Podcast appearances and mentions of james kratch

ESNY managing editor James Kratch returns and joins Josh and Alec to lament what's becoming a lost season for the Yankees, but saves the day (and maybe baseball) with a very intriguing idea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle and Kevin are joined by Giants writer James Kratch from Elite Sports New York as we take the temperature on Giants fans, Daniel Jones' upcoming extension, Xfinity Live selling out, Mayor's Bets need more juice and WFAN going after Flyers fans. We then finish the show with the part of the Ivan Provorov story no one is talking about, Joel Embiid's hero dissing him and praising Jokic, and the new WIP Morning Show bringing back the same cast of characters it had for the last 30 years and Devan Kaney. Crossing Broadcast is livestreamed every Tuesday and Thursday at 12pm on YouTube. Subscribe to the YouTube feed here: https://www.youtube.com/crossingbroadsports Please subscribe to the show ([Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [Amazon Music] [Google Play] [Stitcher] [iHeartRadio] [RSS]), leave a 5 star review, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @CrossingBcast Check out the other shows on the Crossing Broad Podcast Network including: Crossed Up: A Phillies Podcast, Snow the Goalie: A Flyers Podcast, and It's Always Soccer in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle and Kevin are joined by Bob Wankel to talk about the Trea Turner signing, what other prospects the Phillies might be pursuing, and will this finally end the David Bell cycle drought. Then we're joined by ESNY's James Kratch to talk Giants/Eagles, his perception of the Birds and Cowboys from the outside, bad MetLife turf, and his favorite stories from covering Mike Francesa at NJ.com. Crossing Broadcast is livestreamed every Tuesday and Thursday at 12pm on YouTube. Subscribe to the YouTube feed here: https://www.youtube.com/crossingbroadsports Please subscribe to the show ([Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [Amazon Music] [Google Play] [Stitcher] [iHeartRadio] [RSS]), leave a 5 star review, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @CrossingBcast Check out the other shows on the Crossing Broad Podcast Network including: Crossed Up: A Phillies Podcast, Snow the Goalie: A Flyers Podcast, and It's Always Soccer in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elite Sports NY managing editor James Kratch joins Josh and Alec to digest Brian Cashman & Aaron Boone's joint press conference, and then at least try to formulate an offseason gameplan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ESNY managing editor and former NJ.com columnist James Kratch joins Bleacher Creatures to discuss the Yankees and why Aaron Judge's free agency may not be as daunting as it seems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NJAM's James Kratch joins Aaron Breitman to discuss the latest with Rutgers Men's Hoops, Wrestling, and Football! They break down the state of the basketball program after the resilient 48-46 win over Iowa, Rutgers Wrestling's potential, and the 2022 football season! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Penn State football hosts Rutgers for their final home game of the 2021 regular season on Saturday. To get you ready, Thomas Frank Carr, host of the BWI Daily Edition, brings on James Kratch of NJ.com to preview the game from the Scarlett Knights perspective.  They start with the well-known ties of former Penn State assistant coach Greg Schiano coming back to Penn State for the first time as a head coach. T-Frank asks Kratch about how Schiano handles those emotions and feelings this week as he prepares for the game.  After that, they start with the running game for Rutgers, which features an interesting statistic that T-Frank found this week. First, Kratch explains why so many players for the Scarlett Knights have touched the ball on offense. Then, they discuss how vital that facet of the game has been and just how inconsistent it's been.  A crucial part of the rushing attack is quarterback Noah Vedral, one of the more prolific rushing quarterbacks in the Big Ten. T-Frank asks how important Vedral is to that part of Rutgers' offense, and Krtach explains that it's a complicated situation.  Next, they move on to the passing attack. The Rutgers and Penn State offenses share one particular commonality, according to T-Frank. Kratch explains why Rutgers struggles to move the ball through the air and compensate for lack of quality pass protection.  From there, they move on to a large picture of the program so that Penn State fans have an idea of what Schiano is building in New Jersey. T-Frank asks how the team is using the transfer portal, ties to the state, and recruiting the east coast to battle the other titans of the division. Kratch tells him that Schiano is doing better than his predecessors in one key area but still lags in others.  From there, they move no to the defense and how they've performed this season. T-Frank has noticed on film how Schiano may want to play differently than he needs to win games. So he asks Kratch to fill him in on how the Scarlett Knight's leader is building the defense and what he wants their identity to be.  A prominent part of the Rutgers plan is to stop the run. T-Frank highlights nose tackle Julius Turner as a player that stood out to him and found out his story from Kratch. They also go over the injury situation at linebacker and how that might dictate a personnel switch this weekend.  Finally, they wrap up looking at the key elements that will determine the game on Saturday. Kratch also explains this game is a benchmark for Rutgers and its fans, outside of just a win that will make the team bowl eligible. T-Frank wraps up by asking for keys to the game.    JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annual SUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmation Bookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/ Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters: http://bluewhiteonline.com Download our podcasts: https://bluewhiteillustrated.podbean.com/ Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3  

On today's show – presented by Front 43 Neighborhood Pub and Cask & Company – a good conversation with Rutgers beat writer James Kratch on the matchup with MSU and his prediction. Then, the great Harry Gagnon joined us for our college football and NFL picks, and our can't-miss parlays. Looking for a place to watch the MSU-Rutgers game Saturday or Michigan-Nebraska that night, there's no better spot than Front 43 Neighborhood Pub and Cask & Company. The TV setup at Front 43 is THE BEST I've ever seen. And the adjoining Cask & Company offers a great spot for a date night while keeping tabs on the games. You'll love the menu, the beer selection and the vibe. Want to bring their menu home with you? Visit Caskandcompany.com to order takeout!Every episode of Couch and The Rube is presented by Skymint Premium Cannabis. Join us for a live show and hang-out on Oct. 30 before the MSU-Michigan game at the East Lansing Skymint location. Great food, giveaways, deals and, of course, us. Visit Skymint.com for location information and specials. And, as always, listen for the Couch and The Rube promo code.

We dug into the latest with MSU football – including the Cal Haladay situation. Then talked to NJ.com Rutgers beat writer James Kratch for his take on the Scarlet Knights, the matchup and his prediction. Plus, our college football and NFL picks with Harry Gagnon, and our can't-miss parlays.

We dug into the latest with MSU football – including the Cal Haladay situation. Then talked to NJ.com Rutgers beat writer James Kratch for his take on the Scarlet Knights, the matchup and his prediction. Plus, our college football and NFL picks with Harry Gagnon, and our can't-miss parlays.

Greg Schiano has Rutgers off to their first 3-0 start since 2012. My guest today says they are a very improved team, but they haven't played anyone the caliber of Michigan yet. With us on our Visitors Edition today is beat writer James Kratch from The Newark Star Ledger and NJ Advance Media

We are joined by NJ.com's Rutgers beat writer James Kratch to discuss Saturday's matchup in Ann Arbor. We talk the suspensions, Noah Vedral and the Scarlet Knights' offense, last year's game and the inroads Greg Schiano has made in recruiting.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a Week 3 victory over Delaware, Rutgers hits the road to open up Big Ten play against Michigan! First, NJAM Rutgers beat reporter James Kratch joins Aaron to talk about the Scarlet Knights. Then, the managing editor and site producer for SB Nation'a Michigan Site Maize & Brew Anthony Broome joins Aaron to preview the Wolverines! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Scarlet Spotlight is happy to be joined by NJ Advance Media's Keith Sargeant and James Kratch for our Rutgers Athletics 2021-2022 Preview Podcast. Sarge and Kratch cover all things Rutgers football -- from camp coverage to Noah Vedral to position group strengths to a schedule breakdown. They provide opinions on NIL's effect on journalism, conference realignment and potential mask/vaccine mandates at Rutgers. Sarge and Kratch give insights into Steve Pikiell's roster construction, C. Vivian Stringer's recruiting, Scott Goodale's newest wrestling recruit and so much more in a wide-ranging roundtable with Danny and Jon. Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - thescarletspotlight@gmail.com Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

Plenty of MLB discussion with the Cubs and Twins waving the white flag. James Kratch of NJ Advanced Media joins the show to Preview Rutgers for our Countdown 2 Kickoff. [audio mp3="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/400/2021/07/16180122/TBS-07-16.mp3"][/audio]

With the winter season passing the halfway point and football National Signing Day occuring as well, James Kratch joins Aaron Breitman to break it all down. They discuss Rutgers Wrestling leading up to its final dual meets and the upcoming Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, National Signing Day and take an early look at the Scarlet Knights ahead of next football season, and the turnaround for Rutgers basketball as they sit 10-6 overall, 6-6 in conference play. *After recording, Rutgers Wrestling is now on pause due to a positive Covid-19 test. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thursday, October 22, 2020 | Lions and Stafford, NJ.com's James Kratch previews Rutgers vs MSU by Michigan Sports Network

Thursday, October 22, 2020 | Lions and Stafford, NJ.com's James Kratch previews Rutgers vs MSU by Michigan Sports Network

Chris Tsakonas, Raj Shah and Dennis Geissler host as the Big Ten appear to be approaching a vote on returning to football in October. James Kratch of NJ Advance Media joins to give his thoughts on the situation. Also, the Crew recap the Jets-Bills game and their thoughts on what went down in week 1 of the NFL season

Chris Tsakonas talks to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media about the latest from the Big Ten ahead of a potential vote to restart the football season in October.

The Scarlet Spotlight is happy to be joined by The Star Ledger, NJ Advance Media & NJ.com's Keith Sargeant and James Kratch for what would have been our Rutgers football preseason roundtable. Instead, Sarge, Kratch, Danny and Jon discuss the Big Ten's decision/vote to postpone the fall season, the future of the Rutgers athletic department, Greg Schiano, the national college football media, winter sports decisions, eligibility, the NCAA Power 5, OPRAs and more! The NJ.com duo even provides insight into what their jobs might look like this fall. Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - thescarletspotlight@gmail.com Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

James Kratch of nj.com talks to Chris Tsakonas about what comes next for Rutgers and the Big Ten following the news of a likely cancellation of the fall 2020 football season

Chris Tsakonas and Ronnie Wielenta discuss the official cancellation of Rutgers football in 2020; get the latest info with James Kratch of nj.com, and give their thoughts on what's happening in early NBA bubble action

On the show tonight we have Michael Bruntz from 247sports, James Kratch stops by to break down Rutgers for our Around the Big Ten series, we have our Weekend Preview, team #16 in our Preseason Top 25 gets revealed, and the guys give their Winners and Losers from the week.

On the show tonight we have Michael Bruntz from 247sports, James Kratch stops by to break down Rutgers for our Around the Big Ten series, we have our Weekend Preview, team #16 in our Preseason Top 25 gets revealed, and the guys give their Winners and Losers from the week.

On the show tonight we have Michael Bruntz from 247sports, James Kratch stops by to break down Rutgers for our Around the Big Ten series, we have our Weekend Preview, team #16 in our Preseason Top 25 gets revealed, and the guys give their Winners and Losers from the week.

Rutgers Rant is back. After taking a two-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Steve Politi and James Kratch have fired up the podcasting machine to catch up on everything we've missed. Will there be a football season? How impressive has Greg Schiano's recruiting been? Does "Big" Cliff Omoruyi make the Scarlet Knights a top-25 men's basketball team? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Seniors Jake Ostrove and Justin Sontupe are joined by NJ Advance Media's Rutgers beat writer James Kratch to discuss a wild year in Rutgers sports. Baseball coach Steve Owens phones in to talk about the upcoming spring without baseball. And fellow WRSU Sports broadcaster Corey Jason drops in to share his favorite moments from the year in RU sports.

James Kratch, Rutgers beat reporter for NJ Advance Media, on the Scarlet Knights' 15-5 start and Tuesday's home game against Purdue. https://p.ftur.io/waskam/2389

Coming to us LIVE from New Jersey, Steve discusses Penn State’s Basketball upcoming match-up with Rutgers Tuesday Night. James Kratch of NJ.com covers Rutgers Basketball joins the show to discuss the match up.  

Coming to us LIVE from New Jersey, Steve discusses Penn State’s Basketball upcoming match-up with Rutgers Tuesday Night. James Kratch of NJ.com covers Rutgers Basketball joins the show to discuss the match up.  

Curry Hicks Sage talks with James Kratch from NJ.com about the UMass/Rutgers game this weekend and answers your questions!

*Rutgers beat reporter, James Kratch joins Ross Brendel and offers up his thoughts on Rutgers, P.J. Fleck and the Gophers. *Can the Gophers win 10 games? *Is Ohio State National Championship good?

On this week's "RU Review" presented by Zebra Pen, James Kratch of NJ Media joins Matt Loughlin, John McAleavey and Steve Tichenor to talk about whether or not Jeff Monken might leave Army to become the next coach on the Banks.

On this week's episode: We'll discuss what problems Michigan needs to fix after the loss to Wisconsin last week, discuss the criticisms being thrown at Jim Harbaugh, preview the Rutgers game this weekend with James Kratch from New Jersey Advance Media, get you some picks for the week, and more! If you love Michigan Football and the Big Ten, this is the podcast for you!

Coming off the Bye Week, Rutgers hosts Boston College for an important, regional-rivalry game at SHI Stadium. Joining Lance to discuss the Scarlet Knights is Rutgers Reporter for NJ.com, James Kratch. To take a look at Boston College and what they bring to the game, Lance is joined by BC Maven's A.J. Black. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Scarlet Spotlight has a packed show to wrap up August with Episode 36. First, Danny and Jon are joined by Rutgers football offensive coordinator John McNulty. In his second stint with Rutgers, John discusses his coaching career in college football and the NFL, his memories from the Greg Schiano era at RU and his thoughts on the 2019 Scarlet Knights offense. After McNulty walks down RU memory lane, he lays out what Rutgers fans can expect in this year's quarterback competition. In the second segment of the podcast, NJ Advance Media's Keith Sargeant and James Kratch join for a roundtable to go through the entire Scarlet Knights depth chart, ticket sales news, media access to camp and more. Danny and Jon close out the show recapping the interviews, going over RU men's hoops' trip to Spain and RFund's "The Bells Must Ring" initiative. Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - thescarletspotlight@gmail.com Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

After three months off, we’re back. NJ.com’s James Kratch, Steve Politi and Keith Sargeant discuss the surging Rutgers men’s basketball program, preview the start of football spring practice, examine C. Vivian Stringer’s status and the women’s basketball program and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Making his return to the On The Banks Podcast, NJ.Com Rutgers Beat Reporter James Kratch joins Lance to recap the 2018 season and preview 2019. He discusses what went wrong for Rutgers this year, what the Scarlet Knights need to accomplish to have a successful offseason, positives to take out of the season, possible coaching staff changes, and what he thinks Rutgers record will be in 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   This week Rutgers Beat Reporter, James Kratch, fills in for Josh. You are currently looking at the show notes for Weeks 10 & 11 of the 2018 season!

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   This week Rutgers Beat Reporter, James Kratch, fills in for Josh. You are currently looking at the show notes for Weeks 10 & 11 of the 2018 season!

Guests: Neal Coolong (Senior Editor, NFL Wire) makes his weekly appearance to talk about Le’Veon Bell deciding not to play in 2018 and passing up over fourteen million dollars. Then, we wrap up the show with Rutgers football beat writer James Kratch (NJ.com) on their Senior Day match up with Penn State this Saturday in New Jersey.

Reaction following Michigan's dominating performance over Penn State, College Football Playoff Ranking thoughts, James Kratch from NJ.com hops on to preview the Rutgers game, picks for this week, and a whole lot more! If you love Michigan football and the Big Ten, this is the podcast for you!

James Kratch from NJ Advance Media joins B.J. and Brian as they discuss Rutgers football ahead of their matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday.

Hour 1: Aaron Rodgers audio. James Kratch from NJ Advance Media covering Rutgers football joins the show talking about the Rutgers vs. Badgers game on Saturday. B.J. and Brian have a conversation about trick or treating.

Rutgers is 1-2 as they return home to take on the undefeated Buffalo Bulls. Joining Lance to preview week 4 is NJ.com's James Kratch and the voice of Buffalo Bulls Football, Paul Peck. They talk about both teams and what fans can expect to see on September, 22nd! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Politi, James Kratch and Keith Sargeant discuss the Texas State triumph while looking ahead to a Week 2 trip to Ohio State. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For lucky episode No. 13, The Scarlet Spotlight welcomes NJ Advance Media's James Kratch, the beat writer for Rutgers football and a host in the ever-crowded RU Athletics podcast landscape. Kratch details his New Jersey upbringing, his path to South Carolina for college and his journalism roots. He discusses covering high school sports, the New York Giants and Rutgers... spanning coaches from Steve Spurrier to Tom Coughlin to Chris Ash. Kratch gives his extensive opinions on multiple RU football position units and goes game-by-game through the schedule with Danny and Jon on the eve of Rutgers vs. Texas State in the 2018 season opener. Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - thescarletspotlight@gmail.com Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

Steve Politi, James Kratch and Keith Sargeant talk about what Rutgers fans can expect from new quarterback Art Sitkowski, preview the Texas State game and offer fans a chance to rename the podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Reporters Steve Politi, Keith Sargeant and James Kratch preview the Rutgers football season, and the question is: Will the Scarlet Knights go bowling in Chris Ash's third campaign? To do so, RU will need to reach six wins. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rutgers reporter for NJ.com James Kratch joins Lance with Rutgers football training camp only a few days away. James and Lance hit on the questions surrounding the offense and defense, the quarterback controversy, and expectations for year 3 under Chris Ash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich and Max preview Rutgers with James Kratch before discussing how the Badgers might manage the injuries to Rand and Loudermilk, what "shutting down your recruitment" really means and work through some listener mail. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Back for the 3rd week in a row 2:45 Welcome James Kratch from 3:15 A look back at 2017 4:45 SO many offensive coordinators 11:30 Turnover on the DL 14:45 Will the defense still be a strength? 18:00 Does Ash have to make a bowl in 18? 22:00 Rich lives Rutgers like Max loves Iowa... and NIU... and Illinois... and 23:15 The suddenly thin Badger DL 33:45 Does Mertz shutting it down mean anything? 39:30 Journal Sentinel Jesse on being sentimental 41:30 Scoreboard Brin on Milwaukee football recruiting 47:30 Hawking Merch

There's nothing to lose, so why aren't the Giants starting Davis Webb at quarterback for the final three games? Joe Giglio, James Kratch and Dan Duggan try to make sense of starting Eli Manning after his curtain call game. Plus, discussion on Dave Gettleman as a GM candidate, and the messy Eli Apple situation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ryan Morik joins Randy Zellea as this week, Its all about Eli Manning .. We discuss Ben McAdoo's decision to Bench Manning and where the Giants and Manning go from here. Chris Canty from ESPN radio and James Kratch from NJ.com come on to discuss the situation

James Kratch, Dan Duggan and Joe Giglio react to the stunning news that Eli Manning will be benched for Geno Smith and eventually Davis Webb. Come for the analysis, stay for the hot fire spewed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After each week of NFL football games for the 2017-2018 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.  My co-host and strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd (hence the J in "JK"..I'm the K...).  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.  Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 7 with special guest, James Kratch, New York Giants Beat Writer for The Star Ledger/NJ.com.  James played football with me in high school and we have been friends since second grade.  He also player baseball with both Josh and I in high school. Before coming a New York Giants beat writer, James was the sports editor of The Daily Gamecock at The University of South Carolina. Follow @JamesKratch Week 7 Injuries: Carson Palmer, QB Arizona, Broken Arm, Out at least 8 weeks Joe Thomas, OT Cleveland, Arm Injury, Snapped longest consecutive snaps played streak in NFL History. (

After each week of NFL football games for the 2017-2018 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.  My co-host and strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd (hence the J in "JK"..I'm the K...).  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.  Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 7 with special guest, James Kratch, New York Giants Beat Writer for The Star Ledger/NJ.com.  James played football with me in high school and we have been friends since second grade.  He also player baseball with both Josh and I in high school. Before coming a New York Giants beat writer, James was the sports editor of The Daily Gamecock at The University of South Carolina. Follow @JamesKratch Week 7 Injuries: Carson Palmer, QB Arizona, Broken Arm, Out at least 8 weeks Joe Thomas, OT Cleveland, Arm Injury, Snapped longest consecutive snaps played streak in NFL History. (Article, No Video) UPDATE: Torn Triceps, Out for Season Mike Wallace, WR Baltimore, Concussion/Protocol Mike Wallace ... yikes. This is a made-me-wince hit pic.twitter.com/bWeZPN1M7m — Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) October 22, 2017 Legal hit in NFL due to the WR being a “runner” at this point in the play, but should the rule be changed to similar to college targeting rule? Jay Cutler, QB Miami, Chest/Rib Injury, Cracked Ribs 2-3 Weeks Malik Hooker, S Indianapolis , Torn ACL, Rookie from Ohio State Malik Hooker did walk off the field under his own power after this hit for the #Colts ... but that knee injury looked serious

In this episode of NYG Weekly, Ethan and Weis are joined by James Kratch from nj.com to recap the Giants first win of the season, the future of their offensive line, and discuss Mike Sullivan the play caller. Was Ben McAdoo forced to give up play calling? Will John Mara make any changes should they go into the bye at 1-6? Listen for the takes. Tell a friend to subscribe and we'll love you forever.

James Kratch and Brandon London join in to talk nfl, Ryan Morik talks baseball and much more

New Era Starts on Off Topic as Randy Zellea is live with Wendy Greco as they welcome in James Kratch of NJ.com to discuss the Giants-Lions as well as getting you ready for the NBA season

We’re celebrating our 100th episode with a special event on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. at Redd’s Restaurant & Bar in Carlstadt. Join us for a live recording with Dan Duggan, James Kratch and Joe Giglio, along with special guest Jonathan Casillas. We’ll be giving away tickets to a regular-season Giants game and autographed footballs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If only cleaning up dirty hits were as easy as chewing some Orbit gum... Last week in Episode 60, I discussed a hit by New York Giants veteran defensive back, Leon Hall on Green Bay Packers wide receiver, Jordy Nelson.  Nelson was diagnosed with fractured ribs as a result of the hit.  I described this hit as being "dirty" and I then when on to talk about how the NFL missed an opportunity to change the self sacrificial culture that exists in football and protect future players. In both criticizing and defending Leon Hall's actions on the field, I discussed an article written in 2009 by Malcolm Gladwell titled, How Different are Football and Dog Fighting?  I highly suggest reading/listening to Episode 60 and watching the video of the hit below before continuing with this article/episode. I always want to hear listener's feedback on each episode, but I was particularly interested in what people had to say about this hit.  I never want to come off as being anti-football because frankly, I love football.  Some of my best memories come from playing football as a kid and I want every kid to have the opportunity to play the game, but in the safest possible way.  In my humble opinion, the best way to do that is by changing the culture.  After posting Episode 60, I proceeded to tag as many Facebook friends as possible, who I thought might have an opinion on the subject.  Being from NJ, I received responses from Giants fans, friends I grew up playing football with, football Dads, former youth football coaches, current high school coaches, a former division 1 college football equipment manager and even one New York Giants beat writer.  I screen shotted all of the comments and some trends definitely came up, which I discuss in length in Episode 61. Define Dirty... From most of the comments, the definition of 'dirty' was always in question.  What makes a hit dirty or clean?  Most consider a hit to be dirty if the player's intention was to injure an opponent on a particular play.  Unfortunately, there is no way to go into someone's head and replay what they were thinking at the moment of impact.  So by this definition, it is nearly impossible to ever call any hit 'dirty.'  However, I feel a more appropriate description of the type of hit that we would all like to see removed from the game are UNNECESSARY & AVOIDABLE hits on defenseless players.  My definition of an unnecessary hit would expand the current unnecessary roughness rules to include any hit at or below the knees, any hit to the head or neck, and all hits where contact is initiated with the helmet or facemask on defenseless receivers.   The rules listed below can be found in the PLAYER CONDUCT section of the NFL Rulebook.  ARTICLE 6. UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS.  One of the descriptors of the penalty is "using any part of a player’s helmet or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily." ARTICLE 7. PLAYERS IN A DEFENSELESS POSTURE. It is a foul if a player initiates unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture. (a) Players in a defenseless posture are: (1) A player in the act of or just after throwing a pass (passing posture). (2) A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner. If the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player. As someone who played the game for 10 years and spent at least 4 years working in the game, I whole heartedly believe that defenders can just as easily put their heads to the side of a defenseless receivers body as they can ram their facemask or helmet into their body's. This is where the AVOIDABLE part of my definition comes into play.  I felt that the hit on Jordy Nelson was easily avoidable because he was not capable of warding off impending contact.  Players shouldn't get away with dangerous hits just because they chose not to go helmet to helmet. When it comes to defenseless receivers, there is a choice.  It was wrong of me to insinuate that Leon Hall had malice in his intentions going into that hit, but I still think it was Unnecessary & Avoidable. Fear Factor... I fully understand that fear and intimidation is a major part of the game of football.  I also feel this is one of the great lessons football teaches.  It's uncomfortable to jump up and catch a ball fully knowing you are about to get crushed by a linebacker, just like it is uncomfortable to stand in front of a hundred people and present a speech.  If you are comfortable, you're not growing and football teaches you to embrace discomfort. There is a reason why the term "alligator arms" exists, because the defense never wants the receivers to feel too comfortable out there.  The short reach comes from the fear in the back of the receiver's head, which is saying "forget the ball, save yourself!"  I still think you can send this message without sticking your facemask or helmet into a receivers rules because in these 'alligator arms' situations, the receivers are almost always defenseless. Use your shoulder, thats why you wear shoulder pads. Technique... Personally, I was never taught to use my head as a point of contact at any level of play.  We were always taught to "bite the ball", which requires you to keep your head up.  We were however taught to get our heads across when making tackles from perpendicular angles, which essentially uses your head as an extra limb.  According to the comments (above) made by LF Vanorski, who is a high school football coach, that is no longer the case.  I can remember one tackle I made in particular when I got my head across to make a form tackle and definitely cleared out the cobwebs in the process.  To be honest, getting your head across in those situations is the most effective way to ensure the ball carrier doesn't break your tackle, but at what cost? These techniques are taught to maximize safety, especially when it comes to protecting the head and neck. Although I was taught the proper safe tackling techniques for the time period by my coaches, I definitely witnessed some that made me scratch my head while working in college and professional football.  Specifically blitz pick-up techniques that used, what I would consider the crown of the helmet, as a point of contact.  Even the hits in practice during these drills would make me cringe.. Yes, we're talking about practice!  Effective in preventing sacks, yes? Safe, definitely not... The Film Never Lies... Coach Vanorski provided a few examples of what a dirty hit was to him.  The first video is of Chuck Cecil making two vicious hits.  The first hit I would consider legal because the ball carrier is not defenseless, but the second hit on the very next play is undoubtedly a hit on a defenseless receiver.  Cecil was known as one of the hardest hitting players of his time and ironically or not so ironically was forced to retire due to concussions.  Thus, proving my point that leading with your head puts the hit initiator at risk as much if not more than the player receiving the blow.   I guess it was the Packers who played dirty back in the day because in the second video an exaggerated late hit by Charles Martin sidelines Bears' quarterback Jim McMahon.  These type of hits are easy to call dirty and malice can be safely assumed.  Hits like Leon Hall's on Jordy Nelson... not so easy to assume.   Chuck Cecil lays out Meggett by mattinsgs Where Is The Line Drawn...? I understand that without hitting, football wouldn't be football.  Nor is that is my goal by pointing out the Hall-Nelson hit.  There is a fine line for referees to distinguish between what is a penalty and what is just an inherent risk in playing the game.  To me, the rules seem pretty defined when looking at the rulebook excerpts written earlier in this article, but the enforcement of these rules seems to bit hit or miss (no pun intended).  Maybe we need a referee in the booth who can watch replays in slow motion to ensure proper rule enforcement? Does that cross the line? I don't know, but in my opinion, calls are being missed and inconsistently made.  What message is that sending current and future NFLers? Looks Can Be Deceiving... My long-time friend James Kratch is the NJ.com beat writer for the New York Giants and personally interacts with Leon Hall on a daily basis.  James pointed out they he did not believe Leon meant to hurt Jordy and I have to take his word for it.  It was wrong of me to say there was malice in Hall's actions.  My Dad always told me that when you assume it makes an ASS out of U and ME and you would think I would have learned by now. You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks... Much like how I compared Malcolm Gladwell's dog fighting article to the Hall hit on Jordy, the fact that you can't teach an old dog new tricks came up in a comment by one of my high school co-captains.  Honestly you can't even blame the guy, but how do you teach a dog to not pee on the carpet? You catch them in the act, pick their little ass up and bring them outside and reward them for doing a good job when they do it the right way.  Throw a flag, push them back 15 yards and reward them by not taking any of their paycheck when they make hits with their shoulder...? Inherent Risk... What other industry has a 100% injury rate?  At this point, football players definitely know what they are getting themselves into.  However, I don't think that means that we can't look to other industries to make the game safer and to hold the NFL accountable to all the policies and procedures put in place to keep players safe.  I wonder what OSHA would have to say about the hit on Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley just hours after the hit that ended Jordy's night (see below).  This is a topic I researched for my capstone project while earning my masters degree at Georgetown.  If this topic interests you there is some more reading for you below, but I will end this discussion here for this article.   Shit happens.... As mentioned earlier in the post, the viewers have the advantage of hindsight and the ability to review each play in slow motion.  Unfortunately, that isn't how the players on the field experience things and shit happens sometimes.  I still think the idea of referees in the booth to review calls may help the consistency of the penalty calling.  I wonder how much that would affect the pace of play...? Priorities... When players get fined for how they wear their uniforms, the design of their cleats, the air pressure in the balls and walkie talkies, it makes you wonder why penalties that ensure safety are not enforced.  To me, that should be the # 1 priority.   But I Thought Only Kings Wore Crowns... A discussion of what exactly is the 'crown' of the helmet came up in the comments. I am still confused by this and from what I gather, this is more geared toward running backs lowering their head's.  The crown of the helmet is essentially the top of the helmet.  I feel like most players don't hit with this part of the helmet anyway, most likely because that would basically be a suicide mission.  However, this shouldn't matter in regard to calling an unecessary roughness penalty on the Hall hit because by definition it is any contact made by "using any part of a player’s helmet or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily." By The Books... Why write rules if they don't get enforced?  The tail end of comments I received on the post were mostly in agreement that the hit on Jordy Nelson was 'dirty' or as I have newly defined it 'unnecessary & avoidable.'  One thing I would like to note is two of the comments made below by current high school football coach and one of my former teammates Kevin Karcich.  First Kevin points out that most refs in high school only call hits in instances of helmet to helmet contact, which is great for avoiding head injuries, but as mentioned multiple time throughout this post, the rule is written much broader than that. Just like an umpire is in control of the strike zone in baseball, referees hold the power to legislate acceptable vs. unacceptable hits. I Immediately Regret This Decision... As seen below, Kevin and the rest of the coaches at my high school make it a point to educate the players when they make dangerous hits by lowering their heads because they are putting their own personal health at risk by doing so.  Putting your head down to make a hit will be a decision that you immediately regret, just ask Ron Burgundy.  People do get it! This comment makes me feel like the culture of football is actually headed in the right direction. I want to thank all of my friends who participated in this discussion because without your comments episode 61 would not have been possible. All in all, I hope to see hits like the Hall-Nelson hit draw penalties in the future.  I truly believe it is in the best interest of the players and the game. Download Episode 61 : iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud Permalink

The Giants' win over the Rams was secondary news this week, as the Josh Brown story dominated the headlines. Joe Giglio, James Kratch and Dan Duggan discuss the Giants' handling of the situation and give a behind-the-scenes look into how the story broke as the days went on. Plus, with the bye week here, an assessment of the Giants' season so far. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jordan Raanan and James Kratch can't believe what they witnessed Sunday in the Giants-Saints game, and try to figure out why these fourth-quarter meltdowns keep happening. Plus, a game of 'Pass or Fail?' at the halfway point of the season. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's episode, Joe Giglio, James Kratch and Jordan Raanan talk Giants depth chart surprises, watch to watch for against the Bengals, and thoughts on Frank Gifford's career on and off the field. Note: Due to technical difficulties, we lost Jordan's audio with about 10 minutes left in the show. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.