First Down Marker

Check out the first-ever episode of The First Down Marker Podcast below. Host Mark returns to the podcasting world with a fresh perspective, just in time for the NFL offseason. With free agency in full swing and billions of dollars in contracts flying around, Mark dives into whether big spending actually leads to success—or if teams are better off building from within. Are fans right to get excited about blockbuster deals, or is history proving them wrong? Plus, a look at how powerhouse teams like the Chiefs find success without breaking the bank.

Washington Post via Getty Images On 20 th  July 2023, a group led by investor Josh Harris purchased the Washington Commanders NFL team from Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion, the highest amount ever paid for a sports team. While fans of the franchise, disappointed by continually underwhelming results, had been calling for Snyder to sell for much of his 24-year tenure, it seemed that he was quite content in the driver’s seat. That all began to change on 16 th  July 2020 when the  Washington Post ran an expos é  wherein 15 former female employees of the organisation alleged sexual assault and verbal abuse while working there. This kickstarted a chain of events that would ultimately, over 3 years later, compel Snyder to sell the team and abscond to the UK. Of the 15 women interviewed, only Emily Applegate was initially named, the others fearful of the legal and career fallout that could arise from broken non-disclosure agreements. When asked by The Post to release t...

  USATSI NOTE: Originally published elsewhere on 20/09/24 I have been doing a lot of cooking lately, and one thing that all the recipes seem to have in common is a two thousand word preamble about some vaguely related anecdote. None of that nonsense here. Let's get into the biggest storylines. Bills @ Dolphins: Tua concussed again Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images The Bills had a lot to prove going into their Thursday night game against Miami. Some Josh Allen heroics had helped them overcome the Cardinals a week earlier after going behind but Miami had their own lucky escape and were looking to assert their dominance in the AFC. Unfortunately for all the hype this game had going in, it ultimately ended on a sour note as Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa left the game in the third quarter with a suspected concussion. Confirmed after the game, this marks the fourth concussion Tua has suffered since 2019 and led to numerous talking heads pleading with him consider his ...