Southern Pro Football Article Archives
Super Bowl XLIV Will Be Special for the South
The world’s biggest sporting contest is upon us, and the Southern storylines could not be more prevalent. With the Saints and the Colts meeting in the Super Bowl,
Weekly SPF Rating #3: Teams in Turmoil
We warned about a difficult season in SPF land, but we didn't think the wheels would come off so fast for certain teams. The good news is with a few of our top teams. The Colts and Saints sit at 3-0 and look like potential Super Bowl contenders. The Falcons, the read more...
Weekly SPF Rating #2: The Desperation Factor
We already warned everyone that 2009 looked like a down year for our SPF teams across the board. It could be worse than we imagined after one of our better read more...
Weekly SPF Rating #1: 2009 Could Be A Long Year For Our Pro Teams
Yes, it is only the first week of the NFL season, but there are signs that it could be a seriously down year for our 13 SPF teams. It starts with the core of our group of teams - the eight squads that make up the NFC South and AFC South. In the past, these two read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 13): William Faulkner Provides Our Rankings
As the season nears conclusion, it's time to break down our 13 teams into groups, Faulkner-style. With apologies to this great writer, the titles and themes of his novels and stories seemed to fit our group of thirteen as the season nears its close.
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 11): The Stretch Run Begins!
We know quite a bit about our SPF teams by now. The only thing left to determine is which teams are playoff bound and which teams have Super Bowl potential. At least half of our 13 teams will be at home and that number could continue to rise. We can also call at read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 10): Ranking the Coaching Trees
1. Tennessee Titans - The Titans remain a fantastic SPF story. Their way of winning - brute force, matched by a will not to lose - has them as the NFL's only undefeated team for yet another week.
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 9): Shakeups At The Top!
1. Tennessee Titans - Like the #1 college team working each week to hold their place at the top, the Titans have methodically marched through their undefeated season. This isn't a big play team. It doesn't have to be. They attack opponents read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 8): Halfway Home
1. Dallas Cowboys - They pulled off a critical victory against the Bucs last Sunday. It was ugly, but that's how it goes sometimes. A win is a win. The Cowboys can't afford to be worried about style points right now. They continue to read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 7): Hanging Hammers
1. Dallas Cowboys - Let's hear a few words of wisdom from one of Swampland Sports all time coaching greats, Jimmy Johnson: Show me one player who doesn’t need a hammer hanging over him. I don’t think there’s ever been, or read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 6): Tennessee Reigns!
1. Tennessee Titans - The last undefeated team in the NFL has to get the top spot for at least one week this season. They have become Tennessee's team as the Vols in Knoxville have struggled to maintain their own identity. 2. Dallas read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 5): Identities Found, Lost
Identities. This is the "Team Identity" Poll after all. We are far enough into the season to get a sense of where teams are. Some have done an amazing job. Others are teetering, losing their connection to their fans and read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 4): Adjustments
The NFL vs College. It's a distinction that has begun to blur. The two games have been getting closer and closer over the past ten years. Scholarship reductions are one of the main reasons combined with increased TV exposure for all schools. Watching Vandy read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 3): Who Are You?
In any season, there is a moment where teams begin to show who they are. After three games, our SPF teams are showing just that. 1. Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys took care of business on Sunday night against the Packers. The Cowboys as a read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 2): Consistency, Both Good and Bad
1. Dallas Cowboys - Our recent SPF review of Jeff Pearlman's book on the Cowboys of the 1990's called Boys Will Be Boys shows how this latest era in Cowboys history might possibly be even read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 1): Overcoming Adversity
Starting last Thursday, the NFL season began another year which means that SPF is back with our weekly "Team Identity" Poll. To recap, SPF rates teams not on how good they are, but how well they relate to the fans in the Footprint. Pro sports isn't as read more...
SPF's 2008 NFL Draft Awards
Although the NFL Draft still have rounds 3-7 to go, we at SPF think it is time to hand out some awards. Except in very rare cases, team's drafts are defined by their day one picks, and we learned a lot about how the SPF slate of teams are approaching the coming season - for read more...
Bah Humbug
By Patrick Snow Well it’s the end of the year, and soon you will be inundated with “Best of/Worst of” lists for 2007. Those lists will have the normal good (Peyton Manning/Appy State) and bad (Mike Vick/Bobby Petrino) perspective on a national scale. read more...
Anarchy in the ATL
By Patrick Snow The current Atlanta Falcons mess brings up so many thoughts and issues. I thought I would try to answer some of the questions that are plaguing this moribund franchise. How did everything go so wrong? The forecast for the Falcons never read more...
Reality Check
By Patrick Snow Some schools in our Swampland Region are currently learning a harsh lesson: if you are going to make a major change like firing your football coach, you must have a better alternative ready to go. Arkansas, Southern Miss(and Michigan on a national read more...
Colts and Patriots: Providing the Blueprint?
By Patrick Snow The NFL has historically been a ‘copycat’ league and here’s to hoping that the success of the Colts and Patriots influences more teams to build up their offense. When clubs had to adjust to the salary cap in the ‘90s, the theory read more...
Troy Johnson, (Columbus, GA) Ledger-Enquirer
Berry Tramel, The Oklahoman
Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel
Joe Biddle, (Nashville) Tennessean
An SPF Tale of Two Waynes
After NFL's week one, Patrick Snow sounded the alarm. The Florida teams in the SPF Footprint were in trouble. It wasn't just about losing games. It was about losing read more...
SPF 2007 Team Previews
As promised, we have our 2007 Team Previews! Since fans can go to numerous places to read about rosters, statistics, etc, we at Southern Pro Football want to focus our 2007 previews on the teams and their connection to their area of the South. We will examine read more...
Sunshine State Swoon
Sunshine State Swoon By Patrick Snow Has professional football hit its lowest point in the state of Florida? I’m not trying to overreact to three Week 1 losses, but one has to wonder what direction the franchises in the Sunshine State are going. read more...