The 2025 football season is rapidly approaching, and this episode delves into significant historical moments currently unfolding in the realm of American football. We explore the exhilarating events surrounding cut-down day, wherein NFL teams reduced their rosters from 90 players to the mandated 53. Noteworthy among these developments is the reunion of star wide receiver Amari Cooper with the Las Vegas Raiders, a move that could profoundly impact the team's offensive strategy under the guidance of Coach Pete Carroll. Furthermore, we discuss the construction of a new state-of-the-art stadium for the Buffalo Bills, spearheaded by former All-Pro Thurman Thomas, who is playing a pivotal role in this endeavor. As we analyze these contemporaneous events, we reflect on their potential historical significance, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead.

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The Pigskin Daily History Dispatch presents an insightful exploration into the current state of American football as it stands on the precipice of the 2025 season. The episode is underscored by a sense of nostalgia as it reflects on the historical significance of the upcoming NFL events while simultaneously engaging with present occurrences that are poised to become part of football lore. The host, Darren Hayes, articulates the excitement surrounding the commencement of the season, emphasizing that just one week from the recording, fans will witness the return of live NFL action, a moment eagerly anticipated in the football calendar.

Moreover, the podcast delves into the recent cut-down day, a crucial juncture where NFL teams must reduce their rosters from 90 players to the mandated 53. Hayes provides a nuanced overview of the implications of such decisions, indicating the emotional and professional ramifications for the players involved. The discussion of Amari Cooper's return to the Las Vegas Raiders serves as a focal point, illustrating the intertwining of personal narratives and team dynamics that characterize professional football. The reunion of a star player with his original team not only serves to highlight the cyclical nature of player careers but also sets the stage for anticipated competitive strategies in the upcoming season.

The narrative progresses to encompass the construction of a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills, with the involvement of former player Thurman Thomas. This development is emblematic of the franchise's evolution and its commitment to providing a modern venue for its fanbase. The episode concludes with reflections on the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive legacy, introducing new talents who may carry the torch forward, thus reinforcing the continuous thread of history within the sport. Each discussion point is intricately woven, creating a tapestry that celebrates both the present and the historical reverberations of American football.

Here, just in time for some great football history.

We have more on this coming up right after the intro.

This is the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch, a podcast that covers the anniversaries of American football events throughout history on a day to day basis.

Your host, Darren Hayes is podcasting from America's North Shore to bring you the memories of the gridiron one day at a time.

So as we come out of the tunnel of the sports history, let's take the field and go no huddle through the portal of positive gridiron history with pigskindispatch.com.

This podcast is part of the Sports History Network, your headquarters for the yesteryear of your favorite sport.

You can learn more@sportshistorynetwork.com hello my football friends.

This is Darren hayes of pigskit dispatch.com welcome once again to the Pig Pen, your portal to positive football history.

And boy do we have a really fun, quick little hitting show for you.

This Thursday, the week before football season, exactly seven days from now, Thursday night, we will have NFL football in live action and a game that counts.

Can you believe it is going to be Thursday Night Football to open the season?

But before we get there, we have some things happening in the National Football League that are really exciting and really making history in their own way.

And maybe we'll be talking about in a few years in a more historic attributes.

But let's talk about them now as they're, as they're becoming reality now.

First of all, you know, this week we had cut down day.

You know, the teams in the NFL had to go from 90 players down to 53 by Tuesday at 4pm which all of them did.

So there was a lot of players being waived, being released.

And there's a difference between that and you can get into some of the online articles about that to learn more about that.

So we're not going to really make that point here in this program.

But there's also some trades and some free agent signings and one of the more interesting ones is somebody that went back home to their original NFL team and that's Amare Cooper.

Now Amari Cooper, you know, has been playing last year he played with the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns and he played with the Dallas Cowboys.

But he started off as an Oakland Raider, now who are now the Las Vegas Raiders and he just signed with Pete Carroll's bunch in Las Vegas to be a Raider again.

So a little reuniting of senses here with a star wide receiver and you know, Geno Smith will be his quarterback.

And this should be an exciting game plan for Pete Carroll who loves to run the ball but also likes to have those steady handed receivers that they can catch the ball as well.

So should be a great marriage and good to see the Raiders and Amari Cooper reuniting.

Now talk about, you know, reuniting.

How about when a former player, a former Pro Bowler and NFL mvp, helps build a stadium for his former team?

Well, that's what's happening up in Orchard Park, New York, where just outside of Buffalo, the Buffalo Bills are building a new stadium.

Now.

The they're currently playing in the old stadium.

So next year at this time they'll be opening up that.

But fans can go by and look at it and see it being built.

You know, last year was a lot of cranes.

This year, some cranes.

But they're also putting some equipment in there.

But a former player is helping to construct it.

And that would be NFL All Pro Thurman Thomas, old number 34 himself, who went to four Super Bowls with the Bills, played 12 of his 13 seasons there and had, you know, really astounding numbers.

One year even brought him to be the NFL's MVP.

Well, he after football, joined his family construction company, worked there a few years, then went out on his own, opened up his own construction company.

He's been building hospitals and schools and different projects around town.

Well, he got the contract, his company did, which is called 34 construction.

Imagine that his jersey number is the name of his construction company.

Well, 34 and 34 Construction have the contract to put the seats in the new Highmark Stadium.

So there's been some images in some local Buffalo papers of number 34 just with some tools in hand and installing some of those plastic and whatever they're made out of seats there at the new Highmark Stadium.

So he's really helping to build the franchise one more time in their new stadium.

Now not far away, there is a team down in the steel city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been known for defense for probably the last 50 years.

They have had a colorful array of defensive frontmen over the past half century, both literally and figuratively, Pittsburgh D line has had an uncanny number of studs with surnames that resemble the back of a crayon box.

So these are some outstanding names and they have a color and the last name of them.

Well, both greens are in the Pro Football hall of Fame.

LC Greenwood probably should be.

And Mad Dog White is just a freaking legend of the game.

Really.

A great run stuffer.

A former Iowa Hawkeye defender, ya Black.

Now ya Black is a giant of a man.

Six foot five and three quarter, 336 pounds, 35 inch arms.

His hand spans ten and a quarter inches.

Think about that for a second.

But this guy is no just big slug.

He's ran a 5.39 40 yard dash in his pre draft, measured runs here, a 20 yard shuttle, a 4.583 cone drill 7.58.

And these may sound slow compared to wide receivers or any, but think about this guy.

This dude's 336 pounds, six foot five and three quarter and he has a defense alignment.

Well, the large, extra large 5th rounder was known as an elite run stuffer in college.

Now could YA Black be the latest in a Crayola success of the Steelers defensive trenches?

Well that's something to find out here real soon.

You know a lot of people are talking about number one or first round pick of the Steelers.

Not number one pick but the first round pick of the Steelers.

Derek Harmon on the defensive line.

But YA Black may be a good one too.

They could be the future stars here for the new Steel Curtain coming up.

And another colorful name in Black.

So that is just some great history that's rising up all over the NFL as we go into this final week of the preseason.

But there's no more preseason games.

But it is before the season so we'll still call it preseason season starts next Thursday and we will be there to help you enjoy it.

And we got some great things coming up for this football season I think you're really going to enjoy.

As always on Tuesdays we have our visit with Timothy P. Brown of FootballArchaeology.com reviewing some history lessons, you know, both from the college and pro game with some really interesting tidbits that Tim is bringing to us.

So catch out on Tuesdays on the YouTube channel and here on the podcast.

And we also are going to be starting something Ed Cleese has been a regular guest here for the last few weeks and Ed has got some brilliant ideas of some concepts to put into the podcast and on YouTube and we are starting on Wednesdays, starting this coming Wednesday the like the day before the first game of doing five big bold predictions for each week and we're going to be keeping score as the season goes on.

So next Wednesday you'll hear us make our initial week one predictions and then, you know, the following Wednesday we'll talk about, you know, how we did on those five predictions for each of us and make five new ones for the that upcoming week's game.

So should be a lot of fun this year.

We'd love to have you participate.

You can find us on social media, pigskindispatch and@pigskind dispatch.com as well as email us pigskind dispatch gmail.com and boy, we'd love to have you and enjoy the history while it's being made and be your portal.

The positive football history pigskindispatch.com so the love to have you.

We're glad you joined us today and till next time, have a great gridiron day.

Peeking up at the clock, the time's running down.

We're gonna go into victory formation.

Take a knee and let this baby run out.

Thanks for joining us.

We'll see you back tomorrow for the next podcast.

We invite you to check out our website pigskindispatch.com not only to see the daily football history, but to experience positive football with our many articles on the good people of the game as well as our own football comic strip, clete marks comics pigskindispatch.com he's also on social media outlets, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and don't forget the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel to get all of your positive football news and history.

Special thanks to the talents of Mike and Gene Monroe as well as Jason Neff for letting us use their music during our podcast.

This podcast is part of the Sports History Network, your headquarters for the yesteryear of your favorite sport you can learn more@sportshistorynetwork.com.