Feng shui: chinese philosophy of obtaining perfect balance. On my trip to Portland, I met with coach Jones and his Sensei to discuss this philosophy and how he employs it with his team. The Snowhawks have dominated the NFC north 2 years in a row. Quite a feat considering they spent last season in the turmoil that always comes when relocating. 

Namaste coach. you guys have dominated the North for the past 2 seasons. What do you feel is the secret to your success? 

"Balance... there are no stars on the team everyone gets a shot to prove why they are in the NFL. We use to this to keep the defense honest in multiple situations because they never know who will break out. Instead of relying on complex play calling we take our time to focus on concepts and execution on both the ground and pass game. Defensively we aren't scared to think outside the box, dropping back DEs or bringing a safety down and swapping the MLB. The point is to trick you into seeing something that really isn't there. The guys bought into the system and have worked hard to make us a top 10 defense."

Great scheme coach. Tell me, you guys have coasted easily to the division title this year and didn't receive much of a challenge. Do you feel like your team is battle tested and ready for a deep playoff run?

"That is always a tough question to answer. There are so many different looks in the playoffs. You go from one dynamic to the next, you might play a great run team that knows you're looking for it. They might kill you in play action or give you looks that you weren't ever expecting. As long as we can stay focused and don't over think it I feel we can compete with anyone. So to answer your question I do feel we are prepared for a deep playoff run but we have a long road ahead of us.

Great outlook. Sensei sees a great run in your future. I tend to agree with him. 

Did you know Salma Hayek was Mexican? That's as good of a reason as any for my to take a trip down south to the largest city in the NFL. Coach Gibbs met me in la plaza to take in the scenery and for a quick interview. 

Thanks for your time coach. This city is amazing! How has the past year been in your new city and country? 

"Well, the move has been a boost for this organization, as we’re now #1 in overall team value and sitting on $70mil+. But all of our focus remains on making sure we stay hot going into the playoffs. That 5 game slide earlier in the season was the perfect test for this young and inexperienced team. We’ve really seemed to find great balance in our offense, and if shutting out our respected division rival up in Pittsburgh wasn’t enough for you, tune in Monday vs the Saints".

Coach, you had 3 northern teams in that 5 game skid. Do you think trips up north are especially rough on your team? If so, how can you prepare for the likes of the Bills or Colts? 

"Those are all tough teams to begin with, not so sure it was issues with going north. I think we forgot a few key fundamentals in our game at just the wrong time versus stiff competition. But how do we prepare for the cold? Maaaan I am not looking forward to snow in the playoffs"

Man I hate to tell you, but they were calling for a few feet of snow up in B-Lo before I left. Better hope Indian summer comes during your possible trip there. Do you have a message for your fans before your playoff run?

"To our Mexicano fans: We love it here! To our USA fans: Please don’t put up that wall and trap us over here!"

Coach, if you bring the Lombardi back to Mexico, you will forever be a legend! Thanks for your time and if you see one of Salma's cousins, send her my way!

Security!  Arriving into LA, I was immediately met with the beautiful sights of palm trees and hopeful hot actresses. Who knew such a nice start to my trip would end in violence. Home of the #1 seeds of both the NFC and AFC, I decided to combine both interviews so I would have more time to spend with Jamie Chung. Apparently though, there's still bad blood between the coaches. Before the cops came to restore order, I was able to get a couple of questions in. 

Coach Ritter says the "medical" products available in his state have helped his players stay fresh and in good spirits this season. When asked about the status of his star RB, Todd Gurley, coach says he'll be available if he's needed in the NFC championship. Coach also all but guaranteed that the LA team from the NFC would do their part to make it an all LA super bowl. 

Coach Cope on the possibility of an in state Super Bowl:

"I hope there's an all la super bowl. I have unfinished business. Cant say for certain it will be. Its a long road through the afc"

Sounds like OBJ and the Chargers will be ready. After exchanging a few F bombs and punches the 2 coaches went their separate ways. If there is an LA super bowl, Let's hope the TKL securtiy office will be able to maintain order. 

Is the best team, in the best conference, the best team in TKL? This is a retorical question I posed to myself on the plane ride up to snowy Buffalo. The Bills have taken the league by storm this season, cruising to 13-3 and the #2 seed in the AFC after a disappointing season last year. What's the key to their turnaround? Coach Stevens has the answers

"Focus, and a little bit of luck. I told the team to watch every playoff game last year and watch it with a desire to get there. I told the long term vets they may or may not have a spot on the team next season due to our plans to get more vets and some young gunners. We traded Tyrod, Incognita, Robert Woods, Marcell Dareus, and Jordan Matthews to get better at key positions, and the gamble paid off. We are clocking on both sides of the ball. We are injury free, and that’s a major factor as well in our success."

So, a come to Jesus meeting was necessary. Nice tactic. So do you think playing in the best division in football has prepared you for the defending champs, the Chargers and the other beasts of the AFC? 

"Yes indeed. we have a plethora of play styles in the afc east, and getting the talent we needed to defend the run, and Casey Hayward turning back the clock and locking down the right side of the football field, we have what it takes to go far. Also last season almost getting swept by every team in the east has given us a chance to know our opponent, and to be better prepared to go head to head against them. Who knows, we might meet the Giants in the Big Game"

An All New York Super Bowl would be an interesting watch coach. Those 2 LA teams in 1st place say that it's their year though. We'll see if we can have an all-state super bowl on either coast. Just checked the forecast and they're expecting 3 feet today, so I'm going to escape before it starts. Thanks to coach for the interview. Speaking of LA, I wonder how the weather is over there...

East Rutherford, 

After returning home from an unusual victory against the Cowboys (6 turnovers), the Giants players attended the annual Payday party at Giants stadium. We know it's called MetLife now but no one around here cares about the Jets. We were able to catch up to a couple of players emerging from the building after inking new deals. Here are a couple of quotes:

JW Stewart (6 years $121 mil)

"Skip hates everyone but Lebron man. I feel like I was the best qb in the league last season and I plan to prove Skip and everyone else wrong this year. I've been hurt in the last 3 playoff losses and that's on me, but one ring erases all that. This is my year"

Arsenio Butler (6 years $33.8mil)

"Na, I didn't feel that it was important to get Sammy Watkins money. I'm a team player, I want what's best for the Giants. I know most consider me the best receiver in the league and I may break the record this year...I could've broken it either of the last two years, but I don't want to be greedy. There is too much talent here to try to demand the ball. As long as we're winning, I'm happy. I got traded for a 4th round pick...I've still got plenty to prove"

Louis Vaughan (6 years $40 mil)

"I wan't to retire a Giant. They showed me their draft board when I got here, how I was their #1prospect even above JW. He hates that (laughs). And they did what they had to do to get me from Atlanta, and now they are putting the money up to keep me here. What more can I ask for?"

All told the Giants re-signed 8 players including veterans Alex Mack and Brian Orakpo to big extensions. Could this be the year?

*Excerpts from the Tennessee Star Journal article on JW Stewart*

Earlier this week I caught up with JW Stewart, star quarterback of the New York Giants, at the super bowl, and had a brief conversation with him. Here were some of the highlights of the short conversation...

*on taking the place of Hall of Famer Eli Manning*

"Whenever you have to take over for a legend man...that's a tough road. The fans were hungry to regain that spark that we had here in the 2000s. Ultimately its up to me to bring it back. That's what I'm here to do"

*on his rookie campaign*

"I put work in the 2nd half of the year man..." With a grin on his face he added, "the first half of the year, I swear I must've been color blind. I threw so many interceptions. That Saints game, I think the kicker could've played better man. Shout out to Coach T for sticking with me after that. But yeah after that I feel like the game slowed down for me. I wasn't used to defenses playing those zones all game, I had to adjust"

*on not getting Rookie of the Year*

"no comment"

*on having to watch the majority of the Giants two playoff games*

"no matter of fact, back to that Rookie of the Year mess, like what did I have to do? We went 13-3, I accounted for 35 touchdowns! They better hope there's no Sophmore of the year award because I'm all in"

*on the playoff injury*

"Man you asked me earlier about replacing Eli. That guy went 10 plus seasons and never missed a game. Here it is my first season and I miss the two most important games. That hurt man, especially seeing how much Ryan struggled out there against the Lions. You feel helpless you know. Never again man...I'll go out there in a segway if I need to man...but I'll be there for my team next time."

JW seems focused and ready for his 2nd season. We here in Tennessee who saw him in college knows the type of competitor he is and know that he well be ready. We'll catch up with him again next super bowl, hopefully after accepting an mvp trophy

credits to The Tennesee Star Journal 2/12/2016 edition

Sometimes no moves is a good move. As owner I would like to reassure our fans that we have been actively considering making a few trades to bolster our Super Bowl hopes before the trade deadline. As fans, you likely see a team with a floundering pass offense and a ton of valuable tradeable commodities that could be moved to sure up that phase of the game. In the front office though, we see the 5-1 record, with one of the toughest stretches of the schedule behind us. The devastating injury to Darren McFadden has also given us reason to keep our young backups so that if they are needed, by way of injury or subpar play, the will be ready, Next Man Up. Please continue to have faith in us...we have never missed the playoffs, we don't intend to this year.  

Giants management

MetLife Stadium.  Let's face it...the nfc east was a little...subpar last season, in the NFL and in TKL. With the additions of some new blood in Philly and the return of the veteran coach in Washington, this season may shape up to be a thriller in the east. Coach Wilson always had a gameplan that gave the Giants fits in Teckmo 13. Although the Giants came away with the majority of the victories, most of the games were close affairs, often coming down to the 4th quarter. The strength of the read option in madden 25 will likely play well with the Redskins scheme. JPP has a warnng message for RG3 though, saying "keep the ball and you will lose your life". Wow...hopefully that was a joke. He sounded fairly serious though. However it shakes out we will be ready for a thriller in MetLife. Welcome back coach Wilson

After more than two months away from the field, Darren McFadden is set to return to the lineup for the Giants next week against the Seahawks. Now the questions arise as to how effective he will be after such a harsh injury. The Giants were about to have a hard decision upon his return because of the breakout performance by David Wilson in the absence of Darren. Many were speculating that the two backs would split time or that Wilson would remain the starter, breaking the unwritten rule that you can't lose your job to injury. That speculation was of course nullified by the injury to Wilson that will sideline him until a possible NFC championship game at least. 

So then, will McFadden be able to return to form and put distance between him and Wilson for that starting job next year? Sometimes, competition breeds excellence. Hopefully this will be the case for Darren. He will be put into a trial by fire, facing the hard-hitting Seahawks defense in his first week back. His description of his attitude going into this game..."Focused"

      As we approach the stretch run of this inaugural season of Teckmo 25, I would like to thank and congratulate all the coaches in the league for running their franchises within the rules, and running them successfully. As the award season ballots begin to circulate, I want to take a moment to talk about the coaches. Soon, Madden will announce their coach of the year. Likely this distinction will go to the team with the best record. Is that the sole criteria we should base this award on? Let's dive in a little deeper...

     Some would say that the coach of the most talented team, unless he does something record-breaking, shouldn't get the best coach award. "After all", these would say, "all the coach had to do was not get in the way of the team and they would succeed." Tell that to the Cowboys...or the Eagles of the past few years, or the Yankees every year they don't win the Series. There have been many stacked teams that have fallen short of the promised land. Often times it is easier to get into the hearts of the underdog team than the team with the star power. Still though, Coaches Jones of the Seahawks (7-2), Samonie of the Chiefs (7-2), and Fayese of the 49ers (5-3), will have to overcome this public attitude to get the vote for best coach. 

     Perhaps then, it's the opposite. If the teams with lower talent and lowest expectation can somehow scratch and claw to a good record, then their coach should be coach of the year right? It's only logical. If this is the case then Coaches Ritter of the Jags(7-1) and Perez of the Jets(8-1) should be shoo-ins! The Jags have overcome being the least talented team, with some key trades and some great coaching, to the tune of being in position to make a run at the #1 seed in the AFC. New coach Perez has brought a Rex Ryan like swagger to his Jets, and after excaping the Saints this past week, they are also in the running for the top seed. Clearly two coaches to consider.

     Maybe we should look for sustained excellence. Sadly Coach K and Roy Williams rarely get consideration for coach of the year. It's expected of them...they are supposes to be successful. No one else could be considered in this same vein but Coach Jayasuriya. He's brought his same high level of coaching from the 13 franchise to this 25 campaign. Stafford continues to flourish under his guidance and he is in position to stake his usual claim on the #1 seed in the NFC at 7-1.

     Then there are the rest...teams that were projected as middle of the road. Teams that weren't too barren at the start but not stacked either. Could the coach of the year come from this bunch? Coach Dowell has the Ravens as the only undefeated team left in the league at 7-0! Will they go the way of the 72 Dolphins or this years KC Chiefs? Coach Thompson has rebuilt the Giants on the fly. Once considered a rebuilding project, they have gelled together and are now 7-1 and in position for a top seed. Coach Stevens has led the lowly Vikings to a level where they are feared around the league. At 6-2 they are also in position to battle for their division and for a top seed. There are a host of teams at 5-3 that could easily make a second half run and positon themselves for greatness.

     The possibilities are endless. All we can do is wait and see. Among these coaches, I'm sure there isn't one who wouldn't gladly accept a 9-7 record and a ring over a "coach of the year" award. But who says you can't have both?  8 weeks to go...

With Darren McFadden being sidelined for almost the remainder of the season, The Giants have now handed over the running game to David Wilson. Despite his past history with fumbles, we know he is one of the most explosive players in the game and that he will continue to improve on his ball handling. He already responded this week against the Vikings, going for over 250 all purpose yards, and 3 touchdowns. Can he continue at this pace?

Through 2 weeks this New York Giants secondary has been EATING! 8 interceptions for the group who were thought to be one of the weak links on this Giants squad. Can they keep it together and put up a special season? If so the demise of the Giants, forecast by most of the sports media, may have been a false prediction. We will see how they stack up against Cam Newton and Michael Vick, two qbs known to stretch the field with their legs as well as their arms

With heavy hearts, we would like to announce the end of the Eli Manning era here in New York. Mr. Manning has proven far more valuable than we ever could have imagined, bringing our proud franchise 2 super bowl titles and being the MVP in both of those super bowls. Our team as constructed at the beginning of the season was over the cap, and unfortunately we had to make some tough decisions as far as our roster is concerned. Eli's contract was just too much of a hinderence for the rebuilding process, so we had to make this move. To our season ticket holders, this by no means signals a long dark rebuilding age. We plan on being competitive immediately, with the hope of returning to super bowl glory sooner than later

The Giants, hamstrung by huge expiring contracts, look to move forward the best way we can. We will make some major moves to improve both our team as well as our business model. No one is safe...

Our goal this year is to return the Rams to the "Greatest Show on Turf"! Any players who are not joining us in our vision will not be joining us on the roster