NFL

[Macca 17,127]

They made there own luck or lack of Mac, how many trips the the Ravens red zone? How many dropped balls, Weeellkkkkaaahhhh!

Here is hoping the SB is a good tight game, will be rooting for 9ers for sho!

Yes, if only to give a bit of sporting joy to our Demon brethren! (unless there's one or 2 Raven fans on this thread who want to 'out' themselves - it's never too late btw)

If that happened we might have to revert back to 'May the better team win' or other such jargon !

But for now it's 'Go Niners'

[Macca 17,127]

How big was that hit on Ridley? It was funny seeing Flacco run with the ball. He and Brady should have a running race for charity with Darren Lehman. Hard to believe that nearly 3/4 through the season the raven fired their Offensive Coordinator. They looked lost at times this season. But form at the right times means everything. Not shocked Atlanta lost. They had a very good team lining up against them but the question needs to be asked. 1-4 is the record they own in recent playoffs. Do changes need to be made?

Macca is spot on it is the Harbaugh bowl. It and Ray Lewis will be the be all and end all of attention for 2 weeks. Maybe the Kap gets a mention somewhere.

Hilarious, though one particular run was quite effective and he picked up vital yards. A number of the QB's have that same trait. It's like they never had to run at College level.

Forgot to mention Kaepernick in an earlier post. He was very good again - hard to reproduce last week's stellar game but he threw very well. Gore was excellent and the 49ers defence denied Atlanta any points in the 2nd half - not even a field goal. Baltimore did much the same at New England - holding them scoreless in the 2nd half - that is some achievement .

We've got 2 weeks until the Super Bowl so maybe we could do our top 5's for the season to pass the time. No formality to it - just pick any sort of category you like at random and fire away - ROTY, MVP, QB, RB, WR, defensive player of the year , Coach of the year, any category anyone can think of. I'll do a couple of categories in a couple of days or so.

[pantaloons 2,019]

Good luck to the Niners fans on here. My day's a long time San Fran follower so I've been right behind them these playoffs. He might be waiting a while for Melbourne to salute so hopefully his boys get the job done in a fortnight.

[Gorgoroth 13,215]

I'll be cheering the Ravens on!!!!

Lewis had a poor game, he will be a force come Super Bowl!!!!

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Hilarious, though one particular run was quite effective and he picked up vital yards. A number of the QB's have that same trait. It's like they never had to run at College level.

Forgot to mention Kaepernick in an earlier post. He was very good again - hard to reproduce last week's stellar game but he threw very well. Gore was excellent and the 49ers defence denied Atlanta any points in the 2nd half - not even a field goal. Baltimore did much the same at New England - holding them scoreless in the 2nd half - that is some achievement .

We've got 2 weeks until the Super Bowl so maybe we could do our top 5's for the season to pass the time. No formality to it - just pick any sort of category you like at random and fire away - ROTY, MVP, QB, RB, WR, defensive player of the year , Coach of the year, any category anyone can think of. I'll do a couple of categories in a couple of days or so.

I love a good list. This just off the top of my head with no stats to back up my claims.

Coach of the year: Bruce Arians. In a tough time he takes over the Colts and his coaching record was 9-3 before chuck came back. He deserves his head coaching gig.

Running back: AP duh!

QB: Could pick Manning but no playoff win and a good record but in a crap division. Toss up between Flacco and Brady.

WR: Megatron. Anyone who breaks a Jerry Rice record is a superstar.

Defense. J.J Watt. A sack machine. Special mention to the Chicago bears in their first 7 games. That defense looked damn good.

Worst team: New York Jets! They stink. They know how to dismantle a team and their confidence. Yes they had injuries but the Tebow saga, Sanchez Butt fumble, No TD's in preseason and constant losses when they and others thought they had a playoof team. Somehow they bring bad things upon themselves.

MVP: AP all day everyday. (Bias I know.)

Funniest moment: Either sanchez butt fumble or the Fail Mary play. Both made me cringe and laugh at the same time.

Biggest play of the year: This would have to go to Alex Smith. He gets concussed and cometh the hour for the Kap. It sucks for Smith but Harbaugh looks like a genius and the niners have one hand on the trophy. I wonder what would have happened if the Kap got benched when Smith was declared healthy? Great move by Harbaugh.

[Macca 17,127]

Top 5 teams ...

1 - San Francisco (should win the Super Bowl)

2 - Baltimore (have gotten 'hot' at the right time)

3 - Seattle (another hot team and if they'd gotten past Atlanta .... )

4 - New England (Brady had an average game at the worst possible time)

5 - Denver / Atlanta (both were disappointing in the end)

Top 5 QB's

1 - Brady (just shades Aaron but could have gone either way)

2 - Rodgers (defence and offensive line are below average, does a mighty job - all things considered)

3 - Peyton Manning (coming to the end but he had a great season)

4 - Brees (his team were poor around him this season - only QB to throw for over 5000 yards)

5 - Kaepernick (set for a huge career)

Flacco has had a terrific post season and if he can get the Ravens over the line then he'll rise up in people's estimation .There are a host of very good QB's and some real up and comers in RG3, Luck, Newton, Wilson, Bradford and Tannehill

Edited January 25, 2013 by Macca

[titan_uranus 25,252]

Amazing two Championship games. Giving up a 17-0 start, on the road, I wasn't confident. But we really did play great football to win the game. I was so happy with that performance. Baltimore played fantastically too, to beat New England, so it's going to be close. We've got to stop the run, first of all, and our secondary needs to do better than Denver and New England. Both those sides gave up far too many big plays (Champ Bailey on Torrey Smith, e.g.). If our defence stands up to its ability, I think we can restrict their scoring enough to get the win.

It's nice barracking for a team that's made it to the last game. Horrendously, though, I'll be at work on the day and won't be able to watch it. Shattered.

[Macca 17,127]

Amazing two Championship games. Giving up a 17-0 start, on the road, I wasn't confident. But we really did play great football to win the game. I was so happy with that performance. Baltimore played fantastically too, to beat New England, so it's going to be close. We've got to stop the run, first of all, and our secondary needs to do better than Denver and New England. Both those sides gave up far too many big plays (Champ Bailey on Torrey Smith, e.g.). If our defence stands up to its ability, I think we can restrict their scoring enough to get the win.

It's nice barracking for a team that's made it to the last game. Horrendously, though, I'll be at work on the day and won't be able to watch it. Shattered.

Bad luck you can't watch the game. Not sure if you're in any position to listen to the game but the following site provides links to a live radio broadcast of games (quite legal) ... San Francisco 49ers radio stations ... the 1st link (1360 KUIK) has broadcast games previously.

Just a heads up for anyone reading this who may want to listen to live sport from the States - just google up the full team's name and add 'radio stations' and google will take you to all the listings via 'tunein' . For instance - by clicking on this link 'Chicago Bulls radio stations' ... Google's 1st choice will be ... this ... from that list, scroll down to ... 1250 WSPL for live broadcasts of the Bulls games .

If I get a chance I'll post the radio stations that broadcast the games on the appropriate threads. It's a bit hit and miss but a lot of the time you'll pick up a game.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Macca

[Macca 17,127]

Top 5 MVP . Putting aside the injury 'comebacks' I still reckon AP has been a standout.

1 - Adrian Peterson

2 - Tom Brady

3 - Peyton Manning

4 - Aaron Rodgers

5 - Calvin Johnson

Top 5 coaches . San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh has been the best in the last 2 years in my opinion.

1 - Jim Harbaugh

2 - John Harbaugh

3 - Bill Belichick

4 - Pete Carroll

5 - Mike Smith

Edited January 25, 2013 by Macca

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

I see Frank Gore got fined $10,500 for wearing his socks too low. Golden boy Brady got fined $10,000 for spiking Ed Reed's leg. The yanks are so very odd at times.

[Macca 17,127]

I see Frank Gore got fined $10,500 for wearing his socks too low. Golden boy Brady got fined $10,000 for spiking Ed Reed's leg. The yanks are so very odd at times.

Yep, there are conflicting rules on the field depending on what position you play. Suppose if the same rules applied to the way the QB is protected, we'd have quite a soft sport. Over there, many complain about the sport being less violent (so to speak) yet recognise that the sport has a major issue with concussions.

Anyway, we've got the 'Pro Bowl' on Monday (our time). Another high scoring game will no doubt ensue. I'm not sure that many care who wins these games. Usually sells out and gets a large TV audience but often falls flat. I'll probably still have a look though Some sport is just pure 'entertainment' I suppose. Little bit like how some ODI's and t20's are viewed by many fans (in the 'other' forms of cricket).

Edited January 26, 2013 by Macca

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Yep, there are conflicting rules on the field depending on what position you play. Suppose if the same rules applied to the way the QB is protected, we'd have quite a soft sport. Over there, many complain about the sport being less violent (so to speak) yet recognise that the sport has a major issue with concussions.

Anyway, we've got the 'Pro Bowl' on Monday (our time). Another high scoring game will no doubt ensue. I'm not sure that many care who wins these games. Usually sells out and gets a large TV audience but often falls flat. I'll probably still have a look though Some sport is just pure 'entertainment' I suppose. Little bit like how some ODI's and t20's are viewed by many fans (in the 'other' forms of cricket).

The pro bowl can be hard to watch at times. They should get penalised for throwing a ball under 20 yards. Just throw bombs all day. I can't imagine what it would be like for the players. How is a DT supposed to go about trying and not trying at the same time.

[Macca 17,127]

The pro bowl can be hard to watch at times. They should get penalised for throwing a ball under 20 yards. Just throw bombs all day. I can't imagine what it would be like for the players. How is a DT supposed to go about trying and not trying at the same time.

Bit like the long bombs in footy. Just wanna see a few hangers ...

They allowed to use their knees and feet 'Aussie Rules style?' If not, bring in a new rule I say. Jeremy Howe could have a 2nd career after playing in multiple flag sides for the Dees.

Can just see Joe Buck or Collinsworth introducing Howe for the 'Hail Mary'. I'm on the phone to McCarthy as I type this. The Packers need a 'Howe' type for those Rodgers bombs. Use him on defence as well. A defensive screamer. No padding required.

The Pro Bowl was a bit of fun. Kept watching it for some ungodly reason. Go figure ...

[Whispering_Jack 31,365]

I found this blog story on the Net - Ostler: Kaepernick not 1st to feed media beasts

Just need to work out what it's all about and why it means the 49ers‘ are going to win the big one next week.

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

I found this blog story on the Net - Ostler: Kaepernick not 1st to feed media beasts

Just need to work out what it's all about and why it means the 49ers‘ are going to win the big one next week.

Good on him. Right now he is the man who can't go wrong. We will see if he is still in the mood to shout lunch for the mob if he plays some bad games and they get stuck into him. Randy Moss was the same when he first came into the league. Things change but for now the Kap is the man and he and his coach deserve all the credit in the world.

[Macca 17,127]

Good on him. Right now he is the man who can't go wrong. We will see if he is still in the mood to shout lunch for the mob if he plays some bad games and they get stuck into him. Randy Moss was the same when he first came into the league. Things change but for now the Kap is the man and he and his coach deserve all the credit in the world.

Hasn't he just skyrocketed in all areas? Talent, personality, media savvy, clean living and he's a winner.

I see he's filed to 'trademark' Kaepernicking (the bicep smooch)

Only in America !

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Im picking Baltimore 30-17. For no real reason I just think flacco will throw bombs all day and the ravens D will hold up. Also randy moss annoys me.

[Cards13 9,117]

49's, 38-14 in a cake walk. Will be an even first half and then 9ers D will dominate and Kap will score with his legs and arm after a slow start.

[Macca 17,127]

Im picking Baltimore 30-17. For no real reason I just think flacco will throw bombs all day and the ravens D will hold up. Also randy moss annoys me.

Ray Lewis is annoying everyone it seems - deer antler spray and all. Think him and Moss cancel each other out. Wish that 'Deer antler spray' was around back in the day. All we had was a bit of 'deep heat' and some orange 'quarters' (both largely useless)

49's, 38-14 in a cake walk. Will be an even first half and then 9ers D will dominate and Kap will score with his legs and arm after a slow start.

I'm tipping a thriller - it may come down to a bit of magic. The Kap shades Flacco in that area so it's the 49ers - just ...

Got a strong inkling that San Francisco are going to feature in the playoffs in the next few years. This could be the start of something big. The Ravens would be worthy winners as well.

This match could be 'One for the Ages'

[Cards13 9,117]

Ray Lewis is annoying everyone it seems - deer antler spray and all. Think him and Moss cancel each other out. Wish that 'Deer antler spray' was around back in the day. All we had was a bit of 'deep heat' and some orange 'quarters' (both largely useless)

I'm tipping a thriller - it may come down to a bit of magic. The Kap shades Flacco in that area so it's the 49ers - just ...

Got a strong inkling that San Francisco are going to feature in the playoffs in the next few years. This could be the start of something big. The Ravens would be worthy winners as well.

This match could be 'One for the Ages'

Seriously WTF with Lewis and the deer antler?!!! "The devils work"... How is that and excuse for taking PED's??

[Macca 17,127]

Seriously WTF with Lewis and the deer antler?!!! "The devils work"... How is that and excuse for taking PED's??

Who knows, Cards? It's a fairly murky business. At the moment the NFL aren't testing for HGH (maybe next season?) My comment re Lewis was more flippant than with any real fact based accusation. (though many over there are a bit 'sus' about his recovery from that tricep injury).

The thinking in the States has a little bit of a leaning towards using PED's in the aid and recovery from injury. I don't agree with that thinking for a variety of reasons - none the least being where do you start and finish with regards the 'degree' of injury? What if an athlete has a 'moderate level' strained calf and would ordinarily only miss maybe one week? If PED's were allowed in that case then 'how much' is allowed? Could that slight injury be used as an excuse to 'super boost' yourself? (so to speak)

Most veteran athlete's have some form of injury concerns . They're nearly always 'carrying' something. Strangely enough, cycling is somewhat leading the way with their 'blood passports'. Even Armstrong admitted that these blood passports were going to make it difficult for athletes to take PED's and get away with it in the future.(if you can believe him!)

Anyway, that chatter shouldn't detract from the game on Monday (our time). As long as the people who are running these sports are diligent, then that's fine with me. If they were turning a blind eye it would be a whole different story.

Edited February 2, 2013 by Macca

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

The NFLPA and the NFL are still not happy with each other over the bounty gate saga and negotions on HGH testing has stalled again. The NFLPA want to take powers away from Goodell when it comes to handing out sanctions to teams. Maybe the NFL are wanting to keep their ignorance as bliss when it comes to HGH and PED's.

[Macca 17,127]

The NFLPA and the NFL are still not happy with each other over the bounty gate saga and negotions on HGH testing has stalled again. The NFLPA want to take powers away from Goodell when it comes to handing out sanctions to teams. Maybe the NFL are wanting to keep their ignorance as bliss when it comes to HGH and PED's.

Blood passport ? I see that as the start of effectively fighting PED's in sport. Might be a ways off though considering how these type of things are viewed over there.

Reckon RG3 will win the Rookie of the year. Just edging out Wilson and Luck. Think I'm right in saying it's a regular season award. Think he'll get it because of his profile at the Redskins. Wilson shone late and Luck seemed a bit more low profile.

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Blood passport ? I see that as the start of effectively fighting PED's in sport. Might be a ways off though considering how these type of things are viewed over there.

Reckon RG3 will win the Rookie of the year. Just edging out Wilson and Luck. Think I'm right in saying it's a regular season award. Think he'll get it because of his profile at the Redskins. Wilson shone late and Luck seemed a bit more low profile.

Think your right about RG3. Luck did what was expected which is unfortunate for his chances as he was pretty damn good. He stayed in the pocket and threw TD's. RG3 was exciting and the skins were very good. Is the award officially a regular season award?

[Macca 17,127]

Think your right about RG3. Luck did what was expected which is unfortunate for his chances as he was pretty damn good. He stayed in the pocket and threw TD's. RG3 was exciting and the skins were very good. Is the award officially a regular season award?

I believe so, but I stand corrected. The fans vote on the award and I think the voting continues past the regular season right up until close to the Super Bowl. Therefore, the Post season will count (sort of). He's a very likeable sportsperson but so are Wilson and Luck. Washington being a big city has to help him.