Just as Darth Vader defeated Obi-Wan, Andrew Luck can now start writing his own legacy, having toppled Peyton Manning. Hopefully he doesn’t turn the Colts into an evil empire, but hey, even if he does, he’s earned it. This is HIS team now. Here are the stories from the week in the NFL:
Fresh Prince - Champions - Indiana
Top 5: Miami, Oklahoma City, Indiana, Chicago, LA Clippers
I just don’t see Miami delivering a three-peat. The pressures of emulating Jordan’s Bulls, Shaq/Kobe’s Lakers will prove too much for the Miami squad and I see Indiana upsetting Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals.
His Airness - Chicago
Top 5: Miami, Chicago, Indiana, San Antonio, Oklahoma City
Nighthawk - Miami
Top 5: Miami, Indiana, Oklahoma, San Antonio, Chicago
Ah, so close! It all came down to the final play, Kerron driving towards a crowded basket, kicks it out to a wide open CJ Bruton, who’s misses the defining shot, and the Breakers go down by 1. It was always gonna be tough playing back to back, but the Breakers competed well early. The first half was a bit of an arm wrestle, with a lot of fouls, just as we saw last game. The kiwi team...
The momentum of their opening win didn’t last long, as the Breakers dropped their first game on the road, in a performance punctuated by sloppiness. They held strong for two quarters, taking the half time lead after a long rage buzzer-beater from Kerron Johnson. But in the third the kiwi team fell apart, scoring just 13 points. With main rebounding threats Mika Vukona and Alex Pedger spending...
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.
