Chargers Tomlinson in doubt for Wild Card game
January 4, 2009
In a story by Adam Schefter on the NFL site he writes about Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and how he is unlikely to play in todays wild card game as he has a detached tendon in his groin area that is so bad doctors recommend that he have surgery this week.
Tomlinson is of course keen to play but if you can’t put in a 100 per cent effort you are letting the team down. He is mindful of how he felt after last season going out injured in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. No player wants to limp out of a big game like that.
The Chargers take on the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card game on Saturday night starting at 8pm ET. The other AFC game is on Sunday between the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.
The NFC Wild Card matches see the Philadelphia Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and the Atlanta Falcons play the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday starting at 4.30 pm ET.
It will be interesting to see if the Chargers can maintain momentum after there charge into the playoffs are looking down and out four weeks ago.
Who are you tips for the games this weekend?
San Diego charge into NFL playoffs
December 30, 2008
NFL playoffs are on the way
The San Diego Chargers have completed a remarkable run into the NFL finals after a 52-21 rout of the Denver Broncos. For the Chargers it is the result many expected at the start of the season with the team picked to win the division however it was a surprise how they did it after coming back from 4-8 earlier in the season.
For the Broncos the last three games saw a monumental collapse as they went from having a three-game-lead with three games to play to missing the playoffs. This is the first time since division play that a team has missed out from such a position.
The Chargers become the first team since the Cleveland Browns in 1985 to win a division at 8-8. What does that mean for them? Are they going into the playoffs as the weakest team? or have they peaked at the right time of the season? The impressive win at Tampa Bay last weekend would suggest the latter.
The Chargers now are scheduled to meet Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night in the wild-card round. Last season the Chargers defeated the Colts 28-24 in the divisional playoffs. In the most recent meeting on November 23 it took a last second field goal by the Colts to defeat San Diego 23-20. It is anyones guess which San Diego team will show up for this match.
In other NFL action the New York Jets wimpered out of playoff contention with a 24-17 loss to Miami. This saw them go 1-4 over the last five games to miss the playoffs. Coach Eric Mangini has paid for the poor season ending form with his job as it was announced that he has been fired.
The Dallas Cowboys also crashed out of the playoffs with a 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, thanks to other results made the playoffs. It took an upset win by the Oakland Raiders over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a Houston win over Chicago to pave the way for the Eagles. The Eagles play the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings next Saturday.
The Vikings claimed the division with a late field goal clinching their match against the New York Giants, 20-19.
The first round of the playoffs is the Wild-Card Round. In the AFC Indianapolis play San Diego and Baltimore play Miami. In the NFC Atlanta play Arizona and Philadelphia play Minnesota.
Chargers still alive
December 23, 2008
Just three weeks ago the San Diego Chargers looked out of the NFL playoff picture. They were 4-8 for the season and were a few games behind the AFC West leaders, Denver Broncos. Now on the back of three wins, including a nail biting
22-21 win against Kansas City, they are back in the race for a playoff spot, and more importantly their destiny is in their hands.
The season has now come down to a winner-take-all finale between the Chargers and the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The game kicks off at 5:15 PM PT.
What has been looking like a season of great disappointment for the Chargers could be turned right around with a win over the Broncos. Coach Norv Turner’s future is probably riding on the win. If the Chargers make the playoffs and win a game or two, or for the big time Charger fans, make the Super Bowl he might be safe. If not he might face the sack.
There is also talk about disharmony in the Chargers locker room. What will a win do for the team spirit?
As I am a Charger fan I cannot wait to see the game next Sunday.
Buy LSU football tickets as they go to Chick-fil-A Bowl
December 14, 2008
LSU are headed to the Chick-fil-A-Bowl on New Year’s Eve after officially being invited. They will play the 14th ranked Georgia Tech in the Georgia dome.
The Tigers are currently 7-5, while Georgia Tech is 9-3.
Here is some of what Chick-Fil-A Bowl President Gary Stokan had to say during the press conference to officially invite LSU. “There are 19 seniors on this squad. They have 50 wins and only 13 losses. They’ve won a national championship and an SEC championship and they’ve won their last three bowl games. When you look at matchups, Georgia Tech is probably one of the hottest teams in the country this year with their new offense at that level. When you talk about LSU matching up against that, I think they’ll take up the challenge. I know they have great pride and will not only want to end this season on a positive note but start the 2009 season well, too.”
You can buy LSU tickets for the Chick-fil-A Bowl: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. LSU Tigers game with prices starting at $40.
Giants go 11-1 and Burress to face weapons charge
December 1, 2008
The New York Giants continue to show the way in the NFL. They have moved to 11-1 for the first time in their history following a 23-7 victory over the Washington Redskins.
In other Giants news, the player who caught the superbowl winning touchdown for the Giants in the last Super bowl, Plaxico Burress, will be charged with criminal possession of a weapon after his accidental shooting at a nightclub, his lawyer said.
The whole incident sounds rather comical and would be funny if it were not true. Burress, allegedly had a gun in his pants. As he was having drinks with friends, including teammate Antonio Pierce, the gun slipped. When he grabbed for the gun, it discharged and injured Burress.
You can read more about the Burress shooting at the bloomberg website.
NFL - Pittsburgh clip Ravens
September 30, 2008
Going into week four of NFL action there were six undefeated teams. Coming out the other end, three remain. Three of the six to taste defeat for the first time this season were the Denver Broncos who lost to divisional rivals the Kansas City Chiefs 33-19, the Baltimore Ravens who were pipped at the post by a Pittsburgh field goal and Dallas who lost a close match against Washington 26-24.
The three remaining undefeated teams include the current Super Bowl champions, New York Giants who had a bye this week, Buffalo Bills who defeated the winless St. Louis Rams 31-14 and Tennessee Titans who defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30-17.
The Ravens played Pittsburgh in the Monday night game. The winner would lead the AFC North. After both teams got off to a slow start with a field goal each in the first quarter it was Baltimore who surged to the lead in the second. The score was 13-3 at the half.
Pittsburgh hit back with two touchdowns in the third quarter to setup an interesting finish. In the end the match was decided by an overtime field goal by Pittsburgh’s Jeff Reed who snuck over a 46-yard attempt.
American Football Is Chess On A Playing Field
September 26, 2008
The NFL season is now in full swing. Week four has just been completed. If you have some interest in American Football but just don’t what the heck it is all about read on. This article discusses the strategies employed in an American football game.
Cricket was once described as Chess on a Playing Field. Although they are two very different games, the same should be said of American football. This game is most often defined by the sheer physical nature of its play, but it is first and foremost a game of strategy.
Strategy is key to the game, both offensive and defensive. The entire focus is to outguess the opponent, thereby finding a weakness to exploit. Each team has its own style of playing, often determined by the individual strengths of its players. Some emphasize a defensive strategy while others accentuate the offense, which has two components, the running and the passing game.
The passing game strategy is currently more popular and quite often more spectacular for the fan. Each team develops a playbook of plays for different situations that they can execute well. These plays vary in the element of risk, from those that are very conservative and will reliably garner short yardage, by either rushing or a short pass, to high risk long yardage passes. Every playbook contains a version of the desperation play, the “Hail Mary” wherein every eligible receiver runs downfield and the quarterback throws the ball as close to the endzone as possible.
The players, with the aid of coaches, devise a gameplan for each different opponent. This is carefully formatted by reviewing hours of the team’s own games to determine which plays are working well, and hours of footage of the opposing team’s games to find a flaw in there defense. Rushing and passing plays are usually alternated and disguised to look like the other type of play to throw the defense off guard. However, the defense has a playbook all its own and will try to read the calls or guess the next play. When the defense perceives a pass, it will “blitz” or rush at the quarterback. The defense is not allowed to hit the quarterback while he is in the motion of throwing, the blitz often interferes with the time necessary for the receiver to get into place and the quarterback is unable to complete the pass. The best scenario of the blitz for the defensive team is when the quarterback is downed for a loss or yardage or “sacked”.
When all else fails the strategy in American football is to use the punt. It is used on the third down when the offensive team feels it cannot get enough yardage to secure a first down (teams need to advance 10 yards to get a first down) and decides to kick the ball downfield to salvage the situation and ensure their opponent’s offense will begin play deep in its own territory. It is becoming popular to line up as if to punt and then either perform a running play or an onside kick, both with the hope of getting the first down afterall. This is a risky strategy that heightens the game’s drama. When it works, it is brilliant. With failure, the opponent takes over the ball possession with very favorable field position and may even score.
The most time honored strategy in football is ball control and time of possession, both of which correlate highly with winning games. The best offense is a good defense, as the saying goes, and it is logical that if a team has the ball the other team cannot score. But this is being challenged by the newer styled, high-powered long pass offenses that can score a touchdown in virtually no time at all.
Hope this helps with your enjoyment of the game.
