The RedZone - Week 3 in the NFL

Ryan's Top 5

5. Tony Gonzalez - 8 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD - Matt Ryan is a great QB but has limited receiver options. With Roddy White marked out of the first 3 quarters by Saints CB Jabari Greer, Gonzalez rolled back the years to keep so many drives going for Ryan. The Falcons dominated offensively again in a 27-24 OT win over the Superbowl champions. Narrowly beats out the Jets' Dustin Keller as TE of the week

4. DeSean Jackson - 5 catches, 153 yards, 1 TD - With Mike Vick inserted as the Eagles' official starting QB, he needed a big game to prove Andy Reid correct against the Jags. Fortunate then that he has an explosive playmaker like Jackson at his disposal. A 61-yard TD was just the start of this beautiful combination, as the Eagles were consistently able to keep the chains moving in a 28-3 victory. Jeremy Maclin also contributed in a big way.

3. Adrian Peterson - 23 carries, 160 yards 2 TD's - with Favre Watch proving a fairly masochistic experience (23/34, 201 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's this week), it's important that somebody on the offense makes some plays. Who better than the Lions as opposition to kickstart your season? Peterson dominated the game, which included a career-high 80-yard TD to lead the Vikings to a first victory 24-10.

2. The Chiefs' running game - Jamaal Charles - 12 carries, 97 yards, Thomas Jones - 19 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD - it would be unfair to forget about Matt Cassel's big day as well, with 3 TD's, but it was on the ground that the situations were created. We always knew that Charles was the lone brightspot for this side but Jones has come in from the Jets and has proven that he does not just thrive in a favourable environment. The woeful 49ers were the victims of a 31-10 pumping and their offensive co-ordinator has bitten the bullet as a result.

1. The Seahawks' safeties - Lawyer Milloy - 7 tackles, 5 assists, 1 FF, Earl Thomas - 4 tackles, 2 assists, 2 INT's - this game will be remembered for the performance of Leon Washington on special teams (I'm sure Graeme will have something to say about that in a little while), but the Chargers always have the ability to put up more points than anybody, especially on a day where Philip Rivers throws for 455 yards. By forcing three important turnovers, Milloy and rookie Thomas kept the ball in the hands of their offense, winding the clock down in the process in a 27-20 victory, handing them the initiative in the NFC West.

Graeme's Top 5

5. Rashard Mendenhall - 19 carries, 143 yards, 1 TD - When you are on the road against a surprisingly 2-0 team and your QB hasn't started a game since 2007, a solid contribution from the running game is most welcome. Thanks Rashard.

4. Matt Cassel - 16/27, 250 yards, 3 TD's - Fine, the current 9ers aren't exactly in the same class as Montana's men, and he had help from his ground game. But the sweet double reverse fake deep ball play gets Cassel a spot in this article.

3. Flacco to Boldin - 3 TD's - Boldin caught 7 consecutive targets for 135 yards, producing 4 first downs and 3 TD's. Again, the opposition wasn't that taxing but Eric Wright, the corner responsible for covering Boldin, is (nominally) pretty decent

2. Cowboys D - 2 INT's, 1 Forced Fumble, 13 points conceded - The experts suggesting that the Cowboys were done and telling us that this Texas Derby was a sure money win for Houston are proved to be nothing more than 60%-of-the-time luck-merchants and reactionaries. The Dallas D sacked the previously unphased Schaub 4 times, 3 by Demarcus Ware, and picked him twice. They also limited Andre Johnson to a mere 26 ineffectual yards and restored some confidence in Big D's playoff bid.

1. The Franchise and The Sanchize - Sam Bradford 23/37, 235 yards, 1 TD, Mark Sanchez 15/28, 256 yrads, 3 TD's - This isn't a particularly subjective award. I simply feel that this week Bradford deserves credit for getting his first NFL win, eating up my Redskins admittedly pitiful D. Sanchez gets his mention because he managed to go to a hostile road game and not screw up at any point. Maybe he IS going to live up to the hype. Or some of it at least; as far as I know, there can only be one Son of God

FavreWatch (TM) - 23/34, 201 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's - Against the Lions, Brett resembled the Mitchell and Webb sketch of an elderly, dementia-suffering Sherlock Holmes, living in his own detached world while the younger Adrian Peterson's around him win the games he used to win by himself.

The County Scene: Week 27 - The End

Yes, sadly we have reached the end of another cricketing summer. Yet again we have experienced the delights of bad weather, scandal and tense finishes. Such is the effervescent nature of the sport. I think it is only fitting that I start with my county team of the season

Marcus Trescothick (Somerset) - brilliant leader and ultra-aggressive opener in every form of the game
Adam Lyth (Yorkshire) - came from virtually nowhere to be the brightest light in the Tykes' young squad
Mark Ramprakash (Surrey) - the man just cannot stop scoring runs
Andrew Gale (Yorkshire - captain) - took over the reins of an unfancied side and fared brilliantly, scoring a bucketload of runs on the side
James Hildreth (Somerset) - never let the side down, scoring hundred after hundred to end with the highest average of the season
Murray Goodwin (Sussex) - another perennial run scorer, firing his side straight back up to the top division
Chris Read (Nottinghamshire - keeper) - how can you ignore the Championship winning skipper, who continues to make runs and keep superbly without recognition
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire) - runs, wickets, no Ashes spot. Life's not fair for everyone's favourite leggy who isn't Shane Warne
Andre Adams (Nottinghamshire) - so many wickets, including those crucial strikes against Lancashire on the final day. There's life in the old Kiwi yet.
Alfonso Thomas (Somerset) - Mr Death Bowling in limited overs and consistently brilliant in first class cricket as well
Chris Tremlett (Surrey) - to average around 20 playing your home matches at the Oval takes real class and mental fortitude, which Tremlett displayed for the first time in his life

12th man - Murali Kartik (Somerset) - it would just be biased to have 4 Somerset players, but Kartik is a) a left-arm spinner (more bias) and b) the reason that Taunton has become such a fortress this season

And finally, the conclusion of the Pakistan tour. The less said about it the better I think, so I'll keep it brief:

4th ODI (Lord's) - Pakistan 265-7 (50 overs) (Mohammad Hafeez 64 off 100, Swann 10-0-37-4) beat England 227 (46.1 overs) (Strauss 68 off 72, Umar Gul 8.1-0-32-4). Once again England did not look up for this game and who could blame them? They had after all just been accused of match-fixing by PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, who is essentially an idiot with power. Having failed to restrict their opponents with the new ball, it was once again left to Graeme Swann to keep the runs down, although even then there was still an onslaught at the end as Abdul Razzaq smacked 44* off 20 at the death, taking the game away from England who had to chase under lights. Razzaq is one of the few game changers still around in international cricket and remains a joy to watch. Shahid Afridi also fired in quick runs as Tim Bresnan's bowling under pressure was left woefully exposed. England's heart was never in the run chase after that, with no one there to support the excellent start given to them by Strauss and Steve Davies (49 off 61). To be fair, Gul and Shoaib Akhtar (10-0-59-3) bowled with real fire and movement, which, when your focus is elsewhere, will always prove too much.

5th ODI (Rose Bowl) - England 256-6 (50 overs) (Morgan 107* off 101) beat Pakistan 135 (37 overs) by 121 runs and win the series 3-2. This was how to bounce back. Yet again, Eoin Morgan plays an innings of flair and authority to seal the series. You simply cannot overstate how amazing his range of shots is and the cool head required to play them. The fact is that once again, one man alone had held England's batting together, although he did receive support of a kind from a clearly out of form and unwell Paul Collingwood (47 off 71 with no boundaries - a brave effort given the migraines he was suffering from). After an expensive first ten overs, there was nothing to write home about in the response. England's best bowlers in this series have been Swann and Stuart Broad and they reaped their rewards with three cheap wickets apiece here. Well done to Luke Wright as well, who took his opportunity in the absence of Michael Yardy to demonstrate that he potentially has a role to play as an all-rounder on the subcontinent (6-0-16-1) here.

I'll be back for the Ashes tour
RM

Sink in the Deep or Swim in the Shallows?

Just a small reflective piece on a conversation I had the other day. I was speaking to a friend who happens to have the misfortune of being a Hull City fan. Now, compared to what myself and Graeme are used to, he's had it pretty good in the last couple of years. However, the excesses in which the Tigers indulged during their two year stay in the Premier League have created the potential for things to get much, much worse. Spending on players such as Jimmy Bullard (who essentially gets paid £45,000 a week to keep the physio employed and occasionally perform a comedy act on the football pitch before his knees give out again) and investment in youngsters like Jozy Altidore who fail to live up to the hype has contributed in part to the club owing £21 million as things stand, although that has already been greatly reduced from a peak of £35 million thanks to the efforts of chairman Adam Pearson.

Administration and further relegation may well follow if further drastic action cannot be taken. And yet... my mate seems so much happier with the club's situation. This is a standpoint which may appear difficult to understand but is also one which I can completely empathise with. The boom and bust which Hull may be about to experience is a very similar story to the one which afflicted Livingston just over a year ago. Life with young players who we have mostly produced ourselves plus a couple of old hands suits me so much better than living beyond our means in the SPL and Division One. And, if we continue with current form, we may be back at a higher level much more secure financially and with the wisdom of past experience to stop us repeating the trick. In summary, the short-term loss of administration, near liquidation and forced relegation to the bottom tier has been so preferable to the long-term alternative - staying at a higher level before completely imploding and the club no longer existing.

My friend also pointed out how much more enjoyable it is to be able to get tickets to Championship games more easily, as the fair-weather fans have departed and returned to rugby league. The atmosphere is more fervent and the knowledge of the crowd greater, understandably so. Of course, it won't boost the coffers to the same extent, but it's wonderful to have the opportunity to rebuild a club from the floorboards up. And, like Livingston, the club are relying upon their own youngsters and a few old veterans. And Jimmy Bullard.

In a sport increasingly more reliant upon television money and parachute payments from the Premier League, football needs to look at these stories in a positive light. Yes, financial misdemeanours should be frowned upon but the hardcore fans, those who contribute to the club more than anybody else, will always stand by their players, no matter how dire the circumstances become. One of the reasons why the England national team has struggled so much in recent times is the lack of investment in local youth, with a preference from the "big teams" to pick up youngsters from overseas. Circumstances like Hull's gives English youngsters a shot. Who knows what they could go on to accomplish? It may have taken a crisis to create the situation, but having no choice but to play young Englishmen can only be a good thing in the long-term. However, a word of warning - clubs will never be saved if the public and the footballing authorities fail to support them through their times of trouble and help them get to the other side, no matter how far they have to fall to reach security.

That said, I had a bloody good chuckle today when I saw Dundee were going back into administration!
RM

Manchester Teams Colourblind

There was a time, not so long ago, when the easiest distinction in football was between the two teams in Manchester. And it was easy; one wore red, one wore blue. One was a perenial powerhouse, one was perenially useless. One would ruthlessly dispose of smaller teams, the other would find a way to lose to an already-relegated bunch of has-beens and never-were-s.

Now, Man U have managed to start dropping points at every opportunity, whereas Man City have continued their statistically interesting run of beating Chelsea to emphasise their improvement over the past summer.

City were chastised after the game, percieved as negative due to their reliance on 3 'holding midfielders' .

Never mind the presence of David Silva (note to Alan Shearer; SILVA, not VILLA) and Carlos Tevez in the team, the thing that really annoyed me about that line of criticism is that it is inherently blinkered.

I don't condone the practice of using a sugar-daddy owner to buy in heaps of new players, but it now seems that every pundit in the land has forgotten how Chelsea did exactly what City have done. I do not particularly enjoy watching teams comprised mainly of defensive minded players throttle out results, but Chelsea got by doing the exact same thing for most of their rich years. Yes, even under Saint Jose.

It seems that 3 or 4 winning seasons and all previous criticism of how you managed to come about those wins disappears. It now appears that the media is only too quick to defend Chelsea, the apparently established and traditional big dogs of the Premiership, against upstarts like Man City who are only doing exactly what the Blues themselves did a mere 5 years ago. There is short-termism, and then there is supression of memory.

I didn't intend this article to become a passioned defence of City (I approve of the improvement their money has bought offering greater competition in the league, I overwhelmingly disapprove of the macroeconomic handling of football clubs in the way Man City are exemplifying), but a final point is that the 'holding midfielders' Toure, Barry and De Jong are criticised when all they do is provide a solid base, much like Makelele and Essien have for Chelsea and Keane and Scholes did for Man U (to much acclaim and no criticism) and keep the ball moving, much like the vaunted midfield of media darlings Barcelona.

Mentioning Keane and Scholes, there are of course two teams in Manchester, and as I alluded to earlier I'm going to give a brief comment to the Red Devils as well.

I predicted that Man U would become long in the tooth this year, and that they would finish 3rd. While men like Scholes and Giggs have proven me wrong on my first prediction (Wrong this time. Seriously, they HAVE to slow down some time!), I am pretty confident that my view of where they will finish the season will be correct.

The Wayne Rooney fiasco has been detrimental to the club. Scandals like that simply did not used to happen at Old Trafford, and anyone who caused trouble (ahem, Beckham and the flying football boot) were swiftly disposed of. I wouldn't be surprised if that happens to Rooney at the end of this year.

A positive has emerged from Rooney-Gate. A rejuvinated Dimitar Berbatov seems to have flourished due to the team finally choosing to adapt to his style of play. Why Sir Alex didn't do anything about the Berbatov issue earlier I have no idea, and it is one of my main criticisms of him; he has a precedent of buying expensively with a grand rebranding of the team style in mind, only to then prioritise short term results and put the big changes on hold, thus wasting the player in question. See the case of Veron for the best example. I think the ambition Sir Alex showed in signing him, and wishing to turn Man U into a ball control team much like Arsenal were at that time and the current Man U side are trying to be, was highly laudible. Just imagine how far superior that team would have been to anyone else in England or Europe (especially when Cristiano Ronaldo turned up... ).

Back in the real world, Fergie has also failed to address the defensive shortcomings that were obvious last year. The result is that the indecisive defense, coupled with less creativity and goal threat from Rooney, leaves United vulnerable to teams that keep the ball, pressure when not in possession and organise themselves well in defence. Teams like Bolton. Teams like Chelsea, and now, especially teams like Man City.

GM

The RedZone - Week 2 in the NFL

Graeme's Top 5

5. Troy Polamalu - 6 tackles, 1 INT. Honourable mention goes to Lawrence Timmons, who had a 15 tackle day, but I've got to give the plaudits to Troy. Irrespective of how the rest of the D performed, it was his amazing leaping tackle that stopped the Titans at the goalline to win the game.

4. Jay Cutler - 21/29, 277 yards, 3 TD's. This is as much a reward for progress as it is for performance. If you've followed the NFL over the past few years, you'll know of Cutler's issues with accuracy, decision-making and leadership. New Bears O-coordinator Mike Martz seems to have connected with him. He didn't set a foot wrong in beating the Cowboys away in the Jerry Jones MegaDome (disclaimer; not its real name), in spite of the early beating Martz's system exposed him to.

3. Falcons Offence - 3 aerial TD's, 2 rushing TD's, only 1 sack conceded - The Falcons beat down on Arizona. They dominated the Cards D, allowing Matt Ryan to throw for 3 TD's and convert 11-17 third downs with impunity. They had the ball for 39 minutes, allowing Arizona only 20 minutes. Such offensive dominance guaranteed them an easy win.

2. Peyton Manning - 20/26, 255 yards, 3 TD's. Made the Giants look like a college team for most of the match, and gave Eli some good game tape to study later. Once again, Peyton reminds his dad who the favourite son of the family is, although the Oreo commercials have made this pretty clear anyway.

1. The Quarterbacks of Redskins Vs Texans- McNabb 28/38, 426 yards, 1 TD, Schaub 38/52, 497 yards, 3TD's 1 INT. This game quickly became an aerial love-fest. Washington could not run the ball to save themselves, and so McNabb had to take on the Texans by himself behind a line that lost Trent Williams at left tackle to injury. Combined with the terrible wideouts and the suspect D, it's a miracle the Skins were tied at the end of regulation. Schaub just ate the Skins D up, and there is no doubt that he is amongst the best QB's in the league even when Andre Johnson is considered in the equation.

Ryan's Top 5

5. LeSean McCoy - 16 carries, 120 yards, 3TDs as the Eagles recorded their first win of the season 35-32 vs Detroit. Shady managed to exploit the sizeable holes in the Lions' defense. If you look in the archive, you'll see how I predicted a greater emphasis on running the ball in Philly. McCoy could become a serious weapon.

4. Antoine Cason - 6 tackles, 2 INT, 1 forced fumble. After a great first week, the Jaguars' QB David Garrard melted down at San Diego in a 38-13 defeat, throwing 4 picks in all before being benched for Luke McCown. Cason was the main defensive playmaker for the Chargers, who stepped up and refused to let their heads drop after their shock Week 1 defeat to Kansas City.

3. Mark Sanchez - 21/30, 220 yards, 3TDs. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not convinced by this guy and feel that Josh Freeman is the outstanding QB from the class of '09. But, despite the criticism and pressure weighing down on him, the Sanchise managed to find his range and, more importantly, his receivers in a 28-14 comeback win for the Jets. Never mind the problems of the New England secondary!

2. James Harrison - 10 tackles, 1 assist, 2 forced fumbles. Polamalu may get all of the plaudits for his endzone pick and ludicrous dive over the O-Line to stop the Titans on 4th down in a 19-11 victory for the Steelers, but Harrison does a lot of the hard work and puts in a lot of the hard hits. He places higher in this list because he gave us all a chance to see Kerry Collins again.

1. Matt Schaub - 38/52, 497 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT. It always helps when you have top WR Andre Johnson as a target, but you still have to go some to comeback against the Redskins' defense, one of the best in the league. 17 points down in the 3rd quarter, Schaub underlined his status as an elite QB with some superb drives down the field. He clearly leads the offense and his play calling is improving all the time. It was wise of the Texans to punt in overtime rather than attempt a 53-yard FG - giving the 'Skins a tougher field position before they got the ball back and won 30-27 thanks to the boot of Neil Rackers.

Favre Watch (TM) - 22/36, 225 yards, 3 INT. Peterson's fumble-itis is catching!

The County Scene: Week 26 - Always the bloody bridesmaids!

We have reached the penultimate edition of this long-running series. All the county cricket has been played out and I have only just wiped away the tears from my eyes to write about it. Yes, as predicted a few weeks ago, Somerset somehow contrived to finish as runners-up in all three competitions this season. That is not to take anything away from the boys - they have played brilliant cricket all year but just couldn't push over the finish line. They were defied by team brilliance in the Championship and the individual brilliance of Imran Tahir and Ian Bell in the CB40 final at Lord's on Saturday. I'm pretty sure that these guys are going to features heavily in my team of the season next week, but it'll be scant consolation!

The Championship was particularly painful but you cannot fault the excellence of the Nottinghamshire effort to net them another title. Having had three days pretty much wiped out away to Lancashire, and with Somerset having secured maximum batting points and a draw at Durham, Nottinghamshire needed to get from 89-2 overnight up to 400 and then take three Lancashire wickets to win the title by virtue of games won (both sides finished level on points - even more choking!). They were indebted to two things - some pretty generous bowling and the swift batting of Samit Patel and Aussie Adam Voges, making 96 and 126 respectively. They got over the line with one wicket to spare, the much maligned Darren Pattinson and departing Ryan Sidebottom the heroes. With about 40 minutes to go to get the three wickets, Sidebottom and Andre Adams got the ball in the right areas and the slip fielders made no mistake. Well done Notts. Bastards.

The CB40 final was another disappointment. On a decent Lord's track, Somerset could only muster 199, after a rapid start from Marcus Trescothick and a good middle-order partnership between youngsters Compton and Hildreth. Keith Barker put the ball in the right areas and Imran Tahir overcame a tricky start to get his variations going on a dusty pitch - the batsmen had no answer. The bowling response was great, Mark Turner aside, but they came up against a skipper back on his game at the right time before the Ashes. Ian Bell's 107 off 95 singlehandedly finished the Sabres off. Well done Warwickshire. Bastards.

Right now to the internationals very briefly:

3rd ODI (The Oval) - Pakistan 241 (49.4 overs) (Fawad Alam 64 off 86) beat England 218 (45.4 overs) (Morgan 61 off 74, Strauss 57 off 54, Umar Gul 10-0-42-6) by 23 runs. A quite wonderful display of bowling from Umar Gul wins the game for Pakistan to keep the series alive. The Oval track was flat and good for batting as usual but also had an abrasive quality to it that allowed the bowlers to find some reverse swing under the lights, leaving Luke Wright stranded on 48* having shown technique to go with his usual lusty striking to deny the bowlers. The game was lost in truth after Morgan aka "The Finisher" departed, having failed for once to see things through. Strauss again showed flair in his strokeplay as Pakistan fed his strength, but once the ball started reversing, England displayed palpable weakness to the moving ball, as they have all summer in truth. Their bowling was pretty good, led by another economical spell from Jimmy Anderson (10-2-26-3). After his opening burst had restricted their start, Pakistan played studiously to recover, led by the technical excellence of Fawad Alam, who is more suited to test matches but never gets selected! A defendable score was achieved through some free swinging from Abdul Razzaq. I don't believe he is a threatening bowling option any longer, but his striking is superb at the death and wins games on his own.

The game was undermined by further allegations of spot-fixing in this match - how stupid would you have to be in the current light to continue with this practise when everything is being scrutinised so closely? I can see no logical truth to these new allegations. Least of all the bitter swipe taken by PCB chairman Ijaz Butt at the England players, accusing them of being involved in throwing games. Not only does is this a false accusation which should lead to Butt's removal from his post and a libel case, but it also belittles the achievement of his bowlers in dismissing England for the victory.

Bastard
RM