EDITOR'S NOTE: 
THE EXTRA POINT

To Everything There Is a Season

It was the best of seasons, it was the first of seasons. For those who may think it was also the worst of seasons, the good thing is, it's a season. The thing about seasons is they always come to an end, and in sports, there's always next year.  

The 2007-08 NFL season was marked by many bests, and quite a few firsts, including the first season of the Powder Puff Sundays™ newsletter. 

Thank you to every one of you who read this newsletter throughout the season. This newsletter would not have been possible without you, the readers. And a very, VERY special thank you to everyone who provided us with feedback, questions of the week, constructive criticism, and encouraging words. What you provided has proven invaluable. 

Looking Forward

NFL teams use the offseason to plan for the upcoming season. The same thing is occurring during the offseason with Powder Puff Sundays™. 

Here's a sneak peak into what's in the works for the 2008-09 football season.

• The Powder Puff Sundays™ website
• A female-friendly book explaining the game in a way that's never been done before
• The Powder Puff Sundays™ hostess program

Although the weekly newsletters will end (for now), throughout the offseason we'll send you periodic emails to keep you abreast of what's going on in both the football and the Powder Puff Sundays™ worlds. 

It's been a great run, and we're looking forward to providing you with more great football coverage next season. 

Tricia D. Teague

Creator of Powder Puff Sundays™

FOR THE ROOKIE FAN

One More Game?

The Super Bowl has been played, the champion has been crowned, the season is officially over. Right? Well, not exactly.

That series of events is true for most sports, but not for the NFL. There is one more game left to be played, the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is the NFL's all-star game in which the stars of the NFL's two conferences face each other in an exhibition game in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game will take place on Sunday, February 10. 

Players are selected to participate in the game based on votes from fans, coaches, and other players. Alternates are also picked in case voted in players are unable to participate because of injury.

The coaches who lost their conference championship games and didn't qualify for the Super Bowl are the coaches for the Pro Bowl game. This year's coaches are San Diego's Norv Turner for the AFC and Green Bay's Mike McCarthy for the NFC.

 An All-Star Performance

By now you've probably impressed your guy with all your new found football knowledge. If you've started to take on this sport simply because you love him, here's one way you can leave a lasting impression. 

Write him a cheer! 

You can make it as good, or as cheesy, as you want. If you're one to go all out, find a varsity sweater, skirt, and pom poms. If you're more reserved, pom poms might be the best he's going to get. Whether you're conservative or over the top in your performance, he'll know that he's an all-star in your eyes.

FOR THE VETERAN FAN

Decking the Hall

Last Sunday's Super Bowl was a career changing experience for many of the players, especially for those who play for the New York Giants.

But on Saturday six former players were given the ultimate career honor, being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 2008 Hall of Fame inductees were named on last Saturday. The players will be enshrined in the Enshrinement Ceremony in August in Canton, Ohio, the site of the Hall of Fame.

Here's some info on the six men in the 2008 class and their career highlights: 

• Defensive end Fred Dean: Dean, who played played 11 seasons with the San Diego Chargers (1975-1981) and the San Francisco 49ers (1981-1985),  has an unofficial career sack total of 100 (sacks weren't an official record until 1982). He played on six division winning and two Super Bowl championship teams and was selected to play in four Pro Bowls.
  
• Cornerback Darrell Green: Green played 20 seasons (1983-2002) with the Washington Redskins. He had at least one interception in 19 straight seasons, an NFL record, and was selected to play in seven Pro Bowls.
  
• Wide Receiver Art Monk: Monk spent 16 seasons in the NFL (1980-1995), 14 with the Washington Redskins and one each with the NY Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. He set three NFL records that have since been broken: most receptions in a season (106), most consecutive games with at least one catch (164), and career receptions (820). He finished his career with 940 catches, and in his career best game caught 10 passes for 200 yards. He was selected to three Pro Bowls.
  
• Cornerback Emmitt Thomas: Thomas entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and played 13 seasons (1966-1978) for the Kansas City Chiefs. He has 58 career interceptions (9th all-time in the NFL) for 937 return yards, a Chiefs record. He was selected for five Pro Bowls.
  
• Linebacker Andre Tippett : Tippett spent 11 seasons with the New England Patriots (1982-1993), although he missed the entire 1989 season because of an injury. He was selected to five straight Pro Bowls (1985-1989) and held team records for career sacks (100), sacks in a season (18.5 in 1984), and opponent fumbles recovered (17).
  
• Tackle Gary Zimmerman: Zimmerman, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, played 12 seasons (1986-1997), first with the Minnesota Vikings (1986-1992) and then with the Denver Broncos (1993-1997). He was selected for seven Pro Bowls and was named NFL Lineman of the Year in 1987. Due in part to his blocking, his teams had league and/or conference leading rushing, passing, or total yards statistics in 7 of his 12 seasons.  

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What's the difference between "offsides" and "unabated to the quarterback"? 

Submitted by Jeanne H. of Kearney, MO

There is a slight difference between offsides and unabated path to the quarterback. The simplest difference is who the calls occur against. Offsides can be called against any player, while the unabated to the quarterback is only called against the defense.

Offsides occurs anytime a player is in the neutral zone when the ball is snapped. Many times the play is allowed to proceed and the offsides penalty is called after the play is over. 

Unabated to the quarterback, or encroachment, as it is officially called, occurs anytime a defensive player has crossed the line of scrimmage and has a clear path to the quarterback. 

When encroachment occurs, the play is whistled dead before it can be played out, sometimes before the ball is even snapped, so that the quarterback isn't maimed because 260 pounds of muscle are coming at him at full force. 

The significant difference between the two is movement. If a defensive player happens to get in his stance in the wrong spot, or jumps into the neutral zone a fraction of a second before the snap, he's most likely to be called for offsides. But if a defensive player comes out of his stance and continues as if the ball was snapped, at regular speed, he'll get called for encroachment. 

If you have a question about football any aspect of the game, or something you heard while watching a telecast, send it to: PPSquestions@comcast.net. 

A GIANT HURDLE

Too Much for the Pats 

The New England Patriots hit a giant hurdle in their quest for perfection, the New York Giants. 

In case you missed it, the heavily favored and previously undefeated Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the NY Giants, 17-14. 

There were many keys to the Giants' victory. Many people have talked about their amazing fourth quarter performance, especially Eli Manning's 32-yard pass to David Tyree on third down with just 1:15 left in the game. 

It was by far the most memorable play of the game, and may have solidified Manning's selection as the Most Valuable Player.

If you don't remember the play, it was the one that made you literally say, "Wow!" 

If you're thinking, "the one where Eli was about to get sacked but somehow got away?" Yeah, that one. "The one where the receiver caught the ball over his head, and held it on his helmet as he was being pulled down?" Yeah, that one. 

Yet, there were other plays that were just as important, and a group of players that deserve as much credit for the win as Manning. The defense.

Defense Wins Ball Games

Eli Manning kept his cool, didn't make any mistakes, and took his team down the field in the final three minutes to win the game.

Yet, throughout the game, the defense accomplished what other teams were unsuccessful at in 18 games leading up to the Super Bowl, containing New England quarterback Tom Brady. 

Led by defensive end John Tuck, the Giants sacked Brady five times. If you don't know how significant that is, here's some perspective. In 16 regular season games, Brady was only sacked 21 times, or an average of 1.3 sacks per game. 

Tuck was responsible for two of five sacks in the Super Bowl, as well as a forced fumble. 

Almost Doesn't Count

The Patriots acquired many great players for the 2007 season, some might even say the perfect team, and put together the almost perfect season.

If all the players and coaches return next season, it doesn't guarantee that they'll have a perfect regular season record again. If they win the game that counts the most, regular season records don't matter. Just ask the New York Giants. 

POWDER PUFF PIGSKIN TRIVIA

Pro Bowl Weekend Questions 

There are four questions, easy, medium, difficult, and what we like to call the stumper (challenge your guy with Q4).  The answers are at the bottom of this section.

Q1. Where is the Pro Bowl played?

Q2. Where is the Pro Football Hall of Fame? 

Q3. When was the Hall of Fame opened? 

Q4. When the NFL first instituted an all-star game, the game pitted the league champion against all-stars. When was the first all-star game played and who won?  

Super Bowl Weekend Questions and Answers

Q1. In the series of Super Bowl games, what number was Sunday's game? 
Answer: 42.

Q2. Which team won the first two Super Bowls? 
Answer: Green Bay Packers

Q3. Where will the next three Super Bowls be played?
Answer: 2009 Tampa Bay, 2010 Miami, 2011 Dallas.

Q4. Which conference (AFC or NFC) has won the most Super Bowls? 
Answer: Including Sunday's game, the NFC has won 22 of the 42 Super Bowls.

Pro Bowl Weekend Answers

Q1. Where is the Pro Bowl played?
Answer: Honolulu, Hawaii.

Q2. Where is the Pro Football Hall of Fame? 
Answer: Canton, Ohio

Q3. When was the Hall of Fame opened? 
Answer: September 7, 1963.

Q4. When the NFL first instituted its all-star games, the game pitted the league champion against all-stars. When was the first all-star game played and who won?
Answer: The first game was played in January 1939, at the end of the 1938 season. The New York Giants beat the Pro All-Stars 13-10.

COMMENTS/
SUGGESTIONS

Your Feedback is Welcome 

If you have thoughts, feedback, or suggestions for this newsletter, we would love to hear from you. 

Please email your feedback to:   PPSfeedback@comcast.net. 

Past Issues of This Newsletter

This newsletter is distributed weekly, via email, free of charge. If you are interested in receiving past issues, please send an email with "Past Issues" in the subject line to: 
PowderPuffSundays@comcast.net.

About Powder Puff Sundays™

Powder Puff Sundays™ is an enterprise that seeks to educate women about football as well as allow women fans to enjoy the sport in a female-friendly environment. This is achieved through sponsored events, this newsletter, and a variety of other female-friendly activities.

If you are interesting in learning more information about Powder Puff Sundays™, upcoming events, the company, or Tricia Teague, please contact us via email at: 
PowderPuffSundays@comcast.net.