off the boredom! We’ve compiled a list of the best ways that American Football can provide entertainment until the world goes back to normal.

Play Madden

Let’s face it, you’re not really an American football fan unless you’ve played Madden. In fact, some of us probably first discovered the sport by throwing virtual touchdown passes. I’ve personally spent hours taking my team all the way to the top, and that was before we were told to stay inside! Now that we’re actively being encouraged not to leave the house, there’s no better time to start career mode on Madden 20!

2. Watch old games on Game Pass

The NFL announced last week that they were making Game Pass free in order to raise fans spirits during these difficult times. There is some great quality content available on Game Pass including A Football Life, Peyton’s Places as well as an archive of your favorite teams’ games. In fact, NFL.com recently released a list of the best throwback games available to watch over on Game Pass. Game Pass has other cool features such as NFL Network, Coaches Film and much more. So, what are you waiting for?

3. Read American Football Books

Give your eyes a break from the increased screen time they’re probably experiencing and get reacquainted with a good old book. Over the years I’ve accumulated a number of really interesting reads on my favorite sport. In fact, my future man cave is going to have a full shelf dedicated to America’s Game. One of my personal favorites is “The Catch”. The Catch tells the story surrounding the great San Francisco 49ers Dynasty of the 1970’s and 1980’s, and of one of the greatest plays in NFL history. I’d also recommend “Tailgate to Heaven” which details one mans quest around the States to find the best Pre -game tailgate experience.

Now is the time for us as American Football fans to show solidarity and come together as a community. So if you have a favorite throwback game, book or other form of entertainment that you think others would enjoy then let us know. This too shall pass, and before we know if the NFL regular season will be kicking off again as if nothing ever happened!

Articles, Football

Brady has left the Building

It is the end of an Era. Tom Brady’s time with the New England Patriots has come to a close. The Quarterback made the announcement on social media earlier yesterday morning, putting an end to both the speculation and to the Patriots formidable dynasty. Personally, I had a feeling that he wouldn’t be returning to Foxboro. And now we know for sure. For the first time since I’ve started watching American football, Tommy 12 won’t be playing for the Patriots come September. And I honestly don’t know how I feel about that.

Tom Brady is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever touch a pigskin. He is also the greatest Quarterback to ever play the game. I might not particularly like the man, but God Dammit do I respect him. His departure from Boston marks a significant blow to the core tenets of the National Football League. The last vestiges of old school football are fading; blindside blocks, Tom Brady and soon enough the kick return.

We could all see that Brady was fading. His performance through the 2019 season and the Patriots failure to advance past the wildcard round of the playoffs made it abundantly clear that his age defying magic was beginning to wear off. But any scenario other than Tom Brady retiring as a Patriot was unthinkable. The Patriots without Tom Brady are like Queen without Freddie Mercury or the latest series of Star Wars movies. They might be alright to watch but they don’t work. It’s just not the same. Tom Brady has been a cornerstone of not only his team but the entire league, and this move signals that the writing is on the wall for the 42 year old signal caller. He’ll play a couple of more years, work on his tan in California or Florida and then ride off into the sun.

And while I’m dismayed by the landscape of the future of professional American football that this announcement heralds, I’m also quite relieved. If Tom Brady goes to Tampa Bay (and at the time of writing this is looking to be the likeliest outcome) then chances are he’ll never get another opportunity to torture the Defense of my Steelers. For too long, the aerial assault of Brady to Gronk down the seam or Brady to Edelman across the middle was simply too much to handle. I imagine that the rest of the teams in the AFC East are STILL celebrating the joyous news. Brady’s exodus opens the door for another team to claim the division championship title for the first time since 2009. With Brady gone, the smart money is on the Buffalo Bills to take over as Kings of the East, especially after the shock acquisition of Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings. But that’s another story for another time.

And what about fallout from the team he leaves behind? The only professional team he has ever known? Well, there doesn’t seem to be any. At least not publicly. Both Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick have shown nothing but love for their former QB. And why wouldn’t they? Brady’s move down the coast is essentially his retirement plan. He’ll play for 2 or 3 years and make millions of dollars. And it’s hard to begrudge him that. Love him or hate him, Tom Brady has provided us all with a whole lot of entertaining football over the years. And when he hangs it up, the NFL just won’t be the same.