After making sensational comebacks against Roma, Real Madrid and Chievo, Milan need to mentally bounce back from blowing a 2 goal lead in extra time to Napoli. They better shake the memory quickly, as the battle with 4th place Parma is looming this weekend.
Let’s first examine the game with Napoli.
Milan scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the match. Both goals came with Milan exploiting Napoli’s use of a high back line. Pippo Inzaghi’s opener came when Clarence Seedorf playing him through with a ball over the top. Alexandre Pato then opened the margin with a well-taken goal after Inzaghi flicked a header over the line to put him in the clear.
With Milan up 2-0, Napoli proceeded to control the rest of the 1st half and probably should have drawn a goal back. Luckily for Milan, their goalkeeper, Nelson Dida, played an immense role in keeping the clean sheet.
Early in the 2nd half, Napoli had 2 glorious pushes to goal, both of which were thwarted by Dida. The second flurry involved no less than 4 shots, two of which were from point blank.
The remainder of the 2nd half was largely controlled by Milan with Super Pippo narrowly missing a chance to go up 3-0 after rounding the goalie. Conversely, none of Napoli’s attempts to flop in the box drew any attention from the ref, much to the anger of the crowd at the Stadio San Paolo.
Ignazio Abate did his best to put his team in the hole by taking his second yellow card in the 85th minute. It was particularly foolish since his first yellow came early in the game for arguing a fairly innocuous foul.
Playing a man up, Napoli surged forward and scored on a Luca Cigarini thump from outside the box in the 90th minute. The Partonepei equalized on a German Denis header in the 93rd that left Dida flat-footed.
Ronaldinho again looked completely ineffective on the left wing, all too often giving the ball away. Thiago Silva was fantastic as an on-the-ball defender but looked clumsy tracking the opposition away from the ball. Pato was again Milan’s most dangerous player, drawing 3 or 4 tactical fouls throughout the match.
In the end, Milan gained their lead with goals less than a few minutes apart, and lost it just as quickly. A draw away to Napoli isn’t a poor result, it’s just that three points was within their grasp.
The clash with Parma will present a completely different challenge. Milan will be at home and playing a Parma team that has largely exceeded expectations given that they have less talent on their roster than Napoli.
However, the Rossoneri will be challenged by Parma’s unconventional 5-man back line, which will require more creativity in the final third of the pitch and likely won’t present so many chances on the break.
Pirlo and Seedorf could be the keys for Milan as their creativity in midfield will be needed to unlock the defense. If Milan are to find the net, these two will both need to push forward and provide chances for Pato and whomever is to start at striker. If Milan ever want get The Hunter, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, on track, this would be a great game to start him.
Kaka Kaladze will need to fill the irreplaceable shoes of Alessandro Nesta for a game while he nurses a sore hamstring. The partnership of he and Silva will be tested by the opportunistic strike pair of Alberto Paloschi and Valeri Bojinov. Paloschi already has 4 goals on the season and will definitely be looking for more against his former club.
In the end, I think Milan will prevail in the match, by a score of 2-1 with the San Siro crowd behind them. Milan seemed to have turned a corner and their newfound confidence will see them through this challenge as well.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
NFL Hangover - Week 7
Quick Observations from the Couch
I couldn’t believe the amount of big leads at half-time across the league. 21-7 Patriots, 21-0 Texans, 21-3 Colts, 17-0 Chargers and 31-3 Bengals. It’s not often that so many games are out of hand so quickly.
Texans-49ers
Alex Smith has a legitimate shot to get his starting job back. After falling behind 21-0 by halftime, Mike Singletary decided to pull Shaun Hill and give Alex Smith a chance to run the offense. Smith responded by throwing 3 TDs to Vernon Davis while looking quite poised in the pocket, and giving the Niners a legitimate chance at opening up the offense. The addition of Crabtree helped the passing game as well. Smith’s performance definitely warrants another look for a team that started the season hot, but has cooled off lately. The tough part for Singletary will be avoiding a team-splitting QB controversy on a squad that seems to have turned the corner.
Bengals-Bears
The Cedric Benson revenge game was definitely all it was hyped to be. He started the game with real determination, with several strong runs on the opening drive. To be honest, I didn’t realize he had such great speed. He’s not much of a lateral back, but takes one cut and hits the hole hard. He finished the day with 189 yards on 37 carries, and helped the Bengals to a 45-10 dismantling of the Bears. With 27 more yards next week, Benson will already have the highest yardage total of his career. Besides Benson, Carson Palmer looked very crisp and the Bengals defense really impressed me, especially with Antwan Odom injured. They got great pressure from their front four and the secondary looked fantastic.
Dolphins-Saints
The Miami meltdown reminded me of the “They are who we thought they were” game by Dennis Green’s Cardinals against the dominant Bears a few years back. They started out fantastic, getting some great runs from Ricky Williams and converting 2 well-earned interceptions into touchdowns. With a 24-3 lead, they should have been milking their power-running game and their great pass-rush all the way to a massive upset. Instead they managed to give up a touchdown to close out the half and a quick INT for a TD to Darren Sharper to start the 3rd Quarter. Once the Saints were within a touchdown, it was always going to be a losing battle for the Dolphins.
Note to Chad Henne, if you think the Saints might start a CB that you abused during your college career, it’s best to keep that a secret until game day, not mention it in public. It’s especially embarrassing when he picks you off and runs it back for a TD.
Cardinals-Giants
This may also be known as the Beanie Wells breakout game by the end of the season. He showed a ferocious running style and a willingness to hit tacklers with a vicious stiff-arm. I was extremely impressed by his patience and burst once he saw the hole open up. If the Cardinals truly want to run more, I think they’ve found their man.
It was obvious that the Cardinals were confusing Eli at the line of scrimmage, which made their blitzes very effective. However, I can’t understand why the Giants kept drifting away from the power running game with Brandon Jacobs. He had 76 yards on only 13 carries despite the Giants leading at half-time and the game remaining close until the end of the 3rd quarter. Even with the Cardinals stacking 8 in the box to stop the run, why not pass out of a power formation and catch their corners in man coverage on the outside? Instead, the Giants went to a spread attack that showed they were going to pass and removed their best weapon, Jacobs. When did Tom Coughlin start getting coaching advice from Norv Turner?
Cowboys-Falcons
Miles Austin puts up the most receiving yards in the league, for the 2nd straight week he’s started. Following up his last performance, Austin dominated the Falcons for 6 catches, 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. If he keeps playing this well, he’ll be dating a Kardashian sister in no time.
I don’t mean to brag, OK yes I do, but I predicted this. Once again, please pay no attention to any predictions that were completely wrong, like the Redskins winning the NFC East.
Sports Opinionated’s “Choice” Analysis
Many of the stats in this section are derived from the publicly available and premium database statistics at FootballOutsiders.com, NFL.com and ColdHardFootballFacts.com. Salary cap numbers provided by USA Today’s Salary Database.
Andre Johnson’s place in the WR hierarchy
After watching Andre Johnson’s beautiful catch downfield in between 2 defenders, I got to thinking about how his career compares to other top receivers in their first years in the league.
I took 2 of the all-time greats and their stats to this point in their careers, along with Larry Fitzgerald, who is widely regarded to be the best receiver in the league at the moment.
Both Johnson and Fitzgerald compare closely, but slightly behind the yards per game stats of Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice. Where Johnson seems to come up considerably short at this point in his career is touchdowns. The greats found a way to get into the end zone, and Fitzgerald seems to have that same knack. Johnson, however, has quite a poor TD per season rate, despite being the main weapon for the Texans offense. It’s not like they’ve had a dominating back to take away all his TDs.
The other stat that really jumps out is Rice’s yards per catch, which is almost 4 yards better than any of the others. When we speak of efficiently getting the most yardage out of every play, Rice was the master.
WR Cap Efficiency
One thing that always irks me, are GMs who overspend for talent. Just like business leaders, GMs need to invest their money wisely. Some measure of Salary Cap Efficiency needs to be used to assess the roster, whether it’s win per dollar or some other statistical measure to evaluate players at different positions. After doing the quick comparison above to see where Andre Johnson fit with some benchmark wide receivers, I decided to include him in a comparison of other wide receivers in the league. The goal was to see which players gave their teams the best bang for their buck.
I used the DYAR and DVOA stats from Football Outsiders and compared them with last year’s salary cap numbers for a variety of receivers in the league. Remember that DYAR is a measure of overall worth versus a replacement-level player and DVOA is a measure of value per play.
The cautionary tale in this case are players like Lee Evans. While Evans is a good receiver, he’s not having a great year, and the Bills dramatically overpaid for him. So this year, they’re tying up a giant amount of cap space for a player that is below replacement level overall and below average on a per play basis.
Live Game Spotlight: Vikings at Steelers
This was the game I was most excited about going into the weekend and it didn’t disappoint. The Vikings were 6-0, but as I stated last week, were only 2 plays away from being 4-2. The Steelers, with a 4-2 record coming into the game looked like a good team, but had failed to look convincing against Detroit and Cleveland in their last two games.
Also, I’m eager to find out if there is another player in the NFL equipped as well as Troy Polamalu to stop Adrian Peterson.
1st Quarter
Both defenses started out playing well, with the offenses struggling to gain yards.
The Steelers defense was managing to keep outside containment on Adrian Peterson, which was clearly a priority for them by the way they looped the outside linebackers out so wide on every play.
Kluwe, the punter for the Vikings, was single-handedly giving away field position, resulting in an early Steelers FG. 3-0 Pittsburgh.
2nd Quarter
Minnesota adjusted their protection schemes enough to give Favre time to throw, and he capitalized by leading a drive down inside the 10 yard line. From there, Adrian Peterson took over with a hard-fought TD run, 7-3 Vikings.
On Pittsburgh’s next few possessions Big Ben took a few hits, but couldn’t even find open receivers when the line gave him time. The Minnesota secondary is blanketing the field, which is quite an achievement given that Antoine Winfield is injured. Ben was almost picked twice.
Minnesota is relying on the passing game for offense as the Steelers defense has almost completely shut down AP.
With the half quickly coming to an end, Roethlisberger hits Mike Wallace up the middle, spikes the ball, and hits him again for a TD. Minnesota was only rushing 4, yet Big Ben found a hole in the zone for two straight plays. 10-7 Pittsburgh.
3rd Quarter
An early FG by Pittsburgh increases the lead to 13-7.
Brett Favre and Sidney Rice just improvised a 4th and 1 play after it broke down and gained ~25 yards. Wow. The Vikings got it down inside the 5, but the Steelers defense made a great stand to hold Minny to a FG. 13-10.
With 2:30 left in the 3rd quarter, Adrian Peterson has 14 rushes for 34 yards. So far the Steelers defense has kept him in check, but he’s like Athlete’s Foot, he’ll come back.
Percy Harvin is drilled by Ryan Clark going over the middle. I’m impressed by how tough he is, but he’s going to be even more banged up after this game.
Rashard Mendenhall looks great running the ball against a tough Vikings defense but he definitely needs to work on his receiving skills if he wants to see the field more.
4th Quarter
The network just showed a graphic indicating that Minnesota and Pittsburgh are both in the bottom 3 defenses for points allowed in the 4th quarter. These defenses are easier than a cougar at a hair band concert.
Santonio Holmes catches a quick crossing route, throws a couple stiff arms and weaves his way for about 50 yards down to Minny’s 10. With all the momentum on their side and crowd going nuts, Rashard Mendenhall promptly fumbles on the next play. He might want to get his groceries delivered this week, rather than be seen in public.
I am completely impressed with Sidney Rice. I don’t care if he has a stripper name, I think he’s a good receiver. It’s amazing what happens when Tarvaris Jackson isn’t your quarterback anymore, huh?
Rice makes an absolutely amazing grab down the sideline and just touches his toes down in bounds before Polamalu hits him like a missile. Most receivers wouldn’t even hold on to the ball, let alone get their feet down. That catch converted on 3rd and 18, which has completely deflated the Steelers defense.
Adrian Peterson just decided to bust one for 19 yards up the right side. I told you he was like Athlete’s Foot!
Favre makes a throw to Sidney Rice in the endzoe for a touchdown, but it’s called back on a tripping penalty. The penalty was iffy at best, and frankly never should have been called. Swallow the whistle on that one ref. It was way too minor to be called.
Three plays later, with Favre trying to find someone open in the endzone, Brett Keisel makes a fantastic play by stretching out to knock the ball loose from Favre. Lamar Woodley picks it up and goes 77 yards to the endzone with a huge blocking contingent. This defense wanted the touchdown badly. 20-10 Steelers.
Percy Harvin has apparently recovered from that big hit because he just returned the kick-off for a TD. 20-17. Jeff Reed my get a string of wedgies from his team-mates this week after shying away from contact with a 184 lb kick returner.
Pittsburgh is forced to punt with 3:37 left in the 4th quarter, giving Favre yet another chance to win a game on the final drive. The Vikings wisely give Adrian Peterson a few touches before the 2 minute warning, just in case he breaks one, he gains 5 yards and 6 yards. On the next play, Favre dumps it off to AP out of the shotgun with Randall Gay in perfect position to make the tackle. AP absolutely steamrolls Gay and takes it 29 yards down to the 26 yard line. I hope no one mentions that I compared him to Athlete’s Foot.
The Vikings are now inside the 20, and within easy field goal range but they have time to try for a touchdown and the win. With AP on my roster, I would absolutely run this ball as many times as I could, then kick the FG if I didn’t get into the endzone. The Vikes try a screen pass, which bounces off of Chester Taylor’s hands and into the arms of Keyaron Fox, who returns it 82 yards for a TD. 27-17 and all hope for the Vikings is gone.
Both Brad Childress and Chester Taylor are going to feel like a train hit them tomorrow…..in other words, hung over.
I couldn’t believe the amount of big leads at half-time across the league. 21-7 Patriots, 21-0 Texans, 21-3 Colts, 17-0 Chargers and 31-3 Bengals. It’s not often that so many games are out of hand so quickly.
Texans-49ers
Alex Smith has a legitimate shot to get his starting job back. After falling behind 21-0 by halftime, Mike Singletary decided to pull Shaun Hill and give Alex Smith a chance to run the offense. Smith responded by throwing 3 TDs to Vernon Davis while looking quite poised in the pocket, and giving the Niners a legitimate chance at opening up the offense. The addition of Crabtree helped the passing game as well. Smith’s performance definitely warrants another look for a team that started the season hot, but has cooled off lately. The tough part for Singletary will be avoiding a team-splitting QB controversy on a squad that seems to have turned the corner.
Bengals-Bears
The Cedric Benson revenge game was definitely all it was hyped to be. He started the game with real determination, with several strong runs on the opening drive. To be honest, I didn’t realize he had such great speed. He’s not much of a lateral back, but takes one cut and hits the hole hard. He finished the day with 189 yards on 37 carries, and helped the Bengals to a 45-10 dismantling of the Bears. With 27 more yards next week, Benson will already have the highest yardage total of his career. Besides Benson, Carson Palmer looked very crisp and the Bengals defense really impressed me, especially with Antwan Odom injured. They got great pressure from their front four and the secondary looked fantastic.
Dolphins-Saints
The Miami meltdown reminded me of the “They are who we thought they were” game by Dennis Green’s Cardinals against the dominant Bears a few years back. They started out fantastic, getting some great runs from Ricky Williams and converting 2 well-earned interceptions into touchdowns. With a 24-3 lead, they should have been milking their power-running game and their great pass-rush all the way to a massive upset. Instead they managed to give up a touchdown to close out the half and a quick INT for a TD to Darren Sharper to start the 3rd Quarter. Once the Saints were within a touchdown, it was always going to be a losing battle for the Dolphins.
Note to Chad Henne, if you think the Saints might start a CB that you abused during your college career, it’s best to keep that a secret until game day, not mention it in public. It’s especially embarrassing when he picks you off and runs it back for a TD.
Cardinals-Giants
This may also be known as the Beanie Wells breakout game by the end of the season. He showed a ferocious running style and a willingness to hit tacklers with a vicious stiff-arm. I was extremely impressed by his patience and burst once he saw the hole open up. If the Cardinals truly want to run more, I think they’ve found their man.
It was obvious that the Cardinals were confusing Eli at the line of scrimmage, which made their blitzes very effective. However, I can’t understand why the Giants kept drifting away from the power running game with Brandon Jacobs. He had 76 yards on only 13 carries despite the Giants leading at half-time and the game remaining close until the end of the 3rd quarter. Even with the Cardinals stacking 8 in the box to stop the run, why not pass out of a power formation and catch their corners in man coverage on the outside? Instead, the Giants went to a spread attack that showed they were going to pass and removed their best weapon, Jacobs. When did Tom Coughlin start getting coaching advice from Norv Turner?
Cowboys-Falcons
Miles Austin puts up the most receiving yards in the league, for the 2nd straight week he’s started. Following up his last performance, Austin dominated the Falcons for 6 catches, 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. If he keeps playing this well, he’ll be dating a Kardashian sister in no time.
I don’t mean to brag, OK yes I do, but I predicted this. Once again, please pay no attention to any predictions that were completely wrong, like the Redskins winning the NFC East.
Sports Opinionated’s “Choice” Analysis
Many of the stats in this section are derived from the publicly available and premium database statistics at FootballOutsiders.com, NFL.com and ColdHardFootballFacts.com. Salary cap numbers provided by USA Today’s Salary Database.
Andre Johnson’s place in the WR hierarchy
After watching Andre Johnson’s beautiful catch downfield in between 2 defenders, I got to thinking about how his career compares to other top receivers in their first years in the league.
I took 2 of the all-time greats and their stats to this point in their careers, along with Larry Fitzgerald, who is widely regarded to be the best receiver in the league at the moment.
The other stat that really jumps out is Rice’s yards per catch, which is almost 4 yards better than any of the others. When we speak of efficiently getting the most yardage out of every play, Rice was the master.
WR Cap Efficiency
One thing that always irks me, are GMs who overspend for talent. Just like business leaders, GMs need to invest their money wisely. Some measure of Salary Cap Efficiency needs to be used to assess the roster, whether it’s win per dollar or some other statistical measure to evaluate players at different positions. After doing the quick comparison above to see where Andre Johnson fit with some benchmark wide receivers, I decided to include him in a comparison of other wide receivers in the league. The goal was to see which players gave their teams the best bang for their buck.
I used the DYAR and DVOA stats from Football Outsiders and compared them with last year’s salary cap numbers for a variety of receivers in the league. Remember that DYAR is a measure of overall worth versus a replacement-level player and DVOA is a measure of value per play.
Johnson’s DYAR is decent, basically saying that he’s 66 yards better than a replacement level player and slightly less efficient per play. This is also a reflection of the Texans offense and quarterback play, but it’s quite surprising given the view of most experts.
It’s also very interesting to see that it’s not necessarily the performance of the receiver, but the size of the contract that makes an efficient cap situation. This should be an reminder for GMs that cap efficiency comes from first contracts on up and coming players or market savvy contracts for veteran players. Austin, Smith and Rice are all examples of players on their first contract who are far outperforming it, and Donald Driver is a great example of a veteran who performs well, but isn’t paid an exorbitant wage.
The cautionary tale in this case are players like Lee Evans. While Evans is a good receiver, he’s not having a great year, and the Bills dramatically overpaid for him. So this year, they’re tying up a giant amount of cap space for a player that is below replacement level overall and below average on a per play basis.
Live Game Spotlight: Vikings at Steelers
This was the game I was most excited about going into the weekend and it didn’t disappoint. The Vikings were 6-0, but as I stated last week, were only 2 plays away from being 4-2. The Steelers, with a 4-2 record coming into the game looked like a good team, but had failed to look convincing against Detroit and Cleveland in their last two games.
Also, I’m eager to find out if there is another player in the NFL equipped as well as Troy Polamalu to stop Adrian Peterson.
1st Quarter
Both defenses started out playing well, with the offenses struggling to gain yards.
The Steelers defense was managing to keep outside containment on Adrian Peterson, which was clearly a priority for them by the way they looped the outside linebackers out so wide on every play.
Kluwe, the punter for the Vikings, was single-handedly giving away field position, resulting in an early Steelers FG. 3-0 Pittsburgh.
2nd Quarter
Minnesota adjusted their protection schemes enough to give Favre time to throw, and he capitalized by leading a drive down inside the 10 yard line. From there, Adrian Peterson took over with a hard-fought TD run, 7-3 Vikings.
On Pittsburgh’s next few possessions Big Ben took a few hits, but couldn’t even find open receivers when the line gave him time. The Minnesota secondary is blanketing the field, which is quite an achievement given that Antoine Winfield is injured. Ben was almost picked twice.
Minnesota is relying on the passing game for offense as the Steelers defense has almost completely shut down AP.
With the half quickly coming to an end, Roethlisberger hits Mike Wallace up the middle, spikes the ball, and hits him again for a TD. Minnesota was only rushing 4, yet Big Ben found a hole in the zone for two straight plays. 10-7 Pittsburgh.
3rd Quarter
An early FG by Pittsburgh increases the lead to 13-7.
Brett Favre and Sidney Rice just improvised a 4th and 1 play after it broke down and gained ~25 yards. Wow. The Vikings got it down inside the 5, but the Steelers defense made a great stand to hold Minny to a FG. 13-10.
With 2:30 left in the 3rd quarter, Adrian Peterson has 14 rushes for 34 yards. So far the Steelers defense has kept him in check, but he’s like Athlete’s Foot, he’ll come back.
Percy Harvin is drilled by Ryan Clark going over the middle. I’m impressed by how tough he is, but he’s going to be even more banged up after this game.
Rashard Mendenhall looks great running the ball against a tough Vikings defense but he definitely needs to work on his receiving skills if he wants to see the field more.
4th Quarter
The network just showed a graphic indicating that Minnesota and Pittsburgh are both in the bottom 3 defenses for points allowed in the 4th quarter. These defenses are easier than a cougar at a hair band concert.
Santonio Holmes catches a quick crossing route, throws a couple stiff arms and weaves his way for about 50 yards down to Minny’s 10. With all the momentum on their side and crowd going nuts, Rashard Mendenhall promptly fumbles on the next play. He might want to get his groceries delivered this week, rather than be seen in public.
I am completely impressed with Sidney Rice. I don’t care if he has a stripper name, I think he’s a good receiver. It’s amazing what happens when Tarvaris Jackson isn’t your quarterback anymore, huh?
Rice makes an absolutely amazing grab down the sideline and just touches his toes down in bounds before Polamalu hits him like a missile. Most receivers wouldn’t even hold on to the ball, let alone get their feet down. That catch converted on 3rd and 18, which has completely deflated the Steelers defense.
Adrian Peterson just decided to bust one for 19 yards up the right side. I told you he was like Athlete’s Foot!
Favre makes a throw to Sidney Rice in the endzoe for a touchdown, but it’s called back on a tripping penalty. The penalty was iffy at best, and frankly never should have been called. Swallow the whistle on that one ref. It was way too minor to be called.
Three plays later, with Favre trying to find someone open in the endzone, Brett Keisel makes a fantastic play by stretching out to knock the ball loose from Favre. Lamar Woodley picks it up and goes 77 yards to the endzone with a huge blocking contingent. This defense wanted the touchdown badly. 20-10 Steelers.
Percy Harvin has apparently recovered from that big hit because he just returned the kick-off for a TD. 20-17. Jeff Reed my get a string of wedgies from his team-mates this week after shying away from contact with a 184 lb kick returner.
Pittsburgh is forced to punt with 3:37 left in the 4th quarter, giving Favre yet another chance to win a game on the final drive. The Vikings wisely give Adrian Peterson a few touches before the 2 minute warning, just in case he breaks one, he gains 5 yards and 6 yards. On the next play, Favre dumps it off to AP out of the shotgun with Randall Gay in perfect position to make the tackle. AP absolutely steamrolls Gay and takes it 29 yards down to the 26 yard line. I hope no one mentions that I compared him to Athlete’s Foot.
The Vikings are now inside the 20, and within easy field goal range but they have time to try for a touchdown and the win. With AP on my roster, I would absolutely run this ball as many times as I could, then kick the FG if I didn’t get into the endzone. The Vikes try a screen pass, which bounces off of Chester Taylor’s hands and into the arms of Keyaron Fox, who returns it 82 yards for a TD. 27-17 and all hope for the Vikings is gone.
Both Brad Childress and Chester Taylor are going to feel like a train hit them tomorrow…..in other words, hung over.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The 3 Man Back Line - Was Rafa on to Something?
After watching Rafa Benitez use the 3-man back line against Sunderland last weekend, I got to thinking about whether his tactical choice was the problem or if his players just weren’t used to playing that specific formation. His three defenders looked a little unsure how to support each other and the front 3 looked like all of them wanted to play in a support role, but none had the right combination of skill and physical presence to be the lone center forward.
Formations don’t win games, but they need to be selected for the right match ups and to fit the talents of the players at the manager’s disposal.
Formation Match ups
There appear to be two main reasons that teams abandoned the 3 man back line. The first was the move to lone striker formations meant that teams were essentially committing 3 markers to 1 attacker, leaving them short-handed in other areas of the pitch. The second reason was that the wing backs tended to be overwhelmed down the flanks against teams that played the 4-4-2. These teams essentially had a midfielder and a fullback down the flank to battle against a wingback.
I think that Benitez may have a solution to these problems with what was essentially a 3-4-3, rather than the more traditional 3-5-2 formation.
This first comparison I’d like to show is the 3-5-2 vs the popular 4-5-1 formation.
As you can see, the 3-5-2 doesn’t have enough width on offense to stretch out the back line, unless the left and right mids (or wingbacks) jump into the attack. Unfortunately, if they do, it leaves the wingers of the 4-5-1 unmarked and able to completely out man the 3-5-2 on the break. If the wingbacks drop back to defend the wingers, the fullbacks in the 4-5-1 have endless space in front of them. To top it off, it’s very easy for the 2 defensive midfielders in the 4-5-1 to counter the playmaker behind the forwards.
Now look at how the 3-4-3 matches up against the 4-5-1.
The width and numbers of the forward line ensure that the entire back four will be needed to defend, while it allows to the midfield to jump into the attack and ensure that the 2 defensive midfielders of the 4-5-1 have to defend. It also forces the wingers in the 4-5-1 to play a more defensive game against the wingbacks, which many teams have already started to do against the 4-4-2. On defense, the 3-4-3 isn’t as easily overwhelmed down the flanks because the wide forwards can occupy the fullbacks. If the wingbacks mark the wingers, then the 3-man back line only has to mark the center forward and the man in the hole, leaving a free player to fill gaps or double the ball carrier. The 3-4-3 matches up fairly neutrally against the 4-5-1.
Finally, take a look at the 3-4-3 versus the 4-4-2.
I believe this is where the biggest benefit of the 3-4-3 lies. With the midfields mirroring, they cancer each other out. The team employing the 3-4-3 is then left with 3 attackers versus a 4-man back line while defending 2 attackers with a 3-man back line. The 3-4-3 is the more offensively equipped formation in this case.
Personnel Needed
As with any formation, the right players are needed to make it work, just like a manager should tailor the formation to meet the talents of his players. The 3-4-3 looks to be a solid match up for both the 4-5-1 and the 4-4-2, so which personnel makes it a likely choice?
The most obviously personnel choice is for teams with decent depth at the center back position but with poor fullback talent. The other is for teams that have good full-backs but poor wide midfielders for the 4-4-2. Much like Liverpool did, the full backs can be pushed up to the wing back position.
The midfield requires much the same talent as the 4-4-2 and can be used more as a center of creativity or as a ball-winning, defensive unit – based on the talent available.
The other personnel consideration would be for teams that lack the two big forwards needed for the 4-4-2 or the three creative players needed behind the forward in the 4-5-1. The 4-3-3 only requires 2 secondary strikers/wingers, instead of the 3 needed for the 4-5-1.
Main Advantages
Against the 4-4-2, the 3-4-3 has an inherent attacking advantage while still being quite neutral versus the ever more popular 4-5-1. It gives team managers another tactical option versus teams that play these formations while possibly being a better fit for the talent on their rosters.
With only 3 defenders, the 3-4-3 will often have the possession advantage versus other midfields, especially if the 2 wide forwards drop off to aid the midfield.
Main Disadvantages
I believe that the 3-4-3 may have a tough time matching up with a trident attack (4-3-3) given that the 3-man back line could get stretched too much and the centrally dominant 3-man midfield of a good 4-3-3 team could overmatch the 2 central mids of the 3-4-3. In this case, the manager might want to drop the wide midfielders back further and play a counter-attacking 5-2-3.
Teams that should consider the 3-4-3
Liverpool could actually be on to something. They have 3 good center backs in Carragher, Agger and Skrtel, while Glen Johnson and Aurelio looked very comfortable as wing backs. If Gerrard was one of the central midfielders, he would add creativity, while Torres is perfect to lead the forward line with Kuyt, Babel and Benayoun all capable of playing at the wide forward positions. Benitez could employ the 4-5-1 or the 3-4-3 depending on his opponent.
Milan is another team that could benefit from such a formation. Huntelaar could lead the forward line with Pato and Ronaldinho as the wide forwards. The 4-man midfield could be filled by a combination of Ambrosini, Pirlo, Flamini, Seedorf, and Abate with Zambrotta even stepping in as a wide mid at times. The defense could be a combination of Nesta, Thiago Silva and one of Favalli, Onyewu or Kaladze. This would help a Diavolo team with poor talent at fullback.
In the end, I think too many critics in the media were quick to dismiss Rafa’s deployment of the 3-man defense without properly thinking through the tactical nuances it provides.
Formations don’t win games, but they need to be selected for the right match ups and to fit the talents of the players at the manager’s disposal.
Formation Match ups
There appear to be two main reasons that teams abandoned the 3 man back line. The first was the move to lone striker formations meant that teams were essentially committing 3 markers to 1 attacker, leaving them short-handed in other areas of the pitch. The second reason was that the wing backs tended to be overwhelmed down the flanks against teams that played the 4-4-2. These teams essentially had a midfielder and a fullback down the flank to battle against a wingback.
I think that Benitez may have a solution to these problems with what was essentially a 3-4-3, rather than the more traditional 3-5-2 formation.
This first comparison I’d like to show is the 3-5-2 vs the popular 4-5-1 formation.
As you can see, the 3-5-2 doesn’t have enough width on offense to stretch out the back line, unless the left and right mids (or wingbacks) jump into the attack. Unfortunately, if they do, it leaves the wingers of the 4-5-1 unmarked and able to completely out man the 3-5-2 on the break. If the wingbacks drop back to defend the wingers, the fullbacks in the 4-5-1 have endless space in front of them. To top it off, it’s very easy for the 2 defensive midfielders in the 4-5-1 to counter the playmaker behind the forwards.
Now look at how the 3-4-3 matches up against the 4-5-1.
The width and numbers of the forward line ensure that the entire back four will be needed to defend, while it allows to the midfield to jump into the attack and ensure that the 2 defensive midfielders of the 4-5-1 have to defend. It also forces the wingers in the 4-5-1 to play a more defensive game against the wingbacks, which many teams have already started to do against the 4-4-2. On defense, the 3-4-3 isn’t as easily overwhelmed down the flanks because the wide forwards can occupy the fullbacks. If the wingbacks mark the wingers, then the 3-man back line only has to mark the center forward and the man in the hole, leaving a free player to fill gaps or double the ball carrier. The 3-4-3 matches up fairly neutrally against the 4-5-1.
Finally, take a look at the 3-4-3 versus the 4-4-2.
I believe this is where the biggest benefit of the 3-4-3 lies. With the midfields mirroring, they cancer each other out. The team employing the 3-4-3 is then left with 3 attackers versus a 4-man back line while defending 2 attackers with a 3-man back line. The 3-4-3 is the more offensively equipped formation in this case.
Personnel Needed
As with any formation, the right players are needed to make it work, just like a manager should tailor the formation to meet the talents of his players. The 3-4-3 looks to be a solid match up for both the 4-5-1 and the 4-4-2, so which personnel makes it a likely choice?
The most obviously personnel choice is for teams with decent depth at the center back position but with poor fullback talent. The other is for teams that have good full-backs but poor wide midfielders for the 4-4-2. Much like Liverpool did, the full backs can be pushed up to the wing back position.
The midfield requires much the same talent as the 4-4-2 and can be used more as a center of creativity or as a ball-winning, defensive unit – based on the talent available.
The other personnel consideration would be for teams that lack the two big forwards needed for the 4-4-2 or the three creative players needed behind the forward in the 4-5-1. The 4-3-3 only requires 2 secondary strikers/wingers, instead of the 3 needed for the 4-5-1.
Main Advantages
Against the 4-4-2, the 3-4-3 has an inherent attacking advantage while still being quite neutral versus the ever more popular 4-5-1. It gives team managers another tactical option versus teams that play these formations while possibly being a better fit for the talent on their rosters.
With only 3 defenders, the 3-4-3 will often have the possession advantage versus other midfields, especially if the 2 wide forwards drop off to aid the midfield.
Main Disadvantages
I believe that the 3-4-3 may have a tough time matching up with a trident attack (4-3-3) given that the 3-man back line could get stretched too much and the centrally dominant 3-man midfield of a good 4-3-3 team could overmatch the 2 central mids of the 3-4-3. In this case, the manager might want to drop the wide midfielders back further and play a counter-attacking 5-2-3.
Teams that should consider the 3-4-3
Liverpool could actually be on to something. They have 3 good center backs in Carragher, Agger and Skrtel, while Glen Johnson and Aurelio looked very comfortable as wing backs. If Gerrard was one of the central midfielders, he would add creativity, while Torres is perfect to lead the forward line with Kuyt, Babel and Benayoun all capable of playing at the wide forward positions. Benitez could employ the 4-5-1 or the 3-4-3 depending on his opponent.
Milan is another team that could benefit from such a formation. Huntelaar could lead the forward line with Pato and Ronaldinho as the wide forwards. The 4-man midfield could be filled by a combination of Ambrosini, Pirlo, Flamini, Seedorf, and Abate with Zambrotta even stepping in as a wide mid at times. The defense could be a combination of Nesta, Thiago Silva and one of Favalli, Onyewu or Kaladze. This would help a Diavolo team with poor talent at fullback.
In the end, I think too many critics in the media were quick to dismiss Rafa’s deployment of the 3-man defense without properly thinking through the tactical nuances it provides.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Madden 10: A Review of the Game
I've had the newest version of the Madden series ever since it was released a few months ago. I'd been waiting with anticipation ever since I'd heard about the newest game feature, the online franchise mode.
Now that I've had a couple months to play it, I thought I'd let you know what I see so far. Also, if you've noticed anything about the game that other readers might be interested in, please add it to the comments section of this post.
Gameplay
One of the great aspects of sports games is that the gameplay can be tweaked and adjusted from year to year, because the whole game doesn't need to be reinvented. In Madden 10, the gameplay has been improved even further, with better animation of gang tackles and ability for defensive backs to defend balls in the air. As of this point, I also haven't found much in the way of gameplay glitches, althought manually pass-rushing with a decent defensive end was a little too easy on the All-Pro difficulty, but got much harder on All-Madden.
Game Modes
As I mentioned above, this year EA decided to add a game mode I've been wanting for years, the online franchise. For those of us that like playing franchise mode with all the trades, free agents, and ability to build your team over time, it has always seemed odd that we couldn't play the franchise with a few close buddies in the same league. Unfortunately the online franchise doesn't have all the features of the regular franchise mode, probably so EA could iron out the bugs of letting us interact with CPU-controlled teams without the other players online at the same time.
Best Improvements
I didn't think it was possible for the gameplay to get any better, but it has. The running back movement is better, the catches in traffic are more realistic and the pre-snap adjustments have improved. My favorite new adjustment is the ability to crowd the line and show blitz, then drop into coverage.
The addition of more detailed ability rankings such as breaking down passing accuracy into short, medium and long passes along with passing on the run and the ability to sell the play action fake. It used to be too easy to sell the play action to the defense. Additionally, the further delineation for receivers with catch rating, catch in traffic and spectacular catches, makes the receivers even more unique.
The Wildcat formations and plays are great. I'm happy to see that EA got on board and added these, for any team that used them last year. It's a nice change of pace and proves that once again, the team at EA is keeping up with trends in the sport from season to season.
Biggest Areas for Improvement
For some reason, the Madden development team has never quite figured out how to make the decision engine for the trades work properly. It's still way to easy to trade a 34-year-old player with an overall ranking of 75 and a nobody with a ranking of 60 for a player picked in the first round with a ranking of 75 but all the potential in the world.
The new feature, that forces you to mash buttons, just to win a fight for a fumble, is ridiculous. Fumble recovery is largely random in real life, so why do I have to pound on the buttons in a skill-less battle?
The lack of any free agency in between seasons or salary cap on the online franchise was a major miss. If EA was worried about the logisitics of managing free agent signings, they could have done it with a round-based system like the draft where each team had a set number of offers to attempt each round. The lack of salary cap completely removes a fairly major constraint from the game.
Buy Madden 10 on Amazon.com
Final Ratings
I'd give the game a solid 4.5 out of 5 controllers. It would have been a 5 if they had added a few extra features to online franchise mode. That said, they've kicked it off, it will only get better from here.
Now that I've had a couple months to play it, I thought I'd let you know what I see so far. Also, if you've noticed anything about the game that other readers might be interested in, please add it to the comments section of this post.
Gameplay
One of the great aspects of sports games is that the gameplay can be tweaked and adjusted from year to year, because the whole game doesn't need to be reinvented. In Madden 10, the gameplay has been improved even further, with better animation of gang tackles and ability for defensive backs to defend balls in the air. As of this point, I also haven't found much in the way of gameplay glitches, althought manually pass-rushing with a decent defensive end was a little too easy on the All-Pro difficulty, but got much harder on All-Madden.
Game Modes
As I mentioned above, this year EA decided to add a game mode I've been wanting for years, the online franchise. For those of us that like playing franchise mode with all the trades, free agents, and ability to build your team over time, it has always seemed odd that we couldn't play the franchise with a few close buddies in the same league. Unfortunately the online franchise doesn't have all the features of the regular franchise mode, probably so EA could iron out the bugs of letting us interact with CPU-controlled teams without the other players online at the same time.
Best Improvements
I didn't think it was possible for the gameplay to get any better, but it has. The running back movement is better, the catches in traffic are more realistic and the pre-snap adjustments have improved. My favorite new adjustment is the ability to crowd the line and show blitz, then drop into coverage.
The addition of more detailed ability rankings such as breaking down passing accuracy into short, medium and long passes along with passing on the run and the ability to sell the play action fake. It used to be too easy to sell the play action to the defense. Additionally, the further delineation for receivers with catch rating, catch in traffic and spectacular catches, makes the receivers even more unique.
The Wildcat formations and plays are great. I'm happy to see that EA got on board and added these, for any team that used them last year. It's a nice change of pace and proves that once again, the team at EA is keeping up with trends in the sport from season to season.
Biggest Areas for Improvement
For some reason, the Madden development team has never quite figured out how to make the decision engine for the trades work properly. It's still way to easy to trade a 34-year-old player with an overall ranking of 75 and a nobody with a ranking of 60 for a player picked in the first round with a ranking of 75 but all the potential in the world.
The new feature, that forces you to mash buttons, just to win a fight for a fumble, is ridiculous. Fumble recovery is largely random in real life, so why do I have to pound on the buttons in a skill-less battle?
The lack of any free agency in between seasons or salary cap on the online franchise was a major miss. If EA was worried about the logisitics of managing free agent signings, they could have done it with a round-based system like the draft where each team had a set number of offers to attempt each round. The lack of salary cap completely removes a fairly major constraint from the game.
Buy Madden 10 on Amazon.com
Final Ratings
I'd give the game a solid 4.5 out of 5 controllers. It would have been a 5 if they had added a few extra features to online franchise mode. That said, they've kicked it off, it will only get better from here.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
NFL Hangover - Week 6
I’m making a few changes to the NFL Hangover column.
I love doing the game storylines as I watch, but I’m going to narrow it down to 2-4 games per week, just to keep the post length manageable.
There were only a few games that really intrigued me this week, with the stand-outs both being early games. The battle of the undefeated teams, New York @ New Orleans and a battle of running games and tough defenses, Baltimore @ Minnesota. The running observations are at the tail end of this post.
To introduce the new addition to our weekly column, I’d like you to refer to the following quote.
“It's kind of like having a girl on the side, you know? When you need her, she's there. You know she's always going to be there no matter what you put her through. That's what Tashard Choice is like."
Cowboys Martellus Bennett on DallasCowboys.com
Bennett did a great job of describing the merits of statistical analysis, sort of. Statistics tell us a big part of the story in sports, but should be used in addition to observation and considered in context. Each week, I’ll attempt to enlighten you a little with the Tashard Choice honorary analysis section.
Sports Opinionated’s “Choice” Analysis
Many of the stats in this section are derived from the publicly available and premium database statistics at FootballOutsiders.com, NFL.com and ColdHardFootballFacts.com
Brady Quinn vs Derek Anderson
With the Browns now at 1-5, and very little hope of making the play-offs, it makes sense to find out what they’ve got at quarterback for the future. Some will argue that Quinn needs a shot and some will say the Anderson has proven his worth. Let’s see what the numbers tell us. This truly is a decent comparison since both players are using the exact same supporting cast and the exact same system. It’s not like we’re trying to compare Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco.
Given what we see in comparison, the Browns are really in trouble at the QB position, regardless of who they pick. With negative DYARs and DVOAs, both players are performing worse than the average player at their position. That said, Quinn’s performance has actually been better than Anderson’s so far in 2009 and that is despite having less than half the reps of his competitor over the last 2 years.
My recommendation would be to give Brady Quinn the starter’s job for the rest of the year, given that NFL defenses have obviously found a way to stop Anderson after his one good season, and the Browns have never given Quinn an extended period in which to acclimatize to the NFL and improve.
Vince Young vs Kerry Collins
Along the same lines as our analysis of the Browns QB situation, is the controversy brewing in Tennessee. Last year, Kerry Collins got the nod as the starter and the Titans went 13-3. Collins got a lot of the credit for this resurgence. This year they are 0-6, and Young has still barely set foot on the field.
With Young’s contract up at the end of this year, it still might be worth letting him play 3 or 4 games given that he might have learned from Collins on the sidelines. Most likely though, the Titans will be in search of a young QB in the offseason.
Visanthe Shiancoe’s “Crazy” Contract
No, we’re not talking about the contract offered to him by the adult film industry after he was exposed on national television. We’re talking about the supposedly careless contract that was offered to him by the Vikings in 2007. At the time, he had played in 64 games and only had 35 catches for 253 yards and 3 TDs in his career. Most of us thought that offering him $18.2M over 5 years was a terrible idea. After watching him play against the Ravens, I got to wondering how crazy it actually was.
I found this article describing the top 10 tight end salaries in the NFL and decided to compare Shiancoe’s salary and performance versus those players.
In the 1 full season and 6 games this season since signing the contract, I’d say that Shiancoe has been a better value than any of the top 10 wage earners.
In 2008, he had the 2nd highest DYAR, the highest DVOA and a completion rate comparable to anyone else. He may have been underused, given that information.
In 2009, he again has the 2nd highest DYAR, the 2nd highest DVOA and a top Completion %. It appears that the Vikings are seeing his value in the red zone, given his 5 TDs, but are again under-utilizing him given the production he gets from half the targets of the more well-known TE’s.
It could be that Shiancoe is very effective in a limited role, but not the caliber of player to thrive if he was the focus of opposing defenses, but his performance definitely dispels the myth that the Vikes overpaid for him and he warrants a closer look on gameday.
Quick Observations
The Vikings might be 6-0, but they are two very close plays away from being 4-2. The Greg Lewis catch and a missed 44-yard field goal have kept them undefeated. They’re still one of the best 5 teams in the NFL right now, but they haven’t dominated teams as thoroughly as the Saints, as some people would lead us to believe.
One week after mentioning that there are several terrible teams in the NFL, both Kansas City and Oakland pulled off upsets. Granted, KC’s win was over the equally hapless Redskins, but the Raiders beat a decent Eagles team – which is truly impressive.
The Broncos have taken an absolutely commanding lead in the AFC West with a big win over the Chargers last night. To add to the Norv Turner Questionable Coaching Decisions archive, he opted to go for it on 4th & 8 with 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter and only down by 4 points. I understand that the field goal doesn’t win the game, but it would have put the Chargers within a point and there was still plenty of time to make a defensive stand. On top of that, it’s not easy to convert 4th and 8, and the field position given up if they don’t convert is much worse than if they’d kicked a FG and then kicked off. Bill Simmons had a great idea the other day on one of his podcasts. He suggested that each team having some kid on the sideline who had played thousands of games on Madden, giving the coach tips about clock management for just these types of situations. He figured that some video game addict would have seen these situations many more times than the average coach, and could therefore process the information more quickly and without other distractions. If any team should experiment with this idea, it’s the Chargers, just to counteract the Norv Effect.
There were 2 injuries to defensive lineman this week that could have a monstrous effect on their team’s season. With Antwan Odom, the NFL’s leading sacker, likely to miss the rest of the season, the Bengals could struggle to get a consistent pass rush. The injury to NT Kris Jenkins, on the other hand, will severely impair the Jets ability to stop the run. Jenkins also occupied 2 blockers on a regular basis, making it easier for the Jets to get a free rusher to the quarterback on many of their overload blitzes.
Live Game Observations
Giants (27) at Saints (48)
Early in the game, Drew Brees threw a ball to Lance Moore which deflected off of 2 defenders and once he caught it, he got laid out by the safety, CC Brown. I can’t believe he hung onto it. Pierre Thomas is looking good and picking his path through the defense. Mike Bell finishes the drive with a TD leap over the pile on 4th and inches. 7-0 Saints.
With the Giants set to get the ball, it seems to me that they will use the explosiveness of Steve Smith and Mario Manningham to exploit the Saints blitz-based defense. On 3rd and 3, Eli Manning attempts to do just that with a deep pass to Dominik Hixon, but it’s slightly under thrown and Jabari Greer uses a phenomenal burst of speed to catch up and knock the pass down.
On the Saints very next drive, they mixed up the run and pass well enough to keep the Giants defensive front off balance. Brees hits Colston for a great deep pass between two defenders, right down to the 2 yard line. On a play-action pass, Shockey gets open in the back of the end zone. Touchdown, 14-0 Saints.
On 3rd and 5, Manning has Smith for a sure TD, and overthrows him by about a foot. That’s two missed touchdown opportunities now. New York is forced to settle for a FG. 14-3.
On the next drive, Brees hits a receiver straight up the field on a bomb for another touchdown. The pass was decent, but to the wrong shoulder and the Giants defensive backs should have made a play on it. It could have been an interception if they hadn’t sat back so passively. 20-3 Saints after a blocked extra point.
With the Giants moving the ball, Eli has to pass under pressure and is picked off by Darren Sharper for a TD. Unfortunately for the Saints, the play is called back because Jonathan Vilma took a roughing-the-passer penalty. What a terribly stupid play, when it wasn’t needed. The Giants get to keep the ball, move up 15 yards and cap off their drive with a touchdown by Ahmad Bradshaw to make it 20-10. If the Giants make a comeback, Vilma’s penalty will be the turning point.
As if to make sure the Giants didn’t have a chance, Brees hit Lance Moore for a touchdown on play-action after a pass interference call got them inside the red zone. 27-10 Saints.
The Giants managed to claw their way back down the field as Eli hit Manningham for a TD to reduce the lead to 27-17 Saints. The last two Giants drives were fueled by great kick returns from Hixon.
There is 2:53 left in the first half when the Saints get the ball. Brees hits an open Colston on the first play and Colston again in traffic on the second. Pierre Thomas makes a run, followed by a reverse for Meachem. The Giants stuffed Mike Bell on third down and Thomas on fourth. A huge goal-line stand looks like it might have swung the momentum to the Giants.
With 1:00 left in the half, Manningham catches a pass up the middle but on the next play, Manning was hit hard by Roman Harper on a safety blitz which forces a fumble. The Saints recover. They convert to a TD for a 34-17 lead at the half, and the game is all but over.
The Giants were never back in the game from that point on.
Ravens (31) at Vikings (33)
In the first quarter, Brett Favre hits Shiancoe with a nice toss to the endzone and Shiancoe makes a beautiful, fingertip catch. The Vikes are up 7-0 and I’m immediately intrigued by how Shiancoe measures up against other TE’s in the league. Take a look at the SO “Choice” Analysis section above to find out.
On the Vikes 2nd possession, Favre hits Bernard Berrian for a TD to go up 14-0. They now have 9 touchdowns in their last 9 trips to the red zone. That is phenomenal.
One of the better matchups in this game is the Ravens running offense versus the Vikings historically good running defense.
Early on, it looks like Minny’s defense is winning the battle, but Flacco gets them to bite on play-action, and narrowly misses Derrick Mason deep. The Ravesn are forced to punt and have now gone 3 and out on their first 2 drives.
After a defensive hold, the Ravens punt returner lets the ball go and it rolls inside the 10 yard line. Wouldn’t it be better to just call for a fair catch at the 18 yard line, than risk being pinned inside your own 10? The only upside to letting it bounce is that it goes into the endzone and the ball is spotted at the 20. All that risk for a measly 2 yards? Shoot me.
In the 2nd quarter, Baltimore seems to have made a few defensive adjustments. They were completely hapless on the Vikes first two drives, but now seem to be getting more pressure on Favre and providing much better coverage in the secondary.
With 2 minutes to go, the Ravens have the ball. Flacco missed the chance to catch Minnesota with 12 defenders on the field with a quick snap. Instead, he kept surveying the field before getting the ball snapped. Later in the same drive, he had 2 “free plays” from the defense jumping offside, and still only dumped the ball to receivers underneath the zone. A veteran quarterback would take a shot downfield in those scenarios, knowing that there is no risk.
Apparently Flacco heard me, as Minny jumped offside for the 3rd time and Flacco hit a deep pass down the right sideline with 12 seconds left. With time for one shot towards the endzone before kicking a field goal, Flacco dumps it off to Ray Rice for a 1 yard gain. Maybe the Ravens should hire a “Madden kid” for their offense. This is ridiculous. FG 14-3 Vikes at the half.
In the 2nd half, Minnesota manages an early FG to take a 17-3 lead. On the next drive, Flacco hits Mason a couple times down the sidelines and then over the middle to Todd Heap. On the next play, Ray Rice breaks 4 tackles for a 25 yard touchdown run that should be shown as a stiff-arm instructional video. 17-10 Vikes.
Favre hits Sidney Rice on a slant and he breaks the run for 63 yards down to the 5 yard line. After 3 ugly plays, the Vikes kick a FG to make it 20-10, but I can feel the momentum switching to the Ravens.
On the Vikes next drive, the Ravens jump offside and what do you think Favre does? He goes deep, like he’s supposed to. The pass draws a pass interference call and the Vikings are already inside the 10 yard line. Favre hits Shiancoe for his 2nd TD of the day, 27-10.
Flacco won’t be outdone and drives his team back down the field. They cap off the drive with a 32 yard pass to Mark Clayton for a TD. 27-17. The Ravens are refusing to give up on this game.
Adrian Peterson finally makes his presence known with a 58 yard run, and is barely pushed out of bounds. On the next play, with 6:30 left in the 4th quarter, AP limps off with what looks like an ankle injury. Several Vikes fans just yelled at their children for no good reason. The Vikes managed a FG for a 30-17 lead that seems insurmountable.
Ray Rice apparently eats “insurmountable” for breakfast. He just took a short pass 62 yards down the field and Flacco completed a TD pass to Mason to close the gap to 30-24.
This seems like a good time to mention that Ray Rice is awesome, I’m just saying.
On the kickoff return, Percy Harvin jams is shoulder and is slowly helped off the field. That said, AP is back on. Those same “yelled at” kids, just got offered an ice cream cone. As Favre surveys the field, Ray Lewis comes on a delayed blitz and crushes him for an 8 yard loss. Whoa. On 3rd & 18, Favre is almost sacked in the end zone. Punt.
From shotgun, Flacco hands to Ray Rice, who crosses the formation to the left and scampers 33 yards for a TD, without being touched. 31-30 for the Ravens with 3:37 left in the game. The Metrodome is in a state of shock.
Favre answers with a bomb to S. Rice that takes the Vikes to the opposing 20 yard line. AP is stuffed on the next play. With 2:46 left on the clock, the Vikes need to keep running time off since they’re already in field goal range. AP is stuffed again on the next play and the Ravens use a time out. On 3rd down, when Minny runs again, the fans booed the play call. This does not help my opinion of Vikings fans. The Vikes kick a FG to go up 33-31 with 2 minutes to go.
It’s time to see if Flacco learned anything from his 2 minute drive to end the half. He dumps to Rice under pressure, goes over the middle to Kelley Washington and dumps off to Rice again. There’s 1 minute left.
As a side note, the Ravens are running plays out of shotgun with a RB on either side of Flacco. I like this formation because it leaves 3 receivers in patterns but keeps the defense guessing as to which RB will be held back in pass protection and which one will peel off into a safe pattern. It’s a great way to pick up yardage when the deeper routes aren’t open.
Flacco goes up the left to Mason, 1st down. The Ravens try a fake spike and fade route, but it’s stopped. On the next play, they run the draw to Rice and spike the ball with 2 seconds left on the clock. Great clock management and a nice mix of plays.
The Ravens kicker, however, misses a 44 yard field goal, just barely left of the goal post. Minnesota wins the game, but the Ravens know they can hang with any team in the league.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Weekly Serie A Espresso: Italian Soccer Round up
Well another weekend of Serie A has past and like tomato stains on a wife-beater, the weekend is followed by a strong espresso, a spot at the bar and some stronger Serie A chat. So order your drink and get loud.
The weekend’s winners: Catania, Bari, Inter, Palermo, Milan, Napoli, Parma and Atalanta while Juventus tied vs Fiorentina while Sampdoria tied vs. Lazio.
Juve`s draw to Fiorentina was a great example of many different things.
First, how not to trap the ball. Is there a worse first touch than Juve forward Iaquinta`s? He has to have the worst first touch in all of professional football. No doubt. So terrible that the announcer on Saturday actually thought that an errand (terrible) first-timed shot was a pass to teammate Amauri, who scored on the play. Wow. Iaquinta might have the morons up in the booth fooled but for those who watch him play regularly, it remains a mystery why no coach in Italy can fix his clumsy feet. Smaller shoes perhaps?
Second, the game was a great example of the frustration of many fans who watch their teams get rewarded a corner only to see their team deliver a terrible ball from the corner flag. Why is it that we allow professionals to get away with this? If you job is as a professional footballer and you are one of the more accurate passers on your team (obviously, since your coach/captain has designated you the corner kick taker), how come you can’t get the ball within ten feet of goal? How come your leg strength isn’t up to snuff to get the ball to curl into a dangerous position? If I was rewarded a dollar for every terrible corner kick taken during a regular Serie A match I would have more dollars than Berlusconi has 18 year old girls. Trust me, it’s a lot. Just ask his soon to be ex-wife.
Third, this game provided another glaring example of the terrible officiating in Serie A. The referring is without a doubt, the worst in professional European football. You might hear me ragging on this issue many times however it truly is the root of all that is wrong (on the field anyway – off the pitch, that’s an entirely different story) with Serie A. After reading the biography of Italy’s best ever and maybe the world’s best ever referee (at least well recognized) Pier Luigi Collina, I know recognize the true value and importance of a referee. He has two main and equally important jobs. The first is to ensure that the game is played by the rules. The second and most overlooked job of the referee is to manage the different types of personalities on the pitch. Collina was a master at this. During all his big games, the world cup finals, the derby matches and the Champion’s league games you will notice him never contributing to the already tense atmosphere and he always made sure fouls or other such situations never escalated. This ensured that players played with respect towards him and most of all each other.
For instance, when a player has is elbows up while going for a head ball, this is a penalized offence. The referee, in some circumstances will issue a yellow or even red card, depending on intent and severity. Collina would always talk to both players involved first BEFORE issuing a card. Nowadays, you often see referees issuing cards as they run up to the location of the foul, without conferring with the players. This adds to the tense situation and creates a negative atmosphere. I could go on and on about the Serie A referring disgrace.
Lastly, this game was a great example of what great Serie A coaching is about. It is obvious that Ceassare Prandelli is an excellent tactician. Look at how Prandelli schemed (with the help of usually offensive Santana) to render the usually offensive Grosso’s left-sided attack a liability for Juve. Or how Jovetic, despite having no service, was used to keep the Juve defence honest. Their talent is never deep, their budget is never endless and despite this, Prandelli always has them over performing.
As I mentioned in last weeks espresso, Napoli have that initial kick in the pants that comes with a coaching house cleaning. Napoli played well and especially Quagliarella looks to perform well to guarantee an Azzurri place.
Speaking of Azzurri, where the hell is this talk about Totti returning to the Azzurri fold? Why do Italians, especially those in Italy, love Totti so much? Have they seen him play in any of the big tournaments he’s played in? Did they blink and miss in participation in the Euro faster than it took Totti to spit in Christian Poulsen’s face? How about the world cup in Korea or in Germany for that matter?! What the fudge…Italians complain about how Del Piero doesn’t contribute his share at a national level…they should look at Totti’s track record. The best is during all this bogus talk about his return to the Azzurri, he’s contemplating season ending knee surgery. Sounds promising! Pah-leeze.
A player that is playing like his old self and could earn an Azzurri call up is Nesta of Milan. He has been great right from the start of the season. The problem is I happened to watch the Roma Milan game and saw the dive he did as Burdisso slide for a ball is Nesta’a position. Nesta fell to the ground like he was shot by a Mafioso while he dribbled the ball ever so slowly in the box, trying to bait an idiot defender into lunging for him. He succeeded however this cost him respect. Could you ever see the great Maldini or Baresi doing such a job? Despite this, even if he gets a call, he would probably wind up on the bench.
Milan’s win was unconvincing and should aide Galliani and co to try to spin doctor the win into the start of a turnaround. I won’t buy it and neither should you. Milan is all huff and puff but couldn’t blow a house of cards down.
Sampdoria failed to win at Lazio last weekend despite playing like an elite Serie A team. Yes, Cassano played well. Yes he dove like a dolphin in heat. Yes he looked silly complaining to the referees. However, it is obvious that his vision and passing is among the best in the world. Imagine what a talent he would be if a coach (besides Capello) could control his mental aspect. Ballotelli is turning into a Cassano Junior.
Ballotelli was everywhere during the Inter match. Elbowing, swearing, passing, shooting, yelling, diving and injuring himself. He scored too. His antics overshadowed the 5 – 0 drubbing an Eton’s and Mailto – less Inter placed on Genoa.
Watch out! Parma is creeping up the table slowly and seemingly, under-the-radar! Bovine and teammates are looking good. The might be able to finish in the upper half of the table and maybe compete for a Europa league spot.
Two things you shouldn’t miss.
1) Face punch Pazzini took. He calls for help right after and gets up. Why can’t other Italian players show that kind of strength. First they need to get off of Mama’s breast.
2) The Stankovic goal. Ok Amelia had a terrible mistake but look how good Stankovic hit it. It’s a one-timer with no bounce before contact. Great shot.
But there is no way I could end this issue with anything else besides Argentine great and current Argentina coach Diego Maradona doing what he’s been doing best lately. That is making himself look bad. After all the (deserving) heat he’s had on him for barely qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, he said the media could all “suck it” for counting him out. Later on on the team bus, after his media tirade, he demonstrated to the media what he meant. Diego, the internet is full of porn, did you really have to be that clear? (maradonna)
The weekend’s winners: Catania, Bari, Inter, Palermo, Milan, Napoli, Parma and Atalanta while Juventus tied vs Fiorentina while Sampdoria tied vs. Lazio.
Juve`s draw to Fiorentina was a great example of many different things.
First, how not to trap the ball. Is there a worse first touch than Juve forward Iaquinta`s? He has to have the worst first touch in all of professional football. No doubt. So terrible that the announcer on Saturday actually thought that an errand (terrible) first-timed shot was a pass to teammate Amauri, who scored on the play. Wow. Iaquinta might have the morons up in the booth fooled but for those who watch him play regularly, it remains a mystery why no coach in Italy can fix his clumsy feet. Smaller shoes perhaps?
Second, the game was a great example of the frustration of many fans who watch their teams get rewarded a corner only to see their team deliver a terrible ball from the corner flag. Why is it that we allow professionals to get away with this? If you job is as a professional footballer and you are one of the more accurate passers on your team (obviously, since your coach/captain has designated you the corner kick taker), how come you can’t get the ball within ten feet of goal? How come your leg strength isn’t up to snuff to get the ball to curl into a dangerous position? If I was rewarded a dollar for every terrible corner kick taken during a regular Serie A match I would have more dollars than Berlusconi has 18 year old girls. Trust me, it’s a lot. Just ask his soon to be ex-wife.
Third, this game provided another glaring example of the terrible officiating in Serie A. The referring is without a doubt, the worst in professional European football. You might hear me ragging on this issue many times however it truly is the root of all that is wrong (on the field anyway – off the pitch, that’s an entirely different story) with Serie A. After reading the biography of Italy’s best ever and maybe the world’s best ever referee (at least well recognized) Pier Luigi Collina, I know recognize the true value and importance of a referee. He has two main and equally important jobs. The first is to ensure that the game is played by the rules. The second and most overlooked job of the referee is to manage the different types of personalities on the pitch. Collina was a master at this. During all his big games, the world cup finals, the derby matches and the Champion’s league games you will notice him never contributing to the already tense atmosphere and he always made sure fouls or other such situations never escalated. This ensured that players played with respect towards him and most of all each other.
For instance, when a player has is elbows up while going for a head ball, this is a penalized offence. The referee, in some circumstances will issue a yellow or even red card, depending on intent and severity. Collina would always talk to both players involved first BEFORE issuing a card. Nowadays, you often see referees issuing cards as they run up to the location of the foul, without conferring with the players. This adds to the tense situation and creates a negative atmosphere. I could go on and on about the Serie A referring disgrace.
Lastly, this game was a great example of what great Serie A coaching is about. It is obvious that Ceassare Prandelli is an excellent tactician. Look at how Prandelli schemed (with the help of usually offensive Santana) to render the usually offensive Grosso’s left-sided attack a liability for Juve. Or how Jovetic, despite having no service, was used to keep the Juve defence honest. Their talent is never deep, their budget is never endless and despite this, Prandelli always has them over performing.
As I mentioned in last weeks espresso, Napoli have that initial kick in the pants that comes with a coaching house cleaning. Napoli played well and especially Quagliarella looks to perform well to guarantee an Azzurri place.
Speaking of Azzurri, where the hell is this talk about Totti returning to the Azzurri fold? Why do Italians, especially those in Italy, love Totti so much? Have they seen him play in any of the big tournaments he’s played in? Did they blink and miss in participation in the Euro faster than it took Totti to spit in Christian Poulsen’s face? How about the world cup in Korea or in Germany for that matter?! What the fudge…Italians complain about how Del Piero doesn’t contribute his share at a national level…they should look at Totti’s track record. The best is during all this bogus talk about his return to the Azzurri, he’s contemplating season ending knee surgery. Sounds promising! Pah-leeze.
A player that is playing like his old self and could earn an Azzurri call up is Nesta of Milan. He has been great right from the start of the season. The problem is I happened to watch the Roma Milan game and saw the dive he did as Burdisso slide for a ball is Nesta’a position. Nesta fell to the ground like he was shot by a Mafioso while he dribbled the ball ever so slowly in the box, trying to bait an idiot defender into lunging for him. He succeeded however this cost him respect. Could you ever see the great Maldini or Baresi doing such a job? Despite this, even if he gets a call, he would probably wind up on the bench.
Milan’s win was unconvincing and should aide Galliani and co to try to spin doctor the win into the start of a turnaround. I won’t buy it and neither should you. Milan is all huff and puff but couldn’t blow a house of cards down.
Sampdoria failed to win at Lazio last weekend despite playing like an elite Serie A team. Yes, Cassano played well. Yes he dove like a dolphin in heat. Yes he looked silly complaining to the referees. However, it is obvious that his vision and passing is among the best in the world. Imagine what a talent he would be if a coach (besides Capello) could control his mental aspect. Ballotelli is turning into a Cassano Junior.
Ballotelli was everywhere during the Inter match. Elbowing, swearing, passing, shooting, yelling, diving and injuring himself. He scored too. His antics overshadowed the 5 – 0 drubbing an Eton’s and Mailto – less Inter placed on Genoa.
Watch out! Parma is creeping up the table slowly and seemingly, under-the-radar! Bovine and teammates are looking good. The might be able to finish in the upper half of the table and maybe compete for a Europa league spot.
Two things you shouldn’t miss.
1) Face punch Pazzini took. He calls for help right after and gets up. Why can’t other Italian players show that kind of strength. First they need to get off of Mama’s breast.
2) The Stankovic goal. Ok Amelia had a terrible mistake but look how good Stankovic hit it. It’s a one-timer with no bounce before contact. Great shot.
But there is no way I could end this issue with anything else besides Argentine great and current Argentina coach Diego Maradona doing what he’s been doing best lately. That is making himself look bad. After all the (deserving) heat he’s had on him for barely qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, he said the media could all “suck it” for counting him out. Later on on the team bus, after his media tirade, he demonstrated to the media what he meant. Diego, the internet is full of porn, did you really have to be that clear? (maradonna)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Liverpool @ Sunderland - Tactics & Controversy
I got a chance to catch some English Premier League action this morning and it turned into a pretty good match.
With Sunderland sitting at a lofty 8th place and Liverpool at a disappointing 6th, this match had the chance to show two teams with very different outlooks.
With Sunderland sitting at a lofty 8th place and Liverpool at a disappointing 6th, this match had the chance to show two teams with very different outlooks.
Liverpool is clearly attempting to counter Sunderland’s two strikers, Kenwyn Jones and Darren Bent with a 3-man back line, which is unusual in the EPL. I really like a 3 man defense against a straight 4-4-2 and feel it gives the chance to dominate possession if played well. It appears that Benitez is using it as much to compensate for the absence of Garrard and Torres as for a tactical advantage. Skrtel, Carragher, and Agger are playing the back, with Glen Johnson and Aurelio as the wing backs. The 3-man front line is unusual but suits the talent that Liverpool has available. It looks something like this.
Benayoun – Babbel – Kuyt
Aurelio – Spearing – Lukas – Johnson
Agger – Carragher - Skrtel
Sunderland is playing the traditional EPL 4-4-2.
Benayoun – Babbel – Kuyt
Aurelio – Spearing – Lukas – Johnson
Agger – Carragher - Skrtel
Sunderland is playing the traditional EPL 4-4-2.
K.Jones – Bent
Reid – Cana – Cattermole – Malbranque
McCartney – A.Ferdinand – Turner – Bardsley
5’ – The action starts early as Reid drifts to the right and crosses the ball back into the box, it is backheeled by a Sunderland player and falls to Bent at the top left of the box. Bent calmly slams the ball towards the near post and it ricochets off what appears to be a beach-ball, and into the back of the net. The ref let the goal stand, apparently believing it had come off the foot of Glen Johnson.
While North American sports have embraced instant replay to review scoring plays, it really hasn’t happened in soccer. This is a great example of why it would be pertinent. It’s interesting that the FIFA rule calls for play to be stopped if an outside object interferes with play, yet the announcers would have us believe that it’s Reina’s fault for not puncturing the ball with his cleats when he had the chance. Strange.
12’ – Liverpool is pressing but Sunderland manages to clear after the ball bounces dangerously in the box.
16’ – Ryan Babel uses a nice stop-and-go move to get space amongst 3 defenders and unleashes a shot just over the bar.
I really like the way Kenwyn Jones is holding up the ball for the Sunderland attack. He’s taking the quick long-ball and then laying it off for a charging team-mate and it’s been quite effective.
Just saw the replay of the beach ball going on to the field. It was a kid, probably around 10 years old. He’ll either be the most popular or the most hated kid in school on Monday, depending on which team his class-mates support.
30’ – Benayoun, Babel and Kuyt are inter-changing positions and playing a weaving style of offense. With two of them dropping off regularly, it’s like having a 6-man midfield and Liverpool is dominating possession. Unfortunately, all 3 of these players are better off as support players on the front line and the team is lacking decisiveness in the box.
The wingback position definitely suits Johnson and Aurelio. They are extremely comfortable jumping into the attack. Both Skrtel and Agger also seem comfortable pushing into midfield on the attack.
39’ – Bardsley crosses after a throw-in and Bent’s header flashes just wide of the goal. As Liverpool comes back down the field, Spearing slashes a shot from the top of the box that just misses at it swerves outside.
Spearing’s play has been decent but Lukas looks terrible. ‘Pool need someone in those central midfield positions who can provide a play-making presence. Both are more apt to tackle and slam long shots toward goal.
42’ – Cattermole is doing a great job of controlling play in midfield. Not only is he tackling well, but he’s distributing well to the wings to initiate the attack.
Half – Liverpool has had 66% of the possession in the first half. Apparently the 3-4-3 formation was helping in that regard, but they really didn’t have any decent chances to show for it.
45’ – Henderson is in for McCartney, who may have picked up an injury. It could also be a tactical change since Johnson was dominating on runs down the right. Henderson slotted into the central midfield role while Ferdinand moved out to the left and Cana dropped back to central defense.
55’ – On the counter-attack, Jones placed a great through ball past 2 defenders for Bent, who tried to round Reina but was stopped by a fantastic outstretched save. The crowd was holding their breath during that play and you could here the disappointed sigh. That would have secured a win.
57’ - Cattermole is injured on a challenge, which could be a monstrous blow to Sunderland. Bolo Zenden comes in for him.
61’ – Bent intercepts a header back to Reina and hits the post with an outside foot strike. Sunderland is clearly getting chances to finish this game, but can’t seem to capitalize.
65’ – Jones goes off on a stretcher after a challenge from Skrtel. The Stadium of Light is harboring a lot of nervous energy as Sunderland are now down 2 of their best players. Frazier Campbell brings his young promise onto the field to replace Jones.
Sunderland is now fully playing behind the ball and looking for counter-attack options. At the moment, this seems like a sound strategy as Liverpool look confused defending on the break and Sunderland are losing the possession battle anyway.
69’ – On yet another counter-attack, Malbranque tries a shot on a 2v1 with Bent that is blocked by Carragher. Bent was all alone and should have received the ball for an easy goal. Yet another chance wasted by Sunderland.
72’ – Benitez abandons the 3-4-3 in favor of a 4-4-2 as he brings on Voronin and Mascherano for Skrtel and Spearing. Lukas should have come off instead. Babel and Benayoun are now playing out wide with Voronin and Kuyt up top.
The 3-4-3 was successful at neutralizing Jones, but the defenders seemed unsure how to handle Bent. That said, I think there could be some promise in this formation for Liverpool if they played a 3-4-1-2 with Torres up top, partnered with Kuyt and Garrard in the playmakers role behind them. That would leave the central midfield role up to the likes of Mascherano and Spearing or Lukas, but with no requirement for creativity. Also, Torres is considerably more effective than any of the other Liverpool forwards. The tactics were solid, but the finishing was poor today. Obviously this would work better against teams that play a traditional 4-4-2 rather than a 4-5-1.
81’ – N’Gog comes in for a largely ineffective Babel. N’Gog takes a spot alongside Voronin with Kuyt moving out wide to the right.
85’ – Kuyt and Johnson have made two straight forays up the right and have created chances both times. Liverpool needs to keep exploiting this mismatch as Ferdinand looks lost out on the left.
93’ – Gordon makes 2 great saves as Kuyt attempts a shot on the near post.
The win goes to Sunderland, which could mean real crisis for Liverpool. They’ll most likely drop to 8th spot, which is significantly off their expectations for the season. That said, they were victims of terrible luck and a poor call, but really were the team with fewer chances throughout the game.
Reid – Cana – Cattermole – Malbranque
McCartney – A.Ferdinand – Turner – Bardsley
5’ – The action starts early as Reid drifts to the right and crosses the ball back into the box, it is backheeled by a Sunderland player and falls to Bent at the top left of the box. Bent calmly slams the ball towards the near post and it ricochets off what appears to be a beach-ball, and into the back of the net. The ref let the goal stand, apparently believing it had come off the foot of Glen Johnson. While North American sports have embraced instant replay to review scoring plays, it really hasn’t happened in soccer. This is a great example of why it would be pertinent. It’s interesting that the FIFA rule calls for play to be stopped if an outside object interferes with play, yet the announcers would have us believe that it’s Reina’s fault for not puncturing the ball with his cleats when he had the chance. Strange.
12’ – Liverpool is pressing but Sunderland manages to clear after the ball bounces dangerously in the box.
16’ – Ryan Babel uses a nice stop-and-go move to get space amongst 3 defenders and unleashes a shot just over the bar.
I really like the way Kenwyn Jones is holding up the ball for the Sunderland attack. He’s taking the quick long-ball and then laying it off for a charging team-mate and it’s been quite effective.
Just saw the replay of the beach ball going on to the field. It was a kid, probably around 10 years old. He’ll either be the most popular or the most hated kid in school on Monday, depending on which team his class-mates support.
30’ – Benayoun, Babel and Kuyt are inter-changing positions and playing a weaving style of offense. With two of them dropping off regularly, it’s like having a 6-man midfield and Liverpool is dominating possession. Unfortunately, all 3 of these players are better off as support players on the front line and the team is lacking decisiveness in the box.
The wingback position definitely suits Johnson and Aurelio. They are extremely comfortable jumping into the attack. Both Skrtel and Agger also seem comfortable pushing into midfield on the attack.
39’ – Bardsley crosses after a throw-in and Bent’s header flashes just wide of the goal. As Liverpool comes back down the field, Spearing slashes a shot from the top of the box that just misses at it swerves outside.
Spearing’s play has been decent but Lukas looks terrible. ‘Pool need someone in those central midfield positions who can provide a play-making presence. Both are more apt to tackle and slam long shots toward goal.
42’ – Cattermole is doing a great job of controlling play in midfield. Not only is he tackling well, but he’s distributing well to the wings to initiate the attack.
Half – Liverpool has had 66% of the possession in the first half. Apparently the 3-4-3 formation was helping in that regard, but they really didn’t have any decent chances to show for it.
45’ – Henderson is in for McCartney, who may have picked up an injury. It could also be a tactical change since Johnson was dominating on runs down the right. Henderson slotted into the central midfield role while Ferdinand moved out to the left and Cana dropped back to central defense.
55’ – On the counter-attack, Jones placed a great through ball past 2 defenders for Bent, who tried to round Reina but was stopped by a fantastic outstretched save. The crowd was holding their breath during that play and you could here the disappointed sigh. That would have secured a win.
57’ - Cattermole is injured on a challenge, which could be a monstrous blow to Sunderland. Bolo Zenden comes in for him.
61’ – Bent intercepts a header back to Reina and hits the post with an outside foot strike. Sunderland is clearly getting chances to finish this game, but can’t seem to capitalize.
65’ – Jones goes off on a stretcher after a challenge from Skrtel. The Stadium of Light is harboring a lot of nervous energy as Sunderland are now down 2 of their best players. Frazier Campbell brings his young promise onto the field to replace Jones.
Sunderland is now fully playing behind the ball and looking for counter-attack options. At the moment, this seems like a sound strategy as Liverpool look confused defending on the break and Sunderland are losing the possession battle anyway.
69’ – On yet another counter-attack, Malbranque tries a shot on a 2v1 with Bent that is blocked by Carragher. Bent was all alone and should have received the ball for an easy goal. Yet another chance wasted by Sunderland.
72’ – Benitez abandons the 3-4-3 in favor of a 4-4-2 as he brings on Voronin and Mascherano for Skrtel and Spearing. Lukas should have come off instead. Babel and Benayoun are now playing out wide with Voronin and Kuyt up top.
The 3-4-3 was successful at neutralizing Jones, but the defenders seemed unsure how to handle Bent. That said, I think there could be some promise in this formation for Liverpool if they played a 3-4-1-2 with Torres up top, partnered with Kuyt and Garrard in the playmakers role behind them. That would leave the central midfield role up to the likes of Mascherano and Spearing or Lukas, but with no requirement for creativity. Also, Torres is considerably more effective than any of the other Liverpool forwards. The tactics were solid, but the finishing was poor today. Obviously this would work better against teams that play a traditional 4-4-2 rather than a 4-5-1.
81’ – N’Gog comes in for a largely ineffective Babel. N’Gog takes a spot alongside Voronin with Kuyt moving out wide to the right.
85’ – Kuyt and Johnson have made two straight forays up the right and have created chances both times. Liverpool needs to keep exploiting this mismatch as Ferdinand looks lost out on the left.
93’ – Gordon makes 2 great saves as Kuyt attempts a shot on the near post.
The win goes to Sunderland, which could mean real crisis for Liverpool. They’ll most likely drop to 8th spot, which is significantly off their expectations for the season. That said, they were victims of terrible luck and a poor call, but really were the team with fewer chances throughout the game.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Mike Tyson - I Couldn't Change the Channel
While flipping channels before the Monday night football game, I caught the Mike Tyson interview on Oprah. I don’t care if you watch boxing or not, you need to watch any interview with Mike Tyson. He has to be one of the most fascinating people of my entire lifetime. How many people can you think of, that have dominated their chosen profession so thoroughly, that people would pay just to find out how they’ll win next? The only ones I can say I’ve watched in my life are Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Wayne Gretzky.
When you factor in the jail time and the Holyfield bite, he makes Mike Vick look tame. Imagine if Tiger Woods clubbed Ernie Els over the head with his nine iron during the Masters and then went to jail for dealing ecstasy. Iron Mike is in a tier of his own.
I don’t know if they had him sedated or if Tyson has finally mellowed out, but he was quite calm and incredibly candid. He even spoke his mind when it was obvious that the answers wouldn’t make him look good. You couldn’t have pried the remote from my hand with a tire iron.
When Oprah asked him about his marriage to Robin Givens, he spoke as if she locked him in the basement for weeks at a time. He seemed defeated. Despite admitting that it was a violent relationship, he spoke of it going “both ways”. This blows my mind. How could Givens be so imbedded into Tyson’s head, even 10-15 years later?
Mike admitted that he didn’t like himself much when he left prison. He talked about the sheer amount of hatred that fills a penitentiary and how it made him a more hateful person.
As Oprah brought up the Holyfield incident, it was plain to see that Tyson was embarrassed. When asked about the reason for the bite, his answer showed the competitive fire and borderline insanity that made him such a force for so many years. He talked about how mad he was that Holyfield kept head-butting him and how he just wanted to inflict some pain back. He also added that he was just frustrated with losing to so badly to Holyfield. He even admitted that he hadn’t felt any guilt, whatsoever, when he bit him. That said, it was easy to see the guilt on his face as he described his desire to apologize to Evander and make things right.
Probably the highlight of the interview, for me, was Tyson’s answer to Oprah’s question about how much he hated his opponents. He alluded to the fact that there was “no room for emotion as a professional athlete” and he agreed with her when she asked if his opponents were mere objects in his way. Even in retirement, Iron Mike had the mentality of a stone cold killer and I couldn’t help but wish he was still fighting.
If you can find a video of the interview, I would strongly recommend watching it and I’ll definitely be getting my hands on the documentary, merely titled “Tyson”.
When you factor in the jail time and the Holyfield bite, he makes Mike Vick look tame. Imagine if Tiger Woods clubbed Ernie Els over the head with his nine iron during the Masters and then went to jail for dealing ecstasy. Iron Mike is in a tier of his own.
I don’t know if they had him sedated or if Tyson has finally mellowed out, but he was quite calm and incredibly candid. He even spoke his mind when it was obvious that the answers wouldn’t make him look good. You couldn’t have pried the remote from my hand with a tire iron.
When Oprah asked him about his marriage to Robin Givens, he spoke as if she locked him in the basement for weeks at a time. He seemed defeated. Despite admitting that it was a violent relationship, he spoke of it going “both ways”. This blows my mind. How could Givens be so imbedded into Tyson’s head, even 10-15 years later?
Mike admitted that he didn’t like himself much when he left prison. He talked about the sheer amount of hatred that fills a penitentiary and how it made him a more hateful person.
As Oprah brought up the Holyfield incident, it was plain to see that Tyson was embarrassed. When asked about the reason for the bite, his answer showed the competitive fire and borderline insanity that made him such a force for so many years. He talked about how mad he was that Holyfield kept head-butting him and how he just wanted to inflict some pain back. He also added that he was just frustrated with losing to so badly to Holyfield. He even admitted that he hadn’t felt any guilt, whatsoever, when he bit him. That said, it was easy to see the guilt on his face as he described his desire to apologize to Evander and make things right.
Probably the highlight of the interview, for me, was Tyson’s answer to Oprah’s question about how much he hated his opponents. He alluded to the fact that there was “no room for emotion as a professional athlete” and he agreed with her when she asked if his opponents were mere objects in his way. Even in retirement, Iron Mike had the mentality of a stone cold killer and I couldn’t help but wish he was still fighting.
If you can find a video of the interview, I would strongly recommend watching it and I’ll definitely be getting my hands on the documentary, merely titled “Tyson”.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
NFL Hangover - Week 5
I’ve always thought that Week 5 was the first point in the NFL season when we could truly say which teams are going to challenge for the Superbowl, which ones have a chance to win their division or wild card and which ones should beef up their college scouting departments as quickly as possible.
By the time Week 5 is over, we typically have a good feel for how some things will turn out and are left with some interesting questions that are yet to be answered.
Note: Any stat with (FO) was taken from Football Outsiders and any stat with (CHFF) was taken from Cold Hard Football Facts.
What we know
We know that the MVP race is lead by Peyton Manning, and no one else is close. This looked like Drew Brees’ year after the first few games, but Manning is on a historic streak right now. He leads the league is passing yards, passing TDs, passer rating, and DVOA (FO) and is 2nd in completion percentage. His team is 5-0 and he’s looked unstoppable. He drove his team for touchdown drives to finish the first half in the last two games. The time on the clock for each drive, 1:17 and 0:48. There is no discussion.
We know that the Bengals and Broncos are much better than most of us thought. Yes, especially me. I predicted the Bengals to finish 7-9 and the Broncos to crumble without Cutler. For the Bengals, their defense had the makings of a solid unit, but most of us were unsure how Carson Palmer would play and if the loss of “Housh” would be too much. Apparently Palmer is just fine and has meshed well with his new receiving corps. As for the Broncos, their defense has been Top 5 in DVOA (FO) under Mike Nolan. Their offense has been efficient under the tutelage of Josh McDaniels and the mistake-free play of Kyle Orton. We shouldn’t be surprised that McDaniels can run an offense after what he did in New England with Matt Cassel. Orton has been under-estimated by many, including myself, despite a career win-loss record of 26-12.
We know there are several teams that should be happy with a 2-14 record this year. Yes, I’m looking at you St. Louis, Buffalo, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay. This is the biggest group of truly terrible teams I’ve ever seen in one NFL season. If any of these teams are playing, I’ll be changing the channel on Sunday from now on. Exhibit A would be the Browns-Bills clash this week. No team should ever win when they complete 2 passes on 17 attempts.
Washington might be 2-3, but they’re terrible as well. They’ve beaten the Rams by 2 and the Bucs by 3. That’s nothing to brag about when you’ve lost to Detroit and Carolina. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish 4-12, and that’s only because they still have KC and Oakland on the schedule.
We know the Dolphins are better than their 2-3 record. The Wildcat and Chad Henne have given their offense just enough variety to keep defences off balance. They rank 14th in offensive DVOA (FO). Their defense is competent enough (17th in DVOA) to stick with any team in the league. They have losses to Atlanta, Indy and San Diego, who all were playoff teams last year. They played a tight, well-fought game against the Jets last night and fully deserved the win. They may not be ready for a deep playoff run, but they’ll probably be on the field for Wild Card Weekend.
We know the Giants haven’t been affected by the loss of Plaxico Burress or Derrick Ward. I thought the loss of these two talents would knock the Giants down a peg this season. The reason they haven’t been affected is due to talented young players elevating their games. Steve Smith and Mario Manningham have played outstanding so far and Ahmad Bradshaw has picked up where Ward left off. It hasn’t hurt that Eli Manning seems to have matured as well, with a QB rating over 100 and an effective yards (FO) ranking of 4th in the league.
We know that Michael Crabtree didn’t gain much from his holdout. I’ve already explained my reasons for disapproving of the Crabtree holdout. In the end, he got a 6 year contract worth ~$32M with $17M guaranteed. So his guaranteed money fits the #10 slot in the draft, but his potential earnings are closer to what Heyward-Bey got. This compromise could have been reached before training camp, since NFL teams are more worried about the guaranteed money to draft picks than anything that is earned through performance. And to top it off, he missed 5 weeks worth of salary, which probably negates a big chunk of what he gained in the holdout.
We know that most people didn’t expect Cedric Benson to be leading the NFL in rushing yards or Steve Smith (NYG) to be leading the NFL in receiving yards. I touted Benson as a sleeper fantasy pick, but thought Dominik Hixon would pick up Plaxico’s targets, not Smith. While we’re on the topic, I’d like to thank Miles Austin for making me look just a little bit smarter after this week’s performance.
We know the Colts, Giants, Vikings and Saints look like the favorites to win the Superbowl. This might be the first time in 5 or 6 years that the NFC has more Superbowl contenders than the AFC.
Questions to be answered
Can the Broncos defense continue as a Top 5 or even a Top 10 unit? To be clear, I’m not talking about yards allowed, I’m talking about scoring, DVOA (FO), Defensive Hog Index (CHFF) or any other stat that correlates to actually winning football games. I’m skeptical, but it’s only because they were so poor last year.
Will Cleveland’s roster makeover backfire? They just traded Braylon Edwards, the most proven offensive weapon they had left. I’m not saying I’d build a team around Edwards, but Mohammed Massaquoi might be just a 1 game wonder. At the moment, they’ve given the Jets their starting QB and now possibly a #1 wide receiver. Mangini better hope the players and picks he got back in those trades were worth it. For Braylon Edwards and Mark Sanchez, they’ve received Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnick, Alex Mack (1st rd), David Veikune (2nd rd), Kenyon Coleman, Abram Elam, Brett Ratliff and 2 draft picks (3rd & 5th rounders). The Browns needed a roster makeover, but I’m not thrilled with any of the players on that list.
How bad is Tennessee? They have essentially the same roster that went 13-3 last year. That said, they’re missing Haynesworth and I predicted a harsh slide this season. Not only that, but apparently Kerry Collins is off the fountain of youth and it may be time to give Vince Young his final shot as a starting quarterback. Their team efficiency rating (FO) is -28.1% which ranks them 27th in the league in a combination of offense, defense and special teams. Apparently they are worse than I thought.
Will any team finish with a winless record again this year? I think the Rams have the best chance to go 0-16. They have 4 losses of 19+ points and the only remaining games that look remotely winnable are against Detroit, Houston and Tennessee. They have the 3rd worst Team Efficiency (FO) rating in the entire NFL.
Did I deliberately copy the name “Hangover” for my column from DJ Gallo or the gentlemen from Cold Hard Football Facts? Absolutely not. To be honest, after week 1, it was the best way I could describe the combination of exhaustion and exhilaration that had followed the first Sunday of the season. At the time, I had never read either of those columns and wasn’t aware of them. I haven’t received any complaints, so I don’t plan on changing the title.
After a great Monday nighter, Thanksgiving feast and probably too many drinks this weekend, it’s no wonder I feel hung over.
By the time Week 5 is over, we typically have a good feel for how some things will turn out and are left with some interesting questions that are yet to be answered.
Note: Any stat with (FO) was taken from Football Outsiders and any stat with (CHFF) was taken from Cold Hard Football Facts.
What we know
We know that the MVP race is lead by Peyton Manning, and no one else is close. This looked like Drew Brees’ year after the first few games, but Manning is on a historic streak right now. He leads the league is passing yards, passing TDs, passer rating, and DVOA (FO) and is 2nd in completion percentage. His team is 5-0 and he’s looked unstoppable. He drove his team for touchdown drives to finish the first half in the last two games. The time on the clock for each drive, 1:17 and 0:48. There is no discussion.
We know that the Bengals and Broncos are much better than most of us thought. Yes, especially me. I predicted the Bengals to finish 7-9 and the Broncos to crumble without Cutler. For the Bengals, their defense had the makings of a solid unit, but most of us were unsure how Carson Palmer would play and if the loss of “Housh” would be too much. Apparently Palmer is just fine and has meshed well with his new receiving corps. As for the Broncos, their defense has been Top 5 in DVOA (FO) under Mike Nolan. Their offense has been efficient under the tutelage of Josh McDaniels and the mistake-free play of Kyle Orton. We shouldn’t be surprised that McDaniels can run an offense after what he did in New England with Matt Cassel. Orton has been under-estimated by many, including myself, despite a career win-loss record of 26-12.
We know there are several teams that should be happy with a 2-14 record this year. Yes, I’m looking at you St. Louis, Buffalo, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay. This is the biggest group of truly terrible teams I’ve ever seen in one NFL season. If any of these teams are playing, I’ll be changing the channel on Sunday from now on. Exhibit A would be the Browns-Bills clash this week. No team should ever win when they complete 2 passes on 17 attempts.
Washington might be 2-3, but they’re terrible as well. They’ve beaten the Rams by 2 and the Bucs by 3. That’s nothing to brag about when you’ve lost to Detroit and Carolina. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish 4-12, and that’s only because they still have KC and Oakland on the schedule.
We know the Dolphins are better than their 2-3 record. The Wildcat and Chad Henne have given their offense just enough variety to keep defences off balance. They rank 14th in offensive DVOA (FO). Their defense is competent enough (17th in DVOA) to stick with any team in the league. They have losses to Atlanta, Indy and San Diego, who all were playoff teams last year. They played a tight, well-fought game against the Jets last night and fully deserved the win. They may not be ready for a deep playoff run, but they’ll probably be on the field for Wild Card Weekend.
We know the Giants haven’t been affected by the loss of Plaxico Burress or Derrick Ward. I thought the loss of these two talents would knock the Giants down a peg this season. The reason they haven’t been affected is due to talented young players elevating their games. Steve Smith and Mario Manningham have played outstanding so far and Ahmad Bradshaw has picked up where Ward left off. It hasn’t hurt that Eli Manning seems to have matured as well, with a QB rating over 100 and an effective yards (FO) ranking of 4th in the league.
We know that Michael Crabtree didn’t gain much from his holdout. I’ve already explained my reasons for disapproving of the Crabtree holdout. In the end, he got a 6 year contract worth ~$32M with $17M guaranteed. So his guaranteed money fits the #10 slot in the draft, but his potential earnings are closer to what Heyward-Bey got. This compromise could have been reached before training camp, since NFL teams are more worried about the guaranteed money to draft picks than anything that is earned through performance. And to top it off, he missed 5 weeks worth of salary, which probably negates a big chunk of what he gained in the holdout.
We know that most people didn’t expect Cedric Benson to be leading the NFL in rushing yards or Steve Smith (NYG) to be leading the NFL in receiving yards. I touted Benson as a sleeper fantasy pick, but thought Dominik Hixon would pick up Plaxico’s targets, not Smith. While we’re on the topic, I’d like to thank Miles Austin for making me look just a little bit smarter after this week’s performance.
We know the Colts, Giants, Vikings and Saints look like the favorites to win the Superbowl. This might be the first time in 5 or 6 years that the NFC has more Superbowl contenders than the AFC.
Questions to be answered
Can the Broncos defense continue as a Top 5 or even a Top 10 unit? To be clear, I’m not talking about yards allowed, I’m talking about scoring, DVOA (FO), Defensive Hog Index (CHFF) or any other stat that correlates to actually winning football games. I’m skeptical, but it’s only because they were so poor last year.
Will Cleveland’s roster makeover backfire? They just traded Braylon Edwards, the most proven offensive weapon they had left. I’m not saying I’d build a team around Edwards, but Mohammed Massaquoi might be just a 1 game wonder. At the moment, they’ve given the Jets their starting QB and now possibly a #1 wide receiver. Mangini better hope the players and picks he got back in those trades were worth it. For Braylon Edwards and Mark Sanchez, they’ve received Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnick, Alex Mack (1st rd), David Veikune (2nd rd), Kenyon Coleman, Abram Elam, Brett Ratliff and 2 draft picks (3rd & 5th rounders). The Browns needed a roster makeover, but I’m not thrilled with any of the players on that list.
How bad is Tennessee? They have essentially the same roster that went 13-3 last year. That said, they’re missing Haynesworth and I predicted a harsh slide this season. Not only that, but apparently Kerry Collins is off the fountain of youth and it may be time to give Vince Young his final shot as a starting quarterback. Their team efficiency rating (FO) is -28.1% which ranks them 27th in the league in a combination of offense, defense and special teams. Apparently they are worse than I thought.
Will any team finish with a winless record again this year? I think the Rams have the best chance to go 0-16. They have 4 losses of 19+ points and the only remaining games that look remotely winnable are against Detroit, Houston and Tennessee. They have the 3rd worst Team Efficiency (FO) rating in the entire NFL.
Did I deliberately copy the name “Hangover” for my column from DJ Gallo or the gentlemen from Cold Hard Football Facts? Absolutely not. To be honest, after week 1, it was the best way I could describe the combination of exhaustion and exhilaration that had followed the first Sunday of the season. At the time, I had never read either of those columns and wasn’t aware of them. I haven’t received any complaints, so I don’t plan on changing the title.
After a great Monday nighter, Thanksgiving feast and probably too many drinks this weekend, it’s no wonder I feel hung over.
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Weekly Serie A Espresso: Italian Soccer Round-up
Serie A, like many European professional leagues, is off this week during FIFA World Cup soccer qualifying. As such and as Italy, the defending World Cup Champions have locked it’s place in next year’s soccer exchavaganza, this is a great week for the first edition of the Weekly Espresso.
The article will take a quick look at Serie A and Italian soccer in the time it takes to sip on an espresso or drink a shot of Bosco or smoke a cigarette…all great Italian past-times.
So pull up to the bar, order your drink and let’s get loud.
The FIFA break allows us to review the standings.
Inter
16
Sampdoria
16
Juventus
14
Fiorentina
14
Genoa
13
Chievo
11
Udinese
11
Roma
11
Parma
11
Palermo
9
Lazio
9
Milan
9
Bari
8
Cagliari
7
Napoli
7
Bologna
6
Siena
5
Catania
4
Atalanta
3
Livorno
3
At the top and not too surprising are the positions of defending champion’s Inter, the reconstructed Juventus and the ever-motivated and well-coached Fiorentina. What is surprising is the resurgence of Sampdoria.
Although we could mention the tireless legs of defensive midfielder Angelo Palombo, the great wing play of Padalino or the great finishing of Fiorentina arrival Pazzini but it would give you the wrong impression. Although there is no doubt that the performances along with others (Daniele Mannini surprising play) have been important factors in Sampdoria’s great season (so far), the two most important factors are above and beyond the keys to Sampdoria’s play and will be going forward. Those factors are Antonio Cassano’s right and left boots.
Cassano could very well be the best Italian in the Serie A this season and as proved to be a more mature player than ever. Always known for his great offensive talents, this year he has been the consummate playmaker, displaying world-class vision and creativity and even more surprising has been his off field growth.
Often criticized as being much too interested in hookers, alcholol, vacations, cars, clubs and running his mouth (remember the hilarious shot at Azzurri player Simone Pepe?), Talantonio has shown some maturity. Involved in a serious relationship seemed to have helped, having some teammates with leadership has as well, but what is with the turnaround? Despite being constantly over-looked by Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi (an obvious personality clash with Lippi who believes in the importance of team chemistry) although displaying impossible-to-ignore performances, Cassano has not attacked the National coach or shown his disapproval in public. All the while receiving massive praise from the media and even an old coach in the form of current England coach Fabio Capello.
If Cassano continues his form, Sampdoria will be in contention for a Champion’s League spot come spring…the real question will be will Lippi be able to continue to plead ignorance…
Another surprise at the top, at least for some, is the absence of Milan. What I don’t get is how could a team who was too old last year, make only one defensive change of importance, zero midfield changes and gambling on an largely unproven striker (Huntelaar) even think about winning the scudetto after loosing one of the top 3 players in the entire world (Kaka) and not making any important moves to get younger. This team is doomed to have a serious personality issue. When he wants (every 4th game or so) Ronaldinho can still play at an elite level however he is clearly a player you can not build a team of quality around and is not to be depending on. Despite this, team owner, madman and Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi has a deep infatuation with the partying brazilian. This man-crush will doom Milan and it’s fans to a 6th to 12th league finish. Milan seems to be content in letting Leonardo pretend that he has ultimate control of the team. This could spell a disaster to fans that have not much to cheer for since loosing Kaka. Hey, at least Silvio didn’t sell Milan’s only elite young talent Pato to ex-Milan coach and current Chelsea coach Carlo Ancellotti…well, at least not yet…
Good results so far have Genoa competing for a Champion’s League spot however this was largely expected despite loosing cult hero Milito and midfield runner Thiago Motta. Don’t let Chievo’s position fool you. They will drop faster than a cannonball off the tower of Pisa. They don’t have the talent and their schedule was relatively easy so far.
Meatball of the Week:
Roberto Dona-dummy. The Napoli coach was ripped on live TV by Napoli owner and the absolute best owner (for purely enternaining purposes only), Aurelio De Laurentiis, who just before fired their long time general manager who has an impecible resume. No matter what happens to Coach Donadoni, it is clear he needs to go back to what made him a good coach, go back to the lower leagues. Pay your dues and for the love of pizza, get some media-relation lessons!
The up coming week: How good do the Juventus-Fiorentina, Milan-Roma, Inter-Genoa match ups look like? Another game that might raise some eyebrows is the Napoli-Bolonga matchup. Napoli can blame their coach all they want but the bottom line is that the players have to perform. How about new coach Wlater Mazzarri telling his players that each player will have their performance rating on live TV by Mr. Hold-no punches De Laurentiis. Ouch. That would make even the laziest of players like Dimitar Berbatov break a sweat!
The article will take a quick look at Serie A and Italian soccer in the time it takes to sip on an espresso or drink a shot of Bosco or smoke a cigarette…all great Italian past-times.
So pull up to the bar, order your drink and let’s get loud.
The FIFA break allows us to review the standings.
Inter
16
Sampdoria
16
Juventus
14
Fiorentina
14
Genoa
13
Chievo
11
Udinese
11
Roma
11
Parma
11
Palermo
9
Lazio
9
Milan
9
Bari
8
Cagliari
7
Napoli
7
Bologna
6
Siena
5
Catania
4
Atalanta
3
Livorno
3
At the top and not too surprising are the positions of defending champion’s Inter, the reconstructed Juventus and the ever-motivated and well-coached Fiorentina. What is surprising is the resurgence of Sampdoria.
Although we could mention the tireless legs of defensive midfielder Angelo Palombo, the great wing play of Padalino or the great finishing of Fiorentina arrival Pazzini but it would give you the wrong impression. Although there is no doubt that the performances along with others (Daniele Mannini surprising play) have been important factors in Sampdoria’s great season (so far), the two most important factors are above and beyond the keys to Sampdoria’s play and will be going forward. Those factors are Antonio Cassano’s right and left boots.
Cassano could very well be the best Italian in the Serie A this season and as proved to be a more mature player than ever. Always known for his great offensive talents, this year he has been the consummate playmaker, displaying world-class vision and creativity and even more surprising has been his off field growth.
Often criticized as being much too interested in hookers, alcholol, vacations, cars, clubs and running his mouth (remember the hilarious shot at Azzurri player Simone Pepe?), Talantonio has shown some maturity. Involved in a serious relationship seemed to have helped, having some teammates with leadership has as well, but what is with the turnaround? Despite being constantly over-looked by Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi (an obvious personality clash with Lippi who believes in the importance of team chemistry) although displaying impossible-to-ignore performances, Cassano has not attacked the National coach or shown his disapproval in public. All the while receiving massive praise from the media and even an old coach in the form of current England coach Fabio Capello.
If Cassano continues his form, Sampdoria will be in contention for a Champion’s League spot come spring…the real question will be will Lippi be able to continue to plead ignorance…
Another surprise at the top, at least for some, is the absence of Milan. What I don’t get is how could a team who was too old last year, make only one defensive change of importance, zero midfield changes and gambling on an largely unproven striker (Huntelaar) even think about winning the scudetto after loosing one of the top 3 players in the entire world (Kaka) and not making any important moves to get younger. This team is doomed to have a serious personality issue. When he wants (every 4th game or so) Ronaldinho can still play at an elite level however he is clearly a player you can not build a team of quality around and is not to be depending on. Despite this, team owner, madman and Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi has a deep infatuation with the partying brazilian. This man-crush will doom Milan and it’s fans to a 6th to 12th league finish. Milan seems to be content in letting Leonardo pretend that he has ultimate control of the team. This could spell a disaster to fans that have not much to cheer for since loosing Kaka. Hey, at least Silvio didn’t sell Milan’s only elite young talent Pato to ex-Milan coach and current Chelsea coach Carlo Ancellotti…well, at least not yet…
Good results so far have Genoa competing for a Champion’s League spot however this was largely expected despite loosing cult hero Milito and midfield runner Thiago Motta. Don’t let Chievo’s position fool you. They will drop faster than a cannonball off the tower of Pisa. They don’t have the talent and their schedule was relatively easy so far.
Meatball of the Week:
Roberto Dona-dummy. The Napoli coach was ripped on live TV by Napoli owner and the absolute best owner (for purely enternaining purposes only), Aurelio De Laurentiis, who just before fired their long time general manager who has an impecible resume. No matter what happens to Coach Donadoni, it is clear he needs to go back to what made him a good coach, go back to the lower leagues. Pay your dues and for the love of pizza, get some media-relation lessons!
The up coming week: How good do the Juventus-Fiorentina, Milan-Roma, Inter-Genoa match ups look like? Another game that might raise some eyebrows is the Napoli-Bolonga matchup. Napoli can blame their coach all they want but the bottom line is that the players have to perform. How about new coach Wlater Mazzarri telling his players that each player will have their performance rating on live TV by Mr. Hold-no punches De Laurentiis. Ouch. That would make even the laziest of players like Dimitar Berbatov break a sweat!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Battle of Alberta - Oct 9, 2009
Growing up in Central Alberta, we were half-way between Edmonton and Calgary during one of the biggest hockey rivalries of all time. In the mid-eighties, both teams were the elite of the league and as a young hockey fanatic, I was forced to choose my allegiance. I chose the Flames, probably as much to create the same rivalry in our house with my dad, an Oilers fan, as to side with my uncle, who had Flames season tickets. I suffered for that choice through most of my childhood as the Oilers won 5 Stanley Cups to the Flames 1.
So it seemed perfect that my first ever NHL column is about watching last night’s Battle of Alberta with my dad. Not only do we get to watch the rivalry, but we get to lob barbs at each other throughout the game.
For years, the Oilers had the upper hand in The Battle, so it still seems weird to me that the Flames are the favorites going into these games. That said, they met less than a week ago, and the Flames only won because Khabibulin mishandled the puck and gave away a free goal for the Flames win.
With the first period underway, both teams are playing it pretty close to the vest and hoping to get a break. I always enjoy this period of any game, because it happens in every sport. Both teams are trying not to make a mistake and looking for cracks to exploit in the other teams defense. Apparently the Oilers are using this period of the game to show the Flames that they have the refs in their pocket as Penner shows perfect hit-from-behind form on one of the Flames d-men.
Finally, the Flames get a power play and a chance to hopefully continue their #1 PP status in the league. They pepper shots at the net, but the Bulin Wall holds. Just as the penalty is expiring, Gilbert Brule hits Ethan Moreau with a breakaway pass after he snuck behind Regehr. Moreau put a great shot just over Kiprusoff’s right pad to make it 1-0. Edmonton has the momentum.
As a side note, I’m a firm believer in momentum. While I’m very big on teams and media using statistics to describe the success of strategies, players or teams, they can never describe the affect of momentum. There are ebbs and flows to a game that can never be described by statistics and the great players know how to both grab momentum and steal it when it’s going against them.
At this point in the game, it has essentially been a stalemate and the Flames power play looked like it might swing the game their way. To have Moreau ruin all that hard work in one quick shot, is deflating. Factor in the home crowd and you have an Oilers team full of confidence and a Flames team struggling to shrug it off. From this point on, the Oilers have the upper hand unless Calgary can come up with a big play.
As if to prove my point, the Oilers are swarming the offensive zone right now and the only thing keeping Calgary in the game is Kipper standing on his head. On the power play, Lubomir Visnovsky makes a beautiful play by faking the pass down the boards and causing Craig Conroy to completely overplay that pass. Visnovsky stepped around Conroy and unleashed a bullet shot to the low right side of the net. 2-0 Oilers.
Going into the first intermission, the Oilers have everything going for them and one more goal could put this game away.
In the first minute of the 2nd period, Sheldon Souray and Jerome Iginla went crashing into the boards while racing for the puck. Souray suffered a mild concussion and Iginla got called for tripping, despite smashing his own head into the boards. I watched the replay four times, and there’s no way it was intentional, despite my dad making comments about how dirty it was, just to get me fired up.
Later in the period, Iggy made the mistake he always does in heated games, he got goaded into a fight. Moreau, upset with Souray’s injury, picked a fight with him and Iggy obliged. Part of the reason Jerome is one of my 2 favorite players of all time (the other is Cam Neely) is because he’s equally capable of scoring and imposing himself physically. That said, he’s got to pick his spots. The last thing the Flames needed was to lose their best offensive player when down 2-0, especially when the Oilers only lost Moreau.
The Flames manage to get a 5-on-3 power play, on a sketchy penalty call. If the defender can’t try to lift the stick, I think we’re getting away from physical play too much.
Someone needs to explain to me how you can run a proper 5-on-3 PP with 5 left-handed players. I understand that Iggy was in the box, but there are other right-handers on the roster. By using all left-handed players, the key benefit of the 2 man advantage is lost. The Oilers recognized this and forced the Flames to move the puck away from the side where they could one-time the shot. As a result, they had time to rotate over and close the shooting lanes.
Near the end of the period, the Flames caught a break as Langkow’s shot hit a defender and bounced past Khabibulin. 2-1 at the end of the 2nd and the Flames have found some life.
At the beginning of the 3rd, Jacques is trying to pick a fight with Iggy, but he’s apparently learned his lesson. I like this guy Jacques. He’s been solid on the top line and realizes that his job is to impose a physical presence and grind in the corners. He’s a good fit for Edmonton.
The line with Rene Bourque and Nigel Dawes is putting great pressure on the Oilers with Pardy and Kronwall pinching at just the right times. After pinning the Oilers in their zone for ~45 seconds, Kronwall puts a shot on net that Dawes deflects into the net. 2-2.
With the Flames back in the game, the Rexall crowd seems nervous. No fan wants to see their team give up a two goal lead, especially my dad. I’m enjoying this.
9 minutes later, Ales Hemsky displays a goal-scorer’s patience as he out-waits Kiprusoff while moving to his right and puts the puck past him. 3-2 Oilers and Rexall Place is going nuts. My dad is gloating and I don’t feel so good.
The Flames pulled their goalie and are doing their best to put some shots on net while hoping for a lucky bounce. With only a few seconds left, I’m mentally trying to will Phaneuf to “shoot the damn puck” as he slides it across to Bouwmeester. Big Jay puts one on net that Bourque tips down past Khabibulin’s feet and into the net. 3-3 and absolute silence at Rexall Place. I love it. My dad wants a replay and the refs apparently heard him. To be honest, you can’t tell from these replays if the stick is over the crossbar. No matter which way the ref called it, that’s the way it will stay.
In OT, the Oilers absolutely dominated the Flames with 7 shots to 0. The only reason the Flames survived was that Kipper put on a goaltending clinic.
Shoot-out time. I didn’t like Gagner’s attempt to go five-hole on Kipper because he didn’t make him move. It’s easier to go 5-hole if the goalie is moving across the crease. Both Dawes and O’Sullivan make beautiful shots for goals that were almost identical. I think the cross-body, top corner shot is one of the hardest in hockey, but also one of the most unstoppable. Neither goalie had a hope. Somehow Olli Jokinen manages to squeeze a puck between the post and Khabi’s pad for a 2-1 edge. With all the pressure on Hemsky, he pulls Kipper just slightly off the post and goes top corner, only to have it hit the post. Game over and another Flames win.
Calgary holds a 2-0 edge in the Battle of Alberta so far this year, but it looks like they’ll be close games. Sorry Dad.
So it seemed perfect that my first ever NHL column is about watching last night’s Battle of Alberta with my dad. Not only do we get to watch the rivalry, but we get to lob barbs at each other throughout the game.
For years, the Oilers had the upper hand in The Battle, so it still seems weird to me that the Flames are the favorites going into these games. That said, they met less than a week ago, and the Flames only won because Khabibulin mishandled the puck and gave away a free goal for the Flames win.
With the first period underway, both teams are playing it pretty close to the vest and hoping to get a break. I always enjoy this period of any game, because it happens in every sport. Both teams are trying not to make a mistake and looking for cracks to exploit in the other teams defense. Apparently the Oilers are using this period of the game to show the Flames that they have the refs in their pocket as Penner shows perfect hit-from-behind form on one of the Flames d-men.
Finally, the Flames get a power play and a chance to hopefully continue their #1 PP status in the league. They pepper shots at the net, but the Bulin Wall holds. Just as the penalty is expiring, Gilbert Brule hits Ethan Moreau with a breakaway pass after he snuck behind Regehr. Moreau put a great shot just over Kiprusoff’s right pad to make it 1-0. Edmonton has the momentum.
As a side note, I’m a firm believer in momentum. While I’m very big on teams and media using statistics to describe the success of strategies, players or teams, they can never describe the affect of momentum. There are ebbs and flows to a game that can never be described by statistics and the great players know how to both grab momentum and steal it when it’s going against them.
At this point in the game, it has essentially been a stalemate and the Flames power play looked like it might swing the game their way. To have Moreau ruin all that hard work in one quick shot, is deflating. Factor in the home crowd and you have an Oilers team full of confidence and a Flames team struggling to shrug it off. From this point on, the Oilers have the upper hand unless Calgary can come up with a big play.
As if to prove my point, the Oilers are swarming the offensive zone right now and the only thing keeping Calgary in the game is Kipper standing on his head. On the power play, Lubomir Visnovsky makes a beautiful play by faking the pass down the boards and causing Craig Conroy to completely overplay that pass. Visnovsky stepped around Conroy and unleashed a bullet shot to the low right side of the net. 2-0 Oilers.
Going into the first intermission, the Oilers have everything going for them and one more goal could put this game away.
In the first minute of the 2nd period, Sheldon Souray and Jerome Iginla went crashing into the boards while racing for the puck. Souray suffered a mild concussion and Iginla got called for tripping, despite smashing his own head into the boards. I watched the replay four times, and there’s no way it was intentional, despite my dad making comments about how dirty it was, just to get me fired up.
Later in the period, Iggy made the mistake he always does in heated games, he got goaded into a fight. Moreau, upset with Souray’s injury, picked a fight with him and Iggy obliged. Part of the reason Jerome is one of my 2 favorite players of all time (the other is Cam Neely) is because he’s equally capable of scoring and imposing himself physically. That said, he’s got to pick his spots. The last thing the Flames needed was to lose their best offensive player when down 2-0, especially when the Oilers only lost Moreau.
The Flames manage to get a 5-on-3 power play, on a sketchy penalty call. If the defender can’t try to lift the stick, I think we’re getting away from physical play too much.
Someone needs to explain to me how you can run a proper 5-on-3 PP with 5 left-handed players. I understand that Iggy was in the box, but there are other right-handers on the roster. By using all left-handed players, the key benefit of the 2 man advantage is lost. The Oilers recognized this and forced the Flames to move the puck away from the side where they could one-time the shot. As a result, they had time to rotate over and close the shooting lanes.
Near the end of the period, the Flames caught a break as Langkow’s shot hit a defender and bounced past Khabibulin. 2-1 at the end of the 2nd and the Flames have found some life.
At the beginning of the 3rd, Jacques is trying to pick a fight with Iggy, but he’s apparently learned his lesson. I like this guy Jacques. He’s been solid on the top line and realizes that his job is to impose a physical presence and grind in the corners. He’s a good fit for Edmonton.
The line with Rene Bourque and Nigel Dawes is putting great pressure on the Oilers with Pardy and Kronwall pinching at just the right times. After pinning the Oilers in their zone for ~45 seconds, Kronwall puts a shot on net that Dawes deflects into the net. 2-2.
With the Flames back in the game, the Rexall crowd seems nervous. No fan wants to see their team give up a two goal lead, especially my dad. I’m enjoying this.
9 minutes later, Ales Hemsky displays a goal-scorer’s patience as he out-waits Kiprusoff while moving to his right and puts the puck past him. 3-2 Oilers and Rexall Place is going nuts. My dad is gloating and I don’t feel so good.
The Flames pulled their goalie and are doing their best to put some shots on net while hoping for a lucky bounce. With only a few seconds left, I’m mentally trying to will Phaneuf to “shoot the damn puck” as he slides it across to Bouwmeester. Big Jay puts one on net that Bourque tips down past Khabibulin’s feet and into the net. 3-3 and absolute silence at Rexall Place. I love it. My dad wants a replay and the refs apparently heard him. To be honest, you can’t tell from these replays if the stick is over the crossbar. No matter which way the ref called it, that’s the way it will stay.
In OT, the Oilers absolutely dominated the Flames with 7 shots to 0. The only reason the Flames survived was that Kipper put on a goaltending clinic.
Shoot-out time. I didn’t like Gagner’s attempt to go five-hole on Kipper because he didn’t make him move. It’s easier to go 5-hole if the goalie is moving across the crease. Both Dawes and O’Sullivan make beautiful shots for goals that were almost identical. I think the cross-body, top corner shot is one of the hardest in hockey, but also one of the most unstoppable. Neither goalie had a hope. Somehow Olli Jokinen manages to squeeze a puck between the post and Khabi’s pad for a 2-1 edge. With all the pressure on Hemsky, he pulls Kipper just slightly off the post and goes top corner, only to have it hit the post. Game over and another Flames win.
Calgary holds a 2-0 edge in the Battle of Alberta so far this year, but it looks like they’ll be close games. Sorry Dad.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
NFL Hangover Week 4
Going into Week 4, there were only a few games I wanted to watch, compared to most week’s where I’m bouncing between 6 games at once. If you missed one of these games, hopefully I can give you an idea how it played out.
Seahawks (17) at Colts (34)
I realize this wasn’t considered a colossal match-up, but I wanted to watch Peyton Manning obliterate yet another defense.
The network just showed a graphic called the “Ultimate QB Comparison” between Seneca Wallace and Peyton Manning. My coffee almost came out my nose. Isn’t this like showing a caption that says “Ultimate Wife Comparison” featuring Lorena Bobbitt and Angelina Jolie?
Dwight Freeney is playing, but mostly on third downs. It seems like a great way to use him if he’s not 100%, but might be a blueprint for later in the season anyway. Wouldn’t the Colts defense be more formidable if Freeney and Mathis subbed out on 1st downs and short 2nd downs? They would be fresh for 2nd or 3rd and long and would be less susceptible to first down draws and power runs.
So far, the Pierre Garcon experiment is a resounding success. He gives the Colts the best size/speed combination they’ve had at receiver in the last decade. Even if he doesn’t blow up for 125 yards per game, he’s a different type of threat for defenses to account for.
The Colts put together their first drive centered around Joseph Addai and Donald Brown caps it off with a TD. 7-0. That seemed too easy. I might not be watching this game for long.
The Seahawks offense is getting eaten up, but their defense holds the Colts on the next drive. Seneca Wallace just missed a bomb for a touchdown.
Edgerrin James just came in for a carry and got a great reception from the Indy crowd. I don’t think most people realize how great Edge was with the Colts. They let him leave at just the right time, but they would never have become a dominant offense without him. In 7 seasons with the Colts, his average season was 1300 yds rushing, 400 yds receiving & 10 TDs. That’s unreal.
Donald Brown just fumbled after a great run on a draw play but the ref rules it was recovered by Seattle out of bounds. The Colts run a quick snap out of the no huddle to make sure Seattle can’t challenge. Why don’t more teams do this? Even if you only gain 2 yards up the gut, it’s better than having a turnover. This is why Manning wins games, he’s smarter than other teams. To cap off the drive, Manning hits Reggie Wayne on a drag route underneath for a TD. 14-0.
TJ Houshmandzadeh is having a big game, which is no surprise. The Colts have trouble with big receivers underneath and that is TJ’s game to a tee. Seattle is putting together a decent drive and spreading it out to all their WR’s. I like the combination of Burleson and TJ. The drive ends with a great stand on 1st and goal by the Colts defense. Note to opposing offensive coordinators, don’t try to run outside on the Colts, they’re too fast. Run up the middle on their 270 pound tackles. Shouldn’t this be common sense? Did I just tell other teams how to score on the Colts? The Seahawks kick a FG to make it 14-3 with 1:30 left in the half.
After the kickoff, the Colts have the ball on their own 20 yard line with 1:17 to go. It’s time for Manning’s magic. I’m giddy. How many quarterbacks can you watch, knowing they have a phenomenal chance to get a TD with 80 yards to go and 1:17 on the clock?
Manning hits Austin Collie for a diving TD catch to cap the drive. 21-0. That TD tied him with Fran Tarkenton for 3rd all time in touchdown passes. Bill Simmons called Manning an assassin in his power rankings and I couldn’t agree more. On the drive he completed 7 passes to 5 different receivers and never once looked rattled or rushed. He knew they’d get the touchdown.
On the Colts first drive of the 2nd half, they march down the field again with Addai scoring a TD. 28-3 in the 3rd quarter. I didn’t watch any longer, this one is done.
Ravens (21) at Patriots (27)
The Ravens look as unstoppable as any team in the league right now. Their defense is always great and the offense is running the NY Giants 08/09 blueprint. They ride 3 running backs pounding the ball and Flacco exploits the teams crowding the box.
On the other hand, the Patriots are the model franchise of the last decade but seem to be slipping somewhat. I love games that pit the up-and-comers versus the old guard.
The Ravens didn’t start well with a fumble on the opening kickoff though, although they only gave up a FG after sacking Brady.
Joe Flacco missed his first pass by 10 yards and his second one bounced off the chest of a defensive lineman. When did the Ravens trade for JaMarcus Russell? With Flacco rattled and the Foxboro crowd going nuts, the Pats commit an offside penalty and give the Ravens 3rd and 5, which Flacco converted. New England just missed a colossal opportunity to put the Ravens offense on it’s heels. Never let a shaken quarterback get his confidence back.
Flacco’s confidence is building on the opening drive and he just converted 3rd and 4 off a play that was designed with an unbalanced line and play action off the threat of a WR reverse. This is a textbook OBP. I loved it.
Speaking of great offensive play design, I love Cam Cameron as an offensive coordinator, but he was a terrible head coach. For those familiar with the Peter Principle, the NFL is full of great examples, Gregg Williams, Dick LeBeau, Norv Turner and Kevin Gilbride. The key is whether they know their limits. If you’re not familiar with the Peter Principle, just type it into google, I’m sure Wikipedia could explain it way better than I ever could.
While I was rambling on, the drive ended with Flacco completing a TD pass to Derrick Mason. Flacco released the ball just as he got drilled and Mason hung on to the ball despite having his legs cut out and landing on his back and head. WOW. 7-3 for the Upstarts.
Wes Welker is the key to the Patriots offense. Yeah, I said it. When he’s in the game, the linebackers and safeties have to play the crossing and short routes differently, opening up deep passes for Moss and Watson. Without Welker in the lineup, the field wasn’t stretched. It seems odd to say a small guy who catches 7 yard curls helps stretch the field.
The NFL lists Haloti Ngata as 345 pounds and Kelly Gregg as 315 pounds. That’s the equivalent of having a grizzly bear on the field to stuff the run. Come to think of it, that’s how it looked as they swallowed up Lawrence Maroney.
Speaking of Ngata, he just fell victim to the worst rule in football. The Ravens were just penalized 15 yards for a hand to Brady’s face. He had his hands up trying to knock down the pass and his hand grazed Brady’s facemask. I want the league’s QBs to be protected from cheap shots, but this is ridiculous. The call extended the drive.
After a 4th and 1 conversion, Brady called the QB sneak for a touchdown. 10-7 for the old guard, aided by a terrible rule.
The Ravens aren’t moving the ball well now and the Pats force a punt. On the next drive, Brady looks like he’s getting back to the stone killer he used to be. He just pump-faked left and then hit Ben Watson up the seem to the right. Oh no, we just had another overprotection sighting. Suggs was called for roughing the passer because he grazed Brady’s knee. The announcers defended the call because Brady practically asked the ref for the flag. Neither play showed any intent to injure Brady, so why are they all worth 15 yards? With another drive extended due to cheap penalties, the Pats score another TD. 17-7 Pats.
With 1:11 left in the first half, Flacco throws a pick as he and his WR clearly looked like they were expecting different routes.
I missed the first part of the second half but came back to a 17-14 score. Glad to see the Ravens aren’t going to roll over.
Brady has clearly decided that this is his game to win. He completed back-to-back passes over the middle to Aiken and Moss and then narrowly avoided a sack to hit Moss for a TD. 24-14 Pats.
Ravens ball and they’re intent on unleashing Ray Rice. He just caught a 4 yard pass on 3rd and 8 and made two quick moves to get the final 4 yards and a first down. At this point, Rice has 99 yards on 9 rushing attempts. I’d call that explosive. Flacco hits McGahee for a 13 yard TD on a combination route that follows Heap clearing out a zone. Great play call Cam. 24-21 Pats.
Not to be outdone, Brady leads another drive down the field, this time relying on the run more. However, the Ravens defense holds in the red zone and they force a FG. 27-21 Pats.
The Ravens have time to get the ball back. After a decent drive, they have 4th and 1 and line up in a 3-wide formation. I’m thinking a quick hitch, possibly a slant route or a draw play. Nope, they just jam it up the middle and get stuffed. I hate play calls like that. If having 3 wide receivers doesn’t spread out the linebackers, audible to a pass. It’s like these guys never play Madden.
The Ravens get one more shot after forcing a punt from the Pats and have to run the no huddle. On 4th and 3, Flacco hits Mark Clayton, and he drops the pass. Game over.
I guess the old guard wasn’t ready to give up their title just yet.
Bengals (23) at Browns (20)
I had no intention of watching this game whatsoever. I figured the Browns were the worst team in the NFL (apologies to Tampa Bay, you guys are equally miserable) and didn’t stand a chance against a Bengals team who were one lucky play away from being undefeated.
But there I was, 2 minutes into the second half, tuning in to a 14-7 Cincy lead. As I’m watching a decent Browns drive, they flash a graphic showing that the Browns had gone 235 straight rushes without a TD. Yes, that was the sound of Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison being dropped from millions of fantasy teams, you heard it correctly. But wait a second, the Browns got down to the 1 yard line, maybe they can break the streak. Interception by the Bengals. I guess the streak is alive.
On the next Browns drive, Jerome Harrison came alive with a great run that caused some sort of pushing fight after a huge tackle. Hey, Braylon Edwards, you’re barely strong enough to hold onto the ball, don’t pick fights with defensive linemen. The drive ends with Derek Andersen running in a TD to make it 14-14. We have a game.
After recovering a Bengals fumble, the Browns kick another FG to make it 17-14.
I’m not that impressed with the Bengals offense. With Carson Palmer, Ochocinco and a half-decent running game, they should be moving the ball. Instead, they’ve had six 3-and-outs this game. Yuck.
After another terrible Bengals drive, the Browns capitalize on a short field for a 20-14 lead.
Bernard Scott enters the game for the Bengals and apparently is determined to light a fire under the Bengals running game. He has 2 big runs and Cincy ends up with a TD on the drive. 20-20 with an extra point blocked by Shaun Rogers. I have no idea what to make of this. Rogers blocked a FG earlier in the game. With only an extra point between them and the lead with 2 minutes to go, the Bengals couldn’t find a way to stop him?
The Browns get the ball back with 1:52 on the clock and no timeouts. They drive to the Bengals 40 but stall and decide NOT to attempt a 57 yard field goal for the win with 12 seconds left. They punt instead. Has Mangini lost his mind? The football gods are not going to like this one.
Cincy wins the coin toss in OT and elects to receive. If Cleveland had won the coin toss, Mangini would have given up the ball just so they didn’t turn it over. I’m still completely and utterly confused on the 57-yarder decision.
I have 2 words to describe the play in overtime. SUCK and FEST.
Eventually the Bengals win it when Carson Palmer converts on 4th down with a run and they maneuver into FG range after another 2 plays. 23-20 Bengals over the Cowards….I mean Browns.
Jets (10) at Saints (24)
This is one of those early season titanic clashes that helps shape which teams are primed for playoff runs and capable of winning against the good teams. Both teams are 3-0.
Due to the incompetent OT session on the Bengals-Browns game, I didn’t join this one until there was 3:14 left in the 1st quarter and the Saints are up 3-0.
After hearing the announcers talk about Gregg Williams “dialing up a blitz” on the last play, I’m left to wonder why we still use that phrase. While I’m sure it has some origins from WWII and calling in an air attack, shouldn’t we find a better term? I like “charging up a blitz” or “cranking up a blitz”. If you have anything better, I’m listening.
Mark Sanchez takes the Jets down to the redzone and is promptly baited by Darren Sharper who picks it off on the goal line and returns it the length of the field for a TD. 10-0 Saints. It’s hard enough to stop the Saints offense without giving up defensive TD’s.
On the next Saints drive, the moved the ball reasonably well, eventually getting down inside the 5. The Saints decided to try pounding 2 straight runs into the pile in a 2-back, 3-TE set and then tried to pass out of that same setup on the next 2 downs. Why does a team with such success spreading the field and using mismatches go to a power game on the goal line? I’m not saying the red zone provides the same room to maneuver that the middle of the field does, but play to your strengths.
The Jets get the ball on downs but are backed up inside their own 5. As I mentioned earlier in the column, I think Gregg Williams is a great defensive coordinator, even if he wasn’t much of a head coach. Well, in this case, he “cranked up” enough pressure to get around the corner and cause the sack-fumble combo on Sanchez. The fumble was recovered in the end zone for another defensive TD. 17-0 Saints.
At this point, it’s apparent that these aren’t the Saints from the last few years. They’ve showed their offense in earlier games, but apparently they’ve found a way to put their defensive stamp on the game as well.
On the next drive, Jets rookie RB Shonn Greene showed a nice burst in the Jets backfield and they moved the ball along the ground. They settled for a FG but got on the board. 17-3. The Jets defense held on the next series to get the ball back.
The Saints just crowded the line with 8 in the box, but only rushed 4. The tactic confused the blocking scheme of the Jets O-line enough to let the left DE come in free on Sanchez. This play wins my respect in the “Favorite Madden Tactic” category. You’re right, I’m not in complete touch with reality. So what?
We go into halftime with the Saints up 17-3. Both defenses are playing very well, with the Saints getting some turnovers, which have been the difference.
The second half started the same way as the first half ended…..with free rushers getting to Sanchez. Rex Ryan might want to take a break from the defensive side of the ball and teach his O-line how to pick up the same kind of pass rush he’s so used to generating.
The under-rated story in this game is how toothless the Saints offense has been. The Jets have had Brees under pressure and have covered his receiving options quite well. That said, New Orleans refuses to run the ball. They could run the draw with Bush or a more conventional running attack with Pierre Thomas to slow the blitzes.
Bush runs the draw like I said….and fumbles. OK, maybe the Pierre Thomas option is better. The Jets use the turnover well and score a TD on a Thomas Jones run. 17-10.
On the next drive, either the Saints realized the benefits of rushing, or they were taking pity on my fantasy team, because they finally started running with Pierre Thomas. He gained 15 yards, 7 yards, and 18 yards on his first 3 carries. Apparently there is something to this running thing. Unfortunately, they got stuffed on 4th and inches a few plays later.
3rd and 1 for the Jets and Randall Gay shows beautiful pass defense by staying tight to the receiver and getting his hand in front to knock the pass down. I still think that’s the most under-rated play in football with every ref looking to throw a pass interference flag. I take that back, catching a JaMarcus Russell pass is the hardest play in football. My bad.
The Jets shut down the Saints offense again. On 3rd and 2, the Jets try to run the ball despite New Orleans crowding 9 in the box. Memo to Mr. Sanchez, you might want to audible to a pass in this situation.
With it still only a 1-score lead, the Saints find life when Brees completes a crucial 3rd and 6 pass. This seems to spark a P. Thomas running game and touchdown. 24-10 and essentially game over.
Sanchez throws two picks down the stretch trying to get the Jets back into the game. It looks like the Saints win the first battle for respectability this year. Great teams find multiple ways to win and they’ve managed two wins on offense, one on defense and one with a balanced game.
Chargers (28) at Steelers (38)
The Sunday night game appeared to be a decent matchup on the surface but the Chargers have the Norv curse and it seems to be killing them this year.
With the Steelers up 7-0 in the first quarter, they are consistently getting themselves into 3rd and short situations. Big Ben specializes in 3rd and short as they spread the field and leave him options to scramble. The drive continues down the field and Mewelde Moore scored on a reception. 14-0.
San Diego isn’t able to move the ball much but punts it inside the Steelers 10 yard line.
The Steelers continue to get to short downs. On 3rd and 3, they spread the field and make the short throw. Rashard Mendenhall, the talented but ill-prepared young RB, breaks a nice run by bouncing outside to the right. The Steelers follow that up with a reverse to Holmes that appeared to have an option to pass. Mendenhall bounces another run outside for 10-15 yards. He could have a big night. Big Ben was sacked on the next play but Mendenhall blew up a blitzing middle linebacker so badly that Ron Jaworski had to show it on the replay. He’ll be getting some free dinners from the O-line for that one. It reminded me of the knock-out blow MJD delivered last year. Ben is sacked again and it’s followed with a punt.
The Chargers do nothing with the ball again and on the next drive Mendenhall turns a dump pass into a decent gain. Ben completes his next pass to Heath Miller down to the 2 yard line and Mendenhall completes the drive with a spinning 2-yard TD run. 21-0.
With four possessions in the first half, the Steelers had 3 drives over 75 yards for touchdowns and one drive for 57 yards and a punt. That’s great offensive output.
I barely watched the second half of the game but the 38-28 score was extremely flattering to San Diego. This game was over at halftime and the Steelers just bled the clock and forced San Diego to take chances.
Mendenhall finished the game with 29 carries, 165 yards, 2 touchdowns and most likely the starters job. Mr. Mendenhall, welcome to my fantasy team.
Packers (23) at Vikings (30)
So, there’s this guy, who was great, retired, un-retired, got traded, then retired again, un-retired and joined his old team’s arch rival.
With the Vikings at 3-0 and the Pack at 2-1, this was already a great rivalry game. Add in the gun-slinging media darling and it becomes the biggest hype machine since Brett un-retired for the second time. Note that I refuse to use the phrase “came back” since he never left. He just pretended like he was going to leave. There’s a difference.
Up until the last drive of the game against the 49ers, Favre actually hasn’t been doing anything special this season. He’s looked better than Tarvaris Jackson did last year. That’s like being the tallest of the seven dwarves.
I love the early screen pass and draw plays called by Green Bay. They are taking advantage of a pumped up and possibly performance-enhanced Vikings defensive line who is playing extremely aggressive. Rodgers looks poised on the drive and everything seems to be working for the Packers. That is, until Jared Allen strips the ball from Rodgers. That will kill a drive in a hurry.
The Vikings first 4 plays are hand offs to Adrian Peterson. I also like this strategy. Use the best back in the league and don’t let your aging quarterback try to do too much against his old team. Favre completes his first pass to Bernard Berrian. The Vikes even convert a 4th and 1 inside the 10 and Favre completes a TD pass to Visanthe Shiancoe who was probably his 3rd option on the play. Nice drive, 7-0 Vikes.
With 2:36 left in the 1st quarter, and Green Bay facing a 3rd and 5, Rodgers completes a 62-yard catch and run touchdown to Jermichael Finley to tie the game. A great play and a great name.
At this point, Ron Jaworski has already called AP the greatest running back to ever play the game and Jared Allen the best man off the corner in the NFL. While I think both players are clearly in the top 5 in both categories, I think we might be under-estimating players like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Dwight Freeney and DeMarcus Ware. No doubt, Jaws will be spewing the same sunshine about whatever players he’s covering next week.
In contrast to Jaworksi’s fact-less drivel, the network just showed that the Vikings defense has allowed the least rushing yards ever over a 3 year span. I knew they were good, but that is downright impressive. It does, however, question the NFL adage that run defense and running the ball on offense wins games. The Vikes allowed the least rushing yards and had the NFL’s leading rusher last season. They should have dominated. They finished 10-6 but got destroyed by the Eagles in the playoffs.
Rodgers just got picked on a great play by Antoine Winfield. I love DB’s who bait the QB. For those counting at home, that’s 3 decent drives by Green Bay now and two have ended in turnovers.
AP just stopped in the middle of bouncing a run outside to the right, cut hard left and gained 10 yards. Whoa. Maybe Jaws is right.
Enough already, we get it that Brett Favre has great arm strength. You’ve been telling us for 16 years now, I think we’ve figured it out. What the bobbleheads in the booth should be talking about is Favre’s great pump fake to an outside left route and then threw a TD over the middle to Sidney Rice. 14-7 Vikes and Favre is looking better than he has all year.
Jared Allen gets another sack of Rodgers on 3rd down with under five minutes left in the second quarter.
With 3:30 left in the half, Clay Matthews Jr. makes a monstrous play to rip the ball from AP’s hands and takes it the other way for a TD. 14-14 and the Packers have a pulse.
With the ball back, Favre just missed Berrian deep by putting the ball over the wrong shoulder. Come to think of Berrian’s history, he probably ran the wrong route. The next two plays are a well-designed screen to Chester Taylor and a rocket throw over the middle to Percy Harvin. Harvin got an extra 15-20 yards with a quick move to his left that made the initial defender miss.
Pass interference is called on Charles Woodson and it negated his perfect coverage and an amazing one-handed interception as he rolled and kept it from touching the ground. What a terrible call considering how perfectly he defended that play. On the next play, AP goes into the end zone and the ref again alters a game. 21-14 Vikes.
In the 2nd half Favre executes a pump-and-go route to perfection up the left sideline for a 28-14 lead. I haven’t seen him play this well in 3 years.
Green Bay stays alive with a nice drive. With Ryan Grant almost in the endzone, he takes a massive hit from 3 different Vikings at the same time. What a hit! The slow motion didn’t do it justice. You rarely see a running back go from full speed to a dead stop instantly. He’ll feel that one for a couple weeks. The Vikings defend the goal line plays well to leave the Packers with 4th and goal. Rodgers hangs in the pocket and finds Donald Lee in the end zone, but he drops the pass. That was a game-killer.
At one point on the next drive, the Vikings had completed 7 straight 3rd down conversions, which is amazing.
On the next Green Bay drive, with the ball at their 1 yard line, Jared Allen catches up to Rodgers once again, this time for the safety, 30-14. Jared Allen has been a beast all night so it’s only fitting that he sealed the win. Every play from this point on was merely a formality. Great performance by the Vikings and Brett Favre’s best game in 4 or 5 years. I guess this time the hype was worth it.
What a roller-coaster week of football it was. Peyton pulled his ninja-like assassination methods on yet another team, the Saints defense outscored their offense, Rashard Mendenhall altered every fantasy league in the country, too many ref decisions affected games for the worse and Brett Favre lived up to the hype. No wonder I feel hung over.
Seahawks (17) at Colts (34)
I realize this wasn’t considered a colossal match-up, but I wanted to watch Peyton Manning obliterate yet another defense.
The network just showed a graphic called the “Ultimate QB Comparison” between Seneca Wallace and Peyton Manning. My coffee almost came out my nose. Isn’t this like showing a caption that says “Ultimate Wife Comparison” featuring Lorena Bobbitt and Angelina Jolie?
Dwight Freeney is playing, but mostly on third downs. It seems like a great way to use him if he’s not 100%, but might be a blueprint for later in the season anyway. Wouldn’t the Colts defense be more formidable if Freeney and Mathis subbed out on 1st downs and short 2nd downs? They would be fresh for 2nd or 3rd and long and would be less susceptible to first down draws and power runs.
So far, the Pierre Garcon experiment is a resounding success. He gives the Colts the best size/speed combination they’ve had at receiver in the last decade. Even if he doesn’t blow up for 125 yards per game, he’s a different type of threat for defenses to account for.
The Colts put together their first drive centered around Joseph Addai and Donald Brown caps it off with a TD. 7-0. That seemed too easy. I might not be watching this game for long.
The Seahawks offense is getting eaten up, but their defense holds the Colts on the next drive. Seneca Wallace just missed a bomb for a touchdown.
Edgerrin James just came in for a carry and got a great reception from the Indy crowd. I don’t think most people realize how great Edge was with the Colts. They let him leave at just the right time, but they would never have become a dominant offense without him. In 7 seasons with the Colts, his average season was 1300 yds rushing, 400 yds receiving & 10 TDs. That’s unreal.
Donald Brown just fumbled after a great run on a draw play but the ref rules it was recovered by Seattle out of bounds. The Colts run a quick snap out of the no huddle to make sure Seattle can’t challenge. Why don’t more teams do this? Even if you only gain 2 yards up the gut, it’s better than having a turnover. This is why Manning wins games, he’s smarter than other teams. To cap off the drive, Manning hits Reggie Wayne on a drag route underneath for a TD. 14-0.
TJ Houshmandzadeh is having a big game, which is no surprise. The Colts have trouble with big receivers underneath and that is TJ’s game to a tee. Seattle is putting together a decent drive and spreading it out to all their WR’s. I like the combination of Burleson and TJ. The drive ends with a great stand on 1st and goal by the Colts defense. Note to opposing offensive coordinators, don’t try to run outside on the Colts, they’re too fast. Run up the middle on their 270 pound tackles. Shouldn’t this be common sense? Did I just tell other teams how to score on the Colts? The Seahawks kick a FG to make it 14-3 with 1:30 left in the half.
After the kickoff, the Colts have the ball on their own 20 yard line with 1:17 to go. It’s time for Manning’s magic. I’m giddy. How many quarterbacks can you watch, knowing they have a phenomenal chance to get a TD with 80 yards to go and 1:17 on the clock?
Manning hits Austin Collie for a diving TD catch to cap the drive. 21-0. That TD tied him with Fran Tarkenton for 3rd all time in touchdown passes. Bill Simmons called Manning an assassin in his power rankings and I couldn’t agree more. On the drive he completed 7 passes to 5 different receivers and never once looked rattled or rushed. He knew they’d get the touchdown.
On the Colts first drive of the 2nd half, they march down the field again with Addai scoring a TD. 28-3 in the 3rd quarter. I didn’t watch any longer, this one is done.
Ravens (21) at Patriots (27)
The Ravens look as unstoppable as any team in the league right now. Their defense is always great and the offense is running the NY Giants 08/09 blueprint. They ride 3 running backs pounding the ball and Flacco exploits the teams crowding the box.
On the other hand, the Patriots are the model franchise of the last decade but seem to be slipping somewhat. I love games that pit the up-and-comers versus the old guard.
The Ravens didn’t start well with a fumble on the opening kickoff though, although they only gave up a FG after sacking Brady.
Joe Flacco missed his first pass by 10 yards and his second one bounced off the chest of a defensive lineman. When did the Ravens trade for JaMarcus Russell? With Flacco rattled and the Foxboro crowd going nuts, the Pats commit an offside penalty and give the Ravens 3rd and 5, which Flacco converted. New England just missed a colossal opportunity to put the Ravens offense on it’s heels. Never let a shaken quarterback get his confidence back.
Flacco’s confidence is building on the opening drive and he just converted 3rd and 4 off a play that was designed with an unbalanced line and play action off the threat of a WR reverse. This is a textbook OBP. I loved it.
Speaking of great offensive play design, I love Cam Cameron as an offensive coordinator, but he was a terrible head coach. For those familiar with the Peter Principle, the NFL is full of great examples, Gregg Williams, Dick LeBeau, Norv Turner and Kevin Gilbride. The key is whether they know their limits. If you’re not familiar with the Peter Principle, just type it into google, I’m sure Wikipedia could explain it way better than I ever could.
While I was rambling on, the drive ended with Flacco completing a TD pass to Derrick Mason. Flacco released the ball just as he got drilled and Mason hung on to the ball despite having his legs cut out and landing on his back and head. WOW. 7-3 for the Upstarts.
Wes Welker is the key to the Patriots offense. Yeah, I said it. When he’s in the game, the linebackers and safeties have to play the crossing and short routes differently, opening up deep passes for Moss and Watson. Without Welker in the lineup, the field wasn’t stretched. It seems odd to say a small guy who catches 7 yard curls helps stretch the field.
The NFL lists Haloti Ngata as 345 pounds and Kelly Gregg as 315 pounds. That’s the equivalent of having a grizzly bear on the field to stuff the run. Come to think of it, that’s how it looked as they swallowed up Lawrence Maroney.
Speaking of Ngata, he just fell victim to the worst rule in football. The Ravens were just penalized 15 yards for a hand to Brady’s face. He had his hands up trying to knock down the pass and his hand grazed Brady’s facemask. I want the league’s QBs to be protected from cheap shots, but this is ridiculous. The call extended the drive.
After a 4th and 1 conversion, Brady called the QB sneak for a touchdown. 10-7 for the old guard, aided by a terrible rule.
The Ravens aren’t moving the ball well now and the Pats force a punt. On the next drive, Brady looks like he’s getting back to the stone killer he used to be. He just pump-faked left and then hit Ben Watson up the seem to the right. Oh no, we just had another overprotection sighting. Suggs was called for roughing the passer because he grazed Brady’s knee. The announcers defended the call because Brady practically asked the ref for the flag. Neither play showed any intent to injure Brady, so why are they all worth 15 yards? With another drive extended due to cheap penalties, the Pats score another TD. 17-7 Pats.
With 1:11 left in the first half, Flacco throws a pick as he and his WR clearly looked like they were expecting different routes.
I missed the first part of the second half but came back to a 17-14 score. Glad to see the Ravens aren’t going to roll over.
Brady has clearly decided that this is his game to win. He completed back-to-back passes over the middle to Aiken and Moss and then narrowly avoided a sack to hit Moss for a TD. 24-14 Pats.
Ravens ball and they’re intent on unleashing Ray Rice. He just caught a 4 yard pass on 3rd and 8 and made two quick moves to get the final 4 yards and a first down. At this point, Rice has 99 yards on 9 rushing attempts. I’d call that explosive. Flacco hits McGahee for a 13 yard TD on a combination route that follows Heap clearing out a zone. Great play call Cam. 24-21 Pats.
Not to be outdone, Brady leads another drive down the field, this time relying on the run more. However, the Ravens defense holds in the red zone and they force a FG. 27-21 Pats.
The Ravens have time to get the ball back. After a decent drive, they have 4th and 1 and line up in a 3-wide formation. I’m thinking a quick hitch, possibly a slant route or a draw play. Nope, they just jam it up the middle and get stuffed. I hate play calls like that. If having 3 wide receivers doesn’t spread out the linebackers, audible to a pass. It’s like these guys never play Madden.
The Ravens get one more shot after forcing a punt from the Pats and have to run the no huddle. On 4th and 3, Flacco hits Mark Clayton, and he drops the pass. Game over.
I guess the old guard wasn’t ready to give up their title just yet.
Bengals (23) at Browns (20)
I had no intention of watching this game whatsoever. I figured the Browns were the worst team in the NFL (apologies to Tampa Bay, you guys are equally miserable) and didn’t stand a chance against a Bengals team who were one lucky play away from being undefeated.
But there I was, 2 minutes into the second half, tuning in to a 14-7 Cincy lead. As I’m watching a decent Browns drive, they flash a graphic showing that the Browns had gone 235 straight rushes without a TD. Yes, that was the sound of Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison being dropped from millions of fantasy teams, you heard it correctly. But wait a second, the Browns got down to the 1 yard line, maybe they can break the streak. Interception by the Bengals. I guess the streak is alive.
On the next Browns drive, Jerome Harrison came alive with a great run that caused some sort of pushing fight after a huge tackle. Hey, Braylon Edwards, you’re barely strong enough to hold onto the ball, don’t pick fights with defensive linemen. The drive ends with Derek Andersen running in a TD to make it 14-14. We have a game.
After recovering a Bengals fumble, the Browns kick another FG to make it 17-14.
I’m not that impressed with the Bengals offense. With Carson Palmer, Ochocinco and a half-decent running game, they should be moving the ball. Instead, they’ve had six 3-and-outs this game. Yuck.
After another terrible Bengals drive, the Browns capitalize on a short field for a 20-14 lead.
Bernard Scott enters the game for the Bengals and apparently is determined to light a fire under the Bengals running game. He has 2 big runs and Cincy ends up with a TD on the drive. 20-20 with an extra point blocked by Shaun Rogers. I have no idea what to make of this. Rogers blocked a FG earlier in the game. With only an extra point between them and the lead with 2 minutes to go, the Bengals couldn’t find a way to stop him?
The Browns get the ball back with 1:52 on the clock and no timeouts. They drive to the Bengals 40 but stall and decide NOT to attempt a 57 yard field goal for the win with 12 seconds left. They punt instead. Has Mangini lost his mind? The football gods are not going to like this one.
Cincy wins the coin toss in OT and elects to receive. If Cleveland had won the coin toss, Mangini would have given up the ball just so they didn’t turn it over. I’m still completely and utterly confused on the 57-yarder decision.
I have 2 words to describe the play in overtime. SUCK and FEST.
Eventually the Bengals win it when Carson Palmer converts on 4th down with a run and they maneuver into FG range after another 2 plays. 23-20 Bengals over the Cowards….I mean Browns.
Jets (10) at Saints (24)
This is one of those early season titanic clashes that helps shape which teams are primed for playoff runs and capable of winning against the good teams. Both teams are 3-0.
Due to the incompetent OT session on the Bengals-Browns game, I didn’t join this one until there was 3:14 left in the 1st quarter and the Saints are up 3-0.
After hearing the announcers talk about Gregg Williams “dialing up a blitz” on the last play, I’m left to wonder why we still use that phrase. While I’m sure it has some origins from WWII and calling in an air attack, shouldn’t we find a better term? I like “charging up a blitz” or “cranking up a blitz”. If you have anything better, I’m listening.
Mark Sanchez takes the Jets down to the redzone and is promptly baited by Darren Sharper who picks it off on the goal line and returns it the length of the field for a TD. 10-0 Saints. It’s hard enough to stop the Saints offense without giving up defensive TD’s.
On the next Saints drive, the moved the ball reasonably well, eventually getting down inside the 5. The Saints decided to try pounding 2 straight runs into the pile in a 2-back, 3-TE set and then tried to pass out of that same setup on the next 2 downs. Why does a team with such success spreading the field and using mismatches go to a power game on the goal line? I’m not saying the red zone provides the same room to maneuver that the middle of the field does, but play to your strengths.
The Jets get the ball on downs but are backed up inside their own 5. As I mentioned earlier in the column, I think Gregg Williams is a great defensive coordinator, even if he wasn’t much of a head coach. Well, in this case, he “cranked up” enough pressure to get around the corner and cause the sack-fumble combo on Sanchez. The fumble was recovered in the end zone for another defensive TD. 17-0 Saints.
At this point, it’s apparent that these aren’t the Saints from the last few years. They’ve showed their offense in earlier games, but apparently they’ve found a way to put their defensive stamp on the game as well.
On the next drive, Jets rookie RB Shonn Greene showed a nice burst in the Jets backfield and they moved the ball along the ground. They settled for a FG but got on the board. 17-3. The Jets defense held on the next series to get the ball back.
The Saints just crowded the line with 8 in the box, but only rushed 4. The tactic confused the blocking scheme of the Jets O-line enough to let the left DE come in free on Sanchez. This play wins my respect in the “Favorite Madden Tactic” category. You’re right, I’m not in complete touch with reality. So what?
We go into halftime with the Saints up 17-3. Both defenses are playing very well, with the Saints getting some turnovers, which have been the difference.
The second half started the same way as the first half ended…..with free rushers getting to Sanchez. Rex Ryan might want to take a break from the defensive side of the ball and teach his O-line how to pick up the same kind of pass rush he’s so used to generating.
The under-rated story in this game is how toothless the Saints offense has been. The Jets have had Brees under pressure and have covered his receiving options quite well. That said, New Orleans refuses to run the ball. They could run the draw with Bush or a more conventional running attack with Pierre Thomas to slow the blitzes.
Bush runs the draw like I said….and fumbles. OK, maybe the Pierre Thomas option is better. The Jets use the turnover well and score a TD on a Thomas Jones run. 17-10.
On the next drive, either the Saints realized the benefits of rushing, or they were taking pity on my fantasy team, because they finally started running with Pierre Thomas. He gained 15 yards, 7 yards, and 18 yards on his first 3 carries. Apparently there is something to this running thing. Unfortunately, they got stuffed on 4th and inches a few plays later.
3rd and 1 for the Jets and Randall Gay shows beautiful pass defense by staying tight to the receiver and getting his hand in front to knock the pass down. I still think that’s the most under-rated play in football with every ref looking to throw a pass interference flag. I take that back, catching a JaMarcus Russell pass is the hardest play in football. My bad.
The Jets shut down the Saints offense again. On 3rd and 2, the Jets try to run the ball despite New Orleans crowding 9 in the box. Memo to Mr. Sanchez, you might want to audible to a pass in this situation.
With it still only a 1-score lead, the Saints find life when Brees completes a crucial 3rd and 6 pass. This seems to spark a P. Thomas running game and touchdown. 24-10 and essentially game over.
Sanchez throws two picks down the stretch trying to get the Jets back into the game. It looks like the Saints win the first battle for respectability this year. Great teams find multiple ways to win and they’ve managed two wins on offense, one on defense and one with a balanced game.
Chargers (28) at Steelers (38)
The Sunday night game appeared to be a decent matchup on the surface but the Chargers have the Norv curse and it seems to be killing them this year.
With the Steelers up 7-0 in the first quarter, they are consistently getting themselves into 3rd and short situations. Big Ben specializes in 3rd and short as they spread the field and leave him options to scramble. The drive continues down the field and Mewelde Moore scored on a reception. 14-0.
San Diego isn’t able to move the ball much but punts it inside the Steelers 10 yard line.
The Steelers continue to get to short downs. On 3rd and 3, they spread the field and make the short throw. Rashard Mendenhall, the talented but ill-prepared young RB, breaks a nice run by bouncing outside to the right. The Steelers follow that up with a reverse to Holmes that appeared to have an option to pass. Mendenhall bounces another run outside for 10-15 yards. He could have a big night. Big Ben was sacked on the next play but Mendenhall blew up a blitzing middle linebacker so badly that Ron Jaworski had to show it on the replay. He’ll be getting some free dinners from the O-line for that one. It reminded me of the knock-out blow MJD delivered last year. Ben is sacked again and it’s followed with a punt.
The Chargers do nothing with the ball again and on the next drive Mendenhall turns a dump pass into a decent gain. Ben completes his next pass to Heath Miller down to the 2 yard line and Mendenhall completes the drive with a spinning 2-yard TD run. 21-0.
With four possessions in the first half, the Steelers had 3 drives over 75 yards for touchdowns and one drive for 57 yards and a punt. That’s great offensive output.
I barely watched the second half of the game but the 38-28 score was extremely flattering to San Diego. This game was over at halftime and the Steelers just bled the clock and forced San Diego to take chances.
Mendenhall finished the game with 29 carries, 165 yards, 2 touchdowns and most likely the starters job. Mr. Mendenhall, welcome to my fantasy team.
Packers (23) at Vikings (30)
So, there’s this guy, who was great, retired, un-retired, got traded, then retired again, un-retired and joined his old team’s arch rival.
With the Vikings at 3-0 and the Pack at 2-1, this was already a great rivalry game. Add in the gun-slinging media darling and it becomes the biggest hype machine since Brett un-retired for the second time. Note that I refuse to use the phrase “came back” since he never left. He just pretended like he was going to leave. There’s a difference.
Up until the last drive of the game against the 49ers, Favre actually hasn’t been doing anything special this season. He’s looked better than Tarvaris Jackson did last year. That’s like being the tallest of the seven dwarves.
I love the early screen pass and draw plays called by Green Bay. They are taking advantage of a pumped up and possibly performance-enhanced Vikings defensive line who is playing extremely aggressive. Rodgers looks poised on the drive and everything seems to be working for the Packers. That is, until Jared Allen strips the ball from Rodgers. That will kill a drive in a hurry.
The Vikings first 4 plays are hand offs to Adrian Peterson. I also like this strategy. Use the best back in the league and don’t let your aging quarterback try to do too much against his old team. Favre completes his first pass to Bernard Berrian. The Vikes even convert a 4th and 1 inside the 10 and Favre completes a TD pass to Visanthe Shiancoe who was probably his 3rd option on the play. Nice drive, 7-0 Vikes.
With 2:36 left in the 1st quarter, and Green Bay facing a 3rd and 5, Rodgers completes a 62-yard catch and run touchdown to Jermichael Finley to tie the game. A great play and a great name.
At this point, Ron Jaworski has already called AP the greatest running back to ever play the game and Jared Allen the best man off the corner in the NFL. While I think both players are clearly in the top 5 in both categories, I think we might be under-estimating players like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Dwight Freeney and DeMarcus Ware. No doubt, Jaws will be spewing the same sunshine about whatever players he’s covering next week.
In contrast to Jaworksi’s fact-less drivel, the network just showed that the Vikings defense has allowed the least rushing yards ever over a 3 year span. I knew they were good, but that is downright impressive. It does, however, question the NFL adage that run defense and running the ball on offense wins games. The Vikes allowed the least rushing yards and had the NFL’s leading rusher last season. They should have dominated. They finished 10-6 but got destroyed by the Eagles in the playoffs.
Rodgers just got picked on a great play by Antoine Winfield. I love DB’s who bait the QB. For those counting at home, that’s 3 decent drives by Green Bay now and two have ended in turnovers.
AP just stopped in the middle of bouncing a run outside to the right, cut hard left and gained 10 yards. Whoa. Maybe Jaws is right.
Enough already, we get it that Brett Favre has great arm strength. You’ve been telling us for 16 years now, I think we’ve figured it out. What the bobbleheads in the booth should be talking about is Favre’s great pump fake to an outside left route and then threw a TD over the middle to Sidney Rice. 14-7 Vikes and Favre is looking better than he has all year.
Jared Allen gets another sack of Rodgers on 3rd down with under five minutes left in the second quarter.
With 3:30 left in the half, Clay Matthews Jr. makes a monstrous play to rip the ball from AP’s hands and takes it the other way for a TD. 14-14 and the Packers have a pulse.
With the ball back, Favre just missed Berrian deep by putting the ball over the wrong shoulder. Come to think of Berrian’s history, he probably ran the wrong route. The next two plays are a well-designed screen to Chester Taylor and a rocket throw over the middle to Percy Harvin. Harvin got an extra 15-20 yards with a quick move to his left that made the initial defender miss.
Pass interference is called on Charles Woodson and it negated his perfect coverage and an amazing one-handed interception as he rolled and kept it from touching the ground. What a terrible call considering how perfectly he defended that play. On the next play, AP goes into the end zone and the ref again alters a game. 21-14 Vikes.
In the 2nd half Favre executes a pump-and-go route to perfection up the left sideline for a 28-14 lead. I haven’t seen him play this well in 3 years.
Green Bay stays alive with a nice drive. With Ryan Grant almost in the endzone, he takes a massive hit from 3 different Vikings at the same time. What a hit! The slow motion didn’t do it justice. You rarely see a running back go from full speed to a dead stop instantly. He’ll feel that one for a couple weeks. The Vikings defend the goal line plays well to leave the Packers with 4th and goal. Rodgers hangs in the pocket and finds Donald Lee in the end zone, but he drops the pass. That was a game-killer.
At one point on the next drive, the Vikings had completed 7 straight 3rd down conversions, which is amazing.
On the next Green Bay drive, with the ball at their 1 yard line, Jared Allen catches up to Rodgers once again, this time for the safety, 30-14. Jared Allen has been a beast all night so it’s only fitting that he sealed the win. Every play from this point on was merely a formality. Great performance by the Vikings and Brett Favre’s best game in 4 or 5 years. I guess this time the hype was worth it.
What a roller-coaster week of football it was. Peyton pulled his ninja-like assassination methods on yet another team, the Saints defense outscored their offense, Rashard Mendenhall altered every fantasy league in the country, too many ref decisions affected games for the worse and Brett Favre lived up to the hype. No wonder I feel hung over.
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