Moving The Chains: My Weekly Take On The NFL - Week 3.

Week 3:

Hero of the week:

Christian Ponder.
Christian Ponder is this week’s hero of the week for putting up very respectable numbers in Minnesota’s upset 24-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Ponder went 21 of 35 for 198 yards and 2 TDs. He also scored the first rushing TD conceded by the vaunted 49ers defence. Ponder has always flashed promise, and is now living up to his billing as a first-round pick. If he plays the way he did on Sunday, the Vikings could have a quietly successful season up in Minnesota.

Villain of the week:

Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano.
This week’s villain of the week is split between the New York Jets coaching staff, in particular offensive coordinator Tony Sparano and head coach Rex Ryan, for blindly sticking with Mark Sanchez instead of Tim Tebow. Massive Tebow bias aside, it is clear that Mark Sanchez is not the option. After a decent outing in week 1 against Buffalo, Sanchez has been more than poor. While Tebow’s outings for the Jets have been less than spectacular, I feel this has only proven that Tebow’s future does not involve running trick plays or lining up as a receiver. Given the chance to actually lead – one of those intangibles that Tebow has in droves – the Jets’ offense, there is no reason that he couldn’t be a success. Even if it were to blow up in their faces, they would have at least attempted something different because what they are trying now simply isn’t working.

Disappointment of the week:

None.
This week the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers managed to disappoint once again, but I have extensively covered their failings here in previous weeks.

Moment of the week:
'Fail Mary on Monday Night Football.
Its already been discussed a million and one times, and will be continually for the rest of the season, but the ending to Monday Night Football is potentially one of the most significant moments and one of the most memorable refereeing decisions in NFL history. The referees just plain blew the ending of this game; they missed the pass interference on Sam Shields, and they missed the fact that Jennings had the ball fully under control after incepting Wilson’s Hail Mary. To make the call on the field is one thing, but to not overturn the call in the face of indisputable evidence is what makes it one of the worst calls in history.

Honourable mention:
Prior to the Monday Night Farce, Torrey Smith reaching the endzone twice against the New England Patriots mere hours after he learned of his brother’s death in a motorbike accident was unquestionably the moment of the week. Smith’s tough, emotional performance was supremely inspirational.

Fail of the week:

Joe Philbin.

Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin is the clear candidate here. Freezing the kicker is a tactic that rarely works, especially in a half-empty Dolphins stadium, and his decision to call a time out seconds before Jets kicker Nick Folk had his potentially game-winning effort blocked came back to haunt him. Minutes later, Folk would connect on a 33-yard attempt to win the game for New York.

'My team':

You’d never have thought that this was the second time the New York Giants had taken the field in five days – there were no signs of fatigue in a convincing 36-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

The Giants looked strong all across the board from the off, and the performances of unlikely contributors such as Andre Brown (113 yards, 2 TDs) and Ramses Barden (138 yards) were the exclamation point on a dominant first half.

Brown has been cut seven times from five teams, while Barden has been on the roster bubble in each of his three seasons with the Giants, having failed to really make an impact.

Brown’s 2 TD, 113-yard performance was sublime and it’s hard to envisage a situation where Ahmad Bradshaw walks back into a starting role when he returns from injury against Philadelphia next weekend. Martellus Bennett was another key contributor and is proving time and again why he was worth investing in during the offseason.

The Giants defence stifled Cam Newton all game with great pressure up front courtesy of Jason Pierre Paul, and was picked three times. In a game in which several Giants stepped up to the plate in a big way, it was appropriate that rookie Jayron Hosley registered his first career pick and Michael Boley registered his third in as many games. This bodes well considering the Giants face Michael Vick next week, a man with a very similar skill-set to Newton.

Despite the complete nature of this win, it’s hard to tell what it means for the Giants going forward. They were playing a completely disorganised team, who in no way looked ready to play. A poor defence was brutally taken advantage of by a Giants offence which was able to pass and rush at will. Philadelphia will be a far tougher ordeal.

But, a win is a win and most importantly the Giants have back-to-back wins over NFC opponents. The momentum that the Giants will take from this win is key in a league that has most teams posting records not far off .500. 

Moving The Chains: My weekly take on the NFL - Week 2.

Week 2:

Hero of the week:
C.J. Spiller.
Buffalo Bills’ running back C.J. Spiller is this week’s ‘hero of the week’. Coming out of college everyone knew he was a talented player, but things didn’t pan out as well as expected and he fell behind Fred Jackson (a decent running back in his own right) in the depth chart. ‘College Spiller’, as I’m going to be calling him from now on, is most certainly back. College Spiller put the team on his back in week 2, rushing 15 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 47 yards. He averaged double-digit rushing stats for the second consecutive week against two of the league’s more physical defences. ‘Impressive’ isn’t even the word.

Villain of the week:
Replacement referees.
Just to clarify: ‘villain’ is probably the wrong term for the NFL’s replacement referees, as they are in a tough spot and clearly in way over their head. Although I feel that they are doing the best they can, they are not top-level referees for a reason and their performance this week was downright ugly. There were bad calls across the weekend, but as Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis stated quite correctly: "We already have controversy enough with the regular refs calling the plays." The controversy isn’t the issue with the new referees however, but the lack of control they have on games. This past weekend, games simply became out of control and unquestionably too dangerous. The Falcons vs. Broncos, Eagles vs. Ravens, Rams vs. Redskins and Giants vs. Buccaneers games the level of animosity between teams reached uncomfortable heights and displayed clearly that they are losing control of the players.
Former NFL vice-president of refereeing Mike Pereira stated: "You can't expect replacements to know the intricacies of the NFL rule book in two weeks on the job. It takes years," Pereira wrote on his blog for Fox Sports. "But it doesn't take long -- two weeks -- to see this is not working." He isn’t wrong.

Biggest disappointment of the week: New Orleans Saints.

The New Orleans Saints were expected to be firing on all cylinders following a disappointing but close defeat to the Washington Redskins at home. They were facing a Carolina Panthers team that had successfully stifled the rushing threats of DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Cam Newton. The Saints managed to fire on no cylinders, and although they put up some points on Carolina, the Panthers never looked like losing this game. Cam Newton and the Panthers offence were free to do as they pleased, with the Jonathan Vilma-less Saints defence never disrupting their rhythm. Conversely, Drew Brees and the Saints offense rarely looked like the unit it normally resembles. The Saints now sit at 0-2 after a turgid, pedestrian display against division rival in a must-win game and are now officially in trouble.

Moment of the week:
Stephen Gostkowski misses 42 yard FG attempt.
It’s hard to believe that the New England Patriots, possibly the AFC’s best team, lost to the Arizona Cardinals. It’s harder still to believe that the Arizona Cardinals are now 2-0 and that Stephen Gostkowski had a chance to secure victory in the dying seconds and came up short. While the defeat does not rest squarely on the shoulders of Gostkowski – a whole host of errors led to a bad day at the office for the Patriots – the fact that the most accurate kicker in Patriots history and someone who has excelled in game-tying, or indeed game-winning, situations missed what was effectively a routine kick.

Fail of the week:
Josh Morgan, throws football, costs Redskins dearly.
For this week’s ‘fail of the week’ it is actually impossible to look any further than Redskins wideout Josh Morgan, who responded to notorious windup merchant Cortland Finnegan’s taunts by throwing the ball at him. Cue a 15-yard penalty moving the Redskins back to 4^th and 16, and forcing them into attempting a 62-yard field goal. Unsurprisingly Billy Cundiff didn’t make the mammoth kick, and the Redskins lost to the Rams. Morgan’s stupidity effectively lost them the game. Doesn’t get much more ‘fail’ than that.

'My team':

The Giants game against the Buccaneers was, in many ways, an entire Giants season condensed into an entire game. It had a horrendous first half, plagued with errors, dropped balls, interceptions and injuries, and followed up with an incredible second half dominated by a renewed focus, a ruthlessly efficient passing game and a team now accustomed to performing in the clutch.
There are a few concerning points going forward though, namely the mistakes that defined the first half, and the alarming lack of pressure from the defensive line. The Buccaneers have a revamped offensive line that is now one of the better units in the league, and they neutralised the threat of the Giants’ defensive superstars: Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora. Had the Giants not recovered and stole victory from the jaws of defeat, it’d be tempting to write off the season. However the Giants proved that they are made of tough stuff and will be a hard team to beat this year.

Moving The Chains: My Weekly Take On The NFL - Week 1.

Week 1:

Hero of the week:
Robert Griffin III.
Robert Griffin III’s debut for the Washington Redskins did several things, one of them being that it made us all forget about Cam Newton. Newton, whose 2011 was the superlative rookie Quarterback season, was relegated to an afterthought after Robert Griffin III’s 19-of-26, 320 yard, two-touchdown performance against the Saints in one of the toughest stadiums to play in. Griffin controlled the game effectively, and was ruthlessly efficient in sending a statement to the rest of the NFL: the Redskins have arrived.
Honourable mentions:
Art Modell.
The NFL lost another of its visionary owners on Thursday, and for all the controversy surrounding the relocation of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, Art Modell should be celebrated for his contributions to the game. Modell was a founding father of the NFL, a man who classy enough to leave the name, colours and heritage of the Browns to the city of Cleveland, and one of the creators of the footballing establishment that is ‘Monday Night Football’. Modell deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, but it is a shame that it is in death that many have come to realise this.

Villain of the week:
The NFLPA.
For overturning the ban on the Saints players at the centre of the bountygate scandal. Ultimately the commissioner has, and has always had, the final say on matters in the NFL. So although his decision to suspend Jonathan Vilma for a year may have rightly been seen by many as overkill, the NFLPA’s move to override it is a farce. It completely undermines the authority of the commissioner and validates one of the more heinous crimes in the NFL’s long history. Whether this happens on a routine basis or not is irrelevant, the league rightly threw the book at the Saints to prevent bounty programmes from happening again, and this move undoes all of that. What’s worse is that the wider NFL community and the media are celebrating it as a triumph.

Biggest disappointment of the week:
Andrew Luck & the Green Bay Packers.
There is no shame in losing to tough opponents, but expectations were undeniably high for both Andrew Luck and the Green Bay Packers and they didn’t come close to living up to them. Few were expecting Luck and the Indianapolis Colts to walk away from Chicago 1-0 but then few expected the Redskins to get a win in New Orleans. Look what happened there.
Luck threw for a very respectable 309 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort, but his four turnovers were damning for the Colts. Luck was understandably disappointed with his performance, but his teammates see the bigger picture and the future remains bright for Luck. Ultimately I expected more – or maybe less, if we’re talking turnovers - from Luck, but the loss says more about the team than it does the man. Working behind a poor offensive line, with a nonexistent run game against one of the toughest defences in the NFL, it’s a miracle that the 22 year-old managed to be productive at all. He'll be alright, folks.
Green Bay receives a slightly less optimistic review. Like the Colts they were going up against one of the premier defences in the league, but unlike the Colts they have one of the best offenses. Surely this was to be more than a test for the 49ers? Ultimately it wasn’t. Aaron Rodgers may have thrown for 300+ yards but couldn’t find his biggest playmakers, Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson, all game, and the run game was nonexistent. Defensively the Packers put pressure on Alex Smith, registering four sacks, but the secondary was a mess.

Moment of the week:
David Akers equals 63-yard field goal record:
Week 1 of the 2012 delivered some amazing moments. The debut of Robert Griffin III, the return of Peyton Manning and a number of games being decided on the last play of the game or in overtime, but it was a kicker that delivered the most impressive moment of the week. Akers’ 63-yard effort stole the show. Although Sebastian Janikowski and Jason Elam have both made kicks of the same distance before, the fact that Akers’ effort didn’t take place at mile-high stadium in Denver makes his all the more impressive.

Fail of the week:
Celebration Fails:
Tight ends Vernon Davis and Rob Gronkowski share the inaugural ‘fail of the week’. Both scored touchdowns on the way to their respective team’s week 1 wins and both messed up their celebrations in spectacular fashion. Davis, despite being one of the most athletic tight ends in the league, failed to jump high enough to ‘dunk’ the ball between the posts. Gronkowski attempted his patented ‘spike’ and let the ball fly away from him comically early. Rejected.

‘My team’:

While the other categories of this weekly breakdown will be a neutrally-observed celebration of all things good and bad in the NFL, this one section will be devoted to my beloved New York Football Giants.

On Thursday night the eyes of the NFL were fixed firmly on Metlife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For many it would be appreciated simply as the first taste of competitive football since that distant February evening upon which the Giants were crowned the NFL’s latest champions, for others, it would be a chance to see if those champions are worthy of their billing.

This game was originally supposed to see the New Orleans Saints as the away team, but they were withdrawn in the wake of the ‘bountygate’ scandal and replaced by the Cowboys. Putting it bluntly, if the Saints had played we could have had a massacre on our hands.

Super Bowl XLVI this was not. When the eyes of the world were on them, the Giants choked and put in a sub-par performance that was downright ugly in places. To his credit, Eli Manning had a decent game – he finished 21 of 32 for 213 yards and a touchdown - behind a suspect o-line, an almost-nonexistent run game and receivers who dropped a more than their share of easy completions, all of which played a far greater role in this defeat than the performance of Manning. Thankfully Martellus Bennett, Domenik Hixon and, in the second half, Ahmad Bradshaw all stepped up and performed admirably

The Giants defence were unsurprisingly strong up front but were hindered by the need to play run defence for most of the game. An already-decimated secondary wasn’t assisted by an injury to Michael Coe, and Corey Webster delivered one of the worst performances by a Giants defensive back in recent memory. Collectively the Giants corners looked as if they had never seen a slant pattern in their lives.

The Giants met a much-improved Cowboys team but still had plenty of opportunities to finish the job. The goal-line 3-and-out following Boley’s pick, countless dropped passes and the inability to capitalise on twelve Cowboys penalties were all pivotal moments in which the Giants could have secured victory.

Dallas outplayed and outcoached New York, keeping the Giants off the field for all but three offensive possessions in the second half. In a reversal of fortunes, it was the Cowboys who displayed an uncharacteristic determination to close out the game. The Giants need to improve their offensive line, cornerback and receiver play immediately or risk starting the season 0-4. The game against Tampa is now must-win (not that it wasn’t before Thursday’s result) but thankfully the Giants have eleven days to put things right.

Sport: Have England's footballers gone soft?

Article published on Inquirelive.co.uk on 4th September 2012.
Have England's footballers gone soft?

Sunderland’s Adam Johnson is the latest England player to succumb to injury ahead of Friday’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Moldova. There are nine absentees from Roy Hodgson’s squad, and Johnson’s absence is the latest in a spate of recent injuries.

Wayne Rooney, set to return to England duty on a full-time basis after a cameo in Euro 2012, was sidelined with a frankly horrific cut sustained during Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Fulham on August 25th. His is the most high-profile of a long list of injuries to befall regular England players, and Scott Parker, Gareth Barry, Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Andy Carroll, Jack Wilshere and Ashley Cole all join him and Johnson on the physio’s table.

Some of these injuries are genuinely serious and the crocked players, like Rooney and Wilshere, are set to miss significant time. But the sheer volume of injuries – many of which players are due to be ‘fully recovered’ from in a matter of days - turns me towards the old debate over whether players prefer playing for their club or representing their country.

It’s an argument that can be traced back a few years to Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher’s assertion in his autobiography, published in 2008, that England players value their club over their country.

Carragher wrote: “Playing for Liverpool has been a full-time commitment. What followed with England was an extra honour, but not the be-all and end-all of my purpose in the game.”

It’s a stance that few have taken publically but it may still ring true to current players.

There are few people that expect England to struggle against Moldova on Friday, and Carragher’s comment may ring true to players only a matter of weeks into the start of a new Premier League season.

Fast-forward to recent times and discussion surrounding the commitment of international players has not gone away.

Prior to England’s friendly against Denmark in February of 2011 Geoff Hurst publically claimed, in an interview with The Telegraph, that: “Clubs have become more important than the national side...I find it astounding when players don’t turn up for England.”

It was a claim refuted by Chelsea’s Frank Lampard but re-iterated by former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. Prior to the Denmark game a number of high-profile England players such as Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand were absent, and what transpired then has alarming parallels with the current state of the England squad.

What’s worse is that there is continual evidence of this happening at the highest level of football. Gareth Bale shakily admitted that he was too injured to partake in the Olympics for Stuart Pearce’s GB team, but appeared for Spurs in a pre-season fixture in Los Angeles just days later. Contrast this with Manchester City and Argentina’s Sergio Agüero, who risks the wrath of his club for attempting to force his way onto the Argentina squad in spite of a knee injury.

Whether they are legitimately injured or not, many of England’s players past and present can certainly be accused of taking ‘the Gareth Bale approach’ as opposed to ‘the Sergio Agüero approach’ that harkens back to the days of Geoff Hurst in which players would go above and beyond to appear for their country, if not for a sense of patriotic pride, but simply because it was, and still is, their job.

Sport: Rugby In Rio

Article published on Inquirelive.co.uk on 13th August 2012.
Rugby in Rio: Team GB to prepare a 'sevens' squad

On October 9th, 2009 the International Olympic Committee approved Rugby sevens and Golf for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

It is not the first time that Rugby has been included in the Olympic programme. Rugby made its debut in the second Olympic Games of the modern era in 1900, and would be contested again in 1908, 1920 and 1924. No more than three teams ever competed in each year, and gold medals were won by France, Australasia and twice by the United States.

Olympic Rugby then took a hiatus of almost a century, and is returning in four year’s time due to the recent successes of the sevens game. After several failed bids for Rugby’s inclusion in past Olympics, the abandonment of traditional fifteen-a-side rugby union in favour of the “short game” looks to have been the deciding factor in its recent inclusion.

The widespread accessibility of sevens, the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens’ easily-adaptable format, and the IRB’s offer to drop the World Cup all worked favourably in the Olympic bid.

England, current world champions Wales and Scotland have all been a key part of these tournaments since their inception, and will no doubt unify as part of Team GB in Rio.

So what can we expect from Team GB rugby in four years time?

Scottish legend Gavin Hastings recently stated, in an interview with the Daily Record, that he expects Team GB to be a miniature version of the Lions squad. Of course, it will be a Lions void of any Irish influence. While the respective British and Irish Rugby Football Union’s may co-operate every four years in order to assemble the British and Irish Lions, Olympic ruling dictates that this will not be possible in Rio.

There exist potential complications regarding the status of Northern Irish players, who would be eligible to play for Team GB under Olympic ruling but otherwise represent Ireland as part of a unified Irish RFU. It is entirely possible that a player’s commitment to Ireland may cause a conflict of interest to emerge.

Team GB will face still competition from the dominant forces in international rugby – New Zealand, Australia and South Africa – but still have a realistic shot based on the strength of their respective component nations on the sevens circuit.

It is hard to predict what area players will be selected from. There are a crop of current internationals, many of whom have a past in sevens, and all possess the attributes necessary for success in the short code despite their experience playing fifteen-a-side. Sevens is built around pace, quickness, vision, handling, passing and defence, and players such as England’s Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi, Wales’ Leigh Halfpenny and George North, and Scotland’s Tim Visser all have these skills in abundance.

Tuilagi offers the team a level of physicality not often seen on the IRB sevens circuit, and he is not alone. A combination with Wales’ Jamie Roberts could prove particularly potent, and both men offer selectors the size needed to be dangerous in the loose and effective in set-pieces. England flanker Tom Croft has experience in the England sevens set up and has displayed an affinity for scoring throughout his career for England and the Lions.

There is much to be said for chemistry, too. North, Halfpenny and Roberts are likely to be standouts for Wales for the next four years, and Youngs and Tuilagi figure to be the same for England.

It is entirely possible that selectors will go for current sevens players due to the possibility of an imposed age restriction, as is the case with Olympic football. There are current sevens stars such as England’s Jamie Gibson and Scotland’s Colin Gregor who may feature in 2016.

But assuming there is not an age cap, it is my opinion that these seven men should be on the flight to Rio in four years time to represent Team GB:

Manu Tuilagi – England
Jamie Roberts – Wales
Tom Croft - England
Ben Youngs – England
Leigh Halfpenny - Wales
Tim Visser – Scotland
George North - Wales.