Vera Gentry Sports Corner: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The best and worst from the New England Patriots media day session

The New England Patriots held their Super Bowl media day session on Tuesday morning. Shutdown Corner has an instant recap based on NFL Network's live coverage of the event. Check back later in the day for Doug Farrar's thoughts from Indianapolis.

? Like Helen Thomas in a $2,000, six-buttoned suit, Deion Sanders had the prestigious honor of asking the first question to Tom Brady at media day. He asked how Brady's fifth Super Bowl was different than the other four. Like a seasoned veteran, Brady responded with a cliche about how every game is a different experience.

? Bill Belichick answered the same question from Deion with that exact phrasing.

? Brady said he told injured tight end Rob Gronkowski to write "Mom, I love you," on his ankle during Sunday's game. RULE BREAKER! The quarterback figured the message would get out since it will be photographed hundreds of times.

? Sagacious medical advice was provided during NFL Network's broadcast, courtesy Drs. Marshall Faulk and Warren Sapp. The Julliard-trained physicians provided in-depth medical analysis of Rob Gronkowski's ankle. Sapp believes Gronk should have been wearing a compression wrap. Faulk concurred.

? NFLN showed interviews with Brady, Gronkowski, Belichick, Wes Welker, Vince Wilfork and Chad Ochocinco. What, you were expecting Sergio Brown?

Most depressing sight:

Chad Ochocinco, not at a podium, getting interviewed next to little-used defensive back Nate Jones.

Most depressing quote:

"What do I need a podium for?�I got 3 million followers on Twitter. That's my podium." - Ochocinco to Deion, who was trying to turn Ochocinco's lack of podium invitation into an international incident.

Most Deion-centric Deion Sanders question:

"What do I always say about you on NFL Network?" -- Deion to Wes Welker. Welker guessed that Deion said he was tough. The answer was "I love me some Wes Welker."

Hard-hitting questions:

"The boot. Is the fact that it's not there a sign of improvement?" -- NFLN's Lindsay Soto to Gronkowski. The tight end laughed before composing himself and responding that, yes, not having a huge walking boot on his foot was better than having a huge walking boot on his foot.

"What do you do with all your Super Bowl rings? Do you have one as a toe ring?" -- Unidentified ONN reporter to Tom Brady, delivered while standing next to Maurice Jones-Drew.

Most honest answers:

"They're gonna have to." -- Welker when asked whether the Patriots would have to pay him after he has a big game in the Super Bowl.

"When you work for Bill Belichick, there's only one cook in the kitchen. And we're all just dishwashers." -- Offensive coordinator and new Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien.

[ Related: Video: Best of Super Bowl media day ]

By the numbers:

59 -- Number of times Deion Sanders referred to himself in the first person

1 -- Fan sitting in the front row eating nachos at 9:40 a.m. ET

3 -- Televised Deion hugs

4 -- Close-ups of Rob Gronkowski's socks

3 -- Number of times during the 60-second clip shown on NFL Network that Bill Belichick responded to a question with a one-sentence response

7 -- More minutes that NFLN devoted to Ochocinco than Ochocinco will likely play on Sunday

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/recapping-england-patriots-media-day-session-160659199.html

Adam Podlesh Sav Rocca Jon Ryan Mike Scifres

VTR Open 2012 Scores And Results Day 2: Carlos Berlocq, Albert Montanes Advance To Second Round

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/tennis/2012/1/31/2762469/2012-vtr-open-scores-results-vina-del-mar

Chad Simpson Steve Slaton Antone Smith Kevin Smith

Tiquan Underwood?s hair shows Patriots pride

Tiquan Underwood's Kid 'n' Play-esque flattop was already one of the best hairstyles in pro football. For the Super Bowl, the New England wide receiver�kicked it up a notch.

Yes, that's the New England Patriots shaved right into Underwood's head. Shutdown Corner appreciates the attention to detail paid here. Even the star decorating the tri-corner hat is included. Who will be the first New York Giants player to try to top Underwood's do?

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:

? Peyton Manning upstaging Super Bowl rematch
? Video: LeBron James' jump-and-dunk may be his best slam yet | LeBron bikes to work
? Can the ACC get more than four NCAA tournament bids?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/tiquan-underwood-hair-shows-patriots-pride-182411492.html

Moran Norris Montell Owens

Wales's once healthy outlook hampered by growing injury list | Paul Rees

Warren Gatland has a good reason for delaying naming his side for their opening Six Nations match away to Ireland
? See the other parts of the series: Scotland, Italy, France

Wales have tended to shatter images rather than moulds in the professional era. In 2008, the last Six Nations that followed a World Cup, little was expected of them after they sneaked out of France having failed to qualify for the quarter-finals but they won the grand slam in some style.

They were tipped to struggle in New Zealand in the last World Cup, dumped in a pool with the holders, South Africa, the team that had progressed at their expense four years before, Fiji, and their nemeses in past tournaments, Samoa.

The 2010 autumn campaign had ended with the Welsh Rugby Union on the defensive after agreeing a new four-year contract with Warren Gatland who, at the time, said he would be freshening up his management team after the World Cup, a tournament that would decide his fate as head coach.

Wales confounded everybody but themselves by reaching the semi-final, repeating their achievement of 1987, and, while their final record was four victories and three defeats, only in the play-off against Australia were they outplayed. The benefits of two training camps in Poland were shown in one statistic: they did not concede a point in the last quarter in five consecutive matches, including the semi-final against France when they played the final 61 minutes with 14 men.

Wales mixed experience with youth in a blend that worked off the field as well as on it. While some of the younger members of the England squad watched aghast in New Zealand as some of their elders adhered to a code of misconduct, Wales's rookies set the standards, hard-working, abstemious and not weighed down by the fear of failure.

They were a drop goal away from making the World Cup final. More spectators watched the semi-final against France on the big screen at the Millennium Stadium than at Eden Park and, the memory of the previous November deleted, a nation started to romanticise again. Wales expects this Six Nations.

And yet, Wales's achievements in New Zealand came after four to five months spent together, time they do not have leading into the Six Nations. Moreover, the challenge that is still to be met is learning to win the tight games; they lost by a point in a key pool match against South Africa and in the semi-final against France.

Nonetheless, the World Cup was no fluke. It was a well-planned campaign and Wales would not have disgraced the final. Given the relatively youthful nature of the squad, there is every chance that it was a mould-breaking tournament for Gatland's men. Success should in future not be intermittent and on a strictly one-off basis, but this Six Nations does not look timely.

There are two concerns for Wales. The first is an injury list so extensive that Gatland this week postponed naming his side by 48 hours. Seven of the side that started the World Cup quarter-final against Ireland were either doubtful or nonstarters and they will be without some hard-core experience in the form of Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones, as well as Shane Williams, who has retired from international rugby.

With the second-row Luke Charteris also injured, Gatland will have to change three of his tight five. The flanker Dan Lydiate and the fly-half Rhys Priestland, two key figures in New Zealand, are having treatment on leg injuries sustained during the last round of European matches, while the centre Jamie Roberts has not played for six weeks.

Wales struggled in the play-off against Australia when they were without Priestland, Sam Warburton and Adam Jones, while Alun Wyn Jones was on the bench. They have depth in most, but not all, positions and one question taxing Gatland this week will be how to replace Shane Williams and the wing's 58 Test tries.

Does he move Leigh Halfpenny from full-back and recall Lee Byrne or does he give a debut to Alex Cuthbert? He is not brimming with options in the back three, which leads to the second caveat about Wales in the next few months. There was an immediate fallout from the World Cup when the players returned home from the World Cup.

The Welsh regions won seven of their first eight matches in Europe, drawing the other; they won seven of the next 24 and it was noticeable in the final rounds in January that some of the young players who made an impact in the World Cup, such as George North, Scott Williams, Jonathan Davies and Lloyd Williams, are looking like they are approaching the end of a long season.

The Wales players have effectively been campaigning for eight months and they will need the mental hardness they showed in New Zealand to sustain them through a championship that will see them in Dublin and Twickenham and entertain France in Cardiff, fixtures they have won in the same campaign only once since the 1978 grand slam.

Paul Rees

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/jan/31/wales-six-nations

Toby Gerhart Mike Goodson Frank Gore Earnest Graham

Tuck everlasting? Giants pass rusher looks for more Super Bowl milestones

INDIANAPOLIS ? Four years ago, Justin Tuck's performance in Super Bowl XLII defined the New York Giants' 17-14 win. Tuck was nearly unstoppable ? he picked up two sacks, two quarterback hits, and a forced fumble in that game. But the impact he made was as much about the plays that didn't show up in the stat sheet ? Tuck was a constant presence in Tom Brady's face, making it very difficult for one of the game's greatest to do his thing. On Monday, Tuck talked about what it takes to rattle Tom Terrific and throw him off his game.

"I think it starts with hitting him, even when you don't actually get sacks, just keeping people around him so he can't step up. I think he gets a little frustrated when he has to go to his second or third receivers. You can kind of confuse him sometimes with our coverage. I think there are a lot of things that can get him rattled, but it just seems like not too many people are able to do that."

Brady is known as one of the game's better progression readers, but it's true that a lot of the Patriots' passing game is built around the quick out reads in hurry-up sets, and that's even more true now than it was in Super Bowl XLII ? after all, there's no Randy Moss to catch the 9-route 30 yards downfield anymore. With their new fast-break offense, built as it is around slot receivers and tight ends, that offense is even more about timing. And upsetting it is absolutely about throwing Brady and his receivers out of whack.

"We had a lot of hits on him," Tuck said of that last Super meeting. "Even when we didn't hit him, he didn't have the time to sit back there and allow some of the routes to develop. We know that as a D-line, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make sure that we are in his face. He is a hell of a quarterback, and he is going to do a lot of things to throw us off our rhythm. I really expect them to use their screen game, quick throws to kind of get us out of rhythm early. You are going to get your shots because they are an explosive offense and they like to take shots downfield, too. We are going to have our chances, and we just are going to have to do a great job of taking advantage of them."

Tuck has been hurt this season ? he's been affected by neck, groin, and toe injuries ? but he's unquestionably ready to try to wreak the same sort of havoc he did at an MVP level the last time he played the most important game of his life. When asked about the uptick in performance from the Giants' defensive line in recent games, Tuck pointed to health as the key factor. Just as they did in 2007, the Giants can rotate into several different fronts.

"We've been a little healthier. We have played more games with each other. JPP [Jason Pierre-Paul] has had a great year all year long. Me and Osi [Umenyiora] have kind of battled with injuries and never really got in-sync, I guess. But, these last couple of weeks, we have had the opportunity to play with each other. I think chemistry is very important to the play of four down-linemen. That '07 year, we played the whole year with each other, and we just knew how to play off each other.

"I think a lot of times this season we've kind of got in each other's way ? you just didn't know how guys were going to play off of certain looks. But, the last couple of weeks, it just seems like all that has started to go our way."

Just at the right time, and this could be bad news for Tom Brady ? once again.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/tuck-everlasting-york-pass-rusher-looks-more-super-132950501.html

Jonathan Babineaux Kentwan Balmer Rocky Bernard Ron Brace

Tom Brady is hopeful of winning the Super Bowl and the New York media is taking it personally

The New England Patriots and 25,000 fans gathered for a pep rally at Gillette Stadium before the Patriots departed for Indianapolis. Quarterback Tom Brady was one of the Patriots who took the microphone at the 13-minute rally, and he said this:

"We have the greatest fans in America. You guys have proved that year in and year out with your support. I wish I could take all you guys to Indy with us. We're going down there, and we're going down there for one reason. We're going to give it our best and hopefully we have a lot more people at our party next weekend."

"Hopefully." As in "Hopefully, we'll win," which doesn't seem like an unreasonable thing to say under any circumstances. Initially, the Brady quote didn't even make the Associated Press' story about the rally. They had quotes from Kevin Faulk, Wes Welker and Jerod Mayo, but nothing of Brady's comment.

That's understandable, as Handsome Tom didn't really say anything noteworthy. That is, unless, you're a New York newspaper and you're desperate to create some kind of "Tom Brady disrespects the Giants!" narrative. In that case, Tom's innocuous quote becomes something like this (via the New York Post):

The Daily News got in on it, too:

Apparently, as far as the New York media is concerned, "Hopefully we'll have a lot more people at our party next weekend" translates as, "The New York Giants suck at football and at life, and we will have no mercy on them, despite their obvious physical, mental and emotional handicaps. The New England Patriots are superior human beings in every way, and that's why we're going to beat the Giants by 70. May everyone in New York severely burn the roof of their mouth."

Other media members jumped on the quote and tried to extract something more out of it. Brady was later asked if the quote was "intended to exude confidence." According to the Boston Herald, someone asked Wes Welker if the team was already planning a victory party. Logan Mankins was asked about it, too.

So we're off and running. I couldn't blame anyone if they took a Rasheed Wallace approach to any and all media questions over the next few days.

Gracias, With Leather.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/tom-brady-hopeful-winning-super-bowl-york-media-213408918.html

Chad Pennington Tony Pike Brady Quinn Patrick Ramsey

Adrian Chiles's chumminess strikes right tone as ITV treads carefully | Barney Ronay

ITV's presenter dealt well with the problem of making light of the elephant in the room at the Liverpool-Manchester United FA Cup tie, without making light of it

This was the weekend when football's ongoing engagement with issues of race and racial offence went mainstream, pegging itself out ? uneasily and, in the end, inconclusively ? around an inflammatory Saturday afternoon of FA Cup action on ITV.

Only two things are really certain about English football's current self-policing furore: first that it is unavoidably ? and no doubt on some level incorrectly ? heartening for those who sat through the monkey-chanting, banana-hurling terraces of the 1980s to hear an entire stand chanting "Racist! Racist!" at an opposition footballer, a 180?degree rotation in insult?content that, buried somewhere within its many contradictions, contains some fetid breath of hope for human progress. And second that the whole thing is riven with confusions, both tribal and interpretative. Hopefully these are being worked through a little. If so, ITV's broadcast on Saturday of Manchester United's trip to Liverpool ? an incision into the curdled heart of the Su�rez?Evra affair ? might be the stuff of deep analysis for future students of football's role in cultural relations.

The match presented ITV with an obvious problem. How do you broadcast around this topic both honestly (because it is so clearly there) and also palatably (because this is, after all football's new world of commercial TV, with its ruling gallery of advertisers and casual viewers)? The uneasiness inherent in bringing such horribly nuanced theatre to the mainstream screen came as early as Adrian Chiles's introductory monologue. "Even more attention on this game today because Patrice Evra is here!" Chiles announced chummily ? Chumminess? Really? ? over pictures of Evra marching into the ground, the awkward tone capturing exactly the problem of how to linger, but not linger, on these important issues; to make light, but in no way make light, of something nobody feels particularly happy talking about.

Chiles did this well in the end, as you might expect from a man whose default setting of "inoffensive" suddenly seemed pricelessly apt. These big moments should sit a little easier with a man whose career has passed through the broader church of the daytime chat sofa, and who retains even through his current glossed, cufflinked, Chiles 2.0 persona a likeable underdoggish quality reminiscent of a popular local butcher or a junior policeman in a Sunday night detective drama.

ITV had labelled the afternoon A Rivalry Unrivalled, which is, if not the worst title that could be bestowed on an FA Cup fourth?round tie, then certainly the worst yet. And it was, understandably, an uneven production, coddled in Sky Sports-style doom-laden graphics, given weight by the restrained but nicely persistent questioning of Gabriel Clarke in the stadium, and siphoned rather jarringly through the expert but gurglingly partisan commentary of Clive Tyldesley ("Ji-sung Park SWEEPS in the equaliser!").

In fact the real saving grace of ITV's coverage had very little to do with the dominant subplot and more to do with Chiles's instinct for TV chemistry. Ranged beside him around the lighted coffee table were Paul Ince, Gareth Southgate and Roy Keane, who has at times been an awkward spectacle as a pundit. There has been a blandness to some of Keane's pronouncements that seems completely at odds with the ragingly principled hooligan-philosopher we know him to be. Come on Roy, you keep thinking. Don't bullshit me. I've read your book: I know. There has, though, been progress recently, a suspicion that while talking about banks of four or goals deciding games Keane might be secretly digging a Stanley knife into the palm of his hand under the desk or retreating to the loo in the ad break in order to stare hatefully at himself in the mirror.

Chiles has been working on this and increasingly he seems to bring out glimpses of the real Roy, a burgeoning double act apparently geared along the lines of Eric Morecambe interviewing Hannibal Lecter. "A lot of the players at Liverpool now aren't able to deal with the pressure of playing for Liverpool," Keane intoned mercilessly in response to some prodding by Chiles. "You've got to make your presence felt and go and nail somebody," he suggested later of David de Gea, a goalkeeper who looks more inclined to make his presence felt by writing a poem that he never shows anybody or playing the guitar sulkily in his bedroom; and who in this game was confronted by Liverpool players forming a kind of human conga-wall in front of him, over which he could only peer wistfully like a small boy eyeing next door's apple tree.

Ince, England's first black captain, might have been good given a chance on the main side-issue of the day, but in the end both co-pundits were entirely secondary to the Chiles-Keane chemistry. At least everybody could agree that the game was a success for Andy Carroll, who here was employed by Liverpool as a kind of human missile, in much the same way the carcass of a dead ox might be catapulted beyond the castle walls during a medieval siege.

Keane deserved the last word, though, his ruthless dissection of Evra's culpability for Dirk Kuyt's winning goal bringing a refreshing sense of pure-football honesty to the closing moments. After the fug of conflicting analysis it was strangely refreshing to hear one man quietly butchering another man's abilities and character ("I've seen it from him before in big games, he goes missing") on pure, 100%?proof footballing grounds. The egalitarianism of a violent but universal meritocracy: this has always been football's most eloquent comment on any of this. Perhaps it will soon be allowed to get back to it.

Barney Ronay

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jan/29/adrian-chiles-itv-liverpool-manchester-united

Reggie Hodges Kevin Huber Donnie Jones Jeremy Kapinos

Monday, January 30, 2012

Ridiculous survey: Married women would rather have an affair with Eli Manning than Tom Brady

As part of our ongoing hard-hitting coverage of Super Bowl XLVI, we bring you this important news: The married ladies surveyed by AshleyMadison.com say they'd prefer to have an affair with Eli Manning over Tom Brady, by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent.

It's not a huge margin of victory, but this time of year, there's no such thing as winning ugly.

Much like in the actual Super Bowl, I'd have thought Tom Brady would've been a favorite here. He's got the dashing good looks ? and that's not even my subjective opinion. Brady's a spokesman for fashionable Ugg boots. He's done the magazine spreads holding baby goats. He landed the world's hottest supermodel. These are not things that happen to people who look like Quasimodo.

But Eli got the W anyway. The guy just wins. Here's the lame explanation as to why:

In fact, 54% of married women polled said that they'd rather have a dalliance with Manning because of his to his "boy next door" good looks, according to the adultery-promoting company.

Philandering females said they thought Manning would be "less of a hothead" than Brady and easier to relate to.

You want to know why so many married women prefer Eli to Handsome Tom? I'll tell you why.

And yes, we do have a female writer we could ask. The great Maggie Hendricks is around, but she writes about the NFL and MMA, and to ask her to do a "Which QB is hotter?" post would be insulting and sexist. So I'm going to tell you which QB is hotter. It's going to get weird for all of us, and I'll probably be wrong about everything I say, but that's what's about to happen.

Here's why Eli's your winner: These are married women that were surveyed. Handsome Tom represents the playboy; the guy who can go out, lock the smoldering bedroom eyes on any sweet thing of his choosing, and the deal is all but sealed. Tom's the ladykiller. Tom brings home supermodels.

Eli, on the other hand, comes straight home after work. He looks less threatening, at least from a "he might go sleep with someone else" standpoint. He looks like a man who just wants to come home, watch his cartoons, have some macaroni and cheese, and play some Chutes and Ladders before bedtime.

Now, none of this may be reality, but it is the perception. And again, we're talking about married women here. They're more likely to value the security and stability (also, we're talking about broad, sweeping generalizations here).

I believe Gisele's a factor, too. She's a supermodel, and most women don't want to follow a supermodel. They fear the comparison. Note that Eli married well, himself; it's just not as well-publicized.

Ladies, go ahead and chime in below in the comments. I'm curious to see which way you're going on this one.

Gracias, Larry Brown Sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/ridiculous-survey-married-women-rather-affair-eli-manning-123302461.html

Maurice Jones-Drew Deji Karim Mike Karney John Kuhn

Coaches praise Chris Polk and Chris Rainey after Tuesday?s Senior Bowl practice

MOBILE, Ala. --�Running backs Chris Rainey of Florida and Chris Polk of Washington were singled out�for their outstanding play by their head coaches during Tuesday night's Senior Bowl press conferences.

South squad coach Mike Shanahan (Redskins) praised Rainey for his ability to play running back, slot receiver and split end. "He picked things up quickly," Shanahan said of the 5-foot-8, 178-pound Rainey, who rushed for 861 yards and caught 31 passes in his senior season at Florida.

Leslie Frazier (Vikings), head coach of the North squad, spoke at length about Polk, a 224-pounder who registered back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons for the Huskies. "You can see that burst that he has," Frazier said. "He could run through some of those 'thud' tackles." Frazier also said that Polk has the potential to be an effective pass protector.

Shanahan's praise for Rainey was surprising because the Redskins coach was reluctant to speak about any specific player after just two practice sessions. "I could give you a whole lot of generalities," Shanahan said when asked about another player, adding later that he could "B.S." but would need to watch more practice and tape before saying anything substantial about most players. Rainey was the only player to draw Shanahan's specific�commentary.

Rainey did not seem fazed by the praise when he took the podium. When asked what adjustments he had to make to pick up Shanahan's system so quickly, Rainey leaned into the microphone and grinned. "Nothing," he said. "I'm fast. I'm quick to the game." Rainey, who projected an extreme level of self confidence (cockiness is such an ugly word), �asserted that he wants to play running back, not some "slash" role in the NFL, and he rejected comparisons to Percy Harvin, another speedy runner-receiver from Florida. "I'm just Chris Rainey," he said.

Frazier's appraisal of Polk came after numerous questions regarding the Vikings running back situation. Frazier noted that Adrian Peterson (ACL) has not yet reached the point where he can run in a pool, but that he hopes to enter that phase of rehabilitation soon. Toby Gerhart also injured his left knee in the season finale, though Frazier said that he does not think the injury will affect Gerhart's offseason work. Frazier made it clear that he feels Gerhart can replace Peterson in the short term. Like any experienced coach, Frazier declined to single out any one area of need.

Note: At the start of Tuesday's practice, Wake Forest center Joe Looney did not have a jersey. He stretched and performed his first few snaps in just an undershirt and pads. Looney was a late replacement for Garth Gerhart (Arizona State), who suffered a finger injury on Monday. By the middle of practice, Looney had his own jersey, but by Tuesday night, he was on crutches with a torn ligament in his foot. The North will add another new center on Wednesday.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/coaches-praise-chris-polk-chris-rainey-tuesday-senior-010541971.html

Ronald Fields Andre Fluellen Eric Foster Aubrayo Franklin

Football Weekly: Manchester United floored in the FA Cup

The magic of the FA Cup, eh?

On today's Football Weekly, James Richardson has Rafa Honigstein, Barry Glendenning and Barry's sober alter ego, Evan Fanning, in the pod to look back on all the drama ? not least Liverpool's victory over Manchester United.

Elsewhere, Sid Lowe tells us why Jos� Mourinho is calling time on his highly uncontroversial spell at Real Madrid, and we interrupt Jonathan Wilson mid-biscuit as he updates us on all the news from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Amy Lawrence is with us on Thursday for Football Weekly Extra ? make sure you are too.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/audio/2012/jan/30/football-weekly-podcast-dea-gea-manchester-united

Mike Bell Michael Bennett Cedric Benson Jahvid Best

Football Weekly: Manchester United floored in the FA Cup

The magic of the FA Cup, eh?

Amy Lawrence is with us on Thursday for Football Weekly Extra ? make sure you are too.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/audio/2012/jan/30/football-weekly-podcast-dea-gea-manchester-united

Jarron Gilbert Kedric Golston

Andy Carroll and Craig Bellamy strike the right note for Liverpool | Michael Cox

The pair have combined well in recent matches and leave Kenny Dalglish with a big decision to make when Luis Su�rez returns

The beauty of being a defender is that you are in control of the space. In an otherwise reactive role ? you respond to the opposition's moves and try to break them up ? the offside rule means you can keep the striker as far away from goal as you like, providing the ball isn't behind you, of course.

Last week's column discussed the merits of Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling as a partnership following their largely impressive display against Robin van Persie at the Emirates Stadium. Sir Alex Ferguson was evidently convinced by their performance as he retained the combination despite the availability of Rio Ferdinand for last Saturday's FA Cup tie against Liverpool at Anfield. This was a completely different test for the duo; Van Persie drops deep and becomes involved in buildup play while Andy Carroll wants to challenge for crosses in the air.

Kenny Dalglish might have used Carroll to exploit United's potential aerial weakness. He had other options ? in the absence of Luis Su�rez, the Liverpool manager has used both Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy as a lone striker. Granted, Bellamy's fitness precludes him from playing frequently and Kuyt has been having a poor season in front of goal, so stylistic concerns were far from the only reason for Carroll's selection, but his physicality made the decision easier.

However, playing Carroll with no partner played into the hands of Evans and Smalling. To oversimplify things, if a defence is up against a quick striker they defend deep to prevent him using pace in behind, if they're up against an aerial threat they defend high up to prevent him getting on the end of crosses. By playing Carroll up front alone ? and hardly a great amount of forward thrust from the flanks in Stewart Downing and Maxi Rodr�guez ? it made Evans and Smalling's decision easy. They pushed up, stuck tight to Carroll, and he was ineffective; winning headers 40 yards from goal with no runners is not particularly useful.

Incidentally, it's worth mentioning that Carroll does have the potential to be more of an all-rounder, offering pace as well as height. Last season for Newcastle, when defenders worked out Carroll was predominantly an aerial force, he often surprised them with his quickness across the ground ? he was more akin to the quick, mobile Alan Shearer in his Blackburn days than the penalty-box specialist Shearer became in his thirties. There is no obvious solution to defending against a player who offers both qualities, which makes a player like Didier Drogba positionally as well as physically difficult. Carroll's fitness problems have meant his threat on the ground has been minimal, but already he looks fitter and leaner than a couple of months ago.

Currently he's purely an aerial threat, and while quiet for long periods, he noticeably improved after Dalglish turned to the bench at the weekend. Then, Liverpool had two wingers on their natural sides, rather than the right-footed Rodr�guez on the left and the left-footed Downing on the right. Downing moved to the left and Kuyt to the right and Liverpool quickly looked more suited to Carroll. Both wide men sent a couple of crosses in, with varying success.

But it was Bellamy's introduction that provided the mobility to complement Carroll's aerial threat. The Welshman often played behind Carroll, but also made runs past him, scaring the United defence with the pace he, perhaps surprisingly, retains at the age of 32. Immediately, Evans and Smalling looked more nervous, their positioning was less assured. Liverpool's dominance of possession clearly contributed to the pressure, but the United centre-backs seemed to drop deeper after Bellamy's introduction and Carroll could inch closer to his natural habitat, the penalty box.

The winner was interesting. United started off defending high up the pitch for Jos� Reina's goal-kick (so no offside, despite Carroll and Kuyt being in an offside position) but then immediately dropped deep. Smalling needed to get into a covering position when Evans went for the header but retreated a whole 15 yards from his starting position, possibly to give himself a couple of yards head-start on Bellamy. As it happened, it was Kuyt who found himself on the end of the flick-on ? primarily because of Patrice Evra's poor positioning, but helped by the fact Smalling was so deep, and therefore playing Kuyt onside. Subtly, it was the combination of height and pace that put Liverpool through.

The previous weekend, a Carroll flick-on had also resulted in a goal. Bolton were defending high and the classic big man-little man combination saw Bellamy springing on to Carroll's header to score. These two seem an ideal combination and have a more natural understanding than either has with Su�rez.

Su�rez's imminent returns means the Bellamy-Carroll partnership is unlikely to enjoy much more time together. Su�rez is the main man at Liverpool and there's every chance that his mid-season break will see him return fresher than before, especially having played throughout July in the Copa Am�rica.

Su�rez remains something of an enigma in positional terms. He can play on the left, on the right, high up the field as the main forward or deeper as a second striker. His impact upon English football has been huge, but his goal tally isn't as impressive as it should be. Liverpool are still searching for how to get him playing at his peak. Once he finds his optimum role, everyone else will have to fit around him.

But Carroll can't fit around another player, he is a No9, the static pivot around which the rest of a side should be built. Traditional centre-forwards are rarely assured of their place at big clubs these days, and the main outcome of Carroll's late flick-on might be the "late" part, and confirmation that he might be more suited to being a "plan B" than a regular starter.

Newcastle may need to switch Ba and Ciss� around

Newcastle's new strike force of Demba Ba and Papiss Ciss� were in action together at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea this weekend. Senegal started the tournament as third favourites but after three consecutive 2-1 defeats, Ba and Ciss� will return at the first opportunity.

The duo only started one match together ? the defeat to their hosts in the second match ? but it was interesting to see how they worked together. Ba played as the primary striker, remaining in central positions for crosses, while Ciss� played around him, dropping deep and making runs to the channels. That was something of a surprise given Ba seems the more technically gifted player while Ciss� is a classic No9, and Senegal's lack of success supports the theory that they might be better the other way around.

Dunne shows short corners have a long-term future

Richard Dunne's goal against Arsenal was a prime example of why sides cannot allow a two-versus-one situation to emerge when defending a corner. Robbie Keane and Stilian Petrov combined to easily go past Aaron Ramsey, and Keane crossed for his international team-mate to head in.

The need for two players closing down also shows why short corners theoretically make sense for the attacking side. It draws two defenders out of position by removing only one extra player from the penalty area and therefore lessens the defending side's numerical advantage in the box.

Michael Cox

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jan/30/liverpool-manchester-united-tactics-premier-league

Tony Pike Brady Quinn Patrick Ramsey Brett Ratliff

Decision on Peyton Manning may have been made ?weeks ago?

Peel away the layers of the ongoing Peyton Manning-Indianapolis Colts drama, and you get more layers. After the verbal tennis match between Manning and team owner Jim Irsay, and the alleged reconciliation/resolution, it seemed that we were back to watching and waiting to see whether Manning's neck and nerve injuries would heal in time for Irsay to decide whether to pick up the quarterback's $28 million roster bonus on March 8, and make him the face of the team's rebuild.

At least, that's what we thought. We may have been wrong, and the decision may have already been made. According to Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network, this is a done deal ? and Manning will indeed be playing somewhere else if he ever plays again.

"According to sources who were involved in the Colts' GM search, the organization was planning to move on from Manning weeks ago, well before this public squabble between the quarterback and his owner," La Canfora�said on the NFL Network's Friday afternoon "Total Access" show.

La Canfora also said that the decision will almost certainly be made before the 2012 scouting combine in late February. Like the Super Bowl, the combine will be held at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. Basically, Indianapolis will be the center of the NFL universe for at least the next month.

As is his custom, Irsay took to Twitter to refute the report.

We'll see. The changes continue to roll in Indy ? the most recent coaching move Irsay made was to hire former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians to do the same job for him and new head coach Chuck Pagano. Potential free agents and former franchise cornerstones Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday, and Reggie Wayne might be finding new homes, and the Colts are clearly ramping up for a major construction project.

Wayne recently told the Indianapolis Star that he's in the dark about the team's plans - just like most everyone else.

"I have no clue, man. I'm leaning on you guys (the media). You're all saying it's a new regime and that's what it is.�This is one time all of the players are outside of the loop, even 18 (quarterback Peyton Manning). Nobody has a clue."

"It's like a soap opera. You're wondering, 'OK, what's next?'�You hear something, then you see it on the ticker, that the Colts are doing this or that. At one point we were thinking Jim Tressel was going to be the coach. All of a sudden it's Chuck Pagano."

No matter how Irsay's handled this, that's the one thing he's right about ? the last five years of questionable drafts and free agent moves under Bill and Chris Polian have left the Colts in a state of extreme disrepair. And it doesn't make a lot of sense to have two expensive quarterbacks on that roster, as the Colts would if they kept Manning and drafted Andrew Luck with the first overall pick. Which they almost certainly will do.

At the same time, Irsay doesn't want to be known as the man who ran the most important player in the history of the Colts' time in Indianapolis out the door with half a thought in mind.

The reckoning is coming soon, and it looks more and more like the new Colts will be without Peyton Manning when they start the 2012 season.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/decision-peyton-manning-may-made-weeks-ago-143813836.html

Chad Simpson Steve Slaton Antone Smith Kevin Smith

More than anything, Patriots remember Giants? Super pass rush

For Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII four years ago, it was a Giant here, a Giant there, a Giants defender everywhere. New York's totally dominant defense was credited with five quarterback sacks and nine quarterback hits on Brady's 48 passing attempts, but it seemed that on just about every throw, Brady was hurried in the one way he didn't (and doesn't) like ? right up the middle, and right in his face. That was the primary difference in the 17-14 final, and it's why many believe that defensive lineman Justin Tuck should have been the game's Most Valuable player. Michael Strahan was just about unblockable in his final NFL game, and Osi Umenyiora held things up on the other end.

The rematch sees a Giants line with slightly different personnel, but the same effect on enemy passers ? you're hitting the turf a lot, and you're not going to like it. Brady was confronted with those memories during his first media session after the Patriots arrived in Indianapolis, and he was ready with the usual compliments.

"We've played them plenty of times, and they can really get after the passer," Brady said. "It really starts with those guys up front. Justin Tuck and Osi, I've played against those guys a bunch. JPP [Jason Pierre-Paul], [Chris] Canty, [Dave] Tollefson, it seems whoever they put in there can get after the passer. Anytime you can limit the quarterback from the time it takes to make a read to make a throw, it's much more challenging. It comes down to quick decision-making."

New England's line was not ready for the challenge back then, but Brady likes the guys he has now ? especially when you add in the hyper-effective blocking of tight end Rob Gronkowski.

"I put a lot of trust in my offensive line," Brady said. "It's a great group of players who have really played together for a while. Matt Light over there at my left tackle, there's no one I love having over there more than him. Logan (Mankins) and Dan Connolly have done a great job ? we've had a few centers this year ? Brian Waters came to our team this year and has done a remarkable job. [Nate] Solder and Sebastian [Vollmer] have done a great job at the right tackle position."

However, it was Gronkowski who may have been the key man when facing the Baltimore Ravens' furious pressure in the AFC Championship game. Even after suffering a high ankle sprain, Gronkowski was an absolute force in pass protection, taking on Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata and winning more of those battles than he lost. The Giants don't blitz a lot ? they brought five or more rushers just 13 times in the Week 9 contest between the two teams (per Football Outsiders' charting data), but Brady completed just three passes in 12 attempts against those blitzes, and was sacked once. It might almost be worth losing "Gronk" as a receiver at times, just to keep Brady upright and firing it downfield from a clean pocket.

The Giants also bring different personnel challenges, such as the scheme in which reserve end Dave Tollefson comes in, and Pierre-Paul might move inside. As they did in 2007, the Giants will show formations in which there are three and four defensive ends, and there's the new wrinkle of the "big nickel" package, New York's highly effective three-safety concept. Brady understands that he'll be looking at pressure from different angles on just about every snap.

"You look at the group they have now, and they have a ton of depth at the defensive line position," he said. "There were times this year when they weren't all out there as a group, but they're out there now and they're playing extremely hard. I think as a quarterback you understand that you can't sit there and hold the ball all day. You'd better find someone and get rid of it, because they're going to be coming. You don't want to sit back there and sort things out. Certainly I'm not going to be able to run away from them. I've gotta be able to throw the ball quickly and find the open guy, and get it into the hands of someone who can do something good with it like my skill players have done all season."

Patriots guard Logan Mankins agreed. "The thing that makes them unique is they have four guys out there at all times that can rush the passer. They're really good. Their tackles are good. At times they put four defensive ends at one time. They have the personnel to really get after you."

Head coach Bill Belichick, as is his wont, looked to bring things back to the present as opposed to looking back. "This game is about this team this year. There aren't really a lot of us coaches and players who were involved in that game, and very few players, in relative terms, between both teams. We are where we are now, and we're different than where we were earlier in the season. The Giants are where they are now, and I think they're different than where they were at different points of the season.

"To take it back years and years before that, I don't think it has too much bearing on anything. The team that wins Sunday will be the team that performs the best. That's what we are trying to strive our preparations for, is maximizing our performance on Sunday night. Nothing that's happened ? wins, losses, anything other than it's a one-game season and a one-week preparation at this point. We are going to put all we have into this one. I don't think anything in the past has too much of a factor in this game."

True to a degree, but if the Pats don't find ways to deflect the pressure they know is coming, history could very well repeat itself.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/more-anything-patriots-remember-giants-super-pass-rush-061250942.html

Arian Foster Quinton Ganther Toby Gerhart Mike Goodson

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Report: Wes Welker engaged to former Miss Hooters International

The first thing you need to know is that there's an annual Hooters swimsuit pageant that's judged by C-list celebrities like Dan Cortese and Verne Troyer, and whose winner receives the title Miss Hooters International.

The next thing you need to know is that New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker is now engaged to Anna Burns, Miss Hooters International 2005.

[ Slideshow: Check out photos of Miss Hooters International 2005 ]

Welker proposed sometime after Christmas, according to the Boston Herald. The newspaper reports Anna asked for a Cartier bracelet and received a diamond ring instead. The couple have been together for two years. The Herald goes on to write:

Anna was by her boo's side for his surgery and rehab, and the two have been living together ever since. He makes her breakfast in bed. She made him flannel pajamas with cowboy boots on them for Christmas. He says she thinks his biggest flaw is, "I don't sleep enough." (Well, that's Wes' story and he's stickin' to it ...)

Eggs in bed, flannel PJs with cowboy footies, a direct line to Dan Cortese and a pageant-winning swimsuit model who probably gets free 3 Mile Island buffalo wings for life? And you thought landing on the same roster as Tom Brady was the best thing that ever happened to Wes Welker!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/report-wes-welker-engaged-former-miss-hooters-international-210530095.html

Brian Hoyer Tarvaris Jackson Josh Johnson Mike Kafka

Between London and lease, the Rams could fill Goodell?s L.A. vision

If Roger Goodell is looking to start a fight with the city of St. Louis, it certainly appears that the city of St. Louis is eager to respond in kind. The NFL's recent announcement that the Rams would play one "home game" in London in each of the next three seasons was certainly another peg in the Commissioner's global outreach program.

However, Goodell must have also known that a city that is currently being asked to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome or risk breaking a lease that ostensibly goes through 2025, would not be happy about losing a game in each of those years.

On Friday, the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission released a statement which said that by playing a game in Wembley Stadium in 2012, 2013, and 2014, the Rams are the ones violating the terms of the lease. According to STLToday.com, the lease says that the franchise is obligated "to play all its home NFL Games (other than pre-season NFL Games) at the Facilities."

That condition can only be broken if the stadium is in a state of disrepair, or if the lease is terminated.

The Rams' response to this claim was disingenuous, to say the least:

We think that playing in London is great for the Rams and great for St. Louis. We are in talks with the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, which is also the region's chief marketing group, about how to make the most of this opportunity. As the CVC said today, this will 'elevate an awareness of St. Louis on the global stage.' We look forward to having amicable and meaningful dialogue with the CVC on many issues and believe those conversations should remain between the parties.

So ? playing in London, and denying the city the revenue gained from a home game, is a good thing? Alrighty then! More likely, it's a good thing for the Rams, who are guaranteed a larger slice of the pie in the London game as the "home" team ? those franchises who choose to play in Goodell's ongoing Britcoms are guaranteed revenue equivalent to a sellout, plus expenses.

[NFL commissioner Roger Goodell: The recession has helped the league ]

This could be yet another example of Goodell's ready-fire-aim thinking, in which he hands down edicts without considering the consequences. It's also possible that the league is looking to add suitable tension to the ongoing negotiations between the Rams and the CVC to freshen up the Edwards Jones Dome and make it a "top-tier facility."

If the Dome doesn't meet those nebulous standards by 2015, the Rams cam break their current lease and move wherever they'd like.� And it just so happens that the NFL has a bunch of new TV deals kicking in for the 2014 season, a stadium project going forward in Los Angeles, and a need for a team to fill that stadium in America's second-largest media market.

It's not too hard to connect the dots. Goodell is one of those people who shows all his cards when he thinks he's being secretive, and this tactic is about as subtle as a Chris Long quarterback sack. Will the CVC be willing to spend millions to upgrade the Dome if they feel that the Rams are cheating the lease?

As the Brits would say, not bloody likely.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/between-london-lease-rams-could-trouble-164710386.html

Eric Foster Aubrayo Franklin Antonio Garay Gary Gibson

Bulls Vs. Heat: Derrick Rose Unable To Lead Chicago To Road Victory

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/1/29/2756935/bulls-vs-heat-derrick-rose-lebron-james-final-score-2012

John Conner Mike Cox Kenneth Darby Anthony Dixon

Irsay fires back at Manning, calls Peyton a ?politician?

Just as Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is getting ready to host a big bunch of NFL people, assorted media and fans from all across the world in a week-long Super Bowl party, one begins to wonder if he's ready to kick one longtime resident to the curb.

Following the Thursday press conference announcing the hire of new head coach Chuck Pagano, Irsay fielded questions about several matters, most notably Peyton Manning's recent interview with Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star, in which Manning said that he barely recognized most of the faces in the Colts' facility after a massive front office turnover. As is his custom, Irsay pulled no punches in his response.

"I don't think it's in a good interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light, I really don't," Irsay said. "He's such a big part of that and everything else, but the horseshoe always comes first.

"I think one thing that he's always known, because he's been around it so long, is you keep it in the family. If you've got a problem, you talk to each other. It's not about campaigning or anything like that."

Irsay seemed especially irked at Manning's contention that the quarterback was "not in a very good place for healing, let's say that. It's not a real good environment down there right now, to say the least. Everybody's walking around on eggshells. I don't recognize our building right now. There's such complete and total change.''

Irsay's response? After referring to Manning as a "politician," he refuted Manning's claim that things had changed in any sort of negative fashion.

"There's not any sort of bad situation around here for healing or anything like that," Irsay said. "That's not a correct perspective. Like I said, you keep it in house, your family, you talk to each other if you have problems, and he knows that.

"We'll work it through and we'll work it through hand in hand, and we'll talk and we'll continue to talk as we get into February and get closer to the league year. That's kind of where it stands right now."

Of course, Irsay was talking about the decision that must come by March to pick up or bounce the $28 million bonus that would be paid to Manning by March 8. The quarterback, who missed the entire 2011 season with neck and nerve issues, is rehabbing to get back into full football shape ? but even that process was blocked to a degree by the sweeping changes Irsay has decided upon. Along with former head coach Jim Caldwell and personnel mainstays Bill and Chris Polian, Colts strength and conditioning coach Jon Torine was recently shown the door. Torine was in charge of Manning's recovery process; or at least the part that the team was overseeing to any degree.

Irsay understands the weight of the decision to possibly cut loose the franchise's most popular and important player since Johnny Unitas ? perhaps that's why Manning's take on things seemed to rub him the wrong way.

"This is about health, about long-term life, about all those sorts of things," [Irsay] said. "So that's a big weight on me.

"It's my responsibility any time you put a player on the field, that it falls to that situation. I think fans have known that this has been a very tough situation, it's been very hard on Peyton, very hard on the franchise and very hard on the fans."

For those Colts fans who want the Peyton Manning era to last forever, that reality might be more difficult ? and sooner than later.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/irsay-fires-back-manning-calls-peyton-politician-005156830.html

Donnie Jones Jeremy Kapinos Brett Kern Chris Kluwe

Mike Tanier?s Senior Bowl Report: Shanahan?s system easier for defense than offense

MOBILE, Ala. -- Mike Shanahan's offense is one of the toughest schemes in the NFL to defend. Unless it is only halfway installed. And the offensive players aren't sure what they are doing. And the defense knows what's coming.

Shanahan's South offense has used a very scaled-down version of his zone-blocking system this week, with lots of stretch runs that are designed to work in tandem with play-action rollout passes. It's a scheme that former Shanahan assistant Gary Kubiak used to great effect as his Houston Texans reached the second round of the AFC playoffs, despite injuries to their top two quarterbacks. But this predictable-yet-hard-to-master offense may have something to do with some of the accolades being thrown at the South's defense.

Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw said on Wednesday that the simple offense was making life easier for the defense. "You know they are going to run a boot this way, a boot that way," Upshaw said, referring to the many "bootleg" passes. "You know where the blocker is going, so you can beat him there."

Any all star game offense is going to be very simplistic, of course: no one can master even a fraction of an NFL playbook in just a few days. But the South's offense looked incredibly conservative by even All Star standards during Tuesday and Wednesday practices. Most of the runs were zone stretches, with the offensive line blocking laterally and double-teaming defenders while the running backs searched for cutback lanes. Most of the passes were play-action passes, with the quarterbacks rolling away from the zone-blocking line and reading receivers on the opposite side of the field. A high percentage of those pass plays ended with the quarterback eluding a swarm of defenders who would likely have smothered him under game conditions.

Shanahan was not concerned early in the week about players struggling to pick up the nuances of his system, which requires precision play on the offensive line and decisiveness by the running backs. "I think they are doing a great job," he said. "Most people zone block in the National Football League." That is true, though few teams zone block as often as Shanahan's Redskins or Kubiak's Texans, and prospects coming from very different college systems clearly needed a few days to get comfortable.

For Vick Ballard (RB, Mississippi State), the light came out late in Tuesday's practice, when he began to anticipate the cutback lanes which open up when the defensive front is stretched thin. "We run gap schemes at State," Ballard said, referring to an offensive philosophy that asks running backs to attack clearly-defined spots along the line. "We are running 85% zone scheme here."

Most teams in college and the NFL mix zone-blocking principles with other concepts, including Mississippi State. But the finer points of zone blocking can be hard to perfect when it is only a part-time assignment. During Tuesday's offensive line drills, coaches had to correct fundamental mistakes by several linemen. Many blockers chased defenders who had already been picked up by their linemates, hurrying to fulfill a double-team that was never going to happen. "If you can't reach him, get out!" one South assistant said several times. Translation: you double team if the defender is not already being ridden down the line of scrimmage by your teammate. If that defender is taken care of, abandon the double team and search for linebackers to hit.

By Wednesday, offensive linemen looked more comfortable with their assignments in drills against each other and the defensive line, though the defense was back in total control by the full squad practices.

Matt McCants (OT, Alabama-Birmingham) has been one of the best blockers on the field for the South. Not surprisingly, he also comes from an offense that used a lot of zone blocking. "It's the angles you have to take," McCants said of the scheme. "Zone is all about taking the right angles and the right steps, getting on your guy, pressing and stretching." Finding the best angle to slide a defender sideways is very different from driving off the ball and trying to move him backward, or from setting in pass-protection for a wide-open spread offense.

Wide receivers, like backs and linemen, have new things to learn, though some of those lessons are not exclusive to Shanahan's offense. Juron Criner came from a no-huddle shotgun offense at Arizona, and got his instructions from the quarterback's hand signals at the line of scrimmage. He now must listen to the entire huddle call. "You have to tune out the whole huddle call to not mess you up, and identify the certain key words and formations that you need to know," he said. It's a skill every NFL receiver must acquire, but while Criner has had an excellent week, the Shanahan offense is limiting receivers in other ways: with the defensive front so dominant in full squad drills, accurate passes down the field have been very rare.

Thursday's South practice was held indoors at the Mobile Convention Center ballroom, and with players wearing sneakers on a cement floor, there was little for the team to do but walk through their playbook. Shanahan's offense looked much more diverse than it did on Tuesday and Wednesday: there were more shotgun pass plays, some screen pass installation, even a reverse. Criner said that the team used the limited practice to get more "in depth." But still, there were many zone-stretch runs, and half-speed drills to emphasize positioning on zone-stretch runs, and boot passes that start out looking very much like stretch runs. South players appear much more comfortable with the scheme. But the North no doubt knows what's coming.

As Upshaw pointed out, the offenses also know most of what the defenses will do, and it is no excuse for a bad game. "You gotta be a competitor," He said.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/mike-tanier-senior-bowl-report-shanahan-system-easier-235406408.html

Pat Williams Mike Wright

Talking Horses | Chris Cook

Hurricane Fly's storming form and best bets in our daily racing blog

Hurricane Fly is back on a racecourse this afternoon for the first time in almost nine months. Now eight, he's hot favourite for the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, in which only four others dare to oppose him.

Just yesterday, Ruby Walsh got off Big Buck's and talked about how he would never ride another horse who could run up a sequence like his 15 wins in a row. In fact, Hurricane Fly is already up to six and it would be 10 if he hadn't got beat at Punchestown in November 2009.

There's no question about his talent but there might be a question about the wisdom of taking 4-7 about a horse who was supposed to make his seasonal reappearance two months ago. Hurricane Fly was taken out of the Morgiana in mid-November after failing to please his trainer, Willie Mullins, in a gallop and he then missed the Festival Hurdle at the end of December because Mullins felt he still wasn't ready.

The vibe has changed since then and we now hear reports of sparkling work from the reigning champion, so he may well sprint round Leopardstown like a world-beater. But in the circumstances, I'm interested by the 7-2 about Unaccompanied (2.30), who is in any case a serious contender for top honours.

A fine second in last year's Triumph, when Grandouet was third, Unaccompanied had enough speed to win a 10-furlong Listed race on the Flat the following month, when St Nicholas Abbey was among those behind her. Last time we saw her, she was taking advantage of Hurricane Fly's absence to win the Festival Hurdle, beating Thousand Stars and Oscars Well, both back in the lineup today.

I don't think she would beat Hurricane Fly at his peak but he may not be there today, whereas Unaccompanied appears to be at the top of her game.

It's a terrific card at Leopardstown and essential viewing for anyone interested in having a bet at the Festival in March. Blackstairmountain (1.25) should give Mullins and Walsh at least one winner in the Arkle, for which he is 13-8. Notus De La Tour is a rare British runner in the race.

Later, Mullins fields two of his unbeaten novice hurdlers against each other in the 3.05pm race, which seems sure to have a major bearing on the novice races at Cheltenham. The pair are second and third in betting on the Neptune.

The best bet in Britain may be Al Shababiya (2.55), an 8-1 shot for the staying handicap hurdle at Ffos Las. Alison Thorpe's runner appreciated the step up to this trip when winning here recently and the 7lb extra may not stop her.

Click here for all the day's racecards, form, stats and results. And post your tips or racing-related comments below.

Chris Cook

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/jan/29/talking-horses-hurricane-fly

Kevin Huber Donnie Jones Jeremy Kapinos Brett Kern

UPDATE: Cundiff jersey ?offer? in no way affiliated with Baltimore Ravens

Update: We were erroneous in�assuming�that this team store in question had anything to do with the Baltimore Ravens, their website, or their team store. The team has confirmed this with us, and we regret the error, as well as any misunderstanding that came from the original post.

It appears that someone out there with an unofficial website is still upset about the 32-yard field goal that kicker Billy Cundiff missed wide left at the end of the AFC championship game. That miss�prevented�a tie that would have taken the game to overtime in the New England Patriots' eventual 23-20 win.

So, someone with a site and a grudge put up the following example of retail humor:

That's terrible. And we're�not even talking about charging over $100 for a youth Billy Cundiff jersey.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/cundiff-jersey-offer-no-way-affiliated-baltimore-ravens-080349109.html

Jake Delhomme Trent Edwards Brett Favre A.J. Feeley

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Carlos Tevez paying a heavy price for living in his own universe | Daniel Taylor

In the real world, if Carlos Tevez worked for a company the size of Manchester City and disappeared for almost three months he would get sacked and his belongings would follow in a crate

Maybe one day Carlos Tevez will be able to offer a semi?plausible explanation about why he has come to think of Manchester City as some kind of five-star prison. But, until that time, he will have to forgive the rest of us for wondering whether anyone has ever sat him down and told him how it works in the real world.

The answer, almost certainly, is that nobody has, judging by the latest startling remarks from Kia Joorabchian and the unshakable sense that not only do both men exist by the rules of a different universe but that there might be peace in Palestine before either one confesses to being responsible for their actions.

Joorabchian was explaining how Tevez will have to return to Manchester and his mansion on millionaire's row now that the club he abandoned 11 weeks ago have had the temerity to seek �25m from Milan for a player who was on the market for almost twice that amount last summer.

Roberto Mancini, he said, had brought us to this point where the manager and captain of last season's FA Cup winners can barely tolerate sharing the same oxygen. Tevez would not offer an apology, because one was not due ? "It would be like a fake 'I'm sorry'" ? and then Joorabchian returned to shovelling the blame in the direction of the man who has given City authentic aspirations of their first championship since the late 60s.

"The relationship with Mancini, ever since Mancini came to the club, has not been good," he said. "You think about last Christmas, when Carlos wanted to leave, and it was all about feuds with the manager, and it went on and on."

What Joorabchian really ought to have done was check the cuttings to make sure his story had even a grain of consistency. The statement Tevez HQ released at the time did, after all, stress that nobody should question his relationship with the manager: "I wish to clarify that I have no personal issue with the manager Roberto Mancini." The truth, it seems, is something completely different, and the plot thickens even more given that Tevez and Joorabchian have already revised their story once before, settling on the narrative of someone who needed to leave Manchester purely because he could not bear being separated from his loved ones in Buenos Aires. City were sceptical about that one, too.

Whatever happens, Tevez's behaviour has been atrocious and it is reassuring to learn that City's disciplinary system has been quietly whirring away behind the scenes and that his serial offending has cost him in the region of �9.3m in fines, unpaid wages and lost bonuses.

These are substantial amounts even for a man who, one suspects, hasn't been chewing on your average cut of steak since decamping to Buenos Aires on 7 November. But the most staggering part is not that City have found him guilty of gross misconduct or withheld that colossal salary but that Tevez has actually had the gall to appeal. In one sense, it fits neatly into everything we know about how he works. In another, it makes you wonder whether anyone has ever actually explained to him what happens, outside the football bubble, when employees of big companies disappear for almost three months. They get sacked and their belongings usually follow in a crate.

If it is genuinely the case that Tevez intends to halt his strike, it can only be hoped City's owners keep to their word and condemn him to a gulag of indifference unless that moment arrives when all that male pride and ego subsides just far enough for a few words of contrition. Goodness knows, Mancini has given him enough opportunity, inviting him to his house one night, pouring the coffee and presenting the opportunity for a clean slate, only for Tevez to take the olive branch and snap it in two. Tevez scarpered to Argentina shortly afterwards and, for the Abu Dhabi?based owners, this is their opportunity to demonstrate that the modern-day City will not be pushed around or patronised by anyone.

Tevez one day may realise that this is what can happen when a skewed sense of self-importance and a blurred truth all come together but, first, there is a question he has to consider. It is whether he intends to do anything to re-establish himself at a club where most supporters, quite frankly, would rather he were airbrushed from the team photograph, or whether he continues to brood in the background, playing the victim and making up the story as he lurches from one bad decision to the next.

Almost certainly, there will be nothing positive beyond getting on the plane and this is where it is such an exasperating story. Tevez has a right to be considered the most formidable striker ever to wear City's colours. Not as good as he thinks, perhaps, but still a player of great drive and penetrative qualities. Instead he will be returning to a club where he is held in contempt and it is a familiar sense of deja vu given that his former Manchester United team?mates remember a player who "started to toss it off in training" and the Old Trafford administrators shudder when they recall the state of his house once his lease agreement expired. The reports make it sound as if the front room had been sublet to Vyvyan from The Young Ones. In total, there was �30,000 worth of damage to the carpets and furniture.

Tevez is now threatening to make a similar mess of his career, precisely at the point when he should be playing the best football of his professional life. But, as always, it is someone else's fault.

Daniel Taylor

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jan/28/carlos-tevez-manchester-city

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