Sports Clippings- Entertaining Stuff from the Sporting World

SPEEDO COPS! (If haven't heard of it, this sums it up quite nicely)

Now that I got your attention Here's some interesting sports related things I came across the last couple of weeks that you may enjoy.

• My only Kenyan follower requested more Football posts. I will be releasing a Football focused post later this week but for now here are two great goals you may have missed. The first is from Dutch player Rafael Van Der Vaart playing for HSV in Germany. A shame about the music I know.

• And then there is this ridiculous goal from Palermo (that's in Italy for those who don't know) striker Fabrizio Miccoli-

• The All Black rugby team as many of you know are currently on pace to beat the world record for most consecutive wins. Maybe it comes down to a little known speech from 'That Guy' several years ago which made them realise that the game of ruby is very simple.

• The NBA season is fast approaching us. Media day last week produced some hilarious looks from players. Check this blog by The Score. Even if your not a basketball fan you will still have a good laugh at these photos.

• American Football maybe the most confusing name for those not from the US. This German DJ sums it up really well actually:

• I wish we had this problem with NZ rugby when it came to season ticket owners- it would be an indication that the game would be worth going to for a change.

Worst play of the NFL season

Now you may think- he just fractured his foot(which happened) he must be in extreme pain. Holmes though forcefully throws the ball away, it takes MORE effort to throw the ball away the way he did rather than hold onto it before a defensive player touched him. For me this sums up the WR so well, as his is selfishness and immaturity is well known. It's one of the reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers got rid of him despite being the Super Bowl MVP in 2008.

Cross-Sports Moment of the Week(CSMW))

Most pro golfers haven't made a putt this long. Swimming super star landed this monster shot last week. Fluke or just naturally athletically gifted?

Hope you enjoyed this.

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Indecent Non-Exposure- How the use of Child Labour by Canterbury Clothing has gone largely unnoticed in New Zealand.

After a year-long investigation, a report released lastweek by Sydney Morning Herald journalist Bevan Doherty, revealed that two sports apparel companies have been using child labour to stitch balls together for a dollar a day.  Canterbury Clothing Company, one of New Zealand's best-known clothing labels, is one of the companies named, yet has anyone seen an article about this on a New Zealand media website to date?

 The Sydney Morning Herald is owned by Fairfax News Media.  Fairfax also owns many of New Zealand's print and online 'newspapers'. I discovered this story because of the furore on Australian media websites last week.  The other company involved, Sherrin, is undergoing a lot of scrutiny in Australia and has already lost credibility.

 Established in Christchurch in 1904, Canterbury Clothing Company is now a global sports apparel leader. It sponsors numerous professional rugby teams around the world, the NZ Warriors rugby league team and recently has ventured into sponsoring  Portsmouth football club in England. It’s global recognition came from the time when it sponsored the All Blacks, which it did until 1999.  The majority of CCC manufacturing is done overseas now but the company’s image is still closely linked with New Zealand.  The logo depicts three Kiwis for goodness sake! Surely  the fact that some of its products have been produced by  illegal child labour should warrant some coverage and scrutiny from the mainstream news media in NZ?

There are several parties involved who may have directly or indirectly had an impact on this becoming a non-story in New Zealand.

CCC

The most obvious would be the company itself.  If the NZ media really focused on this story as much as their Australian counterparts did then CCC would have to fight hard to maintain its brand image. Sherrin,  who produce the official ball for Australian Rules Football, are dealing with the possibility of losing those rights and the subsequent loss of revenue.  If the media chose to pick this up in New Zealand what would the reaction be?  What would be the ramifications in terms of lost sales and negative impact on the CCC brand?  In terms of sponsorship, no other sports apparel company  invests as much into the NZ sport scene at all levels of competition.

According to a message on their website, from  Canterbury Global CEO Chris Stephenson the company is concerned about these allegations:

       "We are extremely concerned about recent media claims of child labour in connection with the      production of Canterbury-branded sports products in India.

  We take this claim very seriously and have launched a thorough investigation. We are committed to responsible business practices and we expressly prohibit child labour. The welfare of our employees, and those employed by all of our suppliers, is extremely important to us."

 An internal investigation is occurring as a result.  But when was the last time the NZ media left a company to do internal investigations?  Where is the accountability?

Media

The lack of coverage on such a relevant story in New Zealand is the most mystifying part of this whole situation.

Is it because they believe that the New Zealand public wouldn’t find a story about child labour relevant?  Considering the increasing demand for ethically made goods in NZ, I would say people do care about this issue.  Social enterprises like Fair Trade, Trade Aid and Freeset have brand recognition in NZ which wasn’t there a decade ago.  The NZ public also show their concern for global human rights with their money. Recent studies have shown that individual Kiwis are some of the most generous financial givers to charities in the world. Many people would at least know someone who sponsors a child through World Vision.

Is it because these kinds of stories don’t sell advertising, their main source of revenue that the media sites aren’t running them?  Maybe.  But when did news media sites in NZ become solely about producing entertaining articles?  Is it the fact that New Zealand media are spread too thin and therefore busy trying to fulfil the public’s insatiable desire for entertainment?

Another way of looking at it is what do they have to lose if they published this story?  It certainly wouldn’t be credibility.

Consumers

Or is it us, the consumers?  Are we more excited by media outlets producing entertaining stories than actual news?  Is it the same people who do World Vision 40hr Famines who made an article about  an eel stuck up a man’s backside the most-read article on the NZ Herald website for three days straight last week (I'm not linking it sorry)?  Are we afraid of knowing the truth- is ignorance bliss when it comes to understanding how the products we are consuming were made?  Would we be bound to act on that knowledge once we had it?  In NZ it seems far too easy to hide yourself away from issues which are a reality only halfway across the world or even in our own waters...

There are evidently people in New Zealand who do care about social and ethical issues.  Do they even visit NZ media sites anymore? Why do people have to rely on overseas media sites such as The Guardian and the Sydney Morning Herald to cover issues like this?  Maybe the majority of them are overseas with the ‘brain drain’?

Government

The Government have the ability to make this a pressing issue in NZ society right now.  Officially, the NZ Government are against child labour they signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child in 1990.Article 32 of the convention addressed child labour, as follows:

 " ...Parties recognise the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development."

So why wouldn’t they speak up about something which they are supposedly opposed to?  Do governments have too much to lose if the public becomes well-informed about supply chains, imports, taxes and the like?  In 2009 the National Party and the Act Party, still the current government, opposed an amendment to the Customs and Excise Bill which would ban imports of slave-made products into New Zealand.  Their reason for not supporting it was that New Zealand’s existing legislation was sufficient to prevent such importation.  The time to use that legislation may be at hand.  Will we see the government stand up for the supposed ideals it aspires to in this country?  Is it just too close to an election year?  

The issue of International Fishing companies treating their labourers illegally in NZ waters is already a talking point in society, why isn’t it the fact that a NZ company has been doing the same thing offshore?  This story deserves to be given more time and attention than what is has received in NZ media so far.  We are viewed around the world as a progressive nation when it comes to respecting human rights and protecting those who can’t speak up for themselves.  Should we be taking an honest look at our companies, our media, our government and ourselves?  What more can we do to combat injustice in the world?

So will this be the first article on the subject to be published on a New Zealand news domain?

 I sent it to Stuff.co.nz so we will have to wait and see. (Editor note: the article was published, with subtle editing which dulled down the message of the poor job the media have done. Check it out here if you want, like it or share it to friends if you want to but I feel this version is better).

If you really want to see these sorts of stories published in our media news sites I implore you to send this post to your friends and family members. The media is going to cover what the public want and the Government will act when the public voices their concern. Help by making this an issue worthy of front page news in New Zealand by spreading the news. 

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Photo sourced from theage.com.au

About B*!!*y Time! NFL and Ref's Reach Agreement!

I love it when you write a report on a particular situation, it gets published in a New Zealand media site with your name incorrect and then a couple of hours later a development makes that report obsolete. Well this happened to me yesterday when I wrote an article on the current contract negotiations between the NFL and referees. Later that day it was announced that they had indeed reached an agreement and they will officiate NFL games starting today. This article deals more with aftermath of the agreement and the impact it has on the league and the owners specifically.

After a needless year long contract stand off between the NFL and the NFL Referee Association an agreement was finally reached yesterday. The result comes as a relief to all those involved in the league after the debacle that's transpired in the first 3 weeks of the regular season. Replacement ref's from Division III  College football and the Lingerie Football League (not kidding, look it up, just not on the work computer) have instead officiated and the results were disastrous. The ref's were shown to be well out of their depth. Their calls have consistently inconsistent and they have allowed themselves to be bullied by coaches and players. Yet the NFL and the referee association showed no urgency to compromise and get a deal done while the NFL became a breeding ground of anger and frustration.

 It took the now infamous 'inaccurate reception' play last Monday, which cost the Packers a win, for both sides to realise that enough damage had been done. All the frustration from players and fans boiled over after the game and the owners could no longer ignore the fact that they needed to settle the dispute now. The owners relented to most of the referees demands. They now have some of the best part-time positions in the world right now, working a quarter of the year and getting paid on average US $150,000 plus pension benefits. The ironic thing is that these ref's are seen as saviours when in reality these ref's have made plenty of bad decisions in the past. It won't take long for people to start complaining about poor performances form these ref's. At least they won't put up with the bullying tactics from coaches or players.

The sad thing about this whole situation is the great hypocrisy and arrogance that the owners have shown in the whole process. They have consistently said that the integrity of the game is one of their top priorities. Yet their unwillingness and stubbornness to pay the ref's a comparatively measly sum of roughly $50 million dollars over eight years has really confirmed that it's business first, integrity second for the owners. It's not like the NFL is currently in hard times, it makes $3 billion each year on broadcasting rights alone, not to mention ticket sales and merchandise. 

If history shows us the NFL has to be very careful with how they treat their product and their consumers. It's the most popular sport in America right now but for how long? Major League Baseball was the most popular sport in America for the majority of the 20th Century and the National Basketball Association dominated the 80's and 90's. Yet both have made way for the NFL in the first decade of the 21st century as the most lucrative sport in the USA. The reason it has become so popular is because the games themselves are managed professionally and with minimal outside influences. The inept performances of the replacement referees raised genuine concerns that the game would be vulnerable to match fixing if they continued to officiate. Both the MLB and NBA have dealt with match fixing scandals in the past which has tainted the leagues significantly. 

This whole saga has, in the short term, affected the reputation of the NFL. It may still affect the league in the long term, especially if the owners continue to focus on monetary gains and not the integrity of the game. Fans of sports won't put up with it forever, they will just move onto another sport. Just look at the 'sport' of Boxing. Corruption and match fixing along with the governing bodies unwilling to tackle these issues sincerely as resulted in it becoming marginalised and irrelevant. I'm hoping the NFL doesn't go the same way.

A couple of interesting statistics from the past week to finish off-

• The touchdown call on Monday affected more then just Green Bays win total. According to sports-betting website pregame.com almost $150 million was lost by punters worldwide who gambled on the Packers to win, a $300 million swing altogether in favour of the bookies. With such inconsistency in the replacement ref's decisions it's not unreasonable to think that somebody would try to fix a result if they had continued to officiate. It would be very difficult to identify whether a call was due to match fixing or incompetence.

• Not one player has been ejected from a game so far- the replacement ref's just didn't have control of the games and it showed in the amount of scuffles after plays. Expect this to be dealt with by the 'real' ref's immediately.

• Last week was the first time that quarterbacks Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers have all lost in the same week. It really goes to show how crazy the start of this season has been.

Great sporting moments-Maradona's goal vs England

When you think of brilliant individual sports moments which turn a game, you have to include Maradona's goal vs England in 1986. It was, in fact, voted by fans as the "Goal of the Century" on FIFA.com in 2002. It remains, 10 years on, the defining moment of his career, the moment where a plucky 5"5 Argentinian took on half the England team and won.

The 1986 World Cup quarter final was hanging in the balance at the start of the second half when Maradona shocked England by scoring two goals in 4mins. His first was the infamous "Hand of God" where he blatantly used his hand to punch the ball into the net. The second, though, was legitimately a masterpiece...

Receiving the ball 60m away from the goal, Maradona proceeded to out-dribble and juke around six English players to score. The ease with which he runs around the English is astounding, it almost looks like he's on a fast-forward setting, compared to the rest of the players. In today's game, this play would never have happened due to the physical nature of the game.  Therefore, this goal will stand alone as the best single run of all time.


Argentina would eventually win the match 2-1 and would go on to win the tournament. Maradona won the best player of the tournament award and would become known as one of the Top 5 greatest football players, ever. Nothing was more instrumental in his becoming a football legend than this goal.

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Real Deal or Mirage- Are NFL teams Displaying or Masking their True Colours?

The great thing about the NFL is that, on average, 5-6 new teams make the playoffs each year.  This year, teams who were expected to win are struggling and teams seemingly destined to mediocrity are exceeding expectations. The first two weeks of the season are always the time of big upsets and over hyping average teams who start well.  So I wanted to have a look at the most intriguing teams so far and breakdown whether they will continue on the path that they seem to be setting or whether it's just a mirage.

San Francisco 49ers 
Record: 2-0

Many (including myself) expected that the 49ers would take a step back this year, after their breakout 13-3 season, last year. Well, they sure proved that notion wrong after beating fellow playoff favourites Green Bay and Detroit  in a convincing fashion over the last two weeks.  The defence is stifling and downright nasty. With leaders like Patrick Willis it creates ample turnovers. The run game is also dominating oppositions right now which allows them to control the clock. Even though their Quarterback, Alex Smith,  is not a dynamic player, he doesn't turn over the ball, which is key.  The only way teams are going to beat them is getting ahead of them and forcing them to throw.

Outlook- They are the best team in the NFL, they are an early contender to be the the NFC champions..

Philadelphia Eagles
Record: 2-0
Despite turning the ball over nine times in their first two games the Eagles have somehow won both.  You can only run on luck for so long though.  Head Coach Andy Reid is known for assembling talented teams who are madly inconsistent.  He is also a very stubborn coach when it comes to play calling, to the detriment of the team.  The best example of this is that he continually allows QB Mike Vick to throw and expose his brittle body to hits like this one when he has one of the best running backs in the NFL in LeSean 'Shady' McCoy. This week's game away against the red-hot Cardinals will be another hard game for the Eagles, especially with the mounting injuries amongst their Offensive line.

Outlook:  There is no way Vick can stay healthy for the full season considering the frequency with which he is being hit.  When he misses games the Eagles are really going to struggle to compete and I see them missing the playoffs, especially being in the competitive NFC East division.

Atlanta Falcons 
Record: 2-0

No team was more hyped to have a successful season than the Falcons after the preseason games.  After relying on a conservative run game over the past four years, they have decided to become a passing team and the results have been promising.  Having beaten the hapless Chiefs, away, they beat a good Broncos team at home.  QB Matt Ryan is looking great, passing to perhaps the best wide receiver duo in Roddy White and Julio Jones.  The defence also looks solid.  Another challenge awaits them this week as they travel to face the 2-0 Chargers.  This will be a good litmus test for both teams to see whether they are legit playoff prospects this year.  I think the Falcons are a better team though and I expect them to come away with the win.

Outlook: With their rivals The Saints struggling, the Falcons should be considered favourites to win the NFC South.  The defence needs to be more consistent but the signs are looking good for the Falcons to do well this year.

New Orleans Saints
Record: 0-2

The Saints had the worst off season possible with the 'Bounty Gate' scandal which resulted in their head coach and offensive coordinator being banned for one year and 8 games respectively. This has really showed in the first to games, losing both games and looking nothing like the team that won the Super Bowl only three season ago. The defence is the main issue as they can't stop the pass or the run right now, conceding a combined 75 points in both games. With Drew Brees commanding the offence they will stay competitive but he can't do it all himself.

Outlook: The Saints will improve and will be competitive all year long but I think the loss of head coach Sean Payton has been underestimated and this team is going to struggle to make the playoffs. Their defence is just not good enough to stop anybody- pure and simple.

Arizona Cardinals
Record: 2-0

The biggest surprise of the season so far.  Nobody expected the Cardinals to win their  two opening games, they are now 9-2 since last season, thanks to their elite defence and special team's play. The win against the Patriots was even more remarkable because the Cardinals offence was atrocious, yet they still won.  Not enough  media coverage is being given to just how bad the offence is, especially their offensive line and QB. Kevin Kolb is a horrendous QB and it's a real shame as they have arguably the greatest WR in the NFL right now, Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals gained  a measly 7 first downs in total, as opposed to the Patriots 17, for instance.  Their defence will have to contain the opposition to less then 20 points if this team has any chance of winning.

Outlook: The defence keeps them competitive but this team can't score and in a QB dominated league, that just doesn't cut it these days. I can't see them making the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs
Record: 0-2

The complete opposite to the Cardinals are the Chiefs who are the most disappointing team so far, in the entire NFL. A sneaky pick to win the AFC West, they have been blown out in both their games by a combined 34 points. They were supposed to have a Top 5 defence as well as an elite rushing attack, both have been extremely disappointing. To be honest, the writing was on the wall for another bad season when they hired defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to the full head coaching role. Crennel was previously fired as the Browns head coach, never a good sign. The defence can't continue to allow the opposition to score early as the offence is not designed to come from behind.

Outlook:  There is too much talent on this team for it to not compete and I see them bouncing back. If they don't improve soon though I don't think Crennel is going to last very long as head coach.

New England Patriots
Record: 1-1

Last weeks result vs the Cardinals was the first opening day loss at home since 2001, when a little known reserve QB called Tom Brady took over after an injury to Drew Bledsoe. The rest of course is history.  The Patriots had an off day, where they were simply out coached and the players executed poorly. The funny thing is that it's not there defence, perhaps the worst in the league last year, that is the problem as they improved markedly. The offensive line, a strength last year, has suffered from retirements and injuries and is not giving Brady enough time in the pocket to find open receivers. The most concerning thing however, is the offensive play calling from coordinator Josh McDaniels. The running game has been a strength of the team this season but he is stubbornly calling a lot of passing plays. This along with his refusal to utilise Wes Welker, an All Pro receiver last year, makes you wonder whether he is the right man for the job.

Outlook: The coaches need to realise that with the OL playing so poorly that they need to run the ball more to relieve the pressure on Brady. The defence is seriously improved from last year so they don't have to rely on their offence to win games. This team is still one of the best in the NFL, they just have to play to the strengths, not the previous years ones.

San Diego Chargers
Record: 2-0

Over the past decade the Chargers are hyped to go far every season but have traditionally struggle early on and then at tail end of the season a flurry of wins allows them to squeak into the playoffs. So it's with irony that this year, when their is less hype on them, is the year they start with two emphatic wins. The defence looks strong and their QB Philip Rivers isn't turning the ball over like he did last year. To me this is a mirage. The two teams they played, the Raiders and Titans, look likely to be two of the worst teams this year. We should get a better indication of how good this team really is when they play the Falcons this week and I this certainly won't be easy for them

Outlook: I think their start is fools gold and they will undoubtedly face stronger opposition. When they do their weaknesses at offensive line and running back will be exposed big time. I still think the Denver Broncos are the better team in the division.

What NFL teams do you think are showing or not showing their true colours so far?

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Photo sourced from sports.yahoo.com

The Ginger Cringer-Reflecting On The Brilliance of The White Mamba

Last week was an emotional time for me. It was announced that my primary school, Greenpark, is being closed by the Government in their infinite wisdom. As if I wasn't cut up the announcement that the White Mamba was immediately retiring from the NBA. Brian Scalabrine and me have a eternal bond simply because we are both Gingers and really good at basketball. Team mates and opponents call me 'Scal' on the court and my university graduation present from my friends was a custom #44 Boston Celtics jersey, his shirt.

So it is very sad that nobody wants him any more, to be honest I think it's because he's too good for the NBA now, his cult following has rejuvenated the NBA time when the supposed superstars of the game complain and winge. So here is a Eulogy to the White Mamba in pictures and video. I hope you this remind you of the great qualities he had as a player.

Scalabrine showed in college that he was a force to be reckoned with- providing inspiration and guidance when it was needed the most-



Scalabrine was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 2nd round of the 2001 NBA draft. He played there for four seasons before moving to the Boston Celtics. It's here we he gained his cult status as a hustler in limited minutes and a deadly 3-point shooter when given the chance. He did have his bad moments though:




However the good out weighs the bad- the White Mamba is a machine among mere mortals-



He's a superstar-

Fortunately this probably not the last we have seen of the White Mamba, in fact he should have a very successful career outside of the NBA if given the opportunity.

His acting potential is immense and he also could quite easily be the next top athlete to compete in Dancing With The Stars.

Apparently Scal turned down a coaching role with the Chicago Bulls to give sports broadcasting a go. Lets just hope that the more we get to hear and see from him the better. 

Two quotes from comments left by fans on youtube videos which sum Scali's impact in life:

• "Scalabrine once reloaded a grenade. He once got a triple-double by sitting on the bench the entire game. He was the reason Lebron decided to team up with Wade and Bosh because he could not be defeated alone. He misses shots just so the other team could think they have a chance against the great Scal. He got a team a ring by sitting on a bench. He once scored 2 points in 1 second. Logically speaking, he could have score 5760 points in a game." MulitScienceMan

• "Scal once did a layup on a 12ft rim. He once practised with Allen Iverson. In grade school his nickname was 'White Jesus.' His favorite team on 2K12 is the '98 Jazz. He ran into Dennis Rodman in a Vegas stripclub once and challenged him to a 1-on-1. They both lost. He is secretly married to Shaq's ex-wife. Scal doesn't drive. He runs to work. Backwards. That's the only reason he doesn't play in the 1st qtr. If you look into a mirror and say 'Scalabrine' 3 times, you will become immortal." baldheadedkid

Scal you have been my inspiration to be amazing at basketball and I want you to know that it was an honour to watch you play so hard for so long. May the White Mamba live on.

If you have any related Scalabrine moments that you would like to share please feel free to leave them at the bottom of the post. Cheers.

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Note: Apart from the second photo of this post I do not own the rights to any of these pictures or videos.

NFL Retroactive Season Preview Part 4- The Contenders

Amy Winehouse Division

No NFL team has more potential then the Eagles and yet they always seem to mess things up. Last year the team signed a bevy of free agent stars to become favourites to win the NFC. Their backup QB even claimed they were ‘The Dream Team’. Needless to say they sucked big time, starting 4-8 before winning their last four matches. This year the team remains the same and the hopes are equally high with many predicting they will get to the Super Bowl. On paper they have the team to do it. The teams ethos is to build a lead with a explosive, field stretching offence, forcing oppositions to throw and then rush with the most explosive Defensive Line (DL) and the best Cornerback (CB) combination on paper. With the NFL being a quarterback league now, in theory this should work but it hasn’t.

The reason for their comes down to the two leaders of the team- Quarterback (QB) Mike Vick and Head Coach Andy Reid. Vick is the most talented athlete to ever play the QB position. After playing his first six seasons with the Falcons he was convicted and jailed for 21 months for being involved in a dog fighting ring. After release the Eagles gave him a chance and he excelled becoming the 2010 Comeback Player Of The Year and led the team to the playoffs. However last year he really struggled with his decision making and threw a lot of interceptions. Vick tends to get hurt quite easily and ill disciplined in protecting himself by throwing away the ball.

The other big weakness and ultimately the reason why they won’t make the Super Bowl this year is their coach Andy Reid, the most frustrating NFL coach to me. His stubbornness and constant poor in game decision making continues to hamper this team. Reid made some outright dumb decisions last, none more so then turning is offensive line (OL) coach, Juan Castillo, into the defensive coordinator, despite him not coaching defence at either college or pro level before. Not surprisingly the defence was a disaster last year but Castillo remains the Defensive coordinator. Reid was almost fired for that last year alone but the late season improvement saved him. Reid is also a terrible team motivator and disciplinarian for his players who have routinely complained and not played up to expectation.  This year is certainly make or break for Reid as the Eagles owner has publicly said so. I see an improvement by the Eagles from last year, especially on the defensive side, but Vick’s propensity to getting injured and Andy Reid’s continual inept decision making on and off the field will ultimately prevent this promising team from achieving its potential.

Beast players- (Top 5 players in their respective positions, game changers)- LeSean McCoy RB,  Nnamdi Asomugha CB, Trent Cole DE.

Great players-(Top 15 in their respective positions, can be pro bowlers)- Jason Babin DE, Mike Vick QB, Evan Mathis G, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB, Jeremy Maclin WR, Brent Celek TE.

Bust out players-(Players who can breakout and become Beasts or Great players this year)- DeSean Jackson WR.

Retroactive look after Week 1: The frustration begins. Andy Reid decides to throw 56 times despite RB LeSean McCoy being really productive vs the Browns in the limited opportunities he was given. Vick threw 4 interceptions. Thankfully the defence and Weeden helped stop the Browns from winning. The way this team is going they aren't going to be in the hunt for the play offs. This weeks game vs the Ravens should be a cracker. They can beat them but I don't trust Reid to play call well enough to win. 

The most surprising team last year the 49er’s finished the season 13-3 and were a costly fumble away from making the Super Bowl after finishing 6-10 the previous year. First year coach Jim Harbaugh was a revelation, giving belief to a team which had struggled for the previous decade to compete. The 49er’s had the best defence and special teams last year creating turnovers and preventing teams from scoring. Harbaugh managed to make much maligned QB Alex Smith effective enough to compete. This off season they upgraded the Wide Receiver unit, adding Randy Moss  and retaining all 11 starters on defence.

However I can see them struggling more this season. They have a tougher schedule, facing the AFC North teams and playing the Packers, Saints and Patriots away. As well as that the Seahawks will be a tough team to beat in their division. The biggest question mark is still at QB. Selected ahead of Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 NFL draft Alex Smith is just not very good. Harbaugh tried to convince Peyton Manning in signing there in the off season and then lied about it, creating the awkward situation of having to resign Alex Smith when it looked like he wasn’t wanted.  If the 49er’s fall behind in games and teams stop their running game they could really struggle. The 49er’s had a really lucky run of injuries and winning turnovers last year, along with a harder schedule and tougher division rivals I see the 49er’s taking a step back despite having the best defence in the NFL. QB’s win games now though and Alex Smith is not the difference maker you need.

Beast players- Justin Smith DE, Patrick Willis ILB, Navarro Bowman ILB, Vernon Davis TE, Andy Lee P, David Akers K.

Great players- Frank Gore RB, Isaac Sopoaga DT, Mike Iupati G, Joe Staley T, Carlos Rodgers CB, Dashon Goldson S, Aldon Smith DE.

Bust out player- Kendall Hunter RB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: Well this already looks pretty bad for my predictions. The 49er's went into Green Bay and destroyed the best regular season team from last year. Their defence was utterly dominant and their run game was unstoppable. They look like the favourites to win the NFC already. I still think that Alex Smith is going to struggle to win games when he has too but the defence is going to keep them in every game this year. The Lions despite having Stafford at QB don't stand a chance this week.

There aren’t many teams being hyped this off season as the Falcons. The Falcons have had some great regular seasons as of late but haven’t translated that into the play offs. Last year they were embarrassed 2-24 against the Giants in the wildcard round unable to score a point on offence. After several years of running a conservative running game the Falcons are looking to throw it a lot more. Offensively big things are being expected from their QB Matt Ryan and their pro bowl calibre WR’s Roddy White and Julio Jones. Jones especially is hyped to have an outstanding season after struggling last year-his rookie season-with injury and unfamiliarity with the system . The OL was really bad last year, failing to give Ryan much time to throw, it needs to improve for the offence to work especially since they are throwing more.

The defensive side of the ball was even more of a concern last year has they failed create sacks and pressure on opposition QB’s. John Abraham at 34 years old was their best pass rusher last year but he can’t carry on forever. The team traded for former pro bowl CB Asante Samuel which should help in the backfield but questions remain to whether the defence can create enough turnovers. This team has the parts to do well and their new offensive schemes should help them score more points but their defence has to step up and Matt Ryan needs to show that he can carry this team through the play offs.

Beast players- none

Great players- Roddy White WR, Brent Grimes CB, John Abraham DE, Sean Weatherspoon WLB, Matt Ryan QB, Michael Turner RB.

Bust out players-Julio Jones WR,  Jacquizz Rodgers RB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: A really good start to the season for the Falcons going to the Chiefs and winning convincingly. The passing offence looks very strong and Julio Jones looks like the breakout player of the year. Unfortunately they lost their best CB Brent Grimes for the season in the game and now they face the Broncos at home. This should be a good litmus test for whether the Falcons should be considered as one of the top teams of the NFL this year.

In the NFL depth is key, injuries always occur and you need good reserves to make sure your team keeps playing well. The Bears failed to do that at two of the most important positions and ended up costing the General Manager is job. Starting the season 7-3 the Bears lost starting RB Matt Forte and then starting QB Jay Cutler for the season. They had no suitable replacements and the team self destructed, finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs. This year the team has made sure of providing talented backups at those positions as well as upgrading their average WR unit by trading for former pro bowler Brandon Marshall from Miami. Marshall and Cutler played together in Denver in their early careers and should be a successful pairing this year.

There are several weaknesses on this team though which could affect their ability to make the playoffs again. The first is their OL, which has ranked as consistently as one of the worst in the NFL over the past couple of years. Why they don’t address this in free agency is beyond me as it helps contribute to the frequent injuries that Cutler gets. Cutler also has to do a better job of not turning the ball as much. He has a gunslinger mentality which can produce a lot of interceptions.

The other weakness is perhaps the middle of their defence where their best player of the last decade, Bryan Urlacher, just had knee surgery before the start of this season. He has reported that his knee will be the same again. This could turn out to be a bug problem as he is the unquestioned leader and playmaker of the defence. If the Bears can somehow keep Cutler healthy and not turning over the ball they will be in the thick of the playoff hunt by the end of the year.

Beast players- Julius Peppers DE, Devin Hester KR.

Great players- Matt Forte RB, Henri Melton DT, Charles Tillman CB, Brandon Marshall WR, Lance Briggs ILB.

Bust out player- Alshon Jeffrey WR

Retroactive look after Week 1 &2: 2 games and two different results. In Week 1 they dominated the Colts on both sides of the ball and looked like one of the best teams in the NFL. In their second game vs division rivals Green Bay the defence once again looks formidable but the offensive was downright offensive. The OL allowed seven sacks and Cutler threw 4 interceptions. Forte was injured as well with a hih ankle sprain which may knock him out for a while. Cutler boasted about the way his WR's were going to get open before this game and they didn't. Cutler was seen chastising his LT after a sack and he really didn't take responsibility for his terrible decision making. If the Bears can't protect Cutler he is not going to survive a year but he has to do a better job himself. The Bears defence looks tremendous though.

If the Texans had stayed healthy last year they might have made it to Super Bowl. Not bad for a team’s first time to the playoffs and relying on their rookie third-string QB after their top two QB’s received season ending injuries. The teams remarkable rise to amongst the great teams of the NFL comes down to the transformation of their defence. New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips created an aggressive 3-4 defence which created turnovers. On the offensive side they had the most under rated OL in the NFL which allowed the Arian Foster and Ben Tate to wreck havoc. The team has young talent at the most important positions and are primed for a Super Bowl run this year.

There was cause for concern during the off season as they let go their starting RG and RT but the team believes they have the players to replace them, time will tell. The big IF is whether QB Matt and WR Andre Johnson can stay healthy. If they can then the Texans will have a deadly duel threat on offence. Playing in the weak AFC South division they are one of my favourites to go all the way.

Beast players- Arian Foster RB, Duane Brown LT, Chris Myers C, Andre Johnson WR, Jonathan Joseph CB, J.J Watt DE, Brian Cushing ILB.

Great players- Matt Schaub QB, Owen Daniels TE, Ben Tate RB, Daniel Manning S.

Bust out players- Brooks Reed OLB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: A rusty start for the Texans offence as the running game was not the dominant unit we have seen. It may have to do with a solid Dolphins defence and the right hand side of the OL being new. The defence looks great though and this team should be one of the best teams in the AFC this year. It's good to see Andre Johnson healthy, hopefully he can stay on the field this year.

U2 Division-

Not one team had more of a tumultuous off season then the Saints thanks to ongoing Bounty Gate saga. After their head coach was banned for one year and their next in charge coach was banned for half the season the odds seem against the Saints. Fortunately they have Drew Brees at QB who is one of the best on the field leaders in the NFL. He should keep the top ranked passing offence running smoothly.

On the defensive side they should be better hiring Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator. Signing linebacker Curtis Lofton from division rival Atlanta was smart as well as the signing of David Hawthorne from Seattle. The pass rush needs to improve and the secondary needs to stop taking risks when it comes to going for interceptions. The good thing is that the defence just  has to be average as their offence should score more points than the opposition in most games. I do think the loss of head coach Sean Peyton will have an impact but the team should still make the playoffs, as long as Drew Brees is healthy.

Beast players- Drew Brees QB, Jahri Evans G, Jimmy Graham TE.

Great players- Darren Sproles RB, Curtis Loften MLB, Marques Colston WR, Ben Grubbs G.

Bust out players- Lance Moore WR.

Retroactive look after Week 1: A terrible start for the Saints at home as they took RGIII and the Redskins  

for granted. They got behind really early and it forced Bree's to throw. This team is better then the way they played and they should beat the Panthers away this week. The defence must improve to give Bree's a chance.  

Baltimore were literally one catch away from going to the Super Bowl but unfortunately Lee Evans couldn’t hold onto this ball and then this happened. This year’s team should be just as competitive. Unfortunately for the team it lost arguably it’s best player, Terrell Suggs, to an Achilles injury during the off season. The defence has always been the strength of the Ravens but for the first time in the organisations short history the offence may actually be better. Led by the supposed elite QB Joe Flacco the offence is going to apparently going to become a lot more open and less conservative under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Flacco has several weapons around him so he should do well, the OL could be a weakness though as they lost one of their best players Ben Grubbs in free agency. The defence is what I’m most worried about though. 

Centred around ancient stars Ray Lewis (37)and Ed Reed (34) as well as losing Suggs to injury I can see the defence struggling, especially against the run. I think they will easily win the AFC North but whether they can beat New England and Houston is another matter. If Flacco is indeed elite as he says he is then perhaps the Ravens are the team to beat this year.

Beast players- Ray Rice RB, Haloti Ngata DT, Ed Reed S, Michael Oher RT, Ladarius Webb CB, Vontae Leach FB.

Great players- Ray Lewis MLB, Marshall Yanda G.

Bust out players- Torrey Smith WR, Joe Flacco QB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: A dominating first up win as they allowed Flacco to throw it. He looked good but this week vs the Eagles defence should tell us whether it is for real or not. The defence looked good vs the pass but I have still some concerns when it comes to the run defence. The Suggs injury will hurt them sooner or later and the secondary is not going to stay healthy all year as well. 

Has there ever been a quieter hype for the defending Super Bowl champions then this year’s Giants? Thanks to Tim Tebow being traded to the Jets the Giants have gone largely unnoticed which is what they want. The Giants scraped into the playoffs last year with a 9-7 record and being outscored by 7points in the regular season. The Giants are the best single elimination team in the NFL as they save themselves for when it matters. The problem is whether they can get to the playoffs in the first place. The Giants are incredibly inconsistent, losing to bad teams and demolishing good ones. This year I expect them get to double digit wins at least. With Eli Manning at QB they have the leader to take them all the way. 

The RB and WR positions have skilled players and should score points. The Giants have a formidable pass rush which causes headaches for most OL’s. The secondary and the OL are the weakest points but they should be overcome by the elite play of Manning. Overall this team will have it’s up and downs in the competitive NFC East but it should still win it thanks to the inconsistencies of the other teams.

Beast players- Eli Manning QB, Chris Snee G, Jason Pierre-Paul DE.

Great players- Justin Tuck DE, Osi Umenyiora DE, Mathias Kiwanuka LB, Hakeem Nicks WR, Ahmad Bradshaw RB.

Bust out player- Prince Amukamara CB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: Another average performance by the Giants. This team will do better but they really struggle to be consistent in the regular season. The secondary was injury riddled last week and desperately needs its best players back. Their pass rush was very disappointing vs the Cowboys considering the players they have. They will bounce back vs the Bucs this week at home.

Jimi Hendrix Division

The Packers seemed destined to win the Super Bowl last year, going 15-1 in the regular season before losing to the Giants at home in an off game. There flaws were exposed, a non-existent run game and defence which couldn’t stop the pass. This year they are looking to get back to the Super Bowl after a solid but unspectacular off season. They acquired pass rusher Nick Perry in the draft and added veteran RB Cedric Benson to shore up the run game. The best QB in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers leads the most explosive passing offence in the NFL  and Charles Woodson, the future Hall of Fame CB/S, still leads a solid defence. 

The Packers need to create more of a pass rush for them to contend but any team with Rodgers as their QB will always be in any game.  It also helps they face one of the weakest schedules in the NFL as well.

Beast players- Aaron Rodgers QB, Greg Jennings WR, Charles Woodson S, Josh Sitton G.

Great players- Jordy Nelson WR, Jeff Saturday C, Bryan Bulaga RT, Tramon Wiliams CB, Clay Matthews OLB, B.J Raji DT.

Bust out player- Randall Cobb WR/KR.

Retroactive look after Week 1 & 2: One loss and one win after 2 games this season and there are warning signs that all is not well with the Packers. Aaron Rodgers has struggled to find his receivers and the OL is not doing the best job protecting him. Greg Jennings has been injured which makes a huge difference to the passing game. To be fair they have played maybe the two best defences of the NFL so far so it can't get any worse. The defence has to keep stepping up like did vs the Bears to make this team a Super Bowl contender. 

Most losers of the Super Bowl tend to struggle the year after. The Patriots are in fact better than they were last year going into this season. Last year they had one of the worst pass defences in the NFL, they couldn’t stop any quarterback. The Patriots drafted two Defensive players in the 1^st round who should help remedy that. Both DL Chandler Jones and linebacker Dont’a Hightower have the skills to rush the passer and help the secondary. 

On the offensive side they added the deep threat they have been missing since Randy Moss, signing Brandon Lloyd. This should make an already formidable pass attack with Brady, Welker, Gronkowski and Hernandez that much harder to stop. New England will also try and run the ball now they two young, explosive backs in Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen. The biggest question mark apart from the defence is the OL. Injuries and retirement have turned the strength of the team into its biggest weakness. It may take a few weeks into the season for the OL to gel together.

The Patriots have also been gifted with the easiest schedule with the toughest games being against the Ravens and Texans but not much else. If they deal with those two teams then who should be plain sailing to the playoffs. Then it will all come down to whether the OL can protect Tom Brady and whether the DL can put enough pressure on the opposition QB to stop him exploiting a weak secondary.

Beast players- Tom Brady, Logan Mankins G, Vince Wilfork DT, Rob Gronkowski TE, Aaron Hernandez TE.

Great players- Wes Welker WR, Jerod Mayo ILB, Sebastian Vollmer RT, Brandon Lloyd WR.

Bust out players- Chandler Jones DE, Dont’a Hightower ILB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: A sloppy but dominating performance vs the Titans was a good start for the Pats. The run defence was spectacular, completely shutting down Chris Johnson, it could be the best in the NFL this year. The pass defence was OK. Chandler Jones had a great debut, creating constant pressure and stripping the ball off Locker which turned into a touchdown. The offence was more balanced then we have seen the Pats play over recent years with Stevan Ridley rushing for 125 yards and a score. The OL was adequate but it certainly looks like the weak point of the team. However they are still one of the favourites to win the AFC and will be hard to beat this season especially with an improved defence.