With all you guys seemingly writing award winning pieces in attempts to secure a sweet 16 spot in NGS2, and due to my Marcus Vick type ineligibilty, i thought i'd have a go at some light relief with some Power Rankings after the recent post-draft Mini Camps closed. Man, i miss football...
1. Pittsburgh Steelers. Got to put the defending champs on top of
the pile. They’ll get over the loss of Bettis and Von Oelhoffen, and you could
even argue Holmes is already an upgrade over Randle El in the passing game.
Plus, the like of Roethlisberger, Miller and Polamalu should improve as they
continue to mature.
2. Carolina Panthers. In my opinion the Cats were the best team
in the NFC playoffs before their running game literally got KO’d in Chicago and
Seattle. But, the Panthers have had a strong off-season improving D-line depth,
getting DeAngelo Williams in the draft to back up Deshaun “Mr. Glass” Foster,
and adding Keyshawn Johnson to give Delhomme another passing game option other
than Steve Smith, and… umm… Steve Smith. The Panthers are for real.
3. New England Patriots. Too high? Maybe, but the Patriots were conference semi-finalists last year and will
again be challenging this year. Yes the Pats lost key veterans, but the Pats
front office obviously thought their best days were behind them. Getting
Maroney and Jackson in the draft was huge, and if the Pats can get healthy
again in the secondary, and perhaps re-sign Ty Law, they’ll again win the AFC
East and be in the playoffs.
4. Denver Broncos. No faith in Jake? Cutler will take over in
Mile High in the next couple of years, but the Broncos are built to win right
now. If Javon Walker returns to form of 2004, the Denver Offense will have a
consistent deep threat to make the offense far more dangerous. They are the
best in a pretty tough division.
5. Seattle Seahawks. Maybe a little low for last years NFC
champs, but losing Hutchinson will be huge, and Dyson played well at corner for
them last year. All eyes are on Shaun Alexander to prove he is worth the big
contract.
6.
Indianapolis Colts. Would be higher had they re-signed Edge,
but that wasn’t an option. Addai will be good, but will take time to get to the
high level that James played at. Manning will pass more than ever; so look for
huge stats and another playoff choke.
7. Washington Redskins. The Skins head the best division in
football, they paid big money for impact free agents, and now it appears they
have more threats on offense which was there problem in last years playoffs as
teams shut down Moss, Cooley and Portis. They are above the other NFC East teams primarily based on
their coaching staff.
8. New York Giants. It’s all about Eli. Star RB? Check.
Receiving threats? Check. Pass rush? Check. Upgraded LB corps? Check. Better
coverage players? Check. Can Manning step up and make it happen? I think he
just might.
9. Miami Dolphins. Word of Daunte Culpepper’s rehab is
encouraging and Dom Capers has good defensive talent to work with. If Culpepper
doesn’t play early, the Fins season could take a nosedive in a hurry. Ricky
Williams self-inflicted absence will hurt, but Ronnie Brown will do fine.
10. Dallas Cowboys. They’ve given themselves a chance with
their off-season pick-ups. Owens, Glenn and Witten are great targets, but can
the O-line give Bledsoe enough time to find them open?
11. Atlanta Falcons. An abysmal end to the last season, the
Falcons mailed in the last game against Carolina, leaving a sour taste about this team . An aggressive off-season
brought them Abraham, Milloy, Crocker and Williams on defense. The focus will
again be on Vick to make the offense tick, and if he can, this team could be
very, very dangerous.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The focus of the off-season was improving
the O-line and they’ve done so, including 1st rounder Davin Joseph.
Two questions, Can Chris Simms put this team on his back? And can the ageing
veterans including Brooks and Galloway keep up their form and stay injury free.
13. Philadelphia Eagles. One of the great drafting teams, the Eagles
did it again to revitalise a beleaguered roster from last year. Bunkley,
Justice, Jean-Gilles all had first round talent, while Avant is typical Eagle
“platoon” receiver and Jeremy Bloom could be a real X-factor on special teams. Darren Howard was a great FA pick up.
McNabb looks focused, and this team could surprise many.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars. Losing Jimmy Smith hurts, bad. Why? Because
they now have no proven no.1 receiver for Leftwich to aim at. A recent trade
rumor of Ashley Lelie could be interesting, and maybe July cuts might favour
them. The defense should again be good and Mercedes Lewis will be a very good
TE straight away.
15. San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers will do OK, but there is
bound to be a slight drop from Drew Brees’ production over the last couple of
years, and that could make a big difference. The Power struggle between Smith
and Schottenheimer cannot be allowed to affect the teams play, it shouldn’t.
16. Kansas City Chiefs. Could use a WR to complement Kennison and
Gonzalez, although everyone knows they go how LJ runs this year. The is still
their weak suit, but they have enough playmakers in Surtain, D. Johnson, and
new arrival Hali to make things happen.
17. Minnesota Vikings. Can Brad Johnson carry the load at QB? A
great pick up in Hutchinson, and Chester Taylor tends to point to a pound the
rock offense, while Koren Robinson and Troy Williamson can provide the gas in
the passing game. The defense has to play well.
18. Chicago Bears. Last years great defense supported a bad
offense, and somehow the bears refused to upgrade the offense in the
off-season, mainly going defense in the draft.They will again be tough to beat in a bad division.
19. Arizona Cardinals. Can Kurt Warner keep Matt Leinhart on the
bench? If he does, that means the Cards could be playoff contenders. The
addition of Edgerrin James is huge, but the O-line and defense may hurt
them. You could argue them to be higher, but then again, the are the Cardinals...
20. St. Louis Rams. They replace the
offensive genius of Mike Martz with the intriguing vertical offense of Scott
Linehan. Will it work? Free agent Will Witherspoon and 1dt round pick Tye Hill
provide quality additions to the defense.
21. Cinncinati
Bengals. If Carson Palmer
can go in September, the Bengals will be higher (almost top 10). But “the guy”
is only 4 months removed from major knee surgery, and Anthony Wright is the
back up, not good. Jonathan Joseph was a great pick up for the Bengals
secondary.
22. Oakland
Raiders. The Silver and
Black have rolled the dice on Aaron Brooks at QB. It could be a stroke of
genius, or it could equally be a disaster. They addressed the defense nicely in the
draft with 2 playmakers in Huff and Bing. They could upset many of the
so-called “better teams” this year.
23. Baltimore
Ravens. Will go up (a
lot) as soon as the Steve McNair signing is made official, McNair to Mason was
one of the most productive passing duos in the league for years. The defense
has a lot of talent - can they get it right?
24. New
Orleans Saints. Lucked out with
the dynamic Reggie Bush in the draft, but the concern has to be the state of
Drew Brees shoulder. Can the defense step up?
25. Houston
Texans. They messed up by
taking Williams over Bush, but the Texans had a very solid free agency and
draft. Can Kubiak mesh the talent quickly enough to make a run this year? I
doubt it. Look for big improvements in David Carr with E. Moulds and a healthy
Andre Johnson out wide.
26. Cleveland
Browns. Is Charlie Frye
going to take the Browns forward? Word has it he is well liked and respected by
all of the Browns vets and the coaching staff are high on him. The speedy
return of Edwards and the play of K2 (remember him) will be important. Crennel
will have the defense performing well.They might be tough to beat.
27. Tennessee
Titans. With Steve McNair
on his way out of town, can Billy Volek step up? I don’t think so, and Vince
Young is a long way from being ready. LenDale White could be a Boom or Bust
pick in R2. The Titans should again struggle in 06.
28. New York
Jets. A tough
assignment for a new, young coach in Eric Mangini. A lot will depend on if Chad
Pennington can get and stay healthy. It looks like the Jets may be in
rebuilding mode.
29. Green Bay
Packers. Great news! Brett
Favre is coming back. Bad news! Brett Favre is coming back. AJ Hawk could be a
pro-bowler as a rookie.
30. Buffalo
Bills. Who is the
starting QB? It should be Losman, but Holcomb and Nall also have claims for the
job. That’s never a good thing, and this offense has no identifiable leader
with Moulds having left town. The defense is good but it has to be Baltimore
2000 good if the Bills are going to contend.
31. Detroit
Lions. I love Ernie Sims’
game, but was he the guy they should have taken in R1? McCown and Kitna are
stop gap QBs and could struggle to pick up Mike Martz playbook which is as big
as “War and Peace”. It could be another year of boo’s for Matt Millen, and Joey
Harrington is nowhere to pass blame onto.
32. San
Francisco 49ers. Do you think
Vernon Davis was crying at the draft because Alex Smith will be his QB next year? The 49ers
are a long way of being competitive and perhaps have the worst roster of all
NFL teams. At least Mike Nolan will have them playing hard and they have a good
kicker in Joe Nedney, “every cloud…”
My only complaint is you listed Pittsburgh on top, which is fine and rightfully so.
However, they also lost a key member of the secondary in Chris Hope. He deseves mentioning.
I like Carolina being ranked that high. They're going to be real good, though I disagree with Cinci being 21.. That's a good team even without Carson Palmer.
Thanks Pat, i'd agree if they had Kitna but Anthony Wright was abysmal the last time he played in Baltimore (his only good game was the crazy shootout against cincy in 04). Yeah they lost Hope, but he can be replaced by Carter, the engine room of that D is the linebacker corps and Polamalu as a playmaker.
Thanks Stat, like i said to Pat if Cinci have Anthony Wright under center in September it will not be pretty. I think Denver are loaded and if they'd used their first rounders on an impact player instead of Cutler, they could be real contenders this year.
Nice Post. I am commenting on the fact you are very right about that Wojekowski article in ESPN about the Lebron Kobe stuff. Absolutly insane. Check out my takes.
TT: I'm a huge fan of the Panthers, Patroits and the Bucs. Looking back when I first moved here, didn't give the NFL even a look on TV, but let me tell you, now, I can't wait for football season :-)
Deuce, i know its early, but having seen so called "expert" power rankings, and not being entered in the NGS" i thought i'd have a go myself. I normally like Gene's stuff, but the Kobe bashing has to stop. Call back in 10years and tell me if LeBron is "great".
TG, don't you live in Baltimore? What's wrong with the Ravens? Oh, that's right ,they've sucked the last 2 years...
TTBoy, No fault in your picks from my viewpoint. If the season were to start tomorrow though I'd still go along with it and then some. Detroit to me though is going to go through a really rough time, what with a new offensive coordinator and coach no less. I can't really see them winning more than 6 games at best. My dark horse has to be The Bengals as I'm looking for them to improve upon last year. It was a complete learning experience for all of them , coach inluded. I'm assuming that you'll be painstakingly watching the World Cup? I don't know that I can support all of Erikkson's picks for the England squad as it's been so long since I've really watched any of the players involved. As an expat here in Florida I've not been keeping up with what's been happening overall. But come June 6th, I expect I'll make time to watch.
Hey Tophatal, thanks bro.. most people aren't feeling my cinci placing - if carson is back and healthy they'll go up loads, i just don't think he'll be back until nov/dec time.
Can't wait for the world cup. i'm making the short trip to germany to watch england v t&t and also holland v argentina. i'm hoping to get some sort of blog together to try and educate some american folk about the cup, and also banter with those that do like soccer such as norcal and TG. don't worry about the england squad, walcott looked awesome in training today. they won't win, but they'll do alright.
TTBoy, How good is Walcott? If memory serves me right the last time we were raving about a player like this, it was after John Barnes scored that memorable goal against Brazil back in the early 90's if I'm not mistaken. Can't say I'm enthralled either with McClaren as Eriksson's successor. Is the guy any good? I understand that he's been Eriksson's deputy for some time and supposedly has some managerial experience. I really thought that they'd have gone the way of a coach from the continent. Perhaps Scolari? I don't think he'll last long if the results aren't there at the beginning. The fans won't tolerate it, and bearing in mind the FIFA rankings haven't been too kind to us lately. I'm going to be watching come what may, as I think that Germany and Brazil could make it through to the final. Well it's my choice anyway!
Walcott is a terrific prospect and although the World Cup may have come a year too soon for him, he has the talent to make an impact in Germany. The main thing holding him back is top level experience but he quick and a good finisher so he could be a great sub late on in games to stretch the oppositions defense.
I don't like the McClaren appointment and i think the FA were looking too hard to get an English manager. My choice would have been Martin O'Neill or Sam Allardyce, but McClaren knows the system and did well in European competition with Middlesboro, only time will tell i guess. I think Brazil will get to the final with maybe the french, although spain have to have a good tournament sometime, and argentina have got game. And as my dad always says "never rule out the germans!"
If that's the situation with Walcott then it's a good thing. The experience of being around an England squad under such circumstances bodes well for the future. It should show him what the whole international life is all about. TTBoy I don't know if your a big fight fan, but what's yuor take on Ricky Hatton and Junior Witter. I know that Hatton's all the rage at the moment, primarly after his dismantling of Kosta Tzyu. Which was impressive to say the least. What's your take on him and Witter in particular. Witter has supposedly been in negotiation with De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions with regard to staging his fights here in the U.S. Oscar is pretty high on him, and regards him as.. 'the next big thing from across the pond' as he puts it. Is he right?
I am a big fight fan - although seemingly there seems to be few "Big fights" these days. To me, Hatton is the best boxer from England since Benn and Eubank and is a real star here already. I don't know if he's "flashy" enough for the states. He's a simple lad who is a slave to the gym and is ferocious fighter. One concern is now that he's moved up in weight he may struggle more with cuts than he has in the past, but there are more lucrative fights out there for him - particularly now he has a belt in that division already.
I'd be surprised if Witter blew up in America. Yes, he is a silky boxer with a great combination ability, but he's already 32 and appeared to be slowing down in his last fights against moderate talent. It was rumored Hatton - Witter were going to go at it until Ricky got the Tszyu fight. I think Ricky would have battered him.
I never rated the Prince, as to me it was all hype and no substance. And once Barrera gave him that beating he was never the same again. I only hope that Amir Khan doesn't go the same way as Naseem. There seems to be striking similarities in the way of talent but beyond that Khan seems to have his head #### on right. Hopefully his the guys behind him will bring him along gradually. Too often we've seen so many of these young guys get thrown in too soon for their own good. My friends and I are hoping that if Tarver disposes of Hopkins, so that he'll call out Cazalghe. That's a fight that I'd be willing to see.
Definitely, i think Tarver may be too powerful for Joe. But Calzaghe is a classy a ring operator there is in the heavier divisions.
Khan isn't as much of a showman as Naz (who was great fighter though, right?) but is a terrific technician. I think he needs to get in on the american scene asap so the whole world sees his talent and can get some great fights in 2007 or so.
Thanks for the compliments....Fox has decided to block not only the blog you commented on in the main communities (ie Daily Notes, sports) but anything else I try to write. It is because I see through the bologna of this contest.
Yeah Jim, if i were you guys i'd be a little miffed as well. But it's foxsports' ball we're playing with and, if they want, they can take it away from us. I must admit i'm surprised at some of the finalists but i like 3 or 4 of them. I think the finals should be less formal, allowing the regular bloggers on this site the chance to nominate others for the finals. To be honest, i'd never heard of 5 or 6 of the bloggers in the finals and i've read a lot since i began visiting this site.
TTBoy, Heard today that Chelsea are considering making a bid for Andryi Schevchenko of AC Milan. The talk is of something north 35 million pounds. I know they've got the money! But haven't they got a glut of strikers on their roster at the moment? I understand Drogba's unhappy and wants to leave ? What the hell is going on there? Mourinho's not that bad a coach or is that these players feel that they're entitled to a first team place? What'll be the answer ? Mourinho's obviously wanting to strengthen the squad to make an assault on the Champion's League for next season. That's ultimately where I believe he wants to prove himself once again. The Premiership will take care of itself, as I honestly don't see anyone making a serious challenge to their dominancy within the league. Neither Arsenal, Man. Utd or Liverpool have anywhere near a strong enough squad to usurp them.
A decision will be made on Shevchenko this week apparently. Yes Chelsea have the cash and are the only club in the running it seems. Gallas and Crespo may be offered as make-weights in the deal as both want to play in italy. Drogba is disillusioned by the criticism he has got in the press for diving and feigning injury. Mourinho say he won't allow Drogba to leave. I'll tell you now though Toph, look out for arsenal next year, they could be very good again now all their youngsters have so much experience. The premiership should be great next season.
Agreed, but I still think that Chelsea will have the edge. So England lost to Belarus in a warm up match prior to the World Cup? Was it the full squad that was out on display or just a couple of the fringe players? I know the result doesn't mean anything , but it would be nice going into the tournament with at least some momentum. A win certainly would provide a great boost to team confidence. Eriksson can't afford any complacency on the part of his players, whatever their feelings might be with regard to their latest display.
Ouch! I see you have my Lions pretty low, but with good reason. I would like Kitna in a mentor role, but don't feel confident in McCown. Good stuff on Carolina & Atlanta, too.
I think the Browns might do something this year, though. They were showing some signs last year, despite their record, and I like the addition of Jurevicius.
Too bad you're ineligible for that crazy contest; I don't understand that rule myself. You have a sly sense of humor, "Ricky Williams' self-inflicted absence." Nice.
This is probably a naive question, but do you watch football with American commentary or do you have your own talking heads in England? One of the reasons I ask is b/c I enjoy the British view when I listen to Radio Wimbledon. I think much of it is better than tv coverage here. (U.S. streaming radio on tennis is pretty good though.)
Just a suggestion... You should probably rate oxygen first!
Tophatal, it was England B and none of the big guns (apart from an almost invisible Owen) played. The main thing that happened in the game I think they'll get a run out against Hungary this week. Bigger concerns about Rooney though, the guy won't be fit at all. Look out for my preview on the cup coming soon(ish).. It must be quite tough to follow Soccer from the states then? I know espn has a good site and of course the good old bbc is the best site to follow all things sports anyways.
Lioness, thanks for stopping by. I'm afraid the Lions will suck again this year, but if they can get all the WR talent playing well and KJ fired up they could hold their own in what is a pretty shocking division. I like Ernie Sims a lot. Skysports here carries the NFL on sunday in this country and uses host broadcast feeds - probably best as the shows presenters are clueless on the game, hahah! Also get MNF on channel 5 here making for many sleepy tuesdays at work!!
The BBC are great hosts at Wimbledon and are added to by great foreign commentators such as Becker, Shriver, Evert, Connors and of course Mac. I love Wimbledon.
I got over my ineligibility pretty quickly, and too be honest i don't have time to write that much, so i'm glad i'm not in it! Thanks for your appreciation of my subtle humor...!
ps. I'm a scientist so i know oxygen, food and water come first! But the other stuff seems so much nicer!
TTBoy, Yeh it's pretty tough to keep a watchful eye on all that's happening with regard to the football. I try and get as much news as is possible, from the various sources that are in my area. Whilst I'm at work at night as and when possible the laptop comes out and there I'll be surfing the net. La Liga, Serie A, Premiership all of it is followed up on by me. I even try and get the news with regard to test match cricket. Is it me or is there a downturn in the following of the West Indies? I can't remember such a time when the team's performances have been so mundane. The glory years of the mid to late 80's have gone by and there's not been much to show for it since then! Individual perfomances asides, that is !
Yeah Toph, the Windies aren't what they used to be (that was a GREAT team in the 80s though) but the recent showing against india was positive in the ODIs, we'll see how they go in the tests now. Can't wait for the Ashes to start again in the Winter, sporting theatre at its finest. England beat Hungary in a warm up game last night, nothing special to look at, and they look lost in open play without rooney.
Like I said TTBoy, can't fathom Eriksson's choices. Heard some #### say that Crouch would've been a worthy replacement for Rooney. Say it ain't so ! The guy looks like a newborn giraffe that's just found its legs when he's on the pitch. Am I over exaggerating the point on this one ? He's not that great a striker. He's certainly no Michael Owens ! I heard the match against Hungary was ado about nothing. Just merely a warm up. Hopefully they can sort out a few of the kinks before the real games begin.
Yeah, the Hungary game was just to give everyone a game really. The problem with Crouch is that he makes england play a completely different kind of football, which they are not used to. Crouch isn't skillful enough to get others involved either, and Lampard was useless and ineffective last wednesday. I'd personally give aaron lennon a game instead and play joe cole in rooney's position. I'm not optimistic about englands chances overall though.
I hear you on that one TT. It's not as if we should come to expect a lot from this squad anyway. The media is certainly playing up their chances from what I hear, and no doubt will be the first to criticise when they turn in a poor performance in the tournament. Just heard that Cazalghe's fight with Glen Johnson has been postponed due to Joe suffering a hand injury. What's his hands made of ? Paper mache ! I don't suppose that this is Joe's and Frank Warren's idea of saying that they can't find the premier fighters always willing to take him on. Hasn't been about the fourth or fifth time we've had a situation like this with Cazalghe? The IBF and WBO should seriously look into this! Warren's a joke as a promoter, as he tends to promise too much and then can't deliver the goods. When that happens, he tends to blame everyone but himself.
I know it's World Cup mania right now, but I have to share an opinion. Besides, I have no nerves left hoping that Ghana holds this 1-0 lead while USA pulls the miracle of all miracles...
New England is not the 3rd best team. Maroney helps them a little, but Jackson I think proves their personnel decisions aren't always fool proof. Givens was HUGE for them in the clutch, much the way Jurevicius leaving Seattle will hurt.
At this point I agree with your top 6 teams, maybe not in that order but it is difficult to really get that square right now.
Top to bottom, this is a very tough power rankings to argue with. Very accurate assessment of the teams.
Hey Norcal, thanks for stopping by as usual (even if it is a little late! eheheh). Yeah i know i got the pats high, but i will never count them out as long as brady is on the field and bill is the coach. I think Jackson could be a perfect fit in the offense and the 2 TEs are terrific pass catchers. I think they'll also be able to squeeze another year out of corey. The Steelers nearly took a tumble with #### ben on his #### rocket - that division could be great this year so the steelers may not have the best record, but they'll be tough as hell again. As you can see most people are ####ing about where i put the bengals - until palmer returns, thats where they stay in my book... What you thinking about the World Cup? I'm in Frankfurt ahead of the Holland -Argentina game tomorrow, and am about to head out to watch the england game. Can the US pull it out against Ghana? Happy days...
I'm feeling a US win over Ghana. If they play anywhere close to what they did against Italy it will be a victory, but the big issue is that with their offense being shut out (own goal vITA) can they rip the back of the onion bag? I think so.
Italy could punk them by tying Czech Republic, especially if they notice US up 1-0 by halftime via scoreboard watching. However, I think they score early and do their usual stall tactics.
I was talking it over with my barber this morning and really there are only 8 maximum teams who can win this. Brazil, Argentina & Italy are obvious to everyone. Germany as the host, England (Owen could be out though, it looked bad) Holland, Spain and possibly Mexico with the last few being dark horses.
I'd be stunned to see a winner outside of those teams. Not knowing the 16 draw, I am feeling Argentina vs. a surprise team (ie not Brazil) other than Germany.
TTBoy, Tophat chiming in. I see that you're in Germany. No doubt to enjoy all the fesitivities that goes on with regard to the World Cup. Beware of the loose German women and the walks along the Raiberstrasse. Hope you enjoy yourself anyway. England seem to have done themselves proud so far in the tournament. It'll be intriguing to see how far they can go, once they gain momentum and start to play in their classic fashion. The midfield has impressed me and the defense has been outstanding. I still have my doubts about Crouch, but Eriksson seems to be sticking with him.
Norcal, i must admit i fear for the US against Ghana whose midfield partnership of Essien and Appiah is one of the best in the tournament - Reyna and co. will have a tough game on their hands. The US don't strike me as being a very good attacking team, i guess we'll find out now they HAVE to win. They played well against a good italian team though. It should be a great game. Bruce Arena's gestures on the sideline are classic as well! Argentina looked simply amazing against Serbia last week and have to be considered the favourites for the title playing the way they are. Its dangerous for everyone though that brazil are churning out results while playing so poorly. Your list looks good (i would leave out mexico though) but i have real issues with spain (soccer's version of the Colts), and England have no firepower without owen and an unfit wayne rooney. crouch is nothing but a circus act in my opinion.
Whatsup tophat? Thanks for stopping by. Yes i am currently eating my breakfast here in frankfurt ahead of the big game tonight. Can't wait. My girlfriend was with me for the england t&t game but has had to go home now so i can admire the female talent a bit more (its like a candy store for men as well, women of all nationalities, colour, size, shape etc) all in 35degree heat as well so they ain't wearing much. Unfortunately i have to apply the "look but don't touch" rule though - rubbish i know... England suck man. all that talent (gerrard, lampard, beckham, rooney the 2 coles, rio, jt) and still they play like lepers in the wind. they were very lucky last night against what is a pretty average team in sweden and ecuador will be smelling an upset for sunday. although coaching is not as important in soccer as it is in the nfl or nba, i fear ericson may be "out-coached" in the knock-out rounds. it all makes for fascinating viewing though...
TT - Mexico is an afterthought for me. I included them because everyone seems to be falling over them, which personally I don't understand either.
I agree on England too. Rooney might round into form though just to give them a victory or two, but obviously not a title now that Owen is gone. On Crouch, yes on that too. I guess it was game 1 for them I saw really bad plays by him where he looked horrible in front of the net.
Norcal, i can see a big upset headed our way on sunday in the england v ecuador game. Apparently there is growing descent in the england camp with beckham and gerrard arguing over tactics. I say Ecuador on pens. I'm at last back in england after a very long 8 days in germany, and i must admit i'm glad to be back, too hot in germany for my liking and i was about to party myself to an early grave. You may have seen i was even able to get in a slanging match on dan's blog at the airport. Not my style as you know, just trying to defend the beautiful game. Big day for the US team today.
TT - I saw the exchange on Dan's blog. The piece upset me too, but I avoided it until I saw what you had said.
Dude, it is 100 degrees here so I feel that.
As I comment, games are at halftime. USA 2 goals away from round 2. PK call looked like a joke. Refs might have it out for USA for whatever reason, seriously.
Ecuador can beat England 0-0 in PK as you say, but I don't think they'll score. With the chips on the line against Germany they were poor. Pressure of knockout round is immense. I have known England to choke up there as well, but it's still a more talented side.
Norcal there was just something about the German heat though, so oppressive that everyone was praying for some thunder and lightning - total heatwave. Plus, i'm an irish kid living in london - lets just say the sun doesn't necessarily agree with me! I will try and get something up in the next few days about my trip, just need to come up with an angle and recover my medium term memory.
Shame the US went out, although to be honest i am delighted for Ghana. Essien and Appiah are terrific players and its great for Africa to have a team qualify for R2. But yes, the pen was a total nonsense if you ask me. I was at the Argie game last night and my god they are good. They play like a team with probing point guard (Riquelme) with slashers (Messi, Maxi, Saviola, Cambiasso etc). I'd be very surprised if they didn't make the finals at least. Holland were impressive as well though and will probably meet england if they get to the last 8. Just about to settle in to watch the Brazilians tonight, like england, they really need to find some form quickly. They only beat the aussies and croatians as they were scared of them. Something the better teams won't be.
Last edited by TTBoy2000 on June 22nd at 11:17 AM.
TTBoy2000, Now that England has made it into the second round, I'm hoping that they don't become too lackadaisical and expect to rest on their laurels. This part of the tournament is the toughest and it's all or nothing. I'm hoping that they can step up their play and show the rest of the world what they're really about. The midfield is as talented as any left in the competition and capable of beating almost anyone given the right set of circumstances. My only problem however, is the attack. They've not really shown me anything , and in Crouch I can't see what's so special about the guy. Am I missing something here? It's unfortunate that we'll be without the services of Owens , but somehow we should be able to overcome that obstacle.
Brazil hasn't yet seemed to have gotten into stride, but once they do there'll be hell to pay for whoever's on the receiving end of one of their outbursts of goals. Enjoy yourself while you're there TT, stay out of trouble and don't over do it on the drinking and the fraternising with the opposite sex. Regards, Top....
Hey Toph, i flew back to london on wednesday night after the Argentina-Holland game. Shame its over but glad to be home. The German freeways are crazy dude - no speed limits in the home of european muscle cars! I'll be getting a blog up about my experiences at some point soon. England suck mate, i've just had my dinner and am watching Sven trying to explain england's shortcomings, and i want to vomit. The guy is a numbskull and doesn't care about england, its painfully obvious now. If they were in most other groups, they would be home right about now. Don't sleep on ecuador on sunday, Top there could be a big shock in store. As i said before, crouch is a circus act, rooney is unfit, owen was unfit and now injured, and walcott is too young and immature. And the defense was awful against sweden as well!! - not good.
TTBoy, Agreed there could be one or two shocks awaiting one the powerhouses in the next round. Who that'll be , your guess is as good as mine. Not genuinely surprised that Ghana made into the second round. But as how to they'll do against Brazil? Need one ask? Australia on the other hand, I didn't see that one coming, not by a long shot ! Not openly surprised by your comments concerning England, as they've got to get things going. If they're not able to raise their play up another notch, they won't be around for the quater-finals, let alone making it beyond that.
Wimbledon starts on Monday, I believe that the tournament has all the makings of a classic. Epecting Federer and Nadal to battle it out for all the marbles in the men's finals.
I think its humorous how half of the population believes that losing Steve Hutchinson won't effect the Seahawks at all. Meanwhile, the other half thinks this totally takes them from Super Bowl contention.
The only thing the Hutchinson question will do is tell us how much of an impact a great player has in a less significant position. Guard is the least important position on the O-line. Tackles and Centers are much more vital to a teams success. That's why as players get older, they move to guard.
TT, you could have been a Pro Bowl guard beside Walter Jones. This will have little to know effect on Seattle's offense. For the record, Steve Hutchinson only started 4 games in 2002 due to a broken leg that ended his season. That season, Seattle ended the year with the seventh rated offense in the NFL. Hutch is great, but he's only a guard.
Point being, Seattle probably deserves to be #1 or 2. Not #5.
xea, you're absolutely right about Hutch being a guard (teams like the pack and pats farm them from nfl europe for god's sake)- and i have said on others blogs that Jones is the best O-lineman in the league by a l-o-n-g way. However they worked wonderfully in tandem with each other and its no conicidence most if not all of alexanders big gains came off the left side. You can't say they'll be better for losing him, and as i said aswell, will shaun have the hunger sitting on a fat contract? I'm not hating on the Hawks, i just think the others are better teams or have had better offseasons (thats what power rankings are). They will easily win the very poor NFC west again, but i don't think they'll be as dominant as last year. Thanks for stopping by.
Toph, summer is in full swing in jolly england. Long summer evening with wimbledon on the tele and the wolrd cup there is nothing better. I don't think Nadal is that good on grass (yet), so i think Hewitt will be his toughest oppenent. I love the country cheering for henman for him to fold like an ironing board - typical brits.
Ericksson is lucky he's quitting england as the backlash will be scathing if (sorry, when) they get dumped out. He's made no attempt whatsoever to make his midfield gel together and he continues to play players that just aren't good enough. I've said before, but taking peter crouch to germany was a stretch (no pun intended), but to now have him as your main striker? Hideous. Feel sorry for owen, but #### happens as they say. England need to pray rooney finds his wheels before sunday or they will go home - and Frank Lampard left his shooting boots at chelsea it seems.
TTBoy, If England do get dumped out of the tournament in the next round the tabloids will have a field day at Eriksson's expense. And rightly so! Because he should bare the brunt of the balme for the team's failures. He picked the squad and put the schemes in place for the respective opponents. And yet there hasn't been much to show for all the lavish praise that was placed on this squad. Unfortunately I don't hold out much hope with his successor. McClaren doesn't impress me one bit!
Toph, you gotta remember that eriksson isn't coming back to england to take any heat as he's not the manager so he doesn't need the grief! I'm telling you he doesn't care! Yep, McClaren would worry the #### out of me if i was a die-hard english fan. He is tactically naive and won't be able to buy himself out of tr
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