Macca

A Des Bryant catch or non catch on the goal line with under 5 minutes to go. In the end it wasn't paid NFL.com will probably have it highlighted if you can access it. A tense game and the commentators were calling it a good one. I was just hoping for a win :-)

Was it a catch or wasn't it? It seemed unfair not to pay it but normally it isn't paid under those sort of circumstances ... however, it could be argued he was making a football move after completing the catch. Again, they've probably ruled that the ground dislodged the ball and caused the bobble. Watching it live I thought I saw the ball move and once it moves, they'll often rule it to not be a catch. Murray also fumbled the ball in the 3rd quarter which helped turn the game. Rodgers finished strong after looking shaky in the first half ... happy to get the win but the Cowboys put up a terrific fight.

No doubt he'll play (or at least start) ... how well and for how long, that's the question. You just never know in this sport ... anything could happen including Rodgers not being incapacitated at all. I'm prepared for any outcome but obviously hoping for the best. Seattle in the end were just far too good and whoever is up against them next week is in for a torrid time. The crowd was seriously loud and I thought the Panthers did well to hang in for as long as they did. The Ravens had their chances and could have won ... credit to the Pats though - too good in the end. The match was not without it's controversy though ... Tom Brady: Study the rulebook

Dallas may not get a better chance to beat the Packers in Lambeau tomorrow ... a possibly banged up Rodgers with a questionable rush defense awaits. A torn calf muscle seems a lot to overcome but they might be able to get him right. It literally is going to be a wait and see situation ... if it was just a strain then he might be ok but when there's a tear involved it makes one think he could he could tear it even more so - especially in freezing cold weather and the nature of how he plays the position. I'd like to be more confident but I'm not sure he'll be able to get away with just throwing from the pocket without a lot of movement. The best protected QB in the sport seems to be Peyton and that's probably because he rarely ventures out of the pocket. The Denver O-line has to be absolutely first rate because of how Peyton plays the position. Rodgers likes to manoeuvre himself around as a general rule. He might have to adjust his game but then our O-line would then have to play out of their skin. We'll also need Lacy to have a big one and Starks would need to chip in as well. Denver should win the later game at home - might be close though.

I'd like to see Clarke get back ... there are going to be some games where we'll need his steadying influence and his unique batting skills. In the ODI's not every batsman needs to have the capabilities of hitting the ball out of the park ... mainstays are often required especially when it gets to the QF stage onwards. I like the look of the squad but I agree with TD about the reserve keeper ... of course, one of the 14 other players would then miss out but if it were a batsman or a bowler breaking down shortly before a game then at least that type of player can be replaced (apart from the spinner) The squads are too small anyway - 17 or 18 would be a better number. It's not as if it would be much of an added cost to the countries involved.

Good effort by the Ravens but the Edelman play turned the game As for this game, Carolina are hanging in there ... the scoreline at half time could have been worse for the Panthers. They probably need to score first in the 2nd half to have a chance - however, the Seahawks do get the first possession once play resumes.

That was one hell of a finish. Lots of highlights but the KP & Maxwell partnership was terrific to watch

I guess we all see things differently ... I thought our first 5-10 minutes was average and then I thought we played really well for the rest of the match. It was a terrific open game in fact and we created plenty of chances. Kuwait were no match for us in the end but they had a go. I'm quite happy with the 4-1 scoreline and if we win our group, we'll avoid Japan until at least the semi-finals. A good start and we've got plenty of scoring opportunities with Cahill & Luongo being quite dangerous up front. Oman & especially South Korea will be much tougher opposition but I'm expecting at least 4 points from those other 2 group games - it might come down to goal difference to decide our group.

Now it's a tear in the calf muscle ... Rodgers may be far from 100 percent ... if that's the case then it's unlikely that his calf muscle has had enough time to heal. Couple that with the near freezing conditions and I can't see how he can be at his best ... or anywhere near his best if we're being brutally honest. It could be that he's just going to hand if off to Lacy and Starks and throw from the pocket only. That may or may not get it done and Dallas is sure to apply the pressure. If we have to go to Flynn or even Tolzein then we may have to end up relying on Romo not being able to take advantage - that's always a possibility

Nice equaliser from Cahill ... hopefully we can go on and win it. For those without cable the game is on ABC Grandstand radio Edit: Channel 2 are broadcasting the games involving Australia but tonight's game is on delay (10pm start) Edit (2) ... now 3-1 in front

The captain picks the batting order but I'm assuming on this occasion he'd be consulting the selectors and Coach. A no-brainer for mine anyway ... I reckon he can handle the no.3 spot with relative ease

He's come along way in a very short space of time ... Steve Smith scores fourth century of series, could bat No. 3 in Ashes series

I like Belichick's idea where the challenge flags that the coaches can use extends to penalties such as pass interference or holding penalties. They often use up their challenge flags anyway so it wouldn't necessarily add any extra time to the games. Think they get 2 challenge flags and an extra one if the first 2 are used successful. Anyway, most NFL fans are used to time outs and replay anyway - as long as the games don't descend to "flag football", I reckon it adds a bit more drama to the sport and I see it as just another part of the sport. The hold on Suh which wasn't called was fairly blatant but if we were to analyse every play of every game, they could find a reason to throw a penalty flag with even more frequency than they do now.

Baltimore 26 New England 29 Carolina 10 Seattle 33 Dallas 27 Green Bay 35 Indianapolis 19 Denver 25

What you see is what you get wisedog. Not only do I not compare t20 to test cricket, I've never really compared ODI's to test cricket - I see all 3 as separate sports with test cricket being miles ahead of the other 2 versions with regards to my preference. t20's has a high appeal to the holiday crowd, women and young people - the eyes say it all and popular culture is popular culture. Having said all that, I'm not in a hurry to watch the games ... what does interest me is the progression of this version of the game and what will happen to cricket in the future because of the presence of t20's - I'm certainly not concerned in a negative way though. The overall interest in cricket in Australia is quite high and the crowds and TV viewers reflect that opinion.

Big reversal of a pass interference call with 8.18 left in the 4th quarter in the Dallas game ... no explanation given Perhaps a call came in from Vegas Home town decisions are always likely to occur and must be factored in but the defensive player (Hitchens) doesn't look like he ever had eyes for the ball. If the original call had have stood, Detroit would have been within field goal range with a 1st down (the Lions were leading 20-17 at the time) To be fair, there were probably a number of other "iffy" pass interference calls throughout the game (there always seems to be) so I guess things evened themselves out in the end. Still, Detroit would probably feel a little aggrieved. The incident is certainly a talking point ... Pete Morelli: Penalty not warranted Leaderboard in the Playoff Comp 3 - Go the Biff, JV7, Macca 2 - pantaloons, Georgiou R.R. Martin 0 - everyone else Sunday Jan 11 8.30am Baltimore @ New England 12.15pm Carolina @ Seattle Monday Jan 12 5.00am Dallas @ Green Bay 8.30am Iindianapolis @ Denver

Ravens D getting it done ... Big Ben needs to find something

I didn't watch it Smithy ... but, I watched the end of the Heat's innings. Didn't give the Tassie side much of a chance to be honest but that must have been a terrific run chase by them. The 2 Melbourne sides go at it tonight at Docklands ... Stars are 0-3 and the Renegades are 1-2 so if the Stars lose, they'll almost certainly be out of it - KP might put on a show though and there's sure to be a big crowd.

Many attacking shots are just an extension of defensive shots ... t20 creates a situation where young players are playing the extension of the defensive shots as a first option but again, it's nothing to be too worried about. Batting is an artform but there's no reason it can't be learnt with an aggressive intent. In fact, that is what is happening a fair bit of the time. The new breed of batsmen are going to be more aggressive. Take Maxwell for example - he's got all the shots and he can play defensively but ... it's his temperament and decision making which is the issue. ... and temperament and decision making can be taught & learnt. Warner is living proof of that. He's now a much more solid player - many might have thought he'd never make it as a test player. In the future, there will be many like Warner - it stands to reason. A lot of the young Indian batsmen are and will be gravitating from t20 cricket. Like most things in sport, the cream rises to the top. Kohli & Vijay have each played 6 or 7 seasons of IPL and are in high demand in the shortest form of the game. Both can play.

I went to a number of Bushranger games (before the instigation of the big bash) and whilst I enjoyed the games back then, I lost a bit of interest because I was trying too take the games too seriously. Now, I just have the games on without watching it too intently. Most people I know watch the games for the same type of reason. Strangely enough, I watch the tennis and the footy in a similar way (apart from demon games) When I want to watch sport in a serious way, I will. t20 cricket appeals to the holiday crowd - it's a bit of fun and it's harmless. It's certainly not going to be the ruination of test cricket. In fact, the crossover of players and spectators helps the sport on an overall basis. What I find to be fascinating is how a new sport like this can take hold of the public's interest. The positive is that the public get to have a look at our players who aren't in the test side - albeit at breakneck speed

I'm kinda liking seeing all these old timers doing well in this frenetic form of the game - in some ways it doesn't make sense but of course, class is permanent. Kallis was great to watch tonight I'm thinking that this version of the game is terrific for those summer nights. Light entertainment at it's best. Not to be taken too seriously - that's the whole key.

Yeah, well ... in Warne's first 2 series he took a total of 4 wickets for 386. We should have turfed Shane out there and then ... well, those without any patience might have. Your view on Lee is a popular one but it's not one I share - our best bowlers can't all be DK Lillee/McGrath like. I watched Lee live and in my opinion he was a top player. Contrarily, I sometimes feel for the best batsmen whose average is often compared to Bradman's. It's unfair because the Don was right out there on his own. By the way, even Bradman had a poor series or 2 (by his own standards) The bit I've highlighted can't be underestimated. He was better than just being a genuine quick anyway. We'll have to agree to disagree on that one TD - I don't believe that there were too many batsmen around the world who relished facing him for that 6-7 year period. He softened them up nicely for McGrath, Gillespie, Warne et al. I'd agree that he's certainly not an all time great but that's not what I'm arguing. My argument would be somewhat similar for McDermott (another player who gets unfairly maligned because he wasn't "great") Warne was a miles better bowler than his average indicates too - averages aren't everything. Aggregates are often a better indication - not always, but 708 wickets is 708 wickets (Warne's bowling average was 25.41) Re Stoinis ... hadn't realised that he also bowls a bit of medium pace - don't know much about him but I find it interesting that he's made his way to Victoria after making his debut for WA (when he was just 19) Bats in the top 3 as well ... one to watch?

I somewhat agree with you re Ahmed but Lyon has done too well to be rested or dropped. Boyce, Muirhead and a couple of others have merit as well but we don't often pick 2 front line spinners at home these days. I see Agar as more of an all rounder right now - not a great one but who is great? Mitch Marsh would almost certainly be playing if he was fit but would we have Watson in the same team as well? I honestly believe the selectors are looking at improving the depth of our bowling within the side ... we'll get an indication of that if Agar does play in the match. My guess is that he may not play ... but, if he does play then Burns will probably make way. That might seem harsh but I'm thinking it's just for this particular test. Also, we've got a world cup coming up and then we go to the West Indies where the wickets have more recently offered a bit for the spinners. Agar could bat in the Sydney test behind Haddin in that scenario (no.7) It might also be Watson who makes way but we're in a bit of a bind with the no.3 batting spot. Burns or Marsh could bat in that spot but they do seem to want to persevere with Watson at 3. My "speculative" eleven ... Rogers Warner Watson Smith S Marsh Haddin Agar Johnson Harris Lyon Hazlewood In an ideal world I'd rest Johnson & Harris (Starc & Siddle are both in the squad so at least one of Johnson or Harris might be rested)

It's a speculative pick Smithy ... treat is as such and the merit can be seen. We've done so in the past with spectacular results ... Warne, Border and S Waugh hadn't done very much at all before they were picked for Australia ... now, I'm not for a minute putting Agar in the same category of those 3 players but I can't see what the issue is. This "banging down the door" stuff is pure rubbish if we were to completely analyse the way our players have advanced to the test side throughout history ... I even heard Border say it the other day. Honestly, when Border was first picked it was Allan who? Our memory plays tricks with us. Even Bradman hadn't done a great deal before he first got picked ... so much so that he batted at no.7 in his first test and then was promptly dropped ... if they knew he was going to average 99.94 throughout his career then why bat him so low and why drop him after 1 test? The truth is that he was a speculative pick (like most of our other greats have been) We shouldn't be at all concerned about giving some of our young blokes a go (especially in a dead rubber) If we took the same attitude in footy then when would the stars be first picked? When they're 25? Greg Chappell said it best ... "You learn how to play test cricket by playing test cricket" ... Chappell would know.

I reckon even AB would be still surprised at his match figures in this particular match ... Australia vs West Indies 4th Test 1988/89 ... not too shabby for a left arm trundler! (7/46 in the first dig) We touched on it the other day about the drop-in wickets ... the SCG wicket was often renowned as a "turner" but it's not looked upon in the same way these days ... in that particular game (above) we picked 4 front line bowlers (including 2 spinners) and 2 of our batsmen were players who often bowled in our games (S Waugh & Border) The other thing to consider is that the bowling of Warner & Smith hasn't really come on.