Happy Memorial Day
The Monday Morning Quarterback podcast is silent today because of the holiday. A brand new episode will return next week.
I just wanted to tell everyone celebrating today to have a great, happy, and safe Memorial Day.
And please, when you get the chance between all the burgers, potato salad, and family fun - take a moment to remember the brave men and women who fought for this country to give us the freedoms we all enjoy today.
Let's honor all of our military personnel who stay on guard to protect our country.
God bless America!
Friday Fan Poll: Who is the Best QB in the NFL?
Welcome to a new feature of Carson's Corner called the Friday Fan Poll.
The fan poll is just what you think - it's about you. I want to hear your opinions on the NFL and college football, so each week we'll have a poll set up to see what you think.
In the future, once we get the site established, we'll be giving away random prizes to those who take part in the Friday Fan Poll.
The poll will be active for a week and we'll post the results, along with a new poll, every Friday.
This is about you. Your opinions matter.
Don't be shy, cast your vote below.
Loading ...Why Having the Super Bowl In Cold Weather is a Good Thing
For the first time in NFL history, the Super Bowl will be played outdoors in the cold.
NFL owners voted Tuesday to play the 2014 Super Bowl in the new $1.6 billion Meadowlands Stadium.
Supporters of the Meadowlands bid held their breath when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement after the fourth and final vote of the owners.
There were cheers and clapping when Goodell announced New York/New Jersey as the winners.
No one got the 75 percent needed on any of the first three ballots.
The announcement of a Super Bowl on the East Coast, in an outdoor stadium, met with tons of resistance and for the life of me, I don't know why.
This is a marketing and business coup for the league.
The NFL is a juggernaut. Fans can't get enough of it.
Just look at how people follow the draft, free agency, and the offseason workouts. No other league has such diehard fans.
Placing the sports biggest game in New York, with all the glitz and glamor the city has to offer, will set record attendance and create a buzz unlike any Super Bowl before it.
The fact that the weather could be a problem will have zero affect. You could have a foot of snow, with white-out conditions, and people would still show up in droves.
As a matter of fact, the potential for nasty weather will only add to the excitement.
Football is supposed to be an all-weather sport. Some of the greatest games ever played were in cold, and sometimes severe, weather.
The Ice Bowl is the perfect example of this.
That game is etched in the hearts and minds of all NFL fans because of the harsh conditions the Packers and Cowboys faced. The images of Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bart Starr, and Jerry Kramer's devastating block are a part of NFL legend and lore.
The Minnesota Vikings in the 70s owed much of their success to playing outdoors in Metropolitan Stadium in December and January. Try beating the Vikings in the playoffs up in Minnesota with 10-degree temperatures and ice on the field. Is it any wonder they made it to four Super Bowls between 1969-76?
On the other hand, those who say a warm weather team will be at a disadvantage is total bull.
No one enjoys playing in the cold.
If a team executes well and plays better, they will be the victors 99.9 percent of the time. Talent and teamwork win out in the NFL.
Besides, there are too many examples of warm weather teams who have ventured into the cold and came away with victories.
Another thing to consider is none of us have the ability to predict the weather four years from now. Who knows if it will be bad or not? We could see sunshine and blue skies.
And if the weather is bad, it only makes the game that much more interesting.
The coldest Super Bowl on record is 39 degrees. If it's colder in 2014 with some snow thrown in for good measure, it changes the entire dynamic of the game. The fans will eat it up. This game, at this location, is tailor made for record-setting viewership on television.
Goodell and the league will laugh all the way to the bank and start looking very closely at other cold weather venues to host the biggest game of all.
The bidders for the game came up with the slogan, "Make Some History," and that's exactly what the Super Bowl in New York/New Jersey is going to do - cold weather be damned.
"People talk about the weather, but, you know, this is football, not beach volleyball," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the NFL Network.
I couldn't agree with you more Mr. Mayor.
Monday Morning Quarterback Episode 1
We are debuting a new feature this week on the Carson's Corner site.
Starting today and every Monday thereafter, the Monday Morning Quarterback Podcast will be on the air.
The show will feature news, analysis and commentary on the NFL and NCAA football, hosted by yours truly, Brian Carson. Each podcast will run from 10-30 minutes, or until I get sick of talking.
Hopefully, I'll get some guest hosts once in a while, but for now, this is a solo show.
One word of warning: My mouth sometimes gets the better of me and I have a tendency to curse, so if foul language offends you, please forgive me or just don't listen.
Without further adieu, here is the first ever Monday Morning Quarterback Show. This week we look at the Gale Sayers-Brian Urlacher soap opera and two linebackers on the verge of greatness.
Just click on the button below to listen in.
Zach Thomas Officially Calls It Quits; Canton On the Horizon
Zach Thomas has officially retired.
A stellar 13-year career, in which he spent 12 of those with the Miami Dolphins, has come to a close. Too many concussions over so many years the main reason why.
The Dolphins announced that Thomas will sign a one-day contract with the club and then declare his retirement from the NFL.
"I want to thank the Dolphins for allowing me to come back and finish my career with the team," Thomas said. "I have some great memories of the coaches, teammates and fans and I want to thank all of them for making my stay in Miami so memorable. The game has been good to me."
Next stop for Thomas, the man once considered too small and slow to play in the NFL, is a bust in Canton, Ohio as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Make no mistake, Thomas will be there.
A fifth-round draft choice out of Texas Tech in 1996, Thomas made his mark immediately with Miami by making 120 tackles, with three interceptions and two sacks his rookie season.
What followed was even better.
Thomas played in 168 games for the Dolphins, recording 19.5 sacks and 17 interceptions, and he was chosen for seven Pro Bowls. He was named First Team All-Pro five times.
He finished his career in 2008 with the Dallas Cowboys.
Though he was only around 5-10, 5-11, and 230-pounds; Thomas was a terror on the gridiron.
He played the game the old-school way, with passion and intensity. What he lacked in size and speed he made up for in heart. Thomas was a modern day player who could easily fit in with the more rough and tumble times of the 50s, 60s and 70s.
He wasn't flamboyant or flashy; he didn't want to be the center of attention. All he was was a football player, in the truest sense of the term.
Jason Taylor, his brother-in-law, got all the headlines with his proficient sack totals, but there was no question who the leader of the Dolphins defense was.
His impact on the Miami organization is immeasurable.
"As a long time fan of the Dolphins I know what Zach Thomas has meant to this franchise, both the contributions he made on the field and the leadership he provided off the field," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said. "No obstacle was too tough for Zach to overcome -- from joining the team as an unheralded fifth round draft choice in 1996 to doubts about him being too slow or too small to make it in the league. Zach persevered by combining his intelligence, his dedication to the game, and his abilities to become one of the greatest players in Dolphin history."
Thomas was a throwback to a different era. He didn't play for money, fame, or awards. He played for the love of the game and the thrill of competition.
He didn't have a Twitter or Facebook page; He didn't want to be involved in the party scene, and he wouldn't bad mouth other players to draw attention to himself.
And you definitely wouldn't see a police mug shot of him all over the Internet.
When you think of Zach Thomas, the first thing that comes to mind is football player.
His like are a dying breed on the verge of extinction in the NFL.
He will be sorely missed.