Hfnzone (2025)

03/09/2025

THURSDAY NIGHT YOU ARE BUSY.

The NFL kicks off Thursday, and watching the game is what you should be doing.

The suffering and sad Dallas Cowboys will play the Mighty Mighty Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 5:20 p.m. Pacific Time at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The game will be broadcast on NBC-TV and streamed on Peacock.

The announcing crew will be Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (open pie-hole), with Melissa Stark as the sideline reporter.

03/09/2025

REST IN PIECES: KEZAR STADIUM.

In 1922, the San Francisco City Park Commission accepted a $100,000 gift from the estate of millionaire heiress Mary Kezar to build a memorial in honor of her mother and uncles, who were pioneers in the area. After the City and County of San Francisco appropriated an additional $200,000, the stadium was built in a year.

Kezar was the original home of the San Francisco 49ers until 1971, when they moved south to Candlestick Park.

Stanford University played four of its home football games at Kezar: one in 1928 and three in 1942. The Men of Tree were also part of the first-ever major college football double header in 1940, which featured Stanford–San Francisco and Santa Clara–Utah.

Kezar Stadium also hosted track and field, lacrosse, rugby, cricket, and high school football.

NFL Hall-of-Famer Bob St. Clair played high school, college and pro football all at Kezar Stadium.

Months after the 49ers' departure, several scenes from the 1971 film Dirty Harry were filmed at and above the stadium. The film's fictional antagonist, Scorpio, had his wounded leg stomped on at midfield by Dirty Harry.

In 1989 the stadium was demolished and replaced by a smaller one seating 10,000. It is now a venue for high school football and professional soccer.

01/09/2025

SHAKESPEARE ON THE NFL.

HFN sportswriter William "The Refrigerator" Shakespeare offers a few thoughts on the upcoming NFL Season:

On ESPN announcer Joe Buck:
“Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.”
― Twelfth Night

The Philadelphia Eagles:
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
Henry IV, Part 2

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones:"
Thou sodden-witted lord! thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows."
— Troilus and Cressida, Act 2 Scene 1

Patrick Mahomes in 2025:
"There’s no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune."
— Henry IV Part 1, Act 3 Scene 3

The Cleveland Browns:
"I am sick when I do look on thee."
— A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2 Scene 1,

The Washington Commanders:
"...we know what we are, but know not what we may be."
— Hamlet, Act 4 Scene 5

NFL's opening weekend:
"Sound trumpets! let our bloody colours wave!
And either victory, or else a grave."
Henry VI Part 3

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders:
"Nothing will come of nothing." - King Lear

Beer:
"I would give all my fame for a pot of ale."
Henry V, Act 3, Scene 2

Hamlet has his say:

FOX Sports nuisance Erin Andrews:
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
- Act 3, Scene 2

Philadelphia's T**h Push:
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't."
- Act 2, Scene 2

NBC studio host Chris Simms:
“Oh my offence is rank, it smells to heaven“
Claudius, Act 3, Scene 3

01/09/2025

STILL STANDING: THE YALE BOWL.

The historic Yale Bowl, with its Class of 1954 Field, is celebrating its 111th birthday in 2025. It was the largest athletic stadium in the world and the first football venue with seating completely surrounding the field when it opened on Nov. 21, 1914, for a game against arch-rival Harvard. The Men of Eli lost to the Cantabs that day, 36 - 0.

Da Jints played about a dozen games in the Yale Bowl in the 1960's and 1970's, and the bowl was also host to international and domestic professional soccer.

The Yale Bowl seats 68,000. The largest crowd to attend a Yale game at the Bowl was 80,000 for Army on Nov. 3, 1923.

31/08/2025

LEE CORSO RETIRED.

ESPN College Gameday commentator Lee Corso finally retired after being on the job what seems like a century. Corso was at times entertaining, but average in his ability to pick winners.

As a head football coach he was at best mediocre. His overall record was 73 wins, 85 losses and 6 ties, with two bowl appearances. one with Louisville and a second with Indiana, where the Hoosiers beat BYU in the Holiday Bowl. Corso coached at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois.

Corso was fired after ten years at Indiana with an overall record of 41–68–2.

In the Indiana - Ohio State game in the 1976 season, Corso called a time out after the Hoosiers scored a touchdown early in the second quarter. The entire team huddled together for a photograph with the scoreboard filling the background. It read: Indiana 7, Ohio State 6. It was the first time in 25 years that the Hoosiers had led the Buckeyes in a football game. Ohio State went on to pound the snot out of the Hoosiers 47–7.

Corso played his college ball at Florida State, where he was roommates and teammates with actor Burt Reynolds.

28/08/2025

JERRY JONES HAS DESTROYED THE DALLAS COWBOYS.

The Dallas Cowboys traded four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.

In exchange, the Cowboys received three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks (2026 and 2027).

Parsons agreed to a four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Parsons has never had fewer than 12 sacks in any of his first four seasons.

The Men of Cheese are Super Bowl contenders. The Dallas Cowboys are the fourth best team in the NFC East.

28/08/2025

STILL STANDING: HARVARD STADIUM.

Harvard Stadium is one of only four athletic facilities that are considered National Historic Landmarks. The stadium is owned and operated by Harvard University and is home to the Harvard Crimson football program. The Stadium was built in 1903 and seats just over 25,000 spectators.

Early in its existence two ice rinks were built on the stadium during the winter months for the men's ice hockey team. The Stadium served as the home for the hockey team until World War I.

Harvard Stadium was the site of the U.S. Olympic Trials for men's track and field in 1912, 1920, 1924, and 1928. It was also the home field for the Boston Patriots in 1970.

The 1968 Yale vs. Harvard football, played on November 23, 1968. ended in a 29–29 tie after Harvard made what is considered a miraculous last-moment comeback, scoring 16 points in the final 42 seconds to tie the game against a highly ranked Men of Eli team. The significance of the moral victory for Harvard inspired the next day's The Harvard Crimson student newspaper to print the famous headline "Harvard Beats Yale, 29–29".

Harvard installed FieldTurf and finally added lights in 2006.

28/08/2025

FIVE DAYS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

Labor Day weekend means a load of college football, Thursday through Monday. Some of the games will be big schools beating up on creampuffs (with the creampuff getting enough to fund their athletic department for the next school year), and some of the games will be decent matchups:

Thursday:
Nebraska at Cincinnati
Huskers begin the road back.

Delaware State at Delaware
Is this a rivalry?

Friday:
Georgia Tech at Colorado
Deion finds out coaching isn't all that fun.

Auburn at Baylor
Who cares?

Saturday:
Texas at Ohhowihateohiostate
Longhorns get turned into ground beef.

Alabama at Florida State
Seminoles are trying to rebuild. So is Alabama.

Northwestern at Tulane
Green Wave washes out the Mildcats.

LSU at Clemson
LoSUrs.

Cal at Oregon State
Pick the Men of Bear in an upset.

Utah at UCLA
Easy win for the Men of Ute.

Syracuse at Tennessee
The All-Orange Bowl. Vols win big.

Sunday:
Notre Dame at Miami of Florida
Catholics crush the Criminals.

Monday:
TCU at North Carolina:
Belichick's Tar Heels squeak by a mediocre Men of Toad team.

27/08/2025

BILL BELICHICK.

Former Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is the new head football coach at North Carolina. Belichick is expected to finally put the basketball school on the football map.

He might be considered by some as the greatest NFL coach ever, but his coaching record is really one of mixed results.

He was defensive coordinator for Da Jints under Bill Parcells when they won the Super Bowl in 1986 and 1990. Belichick's defensive game plan from the Da Jints' 20–19 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV has been placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He then became head coach of the Cleveland Browns, where he put together a terrifically mediocre 36 - 44 record with only one winning season. Belichick had two stints as the head coach of the New York Jets, in 1997 and again in 1999, but never coached a game for the team.

In 2000 Belichick became head coach of the New England Patriots, where he compiled a record of 266 wins and 121 losses, with a 6 - 2 record in the Super Bowl. With QB Tom Brady he had a 249 - 75 record. Brady moved on to Tampa Bay where he won another Super Bowl. After Brady left Belichick's record was 29 - 39.

In 2024 UNC fired head coach Mack Brown, age 73, and signed Belichick, age 72, to a five-year deal. North Carolina has not won a conference title since 1980. For a program awash in apathy and mediocrity, this marks a distinct shift from low-key Mack Brown, as Belichick gives the Tar Heels an unprecedented jolt of star power for 2025 and beyond. What he doesn't have at UNC is Tom Brady.

Belichick says he always wanted to coach college football, but does North Carolina get the New England Patriots (with Tom Brady) Belichick or the Cleveland Browns one to bring their struggling program up the championship level? The 2025 season will answer that question.

HFN says it's not going to happen.

26/08/2025

ARE THE HOUSTON TEXANS ANY GOOD?

The answer is yes. Sort of.

The Texans are a good team in a weak division. The Colts aren't very good, the Jags are even worse, and the Tennessee Tuxedo Titans are a doormat.

For certain the Texans are a play-off team. Their defense is good enough, their offense could do better. The Texans do have RB Joe Mixon, but he's been injured. QB C.J. Stroud has shown promise, but he's hardly among the league's elite. Nico Collins is a good but not great WR. In the off-season head coach DeMeco Ryans has to remake his staff, bringing in new OC Nick Caley to fix the disappointing offense.

The defense has some quality players, like LB Azeez Al-Shaair and CB Derek Stingley. The unit should keep the Texans in every game.

Playoffs in 2025? Yes. Quick exit from the playoffs? Most likely.

26/08/2025

TAYLOR SWIFT AND TRAVIS HAS-BEEN ARE ENGAGED.

Their wedding will be the Super Bowl half-time show.

26/08/2025

STILL STANDING: PENN'S FRANKLIN FIELD

Franklin Field, built in 1895, is the oldest still operating college football stadium in the nation. It was the first college stadium in the United States with a scoreboard and the second with an upper deck of seats. The stadium was named after Benjamin Franklin.

The stadium is home to the Penn Quakers football team and the venue for the Penn Relays. The stadium also hosts Penn lacrosse.

From 1958 to 1970 the stadium was home to the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 1907, Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian school trounced Penn, 26–6.

Red Grange set an NCAA record at Franklin Field when he rushed for 331 yards in Illinois' 24–2 victory over Penn in 1925.

The Army–Navy Game was played 18 times at Franklin Field between 1899 and 1935.

In the first season of Monday Night Football in 1970, announcer Howard Cosell was drunk during the Eagles-Da Jints game on November 23. After throwing up on color commentator Don Meredith's cowboy boots shortly before halftime, Cosell left Franklin Field and took a taxi back to New York City.

The stadium, with temporary seating added, seats 78,000.

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