Sports general discussion thread

[Zloth]

I just remembered we have a soccer team now in Knoxville. Not a top league team, of course. I think it's 3rd tier. But they must be doing well because they are building a new soccer stadium for them.

KC got one, too. Highlights from the first game:

View: https://youtu.be/S9KgGfttU8U?si=tzsAGbYf0LZOONxq

 

[ZedClampet]

KC got one, too. Highlights from the first game:

View: https://youtu.be/S9KgGfttU8U?si=tzsAGbYf0LZOONxq

Here's some highlights from Knoxville's latest game. Apparently they are in first place.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8-BOAG13xY

 

[Zloth]

Current can beat'm.

 

[Brian Boru]

Louis Rees-Zammit, a fine Welsh rugby player, is joining the NFL International Player Pathway Program

@Zloth you take care of the cousin, ya hear?

Louis Rees-Zammit: Former Wales rugby union wing joins Kansas City Chiefs

Former Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit joins back-to-back Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs.

www.bbc.com

"in the short term he may have a greater chance of being utilised as a kick returner"
I could see him do well in that role, more so than as wide receiver.

I didn't realize there were a bunch of Gaelic footballers also on the IPP, I thought the gap between amateur and pro would be too wide:

Charlie Smyth: Gaelic footballer gets NFL deal with New Orleans Saints

Down GAA goalkeeper Charlie Smyth has signed for the NFL's New Orleans Saints as he takes another step towards fulfilling his American football dream.

www.bbc.com

"joins the Saints as a kicker"
Now that's unusual for a goalkeeper, I would expect Gaelic kickers to be vying for such a role, rather than players from other positions.

Looks like they were all aiming at a kicking role. I guess the deficit in years of pro body conditioning would be smallest in that role.

 

[ZedClampet]

@Zloth you take care of the cousin, ya hear?

Louis Rees-Zammit: Former Wales rugby union wing joins Kansas City Chiefs

Former Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit joins back-to-back Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs.

www.bbc.com

"in the short term he may have a greater chance of being utilised as a kick returner"
I could see him do well in that role, more so than as wide receiver.

I didn't realize there were a bunch of Gaelic footballers also on the IPP, I thought the gap between amateur and pro would be too wide:

Charlie Smyth: Gaelic footballer gets NFL deal with New Orleans Saints

Down GAA goalkeeper Charlie Smyth has signed for the NFL's New Orleans Saints as he takes another step towards fulfilling his American football dream.

www.bbc.com

"joins the Saints as a kicker"
Now that's unusual for a goalkeeper, I would expect Gaelic kickers to be vying for such a role, rather than players from other positions.

Looks like they were all aiming at a kicking role. I guess the deficit in years of pro body conditioning would be smallest in that role.

From my non-soccer perspective, the goalkeepers would be a perfect fit for kicker because of the goal kicks they do frequently throughout a game.

The new NFL rules regarding IPP players that is going into effect now should help them out a lot. Each team can have one extra practice roster spot that can only be filled by an IPP. So if they don't make the opening day roster, there should be a spot reserved just for them so they can spend the season on the practice roster. Also, teams can now temporarily call those people up 3 times a year without it counting towards their roster counts. Didn't @Zloth complain about Kansas City's wide receivers this year? Maybe Rees-Zammit is going into the perfect spot.

****

Tennessee Vols have made the NCAA Elite 8 for only the second time in school history. We play #1 seed Purdue and their 7'4 goon on Sunday afternoon.

 

[Zloth]

Yeah, we went through a lot of wide receivers last year. What's an IPP player??

The kickoffs are going to be VERY different next year! We should get far more returns now, so there will be something for this Welshman to do.

P.S. Yes, the coming up season that starts in August is next year. The previous season, which ended in February, is last year. We are currently in an un-time between seasons.

 

[ZedClampet]

Yeah, we went through a lot of wide receivers last year. What's an IPP player??

The kickoffs are going to be VERY different next year! We should get far more returns now, so there will be something for this Welshman to do.

P.S. Yes, the coming up season that starts in August is next year. The previous season, which ended in February, is last year. We are currently in an un-time between seasons.

IPP players are foreign atletes who go through that NFL boot camp thing in the UK hoping to make a team.

 

[Brian Boru]

NFL boot camp thing in the UK

In Florida this year.

International Player Pathway Program

kicker

I assumed this was only the guy who tries for the 3 or 1 point between-the-posts kick, and that the guy who kicks downfield on 4th down was known as the punter. I assume kicker actually includes what I thought was punter, so yeah, it could work for a Gaelic football goalkeeper I guess. Fyi Gaelic isn't remotely like soccer, all the players in Gaelic are accomplished long-distance from-the-hand kickers.

 

[ZedClampet]

In Florida this year.

International Player Pathway Program



I assumed this was only the guy who tries for the 3 or 1 point between-the-posts kick, and that the guy who kicks downfield on 4th down was known as the punter. I assume kicker actually includes what I thought was punter, so yeah, it could work for a Gaelic football goalkeeper I guess. Fyi Gaelic isn't remotely like soccer, all the players in Gaelic are accomplished long-distance from-the-hand kickers.

No, you were right. Kicker and punter are two different things. Now whether the BBC knows that and was using them correctly, who knows?

Anyway, not a soccer person, but I'm pretty sure the goal kicks are for when the offense kicks it out of play past the goal, and usually the goalie then places the ball on the ground in front of the goal and kicks it down field. That's what we called it when I played goalie. That reminds me more of the kicker. But of course the goalie punts it too, so maybe he's qualified for both positions. But it is very rare to find someone who does both in football. Usually they specialize in one or the other.

Apologies for writing a confusing post.

 

[ZedClampet]

My wife is mad she lost her work's basketball bracket challenges. She came in 8th in the men's (so far--no chance to win) and 2nd in the women, which not only is pretty good when over 100 people participated, BUT I told her the only reason I was picking Iowa over South Carolina in the championship game was because she told me to, but that South Carolina was going to win.

Funny thing is that despite finishing in the top 10 in both, I'd bet you anything she'll do them herself next year since I failed this year (even though she'd have won if she let me pick SC)

 

[ZedClampet]

OJ Simpson passed away. Was my favorite running back until…

 

[ZedClampet]

It's amazing how much talent is in Major League Baseball. UT has a top 5, maybe even top 2, college baseball team. They are extremely talented, and all of them will be drafted into the pros after their junior seasons, but if they played against even a Single-A pro team, they would probably lose.

Meanwhile, in football, we'd beat your average non-NFL pro team by 50.

 

[Zloth]

Meanwhile, in football, we'd beat your average non-NFL pro team by 50.

I find this assertion.... dubious.

The KC Royals are doing quite well! Maybe we've gotten back to where we can do well for the first month or two before the rest of the league figures out how to handle our new folks.