SB Nation - B.J. Raji

Madden NFL 12 Roster Update: Week 10 Sees Almost No Changes For Minnesota Vikings

James Brady — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:23:49 -0000

The Madden NFL 12 roster update for Week 10 is set to go live on Friday, but for the Minnesota Vikings, there's no roster or ratings changes. Coming off a bye week, a team will usually see some kind of changes, but the only thing that's different for Minnesota is the fact that Joe Berger is getting his number changed to #61. That being said, the rest of their division is getting changes here and there, so it's worth looking at that, at the very least.

For the Green Bay Packers, they see four players increase in rating. The increases will continue for them, as they boast the undefeated record - though one significant player in B.J. Raji goes down. The Detroit Lions see no players move in rating, but they have plenty of roster changes to make note of. Lastly, the Chicago Bears see just one player go down in rating, while seven players go up. For a full list of roster and ratings changes for this week, go here.

Falcons Vs. Packers: B.J. Raji Still Talking Trash About Not Talking Trash

Jason Kirk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:52:13 -0000

When last Green Bay Packers lummox B.J. Raji commented on the state of relations between the Atlanta Falcons and the Pack, we noted his remarks were not inaccurate and moved along. But for some reason the big fellow won't let up:

"They have a long way to go," Raji said of being a Packers rival. "For it to be a rivalry, you have to win meaningful games. They're just another opponent. They have a long way to go.

Pretty sure nobody 'round here claimed Green Bay as a rival. A haunting presence as of late, sure. But despite playing each other thrice in two years, there's just not enough familiarity there to call it a rivalry, historically, geographically or otherwise. It's well-known in message board world, of course, that the ultimate rivalry tactic is to refer to a rival as a non-rival, but we'll give Raji the benefit of the doubt, since, again, Falcons fans don't think of Green Bay as a traditional rival.

On he went:

"Now that we abused them, for the second time in a row, at their home, there's nothing really to do," Raji said. "If they want to play us again, tell them to come up to Lambeau. That's it. That's how we're doing it."

Eleven-point win. Felt like abuse for most of the game, though. Mike Smith is 2-2 against the Packers, with one of his wins coming at Lambeau. In the postseason, the Falcons are 1-1 all-time against Green Bay.

For a gentleman who claims such a distanced perspective on the series, Raji sure has made for a lot of easy articles around the country so far.

Super Bowl 2011 Final Score: Packers Beat Steelers, Two Boston College Players Earn Rings

Ryan Hudson — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:58:33 -0000

The Green Bay Packers are the champions of Super Bowl XLV, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, 31-25. Led by Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers' three touchdowns, the Packers jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and took a 21-10 lead into a very Black Eyed Peas-halftime. The Steelers began mounting a comeback with a touchdown in the third quarter before Green Bay responded in the fourth quarter with 10 points.

While the Patriots fans may not have had much to cheer for on Sunday (besides the Steelers loss, obviously), Boston College football fans had plenty to be proud of: B.J. Raji and Robert Francois became the 20th and 21st BC Eagles to win a Super Bowl ring, the first since Chris Snee, Mathias Kiwanuka and the Giants won Super Bowl XLIII.

Additionally, Raji and Francois join Bob Hyland and Dick Capp (Super Bowl I) and Mark Chmura (Super Bowl XXXI) as the only Eagles to win the Super Bowl as members of the Packers. (Thanks to reader Thomas for pointing out the Chmura bit.)

BC Interruption has a full breakdown of all the Eagles with Super Bowl rings.

2011 Super Bowl: Randy White's Prediction, Super Bowl Recipe

JP Starkey — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:34:49 -0000

Super Bowl weekend is generally fun for most Americans, even if your favorite team (Dallas for most of you, New England for myself) isn't playing in it. Super Bowl XLV is a bit more painful for me, knowing that New England should have gone to Dallas, but alas, I'll still be tuning in, eating and drinking on Sunday.

Yesterday, I had the fantastic opportunity to speak with Super Bowl XII MVP and Hall of Fame inductee, Randy White, to talk about his favorite Super Bowl memories as well as his thoughts and predictions for Super Bowl XLV and his sandwich created just for Super Bowl XLV - so if you're looking for interesting match ups on Sunday as another reason to watch, or if you just want an excellent recipe for a sandwich created just for Sunday, you'll find both after the jump.

White, also known as the Manster (half man, half monster), shared some of his favorite memories from his NFL career. White played in three Super Bowls: X, XII and XIII. Not surprisingly, Super Bowl XII was at the top of White's list. Not only did the Cowboys win the Super Bowl, defeating the Broncos 27-10, but White was named Co-MVP of that game, sharing the honors with defensive end Harvey Martin. Even further, Super Bowl XII took place on White's birthday - quite the way to celebrate with a Super Bowl victory and co-MVP award.

Interestingly, another of White's favorite memories from the Super Bowl came after Super Bowl X - despite the fact that the Cowboys lost to the Steelers 21-17. After the game, all of the team buses were full and White was forced to ride in a police escort away from the Orange Bowl. White spotted a man with longer hair in the back seat, decided he didn't want to sit next to him, and went to sit in the front seat of the car. As it turns out, the man in the backseat was Willie Nelson, who told White he was a big fan of his - just as White is a fan Nelson. White would find himself singing on stage with Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffet later that night - it was as if "we had actually won the Super Bowl instead of lost it," according to White.

White was extremely humble when asked about how to become a champion. White was drafted second overall to the Cowboys, and unlike a lot of high draft picks that flame out, White lived up to his draft billing to become a Hall of Fame caliber player. White attributed that success in part to his position coaches as well as teammates who put him in a place to succeed. White also said that it takes a certain drive for success to become a champion - something that White certainly had - as evidenced further by his 111 career sacks.

I asked White about Super Bowl XLV and what he thought the keys to the game are. White believes that the Steelers are going to come out on top - he loves the Steelers defensive line and linebacker unit. He does, however, think that Pittsburgh may run into problems on the offensive line. With Maurkice Pouncey likely being out, Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji should be able to have an even bigger impact on defense. White also thinks that Clay Matthews will cause problems for Flozell Adams.

If Green Bay is going to come out on top, White says that they'll have to move the ball quickly on offense. Aaron Rodgers will have to hit the short, quick slants and keep the ball moving at a quick and steady pace. White doesn't think that Rodgers will have time to pass the ball downfield effectively.

When asked if any players in the NFL today remind White of himself, White replied James Harrison and Clay Matthews specifically. If you're looking for another reason to watch Super Bowl XLV, that's a pretty good one as both linebackers will be on display on Sunday.

White, if you didn't already know, is now a restaurateur, owning the aptly named Randy White's Hall of Fame Barbeque. White has teamed up with Tide to create the "Tailgate Tested Messiest AND Tastiest Sandwich" just for this weekend and Super Bowl XLV. You can try the sandwich out between 11-4 on Thursday, February 3rd at Randy White's Hall of Fame Barbeque, located in Frisco, TX. White himself will be making an appearance there from 12-2 PM on Thursday as well - so if you're in town it's probably well worth your time to test out this sandwich. It'll be messy, of course, but that's why Tide is there too - their Acti-Lift will help remove any stains with ease.

If you can't make it on Thursday and you're interested in the recipe for his sandwich, here it is:

Ingredients:

120 cut 10-12 lb brisket

Texas Toast

BBQ sauce

Salt

Pepper

Preparation:

For some good ole Texas BBQ , Dallas style, run down to the grocery store and get you a choice brisket: 120 cut, average 11 to 12 pounds. Cover the brisket in 2 ounces of salt and 2 ounces of pepper mixed together. Set in a 2 inch foil pan, fat side up, do not cover.

Set your oven on 220 degrees for 8 to 10 hours. If you have a smoker, set it at 180 degrees for 14 to 16 hours. When tender, pull out and slice the brisket across the grain, trimming off the layer of fat. Take some Texas toast, toast it, then pour on your favorite BBQ sauce (use Randy Whites' signature sauce if you're in Dallas) and you have yourself one major BBQ sandwich!

To kick the messy-factor up a notch-braise the brisket in a red wine reduction sauce:

Preparation:

Pour red wine into the pan with all the good bits from the meat-add a bit of grapeseed oil or butter if needed. Reduce the wine until it develops a thick/saucey composition, then strain. Drizzle over the cut brisket before adding BBQ sauce.

2011 Super Bowl: Steelers' Maurkice Pouncey Questionable

JP Starkey — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:23:04 -0000

The Pittsburgh Steelers might be without rookie center Maurkice Pouncey when Super Bowl XLV kicks off in just over a week. Pouncey is listed as questionable to play in the Super Bowl according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's been reported that Pouncey has a broken bone in his left ankle as well as an ankle sprain that he suffered in the AFC Championship victory over the Jets last Sunday.

If Pouncey is indeed out for the Super Bowl, the Steelers will be starting four backups on the offensive line. All that really means is that the referees will allow the Steelers to hold without penalties for at least one quarter of the game. Pittsburgh does, after all, get to play with different rules than the rest of the league. Poor B.J. Raji.

The Steelers also listed defensive end Aaron Smith as questionable. Smith suffered a triceps injury in October and isn't likely to be ready to play in the Super Bowl. Safety Will Allen was also listed as questionable, but he remains optimistic that he'll play, saying: "No way I'll miss my first Super Bowl."

Green Bay Packers Advance To Superbowl

JasonB — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:46:44 -0000

The Green Bay Packers knocked off the Chicago Bears to become the first #6 seed to represent the NFC in the Superbowl. The game started like you might have predicted, but certainly didn't play out like anyone thought in the end. Aaron Rodgers drove the Packers down the field with ease on their first drive to put the Pack up 7-0. As the Chicago offense sputtered, the Packers would score again in the 2nd quarter. But that's when it got weird.

Aaron Rodgers started to look like a shell of himself. He finished the day with 2 picks, no TDs and a 55.4 QB rating. A far cry from his other wordly stats in the first two games of the postseason. The Bears defense began to dominate, but their offense was another story. That is, until Caleb Hanie entered the game. Yes, Caleb Hanie.

Jay Cutler was knocked out of the game, his backup Todd Collins threw four passes before he was out and third stringer Caleb Hanie entered the game just before the end of the 3rd quarter. At that point, the Bears offense started moving. While it was mostly dump offs to Forte, Hanie pushed the offense down the field for the Bears first TD of the game and pulled Chicago within a TD. The Packers offense was awful in the second and quickly gave the ball back... but then disaster struck when Hanie threw a pick 6 to nosetackle BJ Raji. Yes, the 300+ pound BJ Raji. So it's over right?

Wrong.

Hanie quickly drove the Bears down the field and hit Earl Bennett with a 35 yard TD pass to again pull the Bears within a TD. The Packers quickly gave the ball right back and suddenly we had Caleb Hanie with a chance to run a two minute offense and send the NFC title game to overtime. As he had most of the 4th quarter, he had the Bears offense moving on a drive that saw the Bears convert a 4th and 1 to stay alive. As they crossed into Packer territory, they were faced with a third and short... that's when Mike Martz struck. The Bears offensive coordinator calls an end around that ends up losing yardage setting up a 4th and long. Hanie throws a pick over the middle and it's all she wrote.

In the end, the Packers won by a touchdown which is probably the result a lot of people expected... but I don't think anyone could have predicted that 21-14 would have went down quite like this. Rodgers playing poorly, Caleb Hanie getting in the game, B.J. Raji being the only Packer to catch a TD pass...

The Packers now await the winner of the AFC title game between the Jets and Steelers.