Profootballtalk.com
Encyclopedia
Profootballtalk.com is a news and rumor website that focuses on the National Football League. Though much of the information on PFT is aggregated from mainstream media
sources, site editor Mike Florio often writes stories based on tips he attributes to a network of sources.
The main focus of the site is the "Daily Rumor Mill" consisting of postings of the aforementioned news items as well as editorializing by Mike Florio. Throughout the season, weekly rankings of players at various positions for fantasy football
are posted. Furthermore, the site maintains a year-round "Turd Watch" competition, in which teams are ranked based on the arrests of their personnel.
The site was created on November 1, 2001, by Mike Florio, who is also the site's primary editor and contributor. Florio is responsible for the multiple daily updates to the primary page of the site, the "Daily Rumor Mill." In addition, content such as satirical photo-illustrations and periodic live blogs by Mike Florio of NFL games or the draft.
On June 14, 2009, it was announced that Profootballtalk.com would become an affiliate of NBC Sports
, which would hold exclusive rights to PFT content although Florio would retain ownership.
Former contributing writers include Tom Curran and Aaron Wilson.
quarterback
Terry Bradshaw
had died in a car accident. This proved to be incorrect.
PFT reported that Philadelphia Eagles
defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley
may have been arrested on weapons charges, when he was stopped by a Port Authority Police Officer when crossing over a bridge from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. However, it was later confirmed by the "real media" that in fact Jabar Gaffney
had been the one arrested and not Bunkley.
A similar instance occurred on the September 14, 2009 when the crew of Profootballtalk.com erroneously reported a quote from Keyshawn Johnson
in referring to Joe Flacco
as a "bum". A correction to this was posted on the September 15.
, The Office, The Simpsons
and Family Guy
.
Florio often refers to himself as "we", "us", and "some internet hack". He almost always writes "stupid" as "stoopid". Additionally, he frequently calls the Internet
"the intergoogle."
Florio has also made mock drafts during the offseason, usually one before the NFL Scouting Combine and another after. Even though he makes them himself, he has claimed several times to despise mock drafts.
The site also sometimes reports news items using reoccurring nicknames in place of the real names of the reported players and media personnel. Past examples include:
Mainstream media
Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
sources, site editor Mike Florio often writes stories based on tips he attributes to a network of sources.
The main focus of the site is the "Daily Rumor Mill" consisting of postings of the aforementioned news items as well as editorializing by Mike Florio. Throughout the season, weekly rankings of players at various positions for fantasy football
Fantasy football (American)
Fantasy football is an interactive, virtual competition in which people manage professional football players versus one another and that allows people to act as general managers of a pseudo-football team. The players that an individual is able to manage are professional American Football players...
are posted. Furthermore, the site maintains a year-round "Turd Watch" competition, in which teams are ranked based on the arrests of their personnel.
The site was created on November 1, 2001, by Mike Florio, who is also the site's primary editor and contributor. Florio is responsible for the multiple daily updates to the primary page of the site, the "Daily Rumor Mill." In addition, content such as satirical photo-illustrations and periodic live blogs by Mike Florio of NFL games or the draft.
On June 14, 2009, it was announced that Profootballtalk.com would become an affiliate of NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
, which would hold exclusive rights to PFT content although Florio would retain ownership.
PFT 'Staff'
| Name | Duties | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Florio | Main contributor | Aside from his work on the website, Florio works as a lawyer. He resides in West Virginia. Before creating the site, Florio worked at ESPN.com ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's... for a week. Florio is a life-long fan of the Minnesota Vikings. |
| Gregg Rosenthal | Contributor | Joined the writing staff following the affiliate agreement with NBC. |
| Michael David Smith Michael David Smith Michael David Smith is a writer based in Chicago. In 2007 he was named Mainstream Media Sports Blogger of the Year by Sports Illustrated.Smith is best known for his work at the AOL FanHouse on MMA. He has also written for The New York Times, The New York Sun, ESPN the Magazine, Fox Sports, Football... |
Contributor | Re-joined the writing staff in 2009 while still working for FanHouse FanHouse FanHouse is a sports website owned by AOL. Launched in September 2006, FanHouse is considered the Internet's most linked sports blog by aggregator BallHype, won Editor & Publisher's 2008 EPpy Award for "Best Sports Blog", and was named as a finalist for the award in 2009.In January 2009, FanHouse... |
| Josh Alper | Contributor | Author of "one-liners," short team-by-team news blurbs posted at least once a day |
| James Clinton | Technical Design | JetBlackNinja handles the design and layout of the site. |
| Joe Brocato | PFTV Contributor | Participates in the PFTV segments by asking Mike Florio questions. His day job is a sports reporter for a local West Virginia TV station. |
| Ted Sundquist | Twice a week contributor | Former Broncos GM that writes previews and reviews of three high-profile games per week, going over several 'keys to success.' |
Former contributing writers include Tom Curran and Aaron Wilson.
Site sections / elements
- Rumor Mill – The main aspect of the site. Multiple articles are posted every day on all sorts of NFL related information.
- Fantasy Mill – Embedded content from Rotoworld.com concerning NFL Fantasy information.
- Teams – Contains links to individual team websites (official and unofficial), message boards and updated daily news links.
- Draft – Draft order list and trade value charts.
- Power Rankings – Ranking the 32 NFL Franchises, commenting on each as they're ranked.
- All-Turd teams – Annual 'All-turd' teams and 'Hall of Turds' inductions, which feature lists of players that Florio asserts are the worst "characters" of the NFL.
- PFT Gear – External link to merchandise available for purchase.
- Events – Listing of radio appearances.
- Media – Links to audio and video content supplemental to the main site content. Also contains link to sister site CollegeFootballTalk.com
- Turd Watch – Tracking the arrests of every member of NFL organizations and assigned points in a ranking system until 2009
- Live Blogs – Florio holds live chats with fans during NFL events, such as games, the draft and Brett Favre retirement press conferences
Former
- Pic of the Day – Contained satirical pictures (often photoshopped) made by Taco Bill.
- Podcasts
- Interviews – Interviews with Matt BirkMatt BirkMatthew Robert Birk is an American football center for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Harvard....
, Antonio BryantAntonio BryantAntonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, Ben LeberBen LeberBen Leber is an American football linebacker for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, and Steve McKinneySteve McKinneyStephen Michael McKinney is a former offensive guard in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft... - PFT Chronicles – a cartoon series about ProFootballTalk put together by "Tech Guy Sean"
- Agent Talk – a column written by Ron Del Ducca
- Media Mutterings – a column written by Gene Amadao
- Dante's Draft Links – Dante Aligheri, better known as just Dante, ranked (made fun of) NFL draft websites
- The Simple Truth – A column by Fox SportsFox Sports (USA)Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
's Jason Smith - The Dirty Dozen – Florio's list of the 12 worst NFL franchise
PFT and "The Real Media"
While PFT has criticized a lot of journalists, franchises and media outlets, certain entities have become repeated targets of PFT. Some of these include:- Michael IrvinMichael IrvinMichael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his...
– For his perceived defense of troubled wide receivers like Terrell OwensTerrell OwensTerrell Owens is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has been one of the dominant receivers of his era...
. - Joe TheismannJoe TheismannJoseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
– For his alleged contradictions and general lack of NFL common knowledge. For example: He has referred to The University of MiamiUniversity of MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
as "The M." - 'ESPN Monday Night Football' – For promoting non-football related products by interviewing various non-football "celebrities" live during games.
- Len PasquarelliLen PasquarelliLen Pasquarelli is an American sports writer and analyst with The Sports Xchange and a 25-year vet of covering the NFL.The Sports Xchange is a network of professional, accredited reporters and analysts who cover each team or sport full time....
– Florio often alleges that Pasquarelli, a senior ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
writer, defends players represented by certain agents by writing overly positive articles in an effort to help out the player and thus the agent. Florio claims that Pasquarelli does this to keep on the agents' good side so that the agents will continue to supply Pasquarelli with inside information. PFT often refers to Pasquarelli as "Pastabelly" and "Don Vito". PFT has also alleged that Pasquarelli has a bias against the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, writing columns that have criticized the organization, the death of Sean TaylorSean TaylorSean Michael Maurice Taylor was an American football free safety who played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Taylor was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Redskins...
, the second retirement of Hall of Fame coach Joe GibbsJoe GibbsJoe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
, and owner Daniel SnyderDaniel SnyderDaniel M. Snyder is the current owner of the Washington Redskins American football team, owner of the Dick Clark Productions television production company, and primary investor in Red Zebra Broadcasting, which is home to the Redskins Radio Network. Snyder has a net worth of $1.05 billion...
. He later admitted that his attacks were "in the early days when we we're trying to get noticed." - Emmitt SmithEmmitt SmithEmmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for...
– For using phrases such as "debacled", "blowed out" and "rightsize the ship." Florio criticizes Smith for his reputed refusal to prepare, which Florio views as an indictment of ESPN for hiring an inexperienced announcer in hopes that viewers would tune in based on name recognition. Smith has also infamously referred to one of the league's teams as a "golf club" and has repeatedly used the terms "conference" and "division" interchangeably.
Notable errors
ProFootballTalk posted and thus spread the unconfirmed rumor on January 25, 2007 that broadcaster and former Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
had died in a car accident. This proved to be incorrect.
PFT reported that Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley
Brodrick Bunkley
-Philadelphia Eagles:On April 29, 2006 Bunkley was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He was one of four Florida State Seminoles defensive players taken in the first round of the draft...
may have been arrested on weapons charges, when he was stopped by a Port Authority Police Officer when crossing over a bridge from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. However, it was later confirmed by the "real media" that in fact Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
had been the one arrested and not Bunkley.
A similar instance occurred on the September 14, 2009 when the crew of Profootballtalk.com erroneously reported a quote from Keyshawn Johnson
Keyshawn Johnson
Joseph Keyshawn Johnson is a former American football wide receiver, interior designer, business executive, author and current television broadcaster for sports channel ESPN. He retired from football on May 23, 2007 after an eleven-year career in the National Football League...
in referring to Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware...
as a "bum". A correction to this was posted on the September 15.
Style
Posts reference television shows such as SeinfeldSeinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, The Office, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
.
Florio often refers to himself as "we", "us", and "some internet hack". He almost always writes "stupid" as "stoopid". Additionally, he frequently calls the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
"the intergoogle."
Florio has also made mock drafts during the offseason, usually one before the NFL Scouting Combine and another after. Even though he makes them himself, he has claimed several times to despise mock drafts.
The site also sometimes reports news items using reoccurring nicknames in place of the real names of the reported players and media personnel. Past examples include:
- "Lord Favre", Brett FavreBrett FavreBrett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
- "Santurdio Holmes", Santonio HolmesSantonio HolmesSantonio Holmes Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State...
- "Uncle Rico", Vince YoungVince YoungVincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
- "Joey Sunshine", Joe TheismannJoe TheismannJoseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
- "Len Pastabelly" or "Don Vito", Len PasquarelliLen PasquarelliLen Pasquarelli is an American sports writer and analyst with The Sports Xchange and a 25-year vet of covering the NFL.The Sports Xchange is a network of professional, accredited reporters and analysts who cover each team or sport full time....
- "Ron Mexico", Michael VickMichael VickMichael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
- "Dookie", Najeh DavenportNajeh DavenportNajeh Trenadious Monté Davenport is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
- "Big Show", Mike HolmgrenMike HolmgrenMichael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
- "Hot Garbage", Jarvis MossJarvis MossJarvis Jaray Moss is an American football defensive end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League . Moss was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Florida Gators.-High school career:Moss was born in Denton, Texas...
- "Koronholio", Tony KornheiserTony KornheiserAnthony Irwin "Tony" Kornheiser is an American sportswriter and former columnist for The Washington Post, as well as a radio and television talk show host...
- "Coach Kevlar", Mike ShanahanMike ShanahanMichael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...