Seahawks Sign Pro-Bowl Kicker Sebastian Janikowski

 

Sebastian Janikowski
Image: nfl.com

The recipient of a doctor of medicine from Yale University, Michael Simons has served as a professor and researcher of cell biology at Yale since 2008. Beyond his work, Michael Simons is a passionate fan of the National Football League (NFL) Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks received below-average production from their kicker, Blair Walsh, last season. Walsh, who signed a one-year contract with the team during the 2017 offseason, made only 21 of a possible 29 field goals and missed vital attempts in losses against Arizona, Atlanta, and Washington.

Seattle wasted little time finding Walsh’s replacement when the team signed 26-year-old Jason Myers to an NFL futures contract in January. However, the former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker is not guaranteed to start for the Seahawks in 2018 – on April 13, the team announced the signing of Pro-Bowl kicker Sebastian Janikowski.

A former two-time All-American kicker at Florida State, Janikowski has the experience advantage over Myers. The 40-year-old Janikowski played 17 seasons with the Oakland Raiders prior to missing last year with a back injury.

Until last year, Janikowski shared the record for the longest field goal in NFL history (63 yards), and he currently holds the league record for made field goals beyond 50 yards (55). He has made 80.4 percent of his field goal attempts, while Myers has been successful on 81 percent of his attempts, albeit in a much smaller sample size.

An Early History of the Arsenal-Tottenham Rivalry

 

Arsenal and Tottenham
Image: bleacherreport.com

The R.W. Berliner Professor of Medicine and Cell Biology at the Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Michael Simons graduated cum laude from Yale in the 1980s. His distinguished work as a physician and researcher focuses on cardiovascular conditions. In his free time, Dr. Michael Simons is interested in sports, and is a devoted follower of the Arsenal football club.

The club’s origins date back to 1886, when a group of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory banded together as a team. They originally called themselves the Dial Square, in reference to a sundial emblem on one of the Woolwich factories. They later become the Royal Arsenal. From the beginning, the Arsenal, or the Gunners, played in donated red shirts, giving rise to the cry, “Come on, you Reds!”

The Arsenal’s most famous rival, the blue-and-white-clad Tottenham Hotspur–known to fans simply as the Spurs–also enjoy a long history, having formed in 1882. Since 1950, the Gunners and the Spurs have faced off in the same league for every season but one.

The first match, a friendly one, between the Arsenal and Tottenham, took place in November 1887, when the Arsenal were still based in Plumstead. In 1909, the two clubs really faced off as rivals for the first time, with the Arsenal winning 1-0.

The heat turned up in 1913, when the Arsenal relocated to Highbury in North London. Now only a few miles apart, the two clubs began the fiery rivalry that continues to this day.

The Successes of the 2013 Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks
Image: nfl.com

For more than six years Dr. Michael Simons has overseen activities at the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center as founding director. He also serves as professor of medicine and cell biology in the Yale School of Medicine, among other appointments with the university. Away from work, Dr. Michael Simons enjoys watching the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

Over the course of the 2013 National Football League (NFL) season, the Seattle Seahawks matched a franchise record for regular season victories. The Seahawks began the year with a convincing four-game winning streak, including a 29-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 and a 45-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.

After suffering a 34-28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle recorded a seven-game win streak to bring the team’s record to 11-1. The Seahawks ultimately finished the season with 13 wins, matching a franchise record set by the 2005 squad.

Unlike the 2005 team, however, the 2013 Seahawks continued to make franchise history in the postseason. Seattle opened the playoffs with 23-15 and 23-17 victories over the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers, respectively. Contesting the second Super Bowl in Seahawks franchise history, the 2013 team went one step further than the 2005 squad, routing the Denver Broncos 43-8 for the city’s first ever Super Bowl championship.

Arsenal’s Streak of 49 Unbeaten Games

Arsenal
Image: arsenal.com

Michael Simons, MD, is the founding director of the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center at Yale University. Beyond his various educational, medical, and executive responsibilities at the university, Michael Simons, MD, enjoys following Arsenal FC soccer.

Between May 2003 and October 2004, the English football club Arsenal went a record 49 consecutive top flight league games without a loss. Nottingham Forest previously held the record, having staved off defeat for 42 consecutive games from November 1977 through November 1978. The Arsenal streak spanned the second unbeaten top flight league season in football history, a feat matched only by Preston North End’s perfect 1888-1889 season. It should be noted that Arsenal’s unbeaten 2002-2003 season featured 38 victories compared to 22 for Preston North End.

Over the course of the 49-game unbeaten streak, Arsenal failed to score a goal on just four occasions. Prior to a 0-0 tie with Fulham, Arsenal had scored at least one goal on their home field for 46 straight games. The streak, which included 20 home wins, 16 road victories, and 13 draws, ended with a controversial 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United.

Seahawks’ Michael Bennett Plans to Start a Team Book Club

Seahawks’ Michael Bennett
Image: ew.com

The Founding Director of the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Michael Simons received his medical training at the Yale School of Medicine, where he graduated cum laude. In his free time, Michael Simons follows professional football and is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks are currently preparing for the season. While the rest of the team is practicing for games, one member is preparing for another activity off the football field.

Defensive end Michael Bennett has stated his intentions of forming a book club this season as a form of team bonding. Bennett has already chosen Malcolm Gladwell’s nonfiction book Outliers as the first book for his teammates to read. Bennett hopes to inspire his fellow players to get off their phones and immerse themselves in the recommended books.

This initiative is supported by the Seahawks’ vice president of player engagement, Maurice Kelly, who told ESPN that he hopes the players will take this challenge. Bennett and Kelly expect the book club to pave the way for discussions of non-football topics such as relevant social issues.