It doesn’t even matter that this team is at home, Arizona cannot beat Seattle. And I’m happy to make that call. Carson Palmer has the second worse QBR of all players this year to have started more than 3 games (Eli is last), while Russell Wilson is in the top 10. Palmer has thrown 11 interceptions, and now...
Despite a number of new names (including new coach Dean Vickerman), and without 2013 League MVP Cedric Jackson, who’s off to try his luck in Europe, among others, this was a typically clinical win from the 3 time defending champs. The first quarter was a close affair, but the fabulous Breaker boys established a lead in the second and never looked like giving it up. Daryl Corletto (19pts 4ass)sparked a 19-6 second quarter run with some lights-out shooting from...
Don't be fooled by the hype! - The Giants genuinely suck this year. Eli Manning is doing his best to throw an interception for every TD his brother throws and they’ve given up at least 3 turnovers (and at least 30 points) in each of their first five games this year. Jay Cutler’s Cutlets showed a lot of heart against New Orleans in a game I thought they’d get...
One game stood out above all others this week. It had 99 points, over 1000 yards of offense, crucial turnovers and quarterback mastery. Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos are a known commodity, but not many expected The Dallas Cowboys to keep up with them. On the back of a truly elite performance by Tony Romo, however, they did just that, rallying from 15 points down in the third quarter to take an incredible 48-41 lead. Their maligned defence couldn’t hold it...
Don’t snark, this is not as bad a game as it looks. Brian Hoyer is finally living up to some of the expectations he had as a backup in New England. He’s playing well enough that Cleveland may have to trade him under the ‘Trent Richardson Precedent’. Buffalo, meanwhile, have toppled the Panthers and Ravens already, so they can’t be underestimated (as if anyone can in this league). None of the...
What’s going wrong with the 49ers? They annihilated the Packers, but have only scored 10 points in the past two games. Now Aldon Smith, a man/beast with 37 sacks since 2011, is out indefinitely with what I’ll politely call ‘personal troubles’. St Louis is pretty decent, but their showing against Dallas was not.
So, if the Cleveland Browns are tanking after the Trent Richardson trade, they aren’t doing a very good job of it. Down to their third string QB, the Browns rallied for a late win over Minnesota. Mental. Miami had a late win over Atlanta, thanks to Ryan Tannehill, and Cincinnati won in a strange finish over Green Bay. Plus some other stuff happened:
Last Week: 11-5
Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Andy Reid vs Chip Kelly. The old master returns to face his successor. It’s Obi-Wan vs Vader, only with a greater risk of heart disease. Chip Kelly’s fast paced offence turned heads week one, but the flaws were exposed against San Diego. Running that many plays that quickly means that your defence is spending...
Tell ya what? The Jets were actually kinda decent last week. Though the result, to be honest, was more a story of Tampa Bay being disappointing. It was only a late penalty that saved them. Geno Smith will get the start again this week against a Patriots team struggling for receivers and coming off of a narrow, late win against Buffalo. The Brady/Belichick combo has made something out of nothing before, and with Amendola and Gronk both probably out...
Man, what a way to start the season. This is a replay of the AFC Divisional Championship last year, where Joe Flacco famously threw that incredible Hail Mary touchdown to propel the Ravens into the Superbowl – which they won. Peyton and his Broncos get their shot at revenge earlier than expected...
Last Season: 10-6 (Lost in NFC Wildcard)
Key Player: Robert Griffin III (QB). He single-handedly reinvigorated this team. Plus he sells more jerseys than anyone else.
New England Patriots
Last Season: 12-4 (Lost in AFC Championship Match)
Key Player: Rob Gronkowski (TE). Suddenly the Man Who Is Party has become Tom Brady’s most...
Look, the guy’s an injured rookie. They don’t come much more obscure than that. I can hardly put him any higher can I?
He’s shaved off the luscious locks, but Gabbert looks as much of a liability as ever. The Jags don’t exactly have anyone else though, so he’s safe for now at number 31. If it were a list of cool names though, he’d be top 5 (Drew Brees at 1, of course).
Amidst all the dirty steroid talk that hogs baseball headlines, one of the true nice guys in sport marked an exceptional milestone. Ichiro Suzuki’s line drive into left field was his 4000th hit in a career spanning both Japanese and Major League Baseball. Those Japanese League hits won’t count in the MLB record books, obviously, but it is worth noting that with the rules on international free agents what they were when he began, the American Majors were not really an option. That was until a few tweaks in the laws allowed him to sign with Seattle as a 27 year old, and Suzuki quickly...
In the grand stage show of professional sports, Alex Rodriguez is one of the bad guys. But as scathing as I have been about the guy in the past (I take none of it back) and despite what Major League Baseball may have thought, Alex Rodriguez is still good for the game. Because plays a crucial role, one that no great story can do without. He plays the villain.
FIBA Oceania Men’s Basketball Championships
Australia, as expected, came out on top in the two game series to claim the Oceania Men’s Basketball Championship. A 70-59 win in Auckland gave the Aussie Boomers the advantage, and they hammered it home with a 76-53 win in Canberra.
Look, I understand that baseball needs to be clamping down on drug cheats. They are a permanent stain on the game, and the recent Biogenesis bans are a good step forward. But I cannot help but feel that they are doing this more for the reputation of the MLB than for the interests of the game. They want to show that they’re stamping down on cheaters, but they don’t want the bad PR that comes with exposing such frauds. So they’ve tried to do both. And as the great Ron Swanson once said: It is better to whole ass one thing than to half-ass two...
Injury is the bane of the professional athlete. Greg Oden knows this better than anyone. He once had the basketball world at his fingertips, but persistent injuries have kept him from ever getting close to his potential. His is a tragic story of wasted talent, but there may be a redemptive turn in his tale yet.
Well, that was a bust. Only three major trades came through on deadline day, and none were especially exciting. Still, a number of teams have enhanced or damaged their season’s prospects, if mostly via their own inactivity. Here’s the breakdown of this morning’s moves:
Welcome to the inaugural edition of 'The Dugout' - a weekly update on the US sporting scene. Like 'The Bench' over in the NRL section, only American. Hence the name. You geddit? 'Dugout'? Aw forget it.
First up this week: Chicago White Sox pitching ace Jake Peavy has been traded to Boston in a three team deal also including Detroit. Tigers get Jose Iglesias, White Sox get Avisail Garcia and a couple of Red Sox prospects, while Peavy trades his White Sox in for Red ones. This is a huge boost for the Boston rotation as they try to hold off Tampa Bay and the Yankees down the stretch. Peavy, who is contracted through next year with an option for 2015, was 8-4 for the season for Chicago with a 4.28 ERA. He is a three time all-star, who has impressed pitching in what is considered a hitter’s ballpark in Chicago. The MLB trade deadline expires at the exact conclusion of the month of July, check back tomorrow for all the late deals and reaction.
Elsewhere, Brian Wilson (not the same guy from the Beach Boys) has signed a 1 year deal with the LA Dodgers as he tries to restart his career after serious injury. Wilson had 171 saves as San Francisco closer, and played a key role in the 2010 World Series, but hasn’t pitched since the start of the 2012 season. Most people will recognise him by the more-than-notable beard that he sports. It is a very fine beard...
