How to stop Tom Brady; appreciation for running backs Javon Ringer and Frank Gore; and "Tebowing"
Five things we learned in week seven
How to stop Tom Brady; appreciation for running backs Javon Ringer and Frank Gore; and Tebowing are among the five things we learned in week eight of the NFL season:
Pittsburgh have finally worked out how to stop Brady
"What will it take for Steelers to stop [Tom] Brady?" asked the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette headline on Sunday morning. Given his previous record against the Black and Gold, the temptation was to suggest a large tranquiliser dart. On the way to racking up six wins in seven attempts against Pittsburgh, Brady had completed 67.8% of his passes and thrown for 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. Four of the five wins had come at Heinz Field, and among them were two AFC Championship games.
The Post-Gazzette's Gerry Dulac suggested bringing inside pressure, avoiding zone coverage, jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage, avoiding mismatches and trying to match Brady's production levels on offence. But Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had a better plan: don't let him get on the field in the first place.
Through the entire first quarter New England had just three offensive plays ? going three-and-out on their first series and not seeing the ball again for another eight minutes. By the final gun Pittsburgh had held the ball for almost 40 minutes. Remarkably, they achieved such clock control not by running the ball but with a methodical underneath passing game which saw Roethlisberger throw the ball 50 times. With the benefit of hindsight, against the league's shabbiest secondary, it actually seems the obvious thing to do. PB
Best-paid does not equal best
Tennessee Titans running back Javon Ringer will earn just over $500,000 this year. His team-mate Chris Johnson has already made 20 times that sum just from the signing bonus on the new contract he signed in the summer. And yet, given precisely the same number of carries against the Indianapolis Colts this weekend, it was Ringer who was the more productive ? taking his 14 attempts for 60 yards while Johnson managed just 34. Ringer also made 42 yards in the passing game, compared to Johnson's 17.
One game might be rather too small a sample size for serious judgements, but the greater context is no kinder on Johnson. Through seven games he has averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. Ringer has had far fewer carries, but his average is a more healthy 3.5.
"In general, we knew we were going to give both guys a chance," said the coach Mike Munchak afterwards as he sought to explain the decision to give Ringer the lion's share of reps in the second half. It is rather hard to believe that his original gameplan truly did involve giving the ball as often to a third-year pro who had never before carried more than seven times in a game as to the league's second-best paid running back. But if Johnson keeps struggling this badly, that may well become the Titans' best model for success going forward. PB
Second best
Speaking of underappreciated running backs, here's the New York Times's Mike Tanier on Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers:
Frank Gore is 110 yards away from passing Roger Craig for second place on the 49ers career rushing list, and Craig is more excited about it than Gore. "It just shows how mentally he's just involved in winning and doing his job every day," Craig told The San Francisco Chronicle. Craig added that Gore has overlooked other personal accomplishments: "I texted him and said congratulations on being the FedEx player of the week. He said, 'When did that happen?' That shows how focused he is, and I like that." Shouldn't FedEx tell players when they are named FedEx player of the week? They have an international information distribution network at their disposal, after all. If Gore passes Craig, the game ball will be shipped to Gore's home via U.P.S.
Tebowing
America's obsession with Tim Tebow is such that a verb has now been created around the Denver Bronco QB. In honour of Tebow's actions at the end of last week's miraculous come-from-behind win against the Miami Dolphins, Tebowing has become a verb and an internet phenomenon:
(vb) to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.
Unfortunately for the young QB, this was flaunted in his face by the Detroit Lions during a 45-10 drubbing:
SB
A good week for St Louis
On Friday night the St Louis Cardinals won baseball's World Series. On Sunday something just as miraculous happened to the city's football team: they won. The Rams beat the New Orleans Saints to register their first win of the season.
There is a dark side to all this good news though. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa decided to go out on top and retired on Monday. Meanwhile the Rams are now off the pace in the #SuckforLuck competition. Only the Indianapolis Colts (0-8) and the Miami Dolphins (0-7) are now winless. SB
You can now get all the latest news, blogs and comments on US sports from the Guardian via our new Twitter account: @GdnUSsports.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/nov/01/tom-brady-tebowing-suckforluck
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