While the purpose of this blog is to incorporate sports talking points into your cocktail chatter, another popular topic for cocktail party conversations is real estate. Imagine a conversation involving both sports (football, specifically) and real estate …

The Wall Street Journal recently provided a glimpse into the real estate markets of three college towns that have some of the strongest football teams — (1) Austin, TX – University of Texas Longhorns; (2) Baton Rouge, LA – Louisiana State University Tigers; and (3) Athens, GA – University of Georgia Bulldogs. Click here to read the column and learn more about the real estate markets in these college football towns. You will definitely have some talking points for your next cocktail party or networking event!

Today’s e-mail comes from  Ann in Denver:

At a recent staff development lunch, I sat next to a couple of guys who spent the majority of the lunch discussing the nuances of football. The talk turned to the NFL’s decision to crack down on the use of Twitter by NFL player during games, which led to a discussion of the attempts of the league to control so much of its players lives from character clauses in contracts to very strict rules regarding the players uniform, including a rule stating that uniform numbers be assigned by position. I won’t ask for a full explaination of the NFL’s decorum policies, but I am curious, does the league really dictate what number a player can wear based on the position he plays? 

Thanks Ann.

In short, yes, the NFL does set forth a list of numbers for each position. However, this practice is not limited to the NFL. Indeed, this practice, while not as strict, extends down into the college and high school game.

In order to understand why, you must first  understand a basic rule in the game of football. Of the 11 guys on the offensive side of the football, five players are eligible to be receivers at any one time. In an attempt at fairness, to prevent the defense from guessing which five guys are being designated as receivers, a certain set of numbers are designated for players most likely to be receivers. A player with a number not designated for a receiver, can check in with the official prior to setting formation, letting the official now they will be an eligible receiver.

In the NFL, the numbers 1-19 are reserved for quarterbacks, kickers, punters and receivers. The numbers 20-49 are reserved for running backs, cornerbacks, safeties and tight ends, in special situations. The numbers 50-59 are designated for offensive linemen and linebackers, 60-79 for offensive and defensive linemen, 80-89 for receivers and tight ends, and 90-99 for defensive linemen and linebackers.

In college and high school, there is more freedom with the numbers, but 50-79 are still considered “linemen numbers” and are not worn by eligible receivers, quarterbacks, kickers or punters. Again, a player with an uneligible number can check in with the officials as an eligible receiver, prior to the snap, and become an eligible receiver.

If you have a question you would like answered, please e-mail me at jhellis978@gmail.com.

Here’s your late edition of the Monday Morning Quarterback for September 21, 2009–those key talking points for your Monday afternoon business meeting or cocktail hour.

• New Orleans Saints & Drew Brees- After two weeks of the NFL season, the New Orleans Saints have established themselves as one of the early favorites to win the NFC and as one of the top teams in the NFL. On Sunday, the Saints traveled to Philadelphia and beat the Eagles, a team thought by many to have the most talented roster in the NFL, 48-22.  In the game, Saints quarterback, Drew Brees three for over 311 yards and 3 touchdowns. In just two games, Brees has thrown for 669 yards and 9 TD’s.
• Green Bay/Cincinnati- The most surprising result of the  NFL weekend came at Lambeau Field in Green Bay where the lowly Cincinnati Bengals came in and defeated the Packers, a team many predicted to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Lambeau Field has the reputation of being one of the most difficult places to win in the NFL, especially for the underdog. In short, upsets like this just don’t occur in Green Bay.
• Washington/USC- The Washington  Huskies pulled an equally shocking upset in college football on Saturday, defeating the #3 ranked USC Trojans with a field goal in the final seconds. Both teams playing the Pac 10 Conference, which as the name implies consists of 10 universities. College football analysts generally view USC as the top program in this conference and generally view Washington at the very bottom of the conference.
• Florida/Texas – Elsewhere in the world of college football, the University of Florida and the University of Texas continued heading towards what seems like an inevitable January date to face each other for the national title. While many of the other top teams have shown signs of weakness (see USC), the Gators and Longhorns have handled their victims with relative ease. Both teams played conference rivals on Saturday, both teams struggled in the first half of their games, but both emerged with big second half performances to start their seasons 3-0 and as the clear top two teams in the nation. The only question is which team is #1 and which team is #2?
• Dallas Cowboys stadium- If you were busy watching HBO’s Sunday night lineup or the Emmy’s and missed last night’s Dallas Cowboys/New York Giants game, you missed the most watch prime-time televised NFL game in over a decade. However, the more impressive record set in this game was the attendance figure. 105,121 people walked through the gates at the new Cowboys Stadium, breaking the attendance record for an NFL game. This astonishing record comes as many NFL teams struggle to sell out their home games. Consider the fact that only 46,520 people attended the Jacksonville Jaguars home opener against the Arizona Cardinals, almost 20,000 tickets shy of a sell-out. Unfortunately, many of the 105,121 fans left disappointed as the Giants won the game on a last second field goal.

• Tennessee vs. Florida – Lane Kiffin ramped up the intensity of this already fierce rivalry when he made false accusations regarding recruiting violations at the University of Florida. The Vols appear to be down this season and must travel into “The Swamp” to take on the Gators. However, this is Tennessee/Florida and it is “must see TV” every time these two teams play.
• Texas Tech vs. Texas – Last season, the Texas Tech Red Raiders ruined the University of Texas’ dreams of a national title, beating the Longhorns on a last second touchdown pass in Lubbock. This year the Red Raiders must travel down to Austin for a made-for-TV prime time game. The Longhorns return Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley who both played huge roles in last year’s game, while the Red Raiders must look to replace Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree who led the Red Raiders to victory.
• Georgia vs. Arkansas – Second year coach Bobby Petrino is still trying to get his system installed at the University of Arkansas. Transfer quarterback Ryan Mallett seems to be picking up Petrino’s spread offense and the Razorbacks rolled to huge win against Missouri State in their first game of the season. The Bulldogs will be looking to build off the momentum from last week’s victory over South Carolina and avoid their second road loss of the young season.
• Nebraska vs. Virginia Tech – For decades, Nebraska was a major player in the world of college football. For much of this decade, the Cornhuskers have struggled with mediocrity. Mediocrity might work at some schools, but not Nebraska. Their fans expect much more. The Cornhuskers have a chance to return to national prominence in a big way on Saturday as they travel to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies. Virginia Tech already has one loss on the season and another one would certainly destroy any national title hopes.
• Florida State vs. Brigham Young & Utah vs. Oregon – I placed these two games together because it is important to watch their collective results. Utah and Brigham Young both played in the Mountain West Conference. Unlike some of the major conferences (e.g. Big 12, Big 10, Southeastern) the Mountain West Conference winner does not get an automatic bid to a Bowl Championship Series bowl game. They can earn an at-large bid, which Utah did last season, but no non-BCS team has ever earned a spot in the BCS National Title game. Usually strength of schedule hurts the non-BCS schools. However, BYU has already beaten Oklahoma this season. A win against Florida State would further strengthen their resume. Utah will earn strength of schedule points by beating Oregon. BYU and Utah face each other in their regular season finale on November 28. If Utah and BYU both win on Saturday and either one of them or TCU can go through the season undefeated, there is a great chance that a Mountain West Conference school could be selected to play for the national title this season.

We intend for this blog to be interactive and welcome all readers to submit questions.

Stephanie in University Park, Texas writes:

I recently started watching football and noticed that in addition to numbers, some of the referees have different letters on their shirts. Additionally, some of the referees wear white hats, while most wear black hats. Why is this? Why were the officials in the New England game wearing orange and white uniforms?
Well Stephanie, let’s begin with some semantics. Though the term referee is often used to refer to any official on the football field, this usage is incorrect. NFL and collegiate officiating staffs consist of seven officials, including the referee, umpire, head linesman, line judge, field judge, side judge, and back judge. The letters you see on the jerseys correspond to each of these official titles. The referee serves as the head of the officiating crew and wears a white hat to distinguish himself from his compatriots. Each official has a particular part of the field and game they are responsible for watching and officiating.

From 1960 through 1969, the AFL (American Football League) existed as a rival league to the NFL (National Football League). In 1970, a merger between the two leagues was finalized and ten teams joined the NFL: Boston Patriots (now New England Patriots), San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans), Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. In observance of the 50th Anniversary of the AFL, the NFL will honor the league all season long. When teams from the former AFL face one another, the teams will wear their old AFL uniforms and the officiating crews will wear the traditional, orange and white stripped, AFL officials uniform. Since Buffalo and New England both were AFL teams, the officials wore the orange and white uniforms tonight.

If you have a question you would like answered, feel free to e-mail me anytime at jhellis978@gmail.com.

We just completed our first full weekend of college and NFL football and no doubt football will dominate the cocktail chatter all day. If you chose to spend your weekend doing other things besides watching football, fret not, we have the talking points for you. Here are five things you need to know heading into Monday:

• USC beat Ohio State 18-15 -One of the games we previewed for you earlier in the weekend. The Trojans travel to Ohio State and emerge with a come from behind, last minute victory over the Buckeyes in a nationally televised game. If you want to sound really impressive, mention that USC freshman quarterback, Matt Barkley, became a man Saturday night and proved that he deserved the starting quarterback job, leading the Trojans 86 yard drive to win the game.
• Michigan beat Notre Dame 38-34 – Another game we previewed for you Saturday morning and another game that went down to the wire. The Michigan Wolverines scored with 11 seconds remaining in the game to upset the Irish and go 2-0 on the young season. Like USC, Michigan was led by a freshman quarterback, Tate Forcier, who engineered the game winning touchdown drive.
• Brett Favre wins his debut in a Vikings uniform – While the Minnesota Vikings were led by running back Adrian Peterson(25 carries for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns), quarterback Brett Favre did enough (110 yards passing and 1 touchdown) to ensure the Vikings 34-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns. This will not be remembered as one of Brett Favre’s most impressive games and some will begin to question whether or not he will really make a difference on this team.
• The Denver Broncos had the most exciting finish of the weekend – If you watched any TV at all on Sunday there’s a good chance you saw this highlight. The Broncos trailed the Cincinnati Bengals 7-6 with the ball on their own 13-yard line and time expiring, when Broncos’ quarterback heaved the ball down field, praying for a miracle. The Bengals defense converged on the intended receiver, jarring the ball loose, but another Broncos receiver, Brandon Stokley was in the area and managed to catch the deflection and run into the end zone with eleven seconds left on the clock to give the Broncos the 12-7 victory, stunning the crowd in Cincinnati.
• The Big 12 is overrated – Entering the college football season, several “experts” felt that this could be the season that the Big 12 conference topped the Southeastern Conference as the best football conference in the nation. After watching Oklahoma lose to Brigham Young in week 1 and Oklahoma State lost to the University of Houston this past weekend, the top of the conference doesn’t match up with the top of the Southeastern Conference at all. The bottom of the Big 12, Colorado and Iowa State, look a lot weaker than the bottom of the Southeastern Conference. The SEC still rules the college football world.

Those of you who watch AMC’s hit series Mad Men may be wondering exactly what kind of sport the young entrepreneur was trying to get the boys of Sterling-Cooper to sell telling them it would soon become America’s next past time. You’ll remember, Don Draper and the boys spent time trying to learn the rules of the game, destroying an ant farm in the office during the process.

Believe it or not, this is a real sport, a form of Basque pelota known as cesta punta or  jai alai (pronounced “high a lie” ) and is known as the “world’s fastest sport.”  The game enjoys popularity in Spain, France, Mexico and Argentina. The sport failed to catch on in the Untied States, but is popular in some gambling circles in the state of Florida. On first glance, cesta punta resembles the racket sport, squash, but what makes the game so unique is the cesta, the curved, woven racket, worn on the hand and used to hurl the pelota, or ball towards the walls. Games take place on a court called a fronton, and players attempt to hurl the ball off of the walls in such a manner that their opponent is unable to return the ball.  This series of events is known as a rally. If the ball bounces twice, or if the opponent fails to return the ball in one fluid motion, the rally is stopped and a point is awarded.

College football remains one of the most popular sports in the country, especially in the Deep South and Midwest. If you’re doing business in these parts of the country, or if you have clients or business associates who attended college in these parts of the country, it’s good to be well versed on the current events. Here are a few games to keep your eye on today:

• USC at Ohio State – This is THE game of the week! It features two tradition rich teams ranked in the Top 10, squaring off in a game that could shape the national title picture. College football picks two teams to play for the national title at the end of the season based on a complex computerized ranking system. Part of the equation relies on strength of schedule. Winning a game of this magnitude will earn the victor major points in the drive to the championship game. On top of that, Ohio State is a bit of underdog on their home field and will be looking to show they belong among the elites of college football.
• Notre Dame at Michigan – Another game that features two tradition rich programs, but in this instance, two programs who have fallen on hard times recently. Both teams feature high profile coaches (Charlie Weiss at Notre Dame; Rich Rodriguez at Michigan) who need to have highly successful seasons to preserve their job security. It is not hyperbolic to say that the losing coach in this game may lose his job at the end of the season. Both teams looked impressive last week and will look to carry that momentum into this game.
• UCLA at Tennessee – Nestled on the banks of the Tennessee River, Neyland Stadium, home of the Tennessee Volunteers, seats well over 100,000 people and has consistently been rated at the top of college football experiences. “Sailgating”, instead of “tailgaiting,” takes place on the river and hordes of orange clad fans fill the stands and sing along to “Rocky Top,” the schools unofficial “fight song”, throughout the game. The game day experience alone merits watching any Tennessee home football game. This game carries added importance since it’s the second game for Tennessee’s first year head coach, Lane Kiffin, and his first against a quality opponent. Vols’ fans will be looking for an impressive outing by the home team in this game to send a message to the rest of the college football world.
• Idaho State at Oklahoma – Oklahoma is a 55 point favorite heading into this match-up and they should have a decent chance of covering that spread. However, it is worth following this game because the Sooners entered the season as a national title contender, lost a close game to an underdog team last week and lost the defending Heisman Trophy winner (the award given to the college football player of the year), Sam Bradford, to a shoulder injury. In addition to the Bradford injury, the Sooners have suffered injuries to several other key players, some lost for the entire season. The Sooners desperately need an impressive victory to establish some momentum heading into a very rough stretch of their schedule starting next week.

As you head for lunch or execute your exit plan for your Friday afternoon “happy hour,” mixed in among the talk of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ amazing overtime win you may hear discussions of NFL blackouts. In 1973, the NFL initiated a blackout policy to encourage NFL teams to sell-out their home football games. Under the policy, a home game can not be televised locally (within 75 miles of the stadium) if it is not sold out within 72 hours of the game. Due to the NFL’s popularity, the policy mainly affected only the lowliest of teams.

However, the past couple of seasons the frequency of blackouts has increased dramatically. This year,  as many as twelve teams face the very real possibility of having multiple games blackedout. Now it appears that even some of the league’s most promising teams face the possibility of blackouts. The Atlanta Falcons field one of the leagues youngest and most exciting teams, yet they face the possibility of blackouts. Adding Brett Favre to their roster hasn’t saved the Minnesota Vikings from blackout talks and even the defending NFC Champions, Arizona Cardinals are having trouble selling out their home opener.

Three factors contribute to this sudden spike.

• Economy – Some of the teams hardest hit by the NFL’s blackout policies are in cities hardest hit by the recession (e.g. Cleveland and Detroit). No matter where you live, it is not cheap to attend a NFL game and people often slash entertainment expenses first when trying to cut their budget, so even in cities where the economy fared a little better fans must be more frugal with their money.
• Technology – The NFL prides itself on being at the forefront of the convergence of sports and technology. Every NFL game can be viewed in high definition, which allows the fan to feel as if they are at the game. Combine that with the growing popularity of the NFL  Sunday Ticket, a sports package offered by the league and DirectTV that allows the fans to watch every out of market football game, and the average fan can pay $50 a month for all their games in high definition as opposed to $80 for a single ticket to a single game.
• Small Markets – I first started hearing about blackouts in regards to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are a small market team that plays in one of the largest stadiums in the NFL, making it nearly impossible to sell out the home games. The Jaguars have taken every possible step to try and  prevent blackouts, such as placing tarps over large sections of seating within the stadium to try and cut down on the amount of tickets needed to be sold. This works to their disadvantage in games where those tickets could have been sold since the sections must remain closed for the entire season and not just for select games.

Some teams want the NFL to temporarily remove blackout restrictions until our economy recovers. They contend that continuing to enforce the policy during this economic down cylce hurts the already struggling fan, especially the old and young. Just think of the kid in San Diego, who wants nothing more than to see his Chargers play on Sunday, but then finds out his local TV station cannot carry the game because it did not sell out. The NFL refuses to rescind the policy, but has relented some, allowing the games to be rebroadcast at midnight following the game on the NFL’s website.

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night with the Tennessee Titans traveling to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL began kicking their season off on a Thursday night a few years ago as a way to feature a marquee game in prime time. The game always features the defending Super Bowl champion at home against a top opponent and features much of the same revelry associated with the Super Bowl, including a tribute to the championship season and performances by top musical acts. The NFL season continues with a full slate of games on Sunday and two more games on Monday night. Below are a few items you will want to be versed on for cocktail chatter:

Brett Favre

At 39 years of age, Brett Favre will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. However, some feel that his legacy may be tainted by the past couple of seasons, when he has retired, only to resurface with a different team. Favre spent the majority of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers and now plays for their arch-rivals, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have been one of the leagues top teams the past couple of seasons and many NFL fans feel that the addition of Favre could be the missing piece to their puzzle. However, he is 39 years old and this is a “young man’s” league. The Vikings travel to Cleveland on Sunday to take on the Browns. However, the one Viking’s game all NFL fans want to see is Sunday, November 1, when the Vikings travel to Green Bay.

Tom Brady

For the past several years, Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady (husband of Gisele Bundchen) has been the face of the NFL—the ultimate superstar, leading the Patriots to three Super Bowl titles in four years, winning two Super Bowl MVP’s and setting the league record for most touchdown passes in a season. Last year, he suffered a season ending injury in the first week. The eyes of the NFL will be on the Patriots to see how Brady responds in his return to action. Can he be the player he was before the injury or will he continue to suffer residual effects of the injury?

Terrell Owens

No NFL player attracts as much attention as Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver and pop culture icon, Terrell “T.O.” Owens. No one questions T.O.’s talent, but his bravado often creates problems within the locker rooms he inhabits, especially with his quarterbacks. This will be Owens’ fourth team and in each of his previous stops he has left on less than desirable terms.  The Bills will benefit with a bevy of nationally televised games and the camera will follow T.O. wherever goes, but the entire league and NFL fans will be waiting to witness his first sideline explosion.

Michael Vick

Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Michael Vick was once a rising star in the league and was on the verge of revolutionizing how the quarterback position was played in the NFL. However, Vick ran into legal troubles for, among other things, illegal dog fighting on property he owned and was served a yearlong suspension from the NFL and a eighteen month sentence in Federal prison. Many teams recognize the talent Vick possesses, but not many teams wanted to deal with public relations nightmare he represents.

As part of his reinstatement, Vick must sit out the first two games of this season, but will be eligible to play in Week 3, when the Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs in Philadelphia. Vick will receive a warm response from the home town, but expect there to be protests and demonstrations whenever the Eagles play on the road. On the field, it will be interesting to see how the Eagles choose to use Vick, as they already have a star quarterback, Donovan McNabb, on their roster. Eagles fans are notorious for being rough on their own team and if McNabb should struggle the first few weeks of the season, they may start calling for him to be replaced by Vick.

AFC

Depending on what you read, watch or listen to, there are several teams with the capability of winning this year’s Super Bowl. As the defending Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers sit at the top of many “expert’s” lists of top NFL teams. However, the Steelers must first win their conference, the AFC (American Football Conference), which features several of the league’s top teams, like the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts, and the San Diego Chargers. Many feel that the San Diego Chargers will benefit from an easier schedule than the other top teams in the conference, but the Chargers have been favored for the past several years and have yet to see their championship dreams come to fruition.

NFC

In the NFC (National Football Conference), most “experts” look for the conference champion to come out of the NFC East division, specifically either the New York Giants or the Philadelphia Eagles. Others seem to think that the Green Bay Packers have a shot or that the addition of Brett Favre to the Vikings will be enough to get that team to the Super Bowl. The Arizona Cardinals won the NFC last season, but few seem to feel that they will repeat as champions, but as the defending champion they deserve to be in the conversation. On the opposite end of the spectrum, NFL fans will watch to see if the Detroit Lions can make any improvements over last year’s dismal season. The Lions became the first team in NFL history, since it expanded to a 16 game regular season schedule, to lose every game.

Dallas Cowboys

No NFL talk would be complete without mentioning the Dallas Cowboys, the league’s most visible and valuable franchise. After winning the three Super Bowls in four years in the 1990’s, the Cowboys have not won a playoff game since the 1990’s. The past few seasons, the Cowboy’s roster featured several of the league’s most elite players, but failed to produce any post-season success. The Cowboys hope that opening their brand new billion dollar stadium will inspire the team to greater on the field success.

The Cowboys play their first regular season game in the new stadium on a Sunday night, in a prime time televised game against their division rival New York Giants. The world will tune into see what many feel is the single greatest sporting venue in the world, featuring the world’s largest HD TV suspended from the retractable roof. The board measures an astonishing 160 by 72 feet and hangs approximately 85 feet above the playing field. This distance has been the subject of recent controversy. Some feel that the board hangs too low and will be hit by balls during the course of a game, but the NFL has said that the board will remain at 85 feet, as least through the end of this season, and adopted rules in case the board is hit during the course of a game.