BLACK

Chelsea 2 Man City 4 Premier League result 28/02/2010

Manchester City took 3 points away from Stamford Bridge today in over 17 years, with a riveting 6 goal match taking Man City into fourth position.

It was unfortunate that this exciting game had an element of tension with the well publicised John Terry and Wayne Brudge friendship bust up. In the team meeting prior to the match kick off, Wayne Bridge did no shake John Terry's outstretched hand which then led to the Chelsea fans booing Bridge for the entire match. All typical pantomime stuff really - Wayne Bridge was a perfect professional about the whole occasion and showed that he has match sharpness after his knee injury. England calls, Mr Bridge - we need you!

At the end of the match, Sky Sports congratulated Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy on their goal scoring and away victory. Inevitably they asked about how things had been in the Man City in relation to the Wayne Bridge - John Terry bust up. "You guys (the media) make a lot more of it you know (the fall-out between Terry and Bridge). I know what JT is like and nothing surprises me about it, so I'm not going to comment on that. I think everybody in football knows what the guy is like, but that's off the field. "On it he's an outstanding player. He's a great captain for Chelsea. It's always going to be difficult when you play him and his team."

The last bit of friction was Tevez and John Terry squaring up chest to chest with the referee jumping promptly in to prevent any unsavoury scenes.

The first 40 minutes of this match was dominated by Chelsea, Manchester City had Carlos Tevez back in a lone striker role with a defensive travelling strategy under new boss Roberto Mancini. To be honest, the play was dull so when Frank Lampard took his chance with international class written all over it the neutral football fan benefited almost instantly.

Manchester City managed to equalise with a pivotal moment in the game with Tevez battling on his own against Terry and Carvalho, then managing somehow to scrape a shot past Petr Cech's understudy Henrique Hilario just before half time. Hilario will be criticised for this goal and his performance in general today.

In the second half, Man City had more possession and better quality attacking moves. It was Craig Bellamy that got City's second with a sprint down the left hand flank, dribbling directly at the Chelsea full back and then shooting across Hilario who seemed to get his angles a bit wrong.

Chelsea had Ballack sent off after Carlos Tevez had converted a spot kick where Belleti fouled Gareth Barry from behind clumsily in the penalty box. This period of time killed it for the home team.

Wright-Philips came on towards the end, hit Chelsea on the break to square to Bellamy to make it 1-4. Chelsea lost a second player to a red card late on, finishing the last 5 minutes off with 9 men. Chelsea got a penalty late on which Frank Lampard converted but this was Team Bridge's day, pushing Man City into a Champions League spot in the Barclays Premier League.

As for England, we really need Wayne Bridge - hopefully the emotional hurt that he has heals a little before the World Cup because I want to see this lad play...he's brilliant! John Terry has definitely had a dip in form, looks like he might have lost concentration (understandably) and perhaps a yard of pace. Poor old Capello!

World Cup News 25/02/10 Wayne Bridge rules himself out of the World Cup Squad dor 2010

In an announcement made today through his lawyers, Wayne Bridge stated his intention to withdraw from the national squad as his position had become "untenable and potentially divisive". No doubt Bridge has had a difficult few weeks since his ex-fiancee's affair with the former England captain John Terry has become tabloid fodder and it is sad to see a talented player rule himself out of such a prestigious tournament for such reasons.

There is no doubt that Wayne Bridge is a good player, although his international career and his time at Man City have not quite fulfilled the promise of his performances at Chelsea. However although Ashley Cole is a doubt for South Africa with his injured ankle (thankfully his extra-marital activities do not appear to have been with team mates' partners) Capello does still have options at left back, including Everton's Leighton Baines and Villa's Stephen Warnock.

My worries however are that Bridge's actions suggest there have already been damaging repercussions to Terry's behaviour in the England camp. After 44 years without a win, the pressure on Team England is immense and none of the players or serious fans would welcome media speculation about whether Team Bridge were playing well with Team Terry. Barring injury Terry will definitely be on the plane to South Africa, so hopefully the rest of the squad can draw a line under "Terrygate" and focus on bringing back the World Cup. Wayne Bridge deserves our sympathy and now at least he can be confident now that any failure of the England squad to perform will not be laid at his door.

As discussed previously by Smartfootball and TrojanFootballAnalysis, the advent of spread zone-read running has lead to responding with a counter-punch to defenses that heavily play their fronts away from the back's alignment. Additionally, the "Dash" (or fake Dart) play works great when your regular run game (stretch/zone) isn't working as well (because of smart reading defenders), especially if you don't have a tight end that can block, or you don't want your QB to run all the time.

The team (Oregon) who spearheaded this adaptation, lines the back up a bit further up than regular stretch to create a backward angle of attack. This allows him to widen a flat-footed (reading) playside defensive end.

The QB give-rules remain simple;

• If the DE flat foots at all (or wrong-arms the kick out), always give the ball
• If there is any doubt at all (if he comes up to feel / crash), pull the ball
• ** QB pulls the football if there is any blitz off the edge to the fake

The Dash play has become the perfect compliment to zone running but requires no different practice time. The QB reads remain identical, and no one has to do anything differently. With as little invested, the return becomes pronounced as the defense will be forced to adjust to how they not only defend dash, but also zone and stretch, as well.

This can be run off of regular stretch, and or off of Dart (tackle pull) action.

Running out of 3x1Another great way to utilize this concept is from the leverage of defenders with a 3x1 formation.

As discussed previously, here is just another look at the do-everything fire-zone concept of Sting and Bark. Heavy hat tip to coachhuey’s captmccrae and Aztec, whom I learned this package from years ago.
The basic premise is a hard 5-man slant with a safety walked down creating an 8-man front. This is a prepackaged pressure and can be called to or away from strength.

As the clips illustrate, you can run these against run and pass, and is a very good pressure package against both. These are perfect against 2-back sets and will force offenses to rely on their quick game or leave 7+ in for protection.

These pressures, largely accredited to Dick LeBeau in Pittsburgh/Cincinnati days, were a staple of the Monte Kiffin Viking/Buccanneer defenses. As you’ll see his use of explosively quick interior linemen (Warren Sapp, John Randle, Booger McFarland, etc) accentuated their talents for movement and aggressiveness.


BARK
This is a defensive line slant AWAY from the TE from an Under front, with linebackers playing back strong. The slant will always be run to the 3 technique side of the front and the safety TO walks down. This is a great run blitz, as the MLB aims for the B gap chasm created by the sticking End (inside) and the SLB outside the TE. The WLB slow plays the flow, looking for cutback.

This stunt is run to the 2 receiver side, not particularly strong or weak. The SLB will always run the blitz. The MLB has a key blitz, meaning he is reading flow, as he’ll abandon his blitz if the back flows away. This reaction actually helps the timing of the blitz, as it delays him for a second so the stunt of the defensive end helps clear his gap assignment.

On action to the perimeter, primary contain is handled by the “Bronco” defender who in this case was the Rover and backside end.

The “Bronco” is a seam to flat technique, and relies heavily on the ‘pattern-match’ principles discussed at length on here before. When you are in 3 deep - 3 under, your players just can't just spot drop with your seam players. The bronco player must rally to get on top and match #2, or the seams (of 1-high coverage) will be exposed.

• If #2 goes vertical, he should match and carry (vertically).
• If #2 flattens (heads outside), the Bronco player should drive through the curl to the flat.
• If #2 goes under, he cuts him and looks to rob #1 underneath.

All of this is nothing new to teams that already pattern-match, and the 'parts' become interchangeable. This methodology opens the door for ANY player to now become a Bronco defender, leaving pressure combinations limitless.

Continuing a theme from the Hawkeye Defensive Circuit, here are clips of fundamental DL work courtesy of Ron Aiken;

Be sure to check out previous DL entries here , here, and here.

CO2 E - RACE REPRESENTS DENMARK IN KREANORD


In connection to the "Sea of Creativity" conference in Vilnius (Lithuania), the CO2 E - Race will be presented. KreaNord is a project initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers to showcase creative forces and potential from the Nordic countries and the Baltic Region.

4.00am... I'm wide awake... I've never really suffered from jet lag but on this trip it had been killing me, its race morning and with a 7am start to the race I was kinda glad of it... at least at this time it was proving useful to be awake and organised... the night before however I had struggled to even touch my food with a bad combination of nerves and tiredness.

Before that ill fated attempt at carb loading for the task ahead I had been to the pre race meeting... as I looked around it was a real who's who of snow racing... Oatley, Pramman, Basinger, Andre, Farrow, Gray... all the old hands of snow racing were here and moods were high. Even a welcome letter from the Mayor couldn't settle my pre race nerves which were amplified tenfold by the experience in the room.

My bike had literally been packed ready for 2 days... as soon as I had got my gear checked at sign in I had come back to the room and loaded it up followed by the obligatory spin around the block just to make sure all was well... the front rack looked a little bent after the flight but it wasn't causing any problems.

I had bought an egg and sausage muffin and a selection of doughnuts for breakfast as I had been reliably informed that fatty foods were king when the temps are low... what came out of the microwave after putting in the muffin package was inedible so it was a few doughnuts and a lot of water.

The race start was luckily not far from the Voyageur motel... the sight of rows and rows of fat tired bikes with flashing led lights was a true sight to behold... the temperature was low.. Apparently -30 degrees Celcius... we were called over to what was a vague start line and with a voice from the dark shouting “its 7.03am... we better start them...” we were off and onto the first section of trail.



The Arrowhead trail this year was apparently in good shape... at its widest point it’s probably almost 6m wide narrowing to maybe 2m in places, every now and then the overhanging branches of snow covered trees forcing you into the centre of the trail away from the good line... the first section was so straight you could see the long snake of riders stretching out into the old morning… as my eyelids and eyebrows froze I maintained a steady pace holding wheel after wheel of fat tired pace makers... I was glad my front bag obscured my front tyre as up against the much larger fat bike tyres I may have got an inferiority complex… the more experienced hands had gone off so hard they must have been over a km ahead of me after not so long on the bike but my head was in it for the long game.. I had a time in my head I wanted to achieve and a DNF was not an option with this being the first of a trio of big races for me this year all interlinked.




I warmed quickly... my Montane gear, Dogwood Pogies and big boots were working well... people were already off and periodically running to force blood back into their feet and warm them... I could just sit and pedal my pace unaware of the hostile temperatures surrounding my exterior.

The bike was riding pretty well... the trail on the whole was 'skinny' tyre friendly (any tyre under 3" in this world is considered a 'skinny') but occasionally you would find some soft snow and the bike would slide out and force a body contortion to keep it upright... mentally I had split my race up into four quarters with a checkpoint signifying the end of each quarter.

During the first section before the Gateway store checkpoint I was slowly eating my trail mix (a mixture of chocolate and yoghurt coated nuts and fruit) by placing a few pieces into the side of my mouth and letting it thaw before chewing... I had made the mistake of exposing the bite valve on my hydration pack to the cold and it had punished my mistake by freezing so as I stopped to take a drink from the insulated bottle in my frame bag I tucked the hydration pipe down the front of my salopettes to let my body heat melt the blockage.

At a major road crossing I passed Jenn (Hopkins), Jenn had lucked out and had been sent by Madison to follow my effort meaning she had to put up with not only my pre/post race moods but also the bitter cold of Minnesota. I had really started to get into this race... The trail had started to wind a little more so there was less distraction from riders ahead and you could just ease back into your own world... enjoy the trails... My only nag was that I was finding it difficult to find a good hand position on my Titec H bars that didn't hurt... I was reckoning my bars were too low and too much weight was being transferred onto my palms*... I pressed on.
*(still can’t feel a portion of my hands through restricted blood flow )



The Gateway store was the first checkpoint and was about 35 miles in... There was a big row of bikes outside when I arrived... amazingly it had taken 6 hours to get here although it felt a fraction of that.
I had a strange combo of hotdog, chocolate and an apple... I’m always amazed by what the body craves doing stuff like this... I wasn't here long before I was being encouraged by Jenn to press on so I filled the bottle and pack with fresh fluid and got underway again.

I knew the section I had ridden was real flat but this would soon come to an end and give way to rolling hills... the problem with hills was that they were rarely rideable and pretty short… A lot of mounting and dismounting and some super sketchy descending with some near miss tank slappers till I adapted hanging a foot off the pedal which seemed to give enough stability to gather controllable speed on the downs.

This section to the just past midway point, Melgeorges Cabin, was about another 35 miles but with the hills seemed to take a lot longer... I was soon into the rhythm of descending the downs and pushing the majority of the climbs... I hooked up with Ken Krueger, an International Falls local and taking part in his 4th Arrowhead with a finish in his previous 3 so we chatted about what was ahead until his fat tyred bike allowed him to open a gap and slip up the road... 4 hours into this section it became dark and the temperature started to fall.. I already had my Alpkit Gamma head torch on my head so not wanting to stop and get cold swapping to my Light and Motion Stella I just used what was to hand... and it worked just great.

As I flowed down a descent past some snowmobilers (snowmobilers are a big feature of this race as the Arrowhead trail is a state snowmobile trail but come in 2 forms.. the Good.. these guys are out on the trail at all hours making sure we are good.. the Bad.. these are non race related trail users that slide the corners at great speed and scare the crap out of you) I noticed a pannier bag on the floor... realising it belonged to Ken I managed to strap it to the front of my bike with a bungee cord I had packed as a very last minute edition to my frame bag… I already had so much weight on the bike I doubted I would notice anymore and I imagined how sick I would feel to get to the finish minus some of the required kit and getting a DNF.

As the miles passed the frequency of the hills intensified... I got told after the race the Alaskan guy Billy (arcticcycles.com) and his friend Bob had had a conversation about how crappy the little short sharp hills were and Bob wasn’t loving them, Billy made the statement "these hills aren't so bad... a 100 of them would suck though" :) about 101 hills later Bob wasn’t amused.

On a long slow push I caught glimpse of a flashing led light halfway up and it wasn't long before I managed to pull up to Ken... amazingly he hadn’t noticed he was a pannier bag down and was VERY happy to get it back although I declined his offer to keep hold of it and give him it back before the finish... I left the bungee in place and it now became a handy map holder… thanks for the 5 bucks to buy a beer Ken.

As we reached the 5 miles to Melgeorge sign myself and Ken were caught by the Alaskans Billy and Bob, their bikes glowing with fluoro tape in their rims, it was an impressive sight as they road almost on top of each other they were so close.. It was a good motivator to keep up with these guys and it didn't seem too long till we popped out onto the pan flat frozen Elephant Lake... first frozen lake I have ever ridden.
The checkpoint took a tantalizing long time to reach but was worth the effort.



As I stepped into the big warm wooden cabin I was immediately offered grilled cheese sandwiches, soup and hot chocolate... all were gratefully accepted. As I stripped down to base layers I got to dry out all my gear while change to a fresh base and rest up for a short while. Jenn was here and made sure I was taking fluids as I waited for my outer layers to dry. The pull of Melgeorges cabin was overwhelming and difficult to break away from...a lot of riders came in as I ate and many had the intention of climbing into a bed until the morning. I knew I would be better to press on continuing my steady pace... I had reached Melgeorges in just under 14 hours since the start and had spent just under 2 hours getting myself fed and ready there.

At just before 11pm I made my move... filled my water carriers, put on the freshly warmed layers and slipped into the night...I stuck on my iPod for the first time to ease me into the night as I knew there was a big gap in front of me and not many riders following me down the trail for a fair few hours.. volume low and only one ear to keep it safe.




It wasn't more than half an hour after leaving the checkpoint that I felt riding on the flat was harder than it should be... I then realised my worst nightmare had become reality... a flat tyre. I knew Shaggy had suffered this fate at last year’s Iditarod and I was dreading such an event to happen to me as after all changing a puncture is crappy at the best of times but lower the temperature to below minus 30 Celsius and it becomes a whole lot more horrifying a task.

I thought the most sensible thing I could do would be to walk to a trail shelter, these are 3 sided wooded buildings approximately 8 miles apart on the trail and usually stocked with materials for a fire, there I could either get some sleep or get a fire going and change the flat in relative comfort. I began to push the trail.

A snowmobiler stopped to check me out and as he was happy enough with my positive mood he told me I wasn’t far off a shelter so I pressed on... I walked for an hour and a half with the promise of a fire driving me on knowing if I settled for a snowy bivvi and then discovered the trail shelter not far along the trail I would kick myself... after this push I was caught by a rider who also reassured me that the shelter was not far off... after another hour and a half still driven by the thought of a good shelter I finally found a trail shelter. No wood for a fire:(.

I went with the plan of getting into my sleeping bag and resting till light and warmer conditions for tube changing... unfortunately pushing my bike had lowered my body temperature too far although while moving I felt comfortable as I took off my outer layer and climbed into the bivvi I started to shiver uncontrollably.. I put on a brave face as the original snowmobiler finally caught up with me and apologised that it was further than he thought but worry was creeping into my mind as people have succumbed to the cold in this race and I wasn't getting any warmer.

At this point I made a very positive decision... I got up... my outer layer and gloves had frozen solid so I dug out my spare jacket and mittens... with these on I started with some jogging and windmills on the trail to get some blood flowing... I then systematically changed my flat... every little action was interspersed with windmilling and jogging to keep a comfortable temperature... hands sticking to metal rims and metal pump... it took me an hour to get the tube changed and get everything packed and back on the bike, taking time to eat some food too.

I left pretty happy with myself... I had taken a situation that I felt was gonna end my race and had turned it around... I had faced the worst thing I thought would happen and with some clear thinking I had overcome this problem and was back making progress on the trail... albeit pretty slow progress as the hills came thick and fast.. all short and steep forcing sometimes to take a break midslope.

This section between Melgeorges and the Tipi at The Crescent bar and grill was only supposed to measure 40 miles but it was brutally relentless... time went on and on and every time a recognisable feature on the map was reached it was only to reveal the terribly slow progress.

The night sky was absolute perfection... no light pollution... no clouds just a perfect selection of bright stars above the trail forcing every now and then me to stop and switch off my headtorch to take it all in.. Although never for too long as thoughts of wolves out on the trail was always in the back of my mind...

As the night lifted and gave way to a warmer day the trail still continued with no sign of the next checkpoint... eventually the Wakemup Hill came into sight... I knew this was the last vertical obstacle on the course before flat trail all the way to the finish.

Wakemeup was brutal, it was definitely a push with 3 stops mid slope till it was crested and no time to enjoy the view at the top I slid the backside of it and ploughed on to the Tipi checkpoint.
That section alone with complications had took me near 12 hours.



At the Cedar Bar I ordered an unusual Red Bull and Dr Pepper combo which turned out to not be such a bad choice as it was like rocket fuel and revitalised my tired body as much as the knowledge that I had only 22 flat miles on well packed trails left to ride.

As I left the checkpoint and reentered the trail I was more than on top of my gear... I was now riding in just base layer up top and my Alpkit wooly bobble hat was off and I was cranking in a euro ski combo of salopettes, headband and sunglasses, the shame... but least I was comfortable and no one was there to witness it... the trail was totally as described… Flat and fast.



Not long after making the turn for Fortune Casino I ran into Jenn on course dutifully braving the cold as she had done the entire race to keep the finger on the trigger and document the first of this year’s challenges for me... she let me know I had about a mile left so I got going to lay this race to rest.



One final big crank up a short climb I was determined not to get off on saw me cross the unmanned finish line... 31 hours 40 minutes... a huge day on the bike by any measuring stick.

I rolled round to the back of the building to be let in by Dave Pramman, 3rd place finisher, who had been there for a LONG time and his congratulations for getting a finish meant alot… he is a quiet guy but you get that feeling he is a machine on the bike.

This race was the one of the Big 3 I plan to do that I feared the most and by no means was it a walk in the park but I walked away with a new found love of this winter racing... it requires so much more than a good set of legs.. You have to come to these events with your mind, body and kit dialed... finishing is never a given and you constantly have to adapt to the changing snow and weather conditions.

I enjoyed this event immensely... the race volunteers were second to none and a real driving force behind the riders... the riders themselves were always supportive and helpful on and off the trail... and finally the location was inspirational... I'm sure I'll be back.

Big thank you to Genesis Bikes for backing me with not only bikes but helping with my expenses, Montane for providing me with warmth during this race, Alpkit for my bags and sleeping gear, Jenn ( it must of been cold out there), the Arrowhead Organisers and Volunteers, the local Police at all road crossings for ensuring our safety, Jerald at the Voyageur Motel for not only providing fantastic accommodation but going beyond the call of duty and running racers back to the start after they had finished... and finally Grace who puts up with me doing these crazy things even though I know she worries sick about me.

One down... Two challenges to go... countdown to Yak Attack begins

Dykes in Ruston

by Jimmy Watson



excerpt;
Q: What type of offensive philosophy do you plan to employ?
A: "When you start a football program, the first thing you have to do is consider how the offense and defense works together. That's something that gets overlooked a lot in football where people might have an aggressive, attacking offense and an on-your-heels defense. So what you want to do is if you want to play aggressive, attacking football you have to do the same thing defensively. Then do the same thing on special teams. So that will be our philosophy "» to attack and try to play with speed on both sides of the ball and special teams as well.
"We walked into a fortunate situation here with (Phillip) Livas being such weapon in the return game. That will be a huge emphasis for us in trying to find ways to get him the ball. There's nothing that can change a game faster than a big special teams play. I know that's a strength of our football team already.
"We want to play disciplined football "» be assignment sound on both sides of the ball. Be smart and limit penalties. Be able to execute. At the end of the spring we need to be able to feel good about operating a base offense and base defense. Our challenge will be to get our kids on the same page and we need to do a lot of teaching in the spring, but we also need to spend a lot of time working on the fundamentals."



Q. As a BCS offensive coordinator, have you spoken with other coordinators about schools at Tech's level and positions that come open as possible landing sites?
A: "As a first-time head coach, you tend to gravitate toward people who share your philosophy. We used to call it the 'One-Back Clinic,' Which is archaic because now pretty much everyone is one-back. In 1997 we started this deal when I was at Kentucky, we went out and saw Mike Tice when he was at Washington State started the 'One-Back Clinic.' Hal Mumme was there. Gary Crowton was there. Kevin Sumlin was a young coach at the time. Chris Hatcher was there. Tony Franklin was there. Mike Leach was there. All these different guys sharing ideas with each other. At that time, we were kind of the outsiders of college football. The game has changed so much that a lot of us are now the norm. We've talked through the years."

Tony Franklin to join him soon as the Offensive Coordinator

care of Dave Peloquin (Notre Dame Recruiting Assistant)



THE PROSPECT

A) Academics are important and can really help in the long run – Don’t wait until Senior year.
Identify schools you are most interested in

• Narrow down to manageable number
• Research each school
• List pro/cons of each with and without football

B) Should approach decision like any other student; sit with parent and decide where YOU want to go.
C) Summer camps

• 2 way street for colleges and prospects
• Different level coaches are in attendance

D) Combines

• Make sure you are prepared to perform

E) Tape

• Highlights are good for skill players. Linemen tape is better

ACADEMICS
A) Develop a protocol with the counseling office to monitor grades.
B) Understand the difference between NCAA eligibility and University admission requirements
C) NCAA requires 16 core courses.
D) Encourage all student athletes to take ACT/SAT in fall of Junior Year

• Encourage taking some sort of class in preparation of the test
• Take as many times as needed.
• There are ways around the cost of the test.

RECRUITING PERIOD

A) Understand when it’s a contact period and when its an evaluation period.
B) Spring recruiting – Colleges are allowed to visit your school twice during a 4 week period from the last 2 weeks in April through the end of May
C) During this time, coaches can view video, watch practice, and gather information. Coaches may not talk with prospects at this time.

RECRUITING IN GENERAL

A) Encourage your players to attend college, there is a level for everyone
B) Internet services have no rules – don’t allow them to dictate or interfere in the process
C) Understand NCAA rules

• If you think there is a small chance that it is illegal, it probably is

D) Coaches and prospects need to take control of the process

• Set ground rules

E) If possible establish an assistant coach as the liaison for all general recruiting issues

• Let schools know when the best time to contact you and your staff
• Establish a protocol for video tape requests / transcripts / phone calls
• Understand who on your team wants to be recruited and what level do they think they are

F) Be proactive not reactive with recruiting;

• In the long run it will help your program
• Athletes will want to play in your program

G) Establish relationships with college coaches at all levels

• You never know (coaches move, their prospect database moves with them)

H) Meet with your prospects and their families to go over the recruiting process.

As expected, the Super Bowl featured a matchup of two teams that were about as evenly-matched as you could hope for. The Indianapolis Colts played a fine game and took advantage of the many weaknesses of the Saints defense.

With that, it would appear that Williams (B.Ryan protege) took a page out of Rex Ryan's NY Jets game plan from last week, and threw some double-eagle ("46") Cover 1 on the Colts. Again, rather uncharacteristic of what they've done all season.


Saints

SBXLIVNOFINAL @ Yahoo! Video

Colts

SBXLIVFINAL @ Yahoo! Video

...and of course, the Balls Deluxe call of the evening (onside and ensuing drive);

ghug @ Yahoo! Video

I did some experimenting of my own for this game, relying on a steady dose of Guinness and Strongbow (known as a 'Black Velvet' or 'Velvetene') to create an amazingly smooth taste ala a Black and Tan.

Mango Mango on Bourbon St. last night (after Porter INT)

The Porter pick


The deflating stalled goalline drive for the Colts

You can appreciate that which is rare, yet full of quality. For any fan of rich, unhurried, 'unbranded' brilliance, Soldier of Love, is an album you really ought to check out.

I knew she was going to be releasing a new project this year, but only recently did I stumble upon the air play of "Soldier of Love" on one of the local R&B stations. What a pleasant surprise that transported me back to the evocative realm that only her music can conjure up.

Sade has thankfully returned after a 10 year absence from Lover's Rock (preceded from a 10 year break between Love Deluxe). The new album features the distinctively soulful timbre of Sade, with an added aggressive tone not heard on earlier albums.
I'm certainly not nostalgic by any stretch, but the return of the lovely pairing of Sade and her accompaniment ensemble, Sweetback, headed by Stuart Matthewman (of Cottonbelly solo-acclaim), is something any music lover can appreciate.
Okay, so I really just have an unending crush on the 51 year old singer....but I am looking forward to a likely US tour (as I missed the last one in 2000), which I'm sure will top the best performance I've witnessed (Prince, 2003, Cedar Rapids,IA).....and I've seen plenty (John Haitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Van halen, Buddy Guy, even Tenacious D, etc).

The tracks orbit around the distinctive styling of previous works. There is just enough pensive melancholy and mellifluous artistry to provide the listener comfort of the Sade they've grown to love (long hard road, skin, the safest place, the moon and the sky), but enough fresh divergence to explore other musical stylings (babyfather, in another time, be that easy). This isn't your obnoxious American Idol soul, this is wonderful music tracks whispered over by the voice of a mature and reflective lover.

Just a quick post to say i'm done.... i got finished yesterday.

An amazing experience, got to be the toughest race i have ever done to date but the best experience too.

Took 31 hours 40mins, had one puncture and even managed a little bivvi action on the trail.

Will get a full blog report up asap but now there is a big stack of pancakes somewhere with my name on them.

Congratulations to (#63) Carlton and (#5) Jarrett on their commitments to Alabama State and LSU, respectively.
Both should do exceptionally well at the next level, thanks to the tremendous support of their families.

Manning
attempts 11-20 of a Game is where he has his highest QB rating 111.7
attempts 31+ of a Game is where he has his worst QB rating 81.4

Brees
attempts 1-10 of a Game is Where he has his highest QB rating of 117.7
attempts 11-20 of a Game is Where he has his Lowest QB rating of 99.1


the Third Quarter is typically Manning's worst
6 of his interceptions were thrown in this quarter(most of any quarter)
qb rating 81.6 (lowest of any quarter)
Half of his sacks have come in the Third quarter
66.4 completion percentage(lowest of any quarter)

the Fourth Quarter is typically Manning's best
1 interceptions
qb rating of 115.3
3 sacks
71.8 completion percentage

the Second Quarter is typically Brees's Worst
7 interceptions thrown in this quarter
qb rating of 105.9
8 sacks
64.2 completion percentage

the First Quarter is typically Brees's Best
2 interceptions thrown
qb rating of 114.9
5 sacks
79.9 completion percentage

Manning's best quarter is slightly better than Drew's Best quarter
Drew's Worst Quarter is way better than Manning's Worst quarter

since the game will be played on Grass
Brees on Grass
QB Rating 98.1
He has been sacked 8 times on grass compared to 12 on turf

Brees has been worse on Grass this year than turf pretty much the opposite of Manning

Manning on Grass
QB Rating 121.1
He has been sacked 3 times on Grass compared to 7 on turf

Manning has been way better on grass as opposed to turf this season all of his stats are actually better on Grass

Since we both will technically be away lets see how both did away

Brees
98.1 QB rating
Sacked 11 out of his 20 times
67.8 completion percentage

Manning
112.6 QB Rating (better than at home)
sacked 3 out of his 10 times
73.2 completion percentage

Manning has been way better on the Road this year.
Lets look at situations they may face in games

Last 2 minutes of the Half

Manning
112.6 Rating
0 sacks
67.6 completion percentage

Brees
106.1
3 sacks
61.5

Both dangerous within last 2 minutes but as you can see Manning is beastly within last 2

since we know both of these quarterbacks are great when playing with a lead, lets compare them win behind

Brees
Behind by 1-8 points
128.9 qb rating
7 of his sacks have happened when down by 1-8
74.2 completion percentage

Behind by 9-16
86.0 qb rating
2 of his sacks have happened when down by 9-16
66.7 completion percentage

Manning
behind by 1-8
qb rating 116.2
7 of his 10 sacks have happened when down by 1-8
71.6 completion percentage

behind by 9-16
qb rating 58.4
3 of his 10 sacks happened when down by 9-16
60.5 completion percentage

as you can see this year Brees has been the Better QB when down and should fare better if he falls behind than if Manning Falls behind

One last aspect of game we'll look at final 7 minutes of 4th quarter

Manning
135.8 qb rating
2 of his sacks happened in the final 7 minutes
in the final 7 minutes he has a 75% completion rate

Brees
108.2 qb rating
2 of his sacks happened in the final 7 minutes
in the final 7 minutes he has a 73% completion rate

Though both were very good this year in final minutes Manning has the edge in the waning minutes of a game

Drew Brees has accomplished all of the following throwing the ball 39 (that's an entire game)fewer times than Manning through 14 games:

• If Drew Brees has a shot at breaking Otto Grahams single season record for yards per attempt of 8.63 (Drew is at 8.54)
• Drew has a shot of breaking Ken Anderson's completion % record in a single season of 70.55% (Drew is at 70.6%)
• Drew Brees leads the NFL with 36 touchdowns- 34 pass and 2 rush.
• Drew Brees leads the NFL with 70.6% completion percentage.
• Drew Brees leads the NFL in first down passing, 150/212 completing 70.8% with 1900 yards, 8.96 yards per attempt, 18 passing TD's, 2 rushing TD's, and 2 int for a QB rating of 122.8; for the down that sets the tone of down and distance, Drew Brees is by far the best QB in the NFL.
• Drew is the best on second down with a passer rating of 99.8
• Drew Brees leads the NFL in passer rating with 109.6
• Drew Brees is leads the NFL in redzone scoring, with 23 TD's (21 pass and 2 rush) to go with 16 more rushing TD's by our RB's.
• Drew Brees leads the #1 overall offense in yards and scoring, having a very rare top 5 rushing (5th) and passing attack (3rd).
• Drew Brees leads the NFL in passing against the blitz, with a rating of 129.8 and 13 TD's and 9.91 yards per attempt.

*Drew Bress leads the NFL in downfield passing --passes 21 yards or more in the air, before the catch--
Drew is.... 29/48 (60.4%) for 1024 yards, 12TD's and 3 ints
Manning is 16/54 (29.6%) for 534 yards 7TD's, 4 ints.

• Drew Brees is the best with passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage with a passer rating of 111.5
• Drew brees is also the best with passes thrown 11-20 yards (in air from LOS) with a passer rating of 99.9
• *Drew Brees leads the NFL in passing inside the numbers with a passer rating of 117.9, 21 TD's, 9.5 yards per attempt, and 68.8%
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the left side with a passer rating of 114.6
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the left sideline with a passer rating of 97.8
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the right side with a passer rating of 138.0
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the right sideline with a passer rating of 103.1
• Drew Brees is best in passing yards per ATTEMPT with 8.54
• Drew Brees is the best passing out of the shotgun with a rating of 106.5
• Drew Brees is the best passing out of a lone setback with a rating of 114.6
• Drew Brees is the best in the first 8 games of the season with a passer rating of 106.1
• Drew Brees is the best in games 9-16 of the season with a passer rating of 113.4
• Drew Brees is the best in games he wins with a passer rating of 112.3
• Drew Brees is the best in a final margin of victory of 15+ points with a passer rating of 136.8
• Drew Brees is the best in a margin of victory of 0-7 points with a passer rating of 101.8
• Drew Brees is the best on turf, with a passer rating of 114.4
• Drew Brees is the best indoors with a passer rating of 118.0
• Drew Brees is the best vs the NFC with a passer rating of 114.1
• Drew Brees is the best in division play with a passer rating of 112.2
• Drew Brees is the best in September with a passer rating of 118.1
• Drew Brees is the best in November with a passer rating of 120.2
• Drew Brees is the best in December with a passer rating of 103.7
• Drew Brees is the best when playing from behind by 1-8 points with a passer rating of 126.3
• Drew Brees is the best when playing from behind by 9-16 points with a passer rating of 86.0
• Drew Brees is the best in passer rating when playing with a lead (any marigin, all splits and collectively) with 123.1
• Drew Brees is the best in his first 10 passing attempts with a QB rating of 115.2-- Talk about setting the tone early.
• Drew has by far the best passer rating with attempts 21+. In other words, once Drew throws more than 20 times in a game (normally when a QB's throws are of most importance because it is later in the game) completing 69.2% for 1816 yards and 16 TD's, Drew is the best with a rating of 116.1!
• Drew Brees has thrown ZERO!! 0 interceptions in the 4th quarter.
• Drew Brees is the best in the last two minutes of a half, with 7TD's (6 pass, 1 rush), 9 20+ yard throws, and a qb rating of 104.0
• Drew Brees is the best in the first half with a passer rating of 106.3
• Drew Brees is the best in the second half with a passer rating of 113.9
• Drew Brees is the best in the first quarter with a passer rating of 110.7
• Drew Brees is the best in the second quarter with a passer rating of 101.8
• Drew Brees is the best in the third quarter with a passer rating of 114.6
• Drew Brees has a passer rating of 113.4 in the 4th quarter
• Drew Brees is the best at home, by far, with a passer rating of 120.1.
• Drew Brees is the best with 1 or more TE's in formation with passer ratings of 111.1 (1 TE), 110.8 (2 TE), and 132.4 (3+ TE)
• Drew Brees is the best with NO TE in the formation with a passer rating of 95.7
• Drew Brees is the best with 2 and 3 WR sets, with a passer rating of 99.2 (2 wr) and 111.1 (3 wr)
• Drew Brees is the best when sending a man in motion with a passer rating of 134.6.
• Drew Brees is the best with NO motion with a passer rating of 108.4
  
  

Drew Brees

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/player...?playerId=2580

Peyton -
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/player...?playerId=1428

Manning leads Drew with 15 interceptions.
Manning has 17 more passing yards than Drew.

Manning has a better passer rating for away games with 116.3
Manning plays better during a loss with a passer rating of 95.7 (to Drew's 95.4)
Manning has a better rating when winning by 8-14 points of 87.5 (to Drew's 85.6)
Manning has a better passer rating in the month of October with 111.9
Manning has a better passer rating on grass with 121.9
Manning has a better passer rating outdoors with 102.1
Manning has a better passer rating vs the AFC with a 98.2 (to Drew's 95.4)
Manning has a better passer rating the 4th qtr with 116.0
Manning has a better passer rating during attempts 11-20 with 113.2
Manning has a better passer rating on third down with 114.0
Manning has a better passer rating on fourth down with 126.7
Manning has a better passer rating when the game is tied with 117.1
Manning has a better passer rating throwing to the middle with 126.4
Manning has a better passer rating with passes thrown 1-10 yards (in air) with 99.6
Manning has a better passer rating with 4+ WR's in formation at 114.6

I’m, as are you, looking forward to a great matchup this weekend for the Super Bowl. I really was hoping for this matchup of two great teams going at it for a competitive game. I’m not sure how anyone can come away from this matchup and believe there is a clearly decided superior going into the game. Both teams have equal performances and big-play capabilities. I think one should temper the Conference Championship games with some perspective, however;

• The Minnesota Vikings battled the Saints the entire season for supremacy of the NFC every week.
• The New York Jets were thought to be eliminated from playoff contention in November.

That being said, I would enjoy a Saints victory on a personal level and also for what it would do for New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. The weeks following the NFC Championship game have been euphorically uplifting to all the citizens of the Boot. As a football enthusiast, I would settle for just watching two teams compete at a high level, with an emphasis on execution.

Also, I would really hope they stress the Colts defense out quickly with their empty package. It makes protection that much simpler as well as creating the horizontal divide of underneath defenders that more pronounced (as seen in these clips). All concepts are the quick 3-step, alleviating issues with Indianapolis’ pass rush (with or without Freeney).
While the Colts have struggled this season in establishing their run game, I must say that their most effective weapon comes from their play-action passing, as that involves the mastery of quarterback, Peyton Manning. It almost sounds like an oxymoron (that play-action remains effective when their actual run game struggles), but as you will see, Manning’s execution of ball fakes (and Howard Mudd’s offensive line’s footwork) is what makes this work. In these clips with Edgerrin James (pre-Dallas Clark days) and Joseph Addai (Clark era), the effectiveness of Manning to blow the top off of coverages, may be an Achilles Heel for New Orleans defense, whose linebackers have difficulty in controlling the seams.

Unfortunately, I think the matchup that certainly favors the Colts is the Lija/Saturday/DeVan vs Ellis(Hargrove)/Ayodole combination.  This, of course, will be the lynch-pin for establishing the inside zone running, and Ayodele is not partiularly stout at handling doubles. Also, the WLB, Scott Shanle, (who remains in with Vilma in nickel situations) has been victimized throughout the past seasons with his athletic shortcomings.  I anticipate the Saints playing a lot of quarters in an Under front, with SLB Fujita rolled up in a 9 tech on Cloherty (as Dallas Clark will take his usual spot as a slot/flex) to help control perimeter stretch game.

For the Who Dats reading this, enjoy this new Zydecco rally song performed by cajun guitarist, Kip Bacque, as well as the return of NFL Analyst, Poo Poo Broussard.








And now something completely and totally unrelated.........
Hey! Lookit my Cock(s)

For those of you living in a cave, it was revealed this weekend that John Terry has been bonking the ex girflriend of Wayne Bridge, who is also the mother of Wayne's child. Some are saying that this act of betrayal will so undermine respect for John Terry within the England squad, Terry has to surrender his captaincy. Others argue that this is a private matter, which has absolutely no bearing on Terry's professional life. It is certainly a topic that will run and run in the countdown to South Africa.

My view is that although Wayne Bridge can be none too pleased at the revelations, if as reported his relationshop with his ex was well and truly over before her affair with Terry kicked off, Terry's acts, although a betrayal of his wife (for which she deservedly should red card him if she sees fit) but not a betrayal of his team mate. Bridge's concerns for his son are understandable, but Terry did do his best to gag the media. I do not want to see England lose a captain because of Wayne Bridge's hurt pride. If every footballer who had an affair was demoted, the conference would be full of world class talent.