gridiron girl next door

I attended the 33rd annual Thurman Munson Awards on Tuesday night and had the opportunity to interview the now former Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty. The piece below was written for my good friends at GmenHQ, whom I partner with every Tuesday night as part of “The Blue and Green Review.” On Tuesday night, the [...]

I am very excited to share my very first column for SNY.tv’s The Jets Blog.  I will be writing a weekly column on the site going forward, so be sure to check it out. Special thanks to Brian Bassett for bringing me on board. At the conclusion of OTA’s Thursday, Rex Ryan revealed he was [...]

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, football fans. I hope you have stocked your fridge full of adult beverages and caloric goodness because today is the day that millions of Americans bust out their gigantic televisions (some of them very recently purchased) to watch the two “best” teams in the league do battle for a gigantic gaudy [...]

I started making a list of my favorite athletes to follow on Twitter and I asked my followers to share some of their favorites.  The response I got was unbelievable and I am so excited to share what I found.  This is by no means a FINAL list.  I will definitely be following up in [...]

I know it’s only half-way through the season, but in the Year of the Pitcher Part 2, now seems as good a time as any to start talking about early Cy Young Award candidates. As far as I can tell, the primary stats considered by Cy Young voters are overall record, strikeouts, and ERA (Although [...]

Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks have been one of 2011′s great sports stories.  Cuban purchased the Mavericks when they were nothing.  When Cuban took over, he completely rearranged the way the franchise did business and has subsequently turned them into one of the most successful franchises in the NBA. Two years ago, Cuban tried [...]

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard more than you ever wanted to know about the NFL Lockout, which is now entering day 112. And now, to add insult to injury, the NBA is locked out, too. I hope you like baseball, because right now that is all you’ve got. [...]

I am about to state something very obvious: Football is America’s most popular sport. If you are a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, niece, girlfriend, wife, etc. etc. etc. then you are probably thinking yeah, thanks! I had noticed. Here is something else: Guys like football.  Perhaps this is a nuisance to you; You aren’t interested, couldn’t [...]

While the official second half of the season has already begun, the All-Star break seems as good a time as any to take a look at all 30 MLB teams, assess their season so far and think about where they go from here. Think of it as power rankings meets standings with a dash of commentary. [...]

3000 watch has officially ended. And in style. Derek Jeter homered on his 3,000th hit yesterday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, making him the first Yankee to ever have 3000 career hits (and all of them AS a Yankee). Jeter also went 5/5 on the day. Congrats to Derek Jeter.  I have not really been singing [...]

This took me much longer than I expected.  Apologies. National League East Philadelphia Phillies- The Phillies have the best record in baseball, the National League and lead the National League East by 3 games over Atlanta. Obviously the pitching rotation is the primary reason for the success of this team: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and [...]

The ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards were presented Wednesday night in Los Angeles.  The event celebrates athletes, recognizes achievements and reflects on the best of the past 12 months in sports.  The ESPYs were created by ESPN. This is my second time watching the event.  While I enjoyed the awards, I also noticed [...]

The next step in understanding the game is breaking down the positions on the field.  I will explain each position-offensive and defensive-and provide an example of a “famous” or recognizable player for each position. Keep in mind that there are 11 players allowed on the field during a play. Offense Quarterback- In the simplest of [...]

Now that we are getting into defensive positions things are going to start to get a little more  complicated. Before we begin, understand that each defensive has a formation and a scheme for stopping the run or the pass.  There is a huge amount of variation in the schemes, and we will dive into that [...]

Wow. What a week in the NFL.  A lot of stuff happened. And you know what that means? A lot of opinions. Here is my take on a few of the crazier moves. The Seattle Seahawks- Oh. boy. As you now know, the Seattle Seahawks have parted ways with Matt Hasselbeck in favor of a [...]

My apologies that this has not been updated since the All-Star break.  You may notice my patience has worn slightly thin in this regard, but that is due in part to my opinions becoming increasingly more firm after listening to “experts” talk for the past few weeks like a bunch of broken records.  Without further [...]

The Washington Redskins are not in the same division as the New York Jets, but that did not stop me from laughing out loud at quarterback Rex Grossman’s recent comments to Comcast Sports Net.  Grossmans’s statements appeared in an article on ESPN.com and here is the gist of what the dude had to say: “We’re fine being the sleepers right [...]

I have the Bengals as one of my picks for the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes this year. Anyone disagree?  I didn’t think so. That being said, let’s all gather together and repeat the phrase, “Preseason Games Do Not Matter”.  Anything can happen and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that teams [...]

Plaxico Burress with his big touchdown catch. (Photo from Jetsrant.com.The first game in the newly named Metlife Stadium was a successful one for the Jets. Mark Sanchez (and Greg McElroy) made some key plays and moved the chains despite a sluggish run game.  The Jets defense were their usual dominant selves against a poor Bengals [...]

It’s possible that you haven’t really been listening to everything that Rex Ryan has been saying ever since he guaranteed that the Jets are going to win the Super Bowl this year.  Lucky for you, I have. Here is the cliff’s notes version: Rex Ryan is fired up about his defense, Darrelle Revis looks better than [...]

It wasn’t pretty but we won the Snoopy trophy.  That’s right, the Jets are the first New York team to win the MetLife Bowl. That’s the good news. Now for the bad news:  Monday night’s highly anticipated “Battle for New York” was a sloppy showing on the part of both first-team offenses.  The game had [...]

I’m starting a new feature throughout the Fantasy Football season where you can send in your questions and we are calling it..get ready for the creative name…the Fantasy Football Mailbag! Wow. Impressive, I know. Questions can range from basic to more in-depth. Ask me anything. Expect the mailbag at the end of each week, just in [...]

It’s here. Week 1. Now the real difficult decision making begins: setting your line-up. Before the season even started, fantasy owners found themselves faced with difficult decisions, from worry over Peyton Manning to whether they should sit their studs against the Steelers. I know, it’s a tough life being a fantasy owner…. As always, thanks [...]

Fantasy Football Week 1 is behind us. How did you do? Did you win your match-up? Are at the top of your league? Or did your opponent have Tom Brady and bury you in the dust? (Or maybe..you buried them). I continue to get a lot of great questions from readers, both general and specific, [...]

Congratulations to my Philadelphia Phillies, who are the NL East Champions for the 5th consecutive year. Here is video of the final out of last night’s game, which clinched the NL East for the Phils. (Vid courtesy of CrossingBroad.com). Phillies Clinch NL East. You can purchase your National League East Champions gear at www.phillies.com. Im [...]

…Because it’s sooo hot to rant about ESPN these days. For the majority of the baseball season, I lamented about how much ESPN favored the Yankees and Red Sox and how they wouldn’t show much love for any other teams (aside from the Brewers and Giants–kind of). They eventually started to come around on my [...]

My apologies for not posting a mailbag last week. Life got in the way. Week 4 already, huh? Wow. The 2011 season has already been full of drama for Fantasy owners; many people lost Jamaal Charles and Kenny Britt for the season, while others are trying to figure out why Chad Ochocinco can’t seem to [...]

The guys on the I’m Just Saying Podcast were kind enough to have me on their show this week. Check out the podcast and listen to my thoughts on the Jets vs. Ravens. I picked the Jets to win, 24-21. How about them apples? I come in around the 16:30 mark. >> I’m Just Saying – Episode XVI [...]

As a Fantasy Football owner, every week we are faced with the very difficult decision of deciding what to do with our flex position. When I first played Fantasy Football, my guy friend informed me that you should always use a running back in your flex spot. I asked him why, as my observation was [...]

NFL Fans everyone are going gaga over the announcement that Tim Tebow has been named the Week 7 starter for the Denver Broncos. Whether you love him or hate him, Tebow’s start on Sunday is shaping up be one of the more highly anticipated NFL debuts in quite some time. I happen to like the guy [...]

The 49ers handed the Lions their first loss of the season yesterday. After the game was over, the two coaches, both named Jim, went to shake hands. Let’s just say Jim S was not happy with how Jim H handled himself. Check out the video of the interaction, which begins after Harbaugh’s handshake and shove of [...]

I have played Fantasy for several years and extended my participation this year by agreeing to play in 4 leagues. That might not seem like a lot to some of you but it’s no small undertaking, especially if you care about winning as much as I do. That said, I feel my extended involvement and [...]

I have been always been a sort-of Mark Sanchez apologist, and while it certainly is a not-so popular stance, I’ve actually grown to enjoy arguing with people about their unreasonable disdain for a guy who has basically won football games (28-17, including 6 playoff games). For the past 2 years, the narrative surrounding the Jets [...]

Misery loves company and if this year’s Fantasy Football climate is any indication, there is an awful lot of miserable people. I don’t mean to be Debbie Downer about things but as we are midway through the Fantasy Football season, it seems like the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past, think about what we [...]

It’s not easy being a Jets fan (just ask this kid). For the past two years, we have watched the Jets claw their way into the playoffs, only to see them miss their chance at the big dance in the AFC championship game. We have grown accustomed to both the highs and lows and even [...]

Well, yesterday was….interesting. An NFL Head Coach was fired, the same team that fired said head coach has been put up for sale, a defensive coordinator was fired and Ndamukong Suh was suspended for 2 games. But chances are you’ve already heard this news and if not, allow me to direct you here. In Jets news, many [...]

As most of you are no doubt well aware, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk filed a report yesterday suggesting the future of Mark Sanchez as the Jets franchise quarterback may be in question. Florio cited a ”league source” and stated, “that the Jets are beginning to realize that Sanchez may not be the answer at the position.” [...]

The New York Giants host the Atlanta Falcons at Metlife Stadium for Round One of the NFC Playoffs. It is both franchise’s first meeting in the post-season. The Giants have been flying high after defeating their cross town rivals and “America’s team”, the Cowboys, last week on prime time and earning their first trip to [...]

I try to provide information and commentary with a dash of snark and whit and it’s not too often that I will sit on my high horse and go off about something, so pardon me while I rant. If you live in New York like me, then surely you are familiar with SNY, the official television [...]

While football fans everywhere were settling in to enjoy the NFC Championship game Sunday evening, People.com decided to sweep in, ruin the night, and report that reality TV ”star” Kristin Cavallari and Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler are expecting their first child. Chicago sports fans everywhere cried real tears. The couple told People magazine: We are thrilled to announce we [...]

Girls, Gold, and Glory: Female Athletes Who Made in a Primarily Masculine Sport One depressing fact about sports is the misogynistic mentality held by most fans and athletes themselves. Even with a significant percentage of female athletes in different major sporting events, people still think women are limited to events such as gymnastics, dancesport, and [...]

Pick a winner for each category and follow along with the ceremony by printing out your very own Oscar Ballot. Also be sure to check in here Monday morning for a recap of the Awards and, of course, the fashion. Follow me on Twitter (@Kristinereese) for live tweeting throughout the Awards.

Though the NFL draft is still two months away, I took it upon myself to put together an early first round mock draft. This mock is a combination of my research of the talent and popular opinion among other analysts, as well as my assessment of team needs and individual players. Please note that I [...]

And the GGND NFL Boyfriend of the Year Award goes to…… GGND Note: After quickly realizing that some people think that my commenting on the beauty of Cam Newton means I don’t know anything about actual football, I feel it’s necessary for me to be obvious and congratulate Cam on his Offensive Rookie of the [...]

I know you are all accustomed to reading my commentary on football but believe it or not, I have other interests. Namely, fashion, clothes and… fashion. Shocking, I know but hey, I just like things any normal girl would. With that in mind, Award season is obviously one of my favorite times of year because, [...]