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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012

Riding the NFL Fantasy Waiver Wire Week 6

Posted on by Bobby Scott

Another great weekend of football saw some injuries to key players and the return of some familiar faces. It’s getting harder and harder to find good pick-ups on the waivers, but this week I managed to find a few that I think you need to monitor.

Rashard Mendenhall RB PIT – The Pittsburgh coaching staff mentioned that they would ease him back into the starter’s role this past Sunday. He had 81 yards rushing and 2 receptions for TD’s on Sunday. If that is easing him into the role I can’t wait to see what a full load looks like. At this point in your season if you’ve been hit by the injury bug or have sub-par running backs this will be a great addition to your team. Mendenhall will benefit from a solid passing attack from Big Ben. Mendenhall is a must own in all fantasy formats.

James Jones WR GB – I’ve been keeping an eye on Jones for the last couple years as I thought he was going to be Donald Driver’s heir. Jones has suffered from drops and miscommunication with Rodgers over the last two seasons, but this year with an Injury to Greg Jennings he has stepped up with 102 yards and 4 TD’s in the last two games. Monitor Jennings’ status for this week as Jones could be a nice flex start against Houston.

Alex Green RB GB – With the injury to Cedric Benson, Alex Green is going to have to step-up this week against Houston. This is a great opportunity to prove himself to the team and to the NFL. Green Bay is mostly a passing team and usually goes to John Kuhn in the red zone. You also have to remember that James Starks is returning from being a healthy scratch in week 5 so if you have a roster spot available you can add him, but be cautious on adding him into your starting line up for a couple of weeks until you can see how the story unfolds in the backfield

William Powell / Larod Stephens-Howling RB ARZ – These two backs are in the same situation as I mentioned for Alex Green except that in Kevin Kolb there isn’t as good of a QB throwing the ball on the team, which means you can expect more defenders playing up in the box. Stephens-Howling is a smaller back at 5’7 185 and there are concerns of him lasting a full game as well as pass protection. Powell had a good preseason and will get a shot at the starting gig. Let’s also remember the Beanie Wells will be returning from his turf-tow Injury. All in all this is a situation to Monitor.

Flying under the waiver wire

Jahvid Best RB DET– Detroit coaches say that he’s as healthy as he’s ever been. Best has some doctor appointments set up this week to see if he can pass NFL concussion protocol tests and get clearance to play. If he does get clearance he will help Detroit’s struggling running game. If he is available and you have a spot add him as you might not get a shot of adding him next week.

Thanks again for reading and hope some of my picks have help you with your season. Good Luck this Week!

Be sure to tune-in to Last Word Radio on Sunday nights from 7:30-8:30 pm for “Sunday Night NFL Blitz Package” with Opie, Kerr and the Savant.

NFL Top and Bottom Power Rankings

Posted on by Jack Stone

Week five is complete and we are down to two teams currently undefeated (Houston and Atlanta) along with one team yet to register a win (Cleveland).  But where do they stand in the power rankings?  Who continues to impress (or depress as the case may be) after another week of upsets and emotions?  Let’s jump right in by looking at the five teams lowest in our Power Rankings.

28. Kansas City Chiefs – at 1-4 this team is in big trouble, and their record isn’t even their biggest problem! Despite being 1-4 they can be at the top of their division with just 1 more win – which is quite sad, actually. But with fans screaming for GM Scott Pioli and QB Matt Cassel to lose their jobs, things became even worse when they cheered for the QB’s head injury against Baltimore on Sunday, which is a real low-point for the KC fans involved.  However, in comes Brady Quinn who went 3 for 3 in his very short stint.  While not much good has happened since his Irish days, this could be the new leaf this team needs badly… sometimes change is good!

29. Carolina Panthers – at 1-4 and a crucial loss in Tampa Bay, and with the Saints terrible form to start the year, that big week one victory we thought was the start of something good, seems to have lost its lustre. Having the Falcons at 5-0 and looking great, the Panthers don’t have even a shot at winning their division, and with four losses in a row they may as well be kissing the wild card chance good-bye as well. I do belive they are better than K.C., but the Chiefs have a shot at their division somehow!

30. Cleveland Browns – They are still winless… they still suck… and they still aren’t in the AFC South!  With a -39 points for/against differential, they are not as embarrassing as the -93 Titans and -73 Jaguars.

31 & 32 – These two will just continue to be totally embarrassing, despite that they each sqeaked victories which must be flukes considering how terrible they are as said above; the Jags at a -73 points for/against differential and Titans at -93…. are these teams even trying to play or are they just looking for the highest draft pick possible?

Now we go from embarrassing to excellent, and I even through in  a twist at #5, sometimes playing fantastic football will cancel out everything else in your way!

5. Chicago Bears – These guys are great! Daaa Bears!  With only a single blemish on their record being the week two loss at Lambeau showing their one weakness being the consistency (or rather the inconsistency) of QB Jay Cutler.  However, Cuts looked great other than that game and I can see this team being a force to be reckoned with during the regular season and post season, nobody wants to play against that defense anywhere, and if the game is at Soldier Field in the cold weather you’re not getting out of that game alive!

4. Houston Texans –  Yeahhhh, I know, 5-0, big win on Monday Night Football, but the Jets are injured and aren’t very good at all! I see every week the Texans can beat on un-worthy opponents – I mean their only big win was @ Denver in week 3, which is impressive, but I need to see more!

3. Baltimore Ravens – Very similar to the Bears, but more consistent and an easier path to the SuperBowl, I still feel they are AFC favourites.  They’d better keep on winning to shrug off the Texans and Patriots who will be hunting them down.  The location of the AFC championship game could be the decider!  Yeah, I’m getting ahead of myself, but still…

2. Atlanta Falcons – Flawless at 5-0, but the past two weeks were awfully close! Both Defesne and Offense are looking great, and Matt Ryan is getting early MVP talks.  Only one team stands in their way right now…

1. San Francisco 49ers – they still have that big week 1 win @ Lambeau, and they still have that big week three loss @ Minnesota.  But after that loss I always say sometimes a great team needs to lose once, and then we see how they bounce back from it.  Well, it’s been two games since and the 49ers have put up 79 points and only allowed 3 !! They have the best Net Points in the league at 81 and i believe a win against the Giants next week will show that they are the ‘real mo fo deal’!

 

Last Word Radio Network is pleased to bring you Sunday NFL Blitz Package weekly at 7:30-8:30 pm to discuss all the afternoon and evening games, and get you primed for Sunday and Monday Night Football.  If you miss the show, check out the latest archived podcast either on our main page in the sidebar or on the Last Word Radio homepage.

What does the "C" and "H" on the Habs Jerseys Really Stand For?

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

Editor’s Note:  In “The Peculiar Side of Sports”, we aim to answer some of sport’s most interesting peculiarities and burning questions.  If you have any questions you would like answered simply send email to [email protected].

What does the “C” and “H” on the Habs Jerseys Stand For?

Les Canadiens de Montreal are one of those franchises that almost transcend their sport — not so dissimilar to the way the Yankees and Red Sox do for baseball, or Manchester United and Liverpool do for Premier League football.  These teams — and there are others — have a permanent mystique surrounding them. Each team has history on its side.

One thing that particularly interests me regarding the Habs is the history of their emblem — the “C” with the “H” within.  Where does that come from?  What does it really stand for?  It seems everyone has their opinion about its origin, but I wonder how many are actually right?

I have heard many argue that the H stands for “Habitants”, believing the letter represents the fact that the players inhabit Canada.  Further, they point to how the team name is shortened to “Habs”, which must mean the entire name is “Habitants de Canada”.  A worthy suggestion, I suppose.

In speaking with some historians steeped in Habs lore, The Peculiar Side of Sports has tried to ascertain the real meaning behind these letters, which are as important to the team’s identity as Robinson, Richard, Lafleur or Plantes.

Habitants – Rangers and MSG owner Tex Rickard told a reporter that the H stood for Habitants in 1924.  He was the first to officially give the team the nickname “Habitants”.  However, since the CH logo had been in-place since the start of the 1916-17 season, this cannot be the reason for the H.

Editor’s Note: “The term Habitant does not come from the fact the team inhabits Canada but in fact goes back even further to the French Regime, and existed in France, to mean farmers who live on seigneurial land, and the nickname comes from the fact that Les Canadiens was the French Canadian team, while the Wanderers (and later the Maroons) were anglo teams. ” – from Mattyleg at HabsInsideout.com

Still, the H in the logo does not stand for Habs or Habitants as many suggest, instead the real answer is that the Canadiens as a team, and in their official name and not nickname have evolved over the years and we can see this in the evolution of the team’s jersey.

The Evolution of the Montreal Canadiens Jersey

The club was born in 1909 and were simply known as “Club Canadien”, with a simple “C” on their jersey.

In time for the 1912-1913 season, they became “Club Athletique Canadien”, and the letters “CAC” were on their emblem.

In 1914-1915, it again changed to a C with a smaller A within the C, which was the same uniform they donned in winning their first Stanley Cup in 1915-1916.

By the next season, 1916-1917, the Club Athletique Candiens was no longer in business, and as you can see, the A was changed to an H, and the “Club de Hockey Canadien” was born. The uniform has been largely unchanged since, with only minor cosmetic alterations. Upon closer inspection, there are actually two C’s in the Canadiens’ logo – an inner C and outer C, which represents the full team’s name, along with the H.

Perhaps some of you already knew this history, but I hazard to guess that many didn’t.  I have personally heard many versions of the “truth”, all slightly off-base.  So, as history shows us, the H does not stand for Habitants, as that was only coined years after the logo was created.  Instead, the outer C represents Club, the H signifies Hockey, and the inner C represents Canadien – in full, “Club de Hockey Canadien”.

If you have any sports related questions which have been nagging you, send email to [email protected], or add your comments below, and The Peculiar Side of Sports will do our best to investigate. Please visit my column’s homepage and see the rest of my Peculiar Side of Sports articles.

Top Shelf Prospects: 2012-13 NCAA Preview – Hockey East

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. Previously I reviewed the prospects of all thirty NHL teams, and previewed the CHL season. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of my them here.

Over this past weekend many NCAA teams started their pre-conference schedules with various exhibition games against Canadian Universities, pre-season tournaments, or in other showcase games against teams from other NCAA conferences. With that in mind we turn our attention to previewing the NCAA season, and looking at conference play.

Today I move on to the Hockey East Conference.  While conference re-alignment has created major changes for many conferences in the NCAA, Hockey East will only see minor changes after this season, as Notre Dame joins the group in 2013-14.

However that is a year away, and lets look at Hockey East today.  The conference features last year’s national champion, and must be seen as a threat to produce another National Champion this year.  Hockey East is filled with potential NHL talent, and we should be in for a treat with plenty of competitive games this season.

Top Contenders

Boston College Eagles: The Eagles were a dominant team last year, winning the Hockey East regular season title, the Conference tournament, and the National Championship.  The Eagles have won 3 of the last 5 National Titles and are looking to win their first repeat title this year.  While the team suffered big losses in forwards Chris Kreider, Paul Carey, and  Barry Almeida along with defencemen Brian Dumoulin and Tommy Cross; they are still very talented and are the best bet to win the conference.  The Eagles feature a top notch goaltender in Parker Milner.  He’s been through the pressure situations and come up big, and given that experience we should expect no different in 2012-13.  In Milner the Eagles have the type of goaltending that can match any other true contender in the NCAA.  Up front the Eagles will look to sophomore John Gaudreau to take over as the team’s primary threat.  The undersized winger was phenomenal as a freshman, and should be more than capable of leading the offence.  He will get support from returning forwards Pat Mullane and Bill Arnold, and incoming freshmen Peter McMullen.  On defence the loss of Dumoulin is huge.  However the team does have Patrick Wey, Patch Alber, and Isaac MacLeod as the only 3 returning players on the blueline and they will be given huge minutes this season.  The incoming Freshman class on defence is talented with Florida Panthers first round pick Michael Matheson, and Montreal Canadiens prospect Colin Sullivan, leading the way.

Maine Blackbears: The Blackbears had the best first line in the NCAA last year, but suffered big losses with Spencer Abbott and Brian Flynn moving on to pro hockey.  Leading goal scorer Joey Diamond is back and will be expected to lead the offence.  Bigger offensive contributions will be asked of Kyle Beattie, and Adam Shemansky this season while star recruit Devin Shore will also be asked to make big contributions as a freshman.  On defence Nick Pryor returns and will be asked to take over the role of number one defencemean.  One area where Maine remains strong is in goal where Dan Sullivan returns.  His calming presence should help the team early in the season while the lineup gels around him. Even with all the losses, Tim Whitehead has done too good a job rebuilding Maine over the last two years to overlook his squad.

Boston University Terriers:  Last year was an unmitigated disaster for Boston University, there is just no other words for it. Corey Trivino and Max Nicastro were arrested and dismissed from the program; Charlie Coyle defected to the QMJHL at midseason, and a task force was put together to investigate the hockey program.  The findings were very concerning and a major embarrassment for the university and coach Jack Parker faces a long road to restore the program’s and his own off-ice reputations.  That said the on-ice product is still strong and he may be able to put together a contending team again this year.  Upfront the team is lead by Matt Nieto who returns for another season with the Terriers.  Meanwhile Garrett Noonan will lead the defence.  These veterans along with Sahir Gill, Wade Megan, and Alex Privitera will be asked to provide leadership for a talented freshman class that includes four recent NHL Draftees.  The Terriers biggest issue is in goal where freshman and Penguins draftee Sean Maguire is the expected starter.  Does he have what it takes to backstop the club to success in his first season in the NCAA?

Players to Watch:

John Gaudreau, Left Wing, Boston College Eagles: Listed at just 5’6″ and 150 lbs, it is easy to see why Gaudreau fell to the 4th round of the 2011 NHL draft despite good stats for Dubuque in the USHL.  Gaudreau joined the Eagles as a freshman last season, and was an integral part of the team that would win the NCAA Frozen Four tournament.  His 21 goals and 44 points in 44 games including a number of clutch performances, including production throughout both the conference and NCAA tournaments.  He even scored in the NCAA Championship Game.  What Gaudreau lacks in size he makes up for in skill and heart.  He is an explosive skater who leaves opponents in his dust, and is able to cut wide on defenders and take the puck to the net.  He also has very good hands, and a wide variety of moves that enable him to beat defenders one on one.  Gaudreau has excellent puck control and good vision.  He is a creative player who is willing to try plays that many other players never would, and has found these moves work against NCAA competition.  Gaudreau has shown no fear challenging opponents in the corners and the front of the net.  He has high level hockey IQ and is often able to find the soft spot in a defence and get open to unleash his accurate one timer.  Expect Gaudreau to continue to impress this season and lead the Eagles in scoring.  He has a legitimate chance to take a run at Conference MVP and at the Hobey Baker Trophy.

Mike Matheson, Defence, Boston College Eagles: With only three returning defencemen on the Eagles blueline, Matheson will be given big responsibility and big minutes right out of the gate as a freshman in the NCAA.  The first round draft pick of the Florida Panthers should be up to the challenge.  Matheson is an excellent skater with a smooth, powerful stride. His sublime skating helps him in all aspects of his game, but his primary skill is as a defensive defenceman.  He has excellent instincts, and plays a solid positional game. Matheson angles attackers to the outside and forces them into non-dangerous areas of the ice. He keeps the front of the net clear, and is quick to pounce on loose pucks. Matheson is willing shot blocker and understands how to cut down passing lanes. He is also very good at winning puck battles, and while he isn’t regularly a big hitter, he understands how to pin an opponent on the boards and take him out of the play. The offensive game is a work in progress and something he will hope to develop at Boston College. Matheson’s slapshot has decent velocity, but more importantly he keeps his shots low and accurate.  Matheson makes a great first pass in the defensive zone which greatly helps the transition game.  He has also shown a willingness to pick his spots and join the rush at key times.

Joey Diamond, Left Wing, Maine Blackbears:  With high scoring linemates Spencer Abbott and Brian Flynn gone, Diamond must take the lead for the Blackbears offence this year.  The sniper led the team with 25 goals last season, but goals will be tougher to come by this year without his talented set up men.  At just 5’7″ tall Diamond is undersized, but that doesn’t stop the winger from going hard to the net where he scores a lot of his goals.  He is a tenacious and hardworking forward with a non stop motor and a knacck for finding himself in the middle of the action.  Diamond is also a very good shooter who has an excellent wrist shot and release.

Devin Shore, Centre, Maine Blackbears:  Shore is an incoming freshman who played Junior A hockey in Ontario last season.  He was a 2nd round pick of the Dallas Stars.  An intriguing forward, he’ll be a freshman to watch at Maine as the Blackbears attempt to replace all the scoring they lost last season.  Shore is said to be a talented playmaking centre, who plays a strong two way game.   He is also said to have an excellent shot and release, and is equally capable scoring goals.  It would appear that Shore’s biggest attributes are his intelligence and hockey sense. Given his skills he could find himself playing with Joey Diamond as the new playmaking centre for the sniping winger.

Kyle Bigos, Defence, Merrimack Warriors: Bigos is a huge defenceman who plays with a mean streak for the Merrimack Warriors.  Last season Bigos found a bit of an offensive game putting up 17 points in 34 games as a junior for Merrimack, but its unclear if he can reapeat those kind of numbers.  Bigos’ strengths are in the defensive end of the ice where he is a feared hitter, and is not afraid to mix things up in the corners or in the front of the net.  As a senior Bigos will be one of the leaders of the Merrimack team, and looks to put in one more year of solid college hockey to convince the Oilers brass that their draft pick is worthy of an NHL contract come the end of the season.  He will need to improve his skating if he wants to succeed at the next level.

Matt Nieto, Right Wing, Boston University Terriers: Nieto scored 16 goals and 42 points in 37 games for the Terriers last season.  Nieto is a great skater who creates offence with his speed. His excellent acceleration, ability to change gears, crisp edgework and cuts, and  great top end speed make him extremely difficult to defend off the rush.  Defenders must back off and respect his speed, because if they don’t he can blow by them on the outside and cut hard to the net.  If they do back off, Nieto is given the room to be creative and use his strong stickhandling, vision, and passing ability to set up teammates. He also has a very good, very quick release on his wrist shot which makes him a dangerous shooter off the wing. However he needs to add velocity to the shot before he can be considered a sniper.  Nieto is willing to work on the boards and in front of the net, but quite simply is not strong enough at this point.  Defensively Nieto also shows strong skills.  He is relentless in pressuring the puck carrier, causing many opponents to panic and cough up the puck. Nieto also has very good positioning, great anticipation, and quick feet which help him to create a lot of turnovers in the defensive end.  Since his skating is so good and the transition game so quick, causing turnovers in the defensive zone has become a way that Nieto is able to create offence with his strong defensive play. During his next season with BU, Nieto should focus on bulking up and preparing for the pro game.  With Alex Chiasson graduated, Corey Trivino out of the program, and Charlie Coyle nothing more than a memory for the Terriers, Nieto will be asked to lead the BU attack this year.

Mark Jankowski, Centre, Providence Friars: Mark Jankowski comes from excellent bloodlines.  He is the nephew of Ryan Jankowski, a current scout for the Montreal Canadiens, and the former head scout for the New York Islanders. His grandfather was Lou Jankowski who enjoyed an 18 year pro career including NHL stops in Detroit and Chicago.  His great uncle is Hockey Hall of Famer Red Kelly.  The incoming freshman was also the First Roundpick of the Calgary Flames. Of all the incoming freshman in the NCAA this year, Jankowski is the one I’m most excited to see, as I didn’t get to see him play in his draft year.  He is said to be a very good skater, with excellent vision and playmaking abilities.  Janakowski has great size, and is said to be adept at handling the puck with his huge wingspan.  He is also said to have a good wrist shot that helps him to score goals.

Mike Pereira, Left Wing, University of Massachusetts Minutemen:  Pereira returns to UMass for his junior season after a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him score 17 goals and 34 points in 35 games for the Minuteman.  Pereira is undersized, but he is an absolute speedster off the wing, playing each game like it is a track meet.  He has great hands and is capable of controlling the puck and making slick plays at top speed.  Equally adept as a scorer or a playmaker, Pereira has great vision and hockey sense.  He reads the play exceptionally well, and almost always makes smart decisions.  His wrist shot is accurate and has good velocity, and a good release.  Pereira should lead the Minutemen in scoring this season, and will be looking to get the scouts attention to earn a pro contract going forward.

Chris Rawlings, Goalie, Northeastern Huskies:  Many are surprised to see Rawlings back at Northeastern as the goalie had many offers from NHL teams to take a two-way contract and go pro this summer.  At 6’5″ tall, Rawlings is part of the new breed of goalies who play a solid positional game, and use their great size to take away much of the net from shooters.  He plays his angles extremely well which only serves to further minimize the size of the openings the shooters have to look at when they come in on Rawlings.  Rawlings is a hybrid style goalie who shows great ability to go from side to side and is exceptionally quick in the net.  He could use some work on his rebound control going forward, and will try to work on that this year.  Expect that Rawlings will again be among the top goalies in the NCAA and will keep the young Huskies team in games against more talented opposition by keeping the opponent at bay.  Rawlings should again have a number of ELC offers waiting for him at the end of this, his senior season.

Kevin Roy, Left Wing, Northeastern Huskies: Roy is an incoming freshman who absolutely destroyed the USHL last season, putting up one of the best offensive seasons in recent league history.  The Ducks draft pick is an undersized winger.  However he has tremendous puck skills, and hockey sense.  He has a great shot and release which fools goalies and the puck is in the pack of the net before you know it.  At age 13 Roy was a youtube sensation due to his talented puck handling and great shootout moves.  Now all grown up the talented Roy continues to be an offensive force and hopes to bring that offence to Northeastern where he will be a key piece of the Huskies offence, this year and going forward.

Doug Carr, Goaltender, Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks:  As a sophomore Doug Carr had a 2.13 GAA and 0.928 save percentage for the River Hawks.  Can he be even better this year as a junior?  Another big goalie (6’2″) who takes up a lot of net and cuts down angles well.  Carr has very quick legs and takes away the bottom of the net well.  He’s also got very good puck tracking skills and lateral movement.  The River Hawks are looking to build on last year’s regular season success, and in order to do that Carr will need to come up with another stellar season.

Nick Sorkin, Left Wing, New Hampshire Wildcats: Sorkin had 35 points in 37 games as a sophomore for the Wildcats last season, and will be looked upon to again lead the offence this year.  Much more of a playmaker than a scorer, Sorkin’s has great vision and the ability to thread the puck through tight spaces.  His shot is decent enough but his release needs work if he wants to score more than the 9 goals he put up last season.  Still the strength of his game is setting up teammates, and his good hands and puck protection abilities help him to do this.

Connor Brickley, Left Wing, Vermont Catamounts: Brickley was a 2nd round pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.  He had a good first season, and looked to be breaking out as a sophomore before a calf injury at the World Juniors really derailed his year.  He came back and just didn’t seem to be the same player as before getting hurt.  Now fully healthy, Brickley looks to break out this season, and Vermont could certainly use a big offensive performance from him, as goals may be hard to come by for the Catamounts.  Brickley is already a good defensive forward, who understands his assignments and is used to check top lines, but the Catamounts and the Panthers want a little more offence from him.  He needs to get a little stronger to win more board battles and be more of a force in front of the opponents net.

Feel free to leave your own comments below and to follow me on twitter @LastwordBKerr

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Top Four: Essential Notes on the Current Top Four

Posted on by Mike Neilson

Chelsea (Last Week #1 This Week #1)

Another dominant win which means another week at the top for a very impressive looking Chelsea. Norwich was this week’s victims going down 4-1 in what was another free-flowing display by playmakers Juan Mata and Eden Hazard. Chelsea dominated from beginning to end, controlling the game with 69% of the possession.

As good as Chelsea have played, to an extent they have been fortunate with injury. Daniel Sturridge is the only real injury currently at the club while the rest of the table topping team has enjoyed a fine start to the campaign. It’s pretty clear so far that Hazard and Mata are essential to the clubs initial success, if one or even both were struck by injury who steps in? With Fernando Torres playing well and scoring goals, what happens if he goes down injured on international duty? Other top teams are having several injury issues but Chelsea so far have kept fit and depth has not been an issue. So far. I think the league leaders real test will come when one or two go down with niggling injuries or when the Christmas fixture list stretches the squad but until then I see the dominance continuing.

After the international break, Chelsea’s next game will be the eye catcher of the round as the blues travel across London to face a Tottenham team high on confidence and on the brink of the top four. This will be quite the test for Chelsea and as Villas Boas gets a go at his ex-employers, I think this is to close to call.

My Prediction: Tottenham 1 – Chelsea 1

Manchester United (Last Week #3 This Week #2)

United came away Tyneside with a strong 3-0 win; only their second league clean sheet this season. The Red Devils capitalised on the home sides defensive issues as Evans and Evra both scored early headers off almost identical corners. Both were followed by a wonderfully placed shot/cross into the top right corner by Tom Cleverley, however if you asked the Englishman he would obviously say he was going for goal.

The 3-0 win looks impressive on paper, but clear issues were raised between the sticks as David De Gea got his first start in four games. De Gea did has always been an excellent shot stopper and is improving in the United keeper top but his weakness in the air during crosses is still frequent. The Spaniard looked uncomfortable coming off his line for various corners and crosses from the opposing team and easily could have lost his clean sheet had the ball fallen to a Newcastle player. Pressure is on De Gea, as Anders Lindegaard continues to compete for the No.1 jersey. It would be unfair however to just criticise the goalkeeper as Ferdinand and Evans were equally weak under the high ball. Demba Ba had the better of the pair throughout the match and was unlucky to not get on the score sheet. United have progressed this week, but still have plenty to fix at the back.

Next up is the forever tough game with Stoke City. As Liverpool found out over the weekend, this physical team is very hard to break down but with the ability United have up front I expect a win in front of the home fans. It will be close, but I see United taking this one and Rooney getting on the score sheet.

My Prediction: Manchester United 2 – Stoke City 0

Manchester City (Last Week #4 This Week #3)

Premier league champions Manchester City showed their quality in another 3-0 win, this being their first clean sheet of the season as both Manchester teams stay strong at the back this week. Two amazing free kicks by Kolarov and Milner while super sub Aguero capped off a match that made fans remember they are still the team to beat.

Club captain Vincent Kompany missed the game through a calf injury which allowed City to show off their incredible depth.  The English pair of Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott controlled the back for City as Sunderland rarely got an opportunity away at Joe Hart who is arguably the best keeper in the world at the moment. The clubs depth is so strong Sergio Aguero  only got just over thirty minutes off the bench while Edin Dzeko couldn’t get on the field. Mario Balotelli was sacrificed to accommodate one of the world-class strikers but clearly was not happy as he walked down the tunnel without acknowledging the bench. The former Inter man is an amazing talent, but must improve his temperament or he could find himself on the way out. I would be surprised to see Mario start the next game after his recent outburst, as others need game time.

City now head to the Hawthorns to face an over achieving West Brom, as impressive as they have been I don’t see them getting a result based on Cities most recent performance.

My Prediction: West Brom 0 – Manchester City 3

Everton (Last Week #2 This Week #4)

Based on the incredible start by his team, David Moyes would have expected all three points at Wigan but thanks to a late penalty from Leighton Baines Everton only came away with a point in a 2-2 win that drops the club down to forth. Early goals from Wigan made a comeback difficult but it was Everton’s commitment and constant pressure that resulted in the penalty that took the point.

Although the overall result was disappointing and resulted in dropped points, Nikica Jelavic was a plus as the clubs main striker performed yet again. The Croatian scored his fourth league goal of the season and was constantly a threat while the Wigan back four struggled to deal with his aerial ability and movement in the box. With the international break upon us, Everton fans can only hope the momentum continues when the league re commences later this month. With a Merseyside derby on the horizon retaining the clubs form would mean a lot to the local fans who love getting one over on their neighbours. For this to happen, David Moyes and the clubs coaching staff can only wish key players like Jelavic come back without a scratch. Even though the club has improved in-depth, players like Jelavic and Pienaar for example won’t be easily replaced especially with tough matches ahead.

After the break is another game Everton fans expect three points from as the club travels to Loftus road to face a lowly QPR side in need of a win. Provided Everton keep momentum going they should still be in the top four by the end of the match, but with the pressure of Tottenham in fifth anything could happen.

My Prediction: QPR 1 – Everton 2

If you missed our Euro Football radio show, you can still access it either by looking in the sidebar on our main page, or by visiting the Last Word Radio Network homepage.

We have two weekly football shows:

“Thursday Premier League Roundtable“, every Thursday at 10pm EST

“Monday Euro Football Roundtable“, every Monday at 10pm EST

 

 

Milos Raonic: 2012 Review

Posted on by Greg Persson

With the 2012 ATP season in its twilight, I believe it’s a good time to evaluate this year’s campaign of Canada’s top tennis athlete, Milos Raonic.

2012 marked Milos’ second full year as an ATP staple after he established himself as a consistent qualifier for majors and ATP 1000s with his stellar play in 2011. The “sophomore jinx” is a mainstay in professional sports, but in tennis it is magnified by the ranking system. In sports like hockey or baseball players begin on an even keel every season; though expectations are high, there isn’t statistical pressure on an athlete to defend their home run or goals total from their previous year. In tennis, the ranking system always takes your last full year of results and points into your ranking regardless of the time of year. So a second year in tennis involves defending the points you earned previously. So for Milos there was much to lose in 2012, given his breakthrough in 2011.

So how did he do? Milos started the year off with a bang winning in Chennai (his 2nd career ATP tournament victory), but failed to equal his round of 16, 2011 performance at the Australian Open losing to hometown hero Lleyton Hewitt in the third round. This match was close, however it was a battle Milos was expected to win. Milos used this defeat to push himself hard and defend his 2011 title in San Jose giving him 3 career ATP victories. A big test for Milos then followed in Memphis where he lost to Andy Roddick in the final in 2011. Milos was true to form reaching the final and defending his points but wound up losing in the final to Jurgen Melzer who, though lower ranked than Milos, played an incredible tournament.

The winter/spring hard court season would finish up with two American ATP 1000 tournaments (Indian Wells and Miami). These tournaments were very important not only because of the pile of ranking points available but it was likely that Milos would face one of Nadal, Federer, Djokovic or Murray for the first time in 2012. At Indian Wells, it was the great Roger Federer in the third round that would be the test. Milos served brilliantly to take the first set but fell to Roger in the next two. Still this gave Milos momentum heading into Miami where Andy Murray was a likely opponent. Raonic, however, would not get that opportunity as his body would let him down. He had to withdraw due to knee issues before his scheduled third round match with Murray.

His injury left his fans concerned how it would affect the beginning of his clay court season, especially given that he could not rely on his serve as much as on hard court. A below 100% Milos suffered a disappointing first round loss in Monte Carlo and knew he needed to step up his game heading into the blue clay of Barcelona. A healthier Raonic ripped through the completion including Spaniard Nicholas Almagro. The big triumph however was his victory over Andy Murray. This marked his first victory over a member of the seemingly unstoppable top four. After losing in the semi-finals of Barcelona and another great but unsuccessful match against Roger Federer in Madrid, Raonic found himself entering Roland Garros ranked 22nd overall. A top 20 standing was within his grasp.

Milos would conclude his first French Open with a third round appearance losing to higher ranked Juan Monaco and finishing his clay court season. All in all it was a great season for Raonic on a surface that he was not expected to excel on, especially considering he missed much of 2011’s clay season. The bar was set high going into the serve friendly grass portion of 2012.

Yet another close match with Federer in the quarter-finals at Halle and a historic war with Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the in the second round of the London Olympics would highlight the brief grass season for Raonic. A loss to Sam Querrey in the second round of Wimbledon would serve as a disappointing setback and Milos would drop to number 24 heading into the late summer/fall hard court season.

The Rogers Cup in Toronto was very important for the Thorn Hill, Ontario native as it would give him an opportunity to bounce back and with a good showing crack the top 20. With the help of a walkover Milos would reach the QF and lose a service clinic to John Isner, the important thing about this result was that on home soil, Raonic entered the top 20 for the first time in his career. He would ride that momentum to another QF appearance in Cincinnati and a round of 16 showing at the US Open losing to eventual champion Andy Murray. Not only had Milos made the top 20 but he found himself ranked number 15 heading into the Asian leg of the season.

On Sunday, the driven Canadian concluded the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo with a hard fought final against Japanese tennis icon Kei Nishikori. Milos would lose in three sets, however it was his previous two matches that sparked the most interest. Both number 9 Janko Tipsarevic and US Open champ Andy Murray fell to Milos signalling the first time he had disposed of two top ten players in the same tournament.

Milos now sits 13th overall with two more ATP 1000 tournaments remaining. With his performance in Tokyo he has also reached $1 million dollars in earnings this year. Though it is virtually impossible for him to catch the number 8 spot and gain a birth in the World Tour Final this year, a top ten is inevitable, if not this year, then in 2013 if he stays healthy. Raonic has exceeded all expectations not only in his ranking but in who he has been able to hang with on all surfaces including the tricky clay. Next year look for him to capture a 1000 title and maybe even put the Maple Leaf on top of a Grand Slam.

Well done, Milos, Canada is proud of you.

The Two Faces of Mario Balotelli

Posted on by Mitchell Tierney

Pirlo’s ball fell to the left wing against the run of play. Cassano was pressured by Hummels in the German defense but was able to get around him. His ball into the middle was a good one and deserved the finish it received from the head of Mario Ballotelli. Not too long after Italy was on the attack again. Ricardo Montilivo delivered a dangerous ball from the midfield that caught German defender Phillip Lahm off guard. The ball once again fell to Mario Balotelli who calmly received it and struck into the top corner of the goal. For many it was the best goal of the entire tournament and for others it seemed like the coming out party for a controversial figure in world football.

A few months later Balotelli was walking down the tunnel to the Manchester City dressing room, frustrated at being substituted early in 3-0 victory over Sunderland. It was another disappointing performance in a campaign that has been rather poor from Balotelli thus far. The player who, going into the final, many considered a possible Euro 2012 player of the tournament has yet to score in Premier League action. His only two strikes this campaign have come in the league cup, a competition from which Manchester City are eliminated, and a penalty in the Champions League.

In fact between this week and the past couple of months the mantra of the two faces of Mario Balotelli have never been more relevant. Early this week Mario was brought on as a substitute in a Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund. While Manchester City have been able to dominate the Premier League as of late they have had particular problems with the Champions League. After dropping their Champions League opener against Real Madrid, City were trailing 1-0 in a match they desperately needed points in to advance. Given a penalty Mario stepped up to the spot and delivered with unbelievable composure to tie the match.

Yet just a couple of days later Balotelli had already gotten himself back into trouble with both his club and the media. Not only that but there was some question as to whether Mario would be called up for his country for the latest set of World Cup qualifiers. Cesare Prandelli, who could be credited with the revolutionary Mario who showed up for the Euros, may turn on Balotelli completely soon enough. A week after so many people praised Mario for his entertainment value and quality finish that may have saved City’s Champions League campaign the same people were critical of his poor professionalism.

This lack of professionalism has always been a problem with Balotelli. Mario has always had a shocking lack of self control on the field. One specific story that conveys this perfectly was told by Balotelli’s manager when he played with Inter Milan, Jose Mourinho. The special one reported that after Mario Balotelli had picked up a late first half yellow card he told Mario to play calmly to start the second half. The club did not have any other strikers available and needed him to stay in the game. Mario proceeded to go out and pick up a 46th minute yellow card to leave the game. Between fireworks inside his house, missed spinning back heals against MLS teams and randomly appearing at an Inter Milan press conference Mario’s career has been a whirlwind of poor professionalism.

Yet at the same time there is certainly a reason that Mario is still playing consistently with one of the best football clubs in the world. Besides his Euro 2012 performance, the best of his career, Balotelli demonstrated his quality impressively last campaign. One of the biggest results of the season was City’s 6-1 victory over United, a game in which Balotelli had 2 goals and instigated the red card issued to Johnny Evans. Later in the season Balotelli’s penalty in injury time insured a very important 3-2 victory for City against Tottenham. Yet Balotelli’s largest contribution of the season was during the final match of the season when he returned a Sergio Aguero pass which the Argentine converted to win the Premier League.

Those are the positive and the negatives faces of Balotelli. The question coming out of the media after this weekend is which one outweighs the other. Is Balotelli’s talent outweighed by his ridiculous antics? Yes, for City at least. Manchester City already have plenty of other problems in their dressing room and Balotelli may be the biggest, although Carlos Tevez makes a good case for himself in that regard. City have the kind of funds to bring in a player who has a similar skill set to Balotelli without the red-faced moments that he accompanies. That being said, Balotelli could be huge for another club with fewer problems.

Balotelli is one of the most entertaining footballers in the current football world. Yet he must mature if he is even going to realize his incredible potential as a footballer.

 

If you missed our Euro Football radio show, you can still access it either by looking in the sidebar on our main page, or by visiting the Last Word Radio Network homepage.

We have two weekly football shows: Monday Euro Football Roundtable (10pm EST), and Thursday Premier League Roundtable (10pm EST)

Euro Football Weekend Rundown

Posted on by Luciano Giuliano

What a fantastic derby-weekend in European football this was with some major fixtures taking place in La Liga and the Serie A. The most important being the much anticipated ‘El Clasico’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid, followed by the Derby della Madonnina where the two Milan giants, AC Milan and Inter FC, battled it out in a fiery and controversial affair (not a surprise in Serie A), and finally the up- and-coming so-called derby between first and second in Ligue 1 between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain.  In addition to these key match-ups, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City continue to lead the way in a tight threesome at the top of the EPL while Juve and Napoli are joint top in the Italian top flight.

5) French derby ends in a draw between Marseille and PSG

Marseille welcomed PSG to the Stade Velodrome Saturday in a first v second crucial match-up that ended in an exciting 2-2 draw with only two goal-scorers engraving their names on the scoreboard.

In the first half, both sides plunged for the win as it was very open and flowing. Marseille opened the scoring with Andre-Pierre Gignac on 17 minutes in spectacular fashion as he took on PSG defender Christophe Jallet, unleashing a laser beam that nutmeged past the defender into the bottom-left corner of the net.

Gignac’s opener triggered a PSG comeback lead by the capital club’s leading goal-scorer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who unleashed a superb volley from a Maxwell corner on 23 minutes. He wasn’t done yet though. Just minutes after the equalizer, the Swede doubled his tally to give his side the lead after he fired home a free-kick into the bottom corner.

Marseille would not go down without a fight, pushing back against the Parisian giants. On 32 minutes, Gignac bagged a brace by directing a powerful header home from a corner to equalize for the home side. This would effectively end the excitement early in Marseille as the second half was very cagey with both sides content with the point. Marseille continue to lead Ligue 1 with 19 points, three in front of PSG with 16.

 4) Juventus and Napoli top Serie A and await ‘derby’ after International break

The Old Lady engaged in a tussle with Siena on Sunday and was able to obtain three essential points which allow her to stay on top for another weekend. The Bianconeri struggled to implement their game plan in the first half and required Andrea Pirlo to work his magic from a free-kick just outside the penalty area. The Italian playmaker is well known for his over-the-wall curlers. However lately, it seems that Pirlo has changed his strategy to blasting the ball low, fooling his counterparts, which he accomplished against AS Roma and again versus Siena.

The Tuscan side went very close to the equalizer on several attempts but couldn’t pop it in until first-half stoppages as the unmarked Emanuele Calaio drove home a header past Gianluigi Buffon on the stroke of half time.

Juventus opened the second half firing on all cylinders with Arturo Vidal, Mirko Vucinic and Giovinco going extremely close to the go-ahead. It looked hopeless for the Turin giants to grab the victory until 85 minutes when Claudio Marchisio rifled home a volley to restore the lead and hand Juve the three points.

Napoli also won their crucial match against Udinese Calcio Sunday 2-1 with goals from newly-promoted captain Marek Hamsik and a magnificent Goran Pandev winner after the visitors temporarily drew level.

Juventus and Napoli are joint leaders with 19 points each, four points in front of Lazio and Inter who are tied with 15. The next match day will be the battle for top spot as Napoli travel to Turin to take on the reigning Italian champions. It is expected to be a fiery affair as this a growing rivalry especially after last season’s Napoli-triumph in the Coppa Italia final, but more recently after Juve’s controversial victory in the Italian Super Cup where there were three expulsions. What a derby this is becoming! Forza Juve!

 3) Chelsea, Man City and Man U collect important wins

 At Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea very easily disposed of Norwich 4-1. It was never a difficult match-up for the Blues although Grant Holt gave the Canaries a shock 1-0 lead which didn’t last long at all. Rather it looked like a scrimmage between ranks. Fernando Torres headed home the equalizer on 14 minutes, followed by Chelsea hero Frank Lampard who rebounded in the second after Torres attempted an overhead kick. Then, from a Norwich corner, John Terry cleared the ball to Juan Mata who ran unchallenged until the penalty area before threading a through ball for Eden Hazard to place a low curler in the bottom left corner. Chelsea dominated and effectively ended the encounter with Branislav Ivanovic who smashed in an excellent volley from a Mata assist. The Blues are on fire. Chelsea remains in first with 19 points.

Manchester City got past lowly Sunderland with a sound 3-0 result at a packed Etihad Stadium.  The Citizens looked very comfortable Saturday against their opponents and never seemed at risk as they dominated the encounter. Aleksandar Kolarov blasted home a free-kick five minutes in. After the restart, second half-sub Sergio Aguero added to the lead after he turned in a fierce Kolarov low cross from six yards. James Milner nailed in the third when he whipped in a free-kick which took a slight deflection off the head of a defender. Man City is in second with 15 points.

Manchester United got the better of a somewhat tough battle with Newcastle United on Sunday with a 3-0 win. Jonathan Evans, Patrice Evra and Tom Cleverley bagged the goals for the Red Devils. They can thank the Magpies’ makeshift defence who leaked goals that established defences would usually clear. Newcastle did put up a fight, crossing in several dangerous balls but were very unlucky that they would rarely find a teammate’s head. It looked as if Newcastle were back in the game five minutes into the second half when the ball may have crossed the line from a Papiss Cisse effort that was batted away from ‘keeper David de Gea. It is very difficult to tell but replays suggest that the ball did not fully cross the line. It was very close and worth another look. Manchester United jump to second with 15 points.

 2) Internazionale FC win controversial Milan Derby

 Inter came out 1-0 victors in the Milan derby as some debatable decisions from the ref rendered this a fiery affair. The Nerazzurri scored early on after the ref whistled for a soft foul by the boundary lines. Esteban Cambiasso swung in a fierce curler that landed to Walter Samuel who headed home the game-winner three minutes in. Diego Milito almost doubled the lead when Milan `keeper Abbiati coughed up the ball in the box to Diego Milito who had two chances parried away.

The Rossoneri began to pour the pressure and got some help when Yuto Nagatomo was expelled following his second yellow card offence.

Milan thought that they drew level when Urby Emanuelson was sent in to the area from a clever chip over the defence. The Dutchman continued his run towards the ball until he saw Inter ‘keeper Samir Handanovic come flying out to bat away the ball which Riccardo Montolivo volleyed into the net from distance but the ref had already blown for an infringement on Emanuelson. Replays show that Emanuelson ducked to get out of the Handanovic’s way although there still was a slight touch. Somewhat controversial.

It was not to be for the Diavoli as Bojan, Boateng, Pazzini, and Montolivo all had efforts denied. Milan continue to slip and are currently in 11th with seven points whereas Inter remain in third with 15 points.

 1) ‘El Clasico’ result: Lionel Messi 2-2 Cristiano Ronaldo

There is no better time for Cristiano Ronaldo to prove to the world that he is just as good as Lionel Messi than in ‘El Clasico’. Arguably the two best players and clubs in world football today went head-to-head in a spectacular showing Sunday at the Camp Nou. Ronaldo and Messi went shot for shot in this affair as they were the only two to score for their respective clubs.

CR7 opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after a good Madrid spell. Karim Benzema fed in a perfect pass from the edge of the box for the Portuguese international who beamed it in at the near post.

Messi wouldn’t have it though and drew the home side level eight minutes later.  Los Blancos failed to clear their lines when Pedro crossed in the box that fell perfectly to Messi to convert from close range.

This time, it was Messi who put his side up after Xabi Alonso fouled the tiny Argentine. The Ballon d’Or nominee stepped up to take the free-kick, brilliantly curling the shot over the wall and into the net. Spectacular finish! It was Messi’s 8th goal of the season.

With Real down 2-1 at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo had something to prove and did just that as he bagged his personal 8th of the season as well, thus equalizing and guaranteeing the visitors a point. Mesut Ozil slotted in a precise through ball to CR7 who easily got it past Valdes; 2-2 was the final.

Fantastic display from both clubs who played in an open end-to-end style, but this derby was stolen from the stars this time. This match was proof that Messi and Ronaldo are no doubt the world’s best players as they provided lots of entertainment for viewers. Ronaldo’s depressed? I think not. He has scored an astonishing eight goals in the last three games in all competitions! Unbelievable numbers. Barcelona continue to lead the way with 19 points on level with Atletico Madrid while Real Madrid are lagging by 8 points with 11 and currently lie in fifth.

 

If you missed our Euro Football radio show, you can still access it either by looking in the sidebar on our main page, or by visiting the Last Word Radio Network homepage.

We have two weekly football shows:

“Thursday Premier League Roundtable“, every Thursday at 10pm EST

“Monday Euro Football Roundtable“, every Monday at 10pm EST

 

NFL Gamechangers: Week 5

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Momentum is huge in football, and often effects the outcome of games. There are key plays that change momentum that are very subtle and may not make the highlight package on your favorite sports show. Sure, these shows do a great job of showing incredible catches, hits, and runs, or of showing you the scoring plays in a game, but do they really tell the whole story?

While a drive might end in a 5-yard TD pass or a 10-yard TD run, is that really the key play in a 7, 8, 9 or 10 play drive? Would the scoring play even be possible without the key completion on third and long earlier in the drive? Or that receiver who made a key block freeing up the running back to get to the outside to pick up a first down?

The purpose of this column is to highlight some key plays that greatly effected the outcome of their games, yet they might not have made highlight reels. This isn’t to take away from the importance of a big scoring play or turnover, but without these plays the highlight reel play would not have happened.

Cleveland at New York Giants (Turnovers!)
The Browns raced out to an early 14-0 lead.
New York started to comeback and cut lead to 17-10.  Cleveland came right back, driving down the field again deep into Giants territory, looking to restore the two-score lead.  It was then that Stevie Brown took over.  He intercepted Weeden and took it back to the 40.
The Giants drove down the field and scored a TD on a run by Ahmad Bradshaw
On the ensuing kickoff, Will Hill made a great play to strip the ball from Josh Cribbs, and Stevie Brown picked it again.  This was the second turnover for him in a matter of minutes.  Eli made good on a TD toss to Victor Cruz and the Giants never looked back in blowing out the Browns.  I say it every week – turnovers change games.

Eagles @ Steelers (Steelers Power Game)
In what was mostly an ugly game, the Eagles took the lead with 6:33 to play on a TD pass from Michael Vick to Brent Celek, and it was 14-13 after the extra point.  The Steelers took the ball and drove down the field, killed all 6:33, won the game on a last second FG by Sean Suisham and Philly never got the chance to respond.  That is dominance.  The drive featured a number of important runs by Isaac Redman and Rashard Mendenhall.  The big play here is Pittsburgh’s power offence coming back, and being able to sustain a long drive through running the ball.  Also worth noting is that Roethlisberger also made key third down completions to Antonio Brown (20 yards on a 3rd and 12 early in the drive).
Are the Steelers regaining their identity this week?

Greenbay @ Indianapolis (the value of good punting and field position)
Indianapolis was up by one point with 5:47 to play and forced a Green Bay Punt from their own 42 yard line.  It was a nearly perfect punt by Tim Masthay and was downed at the Colts 6-yard line.  Green Bay forced a three and out quickly and got the ball back after an Indy punt by Pat McAfee, and set up shop on the Indy 49 yard line (gained 9 yards in the punting game, great field position on Indy side of mid-field).  Two plays later Aaron Rogers finds James Jones for the go-ahead TD.

On the very next series (Andrew Luck’s Strength)
Indy had the ball back at the Packer 47.  It was 3rd down and 12 and Luck dropped back with 2:00 left.  Clay Matthews got into the backfield and got his hands on Luck’s shoulder pads.  Luck escaped and completed a 15-yard pass to Reggie Wayne.  Instead of a sack and 4th and really long, they had a first down.  Several plays later was a 4-yard TD by Wayne gave the Colts the lead back.

San Diego @ New Orleans (Drew Brees Record)
Brees set a record with 48 games with at least 1 TD pass, breaking a record he shared with Johnny Unitas.  Brees’ 40 yard TD pass to Devery Henderson will be on every highlight reel in the country.  What won’t be will two big 3rd down conversions earlier in the drive that kept things alive for the Saints and made this possible.  The First play was a on 3rd and 5 at the Saints 25.  Brees hit Marques Colston to the right for a 12-yard completion.  Later in the drive, on another 3rd and 5 you had Brees hit Camarillo down the middle for 15 yards.  You really see what an elite Quarterback Brees is on a drive like this where he was able to convert three times on third and long (the two passes mentionned, plus the pass to Henderson was 3rd and 6).  You also see the strength of Brees’ game, which is spreading the ball around to a number of different receivers.  While Colston has been the Saints number 1 guy, Brees doesn’t rely on him to the same extent that other quarterbacks lock in on a favorite receiver.  It keeps the defence on their toes, and makes him much harder to defend, because its so unpredictable where he will go with the ball.

Melvin Ingram Roughing the Passer Penalty
There was a huge game-changer that came in the fourth quarter.  New Orleans was down 24-21, and San Diego had all the momentum.  The Chargers pinned Brees deep in his own end, and we’re looking to force the punt.  Rookie Melvin Ingram closed in on Brees who was looking to pass.  A split-second after the ball left his hand, the Charger put his helmet right under Drew’s chin, knocking him hard on his back.  The pass was intercepted and returned to the house.  BUT, because Ingram hit Brees on the chin he was flagged for hitting in him in the facemask and given a 15 yard roughing the passer penalty.  The Saints got breathing room and a fresh set of downs.  A few plays later and they punched it into the endzone, and all momentum was back with New Orleans.  That penalty resulted in a 14-point switch.  For an 0-4 team that was staring 0-5 in the face, the question is, was Ingram’s penalty a Season Changer for the Saintes?  or just one win on a bumpy road?

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