Macca

Yeah the race is on for the 1 & 2 seed in the NFC ... 2 teams have almost certainly won their divisions in the NFC (Eagles & Vikings) and then it's down to the Rams & Seahawks for the West whilst 3 teams can still win the South. The good news for the neutrals is that a lot of the top teams are playing each other in the run in to the playoffs ... and it starts on Friday (Saints @ Atlanta) Your game vs the Eagles next week should be a cracker - and there's a lot on the line too. The AFC is less interesting but teams in that conference can also get hot at the right time ... so the Chargers & Ravens could get on a run. I was most impressed with Seattle, New Orleans, Minnesota, the Rams, Jacksonville (with Bortles), New England & the Ravens today. The Eagles did it tough but that game in Seattle will help them in the long run. The jury is out on Carolina & Atlanta.

Just got through all of redzone - a few observations (haven't watched SNF) ... Vikings are a very good team & Detroit are just about finished. Saints superb, Panthers largely outplayed & Atlanta couldn't score. The Raiders are not very good and the Chargers were also unimpressive - KC are really struggling on defence. The AFC West could end up in anyone's hands. Pats roll on and who is going to stop them? Baltimore are the dark horse and could get hot at the right time again The Rams are an excellent team - I'd be surprised if they don't win the NFC West. The Jags beat a poor Colts team but credit must go to Bortles - he played a very good game. The trouble for Jacksonville is that Tennessee won't go away.

If you've seen the hit comedy 'The Big Sick' here's an excellent podcast which includes interviews with a number of the stars of the movie (Holly Hunter, Kumail Nanjiani, Ray Romano & Emily V Gordon) The Big Sick (podcast)

Yes, it happens a lot more than it should GtB. Clubs/Teams should always conduct themselves with class, respect, dignity, integrity and the like when dealing with their own champions (players or coaches) You could probably explain it better than myself about what went wrong after the Steve Young era but in more recent times I thought the 49ers had something special going with the Harbaugh/Kaepernick combination. 3 x NFC Championship games in a row and then ...... The move to get Garoppolo is a good one though ... hope he works out for you. He looked to have some real potential when filling in at New England.

I've often said here that I now prefer Rodgers as a pocket-passer with the occasional sojourn outside of the tackle box. He might look agile & elusive outside of the pocket but I watch our games carefully and he's often caught out in very vulnerable position's. And opposition players are going to go after him even more so now ... drive his shoulder into the turf and break some more bones. 2 of the best QB's in recent times have been predominant pocket-passers (Brady & Peyton) so why not the same with Rodgers? We need to invest in a couple of decent tight-ends too if he is to spend more time in the pocket ... and the offensive line needs a lot of maintenance. I don't care about the aesthetics of the whole thing either ... sure, it's great watching Rodgers weaving & ducking and throwing hail-mary's but it's also impractical in terms of risk of injury. We can't win games with Rodgers on the sidelines. We also need to look at having a decent back-up QB. That might be Hundley but he'll need to play a number of decent games in order to convince me that he's any good. The jury is out on that one. Brady's ability to play dead and make his body go limp when tackled is something that Aaron needs to look at too. The Pats just cross every T and dot every I don't they? They're the team to beat - again. Aaron is in his mid 30's now and he needs to be protected more than ever - he also needs more help as I've indicated above. A feared running game could be handy too!

If that happened it would be great but to be honest, I haven't entertained any thoughts of playoffs. We're too far back, the Vikings are a lot better than I thought they'd be, Atlanta can keep winning, same for Seattle, Detroit's schedule isn't tough and then there's the Panthers, Saints, Rams & Eagles. 3 of those 8 teams would have to fall away quite dramatically and in my opinion, that isn't going to happen. Even Dallas are a game ahead of Green Bay. So that's 9 teams ahead with 6 spots available. It was different in 2013 as the other 3 teams in the NFC North were incapable of taking advantage of Rodger's first broken collarbone.

Not sure ... I see him as a selfish person and the decision to bench Eli as strategic one to buy more time ... follow the money trail. He won't be expected to win games with Geno (and the rookie) and if the management & ownership have backed him on the Eli move, they might be compelled to support him (McAdoo) One thing is for sure Dappa .. there's a lot that we don't know and it's a huge ongoing talking point. McAdoo will fall on his feet - he might be a poor coach but he's not necessarily unintelligent.

He's a competitor so he'll want to play (if fit) ... the coaching staff may not want him to play though so who knows? Our season is virtually shot anyway as I don't expect the teams above GB to start losing lots of games (outside or within the NFC North) As a consequence I'm not exactly excited about Rodgers playing again this season. I follow the league as well as the Packers so I've switched over to league mode. I'm the opposite with AFL - it's the MFC only and my interest in the league is a minor one.

I would have stayed with Favre at the time - it's what I actually said at the time too. Rodgers was an unknown. He could have just as easily been a dud. Hindsight tells us otherwise but I'm not a hindsight person. I stand by what I said because I own my own words. If I said otherwise I'd be telling lies. Eli is being replaced by Geno Smith and another rookie QB who Jon Gruden is saying is nowhere near NFL ready. It's a bad decision and the decision could easily hurt their organisation - time will tell. They may also recover really quickly and become a force in a few years - but how can that happen if the decision makers keep making poor decisions? A good example is the Demons from 2007 onwards - we turfed out most of our experienced players and replaced them with draft pick numbers ... result - absolute disaster. Why? Because the people making the decisions were incompetent. Which brings us back to MxAdoo, Reese & the Giants ownership .. I don't believe that they know what they are doing and right now, they are still there and Eli is out.

McNabb never won a SB, nor did he win 2 x SB's so it is not the same. And winning SB's is what the whole thing is about. It's why the sport is played. If Eli had never won a SB I would possibly/probably be agreeing with the decision to move him on. But he did win (twice) so it does matter. And I am completely unbiased - in fact, when I post I make sure to remove all bias ... you've just admitted that you hate the Giants Dappa so it could be assumed that you don't care about them making a f'ed up decision. With me, I just see the f/ed up decision. All clubs should be aiming at winning now and they should always be building towards having a great list. It's where the MFC got it horribly horribly wrong - we got fed bs with regards the future with the imbecilic faith in drafting. Plus, we didn't value winning and we didn't develop players - and it's all related to winning. We lost our 12 of our first 13 games in 2009 yet many Melbourne supporters here weren't even concerned. All belief systems should be challenged. And it's not just sport - religion, politics & business practices the same. Or, we can just go along with the crowd and never question anything. My attitude is that if a team is always absolutely desperate to win games and has sensible people in positions of responsibility then the future takes care of itself - the horse before the cart. The other way around often doesn't work. I'm no dreamer ... my favourite saying in sport - 'It's ok to dream but it's not ok to be a dreamer' Otherwise, prepare yourself to be bitterly disappointed - and that often eventuates in anger & hate.

Eli's numbers in his 2 SB winning seasons ... 2008 ... TD 21 INT 10 2012 ... TD 26 INT 15 Eli's last 3 completed season's ... 2014 ... TD 30 INT 14 2015 ... TD 35 INT 15 2015 ... TD 26 INT 16 What's the problem? One could argue that he's getting better. And those numbers do tell a story, always have, always will. Other stats are often quite meaningless. He's an easy target ... their problems run a lot deeper and he is being scapegoated.

What is obvious is that I rate Eli a lot higher than what you do Dappa ... and that's fine, we can agree to disagree. His age is of no relevance to me - it's about winning now - make sound decisions and let the future take care of itself. It's as if the 2 SB wins don't matter enough with some ... which is the part that I find astonishing. He didn't get lucky - he played lights out. Twice. And there's any number of teams that have never won a SB - some of those clubs have no idea about the meaning of success. Peyton won a SB elsewhere whereas the Colts are crap again with an injury-prone QB. Are you sure the Colts don't mind? I reckon they would have some big regrets. They are irrelevant now. Peyton won but the Colts lost ... and the same thing can happen with Eli. I hope he makes the Giants pay and I hope the Giants totally collapse. They deserve to pay a price for their abject incompetence. And I doubt whether Eli will mind if he has success elsewhere either - why would he mind? He's been shafted by an organisation that doesn't respect it's own champions 2 times a Super Bowl MVP and it's out the door by a coach & a GM who are on borrowed time. Poor form. How would you feel if you're own club (Eagles) did the same if the exact same circumstances were at play?

Of course they can improve their roster but there's a lot more to it than just a collection of commodities. One of the more stupid decisions I've ever seen is Collingwood not changing their mind on the termination of Malthouse - it was absolute lunacy to let him go after landing a premiership. And they are still paying the price. Same deal with our club sacking Norm Smith - decisions like that can set a club back for a long time. Clubs can lose their way if they don't stay the course or start jumping at shadows. The decision to dump Eli goes a lot further than whether he's still capable or not (and his numbers say that he's no better or worse than he's ever been) 29 dropped catches (bread-basket catches) by the Giants is the highest in the league. How is that Eli's fault? They are piszing on a monument - and that's bad for business.

But you've now got Wentz ... without him you'd be average or perhaps below average. The QB position would have to be the most important position in any team sport. What have the Giants got under centre? Geno Smith and who knows who else? Drafting a QB is hit & miss. Often missing. I put Eli in the Flacco mould - not great but why make the change when the alternative has a good chance of being far worse. Their draft is like our's - a glorified lucky dip. Eli needs good players around him - he's not Brady or Rodgers. So, give the bloke some good players and you'll win Super Bowls ... oh hang on ...

He is currently not playing and is of no value (right now) Their roster is way below par, all things considered (compared to the better teams) Can you see them winning another game this season with Geno Smith and an under prepared rookie as their QB? And it is all about winning games. They haven't dumped Eli for tanking purposes

I'd prefer if people didn't because picks can be done after viewing the picks from other posters ... and where does it all end? Your original tips will have to stand Dappa ... otherwise the whole thing becomes a total farce. The leader of the comp holds an advantage and can tip late but they've earned that right. Those behind the leader can tip in a creative way to try and even the score.

It won't be the Giants choice with Eli - they're imploding. McAdoo & Reese are now in the firing line and the heat will be intense. Eli calls the shots from here on in - I'd say he's probably had any number of offers and would be weighing those offers up. The Giants have now made their bed and they now have to lie in it. From my point of view, Eli was their only real strong point. Their roster is way below average and their coaching is poor. The only pundits who seem to be supporting the decision to dump Eli are journo's who have never played top level sport or those who have an adoration for authority - i.e. nobody's who can't think for themselves. This whole episode reinforces my belief that many who are in positions of responsibility are completely clueless. My pet hate in sport are stupid decisions made by incompetent individuals who have too much power.

No luck my way either Wadda ... a lot of the races were over the shorter distances and when factoring in the short straight, the actual races were over before you knew it. The $1million Kingston Town Classic (1800m) is on next week so I'll butter-up again (a trifecta & a first 4) ... a number of the runners from the Railway Stakes have been entered so the form from that race could be a good guide (especially those horses that were flashing home)

Following Pike's runners has widespread appeal judging by the odds of his early runners! But as you said Wadda, the place dividend's probably won't offer a lot of value. As a consequence, I've done a few parlays in the later races but threw in a bit of value as well as a couple of Pike's other runners - a bit of both. The only horse I do like to win is State Solicitor and I'm crossing my fingers that the other picks can get into the finish with a winner or 2 amongst those other picks.

All times AEST. Friday, June 15: Russia v Saudi Arabia, Moscow (Luzhniki) (1am) Egypt v Uruguay, Yekaterinburg (10pm) Saturday, June 16: Morocco v Iran, Saint Petersburg (1am) Portugal v Spain, Sochi (4am) Australia v France Kazan (8pm) Argentina v Iceland, Moscow (Spartak) (11pm). Sunday, June 17: Peru v Denmark, Saransk (2am) Croatia v Nigeria, Kaliningrad (5am) Costa Rica v Serbia, Samara (10pm) Monday, June 18: Germany v Mexico, Moscow (Luzhniki) (1am) Brazil v Switzerland, Rostov-on-Don (4am) Sweden v South Korea, Nizhni Novgorod (10pm). Tuesday, June 19: Belgium v Panama, Sochi (1am) Tunisia v England, Volgograd (4am) Poland v Senegal, Moscow (Spartak) (10pm). Wednesday, June 20: Colombia v Japan, Saransk (1am) Russia v Egypt, Saint Petersburg (4am) Portugal v Morocco, Moscow (Luzhniki) (10pm) Thursday, June 21: Uruguay v Saudi Arabia, Rostov-on-Don (1am) Iran v Spain, Kazan (4am) France v Peru, Yekaterinburg (10pm) Friday, June 22: Australia v Denmark Samara (1am) Argentina v Croatia, Nizhni Novgorod (4am) Brazil v Costa Rica, Saint Petersburg (10pm). Saturday, June 23: Nigeria v Iceland, Volgograd (1am) Serbia v Switzerland, Kaliningrad (4am) Belgium v Tunisia, Moscow (Spartak) (10pm). Sunday, June 24: Germany v Sweden, Sochi (1am) South Korea v Mexico, Rostov-on-Don (4am) England v Panama, Nizhni Novgorod (10pm). Monday, June 25: Japan v Senegal, Yekaterinburg (1am) Poland v Colombia, Kazan (4am). Tuesday, June 26: Saudi Arabia v Egypt, Volgograd (midnight) Uruguay v Russia, Samara (midnight) Spain v Morocco, Kaliningrad (4am) Iran v Portugal, Saransk (4am). Wednesday, June 27: Denmark v France, Moscow (Luzhniki) (midnight) Australia v Peru Sochi (Midnight) Nigeria v Argentina, Saint Petersburg (4am) Iceland v Croatia, Rostov-on-Don (4am). Thursday, June 28: South Korea v Germany, Kazan (midnight) Mexico v Sweden, Yekaterinburg (midnight) Serbia v Brazil, Moscow (Spartak) (4am) Switzerland v Costa Rica, Nizhni Novgorod (4am). Friday, June 29: Japan v Poland, Volgograd (midnight) Senegal v Colombia, Samara (midnight) England v Belgium, Kaliningrad (4am) Panama v Tunisia, Saransk (4am). Sunday, July 1 Round of 16: Group C winners v Group D runners-up, Kazan (R1) (midnight) Group A winners v Group B runners-up, Sochi (R2) (4am). Monday, July 2 Round of 16: Group B winners v Group A runners-up, Moscow (Luzhniki) (R5) (midnight) Group D winners v Group C runners-up, Nizhni Novgorod (R6) (4am). Tuesday, July 3 Round of 16: Group E winners v Group F runners-up, Samara (R3) (midnight) Group G winners v Group H runners-up, Rostov-on-Don (R4) (4am). Wednesday, July 4 Round of 16: Group F winners v Group E runners-up, Saint Petersburg (R7) (midnight) Group H winners v Group G runners-up, Moscow (Spartak) (R8) (4am). Saturday, July 7 Quarter-finals: Winner of R1 v Winner of R2, Nizhni Novgorod (Q1) (midnight) Winner of R3 v Winner of R4, Kazan (Q2) (4am) Sunday, July 8 Quarter-finals: Winner of R7 v Winner of R8, Samara (Q3) (midnight) Winner of R5 v Winner of R6, Sochi (Q4) (4am) Semifinal 1: Saint Petersburg Stadium, 4am, Wednesday, July 11 Semifinal 2: Luzhiniki Stadium, 4am, Thursday, July 12 Third place playoff Sunday, July 15: Saint Petersburg (midnight) FINAL Monday, July 16: Moscow (Luzhniki) (1am)

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Willie Pike is on the $2.90 favourite (State Solicitor) in the $1million Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot on Saturday - the rest of the field isn't too shabby though. 1200 metre races can be tricky to predict and it could be a mad scramble to the final turn. Hard to pick against Pike though and State Solicitor is a good performer. As mentioned here last week by @Wadda We Sing, Pike is worth following especially in relation to parlay bets. Anyway, I'll study up on the form tomorrow and/or perhaps just defer to Pike! Winterbottom Stakes field finalised

Eli being dropped effectively ends his career at the Giants ... unless it doesn't. I tend to think he's played his last minutes though.

Eli never seems to go cold in the playoffs though ... he's beaten Favre, Rodgers & Belichick & Brady twice in 2 SB runs. And I don't reckon he's any better or worse than he's always been. I've always been a fan of big occasion players ... they're a rung down from the greats but they still win big.

Yeah ... those sorts of comparisons are often made but they've never made any sense to me.