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The NFL offseason seems to last longer than any other sport, but it is packed with plenty of activity. All of the offseason activity centers around the NFL combine and the draft. The combine is now underway, with exams, tests, interviews, and all sorts of prodding and poking of future NFL players. After just a few days of drills, we are starting to see some movement on the draft boards. Here’s a quick update on who’s stock is going up before the draft:

Running Back – Knile Davis (Arkansas). Knile dominated the running back group at the combine. He ran the second fastest 40 yard dash, but he’s no little speedster. This running back has NFL size at 6 feet tall and a whopping 227 pounds (picture Adrian Peterson’s size with close to Chris Johnson’s speed). Injuries cut his collegiate career short, but he’s got to be awfully intriguing to a team that is looking for a running back.

Quarterback – Geno Smith (West Virginia). Geno pretty much crushed the other quarterbacks in the combine. His speed and athleticism have NFL executives optimistic that he will develop into the next RG3 or Russell Wilson. No one questions his passing ability, but the jury is still out on whether or not he can run an NFL offense. We’ll find out in the upcoming seasons, as Geno Smith is probably the first QB off the board, and almost certain to be drafted in the first round.

Wide receiver – While Cordarrelle Patterson (Tennessee) is widely recognized as the best receiver in the draft, Marquise Goodwin (Texas) is quickly becoming a household name. His football skills are legit, but it’s not just his football ability that has people buzzing. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, Marquise represented the track team in the long jump. He qualified for the finals, leading many to realize what a rare athlete he is. He ran a 4.27 40 yard dash, which puts him in rare air as the fastest of the combine, and one of the fastest 40 times ever recorded. In addition, he’s got great hands, and runs excellent routes. Now, a receiver who only caught 26 passes last year with Texas has vaulted up the board, and it is only a question of how high he will be drafted in the first round.

Linemen – The draft may be light with stud running backs and quarterbacks, but it is definitely heavy in linemen. The discussion starts and ends with Luke Joeckel (Texas A&M). Luke is widely projected to be the top overall pick in the draft. A dominating tackle who rates up there with Jake Long, Ryan Clady and other top NFL tackles. The combine is a great venue for small team players like Terron Armstead (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) to showcase their skills. While it is rare for linemen to run sub 5 second 40 yard dash times, Terron set a big man record at 4.71! He was in the top tier of all linemen for the measurables and probably just earned himself a few extra million dollars on his rookie contract.

Whichever team you root for, make sure to follow the draft April 25-27. Check in with us for new player jerseys, NFL draft hats, and other gear to update your collection.

We’re down to the Super Bowl and then football will have to take their annual hiatus. Shortly thereafter, we will then see who won all of the popular awards from the 2012 season. I’m going to jump the gun and give you my list early, since the Super Bowl has no bearing on the regular season awards.

MVP – Adrian Peterson. The season AP put up is one for the ages. Not only did he rush for 2,097 yards, good for #2 all time, but he put the Minnesota Vikings on his back to lead them to the playoffs. This team was not supposed to have the season they had, and struggled to pass the ball. Everyone in the stadium knew Adrian Peterson would get the ball, yet no one could really stop him. He averaged a gaudy 6.0 yards per carry on a one dimensional offense. The team had great wins against the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions (twice) to surprise most pundits. Did I forget to mention that he did all of this while recovering from a horrific knee injury suffered at the end of last season!

Comeback Player of the year – Peyton Manning. Some might argue that Adrian Peterson deserves this award, but I have to give the nod to Peyton. He overcame 4 neck procedures and sat out a full season before leading the Denver Broncos to the #1 seed in the AFC. For the season, Peyton was top 10 in the NFL in the following QB categories: Yards, passer rating, completion percentage, and touchdowns.

Coach of the year – Bruce Arians. Here’s a guy who came in under incredibly tough circumstances to lead the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs. When head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia, most experts figured the Colts season was lost. They were not supposed to be competitive, with a rookie QB, and 4 other rookies that contributed heavily on offense. However, when the dust settled, the Colts were 9-3 under Arians, and challenging the Houston Texans for the division crown. Sure, there were great coaching performances by Mike Shanahan, Pete Carroll, Mike Smith, John Fox, and Gary Kubiak, but none compare to the challenges that Bruce Arians overcame with the Colts.

Rookie of the year – Toughest one to call. This year, the NFL saw huge contributions from a number of rookies. Let’s start with the big three QBs: Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin III (RG3). Any one of them would be rookie of the year, if not for the fact that they were all in the same draft class. Right with the QBs, I have to mention the top rookie RBs this year, Alfred Morris and Doug Martin. Doug Martin looked like he was running away with the award at the halfway mark of the season, but faded late and was overtaken by Alfred Morris and the big three. After looking at everything, my vote is for Robert Griffin III.

Stay tuned for offensive and defensive player of the year write ups…

The AFC Championship Game was played by two division champions, one of which was a wild card team. Out of the four wild card teams, only the Ravens advanced as far as their conference championship. The Ravens ended their regular season poorly, while the Patriots had only lost once in the second half of the season. How did the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots reach the chance to play for the AFC title and, ultimately, a Super Bowl Berth? Multiple factors set these teams on the path to a rematch of their early season game that the Ravens narrowly won by one.

The Latest Game

The game most recently played by any given team is likely going to be at the forefronts of fans’ minds; the Ravens’ divisional title win over the Denver Broncos was memorable due to the closeness of its ending and the questionable decision of the Broncos’ head coach. With about 30 seconds left to play, the Broncos’ head coach decided to have QB Peyton Manning take a knee rather than try to set up a winning score. The end result was that the Ravens won by 3 points in double overtime, in no small part helped by star defender Ray Lewis, who will retire after this season. New England’s game was less memorable because they more or less sealed the game in the third quarter by scoring two touchdowns while holding the Texans scoreless during the same period. The Texans scored 15 points in the fourth quarter but were unable to overcome the deficit (or to stop the Patriots from scoring).

Tape Tales

On paper, New England was definitely the better team. They had two more wins on their resume, boasted an offense and a rushing defense ranked in the top ten statistically, and never lost big to anyone. In fact, three of the Patriots’ four losses happened by differences of three or fewer points, two of those being one-point losses. The Ravens, however, lost four of their last five regular-season games, the last two occurring by a touchdown or more. Tom Brady had thrown for 1,000 more yards than Joe Flacco, Stevan Ridley had rushed for over 100 more yards than Ray Rice, and Wes Welker had 400 more receiving yards than Anquan Boldin.

Players of the Game

Joe Flacco has not been as strong of a quarterback as Tom Brady, but he played the position well enough when these two teams met early in the season to pull out a victory. Baltimore’s star linebacker, Ray Lewis, wanted to go out on a high note, and New England’s star tight end, Rob Gronkowski, was out with a broken arm.

Congratulations again to the Baltimore Ravens on becoming the 2012 AFC Champions! Super Bowl XLVII is set, and it’s go time. What better way to celebrate than by picking up some great new Baltimore Ravens AFC Champions gear. Ravens Super Bowl XLVII hats, and other great Baltimore 2013 Super Bowl merchandise.

The NFC Championship Game featured two teams that won their divisions, combined for two dozen wins, and averaged only 3.5 losses. The journey to the opportunity to win an NFC division title and a Super Bowl berth included numerous risks, close calls, and, of course, solid football. How did the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game? Multiple factors helped each team reach their conference title game.

The Immediate Past

Sports are often about what just happened, so the 2013 divisional playoffs are freshest in fans’ minds. Atlanta fended off a late rally by the Seattle Seahawks, kicking a field goal with 8 seconds remaining in regulation to overcome the Seahawks’ lead produced by Seattle’s 3 touchdowns scored in the 4th quarter. The 49ers pulled away from the Green Bay Packers in the second half of their divisional playoff, scoring three consecutive touchdowns to put the game beyond reach of the Packers. The Falcons helped restore their post-season reputation, which had taken a hit by their recent inability to win a post-season game. The 49ers proved that a risk taken by Coach Harbaugh was the right decision after all.

Risk and Reward

Coach Harbaugh took some heat from fans and pundits when he pulled QB Alex Smith in favor of relative new-comer Colin Kaepernick in the 2nd quarter of the 49ers’ eventual tie with the St. Louis Rams. Fans may remember Kaepernick as the quarterback who led his Nevada team to an upset of Boise St. in 2010, but he was still a relative unknown when compared with Smith’s 6 more years of professional experience. Since taking over as starting quarterback, Kaepernick’s team has only lost twice (to the Rams by 3 in OT and to Seattle 42-13). Playing Kaepernick has seemed to give the 49ers the spark that has led them to the NFC title game.

Post-season Redemption

The Atlanta Falcons were 0-3 in the post-season with Coach Matt Smith and QB Matt Ryan in charge, so the Falcons’ win puts an end to that narrative. The Falcons had not won a post-season game since defeating St. Louis in 2004, so the Falcons headed into the championship game looking for a chance to make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl XXXIII.

Tales of the Tape

The 49ers came into the game with a defense and rushing game that ranked 4th in professional football. The Falcons were not as impressive on paper—except in terms of their passing game, which ranked 6th in professional football. The Falcons did, however, best the 49ers in the highly important statistic of wins, carding two more than San Francisco.

Congratulations again to the San Francisco 49ers. Time to stock up with some great San Francisco 49ers Conference Champions gear, 49ers Super Bowl XLVII shirts, and other San Francisco 49ers 2012 NFC Conference Champs apparel.